Chapter 636: Child

**Volume Five: Gaining Renown**

The group had just flown up to the stone gate when the yellow-robed cultivator's token pulsed with light, and the passage they had used vanished instantly.

"Follow closely," the cultivator said, his gaze sweeping over them indifferently.

He then began to move his fingers rapidly, forming complex hand seals. Suddenly, he spun around and raised both hands. Two piercing rays, one crimson and one yellow, shot from his hands, striking the stone gate that was covered in restrictions.

Immediately, the tight-sealed blue gate began to glow as its runes flickered to life, one by one. With a low hum, the gate slowly swung open, revealing a long, rectangular passage within.

Without a word, the yellow-robed cultivator strode into the passage. After exchanging glances, the others followed him in.

Han Li walked among the other disciples, appearing to look straight ahead, but his spiritual sense was actively scanning everything in the vicinity.

The rectangular passage appeared to have been carved directly into the mountain using magical artifacts. Its walls were unusually smooth, and every few steps, profound and intricate runes were etched onto their surface. Though he couldn't examine them closely at the moment, he knew these carvings were certainly not merely decorative.

The passage wasn't long; after traversing only about a hundred zhang, everyone's eyes brightened as they emerged into a neat stone hall. The hall was quite spacious, spanning roughly fifty to sixty zang in width and seven to eight zhang in height.

In the center of the stone hall stood a several-foot-wide green stone platform. Its surface was crisscrossed with ten vertical engraved lines, forming a massive chessboard. Black and white pieces were scattered across the board, seemingly at a critical juncture.

On either side of the chessboard, an old man and a young boy sat cross-legged, holding black and white pieces. The old man, dressed in brocade, had a long face and appeared to be in his fifties. The boy, only seven or eight years old, had red lips and white teeth, resembling a reincarnated jade immortal.

"Uncle Lan! How are you here?"

Upon seeing the boy, the cultivator surnamed Bai gasped aloud in surprise. He then rushed forward and bowed deeply in respect.

"Uncle Lan?"

The grey-robed elder and the middle-aged cultivator from Hundred Craft Institute were initially surprised to see an unfamiliar child present. However, upon hearing the cultivator surnamed Bai address him, their expressions changed dramatically. Observing the child's small braids, bare feet, and golden armbands, a legendary senior figure instantly came to mind.

"'Juniors Du Hui and Yu Shan'an greet Senior Lan!' Startled, the two quickly bowed without hesitation."

"'Stand up. Can't you see Martial Nephew Hu and I are at a crucial point in our game? Don't make a sound; whatever it is, wait until I finish this game to discuss it.' The boy, despite his tender skin and childish voice, spoke with an air of profound age and authority."

"'Yes, Senior!' The three Core Formation cultivators, including the one surnamed Bai, replied without hesitation, then stood nearby with their hands respectfully at their sides, not daring to show any hint of displeasure."

The long-faced elder, who was playing chess with the boy, offered a wry smile to the trio but said nothing.

As for the yellow-robed cultivator, he had stood respectfully behind the boy ever since entering the stone hall, observing the decorum of a disciple.

Among the young cultivators who had followed them, a stir immediately went through the group. They had just heard three Grandmasters address a seven or eight-year-old child as 'Martial Uncle'. How could these Qi Condensation disciples not understand the implications of such a title? Their eyes widened, and they stared intently at the boy, their hearts pounding with excitement.

The moment Han Li saw the boy, he was startled as well. This was a genuine early-stage Nascent Soul cultivator; how could he be here? However, he quickly regained his composure.

While he was no match for an early-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, escaping from one was no longer a difficult feat for him. Furthermore, he was confident that the boy's presence here was not specifically for him. Thus, Han Li maintained a calm expression. Internally, however, he quietly considered what implications the boy's sudden appearance might have on his plans.

Finally, after the boy and the long-faced elder played for nearly another fifteen minutes, the long-faced elder respectfully pushed the chessboard away and spoke.

"'Senior Lan's chess skills are exceptional; this disciple is no match. I humbly concede defeat!'"

Upon hearing this, the boy's face brightened with a hint of pleasure. But then his dark eyes darted around, and he spoke suspiciously: "'Martial Nephew Hu, you weren't intentionally holding back, were you? I've made it clear to you, when playing chess with me, you must never go easy!'"

"'How could this junior dare to deceive a senior? It's simply that your chess skills have truly surpassed your former self,' the long-faced elder quickly explained, his expression seeming to stretch a little further."

"'Hehe, I also feel my chess skills have improved considerably. It seems sparring with those few chess masters in the mortal world wasn't a waste of time after all,' the boy chuckled, his smile widening."

"'Alright. Put away the chess pieces. It's time for us to attend to serious matters,' the boy said, his smile abruptly fading as he changed the subject."

Then, twisting his small frame, he turned to face the cultivators who had been waiting patiently. He blinked his large, clear eyes a few times, sweeping his gaze across the faces of the Core Formation cultivators before finally settling on the scholar's face.

"'Martial Nephew Bai, how many years have you been with the Ancient Sword Sect?' the boy asked slowly."

"'This junior has been a member for over a hundred years,' the cultivator surnamed Bai replied honestly, though he looked a bit startled and confused by the question."

"'Over a hundred years! That's quite a long time for you,' the boy remarked, a peculiar expression flashing across his face as he let out a soft sigh."

"'Martial Uncle, what do you mean by that?' the green-robed scholar asked, his expression subtly shifting, though he quickly forced a smile."

"'What do I mean? As the personal disciple of the Grand Firmament Pavilion Master of the Righteous Path, you've spent all these years in *our* sect. Our Ancient Sword Sect simply cannot accommodate a powerful figure like yourself. Have you ever considered returning to visit your master?' the boy said, his voice turning chilling as he fixed his gaze on the scholar."

Upon hearing the boy's words, the scholar surnamed Bai's face instantly went stark white.

The grey-robed elder and the middle-aged cultivator from Hundred Craft Institute, standing nearby, exchanged astonished glances and instinctively took a few steps away from the scholar.

"'Daoist Bai, is what Senior Lan said true?' the middle-aged cultivator asked, his voice filled with disbelief."

The scholar's face flushed, then paled, but he offered no explanation.

"'Since Martial Uncle has already investigated my background thoroughly, it seems pointless for me, Bai, to deny it. However, I will not surrender willingly!' After a moment of grim contemplation, the scholar finally spoke."

But just as the final word left his lips, a flash of white light enveloped him, and he shot backward like a crossbow bolt into the crowd of disciples behind him. With a swift movement, a large, glowing white hand immediately reached out to seize one of them. It was none other than Meng Di, the black-robed youth possessing the 'Nine-Spirit Sword Physique!'

"'What are you doing?!' the grey-robed elder and the middle-aged cultivator roared in unison, light flashing around their bodies as they prepared to intervene, but they were clearly a step too late."

Meng Di, however, remained unfazed by the sudden assault. He raised his hand and unleashed a chilling sword qi, fiercely slashing at the luminous hand. However, their cultivation levels were too disparate. The sword qi struck the glowing hand without causing the slightest damage; instead, it was instantly crushed and scattered. Just as Meng Di was about to be captured by the scholar, the scholar's body suddenly trembled, and he slumped weakly to the ground.

The glowing hand instantly dissolved into a shimmering orb of light and vanished without a trace. The black-robed youth stood frozen in place, utterly bewildered.

"'Hmph! You've cultivated our sect's Taibai Qi Transformation Hand quite well. But did you forget, I didn't actually come here just to play chess?' the boy muttered, rubbing his small hands expressionlessly."

Apart from Han Li, no one in the stone hall understood how the boy had acted, or how he had subdued the scholar.

Han Li narrowed his eyes, first at the fallen scholar, then at the boy, a peculiar expression flitting across his face. The instant the scholar made his move, Han Li, through his spiritual sense, was astonished to perceive a faint red thread flash out from beneath the boy's foot. The moment this thread pierced the scholar's body, he instantly flipped over and collapsed.

At first, he thought it was some kind of insidious flying needle artifact, but a swift sweep of his spiritual sense revealed something astonishing: the faint red thread contained a subtle, chilling aura, suggesting it was actually sword qi refined into a filament. This realization greatly impressed Han Li!

He had previously heard that exceptionally skilled sword cultivators, upon reaching a certain level of mastery, could freely transform their sword energy into fine threads, capable of shattering countless techniques with a single strike! Now, he had witnessed it firsthand. To cultivate sword qi to such a degree was truly an unbelievable feat!

"'Martial Nephew Hu, confine him in the Dragon Trapping Cave. He cannot be killed just yet; us old fellows still have other uses for him!' The boy tilted his slender neck, turning to the long-faced elder who had just been playing chess with him."

The long-faced elder's heart tightened, and he assented. He took a few steps, lifted the scholar, and then entered a side door in the stone hall, vanishing from sight.

Witnessing this, Han Li's gaze subtly shifted to glance at Du Dong. Du Dong appeared outwardly calm, but a careful observation revealed his hands, which hung at his sides, were unconsciously clenched into fists, betraying his inner tension. Seeing this, Han Li secretly smiled faintly and ceased to pay attention to Du Dong.