Xu Jintang didn't dare to delay and focused his attention on what was in front of him.
"Ten minutes remain until the end of the match," a emotionless electronic voice announced.
Upon hearing this sound, the remaining players on the field immediately lost their composure, and the inscriptions they were repairing exploded, indicating that the repair had failed.
Xu Jintang's gaze remained focused on the Inscription Talisman in his hand, and he became extremely careful with every breath.
One after another, strands of spiritual energy were injected into the formation.
In the final minute of the countdown, the discarded Inscription Talisman in Xu Jintang's hand regained its brilliance.
The proctoring system displayed a notification: [Successfully repaired 9 abandoned inscriptions]
"This round of elimination assessment has concluded. All candidates are requested to leave the venue promptly."
Xu Jintang slowly got up, stretched his arms and body.
A staff member came over and reminded everyone, "Please wait in the public hall on the left for the results and rankings to be announced."
Xu Jintang turned and walked towards the public hall.
At this moment, a small group of viewers flooded into the live broadcast room of the competition.
[Is that all? I haven't seen anything interesting yet since I came in.]
[I remember that player with the Qian Duoduo, Qian Duoduo, was pretty good last time, so why was he so bad today? He failed on the first repair and barely finished the rest of the match.]
[She's still young. I saw in the contestant's profile that Qian Duoduo is only in her early sixteens. Compared to veterans like Jiang Xiangyang who have already participated in major competitions, she lacks experience.]
There has always been little outside attention to the Inscription Master Competition. After the competition ended and there was nothing interesting to watch, the viewers in the live broadcast room left one after another.
At this moment, in the public hall of the Inscription Master Competition.
Sun Yuantian stood before all the Inscription Master players and announced the competition rankings.
"This round of elimination matches will be scored based on a combination of factors, including completion time, the quantity and quality of successfully repaired inscriptions."
As soon as he finished speaking, the screen behind him immediately displayed the contestants' names and scores.
Xu Jintang raised her eyes and glanced over.
[First Place: Jiang Xiangyang, Overall Score: 100]
[Seventh Place: Big Watermelon, Overall Score: 96]
[16th Place: Qian Duoduo, Overall Score: 92 points]
Xu Jintang was constantly on the verge of elimination in this round, but fortunately he managed to reach sixteenth place in the end.
She breathed a sigh of relief after seeing the results.
"This round is the round of 16. Players who do not make it into the final list are eliminated. Thank you for your participation, and we look forward to seeing you in the next competition."
The competition ended, and the contestants left the venue one after another.
Xu Jintang was still a little dazed; this Inscription Master Competition was indeed different from the one next door.
After the match next door ended, fans and spectators cheered and shouted, creating a very enthusiastic atmosphere.
But here, the atmosphere is often very peaceful.
" Miss Qian, did you... not perform well today?" Xue Zhongqi walked over wearing a ghost mask and asked hesitantly.
Xu Jintang snapped out of her thoughts and replied, "Hmm... it's not that I didn't perform well, I'm just not really good at this."
After the two came out of the public hall, they ran into Jiang Xiangyang, who was surrounded by other contestants.
After this round, Jiang Xiangyang's reputation and status were clearly consolidated, and others became even more undisguised in their flattery and fawning over him.
Xu Jintang and the other person exchanged a glance, said nothing, and silently walked outside.
Having learned from the previous experience, Xu Jintang immediately made an excuse to separate from Xue Zhongqi after leaving the competition venue.
Seeing her firm stance, the other party didn't say anything more and simply politely said goodbye.
Xu Jintang turned around and quickly walked towards the levitation train across the road.
At noon, when the sun is at its hottest.
Sweating profusely, Xu Jintang jumped into the room through the window, took off his disguise mask, and sat on the sofa to rest for a while.
"Knock knock..." A knocking sound rang out on the door.
"Squad leader, lunch is ready." Yan Yuting's voice came from outside.
Xu Jintang rubbed his temples and replied, "Coming."
After a while, Xu Jintang got up and went downstairs. As soon as he entered the restaurant, he smelled the aroma of food in the air.
A young woman dressed in a chef's uniform walked out of the kitchen carrying a tray of food.
Her smile revealed round dimples, and her voice was soft. " Jintang's here. This week I specially customized different meal sets based on the nutritional needs of each of you five. Try them first."
Xu Jintang took the plate from her with both hands, sat down at the table, picked up a spoon, scooped up a mouthful, and put it in his mouth.
After chewing for a few moments, the rich and mellow flavor fills your mouth.
She nodded involuntarily, completely captivated. "Sister, your cooking is getting better and better."
Ruan Tao smiled slightly, raising the corners of her mouth, "Call me 'elder sister'."
Xu Jintang swallowed the food in her mouth, gave her a sweet smile, and said, "Sister~"
"Good girl, my Jintang sister." Ruan Tao gently patted Xu Jintang's head, her eyes crinkling with a smile that deepened.
A short while later, Yan Yuting and Song Tianqi also came downstairs.
Without being told what to do, the two rushed into the restaurant.
Yan Yuting said in a high-pitched voice, " Sister Taozi, you've researched new recipes again!"
Ruan Tao smiled and handed over another set meal, "Yes, this is for you, have a taste."
Song Tianqi followed suit and rushed over, calling out in a high-pitched voice, " Sister Taozi ~"
Ruan Tao smiled and handed him another set meal.
The three of them, having received their food, immediately quieted down and obediently ate around the table.
Xu Jintang stuffed large mouthfuls of rice into his mouth, and in no time, the plate was empty.
She picked up the soup that Ruan Tao had prepared in advance and took a big gulp.
After swallowing the hot soup, a warm feeling spread throughout my body, and even my mental energy became more active.
Xu Jintang looked up curiously, " Sister Taozi, is this new nutritional meal designed to improve the speed of mental energy circulation?"
"Hmm, I've noticed that your mental cultivation speed seems a bit slower than others, so I've specially modified your nutritional meal plan."
"Thank you Sister Taozi ~" Xu Jintang got up and hugged Ruan Tao. Without wasting any time, she rushed upstairs and, while the enhancement effect was still in effect, quickly entered the cultivation room to begin circulating her mental energy.
There is one day left until the knockout stage.
In order to sell tickets, the competition organizers began to create hype and generate buzz in advance.
Mask Squad vs. Prosperous Age Women's Team #
#Want to see exciting and thrilling battles? Come to the Ability User Competition!#
[This Mask Squad is really popular lately; they're constantly trending on social media.]
[This team became famous purely through flashy maneuvers, but in terms of skill, they're at best below average compared to other teams in the Ability User Competition.]
But they are really handsome!
[Don't be silly, they're handsome because you can't see their faces. The day their masks are shattered and their true faces are revealed, you'll be completely disillusioned.]
[Hilarious, is this the legendary "online romance dies after meeting in person"?]
On that day, the popularity of the Ability User Competition soared to the top of Toutiao (a Chinese news and information platform), and all the tickets for the elimination rounds were sold out instantly.
Xu Jintang and his group did not go out to cause trouble; instead, they stayed at the villa's training ground, conducting team tactical training.
Two days passed in the blink of an eye.
The highly anticipated first round of elimination matches has finally arrived.
Xu Jintang and his five companions arrived at the competition venue in perfect unison, each wearing the same ghost face mask as usual.
The fans waiting outside the venue immediately cheered. " Mask Squad! Mask Squad!"
Chapter 84
Today will be a tough battle for Xu Jintang and his four teammates.
Wu Jinghong and Zhuang Silin were worried, so they bought tickets specifically for today's event.
After having their tickets checked and entering the venue, the two sat down near the front and started chatting.
"Do you have confidence in them?" Zhuang Silin looked at Wu Jinghong with great interest.
Wu Jinghong smiled slightly, "I'm still confident."
At that moment, a cheer erupted from inside the stadium.
The five members of the Mask Squad entered the arena in perfect unison through the contestant entrance.
Xu Jintang, who was leading the group, also greeted the fans nearby.
The athletes' waiting area is an open-air venue, where spectators in the nearby stands can clearly see the behavior of each athlete.
After Xu Jintang and the other four stood in position, they maintained a cool and unmoving posture.
Soon after, players from other teams also arrived.
Today, only the elimination matches for the upper bracket teams will be held, and only all the players from the upper bracket teams are present, totaling 64 teams.
After verifying the attendance of each team, the competition staff began to announce the match schedule.
The match between the Mask Squad and the Prosperous Age Women's Team was scheduled for the eighth game, and both teams needed to wait for a while.
Xu Jintang and his four companions didn't stand on ceremony; they sat down on the ground in a row and began watching the first few matches.
The other teams around also sat down, some closing their eyes to rest, while others watched the previous matches with great interest, learning from their experience.
The two teams in the first knockout match were evenly matched, and the team fights were extremely intense. In the end, the match ended by a single move.
The following shows were similar; the audience around us started to get visually fatigued and their interest waned.
At this moment, Li Xiang, who was in charge of hosting, appeared on the stage.
With a smile, he held up the microphone and announced, "Next up is a match many viewers are eagerly anticipating: the Mask Squad versus the Prosperous Age Women's Team!"
These words had an immediate energizing effect, and many fans who came for the Mask Squad immediately looked up and shouted.
The Prosperous Age Women's Team also had quite a few fans, who joined in with loud cheers, not to be outdone.
Fans from both teams cheered enthusiastically, instantly creating a lively atmosphere.
"Squad leader, it's our turn." Song Tianqi chuckled and eagerly leaned over.
Xu Jintang pushed himself up, brushed the dust off his palms, and looked at the floating light screen on the arena. "Now let's see how lucky we are this time."