Chapter 246
"Alright, I won't take up any more of your training time. I'll definitely watch the live stream on the day of your match." Tickets for the league matches are scarce and expensive, not something ordinary people like Jiang Lu can afford. He can only watch the live stream occasionally to satisfy his craving.
Xu Jintang replied, "Okay."
After hanging up the call, Xu Jintang thought for a moment and quickly sent a message to Zhuang Silin, wanting to help Jiang Lu get some league tickets.
A moment later, Zhuang Silin replied: [The elimination round tickets have already been distributed. I'll ask the staff for some semi-final and final tickets, and I'll bring them to you then.]
Time flies.
The day of the knockout stage was fast approaching.
The audience members who had already entered the venue began whispering among themselves in their seats.
"This knockout stage is definitely going to be interesting. The entire Leikedasi official team is still unconscious and can only field substitutes."
"With five substitutes on the field, the team will definitely be weaker. I wonder if they can hold on until the main team wakes up."
"The five major military academies have really suffered this time; they've almost all been replaced by reserve teams."
"To be honest, you guys don't understand the five major military academies. They've stood strong for so many years, how could they not have any precautions? Their reserve personnel are definitely not weak either."
Two minutes later, the lights on site suddenly started flashing.
Then, Qin Tiangang, who was in charge of hosting, appeared on the number one arena in the very center.
"After fierce competition in the preliminary rounds, a total of two hundred military academy teams have advanced to the knockout stage. The knockout stage rules stipulate that all teams will compete in a best-of-three format, consisting of a 1v1 elimination match, a 3v3 team battle, and a 5v5 team battle. The losing team will be immediately eliminated after each of the three matches."
[The knockout stage is so much more exciting; losing means instant elimination. That means you have to give it your all in every single game.]
[So, things are about to get interesting. Many of the five major military academies have fielded substitutes this time; it'll be interesting to see how strong they really are.]
[I've investigated the backgrounds of all five of Leikedasi's substitutes, and guess what I found?]
[Why bother with a lawsuit? Those three people's information has already been circulating wildly online.]
"Class monitor, these people online are so arrogant! They actually doxxed all of your personal information." Song Tianqi put his hands on his hips, looking furious.
"It's good that it's been dug up, anyway, it's not accurate information." Xu Jintang was completely unaffected and continued to lean back in his chair to rest.
Sitting to the side, Yan Yuting rubbed his temples, saying with a headache, "The information these people dug up shows that the class monitor is a support-type ability user. This information is way too outdated."
Since Xu Jintang, Xue Zhongqi, and Yan Yuting had all participated in the All-Star-Region Joint Examination, their personal information was easily found.
However, due to Leikedasi's effective secrecy, outsiders rarely know the extent of the subsequent development of the three of them.
Song Tianqi and Jiang Shiyi were both secretly recruited into Leikedasi, and their information was not leaked at all; no one online was able to find out anything about them.
"These guys are really too small, class monitor," Song Tianqi shook his head and sighed.
The on-site hosting process is still ongoing.
After the rules of the elimination rounds were read out, the arena beneath Qin Tiangang's feet slowly rose and hovered in mid-air before stopping.
He surveyed the entire arena and continued, "The Military Academy League, as a major event in the Federation, has always attracted much attention. This year's knockout stage has been specially attended by leaders from various Federation bureaus and the principals of the five major military academies as special guests. During the competition, they will be monitoring the potential and development of each contestant. Whether or not you can gain their favor depends on your own performance and how you play."
"Next, please welcome the leaders to take their seats."
The stage lights shone on the crystal boxes above the audience seating area.
The entire VIP box was made of transparent crystal, and somehow it seemed to float lightly above the venue. Inside, there were several chairs for the leaders to rest and sit.
"My God! It's Commander Jing Hongyi! He actually came during the elimination rounds?"
"The leaders of several key Federation agencies are here. Is this year's knockout stage attracting so much attention?"
"The principals of all five major military academies are present. It's quite rare to see so many important figures gathered together."
Several leaders and the principal quickly took their seats in the crystal VIP box.
The audience below the stage were still staring in amazement at the leaders at various levels.
It wasn't until Qin Tiangang announced, "Based on the team rankings during the qualifiers, the top five teams in the knockout stage will be automatically assigned to five different regions, while the remaining teams will be randomly matched. Each region has two qualifying spots, and only the team that remains at the end will secure one."
"I now declare the knockout stage officially open!"
As soon as he finished speaking, five display screens immediately rose up behind Qin Tiangang.
The team names on each light screen flashed and changed continuously until the countdown ended, at which point everything froze.
The names of the five military academies are displayed at the top of the screen, below which are the other randomly matched military academy teams.
Leikedasi ranked third in the standings, so they were automatically assigned to Zone 3.
To the audience's excitement, the recently popular Green Sail Vine Military Academy Team and Grande Military Academy Team were also assigned to the third division.
[This is going to be interesting. Each region only has two qualifying spots. Let's see how these three teams compete.]
[It would be hilarious if Leikedasi were to be dethroned by these two Dark Horse Team, hahaha.]
[It can't be that bad, right? Grande lost to Leikedasi last time, didn't he?]
That was Leikedasi ' official team. Now they've replaced them all with substitutes, so their strength is hard to say.
Xu Jintang spread his hands and turned to look at Song Tianqi and the others, "Our competition area is quite lively."
"A lively atmosphere is just right, otherwise it'll be boring if a fight breaks out." Song Tianqi wasn't afraid at all, his hands clenched into fists, looking ready to start a fight at any moment.
Yan Yuting also flexed her wrists with anticipation, "Lively is great, it's more fun when it's lively."
Xue Zhongqi spread his arms wide, tilted his head back, and shouted, "Let the excitement get even more intense!"
Clearly, these individuals had been holding back for a long time, and facing the threat of the two Dark Horse Team, they not only showed no fear but were also ready to go all out.
Jiang Shiyi's gaze swept calmly over the team roster in Division Three. She didn't say a word, but her composed expression showed that everything was under control.
"Red Lotus Splendor!" The boy in the white t-shirt kicked his opponent off the stage, ultimately winning the match.
He raised his hands high, basking in the cheers and applause that belong to the victor.
On the judges' stand.
A subtle, enigmatic smile appeared on Jing Hongyi's face as he gently stroked the armrest of his chair. "Young people are so energetic."
The branch office leader standing nearby sensed the underlying meaning in his words and quickly leaned forward to reply, "But ultimately, it still can't compare to the composure that the commander has accumulated over so many years of experience. Young people are still a bit too impetuous."
Jing Hongyi found these words agreeable, and his body gradually relaxed as he leaned back in his chair. "Hmm, let's take another look."
Several branch leaders nodded in agreement, "Yes."
To ensure the efficiency of the competition, the elimination stage will still use five arenas for simultaneous matches.
At this moment, the battle on the central arena number one had just ended.
Workers are working urgently to repair the several huge craters that were recently created by the impact.
At the same time, the screen above the arena displayed the two teams that would face off in the next match.
"Leikdasi Military Academy vs. Yamazaki Military Academy"
Chapter 246
The referee on the stage reiterated the rules. "The elimination tournament consists of three rounds, using a best-of-three format. The first round is a 1v1 individual battle. Each team must randomly send one member to the stage for each round. The winning member continues to defend their title, while the losing team is eliminated and must send a new member to challenge them. The team that remains on the stage until the very end is the winner."
"What's the background of this Yamazaki Military Academy? How strong is it?"
"Never heard of it, doesn't seem particularly impressive."
"Tsk tsk, finally we can see the strength of the Leikedasi reserve team."
Then, the display screen of Arena One showed introductions from the two teams.
--Leikdasi Military Academy, established for over a century, has held the title of the First Military Academy for thirty-six consecutive terms. With its formidable strength, it is one of the Federation's unshakeable major powers.
These are things that the audience already knows by heart, so they haven't attracted much attention.
Soon we arrived at the information session for the Yamazaki Military Academy:
--Yamazaki Military Academy, established for 42 years, has consistently ranked among the top 200 in the Military Academy League. In the last league, it ranked 176th, which was the best result in the history of the Yamazaki Military Academy.
[Ugh, I thought he was going to be a tough guy, turns out he's a loser.]
[It's just bad luck. They might have been able to last a few more rounds, but now that they've encountered Leikedasi, there's no chance.]
[Even if the Leikedasi substitutes are terrible, they shouldn't be able to beat a military academy like this. It seems the outcome of this match is already decided, so there's no point in playing.]
At this moment, the members of the Yamazaki Military Academy were already pale with fright.
Even their captain clenched his fists, looking as if the sky had fallen.
"Captain, what are we going to do... Our luck is just too bad, we ran into Leikedasi in the very first round."
"It's over, it's really over. We thought we could try to improve our ranking this year, but..."
The captain of the Yamazaki Military Academy shook his head and sighed, "It's all fate, we have to accept it. But even if we lose, we'll lose with honor!"