The Prodigies War

Shun Ji’s eyes were bulging out, and his breathing was heavy. He stared fixedly at the Nine Palaces Diagram without saying a word.

In this game, he had wagered a quasi-Emperor treasure that he looted from the battlefield. It was an extremely rare find because it was still in perfect condition.

If he lost, this treasure would no longer belong to him.

“Old Man Shun, give up. I have already told you many times that it’s not easy to win Ling Xiaozi’s Nine Mystery Divine Essence.”

“The Nine Mystery Divine Essence is a first-class treasure in the world. Although it has little use to quasi-Emperors like us, it has wonderful effects on the Big Saint Stage such as refining the dao foundation and tempering the state of mind. Every drop of it is priceless.”

“Old Man Shun, everyone knows that you want this good fortune for your grandson, but you can’t force this kind of thing.”

The nearby quasi-Emperors persuaded him.

“Elder, you really have no chance of winning this chess game.” Lin Xun also spoke out.

Shun Ji raised his head and glared at him. He snapped, “Kid, was it not enough for you to just watch me make a fool of myself, so you came over to persuade me to give up? Do you not have a conscience?”

Lin Xun was about to say something when Shun Ji let out a long sigh. “Fine, I have to admit defeat. You all can divide the winnings among you.”

The quasi-Emperors laughed merrily and began to split the winnings with Ling Xiaozi.

Meanwhile, the old monsters who had bet on Shun Ji to win exchanged disappointed glances with one another.

Shun Ji frowned. “Don’t cry! I will be back, and when I do, I guarantee I will make Ling Xiaozi wet his pants and cry for his father and mother!”

The old monsters rolled their eyes, as though saying, ‘Whoever believes in you is an idiot.’

Shun Ji couldn’t help flushing. Over the years, he had played Go with Ling Xiaozi countless times and every time he would suffer an embarrassing loss.

However, just as he was about to leave, he heard a voice, “Elder, may I also play Go with you?”

It was Lin Xun. He went up to Ling Xiaozi and asked with a cupped fist salute.

The old monsters who were about to leave after merrily splitting the winnings were all visibly taken aback by Lin Xun’s request.

This kid actually wants a match with Ling Xiaozi?

Who in the Great Emperor Pass did not know that Ling Xiaozi had a lack of abilities, but his skills in the art of the runes trumped everyone else’s?

“Old Man Shun, you brought this kid into the city, right? The young are fearless. Hahaha. No matter what, his bravery is commendable.”

Someone laughed and did not take Lin Xun seriously.

“Brave? I say he does not know the immensity of heaven and earth!” Someone frowned. “He has already reached the Saint Stage, yet he is still so reckless and impudent. He is definitely going to cause a huge mess in the future!”

“Well, well, we were all young once. Why lower yourself to argue with a junior?” someone tried to mediate the situation.

Simply speaking, although the old monsters were surprised and baffled by Lin Xun, they did not show any malice towards him.

“Old Man Shun, quickly take this kid away. Once he becomes a quasi-Emperor, he can challenge Ling Xiaozi then.” Someone chuckled.

Shun Ji looked taken aback for a moment, then he pointed at Lin Xun, shook his head and gave an awkward smile. “You! Why are you causing trouble at this time? Let’s go, let’s quickly get out of here, I don’t want to be mocked by those old guys anymore.”

He pulled Lin Xun away by the shoulder.

From the beginning to the end, Ling Xiaozi just sat cross-legged on the ground, smiling leisurely. With his status, of course, he would not be bothered about a junior like Lin Xun.

“Elder, do you not want the Nine Mystery Divine Essence?”

But Lin Xun’s words made Shun Ji halt abruptly and widen his eyes. “Kid, what did you say?”

Lin Xun repeated without hesitation, “I said I can try and help you win some Nine Mystery Divine Essence.”

He was very interested in the Nine Palaces Go Game. His eyes had gleamed as he had watched them play. After all, it was a contest based on the art of runes, a skill he had been exposed to since a young age and had long been integrated into his blood.

“Win?” Shun Ji almost found he heard him wrong. If Lin Xun had not looked so serious and calm, he would have thought he was joking and walked away.

Are you kidding? Even I was no match for Ling Xiaozi. How can a junior win against him?

It was no exaggeration to say that no one throughout the Great Emperor Pass stood a chance against Ling Xiaozi in Nine Palaces Go!

The other nearby old monsters also donned strange expressions, feeling the same as Shun Ji.

Their previous evaluation of Lin Xun was that he did not know the immensity of heaven and earth, but now they felt that he did not know what was good for him.

Given the status of everyone present, they would not make things difficult for a junior, but if this junior did not know when to retreat, then it would obviously make them unhappy.

Someone couldn’t help asking, “Young man, are you sure you want to play?”

Lin Xun nodded. “Of course.”

Many big shots couldn’t help but wrinkle their brows when they saw this. This kid...really won’t give up until he is faced with defeat.

“Then, do you know that there is a price to pay for playing Go with Ling Xiaozi?"

A charming and beautiful lady in purple said softly, “For example Shun Ji wagered one of his treasures. If he won, he would receive the Nine Mystery Divine Essence. Since he lost, this treasure now belongs to Ling Xiaozi.”

After a pause, the lady in purple continued, “You look around the same age as my granddaughter and your character is not bad. As an elder, I must advise you to not act recklessly. It doesn’t matter if you lose, but if you lose your treasure, it won’t be worth it.”

Lin Xun performed a cupped fist salute. “Elder, rest assured that I know what I’m doing.”

Seeing this, the lady’s interest waned and she stopped trying to persuade Lin Xun.

“Since you want a match, then take out a treasure and let everyone see if you are qualified to play against Ling Xiaozi,” someone sneered.

Lin Xun nodded happily, and with a flip of his hand, a divine herb was sitting on his palm—

It was golden-bright with eight leaves of different colors. Each leaf projected a vivid and realistic spirit entity such as a fiery red qilin, a blue dragon-lion, an azure luan bird, and a purple leopard-like beast…

A total of eight spirit entities hovered around the golden ginseng as it sprinkled beautiful golden light and exuded a rich medicinal aroma that penetrated deep into everyone’s body.

Eight Spirits Ginseng!

Lin Xun had picked this up in the Flying Immortal Battle Realm. Just like the Night Sky Jade Vine, it was a top rare treasure of the world.

Suddenly, all the old monsters’ eyes were glowing. What a treasure!

Based on their cultivation and experience, they could instantly tell that the herb was incredibly precious and rare, and definitely not inferior to the Nine Mystery Divine Essence.

“I did not expect this kid to own a treasure like that,” whispered someone in surprise.

Someone’s eyes blazed covetously. “That will do, that will do! Ling Xiaozi, the treasure that the boy brought out as a wager is enough to play a game of Go with you. I’ll also place a bet!”

The other old monsters were also tempted.

This was not because they hadn’t seen much of the world nor that they shamelessly wanted to take something belonging to a junior, but that the treasure was far too rare!

Ling Xiaozi’s eyes flashed. “Accepted.” He finally nodded slightly.

However, Shun Ji urged very anxiously, “Kid, you must not do this! If you lose that treasure, you will never get it back. Listen to me and don’t play with those old guys. They are all after your treasure.”

Lin Xun smiled. “Elder, it’s just a divine herb, a worldly possession. What’s more, we haven’t even started. How do you know that I will lose?”

Although all the old monsters were very excited about the Eight Spirits Ginseng, they couldn’t help from frowning when they heard Lin Xun’s words. This kid is really arrogant!

Lin Xun sat down cross-legged on the ground, placed the Eight Spirits Ginseng on one side, and calmly faced Ling Xiaozi. “Elder, please enlighten me.”

Shun Ji let out a long sigh, knowing that he could not persuade the little stubborn guy.

Ling Xiaozi said calmly, “Young man, if you are keen to delve into the world of runes, then I can give you some pointers in your spare time to prevent you from going down a wrong path. But this Nine Palaces Go Game is different. It is a match so it should be fair. I won’t go easy on you, are you sure you want to continue?”

He had the demeanor of a skilled master.

Lin Xun nodded without thinking about it. “Of course.”

Ling Xiaozi frowned and sighed softly. “Fine I will entertain you with a game of Go.”

“Wait, we all need to place bets first!”

A quasi-Emperor shouted and quickly took out a sword that glinted with divine light. “I bet on Ling Xiaozi to win.”

Seeing this, everyone else also placed bets, almost all believed that Ling Xiaozi would win.

“Hey, kid, you give me a headache.” Shun Ji frowned, but despite saying this, he took out a treasure and bet on Lin Xun to win!

Lin Xun looked surprised, and then he smiled without saying anything.

“I also bet on this kid to win.”

To everyone’s surprise, the stunningly beautiful lady in purple also took out a treasure. “Just take it as... Some sort of encouragement for this little friend.”

Lin Xun gave a cupped fist salute and kept this support in mind.

Soon, treasures were piled up on the ground, all of which were of an extraordinary grade and glowing a beautiful hue.

How would the treasures of quasi-Emperors and Saint-Kings be ordinary items?

If other True Saints witnessed this scene, they would all be lost for words. This was a high-stakes gamble.

But to the old monsters present, it was nothing but a little bet for fun.

Moreover, they already believed victory was within their grasp. Even if Ling Xiaozi deliberately let Lin Xun win, he would still back out and willingly concede defeat.

However, Lin Xun scanned the treasures and said after some consideration. “Elder, I have a presumptuous request. If I win, I don’t want these treasures. Instead, I would be very happy if you would pass on your experience and insights to me about tackling the Big Saint Stage.”

At first, everyone stared at him, shocked, then their expressions morphed. This kid...actually thinks that he could win?

Ling Xiaozi couldn’t help but snort out loud. He is already so arrogant at such a young age. He does not take me seriously at all!

“Fine, I agree to your request.”

One of the influential figures agreed, but his voice was filled with ridicule. “Let’s see how you will win!”

The others also accepted Lin Xun’s request. He was just after their knowledge and insights about tackling the Big Saint Stage, which had nothing to do with their inheritance arts, so they did not mind sharing with him.

However, they did not believe that Lin Xun could win at all!