Chapter 75

In other words, Xu Jintang and his team will not encounter any particularly strong opponents before the semi-finals.

Xu Jintang looked around curiously, wanting to check out the other two strong teams, but unfortunately there were too many people at the scene, and after searching for a long time, he couldn't find them and had to turn his attention away.

After the group draw for each match concluded, the staff removed the draw box and pointed to the screen behind them, announcing, "The group assignments for each team have now been entered into our system. We will now begin the random opponent matching process."

As soon as the words were spoken, the light screen floating behind the staff member began to flash wildly, with the names of each team bouncing on it.

Three seconds later, the image froze.

The words "Mask Squad" appeared in the grouping table on the first page.

[Match 1: Mask Squad vs. Heavenly Radiance Team]

"So our opponent is the Heavenly Radiance Team?" Yan Yuting whispered from the side.

Xu Jintang nodded, "Mm."

"Now, please have the two teams assigned to the first match prepare. Our first round of the points competition will officially begin in twenty minutes," the staff member said calmly.

"Wait, we're playing the very first match?" Song Tianqi only realized this now.

Xue Zhongqi glanced at him. "Yeah, the match starts in twenty minutes."

At this moment, the other teams around them all turned around.

Xu Jintang's team was the only one that wore ghost face masks during the competition, and everyone had a deep impression of them.

Realizing the match was about to begin, Yan Yuting immediately tensed up, gripping the Wind Shadow Whip tightly in his hand, taking deep breaths repeatedly, and trying to adjust his mindset.

With a "bang," a beam of light descended from the sky and shone onto the arena.

Then, a male host dressed in a tuxedo slowly rose up from an automatic lifting platform.

With an excited smile on his face, he held up the microphone and began to speak, "That's right! We meet again, everyone. I'm your old friend, your host Li Xiang. Now I'm officially announcing the opening of the Ability User Competition! In twenty minutes, our arena will host the first points match, between the Mask Squad and the Heavenly Radiance Squad."

"Some of our longtime friends may know that the Heavenly Radiance Squad is a veteran team. In last year's Ability User Competition, this team made it into the top 32, demonstrating their formidable overall strength."

"And their opponent in this round Mask Squad, is a completely new participating team. From what I understand, the average age of the five members of the Mask Squad is no more than sixteen years old, making them an extremely young team. So, what kind of strength will they display? Let's wait and see!"

After the warm-up ended, Li Xiang slowly left the arena, and silence returned.

A cacophony of voices rose from the stands, which held hundreds of thousands of people.

"Mask Squad? I've never heard of this team before."

"The host just mentioned that the average age of the five members of this team is no more than sixteen. They should be first-year students who have just entered military academy and want to come and broaden their horizons?"

"Heavenly Radiance Team was also unlucky last year. They ran into last year's champion team in the qualifying rounds, which is why they were eliminated in the top 32. Otherwise, with their overall strength, they should have been able to make it into the top 16."

The audience members present were clearly regular viewers of the Ability User Competition and were very familiar with the strength of each team.

At this moment, in the waiting area.

Xu Jintang and his five teammates, along with members of the Heavenly Radiance Team, have already arrived to warm up.

Monitoring satellites that can move in real time begin to track and film the scene.

The warm-up footage of both teams was simultaneously broadcast live on the Star Network platform.

Why is the entire Mask Squad wearing masks? Are they deliberately trying to attract attention?

What's the point of all that fancy stuff? Real strength is what matters most.

[I have to say, I'm actually quite looking forward to this Mask Squad.]

[Didn't you hear what the host said? The average age of the five members of this Mask Squad is no more than sixteen years old; they're clearly a group of freshmen who just entered military academy. Many of the teams in this Ability User Competition are formed by second- or third-year students from military academies, and their overall strength is simply incomparable to that of freshmen.]

[Heavenly glory, supreme honor!]

Please, please let the Heavenly Radiance Team last a few more rounds this year.

Time ticked by, second by second.

With only five minutes left before the match began, host Li Xiang reappeared on the stage.

The dazzling lights shone on him as he held the microphone high, his posture ramrod straight. "Now, let's begin the random selection of the two teams for the battle mode!"

After he finished speaking, he raised his hand and pointed to the semi-transparent light screen behind him.

A line of text flashed wildly on the screen, and after a few seconds, it froze at [1v1 gauntlet battle].

Li Xiang's voice held a hint of anticipation, then he cleared his throat and began to explain to the audience:

"As the name suggests, the 1v1 gauntlet battle means that each team sends one member to the stage for a duel each round. The winning member stays on the stage to face the next member from the opposing team, until one team loses all its members. The team that remains on the stage at the end is the final winner of the round."

"I'm sure the two teams will deliver several exciting 1v1 matches in ten minutes. Let's look forward to it!"

Xu Jintang had heard Wu Jinghong explain this rule.

In addition to the 1v1 elimination rounds, this tournament also features 2v2, 3v3, and five-player team battle modes.

These are all competition rules set by the competition organizers to provide the audience with more entertainment and excitement.

After all, a single ticket to the competition venue costs five or six thousand star coins.

"Squad leader, if it's a 1v1, who should go first?" Yan Yuting quickly came over to discuss tactics.

The other three also gathered around.

Xu Jintang raised her eyes and looked at Xue Zhongqi. "You come here."

Chapter 75

Xue Zhongqi has been practicing his special weapon recently: the Wolf Fang Hook Spear, a weapon that can extend and retract by releasing a grappling hook, allowing him to instantly move, thrust, and attack.

These types of weapons will make Xue Zhongqi more flexible in combat and make it easier for him to test the strength of his opponent.

Sending him out first was mainly to test the waters.

Xue Zhongqi readily agreed, "Then let me go first."

Meanwhile, the Heavenly Radiance Team next door was also strategizing.

Having experience from the previous competition, the participants appeared more relaxed and composed.

Ten minutes passed quickly.

Host Li Xiang reappeared on the stage, announcing, "The first elimination match, Heavenly Radiance Team versus Mask Squad, is now beginning!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the smile on his face vanished, and he voluntarily retreated to the edge of the ring.

In addition to being the host, he is also a Peak Seventh Tier expert, responsible for serving as the referee for each match.

Xu Jintang and Xue Zhongqi exchanged a glance.

Xue Zhongqi raised an eyebrow, put two fingers together in a salute, and said, "I guarantee I'll take it down."

After saying that, he turned to face the ring, leaped up, and jumped onto the ring.

After regaining his footing, Xue Zhongqi once again held his signature folding fan.

He was dressed in a silver-white casual suit, with a grappling hook gun at his waist. His tall and straight figure was captured by the satellite system and broadcast to the large screen at the scene and the Star Network live broadcast room.

[To be honest, this member of the Mask Squad looks pretty handsome, but I wonder what he looks like behind the mask.]

[That fan in his hand looks interesting; could it be one of his hidden weapons?]

[Tianyao will win! Take this game in two minutes!]

At this moment, Xin Honglang, a member of the Heavenly Radiance Team, also stepped onto the stage.

He glanced indifferently at Xue Zhongqi and coldly introduced himself, "Xin Honglang Heavenly Radiance Team."

Xue Zhongqi shook his folding fan. "Mask Squad, Big Watermelon."

Xin Honglang was stunned for a moment, looking like he thought, "Did I hear that right?"

Before long, their voices were amplified and broadcast throughout the venue.

The audience members who had been discussing the matter were suddenly stunned.

"Did I hear that right? What's the name of that Mask Squad member?"

"Mask Squad Big Watermelon?"

The viewers in the live stream were silent for a few seconds, then burst into laughter in the chat.

[Hilarious! How can anyone have that name?]

[Who exactly is this Mask Squad? How can they be so hilarious?]

[Putting everything else aside, at least I can now completely remember the words "Mask Squad Big Watermelon" hahaha.]

Li Xiang, who was on the stage, was also stunned for a moment.

Fortunately, he maintained his professionalism and quickly regained his composure, calmly announcing the rules. "This round of the competition is a 1v1 elimination tournament. If one side voluntarily concedes, loses their fighting ability, or falls off the stage, the other side wins. The winning player can continue to defend their title, while the losing side must send a replacement player to challenge for the title."

"The team that remains standing in the ring after all its members have taken their turn in the ring is the winner."

"The match begins now."

At his command, Li Xiang immediately stepped back, clearing the competition area.

Xu Jintang, sitting in the audience, rested his chin on his hand, looking completely at ease.

"Squad leader, I'm still a little nervous, what should I do?" Yan Yuting leaned closer and whispered for help.

Xu Jintang turned to look at her. "This is easy to solve. After Xue Zhongqi loses, you're next."

Yan Yuting opened her mouth wide and her eyes widened, "Huh?"

"It's just a competition; the more you play, the less nervous you'll be," Xu Jintang said with a smile, gently patting her shoulder.

"No, squad leader!" Yan Yuting was on the verge of tears.

At this moment, the battle on the arena had already begun.

The folding fan in Xue Zhongqi vanished instantly. He raised his hand, drew the hook-and-spear from his waist, and charged towards Xin Honglang.

Xin Honglang's expression turned serious, and he quickly raised his hand to activate his supernatural power.

Suddenly, a huge rock appeared out of thin air in front of him, hovering in the air and constantly dropping stone fragments and debris.