Chapter 518

We fought so many battles that we lost count, all the way until lunchtime. We successfully cleared $N$ rounds of the preliminary knockouts, leaving precisely 1,024 teams in Group 17. If we could advance from here, we would qualify to compete for the eight slots allocated to the Silvermoon City region. Those eight, combined with the sixteen teams from the other three major cities, would form a total of twenty-four groups participating in a double-elimination tournament. The final five surviving groups would advance directly to the World Championship. Moreover, official sources had revealed that the top five teams in the China region would receive generous rewards, though scoring well on the global stage would yield even greater prizes. We had an hour and a half for lunch. As soon as our final match ended, the rest of us hurried offline. When I stepped out of my room, Xinyu and Lu Xuehan were also just emerging from theirs. From downstairs came the crisp clatter of footsteps as Xu Lin raced down in her leather shoes. Downstairs, Li Qing was already dashing toward the cafeteria. Lunch was simple, little more than boxed meals, which saved plenty of time.