Xu Jintang's eyes lit up; the combat power of this Ability Trait Assimilation state was so strong.
Song Tianqi ran down the stairs, and after seeing the test results, his eyes widened. "Wow, that's amazing! I'll have to practice too!"
After saying that, he quickly turned around and rushed back into his room.
With the pressure of the semi-finals looming overhead, Xu Jintang and his four teammates began to train day and night.
This continued until the day the teams were drawn for the semifinals.
In the past, matchmaking was done internally, but the semi-finals attracted too much attention, and the organizers didn't want to miss out on this wave of popularity, so they opened a dedicated live stream room.
[Aaaaaaah, the semifinals are about to begin! Support Mask Squad!]
[ The Purple Rosy Clouds Pond Flower must win! Let them fulfill their championship dream!]
I've recently become obsessed with the Dark Horse Team; these five guys are truly a dark horse! I can't wait to see them make a comeback and win the championship!
Am I supposed to be the only one supporting the Light and Brightness Team?
Within just a few minutes of the broadcast starting, the number of online viewers surged to one million.
The live stream was filled with a constant stream of comments and messages, making it dazzling to watch.
At this moment, at the competition venue.
Inside the team's rest area.
With a smile, Li Xiang held up the microphone and walked over to the members of the four teams. "It's been a long time, everyone. It's been a month since the competition started, and the semifinals are about to begin. Do you all have a lot of thoughts you want to share with the audience?"
A dedicated satellite camera followed him in the live broadcast room, providing real-time updates of the situation.
The microphone was first handed to Xu Jintang.
She appeared in the live stream wearing a ghost mask, which immediately drew cheers from her fans.
[Aaaaaah, you Foodie! You're Foodie!]
[ The Mask Squad will win!]
[I'm betting straight on the Mask Squad to win! Charge!]
The live stream was flooded with comments from countless fans.
Li Xiang smiled and asked, "Ms. Foodie, is there anything you'd like to say to the audience? We're currently broadcasting live, so what you say can be heard by the viewers and fans in the live stream."
Xu Jintang stood up, took the microphone, cleared his throat, and said, "Hello."
After a moment's hesitation, he continued, "I have nothing to say, thank you."
After she finished speaking, she turned and handed the microphone back to Li Xiang.
Li Xiang was stunned for a moment, "That's it?"
Shouldn't players who make it to the semifinals be extremely excited and have all sorts of things to say?
"Okay, that's fine then." Xu Jintang sat back down in his seat.
Li Xiang snapped out of his daze and chuckled awkwardly. "Maybe all masters are this aloof. Well then, on behalf of all the fans, may I ask Ms. Foodie a question?"
Xu Jintang nodded. "Go on."
"Many fans are looking forward to seeing the Mask Squad win the championship. What's your response to that?" Li Xiang tentatively looked at Xu Jintang and handed him the microphone.
Xu Jintang looked up and glanced at the satellite camera filming them. "I will fulfill the fans' wishes and I will definitely win the championship."
Chapter 110
The confident voice reached the live stream, immediately eliciting cheers from the fans.
[Aaaaaaah, the Mask Squad will win!]
[He has to be Foodie, ruthless and taciturn, hahaha.]
[To say something like this in the semifinals, isn't the Mask Squad being a bit too arrogant?]
I don't know if they're arrogant or not, I just love the Mask Squad's cocky attitude.
The live broadcast was completely silent.
The members of the other teams looked at Xu Jintang in astonishment, probably surprised that she dared to say such a thing.
What if we don't win the championship? Won't we become a laughing stock online?
Li Xiang snapped out of his reverie, smiled slightly, and put the microphone away. "Alright, so does the rest of the Mask Squad have anything to say?"
Song Tianqi immediately raised his hand, "I want to say, the Mask Squad will win!"
Yan Yuting and Jiang Shiyi were cautious; they exchanged a glance and both chose to remain silent.
Xue Zhongqi gave the final speech.
He stood up gracefully, gave a polite bow to the camera, and then said with a smile, "Excuse me, everyone, my teammates are a bit blunt, please don't take it too seriously. Whether we win the championship or not is secondary; the important thing is to bring you a wonderful performance, that's what excites me the most."
Xu Jintang's lips twitched, and he glanced sideways at Xue Zhongqi.
When it comes to showing off, Xue Shao is the best.
[Hahaha, this Big Watermelon is quite something! He actually knows a thing or two.]
[That's why I wanted to see the Mask Squad win the championship; I just wanted to see what kind of victory speech the five of them would give, hahaha.]
[A competition isn't about talking; I think it's better to let your skills speak for themselves.]
Li Xiang's facial expression also underwent a subtle change.
He cleared his throat, naturally changing the subject. "Next, let's hear what the five members of the Light and Brightness Team have to say about the upcoming semifinals."
The captain of the Light and Brightness Team withdrew his gaze, smiled, and stood up to begin his polite speech. "Hello everyone, I am..."
Compared to the Mask Squad's extremely "arrogant" remarks, he was much more cautious in his choice of words.
His teammates' speeches were mostly templated and lacked emotional depth.
The once lively atmosphere in the live stream gradually returned to calm.
When Ji Nanqing from the Dark Horse Team stood up for an interview, she smiled sweetly at the camera, revealing her dimples, and said, "I am Ji Nanqing, the captain of the Dark Horse Team."
Li Xiang asked with a smile, "Captain Ji, what would you like to say about the upcoming semi-finals?"
Ji Nanqing smiled at the camera and said, "I want to say that I don't agree with what the Mask Squad just said. Because this time, our Dark Horse Team will win the championship."
Li Xiang smiled knowingly. "It seems our semi-final this time is going to be quite exciting."
[ The Dark Horse Team is invincible! Go, Team Ji!]
The strongest teams in this tournament are all in the lower bracket. The Dark Horse Team's ability to break through means they are definitely much stronger than the Mask Squad.
[But the Mask Squad advanced in the end, having defeated the Soul Awakening Team, so they weren't weak either.]
Before long, fans supporting the two teams suddenly started arguing, engaging in a heated debate in the live stream.
The fans of the other two teams didn't get involved; they just watched the spectacle quietly.
At this moment, at the competition venue.
After the team interviews, we officially began the opponent matching phase.
Li Xiang stood on the arena, a high-tech light screen floating behind him. "Now, let's count down for three seconds and see how the semi-final matchups go!"
The rhythmic background music started playing, and the "thump-thump" beat made everyone's heartbeats quicken.
"Three!"
"Two!"
"One!"
As Li Xiang counted down, the text that had been flashing on the screen behind him froze.
Xu Jintang looked up.
The text on the light screen froze at [ Mask Squad vs. Dark Horse Team ] and [ Light and Brightness Team vs. Purple Rosy Clouds Pond Flower Team ].
Upon seeing the match results, Xue Zhongqi clicked his tongue in amazement and exclaimed, "We're actually going to face off against the Dark Horse Team. It looks like another tough battle."
Xu Jintang turned to look at the room next door.
Coincidentally, Ji Nanqing was sitting opposite her, was also looking at her.
Their eyes met in mid-air.
The scene was captured by a nearby satellite surveillance camera.
The fans of the two teams in the live stream immediately started arguing again.
[I don't care, the Mask Squad will win!!]
[Our Dark Horse Team is the real dark horse! We're definitely going to win the championship!]
The team matchmaking process has successfully concluded.
Xu Jintang and his group of five left the competition venue and returned to the villa.
As soon as they entered, they saw Ruan Tao carrying hot desserts out of the kitchen. She glanced at Xu Jintang and the other four, "You've come at the right time, lunch is ready. I also prepared afternoon tea desserts for you."
Song Tianqi rubbed his hands together expectantly and leaned over enthusiastically, " Sister Taozi, let me help you with that."
A few minutes later, Xu Jintang and the other four people sat down around the dining table with Ruan Tao.
Ruan Tao took a piece of cake and put it in her mouth, then proactively mentioned, "The match results are out today, and your opponents seem to be quite tough to deal with."
"It's alright, none of the remaining teams are easy to deal with anyway," Xu Jintang replied casually.
"That's true." Ruan Tao continued, "If you have any plans for intensive training these next few days, please let me know if you need any special nutritional meals, and I will definitely cooperate."
"Okay, thank you, Sister Taozi." Yan Yuting smiled and hugged Ruan Tao's arm affectionately.
After the team matchmaking results were released, the tournament organizers gave the players five days to prepare.
Of course, these five days were also a period they specifically reserved for selling tickets to the public.
The next afternoon.
The blinding sunlight streamed into the room.
Xu Jintang sat cross-legged in the cultivation room, circulating his mental energy with steady breathing.
She stopped practicing only when her spiritual sea began to swell, realizing that she had reached her limit for the day.
"Hoo..." She exhaled softly and got up to go to the living room outside the cultivation room.
The communicator on the table suddenly vibrated.
Xu Jintang walked over and turned on the communicator's light screen.
It was a friend request from a stranger.
" Bamboo Autumn Rain has requested to add you as a friend. Do you accept?"
Xu Jintang was taken aback.
Who is this?
She stared at the other person's nickname for a long time, and suddenly a name popped into her mind: Qiu Zhuyu.
She clicked "agree".
After becoming friends, the other person immediately sent a message: "[Hello, I'm Qiu Zhuyu from the Mechanical Technology Military Academy Team. I got your contact number from the competition organizers.]"
It really was her.