Chapter 58 Indeed

  "Are you going to continue, Sword Old Senior?" Wu Lang smiled slightly, his body straightened, and he had the upper hand.

  Chu Hao responded with a cold smile: "Why stop? I've already got the upper hand!"

  Wu Lang's face flashed with anger, and he said coldly: "So Mr. Jian already has the upper hand, I'm just a fool." With that, he ignored Chu Hao and focused on playing chess.

  If we talk about the territory occupied by both sides, it is indeed more advantageous for Chu Hao. He won the first round of the game and gained a significant advantage. However, the white dragon in the middle of the board has already extended to 60 or 70 squares, but still hasn't found a way out. The chessboard is only one foot long, and there's no room for error. It's saying that killing the big dragon is very difficult. Although Chu Hao's white dragon is now like walking on a single-log bridge, with a deep chasm below, any slight mistake would be fatal. But for Wu Cang, it's equally tense, he can't afford to make any mistakes either. Once Chu Hao succeeds in reviving his white dragon, Wu Cang will have no choice but to admit defeat. The two men have been competing fiercely for a long time, and the outcome is about to be decided soon.

  Wu Lang, in the imperial palace, had long since developed an arrogant demeanor. His chess skills were not bad either, and he saw that Chu Hao's chess skills were inferior to his own. Where was the reason for losing? The attack was getting faster and stronger, killing Chu Hao's white dragon! Chu Hao's white dragon, surrounded by black pieces, fought and retreated, just like Zhao Zilong, who killed seven layers of enemy soldiers at Changban Slope, brave and good at fighting, with a fearless spirit. Although in front of him were Wu Lang's soldiers, layer upon layer of black armor, Chu Hao stood firm. "Sword Old Master is indeed courageous, in this situation, not making the white dragon a dead piece, but instead launching a strong attack, I admire you!" Wu Lang seemed to have seen the light of victory and smiled as he said, then immediately dropped a piece, saying slowly: "I didn't expect Sword Old Master's skills to be so high, but his chess skills are not good."

  "The chess piece is already set, Wu Lang said this, isn't it a bit too early?" Chu Hao understood Wu Lang's thoughts and had also figured out his temperament. This person was likely the kind of arrogant person who would rather die than yield. If Chu Hao didn't win him over now and poke at his sharp edges, then there wouldn't be much to talk about later on.

  At this time, listening to Wu Lang's piercing words, Chu Hao finally understood why the old man in green had followed him. Originally, Chu Hao had only estimated that the latter might come, but after this confrontation, he knew that Wu Lang was extremely arrogant and that Tao Ranju was also afraid of provoking himself, and then being killed by his own anger.

  Chu Hao let out a series of cold, mirthless laughs, and then a chill aura emanated from his body, slowly enveloping Wu Cang. In a cold voice, he said: "Wu Cang, my friend, you have left me no choice but to take your life."

  "Just now, Jian Lao also said that the quality of chess is like the quality of a sword. Can Bi Zhuang endure this? Wu Cang's face turned slightly pale, but his expression was extremely calm, with a hint of disdain in his eyes, and he continued to make another move."

  "Bai Zhuang, how much endurance you have is not for me to say, but I know you're about to lose!" Chu Hao calmly made a move, and the entire chessboard formation suddenly became clear, yet it was a foolish move!

  Wu Lang originally wanted to retort, but seeing this move, his face froze in surprise.

  This move was unexpected, and from the shape of the board, it looked very bad. Generally, a foolish move is a common one, but Wu Lang's face turned pale as he carefully examined it. The White Dragon had come to life, its two eyes sparkling with energy! No matter how Black moved, they couldn't break through this single eye! Earlier, Wu Lang had boasted recklessly, his face turning red and then white, and finally a deep blue. He knew he had lost; he had lost because of his own arrogance, launching an attack that shouldn't have been made, trying to kill Chu Hao's big dragon. This move, which emerged from adversity, was the turning point where Chu Hao turned the tables and won! In an instant, he recalled this game in his mind, from the moment he took over as White, with the battle spreading from the upper left corner to engulf the entire board. The momentum of the game surged forward like a mighty wave, but under Wu Lang's clever counterattack, Chu Hao was on thin ice for the entire second half of the game. In the turbulent waves of Black's attack, White's sail struggled to advance, finally breaking through the encirclement in the last moment!

  Wu Lang's face changed unpredictably, and then he finally said: "I lost!"

  Chu Hao stood up and said calmly: "I'm not as good at chess as you are, but you lost. What's the reason?"

  Wu Lang shook his head, at this moment he knew that meeting Chu Hao would put him at a disadvantage. He felt disheartened and sighed: "Go is a literary art, not a martial one; after falling behind in the game, the style of play degenerates into a martial one, and countless flaws arise."

  Chu Hao applauded, and he quite appreciated Wu Cang's carefree attitude. It was not easy to remain so calm after losing. Chu Hao had narrowly defeated Wu Cang, but he didn't gloat or try to intimidate him. After all, he still needed to ask for the Black Crystal Mine.

  Sitting on the stone bench, Wu Lang stared at the chessboard for a while, finally shaking his head and saying slowly: "This time I invited Sword Ancestor to meet, representing is my Craftsman Divine Sect."

  "Oh?" Chu Hao didn't expect this and calmly said: "I'm listening."

  "Wu Lang said: 'I suppose seniors also know that our Jiang Shen Sect is a sect that rose only 100 years ago. On the continent of Cang Tu, no matter which country or which major Daoist sect, there is no direct alchemy system. The emergence of our Jiang Shen Sect naturally attracted the attention and ambition of many major Daoist sects.'"

  Chu Hao nodded. In fact, it was indeed the case that when he was in the Lianqi Gate, if there weren't powerful Yuan Ying period or even Yin Yang period strong practitioners, they wouldn't have been able to protect so many talented Lianqi Masters! In this top-notch profession, apart from those truly formidable Lian Dan Lian Qi Masters who had powerful cultivators fawning over them, others would probably only become the pampered pets of various major powers. How could they possibly display the glory of a Lianqi Master?

  "Seniors should know that for us cultivators who focus on refining equipment, our strength is not strong and our lifespan is even shorter. The only thing that sustains our lifespan is the elixir we obtain." Wu Leng's voice was somewhat low and melancholic as he spoke, with a hint of resentment: "Sword Elder must have heard that fifty years ago, our Craftsman Sect had a legendary artifact that shook the entire mainland."

  "The five precious artifacts, 'Linglong Bell', I've heard of it before." Chu Hao said calmly.

  "That was crafted by a brilliant elder of our Craftsman Sect, but unfortunately, it was snatched away by the shameless Elder Xiao Chen of the Purple Cloud Gate." Wu Lang said with hatred: "The Purple Cloud Gate relies on being one of the three major Daoist sects of the Cangyun Continent and doesn't make fair deals with us. They only spent a hundred pieces of low-grade spirit stones to take away our precious artifact!"

  Chu Hao didn't expect there to be such a reason behind it, but he knew that Wu Lang wouldn't say this without cause. He didn't interrupt him, his fingers rolling a chess piece back and forth on the tip of his finger.

  Glancing at Chu Hao, Wu Lang continued: "Unfortunately, the master craftsman of my sect spent his entire life's work only to have it seized and occupied by others. In the end, he died with a grievance, unable to close his eyes in peace!"

  Chu Hao placed the chess piece on the stone table, "crack", a crisp and clear sound. "The misfortune of that senior in Wu Lang's sect is deeply regretted by me. Whatever it is, let's not beat around the bush, just say it straight."

  "Master Jian, the flying sword from Bi Zhuang's auction, was specifically mentioned to me by Qing Shan Lao Ren before the auction. That flying sword, whether it's the carving of the formation, or the forging technique, even the intensity of the spiritual energy, is far superior to mine. Although flying swords are the most common among magical artifacts, I can absolutely not produce a second-grade flying sword with an effect like Bi Zhuang's." Wu Lang said.

  "Wu Daoyou praised Liao, and that flying sword was indeed made by me in my spare time." Chu Hao said calmly.

  "Senior Jian, I'll be bold and ask a question." Wu Lang had already learned from their previous chess match that Chu Hao was not an easy person to deal with. He was calm and decisive in his actions, definitely someone you wouldn't want to mess with. After hesitating for a moment, he said: "With your cultivation level and status as the master of Bi Zhuang, it shouldn't be necessary to auction off items, right?"

  "My manor lacks refining materials and doesn't have enough silver to purchase them, can't it be done?" Chu Hao said coldly, but in his heart he knew that Wu Cang was heading in the direction he had expected, only with some minor differences.

  "Jian Lao said with a smile." Wu Lang shook his head and said, "With Bi Zhuang having such a high-ranking predecessor, would they still lack low-grade spirit stones? And as for silver in the mundane world, I'm afraid it can't even buy top-quality materials."

  "Of course there are, for example, Hei Jing mine stones..." Chu Hao smiled slightly, with a hint of meaning.

  Wu Lang was taken aback, staring at Chu Hao's cloak. At such a close distance, he couldn't see Chu Hao's face clearly, nor could he tell what he was thinking. Getting up from the stone bench, Wu Lang took a few steps forward, touching the jade pendant on his waist, and said slowly: "This time, Bi Zhuang chose to come to Yun Tianjing City for the auction, but this place... is actually the territory of Zi Yun Men..."

  "Mr. Wu Lang has come to the imperial palace in the capital city, which is also the territory of the Purple Cloud Gate." Chu Hao's heart moved and he spoke up.

  "In the end, our goals are the same." Wu Lang looked at Chu Hao and immediately revealed a relieved smile: "Sword Elder, am I right?"

  "Why is Wu Daoyou so certain?" Chu Hao nodded slightly, his tone somewhat calm.