Born as an ant, I was summoned to ascend to immortality.

Chapter 16 Lingshu

The crowd exchanged bewildered glances. It was truly rare to see ants playing chess with insects, and they worried that winning too quickly would embarrass Yuwen Zhao.

Finally, a taciturn young man in the corner said, "Brother Yuwen, I recently acquired a ground tiger and would like to spar with this ant."

The "earth tiger" mentioned here is not a real tiger, but refers to the larvae of the noctuid moth.

This moth was originally not considered a high-class animal, but its larvae are quite remarkable. Although they are not good at direct combat, their ability to burrow underground is not to be underestimated.

Yuwen Zhao nodded: "Then please make your move."

As the taciturn youth took out an earthen-yellow spirit-raising jar, a yellow shadow darted into the game.

It was a ground tiger about a foot long. As soon as it landed, it swayed and disappeared into the earthen ground of the play area.

The formation was activated, and everyone could clearly see the earth tiger moving at an extremely fast speed through the soil below, heading straight for Zhou Li.

This is exactly the tactic of the ground tiger: sneaking underground and suddenly bursting out to attack, making it impossible to defend against.

Zhou Li stood still, seemingly oblivious.

"They are just insects after all, with limited intelligence. How could they have foreseen the danger underground?" someone shook their head.

Before he finished speaking, the earthworm had already burrowed directly beneath Zhou Li and suddenly burst out of the ground, its front teeth aimed straight at Zhou Li's abdomen!

Just then, Zhou Li seemed to realize something and took a step to the side in a flustered manner.

But this seemingly casual step caused the ground tiger's determined attack to miss its mark.

At the same time, Zhou Li's upper jaw slashed down like a pair of blood-red scissors, precisely clamping down on the tiger's nape as it emerged from the ground.

"Snap!"

A crisp sound of armor breaking rang out. The earth tiger struggled to retreat back into the ground, but Zhou Li's six legs were steady and held it firmly, its upper jaws tightening their grip once more.

He thought to himself, "Trying to show off your tunneling skills in front of me is like showing off your limited skills before an expert. I've been digging tunnels for half my life, how could I not know where you're hiding?"

A few breaths later, the tiger's head and neck were broken, and it lay limp and motionless.

From the moment the earthworm broke through the soil to its death, it was only a blink of an eye. The crowd around the stage fell silent, and no one even saw Zhou Li's movements clearly.

The taciturn youth turned pale, silently retrieved the corpse, and whispered, "Brother Yuwen's treasured insect is truly remarkable; I admire it."

Yuwen Zhao smiled and nodded, but he was even happier inside than he appeared.

"It's just a coincidence," the tall, strong young man retorted. "The Earth Tiger's methods are limited, and it's not without its weaknesses. Young Master Yuwen, I'll fight you. My Giant Herring Beetle Armor is as hard as iron and possesses immense strength, making it the perfect counter to those who rely on clever tricks to win."

"I will gladly oblige," Yuwen Zhao replied calmly.

In the next half hour, Zhou Li fought two more battles and won them one after another.

At this moment, no one around the game board dared to underestimate this ant anymore.

After three consecutive battles, even though Zhou Li's intelligence far surpassed that of his opponents, he was starting to feel the strain. However, Yuwen Zhao was in high spirits and didn't care about Zhou Li's condition at all.

Zhou Li's opponent in this match was none other than Ji Qingshan's invincible general, the Crimson-Tailed Poisonous Scorpion.

This scorpion was no bigger than the palm of my hand, yet it was as fast as lightning, extremely venomous, and possessed the power to split rocks with the opening and closing of its massive pincers.

Although Zhou Li was able to track its trajectory with his Heavenly Thunder Eyes, after a long battle, his physical strength was severely depleted, and his speed could no longer keep up with the scorpion's momentum.

Moreover, the scorpion's body defense is equally formidable, and Zhou Li's several counterattacks failed to inflict serious damage.

In contrast, the scorpion's attack was fierce, its stinger appearing and disappearing unpredictably. Suddenly, Zhou Li was caught off guard and was struck in the waist and abdomen by the scorpion's pincers.

"Sizzle!"

A sharp, grinding sound rang out as Zhou Li's armor was ripped open, revealing a deep gash that exposed flesh, and blood spurted out.

If he hadn't twisted his body in time to deflect the force, and if his carapace hadn't been repeatedly tempered by lightning and was already tough enough, he probably would have been cut in half.

A wave of excruciating pain washed over Zhou Li, and he was momentarily disoriented.

The scorpion, having gained the upper hand, pressed its advantage, its stinger transforming into a line of blood, aiming straight for his eyes.

It was clear that Zhou Li was being driven to the brink of despair.

At the critical moment of life and death, a familiar pulling force suddenly descended, it was Yuwen Zhao's will.

That immense power, originating from the depths of his soul, forcefully controlled his body, causing him to shift an inch to the side.

It was this slight movement that caused the scorpion's fatal strike to miss, while Zhou Li's powerful upper jaws bit into the scorpion's vulnerable tail and abdomen without any hindrance.

The outcome of this battle was predictable: Zhou Li won as if divinely inspired, and the sounds of admiration and Yuwen Zhao's reserved laughter could be heard from outside the game.

Zhou Li silently retracted his chin, lowered his head without making a sound, and a faint lightning pattern disappeared from the depths of his thunderous eyes.

Just now, under the vision of the Heavenly Thunder Eye, Zhou Li saw in the depths of his consciousness that countless rays of spiritual light formed a small spiritual pivot that was slowly circulating.

This spiritual pivot is divided into three layers, inner and outer, nested one inside the other, like three concentric rings that are independent of each other, yet are drawn together by some mysterious force.

Each ring is the color of jade, as thin as a cicada's wing, with countless fine textures raised on its surface.

At the very core of the Spirit Pivot lies a crystal the size of a grain of rice, perfectly round without any edges, yet with countless spiritual threads coiled around it.

These spiritual threads, as fine as hair, are distinct and separate, originating from the crystal of the core, passing through layers of nested cores, and finally anchoring on three rings.

This spiritual pivot is usually inconspicuous, but when Zhou Li's body is controlled, three intersecting rings, like star tracks, will rotate horizontally and vertically, weaving together a dazzling three-dimensional star map.

Zhou Li knew perfectly well that this was Yuwen Zhao's method of controlling him.

Yuwen Zhao only needed to use his thoughts to control the soul stone within his body through the spiritual pivot he had just seen.

Zhou Li could not resist the binding of the Soul Stone, but he could observe the operation of the Spirit Pivot and memorize and understand its mysteries. This was the ability to see the true nature that the Heavenly Thunder Eye had given him.

He was completely absorbed in reviewing that fleeting scene. He didn't know if it would be useful, but it was the only possible way for him to escape control.

Beyond the game board.

"What a fine ant!" Ji Qingshan exclaimed. "It remains calm in the face of danger, possesses remarkable resilience, and is also able to discern opportunities in battle. This ant is no ordinary creature. Brother Yuwen, would you be willing to part with it? Name your price."

Yuwen Zhao laughed heartily, "Brother Ji, you flatter me. This ant is still young and needs further training. Let's not mention the matter of parting with it again."

He put Zhou Li back into the mustard seed bowl, and then took out the best elixirs and nourishing spirits and put them into it as a reward.

After this battle, Zhou Li gained a reputation in the chess community.

Yuwen Zhao valued it more and more, and the quality of the elixirs and herbs he provided became higher and higher.

Zhou Li accepted all comers and used all the resources he received for cultivation, and his use of the Heavenly Thunder Eye became increasingly proficient.

He had lost count of how many times he had been brought into the Listening to Insects Garden and how many times he had stepped onto that purple jade playing plate.

Yuwen Zhao, relying on the power of the Soul Jade and his unique perspective outside the game board, secretly intervened at crucial moments many times, winning repeatedly without anyone in the arena noticing.

By deliberately holding back time and time again, Zhou Li not only became more familiar with the operation of the Spiritual Pivot, but also gradually formed his own unique understanding of combat. This combat experience, which he had gleaned from countless battles, was invaluable.

With the Heavenly Thunder Eye protecting him from within, Yuwen Zhao providing support from without, and all sorts of strange insects from various places feeding Zhou Li with their skills, this Insect Chess Game has practically become a sharpening ground tailor-made for Zhou Li.

Winter goes and spring comes; time flies by so quickly.