The Endless Promise

66. Chess

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On the hunting plains, Luoyin's group found themselves in a rocky and desert-like place, with red sand and rocks about them.

Zhang Cheng's group was near a large waterfall, and Xu Haoyuan's group was in the thick forest.

Back at Luoyin's group, he rallied the rest around a small raised rock. "Who here believes Zhang Cheng's team has an advantage?" He asked.

"Yin gēge, isn't that a given?" Xu Lian asked with a shrug. "With fourteen members, that would be two on one if we clash head-on."

Weiyan shook her head. "No. There's an issue with how many we are in the first place... We are only thirty-four, so with fourteen members, the pressure to get enough flags is much greater. The Head Disciple's team is no different with thirteen members." She finished, and Xu Wen nodded.

"Exactly. In both teams, for each member to get at least two flags, they need to seize thirteen or fourteen flags! But excluding their own flags, there are only twenty flags left. Seizing fourteen won't be easy, because the other disciples won't simply sit still."

"Hao!" Luoyin gave them a thumbs up. "And besides, having two flags might not ensure a win, so they practically need all the flags, which is near impossible. They failed to realize that in a game like this, strategy is the winner, not strength or numbers!

"However, neither group is to be underestimated..."

He waved a hand and a thick layer of sand flew onto the rock. Then he used a twig to draw out his point on the sand as he spoke.

"The hunting plains are vast, but the hunt is only for twenty-four hours. This means we can assume our initial locations will not be too far from each other... I will guess five or six hours apart at most, which will let each side find opponents quickly.

"If any individual or team decides to take an easy way out and run far away, it would defeat the purpose of the game, so we can also assume they have blocked off regions from the plains, and we are all trapped within a somewhat small space, and like Chess, we must go after the other's pieces...

"But in a game like this, it's smarter to target the weakest opponents first, and we'll use that to our advantage!

"We are the fewest, so the other two teams will avoid each other, but won't be able to resist coming after us, and they will most likely use tracking talismans to track down a known member of our team..."

He straightened and placed his hands behind his back.

"We're going to remain in this spot and defend, but let's ensure our inevitable 'guests' are properly welcomed!"

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Exactly five hours later...!

Xu Haoyuan's group darted through the trees, with twigs crackling underfoot as they moved through the thick forest. Sunlight pierced the canopy in golden rays, and the wind rushed past them.

"North-east!" A disciple yelled out, and they all banked slightly to their left, following her.

A few minutes later, she stopped suddenly, and the rest halted around her.

She held up a tracking talisman and stared at it in confusion. "It says 4th Disciple Xu's aura is just ahead, but shouldn't we have sensed the rest by now?"

Xu Haoyuan snatched the talisman from her. "Hmm? Perhaps they're hiding their auras? Let's move cautiously!"

They came to a grassy clearing and stepped through, only to find a lone disciple stretching.