[I knew my judgment was right! The Mask Squad really is the best!]
[Hahaha, I just checked the odds at the black market casinos, and the odds for the Mask Squad to advance to the quarterfinals have been reduced by a factor of four! Luckily, I had already placed my bet.]
Why didn't you say so sooner! I hadn't even had a chance to place my bet yet.
"Squad leader, how about we go watch the other teams' matches?" Yan Yuting suddenly suggested.
They were the first team to finish their match today. Several other teams still have matches to play, and since they have nothing else to do, it's good to check out the strength of the other teams.
Xu Jintang rubbed his temples. "That works too."
So the five of them rested for a while, then got up and returned to the competition venue.
Inside the team rest area, the other teams that hadn't yet taken the stage sat in their respective areas, waiting.
The five members of the Mask Squad had just won the match, and upon returning to the rest area, they immediately became the focus of attention.
Various inquiring and curious glances were cast upon them.
Xu Jintang calmly returned to their designated resting spot and sat down.
There's a light screen broadcasting the live match in the rest area.
The two teams currently in the match are, among them, the strongest team in the upper bracket Soul Awakening Team.
Xu Jintang crossed his arms in front of him, his gaze fixed on the live broadcast screen.
The Soul Awakening Team was a team with an average strength of at least Peak Third Tier.
This team might be a few points stronger than Spirit of Wood, but under the all-out attack of the five members of the Soul Awakening Team, they didn't even last five minutes and were eliminated.
Li Xiang announced, " Soul Awakening Team wins this round of the elimination tournament!"
Immediately afterwards, cheers erupted from the fans.
Yan Yuting leaned closer with a serious expression. "Squad leader, this Soul Awakening Team is quite formidable."
If they want to advance to the final semifinals, they must fight their way through the upper half of the bracket.
Therefore, they will likely face the Soul Awakening Team in the later matches.
Xu Jintang shifted his sitting posture. "Well, so let's pray for fate."
Yan Yuting was taken aback. "Pray for what?"
"I pray we don't run into them before the semifinals," Xu Jintang replied.
Encountering a strong opponent too early is not a good thing, and Xu Jintang certainly didn't want to waste his time fighting the Soul Awakening Team.
Jiang Shiyi's gaze remained fixed on the light screen, a glimmer of light appearing in her usually calm eyes. "Their captain is very strong."
Xu Jintang turned his head and glanced at him, "You want to Soul Awakening Team?"
Jiang Shiyi shook her head, "No, it's just that I want to spar with someone of similar strength."
On the other side, Song Tianqi's fighting spirit was even more undisguised, a flame blazing in his eyes, "That's right! Only the strong need to spar."
Xue Zhongqi shook his head speechlessly, "You two are really crazy."
As they were talking, the Soul Awakening Team had just won the match, returned to their team rest area from the venue.
The team leader, Xiao Linghe, with his clean black hair and well-defined knuckles, led the team in.
As he passed Xu Jintang, he stopped and glanced down at Xu Jintang. "Are you the captain of the Mask Squad?"
A cool, clear voice reached Xu Jintang's ears.
Xu Jintang looked up and glanced at him casually. "Something wrong?"
Xiao Linghe smiled slightly, "It's nothing, just saying hello. I look forward to having the opportunity to spar with you guys in the future."
Xu Jintang looked him up and down. "Okay, I understand." Then, she leaned back on the sofa and closed her eyes to rest.
The way he casually dismissed the person made Xiao Linghe's thin lips curl into a slight smile.
He turned around, led the team forward, and muttered with a smile, "This Mask Squad is really interesting."
Chapter 95
Following the match between the Mask Squad and the Soul Awakening Team, the excitement level of the on-site competition dropped sharply.
After watching a few shows, Xu Jintang and his group of five began to feel sleepy.
They didn't try to hold back; unable to bear it any longer, they simply told the staff and left early.
Back in the villa dormitory, it was just lunchtime.
The dining table was already laden with a sumptuous and delicious meal. Ruan Tao sat in the living room, with a light screen floating in front of her, displaying the elimination rounds of the Mechanical Technology Military Academy team.
" Sister Taozi, you're watching the game too?" Yan Yuting said with a smile, leaning closer.
Ruan Tao clenched her fists, staring intently at the image on the screen.
Xu Jintang glanced this way.
At this moment, the battle on the light screen had just entered its most tense phase.
Qiu Zhuyu, from the Mechanical Technology Military Academy squad, wielded two pistols. A sharp glint flashed across her cold, resolute face as she strode forward with her long, straight legs, firing continuously at the enemy.
The enemy opposite her dodged and attacked her, trying to get close.
Fortunately, Qiu Zhuyu reacted quickly, sweeping her long leg forward and kicking the charging enemy to the ground.
Her teammates arrived in time and surrounded the enemy.
"We won!" Ruan Tao jumped up from the sofa excitedly.
Xu Jintang glanced at her, then silently walked to the dining table and sat down. "We didn't see you this happy even though we won."
Xue Zhongqi snorted and started waving his newly bought folding fan again. "Exactly."
Ruan Tao then realized that Xu Jintang and the other four had already returned.
She coughed lightly, quickly left the live stream, stood up casually, and smiled sweetly at the group, "You're back! Congratulations on advancing again!"
Yan Yuting put her hands on her hips and gave her a subtle look. "So Sister Taozi can change her expression this quickly too."
Ruan Tao winked at her, "My favorite is still your Mask Squad, of course."
As she spoke, she walked to the dining table and began to comfort Xu Jintang and the others, "I specially prepared a big meal to celebrate with you all today."
Xu Jintang glanced at the food on the table; it was indeed very plentiful, and it was clear that it had been prepared with care.
"Try it quickly, how does my latest dish taste?" Ruan Tao handed chopsticks to the five people.
Faced with such delicious food, Song Tianqi was the first to surrender, immediately picking up a piece of duck meat and putting it in his mouth.
The duck meat is delicious, and when mixed with refreshing cucumber, the taste explodes with an ultimate and exciting experience.
"Delicious, delicious!" Song Tianqi nodded repeatedly in praise, and quickly picked up another piece of duck meat to eat.
Xu Jintang also picked up a piece of duck meat and put it in his mouth.
She nodded and replied, "Yes, it's delicious."
The three-day round of 16 elimination matches has successfully concluded, and the popularity of the Ability User Competition has reached unprecedented heights.
In an attempt to capitalize on the trend, many businesses have started selling masks identical to those worn by the Mask Squad.
The number of fans of the Mask Squad is also increasing at various military academies.
Even Leikedasi has quite a few fans.
"Isn't my mask cool? It's the same one worn by the Mask Squad; I pre-ordered it for ages before I finally managed to snag it."
"Damn! How come I'm the only one who didn't get one? I told the seller I wanted to buy one days ago, but when I went to pick up the mask this morning, the seller said they were sold out."
"Well, the Mask Squad is just too popular lately, hahaha."
Two young women walked towards us, arm in arm, chatting.
Xu Jintang glanced at them, then silently turned away, put his hands in his pockets, and continued walking forward.
Today, Teacher Zhuang asked her to go back to the military academy alone, saying that a leader there wanted to conduct in-depth research on her supernatural ability evolution.
Fifteen minutes later, Xu Jintang arrived at the office door and knocked.
"Come in," came Zhuang Silin's voice.
Xu Jintang pushed open the door and entered, seeing Zhuang Silin Wen Ruide sitting in the office.
Zhuang Silin stood up and introduced the man next to her, "This is Professor Wen Ruide, who specializes in research on supernatural ability evolution."
Xu Jintang politely bowed and greeted Teacher Wen Ruide, "Hello, teacher."
Wen Ruide quickly stood up, smiled, and shook her hand. "No need to be so polite, sit down and let's talk."
Xu Jintang obediently sat down on the sofa, placing her hands on her knees. "Why did the teacher call me here?"
Wen Ruide cut to the chase. "I heard from Teacher Zhuang that your superpower has now fully evolved into an ice-attribute ability. I happen to be doing research in this field, and I'd like to ask you some related questions. Is that convenient?"
"Of course." Xu Jintang nodded happily.
She had discussed this with Brother Long before she came.
Brother Long meant that as long as her mental sea wasn't invaded by a superhuman at the Peak Eighth Tier or above, no one could discover the problem within her body.
Only the principal can reach this level within the entire Leikedasi.
Wen Ruide quickly brought up the recording screen and pointed it at Xu Jintang, asking, "When you participated in the supernatural talent test before, did you notice any signs that your supernatural abilities might be evolving?"
Xu Jintang nodded, "The teacher who tested me back then said my ability was strange. It's clearly a domain-type ability, but its strength is very low. However, I didn't know that there was such a thing as ability evolution, so I didn't think much of it."
Wen Ruide hummed in agreement. "I knew it. If superpowers could evolve, there should have been signs of this from the very beginning."
He continued, "During the evolution of your superpowers, did your body or your mental consciousness undergo any significant changes?"
Xu Jintang nodded again, "My physical strength has increased a lot, and the area of my mental sea has also increased a lot. These should all be the amplification effects brought about by evolution."
A hint of relief appeared in Wen Ruide's eyes. "Your situation is indeed consistent with my research on the evolution of superpowers."
Zhuang Silin poured them both a cup of tea and handed it to them, asking, "Teacher Wen, have you made some new discovery?"
Wen Ruide's intelligent eyes now held a hint of anticipation. "Actually, over the years, I've been exploring the possibility of artificially intervening in the evolution of superpowers. If I can master this technology, its impact on superpowered individuals in the future will be absolutely enormous."
Xu Jintang was somewhat surprised, "Artificial intervention in the evolution of superpowers?"
"Yes!" Wen Ruide's eyes lit up. "Currently, many superpower evolutions occur spontaneously. But if I thoroughly research this, I can help weak superpowered individuals undergo forced evolutionary modifications. In this way, even those with auxiliary superpowers may have the potential to evolve into powerful beings in the future."