"The first round is over. The schools advancing to the second round are: Jiangling First High School, Huanan Third High School, Ziyang First High School, Guangnan Affiliated High School..."
At the referee stand, the referee loudly announced, "There will now be a ten-minute break. After a short rest, the second round will begin."
"Team leaders, please come to the referee stand one by one to confirm the positions of your main player, second player, and third player, see whether any adjustments are needed, and draw lots to determine your opponents for the next round."
Hearing this, Chen Jiaming and the other team leaders headed toward the referee stand.
The schools that had already been eliminated did not choose to leave immediately. Instead, they stayed at the venue, intending to see the final results of today's matches.
The eliminated players looked dejected and spoke much less than before. Even the players who had advanced to the second round were not relaxed; they could even feel the pressure weighing on them.
Those with weaker skills had been eliminated in the first round. They would now face even stronger opponents, and no one was confident they could advance again in the next round.
Thus, even though this round had ended, the atmosphere throughout the venue remained somewhat heavy and tense.
Feeling this atmosphere, so different from usual, Zhou De grew quiet and taciturn, faintly shaken.
"So this is... a Go tournament?"
Zhou De's eyes were filled with confusion.
"Why does it feel even more tense and intense than our long-distance running competitions?"
Before long, the draw for the second round was announced.
"Jiangling First High School versus Ziyang First High School; Guangnan Affiliated High School versus Jiangling Second High School; Songhuai First High School versus Huanan Third High School..." Standing at the referee