"What on earth is going on? Killing the opposing general should count as a victory. Why haven't I passed the trial?"
Lu Ren watched the soldiers charging toward him, his expression darkening. Deep down, anxiety gnawed at him.
He killed the black side's general several more times, but Hei Zi kept reappearing. Meanwhile, the profound energy in Lu Ren's body drained rapidly.
"What on earth is going on?"
Lu Ren retreated to his side of the board and thought hard.
At that very moment...
On the Imperial Ladder, Lu Ren, Long Leidian, and Geng Yao were all stuck on the forty-ninth step.
Behind them, Geng Kuangtu and Xuan Bupo saw the three standing motionless on the forty-ninth step and were overjoyed.
"Hahaha! Looks like they're all trapped on the forty-ninth step. Maybe I can get through!"
Geng Kuangtu laughed.
Outside the Imperial Palace, the watching martial artists grew tense.
Lu Ren had once left everyone in the dust. Long Leidian had then pressed forward, but now he, Lu Ren, and Geng Yao were all stuck on the forty-ninth step.
Who would pass the trial first and ascend the Imperial Ladder remained anyone's guess.
Trapped within the chessboard, Lu Ren racked his brain. This trial tested more than a martial artist's strength; it tested their understanding of the martial path.
The chess game... No matter how many times I win, I'm still just a piece on the board. To break the game, I have to leap beyond it!
A powerful light shone in Lu Ren's deep eyes.
At last, he understood.
However many times he won, he would remain a piece in the game. To break the formation, he had to leave the board and become the one moving the pieces.
With that thought, he leaped high, trying to escape