Xin Yu was practically pressed against me, and I could even feel the softness of her chest and her rapid heartbeat.
Concussion Arrow's cooldown was over!
Just as a blue light flickered on Xin Yu's arrowhead, I swiftly moved towards the black-armored swordsman. The moment he was stunned by the Concussion Arrow, my Heavy Strike and Combo combination shot out!
"522!"
"354!"
"368!"
"324!"
A series of numbers declared the swordsman's death. Having put all his points into attack, he didn't have much health. After the previous battle, his HP certainly wasn't over a thousand, and such a fierce attack immediately turned him into a white light, sending him to respawn.
At the same time, another swordsman's attack landed on me. His Combo and Heavy Strike only dealt less than 500 damage to me. He was indeed far inferior to Murong Shanshan, but for a cloth-armored class, his damage was already quite lethal.
I swung my sword in retaliation!
"624!"
"726!"
I don't know if my luck was too good or if this swordsman was simply fated to die, but both of my normal attacks turned out to be critical strikes. The swordsman was instantly killed on the spot without even a grunt!
Battle over!
System message: Vegetable Cocoa's team has successfully advanced. The next match will be held in ten minutes. All players who have entered the top 8 will be teleported into the arena in five minutes!
On the sidelines, Xin Yu patted her full and firm chest: "You almost scared me to death! I really thought we were going to die here just now!"
Xu Lin also said with lingering fear, "Those two swordsmen had such high attack, and they coordinated very well. The instant burst damage was something most cloth-armored classes couldn't withstand."
As we were speaking, the five minutes stipulated by the system were up. The five of us instantly appeared in a new arena. Along with us, players from seven other teams were also teleported here. We were all below the stage, while a woman who looked like a host stood on the stage above.
System message: You have entered the final venue of the first Champion Challenge. Please wait patiently for your match! The current number of players watching the match is: 8,652,346!
Holy cow, eight million people are watching this match! Exaggerated!
The host swayed her ample hips towards the edge of the stage, smiling as she said, "Hello everyone, I'm Fei Er! First of all, I'd like to congratulate all the contestants who have made it into the top 8. In the upcoming matches, I will be responsible for commentating on the battle situations."
"Wow, it's Fei Er! It's Fei Er, the popular host of the entertainment channel!" Li Qing was so excited that tears were almost falling. Is it really that big of a deal? Just a host...
I leaned into Lu Xuehan's ear and asked, "Do you know this Fei Er person?"
Lu Xuehan nodded, smiling, "Of course! Fei Er is the most popular female host on Shanghai's entertainment channel in the last two years. Her commentary on Warcraft and StarCraft is very popular. In the gaming channel, she's the top host. You used to play Warcraft, don't you know her?"
I shook my head and turned my gaze back to the stage. I played Warcraft, not women, so of course I didn't know her.
Fei Er briefly explained the rules of the competition, such as prohibiting verbal provocation of female players from the opposing faction, and finally announced: "Now, the competition is about to begin. Please send a representative from each group to come on stage to draw lots! We will draw numbers 1 to 8. Number 1 will play against Number 2, Number 3 against Number 4, Number 5 against Number 6, and Number 7 against Number 8. After the top four are determined, the two groups that emerge from the first four and the last four will compete for a spot in the finals!"
Xu Lin looked back at me and said, "You go draw the lots. You have the highest level, so you're the most suitable representative."
I didn't decline much and directly stepped onto the stage. Following closely behind me was Murong Shanshan, and Kuang Zhan and Ye Qiu also went up to the stage one after another. When the eight of us stood in a line on the stage, a burst of screams actually erupted from below. Only then did I realize that there were quite a few player spectators sitting in the audience!
Ye Qiu stood beside me, looking at me a few times, intentionally or unintentionally, then smiled in a friendly way. I returned the smile.
Did this kid see through something? It shouldn't be. My appearance has been greatly altered. He shouldn't be able to tell.
Fei Er swayed her hips over, her ample chest trembling with her movements, which made Kuang Zhan and several other male players stare.
"Now, please come forward in order to draw lots. The button that appears in front of each of you is the button. When I say'start', the numbers 1 to 8 will flash. Just press the button to stop the flashing, and the system will display your group assignments."
A blue screen appeared out of nowhere in front of each representative, with a crystal clear button labeled "OK" on it.
After Fei Er said "start," the numbers on the screen immediately began to flash rapidly. I pressed it without thinking, and the number stopped at 7. Coming in last is not bad either~
The system immediately sent out a message, and the matchups for each group were instantly displayed—
1. Murong Shanshan's Group
2. Depressed Young Marshal's Group
3. Kuang Zhan's Group
4. Undead Legend's Group
5. Little Ant on the Leaf's Group
6. Huashan Hermit's Group
7. Vegetable Cocoa's Group
8. Nian Shao Qing Kuang's Group
Although I drew the lot, our team's name still used Captain Lu Xuehan's game name. Fortunately, we didn't encounter anyone familiar in the first round, but in the second round, we would inevitably have a decisive battle with Ye Qiu's group. Murong Shanshan also happened to meet her old rival—Kuang Zhan!
Fei Er immediately announced, "Players who are not competing, please return to the audience seats. The system will automatically teleport you to the stage when it's your turn to compete. Next up is the first match of the first round: Murong Shanshan's group versus Depressed Young Marshal's group!"
The rest of us were all teleported down by the system, while the ten people who were about to compete were all teleported onto the stage. Fei Er's alluring image gradually disappeared, and the system in the arena was counting down to the match.
"3!"
"2!"
"1!"
It began!
Figures flashed on the arena. Before everyone could even figure out what was happening, Murong Shanshan's sword qi plus a Heavy Strike instantly dealt with the opponent's only healer. Meanwhile, her teammate, the Thief "Stealer of Heavens," ambushed and assassinated a low-health mage in just a few moves. The situation became one-sided. Depressed Young Marshal was truly depressed this time, instantly being killed until only two swordsmen and one knight remained. And Murong Shanshan's two mages were no pushovers either; their ice magic, like a barrage of bullets, left the melee classes scrambling.
Three white lights lit up on the stage. In just three minutes, Murong Shanshan's team had already entered the top 4. This was the gap in strength; though both were top 16 teams, Depressed Young Marshal's team was truly too far behind.