In front of the mist, thirty-four red circles, each ten feet in diameter, were arranged in a single line, spaced several yards apart.
The Stone Giant Leader announced, "The second Life Play is Minor Promotion of the Promotion Map."
Many of the Fate Masters smiled in confidence.
The Promotion Map was the most frequently played Life Play among Fate Masters, and also the most important.
Li Qingxian remembered Guo Xiang saying that many of the games in Life Plays originated from folk traditions, and the children of Qii Country were especially enthusiastic about playing Promotion Map and Ascension Map.
The game had existed since ancient times. Originally, it was meant to teach children virtues like righteousness, propriety, justice, and integrity, but it later devolved into a common game.
The gameplay was fundamentally similar to games like Parcheesi or Monopoly. Each player had a die, and the number rolled determined how many spaces they moved, with the contents of each space dictating the outcome.
When combined with Life Plays and Fate Skills, the Promotion Map was a little more complex.
A normal Promotion Map Life Play would span an entire lifetime, from birth to the final rank of a First Grade official, testing a Fate Master’s control over a complete destiny. However, a Lower-Grade Fate Master’s Magical Power wasn’t enough to sustain such a long game.
Minor Promotion usually consisted of just ten steps, making it much quicker.
The Stone Giant Leader said, "For the second round, please choose a circle and prepare for the Promotion Map. For this trial, each person will receive three additional All-Purpose Jade Pendants."
Li Qingxian looked down and saw a total of four small Jade Pendants hanging from his waist.
Looking around at the others, he saw that only a few people had four Jade Pendants, while most only had three.
White Deer Head also glanced at the Jade Pendants on Li Qingxian’s waist.
Li Qingxian tried to use Observing Fate and Qi on the white mist, but he couldn’t see a thing.
After a moment of thought, Li Qingxian whispered to White Deer Head, "Let’s split up. You take the right, I’ll take the left. We should stay as far apart as possible to avoid running into each other."
"Good idea," White Deer Head said, walking off to the right.
Li Qingxian walked to the left. Parrot Head glanced at White Deer Head, and with a flick of his eyes, headed straight toward Li Qingxian.
The thirty-four red circles were arranged in a line. Li Qingxian stood at the far left, and White Deer Head at the far right.
Many people were still hesitating, but a few quickly moved to the left side, distancing themselves from White Deer Head while also keeping some space from Li Qingxian.
Parrot Head stood one circle away from Li Qingxian.
"You’ve got some nerve. Why not stand right next to me?" Li Qingxian said.
Parrot Head chuckled. "Anyone my young master praises as ’not bad’ must be quite capable. I should keep at least one circle between us."
On the Beast Bridge, the man with the chicken head laughed. "Liu Laohu, you misjudged this time. That Cross-Eyed Dog Head is smarter than he looks."
Liu Laohu nodded, but stubbornly retorted, "If you think he can become the Play Leader, then go ahead and bet on him. A max bet will get you a clean one thousand taels. Minor Promotion is generally split into the first four steps and the ’Three Hardships, Three Fortunes.’ Once the first hardship begins, betting will be closed. If you don’t bet now, you’ll miss your chance!"
"It won’t hurt to watch a little longer," the chicken-headed man said.
The crowd stared at the screen of light.
All thirty-four contestants were in position, each standing within a circle.
The Stone Giant Leader announced, "Summon the Destiny Gentlemen."
Thirty-four stone Destiny Gentlemen burst from the ground, soaring high into the air. They formed a line and then crashed down, landing before each contestant like game pieces.
A few Fate Masters grumbled under their breath.
"How did this happen? If I’d known, I would’ve chosen a better Destiny Gentleman."
"Exactly. It’s totally unfair. The ones who got Destiny Gentlemen with good Fate Grids earlier have a huge head start."
The Stone Giant Leader announced, "You may now begin Minor Promotion."
Li Qingxian looked straight ahead. The mist before him parted, revealing ten perfectly square plots of land. On each plot stood a residence, arranged in a straight column from nearest to farthest.
The closest was an ordinary wooden house, the second was a residence with two courtyards, and the buildings beyond that were all unique.
A gleaming sign stood at the entrance of each residence.
On their black signs with gold lettering, the ten residences, from nearest to farthest, were labeled: Commoner, Wealthy Merchant, Junior Official, Scholarly Family, Marquis Mansion, Martial Arts Hall, Puppet Land, Demon Sect, Evil Sect, and Daoist School.
Li Qingxian glanced around but couldn’t see anyone else’s path.
The Stone Giant Leader announced, "The first step of Minor Promotion: choose your origin. Each of you will receive a six-sided die. You can roll it freely, or you can expend Magical Power and a Fate Skill to land it on any face from one to six. To choose one of the last four origins, you must spend one All-Purpose Jade Pendant, a rule that will apply for all subsequent choices of this kind. For the first four steps, you will be unable to use Observing Fate and Qi on one another. From the fifth step onward, you may use Fate Skills or All-Purpose Jade Pendants to perform Divination on others. Begin."
Li Qingxian gazed at the ten residences.
’Different Life Plays naturally have different rules. In a normal Promotion Map game, you’d obviously pick a powerful, noble house. But this is a Life Play, a test of one’s mastery of Fate Skills. Each of these residences could hold a twist. A Marquis Mansion could suddenly fall from grace, while a commoner family might rise to prominence.’
As he thought, Li Qingxian tried to Observe the Qi Fortune.
He found nothing.
The combination of multiple people or factions would form a "Trend Formation."
Observing the Situation was a higher-level Fate Skill that generally only Middle-Grade Fate Masters could grasp. Li Qingxian couldn’t do it; even his grandfather couldn’t.
And since there was no one inside the residences, he couldn’t observe any individuals to determine their family’s standing.
Li Qingxian thought, ’If I apply Examiner’s Thinking here... what aspect of Fate Skills is the examiner testing with this first step? Luck? Temperament? Ambition?’
’In other words, what’s the core of the test?’
’All signs point to three main tests.’
’First is the test of Fate Skill itself. I need to pick an origin that complements the Destiny Gentleman’s Fate Grid to maximize its potential. For example, if the Destiny Gentleman has the Treasure Basin, it might seem to match the Wealthy Merchant origin. But finding treasure invites thieves, and a merchant family has no real power to protect itself...’
’Second is a test of foresight. This means seeing the bigger picture, not just this short Minor Promotion game, but considering the Destiny Gentleman’s entire life...’
’Third is likely a test of temperament. If I’m impatient for quick results, the Demon Sect or Evil Sect would be the top choices. I’d likely have a smooth start, but face immense difficulties later on. Three Life Plays, a ten-step Minor Promotion... it seems short, but I absolutely cannot be shortsighted. I need to think from the perspective of a Great Fate Master, while also considering my own abilities and preferences. For example, I know nothing about Demon Cultivators, Puppet Cultivators, or Evil Cultivators; I only understand Literature Cultivation, Martial Cultivators, and Daoist Cultivators...’
Having figured out the key points, Li Qingxian turned his gaze to his Destiny Gentleman.
’This one has the Iron Pestle Grinding Needle Fate Grid, so he’s extremely diligent. It means he excels at honing his skills. He also has a typical Double Gold Fate. Within his Fate Grid, the volatile Young Master Fong and the yielding Young Master Shui clearly make him unsuitable for the paths of a merchant or an official. Wealthy Merchant and Junior Official can be ruled out.’
’A Gold Fate is sharp, its edge always exposed. This is one reason his life cycles between fortune and disaster. The Scholarly Family and the Marquis Mansion have strict, rigid rules. If he were born into such a family, he would undoubtedly suffer endless hardships. So, I can rule those out as well.’
’Then, of the first six origins, only the Martial Arts Hall is suitable for this Destiny Gentleman. Practicing martial arts is a perfect match for the Iron Pestle Grinding Needle, and a Martial Arts Hall offers a degree of protection. With the Treasure Basin, his Martial Arts cultivation would yield twice the results with half the effort. The Treasure Basin isn’t nearly as effective for Literature Cultivation.’
’So, that basically narrows it down to two origins: the Martial Arts Hall and the Daoist School. The question is, is the Daoist School origin worth spending an All-Purpose Jade Pendant on?’
Li Qingxian glanced over and saw that many of the stone Destiny Gentlemen had vanished. Their masters had already completed the first step and chosen an origin.
’My power is limited right now, and I can’t Observe the Situation. I’ll have to weigh all the factors. A major faction has its advantages, but it also has many enemies. A smaller faction has its shortcomings, but it’s more stable. As a Fate Master...’