Chapter five has returned to normal.
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A little after nine o'clock in the evening, Ye Changfeng gathered everyone together, having received the schedule and rules for the following day's competition.
Elder Luo said, "We need to discuss tomorrow's situation first, and everyone should be on high alert."
The rules were actually clear to everyone; the competition for the new students was divided into individual and group pioneering challenges.
In the individual competition, nine universities would compete in a round-robin format, with each one facing the others only once, meaning each university would fight eight matches in total, for a grand total of thirty-six matches to be held over two days.
At that time, the decision of whether a Meridian Opening or Qi-Controlling participant would compete was to be made by throwing dice.
"Tomorrow's schedule starts with Jizhou University against Yanzhou University for the first match. Our match isn't first, which is good, as everyone can observe the strength of the other schools first. However, the second match will be Qingzhou University against Liangzhou University," Ye Changfeng said.
Ye Changfeng handed out a flyer to everyone, who all looked at the schedule with a solemn expression.
"Yuchi Shen, please discuss the current strength of each school this year," Elder Luo directed.
Yuchi Shen glanced coldly at Xiang Beifei and then began to speak.
"However, there's a rule that a person can only enter a maximum of two matches, so when the time comes, I and the other teachers will need to analyze the situation, then decide how to allocate which of you five will compete and in what order against which opponents," Yuchi Shen explained.
This was similar to Tian Ji's horse racing but also quite different. Because during Tian Ji's horse racing, they competed in three matches, allowing for strategic play, whereas there would only be one match between two schools here, which was basically random. So the general hope was that other schools would face the strong students of other schools first, using up their two allotted opportunities before facing us, and then they would only be able to use their weaker students against us.
Take for example Qingzhou University and Liangzhou University: Qingzhou University has two SSRs this year, and each person has to fight two matches, which means the two SSRs can at most fight in four matches.
Then Ye Changfeng hoped that Qingzhou University would use these four opportunities for the two SSRs against the other seven schools, so that by the time they faced us, they would have used up their quota and could only send SR-ranked students, thus increasing our chances of winning.
However, since all the academies involved were elite institutions, it was certain that the teachers leading the teams understood this logic. Therefore, when the time came to assign participants for the matches, it would become a game of psychological warfare. Until they actually competed, no one could know whether the opponents would send in strong or weak players.
"You should be aware by now that our school doesn't have any SSRs this year, which means we're at a disadvantage compared to other schools; in individual matches, it will be difficult for you to gain an upper hand," Yuchi Shen said, his gaze fixed on Xiang Beifei.
"Apart from Qingzhou University, Yanzhou University, and Jizhou University, the other schools only have one SSR, which is just one Meridian Opening stage student. We shouldn't worry too much; after all, we have student Xiang Beifei," Xi Keyao interjected timidly.
"The situation isn't that simple," Elder Luo said. "In individual matches, there are only eight games, and each game earns one point, so the total score is very important. But have you considered that the other schools, to achieve a higher total score, will definitely try to secure this one point at all costs, and that one point could almost be guaranteed against whom?"
Long Guocheng and the others grasped the implication: "Against us, Liangzhou University?"
Now the other eight schools all shared a common understanding that Liangzhou University didn't have any SSRs this year, meaning no Meridian Opening stage students.
Therefore, to secure that essential point, they would definitely send their Meridian Opening SSRs to face Liangzhou University!
Because if an SSR were to face another SSR from different schools, and both participants were in the Meridian Opening stage, one was bound to lose.
If they ended up losing, it would not be worth it.
But now, assuming all of Liangzhou University's students were only in the late Qi-Controlling stage, sending a Meridian Opening SSR to face Liangzhou University would almost guarantee victory.
Everyone wanted to pick on the perceived weaklings to get an easy point first!
"Yes, which means each of our opponents in the matches may be Meridian Opening SSRs!" Elder Luo said meaningfully.
Everyone's expressions turned grave.
Elder Luo continued, "Alright, next, you five need to discuss how to allocate your players for the matches and how to break this deadlock."
"Really, why do they have to make a simple new student competition so complicated?" Ma Ziqian grumbled on the side.
To the martial artists, the most straightforward method was to go head-to-head in a tough fight, which would be the most hassle-free.
"Because it's also a tactic," Elder Luo explained. "Against unevenly matched opponents, how to arrange your players to break the deadlock and win more matches is a type of strategic command. Elite universities' competitions are not just about martial power but also all sorts of adaptability to changes, applying limited manpower most effectively. It challenges the lead teacher and tests new students as well. Cultivating this kind of thinking can also be applied to combat against desolate beast tides in the future."
The Martial Arts Colleges of elite universities are centered around training pioneers and protectors, with the fundamental thinking geared towards combat.
When facing desolate beast tides, the strengths of the desolate beasts are not equal, so schools train students to use their manpower effectively to maximize their combat power.
This new student competition rules might seem unfair at first glance, as a Meridian Opening stage may face a Qi-Controlling stage, and the fight could be overwhelmingly one-sided, not truly reflecting the new students' actual strength.