The sand table was a pile of crystalline plates of varying colors, made of some unknown material. Yun Liu only needed one glance to understand what was going on.
A sequence, Mogu Seven.
Last time it was Jungle Chess, this time it was the Seven-Color Board.
At first, the Daoist solved it quickly. But as the puzzle went deeper, the difficulty climbed higher. Each crystal kept splitting into seven pieces, and the intricate lines they formed together defied imagination.
Sweat began beading on his forehead, and his movements slowed. He repeatedly tested different combinations.
There was only one chance. If he failed, he would have to wait another hundred years for the Hundred-Year Agreement.
“Sigh, I lost again. Martial Uncle, you’re too strict.”
The Daoist eventually got stuck on the sixth stage. He let out a long sigh, his face twisted in frustration.
“Why not let me try.”
Yun Liu spoke with a smile, drawing the Daoist’s attention. Seeing that the child had no objection, he stepped aside to make room.
“Oh? This young friend is interested too. Please, go ahead.”
Yun Liu glanced at the messy formation, then began moving three seconds later. His speed left the Daoist dizzy, clearly showing that he had already found the approach while watching from the sidelines.
“Correct?”
The child nodded, clicking his tongue in amazement. Not a single wasted move.
The Daoist was overjoyed. He had run into a true master. He quickly gave a thumbs up and said,
“This, this, this! Martial Uncle, hurry up and give the final stage.”
The child finally looked up, glanced at the calm, carefree young man, and waved a small hand, scattering the sand table.
The difficulty doubled again. The Seven-Color Board kept splitting, each piece seemingly holding infinite possibilities, yet there was only one answer. Not one piece more, not one piece less. The difficulty was so high that Yun Liu thought for a long time, brows furrowed, raising his hand several times only to lower it again.
The Daoist’s expression was tense. He even held his breath, afraid of disturbing the young master while he worked.
Seeing that he had stalled long enough, Yun Liu’s eyes lit up as if struck by sudden enlightenment. His fingers danced as he began manipulating the pieces.
The game’s story might change, but the puzzle was always exactly the same.
Clack!
The Seven-Color Board finally formed into the shape of a key, then scattered like smoke, signaling the end of the puzzle.
The Daoist blinked, looked at the child, and waited expectantly.
The child smiled too, revealing two adorable dimples, and clapped happily.
“So that’s how it is, so that’s how it is. Housheng Kewei indeed. My wish is fulfilled. I can finally leave Mirage City.”
The child patted his bottom, set down the Turtle Shell, and vanished as a streak of light. His cultivation was unfathomable.
Yun Liu wasn’t shy either. He tucked the Turtle Shell into his robe, rose, and left.
“Ha! Done, done, finally done! Young Mister, please wait. This Turtle Shell…”
The beggar Daoist shuffled up with a fawning grin.
“Mine.”
“Huh?”
The Daoist’s smile froze.
Yun Liu reminded him,
“You failed. Forgotten already?”
The Daoist clutched his head and pleaded,
“But I did help you get through the first six stages! Don’t I get some credit for that?”
“Wrong. Your only contribution was helping me find the Wanderers. You didn’t clear the sixth stage, so stop trying to give yourself gold stars. Weren’t the early stages just freebies?”
The old Daoist’s weathered face flushed red. He was choked speechless. This kid had zero sense of social grace.
“This Turtle Shell is useless to a child. How about this—give it to me, and I’ll do you a favor. Anything at all!”
Yun Liu put the Turtle Shell away safely. There was no way he would hand over a treasure that could be exchanged for a divine artifact.
“And who are you? What could you possibly do for me?”
The old Daoist’s eyes gleamed. He stroked his beard, seemingly trying to project an air of lofty mastery.
“You hit the nail on the head, kid. Don’t be scared when I say this—this Grandmaster’s Daoist title is Wu Wei!”
“Wu Wei or whatever, never heard of you.”
Yun Liu said that with his mouth, but his eyelid twitched. He raised a fist the size of a sandbag.
“If you want to fight, feel free to try.”
The Daoist quickly ducked his head and scrambled away, wailing,
“This makes no sense! You’re already at Golden Core and you’ve never heard my name? Young people these days have no manners. No respect for elders at all.”
Can’t snatch it, can’t snatch it. The Martial Uncle personally gave that thing away. Even with ten times more courage, he wouldn’t dare.
Yun Liu couldn’t be bothered with the beggar. He crawled out of the pit and regrouped with Qin Xiang. When the Daoist saw the gentle young woman draped in silken water robes, he was utterly stunned.
“Incredible, simply incredible! Little sister, you’ve got a divine light shooting out of your Heavenly Spirit! Does your family know about this?”
Where did this clown come from?
Qin Xiang giggled and stepped aside. She was about to ask her husband when the Daoist’s grubby hand reached out.
Smack!
Yun Liu slapped the Daoist’s hand away, furious.
“This is my wife. Show some respect.”
“A match made in heaven! May I ask who you two studied under? Do you have a sect? Would you be interested in joining Cangqiong Dongfu?”
Wu Wei the old Daoist smiled with an air of immortality, saying,
“Perfect match, absolutely perfect match. Beauty and talent. Little sister, you have a Heavenly Spiritual Root and Wood Soul Essence. You two complement each other perfectly and will surely achieve greatness. Just call me Master, and I’ll guarantee you both as Inner Disciples, with a monthly offering of ten thousand dan. How about it?”
Qin Xiang was startled, thinking she had misheard. That was Cangqiong Dongfu!
Wu Wei had seen through both their Spiritual Roots with a single sentence. He did have some real skill, and he was dreaming big.
Not to mention the young couple’s exceptional talents. He was thrilled to find such geniuses, even the Martial Uncle had praised them as Housheng Kewei.
If he took them as disciples, wouldn’t the Turtle Shell soon be offered to him as a tribute?
This old scoundrel talks nonsense all day, can’t even solve such a simple puzzle, and wants to be my Master? Dream on! Get lost before I make you regret it!
Yun Liu made as if to strike. With the backing of the Turtle Shell’s owner, he had no fear at all. The Wu Wei Daoist could only slink away with a resentful look, shaking his head in regret.
No disciples taken, and the Divination Script had flown away too. Guess there was no fate between them.
Watching the man’s receding figure, Yun Liu was lost in thought. His mood was not as light as his expression suggested.
“Xiao Yun, who was that?”
“Cangqiong Dongfu, Wuwei Shangren.”
“What!”
Qin Xiang gasped, covering her mouth. The master of the Four Extremes Observatory on Qincang Mountain?
Wuwei Shangren was a leader of the Heavenly Concord Alliance, equal in standing to old man Shen Zhong. He simply refused to take the position of Master because he disliked being constrained. He wasn’t just some random Elder borrowing authority. Yun Liu knew this full well but didn’t want to get entangled with him.
“Why is he here? He shouldn’t be here.”
The Sea Market under the night sky was even livelier than in the day. The Whirlpool Eye led straight down to the Jade Tower at the bottom of the sea, and even the stars and the bright moon overhead seemed small as specks of dust.
As if responding to some signal, the Merfolk around them leapt into the air one after another, riding the power of water spirits to create waves in the atmosphere.
The Mermaid Water Dance was perfectly synchronized. The beautiful performance drew cheers from the watching crowd.
Lady Rosy and Qing Li were among them too, their graceful figures drawing attention.
Salted Fish Team Building. It looked like a heartfelt performance for guests from the Four Seas, yet also like some sacred ritual.
“Did the Martial Arts Competition for Marriage start?”
Qin Xiang shot Yun Liu a playful glare, teasing him.
Master and disciple are stirring up trouble everywhere. Now they’re butting into other people’s lifelong affairs. Don’t get the Mistress angry and thrown out.