Zhang Cheng had set his alarm before going to bed the night before. Roused by its ringing, he got up early, headed to the cafeteria for breakfast, then went to the competition venue and found a seat.
At nine o'clock, the opening ceremony for the Freshman Competition was underway. First, the university's administrators took turns giving speeches, introducing the university's long history before praising the students seated below.
Students who could get into Modu University certainly deserved praise. Without outstanding results, they would never have caught the university's eye.
More than an hour passed before the administrators finally finished their speeches. The students below had long since grown drowsy.
Only when they heard that the speeches were over did the students perk up, eager for the matches to come.
After finishing their speeches, the administrators left the competition venue, handing proceedings over to the competition's Head Referee.
"Good morning, everyone. I'm Yang Lin, the Head Referee for this Freshman Competition. I'll be fully responsible for the matches ahead." Yang Lin stepped onto the raised platform and briefly introduced himself to the freshmen.
The students were excited about the competition and broke into applause after hearing the Head Referee's introduction.
"I won't waste any more time talking. Once I've explained the rules, we'll officially begin!" Yang Lin knew the students were interested in the matches and had no intention of dampening their enthusiasm.
"A total of sixteen hundred students are participating in this Freshman Competition. We'll be using a single-elimination format. Each contestant gets only one chance: lose, and you're eliminated; win, and you advance to the next round."
"Each contestant will be assigned an opponent by the system's algorithm. Every match will be a three-on-three battle, and the students who finish in the top ten will receive substantial rewards in