Chapter 604: The Battle Competition Begins

He had always relied on resources like the Library of Heaven's Path or the Eye of Insight for problem-solving. This time, however, he was using knowledge from his own mind and clues from the stone pillars to comprehend the rules and play the game.

He had expected to perform adequately, given that others could place at least six pieces. To his surprise, he couldn't even place the second one. Had he miscalculated so badly that he was about to be eliminated?

Surely his comprehension wasn't that poor?

Zhang Xuan was utterly distraught.

After smoothly clearing three consecutive rounds, he never expected to falter at this stage.

Master Hong's face twitched uncontrollably.

He couldn't even place a second piece. How was he supposed to justify this? He couldn't possibly claim that Master Zhang was so uniquely talented that placing a single piece counted as a pass, could he?

If he had known this, he wouldn't have stopped him from going first!

Now, having prevented Zhang Xuan from going first, Master Hong worried that if Zhang Xuan held a grudge, he would face severe repercussions.

What a predicament! For a dignified five-star master teacher, the very host of the assessment, to be so anxious and frustrated over a selection trial was truly absurd.

"If he can't place the second piece, it means... he hasn't passed! Alright, the selection trial is concluded. Let's move on to the combat competition..."

Gritting his teeth, Master Hong began to speak. Just as he was about to continue, the puppet opposite Zhang Xuan suddenly pushed the chessboard away, stood up, and declared in a voice that echoed throughout the hall:

"I concede!"

"Conceded?"

"What does that mean?"

"Master Zhang... played the Celestial Star Chess and defeated the puppet, making it willingly concede?"

"Aren't the rules of Celestial Star Chess incredibly difficult to grasp? He not only understood them after a brief look, but also defeated the puppet?"

Everyone was utterly bewildered, feeling as if they were losing their minds.

They had assumed Master Zhang couldn't place a second piece because he hadn't understood the rules and thus hadn't passed. They never in their wildest dreams imagined that with a single move, the opposing puppet would push the board and concede defeat...

This was no longer just about comprehending the rules; it was about becoming a grandmaster, someone truly awe-inspiring.

"Is that even real?"

Luo Xuan, Song Chao, and the others all stared in wide-eyed disbelief.

Having personally experienced the assessment, they understood the immense difficulty of Celestial Star Chess. Surpassing six pieces was already considered a remarkable feat, indicating supreme comprehension. Yet, the person before them had achieved a puppet's complete defeat with a single move...

This truly left no room for anyone else to compete!

In contrast to the stunned expressions of the crowd, Master Hong's body swayed once more.

Each time, just as he was about to make an announcement, there would be a sudden reversal, leaving him startled.

Did he have to be so relentless?

A few more instances like this, and it wouldn't just be a matter of lamenting his precious items; he might suffer a heart attack and die on the spot.

While the crowd exhibited a myriad of expressions—from bewilderment and surprise to gritted teeth and twitching faces—Zhang Xuan, the person at the center of it all, was equally dumbfounded.

This time, he had relied solely on his own understanding, without using the Library of Heaven's Path or the Eye of Insight, so he hadn't been very confident about passing.

That's why, upon realizing he couldn't place the second piece, his heart sank, and a wave of anxiety washed over him.

Yet, he never in his wildest dreams imagined that not only would he pass, but he would also make the puppet voluntarily concede...

Just as he was about to speak to the puppet, the elderly figure bowed, and a voice resonated in his mind: "Though you placed only a single piece, you blocked all paths – those of life, death, advance, and retreat. I cannot break this. Celestial Star Chess has finally found its successor!"

Immediately afterward, a surge of pure knowledge directly entered his mind.

*Boom!*

Countless strategies and theories of Celestial Star Chess, accompanied by the transmitted knowledge, became his own.

"Soul transmission?"

His eyes widened in astonishment.

How powerful must the creator of this puppet be, to enable it to perform soul transmission?

While still pondering, and before he could thoroughly examine the newly acquired knowledge, he noticed that the puppet before him, as if drained of all power after the transmission, began to develop countless cracks across its surface.

"Oh no?"

His pupils constricted, and Zhang Xuan instinctively reached out to intervene.

From the transmitted information, he understood that the puppet's sole purpose was to pass on the legacy of Celestial Star Chess. Now that the transmission was complete, the remnant consciousness that sustained it vanished, rendering it unable to maintain its form and causing it to naturally disintegrate.

However...

If it had to disintegrate, couldn't it have waited until his assessment was over, when no one was paying attention? Breaking down now... how was he going to explain this?

As his palm approached the elderly figure, the *zhenqi* within him surged forward, attempting to stabilize it. However, he realized too late that it would have been better if he hadn't used his *zhenqi*; the moment it made contact,

*Boom!* The puppet instantly exploded into a cloud of dust.

The nearby chessboard and small pavilion also seemed to lose their sustaining power, crumbling into a heap of ruins.

"What the..."

Zhang Xuan was beside himself with exasperation.

He genuinely had good intentions, merely wanting to preserve the puppet for a little longer. Who would have thought such a thing would happen?

In retrospect, he realized that the puppet was sustained by a fragment of consciousness, which likely employed a witch soul technique. Otherwise, soul transmission of knowledge wouldn't have been so effortless.

For a witch soul, his Heaven's Path *zhenqi* was its ultimate nemesis. What should have been a simple disintegration turned into an explosive demise upon contact with his *zhenqi*.

He turned to look at the surrounding crowd, who were all staring at him with wide eyes, as if he were some kind of monster.

"Did you see that? It exploded again!"

"I told you it would break, but you wouldn't believe me..."

"The puppet had already conceded, but Master Zhang still didn't let it go. He literally made it explode... isn't that excessive?!"

"Indeed, but how else could he solidify his reputation as a destructive maniac?"

The crowd whispered amongst themselves.

They had hoped that a chess game would spare their equipment, but unexpectedly, just like the previous three rounds, any formidable treasure that fell into Master Zhang's hands met only one fate: utter destruction!

And if something proved too stubborn... he would still find a way to dismantle it.

Hearing these whispers, Zhang Xuan felt utterly exasperated.

"I genuinely didn't do it on purpose; my aim was truly to save it just now..."

In the first three rounds, one incident after another occurred, and he had no choice. But now... he truly just wanted to be a good person!

"Broken again?"

Hall Master Kang and the others exchanged glances, feeling secretly relieved that they hadn't used their precious artifacts during the Myriad Kingdoms City selection. Otherwise, their Master Teacher Pavilion would have been utterly destitute.

"My Celestial Star Chess..."

Master Hong's vision blurred, and his lips trembled.

He had spent countless years accumulating such treasures as the Ghost Domain Illusion City, the Spirit Race artifacts, the Book of the Tao River, and the Celestial Star Chess. Yet, a single assessment by Master Zhang had utterly decimated them, effectively sending him back to square one.

His heart felt as though it had been repeatedly pierced by a blade, bleeding profusely.

However, while others hadn't fully grasped what occurred, Master Hong, being close by and possessing keen eyesight, had witnessed everything clearly.

The puppet had actually disintegrated on its own; Master Zhang had merely tried to save it, only for his intervention to have the opposite effect, inadvertently causing the explosion.

Yet, even so, it was Zhang Xuan's move that prompted the puppet's concession, which ultimately led to this outcome...

If he had known things would turn out this way, why bother with a selection trial at all? They should have just proceeded directly to challenges!

After agonizing for a moment, he exhaled deeply and forcibly suppressed his frustration.

Now, he could only travel to the Hongyuan Empire, explain the situation to Hall Master Mo, and see if he could secure some compensation. Otherwise, he would truly be beyond tears.

"Master Zhang forced the puppet to concede with a single move, which indicates a complete understanding of the Celestial Star Chess rules. Does anyone dispute this?"

Suppressing his vexation, he scanned the room.

"Indeed!" the crowd affirmed with nods.

While they inwardly regarded the man on stage as a veritable harbinger of destruction, they had to concede that he possessed abilities and methods far beyond the reach of ordinary individuals.

"Master Zhang was the last participant, and his success signifies the conclusion of the selection trial. It's getting late, so without further delay, let's proceed directly to the combat competition!"

Master Hong continued.

With the four rounds of the selection trial complete, it was time for the dueling phase.

"The rules for the combat competition are straightforward: participants will draw lots to determine their matchups, with two individuals facing off at a time. The contests can involve martial arts, or various master teacher abilities such as Mind Tempering Scale, pedagogical skills, understanding of cultivation, or identifying flaws and weaknesses in others!"

"Winners will advance, while losers are eliminated, until the top ten participants are selected!"

Master Hong surveyed the crowd and asked, "Are there any questions?"

"None!"

Everyone quickly nodded in agreement.

This standard master teacher competition didn't differ much from previous ones, and its rules were remarkably simple.

"Very well. After the selection, 27 participants remain. For the first round of competition, it would be fairest to have 16 individuals advance. This means that... five participants will receive a bye in the first round and directly advance without needing to compete!"

Master Hong explained.

To ensure fairness in a knockout tournament, a specific method is used: regardless of the initial number of participants, the number of contenders remaining after the first round must be a power of two (e.g., 2, 4, 8, 16, 32...).

Only through such structured matchups can it be guaranteed that ultimately, only two individuals will contend for first place.

"Alright, let the drawing of lots begin!"

Having explained the rules, Master Hong gestured, and an attendant promptly brought over the prepared items. The remaining twenty-seven participants stepped forward one by one to draw their lots.

Zhang Xuan also approached and swiftly drew a lot.

He glanced at its contents and shook his head.

It appeared his luck was not in; he hadn't drawn one of the five byes.

"I got a bye..."

As he was lamenting his luck, he saw Young Master Ruohuan look over with an excited expression. Taking the slip, Zhang Xuan confirmed it read "Group Alpha One, Bye."

Zhang Xuan's own slip read "Group Delta Two."

"The competition is divided into four zones: Alpha, Beta, Gamma, and Delta. Each zone is further divided into numbers one, two, three, and four. Participants who draw the same zone and number will compete against each other. Those whose slips indicate 'Bye' will directly advance to the top sixteen!"

Once everyone had drawn their lots, Master Hong announced.

"For each matchup, the content of the challenge will be determined by the previous Grand Master Teacher Competition's rankings. Specifically, the faction with the higher ranking from the last competition will have priority in selecting the nature of the contest. The opponent may refuse this choice, but only once; a second refusal is not permitted, and they must then comply with the challenger's request."

As these rules were consistent with previous competitions, little explanation was needed, and everyone readily understood.

"Alright, the competition now begins! Group Alpha One has a bye. The two participants who drew Group Alpha Two, please proceed to the Alpha stage!"

With a wave of his hand, the last vestiges of mist on the circular platform dissipated, revealing four modest dueling stages, each distinctly marked with the characters for Alpha, Beta, Gamma, and Delta.

Two young men, clutching their slips, ascended the designated stage simultaneously.