Simulation becomes reality, have I ever looked down upon the eternity?

Chapter 301: The Tenth-Rank Dragon Prisoner, Xie Yuan’s Martial Arts Realm!

[Sima Ting walked into the small courtyard and placed the gift sent by the master on the table.]

[This is a Hu brush presented as tribute from Jiannan Road, also called "Qingfeng Guanding". It takes thousands of sheep's fur to make one.]

[Originally, only the royal family could enjoy it, but now almost all of the nine major surnames have some branches. ]

Sima Ting said: "Sir, please trouble Master Guan to write a fragment of the recent famous sentence in Bianjing."

[He carefully took out a piece of silk book from his sleeve.]

[You nodded and wrote on the silk book, "Peng flew to the north sea, the wind was blowing towards the sun, and I set off on a long journey with my book and sword."]

[As you were about to pick up the pen, Sima Ting added: "Please also add Mr. Er's supplementary words."]

【You also wrote, "Until now, the book and the sword have been scattered."】

[Sima Ting's eyes fell on this line of handwriting. Having practiced martial arts for many years, he could actually feel the strength of the young man's pen at this moment, just like drawing a sword from its sheath, with a cold light. He secretly praised in his heart, and saw that the young master's handwriting seemed to have improved a lot. An indescribable charm flowed between the lines.]

[Sima Ting put away the silk book and wanted to speak about his doubts about martial arts, but he thought of the young man's strong body that he had just revealed, and swallowed the words back.]

[He bowed and said goodbye: "Master Guan, the banquet will be held soon. In the afternoon of that day, the Sima family's sedan chair will come to Xie Mansion to pick you up."]

[The Banquet of Flowers is held the night before New Year's Eve, which is still more than 20 days away.]

[It only takes half an hour to get from Xie's house to the West Wing. Of course, the road is crowded. The Nine Great Families don't like to squeeze with some common people, so they set up an official road where only the carriages and sedan chairs of the Nine Great Families can pass.]

[Sima Ting has thought it through. The Xie family naturally has carriages and drivers, but you cannot command them as a bastard.]

[You nodded and said, "Thank you, General Sima."]

[Sima Ting leaves, you see him off to the gate.]

[The courtyard is covered with snow, and the courtyard looks quite quiet. ]

[After this year and in the spring of next year, you will enter the school and take the imperial examination to become a student, which will be held in February every year.]

[The imperial examination was a top priority in the Great Qi Dynasty. From the stage of the students taking the examination for the title of scholar, there were strict supervision by the teachers in the academy to ensure the fairness of the examination and avoid favoritism and fraud.]

[Of course, there are exceptions. Students who study in academies do not need to take the Tongsheng exam and can directly obtain the title of Xiucai.]

[Although both scholars are scholars, the difference between scholars from academies and scholars from the imperial examinations is huge.]

[The most desirable place for scholars in the world is the academy. 】

[There were not many people studying in the academy, only about two or three hundred people, all of whom were great scholars of the time or people who were well versed in literature, water and astronomy, water conservancy, and military affairs.]

【You go back to the house and continue reading. 】

[The Xie Family Library has a collection of thousands of books and classics, but as a bastard, you have no right to enter and leave freely.]

[You can only ask Xie Yuan to help you borrow books from the library. ]

[In the past six months, you have read almost half of the books in Xie's library.]

【It’s afternoon! 】

[You walk in the courtyard for the second time, visualizing the "ghost-slaying sword."]

【At this time! 】

[The remote courtyard welcomed Xie Yuan and his group, whom we hadn't seen for more than half a month. ]

[He walked on the snow, followed by a group of singing girls and servants, looking "majestic and imposing".]

[Zhang Yunzhi is also traveling with you this time. The three of you are already familiar with each other, so there is no need for unnecessary formalities.]

[Xie Yuan sat on the heated kang skillfully, his eyes falling on the pile of books on your desk, including some leisure books.]

["Local Prefectures in Jiangnan", "Xu Xian's Travels", "Menglong Bi Tan" ... "Records of Demons and Monsters"]

[He laughed and said, "Brother Guan, the imperial examination only tests the Four Books and Five Classics. I'm afraid these idle books of yours will be of no use."]

[You smiled and responded: "Read a book a hundred times and its meaning will become clear. Books are the golden house."]

[Influenced by you, Xie Yuan has also memorized the Four Books and Five Classics. He has a great scholar to accompany him in his studies and has a solid body of knowledge. However, he does not like to recite poems and compose couplets, so he has no reputation.]

【Xie Yuan secretly decided that he would read these books after returning.】

[Xie Yuan picked up the "Demon Record" and flipped it open. It recorded many demons in the Thirteen Continents and even the entire Great Sui Dynasty, with various appearances.]

[Demons all have one characteristic: they feed on humans to grow stronger.]

【Xie Yuan has long been interested in this and has read it many times.】

[He looked up at you, his eyes sparkling with excitement, and said, "Brother Guan, this banquet is really a big deal! In the past, it was rare to see traces of demons in Bianjing."]

[“There will be a demon species performing at this banquet.”]

[You are slightly puzzled, wondering which demon dares to come to Bianjing. ]

[Not to mention that Bianjing is heavily guarded, with the Jingshen formation at the center of the formation, if any demon in the world enters Bianjing City, the academy will be informed immediately.]

【Zhang Yunzhi explained: "Mr. Guan, you may not know that Prime Minister Su specially asked the Hidden God Division to come to assist in this gathering of beauties."】

[The Shenyin Division is the government office of Da Qi that is specifically responsible for the training and management of demons. It is filled with experts who have mastered many secret methods of taming demons.]

[And these demons obey the orders of the Shenyin Division. ]

[Xie Yuan has been eager for this banquet to be held sooner these days. ]

[Watching the election of the courtesan, the performance of demons, the presence of Su Xiang, the third master of the academy, this kind of lively event is rare in Bianjing. ]

[However, Zhang Yunzhi was a little worried. Her father was working far away in Zehu, and her mother was traveling back and forth for her father's affairs. The family could not be reunited this year.]

【“Brother Guan, want to play a few games?”】

[Every time Xie Yuan came to your place, he would play a few games of chess with you. He thought that after losing to you in chess, he might be able to find a chance of winning by switching to another game, Go.]

【Xie Yuan was also quite accomplished in Go. As a playboy, he was good at cockfighting, dice rolling, gambling on stones, etc. Go was naturally one of them.】

【Xie Yuan began to teach you how to play Go with a smile, ever since you gave up in the first game because you were not familiar with the rules.】

【After playing two games, Xie Yuan found that he was already struggling from the third game.】

[In the fourth round, he was already losing, so he refused to believe it.]

【After the fourth inning, we lost three innings in a row.】

[You have now discovered that Xie Yuan is a person who would be unhappy if you were to let him go.]

[Therefore, when you play chess with him, you only show half of your strength and don't deliberately give in. ]

[“The winner will be determined by best of five games!”]

[You heard what Xie Yuan said and nodded slightly.]

[The servants naturally brought their chess sets with them and began to set them up on the table.]

[A chessboard with 19 lines is placed between the two of them.]

[You and Xie Yuan each have a can of black and white chess pieces.]

[The white pieces are as smooth as jade, soft but not transparent, with a slight yellow or emerald green color; the black pieces are "like jasper when viewed from above, and like lacquer when viewed from below", dark and smooth, and semi-transparent when viewed against the light, with a emerald green or royal blue luster around the pieces.]

[This chess piece is called "Yun Zi", also known as "Yun Bian" or "Yun Yao Zi". It was a tribute from Yun Andao to the royal family. In the past, it was only owned by the royal family, but now it is not uncommon for the nine major families to have it. ]

[“Pah, pah!”] [The sound of you and Xie Yuan’s moves was clear and audible, and Zhang Yunzhi was also watching intently from the side.]

【Soon! 】

【Xie Yuan fell into deep thought, undecided, and even began to scratch his head.】

[Finally, he sighed helplessly: "Come again!"]

【Zhang Yunzhi is proficient in music, chess, calligraphy and painting, and his chess skills are even better than Xie Yuan.】

【Watching this game, she naturally sided with the weaker Xie Yuan.】

[In the second game, Xie Yuan planned his moves carefully and thoughtfully, while you moved smoothly and swiftly.]

[Zhang Yunzhi shook her head and sighed, "We lost!"]

【Xie Yuan was unwilling to give in: “Come again!”】

【For a while, there was a continuous sound of chess pieces falling. 】

[A group of singing girls gathered around the table. Although they didn't understand the chess game, they saw that their young master had a frown on his face, while you looked normal, holding a cup of hot tea and blowing the hot air over it.]

[They naturally knew that the young master had been defeated! ]

【Xie Yuan sat cross-legged, smoothed his messy hair, and said proudly: "Come again!"】

[Although it's a best-of-five game, you've already won, but you haven't refused.]

[By the end of the fifth round, Xie Yuan's hair was already a little messy.]

[“Alas, the failure of this plan is not my fault, but fate’s fault!”]

【Xie Yuan raised his head and looked at you with burning eyes.】

【“Brother Guan, are you a human?”】

[You seem a little confused.]

[Zhang Yunzhi took a final look at the chessboard. It seemed that she had already lost from the middle of the game and had fallen into the trap. This young master Guan’s chess skills were far superior to those of her cousin.]

【Zhang Yunzhi smiled and said: "Master Guan, Xie Yuan is really praising you."】

【Xie Yuan threw in the towel and admitted defeat: "I'd better not compete with you in chess anymore. You are too bullying."】

【You need to know! 】

【Xie Yuan is proud of his chess skills, and thinks he is quite good among all the young masters.】

[He sometimes competes with his uncle, who says he has reached the fourth rank in chess.]

[There are nine levels of Go, with the ninth level being the lowest for beginners and the first level being the strongest.]

[The ninth rank is "guarding the clumsiness", which means guarding the dumbest move, only roughly understanding the chess moves, not good at changes, only guarding but not attacking, which is the worst.]

[The first level is "into the god", the chess skills have reached the highest level, the changes are unpredictable, and the chess can defeat the opponent without fighting. No one can beat it, which is the best. ]

【Xie Yuan's fourth rank is "Tongyou", which means he can deeply understand the meaning and create ingenuity. When faced with a situation, he can adapt well and take the initiative, which is in the upper middle level.】

[Among ordinary people, a fourth-grade chess player is considered a master. ]

【However! 】

[In addition to the first to ninth levels, there is another level in the way of Go that is superior to the first level, and that is the tenth level - "Trapped Dragon". ]

[There are only one and a half people in the world who can reach this state. ]

[One of them was the fourth master of the academy. Because his name contained the word "dragon", the name of the tenth level "trapped dragon" seemed to be tailor-made for him.]

【Mr. Four has a unique style of chess. His moves are invisible but contain mysteries. His calculations are profound and he is the best in the world.】

[In his early years, Mr. Si used to win money by playing chess in the alleys, and his reputation spread far and wide, thanks to his extraordinary chess skills.]

[The fourteen-year-old Da Qi chess moves easily solved the thousand-year-old endgame. ]

[The most famous is the three games between the Fourth Master and the Master, the moves of which are unknown to the world.]

[Finally, Mr. Er said, "There was no loss, no win, and no draw in the three games."]

[The Emperor Yuan of the Great Qi Dynasty had a special liking for Go, so he held a Spring and Autumn Go meeting, inviting all the masters from all over the world. Not only the Great Qi Dynasty, but also the masters from the other three kingdoms came to compete in Bianjing.]

【In this grand event, it takes the lead. 】

[The other person, Chen Guang, a Buddhist disciple from the Southern Buddhist Kingdom, defeated all his opponents except Mr. Four.]

[Mr. Si alone occupies one rank, and Chen Guang follows closely behind, which counts as half.]

[At this time, Xie Yuan waved his hands and said in a slightly irritated tone: "Take it away, take it away, take the chessboard away quickly, it makes me upset just looking at it."]

[He suddenly thought of something, his eyes lit up, and he quickly said: "Hey, brother Guan, although I am not your opponent on the chessboard, but in terms of strength, you are far inferior to me!"]

[“A chivalrous knight roams the world, doing good deeds, not by playing chess, but by relying on the sword in the box and a pair of fists and feet.”]

[Zhang Yunzhi knew that her cousin Xie Yuan had recently started to learn martial arts under the arrangement of her aunt, and according to the martial arts master in the courtyard, her cousin had great talent for martial arts.]

[Not only that, Uncle Zhuge Jian should also be teaching my cousin how to cultivate his soul.]

【Xie Yuan has already stood up and suggested excitedly: "Let's go to the courtyard!"】

[You did not refuse. You were already curious about how much Xie Yuan had improved since he was young and now he was being taught by a martial artist.]

【So, everyone came to the courtyard together. 】

[“Brother Guan, watch carefully!” Xie Yuan shouted with great enthusiasm. ]

[In order to demonstrate his strength, Xie Yuan took off his outer fur coat and thick long gown without hesitation.]

[Although the cold wind made him shiver, he still held on in order not to embarrass himself in front of you.]

[This scene made Zhang Yunzhi laugh softly with her hands covering her mouth.]

[Zhang Yunzhi could tell at a glance that her cousin Xie Yuan had already moved from the first stage, "training tendons", to the second stage, "forging bones", of martial arts.]

[In just two months, he has made such progress. He is truly gifted. ]

[His blood and qi are strong enough to resist this cold, and feeling cold is just a natural reaction of the body.]

[Xie Yuan found a broken bluestone slab in the yard. This slab weighed more than 700 kilograms.]

[He took a deep breath, clasped both sides of the stone slab with his hands, clenched his teeth, and exerted force with his arms, and actually lifted up the huge bluestone slab.]

[“Master, put it down quickly.” Xie Hou’er and several other servants nervously surrounded Xie Yuan, fearing that he might make a mistake.]

[You carefully observed Xie Yuan's movements and found that he had obviously used a breathing technique when he inhaled just now, and he also had some tricks when he used his strength.]

[In just two months, his strength has grown to such an astonishing degree, and his body has not become bulky. The person who is guiding him behind the scenes is obviously very skilled in martial arts.]

【Xie Yuan has already reached the second realm of martial arts, "Bone Forging". Warriors at this realm not only have greatly increased strength, but can also temper their bones, making their bodies more flexible and agile.】

【"boom!"】

【Xie Yuan suddenly threw the big rock, making a loud noise. He turned around with a smile and asked proudly: "Brother Guan, how is it? How is my strength?"】

[“How about a competition?”]

(End of this chapter)