169: Chapter 169: I'm going to take on three

The song ended.

Master Su stood up, bowed slightly toward Xiao Ran once more, and then retreated.

The lights on the stage dimmed again.

A moment later.

The lights came back on.

On the stage, a chessboard was set up.

The chessboard was carved from white jade, and the chess pieces were black and white Spirit Stones.

A woman in red sat before the chessboard.

Her figure was alluring, her eyes darted with charm, and every expression she made was captivating.

But at this moment, her gaze was focused intently on the chessboard.

A game of chess had already been set up on the board.

"Everyone, I am Master Liu."

She spoke, her voice charming.

"The second challenge: solve this endgame."

"Within one stick of incense, whoever solves it may come to my room for a chat."

The crowd grew restless again.

"An endgame? I am best at chess!"

"You? You can't even beat me, and you want to solve Master Liu's endgame?"

"Just try it, what if I succeed?"

The crowd flocked to the front of the stage, staring at the chessboard.

But soon, everyone's expression changed.

"This... what kind of chess is this?"

"The black and white pieces are all tangled together; no matter how you look at it, it's a dead end, isn't it?"

"No, look here, the white pieces still have one breath left..."

"That breath is blocked off too, there's no way to survive!"

Half of the stick of incense had burned down, and no one had been able to solve it.

Zhao Lingyun stood out again.

"Someone, bring my chess manual up!"

An attendant quickly took the Jade Slip from his hand and delivered it to Master Liu.

Master Liu took it, glanced at it, and shook her head.

"Young Master Zhao's solution is conventional, but it is not enough to break the game."

Zhao Lingyun's face turned livid again.

Second-floor private room.

Xiao Ran looked at the chessboard and suddenly felt a sense of familiarity.

Isn't this the famous Linglong Chess Game from the Go world before his Transmigration?

He remembered that the way to solve this game was to sacrifice a piece to open up the situation.

Seek life by courting death.

He raised his hand, and a strand of spiritual power condensed in his palm.

Another paper crane.

Inside the paper crane was a mark of Divine Sense.

The mark contained the solution to the chess game.

The paper crane flew out the window and drifted toward the stage.

Master Liu reached out to take it and probed it with her Divine Sense.

A moment later.

Her whole body trembled, and she looked up sharply toward the second floor.

"Young Master Li, it's you again?"

Xiao Ran: "What? Is Master Liu not welcoming?"

Master Liu immediately shook her head.

"Welcome, of course you are welcome."

"I just didn't expect Young Master Li to not only understand music but also the Dao of chess."

Xiao Ran said indifferently: "I know a thing or two."

Master Liu looked at the paper crane in her hand, a glimmer of brilliance flashing in her eyes.

"Young Master Li's solution is to seek life by courting death."

"I have never thought of this move."

"Young Master has great talent, please come to my room for a chat."

Xiao Ran waved his hand again.

"No rush, there is still the last courtesan left."

Master Liu's smile froze slightly, but having seen the previous Master, she did not lose her composure.

"Very well, I will wait for Young Master."

She stood up and retreated.

Below the stage, the crowd was already in an uproar.

"It's that Li Bai again; he actually understands the Dao of chess too?"

"He looks like he's only in his twenties; how does he know everything?"

"A Prodigy, he is definitely a Prodigy!"

Zhao Lingyun's face was livid, and his eyes were full of killing intent as he stared at Xiao Ran.

Xiao Ran didn't even glance at him.

...

The lights on the stage dimmed for the third time.

This time, the lights remained dimmed for a long time.

On the stage, there was only a writing desk, a brush, and a stack of paper.

A woman in purple stood before the desk, her long hair like ink, her purple clothes like clouds.

Her eyes were purple, deep and mysterious, as if they could see through people's hearts.

She picked up the brush and wrote four large characters on the paper.

The brushstrokes were like swords, the Aura like a rainbow.

Then she turned to face the crowd.

"I am Master Hua."

She spoke, her voice like an orchid in an empty valley.

"The third challenge today: calligraphy and painting."

"Calligraphy is the writing, painting is the artistic conception."

"Please use Sword Intent as the theme to write a piece or paint a picture."

"The best one may come to my room for a chat."

As soon as she finished speaking, the whole crowd became excited.

Music and chess are things that only those who specialize in these Daos understand.

But poetry and letters are things that any scholar understands a little.

"Sword Intent? Isn't that something only a Sword Cultivator understands?"

"Who cares! Just paint it..."

Some splashed ink on the spot, some focused their minds and calmed their Qi, using spiritual power to solidify the ink.

Others simply used the paper as a brush and wrote in the air.

Sheets of paper were passed up to the stage.

But Master Hua looked at several of them and shook her head.

"Too deliberate."

"No Soul."

"Only the form is similar; there is no spirit."

Zhao Lingyun learned his lesson this time and didn't rush to act.

He just stared at Xiao Ran, his eyes full of provocation.

Xiao Ran put down his teacup and stood up.

He looked at Master Hua on the stage.

Xiao Ran raised his hand and wrote four large characters in the air.

"Sword Heart Clear and Bright"

Every stroke was like a sword unsheathed.

Where the heart points, the sword follows.

When the four characters were finished, they turned into a stream of light and flew toward the stage.

Master Hua reached out to take it and probed with her Divine Sense.

In an instant.

Her whole body trembled.

She seemed to see a gray-black vortex.

In the vortex, countless sword lights were dancing.

Each sword light contained a different Sword Intent.

After a long while.

She looked up toward the second floor.

"Young Master Li, did you write this?"

Xiao Ran maintained his indifferent and free-spirited demeanor.

"That's right, what does Master Hua think?"

Master Hua took a deep breath.

"Young Master's sword has reached the Transcendent realm; I am ashamed to be inferior."

Xiao Ran cupped his hands in the Void Realm.

"Master Hua, you flatter me."

Xiao Ran actually wanted to say that of course she was inferior, as this Sword Intent was a technique of the Flowing Cloud Sword Sovereign.

If he couldn't bluff a mere courtesan, the Flowing Cloud Sword Sovereign would probably kill his way out of the ruins.

Master Hua looked at Xiao Ran, who was so talented yet so humble; he was simply the man of her dreams.

Since she had to invite someone anyway, why not find someone with real ability?

Master Hua could no longer hold back.

"Young Master Li, please."

Xiao Ran did not refuse this time.

He walked out of the private room and slowly walked down the stairs.

The moonlight shone on him, casting a long shadow.

Below the stage.

Thousands of Cultivators looked at him, their eyes full of envy, jealousy, and awe.

Xiao Ran looked around.

"My Li family members are capable and fierce!"

"I wonder if I might have a drink with the three courtesans together?"

Master Hua was stunned upon hearing this.

She had never had the habit of serving a man together with other sisters.

Of course, this matter was not conventional, but Xiao Ran had completed everyone's challenges.

She couldn't refuse even if she wanted to.

"I have no objections!"

At this moment.

The other two Masters, who had already retreated behind the scenes, looked at each other.

Their faces were slightly flushed, but none of them refused.

At this moment, Xiao Ran became the first man in the history of the Hundred Flowers Pavilion to win over all the courtesans.

Xiao Ran followed Master Hua toward the top floor of the Hundred Flowers Pavilion.

Song He stood by the window on the second floor, watching this scene, his mouth twitching.

"Elder... is awesome."