Team Competition

There was nothing else to be surprised about. The only unexpected thing was his intelligence attribute, which had secretly jumped from 2 to 5.

Could it be related to the reverberation ability? The increase in his mental attributes must also be inextricably linked to the reverberation.

Buying this ability was a good decision, and it even came with a bonus. He was in a great mood.

Chen Guan exited the system space and rubbed his still slightly throbbing temples.

The cost of redeeming the new ability was greater than he had imagined. It wasn't just a drain on his popularity points; he also felt a wave of mental exhaustion.

He swallowed a recovery pill and began to circulate the Stargazing Meditation Technique to restore his mental energy.

The night passed without further incident.

The next day, the draw and team formation for the team battle took place in the auxiliary hall of the Tianyan Martial Arena.

The atmosphere was even more passionate than during the individual matches. Free team formation meant there could be all-star dream teams formed by powerful alliances, or dark horses with perfect teamwork but slightly weaker individual strength.

Some people had gone to different schools but maintained good relationships from their high school days. This format allowed them to team up once again, so the overall competition level was obviously going to be higher.

An Changqing, Long Ao, Chen Guan, and Su Yuehe naturally formed Huaqing's Team One. Their goal, of course, was still the championship.

Soon, the rosters of the other teams were successively announced.

On the Beishi Academy side, Guan Jinyue had indeed teamed up with Ross. In addition, they had a heavy shielder from Beishi Academy who specialized in defense, and a life-type esper from Academy Zero.

The composition of this team was nothing short of luxurious, boasting both offense and defense. With Guan Jinyue's spatial ability as the mobile core, Ross's atomic manipulation for assault and crowd control, the heavy shielder for defense, and a healer for sustain, they had almost no obvious weaknesses and immediately became the heavy favorites to win the championship.

Kamishiro Chizuru of Kamiya Academy teamed up with two shikigami masters and an onmyoji from her school, opting for a pure human-wave tactic using shikigami.

There were also a few other cross-school combinations, but their overall strength had a clear gap compared to these two top-tier teams.

The draw results placed Huaqing's Team One and Guan Jinyue's team in the upper and lower brackets respectively, avoiding an early encounter.

The battlefield for the team matches was a simulated ancient city ruin. The terrain was complex, featuring building wreckage, narrow alleys, plazas, and underground sewers.

The rules of the match were simple: defeat all opposing members, or capture and defend the token located in the center of the battlefield for over ten minutes to win.

In the first round, Huaqing's Team One faced a mixed team comprised of students from two ordinary academies. The difference in strength was obvious. Under An Changqing's command, the four coordinated perfectly and easily crushed their opponents. Long Ao did not even break a sweat as they breezed through.

Guan Jinyue's team also dominated their first match. Their opponents were defeated before they could even organize an effective resistance.

In the second round, Huaqing's Team One encountered the Kamiya team led by Kamishiro Chizuru.

This battle was quite fierce. Kamishiro Chizuru summoned a massive number of shikigami, coordinating with her teammates' onmyodo to form an endless offensive. It was a pure monster-wave tactic, highlighting the exact trouble with facing a group of summoners.

An Changqing and Long Ao launched a frontal assault, Chen Guan continuously disrupted the enemy's movements with illusions, and Su Yuehe specifically targeted Kamishiro Chizuru's mental connections.

In the end, under the disruption of a successful fear illusion from Chen Guan, Long Ao seized the opportunity to charge into enemy lines. He forcefully shattered Kamishiro Chizuru's core shikigami, causing her shikigami army to collapse and securing the match for the Huaqing team.

Meanwhile, Guan Jinyue's team easily defeated another strong squad.

In the semifinals, Huaqing's Team One faced a team centered around two enhancement-type espers from Academy Zero. Their fighting style was simple and brutal.

An Changqing adopted a steady and methodical tactic, using Chen Guan's illusions to divide the battlefield, Su Yuehe for supportive enhancements, and Long Ao as the spearhead to pierce through. Ultimately, they clinched a secure victory without much danger.

On the other side, Guan Jinyue's team continued to win without shedding a drop of blood.

The finals finally arrived, and the two participating sides were exactly as expected.

Huaqing's Team One versus Guan Jinyue's team.

The final simulated battlefield map was set in an ancient plaza filled with massive, broken stone pillars.

The two teams appeared at opposite ends of the plaza.

"Act according to the plan."

An Changqing said in a low voice, "Long Ao, you take the main offensive against Ross. Try to pin him down and don't let him control the battlefield comfortably. Yuehe, support Long Ao and use your spirit words to interfere with the stability of Ross's atomic manipulation. Chen Guan, focus your illusions on Guan Jinyue. You don't need to completely restrict her; just delay her spatial movements to create an opportunity for me. I will deal with Guan Jinyue, and... keep an eye out for that heavy shielder and healer."

He was still shouldering the heaviest responsibility himself.

"Understood."

The three of them nodded, and at the same time, the referee gave the command.

"Let the match begin!"

Long Ao struck first. His crimson aura erupted like a volcano as he charged straight at Ross. Su Yuehe's piccolo sounded, blessing Long Ao with a fortification buff while casting a disruption field over the area where Ross stood.

Ross raised an eyebrow and lightly tapped his finger. Several walls instantly rose from the ground in front of him, attempting to block Long Ao.

But Long Ao neither dodged nor evaded. Crimson light gathered on his fists as he smashed them down like heavy hammers.

Boom! The walls shattered, but the fragmented pieces did not scatter. Instead, under Ross's manipulation, they transformed into countless sharp blades that stabbed toward Long Ao from all directions.

On the other side, Chen Guan locked his mental energy onto Guan Jinyue, silently activating his sensory confusion.

In Guan Jinyue's perception, the surrounding spatial coordinates began to show subtle overlapping shadows. Although it wasn't enough to make her lose her way, every spatial jump now required a fraction more mental focus to calibrate.

She glanced at Chen Guan, knowing exactly who was playing tricks.

Just as she prepared to settle the matter once and for all, she stopped herself. He had the protection of the Black Iron Coffin, so there was absolutely no need for her to waste her energy; she couldn't pierce through that lump of iron anyway.

Besides, An Changqing wouldn't allow it.

An Changqing turned into a streak of golden lightning and lunged straight for Guan Jinyue. His golden sword light was brilliantly radiant and unstoppable.

Guan Jinyue drew the Moonflower longsword in her hand, meeting him with a cold, clear sword light. The two instantly engaged in a fierce melee. Sword glares crisscrossed, and the sound of clashing metal rang endlessly in the air.

Although Guan Jinyue's spatial ability was slightly delayed by Chen Guan's illusions, it remained exquisitely masterful. She could always neutralize An Changqing's attacks with minimal cost and occasionally launch fierce counterattacks.

The heavy shielder from Beishi firmly protected their life-type esper while keeping a vigilant eye on the battlefield, ready to provide support at any moment.

The battle entered a white-hot state from the very beginning.

The fight between Long Ao and Ross was the most frenzied. Long Ao's crimson fist auras clashed madly against Ross's constantly restructuring and shifting atomic creations, producing an endless series of explosions.

Su Yuehe's spirit word interference caused quite a bit of trouble for Ross, preventing him from fully utilizing the precise control of his atomic manipulation.

Chen Guan put all his effort into maintaining the illusionary interference on Guan Jinyue while splitting his attention to monitor the movements of the enemy's heavy shielder and healer, draining his mental energy immensely.

The battle between An Changqing and Guan Jinyue was a peak showdown of skill and willpower. An Changqing's swordsmanship was righteous and imposing, using sheer momentum to suppress his foe, whereas Guan Jinyue's swordplay was unpredictable and exquisite, using finesse to break through brute force. The two were evenly matched opponents, recreating the atmosphere of a grand finale, and it would be difficult to determine a victor in the short term.