Cui Chan's Great Exam Scheme

Overview

As the Lizhu Grotto-Heaven approached the end of its three-thousand-year lifespan, Great Li National Master Cui Chan orchestrated a massive hidden plot, treating the entire pocket dimension as a chessboard. His primary goal was to force his junior brother, the sitting sage Qi Jingchun, into a fatal dilemma. Cui Chan determined that Qi Jingchun had to die within the grotto-heaven, not only to prevent him from interfering with the Great Li Dynasty's overarching continental conquest but also to serve as Cui Chan's ultimate opportunity to prove his own "Merit" (事功) Dao philosophy.

To achieve this, Cui Chan meticulously arranged what he called a "Great Exam" (大考). Surprisingly, the sole candidate of this grand exam was an impoverished, ordinary orphan from Mud Bottle Alley named Chen Ping'an. Cui Chan anticipated that a dying Qi Jingchun would attempt to pass on his cultural lineage and hopes to the people around him—such as Ma Zhan, Zhao Yao, and Song Jixin. Cui Chan manipulated the board specifically to force Qi Jingchun into making these selections, with the malicious intent of systematically destroying those chosen "chess pieces" later, thereby completely severing Qi Jingchun's incense and legacy.

Outcome / Consequences

Cui Chan's relentless strategic pressure succeeded in forcing Qi Jingchun to shoulder the Heavenly Dao's backlash alone, leading to the sage's death and the fall of the grotto-heaven. Furthermore, this hidden exam inextricably entangled the young Chen Ping'an in a continent-wide chess game; from the moment the exam concluded, Chen Ping'an's subsequent journey across the Bao Ping Continent was continuously monitored and indirectly manipulated by the Great Li Dynasty and the mastermind Cui Chan.

References

• 剑来2：忽为远行客，第六章 — 梦想: Details Cui Chan's explanation to Wu Yuan regarding the "Great Exam" designed for Chen Ping'an, and his true motives to sever Qi Jingchun's lineage and prove his own Dao.
• 剑来2：忽为远行客，第七章 — 大考落幕: Marks the chronological conclusion of this exam alongside the physical fall of the Lizhu Grotto-Heaven.