The antics of Guan Yingying, An Qi, and An Qi were seen by many as nothing more than rich people "messing around for no reason." Too much money, too much time, thinking about giving things away? Fine, we’ll indulge you.

So, people started betting in hundreds, then thousands, and then tens of thousands. Occasionally, someone would make a larger move, sending over a hundred thousand, which the beautiful women promptly swallowed without hesitation.

By the time someone was wavering about putting up a million for a big score, they regretfully realized the match had already begun. Crack Clatter Following a crisp break shot, the sound of intense impact echoed across the table.

The reds scattered relatively loosely, and two of the color balls shifted position. Under Wang Chaoqun's skilled control, the cue ball slid forward, tucking itself neatly into the area near the red balls.

"Great shot!" "That's the professionalism of a pro. There's no way to handle this ball now." "The turn goes to Wang Zhuo, but the cue ball's position is too ingenious.

This shot is like a turtle trying to evade a mouse—there's absolutely no way to approach it." "How is the ten-second fast play timed? Does the clock start the moment all the balls stop moving and the turn officially switches?" While people were murmuring in low voices, Wang Zhuo strode quickly to the table, brushing past Wang Chaoqun.

His pace suddenly fixed, he then spun his body, dropped into a low lunge, and extended both arms almost simultaneously, executing a pull shot with a sudden thrust. This entire sequence was as smooth as flowing water, yet it carried an utterly bizarre feeling, as if what they were witnessing was not the strike of a snooker master, but rather a one-man fast break in an NBA game.

A three-step layup can be performed in one fluid motion, but has anyone ever heard of doing the same in a game of snooker? It’s simply unheard of.

Tap The cue tip touched the cue ball precisely between two red balls and immediately retracted. The force was moderate, driving the cue ball forward without touching the two obstructing reds, thus avoiding a foul.

The cue ball appeared to nudge the red ball in front of it a short distance. That red ball then grazed a cushion, suddenly changing its trajectory and rolling slowly toward the bottom pocket.

After the red ball curved, the cue ball, following closely behind, found its path unobstructed. It continued rolling forward a short distance, bounced up more than ten centimeters off the bottom cushion, and finally came to rest.

"Boom—" A unified gasp erupted simultaneously, rising to a volume where specific sounds became indistinguishable. Wang Zhuo’s seemingly amateurish shot not only resolved the difficult situation but, while pocketing a red ball, also sent the cue ball into a position perfectly set up for striking the black seven ball.

"Coincidence. Pure coincidence." "Damn, how did that shot even result in this outcome?

I thought just avoiding a foul would be cause for celebration." "Clean and sharp. That clearance was handled beautifully." "I think he got lucky?

If Ding Junhui himself had to play this shot, he’d be leaning over the table taking careful aim. Is there any master in the world who can execute a pull shot like that without even lining it up, let alone achieve this result?" Wang Chaoqun was startled by Wang Zhuo's performance, but he quickly dismissed the stunning shot as luck.

Being roughly the same height as Wang Zhuo, he knew that shot required circling the table once to observe before deciding on a plan. For Wang Zhuo to stand up from his rest chair, walk to the table, and shoot immediately wasn't about a high level of skill; it was clearly an amateur’s approach.

Guan Yingying and the An sisters clenched their fists in delight, celebrating Wang Zhuo’s winning opening with their eyes. Unfortunately, snooker is a relatively subdued sport; otherwise, they would have burst into cheers.

The ten seconds vanished swiftly. After potting the red, Wang Zhuo strolled toward the cue ball as if on a leisurely walk, reapplying chalk to his cue tip.

He focused his X-ray vision, activating his 'Perspective Eye' to the maximum, mapping the entire situation on the table as a holographic projection into his mind, rapidly calculating the next steps of his attack. In 1997, IBM's Deep Blue computer successfully defeated the world chess champion Garry Kasparov, becoming the first computer system to beat a reigning world champion within standard match time limits—a landmark event in computing history.

It is worth noting that if the constraint of "standard match time limits" were removed, computers could have defeated humans several years before that date. Wang Zhuo was facing the exact same scenario.

Under the ten-second fast play rule, his analysis time was drastically shortened, preventing him from deeply contemplating the implications of several subsequent shots. However, his proposal to adopt the fast play rule wasn't self-sabotage; it was because, having already scored a 147 break, he felt the normal rules no longer provided a sufficient challenge for his 'Perspective Eye.' Tap In the ninth second, Wang Zhuo calmly lowered his stance and cleanly sank the black seven ball.

The referee, already prepared at the pocket, immediately retrieved the black ball, and once all the balls on the table were still, swiftly placed the black back in its spot. He raised his hand in signal—the ten-second count began.

All spectators held their breath, staring silently at the table and Wang Zhuo. This was the true allure of the fast play format: it was intense, continuous, allowing no time even for a breath.

Players could not relax for a second, and the audience had no time to let their minds wander, lest they miss a crucial pot or a shift in momentum that could turn the game. Under the holographic projection of his 'Perspective Eye,' the twenty-two balls on the table became transparent targets.

The position of the pockets, the rebound characteristics of the cushions, and the friction of the cloth were all factored into his calculations. Wang Zhuo's brain was currently functioning like a supercomputer, simulating the outcome of every potential strike.

He quickly realized that calculating the trajectory of so many balls within such a short timeframe, while simultaneously executing the precise physical actions derived from the analysis, was extremely difficult. Time was fixed, but the number of balls was constantly decreasing.

He made a decisive change immediately, abandoning the tactic of rapid clearance. He stopped pre-calculating beyond the next two shots, reverting instead to the "novice approach" of playing one shot and observing the next two possibilities.

There is an old saying in strategy games: "Chess looks three moves ahead," referring to the ability of a master player to anticipate the situation three moves out, thereby preemptively avoiding danger. In reality, master chess players can look five to six steps ahead, and world-class grandmasters reach an astonishing ten steps—Kasparov himself could manage this.

Once Wang Zhuo switched to the novice tactic of playing one and observing two, the intensity of using his special ability dropped by ninety percent, making the execution effortless. However, his actual skill level instantly plummeted from that of a 147 scorer to being on par with An Qi, an amateur.

Consequently, after three shots, he was left with no viable potting opportunities. After executing a safety shot (snooker), he ceded the turn back to Wang Chaoqun.

A slight ripple of murmuring went through the audience. The score stood at Wang Zhuo leading 13 to 0 temporarily.

After his sensational opening shot, Wang Zhuo’s subsequent frames lacked brilliance, reinforcing the crowd’s belief that his first shot was sheer luck. Now, they eagerly anticipated Wang Chaoqun’s masterclass.

"False alarm, huh…" Shen Kai wiped his brow with a nervous chuckle. Wang Zhuo's first shot had made him gasp, but since everyone else had reacted similarly, his momentary loss of composure wasn't particularly noticeable.

Jing Yunquan finally managed to settle his heart, which had leaped into his throat. Every point scored meant ten thousand yuan for him.

When Wang Zhuo scored 1, 7, and 1 points consecutively, Jing Yunquan’s mind had stopped working entirely. Thankfully, Wang Zhuo then only potted a three-pointer and a one-pointer before handing the turn over, or Jing Yunquan would have truly gone frantic.

While such stakes were trivial to Wang Zhuo, they represented a crippling blow to him. Although the Jing family was wealthy, they were merely a prosperous family entrenched in the jade industry.

A hundred million in assets might seem like immense wealth to ordinary people, but if Wang Zhuo had managed to pull off two earth-shattering 147 breaks, the entire Jing family could easily end up on the streets the next day… "Damn it, so this brat Wang Zhuo actually has some skill." Jing Yunquan exhaled a long breath, forcing a relaxed smile. "It’s more than just skill; I definitely couldn't beat him," Shen Kai nodded repeatedly.

"Thank goodness Brother Chaoqun is a world-class player in the ten-second fast play format; otherwise, Brother Jing, you might actually lose this one." "But if he didn't have this level of skill, he wouldn't have dared to challenge Chaoqun to this match in the first place," Jing Yunquan sneered. "It’s perfect.

Let him pay the price for his overconfidence. Players in the Masters Series aren't challenged by some roadside novice like him." Just then, Wang Chaoqun’s positional shot earned a wave of applause.

This was his fourth consecutive successful pot since he broke free from the snooker Wang Zhuo had set up. He had displayed a ferocious attacking momentum.

They weren't allowed to shout cheers, but applause was certainly permitted! Jing Yunquan and Shen Kai exchanged joyful glances and clapped vigorously.

"It's fine. Just wait for him to make a mistake." Guan Yingying, who only had superficial knowledge, was trying to comfort the nervous An Qi.

"Wang Chaoqun is an attacking player. He won't proactively set a snooker unless it's absolutely necessary.

As soon as he misses one ball, Wang Zhuo’s chance will come." "Mmm," An Qi replied, her concern clouding her judgment. As a player aiming for a professional career, she knew the technical nuances of Wang Chaoqun, one of the top players in the country, like the back of her hand.

Her only worry was Wang Chaoqun suddenly going wild and clearing the table in one go. Of course, such a thing was highly unlikely… Just as Wang Chaoqun earned applause for the third time, the elegant and graceful Movie Queen Ning Yao quietly slipped away from her seat.

After circling around the edge of the crowd and re-entering the inner perimeter, she approached Guan Yingying and her companions. Seeing the "Red Sausage Movie Queen" suddenly, Guan Yingying was momentarily stunned and instinctively nudged An Qi beside her, asking her to make a little room on the chair.

"Can I still bet on Wang Zhuo to win?" the Movie Queen asked softly after sitting down. "Uh…" Guan Yingying shook her head with a mixture of amusement and exasperation.

"Miss, I think you've got it wrong. Here, we can only bet on Wang Chaoqun to win." Clack— At that very moment, a scraping sound echoed from the arena.

Wang Chaoqun, rushing to take his shot within the ten-second limit, executed the stroke hastily and fouled. Amidst sighs and murmurs of discussion, Wang Chaoqun walked back to the rest area, clearly frustrated.

He had scored twenty-one points in that turn, and although he was still leading Wang Zhuo by eight points, the initiative had returned to Wang Zhuo. He wasn't worried about losing, only lamenting the several points he missed winning—and every point was worth ten thousand yuan.

"I don't quite understand the gambling setup you have here," Ning Yao asked, surprised. "Isn't it that if Wang Zhuo loses, I can bet one yuan to win one and a half?

So why can’t I bet on Wang Zhuo to win?"