Chapter 133

Xu Jintang smiled meaningfully, "Are you sure you want to let me have a move?"

These words brought Song Tianqi back to his senses.

If the class monitor were to unleash his full, abnormal strength, he could probably kill him in one move.

Song Tianqi swallowed hard, then said matter-of-factly, "I take back what I just said."

"Come here." Xu Jintang crossed her arms in front of her and gestured with her chin.

Song Tianqi took a deep breath and slowly lifted it up with both hands.

A fleeting image of a Vermilion Bird appeared behind him.

The Vermilion Bird Bird's feathers were a bright crimson. It spread its wings and looked down with an arrogant and disdainful gaze, as if it were a god.

"Withering Fire Feathers!" Song Tianqi's eyes darkened slightly, and he clasped his hands together in a summoning gesture.

The next second, countless fiery red feathers fell from the sky, their white edges tinged with red, creating a gradient of colors that made them appear as if they were on fire.

Xu Jintang raised his hand and caught one of the feathers.

The feather, light as a feather, landed peacefully in my palm without making a sound.

Yan Yuting and Xue Zhongqi, who were watching the match from below the stage, looked over curiously.

The next second, the feather in his palm burst into flames.

Xu Jintang quickly threw it away.

Feathers floated in the air, releasing energy, burning fiercely, and fluttering and withering like butterflies.

Immediately afterward, the feathers that had fallen at her feet burst into flames in layers.

The power of a single feather is insignificant, but the energy released when hundreds or thousands of feathers are stacked together and burned is obviously astonishing.

In an instant, Xu Jintang was surrounded by a rain of burning fire.

The energy released by the feathers floated in the air, like unlit explosives, making people wary.

"Squad leader, what do you think of my move?" Song Tianqi clapped his hands, a hint of smugness on his face.

Xu Jintang frowned and looked at him, "Is there a follow-up to your move?"

Song Tianqi grinned, "That's right. The energy released by the feathers in the air, when ignited by my fire rain, can create widespread explosive damage."

"Sure, sure," Xu Jintang replied, then raised his hand to release ice-attribute energy.

The surrounding air cooled rapidly, and the power of ice immediately extinguished the burning rain of fire, sending up plumes of white smoke.

"But you're still a bit short if you want to hit me." After dealing with Huo Yu, Xu Jintang slightly raised her lips and looked at Song Tianqi opposite her.

Song Tianqi's smug smile froze instantly, followed by an expression of utter disbelief. "No way, I've already reached the Third Tier, how could you still kill me in one move?"

Xu Jintang glanced at him, "Because I'm about to advance to Fourth Tier too."

Song Tianqi: "?"

Yan Yuting and Xue Zhongqi, watching from below. "??"

Xu Jintang turned and jumped off the stage, deactivating the safety shield. "However, your improved strength is very helpful to our team. In the next elimination match against the Wood Spirit Team, this move should be quite effective. Practice it some more."

After saying that, she clapped her hands, turned around, and left down the stairs.

Yan Yuting and Xue Zhongqi were left standing there, staring at each other.

After a moment, Yan Yuting cleared his throat. "See? I told you so. Less than three minutes later, he was wiped out in one move. The squad leader is really something."

Xue Zhongqi's expression was somewhat subtle. "There's a serious problem. It seems like we're at the bottom of the group again."

"Yes," Yan Yuting stood up, stretched, and yawned. "So we need to work harder."

After Song Tianqi advanced to the Third Tier, he put considerable pressure on the experimental class.

Aside from eating and resting, Xue Zhongqi and Yan Yuting spent most of their time locked in the cultivation room, diligently working on their studies.

Until the opening day of the Round of 16 elimination rounds of the Ability User Competition.

Xu Jintang and his four companions donned their ghost masks and set off from the villa area to the competition venue.

Before leaving, Zhuang Silin was still giving her instructions:

"If we get a 1v1, 2v2, or 3v3 mixed team battle today, it will be advantageous for us. But if we're really unlucky and get a large team battle, the five of you will have to work hard."

Xu Jintang nodded, "Understood!"

Half an hour later, Xu Jintang and his group arrived at the entrance of the competition venue.

A deafening roar of cheers erupted from the fans, "Mask Squad! Mask Squad!"

Upon entering the team's rest area, the surrounding sounds disappeared, and the atmosphere became quiet.

"There are forty minutes left before our elimination rounds officially begin. Please be patient, everyone. Next is our official interview time. Teams whose names are called, please follow me."

Li Xiang was wearing a silver sequined suit today, with a friendly smile on his face, and raised his hand in a gesture of invitation.

Xu Jintang had just sat down on the sofa in the rest area when Li Xiang's gaze fell upon him, and he smiled, "Would the five members of the Mask Squad please come with me for a moment and give me an interview?"

As a team that has been gaining a lot of attention recently, the tournament organizers certainly wouldn't let the Mask Squad's popularity slip by.

Xu Jintang had no choice but to stand up and reply with a cold demeanor, "Yes, as soon as possible."

The other four also stood up and followed Xu Jintang in unison towards the interview area.

Li Xiang smiled and led the way for everyone.

A short while later, upon entering the interview area, reporters from various media outlets of Star Network were seen crowding below the stands, each holding a microphone from their own website.

Xu Jintang was invited to the stands, and as soon as he stood up, a bunch of microphones were handed to him.

"Ms. Foodie, what are your team's thoughts on today's elimination round?"

Xu Jintang pondered for a moment, "No particular thoughts, just get to work."

The reporter was taken aback, probably not expecting her to answer so decisively.

After regaining his composure, he continued, holding the microphone, "Many people online are saying that you have a high probability of losing to the Spirit of Wood Squad in today's elimination round. What's your response to that?"

Xu Jintang glanced at the camera opposite him, "Those who said we were going to lose, you're probably going to be proven wrong today."

The reporter became interested. "Does this mean you have a lot of confidence in yourselves?"

Xu Jintang glanced at him. "Otherwise what?"

The reporter clearly wanted to continue asking questions, but then the interview time was up, so Xu Jintang took half a step back, giving the interview table to Jiang Shiyi behind him.

Jiang Shiyi was even more aloof. Faced with the reporter's enthusiastic and proactive interview, her answers were limited to "um," "oh," and "ah," without yielding any substantial information.

When it was Song Tianqi's turn to go on stage.

He rolled up his sleeves, his attitude very positive. "Of course our team will win!"

"I'm going to dominate the whole place today!"

"The Mask Squad will win!"

Song Tianqi clenched his fist, his voice loud and forceful.

Yan Yuting was quite humble during the interview.

When answering questions, her voice was generally gentle and humble. "We still have a lot to learn from our seniors."

"Of course, nobody wants to lose, and neither do we."

"We will continue to work hard, thank you."

Finally, Xue Zhongqi concluded the interview, bringing it to a close.

As soon as he stepped onto the stage, he bowed with impeccable manners, saying, "Thank you all for your support of the Mask Squad."

"You must be tired after such a long interview. Remember to grab a drink of water before you leave."

Xu Jintang had already stepped down from the stage, leaned against the wall and glanced at him sideways, "What a good actor."

Yan Yuting seconded, "Who can argue with that?"

At this moment, the live broadcast room for the competition had already started on time, and within two minutes, hundreds of thousands of viewers flooded in.

[Excited! The day of the Mask Squad's competition has finally arrived!]

[Fellow fans, do you understand? Life without the Mask Squad is so boring every day. I love seeing those five fighting in the ring.]

[Don't get excited, the Mask Squad is definitely going to be eliminated today. You should all pray to God.]

[The Wood Spirit Team is the best! No arguments allowed.]

After a while, Xu Jintang of five finished the interview and returned to the team's rest area.

They just happened to pass by the five members of the Spirit of Wood Squad who were on their way for an interview.

Wang Yuexin of the Spirit of Wood Squad glanced at Xu Jintang, then indifferently looked away and continued walking towards the interview area.

"Captain, this Mask Squad sounds pretty formidable," a team member whispered from behind.

Wang Yuexin said calmly, "It's just a charade, nothing special."

Upon hearing this, the other team members also relaxed and calmed down.

Back in the team's rest area, Xu Jintang leaned back on the sofa and closed his eyes to rest.

Before long, the scene gradually became lively, with more and more audience members entering and starting to discuss it in the stands.

Other teams had also heard of the Mask Squad's name and looked over curiously.

"Is this the Mask Squad? Their masks look pretty cool."

"Sigh, I don't know what they're up to. They haven't used any superpowers in any of their matches so far, and they've never even shown their faces. That's why they've become so popular."

"Is their opponent Wang Yuexin's team today? The buffs from Wang Yuexin's Tree of Life are no joke."

Just then, footsteps came from the doorway.

The five members of the Spirit of Wood Squad have returned after their interview.

The chatter in the rest area vanished instantly, and all eyes turned to the door.

Xu Jintang noticed the sudden silence in the room, opened his eyes, and looked up at the person opposite him.

Wang Yuexin led the team into the rest area. His elegant green brocade robe accentuated his tall and slender figure, making him look handsome and dashing. Although he wasn't the most outstanding in appearance, his rugged temperament was the most eye-catching.

Xu Jintang sized him up, then stroked her chin thoughtfully.

Most support-type ability users are just supporting characters in a team, but Wang Yuexin was able to climb to the position of captain on his own. The effort he put in behind the scenes must be unimaginable to ordinary people.