"Hehe, just lucky! You're too kind!" Zhang Yang modestly grinned.

"Haha, this young man is quite humble! We have other things to arrange, so we won't chat with you for now. Let's get together when we have a chance!" Zhou Chen's tone was also very friendly.

"Okay, you go ahead!"

...

After Zhou Chen and his people walked away, Liu Zi pouted and said, "All top-tier competitive teams, look at the quality of the Hua Clan's members, then look at Tianyuan's, it really feels different!"

Indeed, when they first met face to face, Huang Zheng exuded arrogance from the moment he parked, and it showed in his speech. In contrast, the Hua Clan's team leader was very polite and well-mannered in his interactions.

Zhang Yang nodded and said, "Liu Zi is right about this! But these don't matter, they're just superficial things! People giving you a smile doesn't mean much, it just shows they're well-mannered. To truly earn respect, your strength is what counts!"

"What you said makes sense, with quality like the Hua Clan's, I'd be willing to lose to them!" Liu Zi continued to express his stance.

Han Mocheng glanced at Liu Zi, discontentedly commenting, "Come on, losing to anyone is unacceptable! A competition is a competition, it's ruthless, and you can't afford to be soft-hearted!"

"Han Bro and Yang Bro are right, we're here for results, not to play nice! If they're not convinced, we'll bring them down!" Meng Fan chimed in.

With that, both Liu Zi and Xiaobao fell silent. Being young, they lacked depth in their views, which is something that can't be improved just by honing basics.

Zhang Yang waved his hand and continued to remind them: "Alright, stop dawdling. Let me remind you of the important things once more.

Today's 168 to 64 match is about total weight of mixed fish!

Fishing mixed breed is our team's strength, remember to prep and use the bait properly, adjust the water ratio and state!

In a public bait match, you can't prepare the bait before entering, you each have to get your bait and prepare it at your fishing spot!

Lastly, I emphasize again, in a public bait match, no bait or additives are allowed in; not a single drop!

You need to remove all these sensitive items beforehand! If the referee catches you, it's game over, it's a severe violation, you'll be disqualified, and no one can help you!"

Zhang Yang reiterated the rules of the public bait match several times, and soon the loudspeaker announced the anglers to gather for the opening ceremony. All official competitions follow this process, and the team members who have attended numerous contests were used to it.

It's worth mentioning, after the opening ceremony speeches, when the athlete representative took the stage to speak, it was Hua Clan's Wang Chao who did the honors. He took the stage with a script and recited it quite convincingly.

This side note is that Wang Chao later became famous as Shandong's little fishing king in the domestic competitive scene. He is a quintessential example of someone who changed his destiny through fishing, having successfully won the heart of Hua Shaoxin's daughter and becoming Teacher Hua's son-in-law. Later, he gradually took over the family business, becoming the de facto head of the Hua Clan.

In terms of reaching the pinnacle of life through fishing, our Super Bro's path was a hundred times better than Zhang Yang's, a true winner in life.

...

After the opening ceremony, the first round of the FTT competition officially began.

In the 168 to 64 competition, the first round was divided into 21 groups, each with 8 anglers, random draw, mixed fish, with four sections, each section lasting 30 minutes.

It's worth noting that the fishing positions for these four sections weren't fixed. The position for the first section was determined by drawing lots, and from the second section onwards, it followed the order of the previous section, moving clockwise. This greatly reduced the impact of fishing position on the competition's results.

After hearing the announcement for all anglers to prepare for the draw by phone and to check their rods before entering, Zhang Yang and the others logged into the mini program, found their draw number with a click, and their fishing position numbers were revealed.

Due to the rules of the competition, Zhang Yang didn't have high expectations for his position in the first round. In the 168 to 64, out of 21 groups, the top three from each group would advance, with the top 63 advancing directly and the best fourth-place finisher from all groups taking the 64th spot. A total of 64 positions would make it to the next round.

Roughly speaking, in a group of eight, with the top three advancing, the probability was such that as long as the fish behaved normally, Zhang Yang wasn't under too much pressure.

With this mindset, Zhang Yang clicked the draw button.

The numbers immediately began to scroll wildly, finally stopping on a sequence on the screen.

Group H, No. 05.

In a group of eight fishing positions, No. 05 was right around the middle of the group. Seeing this position number, Zhang Yang knew that the first round was virtually secured.

Over four sections, starting at position 05, according to the rotation rules, the second section would be at No. 06, the third at No. 07, and the fourth at No. 08, in sequence, clear and simple.

Once the draw concluded, the loudspeaker urged people to enter through different zone entrances.

At the entrance, referees and several staff conducted the unified rod length check. Contestants could bring one main rod and one spare rod into the fishing ground, using a 4.5m size for mixed fishing. The anglers just needed to place their rods on the table, and a staff member would fully extend them to confirm the length. After ensuring the length was correct, they would put a sticker on the rod's handle, allowing the angler to bring the rod into the fishing ground for competition.