Chapter 2633 Playing a Game

There was suddenly a flash of light, and a figure appeared next to the old pine tree. It was the red-clad young man whose white hair was tied in a ponytail. His handsome face was as expressionless as ever. When he saw Lin Xun standing next to Qingfeng and Qingyue, his eyes narrowed imperceptibly.

“Xuanfu,” the gray-clothed man greeted him with a smile. Although his junior brother Xuanfu was the youngest of his peers in Miluo Grotto Heaven, his skills in runes and his combat prowess were unmatched!

The gray-clothed man immediately transmitted to Xuanfu all of Lin Xun's actions so far in detail.

After the listen, Xuanfu frowned. His eyes became intimidatingly cold as he stared at Lin Xun, “You wish to meet the founding master?”

Lin Xun burst into laughter, “So Mister Lu really is your founding master.”

Joy flooded his heart. Too many years had passed since he had left that mine prison as a youth. Now that he finally found the opportunity to see Mister Lu again, the happiness he felt was difficult to suppress.

“Mister Lu...” Xuanfu frowned, “The founding master left Miluo Grotto Heaven years ago. I advise you to leave.”

Lin Xun raised a brow, “Where did he go?”

Xuanfu asked back, “Why should I tell you?”

The situation immediately became tense! In the oppressive atmosphere, Lin Xun pondered quickly and asked, “You suspect that I’ve come here to cause trouble?”

Xuanfu replied indifferently, “Is that not the case?”

Lin Xun suddenly smiled. Pointing at the chessboard between Qingfeng and Qingyue, he proposed, “How about we play a match? If I win, you answer my question. If I lose, I'll immediately excuse myself."

Xuanfu was stunned, “Are you sure?”

The gray-clothed man looked just as surprised, almost thinking he had heard wrong. “My friend, do you understand that such a game tests one's proficiency in runes?”

Outsiders might not know, but it couldn’t be clearer to him that their Miluo Grotto Heaven had no equal anywhere in the field of runes! To think that someone had challenged one of their disciples to a game... This was nothing short of showing off one’s tricks in front of the true expert, courting humiliation!

At this moment, the gray-clothed man almost felt what Xuanfu was feeling and why he had taken a moment to ask,

‘Are you sure?’

Anyone in Miluo Grotto Heaven who heard such a request would probably find it absurd.

“Don't forget how I got in here.” Lin Xun smiled at the gray-clothed man.

The latter was stumped for a moment before he seemed to understand, “You’re here to challenge us and find out whose sect is superior to the other regarding runes?”

Lin Xun's smile dropped. The corners of his lips twitched, “I repeat: I came here to find Mister Lu.”

Meanwhile, Xuanfu walked over to Qingfeng and Qingyue, picked them up, and handed them to the gray-clothed man’s custody. Then, he sat down cross-legged at one side of the chessboard and said, “Begin.”

Clearly, he had agreed to Lin Xun's proposal.

Lin Xun also sat down cross-legged opposite him. The gray-clothed man asked from the side, “Do you know the rules of this?”

Lin Xun replied nonchalantly, “Whether it's the Three Talents, the Six Directions, the Nine Palaces, the Thirty-Six Heavenly Spirits, or the Seventy-Two Earthly Stars Go Game, any of them is fine. Of course, if you have other rules besides those, feel free to tell me now. I'll take them all on.”

The gray-clothed man stared blankly. “So well-prepared! You really aren't here to compete and decide whose sect is superior?”

Lin Xun was genuinely reluctant to respond to this man. His thought process was too peculiar, leaving one not knowing whether to cry or laugh.

“You're the guest, so you choose the format.” Xuanfu's expression remained wooden.

“Then the Nine Palaces Go Game it is.” Lin Xun didn't refuse. He casually picked up a black piece and placed it on the board. Instantly, a magical and obscure array appeared on the square.

The gray-clothed man, who was also quite skilled in runes, was amazed to see it. He became even more convinced that Lin Xun had come prepared, perhaps with ill intent even!

The two children stood to the side as curious observers. Qingfeng asked, “Senior Uncle Muwei, what’s the significance of this move?”

The gray-clothed man called Muwei explained, “This is the Lesser Yin Yang Five Elements, a fairly common array, nothing to be surprised about. After this match ends, I will go over every detail and explain it to you two. For now, you keep quiet and watch like a person of virtue would.”

This was said to not only Qingfeng and Qingyue but also to Lin Xun, telling him that no one else would interfere in the game.

At this moment, Xuanfu picked up a white piece and tapped it on a square. A clever array subsequently appeared.

Lin Xun inwardly nodded. Xuanfu's mastery of runes was indeed extraordinary. While thinking this, he picked up a black piece and placed it on the board. Xuanfu followed suit. As the two exchanged moves, intricate arrays occupied the different squares of the small board one after another.

Xuanfu wasn’t particularly serious at first, but gradually, his brows furrowed when he realized he had encountered a formidable opponent. He stopped taking the match lightly and started giving it his full attention.

Muwei was similar. He initially had full confidence in Xuanfu and believed that the intruder would suffer a crushing defeat in no time. However, as the game unfolded, his expression grew solemn, and he even started having chills!

As for the two children, they were already dazzled by the complexity of the match. The tactics being employed completely surpassed their ability to understand as they were too deep and obscure.

Even so, they still noticed that Xuanfu was slowly taking more time with each turn. By now, his every move required careful consideration, whereas Lin Xun continued to play with ease and placed his pieces almost without needing to think.

The small stream gurgled, and the pine trees rustled in the breeze, but the tranquil surroundings were filled with a heavy silence.

As Xuanfu's pace kept getting slower and his contemplation longer, Qingfeng unconsciously became anxious. He looked up at Muwei with something to say, but was dumbfounded to see the latter’s forehead drenched in sweat, eyes wide in astonishment, and brows furrowed with visible concern.

He looked as though he were Xuanfu at the moment, feeling immense pressure as he engaged in an intense match.

It was also then that Qingfeng noticed the addition of many people in this area. They were all elders of Miluo Grotto Heaven. Men or women, old or young, they all stood and watched the game of chess quietly.

Their expressions all carried at least a hint of astonishment. Apparently, Lin Xun's performance had also taken them aback.

Upon spotting an odd-looking, middle-aged man in feathered clothing among the spectators, Qingfeng almost exclaimed out loud.

“Don't make a sound, lest you disturb them,” the middle-aged man looked at Qingfeng, and at the same time, his deep, gentle voice echoed in the little boy’s mind. After that, he turned his gaze back to the chessboard with an unusual expression.

Six hours into the match, Lin Xun suddenly looked up and smiled, “Shall we stop here?”

Xuanfu took a moment before replying with a blank expression, “You need not give way to me. I no longer seek victory with this game, I only wish to lose fair and square.”

Lin Xun nodded, “Alright.”

The game proceeded to take less than an hour more until Lin Xun looked up at Xuanfu again and said, “Thank you for the match.”

Xuanfu’s lips were pressed together in silence. After a while, he said, “Don’t be modest. I know you have nothing to gain from our match because my skills are far inferior to yours.”

At that moment, the crowd all breathed out in unison, as if to release the tension and pressure in their chests. They then revealed complicated expressions. Xuanfu was the most outstanding disciple of Miluo Grotto Heaven in this generation, and his rune expertise was so profound that it had left many with nothing but amazement.

Despite that, he had been defeated by a stranger! Who was this unfamiliar man? What was the true depth of his attainments in runes?

“There’s no way...” Muwei yelped in a daze, unable to accept the result.

“It’s normal to have wins and losses. Besides, the goal of the game is to study and analyze runes in order to enhance one's own skills. For Xuanfu, this defeat is actually a good thing,” the feather-clad middle-aged man who had a unique appearance commented good-naturedly.

Everyone nodded in approval.

That middle-aged man then turned to Lin Xun and introduced himself, “I am Xu Ruogu, currently serving as the leader of Miluo Grotto Heaven. Muwei has already informed me of your purpose, and I merely want to confirm it: you wish to see our founding master?”

Lin Xun stood up and cupped his fist, “That is correct.”

Xu Ruogu seemed to ponder something before he smiled, “The founding master is no longer here. But you must be here for an important matter. Please come with me to the main building, and we will have a discussion there.”

“Thank you,” said Lin Xun.

Xu Ruogu immediately led the way, bringing Lin Xun up the mountain. Watching them leave, Muwei and the other disciples of Miluo Grotto Heaven began to whisper among themselves.

“Who is that person? How is he so good at the art of runes?”

“He said he came to see the founding master. Maybe they’re old acquaintances?”

“He’s indeed formidable. His mastery in the dao of runes has reached an unimaginable level far beyond our reach. Perhaps only the founding master himself can beat him.”

Amidst the murmurs, Xuanfu, who had been sitting there with a wooden face, suddenly stood up with a bright light in his eyes.

“I think I know who he is!” he exclaimed and teleported toward the mountain peak.

The crowd was startled, confused, and wanted to pursue the matter, but Xuanfu had already vanished from sight.

“Let’s go and see it for ourselves,” Muwei suggested and took action right away. The others also followed him up the mountain.

Meanwhile, in an ancient, towering palace among the rolling clouds at the mountain peak, as soon as Xu Ruogu led Lin Xun into the main hall, he bowed and asked solemnly, “May I ask...if you are Young Master Lin Xun?”