Chapter 51: The Rules of the Selection Tournament

Among the tens of millions of young people participating in the selection tournament, twenty percent are under a hundred years old, while the remaining eighty percent are older than a hundred. Those between one hundred and three hundred years make up twenty-five percent, and those between three hundred and six hundred years comprise fifty-five percent.

In terms of cultivation level among these millions of youths, eighty percent of those under a hundred have not yet reached the later stages of the Foundation Realm. Twenty-five percent are below the pinnacle of the Wandering Realm, while only five percent have advanced to the Tempering Soul Realm.

Among those aged one hundred to three hundred, seventy percent have yet to reach the pinnacle of the Breaking Realm. Twenty-five percent are in the early stages of the Soul Refining Realm, and five percent have achieved the later stages of Soul Refining.

For the three to six hundred year-olds, eighty percent remain in the later stages of Soul Refining, fifteen percent are just shy of completing it, and five percent have nearly mastered the realm entirely.

Led by a dignified middle-aged man, a group entered the plaza of the Ten Thousand Treasures Palace, drawing the attention of the assembled youths.

"Look, that's my senior brother!"

"That's my brother!"

"That's my sister!"

"That's my senior sister!"

"That's my uncle!"

"That's my father!"

…

Among the throng, some took pride in having relatives serving in the inner court or as officials of the palace, boasting loudly. Those with such connections were quickly surrounded by flattery and attempts at currying favor, while others watched enviously or stood by with indifferent expressions. Some compared their own kin to others, insisting their relative outshone all the rest, as if they themselves belonged among the elite standing at the front. The scene was a chaotic medley of pride and pretense.

By noon, all the young participants had arrived. Even if a few stragglers were still missing, no one waited for them anymore.

The plaza buzzed with millions of voices, every conversation a boastful display.

Li Hao and his companions gathered quietly, discussing which events each planned to enter, and occasionally talking about their future aspirations. Everyone already knew Li Hao had signed up for every event—except for Lin Xueyou.

When Lin Xueyou asked, "Li Hao, which event do you plan to enter?" Li Hao simply replied, "All of them."

Lin Xueyou was stunned. "What does 'all of them' mean?"

After all, everyone knew the unchanging rule: the more events you enter, the more your average score can be dragged down by weaker performances. If you enter two events and score a perfect ten in one but only a two in the other, your average becomes six. If you only enter the event where you excel, you keep your perfect ten. This system exists to prevent reckless participation that disrupts the order of the tournament. Some might think, "If I ace my best event, I'll be first, right?" But they're mistaken—the finals allow only one supreme champion per event, with a few others achieving the status of deified.

That’s why Lin Xueyou was so surprised by Li Hao's answer, thinking he must be entering only his strongest event.

Lu Yao eagerly clarified for Li Hao, "Sister Xueyou, 'all of them' means every single event! Didn’t you know?"

Lin Xueyou’s expression shifted from surprise to embarrassment. She was shocked by just how bold Li Hao was, and embarrassed at having asked such a basic question. Then, after a moment's thought, she convinced herself Li Hao must be joking with her, believing Lu Yao was just explaining the term.

Having reasoned it out, Lin Xueyou refocused her attention on Li Hao.

"Li Hao, you rascal! Why do you love teasing your sister?"

She assumed he was joking about entering every event, but Li Hao misunderstood her words as playful teasing, thinking, "Aren’t you the one always teasing me?" Yet he only responded, "Sister Xueyou, I wasn’t teasing you…"

But before he could finish, the middle-aged man at the front infused his voice with power and called out, "Children, quiet!"

His voice was calm, yet it rang clear across the vast plaza, instantly silencing the millions present. When all fell silent, he continued:

"Children, line up in rows—boys first, then girls—alternating all the way back. Shorter ones in front, taller ones behind."

With the help of the inner court’s senior brothers and sisters, the crowd quickly formed orderly lines.

The middle-aged man then said, "Children, on behalf of the Ten Thousand Treasures Palace, I welcome you all!"

A wave of applause erupted at his words.

Gesturing for quiet, he continued, "As the saying goes, 'A year’s plan begins in spring, a day’s plan begins at dawn.' You are the flowers of our Lujia Mountain Star Domain, the radiant morning sun, the future pillars of our realm. Seeing your youthful vigor gives me hope for the glory ahead."

Another round of applause swept through the crowd. The man raised his hand for silence and went on:

"Today marks the beginning of our centennial selection. If this is your first time, do your best; even if you fail, don’t be discouraged—you’ll have five more chances in the next five hundred years. The selection occurs every hundred years. If this is your sixth attempt, it is your last. Succeed now or never—failure means you’ll never enter the Twelve Palaces."

His words sent murmurs through the assembled youths.

"Next, I’ll explain the tournament rules. There are three age groups: the first is under one hundred years old, the second, those between one hundred and three hundred; this bracket offers some advantage to three-hundred-year-olds, who will otherwise face even greater difficulty next time. Those eliminated at three hundred will face the challenge of six-hundred-year-olds at the next selection. The third group is three hundred to six hundred years old. If a six-hundred-year-old is eliminated, they lose all further chances to compete, and with it, the hope of entering the Twelve Palaces. Each age group competes in a separate arena, but those not currently competing may watch matches in any of the three zones.

As for event divisions, our palace follows the same format as the other eleven: there’s the Combat Arena, the Healing Arts Arena, and the Literary Arts Arena.

The Combat Arena is the most straightforward—strength rules all. Within each age group, the strongest will be crowned Combat Supreme. Beneath the Supreme are four Battle Emperors and four Battle Sovereigns, divided by gender. Rewards and privileges are the same regardless of title. Below them are twenty-four Battle Lords—twelve men, twelve women. Below the Lords are forty-eight Battle Commanders—twenty-four of each gender. Across all groups, there are fifty-one combatants ranked as Commander or above. Those below are assigned to the inner or outer courts according to their ranking.

The Healing Arts Arena is similarly structured by age, but the events are more complex, ranging from identifying herbs, to crafting and combining medicines, to refining elixirs. Rankings mirror those of the Combat Arena: Healing Supreme, Healing Emperor, Healing Sovereign, Healing Lord, Healing Commander.

The most complicated is the Literary Arts Arena, which covers music, philosophy, scholarship, and painting—music representing melody, philosophy representing insight, scholarship representing learning and talent, painting representing understanding of all things. After much debate, we decided to rank participants by their overall performance across these disciplines, with titles and numbers matching the other arenas: Literary Supreme, Literary Sovereign, Literary Emperor, Literary Lord, Literary Commander."

The millions of youths began discussing these details in excited tones. The middle-aged man called for quiet once more, and when all were silent, he continued:

"Children, let me explain the schedule. The first round is not divided by specific event, only by age group. Each group will enter their respective arena for a survival trial—the most brutal and unforgiving elimination. You may form teams or fight alone; you will battle each other as you see fit. This round lasts one month. Survivors will advance to the next round. If you wish to withdraw, simply crush the identification token you received upon registration, and you’ll be removed from competition. When the month is up, those who remain will proceed to round two."

As he finished, the young contestants began to plot their strategies. Some whispered about forming alliances, others remained aloof, while some planned to simply hide for a month and advance by default. Many congratulated themselves on this "brilliant" idea.

But how could such thoughts escape the perceptive eyes of the middle-aged man? Though he said nothing, those around him smiled knowingly at the crowd.

Lu Yao said, "Li Hao, sister, why don’t we find a secluded spot to hide and cultivate for a month? When it’s over, we’ll come out and move on to the next round."

Li Hao nodded in agreement, thinking it was a sound plan.

Lin Huashu spoke up, "It may not be as simple as we think. You all should stay alert and cautious."

Truly the most talented of the younger generation, Lin Huashu had already sensed a deeper challenge, even if he couldn’t say exactly what.

At that moment, Lu Zhengtian added, "We’ll stick together—if trouble comes, we’ll face it head-on. There’s nothing to be afraid of."

Lin Xueyou agreed, "My brother and Zhengtian are right. It’s unlikely to be as straightforward as that elder made it sound."

Lu Xuemei nodded too, convinced by her brother and the others.