Walking along the packed crowd, Zhang Xuan saw a huge round stage placed at the center of the square. The top of the stage was veiled beneath a layer of fog, making it impossible to perceive what was hidden inside.
Most likely, this should be a formation preventing anyone from peering into the contents inside.
Countless master teachers, dressed in robes, were seated around the stage.
Zhang Xuan briefly scanned the surroundings with his gaze.
As expected of the Master Teacher Tournament. There was a total of several thousand people from all 28 powers, including the Myriad Kingdom Alliance. Every single one had an emblem reflecting their respective ranks pinned on their chests, and reflected light glared from them.
How many times in one’s life could one see such a grand festival where several thousand master teachers were gathered together? It was no wonder why the citizens of Myriad Kingdom Alliance were so excited, camping at the square from such early hours.
In order to prevent any accidents from occurring, the Alliance Head Residence had been making preparations from half a month ago. All of their elites were stationed around the area, ready to take any countermeasures should any unexpected situation occur.
“So, this is the Master Teacher Tournament… So many master teachers are gathered here!”
“It’s so difficult to meet even a single one of those lofty master teachers under normal circumstances, and yet, a few thousand of them were gathered here today…”
“To be able to see so many formidable master teachers competing against one another, I would have no regrets even if I were to drop dead now!”
…
Such discussions were occurring throughout the crowd. Their excitement over the Master Teacher Tournament was apparent through their words and expressions.
The Master Teacher Tournament only happened once every decade, and on top of that, the location where it would be hosted was randomly selected each time… Given that it was conducted in the Myriad Kingdom Alliance this time, there was no way they could miss the festival.
In truth, the Master Teacher Tournament also had the intention of utilizing the fanfare behind the tournament to display the might of the master teachers as well as boost the popularity of this occupation and bring new blood into the organization.
“Look, it’s Ruohuan gongzi!”
“He’s so handsome! The person beside him must be Zhang shi, right?”
“I think so! I became his loyal fan after hearing of his affairs…”
“Me too! Despite forfeiting the final test in the selection round, he was still able to take the top position. There is no one else in Myriad Kingdom Alliance who is capable of such a feat…”
…
Upon the arrival of the trio, someone exclaimed and a wave of cheering sounded from the crowd.
Even though the selection round was conducted within the Master Teacher Hall, perhaps due to how astonishing those feats were, everyone in Myriad Kingdom City swiftly learned of the matter.
A 4-star master teacher who wasn’t even in his twenties yet; a person who, through his astounding capabilities, convinced the Physician Guild, Formation Master Guild, Beast Hall, and other supporting occupations to make an exception and allow for the promotion in his ranking; the candidate stood above Ruohuan gongzi and the other geniuses in the selection rounds despite participating in only four of the tests… All three of these were legendary feats in themselves, and any one of them could easily win one the admiration of the younger generation.
“Zhang shi is so dashing!”
“Dashing? Why does he look like a pervert to me instead?”
“Pervert? Even if he’s really a pervert, I’m still willing to marry him and bear his children…”
…
A few young ladies bucked up their courage and shouted loudly. Zhang Xuan’s astounding feats previously had captured their hearts.
“Pervert? Bear my children?”
Dark streaks filled Zhang Xuan’s face.
What the heck was that?
“Seems like Zhang shi’s reputation has exceeded even that of mine!” Pavilion Master Kang chuckled as he stroked his beard.
Just two months ago, there was no one in Myriad Kingdom City, not even him, who had heard of Zhang Xuan. And yet, at this very moment, his name was known in every single household throughout the capital.
The Master Teacher Tournament was indeed capable of inducing a rapid surge in one’s reputation.
Right after Zhang Xuan and the rest squeezed through the crowd and gathered together with the group from the Myriad Kingdom Alliance Master Teacher Pavilion, a beautiful figure suddenly rushed up to him in agitation.
“You’re finally out of seclusion…”
It was the second princess of Myriad Kingdom Alliance, Zhao Feiwu.
Ever since his return from Yin-Yang Lake, Zhang Xuan had been in seclusion. For the past two months, he had hardly met anyone.
At this moment, Zhao Feiwu was no longer disguised as a male. Instead, she wore a simple dress that brought out her lithe figure. She carried a majestic but warm disposition unique to princesses like her, and from afar, she looked no different from a fairy.
“Un!”
Looking at the young lady before him, Zhang Xuan nodded his head.
It seemed that Zhao Feiwu had been cultivating in the past two months. Vaguely, he could sense that she had reached Fighter 6-dan Pixue realm.
To be able to improve so swiftly in such a short period of time, even though the immense pool of resources from the Alliance Head Residence played a part, she must possess superior talent as well.
“Zhang shi!” Jin Conghai, who was in charge of guarding her, stepped forward and greeted Zhang Xuan.
“Take a seat!”
After trading some pleasantries, the few of them sat down, and soon, from the top of the round stage in the center, an elder could be seen walking over.
“This is 5-star Master Teacher Hong shi; he’s in charge of hosting this Master Teacher Tournament!”
Pavilion Master Kang whispered to Zhang Xuan telepathically.
Zhang Xuan shot a glance over to the elder on the stage.
Hong shi had a tall stature, and his hands and legs were extremely long. The aura he exuded seemed to be perfectly aligned with the surroundings, as though there was a giant bridge within his body connecting him to the environment, nourishing his body and soul with spiritual energy.
Transcendent Mortal 6-dan, Cosmos Bridge realm!
One of the basic requirements to becoming a 5-star master teacher was to achieve this level of cultivation.
Cosmos Bridge realm was signified by the presence of an intangible bridge within one’s body that aligned one with the world. Even without cultivating consciously, spiritual energy would flow along the bridge to nourish one’s body, resulting in a constant rise in one’s cultivation.
At such a realm, one’s zhenqi and soul would grow at a fearsome pace, and one would truly wield the strength to move mountains and fill oceans.
“To think that he’s a formidable figure as well!”
Zhang Xuan had met Hong shi just yesterday, and standing behind Mo Hongyuan, the other party looked no different from a timid quail. Thus, he didn’t expect the other party to possess such an impressive cultivation level.
In fact, given his current cultivation realm… even ten of him wouldn’t be a match for the other party.
His zhenqi was at Transcendent Mortal realm 3-dan pinnacle whereas his soul was at Transcendent Mortal 4-dan realm pinnacle. In total, his strength added up to 2,600,000 ding, and it wouldn’t be a problem even if his opponent was a Consonant Spirit realm intermediate stage cultivator.
But against a Cosmos Bridge realm expert, he wouldn’t even be able to retaliate.
Even at primary stage, an expert of that caliber would possess a strength of 4,000,000 ding. Putting aside their deep comprehension and control over the environment, just their immense strength posed a huge threat in itself.
“Everyone!”
Just as Zhang Xuan was harboring such thoughts, Hong shi suddenly stopped in his footsteps and spoke. His voice seemed to harness the roar of the thunders, and it resounded clearly in the surroundings.
The entire square consisting of several ten thousand people immediately fell silent upon hearing his words.
His words were spoken through Impartation of Heaven’s Will, thus inducing deference amongst the crowd. No one in the square dared to defy his words.
“I am honored to be invited as the host of the once-in-a-decade Master Teacher Tournament!”
Waving his hands, Hong shi glanced through the crowd.
“I believe everyone should know the rewards for the tournament. In the interest of time, I’ll skip the pleasantries and move on straight to the structure of the tournament and the rules behind it!”
Hearing those words, the crowd subconsciously held in the breath, fearing that they might miss a single word.
There were at least several thousand ways to conduct the tests of the Master Teacher Tournament that they knew of, and thus, it was impossible to predict.
Interested, Zhang Xuan’s eyes also fell on Hong shi.
He had always been curious how the Master Teacher Tournament could ensure fairness while avoiding harming the camaraderie among fellow master teachers.
“As 4-star master teachers, you have stepped into the ranks of an intermediate master teacher, and there has been a significant rise in your standing. Naturally, this also means a greater responsibility towards enlightening the world, and your capability must be up to par to fulfill that responsibility… Soul Depth, cultivation realm, knowledge impartation, understanding of cultivation, identification of flaws… I believe you have already undergone tests assessing you on those aspects in the selection rounds in your respective empires and sects. As such, it would be meaningless if I were to test you on those aspects as well, and it would be hard to assess your capabilities fully through such too.”
Hong shi smiled as he looked at the participants of the tournament.
“But if the participants are not assessed on these, what would they be assessed on?”
Everyone was stunned.
Those were the utmost fundamentals to master teachers, and as such, they were used as criteria to determine the capability of a master teacher.
If they weren’t competing on those aspects in the Master Teacher Tournament, then what would they be competing on?
“Calm down, allow me to finish my words first!”
Seeing the doubt in everyone’s eyes, Hong shi continued, “The tournament will consist of two main stages-preliminary selection and dueling round. There’ll be four tests in the preliminary selection, and only the participants who clear all four tests will be qualified for the dueling round. Those who fail in any one of the tests… will be eliminated from the tournament!”
“Preliminary selection?”
“Dueling round?”
A grim expression appeared on the faces of the crowd.
They thought that the tournament would be similar to the selection round, where they were assessed on their Soul Depth, cultivation, and such. They didn’t expect it to take on such a complicated structure.
“I’m sure everyone should understand what dueling is, so I won’t elaborate on it. So, I’ll just touch on the preliminary selection.”
Hong shi continued, “Since you have been chosen as the representative of your power, you must be amongst the top of the younger generation, and there is a good chance that you might advance to become a 5-star master teacher or even higher one day. However… the higher ranked you are, the harder it is for you to advance. Talent isn’t all there is to a master teacher, and strength is just one of the many factors you will need. Temperament, courage, wisdom, and intelligence… These are of utmost importance as well. Only with these can you surpass your peers and reach incredible heights in the future.
“Thus, I’ve designed four tests relating to each of these for the preliminary selection!”
“Tests to assess temperament, courage, wisdom, and intelligence?”
“How can such qualities be assessed?”
“I’ve no idea too. But since Hong shi is the one conducting the examination, there’s no need to worry about the fairness of the tests!”
“Indeed. With so many master teachers present here, it’s impossible for him to be biased. I’m just curious as to how these intangible qualities can be assessed!”
…
After understanding the content for the examination, everyone was shocked.
As master teachers, they had heard of tests on one’s ability to impart knowledge and comprehension of a cultivation technique. Never in their lives had they heard of tests on one’s temperament, courage, wisdom, and intelligence.
After all, as intangible qualities, they couldn’t be quantified and measured directly.
Ignoring the commotion amidst the crowd, Hong shi waved his hands and said, “Alright, participants, proceed up the stage!”
“Let’s go up!”
Zhang Xuan and Ruohuan gongzi glanced at one another before standing up and walking up to the stage.
The master teachers from other powers also advanced forward.
They were all geniuses below their thirties, and the four stars on the emblems pinned before their chests reflected their talents and capabilities.
Zhang Xuan scanned the faces of the crowd proceeding up the stage, and with the exception of Luo Xuan and Song Chao, he didn’t recognize anyone else.
“The primary requirement for the Master Teacher Tournament is that participants mustn’t exceed the age of thirty. At the entrance to the stage, there is a crystal ball. Before coming in, touch the crystal ball, and based on the aura of your soul, it’ll reflect your actual age!” Hong shi added.
Zhang Xuan glanced at the entrance of the round stage and saw a crystal ball exuding a warm glow being placed on top of a pedestal by the entrance.
To uphold the integrity behind the Master Teacher Tournament, there were strict checks to prevent any unqualified personnel from participating in the tournament.
This crystal ball could peer deep within one’s soul. Just by touching it, it was able to accurately determine one’s actual age.
