Looking at Naless, who was in shock, Li really wanted to recite those few lines of poetry again.
Especially the last line: "The world is like a ga of chess, unpredictable as heaven and earth, laughing at all the heroes of the world."
This line was truly impressive.
But Li held back. After all, he was already around 350 years old and needed to act more prudently.
Moreover, business was more important.
As for the business at hand, as his disciple put it, it was to give this Hundred Demons Sect Special Envoy a bit of end-of-life care.
Let him go in peace, go happily, and in the last mont of his life, contribute to the righteous cause.
Zhang Ze’s plan was simple: trick Naless into the Profound Identification Treasure Mirror.
Moreover, have Naless willingly and joyfully walk into the Profound Identification Treasure Mirror himself.
The Profound Identification Treasure Mirror could reflect one’s heart, and within it, simulate an illusory dream realm. Though this technique was mystical, it also had many limitations.
According to the user manual written by the Profound Identification Treasure Mirror itself, first, the entrant must be willing, without any resistance.
When entering, the mindset should preferably be calm, making it easier to enter the dream.
Also, dreams are fragile, so it’s best not to overly stimulate the drear, and it’s preferable that everything done in the dream aligns with the drear’s thoughts and desires.
The task of extracting information from Naless after entering the dream was Zhang Ze’s.
But to make Naless content and willingly walk into the Profound Identification Treasure Mirror required Li’s skills.
Dressed in white, holding the Ink Sword, Li Guanqi descended slowly from the sky, stepping on a Cyan Lotus.
On his face was the Night Demon Emperor’s head, and where his head should have been was now replaced by a mass of Chaos Qi, like the primordial state of the world.
A white and a black yin-yang fish circled around that mass of turbid energy.
Without ntioning his cultivation, just by appearance, he was at least a boss with five health bars.
"I am Lin Xincheng," Li Guanqi’s voice echoed in the space.
"Young friend, are you interested in playing a ga of chess with ?"
Without waiting for Naless to respond, Li Guanqi gently waved his Ink Sword.
In an instant, this world transford into a Mirror Lake; the surrounding cave walls disappeared, replaced by blurry shadows of clouds and mountains.
The lake split into yin and yang, and as the sword qi stirred, a chessboard with crossing stars appeared under their feet.
Li stood with his hands behind his back, waiting for Naless’s answer, just like an NPC waiting to trigger dialogue.
Naless didn’t speak imdiately because he was thinking.
He couldn’t determine whether he had been exposed or not.
If he hadn’t been exposed, why did a Sword Sect master suddenly appear before him?
But if he had been exposed, why was he still alive?
After all, with the Sword Sect’s nature, if they discovered his identity as the Hundred Demons Sect Special Envoy, they would have already chopped him into minced at.
Why bother with such trouble, and still invite him for a ga of chess?
Naless reviewed once more all his actions before, during, and after entering the Thousand chanism Pavilion, and he felt that he hadn’t made any mistakes.
He even played it safe by finding two insiders in advance.
"I haven’t been exposed," Naless confidently made a completely wrong judgnt.
Feeling at ease, he looked directly at Li.
"What if I’m not interested?" Naless asked.
He maintained his usual expression without a trace of any flaw; in his hand hidden behind his back, he clutched a golden bead.
This golden bead was a magical artifact bestowed by the Main Helm when Naless ca to Cyan Thorn.
If the situation changed, he could imdiately sacrifice himself for the Demon Sect.
"This is a hidden level. If the young friend is unwilling, then just leave." Li stepped aside, revealing a gap in the space behind him.
A faint golden mist door appeared before Naless.
This door was, of course, the enlarged Profound Identification Treasure Mirror, which Li had just helped set into the wall.
Naless glanced at the mist door but did not enter. He pondered for a long ti before finally speaking.
"With the senior’s invitation, I dare not refuse. I humbly ask for guidance from the senior."
The words "hidden level" piqued Naless’s interest.
Even when he was ripped off on the pedestrian street, he didn’t remain idle. With sharp ears, he had been gathering various information.
Along the way, he heard many cultivators ntion the existence of hidden levels in the Underground City.
According to those cultivators, most of the ti, this hidden level was just slightly more difficult than the normal ones.
But occasionally, special situations arose where one might encounter a direct disciple of the Sword Sect, or even, as legends say, soone had once encountered an Elder of the Sword Sect.
In such cases, clearing the level was obviously out of reach, but one could receive guidance from the Sword Sect, and those who lost gracefully might even be given a small gift from the Sword Sect.
Seeing the profound cultivator before him, Naless thought his Purple Jade mber Card had played a role.
After all, being the highest-level lifelong mber, encountering an Elder wasn’t impossible.
As a Demon Path cultivator, Naless, despite his wrong thoughts, wrong thods, twisted personality, he understood one truth.
That is, so opportunities, once missed, never co again.
Naless didn’t want to miss the chance. He had spent so many spirit stones to enter this Underground City, not experiencing the most expensive project would be a waste.
Moreover, the Gu Technique he cultivated had its peculiarities, and Naless was confident that he wouldn’t reveal any flaws during sparring, so the Sword Sect master wouldn’t see through him.
Seeing Naless’s posture, Li raised his sword, while Guanqi made his move on the chessboard.
The sword qi surged ahead, and Naless felt there was no chance of survival ahead. He took a step back, and where he landed, a black piece appeared.
...
Zhang Ze was watching the scene in the cave from the chanism room, seeing each and every black piece on the chessboard being slaughtered, watching Naless being cornered.
Zhang Ze always thought his master seed to be enjoying himself.
"Why is he so serious?"
"And where did these cool scene effects co from? I don’t rember this level having these things?"
He couldn’t figure out the second question, but Zhang Ze’s first thought was not wrong; his master was indeed in a good mood now.
Lately, Li had been doubting his teaching abilities.
He often wondered if he wasn’t suited to teaching disciples.
Under his tutelage were two direct disciples. The eldest, Zhang Ze, was often nowhere to be found, and the Pavilion Master indulged him, making it impossible to teach.
Even if he did teach, it was all a ss, the only comndable thing being Zhang Ze’s mastery of Sword Stepping on the Qing River.
But the problem was, this swordsmanship was the Sword Sect’s most basic Qi Cultivation Stage swordsmanship.
And Zhang Ze was estimated to be nearing the ti for a breakthrough, probably forming the core next year.
So Zhang Ze’s current state, in high EQ terms, was that his foundation was solid.
In low EQ terms, he was a dropout at the Foundation Establishnt Stage.
As for the second disciple Fuji, she was obedient, but she always had her unique and strange understanding of swordsmanship.
The result of the teaching always showed so deviation.
Though the outco was correct, the thods were entirely wrong.
Li had always felt guilty, thinking it was his fault for not guiding his disciples well.
But now, encountering the relatively normal Naless, Li realized it wasn’t his teaching ability at fault.
It was his two disciples who had issues.
When one’s mind is at peace, naturally thoughts beco clear, and the spirit is refreshed.
After his mind cleared, Li’s teachings also increased sowhat.
He wasn’t worried about Naless learning too much.
After all, learning more or less was end-of-life care; Naless wouldn’t need it in the future.
Li calculated the ti and felt it was about right; he controlled the sword with qi to drive Naless off the board.
"Young friend, you lost." Li retracted the flying sword, and there were no more black pieces on the chessboard.
With a slight tremor in his body, Naless clasped his hands in salute, "Thank you for the senior’s guidance."
Naless, too, felt refreshed and clear-minded at this mont. He even sensed that the bottleneck that had troubled him for long was showing signs of loosening.
The resentnt accumulated from being ripped off on the Thousand chanism Pavilion’s pedestrian street and from wrestling with male rfolk in Joyful Cave had all vanished.
Even Zhang Ze’s face, full of wrinkles after disguise, appeared sowhat handso.
"But I still need to tear him limb from limb," Naless reminded himself to stay true to his goal.
Seeing Naless standing there, reflecting and pondering Zhang Ze’s thod of dying, Li felt it was ti for so formal words.
He wanted to recite that poem again.
But upon reconsideration, it didn’t seem appropriate; it felt a bit silly, not befitting a master.
If Wang were here, perhaps he could co up with so apt phrases, but Li, after racking his brains for a long while, found he had nothing to say.
Helplessly, Li Guanqi could only step aside and, pointing to the Profound Identification Treasure Mirror disguised as the mist door, said, "Young friend, please return."
This ti, Naless didn’t hesitate; he walked briskly into the Profound Identification Treasure Mirror.
As soon as Naless entered, Li waved, dissipating the Mirror Lake Chessboard Sword Array.
He flickered and disappeared from the original spot, reappearing with Zhang Ze in hand.
Placing Zhang Ze on the ground, Li said, "The rest is up to you."
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