Vincent stood on the second floor and stared blankly at the young man in a white robe. He was sitting cross-legged in the middle of the stairs.

There was a chessboard in front of him. The man used his slender fingers to place a silver-white chess piece on the board.

The man then turned to look at Vincent. His gaze was calm, and his smile was gentle.

"You must be the youth that accepted my master's test. Nice to meet you. Let me introduce myself. I am the gatekeeper of this level. Only by defeating me can you continue to advance," said the man.

Vincent nodded and clenched his Purgatory Blade.

The gatekeeper of the first level was already so powerful. The gatekeeper of the second level would definitely be stronger. Vincent could not let down his guard at all.

"Don't be nervous. I don't like to fight and kill. Come and play chess with me," said the man.

The man dressed in white waved at Vincent.

Vincent was stunned. He looked at the man and kept silent.

Play chess?

Why was there even such a test?

Although he did not understand the purpose of playing chess, he did not say much.

He just kept his Purgatory Blade and sat down opposite the man.

The chessboard and chess pieces were made using an unknown material. They seemed very mysterious.

The chessboard was as black as ink. Anyone would be drawn to it at a glance.

The nineteen crisscrossing lines seemed simple, but they gave Vincent an inexplicable sense of power.

The chess pieces were not black and white. Instead, they were silver-white and fiery red in color. There was a total of 360 chess pieces. Every piece had an inexplicable charm.

At that moment, on the chessboard, a silver-white chess piece was sitting quietly at the intersection of the 17th and 3rd lines.

"The chessboard and the chess pieces are a set. They are known as the universe!" said the man softly to Vincent.

"The universe is the chessboard. The stars are the chess pieces! Please!" said the man.

Vincent picked up a fiery-red chess piece and placed it gently on the intersection of the 3rd and 4th lines.

Fortunately, he had learned chess before. Although he was not very good, he was considered one of the strongest amongst his peers.

The third move, silver-white chess piece, 4:16.

The fourth move, fiery red chess piece, 16:17.

The fifth move, silver-white chess piece, 10:10, Tianyuan!

Vincent watched the man play Tianyuan, and his gaze froze.

The man was going to attack.

Vincent naturally did not give his opponent the chance to attack. He played 16:40 and took the lead in attacking.

The man smiled slightly and used 17:40 to neutralize Vincent's attack.

"You're too anxious. Our chess isn't just chess!" said the man.

As he spoke, he raised his hand. Suddenly, the surroundings changed. They seemed to have transported to outer space. They were in the universe.

Although Vincent knew that it was just an illusion created by the man, he was still shocked.

The surroundings were silent. It was as dark as ink. A few silver-white and fiery-red stars were passing by slowly.

After looking at the positions of the stars, Vincent realized that it was the moves that the two of them had played earlier.

"We have a total of 360 chess pieces. They correspond to 360 stars. For every chess piece that is eaten, one star will disappear."

"There are living things on these stars. In other words, every move you make will determine the life and death of tens of thousands of living things," said the man.

Vincent ignored what the man had said. The changes in the environment could not affect his mind and thoughts.

He picked up the chess piece and placed it in the position of 16:5.

The man smiled at Vincent after seeing him move his chess piece. Suddenly, two cups of coffee appeared in his hands. After handing a cup to Vincent, he took a sip.

"Don't assume that this is all just an illusion. If the illusion becomes reality, can you still calmly decide the life and death of others?" asked the man.

As he spoke, he picked up a silver-white chess piece and placed it on the position of 2:5.

Vincent picked up a chess piece again. When he heard what the man had said, he trembled slightly. He did not move the chess piece in his hand.

The man was right. If this was reality, would he still be able to place the chess pieces so calmly and easily?

Every move would determine the life and death of countless lives. Did he really dare to play a move that would determine the life and death of others?

Vincent stared at the chessboard. He did not make a move for a long time.

The man did not rush him. He just drank his coffee and waited for Vincent to make a move.

The more he thought about it, the more fear Vincent felt.

The more he thought about it, the more his body trembled.

He could not understand how a situation like that could occur. If something like that actually happened, how would he choose?

He was worried and afraid!

The problem was not groundless. Such a scenario would definitely happen in the future. Just take a look at the relationship between humans and monsters, or even the relationship between the black holes and the ten thousand races.

It was only a matter of time before something like that happens.

When that time comes, what choices would he make?

The more Vincent thought about it, the more annoyed he became. He was trapped in a peculiar circle that he had created. He was unable to extricate himself.

The man just stared at Vincent. Vincent's eyes were red. The man could see Vincent's aura becoming more and more unstable.

Vincent's body started to burn. He was being engulfed by black flames.

The Hellfire was burning Vincent. His flames were fluctuating.

His aura was both strong and weak. It looked as if it could dissipate at any time.

The man just smiled. He did not even have to use any big moves this round. The intensity of his attacks was not weak at all. In fact, it was actually quite strong.

This was because he was attacking a person's heart.

A person's body, superpowers, and combat skills could all become stronger through cultivation. However, cultivation alone could not necessarily strengthen a person's heart.

The affairs of the world were unstable and constantly changing. An unwavering and resolute heart was very important.

Take Vincent for example.

His heart was already very strong. However, that was before he encountered the man in white. When Vincent was faced with a decision that concerned the entire human race, his heart became weak. His heart was not strong enough.

The strength of his heart depended on the type of situation that he was in.

Only after climbing a high mountain and crossing the sea would one have the ability to face everything with a normal heart.

Time passed by minute by minute. After a period of time, Vincent's aura stabilized, and his Hellfire became even more vigorous.

Suddenly, the Hellfire was withdrawn back into Vincent's body.

Vincent's gaze also became more determined, and the redness in his eyes gradually faded.

The man's smile was frozen on his face. His eyes were filled with shock.

He had never thought that Vincent would actually be able to understand the concept.

He had crawled out of the strange circle that he had made for himself!

Vincent's right index and middle fingers held the fiery red chess piece. He then moved his arm.

Pa!

The tenth move, 17:14!

The man's face turned pale. He looked at Vincent in shock, doubt, and disbelief.

Vincent smiled faintly. He picked up a chess piece and started to play with it.

"You're right. If this were reality, every move would determine the lives of countless people!"

"But this is only an if! We are just playing a game of chess. It has nothing to do with anything else!"

"Even if someone had to die because of us playing chess, I will still be willing to play as long as we can obtain the final victory!"

"It is indeed unfair to sacrifice a small portion of lives in order for the majority to survive. However, someone has to do it. If no one is willing to do it, then I'll do it!" said Vincent.

Vincent's last sentence was like a loud bell. It showed his determination and confidence.

"Pu!"

The man spat out a mouthful of blood. The blood splashed onto the chess pieces and instantly disappeared.

"Hahaha! What a good one, I'll do it! Master! I understand! I understand everything! hahaha!"

The man in white laughed loudly and heartily.

After laughing for more than ten minutes, the man stopped smiling and picked up a silver-white chess piece.

"You're really strong! Master really didn't choose the wrong person! But you must be delusional if you think that you can pass this round of mine so easily!"

Pa!

The eleventh hand, silver-white chess piece, 16 out of 10, star position!