Five soldiers, two archers, two cavalries, two chariots, two guards, and a single general.
That was fourteen chess pieces in total.
By that, it also meant a maximum of fourteen deaths in a single game.
Zhao Yunxiao felt the corner of his lips twitch.
Just experiencing a single death had already taken a heavy toll on him psychologically, and he had yet to fully calm down even now.
Would he really be able to handle so many more times of this?
Zhao Yunxiao might not have an answer for that, but he did at least learn the answer to something else from his earlier death.
Just as what Cha had said, these chess pieces were certainly not spirits trapped in the chessboard.
They were him, and he was them.
He was Soldier Zhao One, just like how he was Chariot Zhao Two.
Soldier Zhao Five died, and he had died along with him.
Yet he was also Zhao Yunxiao the cultivator, which was why he was still alive.
Or in another sense, they could be considered identities that he had taken on to live a different life.
Perhaps if born into a different time or world, Zhao Yunxiao would have acted in the exact same way as Soldier Zhao Five, dying for the colleagues whom he had long regarded as family.
This might not be an identity that belonged to this world, but it was still an identity that was based off his consciousness.
And since it was an identity that shared the same consciousness, it was naturally no different from being him as well.
This Benevolent Wave Chessboard seemed to be a treasure capable of creating multiple scenarios that were then run through the subconscious of a player, using them to develop different identities that were in turn used to fuel the chess pieces in the game.
Zhao Yunxiao was relieved to a certain extent.
This way, he no longer had to worry about sacrificing innocent spirits.
Now, the only thing he had left to worry about was himself...
"So? Rested enough?" Cha's impatient voice sounded out once again.
"This game isn't too fun," Zhao Yunxiao looked towards the sea serpent and said. "Why don't we do something else? Perhaps we can try some calligraphy?"
"What do you mean? Are you trying to run away?" Cha raised an eyebrow. "You suggested to play a practice game and I agreed. To not even finish the practice game after that, are you screwing with me?"
"That's not it, Senior Cha. But this is really too much for me," Zhao Yunxiao admitted. "Is it possible for your great and generous self to treat this as letting off an ignorant junior?"
Initially, Zhao Yunxiao had a feeling that he would be able to benefit greatly if he ever managed to complete a game on the Benevolent Wave Chessboard, and that feeling of his had not changed either.
But at this rate, he could not even be sure that he would not lose his mind by the end of the game!
What good were benefits if he could not be there to enjoy them in the end?
Of course, chances were low that he would actually lose his mind from just this, but low chances did not equate to no chances.
To continue with the game would be akin to gambling with his life despite not knowing the rewards awaiting him at the end, and Zhao Yunxiao was not particularly fond of taking risks for no good reason.
Unfortunately, things did not always go the way one wanted it to.
"Not happening," Cha scoffed. "Either you finish this game at least, or you give up your fortune."
"What?! But Senior Cha, we are not betting on this game, are we?" Zhao Yunxiao retorted. "This is supposed to be a practice game!"
"So what? Did you not agree to play the practice game? If so, shouldn't there be a penalty for not upholding our agreement?" Cha replied.
Zhao Yunxiao: "..."
It would appear that the sea serpent was serious.
That changed everything.
Option one was to continue with the game and hope that his mental fortitude pulled through, allowing him to safely finish the game. If he managed to succeed, the arduous process could even be considered training that would further strengthen his will and resolve.
If he failed, well, that was the end of him.
Option two was to give up on this game, as well as his fortune.
Zhao Yunxiao had no clue what losing his fortune would feel like, but it definitely did not sound great.
The first option at least had some form of potential benefits, but the other was purely negative.
Of course, the potential consequences of giving up also sounded less severe than that of continuing the game, but there was one difference between the two – the consequences for the latter might not actually materialise!
Not just that, but as someone who was born with mediocre talent, how could Zhao Yunxiao bear to give up one of the remaining two aspects that could lead him to his eventual goal of freedom?
Will and resolve, eh?
These were actually the traits that he was the most confident about.
If he really had to gamble on something, they were it!
And with that, Zhao Yunxiao decided.
That's right.
He might not be the most talented cultivator, but he had always been relying on his strong resolve all this time.
So, why should he be afraid of a situation where that was all that he needed?
To have even considered giving up his fortune for nothing because of such unfounded fear, Zhao Yunxiao was embarrassed just thinking about that!
Zhao Yunxiao's heart rate slowed, and his hands stopped trembling.
He did not answer Cha.
Instead, he calmly reached his hand out towards the Benevolent Wave Chessboard.
What happened next could be considered as much of a tragedy as anything else.
First, it was Soldier Zhao One who got his chest cut open.
Next, Archer Zhao Two had his head impaled.
Then, Cavalry Zhao One had his torso split into two.
Soldier Zhao Four took an arrow through his eye.
Archer Zhao One's skull was crushed.
Chariot Zhao One's body was split vertical down the middle.
...
One by one, Zhao Yunxiao experienced how his different lives came to an end in different ways, with the end always playing out in slow motion as though deliberately stretching out his pain.
Each time it happened, Zhao Yunxiao reopened his eyes while filled with a renewed fear of death, as well as a newfound appreciation for life.
Dying, and then dying again.
By the time the game was nearing its end, Zhao Yunxiao had already experienced death ten times over!
And this time around, Zhao Yunxiao opened his eyes slowly.
His heart rate was still faster than usual, but not significantly so.
His thoughts were organised, and his limbs were steady.
The excruciating pain of having his throat ruptured by cold steel remained vivid in his mind, but Zhao Yunxiao was no longer as fazed as before.
After one experienced the same thing over and over, they would slowly start to gain a certain level of immunity to it, and pain was no exception.
It was not that he no longer felt pain.
It was not even that the pain felt any less intense.
But at the very least, his mind would no longer receive as much of a shock each time it happened, allowing him to remain much calmer despite the pain.
"Oh? Are you finally not going to act all dramatic anymore?" Cha teased. "Or has your mind actually collapsed from just that?"
"Will you be feeling guilty if that's the case, Senior Cha?" Zhao Yunxiao asked bitterly.
"Don't worry, kid. If that really happens, I can wash your memories clean. It will be as though you never left your room," Cha answered with an evil smirk.
"Oh? That's good to hear!" Zhao Yunxiao's eyes lit up in surprise.
It would be as though he never left?
Did that not mean he had never been at risk of losing his mind from playing this game of chess?
Since that was the case, even his last concern was no longer a factor!
"Hmm?" Cha blinked blankly.
It had wanted to sound evil, but it never expected his words to actually have a positive impact on Zhao Yunxiao.
"By the way, it's checkmate," Zhao Yunxiao lifted his hand from the board.
Cha looked down at the board.
Indeed, it was his loss.
"Oh well, I guess the practice game is over then," Cha shrugged off the result. "What's it going to be now? Are you up for the bet?"
Zhao Yunxiao rubbed his chin in contemplation.
While he had been struggling with the intense process, Zhao Yunxiao had not neglected his plays at the same time.
Through the game, he had made logical moves as well as testing moves. Judging from Cha's responses, there was a good chance that he would win!
"What will be the treasure that you are betting, Senior Cha?" Zhao Yunxiao asked.
"What's the hurry? You can find out after the game."
"That will not do, Senior Cha," Zhao Yunxiao shook his head. "Since this is a bet, isn't it only fair that I know exactly what is on the line?"
"Fine, whatever," Cha shrugged. "You can take your pick then."
"Then I want the Azure Origin Robes!" Zhao Yunxiao made his decision in an instant, not wanting to give the sea serpent any chance to take back its words.
As a ceremonial robe of Azure Hand Yang Hong, it surely contained laws and secrets privy only to the big shots.
To be able to study something like that would surely be extremely beneficial to his cultivation path!
On top of that, it would also be able to temporarily cover his body...
"Fine, the Azure Origin Robes it is," Cha answered without hesitation. "Are you up for the bet now?"
"Okay, let's give it a try!" Zhao Yunxiao nodded excitedly.
"Understood," Cha answered. "Let our bet begin then!"
Zhao Yunxiao could see a smile appearing on Cha's face, but he was not surprised.
Since he had tried to test the opponent, he naturally expected Cha to have done the same as well.
Now, it was all about who had hidden themselves better!
With a flick of its whisker, the chessboard returned to its original state.
"Do you want to start this time?" Cha asked.
"Sure," Zhao Yunxiao nodded as he reached out towards the chessboard. "Here it goes!"
With the start of a new game came new characters.
The moment he touched the chess pieces, Zhao Yunxiao realised that the current Soldier Zhao One was no longer the same as the Soldier Zhao One from before.
It was a completely new identity, one that had lived a completely different life.
And that probably did not just apply to this one chess piece either.
This meant that to complete this game, Zhao Yunxiao would have to live through another fourteen different lives.
When combined with the practice game, that was twenty eight lives in total – adding up to more than a thousand years lived.
To a teenager like Zhao Yunxiao, this was an unimaginable amount of time.
That, coupled with the fact that he had to die again and again, truly threatened to push Zhao Yunxiao's mind to the limit.
However, the young cultivator was unfazed.
After the first game, he was no longer afraid of pain.
In fact, it even helped to snap him back to reality every time, preventing him from getting lost in the sea of different memories.
Just like that, Zhao Yunxiao started to put his plan into motion.
It was time for the actual game.
Or in other words, it was time for him to get those treasures!