Chapter 98: Good luck!

"In short—Xia Mujun, when you draw your opponent, you must do your best!" Classmate Tengyuan Kui reminded him earnestly, "Sometimes playing well isn't as good as being paired well; that sentence is truly a golden rule!"

Natsume Chikage actually agreed with her point of view.

In certain situations, a gap in strength can indeed be compensated for by luck.

Although such opportunities are not common.

However, regarding this matter of "drawing lots," how exactly should one "do their best"...

He didn't want to dampen Classmate Tengyuan Kui's spirits, so he smiled gently:

"I think so too."

Just then, a clear and penetrating circular announcement rang out within the venue.

【The competition is about to begin. Please, participants of the first session, follow the staff's guidance and gather in an orderly fashion at the center of the venue!】

【The competition is about to begin. Please, participants of the first session, follow the staff's guidance and gather in an orderly fashion at the center of the venue!】

Hearing the broadcast, Classmate Tengyuan Kui stood up nervously:

"Then, I'll go to the competition first."

Natsume Chikage offered his sincere blessings:

"I wish you a successful start!"

Classmate Tengyuan Kui nodded gratefully:

"Thank you."

After speaking, she hurried toward the restroom—she had to take care of her physiological needs before the match.

After all, leaving the venue at will is usually not allowed during a shogi match.

This is to prevent cheating.

In the past, there were incidents where players used the excuse of leaving for the restroom to actually seek outside assistance via mobile phone or consult game records to find a way to break the deadlock.

Therefore, the current Shogi Association implements strict electronic device control for participants.

Even if one needs to go to the restroom midway, they must be accompanied by staff.

To avoid these troubles, she felt it was better to be prepared in advance.

Before long, Natsume Chikage saw Classmate Tengyuan Kui rushing back to the venue, blending into the crowd waiting for the draw in the central area.

Witnessing this scene, he couldn't help but be a bit surprised—he hadn't expected it to be an on-site draw.

It seems the organizers place special emphasis on randomness.

However, thinking about it carefully, it is not hard to understand.

This competition brings together players of all ranks to compete on the same stage.

If absolute randomness cannot be guaranteed, it would likely discourage many participants—after all, no one wants to run into a professional player in the first round; that is no different from throwing an egg against a rock.

Just as the players were preparing for their matches, the large screen in the center of the venue began broadcasting a live interview with the beautiful host, Ze Tian Lixiang.

On the screen, Ze Tian Lixiang was wearing a standard professional suit, standing in a temporarily constructed interview area, with busy staff and players taking their seats one after another behind her.

She wore a professional and infectious smile, reporting fluently to the camera:

"Hello, everyone. I am Ze Tian Lixiang from Tokyo Television, reporting live from the Tokyo Shogi Hall on the highly anticipated 'New Talent Shogi Challenge'!"

The camera swept across the bustling venue following her guidance.

"As you can see, this year's tournament has attracted numerous players from all over the country to participate enthusiastically. The number of registrations far exceeds that of regular past tournaments, and the atmosphere at the scene is very enthusiastic!"

Ze Tian Lixiang turned gracefully, gesturing to the eye-catching competition format explanation chart hanging on one side of the venue.

"This tournament has adopted a highly attractive and innovative format!"

"All participants, regardless of rank, will start from the same point and undergo a brutal single-elimination tournament!"

"Only those who advance to the top 16 will enter the more tense and exciting best-of-three stage!"

Her tone turned impassioned, emphasizing the highlights of the competition.

"Even more eye-catching is the generous prize money mechanism set up for the tournament!"

"The first victory earns a prize of 10,000 yen, and for every consecutive win thereafter, the prize money will directly double!"

"And the total number of participants this time has reached 2,048."

"This means that if a player can maintain a perfect record before entering the top four—then each of the top eight players will be able to win a staggering reward of up to 2.56 million yen!"

"And after entering the top four, the prize increase for each victory reaches a staggering fourfold!"

"The two players who advance to the finals will each receive 10.24 million yen!"

"And the ultimate champion will exclusively enjoy the super grand prize—40.96 million yen!!!"

The camera captured several participants preparing to enter the venue at the right moment.

Professional players from A-sector happened to appear on screen.

"Of course, the huge prize money also means unprecedented challenges!"

"This tournament is full of experts, including experienced amateur-ranked players, powerful Promotion Society members, and even the possibility of professional players and title holders participating in the competition!"

Ze Tian Lixiang's expression became playful and full of suspense.

"Even more exciting is that all first-round matches are not pre-arranged, but will be decided later through—on-site drawing!"

"The fate of every player will be revealed at the moment of the draw!"

"Will you draw an evenly matched opponent, or unfortunately encounter a top-tier powerhouse?"

"This unknown suspense is also one of the biggest highlights of this competition!"

She cast her gaze toward the player preparation area.

"At this moment, the players are storing their personal belongings under the guidance of the staff and are gathering in an orderly fashion at the center of the venue, preparing to welcome this crucial first step—the draw!"

"Let us look forward together to see which lucky ones can avoid the powerhouses, and which highly anticipated seeded players will collide early!"

The camera finally focused on the transparent drum-shaped lottery box in the venue. ===== CHAPTER 99 =====