Chapter 146
However, under the intense criticism and condemnation from public opinion, explanations were useless.
After the announcement, the situation regarding the Mask Squad became even more serious online.
This overwhelming smear campaign continued until the next round of the knockout stage began.
As usual, Xu Jintang and his group of five arrived at the competition venue ten minutes early.
Normally, the entrance is lined with fans on both sides, and all you hear are compliments and praises.
But as soon as Xu Jintang and his group of five appeared today, all sorts of unpleasant comments began to circulate.
"So their team got in through connections? And they're even wearing masks on purpose. Are they afraid their bad deeds will be exposed, and they're too embarrassed to show their true selves?"
"This is ridiculous. When did the Ability User Competition start resorting to such underhanded tactics? My favorite team's advancement spot was taken by someone with connections."
Xu Jintang glanced to the side expressionlessly.
Noticing her movement, Xue Zhongqi quickly reached out to stop her, then lowered his voice, "Class monitor, don't be impulsive."
When Yan Yuting gets angry, he might just argue with people online.
But if the squad leader gets angry, he might just resort to violence.
Xu Jintang withdrew his gaze, crossed his arms in front of him, said nothing, and stepped into the contestant passage.
Xue Zhongqi breathed a sigh of relief and then looked back.
Song Tianqi and Yan Yuting glared angrily at the trolls next to them who were hurling insults, their hands clenched tightly.
Xue Zhongqi took a deep breath, quickly walked around to the two of them, and raised his hand to stop them, "Calm down, calm down."
Jiang Shiyi grabbed Song Tianqi's sleeve and dragged him away.
Seeing this, Xue Zhongqi also reached out and pulled Yan Yuting away.
The five members successfully arrived at the team's rest area.
At this moment, only the eight teams in the upper and lower halves of the huge lounge remained.
As soon as Xu Jintang entered, he saw a blonde, big-eyed, cute girl leaning against the wall talking to Xiao Linghe.
"Isn't she the captain of that Dark Horse Team?" Yan Yuting recognized the girl.
Xu Jintang hummed in agreement.
The arrival of the Mask Squad quickly attracted the attention of others present.
Xiao Linghe immediately looked up and waved, "Long time no see! Your team has been getting a lot of attention online lately."
He made a teasing remark, a deeper look appearing in his eyes.
Ji Nanqing looked over as well, playing with a strand of golden hair by her ear, a smile playing on her lips, and shallow dimples appearing on her cheeks.
Xu Jintang gave him a speechless look. "If you're envious, the attention is yours."
Xiao Linghe chuckled softly.
Ji Nanqing walked up to Xu Jintang, smiling and extending her hand, "Hello, I'm Ji Nanqing, the captain of the Dark Horse Team."
Xu Jintang shook hands with her, "The Mask Squad's Foodie."
Besides those two teams, the strongest team in the upper bracket Purple Rosy Clouds Pond Flower Team, has also arrived. Their captain nodded and greeted Xu Jintang.
A little while later, Li Xiang, who was in charge of hosting, appeared in the team's rest area.
"All eight teams have arrived, so I won't waste any more time. Let's jump straight into the opponent matching phase for the semi-finals."
As soon as he finished speaking, the floating light screen behind Li Xiang began to flicker.
Xu Jintang raised her eyes and glanced at the light screen.
A few seconds later, the flashing text on the screen froze.
[Mask Squad vs. Soul Awakening Team]
[Trillion Team vs. Purple Rosy Clouds Pond Flower Team]
All eight teams in the upper and lower brackets have completed random matchmaking.
Xu Jintang frowned slightly.
Luck, it seems, doesn't always favor them.
The other teams present immediately showed some excitement upon seeing the match results.
Various inquisitive and curious gazes turned to the five members of the Mask Squad.
The Soul Awakening Team is considered the strongest team in the upper half of the bracket. Facing them in the semifinals is very likely to stop the Mask Squad from advancing.
After realizing this problem, many people began to look on with amusement.
Xiao Linghe clicked his tongue when he saw the matching result, "What a coincidence."
Xu Jintang's expression behind the mask revealed a hint of speechlessness.
The team I least wanted to run into was the Soul Awakening Team, and what I feared most came to pass.
"Seriously? I only got a bye, and the difficulty level just jumps this high after that." Xue Zhongqi's tone was full of helplessness.
The team matchmaking results were immediately posted online.
[This Mask Squad used up all their luck on getting a bye in the previous round; this time they've run into a tough opponent.]
[Aren't those Mask Squad fans always saying we're wronging them? Perfect, let's see in this elimination round if they can advance based on their own merit.]
[The Soul Awakening Team's overall strength is more than double that of the Mask Squad; this isn't something that can be achieved through hard work alone.]
[Looks like the Mask Squad is doomed this round.]
The meeting room inside the villa.
Zhuang Silin's expression was very serious. "We've already explained the strength of the Soul Awakening Team to you before. This should be the strongest opponent you've encountered since you started participating in the competition."
"Because this situation is special, I want to know first... just how many trump cards you all have up your sleeves."
Zhuang Silin's gaze swept across the faces of Xu Jintang and the other four.
As the homeroom teacher, she naturally understood her students.
Xu Jintang subconsciously touched his nose.
"My trump card has already passed the test," Xue Zhongqi said quietly, raising his hand.
Everyone knew that he was referring to the level-two array pattern that defeated Gu Nianwei and the others.
Zhuang Silin pursed her lips and asked again, "What's your success rate in creating level two array patterns?"
Xue Zhongqi thought for a moment, "The success rate is about 70% or 80%. Practicing more these next few days might make it more consistent."
Zhuang Silin looked at the others, "Where are the others?"
A moment of silence fell over the meeting room.
This time, Song Tianqi raised his hand. "I... I have actually mastered the technique for awakening the Vermilion Bird Bloodline."
Xu Jintang and the others immediately turned their attention to him.
A look of surprise flashed across Zhuang Silin's face. "You've already mastered the Vermilion Bird Bloodline? When did that happen?"
"It was successful in the last couple of days," Song Tianqi said with a smile, scratching his head.
This news cheered everyone in the meeting room.
"You're something else," Yan Yuting said with a smile, nudging Song Tianqi's arm. "You accomplished something so significant without saying a word."
Xue Zhongqi looked shocked. "So, all these nights you've been dragging me to play games late at night were because you had this kind of trump card as a backup plan, right?"
Song Tianqi retorted, unconvinced, "But you didn't tell me before that you had mastered level two array patterns."
Xu Jintang repeatedly stroked his chin, feeling a mix of emotions.
It turns out everyone had secretly prepared quite a few trump cards.
Then she was relieved.
"Jiang Shiyi, Xu Jintang, where are you two?" Zhuang Silin began calling out names.
Jiang Shiyi calmly raised her eyes, "My trump card is the three-skill combination burst, right? I can fuse the effects of the three supernatural abilities together, ultimately creating a large-scale explosive damage attack, the power of which should reach Fifth Tier."
"No." Yan Yuting began to doubt his life. "How come you all have such powerful trump cards up your sleeves? And they're all these kinds of trump cards that are really strong right from the start."
Jiang Shiyi's tone remained calm. "It's just a little way to save my life."
Now, only Xu Jintang hasn't explained himself yet.
All eyes turned to her.
Xu Jintang cleared his throat and explained with a smile, "My trump cards are a bit complicated; I'm the type who avoids using them if possible."
Zhuang Silin frowned. "Does that mean it will cause you a lot of harm after use?"
Xu Jintang quickly nodded, "I guess so."
Her trump cards are basically the Mysterious Scales and Brother Long's Power of Dragon Blood.
The Power of Dragon Blood is alright; most people can't tell what it is. However, after using it last time, it caused significant damage to the body's meridians, so it's a last resort to be used only when all else fails.
As for the Mysterious Scales, it's uncertain whether that brat who calls himself "Young Master" will lend a hand to her, so it's still unknown.
Zhuang Silin didn't press for further details. "Just keep it in mind. While the championship is important, it shouldn't come at the cost of yourselves."
Before coming, she was quite worried about whether Xu Jintang and his group of five could survive this round.
But after hearing their cards, she felt relieved.
"In that case, you can decide the next match against the Soul Awakening Team yourselves. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me or Teacher Wu." After giving these instructions, Zhuang Silin left with peace of mind.
"Squad leader, now that I hear that, I think we have a good chance of winning the championship." Song Tianqi crossed his legs, put his hands on the back of the chair, and suddenly became arrogant.
Yan Yuting glanced at him. "I already said it's a trump card, only to be used in crucial moments. Besides, using skills beyond one's own capabilities will definitely cause some damage to the body, so it's best to avoid using them if possible."
Song Tianqi nodded. "That's true."
His technique, the Awakening of the Vermilion Bird Bloodline, also causes considerable damage to the body.
"Squad leader, what should we do next?" Yan Yuting turned to look at Xu Jintang, waiting for instructions.
"No rush." Xu Jintang got up and went to the front of the conference room, where he began to fiddle with the light screen.
Jiang Shiyi and the others stared at her, curious about what she was doing.
A few minutes later, Xu Jintang brought up the most offensive comments from the internet to the screen, and even made sure to bold and enlarge the font of the comments.
--[The Mask Squad should be eliminated quickly; they shouldn't ruin the atmosphere of the Ability User Competition.]
--[The other teams are really unlucky to have their advancement spots snatched away by such an unlucky team as the Mask Squad.]
After only a couple of glances, Yan Yuting's cursing urges surged up again.
Xu Jintang surveyed the entire room, his tone laced with arrogance. "You're all angry seeing these comments, aren't you? Remember your current level of anger, and bring that same intensity to the next round of eliminations."