Chapter 405: Clarifying the Rules

"The final ranking of the nations is determined by the number of victories!"

"Each major win earns one point!"

"Maximum is eight points; minimum... that's zero points if you win not a single match!"

"You are all intelligent people—I'm sure you understand what I mean!"

Everyone nodded in agreement.

Zhen Yu, with his hands clasped behind his back, continued: "The final national ranking is determined by the number of victories; if two nations have the same number of wins, their ranking is decided by head-to-head results!"

"And this ranking is the sole basis for the nine nations to divide the 【Greed-Anger Fruit】!"

"According to past experience, there are a total of thirty-six thousand 【Greed-Anger Fruits】!"

"The nation ranked first may claim one-sixth of them—that is, six thousand fruits!"

"The nation ranked second receives five hundred fewer—that is, five thousand five hundred fruits!"

"And so on: third, fourth, fifth... each lower rank receives five hundred fewer than the one above it; by the ninth place, there are only two thousand fruits left!"

"The gap between them is enormous—you don't need me to spell it out, do you?"

Everyone nodded.

A difference of five hundred fruits may seem small, but the first place gets three times as many as the last.

These are 【Greedy-Anger Fruits】!

One 【Greedy-Anger Fruit】 means one Foundation Establishment cultivator breaks through a bottleneck.

Two thousand fruits mean two thousand Golden Core cultivators.

Even if only eighty percent of those who break through are truly gifted, four hundred will reach the Nascent Soul realm.

Four hundred Nascent Souls in a hundred years.

And that's just the number for ninth place.

If you're first, you could produce over a thousand Nascent Souls in a hundred years.

When you calculate it like that, the gap becomes enormous.

"Those who serve the Liang Nation will not be forgotten—the court will prioritize granting 【Greedy-Anger Fruits】 to your families in the future. He Pingsheng, you haven't reached your bottleneck yet, so if you survive the matches, you'll receive one as well!"

He Pingsheng's face darkened: So that's how it is... I haven't even competed yet, and you're already assuming I'll die?

"Aside from the national ranking!" Zhen Yu smiled. "You each have your own personal ranking!"

"Each victory earns you one point. Hehehe... the person ranked first gains a tremendous advantage!" Zhen Yu glanced at Tian Jiashen. "For example, Tian Jiashen!"

"In each major match between two nations, the combatants fight one by one!"

"For instance, the first to fight for us will be Tian Jiashen!"

"If Tian Jiashen defeats the opponent's first fighter, he may challenge the opponent's second!"

"And so on!"

"If he has the ability, he can defeat every single opponent!"

"Then, he will accumulate ten points..."

"The side whose contestants are all eliminated loses the match!"

"That's the general rule!"

After speaking, Grandmaster Zhen Yu said: "If anyone has questions, raise your hand!"

Upon hearing the Grandmaster's words, everyone looked at Tian Jiashen with envy.

That first position was extremely advantageous.

Of course, only if your strength is sufficient.

If you're strong enough, you can defeat all ten opponents from the other nation and accumulate ten points.

"Grandmaster Zhen Yu!" The ascetic monk raised his hand. "I have a question!"

Zhen Yu nodded. "Speak."

"Yes," the ascetic monk said. "The national points determine who gets the 【Greedy-Anger Fruits】, but what benefit does personal ranking bring?"

"Hehehe..." Zhen Yu smiled. "That's a good question!"

"Personal ranking certainly has its advantages!"

"You all know that after the Nine Nations Competition, the two elders—Ta Nian and Ta Wen—will give you teachings!"

"For ten years... though of course, that's ten years in the normal world."

"Inside the Time Array, it's roughly twenty to thirty years."

"And your personal ranking determines how close you stand to the two sages during the teachings!"

"The closer you are, the deeper your understanding of the Dao."

"The farther away, the shallower your understanding."

"Do you understand what I mean?"

Everyone nodded: Understood.

He Pingsheng was somewhat puzzled: Teachings?

Listening to teachings?

Does proximity really matter?

Could you not hear if you were far away?

Though puzzled, he did not ask.

Ahead of him, Princess Qinghe Liang Huaqiu raised her hand.

"Qinghe... what is your question?" Grandmaster Zhen Yu regarded the imperial princess with gentle eyes.

Liang Huaqiu said: "Grandmaster, this... Time Array—what exactly is it?"

"Isn't it ten years of teachings? How did it become twenty or thirty?"

"Hehehe!" Grandmaster Zhen Yu chuckled. "I forgot to explain that!"

"Upon this Sacred Mountain dwell two enlightened sages!"

"The two ancestors—Ta Wen and Ta Nian!"

"Both have reached the peak of Soul Transformation, their cultivation profound, their knowledge spanning ancient and modern times!"

"They are immensely powerful, naturally compassionate, and twin brothers!"

"One excels in the Dao of Time; the other in the Dao of Space!"

"Together, they pooled their life's mastery to construct a wondrous array atop the Sacred Mountain—the full name being the 【Primordial Time-Space Array】. Within this array, time flows two to three times faster than in the outside world!"

"Thus, what is called 'ten years of teachings' is not ten years at all!"

"Inside the Primordial Time-Space Array, you will spend over twenty years!"

At these words, everyone was utterly stunned.

Could this even be?

Someone had cultivated the Dao to such an astonishing degree?

Someone had created a Time Array?

"Huh..." Even He Pingsheng drew a deep breath, deeply astonished.

"I've explained the major rules," Zhen Yu said. "Now I'll clarify the finer details!"

"To ensure fairness, all contests upon Ta Nian Mountain require competitors to use no external objects!"

"You may fight only with your own Dao, spells, and divine abilities!"

"This rule should not be unfamiliar to you!"

This rule was nearly identical to the Dragon Platform Contest rules of Liang Nation.

It's easy to understand: if a nation brought a national treasure, one artifact could crush all Golden Core cultivators—there'd be no contest.

Or if someone possessed defensive talismans and tossed them one after another, rendering themselves invincible, the competition would lose all meaning.

Thus, all must compete without external aids.

No magic treasures, talismans, elixirs, or anything of the sort.

No replenishment is permitted during the match.

Only then can fairness and justice be ensured!

"Lastly, I must warn you: Ta Wen and Ta Nian Mountain is the sacred cultivation ground of the sages—do not act recklessly!" Zhen Yu looked at them all, his expression grave.