Dreams and fists shatter the sky

Chapter 258: Increase the Stakes, Game Rules

"Take a look," said the Grey Crane Daoist, pointing at the two chess pieces on the table.

Ye An focused his gaze.

The Grey Crane Daoist touched the white piece with his hand, saying, "This represents you."

Then he pointed at the black piece, "And this is your opponent."

"Do these two have any connection?" Ye An furrowed his brows.

The Grey Crane Daoist produced another pair of black and white chess pieces in his palm. Placing the white piece parallel to Ye An's, he said, "This is for Ji Qing and her team."

Next, he took out the black piece and placed it beneath the previous one, saying, "And this is for Ji Qing's opponent, the Ghost Sovereign and his team."

"For every win you secure," he continued, taking out another white piece and placing it next to the Ghost Sovereign's piece, "you will gain this."

"Win four consecutive matches," he added, taking out three more pieces, surrounding the Ghost Sovereign, and finally removing the black piece. He said calmly, "Then Ji Qing and her team can return safely."

"The same applies," he continued, "if Ji Qing and her team lose four matches."

The Grey Crane Daoist took out four black pieces, encircling Ye An's white piece, then removed them, saying lightly, "Then you won't be able to return home."

"But if you've already won a match, even if they lose one, it won't matter," Ye An asked, his brows furrowed, "So, half of my fate is in Ji Qing's hands?"

"And half of Ji Qing's fate is in my hands?" The Grey Crane Daoist nodded.

"The Swordlight Tournament is a battlefield," he explained, "where you face your opponents one-on-one."

"However, Ji Qing and her team may not necessarily do the same. It's likely to be a large-scale open battlefield similar to the infinite-grade resource points, where the scoring rules may not be about defeating opponents."

Ye An's heart skipped a beat.

The feeling of fate being out of his control made him uneasy, his inner turmoil hard to calm.

The Grey Crane Daoist continued, "To alleviate your pressure, Ji Qing and Zhao Huaiyi and other young prodigies must divert enemies like the Ghost Sovereign, those from the hostile factions."

"But their stance is very decisive."

The Grey Crane Daoist looked solemn, saying, "To refuse battle will indeed reduce the enemy's momentum, but not significantly."

"If they can kill you by paying this price, they are willing."

"So we must bring out bigger stakes to lure the enemy."

"These stakes are Ji Qing, Xu You, Zhao Huaiyi, Mu Kuang, and Qi Wuguang."

"The lives of these five people."

Ye An's heart pounded.

He looked at the six white pieces on the table, unable to believe what he was hearing. "Why would they make such a decision?"

"To alleviate my pressure, they bet the lives of the other five!"

"I feel... this doesn't seem right."

The Grey Crane raised his eyebrows. "The enemy also needs to block the Ghost Sovereign, the Black Demon King, the White Ghost Emperor, and the lives of two other mysterious players."

"It's fair."

"What's wrong with that?"

Ye An was flustered. "I just think that if I lose, Ji Qing, Mu Kuang, and the others will die. I... This rule, where even winning may not guarantee my life, feels bizarre."

The Grey Crane Daoist chuckled. "Do you think you will lose?"

Ye An was stunned.

The Grey Crane Daoist calmly said, "As long as you and Ji Qing and the others keep winning, isn't that enough?"

"You ask why they made such a decision?"

"Because they believe you can win."

"Originally, the impact of the Swordlight Tournament on destiny was limited. But now, both sides have increased their stakes."

"So regardless of who wins, it will deal a huge blow to the other side."

"You should roughly understand the current situation of the human race."

"The fact that they are willing to engage in such a major game is an opportunity for us."

"We have no other choice."

Upon hearing this, Ye An looked up at the sky.

According to the theory of the Great Marshal and others, the strength of the strong behind the gods comes from destiny. If their entire race's destiny decreases by one point, their strength will weaken by one point, which will help that person who stands alone in the world.

So, this competition is an opportunity.

Although the Grey Crane Daoist said that losing to the enemy would cause significant damage to their destiny, the total amount would be negligible.

However, having something is better than nothing. Eat one bite at a time, take one step at a time.

If he could help a little, he must.

After a few seconds of silence, Ye An said in a deep voice, "I understand."

"As long as I keep winning, I can help Ji Qing and the others. If they also keep winning, it can help that person above, right?"

"Right!" The Grey Crane Daoist's eyes narrowed, nodding heavily.

Then he continued, "Do you know the specific rules of the Swordlight Tournament?"

Ye An shook his head. "You haven't received any information yet?"

"Alright, let me tell you now," the Grey Crane Daoist said swiftly. "Three hours ago, the gods finalized the specific rules."

"There are a total of 32 participants, including you."

"To win the championship, you must fight in five matches."

"Among them, the first, third, and fifth matches are solo battles."

"The fourth and second matches are doubles battles, where each side can send an external aid to assist the participant."

"This rule was proposed by the Temple and recognized by all participating realms."

"This is a test of the human race."

"Zhao Huaiyi's side has already sent five super prodigies."

"You count as one, but for the fourth and second matches, you will need two external aids."

"How many geniuses are left in the human race is crucial, not only for the gods but more importantly for the two realms of the ancient Asura and the demons."

"You should have heard that this time the Human King Palace is to be co-hosted."

"The ancient Asura and the demon realms have not yet completely stamped their approval because they want to see how promising the next generation of humans is."

"The human race must show a strong enough hand to stabilize the thoughts of the two realms."

"To persuade the leaders of the two realms, the pillars of the human race have already spoken to exhaustion and have shown enough sincerity."

"The kings of the two realms have also been persuaded, but those are two realms with profound backgrounds, with too many strong people and too many mouths."

"Such a big move, the two realm kings cannot make decisions alone, fearing internal turmoil."

"So you need to take practical actions to persuade those in the demon realm and the ancient Asura realm who have not yet recognized the future of the human race."

Ye An furrowed his brows, recalling many names in his mind.

Tan Que?

Well, well, if this self-explosive soldier can really be used, then the chances of winning are high.

Who should be the second?

Suddenly, the Grey Crane Daoist cleared his throat, saying, "You need two external aids."

"Ye An, what do you think of my two disciples?"

Ye An was startled, asking, "Do you still have two disciples? Where are they?"

"They," the Grey Crane Daoist pointed to the senior brother and sister standing guard at the door.

Ye An's face stiffened, and he subconsciously wanted to say, "Are you serious?" But he maintained a high emotional quotient.

"I didn't know these two before, and we haven't worked together or built any rapport. This lack of synergy will be a significant factor in the double battle."