Book 02 Chapter 067: Three Go Masters
Outside the Dragon Pinning Sect:
An increasing number of cultivators came over, pointing and discussing from a distance.
Several cultivators at the center took on the responsibility of helping Gu Hai bring Go puzzles over.
Gu Hai had five Go boards laid in a row before him and nearly one thousand superior-grade spirit stones piled at the side.
Clack! Clack! Clack!
Gu Hai extended his hand, and five superior-grade spirit stones shot out, flying towards five of the cultivators helping him.
“Many thanks, Mister Gu!” The five cultivators accepted the spirit stones.
They only helped out a little, yet Gu Hai actually gave them a superior-grade spirit stone each. Naturally, the five felt very happy.
“Hurry up! Dragon Pinning Sect disciples?! Mister Gu solved another five Go puzzles. Why are you not bringing over another fifty superior-grade spirit stones yet?”
“Indeed. Are you going to renege on your word?”
“Hurry up!”
Another ten cultivators immediately clamored as though they were the ones who had won.
The Dragon Pinning Sect disciples exchanged looks, but they could only deliver another pile of spirit stones.
Gu Hai extended his hand again, sending another ten superior-grade spirit stones flying out.
“Many thanks, Mister Gu!” the crowd immediately cried out happily.
The many cultivators in the surroundings also wanted to lend a hand. While this Gu Hai was brutal, it seemed that it was due to the First Song Sect capturing the Elite Hall Master. If one did not offend him, he was quite generous.
That was a superior-grade spirit stone, equivalent to ten thousand inferior-grade spirit stones, yet Gu Hai could give it away without even blinking.
If only our sect master were as generous as him.
Although Gu Hai’s identity and ferocious reputation daunted everyone, since he gave generously, they found him increasingly more pleasant.
As Gu Hai placed the Go stones down, he occasionally checked the expressions of the surrounding cultivators. Then, he revealed a faint smile. This was the effect he wanted. It would be difficult for Chen Tianshan to recruit cultivators. However, everything would start from Gu Hai’s performance. He would take his time and invest in talents.
“Playing five simultaneously? We can’t even solve one Go puzzle, but Mister Gu is solving five at once. Excellent Go skills!” the crowd marveled.
“The strength of one’s cloud beast in the Innate Puzzle World is determined by one’s Go skills. Back then, Mister Gu suppressed one hundred thousand cultivators with just his cloud beast. That means that his Go skills are extraordinary!”
“Indeed. I think that those three Go masters might not be a match for Mister Gu!”
“That might not be so. The three Go masters are also very skilled!”
As everyone discussed this, Gu Hai focused on the five Go boards before him.
This is…? This feels very familiar! Gu Hao frowned as he looked at these five Go boards.
It was not just these five Go puzzles. This was the same for the previous one hundred-odd Go puzzles. Gu Hai found all of them familiar as if he had seen them before.
However, he did not recall playing these Go puzzles before. Why do they give me such a familiar feeling?
As Gu Hai placed down Go stones, he thought back to all the Go games he played before.
Soon, his expression changed.
Gu Hai recalled why these Go puzzles were so familiar. He had indeed seen them before. However, they were not in this form then.
“The Twenty-Nine Line-Pair World Go Puzzle?” Gu Hai’s expression sank.
The perfect ritual array that Gu Hai grasped was the Twenty-Eight Line-Pair World Ritual Array. Is this the twenty-nine line-pair one?
This was the puzzle on the Go board sealing the dragon vein’s tail in the Great Feng Mafia Family. Back then, Gu Hai tried it but did not finish it. Although Chen Tianshan later returned and reported the danger of dying if Gu Hai lost a stone, Gu Hai had already sensed a threat as he played—a threat had shaken his soul. Hence, Gu Hai had stopped after capturing one stone.
However, Gu Hai remembered that Go puzzle.
Every time someone played a stone on a Go board, it introduced countless variations.
These cloud Go puzzles seemed to be derivatives of that Go puzzle.
Although Gu Hai was solving the Go puzzles now, it felt like he was playing the Twenty-Nine Line-Pair World Go Puzzle.
Was this also left by Old Mister Guan Qi? Gu Hai frowned as he looked at the distant floating island.
However, this is fine. The Twenty-Nine Line-Pair World Go Puzzle is unpredictable. I can use this to study it slowly! Gu Hai thought.
Gu Hai steadily picked up Go stones and played them.
Just at this moment, a white-haired, old man walked out of the crowd.
“The Dragon Pinning Sect Master, Ding Dong?” Someone recognized that white-haired, old man.
A group of Dragon Pinning Sect disciples followed behind Ding Dong. Soon, they arrived nearby and quietly watched Gu Hai set down Go stones.
Gu Hai ignored Ding Dong as he continued examining the Go puzzles in front of him and playing them.
Clack! Suddenly, a Go board trembled.
“It’s done! Mister Gu solved another Go puzzle!”
Clack!
“That’s another one. Mister Gu solved one more Go puzzle!”
In the end, Gu Hai solved each Go puzzle with one last move, finishing the set of five before him.
“Division Master Gu!” Ding Dong suddenly said.
“Yes?” Gu Hai raised his head to look.
The surrounding cultivators also fell quiet.
“Sect Master Ding?” Gu Hai asked, appearing bewildered.
“That is me. Division Master Gu, excellent Go skills!” Ding Dong said with a smile.
“Sect Master Ding is too polite. I was just lucky!” Gu Hai said, smiling back.
“Division Master Gu, only one thousand Go puzzles are available outside the sect. How about you follow me inside? You can choose from three thousand Go puzzles in the sect. Division Master Gu, don’t worry. The rules are like before: ten superior-grade spirit stones for every solved Go puzzle. Furthermore, you will have a dedicated courtyard for you to rest in,” Ding Dong invited amiably.
“Oh? I heard that three Go masters entered previously?” Gu Hai said, feeling curious.
“The three Go masters already entered Leisure Valley. They solve Go puzzles every day and exchange pointers with each other. How about Division Master Gu stay there as well?” Ding Dong enticed.
“They all brought people in?” Gu Hai asked as he looked at Ding Dong.
“That is natural. Family, friends, disciples, and escorts, you can bring them all in!” Ding Dong replied with a smile.
“Good!” Gu Hai said as he nodded.
Gu Hai turned his head and looked at the surrounding cultivators. “Everyone, you graced me with your presence, watching this Gu play Go. All of you are people who understand Go. If you do not think me beneath notice, you can follow me into the Dragon Pinning Sect and witness my solving of the Go puzzles!”
“What?” Ding Dong felt slightly startled.
The eyes of the cultivators who received spirit stones from Gu Hai earlier lit up. “Mister Gu, I’ll follow you in!”
“I’ll follow Mister Gu in as well!”
“The Dragon Pinning Sect is quite mysterious. No one knows what’s in there. I’ll go in to take a look!”
“Previously, they refused to let any of us in. I’ll follow Mister Gu in to take a look!”
Countless cultivators immediately cried out, standing up.
When the Dragon Pinning Sect started this Go puzzle convention, many cultivators felt suspicious. Although there were rewards, this was too strange. The Dragon Pinning Sect could not just be spending spirit stones to solve Go puzzles. There had to be some purpose behind this.
However, aside from the three Go masters’ people, the Dragon Pinning Sect prevented everyone else from entering, so they could only move around outside, feeling depressed.
This was just like the college entrance exams in Gu Hai’s previous world. If one went to the examination center and got told that one could not enter because one did not have an entry proof, would that not be upsetting?
Gu Hai’s invitation equaled giving everyone an entry proof. Everyone immediately thought well of him as they looked at him.
“Sect Master Ding, these are all my friends. There’re no problems if they follow me in, right?” Gu Hai smiled.
Gu Hai guessed that Ding Rui was in the Dragon Pinning Sect. That was someone Gu Hai kept his guard up against. Although he did not know what Ding Rui was up to, he did not want to enter alone. By bringing everyone in, he would be making the situation more chaotic.
As Ding Dong looked at the surrounding excited cultivators, he showed an unsightly expression.
When the three Go masters entered previously, they brought at most two hundred people. Gu Hai, on the other hand, was bringing in at least one thousand.
Ding Dong seemed to be in a spot when a voice suddenly rang out in his ears.
“Let them in!” Ding Rui projected her voice over.
With a serious expression, Ding Dong nodded. “That’s fine. In that case, this way, please, Division Master Gu.”
“Oh? That’s good!” Gu Hai frowned while nodding.
Initially, Gu Hai wanted to cause some trouble. Unexpectedly, Ding Dong agreed so straightforwardly, which made Gu Hai even warier.
“Many thanks, Mister Gu!” the surrounding cultivators said gratefully.
Gu Hai walked in front, and one thousand five hundred-odd cultivators followed close behind, slowly entering the ritual array.
——
There were some palace halls at the summit of a fog-covered mountain within the ritual array.
Ding Rui stood in front of a palace hall, watching as Gu Hai in the distance led a large number of cultivators into the ritual array.
“Division Master, that Gu Hai brought in a group of people!” a subordinate said, bewildered.
“He will become a victim of his own cleverness. So what if he brought people inside? Does he think that I will care about them?” Ding Rui scoffed coldly.
“Division Master is only using Gu Hai?”
“After Gu Hai solves the Go puzzles, I’ll have these people buried with him!” Ding Rui said coldly.
“Yes!”
“Monitor Gu Hai at all times!” Ding Rui added in a heavy voice.
“Yes!”
——
Gu Hai led more than one thousand cultivators into the Dragon Pinning Sect. Soon, they reached Leisure Valley, which had many buildings in a circle.
The center had three small groups of people surrounding three people solving Go puzzles.
These three people wore red, blue, and black, respectively.
“Division Master Gu, of the three currently playing Go, the one in red is the Northern Sea Go Master, the one in blue is the Southern Sea Go Master, and the one in black is the Life Slaughterer Go Master. The people around are their disciples or servants.”
Gu Hai looked over. The red-clad old man and the blue-clad old man appeared relatively normal. They stood out only because of the colors they wore. However, the black-clad Life Slaughterer Go Master strangely wore a cloak and kept himself hooded, his face concealed. All his disciples and servants hid within black cloaks as well.
“Huh?” Gu Hai looked at these groups in amazement.
The disciples of the three Go masters looked back at Gu Hai in amazement, as Gu Hai had brought in ten times their numbers.
“Everyone, you can stay here with Mister Gu for now. However, this is my Dragon Pinning Sect, after all. Please do not wander about!” Ding Dong instructed.
“Sect Master Ding, rest assured!” the many cultivators immediately responded, smiling.
Everyone looked up, and indeed, there was three times the number of Go puzzles in the sky here compared to outside.
“Mister Gu, I’ll help you get the Go puzzles!” Some cultivators immediately volunteered to leap into the sky to retrieve the Go puzzles.
Gu Hai looked around and found an empty area, then sat down. At the same time, he curiously studied the three Go masters.
The Northern Sea Go Master and the Southern Sea Go Master appeared extremely anxious, continuously setting down Go stones. As for the Life Slaughterer Go Master, he played leisurely. Occasionally, he looked up and sized up Gu Hai.
——
In a nearby pavilion building, Ninth Young Master smiled coldly as he looked at Gu Hai.
“He’s here! He’s here! That’s good. Go inform the Southern Sea Go Master and the Northern Sea Go Master that there is no need to compete with each other. I have not promised them anything in that regard. However, I can make a promise to them now. I will agree to anyone who can beat Gu Hai with their Go skills!” Ninth Young Master said.
“Ah? Ninth Young Master, do they just need to beat Gu Hai?” one of Ninth Young Master’s subordinates at the side asked, feeling curious.
Ninth Young Master revealed a cold smile and scoffed, “Just need to? Gu Hai can comprehend the Twenty-Eight Line-Pair World Ritual Array. Do you think his Go skills are weak? His weak cultivation aside, his Go skills already qualify him to be my substitute. Moreover, based on the recent news, Gu Hai has great potential. Go tell them that they can work together to beat Gu Hai. I can test Gu Hai’s potential with this!”
“Ah? Yes!”