Chapter 602: Heavenly Star Chess

“Divine Sense Reading Method?”“Saint 2-dan?”

All the master teachers, both on and off the platform, looked at each other, bewildered. This term was unheard of, let alone seen.

“Above Martial Artist is Mortal Transcendence, and above Mortal Transcendence are Half-Saint, Conferred Saint, and Saint. You all should be aware of these levels, right?” Instead of answering directly, Master Hong asked.

“Yes!” Most of those present were master teachers, and while many of these levels were far beyond them, they had still heard of them.

“Half-Saint and Conferred Saint are simply single levels, but Saint, like Mortal Transcendence, is divided into nine stages!” Master Hong continued. Half-Saint and Conferred Saint are minor levels, similar to the Yuan Qi and Yin-Yang stages of Mortal Transcendence. Saint, however, is a broad general term. Like Martial Artist, it is divided into nine ranks.

“Among them, the first stage is called Void Pursuit Realm, meaning reaching this realm allows true flight. The second stage is called... Divine Sense Realm!” Master Hong's expression was solemn: “Only upon reaching this realm can one open the spiritual eye and manifest divine sense.”

“Divine sense... what is that?” Someone couldn't help but ask. They had heard of soul energy and shamanic souls, but never divine sense.

Master Hong explained: “Divine sense is a unique ability possessed only by Saints. As we all know, reaching the Spirit-Body Fusion Realm allows one to temper the soul, making it progressively stronger!” The fifth stage of Mortal Transcendence, Spirit-Body Fusion Realm, is a turning point. Upon reaching this realm, cultivators begin to temper not just their physical body and True Qi... but also their soul.

“As the soul grows stronger, it can accomplish astonishing feats. Those of you who reach that realm will naturally understand this. What I want to convey is that when the soul reaches a certain level... it can project outside the body. Whatever it covers becomes as clear as if seen with one's own eyes, even clearer than physical sight... this is divine sense!” Master Hong concluded.

“Then... isn't that just an extension of the soul?”“For the soul to observe outside the body... how powerful must that be?”“Master Hong couldn't possibly be implying that... Master Zhang already possesses this ability, reaching... Saint 2-dan!”

Everyone was startled. Saint 2-dan? How is that possible?

Zhang Xuan was also bewildered. He had just spouted nonsense earlier, so how did Master Hong elaborate so much and connect it to Saints?

“Master Zhang naturally does not possess the cultivation of a Saint. There's no need to rush; you'll understand once I've finished speaking!” Master Hong shook his head: “By using divine sense to read, one doesn't need to turn pages and can browse at will. It is precisely because of this that Saints can acquire knowledge incredibly quickly and grow ever more powerful.”

“Master Zhang is not a Saint, so why does he possess this ability? If I'm not mistaken, it must be... a supreme expert who extracted the spiritual eye of a Saint 2-dan and, using a special method, placed it on him, allowing him to read books and memorize incredibly quickly!”

As he spoke, Master Hong felt a sense of shock. Saints can only generate divine sense by opening their spiritual eye. Therefore, if someone extracted the spiritual eye and, with proper handling, placed it on a junior, that junior could also possess this ability. Of course, this is incomparable to a true Saint 2-dan. It would at most allow one to read books, with other functions being far more limited.

Even so, for low-level master teachers, it was nothing short of defying the heavens. If you can read ten or a hundred books in the time it takes others to read one, how can they compete? No wonder Master Zhang, at such a young age, was proficient in so many professions and possessed an alarming understanding of master teachers. So, he had this ability!

Perhaps... Master Yang specially arranged this to enable his rapid progress. To extract the spiritual eye of a Saint 2-dan and place it on another, with perfect integration... what terrifying realm had this Master Yang truly reached? The thought alone was terrifying! No wonder Hall Master Mo was so wary and specially presented top-grade spirit stones to curry favor. Such a powerful individual indeed deserved to be flattered.

“Extracting the spiritual eye of a Saint 2-dan and placing it on another person?”“Reading without turning pages, speed reading?”“He can even see books within a storage ring?”“No wonder he could finish so many books in an hour, but... to be able to remember them after reading, his memory is also defying the heavens!”“Yes, reading isn't the same as remembering. To read quickly *and* remember is truly terrifying!”

Upon hearing Master Hong's explanation, everyone finally understood and looked at the young man before them again, filled with trepidation. To be able to extract the spiritual eye of a Saint 2-dan expert, how profound must this guy's background be?

While everyone was shocked, Young Master Ruo Huan on the side rolled his eyes, feeling a wave of frustration. Earlier, after finishing reading, he had asked how many books Zhang Xuan had read, and the answer was similar to his own, which had delighted him for a long time, making him feel that he could finally be on par with this guy again. But now... "Is your family's 'over twenty thousand books' similar to 'around a thousand books'?" If you're going to comfort someone, at least be a little sincere; don't string them along like this!

“Alright, regardless of the method, this round assesses wisdom and the ability to memorize knowledge quickly. Master Zhang memorized the contents of twenty thousand books and even shattered the River of Knowledge. He has passed. Does anyone have any objections?” Interrupting the crowd's discussion, Master Hong stated.

“None...” Everyone quickly nodded. Joking aside, if memorizing eight hundred books was enough to pass, and this guy memorized over twenty thousand, even destroying the River of Knowledge, Master Hong himself wouldn't agree to failing him!

“Very well, since that's settled, let's proceed to the final round of selection: comprehension!” Master Hong looked over.

“A teacher introduces you to the path, but cultivation depends on the individual. Besides diligence and talent, the most crucial aspect of cultivation is comprehension. With the same cultivation technique and study hours, different students yield vastly different results. Having talent makes it easy to become a master teacher, but becoming a powerful master teacher is difficult!”

“Therefore, comprehension is especially important for master teachers.”

“It's true that comprehension is important for master teachers, but... how do you test comprehension? Are they going to be given a cultivation technique and asked to comprehend it?”“If it involves comprehending cultivation techniques, too many factors come into play, including talent and wisdom. It wouldn't be a test of pure comprehension!” Everyone was puzzled again.

Comprehension, whether for cultivation or becoming a master teacher, is extremely important. However, like wisdom, it cannot be quantified, making it difficult to compare. You can judge wisdom by the ability to memorize knowledge, but what about comprehension? Even if it involves comprehending cultivation techniques, some people are suited for it, others are not, so comparisons would be biased.

“Hehe, I naturally understand these concerns that you all might have.” Knowing their worries, Master Hong smiled, flicked his finger, and the mist in the corner of the circular platform dissipated, revealing a small pavilion. Inside the pavilion sat a white-robed old man. On the stone table before him lay a grayish-blue chessboard, with black and white pieces intertwined, representing the collision of Yin and Yang—it was a chess game. The old man was expressionless and showed no signs of life, clearly a puppet.

“This is the Celestial Star Chess. Its rules and moves are completely different from all other chess variations; it is a system unto itself. I obtained it accidentally in a ruin while traveling years ago. I don't know who created it or its specific rules. I've studied it for many years and have only managed to comprehend four or five tenths of it.” With another flick, a light flashed on the wall not far from the pavilion, displaying the chess game from the board. It was entirely unlike any chess game anyone had seen before; even those who had studied chess before found it utterly irrelevant for reference.

“It's actually a truly intricate chess game?”“Yes, unknown rules, and unsolvable... how can this be tested?”“I don't know!” Among the crowd, there were many skilled in chess. Seeing the moves displayed on the wall, complex and vast, completely unlike anything they had learned, they all felt a little dazed.

“Celestial Star Chess uses heaven and earth as the board and stars as pieces. It possesses a grand spirit and implicitly aligns with the fundamental principles of the universe. Naturally, you can't discern anything by looking at it on the wall, but on the stone pillars of the small pavilion, there are a few words left by the chess game's creator.”

“Through these words, one can comprehend certain rules of the game.”

“Once the rules are understood, one can play against the puppet within the pavilion. If a move is incorrect or leads to failure, one won't be able to place the piece on the board. This round has no relation to talent or cultivation; it's purely about comprehension. Those with high comprehension will grasp more rules and make more moves; those with low comprehension will grasp fewer rules and make fewer moves. Being able to last six moves is considered passing!” Master Hong explained the rules in detail.

“This... using a chess game to determine comprehension, excellent!”“Heaven and earth as the board, stars as pieces, what grandeur! This chess game is indeed formidable!”“Yes, using this to test comprehension indeed involves no other factors, it's fair and just!”

Understanding the rules, it was clear that in chess, some people may study for a lifetime and research for decades, yet not be as good as a child who has only learned for a few days! This isn't about intelligence, but comprehension. Because of this, a profound saying circulates in the world of chess, enjoyed by all: “If you haven't become a national master by twenty, you'll have no hope in life!” Without comprehension or talent, even prolonged study yields little benefit.

This Celestial Star Chess is different from all other chess variations. Using a few words to comprehend the rules and play, then using the number of moves made to assess comprehension, it can be quantified, making it the best test method. Truly worthy of a 5-star master teacher, even the assessment methods are unique.

“Each master teacher entering the pavilion will have only one incense stick's time to observe the words on the stone pillars, after which they must begin playing. Failing to move within the time limit, or being unable to place a piece, will result in failure.” Master Hong waved his hand: “Alright, the rules have been explained, let the assessment begin!”

“Yes!”

“Because it's a one-on-one match, you all will need to decide on an order...” Master Hong looked at everyone. In the first round, Zhang Xuan took the test first, and the Ghost Domain Illusion City was destroyed, preventing selection; in the second round, the threat of the Otherworldly Demons eliminated three people; in the third round, seventeen were eliminated. From the 28 major powers and 56 participants, after 20 eliminations, exactly 36 remained.

“How about... I go first again!” Zhang Xuan stepped forward. With 36 people, each getting one incense stick's time, it would probably be dark by the time everyone finished. Rather than waiting here, it would be better to get it over with and rest.

“Cough, cough...” Seeing him approach, Master Hong almost choked on his own saliva: “You better not!” Destroying all three previous rounds, and letting you go first again... I'm not that bold.