Though this form of gambling entertainment was permitted by the Starfield Main World, it was limited in duration — only the time it took for a single incense stick to burn.
After the incense burned out, the pillars would be sealed, and no further bets could be placed.
In the end, Chu Feng had become the overwhelming favorite by a decisive margin.
The ones who had turned the tide were none other than Grandmaster Liangqiu and his companions. Not only had they given Chu Feng their full backing, but their support had also shifted everyone's perception of him, drawing in those who knew nothing of Chu Feng to rally behind him as well.
And once this phase concluded, the real show began.
The elder holding the massive brush was named Wuming Ken. For many years, he had served as the host of the Ancestral Martial Ten Stars selection.
Wuming Ken withdrew an object from his Universe Bag.
It was a door — a small one, no larger than a playing card.
Whoosh—
Yet with a flick of Wuming Ken's wrist, the door not only launched into the air but expanded at tremendous speed, transforming into a colossal gate ten thousand meters tall before slamming onto the ground.
The appearance of this door sparked excitement in some and anxiety in others.
All the young participants in the selection would pass through this gate, and the first one hundred to emerge from it would enter the Nine Dragon Manifestation Ridge to undergo the true evaluation.
Those who failed would be eliminated.
At that moment, Wuming Ken repeated the explanation of the gate's purpose and its rules.
What he said matched everyone's expectations — this gate was simply a formation designed to sift through hundreds of thousands of people and select one hundred advancing candidates.
"In the world of martial cultivation, where the strong devour the weak, every selection is cruel. But within the rules, we strive to ensure fairness. As long as you possess the strength, you will ultimately rise to prominence."
"And for the sake of fairness, before entering the great formation, anyone may challenge the ten individuals standing atop the Summit Pillars. If you win your challenge, you will take their place on the Summit Pillar and earn direct qualification for the next round. But if you lose, you will be eliminated on the spot."
"Now, if anyone disagrees with the ten upon the Summit Pillars, step forward and ascend." Wuming Ken declared.
Whoosh—
The moment Wuming Ken finished speaking, over a dozen figures shot through the air, landing directly on the Summit Pillar where Chu Feng stood.
Every single one of them was a prodigy among the Gong Heavenly Clan's younger generation. They had long refused to accept Chu Feng, and this Summit Pillar challenge was the perfect opportunity to defeat him.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh—
In the wake of the first wave, many more young cultivators soared through the air, one after another landing atop Chu Feng's Summit Pillar.
In a mere matter of moments, nearly ten thousand people had gathered on the pillar where Chu Feng stood.
The Summit Pillar's surface area was not small to begin with, but with so many people crowded onto it, it had become utterly packed, leaving barely enough room to move.
Yet of all ten Summit Pillars, only the one bearing Chu Feng was filled to the brim. The other nine pillars didn't have a single challenger on them.
No one dared to challenge Linghu Yueyue or the others. No one even dared to challenge Wuma Shengjie.
But so many had come to challenge Chu Feng.
"What's going on? Do all these people really look down on Chu Xuanyuan's son like this?" Many onlookers wore expressions of bewilderment.
"What's there to not understand? Isn't it common knowledge that this Chu Feng is only a first-grade True Immortal? Plenty of people came to this Ancestral Martial Ten Stars selection just to muddle through and try their luck — they had no chance based on actual strength."
"And Chu Feng is the perfect opportunity for them to slip through. If Chu Feng really is a genius, at worst they get eliminated — and for people like them, that was never much of a loss to begin with."