The Great Martial Arts World: Hot Topics and Great Heroes

Duan Yu was also surprised. Wasn't Mr. Congbian deaf and mute? This... isn't ventriloquism either?

However, after only a moment of surprise, Duan Yu immediately returned the greeting, saying, "Mr. Congbian, you are too kind. My surname is Duan. Since I am here to discuss chess and make friends, there is no need for me to be called the Prince of Dali."

In fact, it wasn't just Duan Yu; everyone who came before had already been surprised... especially when they saw Xue Mu Hua was there too!

Could it be...?

Is it a medical miracle?

As expected of Doctor Xue!

I just don't know why, but the relationship between Doctor Xue and Mr. Congbian doesn't seem like that of a doctor and a patient...

Duan Yu didn't pay much attention to anything else and was soon drawn to the chessboard in front of him. He saw a young man in white standing motionless in front of the mountain wall with the chessboard painted on it.

"Old sir, who is solving this chess game? Why aren't we playing?" Duan Yu asked the seemingly refined old man beside him.

As for why it's obvious that he's just pretending to be refined?

Duan Yu was, after all, a member of the royal family; how could he not see through this? He simply didn't point it out, nor did he dare to call him "old hero" without giving him face.

The old man was still a little embarrassed, after all, he had drunk a farewell toast with this young master Duan's elder and second elder brothers last year. But seeing Duan Yu's handsome appearance and lack of airs of a prince of Dali, he also felt a sense of goodwill. He pretended to be calm and said, "Young Master Duan, you may not know, but this game of chess is a convergence of spirits. Playing chess is also a battle of spirits. Victory is victory, and defeat is defeat. There is no need to play it in person. It is truly magical."

Upon hearing this, Duan Yu couldn't help but marvel. If Chu Luren were here, he would surely recall his own experience observing swordplay in the Contemplation Cave of Mount Hua...

The Cave of Repentance is the result of the spiritual sublimation of righteous and evil masters before their deaths, while this Precious Chess Game was deliberately set up by someone!

Of course, it is actually quite similar to Duan Yu's experience when he kowtowed to the jade statue of the fairy sister. Both were extremely powerful states of mind that were attached to material things, which directly affected people's spirits.

However, although this exquisite chess game is man-made, it still requires the player to actively immerse themselves in it to be effective. Unlike the jade statue, it cannot directly and passively affect the bees and butterflies. It is hard to say which is superior...

Chapter 429 Mental Chess Game

Duan Yu watched as this seemingly refined young man stood before the chessboard for quite some time, then gradually broke into a sweat, which almost dripped down his sleeves...

And not long after, he began to "lose his composure".

“Beautiful lady, don’t go… Young Master, I’ll play something new with you! Hehehe…” The white-robed young man suddenly began to utter lewd and obscene words.

Su Xinghe frowned deeply and coldly snorted, "Young Master Ouyang, step back!"

That's right, this person is none other than Ouyang Ke, who is pretending to be young.

This sound startled Ouyang Ke awake. His face turned red, and then he spat out a mouthful of blood.

It wasn't that he was particularly embarrassed, but rather that his mind was wounded by the game of chess—if Su Xinghe hadn't woken him up, his foundation would have been damaged even more.

"Thank you for saving me, Mr. Congbian!" Ouyang Ke was secretly annoyed by this ridiculous chess game that had made him look foolish, but he was unwilling to make an even bigger fool of himself, so he pretended to be polite.

Even those unfamiliar with him wondered if the problem lay with the chess game, rather than with this young master Ouyang!

Su Xinghe no longer even glanced at him—it was one thing for him to act young despite his age, but to be even more malicious…

"Amitabha! I never imagined that such a small mountain as Leigushan would have such an extraordinary person as Mr. Congbian. I wonder if I could have the honor of attending this grand event?" A Tibetan monk, taking an unconventional approach, leaped directly up from the cliff.

"So it's the Tibetan National Preceptor. Please take your seats." Master Congbian was indeed neither deaf nor mute at this moment, and even Kumārajīva recognized him at a glance.

Kumārajīva looked around, not caring that there was no "seat" at all; everyone was either standing or sitting in the open space. He also saw Duan Yu at the same time.

Duan Yu, still somewhat youthful in spirit, cupped his hands in a gesture of provocation.

Upon seeing this, Kumārajīva's face darkened, and he said, "So Prince Duan is here too. Two years ago, I invited Prince Duan to travel to Jiangnan with me, which resulted in many misunderstandings. Your father is still asking me for him."

"Don't worry, Master. When we meet again, just tell my father that I'm doing well. I believe my father can trust you, given your character." Duan Yu spoke in a sarcastic tone, seemingly having learned it from someone.

Upon hearing this, Kumārajīva said angrily, "Young Master Duan, please accompany this humble monk and go to the Prince of Zhennan to explain the situation yourself!"

Duan Yu was stunned upon hearing this, and then Kumārajīva actually grabbed him in full view of everyone.

Duan Yu originally thought that Kumārajīva, if not respecting his status, should at least have considered the occasion…

However, Duan Yu thought to himself that he had become much more proficient in the "Six Meridian Divine Sword" and "Lingbo Steps" and was not afraid of facing Kumārajīva... especially the "Lingbo Steps".

At the same time, in a daze, Duan Yu seemed to see Kumārajīva reveal a sinister smile in an instant, with his eyes faintly glowing red, which was completely different from his usual solemn and dignified appearance.

Because it was so fleeting, Duan Yu assumed it was an illusion.

Just then, another young man stepped forward and used his lightness skill to move to the side of the path that Kumārajīva was bound to take when he lunged at Duan Yu. He used his fan as a sword and exchanged a couple of moves with Kumārajīva, barely managing to block him.

Or rather...

With this obstacle, Kumārajīva became more composed. Seeing that many other martial arts practitioners in the Central Plains were looking at him with suspicion and dissatisfaction, he stopped attacking.

"I wonder who this young master is..." Kumārajīva felt that this young man's skills were not simple either.

Although he is far inferior to me, he can barely be considered first-rate among the younger generation... no, among the entire martial arts world!

"Junior Li Xihua, this is the Central Plains. The Imperial Preceptor and Prince Duan are our guests. I hope the Imperial Preceptor will not do anything to embarrass our hosts," Li Xihua warned, seemingly polite but actually firm in his words.

Many people looked surprised upon hearing this…

Even amidst their surprise, there was a great deal of envy... and jealousy, especially from Wang Xiaofeng, who didn't hold grudges against Chu Luren; his jealousy was practically overflowing.

The reason is simple: Li Xihua is number one on the list of successful people!

People from Jiangnan have always dominated the list of successful people, after all, the list of successful people is also a list of those with powerful connections...

But Li Xihua was different. Not only was he from the north, but he had also been in the industry for a shorter time than Chu Luren, yet he quickly became the number one on the list.

He didn't rely on any powerful backers or connections, but rather... the correctness of the Song court!

This person is absolutely right. Not only is he highly skilled in martial arts and young, but his father was the strategist of the rebel army that destroyed the former Song Dynasty. However, his father was killed by the corrupt rebel leader after the city was captured. In addition, he is determined to fight against the Qing Dynasty and has been active in the north.

He was both a victim of the corrupt and worthless militia of yesteryear and an anti-Qing patriot. Being so correct, the Song court naturally had to promote him extensively.

In the original novel *The Deer and the Cauldron*, this character is Li Yan's son, and is the weakest "master" in Jin Yong's martial arts series...

Regardless of the overall level of martial arts, there will always be a small group of masters. In "The Deer and the Cauldron", Li Xihua is not comparable to old guys like Hong Antong and Gui Xinshu, but he is only slightly inferior to Chen Jinnan. However, in actual combat, he was easily reversed by Li Zicheng's roar.

Of course, although Li Xihua is young, he is considered quite old among the people on the list. However, while being number one on the Human Ranking is quite conspicuous, it would be difficult for him to rank high on the Heaven Ranking. Therefore, the number one manor in the world has to pretend to be ignorant.

Su Xinghe was quite happy to see Li Xihua. He was... not bad looking, and had a good temperament. However, Su Xinghe felt that this person was a bit too obsessive and not very strong-willed.

However, the Free and Unfettered Sect is not a Buddhist sect, so as long as one is not possessed by demons or overly attached to obsessions, one can participate.

So Mr. Congbian then invited Young Master Li to give it a try...

Li Xihua indeed lasted longer than Ouyang Ke, but still ended up with a mental and physical breakdown. Moreover, his previously arrogant expression dimmed considerably after the defeat, and he seemed somewhat unable to withstand the shock.

"Young Master Li, there's no need to rush into a fight." Duan Yu helped Li Xihua, who had just come to his rescue, down.

Li Xihua forced a smile and thanked him, while Duan Yu, after consulting with Su Xinghe, also stepped forward to give it a try.

Su Xinghe's expression softened considerably towards Duan Yu, as if he held high expectations.

Duan Yu was also intently studying the chess manual, and the more focused he became, the stranger he felt—this feeling of mental detachment, caused by his complete immersion in the game… seemed to have happened before?

Duan Yu quickly focused his attention on the chessboard. The black and white pieces transformed into black and white warriors, forming battle formations and fighting each other according to their own will...

Just when Duan Yu was concentrating his mind, the jade statue of "Fairy Sister" suddenly appeared before his eyes again, which was also the source of his greatest inner demon!

The person playing chess with me suddenly transformed into a jade statue of a fairy goddess, right across the chessboard!

This was not only Duan Yu's own stubbornness, but also the influence of Li Qiushui's mindset and will on Duan Yu.

Duan Yu then remembered what his second brother had told him before...

So he calmed down and decided to take this opportunity to fight his inner demons to the very end!

Chapter 430 Everyone Makes a Fool of Themselves

"Second Brother! Get away!" Duan Yu exclaimed, pulling himself out of the mental chess game.

Although he was panting heavily, his expression was much better than that of Ouyang Ke and Li Xihua.

They persisted longer, sparked more games, and were not significantly impacted!

Su Xinghe sighed at this moment—it was just a little bit short, in the end… this doesn’t seem to be a demon in the heart?

Su Xinghe could even see that this Prince Duan seemed to have overcome his inner demons and his temperament had been elevated, but he was vaguely affected by other factors, which was why he was able to break free from the game.

Indeed, that was pretty much the case. Duan Yu had just become completely absorbed in the game, battling his inner demons, and was about to win and shatter the jade statue when…

The opponent's black pieces transformed into beautiful women!

Duan Yu didn't consider himself a mere looks-obsessed person, nor a lecherous one, but he simply felt that these beautiful women all had features and figures that perfectly matched his aesthetic standards.

Just as he was struggling with his desires, Chu Luren suddenly rushed in from outside the chessboard, pulling the women away one by one while shouting: "It's your sister! It's your sister! It's your sister!"

Duan Yu was so overwhelmed by the noise that he practically quit the game on his own!

Therefore, after Duan Yu escaped the game, his expression was still quite strange. He did not suffer too much mental damage. On the contrary, because he had initially figured out his inner demons, his mental state seemed to be even better.

Meanwhile, behind the mountain wall on the other side, one could see that the mountain inside was hollow. And for some unknown reason, the mountain wall facing the intricate chess game on the outside allowed one to see out from inside, rather than appearing as a single mountain wall!

Inside the mountain, besides an old man sitting cross-legged, there was also a bold man and two young women.

Naturally, it was Wu Yazi, along with Qiao Feng, A'Zhu, and Wang Yuyan!

Previously, Wang Yuyan gained Su Xinghe's trust by relying on her looks and the "Xiao Wuxiang Gong" manual—thankfully, she didn't need to use the "Hand-drawn Beiming Divine Skill".

Upon seeing Wu Yazi, she was immediately recognized as his descendant. At first, Wu Yazi mistook her for his daughter, only later realizing that after so long, she was actually his granddaughter…

Upon learning of his daughter and granddaughter's whereabouts, and that his wife had been missing for a long time, Wu Yazi sighed deeply.

When Qiao Feng saw that Duan Yu had also failed, he couldn't help but sigh. Just now, he had been hoping that his third brother could inherit the Xiaoyao Sect's legacy!

Wu Yazi seemed to sense Qiao Feng's worries and also noticed something unusual about the situation, so he said, "Your sworn brother... is a man of great wisdom, with a limitless future."

"Third brother is indeed very intelligent, but it's a pity he still couldn't finish the game," Qiao Feng sighed.

“No, he… seems to have been infected with a demon in his heart, which has grown stronger over time. Although he has now completely broken through one layer with the help of the chess game, it is likely to be dangerous if he continues. Therefore, under the warning of his spiritual sense, he experienced other hallucinations and then naturally woke up.” Wu Yazi’s tone was somewhat heavy.

He also recognized the methods of this "inner demon"—they seemed very familiar...

"Can inner demons really be 'planted'?" Qiao Feng asked in surprise.

Recently at Leigu Mountain, Qiao Feng has also come across many of the wonders of the Xiaoyao Sect and no longer doubts Wu Yazi's nonsense.

According to Wu Yazi, the so-called "planting" of inner demons is actually quite simple. The difference between this and the usual way of eliciting inner demons is that the inner demons are eliciting them under the mindset of other people.

Compared to the inner demons that one usually generates, it's as if a "foreign object" has entered one's mind.

The more intelligent a person is, the easier it is to make this "foreign object" bigger, just like how a clam can turn sand into a pearl. Duan Yu is undoubtedly a giant geoduck clam, and when cut open, it is full of various colorful "pearls".