Today was the Top Forty match to advance to the Top Twenty. Zhang Cheng arrived at the arena at the appointed time.
The National Tournament's venue was enormous. Although Zhang Cheng had been there many times, he still wasn't very familiar with it. He followed the signs to his assigned battle area.
At nine in the morning, after confirming that all the competitors had arrived, the Referee began drawing lots to determine the day's matchups.
The National Tournament's matchups were always arranged on the day of the matches. Opponents were not assigned in advance to ensure fairness.
Under the draw rules, two Referees each drew twenty lots from transparent boxes, pairing opponents according to the order drawn. Everything was open and transparent, ensuring fairness and preventing any manipulation behind the scenes.
The Referee worked quickly. In less than five minutes, they had finalized the schedule and displayed it on the arena's big screen.
As soon as the schedule appeared, Zhang Cheng checked who his opponent would be.
Zhang Cheng spotted his opponent's name at once: Chu Qing from Jinling University. The name felt familiar, but he couldn't remember where he had seen it.
After thinking for a while without getting anywhere, Zhang Cheng simply stopped trying. His match was scheduled for three in the afternoon, so there was no reason to stay at the venue now. He went to get lunch.
After leaving the venue, Zhang Cheng found a nearby restaurant and grabbed a quick meal, then returned to the rest area to wait for his match.
Time slipped by, and soon it was three o'clock. A staff member led Zhang Cheng to the designated battle area.
Once he arrived, Zhang Cheng finally saw his opponent, Chu Qing. Both of them looked surprised when they met.
"You?" they said in