The final sixteen were soon decided.
All nine schools of the Four Glories and Five Revivals had dispatched their opponents as quickly as possible and quietly waited for the other seven teams to finish their battles.
Everyone inwardly marveled that the Four Glories and Five Revivals truly deserved their reputation as the Safe Zone's top universities.
But even among the best, there were differences.
Just as the Lion, Tiger, Wolf, and Snake Cards included both Joker and the Two of Diamonds.
The Four Glories and Five Revivals were bound to have their own pecking order.
In the round of sixteen, aside from Southern Glory and Southern Zhen, the other seven schools faced only second-tier opponents.
Barring any surprises, those seven universities would all advance to the quarterfinals.
Only the unlucky Southern Revival University had run into Nanrong University early.
The loser between Southern Glory and Southern Zhen would finish with the worst placement among the Four Glories and Five Revivals in this Championship Tournament—a round-of-sixteen exit.
Until the next Championship Tournament, the losing side would bear the title of [Four Glories and Five Revivals Bottom-Ranked School].
At the same time, its resources for the following year would fall behind those of the quarterfinalists.
It would lose both prestige and tangible benefits.
Qian Wendao picked up the microphone. "Congratulations on reaching the round-of-sixteen knockout stage. After this round, we will have the eight quarterfinalist universities of the inaugural Championship Tournament."
Since the round of sixteen required only eight Championship Arenas, eight of the original sixteen were quickly dismantled, packed into Storage Boxes, and carried away.
Half the competition floor was cleared.
The sixteen teams stood out all the more.
"As you've probably guessed, the rules for the round of sixteen will differ slightly from before to more closely reflect real combat."