S1 Opening: Eight-Person Chessboard, Rank, and Rewards

The autumn breeze in the back mountains was slightly chilly, brushing gently through the leaves and branches of the courtyard.

Yi Chen raised his hand to set down his teacup, and the moment he slowly stood up, the surrounding air suddenly congealed.

There were no earth-shattering visions, nor the roar of erupting soul power.

It was simply that the previously relaxed air suddenly grew heavy; that nonchalant, lazy air faded away completely, replaced by a composed aura of absolute certainty.

Ning Rongrong and Xiao Wu, standing to the side, sensed the change instantly and raised their eyes in unison to look at their master.

For the past two months, the popularity of the Battle of the Golden Spatula had thoroughly swept across the entire continent.

From a small game played privately by a few people, it had fermented and spread step by step until today, when the total online participation had officially broken through the million mark.

Nowadays, the queue of people at the Golden Spatula Pavilion lasted all night long.

Mercenaries and soul masters in every major city spent their spare time reviewing lineups and studying positioning. Even the blackboard in the small tavern in Nuoding City was updated daily with the latest lineup recommendations.

However, as the popularity surged, chaos began to breed alongside it.

Many people were using the hype to recklessly alter the gameplay, fabricate false rewards, and set up private matches with arbitrary rules.

If this were allowed to continue, the chess system he had created with his own hands would sooner or later be defined by others and completely distorted.

Yi Chen's gaze was clear and calm; he had already made his decision.

It was time to strip away the shell of "beta entertainment" and let everyone see the true value of the Battle of the Golden Spatula.

"Let's go."

Yi Chen tossed the gold-plated token beside the rattan chair to Ning Rongrong, his tone calm and composed.

"We're going to the main control hall. Rongrong, notify Zhuqing to connect remotely from the Star Luo Empire and get ready; Xiao Wu, go to the back mountain entrance and bring Yan'er and Lingling."

"Today, they are not visitors; they are official tournament players."

Xiao Wu was slightly stunned and instinctively asked, "Master, are you planning to...?"

"Launch the official season."

Yi Chen's tone was flat, yet carried an unquestionable certainty.

"A million in popularity is the critical threshold. Rather than letting outsiders recklessly change the rules and steal the spotlight, it is better for us to take the initiative to set the tone and establish the orthodox regulations."

The main control hall of the Shrek Golden Spatula Pavilion was not large, and its overall design was simple and solemn.

The entire wall was embedded with a panoramic projection screen crafted using high-level soul guidance technology from Spirit Hall. It was currently dark and silent, with only a circle of golden patterns along the edges flickering slowly like a heartbeat.

The hall contained only a circle of low tables and solid wood chairs. Yi Chen walked to the innermost main seat and sat down.

The next instant, eight gray, empty chess slots quietly lit up on the pitch-black screen, waiting to be activated.

A moment later, the doors to the main control hall were pushed open gently.

Zhuqing's figure was projected steadily into the hall from the Star Luo Empire; the image quality was incredibly clear, no different from a real person.

Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling followed behind Xiao Wu into the room, their clothes still carrying the faint chill of the autumn wind from outside.

The four women stood side by side, their gazes fixed on the eight empty slots on the screen, a flash of realization crossing their eyes.

They knew clearly that this moment meant the Battle of the Golden Spatula would turn a completely new page.

Yi Chen closed his eyes slightly, not releasing any overwhelming, terrifying soul power.

He simply withdrew his previously scattered aura, his entire person becoming steady and profound, like a deep pool or a towering mountain.

The lights in the hall flickered gently, and the golden patterns on the screen brightened instantly.

This brief change in aura made the four women present feel a slight chill in their hearts.

Yi Chen opened his eyes slowly, his aura fully retracted, as if the change just now had been a mere illusion.

"Don't be nervous."

He spoke lightly, his tone relaxing a little.

"I am simply letting those who still treat the Golden Spatula as a child's toy prick up their ears and listen clearly."

As his voice fell, Yi Chen raised his hand and tapped the screen three times with his fingertips.

The entire projection screen trembled slightly, and a clear interface instantly unfolded.

The complete framework of the eight-player board, the public chess pool indicator, the round countdown, the gold and experience bar, the bench, the field positioning, the equipment drag-and-drop panel...

These were all interfaces they had practiced with daily for two months and knew by heart.

But today, beside the familiar interface, several brand-new, official season entries had appeared.

[S1 Season: Struggle of the Heroes officially begins]

[Match Mode: Eight-player elimination, players are eliminated round by round based on remaining health to compete for the sole final champion]

[Complete Rank Ladder: Iron → Bronze → Silver → Gold → Platinum → Diamond → Master → Grandmaster → Challenger]

[Season Settlement Rules: Rank determines final rewards; rewards are permanent and cannot be altered]

[Season Exclusive Rewards: Soul Power Nourishment (break through bottlenecks, increase soul power cap), Soul Ring Age Fragment (targeted increase of soul ring age), rare soul master resources, Bone Material Exclusive Quota]

[Core Rule Baseline: Server-wide shared chess pool; once a piece is bought out, it is gone; positioning and equipment are entirely determined by the player's own decisions; combat is fully automated with fair adjudication]

"This is the complete, full picture you have never seen in your two months of practice."

Yi Chen leaned back against his chair, his voice steady and clear, every word landing with weight.

"Every match you have played until now was merely a tutorial for beginners."

"I manually controlled the card draws and arranged sparring partners to let you familiarize yourselves with the mechanics and refine your team compositions in peace."

"But from today on, the cards are dealt by the public system pool; there will be no more special treatment."

"Your opponents will no longer be sparring partners cooperating with your training, but seven real players fighting with everything they have to win."

He raised his eyes, his gaze sweeping slowly across the four young women before him.

"Now, are you afraid?"

Ning Rongrong's eyes brightened, a fierce fighting spirit igniting within them as she let out a soft laugh. "If I were afraid, I wouldn't be standing here today."

Xiao Wu crossed her arms over her chest, her pretty face full of confidence. "Perfect! I'd like to see who can withstand my three-star main carry and be the first to have their entire team wiped out!"

Dugu Yan's emerald eyes flashed with a hint of gold, and a faint curve touched her lips. "After practicing this eight-person free-for-all for so long, today is the perfect time to put all my deductions to the test."

The calm and detached Ye Lingling was the most composed, confirming softly, "All rank rewards are settled based on real match data, fair and without bias?"

Yi Chen nodded slightly, his tone resolute.

"The system recognizes only data and rank, not personal connections."

"I can open the season channel for you, but the results of today's inaugural demonstration match will be recorded directly onto the global season leaderboard."

"Think carefully: once you step onto that stage today, do you want people to think Yi Chen's disciples are just playing around, or do you want to shock the entire field from the very first game so that no one dares to underestimate you?"

The control hall fell silent for two seconds.

Ning Rongrong took a deep breath, raised her hand, and slammed the gold-leaf token into the preparation slot.

With a crisp click, one of the gray tiles on the screen lit up instantly, displaying her name and the exclusive emblem of the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda.

"Since I'm stepping onto the stage, I will give it my all." Her eyes were bright and dazzling. "This position—no one is taking it from me."

Following her, the seats for Xiao Wu, Dugu Yan, and Ye Lingling lit up one after another.

The moment all four were in position, a dazzling gold system announcement popped up on every public terminal screen outside the hall.

[Notification: The S1 Season "Struggle of the Heroes" has officially begun! Eight-player ranked competition, full-tier ranking mechanics, and season-exclusive rewards are now effective across all regions!]

Immediately after, Yi Chen's steady, clear voice traveled through the global system link, instantly blanketing the entire Shrek Hall.

It then spanned the distance, transmitting simultaneously to all branch terminals in Heaven Dou City, Spirit City, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, and the Star Luo Empire.

His voice was calm and powerful, carrying an inherent authority and the weight of orthodox rules.

"I am Yi Chen."

"As of today, Battle of the Golden Spatula moves beyond the realm of casual practice and enters its official competitive season."

"Eight players to a board; rank is determined by strength, and rewards are decided by performance."

"Those who wish to temper themselves and hone their combat power may enter the fray."

"Those who wish to watch from the sidelines and satisfy their curiosity may observe in peace."

"Watch closely as I lay out this game of chess, and see how I make the moves that decide the fate of the world."

The moment the global announcement concluded, the bustling crowd in the hall's lobby fell deathly silent.

A second later, an even more thunderous roar of commotion and cheers erupted!

There was no fear—only the long-suppressed ambition and anticipation of countless soul masters, now thoroughly ignited!

Inside the control hall, Yi Chen withdrew his gaze from the distance and looked back at the board where eight slots were now illuminated.

"The first season demonstration match."

"The four of you will be joined by four others randomly matched by the system to complete the eight-player roster."

He swiped his fingertip across the screen, locking in the match rules.

"I will not use any administrative privileges for this match. I will not look at the cards, calculate the economy, or interfere with the gameplay."

"I am only responsible for judging violations. Victory, defeat, rank, and standing—you must earn it all yourselves."

His tone was flat as he added a final note.

"Once this match ends, the S1 Season will be officially set in stone."

"In the future, there will only be more people coveting this system and trying to tamper with the rules to get a piece of the pie."

"However, the initiative to hold the pieces and set the rules will always remain in my hands."

In the center of the screen, the match countdown officially began.

[30, 29, 28...]