After listening to the adjutant’s detailed explanation, everyone thoroughly understood the rules of the new recruit arena competition.
Firstly, the special special forces base had constructed a total of 200 challenge arenas.
Each arena was designed for two combatants.
To ensure the personal safety of the new recruits and to achieve the fundamental purpose of stopping at the right moment, the platoon leaders and their deputies for each new recruit platoon would be alternately assigned as referees for each arena.
The purpose of this staggered arrangement was to prevent these platoon leaders from showing favoritism and thus disregarding the fairness of the arena competition!
This concern was by no means superfluous in the military!
Almost everyone who had served in the military knew that while their superiors might scold or hit their own soldiers, they would absolutely not allow their own men to suffer at the hands of others!
Therefore, protecting one’s own subordinates was almost commonplace in the military.
Besides this, the adjutant also clearly explained the combat rules.
In the selection format of two-person matches, the combatants were determined by random drawing of lots. 138 Reading Network.
However, due to the thousands of new recruits in previous years, numbering the new recruits was not reliable.
Thus, the new recruit arena competitions were almost always numbered by the number of arenas.
Each lot had and would only have two identical pieces.
For instance, a lot labeled “100-3” would have exactly two such lots in the entire pool.
Those who drew these two lots would naturally become opponents in the arena competition.
The meaning of such a lot was interpreted as: Arena number 100, third match.
This was simple, clear, and easy to understand.
Secondly, the method of determining victory in the matches adopted the traditional best-of-three system.
The winning party would advance, and the losing party would not be eliminated but would continue to be arranged for corresponding matches to determine the final rankings.
Of course, no one paid much attention to the rankings of the losers.
After all, they were not among the top ranks!
“With over 6,000 new recruits in total, after one match, only about 3,000 remain, then 1500, 750, 375. What about after that? There will inevitably be odd numbers in between, right?”
In response to Han Lang’s question, Tang Geng patiently explained.
“Odd numbers are almost unavoidable. But after 200, even if there are some discrepancies in the rankings, it won’t have much impact. As for before 200, those individuals are almost the pre-selected new recruit squad leaders. There will naturally be some competition for these promotion opportunities. However, their opportunities will ultimately depend on the choices of the top ten. After all, only the top ten have the right to choose their teammates! Therefore, as the matches progress, the losers will be ranked to fill the top 32 spots for the final round!”
Once they reached the finals, the rankings of the top 32 would be determined one by one.
Especially for the top 20, because if any of the top ten were chosen, the subsequent positions would still need to be awarded ten selection slots according to their rankings.
After understanding the rules of the new recruit arena competition, the drawing of lots ceremony officially began.
After a period of waiting, it was finally Han Lang and the other three’s turn.
Tang Geng, who drew first, walked to the drawing table with a calm demeanor. He drew the second match for Arena number 50.
Han Lang drew the first match for Arena number 70;
Ma Long drew the fifth match for Arena number 105;
Tang Qin, last, drew the eighth match for Arena number 29;
The four were almost completely staggered. Tang Qin and Ma Long, due to their later match times, would have ample time to watch Tang Geng and Han Lang’s battles.
However, as Han Lang and Tang Geng were too close, they discussed and decided that Tang Qin would cheer for Tang Geng, who was in the second match, while Ma Long would closely follow Han Lang.
The new recruit arena competition was about to begin. As the combatants stepped onto the stage, this annual event of the special special forces finally commenced.
“Go, little sir!”
With a word of encouragement from Ma Long, Han Lang took the lead and was the first to step onto the arena.
His opponent was a middle-aged man with a full beard.
Han Lang did not recognize the man, but the latter seemed to have a very deep impression of Han Lang.
“Yo, isn’t this the brother who treated a pile of scrap iron as treasure in the treasure pavilion? It seems heaven is treating me well, sending me a victory right from the start! Haha…”
Looking at the smug bearded man, Han Lang simply smiled faintly and did not reply. At the same time, he controlled three golden needles, ready to strike!
Seeing that Han Lang was ignoring him, the bearded man’s expression seemed somewhat awkward.
In his eyes, Han Lang’s lack of response was a blatant disregard for him.
The cultivators of the special special forces were all elites in the cultivation world, and everyone had a degree of arrogance deep down. Therefore, facing Han Lang’s disdain, the bearded man was naturally extremely displeased.
Thus, as soon as the referee’s starting order was given, he impatiently lunged at Han Lang.
“Hmph!”
Looking at the opponent’s powerful offensive, which was as sharp as a broken bamboo but full of flaws, Han Lang was filled with disdain.
With this move, he could already determine that the opponent was merely an ordinary cultivator at the early stage of Foundation Establishment.
Han Lang showed no mercy and immediately drove his golden needles with full force.
One needle to counter; one needle for a feint; one needle to defeat the enemy;
With a loud “boom.”
By the time the spectators below the stage recovered, the bearded man was already lying at the edge of the arena, unable to move for a long time.
“Damn! That strong? Solved it in one move?”
“Damn it! I didn’t even see it clearly, and it’s over already?”
“Isn’t the bearded man too easily defeated?”
“Perhaps he wasn’t prepared? Let’s wait and see the second and third rounds.”
Hearing everyone’s incredulous comments, Ma Long’s face seemed even more triumphant than Han Lang, the victor.
After a period of recovery, the bearded man finally regained his senses.
His brows were furrowed, and he seemed full of dissatisfaction with his defeat in this round.
Soon, the second round began.
This time, Han Lang again showed no mercy, even taking the initiative. At the same moment the referee announced the start of the match, three golden needles had already reached the bearded man.
The bearded man had no time to react. Like a lamb to the slaughter, without even using a single move, he was already defeated.
He was unconvinced, resentful, and disbelieving!
But the result announced by the referee forced him to accept this reality.
Ma Long below the stage was even more disdainful and annoyed.
“Damn! With this kind of strength, it’s too boring! I haven’t even prepared to cheer for the little sir yet!”
Other spectators also reacted.
“It seems the bearded man’s strength is truly not good! Being defeated in one move twice in a row is just trash!”
“Who’s saying otherwise? Look at him, still looking unconvinced! Even if he had another ten years, he probably wouldn’t be his opponent!”
“Or maybe it’s just that the opponent is too strong! Although we as spectators can’t directly judge the opponent’s strength, I think even I might not be much stronger than the bearded man!”
“This brother is right! The bearded man might indeed be weak, but everyone must admit that his opponent is truly strong!”
After the referee announced the result, Han Lang paid no attention to the surrounding discussions. Instead, he acted as if nothing had happened and called out to Ma Long, heading towards Arena number 105!