Wow! The item-dropping rate is really high!-Chapter 1049 - 718: Aftermath and the Second Stage (2)

The audience supporting the dark horse and disapproving of the hegemony of the Seven Sons of the Empire were jubilant, as Bai E and New Bauhinia's reputation reached a new peak in their hearts.

Rumors of the "Eight Sons of the Empire" even began to circulate.

Many small and medium-sized powers also started to reassess the possibility of engaging with New Bauhinia.

A power with such a strong leader and unique technology, even if currently small, has a future full of potential.

Of course, many also believed that Astra might have been careless, or that Bai E just happened to counter his abilities, with real challenges still ahead.

But in any case, Bai E earned respect and fear through his strength, and the name "New Bauhinia" was firmly established among the strong in the Star Alliance Tournament.

With five consecutive wins on the first day and a shocking victory over Astra, New Bauhinia established an excellent point foundation and psychological advantage.

In the following fourteen days of the point-based competition, New Bauhinia's team members continued to compete.

As Bai E expected, each subsequent battle became more difficult.

Opponents had clearly studied recordings of their previous battles and developed more targeted strategies.

Apart from the initial members like Kuang Xin, Rose, Catherine, and Gu Lan, the subsequent team members performed well, but not without losses.

They encountered ruthless blocks from other "Sons of the Empire" teams and lost to some teams with bizarre tactics or genuine strength.

Particularly in team collaboration projects, New Bauhinia exposed weaknesses in relatively short cooperation time and an immature tactical system, losing several matches.

However, thanks to the strong individual abilities of many members, New Bauhinia's score remained stable in the top tier.

Finally, the first stage of the fifteen-day "Qualification Selection" ended.

The New Bauhinia Republic's team ranked seventh in total points, successfully advancing to the top sixty-four and qualifying for the second stage "Glory Elimination."

This achievement was remarkable for a first-time participating team from the Edge Star Domain.

But controversy followed.

Kuang Xin, lying in the base and browsing, alternated between redness and silly grins.

"A newly established small country, competing for the first time in the Star Alliance Final and making it to the top sixty-four, ranking seventh! It's a miracle! Those core mech pilots of theirs, each is top-notch. Their captain Bai E is unfathomable! The future is promising!"

"They just caught others off guard in the initial matches, didn't they also lose several later matches once they were studied? Especially in team competitions, they lost quite embarrassingly. It shows their lack of foundation, relying on a few standout members. In the knockout stage, a single-elimination format, if their weaknesses are caught, they might only last one round. Reaching the top sixty-four was lucky for them, they won't go far beyond that."

Such opposing viewpoints argued ceaselessly online, with some "pure bystanders" who seemed unbiased but stirred up trouble, creating a lively atmosphere.

Undeniably, it was the first time anyone had outshone the established Seven Sons of the Empire in an event of the Star Alliance Tournament's magnitude.

During the short break, many in the base spent their days debating online.

After a brief period of rest and tactical adjustment, the Star Alliance Event Committee officially announced the detailed schedule and rules for the second stage.

Elorin briefed Bai E and others at the tactical meeting:

"The second stage, 'Glory Elimination.' The sixty-four advancing teams will compete through a completely random draw in a single-elimination tournament. This means no room for error, losing one match leads to immediate elimination."

"The competition will be more diverse and brutal. The battlefield will no longer be a standard arena, but will shift to 'Glory Battle World' with extremely complex, harsh, and even dangerous 'special arenas.'" Elorin displayed the relevant information, "Currently announced possible arena types include:"

'Deep Blue Purgatory': An undersea high-pressure environment, testing mecha's sealing, pressure resistance, and underwater mobility. It may involve strong currents, deep-sea beasts, or minefields.

'Heart of Melting Core': Active volcanic areas or around lava lakes, with extreme high temperatures, toxic gases, collapsible ground, and intermittent lava eruptions.

'Void Wasteland': Strong radiation, low gravity or microgravity regions, possibly within abandoned space facilities or asteroid debris fields, demanding high mecha radiation protection, maneuver control, and spatial perception.

'Gravity Maze': A massive space station ruin with fluctuating gravity, testing the pilot's adaptability and mecha posture control.

'Spiritual Storm': A region with extremely chaotic spiritual energy background, filled with illusions or energy turbulence, posing a great challenge to the stability of spiritual ability users, possibly disrupting regular sensors and communication.

"Each match's specific venue, environmental parameters, and victory conditions, such as defeating opponents, seizing target points, holding a position for a set time, or collecting special items, will be announced 24 hours before the match begins. This tests the team's rapid response, environmental adaptation, and tactical formulation abilities."

Elorin's tone was serious: "This is no longer merely a stage for comparing mecha performance and individual pilot skills, but a comprehensive test of a team's overall strength, intelligence analysis, logistics support, tactical knowledge, and adaptability. Many teams that performed well in the points race phase may stumble due to unfamiliarity with certain extreme environments or incompetence at specific task modes."

"Additionally," he added, "during the elimination phase, opponent information will become harder to obtain. Everyone will hide their true tactics and trump cards. The random draw also means we could encounter any powerful opponents early on, including ace teams of the 'Sons of the Empire.'"

After hearing this, Bai E's gaze swept across everyone in the meeting room.

Kuang Xin, Rose, Catherine, Gu Lan, Zero, Ares... everyone had a serious look on their faces, but there was more of a burning desire to fight.

Having experienced the trials and victories of the first stage, the team's demeanor had transformed, becoming more composed and confident.

They no longer felt the universe was so vast and distant.

What were once ethereal ideas had become tangible experiences.

These people, stepping out from what they once believed were "native planets," had long since lost their awe of the "universe."

After all, the people in the universe weren't much more formidable than they were, and the so-called "Seven Sons of the Empire"... were nothing special.

"We arrived a month early, acclimated to the 'Star City' environment, and have a preliminary understanding of the 'Glory Battle World.'"

Bai E spoke slowly, "But the second stage is the real battle of life and death. There are no points to squander, no second chances."

"Starting today, adjust our training focus. Dr. Helen needs to expedite the development of the environmental adaptation modules for the 'Dawn's Edge' series. We must conduct specialized simulation training for the possible environments announced. Gong Yan, intelligence collection must continue, with a focus on potential opponents' historical performances in extreme environments and analyses of tactical tendencies. Elorin, please continue to assist us in monitoring tournament details and draw dynamics."

He stood up, staring at the star map on the wall, which marked "Glory Battle World" and those known dangerous zones.

"The results of the first stage only gave us a ticket to the show. The real fight begins now."

"For those who think we 'lack depth' or 'only have a few tricks up our sleeves,' let them see in the second stage..."

"What the resilience of 'New Bauhinia' is, and what our foundation truly is."