Chapter 2164: Three-Beard Daoist

"God King?" Zhang Xuan suddenly understood.

Having read countless books, he had gained some understanding of this level of power. Emperors remained hidden from the world, rarely appearing, and few had ever seen them. The true wielders of power in the world were the Conferred God Kings.

There were no more than thirty such powerful individuals across all Nine Heavens, averaging about three per major faction. Below them were the regular God Kings, numbering over a hundred. This meant each region had around ten God Kings, indicating that those with this level of power stood at the very pinnacle of the God Realm!

Even High-tier Heavenly Gods were powerless against such mighty figures, unable to offer any resistance, let alone Low-tier ones! A mere sweep of their divine sense could likely turn someone to ashes. With such an individual as a backer, no one would dare cause trouble over some Mid-tier God Origin Pills.

"No one knows his real name. We only know he has three snow-white whiskers, so he's called the 'Three-Whiskered Daoist'!" Qi Ling'er explained. "He lives not far from the west side of the city. If you want to go, I can take you there!" Although Nightglow City wasn't her direct jurisdiction, she was remarkably well-informed about it.

"Take me there!" Zhang Xuan nodded. If the contender for City Lord was merely a Low-tier Heavenly God, he might have a chance to fight with his current cultivation. However, he was currently only at the early stage of High-tier Spirit God, still some distance from the peak. Encountering a powerful figure like a God King would leave him with little confidence. His cultivation had previously stalled because Low-tier God Origin Pills had lost their effectiveness. Now that he was here, it was natural to first find suitable medicine to advance his cultivation.

The Three-Whiskered Daoist's residence wasn't too far. After walking for less than half an hour, they saw a small thatched cottage with a modest courtyard, which seemed out of place among the tall surrounding buildings. In a city where every inch of land was precious, the fact that such a large courtyard remained intact and hadn't been demolished, much like some courtyards in the Imperial City, was enough to deter countless troublemakers.

Before they reached the entrance, a voice rang out from inside the courtyard. "Senior, your chess skills are exquisite; I am far from your equal!"

"Though you made a few less-than-ideal moves, overall, it was quite good. With diligent practice, you might one day surpass me..." an aged voice replied.

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

With a creak, the courtyard gate opened. A young man, whose face was as smooth as jade, emerged, his expression full of regret. Followed by a servant, he swiftly passed Zhang Xuan and his companions, then disappeared into the long alleyways of Nightglow City.

"Because Senior Three-Whiskered Daoist's chess skills are so profound, many come to challenge him every day. That young man must have been one of them!" Qi Ling'er explained, smiling slightly. She approached the gate and spoke, her voice carrying inside: "Qi Ling'er of the Imperial City's Qi Clan, respectfully requests an audience with Senior Three-Whiskered Daoist!"

"What Qi Clan, what other clans? They have nothing to do with me. I don't wish to see anyone; go back!" The old man's voice continued.

Qi Ling'er was momentarily stunned, then quickly said, "Senior, please don't refuse. I am not here to pressure you with the Qi Clan's name. I've come to pay my respects and ask for a favor! I sincerely hope you will grant me an audience..." If it had been anyone else, mentioning the Imperial City's Qi Clan would have surely prompted an immediate welcome, for fear of offending them. Yet, this person flatly refused, clearly unafraid of offending anyone, indicating a truly eccentric temperament. However, while the Qi Clan was powerful, this place was not in the Imperial City, and it was unlikely they would take offense over such a minor matter. Even if the other party refused, there was little they could do.

"I'm merely a reclusive wanderer, without much ability, and certainly unable to help. Let's just leave it at that..." The old man in the courtyard, seemingly unwilling to get involved with the Qi Clan, continued.

Frowning, Qi Ling'er was clearly displeased. She took another step forward, about to speak again, when Zhang Xuan waved his hand. "Senior," he said, "I am Zhang Xuan, a rogue cultivator. I also have some proficiency in chess and would like to play a game with you, if that's possible!"

"You're also skilled in chess?" The old man paused, seemingly intrigued, but still said, "I've already played my three games for today. Come back tomorrow!"

"Three games?"

"I'm obsessed with chess," the old man explained, "but to prevent it from delaying other matters, I've set a rule to play only three games a day. The young man who just left was my last opponent for today. If you wish to play, please return tomorrow!"

"Tomorrow will be too late. I might be leaving Nightglow City today..." Zhang Xuan shook his head. Having rushed here so quickly, he was certainly unwilling to wait another day.

"Whether you leave or not, what concern is that of mine?" the old man snorted, seemingly uninterested in meeting him.

"Senior, please don't be so quick to dismiss me. Since we're playing a game, there will naturally be a winner and a loser. How about we make a wager?" Zhang Xuan, unhurried, smiled faintly. "I am confident in my chess skills; there are few in the world who can defeat me. So, here's my proposal: if you can defeat me, I will grant you one request, anything at all, as long as it doesn't go against morality. And of course, if I defeat you, I will make one request of you... How does that sound?"

"Anything at all?" The old man frowned, surprised by the speaker's arrogance.

"That's right!" Zhang Xuan nodded.

"Then I want the beast pet behind you!" the old man declared. Although the old man hadn't come out, he had already seen Zhang Jia behind Zhang Xuan and recognized his identity. Otherwise, he wouldn't have engaged in such a long conversation with a young man.

"I'm sorry," Zhang Xuan waved his hand, "but although he is my pet, he is also my brother and friend. I cannot use him as a wager. Please choose a different request!"

"Master..." Zhang Jia's eyes reddened. He had assumed his master would definitely use him as a wager, seeing him as just an insignificant pet. He had never dreamed his master would say such a thing. His master didn't consider him a pet, but a friend and brother, and from that moment, Zhang Jia vowed to go through fire and water for him.

"Oh?" The old man was surprised by this reply and paused for a moment. "Then you have nothing I desire, so there's no need for a wager!"

"Nothing you desire? That might not be true!"

Zhang Xuan smiled faintly, flicked his finger, and a phantasmal image appeared before them. In the image, a figure stood beside an alchemy furnace, lighting it and refining pills, their five fingers moving with extremely profound techniques.

"Senior," he said, beckoning with a finger, and the phantom vanished as if it had never been there. "You are skilled in alchemy. I wonder if this set of alchemy techniques of mine is worthy of your attention?"

"Your alchemy techniques..." The old man's voice was full of surprise. Others might not have understood the phantom image, but as a master alchemist, he could tell at a glance that it contained an extremely exquisite set of alchemy techniques, one that was countless times more advanced than his own.

"Come in!"

A moment later, the courtyard gate creaked open. An old servant approached and made an inviting gesture. Smiling faintly, Zhang Xuan entered first, with Qi Ling'er and the others following closely.

Having read books, he knew that the alchemy techniques in the God Realm were similar to those on the Master Teacher Continent. As someone who had mastered knowledge across the world, his alchemy skills were already at a peak level, even here. Using them to attract the other party was not a challenge.

The courtyard was small. An old man sat at a stone table in the center, his three strands of whiskers fluttering in the wind, lending him an air of immortality and wisdom.

"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, neither mentioning their previous wager nor the alchemy techniques.

Smiling faintly, Zhang Xuan approached and was about to sit down when he suddenly paused, a frown appearing on his face. Upon hearing "chess," he had assumed it would be similar to the game played on the Master Teacher Continent. He hadn't expected the chess here to be completely different. He had read countless books on the chess of the Master Teacher Continent and was undoubtedly at its peak. But if the game was different now, the way to play it would also be different. How could he win if he didn't even know the rules?

"What's wrong?" Seeing him stop, the old man frowned.

"Senior, please wait a moment," Zhang Xuan said, smiling slightly, his face betraying no hint of embarrassment. "Not only am I obsessed with chess, I treasure it like my life. Playing against a master is a sacred act and must not be taken lightly. I need to calm my mind and pray to the gods first!"

Hearing this, the old man's previously indifferent expression turned serious, and a look of approval appeared in his eyes. The greater one's chess skill, the more reverence one felt for the game, rather than arrogance. For this young man to possess such a mindset at his age was truly rare.

Smiling faintly, Zhang Xuan closed his eyes, pretending to pray, but secretly transmitted a message to Qi Ling'er and Zhang Jia, who were not far away. "Does either of you know... the rules of this chess game?"

Qi Ling'er and Zhang Jia exchanged bewildered looks. He had just confidently claimed his chess skills were extraordinary, and yet, it turned out he didn't even know the rules? Even if he learned the rules now, wouldn't it be too late?! Zhang Jia, in particular, felt his entire being was about to crash.

They had just rushed here to make a wager with someone, and Zhang Jia had just thought his master was omnipotent and omniscient. Yet, now... he was asking for the rules... Did he really think he could just ask for the rules, having never played before, and then defeat this chess master? Although as a divine beast, Zhang Jia rarely played human chess, he had studied some during his idle moments while living alone on the mountain.

The game the Three-Whiskered Daoist played was Luoshen Chess, commonly used in the God Realm, which was many times more complex than ordinary Go. Although its gameplay was straightforward, technique was crucial, posing a great test of intelligence and talent. Some people spent their entire lives with mediocre chess skills. Even many God Kings had only average abilities. The old man before them could render all the masters in a city helpless; his skill was clearly immense. To challenge someone without knowing any of the rules, and with such a huge wager... Could this get any more thrilling?

After a moment of speechless disbelief, Qi Ling'er transmitted the rules: "The rules of this game are..." She quickly explained them. The rules were simple, but the variations were endless. Skilled players could see dozens of moves ahead, with each move leading to infinite follow-up possibilities, making the game immensely engaging. Those who didn't truly grasp it, even with knowledge of the rules, would be easily crushed and left clueless.

"Oh!" Ignoring their dismay, Zhang Xuan breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, the rules were simple and not complicated to apply. Otherwise, if he had to learn them on the spot, he truly would have been at a loss.

"Shall we begin?" After waiting for a moment, seeing that the young man in front of him seemed to have finished his prayers, the Three-Whiskered Daoist looked at him again.