Chapter 586: Failure?

"It's just playing chess; it shouldn't damage the board..." Knowing what the other was worried about, Zhang Xuan spoke up.

What happened before was... accidental. This time, having understood the rules in advance, he would be careful. He wouldn't play too many moves, just six... Low-key and reserved, steady and humble, there would definitely be no problem.

"In that case, we'll go by age. The oldest goes first!"

Ignoring his words, Master Hong waved his hand and set the rule.

In the previous test, I thought it would be fine, just reading a book. Who could have predicted that the River-Tao Book borrowed from headquarters would be ruined!

Since the assessment began, you've nearly worn me out. And you still want to go first? No way!

"Alright!"

Seeing that the prestigious five-star master teacher was so frightened that he wouldn't even give him a chance to explain, Zhang Xuan looked helpless.

It seemed he had no choice but to wait here, unable to rest first.

"Fortunately, Master Hong has strong composure! Otherwise, this test would have been unwatchable..." Hall Master Kang and the others wiped the cold sweat from their foreheads.

When Zhang Xuan said he wanted to go first earlier, they too were startled.

Although the chess game seemed unlikely to cause trouble, facing Zhang Xuan, who never played by the rules, no one could be sure!

Regardless, letting him go last was the safest approach.

As the rule was set, Liu Quan of the Mingxia Empire in the crowd rolled his eyes.

He was the oldest among them, and... what had he done to deserve this? Last time he was first, and now again...

Just because he was a bit older, did he have to be the one every time?

Still, being first and last didn't make much difference; it was just a psychological feeling.

Taking a deep breath, he calmed his mind, entering a state of tranquility. He clasped his fists to Master Hong and stepped toward the small pavilion.

As he entered, everyone turned their gaze to the pavilion.

Standing inside, Liu Quan looked at each of the four stone pillars in turn and fell into deep thought. Soon, the time of one incense stick was up. Frowning, he approached the puppet opponent, picked up a chess piece, and gently placed it on an empty spot.

Swish!

The piece hovered in the air and slowly descended.

"It landed..."

"It seems this move is correct!"

Seeing the piece settle on the board, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

Master Hong had said earlier that if a piece was placed incorrectly, it wouldn't land.

Whoosh!

The old man opposite also placed a piece.

Seeing the position of that piece, Liu Quan frowned, as if facing a dilemma. However, he didn't dwell on it too long and placed another.

Back and forth, they quickly exceeded six moves, reaching nine.

On the tenth move, he could not proceed further.

"Liu Quan of Mingxia Empire, nine moves, pass! Next, Fenglie Empire, Han Zhaoji..."

Master Hong presided.

Han Zhaoji walked up.

Before long, he came down with an excited expression, having made seven moves and passed the test.

Then the next one.

Five in a row all passed, boosting many people's confidence. However, by the sixth person, luck turned bad; he couldn't make the fourth move. Starting from him, four consecutive people all failed.

Finally, Luo Xuan broke the deadlock.

By then, everyone had noticed that when the second person went up, the chess game changed completely. Each person faced a different game, fair and impartial. Even if one remembered the previous person's moves, it was useless.

Time flowed, and as Zhang Xuan had guessed, it gradually grew dark. Finally, when the full moon rose in the east and hung in the sky, the previous thirty-five master teachers had finished their tests.

Although those who came for the competition were all geniuses, many were eliminated in this test. While not as extreme as the thirteen from the previous test, a full nine were eliminated!

Ruohuan Gongzi and Song Chao did not disappoint this time; both passed the test.

The one who made the most moves was not from the strongest Liuyun Sect, nor the second-strongest Baiyang Sect, but from an empire roughly as strong as the Ten-Nation Alliance.

That master teacher was not particularly strong, ranking near the bottom, but his comprehension was good. He played a full sixteen moves against the puppet, prompting the old puppet to speak and say, "Excellent."

"Teacher Zhang, it's your turn!"

After everyone had finished, Master Hong looked at Zhang Xuan, who was already looking bored, and spoke with an apologetic tone.

The other had wanted to go first, but because of his own fear, he had been forced to go last. It was indeed a bit embarrassing.

"Mm!" Zhang Xuan stretched his tired body and walked toward the small pavilion.

The pavilion was small, only a bit taller than a person. Entering, he saw the first stone pillar inscribed with four characters: "East, South, West, North."

These four characters were very neat, containing no artistic conception of calligraphy or painting, just ordinary script.

Looking at the second stone pillar, there were also four: "Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter."

The third stone pillar had only two: "Come, Go!"

The fourth stone pillar also had two: "Principle, Reason!"

"East-South-West-North, Spring-Summer-Autumn-Winter, Come-Go, Principle-Reason? These... are completely unrelated!"

Zhang Xuan frowned.

He had thought there would be some hint, but instead, these words appeared.

Four stone pillars, twelve characters, with no connection to each other, and even less to the art of chess. How was he supposed to comprehend?

After looking at the pillars, he turned to the chessboard.

This chess game was even more chaotic than before. One glance left him completely confused, unable to make sense of it.

"Heavenly Star Chess: using heaven and earth as the board, stars as pieces..."

Frowning, he recalled Master Hong's earlier words: "On the stone pillars, East-South-West-North represents space, Spring-Summer-Autumn-Winter represents time, Come-Go represents direction, and Principle-Reason represents the human heart!"

"Space, time, direction, human heart..."

Knowledge he had learned before flowed through his mind, and Zhang Xuan's eyes grew brighter.

No wonder even Master Hong admired it. This Heavenly Star Chess was not just in name; it truly used heaven and earth as the board.

Using the human heart as a foundation to construct a magnificent world and using that as the chessboard was indeed terrifying.

"Since I understand, I won't use the Library of Heaven's Path or the Eye of Insight. Let's see how many moves I can make with my own knowledge and comprehension!"

Having grasped the rules of this Heavenly Star Chess, Zhang Xuan smiled lightly.

In the previous tests, he had relied on the library, the Eye of Insight, and even the Heaven's Path zhenqi. Since this test was so simple, he would try to see how many moves he could make with his own ability, and also test how high his comprehension really was.

Turning around, he approached the stone table, looked at the position, picked up a piece, and placed it directly.

...

"Do you think Teacher Zhang will damage the Heavenly Star Chess in this test?"

"Impossible. It's just playing chess. We just saw that if a move is wrong, the piece won't land."

"True. It seems the Heavenly Star Chess is safe... But I still think it's not that simple. How about we make a bet?"

"Bet on what?"

"I bet Teacher Zhang will damage the Heavenly Star Chess. If I win, you give me that silk fan of yours. If I lose, I'll give you that jade bead you've been eyeing."

"Deal..."

...

Seeing Zhang Xuan enter the small pavilion, the crowd below began to discuss, and some even made bets on it.

"Ahem!"

Hearing the excited wagers around them, Zhao Feiwu, Hall Master Kang, and the others all covered their foreheads, hoping no one would know they were acquainted with Teacher Zhang.

He had come for the Master Teacher Competition, but ended up being seen as the King of Destruction...

"Passing the selection round means entering the duels. Although I don't know the rules, Teacher Zhang and Ruohuan Gongzi both advancing is already the best result in the history of our Ten-Nation City!"

Master Ling thought of something and said.

"Indeed!" Hall Master Kang nodded.

Now, only 27 people remained in the selection round.

From his observation, both contestants from seven factions had been eliminated.

In other words, even if Teacher Zhang and Ruohuan Gongzi achieved nothing in the duels, they would still be eighth from the bottom, surpassing all previous results.

In the past, it was difficult for Ruohuan Gongzi to pass these tests. But now, with Teacher Zhang's help, his cultivation had broken through repeatedly, reaching the peak of Mortal Shedding Realm Fourth Layer. His courage and everything else had greatly improved, allowing him to pass smoothly.

It could be said that Teacher Zhang was instrumental in their current success.

"Look, Teacher Zhang is making a move!"

Just as they were sighing, Master Su's voice rang out. Looking up, they saw Zhang Xuan already seated opposite the puppet, placing a piece.

Everyone held their breath.

The old man opposite, seeing the move, also picked up a piece and held it in his hand. For a long time, he did not place it, as if frozen.

"What's going on?"

"Could it be... the Heavenly Star Chess isn't broken, but this puppet is?"

Seeing the old man's body stiff and motionless, everyone stared at each other in bewilderment.

They had just been wondering if Teacher Zhang would break the Heavenly Star Chess, but now, after only one move, it had stopped. Could it be... broken?

Could it be that unlucky?

They turned to look at Master Hong, who also frowned, looking puzzled.

After watching for a while, Master Hong couldn't help but approach the pavilion and look at the puppet.

After a moment, he breathed a sigh of relief.

Like the others, he had thought the thing was broken, but upon closer inspection, it was intact, with no malfunction.

"Please make your move!"

Standing before the puppet, he bowed.

Although it was a puppet, it had intelligence and could understand human language. The two had often played chess, and he always treated it with respect.

"Mm!"

The puppet hesitated for a moment, then nodded and placed its piece on a spot.

Zhang Xuan was taken aback, then picked up a second piece, aimed at a spot, and placed it.

Buzz!

However, as soon as the piece left his hand, it hovered in the air, motionless, unable to land no matter what.

"Can't place it? Does that mean... he only made one move?"

"Failed?"

Everyone was stunned. Even Master Hong couldn't believe it.

The rule stated that more than six moves were required to pass. Teacher Zhang had only made one move and couldn't proceed. Did that mean... he didn't pass?

"Oh no... Could I have misunderstood?" Zhang Xuan was startled.

His heart skipped a beat.

In this test, he hadn't used the Library of Heaven's Path or the Eye of Insight. Could it be... he had failed just like that?