Chapter 575: The Rules of the Grand Competition

Walking forward along the crowded crowd, a huge platform had been set up in the middle of the wide square, shrouded in mist, making it impossible to see clearly.

It seemed that some kind of formation had been deliberately arranged to prevent people from peering into its contents.

Countless renowned masters in long robes sat around it.

Zhang Xuan looked over.

As expected of a grand gathering of masters, the twenty-seven factions, along with the Ten Thousand Kingdoms Alliance, had sent thousands of people, each wearing a badge representing their rank, reflecting light and dazzling the eye.

Thousands of masters gathered together—this was a grand event that could only be seen once in many years. No wonder it drove the citizens of the entire Ten Thousand Kingdoms City to madness, waiting outside early.

To prevent any accidents, the Alliance Lord's Mansion had been preparing for half a month, dispatching their strongest soldiers to guard the surroundings, ready to respond immediately if anything went wrong.

"So this is the Grand Competition of Masters! So many masters!"

"Usually, it's hard to even catch a glimpse of a single master, but here, there are thousands..."

"To be able to see so many powerful masters competing, I would die without regrets!"

...

Everywhere they went, there was a buzz of discussion, everyone filled with excitement.

The Grand Competition of Masters, held once every ten years, was already rare, and with the venue randomly selected... such a grand event, many people wouldn't see it even once in a lifetime. Since it was held here, they naturally had to come in person.

For this reason, the Master Teacher Pavilion deliberately set the competition site here, both to showcase the power of masters to everyone and to make more people fall in love with this profession, thus providing a steady stream of fresh blood.

"Look, it's Young Master Ruohuan!"

"So handsome! The one beside him should be Zhang shi, right?"

"It should be. I've heard about him. I'm his loyal fan..."

"Me too. In the selection test, he skipped one round and still got first place. No one else has that ability..."

...

Seeing the three of them approaching, some recognized them and burst into cheers.

Although Zhang Xuan's participation in the selection was held internally by the Master Teacher Pavilion, after two months of fermentation, almost everyone in the entire Ten Thousand Kingdoms City knew about it.

A four-star master teacher under twenty; auxiliary professions that made physicians, formation masters, and the Beast Hall make exceptions to apply; in the selection, he only took four rounds and defeated Young Master Ruohuan and others to reach the top... Every single achievement was legendary, earning the admiration and worship of countless young people.

"Zhang shi is so handsome!"

"Handsome? I think he looks a bit sleazy."

"Sleazy? Even if he's sleazy, I still want to marry him and bear his children..."

……

Some young women, upon hearing of Zhang Xuan's deeds, were utterly infatuated. Many mustered their courage and shouted loudly.

"Perverted? Having a child?"

Zhang Xuan was speechless.

What was all this about!

"It seems Master Zhang's fame has already surpassed this old bones!" Hall Master Kang said with a slight smile, stroking his beard.

Two months ago, he didn't even know who this Zhang Xuan was, but now he was known in almost every household in the entire royal city.

The Master Teacher Tournament indeed could make one's reputation explode instantly.

Having finally squeezed through the crowded throng, just as they arrived at the place where the members of the Myriad Kingdoms Alliance Master Teacher Hall were, a graceful figure greeted them, full of excitement.

"You've come out of seclusion..."

The Second Princess of the Myriad Kingdoms Alliance, Zhao Feiwu.

Since returning from the Yin-Yang Pool, Zhang Xuan had immediately gone into seclusion. To be precise, the two had not seen each other for nearly two months.

Now, Zhao Feiwu had completely changed into women's attire, her figure light, her sleeves fluttering, carrying the unique temperament and gentleness of a princess. From afar, she looked like a fairy.

"Mm."

He responded, looking at the young woman before him.

In two months, he hadn't expected her to have started cultivating. The aura within her was faint, and she had already reached the sixth level of the Martial Artist realm, the Acupoint Opening stage.

To have reached such strength in such a short time of cultivation, even if the Alliance Lord's residence had no shortage of resources, her talent was still astonishing.

"Master Zhang!" Jin Conghai, who was responsible for protecting her, also came over.

"Please, sit!"

After exchanging a few pleasantries, they took their seats. Before long, an old man strode up onto the round platform.

"This is Hong Qian, the master teacher presiding over the tournament, a five-star master teacher!"

Hall Master Kang's voice sounded.

Zhang Xuan looked over.

This Master Hong was tall, with extremely long arms and legs. The aura within him perfectly merged with the surrounding environment at all times. Inside his body, it was as if there was a huge bridge communicating with the surroundings, allowing spiritual energy to continuously nourish his flesh and soul.

Sixth level of the Mortal Transcendence realm, the Bridge Heaven stage!

To become a five-star master teacher, the most basic requirement was to reach this level.

The Bridge Heaven stage: communicating with the bridge between heaven and earth, a special tacit understanding arises between man and nature. Even without cultivation, spiritual energy flows along the bridge, continuously nourishing the body, allowing his strength to constantly improve.

In this state, both true qi and soul would surge and expand wildly, reaching a terrifying degree, truly possessing the ability to move mountains and drain seas.

"Didn't expect him to be quite formidable when seen alone!"

This Master Hong had been seen yesterday, when he stood behind Mo Gaoyuan, submissive and timid like a quail. Unexpectedly, when seen alone, he was quite frightening.

With his current strength... let alone one, even ten would probably not be his match.

His true qi was at the peak of the third level of Mortal Transformation, and his soul reached the peak of the fourth level. His total strength amounted to 2.6 million ding, enough to fight even a mid-stage Harmony Spirit realm cultivator.

Yet facing a Bridge Heaven realm expert, he still had no power to resist.

An expert of this level, even at the initial stage, possessed 4 million ding. Not to mention their understanding of heaven and earth, just sheer strength alone was hard to contend with.

"Everyone!"

As he was lost in thought, Master Hong on the platform stopped and spoke, his voice containing thunderous echoes that resounded in all directions.

The square, which held tens of thousands of people, immediately fell silent upon hearing these words.

The master's words carried the Heavenly Mandate of the Teacher, which could naturally instill a sense of reverence and prevent quarrels.

"As the host of the decennial Master Grand Competition, Hong is deeply honored!"

With a grand wave of his hand, Master Hong glanced around.

"I believe everyone is already clear on the rewards for this Grand Competition. To save time, I will skip the polite and encouraging words and go directly to the process and rules of the competition!"

Seeing this five-star master so straightforward, everyone held their breath, afraid of missing a single word.

The Master Grand Competition involved countless methods, numbering in the thousands. Without explaining the rules, even with many masters present, it would be hard to guess.

Zhang Xuan also looked over.

He had always been curious about what kind of competition they could design that would be both fair and harmonious for selection.

"Once a master reaches four stars, they have entered the intermediate ranks, greatly elevated in both status and position. To match this status, to teach and educate, and to stand out among many masters... the required courses—mindset calibration, cultivation strength, teaching ability, understanding of cultivation, pointing out flaws and deficiencies—have likely already been assessed by various major powers during their selection. If we test these again, it would be redundant and hard to showcase your true strength!"

Master Hong smiled as he looked around.

"If not these, then what will be tested?"

Everyone was taken aback.

The most basic aspects of a master were nothing more than a few things: mindset calibration, cultivation strength, teaching ability...

These were also the most fundamental criteria for evaluating a master. If the Grand Competition didn't test these, how would it be conducted?

"Don't rush; let me finish!"

Seeing everyone full of doubt, Master Hong continued: "This competition is divided into two major stages: selection and battle. Selection, simply put, I have set up four checkpoints. All participants who can pass all four checkpoints will qualify for the battle stage. Those who cannot pass... unfortunately, will be eliminated!"

"Selection?"

"Battle?"

Everyone's expressions turned serious.

They had thought this Grand Competition would be like the selection trials, testing mindset calibration and cultivation strength. They hadn't expected it to be so complicated.

"Everyone understands the battle stage, so I won't go into detail. Let me first talk about the selection."

Master Hong continued: "Selected by various major powers to participate in this Grand Competition, you are undoubtedly the cream of the crop among four-star masters, with great potential to impact five stars or even higher. However... the higher the master level, the more difficult it becomes. It's not just about having high talent and strong strength; there are certain requirements for temperament, courage, wisdom, and comprehension. Only by surpassing your peers in these aspects can you stand out and make a name for yourself."

"Therefore, in today's selection, I have set up four items, precisely to test these four qualities in all of you!"

"Testing temperament, courage, wisdom, and comprehension?"

"How are these four tested?"

"I don't know, but since Master Hong has laid out the rules, they must be fair!"

"Indeed, with so many masters watching, there's no way to cheat. I'm just curious how these will be tested!"

...

Upon understanding the content of the test, everyone was full of surprise.

As masters, they had heard of testing teaching ability and understanding of techniques, but never of testing temperament, courage, and wisdom.

These things were not visible, could not be quantified, and were very difficult to compete in.

"Alright, please come up, all participants of the Grand Competition!"

Ignoring the crowd's discussion, Master Hong briefly explained the competition and then waved his hand.

"Let's go up!"

Zhang Xuan exchanged a glance with Ruohuan Gongzi, then stood up and walked forward together.

At this moment, masters from other major powers participating in the Grand Competition also came over one after another.

These were all young talents under thirty, with four stars shining on their chests, indicating their talent and level.

Zhang Xuan looked at these people and found that he basically didn't know any of them, except for Luo Xuan and Song Chao, who were acquaintances.

"Our Grand Competition requires that participants be no older than thirty. At the entrance to the round platform, there is a crystal ball. When you come over, touch it, and it will measure your true age based on your soul aura!"

Seeing everyone approach, Master Hong said.

Zhang Xuan looked toward the entrance of the round platform and indeed saw a crystal ball standing there, emitting a warm glow.

In the Master Grand Competition, to determine age and prevent some from passing off fish eyes as pearls, special methods were used to check age.

This crystal ball could detect a person's soul; by simply touching it, one's age could be clearly measured, very accurately.