Another day passed in this boisterous fashion, and then came the third day, the very day the team tournament was set to commence.
Inside the Xiangchu University arena, the participating contestants were already assembled, ready for battle.
In fact, on many of the arenas, the clang of battle was already echoing.
However, all of this had little to do with Lin Ran and his companions for the time being.
Due to their exceptionally high scores in the individual tournament, they had directly secured a spot in the top sixteen.
Now, they could afford to slack off, observing the unfolding battles from the sidelines.
Yet, even so, Lin Ran and his group continued to draw considerable attention.
This was not only because of Lin Ran's dominant performance two days prior but also due to the widespread rumors circulating.
Furthermore, Lin Ran was currently using his Sharingan and Rinnegan to better observe the teams fighting on the field.
These two distinct eyes, one a pale purple and the other blood red, added an extra layer of charisma to Lin Ran's handsome appearance.
"Ran Shen's eyes are truly cool!"
"They are indeed striking. But if I recall correctly, weren't his eyes the same color a few days ago?"
"Could it be that Ran Shen has grown even stronger in these short two days?"
"Holy cow! What kind of person is this? They're infinitely growing stronger through fierce battles, leaving no room for anyone else to survive!"
"Exactly, this innate combat intuition is simply exaggerated."
"Why else would they call him Ran Shen? If he's not abnormal, how can he be a god?"
"..."
As the competition progressed, and with fans leading the charge in promotion, the long-dormant title of Ran Shen began to regain popularity.
This was not met with much resistance from others.
After all, Lin Ran's matches were genuinely entertaining, completely pleasing to the eye.
This also had to do with his preference for gradually increasing his combat intensity.
Much like how people jokingly called him a walking Boss, possessing multiple stages.
As a result, opponents who possessed strength often unleashed all their trump cards against Lin Ran only to be defeated, fully showcasing Lin Ran's unfathomable depth.
Weaker opponents, upon encountering Lin Ran, were instantly obliterated, which was equally thrilling.
Adding to this, Lin Ran's skill effects were both cool and captivating, and his combat skill combinations were filled with endless surprises, truly making him endlessly watchable.
"The elimination rounds have just begun, and Xiangchu has already fallen..."
Team member Xiong Yuan remarked with emotion.
Huang Chong chuckled beside him:
"Having lost Su Chen, Xiangchu was already heavily wounded."
"Not only did many of their pre-practiced tactics fail, but they also lost their most crucial team commander."
"The tenth member was temporarily seconded from elsewhere and couldn't form an effective fighting force."
"Coupled with bad luck, they ran into a strong opponent right off the bat, so it's quite normal for them to stop at the top 1000."
Guo Yuzhou fanned himself with his fan, pointing to another area:
"Look there!"
"The Weiyang University, which wasn't particularly outstanding in the individual tournament, seems to be exceptionally fierce in the team tournament!"
Everyone looked in that direction and nodded.
Weiyang University was a first-tier university, following closely behind the top ten institutions, and their strength was not to be underestimated.
However, their results in the individual tournament this year were not very ideal, with their highest-ranked player only making it to the top 100.
But the ten individuals Weiyang University recruited this year seemed to be exceptionally skilled in team battles.
From their fighting, it was evident that their coordination was exceptionally默契 (mò qì - tacit understanding), seamless and unified, like extensions of each other's limbs.
Relying on this skill, they had continuously advanced in the elimination rounds, never facing an opponent who could withstand more than a single encounter.
"Wunan University over there is also quite good,"
Lu Qianqian said.
Under the leadership of Jiang Siqi, this team had also been sweeping through their opponents.
Jiang Siqi in team battles was too formidable. As long as her teammates formed a protective circle around her, adopting a defensive formation, and allowing her to continuously summon fates, accumulating a sufficient number, they could easily crush the opposing team.
It was precisely for this reason that Jiang Siqi's partners were mostly endowed with defensive talents and crowd-control talents.
The core strategy was simple: drag it out.
"The participants from Modu University are also putting up a good show!"
Xu Sheng said with a smile.
Just as he said, Modu University was employing the most orthodox Tank-Healer-DPS combination.
Four front-liners, three magic artillery units, one crowd-controller, and two healers.
Coupled with their captain, whose precise command skills as a crowd-control talent were superb, their performance was quite spectacular.
After observing these, Lin Ran turned his gaze to Xihu University on the other side.
This was another team that had been directly sent to the top sixteen, and they had also ranked second in total points in the individual tournament.
It could only be said that Yan Da's performance in the individual tournament was too dominant, with their total points far ahead, which allowed the second-place position to fall to Xihu University, which had a better overall ranking.
It was worth mentioning that all the participants from Xihu University were girls, and their appearances were all delicate, refined, beautiful, and charming, truly a unique spectacle.
Besides Lin Ran and his team waiting in the lounge, Xihu University was the most eye-catching.
As for their talent types...
From the individual tournament, it could be seen that all ten individuals possessed crowd-control talents, an extremely specialized setup.
Generally, very few teams would adopt such a purely extreme configuration; it was very unstable.
Even Lin Ran's Yan Yun University had a much more balanced setup.
Lin Ran himself was a well-rounded warrior, with slightly weaker support capabilities, leaning more towards an offensive all-rounder;
Luo Qingyan was even more well-rounded, encompassing support and debuffs, along with abundant healing capabilities.
In fact, the mere presence of these two was enough to revitalize any team configuration...
Coupled with Lan Ruoqiu's "Scattered Ashes and Desolate Bones" and Guo Yuzhou's "Starry Mist and Cloudy Fog" for crowd control;
Duan Hun E Mo Bai Ziye, Po Jun Jian Wu Xu Sheng, and Hu Ben Jia Zhuang Xiong Yuan, who could serve as front-liners;
And Huang Chong with his "Piercing Heaven Divine Bow" and Lu Qianqian with her "Elemental Spirit Body" for rear-line output, the team was practically perfect.
However, since they hadn't seen Xihu University's players in actual team battles, it was difficult to hastily conclude that they would be incapable.
"What's wrong, all those girls have made your eyes blur?"
Luo Qingyan sidled up to Lin Ran, baring her teeth at him mischievously.
Lin Ran rolled his eyes:
"Big sister, you need to have more confidence in yourself..."
"If I truly wanted to look at beautiful women, I would just have to keep looking at you, wouldn't I?"
"I'm clearly researching potential obstacles and opponents for our team's path forward and analyzing these opponents."
"Unlike you, my mind is full of inappropriate thoughts."
Luo Qingyan let out a couple of hmph sounds, displeased:
"Alright, alright, then tell me, what have you analyzed?"
Lin Ran gave a light cough and said seriously:
"The short-haired girl on the far left has a great figure, especially her chest, it's quite prominent..."
"The third twin-tailed loli from the right is genuinely fair-skinned, her hair is so good, I want to tug it..."
"The fourth curly-haired girl from the left has headlights that are too dazzling, a bit dizzying..."
"The color of their captain's 20-denier stockings could be a bit deeper, making them more alluring to play with in hand..."