The Next Opponent

"The results of the match over there are in too."

After the interview ended, Yan Xiaoxin said to Bai Xiaowen.

"Who will be our opponent in the next round?"

The previous draw had already determined the subsequent competition schedule.

The "over there" that Yan Xiaoxin mentioned refers to the teams that might compete with Jinghai University for a spot in the top eight: Shandong University and NMG University.

"It's Shandong University. I just received the news that Shandong University defeated NMG University 2-0 and advanced to the round of 16," Yan Xiaoxin said.

"Shandong University... that Fatty Bao is really something, not to be underestimated," Bai Xiaowen said with a smile.

"Yes, Shandong University eliminated us in the first round last year, and this year we finally have a chance for revenge." After this clean 2-0 victory, Yan Xiaoxin had a better understanding of Bai Xiaowen's competitive strength, and she spoke with great confidence.

The "competitive ability" mentioned here includes not only hard skills, but also a series of soft skills such as understanding tactics, teamwork, and controlling the pace of the game.

In fact, Bai Xiaowen's actual strength in the competition was not stronger than Duanmucheng's. The reason he was able to win two matches by a large margin was mainly because he drew two game modes that were suitable for his Tactical Brain to exert his power.

If Bai Xiaowen draws the True Kill Mode and it's a real fight, he might win, but he'll definitely be forced to reveal more of his trump cards. Not to mention, the Blood Essence Stone's Killing Thirst passive skill will definitely be exposed, and the Vengeful Spirit Ghost's Venomous Resentment Vengeance mana-draining skill might also be revealed.

This is also why the Anhui University team was unwilling to accept defeat; they weren't convinced by the team's superior strength.

However, Bai Xiaowen didn't care what her opponent was thinking when they fell, nor was she interested in correcting their misconceptions.

"When is the second round? Are we playing at home or away?" Bai Xiaowen asked.

The first round of the National Championship consists of matches between the first-place team from one region and the second-place team from another region, with the home team being the university that qualified first. However, the second round of the knockout stage is different.

"Next Saturday's game will be decided by the CUAA university standings, with the higher-ranked school playing at home," Yan Xiaoxin said. "Shandong University is eighth in the CUAA university standings, so we..."

"The away team, right? I understand."

Given Jinghai University's consistently poor performance, often being eliminated in the first round, they rank outside the top 30 in the CUAA university rankings. Basically, all the teams that make it to the top 16 are ranked higher than Jinghai University...

The other team members listening nearby, especially the newly selected substitutes, were all astonished, their mouths agape.

"In that case... it seems the next few rounds will all be away games..."

"Yes, playing at home definitely gives them an advantage..."

Bai Xiaowen shook her head slightly. "There's no advantage to speak of."

"The so-called home advantage is nothing more than two aspects. The first is the environment; it's inevitable to feel out of place when traveling to an unfamiliar city. The second is the support of the home team from the audience; some off-field factors can put psychological pressure on the away team."

"However, we'll be traveling to Shandong University via teleportation, so there won't be any travel fatigue. As for external factors, they're negligible. We'll be fighting in a separate space within the Psionic Training Ground, so no matter how loudly the home team's fans shout, we won't hear them..."

Yan Xiaoxin smiled and said, "Hearing you say that makes me feel relieved..."

There is definitely a difference between home and away games, but the difference isn't as significant as it would be in a football or basketball game from another timeline.

"The second round starts next Saturday, so there are still five and a half days left. I plan to go to the Wilderness Zone," Bai Xiaowen said.

Li Shuyi exclaimed, "Ah! Aren't we going to continue training?"

"You stay and train with everyone, I don't need to," Bai Xiaowen said with a smile. "Don't worry, I won't go deep into the Wilderness Zone. It's just that since Butcher evolved, he hasn't been able to properly stack the passive health cap of ' Slaughterhouse.' I'm just stacking the cap for Butcher this time, and I'll come back once it's full."

The Butcher's Slaughterhouse skill is an extremely powerful skill that can stack up to 100% of maximum Life Value without any negative effects! However, it stacks up slowly, requiring a lot of grinding.

Since they weren't going deep into the wilderness this time, Bai Xiaowen decided not to bring Li Shuyi along.

Li Shuyi and Bai Xiaowen have excellent teamwork, but their coordination with the other three main players is not as good, mainly because they haven't had enough time to practice together. So, during this period, Li Shuyi and Han Xu practiced together to familiarize themselves with each other's skills and coordination.

As for Bai Xiaowen, although the training time together was also short, with his combat wisdom, he had no problem with basic teamwork. Further training would hardly lead to much improvement. It would be Kingly Way to take the Butcher out for a stroll and stack up the extra 300 points of Life Value.

Understanding Bai Xiaowen's meaning, Li Shuyi nodded in agreement, only adding, "Be careful, remember the last time with the Boutu Guild..."

Bai Xiaowen smiled and said, "Zhao Yannian has already been severely punished, and the Special Rectification Campaign launched by Lord Qiao has been very effective. I don't think anyone will dare to defy the rules. Don't be fooled by how much the Zhao Family hates me; they don't dare to make any rash moves now. Countless eyes are watching them."

Bai Xiaowen was genuinely unafraid of the Zhao Family. If they wanted to deal with him, they would have to deploy Advanced Hero Class, but Advanced Hero Class are basically celebrities who attract attention wherever they go, making them unsuitable for assassination. In addition, Advanced Hero Class have bright futures and may grow into big shots in the future, so they are unwilling to break the law for the Zhao Family for a little benefit, unlike Elite Class.

Moreover, although Lord Qiao and Bai Xiaowen are actually unrelated, people who don't know the facts see it differently...

The Doom Bracelet's Doom Prophecy effect is Bai Xiaowen's source of confidence; as long as he pays even a little attention to whether the smiley face on the bracelet Transformation, it will be very difficult for the enemy to launch a successful sneak attack.

That evening, the University Team organized a dinner to celebrate advancing to the next round. Bai Xiaowen's trip to the Wilderness Zone was postponed to Monday. That night, Bai Xiaowen logged onto Starlight Live to interact with his fans and played a few practice matches, which served as a way to relax and unwind.

The next day, early morning.

"Xiao Wen, breakfast is ready," Li Shuyi called out. Their long-term cohabitation had transformed the once unskilled cook, and now she was making breakfast quite well...

Well, it's basically just Wild King bread slices, secret-recipe tomato sauce, and Cliff Dragon Fruit...

Bai Xiaowen responded from the washroom, finished washing up, and went to the dining room. She sat at the table, spreading ketchup on her bread while quickly browsing the headlines of various newspapers.

There's more to come, don't say it's short... Old Ya is working hard. jpg