Absolute Death Game

With a snap, he made another move—this move was laced with a hidden threat. Although it could not be described as fierce, if it succeeded, it would cause some trouble, seemingly aiming to turn the tide. However, the middle-aged man laughed, "Old Mr. Gu's unyielding spirit has always been an example for us to follow."

The middle-aged man chuckled and spoke, but he didn't show any mercy with his move, deftly countering the old man's killer move. When he turned back, he captured Old Mr. Gu's large dragon, and the outcome of the game seemed clear.

Old Mr. Gu glared at the man, unamused, "Don't act smug after gaining an advantage. If this lousy chessboard doesn't end with some persistent assault, then we might as well stop playing."

As he spoke, he scrutinized the chessboard, still looking for an opportunity to turn defeat into victory.

After a long while, the middle-aged man asked with a smile, "So, do you want to continue?"

"Humph," Old Mr. Gu was about to concede when the butler walked in just in time, whispering a few words into Old Mr. Gu's ear.

"Oh, that kid's here again? At the Sword Training Field, wait for me to take a look." After saying that, he provocatively asked the middle-aged man across from him, "Interested in meeting a junior with me? This young man is no ordinary fellow, quite interesting indeed."

The middle-aged man smiled slightly, "If Old Mr. Gu is tired and doesn't wish to continue, there's no harm in saying so, no need to use a junior as an excuse."

Old Mr. Gu's face reddened slightly, but he quickly returned to normal, "Don't put it that way. This junior is extraordinary, a rare sword practice genius. If he were in the Han and Tang Dynasties, he would surely be a great swordsman master in times of chaos. If he were in the Ming and Qing Dynasties, he would have accomplished great things.

It's a pity that he was born in modern times, but you'll know once you see him."

Despite saying this, he didn't have much confidence himself. Xiao Buli showed great perception, but whether he was truly a genius, that was yet to be determined.

However, the middle-aged man did not expose him and simply cupped his fist in a gesture of respect, "One should obey a respected elder's command."

The two left the chess room and walked directly to the Sword Training Field in the back courtyard. As soon as they entered the courtyard, they saw a whirl of white light performing a Wild Dance. Gu Shaobang and Gu Yanran were watching from the side.

Both were shocked by the scene; at first glance, the swordsmanship seemed without pattern, merely slashing wildly, which made one worry that the swordsman might accidentally harm himself. However, after watching a bit longer, one would discern a hidden rhythm to the swordsmanship.

Although the movements were nearly manic, they were executed with precision and power, and the transitions were smooth, forming a cohesive sequence. Despite the wild flurry, there was no hint of the swordsman hurting himself.
Your adventure continues at empire

The middle-aged man was certainly shaken after a few glances, and Old Mr. Gu was no less astonished, thinking to himself how impressive it was that the boy had improved so much in a few days, wondering where he learned such an intense sword technique.

Old Mr. Gu had some understanding of swordsmanship and knew that although swordplay valued lightness and elegance, to achieve a certain speed was not something ordinary people could grasp, let alone perform as fluidly as what was before his eyes.

The essence of the Gale Sword Skills was speed. Xiao Buli, caught up in the moment, felt he couldn't stop the momentum of his sword. He hadn't noticed the arrival of the onlookers, so he wasn't particularly nervous. After all, swordsmanship was not beyond the capacity of normal humans, so he had no intention of hiding his techniques from Gu Shaobang.

"How about it, I wasn't wrong, was I?" Old Mr. Gu said proudly. As he spoke, Old Mr. Gu suddenly felt a childlike impulse. There were soybeans by the bird pond for feeding the birds, and he grabbed one and threw it at Xiao Buli. Yet before it could reach him, it was sliced away by the wind from Xiao Buli's sword.

Old Mr. Gu threw a few more with the same result. Deciding to test the limits, he grabbed a handful and hurled them at Xiao Buli.

As he threw them, he shouted, "Take my hidden weapons!"

Xiao Buli, fully immersed in his practice, instantly sensed objects flying rapidly towards him from behind and instinctively bent down and pressed his sword.

The onlookers, young and old, felt as if the light in the Sword Training Field dimmed for a moment. The next instant, brilliant sword light blossomed like a lotus flower.

Ultimate Skills—Wind Rolls The Scattered Clouds! The white light flashed like lightning. In that moment, Xiao Buli spun countless times, layers of Sword Shadows almost overlapping into one shining circle. As his final stroke swept out, he came to a stop, his sword tip diagonally pointed to the sky, crouched in the finishing pose of his powerful move.

Around him on the ground lay hundreds of soybeans sliced cleanly in half—without exception.

Everyone was dumbstruck, including Old Mr. Gu, the instigator of the test.

"Well—I'm just saying," he muttered to himself, but the middle-aged man's expression couldn't hide his excitement.

"Great swordsmanship, great swordsmanship!" he exclaimed, clapping his hands vigorously.

Xiao Buli suddenly snapped out of his trance; he had just been immersed in the feeling of executing Ultimate Skills. When he turned around, he inwardly cursed, realizing several people had unexpectedly gathered around him.

"Hahaha, my boy, you really are a surprise," Old Mr. Gu stepped forward and clapped Xiao Buli on the shoulder, which made Gu Yanran's eyes nearly pop out of her head. She thought to herself, since when did the usually stern old man become so affable.

The middle-aged man approached Xiao Buli, admiration evident in his eyes.

"Not bad, young man, who taught you your swordsmanship?"

Xiao Buli sheepishly smiled but didn't answer; he knew any explanation would only make things worse. He glanced at Gu Shaobang with a bit of blame, but the latter could only shrug helplessly.

The middle-aged man seemed very interested in his sword skills.

Stroking his chin, he said, "I'm a person who loves studying fighting techniques. I used to think that the Ancient Sword Skills of China were just for cultivating one's mind and body without any practical value in combat. But now, it seems that's not the case. I wonder if you'd be interested in becoming my swordsmanship coach."

Xiao Buli gave him a peculiar look, then glanced at Old Mr. Gu before the man finally realized, "How rude of me, I've forgotten to introduce myself. My name is Gu Jianguo. Perhaps you've heard of me."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Buli was immediately shocked. Jianguo was indeed a common name; one could probably find a bunch in any city. However, the name Gu Jianguo was anything but common. It just so happened that Xiao Buli knew of such a person—the most successful businessman in City B, famous nationwide.

His company, Excellence Space-Time Technology Co., Ltd., had ranked 57th in last year's national corporate leaderboard, a remarkable achievement for a private enterprise.

What was most surprising was that his rise to wealth wasn't based on real estate or selling resources but on genuine technological innovation. Excellence Space-Time specializes in products like smartphones and supercomputers, all of which are self-developed, firmly distinguishing itself from those companies that eke out a living by assembling machines for others or by bootlegging software.

It could indeed be considered City B's leading enterprise.

But could it really be that person? He glanced at Gu Jianguo's sagacious face, finding it hard to believe.

Seeing his reaction, Old Mr. Gu seemed somewhat proud, "Among the second generation of the Gu family's nephews, Jianguo is the most accomplished one. If you become his coach, I assure you, my boy, you won't be treated unfairly."

The suggestion was clear in his words.

If it weren't for the current predicament, this would have been an excellent opportunity. But now, he could only let it go.

Xiao Buli shook his head, "I'm sorry, I'm quite busy with work at the moment and really can't spare the time."

Gu Jianguo looked somewhat disappointed, but was still not giving up, "May I ask where you work? What do you do?"

Xiao Buli smiled, "I'm afraid it's not convenient for me to reveal the company I work for, but as for my job..." He glanced at the expectant Gu Jianguo and quite matter-of-factly stated, "I'm a professional gamer."

PS: I've been getting a root canal these past couple of days, and the pain's been quite severe, so I've been writing a bit slower. Please forgive me.

We're only about 10 votes away from reaching the top ten, everyone please give a little more push. Tomorrow is the last day, and if we make it into the top ten, I'll release a three-day burst of chapters next month, with a double release tomorrow. (To be continued. If you like this work, please come to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for it. Your support is my greatest motivation.)