The Temptation of Lionheart Stone and the Consideration of Chess Pieces

Unless there are special circumstances, no one is willing to waste several times the amount of potions and items to challenge a level above them.

Despite their curiosity about the group leveling up ahead, the two decided to turn back to avoid any unforeseen complications.

After all, they didn't want to be seen as coveting leveling spots.

To everyone's surprise, as soon as they turned around, six Lionheart Tiger had silently blocked their retreat—when had they surrounded them?

To everyone's surprise, the two of them were completely unaware and bumped right into each other!

Neither of them was stupid; in this situation, there was no need for communication. They immediately chose the most feasible option: charge towards the monster-fighting team ahead!

At worst, I can explain later that I wasn't there to steal experience points; it's better than dying and losing experience points here.

Of course, this would also be considered as attracting monsters and harming people...

However, they believed that with the opponent's strength, these six shouldn't be a problem.

So they took off running towards the battle circle ahead, with six beast shadows in hot pursuit behind them.

As they ran, the roars ahead grew louder and louder; judging from the force of the roars, there were definitely more than a hundred monsters!

Finally charging into the battle, the sight before them completely stunned them... What shocked them was neither the pack of Lionheart Tiger nor the teamwork of the players they had expected.

In fact, there wasn't a single person in sight.

There was only one ferocious, dragon-like Warcraft on the field, and... two swaying flowers?

They were actually fighting against the Lionheart Tiger clan?

The creatures "grinding for experience" here aren't player teams, or even humans, but rather monsters fighting each other?

Before the two could process this absurd situation, the six Warcraft behind them had already caught up.

Without time to freeze, they had no choice but to turn around and face the enemy again.

"Never mind what happened, just focus on staying alive! These aren't players, there's no way to communicate, we have to rely on ourselves!"

Su Yueban swallowed the thought of asking for help that was already on the tip of her tongue, and was about to act when Su Feng grabbed her arm.

"Don't move yet—let's head over there and get into their combat range!"

Su Yueban almost doubted that she had misheard.

"Are you kidding me? We just escaped one dangerous place only to walk into another! Dealing with these six is better than going there."

"Just come with me, trust me."

Su Feng confidently pulled his companion along, striding towards the chaotic area ahead—he had already discerned the circling behemoth and the names appearing on the strange flowers.

As he walked briskly, he quickly gave instructions:

"I'll sneak in later. Don't worry about anything else, just cast healing spells on yourself and run as fast as you can towards the center of the battle."

"The central area belongs to the human camp and should not be hostile towards us."

Su Yueban was still completely confused. "'Should'? Are you really sure? Hey, don't go—you've already gone invisible?! Wait for me!"

"Could they be trying to use me as bait?"

The fat man didn't have time to think. He could only frantically cast a healing spell on himself and rush headlong into the center of the melee.

Looking up at the core, he finally saw the dragon-shaped Warcraft and the spirit flower symbol.

It is not a blood-red lettering representing hostility, but a neutral white name.

The system provided no further information, only two simple labels hanging above their heads. This scene is not uncommon in open-world team battles: when players command Summoned Beast to fight alongside them, these summons display the name of their owner.

[Wildsea Candle Dragon (Chongxing's Summoned Beast)]

[Flower Spirit (Owner: Chongxing)]

Gazing at the name that shouldn't have appeared here, Su Yueban felt as if she were in a dream.

They first mistakenly entered a high-level jungle area, only to find it completely deserted.

It was later learned that the monsters had already been lured away by someone else; it was ultimately discovered that the one who cleared the monsters was not the player himself, but rather his summoned creatures?

Was all of this just a dream?

"My God... it's actually Boss Chongxing?"

"The Great God Chongxing is here? But I didn't see him at all -- is this really his Summoned Beast?"

"Why would they choose to AFK farm here? It doesn't make sense, it doesn't suffice..."

Su Yueban was already rambling incoherently.

Su Feng initially found it hard to believe, but the clear signage and neutral lighting effects before him forced him to accept reality.

"Judging from the name, that's the only way to confirm it. This is indeed Chongxing's Summoned Beast."

Su Yueban suddenly remembered that the Summoned Beast she used to Chongxing was not this one.

He clearly remembered that the top pet was a "Azure-Scaled Dragon Python".

He hurriedly opened the leaderboard, only to find that the top spot had already been taken by [Wildsea Candle Dragon] -- now it was definitely true!

"That's right, it really is the Summoned Beast of the great god Chongxing! The name on the leaderboard matches!"

"Great! I've finally met you! You truly are the glory of our Priest profession, and the one who can save Priest is none other than you!"

"Are you nearby, master? I haven't seen you anywhere. Are you AFK resting?"

Su Yueban looked around excitedly, trying to find any trace of Chongxing's existence.

Any player who wants to curry favor with a powerful figure will behave this way.

Especially in a world that is already on the verge of apocalypse.

"The person shouldn't be here."

"With this Summoned Beast and the Flower Spirit here, we can easily clear out the wilderness while AFK."

"Otherwise, wouldn't it be strange for Chongxing, at his current level, to personally come and fight level 48 monsters? If it were me, I wouldn't stay here for long either."

Su Feng looked around but saw no one, guessing that Chong Chongxing had not come in person, but had only left summoned units here to fight automatically.

He remembered that this Candle Dragon hadn't been on the list before, so it must be Chongxing newly acquired companion that was leveling up here.

After sharing his idea with Su Yueban, she wholeheartedly agreed.

The two looked at the six Lionheart Tiger that had been chasing them earlier—which had long since been easily dealt with by the three summoned creatures.

Looking at each other, they both felt their own insignificance.

They struggled to deal with just two, while the great god's Summoned Beast were able to sweep away the entire horde.

Upon thinking of this, Su Yueban's eyes suddenly lit up:

"I have an idea! Since this place is safe, why don't we take this opportunity to gain some experience?"

"Did you notice that the Flower Spirit can restore health to nearby non-hostile units?"

"As long as we stay around it, we are safe."

"If we follow them to farm jungle camps, won't the experience points just keep rolling in?"

Su Feng, however, thought differently.

As a professional game booster, he is familiar with the unspoken rules of open-world gameplay and does not agree with them:

"When our Gold Farming Team is clearing out areas, we always strictly prohibit outsiders from entering the war zone."

"If you try to gain experience here, have you considered the consequences if you are Chongxing?"

These words jolted Su Yueban awake—if she angered that powerful figure, the consequences would be unbearable.

A chill suddenly ran down his spine, jolting him awake.

"You're right, I underestimated things... Thank goodness, I almost made a mistake."

"Wait, something fell! Look at that fallen Lionheart Tiger, it looks like something exploded out of it!"

Their gazes were simultaneously fixed on a stone that gleamed with a dark golden hue.

It was rolling off the Lionheart Tiger's gradually dissipating body.

A system notification appeared promptly: "Lionheart Stone" has been obtained.

The two quickly glanced at the item descriptions and immediately held their breath involuntarily.

Lionheart Stone: A rare mineral.

"It can be used as a core medium for equipment enchanting, and is also one of the key materials for preparing 'Pet Spirit Attractant'."

Before the two could carefully study its detailed properties, the stone vanished into thin air, as if it had been reclaimed by an invisible force.

Chongxing wasn't even here, so how did he remotely acquire the loot?

The question only flashed through their minds for a moment; there were more pressing matters at hand.

Both Su Feng and Su Feng realized the hidden value of the Lionheart Stone.

It is not only a recipe material for catching rare pets, but can also be used directly to enhance weapons and armor—undoubtedly Hard Currency that can bring huge wealth!

The unexpected appearance of the stone instantly Dispel their original plan to evacuate this dangerous area.

Lionheart Tiger has once again become a highly valuable target.

After a brief moment of contemplation, Su Feng proposed an idea. "Perhaps we can leverage Mr. Chongxing's power, but we must be careful not to offend him."

"We can carefully lure a small number of monsters along the other edge of the battlefield."

"With our current strength, dealing with one at a time is already our limit."

"If the number attracted exceeds our control, immediately retreat to the area where Chongxing's Summoned Beast are Chongxing and seek refuge."

"Besides, this is basically giving him free monster bait; I'm sure he won't mind."

"That's a good idea. Staying on the periphery of the battlefield shouldn't interfere with him." Fatty Su nodded, then looked worried. "But the two of us can only take down one Lionheart Tiger at a time."

"The drop rate of Lionheart Stone is obviously not high, so this is too inefficient and we might end up wasting our time."

"Don't forget, we have backup," Su Feng reminded him. "Contact your trusted friends in your guild immediately and have them come as soon as possible."

"With more people, the monster-clearing speed will naturally increase."

"Although we are not at a higher level, our safety will be greatly increased by relying on Chongxing numbers, plus the invisible barrier of the Summoned Beast in Chongxing."

Hearing his analysis, Fatty Su's eyes lit up, and he clapped his hands in sudden realization. "You've thought of everything! I'll inform them right away!"

He immediately sent a message to the "Wandering Shadow" and his troops who were on their way.

They had requested help earlier, and the other party had agreed to change their original route to come and meet them; they should be arriving nearby by now.

In fact, "Wandering Shadow" and his regular squad had already arrived at the outskirts of the high-level jungle area.

Those who traveled with me today are all old friends. Upon learning that their companion was in trouble, everyone was happy to change their plans and come to help, as a way of doing a favor.

Who would have thought that this would lead to such an unexpected opportunity!

The "Wandering Shadow" did not travel with its brother, the "Wandering Arrow," today.

Upon learning of Lionheart Stone, he immediately informed his brother via a private channel.

After listening to Su Feng and the other person's complete explanation, the Wandering Arrow approved of their strategy.

He instructed the team to meet up with Su Feng and his companion first, and said that he would bring some core members to provide support later.

At the same time, he also reported the matter to the current guild leader, "Under One Person".

Although the two guilds have merged and Arrow is now the vice president, he still needs to report to the president on such important matters.

As expected, after learning about it, "Under One Person" thought about it and also expressed his agreement.

To ensure safety and maintain secrecy, they decided to involve only a small number of absolutely reliable elite members in this operation.

Everyone understood what the "Lionheart Stone" meant, and no one was willing to let this opportunity slip by easily.

This is a strategic resource.

Once the news spreads, this Lionheart Tiger habitat will surely become overcrowded.

While we still have the advantage, we must quickly accumulate a pool of resources.

In his final words, "Under One Person" reminded Arrow: "This matter can be big or small; the key lies in Chongxing's attitude."

"We think it's fine, but we must never let him feel offended."

"Since you're friends with him, it's best to communicate privately beforehand and explain our plans and location."

"If he minds us being around in the area, he can set conditions to avoid misunderstandings."

"This is an important figure we absolutely cannot afford to offend now."

Arrow had naturally already intended this.

He immediately contacted Zhang Mingzhen through his friends list.

He explained the current situation in detail, as well as the guild's intended course of action, and made it clear that they could withdraw at any time if they felt something was amiss.

After all, they are the ones who are leveraging the situation; if they upset the person they are using, they will lose more than they gain.

Zhang Mingzhen had long anticipated that this wilderness area would be exposed sooner or later, but he didn't expect it to happen so quickly.

He didn't care that others were also collecting Lionheart Stone —he already had enough in reserve and was not short of Gold Coin.

He wouldn't have stayed here permanently if it weren't for training his Summoned Beast and collecting some materials along the way.

Since "The Wandering Arrow" is so sincere, it would seem petty of me to argue with it further.

The real world, in particular, has become more complex.

He may need the help of others on many occasions.

He replied directly that he had no objection, but also made a prior statement.

He is not responsible for the safety of his guild members, and he will show no mercy if anyone attacks his Summoned Beast.

And so, thanks to this subtle understanding, the "Contending for the World" guild was able to safely farm materials in Lionheart Tiger's wilderness all day long.

They gained a lot of experience and earned a steady stream of Gold Coin, and all the members who participated in the operation were all smiles.

"The Lionheart Stone enchantment increases spell range, making it almost a must-have for top-tier players."

"With a longer casting range, the safety factor when facing monsters will naturally be much higher."

"I plan to prioritize its use by high-combat-power members of the guild, and only consider selling it to others if there are any left over—but that possibility is extremely slim."

"The drop rate for Lionheart Stone is extremely low; we fight all day and only manage to get a few dozen."

The "Under One Person" gaze fell on the loot list in the guild's team warehouse, weighing the pros and cons in his mind.

"The current shortage of goods is inevitable, and we have already gained an advantage by stockpiling a batch in advance."

"I'm afraid only someone like Chongxing the entire server would have a large inventory of them, right?"

"Judging from the attack speed of his summoned creatures, his efficiency is far superior to ours, so he naturally harvests more Lionheart Stone."