23: Chapter 23 Three Rounds

At that time, when Chen Du saw such a beautiful girl, he instinctively felt that this must be a Face sculpted by the System.

However, when he saw Zhou Xiaogu in person, he realized that someone in the real world could actually be that beautiful!

This Zhou Xiaogu seemed to have been born with a beauty camera, feeling like she wasn't on the same layer as the people around her!

Everyone around, regardless of gender, couldn't help but glance at her.

But out of Face, no one spoke, so as not to be mistaken for a sycophant!

Chen Du then thought of the scene and dialogue from their first battle.

“Don’t always think about deducing the fourth form with a single, continuous method; think more about the Martial Skill itself.”

At the time, he thought he had met a benefactor, but it turned out to be a tricky old fox who immediately stabbed him!

So, the question is, is this Zhou Xiaogu the same person as that “benefactor”?

Although they look exactly alike, it cannot be ruled out that someone deliberately made their character look like her.

Just then, Chen Du had a flash of inspiration.

That’s right! He could check their age through their combat records on the wristband.

Because, apart from the ID, all other information in the combat records is real.

ID: Little Girl Selling Nukes

Age: 17 years old

Rank: Silver, 88 Victory Points

Record: 30 wins, 15 losses (Win Rate: 66.67%)

17 years old, the age matches!

It must be her. It’s truly unexpected to meet an “online friend” in real life, but she definitely doesn’t know me.

Chen Du mused to himself.

Chen Du hadn't forgotten her “dagger grudge.”

This wasn't about holding a grudge, but purely about the desire to win or lose.

At that time, her Martial Skill was already one step ahead of his, reaching First Order Perfection.

Now that so much time had passed, it was hard to imagine her current level.

Her number of battles was very few.

This meant that most of her time was spent in offline one-on-one sparring mode.

Even if virtual combat simulated reality so well, the feeling during battle would still be different from reality.

At the very least, you know you won't die, and the pain is different, so your mindset is naturally different.

It's far from the experience accumulation and skill improvement brought by real combat.

In the real world, having an expert provide guidance anytime, anywhere, is far more effective than fumbling around alone.

Of course, individuals like Chen Du, who possess the Crystal Space,

and can learn from countless deaths to improve themselves, are truly rare exceptions.

Apart from Musashi and Zhou Xiaogu, the check-in process was calm and uneventful.

Ling Yun held the rule card, and the four of them entered the elevator together.

The Haicheng Grand Hotel occupied an enormous area, with a staggering ten thousand rooms.

All four of them had single rooms, and at this moment, Chen Du and the other two had all come to Ling Yun's room.

Ling Yun brewed a pot of tea, and as the water “gurgled” to a boil, he placed the rule card in front of the three of them:

“This year’s rules are different from previous years.”

“In previous years, there were only elimination rounds and finals.”

“This year, before the elimination rounds, there’s an additional ‘Badge Scramble’.”

“Badge Scramble?”

The three of them were all a bit surprised to hear this. Ling Yun had already told them about the previous years’ rules on the way here.

There was no scramble then, only 1v1 battles.

“Hmm.”

Ling Yun nodded, explaining the rules to the three:

“The competition starts at 9 AM on March 17th and ends on the 19th.”

“It will last for three days, with three rounds of competition.”

“The first round is the Badge Scramble, and the venue is a forest.”

“From 9 AM to 10 PM, within these thirteen hours, you must obtain badges inscribed with the characters ‘High’ and ‘Martial’.”

“And report to the finish line. The number of teams that pass will be determined by the actual number of team members who arrive.”

“The Badge Scramble is a new element added this year, and you are among the first participants.”

“It tests your teamwork abilities.”

Chen Du nodded, and in the pause after Ling Yun finished speaking and picked up his teacup to drink, he asked:

“Teacher, how many badges are there in total?”

Ling Yun took a sip of tea, which seemed a bit hot, and put it back down:

“There are 50 ‘High’ badges and 50 ‘Martial’ badges, which means a maximum of 50 teams can pass.”

“In other words…”

“At least half the people will be eliminated in the first round!”

He paused, then continued: “The second round is a 1v1 elimination match. Although opponents are random, team members will be avoided.”

Upon hearing this, Liu Bo and Moreit silently glanced at Chen Du, instinctively breathing a sigh of relief.

Who could possibly beat a monster like Chen Du!

With dual talents in Martial Skill and Mental Energy, Chen Du was simply unbeatable when both sides had equal Qi and blood!

Although neither of them was confident about breaking into the top ten, no one wanted to be eliminated in the first round.

At least win one match before going home!

“There’s very little rest time in the elimination rounds. 150 people need to compete in one day to determine the 10 strongest who will participate in the third round.”

“On average, each person needs to defeat 4 opponents to make it into the top ten.”

“As for the extra people during matching, they will automatically advance to the next round.”

“Automatically advance?”

“Isn’t that unfair to those who fought their way up?” Liu Bo asked.

Ling Yun smiled at this, not answering directly:

“You guys are still thinking like students.”

“This competition is different from your previous school exams. Exams are either one or two, either right or wrong, with standard answers.”

“This simulation is closer to reality, not only testing your various on-the-spot reactions, but also adding something called luck.”

“The first round of the competition is also like this. You might be very strong, strong enough to break into the top ten.”

“But if you encounter the strongest at the very beginning, you won’t even make it to the second round, let alone the third?”

“If strength and ranking were completely equivalent, there would be no need for this competition. Everyone could just compare data to determine the champion!”

All three fell silent. Ling Yun’s words seemed to open a new door.

“The third round is the finals, also called the Top Ten Battle!”

“Being able to reach this stage actually means you’ve already won, after all, the top ten all receive bonus points and cash rewards.”

“As for whether you can break into the top three…”

Ling Yun paused here, his gaze falling on Chen Du:

“It depends on your condition. Three consecutive days of fighting, with very little rest, plus the possibility of getting injured during the process.”

“The person who gets first place might not be the strongest individual among you, but they will definitely be the most well-rounded in overall strength.”

“If you ever have the chance to go to the front lines, you’ll understand things like encirclement, assassination, sneak attacks, and even backstabbing.”

“Alright, I won’t say anything more, lest you feel pressured.”

“Actually, one last thing!”

“You cannot kill. This rule, whether in competition or in reality, will govern your entire life.”

“Our enemies are the Alien Civilization; never point your blade at your comrades.”

“On that day, you will enter wearing special clothing, and everyone’s Life Strength will be the same.”

“Although it tries to simulate reality, it’s impossible for you to actually die.”

“Our team leaders will also go in that day to secretly ensure your safety.”

“However, it’s best not to let me intervene; once I do, it means you’re eliminated!”

Afterward, so as not to affect their condition tomorrow, Ling Yun encouraged the three of them again... After the 'King of Scrolls' Chen Du returned to his room, he immediately lay on his bed and entered the Crystal Space, starting to hone his Martial Skill without a second's pause.

The Crystal Space’s recovery ability allowed him to wake up every day with the most abundant Mental Energy.

This seemingly fair competition System was actually advantageous to him!

Soon, dawn broke... Big Grey Wolf Book Source kindly reminds: Due to special reasons, the group has been forcibly disbanded! A new group has been rebuilt, Group 1 ID (298732622), Group 2 (1062268835) to prevent loss of contact, tg: t.me/dahuilang888. This message will be displayed until tomorrow noon!