"I'm here." Xu Jintang beckoned to him with a smile.
The smile may not have been malicious, but given Xiao Linghe's already highly agitated emotions, Xu Jintang was clearly provoking him on purpose.
Xiao Linghe's brows furrowed, and he immediately rushed over.
" Dragon's Roar and Tiger's Howl!"
Xiao Linghe crossed his arms and pressed his thin lips into a straight line.
The phantom of the Flying-Winged Tiger appeared behind him, flashing with dazzling golden light, and then a sound that vaguely resembled a dragon's roar echoed across the arena.
Xu Jintang was a little surprised and glanced at the illusory Flying-Winged Tiger behind him.
This tiger actually has dragon blood?
Hybrids
The Ice Soul Dragon, which had been sleeping in its spiritual sea, was also attracted by the dragon's roar and opened its eyes to wake up.
After discerning the clues to Xiao Linghe's supernatural ability, he explained, "It's not the aura of my people; it's a simulated dragon's roar."
"I see." Xu Jintang suddenly realized.
Xiao Linghe, having activated his skill, had already rushed in front of him.
Xu Jintang snapped out of her daze, spread her arms, and frost descended, instantly freezing the surrounding ground.
Xiao Linghe's feet were frozen in the ice, forcing him to stop.
He frowned, and began to struggle against the ice.
Taking advantage of his struggle, Xu Jintang ran to the other side again.
After this situation continued for a while, Xiao Linghe finally realized that Xu Jintang was deliberately stalling for time.
He quickly stopped in his tracks, turned to his teammates, and shouted, "Hold her off!"
The two team members, who were originally engaged in a battle with Xue Zhongqi and Yan Yuting, immediately retreated upon hearing this and turned to attack Xu Jintang.
The scene of the three attacking each other appeared again.
Xue Zhongqi and Yan Yuting, who had finally freed up some space, exchanged a glance.
Xue Zhongqi immediately retreated to a corner and began preparing to inscribe the level two array patterns.
Yan Yuting remained where he was, standing in front of Xue Zhongqi as a precaution.
I think the Soul Awakening Team is doomed this game.
[Is that Big Watermelon preparing to inscribe array patterns? But the array patterns he used last time weren't that powerful, were they? They seemed a bit lacking for dealing with Xiao Linghe.]
[It seems to be a different array pattern than last time; this time there appear to be more Inscription Talisman.]
Xiao Linghe and his two companions were so focused on attacking Xu Jintang that they completely ignored Xue Zhongqi.
Soon, Xiao Linghe and his two teammates surrounded Xu Jintang from three different directions.
Xu Jintang stopped and frantically gathered ice energy beneath his feet. A thick layer of ice rose rapidly, lifting Xu Jintang high into the air.
She flipped and leaped, using the height advantage to jump to the other side of the ring.
Xiao Linghe and his two companions missed their target again.
Having lost his patience, Xiao Linghe's face turned extremely somber.
"Captain, this won't do." His teammate finally noticed Xue Zhongqi and his companion's sudden silence. "They seem to be up to something."
Xiao Linghe's gaze swept towards Xue Zhongqi's location, his brows furrowing slightly. He immediately shifted his focus, "Then let's deal with these two first."
As soon as he finished speaking, Xiao Linghe turned around and rushed towards Xue Zhongqi.
Yan Yuting's eyes revealed a determined look as he took the Wind Shadow Whip from his waist and swung it forward.
The force wave from the whip struck Xiao Linghe and his two companions.
However, it was clear that this ineffective attack was not enough to pose a threat to Xiao Linghe.
With a cold expression, he raised his hand and waved it, neutralizing the force wave, then continued charging forward without slowing down.
Suddenly, a thick, solid ice wall appeared, blocking Xiao Linghe's teammates behind him.
The original three-man attack formation was disrupted.
Xu Jintang stood atop the ice wall, arms outstretched, and several ice chains emerged from the ground, entangled Xiao Linghe's two teammates.
Then, a storm carrying countless sharp ice blades appeared and attacked the other side directly.
After temporarily holding off his teammates, Xu Jintang turned around and quickly jumped down from the ice wall, landing behind Xiao Linghe.
The situation, which was initially very critical for the Mask Squad, was instantly reversed.
Upon seeing his squad leader, Yan Yuting breathed a sigh of relief, gritted his teeth, and swung his Wind Shadow Whip once more.
Xiao Linghe had already rushed in front of Yan Yuting, raised his hand and grabbed the Wind Shadow Whip, trying to pull Yan Yuting over.
Before he could make a move, Xu Jintang circled around from behind.
A feeling of suffocation instantly came from my neck.
"Captain Xiao is still not vigilant enough," Xu Jintang teased.
Xiao Linghe's face darkened, and he had no choice but to release Yan Yuting's Wind Shadow Whip, bend his arm, and attack backward with his elbow.
Xu Jintang, who had expected this, sneered and stepped aside, but her grip on Xiao Linghe's arm remained tight.
"Squad leader, I'm OK!" The level-two array pattern floating in front of Xue Zhongqi released a bright white light, attracting the attention of the entire audience.
"This doesn't seem to be the array pattern that Big Watermelon used last time, does it? This power is much stronger than before."
"This is a level two array pattern; its destructive power is sufficient to suppress ability users below the Fifth Tier."
"Wait, does that mean that although this Big Watermelon's mental strength level is only Second Tier, his inscription master combat strength can reach Fifth Tier??"
"I'm blown away, the entire Mask Squad is full of geniuses!"
Amidst the audience's discussion, Xue Zhongqi decisively threw out the level-two array pattern in his hand.
At the same time, Xu Jintang kicked Xiao Linghe directly into the array patterns.
Losing his balance, Xiao Linghe couldn't help but lunge forward.
The power of the level-two array patterns that came rushing towards them erupted instantly.
Sitting on the floating sphere, Li Xiang slightly curled his lips and quickly waved his hand. Gentle power descended from the sky, landing on Xue Zhongqi's array patterns and quickly dissolving the damage from his attack.
" Xiao Linghe Soul Awakening Team is out of the competition. The match continues." Li Xiang announced calmly, then picked up Xiao Linghe and threw him off the stage.
Xiao Linghe's elimination completely shifted the tide of the game to the Mask Squad.
The two remaining members of the Soul Awakening Team were a bit dumbfounded.
Normally, they would follow their captain's orders when facing the enemy, but now that the captain had gone down ahead of schedule, the two of them immediately panicked.
"Let's do it." With that, Xu Jintang rushed forward first.
Xue Zhongqi and Yan Yuting exchanged a glance and followed closely behind, attacking the opposite side together.
Without Xiao Linghe's command and guidance, the two team members fought somewhat hesitantly and were soon forced back to the edge of the ring.
As Xu Jintang approached the two, she cracked her knuckles and said with a smirk, "Will you get down yourselves, or should I help you?"
The player on the left swallowed hard, probably recalling Xu Jintang's fierce charge against the three attackers.
"I... I'll get off myself." After saying that, the player on the left turned around and jumped off the stage.
Xu Jintang glanced at the team member still standing on the stage, "And you?"
The slow-reacting teammate snapped to attention and stammered, "I... I'll go down myself too."
As soon as he finished speaking, he turned and jumped off the stage.
At this point, the entire Soul Awakening Team was eliminated.
Riding atop the hovering sphere, Li Xiang's lips slowly curled into a smile. He took the microphone from his waist and announced clearly, " The Mask Squad has won this 3v3 team battle! Congratulations to them for successfully advancing to the semifinals of the Ability User Competition!"
The moment the words were spoken, the Mask Squad's fans erupted in thunderous cheers.
Recently, there has been a surge of online trolls smearing the Mask Squad, but today, Xu Jintang four teammates silenced all the rumors with their performance, which is far more effective than any explanation or statement.
" Mask Squad! Mask Squad!"
Amidst the unified cheers, Xu Jintang and his two companions turned around on the stage and walked off in an orderly fashion, welcoming the cheers of the entire audience.
" Mask Squad! Mask Squad!" The fans' shouts continued unabated.
It wasn't until Xu Jintang stepped off the stage and reunited with Song Tianqi that the two of them met up.
The five people stood in a row and shook hands with the Soul Awakening Team opposite them.
Xiao Linghe's expression was visibly grim.
He never imagined that, with their strength, they would be eliminated in the quarterfinals.
"Thank you for your kind words." Xu Jintang shook hands with Xiao Linghe from the back of the line to the front.
With a smile on her face, she teased, "Why does Captain Xiao look so pale?"
Xiao Linghe's face darkened further, and he gritted his teeth, saying, "Should I look good after losing the match?"
Xu Jintang smiled and patted his shoulder lightly, "Young man, experiencing more setbacks isn't a bad thing."
Xiao Linghe was taken aback, looking at Xu Jintang with some disbelief, "I think I'm older than you, aren't I?"
Xu Jintang smiled and shrugged, "I was just saying."
After saying that, she turned and walked towards the exit.
Yan Yuting, standing behind, stroked his chin and muttered softly, "The squad leader is starting to look more and more like he's in his twenties or thirties."
Xue Zhongqi nodded in agreement. "Indeed."
This scene was just broadcast live to the studio by a nearby satellite.
[Hahahaha, this Foodie- nothing is so infuriating. If I were Xiao Linghe, I'd be furious right now.]
[No, don't you guys really think that Foodie's behavior is actually quite mature? He doesn't seem like a sixteen-year-old at all.]
[Incredible! Soul Awakening Team lost, and by a whopping 0-2! That's a terrible record.]
[The rumors about the Mask Squad's bye advancement being rigged are just nonsense. They can even beat the Soul Awakening Team, why would they need to do something like that?]
[That's really funny, hahaha. Soul Awakening Team is the strongest team in the upper half of the bracket.]
That afternoon, news of the Mask Squad's victory over the Soul Awakening Team and their advancement to the semifinals spread throughout the Star Network.
Several related topics subsequently trended on social media.
The Mask Squad's popularity skyrocketed, and more and more fan groups were spontaneously formed.
Meanwhile, underground black market casinos have once again lowered the odds for the Mask Squad to win the championship.
After the match, Xu Jintang and his group of five went straight to the black market casino.