Chapter 2138: The Three-Whiskered Daoist

"God King?"

Zhang Xuan was enlightened.

Having read countless books, he had some understanding of this level of strength. The Divine Emperors hid from the world, rarely appearing, and few had ever seen them.

Those who actually wielded power over the world were the titled God Kings.

In total, there were no more than thirty such experts across the Nine Heavens, averaging about three per major faction.

Then came the God Kings, numbering just over a hundred.

All told, each region had about ten such individuals. Thus, this level of strength could be said to stand at the very pinnacle of the God Realm!

Even a High-Rank Heavenly God was powerless against an expert of this level, unable to offer the slightest resistance, let alone a Low-Rank one!

A single sweep of their divine sense would likely reduce one to ashes.

With such a person backing them, even some Mid-Rank Divine Origin Pills would hardly invite trouble.

"No one knows his real name. All that's known is that he keeps three snow-white whiskers, so he's called the Three-Whiskered Daoist! He lives not far west of the city. If you want to find him, I can take you there!"

Qi Ling'er said.

Although Night Radiance City was not under her jurisdiction, she was well-informed about it.

"Take me there!" Zhang Xuan nodded.

If the contender for the city lord position were merely a Low-Rank Heavenly God, with his current cultivation, he would have a fighting chance. But now, he was only at the early stage of Upper-Rank Divine Spirit, still some distance from the peak. Against such a strong opponent, he had little confidence.

Earlier, his cultivation had stalled because Low-Rank Divine Origin Pills had lost their effect. Now that he was here, he naturally needed to find suitable medicine to raise his cultivation first.

The Three-Whiskered Daoist's residence was not too far. After walking for about half an hour, they saw a thatched cottage with a small courtyard, standing in stark contrast to the tall buildings around it.

In a city where land was precious, such a large courtyard had not been demolished, much like certain courtyard houses in the imperial capital. This alone was enough to deter countless troublemakers.

Before they reached the courtyard, a voice sounded from within.

"Senior, your chess skills are superb. I am far inferior!"

"Although you made a few poor moves, overall you did quite well. With more practice, you may have a chance to surpass me..."

An aged voice replied.

"Thank you for your guidance, Senior..."

"Creak!"

The courtyard door opened, and a young man with a face like jade walked out, his expression full of frustration. Followed by a servant, he slipped past Zhang Xuan and the others, disappearing into the long alley of Night Radiance City.

"Because Senior Three-Whiskers is a master of chess, many come to challenge him every day. That one must have been one of them!"

Qi Ling'er explained with a smile. She stepped up to the door and called out, "Qi Ling'er of the Imperial City Qi Family requests an audience with Senior Three-Whiskers. I hope you will see me!"

"Whatever Qi family or whatever—it has nothing to do with me. I don't want to see anyone. Go back!"

The old man's voice continued.

"Senior, please don't refuse. I am not here to throw my family's weight around, but to pay a visit and ask a favor! I beg you to see me..." Startled, Qi Ling'er quickly said.

If it were anyone else, mentioning the Imperial City Qi Family would have them rushing to greet her, afraid to offend. But this man flatly refused, seemingly unafraid of offending anyone. His temper was indeed peculiar.

However, although the Qi Family was powerful, this place was not the Imperial City, and it was impossible to take offense over such a trivial matter. Even if he refused, there was nothing to be done.

"I am but a carefree recluse with no abilities. I certainly can't help. Forget it..."

The old man in the courtyard seemed unwilling to get involved with the Qi Family and continued.

Frowning, Qi Ling'er grew displeased.

She stepped forward again, about to speak, when Zhang Xuan waved his hand and said, "Senior, I am Zhang Xuan, a wandering cultivator. I have also studied chess quite deeply and would like to play a game with you. What do you say?"

"You're skilled at chess too?" The old man hesitated, seeming tempted, but still said, "I've already played my three games for today. Come back tomorrow!"

"Three games?"

"I am obsessed with chess, but to avoid neglecting other matters, I limit myself to three games a day. That young man just now was the last game of the day. If you want to play, come back tomorrow!"

The old man said.

"Tomorrow is too late. I might leave Night Radiance City today..." Zhang Xuan shook his head.

Having rushed here so quickly, he was unwilling to wait a day.

"Whether you leave or not is none of my business!" The old man snorted, seemingly reluctant to meet.

"Senior, don't be so hasty. Since we're playing chess, there will be winners and losers. How about we make a bet?"

Zhang Xuan smiled calmly. "I am confident in my chess skills. There are few in the world who can beat me. How about this: if you can defeat me, I will grant you one request, as long as it does not violate morality. Anything is fine. Of course, if I win, I will also make a request of you... What do you think?"

"Anything?" The old man frowned, surprised by the young man's arrogance.

"Indeed!" Zhang Xuan nodded.

"Then I want that beast pet behind you!" The old man said.

Although he had not come out, he had already seen Zhang Jia behind Zhang Xuan and recognized him.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have spoken so much with a young man.

"I'm sorry. Although this is my pet, he is also my brother and friend. I cannot use him as a wager. Please name another request!" Zhang Xuan waved his hand.

"Master..." Zhang Jia's eyes reddened.

He had thought his master would surely use him as a wager—after all, a beast pet was insignificant. He never dreamed his master would say such a thing.

His master did not treat him as a pet, but as a friend and brother...

From now on, he would go through fire and water for his master without hesitation.

"Oh?" The old man was taken aback by this response. "Then you have nothing I want. There's no need to bet."

"Nothing you want? That may not be true!"

Zhang Xuan smiled faintly, flicked his finger, and a phantom image appeared before him. In the image, a figure was beside a furnace, lighting it and refining pills. His fingers flew, displaying extremely profound techniques.

"Senior, you are skilled in alchemy. What do you think of this alchemy technique?" He hooked his finger, and the phantom vanished as if it had never been.

"This alchemy technique of yours..."

The old man's voice was full of surprise.

Others might not see anything special in the phantom, but he was proficient in alchemy and could tell at a glance that it contained an extremely exquisite alchemy method, far superior to his own.

"Come in!"

After a moment, the courtyard door creaked open.

An old servant came over and made a gesture of invitation.

Smiling faintly, Zhang Xuan walked in first, followed closely by Qi Ling'er and the others.

Through his reading, he knew that the alchemy of the God Realm was connected to that of the Master Teacher Continent. Having mastered the world's knowledge, his alchemy skills, even here, had reached the pinnacle. Using this to attract the other party was no big deal.

The courtyard was small. An old man sat at a stone table in the center, his three whiskers fluttering in the wind, giving him an immortal air.

"Let's begin!"

Too lazy to waste words, the old man picked up a chess piece and looked at the board without raising his head.

He neither mentioned the previous bet nor brought up the alchemy method.

Smiling, Zhang Xuan approached. Just as he was about to sit down, he suddenly paused and frowned.

He had thought the chess would be the same as on the Master Teacher Continent, but the board here was completely different.

On the Master Teacher Continent, he had read countless books on chess and was undoubtedly at the pinnacle. But now, with a different board, the rules must also be different. If he didn't know the rules, how could he win?

"What's wrong?"

Seeing him stop, the old man frowned.

"Senior, please wait. I am not only obsessed with chess but also cherish it like my life. Playing chess with a master is a sacred matter and cannot be taken lightly. I need to calm my mind and pray to the gods first!"

Zhang Xuan smiled, his face not reddening, his breath not quickening.

Hearing this, the old man's previously indifferent expression turned serious, and a look of approval appeared in his eyes.

The higher one's chess skill, the more reverence one has, not arrogance.

This young man, though young, possessed such a mindset—truly rare.

Smiling, Zhang Xuan closed his eyes, pretending to pray, but secretly sent a voice transmission to Qi Ling'er and Zhang Jia, who were not far away.

"Do either of you know... the rules of this chess?"

Qi Ling'er and Zhang Jia: "???"

They had just heard him speak so confidently, claiming his chess skills were superb, but it turned out he didn't even know the rules?

Even if he knew the rules now, it was too late!

Zhang Jia, in particular, felt his entire being about to crash.

He had come here to bet with the other party, just thinking his master was all-powerful and all-knowing, only to have him ask what the rules were...

Did he really think that after just asking, having never played once, he could beat this chess master?

Although as a divine beast, he rarely played human chess, when he was alone on the mountain, he had studied it out of boredom.

The chess the Three-Whiskered Daoist was playing was the Luo Shen Chess common in the God Realm, many times more complex than ordinary Go.

Though the gameplay was simple, technique was crucial, demanding great wisdom and talent.

Some people spent their entire lives with mediocre chess skills.

Even many God Kings were only average at chess.

This old man could make all the experts in the city helpless—his skill was unimaginable...

Not knowing a single rule, he challenged him and made such a big bet...

Could he not be so thrilling?

After a moment of speechlessness, Qi Ling'er transmitted, "The rules of this chess are..."

Soon, she explained them.

The rules were simple, but the variations were endless. Skilled players could see dozens of moves ahead, each move with endless follow-ups, full of subtlety.

Those who didn't understand, even if they knew the rules, would be easily crushed, not knowing what to do.

"Oh!"

Ignoring their frustration, Zhang Xuan breathed a sigh of relief.

Fortunately, the rules were simple and not complicated to execute. Otherwise, learning on the spot would have left him at a loss.

"Can we start now?"

After waiting a moment, seeing that the young man seemed to have finished his prayer, the Three-Whiskered Daoist looked over again.