Chapter 77

Upon hearing this, Yan Yuting glanced at him and said, "If you're so eager to fight, why don't you take the fall if there's a consequence?"

Song Tianqi was stunned. "Didn't the squad leader say you were to go?"

Yan Yuting coughed quickly, "I'm still nervous."

Xu Jintang glanced at the two of them but didn't join their argument; it didn't really matter to her who went first.

At this moment, Chu Wenkuo had already stepped onto the arena.

He remained calm, simply looking at Xue Zhongqi, and said, "You should be the strongest in your team, right? I noticed you didn't use your special ability in the first two matches. Are you looking down on us?"

Xue Zhongqi was stunned for a moment, then chuckled, "Then you misunderstood. My strength is only average in our team. As for why I didn't use my special ability, that's a rule of our team."

Chu Wenkuo frowned slightly. "What team's rules and regulations prohibit the use of supernatural abilities?"

Xue Zhongqi pointed to himself, "Our team."

Referee Li Xiang spoke up at the opportune moment, asking, "Are you two ready?"

"Ready?" Chu Wenkuo answered first, moving his body to the left side of the arena.

Xue Zhongqi also gave an OK sign and slowly backed away.

Li Xiang glanced at Xue Zhongqi a couple more times, then gestured downwards, "The third match begins!"

Chu Wenkuo's special ability is the Mystic Water Chessboard.

A black and white chessboard slowly appeared in front of him, with a trickle of water flowing within the board, making a gurgling sound.

Xue Zhongqi gripped the hook-and-spear tightly, a hint of seriousness creeping into his eyes.

"The chessboard of all living beings, the myriad phenomena of heaven and earth." Chu Wenkuo slowly uttered the incantation for his supernatural ability, and then a chessboard that appeared in front of him emitted a blinding light.

A powerful current of water poured out from it, like the waters of the Milky Way, surging towards Xue Zhongqi.

As expected of the captain, his strength is on a completely different level from the previous two.

Xue Zhongqi sighed inwardly, then quickly cast his hook and dodged towards safety.

Unfortunately, the water flow also had a tracking effect; wherever Xue Zhongqi hid, the Milky Way water behind him quickly followed.

A deeper look appeared in Xue Zhongqi's eyes.

He immediately turned around, stopped in his tracks, and with a wave of his hand, dozens of Attack Inscription flew out from his sleeve.

The attacking air blades formed a protective barrier, immediately buffering the water's attack.

However, the water flow was far stronger than the inscription attack, and it quickly continued its assault.

At this moment, a circular array slowly appeared in front of Xue Zhongqi, and the dazzling light enveloped the entire arena.

The powerful aura of the array patterns rapidly increased.

A gust of wind stirred everything around it.

After Li Xiang sensed this power, his gaze towards Xue Zhongqi became more surprised.

The members of the Mask Squad are actually Inscription Masters?

Xue Zhongqi only used level one array patterns, but that was enough to deal with Chu Wenkuo.

When the power of the array patterns was formed, Chu Wenkuo's chessboard-like water flow didn't even last a second before being instantly swallowed up.

"This is..." Chu Wenkuo was a little dumbfounded.

He had certainly heard of the unique attack runes of inscription masters, but he never expected that such runes would actually appear before his eyes.

Li Xiang's expression turned serious. Before Chu Wenkuo could speak, he preemptively blocked the array pattern that was about to erupt, explaining, "You can't withstand the power of this array pattern. The Mask Squad wins this match."

The scene was completely silent.

The spectators in the stands were dumbfounded.

The viewers in the live stream were silent for a few seconds before they began to speak and discuss:

[This is only the first elimination round, and there are already rune masters appearing?]

[Let me sort this out. So, the reason this member of the Mask Squad hasn't made a move yet is because he's an Inscription Master? But he hasn't used his special ability yet. Doesn't that mean this isn't even his full strength?]

[Good grief, Heavenly Radiance Team has met their match.]

Chu Wenkuo on the stage was also a bit dumbfounded and couldn't come to his senses for a long time.

Until Xue Zhongqi smiled, clasped his hands in a salute, and said, "Thank you for your kind offer."

Chu Wenkuo then came to his senses and clasped his hands in a fist salute, saying, "You're too kind. Your strength... is indeed beyond my reach."

After saying that, he turned and jumped off the ring, returning to his team with a somber expression.

The other team members quickly gathered around, their faces showing undisguised worry.

"Captain, even you... can't beat them, so what about us..."

Chu Wenkuo shook his head. "There's no need to fight anymore. Since he's an inscription master, he must have plenty of Inscription Talisman. As long as he continues to use the power of array patterns, none of you can stand against him."

We concede defeat in this match.

Since it's still just the points-based competition, even if they lose this match, as long as they maintain a certain winning percentage, they still have a chance to gain more points later on.

There's no need to keep trying to wear down the opponent; after all, losing too many times will definitely leave the players feeling frustrated.

Xin Honglang was somewhat unwilling, but seeing Xue Zhongqi's calm and composed demeanor on the stage, he had no choice but to lower his head.

Having decided to concede, Chu Wenkuo stood down from the ring and declared in a loud voice, "We will concede the next two matches."

Xue Zhongqi raised an eyebrow.

They actually gave up?

The spectators in the stands were also incredulous.

"Heavenly Radiance Team actually conceded defeat. But then again, even their captain had no chance, let alone the other members. It's normal for them to admit defeat."

"They're finished. I was betting that Heavenly Radiance Team might make it into the top 16, and they've already suffered a crushing defeat in their very first qualifying match."

"This Mask Squad is really something. They even have an Inscription Master, and that Big Watermelon hasn't even used his powers yet, but he's already crushed the enemy."

Li Xiang smiled slightly and immediately announced, "Congratulations to the Mask Squad for winning our first points match! According to the rules, the first points match win will grant an additional 50% bonus!"

A points-based match has successfully concluded.

Xue Zhongqi stepped off the stage with a relaxed air and returned to his team, eagerly awaiting praise. "Squad leader, how was it? Did I do a good job with the task?"

"It's alright." Xu Jintang commented casually, arms crossed.

She had discussed it with Xue Zhongqi before the competition started.

Xue Zhongqi also has to participate in the Inscription Master Competition, and both competitions use the same identity information. In any case, Xue Zhongqi's identity as an Inscription Master will inevitably be exposed.

So I simply stopped hiding it.

Today's match has made the Mask Squad famous, and the abilities of their other members have not been revealed.

Overall, it was a fairly satisfactory outcome.

"Squad leader, look, Xue Zhongqi stole all the limelight. Can I come next time?" Song Tianqi rubbed his hands together, his eyes full of anticipation.

Xu Jintang stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Let's see what battle mode we get next. If it's still 1v1, then you can play."

Song Tianqi clasped his hands together and began to pray silently. "I hope I get another 1v1 match next time, I hope I get another 1v1 match next time..."

After winning the match, Xu Jintang and his five teammates maintained their cool demeanor and silently left the field.

Their figures, clad in ghost masks, were captured by a nearby satellite system and broadcast live.

[Sorry, I'm becoming a fan now, this Mask Squad is really cool.]

[No, you can't even see their faces, so what's so handsome about them? But I'm actually kind of looking forward to seeing them take off their masks.]

[Did you guys notice? After that Big Watermelon went off the stage, the first thing he did was report to the guy in the middle. Doesn't that mean that the guy in the middle is actually the strongest on their team?]

[It seems so, I noticed that too. The entire Mask Squad is talking to the person in the middle. Holy crap, if the person in the middle is stronger, then how terrifying is the overall strength of the Mask Squad?]

Chapter 77

After the first round of the points competition, the name of the Mask Squad immediately appeared on the team points ranking list. They earned 100 points for each win, plus an additional 50 points for winning the first match.

The Mask Squad ultimately ranked first in the overall standings with a score of 150 points.

The second-ranked Heavenly Radiance Team, with zero points.

Points-based tournament rules: Each team will be matched with three random opponents in this round. After the three points-based tournaments, teams ranked 64th or lower will be eliminated based on their points ranking.

Therefore, Heavenly Radiance Team, which still has zero points, still has two more chances to make a comeback.

As they emerged from the competition venue, official reporters who had been waiting outside immediately surrounded them. "These five are participating in the Ability User Competition for the first time, and they've already secured their first victory. What are your thoughts on this?"

Xue Zhongqi, who had been in the limelight today, snapped open his folding fan and stood elegantly under the spotlight, smiling as he said, "Nothing much to say, just proceed as usual."

The reporter pressed further, "So, what is the specific reason why all five of you are wearing masks during the competition? Is it to conceal your identities or abilities?"

Xu Jintang said calmly, "It's not convenient to disclose, thank you."

At this moment, the security team arrived to maintain order.

Xu Jintang and his four companions then took the opportunity to leave the scene.

A video replay of Xue Zhongqi's battle against the three members of the Heavenly Radiance Team was projected directly in front of the conference room.

Fifteen minutes later, Wu Jinghong paused the video call and looked up at Xue Zhongqi.

"Although we won this match in the end, it's clear from the details of the battle that you made quite a few mistakes, Xue Zhongqi. Also, in this very first match, you already revealed your array pattern trump card, which will make you vulnerable to being targeted by other teams in the future."

Xue Zhongqi had been quite proud, coughed lightly and quickly lowered his head to admit his mistake. "I was a little too eager to perform."

Even without using array patterns, he had a chance to win against Chu Wenkuo.

He mainly wanted to show off, which is why he ended the fight in the quickest way possible.