76: Double-elimination system

The selection for the triennial Special Training Camp was a scene many people were eagerly looking forward to.

For this reason, aside from The Watchers who needed to be on duty as normal, seventy percent of all The Watchers in Dawn City had come to Dawn Square.

At this moment, the clamor of the crowd caused Zhou Xing and the other forty contestants to feel an unbidden sense of nervousness.

At the same time, this time the City Lord of Dawn City, Wei Guangming, as well as six Elders of the Law Realm, all appeared on the central platform.

On either side were numerous Chiefs of the Celestial Phenomenon Realm along with many powerhouses of Dawn City.

Wei Guangming stood atop the high platform, his white robes fluttering despite the lack of wind.

He raised his hand and pressed down lightly; instantly, the entire square became so quiet that one could hear a pin drop.

“After the ten-day first round of the wilderness survival trial, the top forty who will enter the second round have finally been determined.”

Wei Guangming's voice rang in everyone's ears. “The first round of testing was originally intended to increase competition among one another. As it turned out, we found that as time went on, the competition became distorted, and many geniuses did not hesitate to use lethal force for the sake of points.”

“However, overall it was quite smooth. I believe the test three years from now will be even more refined.”

“Starting today, the final selection will be held over three days. That is, from the forty people who advanced from the first round, the final three slots for the Special Training Camp will be chosen.”

“This time, after our careful deliberation and in order to be fairer, we have chosen a Double-Elimination System.”

As his voice fell, a massive holographic projection immediately unfolded in the center of the square, displaying the detailed competition rules—

1. Winners' Bracket and Losers' Bracket: The first round will be a random draw for matchups. Winners enter the Winners' Bracket, and losers enter the Losers' Bracket.

2. Elimination Mechanism: A player in the Losers' Bracket is directly eliminated after losing another match; a player in the Winners' Bracket falls into the Losers' Bracket after losing a match.

3. Once one side takes the initiative to concede or loses the ability to resist, no further attacks may be launched. Violators will be directly eliminated.

4. The last three players who persist until the end will obtain the final qualifications.

Everyone expressed their approval of the rules. Compared to before, this year's competition effectively gave everyone an extra chance. This way, even if one was unlucky enough to be eliminated at the very beginning, they could still enter the Losers' Bracket to continue their push.

Once the rules were displayed, Wei Guangming gave a wave of his right hand. The ground in the center of the square suddenly split open, and an arena five hundred meters in diameter slowly rose up.

The surface of the arena shimmered with a metallic luster. Everyone already knew that this was built entirely from a memory-repair alloy, which could not only withstand the full-force attacks of the Celestial Phenomenon Realm but could also perfectly adapt to everyone's divine power.

After each match ends, it can directly return to its original state within a short period of time.

After all, many people's abilities need to be combined with changes in the terrain.

“Now, let the drawing of lots begin.”

Wei Guangming followed up by saying, and then the first round's matchups appeared on the giant screen above the square.

Zhou Xing looked up and found that his opponent was someone from Dark City named Feng Yu.

Instantly, his expression froze and his gaze turned cold.

Because this person was the one from Dark City who had previously teamed up with Lan Ming of Sea City to cause Qin Yue's injury.

His own strength was also at the Control Mid-Stage, and he had likely awakened the divinity of the 'god of shadow.'

The others saw their opponents at this moment; some sighed, while others were happy.

However, the most interesting thing was that Jin Yan was actually matched against Xiao Meier.

Meanwhile, Gu Qianjun was matched against Chen Fei from Frontier City, which many people were also very much looking forward to.

As for Qin Yue, his luck was quite good, being matched against a Control Mid-Stage named Lin Wan from Su City.

The opponents for Ye Wuchen and the others were also people they didn't know much about before. However, with the strength the three of them had after their Breakthrough, as long as no unexpected variables occurred, entering the Winners' Bracket wouldn't be much of a problem.

“First match: Star City's Qin Yue versus Su City's Lin Wan!” The one acting as the referee this time was actually Elder Tongxuan, which many people found quite surprising.

As Elder Tongxuan's voice resounded throughout the venue, the spectator stands instantly erupted into a frenzy.

Amidst the cheers of many, Qin Yue slowly walked onto the arena.

The Lin Wan opposite him looked somewhat thin and his face was slightly pale.

“Match, begin!”

The moment Elder Tongxuan's voice rang out, Lin Wan was the first to strike.

He was seen giving a sudden wave of his hands, and in an instant, hundreds of transparent Wind Blades condensed out of thin air, shooting toward Qin Yue like a rainstorm.

“Swoosh swoosh swoosh—!”

The Wind Blades tore through the air, letting out ear-piercing shrieks.

At this time, Qin Yue crossed his arms and gave a low shout: “Rock Armor Armament!”

A layer of thick Rock Armor instantly covered the surface of his body.

“Clang clang clang!”

A large number of Wind Blades continuously struck the Rock Armor, sparks flying everywhere, but they could only leave shallow scratches on the surface.

And at this moment, Qin Yue also took a sudden step forward, his right fist gathering power as he slammed it fiercely into the arena floor in Lin Wan's direction.

“Earth Vein Shackles!”

“Boom!”

The arena floor suddenly split open, and five massive rock hands burst out from the ground, grabbing at Lin Wan from different angles!

Lin Wan's pupils constricted, his divinity suddenly blurring. As air currents surged beneath his feet, his entire being slid backward like a ghost, escaping the range of the giant rock hands.

Immediately after, the corners of his mouth curled up slightly. He slammed his hands together and shouted low: “Tornado Strangle!”

“Buzz—!”

Three tornadoes, each over five meters in diameter, were generated out of thin air, strangling toward Qin Yue from different directions.

Countless tiny Wind Blades were mixed within the tornadoes. Everywhere they passed, deep gouges were carved into the arena surface.

Moreover, Qin Yue discovered that these three tornadoes were not just for simple strangulation, but also carried a 'Wind Erosion' effect, because the effectiveness of his Rock Armor was being silently worn away.

If he hadn't previously understood the abilities of his Captain, Monsoon—especially since Lin Yue also knew this 'Wind Erosion' move—he might have suffered a hidden disadvantage.

Instantly, Qin Yue leaped up, attempting to directly break free from the encirclement of the three tornadoes.

However, Lin Wan had clearly anticipated his actions. The corners of his pale face turned up: “You actually noticed? Too bad it's too late!”

He hooked his fingers, and the three tornadoes suddenly contracted and transformed. First, they converged together, and then they formed a massive storm cage, completely trapping Qin Yue inside.

Countless tiny Wind Blades continuously sliced at the Rock Armor; Qin Yue's defense was being rapidly dissolved.

By then, the opponent could use their long-range advantage to likely secure the victory based on this initial move.

Many people were now looking at the battle situation on the giant projection screen high above the center of the square with some nervousness, involuntarily anticipating whether Qin Yue could break free.