“Even Chu Feng can’t handle the array within that chessboard?”
The crowd furrowed their brows, growing increasingly uneasy.
Though two juniors had been chosen, Chu Feng was their true hope.
After his duel with Lü Jie, everyone believed Lü Jie was inferior to him.
Though both carried the burden of their survival, they felt that if anyone could save them, it would likely be Chu Feng.
If even Chu Feng couldn’t break the chessboard, their lives were truly at an end.
“Looks like this Chu Feng isn’t much after all,” Lü Jie remarked, a slight smirk curling his lips.
Now free from the oppressive light and its threats, he felt unburdened.
Learning of Chu Feng’s struggles brought him secret joy.
After all, Chu Feng was his rival. The greater Chu Feng’s obstacles, the better for him.
“But I should thank you, you reckless fool,” Lü Jie said with a smug smile, glancing at the red-shrouded chessboard.
Swish—
With that, Lü Jie finally moved, stepping into his chessboard.
As he did, a barrier wall sealing everything appeared before him.
Soon, two barrier gates formed, identical to those Chu Feng had seen: one red, one white.
Lü Jie glanced at them briefly before choosing the white gate.
The moment he stepped through, the chessboard transformed.
Previously, none, not even Master Tang Chen, could decipher its arrays.
But after Lü Jie entered the white gate, the arrays changed, becoming comprehensible to all.
This shift made everyone realise the difference between the gates.
When Chu Feng entered the red gate, the chessboard was engulfed in red, obscuring everything.
No one could see his situation or the array’s state.
But after Lü Jie entered the white gate, the chessboard remained visible, its arrays clear to all.
Most importantly, the arrays were now understandable.
“Lü Jie, listen to me. Follow my guidance, and you’ll surely break the array,” Master Mule Camel shouted, brimming with excitement.
To him, the arrays were solvable. If Lü Jie followed his instructions, not only could he break the chessboard, but everyone’s lives would be saved.
Yet no matter how he spoke, Lü Jie gave no response.
Master Mule Camel realised their words couldn’t reach Lü Jie’s ears.
Though they could clearly see his every move within the chessboard, Lü Jie seemed unable to see or hear them.
But to their relief, Lü Jie quickly broke the first array and moved on to the next.
Their relief turned to elation.
As Lü Jie broke the first array, the intensified pressure began to weaken.
With the second array broken, it lessened further.
Each time Lü Jie broke an array, the pressure diminished.
In no time, the once-unbearable force became tolerable.
Aside from their inability to move, they barely felt the pressure or the threat of death.
This made those who hadn’t held high hopes for Lü Jie start to see him in a new light.
“Lü Jie, worthy of being Saint Venerable Wudao’s most gifted disciple. Our survival depends on him,” someone said.
“Impressive. Truly the Saint Light Galaxy’s most promising World Spiritist,” another praised.
“He’s far superior to that Chu Feng.”
“Thankfully, we have Lü Jie. Otherwise, Chu Feng’s reckless attempts would’ve doomed us.”
“Yes, good thing we chose Lü Jie, or Chu Feng would’ve gotten us killed.”
“Chu Feng’s just a useless brute. No matter his talent, he won’t go far. I had high hopes for him, but he nearly got me killed.”
The crowd showered Lü Jie with praise while hurling insults at Chu Feng.
Such was human nature.
They didn’t care about Chu Feng’s talent, no matter how great. It had little to do with them.
But now, with their lives tied to Chu Feng and Lü Jie, Chu Feng’s struggles were seen as endangering them, fueling their resentment.
Failure meant death.
Fortunately, Lü Jie’s success gave them new hope.
He became their saviour, while Chu Feng was the one who nearly killed them.
While praising Lü Jie, they spared no mercy in cursing Chu Feng.
Some even harboured grudges.
For petty individuals, mere insults weren’t enough. Given the chance, they’d act against Chu Feng.
“Fairy Muzhi, didn’t you say Chu Feng’s talent was unmatched, that he had his own way of breaking the array, and none of us could compare?” Master Mule Camel mocked. “What do you say now?”
Faced with his taunts, Fairy Muzhi was speechless.
Chu Feng had nearly doomed them, while Lü Jie saved them. What could she say? She could only blame herself for misjudging.
“Mule Camel, how can you speak so harshly?” Master Tang Chen interjected angrily. “No matter what, Chu Feng is fighting for us. If we hadn’t chosen him, he wouldn’t be risking his life. Though immensely talented, he’s still a junior, hundreds of years younger than Lü Jie. Lü Jie has mastered Dragon Transformation Third Rank, while Chu Feng is only at First Rank. Though the chessboards are identical, it’s not a fair contest. Lü Jie’s success is cause for celebration, but even if Chu Feng fails, he doesn’t deserve such scorn. If we hadn’t chosen him, he wouldn’t be in this danger. If Lü Jie breaks the array, we all live, but if Chu Feng fails, he dies. If he dies, won’t it be because of us? Shouldn’t we feel ashamed? Even if you lack conscience or guilt, how can you blame him? Have your consciences been eaten by dogs?”
Master Tang Chen’s voice was filled with fury.
He was truly angry, as Chu Feng was indeed fighting for them.
Even if he failed, no one present had the right to blame him.
