Chapter 505 - Choices

In the life-and-death chess game, calculating the advance steps is not about how far you have walked, but how many steps you are away from the center point.At the same time, there are many paths that directly correspond to the center point area.

If Jiang Wang is now three hundred steps away from the center point, then his advance steps would be seven hundred.

If he moves one step to the right and happens to be on another path that leads straight to the center point area, then his advance steps would remain unchanged,

However, if the path one step to the right does not lead straight to the center point area, then his advance steps would actually be a retreat, leaving only six hundred and ninety-nine steps.

Due to the complexity of the life-and-death chess game, there are often times when detours are necessary, thus it’s common to waste time and strength in vain without making much progress.

The relatively strong competitors are basically in the first tier, while at the back, Qing Huo Division has not encountered any significant opponents.

No stone soldiers or barriers in the way, nor teams from other tribes, could stop Jiang Wang.

After the second “Life Point” was recorded, the Qing Huo Division started searching for the third.

When night falls, the furthest “Life Point” held is the chess position that marks the day’s progress.

But new problems arose.

The life-and-death chess game consumes a huge amount of stamina.

Although the warriors participating in the game had their Transcendent power removed, their bodies are still robust in daily life.

However, in the life-and-death chess game, the same actions consume multiples more of their stamina.

Even though the warriors of the Qing Huo Division have been doing nothing but observing and running, with Jiang Wang handling all the combat alone, the sound of heavy breathing still rose and fell, growing more frequent and louder.

Just running alone, if sustained for long enough, the body can’t bear it.

A warrior collapsed on the ground while running, completely devoid of strength.

The adjacent Chess Pawn quickly helped him up, looking at Jiang Wang helplessly, “His strength is exhausted; he cannot run any further.”

The collapsed warrior on the ground seemed completely drained.

Aside from gasping for air, he made no other movements.

The expression on the face of the Chess Pawn helping him was one of great discomfort.

Because of the rules of the life-and-death chess, leaving an incapacitated teammate to rest in place is pointless.

The best choice, known to everyone, is to kill the teammate who cannot continue, letting him exit the life-and-death chess in this manner.

The team would attain a faster speed of progression by discarding the “burden.”

Every warrior participating in the life-and-death chess is acutely aware of what they carry.

Thus, they have also prepared themselves mentally for the fate of falling behind.

However, when actually confronting that possibility, it’s still inevitably excruciating.

“Carry him,” Jiang Wang casually ordered.

The Chess Pawns are the most numerous but have the smallest “range of rule vision,” although they can see in all directions diagonally as well as straight ahead.

However, they are generally considered “substitutes.” Not very valuable.

It’s only when there is a decrease in the number of Chess Players or Chess Phases that they are needed to step in and explore the vision.

“Retreat to the previous ‘Life Point’ to rest,” Jiang Wang decided, leading the way back first.

Even though there was still some time before nightfall,

Qing Huo Yuanceng felt that Jiang Wang’s decision was incorrect, but he was very relieved that Jiang Wang could make such an “incorrect” decision.

To Jiang Wang, they were just temporary teammates who had banded together to strive for the victory fruit.

But to him, these were comrades who had lived and worked alongside him.

If he were in charge, for the entire Qing Huo Division, he might have to make decisions that would cause him pain.

Fortunately, the Chess Leader was Jiang Wang.

All he had to do was follow orders, with no difficult decisions to face.

The warriors of the Qing Huo Division all sighed in relief; they certainly wanted to continue, but their bodies just wouldn’t allow it.

The life-and-death chess game seemed to be constantly reminding them of the need for “choices.”

But a very real problem had to be confronted—none of these warriors had Transcendent power, and the exhaustion of one warrior meant that the others’ stamina was probably also nearing the danger zone.

Jiang Wang’s decision to not give up the “burden” was two-fold: Firstly, he was reluctant to abandon a teammate, even a temporary one, and secondly, he wanted to ease this problem.

After the team retreated to the “Life Point” for rest, Jiang Wang spoke up, “I will now teach you all a breathing technique that will help you regulate your breath and alleviate the fatigue of the flesh body.”

This minor technique could be refined from Body Refining Techniques.

The cultivation system in the Floating Land World primarily revolved around Totem Power, also excessively dependent on it, and not as intricate as in the present world.

After teaching it to them and letting them practice on their own, Jiang Wang was not willing to waste time and began to administer to the Heaven and Earth Lonely Island.

In such an atmosphere, the Qing Huo Division’s second night in the life-and-death chess finally arrived.

Summarizing the day’s gains, the Qing Huo Division advanced two hundred and sixty-five steps, plus the thirty steps from the previous afternoon, achieving a total of two hundred and ninety-five steps.

From the positions of all the “Life Points” occupied as shown on the night’s Regalia of Kings, the Qing Huo Division had already left the tail of the entire competing group in the life-and-death chess and had begun to compete in the midstream.

Jiang Wang’s first concern was still the Chilei Tribe.

Deducing the positions of certain teams from these “Life Points” was not a difficult task.

For instance, who else could be occupying the “Life Point” nearest to the inner ring if not Lei Zhanqian’s team from the Chilei Tribe?

The current position of the Chilei Tribe had advanced a total of four hundred and ninety ranks.

Compared to their progress at noon, they had only advanced by seventy-seven ranks.

Similarly, due to time delays caused by dragging their feet, the Qing Huo Division had only advanced by eighty-five ranks compared to their surveillance of the Charter of Kingly Rights at noon.

The gap between the two sides was still narrowing.

However, the difference in speed wasn’t as great as it had been in the morning!

Qinghuo Yuanceng was deeply concerned about this, feeling that the warriors of the Qing Huo Division were slowing down the pace, but he didn’t have the heart to suggest that Jiang Wang kill the warriors who were holding them back.

Jiang Wang, on the other hand, wasn’t too worried about this.

The slower pace in the afternoon was mainly due to other competing teams’ interference.

After making an “example” of one to warn the others, the situation would likely be much better tomorrow.

The issue of the warriors’ stamina was something all the teams had to face.

What concerned him still was the leading group.

The “extraterrestrial newcomers” from the mundane world must have enough methods to solve such minor problems.

Moreover, they had arrived in the Heavenly Pivot world earlier than Jiang Wang, gaining more preparation time.

The reason Jiang Wang relied so heavily on the unexpectedly discovered “Star Power” was because he saw a glimmer of hope from it.

Otherwise, if it came down to mere competition, based solely on the training of these warriors, he would naturally be at a disadvantage.

Lei Zhanqian’s Chilei Tribe also didn’t make much progress in the afternoon, and Jiang Wang was certain that Li Fengyao from the Clear Water Tribe must have taken some action.

Li Fengyao, such an arrogant figure who dares to compete with anyone in the world, would certainly not fear Lei Zhanqian.

Coming to the Floating Land World to participate in the life-and-death chess game, she would definitely aim for first place, as only first place is worth her, Li Fengyao’s, competition.

To compete for first place, she absolutely cannot allow the Chilei Tribe to continue their rapid advance.

Jiang Wang, if in Li Fengyao’s position at the moment, would do the same.

Sometimes to stand by and watch is to give up.

The struggle between Li Fengyao and Lei Zhanqian would surely unfold, perhaps before reaching the central point, perhaps tomorrow.

To expect Li Fengyao not to collide with Lei Zhanqian is undoubtedly an underestimation of her.

At the moment, Jiang Wang could only hope that their struggle would last a bit longer, so that he could catch up in time.

The Extreme Plague Department, the Ironwood Tribe, and the Original Earth Department banded together, with a veteran from the Inner Mansion Realm like Fang Chong among them, and they still couldn’t manage to do it…

Could Li Fengyao achieve it?

Jiang Wang closed his eyes, anticipating that answer.

The long night passed quickly during cultivation.

The progress after dawn was smoother than Jiang Wang had expected.

Any team attempting to slow down the Qing Huo Division had to be prepared to be immediately eliminated.

Those teams destined to fall behind didn’t possess such courage.

The Qing Huo Division advanced rapidly, the only thing restraining their pace being the warriors’ stamina.

The breathing technique Jiang Wang taught last night had greatly benefited the warriors’ condition.

From the external Stele Chessboard, one could clearly see the red light representing the Qing Huo Division moving forward at a speed far surpassing other teams.

Observers from other tribes were inevitably shocked, while those monitoring the situation for the Qing Huo Division were naturally overjoyed.

In the chess game, using the one daily opportunity offered by the Charter of Kingly Rights to observe all opponents, one could easily see the progress speeds of each team.

However, the leading group naturally wouldn’t pay attention to latecomers.

What mattered to them was only each other.

Contrary to Jiang Wang’s expectations, the Chilei Tribe and the Clear Water Tribe seemed not to have fought but instead advanced peacefully over two hundred ranks.

One is now at position six hundred and ninety-four, and the other at six hundred and seventeen.

One must know that this is getting very close to the end of this life-and-death chess game.

The center point is at one thousand ranks.

“What is she waiting for?”

Jiang Wang pondered this question.

But he quickly dismissed this line of thought as it did not fit Li Fengyao’s character.

She dares to compare herself to ancient saints; how could she concede to a Lei Zhanqian?

“So this isn’t a sign of peaceful coexistence.

This is the result of their conflict, their mutual hindrance.

In the final stage, they both accelerated, and their mere advance of over two hundred ranks was solely down to the powerful interference from each other.”

Jiang Wang was certain this speculation was correct.

Given the strength and means of Lei Zhanqian and Li Fengyao, any level of acceleration in the final phase was possible.

The fact that they only moved up two hundred ranks in half a day might seem as if their speed hadn’t slowed, but it was indeed slow for the final sprint, and it must be the result of mutual restraint.

Yet, this wasn’t good news for Jiang Wang, who aspired to be first.

Just from the perspective of “playing chess,” Li Fengyao hadn’t stopped Lei Zhanqian’s progress, and Lei Zhanqian hadn’t managed to leave Li Fengyao behind either.

But apart from continuing to hope for Li Fengyao’s performance, there was nothing else he could do to slow down Lei Zhanqian.

The distance was too great to even touch.

Jiang Wang took one last look at the Charter of Kingly Rights, then soared forward to the next position.

He understood one thing—in this life-and-death chess game, he was certainly not the only one in a hurry.