Desolate Devouring Art

Chapter 549 - Chess Contest

The surrounding voices gradually faded, and everyone focused on drinking quietly. An outsider had unexpectedly stolen all the spotlight in this gathering, making many people resentful and deepening their hatred for Liu Wuxie.

"Lady Murong, what's next?" Most people wanted to wrap up this gathering and leave as it was late in the night. Their eyes fell on Murong Yi, and they could only put their hopes on the remaining two contests, with poetry and painting already won by Liu Wuxie.

"I have an incomplete setup here, and whoever can solve it within an hour will be the winner," Murong Yi announced with a wave of her hand. Instantly, maids appeared carrying chessboards, each arranged identically, and placed them in front of the gathered prodigies.

Liu Wuxie, like the others, had a board placed before him. He glanced at it briefly, and in response, the Heavenly Dao Book within him unfurled, its small figures immediately deducing the solution.

The scenario was clear: the red pieces were on defense, while the black pieces held the upper hand, pressing in with an inevitable victory. At first glance, the red side seemed doomed, with no obvious way to turn the tide.

The task before the participants was to solve the puzzle and secure a win for the red pieces. Even achieving a draw would be considered a victory under these circumstances.

"I believe only the Demonic Heart Palace's Lu Ming has any chance of solving this puzzle!" Many people turned their eyes to the Demonic Heart Palace's faction.

In the realm of chess, Lu Ming was unrivaled. If Hua Chenye held the top rank in poetry, Lu Ming claimed that position for chess. Similarly, Azure Crimson Gate’s Qiu Baihao was recognized for his mastery in painting. Each of these individuals excelled in their respective fields.

"That's not necessarily true. The Azure Crimson Gate's Fan Yongfu is just as skilled in chess as Lu Ming. They've played ten matches, and each of them won five," another spectator remarked, showing support for Fan Yongfu, who also had a strong chance of solving the puzzle.

"This puzzle is too difficult. It’s impossible to solve it alone—it’s more likely they’d need to work together to have any chance. The black pieces are just a step away from checkmate," murmured others, glancing at their boards. Many of the prodigies stared at the setup for a long time, unable to figure out how the red pieces could possibly win.

"Do you think Azure Crimson Gate will try to challenge Liu Wuxie again? It’s almost impossible to reach grandmaster level in chess without at least ten years of practice."

If the Azure Crimson Gate failed to win even once that night, their future encounters with the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion would be stained by a sense of inferiority. Word of their repeated defeats at the hands of an outsider would spread like wildfire, and they would be ridiculed for bringing shame to their sect.

After all, the disciples present represented the best of the younger generation of Azure Crimson Gate, yet they were all being consistently outmatched by Liu Wuxie.

"I bet the Azure Crimson Gate won't let this matter rest. Didn't you see that they're secretly discussing something among themselves!" Over a hundred Azure Crimson Gate disciples had gathered together to discuss, seemingly to plot something secretly.

Murong Yi sat down and watched everything. This puzzle was unpredictable because each chess piece was like an army, and they could turn the battle tide if used correctly.

Liu Wuxie shifted his gaze from the chessboard as the Heavenly Dao Book closed up. He now had a clear solution in his mind. He had five solutions to this chess game.

Everyone discussed for fifteen minutes before the Azure Crimson Gate disciples stood up and looked at Liu Wuxie.

"Liu Wuxie, do you dare to compete with Senior Brother Fan to see who can solve this game first?" Jia Fengmao stood up with murderous intent on his face. They hadn't just discussed how to defeat Liu Wuxie, but they had even worked together to find a solution to the game.

Liu Wuxie was alone, while they had over a hundred people. In addition to Fan Yongfu's heaven-defying talent in chess, they were confident of beating Liu Wuxie.

"That would be a waste of time. I'll play as the red pieces; you all control the black pieces. If I win, all of you will slap yourselves. On the contrary, I will kneel and kowtow if I lose." They probably had no valuable treasures left, but they would become famous in Southern Province if they all publicly slapped themselves.

Since there was an irreconcilable feud between them, Liu Wuxie might as well take it even further to humiliate them.

"What? He's going to play as the red pieces?!" Everyone was stunned by Liu Wuxie’s response.

Even Hua Chenye and Lu Ming were shocked. They could be considered chess experts, but even after fifteen minutes, they couldn't find a solution. However, Liu Wuxie suggested taking the red pieces to compete with the Azure Crimson Gate.

"Is he insane? The red pieces are doomed to lose in this game." Even if many people present weren't chess experts, they could tell that the red pieces were on the verge of defeat.

Liu Wuxie's request made the Azure Crimson Gate more cautious, fearing a trap waiting for them. However, they couldn't find any solution for the red pieces even after they studied the chessboard for half a day. They all felt uneasy because they feared that Liu Wuxie had laid down a trap for them to jump in.

They vividly remembered the two precious rounds where Liu Wuxie had crushed them with absolute advantage.

"What's the matter? You people dare to provoke me but don't dare to take up my challenge?" Liu Wuxie sneered. His mockery made the Azure Crimson Gate disciples furious.

"Brother Liu, you have to reconsider!" Shui Huan came over in an attempt to persuade Liu Wuxie. After all, Liu Wuxie might have a chance if they were going to compete in solving the chess game, but his odds of winning weren't high if he took the red pieces.

Liu Wuxie appreciated Shui Huan's goodwill, but he merely smiled and gave no further explanation.

"Very well, I accept your challenge. If I lose, I'm willing to cripple my cultivation, and you do the same if you lose. Do you dare to take on the new wager?" Fan Yongfu's eyes blazed with flames. He didn't want to drag the entire Azure Crimson Gate down because the sect's reputation would fall if news got out that everyone had slapped themselves on their faces.

"That's a deal!" Liu Wuxie agreed to Fan Yongfu's newly suggested wager—the loser would cripple their cultivation.

"Here's the Life-and-Death Pledge. Sign it!" Fan Yongfu took out a pledge and signed it with his blood, swearing an oath to the heavens to prevent Liu Wuxie from backing out. His goal was to prevent the intervention of the House of Tea Art.

Once the waiver was signed, the Life-and-Death Curse would be planted, and even the House of Tea Art wouldn't be able to intervene.

Liu Wuxie had anticipated this because the House of Tea Art had repeatedly protected his safety, and the Azure Crimson Gate would naturally find a way to bypass it.

Signing the Life-and-Death Pledge meant a curse would be planted in both parties, and this was the best solution. The crimson pledge hovered before Liu Wuxie, and Madam Li stood ten steps away.

"Young Master Liu, please reconsider!" Madam Li's voice sounded in Liu Wuxie's ears.

She hoped that Liu Wuxie could reconsider because the House of Tea Art couldn't do anything to help even if they wanted once the pledge was signed. This meant they would have to bribe the Azure Crimson Gate to voluntarily release Liu Wuxie from the curse for him to survive, and this would be troublesome.

"Thank you for your goodwill!" Liu Wuxie said as he proceeded to squeeze out a drop of blood to sign the pledge.

“Young lady...he...” Lady Yan looked worried because finding someone who excelled in every talent was rare. This was similar to Hua Chenye's proficiency in poetry, Qiu Baihao's proficiency in painting, and Fan Yongfu's proficiency in chess. It was tough to find someone who was proficient in multiple arts.

Liu Wuxie had already proven himself through poetry and painting, which made everyone wonder if he was also a genius in chess.

A table was placed at the center for the two to take their seats.

Fan Yongfu stood up and sat before the black pieces, while Liu Wuxie took the red pieces. Lu Ming had given up finding a solution and moved to the center to watch the match.

Everyone crowded over as well, surrounding the table tightly.

"Go on!" Fan Yongfu gestured for Liu Wuxie to make his move first as he played the red pieces.

Hundreds of eyes fell on Liu Wuxie to wait for his move. They had already considered every factor but couldn't find a solution, no matter how hard they pondered.

Liu Wuxie didn't hesitate to place a red piece on the lower right corner of the board.

"The Kan position? Is he mad? He'll lose the majority of the red pieces in this move!" Someone had tried this move, but the red pieces would be besieged by the black pieces in less than three moves.

Fan Yongfu's lips curled into a sneer as he placed a black piece down.

Sure enough, the red pieces suffered heavy losses, losing about one-third of their pieces and pushing the red pieces into a dire situation.

However, Liu Wuxie remained unfazed and continued to place a chess piece down. This was another suicidal move, which prompted sighs from the surroundings.

Only one person's gaze remained on the red pieces, and he was the Demonic Heart Palace's Lu Ming. His mind raced to deduce Liu Wuxie's next moves.

When the third piece was placed on the chessboard, the red pieces struggled to survive, shocking everyone. According to their calculations, the red pieces were bound to lose after three moves. However, the red pieces were still surviving, which made no sense.

"Don't you all find it strange? Why are the red pieces still so resilient?" Many people knew a thing or two about chess, even if they weren't experts. They could tell that something was off with this game, and the red pieces seemed to be brewing something.

As for what the red pieces were brewing, it was still unclear. A cold sweat rolled down Fan Yongfu's forehead and fell onto the chessboard.

He could faintly see a solitary path leading straight to his headquarters. The black pieces suddenly pulled back to defend, and when Fan Yongfu made his move, the surrounding people exclaimed.

Only Liu Wuxie's eyes flashed with a hint of admiration.

"Senior Brother Fan, why didn't you press on the attack? The red pieces are already on the brink of collapse, and they'll be finished with a few more moves!" Many Azure Crimson Gate disciples were puzzled about why Fan Yongfu switched from offense to defense.

The black pieces had already formed an encirclement, and the victor could be determined in another one or two moves.

"Something's off!" A Sky Rift Valley disciple commented. He knew something was off, but he couldn't quite describe it.

The red pieces seemed to be at a disadvantage, but they held their ground firmly under the black pieces' assault, and this was unbelievable.

Lu Ming fell into deep thoughts and wondered how he would move if he controlled the black pieces.

It was now time for Liu Wuxie to make his next move.

"Liu Wuxie, hurry up!" The Azure Crimson Gate disciples urged him to hurry after seeing him hesitate.

After three breaths of hesitation, Liu Wuxie suddenly placed a red piece in the center position, and the entire layout changed the moment he made his move. The red pieces had suffered heavy casualties even without the black piece making a move, and this action caused a series of exclamations from the surroundings because it was no different from committing suicide.

After all, the red pieces were already on the brink of collapse, even without needing the black pieces to attack.

Fan Yongfu didn't continue defending this time. He pressed on his advantage to wipe out all the red pieces nearing the center.

"This is bad!" Lu Ming exclaimed, but it was already too late because Fan Yongfu had made his move. Although the red pieces suffered heavy casualties in the central region, the chessboard suddenly became much cleaner.

"How is this possible?!" Someone was stunned because the red pieces now had a chance to make a comeback even though their numbers had dramatically decreased.

"I understand now! Liu Wuxie purposely sacrificed those red pieces because they were already trapped, hindering the other red pieces from attacking. Thus, he used the black pieces to clean out some red pieces and cleared a path for himself!"

The layout was simple. Liu Wuxie sacrificed some chess pieces to aim straight for the black pieces' base.