Dragon Transformation in the Apocalypse

Chapter 243 Preliminary Round of the Exchange Competition (Part 1)

On October 15th, 48 contestants from 11 major bases across three war zones arrived at the competition venue. The venue was a converted stadium, reinforced with a lot of concrete, and even had thick iron plates placed inside to prevent damage to the competition surface from the battles between the superpowered individuals.

The stadium, with nearly 6 seats, was almost full. Although today was the preliminary round, it was very popular because the minimum requirement for registration was Level 8 ability users. Many government and military leaders from the Anxi base came to watch the game, as did many people from the Provisional General Affairs Council and the Provisional Military Commission of China.

The preliminary rounds will conclude today. The rules are simple: the three regions have a total of 48 participants, divided into 12 groups of 4. Each group can have at most one player from the same region. For example, if Yunlan and another player from the Eastern Region are both placed in Group A, then Group A will not have another player from the Eastern Region. A win earns 3 points, a loss earns 1 point. If a match ends in a tie within the allotted time, the winner will be determined by a vote of the participating and spectating leaders.

Each match lasts 15 minutes. Strikes to specific areas such as the back of the head, throat, and genitals are prohibited. The use of any weapons is forbidden, except for weapons formed from supernatural abilities. The use of any potions is also prohibited during the matches. After the preliminary rounds, the 24 participants will advance to the semi-finals, which will be divided into eight groups of three. After two matches, the top two teams from each group will advance to the round of 16. Once in the round of 16, a draw will be held for each round until the final match.

Li Chenglong was quite satisfied with the rules, as they were generally fair. Strong players, unless extremely unlucky enough to be placed in a "group of death," would at least make it to the top 16. To ensure fairness for the players, the first round was also decided by computer-generated draws. After the draw results were announced, Yunlan happily exclaimed, "Great! The four of us are separated. Let's meet up in the semi-finals!"

Each group in the preliminary round will have three matches. Because the venue is very large, there will be six matches for three groups at once. After the first round, the second round will begin. The preliminary round will be completed in one day.

Yun Lan was in Group A, along with one level 9 fire-type ability user and two level 8 ability users. Li Chenglong glanced at the group and, barring any unforeseen circumstances, it seemed Yun Lan and the level 9 fire-type ability user from the Qianyun Base would advance. The first round of six matches across Groups A, B, and C was held simultaneously, with a level 7 ability user serving as referee for each group. Yun Lan was the first to appear, facing a level 8 water-type ability user from the Central War Zone. In less than 30 seconds, Yun Lan knocked him out of the ring, eliciting gasps from the audience. Although the difference between level 9 and level 8 was significant, easily defeating an opponent in 30 seconds was still quite rare.

Chen Guoqiang, holding the list of contestants on the podium, said to General Yang Sen beside him, "Comrade Yunlan is General Li Chenglong's wife and is now the second-in-command of the Dawn Army. Her strength is indeed extraordinary." Yang Sen smiled and said, "She's a bit like Guo Jing and Huang Rong. This couple will write their own brilliant chapter in the apocalypse."

The preliminary rounds weren't particularly exciting. Although all the participants were level 8 or higher ability users, the skill gaps were quite significant. Furthermore, battles between ability users and awakened individuals require quick victories. Often, the fights ended very quickly before the audience could even get a good look. This made some spectators afraid to even blink, lest they miss a single exciting moment. Near the arena, many cameramen and videographers were also present, trying to capture the most thrilling moments.

The longest match in the three groups mentioned above lasted only five minutes before groups D, E, and F began their battles. Han Xiaoling was in group E, and her opponent was a level 9 speed-type ability user. When the announcer introduced Han Xiaoling, the audience saw a beautiful 14-year-old girl walk onto the stage, while her opponent was a burly man who was at least 1.9 meters tall.

Shangguan Jingyun smiled and asked the other three participants from Black Gold City, "Who do you think will win this group? One is a 14-year-old girl, and the other is a tall 30-year-old man." Her cousin, Shangguan Feng, said, "Logically speaking, it's not easy for an 8th-level person to fight a 9th-level person, but Han Xiaoling is from Dawn City and is also the adopted sister of City Lord Li. I've seen her fight once before. She's a wind-attribute awakened person. She was only 6th-level then, but now she's 8th-level. Her strength is definitely not to be underestimated, so I think Han Xiaoling will win."

The other two nodded in agreement. Shangguan Jingyun nodded: "I heard that in the battle a while ago, Han Xiaoling almost instantly killed an 8th-level zombie, so even though this is against a 9th-level zombie, she can easily win. Besides, that ability user is a speed-type, so she has no advantage at all."

Before she could finish speaking, Han Xiaoling had already defeated her opponent in just one minute. This made Shangguan Jingyun's eyes widen in disbelief. She had expected Han Xiaoling to win easily, but she hadn't anticipated it would be this easy. The level 9 speed-type ability user, knocked outside the designated combat area, sat on the ground in disbelief. After a while, he stood up and walked off the stage somewhat embarrassed.

This battle stunned almost all the spectators. Some exclaimed in surprise, "Is this little girl really level 8? It only took about a minute, yet she defeated a level 9 ability user!" The contestants from the other bases and the leaders who came were also quite surprised by this result. Some contestants began to pay close attention to the four contestants from Dawn City.

Sun Tianlong said to Feng Tian in the private room, "Good, this little girl is really good. I never really noticed her before. Your Dawn City is truly full of hidden talents. Hahaha." Feng Tian was a little worried, "Revealing her strength too early has made her the focus of everyone's attention. The battles that follow won't be easy." Xu Limin said with a smile, "In the face of absolute strength, their attention is useless. We're not afraid of them pulling any tricks."

Han Xiaoling returned to the rest area for the Eastern Theater Command players and said shyly, "Am I too attention-grabbing?" Yun Lan pulled her over and hugged her, saying, "No, no, it's good to be noticed. It also helps to better showcase the strength of Dawn City and the Eastern Theater Command. As long as we are strong, nothing else matters." The other players from the Eastern Theater Command also congratulated Han Xiaoling.

Li Chenglong had just been called over by Chen Guoqiang and sat in the back row, slightly to the right. The two were chatting about something, but judging from their expressions, they seemed to be having a good time. The six matches in these three groups also ended quickly. Apart from Han Xiaoling's victory over a level 9 opponent, which caused quite a stir, the other matches were rather uneventful. Although they looked exciting, they certainly didn't generate as much buzz as Han Xiaoling's match.

Groups G, H, and I then began their matches. Li Xue was placed in Group H, facing an 8th-level water-type ability user in her group. Needless to say, after some initial probing, Li Xue defeated her opponent in less than two minutes. However, Li Xue would face a tough battle in this group, as Xu Chu, a 10th-level dual-element ability user, was also assigned there, meaning a confrontation was inevitable.

The morning matches concluded at 11:4 AM. Of the four players from Shuguang City, Yunlan and Han Xiaoling had already played two rounds and won both, earning 6 points each. Li Xue and Yang Liu's second round wouldn't begin until the afternoon, but both of them had already secured 3 points.