The mech match had begun!
Neither side hesitated. With direct and decisive movements, the two melee mechas charged toward each other, rapidly closing the distance.
When two melee mechas clashed in combat, it all came down to whose battle technique was stronger and whose soul skills better enhanced their mecha's performance.
Generally speaking, a soul master's cultivation had to be strong to provide meaningful support to their mecha through soul skills. Below three rings, a soul master's attacks lacked sufficient strength to even shake the opponent's protective shields.
Every mech pilot, when choosing a mecha, always considered how well it aligned with their martial soul. Only by selecting the most compatible combination could they unleash their full potential in mecha combat.
The opponent's mecha raised its massive blade and slashed directly at Gu You. When it launched the attack, the enormous blade moved with astonishing speed. Though massive and heavy, it suddenly erupted like lightning, flashing toward Gu You in an instant.
Gu You narrowed his eyes, his hands flying across the control panel. The long spear in his mecha's hand swept upward to block.
An explosive force instantly knocked the opponent's mecha back.
The other mecha stabilized itself, a layer of flame-like light erupting from its form. The blade's glow grew sharper, its momentum aggressive.
'Overconfident. Break!'
A terrifying multicolored radiance burst from the tip of Gu You's spear. A massive dragon surged forth.
The intent of the spear was overwhelming—an unmatched path opened forward.
Clang!
The opponent's blade-wielding mecha was instantly engulfed and disappeared without a trace.
Match over!
…
The hatch of a Star Dou pod opened. The Third Battalion Commander emerged with a sour expression. After quickly dressing, he was surrounded by a crowd.
"Who the hell was that? That spear intent… it was divine…"
Gu You let out a long breath and stretched as he exited the cockpit.
Today marked the end of the western region's elimination round. He had successfully advanced to the round-robin stage.
He was granted a three-day break—not bad!
Unfortunately, not all that useful. He might as well spend the time stabilizing his current cultivation. Breaking through to Rank 80 and forming his soul core would be far more beneficial.
…
Upon logging into the Star Dou Battle Network again, Gu You noticed that the symbols above his avatar had changed. The previous golden and silver arrows had transformed into triangles, and their glow had brightened.
This represented his advancement into the round-robin stage of both the soul master and mech tournaments.
Gu You also realized something else: when he walked through the crowd, many people glanced up at the indicators above his head. Very few had dual markings like his.
Today, the number of people entering the western division stadium far exceeded the number of competitors.
Just like in the elimination rounds, the soul master and mech competitions alternated days in the round-robin phase.
Sixty-four participants had entered the soul master round-robin phase, and half would be eliminated. Yet from what Gu You saw, the total headcount in the stadium was several times that.
'Are they spectators?'
"Respected round-robin competitor," a synthesized voice announced, "now that the western division has entered the round-robin stage, spectator mode is enabled. Anyone may watch the matches by paying federal credits. You may also observe other matches. Ticket prices vary based on location."
A digital price list popped up before Gu You, leaving him dumbfounded.
'This… this is next-level capitalism…'
Gu You was utterly speechless. 'Scam artists! Turns out the Federation is the biggest profiteer of all.'
Watching matches now cost money. The Star Dou Network had only just begun to expand, so revenue was likely still modest. But if they allowed the general public to enter in the future, this platform's financial potential would be astronomical. If the network reached every corner of the Federation, not even the Spirit Pagoda could compete economically.
As he pondered this, his match time arrived.
A flash of light transported Gu You to the arena.
It was the same massive combat field as before, but now he could vaguely see audiences sitting in the surrounding space, preparing to spectate.
His opponent appeared on the far side of the field. From appearances alone, there wasn't much difference. But Gu You quickly noticed a new feature absent during the elimination round: name display.
To help audiences remember and follow their favorite competitors, the system now showed players' names.
When he saw his opponent's name, Gu You couldn't help but chuckle.
Sixty-Forty Split!
Sixty-Forty Split was none other than Jiang Wuyue! Though they had avoided each other in the earlier elimination matches, fate had finally caught up. They were now placed in the same group for the round-robin—and facing each other in the very first match.
Jiang Wuyue, upon seeing his opponent was Gu You, couldn't help but curse.
'What kind of luck is this!?'
Only then did the countdown begin.
"Five, four, three, two, one. Begin!"
"I surrender!" came the shout.
In a flash of light, Sixty-Forty Split vanished instantly.
Gu You heard the system voice in his ear.
"Opponent Sixty-Forty Split has surrendered. You win the first round of the round-robin stage."
'Uh…'
Gu You was speechless.
Meanwhile, the audience who had purchased tickets for this match erupted into chaos. Gu You couldn't hear their complaints, but it wasn't hard to imagine the outrage. After paying to watch, they got nothing but air.
They paid big bucks only to get a one-second highlight.
Spectators inside the stadium quickly vanished, like being instantly teleported away. The next moment, Gu You was returned to the waiting area.
There, he immediately spotted Jiang Wuyue—his name still flickering above him.
"Why'd you surrender, Wuyue?" They were familiar enough now to address each other casually.
Jiang Wuyue replied gruffly, "What was I supposed to do? Let you beat me up? I'm not a masochist."
"What about the audience? Didn't they pay to watch? If this happened in real life, we'd probably get mobbed."
Jiang Wuyue chuckled. "Don't worry. The Federation anticipated this. If someone surrenders, spectators are instantly transferred to another ongoing match. It's all virtual anyway—there's no audience limit in the arena. Still, it sucks that I had to run into you in the first round."
Despite his complaint, Jiang Wuyue wasn't actually upset. With the round-robin format, as long as he won four or more matches, he'd likely advance. Losing to Gu You didn't make much difference.
(End of Chapter)
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