Chapter 526: The Selection Match

Entering the living room, he indeed saw Master Su and Master Ling seated as guests. Seeing him arrive, they both breathed a sigh of relief.

If not for the uproar over the herb garden these past few days, they would never have known that this Master Zhang had already arrived.

After taking their seats as host and guests, Master Su looked at him with anticipation in his eyes: “I wonder… has Master Yang also come to Ten Thousand Nations City?”

Back in the Heavenly Martial Kingdom, Master Yang had guided him to break through to the seventh turn of the Lesser Pure Yang Technique, greatly increasing his strength, and he remained grateful to this day.

The reason he had rushed over this time to invite Zhang Xuan to participate in the Master Competition was only one reason; more importantly, he wanted to pay respects to this benefactor.

This was a super master who could very well surpass six stars!

Otherwise, just to see a two-star master, they wouldn’t have needed to come in person.

“My master… is like a divine dragon that shows its head but not its tail; I don’t know where he has gone either!” Zhang Xuan said.

“My master” was himself; it was troublesome enough to bluff in a small kingdom, but here, if he failed to maintain the disguise and was caught, he would be finished!

Relying on the reputation of being a master’s disciple, others might still show some restraint, but if they knew he had no so-called teacher, trouble would surely follow.

Hearing that “Master Yang” was not present, Master Su shook his head, somewhat disappointed, but quickly adjusted: “Today, Master Ling and I came to find you because we have a favor to ask!”

“Please speak, Master Su!” Zhang Xuan nodded.

“It’s like this: we previously invited you to participate in the Master Competition… I wonder if Master Yang mentioned it?” Master Su said.

Back in the Heavenly Martial Kingdom, they had brought it up once, but Zhang Xuan had been evasive, and it was Master Yang who agreed on his behalf.

Although he believed Master Yang would surely convey the message, it was still better to clarify in advance.

“My master told me! As long as I win the championship, there will be a reward of medium-grade spirit stones. Rest assured, I will agree!” Zhang Xuan nodded.

“Cough, cough…”

Choking on their saliva at the same time, Master Su and Master Ling were speechless.

Championship?

You really dare to think!

Among the twenty-eight forces, there are countless experts, each one the most brilliant super genius. Although your talent is good, your cultivation and age are far too inferior.

Our purpose in seeking you out was only to hope for a slightly better ranking than before; we haven’t even thought of the top ten, let alone the championship…

That’s just wishful thinking.

“It’s like this: the Master Competition is a contest among the top geniuses of the twenty-eight forces. Our Ten Thousand Nations Alliance has the honor of being the host this year! Hall Master Kang hopes to achieve a good ranking, so… he has gathered several of the most outstanding geniuses from various places, wanting to hold a preliminary competition to select two participants…”

After hesitating for a moment, Su Fan stated the purpose.

“A preliminary competition?”

“Yes, all the elders have collectively recommended six…” Master Su said.

As the host of this Master Competition, the newly appointed Hall Master Kang placed great importance on it, hoping to surpass previous rankings. Therefore, he ordered the many elders to each keep an eye out. That was why Master Su and Master Ling had rushed to the Heavenly Martial Kingdom to invite him.

However, the entire Master Hall had more than just two elders; others also had their own recommendations, and a total of six candidates were selected. Zhang Xuan’s spot was only retained after the two of them had expended great effort.

Otherwise, relying solely on his two-star master status, how could he have a chance to compete with other geniuses?

“You mean… I have to first undergo a selection within the Alliance’s Master Hall?” Zhang Xuan understood.

“Yes, in the Master Competition, each force can send at most two participants. With six candidates, naturally we need to select, so that we can focus on training them, striving to elevate their understanding of the master profession to a higher level within less than two months!”

Master Su said.

To achieve a good ranking, intensive training was necessary. Even if it was just last-minute cramming, two months could still have some effect.

After hearing the explanation, Zhang Xuan understood.

The Master Competition was the greatest gathering of the Ten Thousand Nations Alliance and the other twenty-seven forces. Even if Master Su and Master Ling strongly recommended him, it wouldn’t be so easy to simply give him the Alliance’s spot.

After all, he came from a small kingdom and had only risen to prominence in the past three months or so; it was only natural for some to have doubts.

Knowing the situation, Zhang Xuan didn’t mind and also wanted to participate, to see just how formidable the geniuses of the Ten Thousand Nations Alliance were.

Once the matter with Lu Chong was resolved, he would have to accelerate his cultivation and quickly break through to the master realm. Otherwise, if he didn’t reach nine-star master before the age of thirty, the congenital fetal poison would flare up, and everything would be in vain.

Having read countless books, he knew that a master not only needed the strength and skill of a “master,” but also the “reputation” was crucial. Without reputation, how could one deserve the title of “master”?

And to quickly increase one’s reputation, participating in the competition was the best way.

Moreover, to improve his strength now, he not only needed the Heavenly Dao techniques formed from countless manuals but also sufficient medium-grade spirit stones.

Relying solely on his bluffs, the amount he could obtain would be limited. If he could make a stunning impression in the Master Competition, gathering spirit stones would become much easier.

Having thought through these points, there was nothing to hesitate about. Zhang Xuan asked: “When does the selection you mentioned begin?”

“According to Hall Master Kang’s intention, it was supposed to start a few days ago, but since you hadn’t appeared, the two of us managed to delay it. Now that you’re here, it can begin anytime!”

Hearing that the young man before them had not refused, Master Su and Master Ling both breathed a sigh of relief.

They had gone to great lengths to delay the selection for several days. If this young man didn’t participate, it would really be troublesome.

“At the Master Hall?” Zhang Xuan said.

“Yes!” the two nodded.

“Then let’s go take a look!” Zhang Xuan stood up.

Since he was going to participate, there was no need to hesitate.

“Uh…”

Seeing him so eager to go, the two smiled wryly again: “Master Zhang, don’t rush. Let me first tell you about the other participants, so you can be mentally prepared before going!”

“Among these five, three are from the Ten Thousand Nations City Master Hall. The most famous is Young Master Ruohuan, Jun Ruohuan, the foremost of the Four Young Masters of Ten Thousand Nations City and a personal disciple of Hall Master Kang. He is twenty-nine this year. At the beginning of the year, he passed the assessment for four-star master and is now a solid early-stage four-star master!”

Zhang Xuan nodded.

He had also met a super genius at the early four-star level—that Song Chao.

Although that fellow seemed a bit dull in front of him, as a master of that level, both his insight and talent were extremely remarkable.

This Jun Ruohuan being on par with him showed that he was no simple character.

“The second is the personal disciple of Master Hall’s Elder Hai, Fu Xiaochen, Master Fu. Two years ago, he was rated as a peak three-star master, but he hasn’t taken the assessment since. No one knows his exact rank, but from my observation, he is no less than Young Master Ruohuan!”

“These two are the most famous and also the biggest threats in this selection. Of the remaining three, one is a student of Elder Feng, and the other two, like you, were selected from subordinate kingdoms by other elders. They are all under thirty and are also peak three-star masters!”

Master Su quickly described the situation of the five people.

“The weakest is at peak three-star?”

Zhang Xuan was astonished.

In the Xuan Yuan Kingdom, a master under thirty being two-star was already good, but here, five were found at once, including even a four-star. Truly worthy of being the most prosperous and core location of the Ten Thousand Nations Alliance.

“Yes, but don’t worry. Although your master rank is lower than theirs, your insight and knowledge are in no way inferior… You should have a chance of winning!”

Thinking he had lost confidence, Master Su comforted him.

If not for his performance at the Heavenly Martial Kingdom Master Hall, the two would never have risked recommending him.

After all, a two-star master compared to these people was far too inferior.

“What does the master competition entail?” Zhang Xuan asked, full of curiosity.

He had only heard of this competition from the two of them and knew nothing of the specific rules.

The books he had read before also rarely introduced such matters.

“You don’t know?” Both were stunned and somewhat exasperated: “Master Yang didn’t mention it?”

Back in the Heavenly Martial Kingdom, they had told Master Yang about participating in the Master Competition, expecting that as a teacher, he would provide guidance in advance… If that were the case, with guidance from a master surpassing six stars, the chances of winning would increase greatly.

Who would have thought… after all this time, this Master Zhang didn’t even know what the competition was about?

What’s going on?

The reason the two insisted on letting this Zhang Xuan participate in the competition was partly due to his impressive performance, but more importantly, they trusted Master Yang’s ability.

Since Master Yang had agreed, he surely wouldn’t let his student embarrass him… But now, Master Zhang didn’t even know this. What was happening?

“My master never mentioned it,” Zhang Xuan said.

Hearing his confirmation, the two couldn’t help but roll their eyes.

Was Master Yang too carefree, or did he have absolute confidence in his student?

Shaking his head, Master Su had no choice but to speak somewhat helplessly: “The Master Competition tests the comprehensive abilities of a master. Each time it’s different, but… it generally starts from the basic requirements of a master: mental state, cultivation strength, teaching ability, understanding of cultivation, pointing out flaws and defects…”

“Actually, it’s similar to the master assessment, but more stringent and with stricter time limits. In the master assessment, you just need to complete one test within a set time, but in the Master Competition, whoever completes the task in the shortest time wins.”

Zhang Xuan understood.

It was like a competition in his previous life, where time determined the winner.

In a hundred-meter dash, if A runs it in ten seconds and B takes three days, naturally A wins.

Under time pressure, stress increases, making it difficult to maintain a perfect mental state. Many masters who were originally very skilled might not even place.

After a few more explanations, Zhang Xuan gained a certain understanding of the so-called Master Competition.

The Master Competition, in simple terms, was a grand contest of master abilities to select the strongest.

As long as one had a solid foundation in all aspects, there was no need to fear the competition!

This was precisely why Master Su and Master Ling had gone to the trouble of traveling to the Heavenly Martial Kingdom to find him.

“Let’s go to the Master Hall! Although the selection match won’t have the exact same content as the real Master Competition, it shouldn’t differ too much. This time, Hall Master Kang is personally setting the questions. Going through it once will give you experience for the big competition!”

After introducing the competition, Master Su said.

“Mm!” Zhang Xuan nodded, instructed Sun Qiang, and followed the two toward the Master Hall.