《Good God, Stop!》 CH 1 London, England. Esports peak top match ¡ª GDL World Finals Scene. Thousands of people filled the stadium, gathering for such an unprecedented and magnificent event. The brilliant and dazzling stage lights lit up the venue, with the sound of cries and cheers of the entire audience engulfing the area. Five people wearing the same uniform stepped onto the podium, causing thousands of eSports fans to shout madly, their deafening roars echoing within the arena for a long time. The five men on the podium held the trophy up high, allowing it to shine under the spotlight and finally evoked the arc of glory1 The first gold medal won globally in the history of domestic eSports was held in Black Rose Team¡¯s hands on this night. *** Such a scene kept replaying over and over again in Lin Xiao¡¯s mind. He slowly narrowed his eyes, and a loud ¡°pah!¡± sounded when he tossed the phone to the side, burrowing his whole body into the quilt. The phone¡¯s screen light was still on, and the words from the news report could clearly be seen. Team Black Rose¡¯s captain, Old Ghost 2, who won the trophy at China¡¯s first eSports Championship Trophy in the UK, while on his way to the airport suffered in an unfortunate car accident and was declared dead upon rescue. Time of report, 5 years ago. As Lin Xiao turned over, he couldn¡¯t help using his hand to smooth out his ruffled hair. ¡®If Old Ghost, Team Black Rose¡¯s captain died five years ago, then who was he?¡¯ Several days passed since he woke up, and strange memories would always surface in his mind from time to time, making him unable to come to terms and accept his new identity. The original body owner was an avid gaming enthusiast. It was a pity he wasn¡¯t some outstanding gaming talent, and could only be labeled as an ordinary player in the game ¡®Zone¡¯.3 He spent all his savings in crazily chasing celebrities as well as collecting numerous merchandise. In his last memory, he was thrown out of the venue at a fan meeting because of showing too much public display of affection towards a particular male All-Star God player. Suffering this double blow of not only having his confession rejected by his favorite idol but also having it done in public, when he got home he took some sleeping pills and committed suicide. The man¡¯s name was also ¡®Lin Xiao¡¯. Both had the same name and both lived a short life, however, when comparing their journeys, they were worlds apart. Since that deity¡¯s death, his own soul was able to occupy the body. After several days of recollection and trying to understand the memories, Lin Xiao was already clear that compared to 5 years ago, the eSports League now was more serious and could be said to have undergone tremendous amounts of change. Pro-players who usually lived in utility rooms and survived only on instant noodles had become a thing of the past. Today¡¯s pro-players were treated as the precious darlings of their clubs, from league matches and individual branding, to countless advertising endorsements, their worth was even comparable to that of popular movie stars. This was undoubtedly the ideal environment for Lin Xiao who had suffered in an era full of hardships in eSports; he couldn¡¯t help but feel excited. Although the original owner had squandered almost all of his finances, he still had some money left. As long as he could return to the league before the credit card was maxed out and successfully finds a club to sign with, any life issues in the future could naturally be solved. He touched some clothes by his side, and strolled around the room Obviously there wasn¡¯t much in the single flat, most of the space was taken up by small objects, except for a small space in the corner that a computer desk and a desktop computer occupied. Even though the original owner was a worthless otaku4, fortunately the basic ¡®job hunting¡¯ tools he needed right now were pretty much there ready for his use. Lin Xiao sat down in front of the computer with his legs crossed, he opened the browser on the desktop and started to go through Zone¡¯s official website. In the span of five years, Zone had already undergone several updated versions, and it took him two days to get a brief understanding and to make adjustments to the changes of the game content over the years. On the third day, he finally opened the game¡¯s login interface slowly. He certainly couldn¡¯t use his Old Ghost¡¯s account from back then as it would not be available. Lin Xiao thought for a bit, and in the end decided to use the Ghost Priest5 account, ID: Adorable Ghost 6. Due to not logging in for a long period of time, his original Second Division Ladder leveled7 character had already fallen to the Tenth Division, he had 800 points which were 200 points lower than the initial default of 1,000 points for new players. In the last two days, Lin Xiao had long come up with a feasible plan. In the current bursting age of the eSports industry, the youngsters that wanted to enter a club¡¯s training camp were all racking their brains on how to enter, but without hard work, these clubs surely wouldn¡¯t even spare them a glance. It was similar to the way the pro-circle dug him up back then. What he needed to do now was to rush up the leader-boards as soon as possible. As long as he could get back to the Second Division, he wouldn¡¯t have to worry about grabbing the attention of all the clubs that were scouting everywhere for newcomers. The game¡¯s lobby was filled with various groups of people advertising for their parties. One could obviously see that during the past five years, the development team had added a lot of new maps as well as a variety of new equipment with new attributes for players to collect and upgrade. According to what he¡¯d learnt in the previous two days, these equipment were much more diverse than they were in the past, and there were great improvements from operations to mechanics. He glanced at his own equipment library that was filled with antiques and he suddenly felt extremely shabby, truly poor and pitiful. However, when it came to Zone, a game that specialized in accumulating a variety of equipment, the collection and training of new materials could not be done overnight, let alone dividing up resources according to its attributes. It was better to spend more time leveling up. Lin Xiao decided to firstly put the matter of collecting equipment aside, and with a click left the lobby, directly entering the Arena interface. To get familiarized with the current PvP style of the game, he directly double-clicked at the gauge skills option from the ladder, which was undoubtedly the best choice. He adjusted a few shortcut keys in his keyboard settings, clicked on the ready button and entered the queue. At the same time streaming live on a certain platform, another person joined the queue at that exact moment. *** In Room 1001 of the GY streaming platform, the number of viewers had already reached 400,000 people. The well-known funny streamer Little Monkey Master was actively interacting with the audience: ¡°I¡¯m glad to see everyone on time for Monkey Master¡¯s live show, today Monkey Master will give you a demonstration of the ¡®Summoner¡¯ class. In order to allow everyone to appreciate the essence of this class better, Monkey Master lowered his moral standards to use a Tenth Division Ladder smurf 8, most cases used deceptively. account, to give everyone a detailed and accurate analysis of the skills.¡± A barrage of messages suddenly filled the screen¡ª ¡°Monkey Lord is too shameless to be torturing noobs!¡± ¡°Can¡¯t reach the higher divisions, goes to the Tenth Division, shame on you.¡± ¡°Today¡¯s bullying targets are too low-level, bad review, refund!¡± *** Looking at the barrage flood on the screen, Little Monkey Master was in a good mood. After swiping the messages from his screen, he readily accepted the window prompt and joined the room. During the pre-match phase, he began to slowly discard each dungeon map, then equipped himself with the most common summoner equipment from his collection. After doing a final check and confirming everything was good, he said stupidly without thinking: ¡°Seeing everyone always so enthusiastic, today Monkey Master must claim 100 blood9 so everyone will be happy.¡± The barrage exploded in boos. While one party ridiculed the other, the game preparations had ended, and both characters had spawned on their respective resurrection points. Each corner of the screen showed the avatars of both players. Little Monkey Master immediately pointed out the opponent¡¯s whole appearance, habitually looking for ways to ridicule the other¡¯s avatar: ¡°As you can see, the opponent¡¯s avatar is a small female Ghost Priest wearing dark clothes, just like a tiny crow. The hell! He actually bought a small red hood, and high red boots? Does he think this is a cosplay for Little Red Riding Hood?! And his nickname is also¡­ Oh, it¡¯s called ¡®Adorable Ghost¡¯, too fitting, so adorable indeed, the player himself must be an adorable ghost.¡± While interacting with the viewers, the Little Monkey Master couldn¡¯t help but grouse in his heart. It could be said that he had been in contact with the game Zone for a long time now, and because of personal interests he normally took note of official fashion notices the most. Now looking at the costume set in front of him, this was clearly the Little Red Riding Hood [limited edition] one that was released seven years ago, and was on the market for only a month back then before being sold out and no longer available in the mall. Is this opponent actually an old player? Little Monkey Master was startled by his own thoughts. Playing for more than seven years yet staying in the Tenth Division? Was there someone who had such horrible gaming talent, huh?! There were some old players that were viewing the broadcast who also discovered this, causing the comments to erupt in cheers. Monkey Master was amused by their lively atmosphere and deliberately typed mockingly on the general chat: ¡°Hey, brother at the other end, are you an old player? It¡¯s not easy climbing up the ladder to score points, should I put some water out for you?¡±10 Almost at the exact moment he sent it, he received a response from the other party, who had only four words to say, ¡°Don¡¯t think too much.¡± When he saw those words, his heart jumped. This opponent, his hand-speed was too fast¡­ This time, tens of thousands of anti-fans who saw Little Monkey Master¡¯s face slapped suddenly flooded the screen again¡ª ¡°Monkey Master has been left out, I¡¯m in shock!¡± ¡°Monkey Lord, you can do it, huh? Even a Tenth Division player dares to look down on you, huh!¡± ¡°My distressed monkey, don¡¯t think too much.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t think too much +1.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t think too much +2.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t think too much +10086.¡± *** Based on the typing speed just now, the opponent was probably not a rookie but more like an expert using a smurf account. During today¡¯s first live broadcast he crossed paths with such an unknown hidden expert, Little Monkey Master had an inexplicably sour feeling. However, he¡¯d already lost face in front of hundreds of thousands of people, and under their piercing gazes, he had to swallow back his own grievances and maintain his image! After all, he was also an expert from the Second Division Ladder, as long as the other wasn¡¯t a pro-player or a ¡®passerby king¡¯ at the top of the food chain, as an ordinary passerby master, there was no need to pay attention to him. So with a grim face, he silently erased the ¡°Don¡¯t mention it¡± words he had already typed in the chat box, switching those three words with: ¡°Just you wait!¡± At the other end of the screen, Lin Xiao stared at the words in the general chat, and touched his chin blankly. Had even low-ranked players become so wild? Thinking back, when was the last time someone had said those same three words to him? Too long, it seems he can¡¯t remember. T/N: This took forevvver to translate however I had fun translating just as how I hope you all have fun reading. LOL, 1 chapter down and ahhhh 1..5..2.. 152 chapters to go. (^?^?) Victory Smile Old Ghost ¨C Lin Xiao¡¯s nickname as well as his gaming character when he played in the League. Zone ¨C The name of the game they are playing. Just like Glory or League of Legends (LOL). Otaku ¨C (in Japan) they can be considered a young person who is obsessed with computers, anime and games Ghost Priest ¨C Account Lin Xiao created in his earlier days before joining the pro-league. Adorable Ghost ¨C ID for Ghost Priest account. Author originally had ¡®Gui Meng Meng¡¯. Second Division Level ¨C Ladder levels go from 1-10 with 10 being the lowest Smurf ¨C Alternate account experts normally use to play in lower levels Blood ¨C Kill(s). A taunting way of asking someone if they would like your help. CH 2 The two characters spawned in the Wild Lush Forest map. The greatest characteristic of this map was its vast area. The endless tropical rain forest almost obstructed the characters¡¯ field of vision. The mud and water on the ground were particularly realistic, which hindered mobility to a certain degree. The map was too extensive. It was so wide that the probability of encountering the opposing party was reduced greatly. It was this characteristic that made the ¡®Wild Lush Forest¡¯ one of the most avoided maps, especially for 1v1 single matches in Zone. This time however, Little Monkey Master wanted to make things more interesting in his live broadcast so the process of selecting maps was done randomly. As for Lin Xiao, he was too familiar with all the maps and didn¡¯t pay much attention. Instead, he focused his attention on consciously going through his equipment collection during the pre-match phase, not sparing more than a brief glance at the screen. Almost all the maps he clicked on were random too. Thus causing the map, Wild Lush Forest, to become the last fish left in the net. It was a rare sight to the viewers. At first, everyone had an interest in this rarely displayed map. However, whatever remaining curiosity they had vanished completely after seeing Summoner on screen called Chef Lu 1, go back and forth as if playing a game of cat and mouse. After going around the jungle for a few laps, the trolling army completely broke loose¡ª ¡°Unscrupulous anchor makes millions per month by walking around a map live!¡± ¡°It is important for an anchor to have a sense of direction.¡± ¡°You¡¯re only halfway through Long March2 by eight hundred miles. Monkey Master, you must keep up. Red Yan¡¯an3 is ahead!¡± ¡°This must behistory¡¯s most boring game of hide and seek, how long till the end of the match? Bets anyone?! Make your bets!¡± ¡°I bet an hour!¡± ¡°I bet two hours!¡± ¡°What do you know ah, I bet that after three hours both will make first contact!¡± *** Little Monkey Master¡¯s hands tapped heavily on the table, after thoroughly reminding himself of how expensive his electronic devices were, he calmly held back the urge to flip the table. So with a face full of distress he turned towards the camera and complained tearfully: ¡°Baby¡¯s heart feels bitter, but Baby won¡¯t say a word¡­¡± He could only cry without tears. He knew that with his sense of direction, trying to find someone in this dense forest was close to impossible. Instead, he might as well try and take the initiative to attack, which might also help him recover some of his lost face. He typed on the general chat: ¡°Brother, a real man doesn¡¯t hide, man up and face me directly!¡± Lin Xiao responded: ¡°Got lost?¡± Little Monkey Master replied with a string of ellipses. All the blood he had been holding back finally sprayed out. Got lost? Are you psychic? So you can read minds, huh? Lin Xiao seemed to be considerate this time: ¡°This map is too big, getting lost when you¡¯re unfamiliar with it is normal. Send me your coordinates, I¡¯ll come to you.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Little Monkey Master thought for a while, and in the end gave his coordinates, ¡°(78, -168).¡± Lin Xiao responded back simply: ¡°Coming.¡± Little Monkey Master silently ignored the boos coming from the barrage once again. He turned his head at a forty-five degree angle while staring at the ceiling, the corner of his eyes becoming moist. For some unknown reason he began remembering the time he went by himself to the Imperial Capital. While trying to find his way around, he would head in the opposite direction of where he wanted to go and became lost countless times. It was such a tragic experience. Adhering to the principle of being vigilant when away from home, the Little Monkey Master, having finished reporting his coordinates, obviously wouldn¡¯t sit around and wait for the other party to come knocking at his door. Instead, with nimble movements he found a small hiding spot near a particular tree. While using the geographical advantages of the tropical rain forest to cover Chef Lu from plain view, he began teaching battle tactics on the live broadcast. ¡°As everyone has seen, during a battle depending on the map, one must first find its advantages. Just like this Wild Lush Forest map, its complex terrain is its advantage. When an opponent asks, cough, like just now, ahem when he induces you to give him your coordinates, please don¡¯t expect him to walk straight towards you and face you with honor. In order to prevent the other from launching a sneak attack, we need to set up an ambush first and find an opportunity to disrupt the other¡¯s evil¡­ uh¡­ schemes?¡± Before his words could fall, in front of millions of viewers, Little Monkey Master, with tears hanging from his eyes faced the camera, his big mouth had already brought two face-slaps upon himself. I said he would sneak attack! I said I¡¯d try to trick the schemer! Brother, who the hell are you to walk across the path straightforwardly? Huh?! If you don¡¯t know how to duel go back and PvE, don¡¯t come and PvP up the ladder like you¡¯re trying to find a sense of existence. Wu wu¡­ my face hurts¡­ He had no energy left to look at the audience¡¯s comments. Lin Xiao arrived at the coordinates but when he saw no one there, he¡¯d already understood what had happened. Using one hand to support his chin on the table, the corner of his lips lazily curled up, his other hand leisurely tapping on the keyboard. Very quickly, he typed: ¡°Bro, don¡¯t be afraid ah, I won¡¯t eat you.¡± How could these lines from the soft and adorable Little Red Riding Hood give the feeling as if they were coming from the Big Bad Wolf instead? Imagining this, Little Monkey Master couldn¡¯t help but tremble. He had been a broadcaster for many years, so of course he would not be incited by a few provocative words. He pulled himself together and began to cast his first summon, Green Mushroom4 Under Chef Lu¡¯s control, a green mushroom-shaped summoned beast that almost camouflaged itself to its surroundings, began swaying back and forth as it made its way slowly through the dense forest towards Little Red Riding Hood. Adorable Ghost clearly didn¡¯t notice the incoming danger until after the Green Mushroom bit into her, causing a small portion of her HP bar to decrease. Despite the first strike, the Green Mushroom was wiped out in a matter of seconds by the time she raised her weapon. A stunning loss. ¡°As you can see, the Green Mushroom I just used is a basic summon, it has a blood-sucking skill. Although the HP it absorbs is little, it still can restore whatever percentage of HP it absorbed to its Summoner. Also, as everyone has seen, this low-level summon by itself is also very weak, so it can easily be killed by the opponent. However, the corresponding skill points it gives are not much nor is it an excessive skill. For Summoners, it could be said that it is an indispensable baby.¡± He already had some understanding about his opponent¡¯s hand speed, although Green Mushroom died much faster than expected, Monkey Master didn¡¯t pay it much heed. Almost the instant the Green Mushroom died, he quickly followed up with the next summon, Ice Dryad5. Compared to the soft Green Mushroom, the Ice Dryad rushed over baring its fangs and brandishing its claws, directly releasing its power, freezing Adorable Ghost in place. Little Monkey Master¡¯s hand speed soared, and he instantly summoned a Sticky Slime.6. He deliberately controlled it to rush forward going to the left with a slight detour, then having it quickly pounce over to his opponent¡¯s side. Under this vicious attack, the opponent¡¯s HP began decreasing once again. ¡°That roundabout method I just implemented is a strategy a lot of Summoners like to use. After all, Summoners belong to the long range class, and the summoned beasts are this class¡¯ ultimate defensive barriers. A sharp Summoner should always keep renewing their summons as often as they can, keeping the opponent constantly disrupted and with no way to determine your own exact location. As everyone can see, by now the opponent¡¯s Ghost Priest has almost half her HP bar left, while our Chef Lu still has full HP.¡± Having said that, Little Monkey Master could not help but strike a handsome pose and smiled charmingly towards the camera, ¡°This way you can sink a ship with the impact from the waves of a torpedo.¡± Upon hearing the sound of thunder, Little Monkey Master was suddenly in a good mood. Excellent. Seeing that all the summons he had just thrown were wiped out clean, on one hand he made commentaries, while on the other he continued reading the comments. After all, he too was a veteran in the Second Division Ladder. Although he himself wasn¡¯t a Summoner player, he could easily play as one, as such he didn¡¯t reveal the slightest panicked look. However, as he continued casting summon after summon, his expression became increasingly ugly. In spite of the opponent¡¯s HP continuously decreasing, he had the strange feeling that the rate at which it declined became increasingly slower. The strange point to note was that the skills he was using in comparison to the earlier ones were of higher caliber and thus should have incurred more damage. The anchor was of course surprised. Such a situation clearly was very weird. The audience at the other end of the screen could also see the situation so clearly that they secretly spat on the anchor in their hearts. So many summons were thrown, and the results? For half a day not only did they not kill the opponent but rather were killed one by one. Are we still playing Zone? Shouldn¡¯t this game be named Plants vs. Zombies instead?! The doubts in Little Monkey Master¡¯s heart became more and more, and he decided to increase his battle speed, but found the summon skills he usually used on a daily basis had stopped working. What was going on? A BUG?! He looked down and saw the icon on the skill bar had paled. He checked his mana, but there still was half left. He frowned, suddenly a strong sense of crisis rose deep from within him. Only one other possibility came to his mind, the idea making his whole person seem to completely freeze. If a Summoner couldn¡¯t continue to release summons, there were only two possibilities. First, there was not enough mana. Second, the number of summons had already reached seven and hence the player couldn¡¯t continue summoning. It was most likely the second case for him. Unconsciously, his rhythm had already become so chaotic that his summons had already maxed out without him realizing. Although he had been using his summoning skills non-stop, he clearly hadn¡¯t made any slip ups while controlling the beasts to attack. The several ¡®Unable to Attack¡¯ prompts before made him subconsciously think that the summons were on the verge of dying, yet that didn¡¯t seem to be the case now. After so long, the bunch of summoned beasts on the field were all still alive, while that Ghost Priest was no longer losing HP¡­ Hold up, Ghost Priest?! A thought flashed through Little Monkey Master¡¯s mind, and he wanted to pull apart the leaves that blocked his view so he could view the situation outside. However, just as he stepped outside, a person¡¯s silhouette flashed in front of him. Seeing the whirling club that came right towards his face, his body slipped in front of the computer, directly falling from the chair, having lost his centre of gravity. The entire live broadcast room heard him swear straight from the depths of his heart: ¡°Fuck your mother!¡± He was hiding so well and also had his summoning beasts make a detour, how did this ghost priest find his hiding place?! Despite everything, what made him have the impulse to go on a rampage was when he saw his summoned beast that was steadily controlled in the distance. He instantly had his thoughts confirmed. This move was so dirty, such an underhanded trick! Ghost Priests had three main functions, they could cast blood-draw magic, crowd control curses, and supplementary three-dimensional displacing spells. In 1v1 Ladder duels, due to the latter of the two being suitable for support roles and the lack of explosive damage it gave off, a burst output greatly full of blood magic was almost the only option left. Since his opponent could keep his seven summons sealed and blocked in an endless-loop completely by himself, it was more than enough for him to be sure that the other person had mainly picked the curse branch on his skill tree. As for the curse ghost¡¯s pitiful damage skills? Fear of ending up dead during the course of the 1v1? It didn¡¯t matter. When the cudgel 7 simply came swinging right on top of his head, it was enough to explain everything, this was a physical weapon that could deal damage when striking! Had Little Monkey Master known from the beginning that the opponent was cursed, or that he would be playing more of a high-end match rather than a fun teaching one, perhaps if he¡¯d controlled the rhythm and number of his summoning beasts then he would not have fallen into such a position. One where he was unable to use his skills and left with no other choice than to turn tail and flee. Such an embarrassing scene. However, the situation had already become one-sided. It wasn¡¯t only Little Monkey Master that couldn¡¯t help but go wild, watching the Ghost Priest personally wield a staff, then continuously strike over and over again leaving them half dead. A dead silence fell in the streaming room, everyone¡¯s minds had already grown chaotic. Using curses during a duel was fine as the Ghost Priest was in the spell-casting class, but was it really appropriate for you to have a staff that deals physical damage as the main weapon? Ghost Priests can still be played like this?! Lin Xiao couldn¡¯t feel the more than thousands of millions of galloping Grass Mud Horses 8from the other end of the screen, so he swiped his staff steadily and completely emptied SummonerChef Lu¡®s HP bar to the last drop at once. [System] First Blood! The author has something to say: The 1V1 match is determined by the first to win two drops of blood, that is to say, the face off is not over yet! Little Monkey Master don¡¯t cry, stand up and keep going! T/n : Little Monkey Master ¡­ One should always know when to walk away but in this case know when to run¡­ (^?^?) Chef Lu ¨C Little Monkey Master¡¯s ID. (Just as Adorable Ghost is the player ID for Lin Xiao¡¯s Ghost Priest) Long March ¨C An event that took place between (October 1934 ¨C October 1936). It was a military retreat undertaken by the Red Army of the Communist Party of China, to evade the pursuit of the Kuomintang army. There was not one Long March, but a series of marches, as various Communist armies in the south escaped to the north and west. Red Yan¡¯an ¨C ¡®According to google¡¯ Yan¡¯an was near the endpoint of the Long March, and became the center of the Chinese Communist revolution from 1936 to 1948. Chinese communists celebrate Yan¡¯an as the birthplace of the revolution. I think it would be looking something like this but uhh green¡­. [4] Million grass mud horses ¨C The ¡®Grass-Mud Horse¡± [C¨£on¨ªm¨£ (²ÝÄàÂí)] is a mythical creature whose name in Chinese sounds like ¡°fuck your mother¡± [c¨¤o n¨« m¨¡ (ÃHÄãÂè)]. CH 3 Lin Xiao didn¡¯t know what was happening on the opponent¡¯s side. However, the little monkey master would never have imagined that his nonsensical method of tossing out his summoned beasts, and the very eye-catching tenth division logo had him silently labeled as a noob. Having walked some distance away from the murder scene, Adorable Ghost found a large tree nearby and after jumping up, sat cross legged on one of its branches. Such a remote hideout could prevent him from being exposed easily as well as give him more time to respond to messages. The threat from the Little Monkey Master was displayed on the map channel: ¡°Just you wait!¡± Lin Xiao glanced at the other party who was desperately trying to save face with his low mana bar with great interest. He leisurely replied: ¡°Relax, wait where you are.¡± After a while, he added another sentence: ¡°You won¡¯t get lost, right?¡± After hearing these ¡®concerned words¡¯, the old blood from the little monkey¡¯s chest suddenly surged. Was that a threat? Threaten your sister! Do you think you¡¯re coaxing a child? Last time it was ¡®Don¡¯t think too much¡¯, but now you care about whether or not I get lost? With such an obvious coordinate there, am I an idiot? The Little Monkey Master shuddered and decided to give up on communicating with the opponent. The original phrase ¡®Are you a trumpet?1¡¯ that he¡¯d begun typing was silently deleted. After all, there were so many viewers in the live broadcast. Asking this was obviously seeking death even if the other party admitted that he was a trumpet. However, if he did accept it, wouldn¡¯t the face-slapping be too loud? After the character re-spawned, he found the coordinates again. Chef Lu did not approach directly this time, but lurked behind a large tree. While silently summoning the green mushroom, he controlled it to go toward the coordinate points. However, after waiting a while until the end of the summon time for the green mushroom, there was still no fighting. Then came the second summon, the third, the fourth, the fifth¡­ Summons were released one after another, and a carpet-like search was conducted over the area near the coordinates, but not even a shadow of the Ghost Priest was seen. Did the opponent change location? Was there an ambush nearby? Little Monkey Master became vigilant. Having lost the first match, he¡¯d already confirmed that the opponent was an expert. With only the last drop of blood left, he prioritized safety and decided to carefully hide first. The jungle was very dense, and after considering the terrain, he began climbing a tree. Accuracy and fluency in climbing was enough to show a player¡¯s strengths and weaknesses. Little Monkey Master¡¯s tree-climbing skills were superb. Every move he made was very quick, and every where his foot landed was extraordinarily accurate. He didn¡¯t even use much physical strength and quickly moved upwards toward the crown of the tree. This operation was naturally seen by his fans, which almost made up for the loss of face caused by his death in the last match and he was applauded for it. The original intention of the Little Monkey Master was to climb to the top of the tree so he could have an aerial view of the terrain. Yet, after the last leaf blocking his view was pulled away, a red-colored thing fell in front of him and the last drop of blood he had been protecting so dearly finally sprayed out. The little splash of red within the green forest was certainly not the game designer¡¯s idea of adding colour to the map. Although now it looked like a thousand year old fruit tree, it was the one and only adorable Ghost Priest! No wonder the summoned beasts he had assigned to investigate had found no one present. How dare he hide above my head and watch me play on my own for such a long time. As the staff came closer, he thought that such a scene was particularly familiar and sighed solemnly, this wasn¡¯t fun at all! Originally, when Lin Xiao saw the other party exploring the path, he was speechless. Once he saw the opponent climbing up the tree, he thought his hiding place had been exposed and became alert. Only then did he find that this was not the case at all. The series of tree-climbing operations that came next were obviously the opponent intentionally showing off his prowess, which made Lin Xiao quickly realize that the summoner turned out to be a pro-player. This caused him to feel increasingly speechless; it was true that the other was an expert, but regrettably a bit on the stupid side. Initially, he wanted to stall to give the mana enough time to be refilled, but who would have expected that the other party would just seek death on his own. It was as if a gorgeous woman was walking towards him seductively, disturbing his little heart. He couldn¡¯t hold back any longer and cast a frost spell and sent his staff right through the ¡®beautiful woman¡¯s¡¯ figure. The frost spell exploded in Chef Lu¡¯s body, blocking all means of defense. The avatar was happily propped up on the cudgel for a while, going stiff afterwards. Within the span of 0.2 seconds, the body plummeted head first towards the ground like a meteorite with Adorable Ghost¡¯s help, of course. On the way down, leaves from the tree blocked his sight, and after crashing heavily on the grass, the avatar was held firmly in place by an adorable, little girl. This action caused whatever remaining HP to be completely drained. A large image of a small but charming little girl filled the entire screen. Little Monkey Master suddenly went silent and laid there motionlessly. He could only watch as the little girl thrashed the corpse to and fro in the grass. [System] Second Blood! [System] Defeat! Just looking at the word ¡®Defeat¡¯ in the centre of the screen, Little Monkey Master sucked in a breath of cold air while his sadness lingered in the remaining mist. On the other side, Lin Xiao carefully inspected his spoils in the victory reward interface, and after going through several equipment attributes he finally chose to receive the ¡®Vampire Scepter¡¯. The equipment rewarded by the tenth-tier ladder were common and could hardly be thought of as the best. The Vampire Scepter had only one special attribute, which increased the ¡®life-steal¡¯ spell by 10%. However, it was this special blood-sucking property that Lin Xiao liked the most. Little Monkey Master exited the battle interface and returned to the game¡¯s lobby. He ignored the explosion in the live broadcast room and sent out a friend request. [System] Sorry, the player you are looking for is offline. Nima 2, even his offline speed is faster than mine!The Monkey Master entered another queue reluctantly. The atmosphere within the live broadcast room was a bit chaotic. Although the matches that followed afterwards all ended in victory, they still weren¡¯t enough to keep the audience¡¯s attention. All the messages seemed to revolve around the first match. Whenever a newcomer entered the live broadcast room, the old viewers who were present for the entire show would always take the time out to bring them up to speed. After seeing the newcomers¡¯ reactions change from curiosity to laughter to distressed and finally comforting, he gradually became used to it. The live broadcast finally ended and Little Monkey Master turned the camera off. He lay on the sofa feeling tired and unloved. At this time, the shelved QQ3 account lit up and a familiar profile picture was displayed. Chef Lu: Hou Hao, is the live broadcast over? Did you record everything today? Lu Xing was a popular video editor in the esports circle and also the original owner of the summoner account used earlier. Since he was a pure PVE copy player4, he obviously wouldn¡¯t go to the ladder seeking his own death. As a result, his account had always been in the tenth division. However, he didn¡¯t care much about his own position, so he often lent it to Little Monkey Master when the latter needed it for live broadcasts. Hou Hao quickly stabilized his mood and drew closer to the keyboard. Big Monkey: Recorded, but can I not give it? ¨s©n¨t Chef Lu: What¡¯s wrong? Victory was too easy, no excitement? Big monkey: Uhh no, it¡¯s hard to say¡­ Chef Lu: ? Big Monkey: Forget it ah¡­ why don¡¯t you see it for yourself. [System file, please receive] Lu Xing received the video while Hou Hao stared at the screen in a daze. After about twenty minutes¡­ Chef Lu: Hahahahaha ~~!!! Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! !! !! [Slaps Table] [Slaps Table] [Slaps Table] Big Monkey: Can¡¯t your laugh be a bit more composed¡­ [Depressed] Chef Lu: Where is this expert from? The monkey play you put on is so fascinating! Big Monkey: Blame my bad luck! Chef Lu: No what I¡¯m talking about is monkey magic Big Monkey: ¡­ Forget I said anything (©Ð_©Ð) Hou Hao was depressed and prepared to close the chat. He didn¡¯t understand before but now that he did, a fiery gleam appeared in his eyes. Chef Lu: My precious little monkey, isn¡¯t this what you want! As a pro-player in the league, Lu Xing would not easily say this idea would work undoubtedly unless he was very certain. Although his popularity on the live broadcast platform had always been among the top tier anchors, he knew what Lu Xing was referring to was beyond that. So Little Monkey Master, isn¡¯t this what you want? The little monkey¡¯s blood began to boil and the sullen atmosphere from earlier disappeared completely. He quickly sent out a message expressing his gratitude. Big Monkey: Ah Xing5, you are my heaven, my earth, my light in a tunnel of darkness. Even if this monkey becomes rich and famous, I won¡¯t forget you! ~ \\\\ (¨R ¨Œ ¨Q) // ~ On the opposite side, Lu Xing who was in the midst of drinking water directly sprayed it across the computer screen. He coughed a few times after looking at the excited words. He could almost imagine the other¡¯s expression when saying those words. After wiping his mouth, his lips gently hooked up in a smile. Won¡¯t ever forget me? Of course, that is to be expected. *** Lin Xiao didn¡¯t realise that he¡¯d accidentally caused a huge ruckus in the gaming world. Just as he exited the game, there was a knock on the door. Opening the door, a tall man appeared. He was neatly dressed in a white T-shirt and jeans that made his appearance look clean. Lin Xiao hadn¡¯t fully grasped all of the original owner¡¯s memory and paired with the fact that this person was wearing a peak cap6, he had no recollection of the man, ¡°Who are you?¡± The man did not show dissatisfaction towards Lin Xiao¡¯s slight disregard. He took off his cap, revealing a bright and handsome face that held an aggrieved expression, ¡°Lin Xiao, there¡¯s no need to pretend to be dumb. Just be honest. Did you really confess to You Jing?¡± Lin Xiao stared at the man¡¯s face that started to look somewhat familiar and could vaguely recall that he and the original owner grew up together in the same hometown. His name was Yan Lingjiang. Although they were both childhood friends, the other was much luckier than Lin Xiao. With his outstanding talents, it wasn¡¯t long before Yan Lingjiang was considered important in his guild and had later become a professional player in the club. With his steady performance and likeable face, he could now be considered a popular player that had many fans. The current esports players were like celebrities that were constantly followed. It was no wonder that he came dressed in a peak cap looking like a thief. Not only did your family¡¯s Lin Xiao confess to others, he also committed suicide for love! Lin Xiao glanced at him and decided to clarify the relationship between the two from earlier in order to avoid unnecessary trouble, ¡°I no longer like men.¡± The words Yan Lingjiang were about to say came to a stop so suddenly that he almost choked on his own saliva. T/n: Nobody at all: ¡­ Lin Xiao: I no longer like men. *silence* Plat: Should we tell him? Sleepy: Real life image of Lin Xiao: Are you a trumpet?: Just like asking ¡®why are you tooting your own horn?¡¯¨C To brag about one¡¯s own talents. Nima: ¡®ÄáÂꡯ The two characters don¡¯t make any sense by themselves. They are homophonic characters of ÄãÂè, which means ¡®your mother¡¯. Can be used in cases to mean Come on!, God!, Really? QQ: An instant messaging software service and web portal developed by China. PvE copy player: This is a characteristic used in games. The copy characteristic allows player copy output of equipment, props and game resources from different player to satisfy another player¡¯s game progress Ah Xing: Used as a shortened form of a person¡¯s name and used to express familiarity. Usually placed in front of the person¡¯s given name. Peak Cap: I think he¡¯d wear something like this, since LX described him as looking like a thief. CH 4 Ever since Yan Lingjiang started participating in his club¡¯s exclusive training, it had been a long time since he had seen Lin Xiao. The moment training ended and he came out, he heard of the spectacle at Black Rose team¡¯s fan meeting. As soon as he saw the man in the report, he was able to recognize the face. The person who faced Yan Lingjiang now was wearing the same black shirt from the photo, which contoured his beautiful shoulder blades and perfect neckline all the way down to his slightly curved waist. He wore a pair of laid-back jeans and slippers that he casually dragged beneath his feet when he came outside of the bedroom, which made him look very shabby. His overgrown hair scattered sloppily across his forehead, and after not being exposed to the sun for an entire year, his face had become pale. His eyes were very deep; so striking that staring at him would cause one to subconsciously avoid them. Seeing Lin Xiao remain silent for a long time, Yan Lingjiang gloomily pulled out his mobile phone and flipped through the photos, then placed the screen close to his face, almost touching his eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me this person isn¡¯t you! Lin Xiao, someone accidentally took these pictures and sent them to me!¡± Lin Xiao enlarged the photo on the phone, stared at the blurry figure for a long time and asked curiously, ¡°Just how on earth did you recognize me from this faceless photo?¡± Yan Lingjiang glared at him. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you at least change your clothes before asking this?¡± ¡°Oh, sorry.¡± Lin Xiao glanced at himself once again and chuckled. While throwing the phone back to Yan Lingjiang, he repeated with a serious face, ¡°You can rest assured, I no longer like men.¡± Yan Lingjiang, ¡°Who do you like now?¡± Lin Xiao looked at him, puzzled. ¡°Since I don¡¯t like men, shouldn¡¯t I like women?¡± Yan Lingjiang, ¡°¡­¡± His meaning was very clear, but something felt off. Lin Xiao leaned against the doorpost lazily. Seeing the man stop talking for a while, he couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°So to say, you came here today just to ask this? Are the current pro players as idle as you?¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you the idlest in the world?¡± Yan Lingjiang angrily pushed him into the room and closed the door. ¡°Didn¡¯t you always want to enter the esports circle? This time, there is a great opportunity, I came here as soon as I got the news.¡± He then pulled out stacks of paper from his bag. ¡°Well, take a look for yourself.¡± These were the plans for a club¡¯s training camp. He didn¡¯t know where Yan Lingjiang got them from. In fact, even a detailed outline of the club¡¯s testing process was written. Lin Xiao skimmed through the document briefly, then frowned in thought. This was obviously a great opportunity if he wanted to return to the league, but this Streamer team1 Yan Lingjiang had already prepared his posture, ready to see Lin Xiao jump in joy, but after waiting for a long time, he didn¡¯t see the anticipated reaction. He couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Don¡¯t you understand?¡± Lin Xiao looked up at him, his tone calm. ¡°These conditions are very tempting.¡± Yan Lingjiang looked at his overly composed expression, a little hesitant, he asked, ¡°Are you upset about this opportunity? Why aren¡¯t you happy?¡± Lin Xiao thought for a while then slowly and carefully stacked the documents into a neat pile. He returned them casually. ¡± Unfortunately, I won¡¯t be joining your club.¡± Yan Lingjiang, ¡°¡­¡± Lin Xiao, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± After stifling himself for a while, Yan Lingjiang finally managed to spit out a single word, ¡°Fuck!¡± He grabbed the document and flipped through page by page, showing them to Lin Xiao. ¡°This is the lowest threshold for a beginner in our club¡¯s history. Although our club can only be considered half a behemoth in comparison to other teams, we are still one of the most popular teams to win the championship league. You should know that this is a favor so you have to grasp this opportunity for your future!¡± Based on his original intentions, this club was not suitable to join and he felt sorry for the Streamer Club. Lin Xiao raised his eyebrows and forgot about trying to correct the other party¡¯s statement, saying slowly, ¡°Da Yan2 , umm, I¡¯m really not going to be a part of the Streamer Club, I already have a team in mind.¡± Yan Lingjiang¡¯s rambling stopped abruptly, and he looked up at him. ¡°If you won¡¯t join, then where will you go?¡± Lin Xiao avoided his sight, looked up at the ceiling, and coughed slightly, saying: ¡°Black Soul Club.¡± For a while, there was complete silence. He received a dumbfounded look in return. He cleared his throat, trying to give an explanation, ¡°I want to join the Black Soul team, but let¡¯s make it clear that it¡¯s definitely not for the reason you are thinking of¡­¡± Yan Lingjiang¡¯s voice suddenly interrupted and he shouted, ¡°You still have thoughts about that You Jing in your heart!¡± Great, you didn¡¯t give me a chance to finish my sentence¡­ Lin Xiao rubbed his temples and could immediately feel a headache coming on, but had no idea how to convince the other party. I can¡¯t tell him it¡¯s because I was the original creator of Black Rose¡¯s old team, can I? He thought for a while and finally came up with a relatively reasonable explanation. ¡°Actually, it really isn¡¯t what you think. There¡¯s a very important reason for me to decide on this.¡± Yan Lingjiang, ¡°I¡¯m listening.¡± Lin Xiao, ¡°It¡¯s nearby.¡± There was a brief moment of silence, then Yan Lingjiang stuffed his things into his bag angrily and slammed the door. Upon leaving, he dropped a sentence, ¡°The next time I¡¯m free and decide to care about your life and try to help you will be the day I change my last name to yours!¡± Lin Xiao rubbed his temples, thinking to himself. What¡¯s so bad about the last name Lin, it sounds cute afterall. *** Liuyun Team, training hall on the first floor. Yan Lingjiang took a train ride that lasted until the end of the day and finally rushed back, making it in time for the second round of training. He had only stepped in with his backpack when he ran straight into a person¡¯s arms without paying attention. As soon as he looked up, he saw a frosty face that wore a slowly raising eyebrow. He hurriedly took a couple steps back and called out: ¡°Vice Captain Zhang!¡± Zhang Fengyu caught a glimpse of his sullen face and asked, ¡°What happened? Didn¡¯t you see your friend?¡± Yan Lingjiang pouted and replied, ¡°I saw him, but ¡­¡± Zhang Fengyu lightly replied, ¡°Oh, since he is not interested in the club at this time, don¡¯t force him.¡± Yan Lingjiang looked up at him. ¡°How did Zhang Zhang know that he refused?¡± Zhang Fengyu glanced at his face and said in a calm tone, ¡°It wasn¡¯t that hard to guess.¡± Yan Lingjiang grinned. ¡°Vice Captain Zhang, you are not only good at data calculations, but even your fortune telling skills are so accurate! Since you knew, you should have prevented me from going on this trip in the first place. I¡¯ll have you know that the two-day ride back and forth was exhausting!¡± Zhang Fengyu¡¯s mouth twitched slightly, but he didn¡¯t respond. There was a sudden burst of laughter coming from the corner of the training hall. The people that had gathered there noticed Yan Lingjiang and greeted him immediately, ¡°Da Yan, come and see this, there¡¯s a talented anchor that is really amusing. No, this won¡¯t work, I¡¯m getting a stomach ache! If this continues, I really will die from laughter!¡± When Yan Lingjiang heard that, he threw his backpack on a sofa nearby and went over to where the crowd was, curious. The video they were watching was called <> It was uploaded last night. In just half a day, the number of viewers broke the two million mark, and had been rising ever since. It was already ranked in the top three on the website¡¯s popularity ranking list, falling a little behind the beauty anchor Xiaowu who dominated the list all year round with her tutorials. When Yan Lingjiang went up, he just managed to catch the image of the summoner being thrown down from the tree by the ghost priest¡¯s staff. Before he could laugh, he was attracted to the stick in the ghost hand. ¡°What¡¯s going on? Is the main weapon of the ghost priest Sodia¡¯s Club?¡± Zhang Fengyu watched this video earlier. He stood nearby and began to analyze slowly, ¡°The crafty ghost priest conjured the curse spell, but only used five high-level control skills. In addition, he used three elementary-level control skills that would only add two unwarranted points, causing the freeze time to be 0.2 seconds. As a result he has saved 5 extra skill points in total, all of which were used to trigger the passive physical damage bonus.¡± ¡°The 5% gain may not seem like much at all, but paired with the Sodia Club weapon that deals 200 physical damage without a need for solid penetration, one can just sit back, relax and reap the rewards. In this way, having an additional 210 in HP that increases attacking power, is enough to cause considerable damage to the summoner class that has a defence value of about 185.6. As long as it is close enough, it¡¯s not so difficult to kill people. ¡° ¡°However, the moment both parties met, they both reacted after about 0.1 second. From the moment spells and summons were released to the time of defeat, the entire process took about 0.5 seconds, excluding 0.2 seconds of chanting time. This ghost priest, to have a hand speed of at least 220 or above, must be an expert. ¡° After the words fell, there was complete silence. The laughter from earlier disappeared, the entire group suddenly felt worthless. Going solely by the video, how on earth did the vice captain calculate both the damage defence value as well as the opponent¡¯s hand speed? Zhang Fengyu looked down and saw Yan Lingjiang¡¯s dazed expression, and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Yan Lingjiang pursed his lips. ¡°Vice Captain Zhang, being your teammate is one of the most fortunate things in my life!¡± If I were your enemy, just hearing such a detailed analysis would be terrifying. Zhang Fengyu hesitated, then slightly raised his lips. ¡°I guess so.¡± He brought back his attention to the video, and said with a serious expression, ¡°Unfortunately, this video hides the IDs of both people. Otherwise, this expert could be found.¡± Yan Lingjiang also returned his attention to the screen, and he suddenly asked, ¡°Is the ghost priest really that powerful? I thought it was just a joke because the anchor was stupid!¡± *** With the frantic spread of the video, it quickly surpassed the 10-million-views mark by the end of the day and jumped to the #1 position based on number clicks. At the same time, on Weibo¡¯s3 hot topic list, #don¡¯t think too much! became the new hot search which revealed the video anchor. Zone fans took the liberty to forward the post unlimitedly. The phrase ¡®don¡¯t think too much¡¯ became the most trending term in the Zone. Lu Xing was very satisfied after watching the explosive effect he had caused. He reclined in his chair and opened his QQ account and selected the very eye-catching monkey icon. Chef Lu: Big red monkey, how are you feeling now? [Pats head] Big Monkey: My audience in the live broadcast today has doubled! This is great! Very exciting! I can¡¯t describe this feeling! Big monkey: But, I still feel a bit lonely¡­ (£¾ ©n £¼) Just as lonely as a snowflake! Chef Lu: What do you mean? Big Monkey: Don¡¯t you think the opponent from earlier was a bit weird? Do you know where the expert is from? Chef Lu: I¡¯m not sure, but I should know shortly. Big Monkey: Really? You know him4 ? [Surprised] [Surprised] [Surprised] Chef Lu: No need to know him personally, but as talented as they are, there are several teams that are more anxious than us in trying to find him. Slowly thinking about the last sentence, Lu Xing leisurely crossed his legs while gazing at the dark sky through the window. His eyes gleamed with curiosity. There hadn¡¯t been such a mysterious expert in the league for a long time. Things are about to get interesting. Plat : *sniff sniff* Does anyone else smell another CP? (^?^?) Streamer Team : This is another team in the eSports league¡­. Da Yan: The ¡®Da¡¯(´ó) used here is usually reserved for eldest siblings/elder brothers. Weibo: This is a Chinese micro-blogging website similar to twitter that netizens across China use as a platform to exchange information and voice opinions on social issues. The name itself means ¡®micro-blogging¡¯ in Chinese. ¡®Him¡¯: he or him / used for either sex when the sex is unimportant or in this case unknown. CH 5 In another room on a similar channel. Red Alert: ¡°Bro, don¡¯t think too much.¡± When Lin Xiao saw this sentence, he couldn¡¯t help but feel that it was a bit familiar and couldn¡¯t remember where he saw it. He buried himself lazily in his chair, repeating what he said just now: ¡°I¡¯ll give you ¡®Sophia¡¯s Blade¡¯ but everything else belongs to me.¡± Red Alert: ¡°Don¡¯t think too much, okay! Although this instance1 is a bit outdated, you must be dreaming if you believe only two people can clear it. You need to wake up!¡± Lin Xiao continued persuading: ¡°I¡¯ll give you ¡®Sophia¡¯s Blade¡¯ but everything else belongs to me.¡± Red Alert: ¡°¡­You¡­ are you using ctrl + c plus ctrl + v !!!¡±2 Lin Xiao uttered a few more words this time: ¡°No. I¡¯ll give you ¡®Sophia¡¯s Blade¡¯ but everything else belongs to me.¡± Red Alert: ¡°¡­¡± He felt a little depressed. Previously, because he¡¯d accidentally destroyed his Sophia¡¯s Blade, he had to come back to replace it. Unfortunately, this instance was so outdated that those who were noobs had long become experts. After setting up the game, he waited by himself for an entire day although he did not come alone. The moment he was about to give up and exit, an instance came that required two people to clear. Although it was not rare for two or three people to win quickly, it was only on the premise that there was a healer3 and a powerful MT4. However, as a weak assassin himself, how could he cooperate with a weak Ghost Priest who couldn¡¯t heal? Double speed instance clear? Speed ??your sister! Isn¡¯t it faster to be killed by the boss? Red Alert: ¡°Fine, you are in charge! I¡¯ll go to the guild5 to find a healer, then we will start immediately!¡± Lin Xiao was also a bit speechless about this man¡¯s weird tenacity. He could only compromise: ¡°Okay. It¡¯s only a pity there will be another person to share the equipment with.¡± Red Alert¡¯s mouth twitched, fighting the urge to kick the other person out of the party. Despite his frustration, after finally finding someone willing to partner with him and not fight over resources, he didn¡¯t have the energy to wait for another. Fearing that his highness would leave after being impatient, he went away and quickly found a female Cleric6 from his faction who agreed to help. As soon as he was back, he looked up and happened to see Lin Xiao asking: ¡°What guild are you from? Are you sure the person you are calling is reliable?¡± Hey, where did you get the idea of wanting only two people to clear an instance? When Red Alert glanced at the chat in the channel, he almost coughed up a mouthful of blood: ¡°I¡¯m from the powerful Black Dawn, a giant guild, where else would you find someone more reliable!!!¡± Lin Xiao squinted his eyes at the multiple flashy exclamation marks on the screen puzzled. Why is everyone so easily angered these days? However, was it actually Black Dawn? He didn¡¯t expect that such a random confrontation would cause him to inadvertently collide with Black Rose¡¯s direct guild. Wasn¡¯t this the legendary pie falling from the sky into one¡¯s lap. The corners of his mouth slightly curved, and there was a smile hidden in the depths of his eyes while looking at the screen: ¡°Very Good.¡± When he saw these two words, Red Alert suddenly felt the hairs on his body standing on end. As soon as the female Cleric entered the room, without thinking, he greeted her anxiously: ¡°Sister Clear, are you ready? Get ready, get ready!¡± Lin Xiao: ¡°Brother, wait. It doesn¡¯t seem right to make a move on a woman just after meeting for the first time?¡± 7 Red Alert: ¡°¡­ W-what, this is the help I called.¡± Lin Xiao asked: ¡°Oh, ah, do we need to turn on voice chats?¡± Red Alert jumped and responded within seconds: ¡°Low level instance! No need!¡± Lin Xiao didn¡¯t mind. He prefered not to speak. Everyone entered the room and began the preparation phase while Red Alert as the raid leader initiated the instance. Not long after, three avatars appeared at the spawn point. Almost at that exact moment, Red Alert pulled sister Clear into a voice chat alone. Clear Sky said, ¡°What are you doing? Why not pull him into the voice chat as well?¡± Red Alert¡¯s tone became melancholic, ¡°Well, it¡¯s not easy to talk to him. You don¡¯t know how bad this Ghost Priest is!¡± Clear Sky looked at Lin Xiao¡¯s equipment and agreed. ¡°He must be pretty bad if his equipment values only 3200. Is he a trumpet8?¡± Red Alert: ¡°The greatest!¡± Clear Sky: ¡°What do you mean?¡± Red Alert simply said, ¡°If you hadn¡¯t come, he¡¯d have pulled me to clear the level with just the two of us!¡± Clear Sky: ¡°He¡¯s crazy!¡± Was the Ghost Priest crazy? Red Alert didn¡¯t know, but what he knew was that he nearly went crazy under Lin Xiao¡¯s mental torture. In order to prevent the other party from knowing that he had secretly turned on the voice chat, he typed in the team and urged: ¡°Let¡¯s hurry up!¡± Lin Xiao stood in place and asked very carefully: ¡°There is an additional person, how will the rewards be divided?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Red Alert became speechless. Looks like this person is treating the rewards in this low leveled instance as precious treasures. It was reasonable to assume that the rewards given in this wild dungeon would be randomly allotted. In any case, he¡¯d already stated that he didn¡¯t need other things so it wouldn¡¯t be good if he were to go back on his words. As for Clear Sky, as the newest member of the team, they shouldn¡¯t make demands. However, as a female whose existence in groups were that of moon and stars, it wouldn¡¯t be right as a man to claim anything. Red Alert didn¡¯t respond, instead Clear Sky replied: ¡°I want the Green Eagle Scepter, the rest belongs to you.¡± Lin Xiao gave a simple ¡°Oh¡±, without any additional expressions. Of course, Red Alert knew what Clear Sky was thinking. The only valuable items in this small dungeon were the ¡®Sophia Blade¡¯ and the ¡®Green Eagle Scepter¡¯. The girl obviously wasn¡¯t in need of broken, low leveled equipment. She clearly just didn¡¯t want to give it to a random passerby. Lin Xiao didn¡¯t disapprove so Red Alert thought he was just being ignorant. Nevertheless, since it was somebody from his side who had the advantage in the distribution, he naturally wouldn¡¯t say a word about it. Lin Xiao followed behind slowly, and looked at the cleric Clear Sky in front, wondering about her role in this instance. Judging based on appearance, it could easily be inferred that her equipment had a damage output of about 6300. She obviously wasn¡¯t needed for this instance. Initially, he didn¡¯t mind what equipment he received, as long as he could get the ¡®Green Eagle Scepter¡¯ today. I¡¯ll have to rely on my own abilities in this case. In this day and age, this instance was really too simple. There were five bosses9. With the MT up front dealing with one, the others were weak so that easily took care of four. Red Alert looked at the output statistics section, and felt a headache coming on. He finally couldn¡¯t hold back on speaking, ¡°Dude, the last boss is not as simple as the others. For that attack, you have to give it your all!¡± Once again, Lin Xiao indifferently responded with ¡°Oh¡±. Clear Sky couldn¡¯t help feeling annoyed and began using the private voice channel. ¡°Why do I get the feeling that we may not get 5 kills? Is the Ghost Priest here as a joke? Look at his DPS stats10. We are simply carrying him lying down!11. He will receive equipment in the end, isn¡¯t the treatment he¡¯s getting like that of the person in charge? Am I so idle as to work for others?¡± Red Alert felt cold sweat rush over his body as he began comforting her, ¡°Well, at least he can deal some damage right, it¡¯s better than nothing. When the boss arrives, your priority should be keeping me safe. After all, this dungeon has only two valuable equipment and in the end they will both belong to us. Give him all the other garbage, consider it as us doing a good deed for the day.¡± Clear Sky thought of how the rewards were distributed and made no further complaints. After receiving confirmation from the team to begin, Red Alert released a throwing dart12 towards one of the monsters that was stationed the furthest. This boss was obviously much stronger than the other monsters upfront. Although as an assassin, Red Alert had many stealth and covert skills, it was a weak class after all. Even if it was hit slightly, almost half of its HP would be lost. Clear Sky restored his blood while Lin Xiao manipulated Adorable Ghost to cover his retreat. In spite of this, the boss was already in a frenzied state all over the field and because of this, no skills could be cast. The opponent was long gone from the Ghost Priest¡¯s chanting range due to Red Alert. Lin Xiao couldn¡¯t help but say, ¡°You need to be a professional in order to pull13 monsters.¡± Clear Sky had long ago been annoyed to death by this low leveled player. Seeing that he still had time to complain, she couldn¡¯t help but scold: ¡°Before you talk about others, take a look at yourself first. Having these kinds of DPS stats, even I as a healer can do more damage than you!¡± Lin Xiao didn¡¯t deny it, instead replying very seriously: ¡°Indeed, if you killed a Cleric, the efficiency should be much faster.¡± Clear Sky was stunned by his words and became furious. As soon as she lost focus, Red Alert¡¯s health bar began to drain quickly; he had his character run towards her while crying out desperately in the voice channel, ¡°Milk! Milk! Big sister, I need milk!¡±14 Red Alert had already made the boss angry and without realising, was luring the boss in his direction. Lin Xiao moved closer and suddenly entered the attack range of the monster. Seeing that the boss started to send attacks in his direction, he took several sidesteps to avoid them, however the Cleric loli15 next to him did not respond in time and had half her health bar drained away. Clear Sky hurriedly tried to find something to increase the power of the spell she was preparing. Yet before she could complete the chant, a black beam suddenly struck her, completely emptying the last half of the blood strip. Looking at the computer screen that became dark after her defeat, she couldn¡¯t help but swear, ¡°Fuck!¡± On the Map Channel, Lin Xiao helplessly typed: ¡°I said it before, pulling monsters is a professional¡¯s job. Isn¡¯t that why you were killed?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Clear Sky simply remained lying on the ground unable to refute, she immediately withdrew from the game in anger. ¡°I¡¯m done!¡± After the only healer in the team left, Red Alert didn¡¯t continue to struggle and was finally killed by the boss. All attention shifted to Lin Xiao¡¯s ghost priest. The group was about to be destroyed. Red Alert couldn¡¯t help feeling bitter. Seeing that Clear Sky even left the voice channel, he prepared to leave in frustration as well. He took a look around and saw the little ghost priest hopping up and down trying to dodge the boss¡¯s attacks. Looking at them play hide and seek, he decided to speak in the team channel. ¡°Brother, just give up. Let¡¯s go out and start a new game.¡± Lin Shao was still busy with the monster, yet he still had time to speak, ¡°Can you find other ways to heal so we can continue?¡± Red Alert: ¡°¡­¡± Initially, it was only a guess, which even if it was, he couldn¡¯t help but feel shocked by the voice that came from the private voice channel between him and Clear Sky. He couldn¡¯t help but doubt life. He became even more depressed. He started paying attention to the interactions between the little loli wearing the red hood and the monster. The boss suddenly rushed forward for a few steps, but before he could advance, its body was struck and sent flying between two large trees, no longer moving. Excuse me? 16 Red Alert watched as Adorable Ghost took a few steps back casually. After removing his avatar out of the attacking range of the boss, he sat up in front of himself and felt that this person was a little too strong. ¡°This is too much!¡± Lin Xiao casually repeated his original words. ¡°Look how easy it is for two people to clear the level.¡± Red Alert was even more depressed and didn¡¯t want to respond, ¡°With your skills, couldn¡¯t you take care of this boss alone?¡± Lin Xiao: ¡°First of all, at least two people are needed to open the dungeon. Secondly, my computer is too old to open the game in separate tabs, otherwise I¡¯d play by myself. Moreover, I don¡¯t have any equipment to give enough attacking power so two person¡¯s DPS is better than one, and time is precious.¡± It all made sense, but Red Alert was speechless! He immediately burst into tears. It turned out that he was being delusional all along. This person only regarded him as a freelance worker from the start! After Lin Xiao restored his health bar, he stood from a distance and began casting spells, throwing various attacks in succession. The damage dealt was too low so it took about five minutes before the final boss began to slowly die. This was grinding in the truest sense.17 The equipment fell, the ¡®Sophia¡¯s Blade¡¯ that Red Alert really wanted was dropped. If he knew that the ¡®Green Eagle Scepter¡¯ wouldn¡¯t come out, he wouldn¡¯t have wasted time guiding the monster to kill the Cleric. Such a pity. He casually tossed the blade to Red Alert then collected the remaining equipment and soon his empty inventory became full. When he exited the dungeon, he of course received a friend request from Red Alert. He smiled to himself as he clicked [APPROVE]. T/n Plat: LX is really professional when pulling monsters. Pfft! (^?^?) Clear Sky: I¡¯m done!!! Red Alert: Instance ¨C an instance is a special area, typically a dungeon, that generates a new copy of the location for each group, or for a certain number of players, that enters the area. Ctrl+C Ctrl+V ¨C Asking if Lin Xiao is copy and pasting his responses. Healer ¨C Anyone who can provide HP treatment during a fight. Many healers have the ability to resurrect characters if necessary. This is normally a Cleric or Doctor. MT ¨C short for main-tank, the main tank role used to take damage. Guild ¨C A group of players with formal recognition within the game world. Cleric ¨C The Cleric is a character class in dungeons. The cleric is primarily a healer, but is also very capable when fighting. ¡® ÇéÃÃÃà ¡¯ was used by Red Alert which sounded a bit more intimate. It literally means Sister Passion, whereas he meant to use ¡® ÇçÃÃÃà ¡¯ which is Sister Clear. Trumpet ¨C as mentioned in previous chapters, it means to boast. So Clear Sky is asking if LX is a boaster? Boss ¨C In games, a boss is a significant computer-controlled enemy. A fight with a boss character is commonly referred to as a boss battle or boss fight. Bosses take strategy and special knowledge to defeat, such as how to attack weak points, ¡®pulling¡¯ or how to avoid specific attacks. DPS ¨C ¡®Damage per second¡¯ done by a skill or weapon. ¡®Carrying him¡¯ ¨C One person puts in the work while another does nothing. Throwing dart ¨C One of the Assassin class weapons. Pull ¨C In gaming this usually means to attract a monster¡¯s attention. Sort of like luring. Plat: Sticks out leggy, come over here liddle monster. *wink wink* Milk ¨C Asking for someone to heal them/restore HP and MP. Loli ¨C Popularized in Japan, a word for a young girl often used in manga, anime, and light novels. Also a term in reference to Vladimir Nabokov¡¯s novel, Lolita. Excuse me ¨C This was asked in English. Repeatedly adventuring in an area or n this case repeatedly throwing attacks for an extended period of time for the purpose of gaining experience and leveling up. CH 6 The biggest difference between ¡®Zone¡¯ and many other popular games would be its unique equipment system. The designers behind the game seemed to put a lot of thought in the entire artefact setup. Whenever new equipment was designed, not only were the attributes unique, but from the peculiar instances where drops1 could be found, down to the structure of the layout it could be said to have been well organized. Once a new weapon was introduced, not only would the crazy PvP players try to come up with methods on how they could reap these rewards, but even average PvE players would go as far as to spend money asking professionals to help collect them. No one was willing to let a single item go. Lin Xiao was certainly not the reserved type that would keep himself under control in these conditions, however, since he¡¯d already grasped the attributes behind most of the equipment as well as his status as a senior pro player, he believed time was better spent on leveling up his equipment and creating new strategies. All the equipment in ¡®Zone¡¯ could be placed in the player¡¯s inventory just after acquiring them. Although many players could have the same weapon, they were bound to be different and have unique effects. Each piece of armament could be trained to have effects from the eight main attributes: Blood Soul Effect (Physical Attack), Magical Effect (Magic Attack), Shield Effect (Physical Defense), Magical Defense (Magic Defense), Mana Capacity (Mana Limit), Wind (Speed ??Sensitive), Environment and Elemental (Resistance), and Condenser (Cooldown Reduction). As a result of this, each player could have more ground to compete based on their own uniquely added characteristic, and it also made creating match strategies and choice of weaponry a bit more complex. Whether it may be international pro players in the league or a local team in a match, the participant¡¯s ability to use various tactics when selecting weapons was one of the most exciting aspects of the game. After leaving the instance, Lin Xiao quickly dumped all the equipment from his backpack to his inventory. Looking around for a bit, he opted against picking artefacts that needed to be trained long term and simply tossed them into the system for demolition. Normal people would have chosen to split them in parts and place them in the cool down reduction system.2 After Lin Xiao added Red Alert, there was no contact between the two. He mostly devoted himself to clearing various dungeons. In order to improve his ranking on the ladder as fast as possible, he needed new equipment. However in order to get new equipment, his own basic equipment had to be trained first. Lin Xiao, who was on his own, could only clear levels with random teams, and not all bosses in dungeons were easily killed. So wanting to conquer dungeons quickly was unlikely. It took an entire week before a sufficient amount of artefacts could be gathered for the cooldown system. The equipment training method that granted the cooldown reduction attribute mainly focused on cooling, and shrinking had become a cooling flow in the Zone world, which granted extreme skill shortening effects. However, players who used the cool down reduction system would select 4 other attributes to train, so even if they were playing against professional league players, they would use a maximum of 6 pieces. Unlike Lin Xiao, who had prepared 8 pieces of equipment and planned on training the entire set with only CD [cool down] effects. One could only describe this as madness. The basic equipment was ready, and next in line were the main training equipment. Based on limited conditions, he temporarily selected several equipment that were relatively easy to obtain. There were already five finished products in Lin Xiao¡¯s hands, and the other three could be obtained from more difficult dungeons. Major guilds had their respective groups assigned for instances. He began browsing through the map channel to find a suitable group to clear levels with when suddenly, there was a pop, then a flash, and the computer screen went dark. After checking, he found it was only a wire trip which had short circuited and after restarting and waiting for a while, a series of English words popped up, covering the entire screen on a dark background. Well, the computer was broken. ¡°So unlucky,¡± Lin Xiao muttered as he disassembled the computer into three separate parts, and went downstairs to find a computer store within the city. Stuffing himself into the backseat of a taxi and curling up into a ball, he couldn¡¯t help but yawn. After several days of sleepless nights and endless grinding, he really was tired. It was thanks to the broken computer that this could be considered a mini vacation. T/n Heyyo my GGS darlings, sawwy about the very late updates. I was ill as well as preparing to go back to school, but the team and I are back and ready to work again and we thank you for your patience. (^?^?) Drops ¨C Drops are what we call in-the-game loot. They are rewards or pieces that are received at the end of defeating a particular boss or an instance. Cool Down Reduction system ¨C This is a mechanical feature that reduces the cooldown of spells, passives, items and charge based abilities. ¡°The device won¡¯t turn on, it may be a hardware issue. You wait here for a bit, while I take it in for a closer look.¡± The computer shop owner dropped this sentence before asking someone to carry the computer inside. Lin Xiao turned around looking a bit bored, before his gaze finally locked onto an empty chair. He was about to walk over when someone made a sudden outburst, ¡°Well, this will be a really good show!¡± Looking in the direction where the voice came from, he saw a laptop placed on a table and around it, several people gathered. Between the gaps, a familiar scene could be seen on the screen. Only then did it occur to him that this was the season for the domestic league spring tournament. The logos for both teams were very eye-catching on the screen. Coincidentally, today¡¯s match was Black Rose vs Liuyun. Lin Xiao stood watching for a while before slowly walking over with his hands in his pockets. At that moment, playing live in the second round of a 1v1 match were Shen Chang of Black Rose team, operating the summoner, Season Rain vs the dark mage, Crazy Fish operated by Liuyun¡¯s team, Zhang Fengyu. Since both sides were the vice captains of their respective teams, this duel naturally ignited the fighting spirit between both parties, causing the atmosphere within the audience to become dazzled. Not only were the spectators at the venue crying, but even the onlookers in the computer shop were very excited. Because there were fans of both teams present, it gave rise to fierce discussion and if there was a disagreement, both sides would fly into rage. Lin Xiao looked at the scene of madmen in front of him and found it a bit funny. He removed the cigarette from his mouth as he took a deep breath, while narrowing his eyes when they fell on the person in the center of the screen. Xu Qingyu, captain of the Aotian team. As a member of the league, although he wasn¡¯t as talented as other players, he always worked hard and was considered a mid tier level character within the gaming circle. Lin Xiao always admired this positive captain. Despite the fact that the esports industry in those times were at the very beginning and could be regarded as declining at one point, his presence in the league was very inspiring and encouraging. But he just didn¡¯t expect that after five years, Xu Qingyu would actually choose to retire. Thinking about it, he would have been 22 years old back then, and now he was already 27. He could now be thought of as a senior amongst esports players. For the sake of future development, this was indeed a wise choice. Besides, sports commentary was not some random job that just anyone could take on casually. Xu Qingyu had prior knowledge of the combat style and strategies of various teams, so in a sense, this was most suitable for him. Lin Xiao sighed as he seemed to recall that the man owed him five hundred yuan. Suddenly, a wave of cheering sounded out, frightening Lin Xiao from his thoughts. His cigarette trembled slightly, causing the ash to fall on his trousers. Glancing up, it turned out that the players from both sides had walked unto the stage in the order in which they were introduced. He couldn¡¯t help but wipe his sweat silently. He normally watched games like these with his past teammates but never from the perspective of crazy onlookers. Now that he experienced it¡­ these fans were really¡­ um¡­ enthusiastic! The sudden outburst obviously caught the attention of the people working in the backroom and an angry roar from the boss came out, ¡°What are you doing here if you¡¯re not working? Noisy! Believe it or not, I will fire you!¡± It was as if someone pressed a mute button in the shop because the entire place went silent for a while, with only the commentator¡¯s voice on the laptop in the background. Lin Xiao looked around at these people as if watching a drama, pulled himself a chair and sat lazily in front of a computer. Shen Chang and Zhang Fengyu could be considered old enemies if one should trace back to the past. They were both well known for stable characters and rigorous fighting styles. They also joined the league around the same period and they just so happened to both be the vice captains for their respective teams. This obviously caused the two to always be placed together for comparison. Both were no strangers to Lin Xiao. When Lin Xiao was the captain of the Black Rose team, Shen Chang was only an unknown substitute player back then, during which Zhang Fengyu had already shone in the professional league and was quite popular. As time went by, Black Rose team made several replacements one after another. In the second season however, to everyone¡¯s surprise, the two-seasoned championship team captain, Lin Xiao, suddenly pushed Shen Chang to the vice captain position. At the time, Shen Chang was just an unknown rookie. When everyone was questioning his decision, Lin Xiao simply faced the camera and gave a small smile. ¡°Vice captain Shen is a rare prodigy, and as for the reason I made this decision, I will soon give a satisfactory answer.¡± This sentence was regarded as an official response at the time. But after the defeat of the Black Rose team in the third season, this caused more dissatisfaction amongst fans. However, in the fourth season, Lin Xiao ultimately led the Black Rose team to the podium of the GDL world championship, raised the championship trophy high in the air with Shen Chang, which was his satisfactory answer to the decision made that year. In spite of everything, when it ended, Lin Xiao aka ¡®Old Ghost¡¯, who could be considered a legend back then, died in a car accident on his way home. Thinking of this, Lin Xiao couldn¡¯t help feeling it was a pity. At that time, he had promised the vice captain three more victories together. Although Black Rose still existed as a mighty team, they appeared to have fallen slightly. The only thing that came as a surprise to Lin Xiao was that even after five years of his absence, Shen Chang, who was the deputy then, still held that position now. The captain¡¯s position was held by the brilliant new generation star, You Jing, operator of the Cleric ¡®Dazzling View¡¯. Prior to his rebirth, he had never heard of this character. The players on both sides had now been introduced. The image on the screen switched and paused momentarily on a figure, and though it was just a few seconds, it was enough time for the atmosphere to become overwhelmed with screams and this momentum was used to commence the entire event. Lin Xiao frowned as his ears ached due to the noise, his eyes fell on the silhouette wearing the black rose uniform. CH 7 This silhouette wasn¡¯t unfamiliar to Lin Xiao. It wasn¡¯t because he was impressed with the youth that year, but because he was in the previous host¡¯s most paranoid memory even after rebirth. This person¡¯s entire autobiography was already branded into his mind and could be recalled from memory without doing any additional internet research. From a certain perspective, it could be said that without this person, the current ¡®Lin Xiao¡¯ would not exist. Just viewing from beyond the screen at this time, there was a kind of hidden emotion that came from the previous soul¡¯s memory. Lin Xiao couldn¡¯t understand how the original owner thought of this person as gentle and considerate. He was portrayed so bright and charming just like a living Virgin Mary. Lin Xiao decided to view this person seriously and objectively and sure enough, beauty was truly in the eyes of the beholder. At the very least, the aura that this person gave off could hardly be considered warm. The man in question at that moment just sat there motionless, only allowing his slender white fingertips to tap the table casually. He wore the same black uniform as his teammates next to him, the white undershirt beneath was a little out of place, revealing half his collarbone. His side profile enhanced the sharp lines of his face that connected to a pair of delicate shoulder blades. His long peach coloured eyes slightly narrowed, clearly carried a look of impatience. In the stadium not far behind, a multitude of LED cards were held up high by some enthusiastic fans, the fonts gleamed¡ª , , , 2 ¡­He felt that there was something wrong with this particular sign. The commentator followed up with some snarky comments in response to the ¡®queen¡¯ fans, meanwhile the camera switched back to the game as it officially began. In previous years¡¯ matches, both Shen Chang and Zhang Fengu had their fair share of victories between each other. On the list for , after votes were tallied, they were both far ahead and secured spots in the top five. The reason both were selected was undoubtedly because of their similar ¡®data analytic¡¯ combat style. As long as a player had a duel with either of them, even with little or no experience, one could glean their fighting style and before long, come to a painful realisation. Although both were data analysers, they had their own unique style. Zhang Fengyu, who was currently the most educated player in the league, had an IQ so high, it was enough to shock anyone. It didn¡¯t matter the type of equipment an opponent chose to play; after a few blows and collisions, he could make a precise judgement of the enemy¡¯s artifact value provided it didn¡¯t exceed the 1.5 mark, and in turn calculate the damage output to two decimal places. This was ¡®bit accuracy¡¯3. The real horror was that after playing a single round, he could completely memorize the numerical data of his opponent¡¯s equipment. In other words, no matter who was playing against him, all equipment matching strategies were only applicable once. This caused teams to avoid fighting solo with him in order to guard their various tactics. Shen Chang, on the other hand, focused more on the control and calculation of the micro-operations of both sides. He could usually give a detailed play by play of matches, while noting each map¡¯s advantages as well as infer an opponent¡¯s change of rhythm in a battle based on terrain while calculating both sides¡¯ control frequencies which he then manipulated to secure more kills. From a certain perspective he was more suitable to be teammates with than Zhang Fengyu. As soon as both parties appeared, the atmosphere became more lively as if mountains and seas that represented the fans of both teams were roaring at each other causing the scene to become chaotic. According to previous practice matches, Shen Chang and Zhang Fengyu were players who liked to test each other out, they would advance with some small-scale collisions first. Unexpectedly, both characters began fighting without saying a single word the moment they met, both wanting to have the upper hand. Seeing this the audience became stunned. The cheers went silent for a moment before exploding several times higher than earlier, as if trying to capsize the entire roof. ¡°I really didn¡¯t expect that the vice captains of both sides would be really fired up today!¡± Chen Xiaoyan, the new commentator said, a little stunned. ¡°Nowadays there are numerous rookies playing in the league with several new teams constantly joining. It seems that the old members of each team are under a lot of pressure. The vice captains of both teams are using the stage to subconsciously transform their respective teams. This won¡¯t be an issue. It¡¯s actually quite easy.¡± Xu Qingli in the commentary section was not surprised by this and continued to report objectively. Lin Xiao looked at both players attacking each other on the screen, his eyes narrowed as his gaze fell on Shen Chang, whose expression was serious. Based on results in recent years Black Rose had become even more difficult to beat. Nonetheless, Xu Qingli was right about one point. Both players were doing what they could to change their respective teams, but would they really be transformed? Seeing that the summoner Season Rain finally collapsed under repeated assaults, he murmured quietly. ¡°He is still a bit too anxious.¡± The words [VICTORY] and [DEFEAT]popped up in the center of the screen for each side. Both screens were deliberately shown to the audience one after the other which caused a lot of joy and tears from the fans for their respective teams. When the two players shook hands courteously, they said a few words to each other; unfortunately the cameras were too far away to record what they had said. Afterwards, both men returned to their team¡¯s benches. Queen-This is You Jing¡¯s nickname in the league. Fans call him Queen You, Queen Jing, Queen of Jings, Queen of Kings etc. ¡®I want to give you a monkey¡¯- It literally means what it says. The persons wants to give birth to a monkey for the other party, however it is often used by fans to express love to their idols. Bit accuracy- This is calculating and giving answers in decimals place. The more decimal places the more accurate the data. When Shen Chang sat down, You Jing gave him a gentle pat on the shoulder, maybe out of regret or comfort, but there was no other reaction. After Shen Chang¡¯s defeat, the current score for both sides stood at 1:1, and the players for the third individual match came on the court accompanied by cheers. However, after the start of the game, Team Liuyun used the head start given in the previous match to win the next game, and were finally in the lead with a score of 1:2. The rules for the individual match stated that players who had already participated were not allowed to play again in team matches. And so, Black Rose team chose to send the twins, Xu Yichen and Xu Yiming to cooperate with Liu Zeshen who operated the knight Greener Pastures. Together, they¡¯d form a more aggressive combination of attacks while Liuyun¡¯s team had the magic swordsman Yan Lingjiang¡¯s Yan never leaves a trace 1 as the main force, along with a shadow swordsman and a healer, creating a stable formation. The fact that the Black Rose didn¡¯t send out a certain healer made everyone puzzled. Being the top Cleric operator in the entire league, You Jing¡¯s talent could not be questioned. Although the game was lost in the end, the trio¡¯s dazzling skills and effort made their fans satisfied. Everyone¡¯s attention was now on the final 5v5 team battle. Especially since the current score was 1:4, it wasn¡¯t too late to make a complete comeback which was the difference between the final victory and defeat. At this time, the employee who kept trying to sneak peeks at the match finally couldn¡¯t help himself and stopped pretending to work. He came over with an angry expression. ¡°Black Rose team is a bit weak this year. It¡¯s only the beginning of the spring competition and they¡¯re about to lose this round too!¡± Lin Xiao¡¯s fingers shook his cigarette lazily and responded without thinking, ¡°We won¡¯t lose.¡± As if responding to Lin Xiao¡¯s careless comment, under You Jing¡¯s tactical command and Shen Chang¡¯s finely tuned data analysing skills, Liuyun team¡¯s pincer attack2 ended in failure. After the formation broke completely, the slain members were unable to get back to their team¡¯s original rhythm after respawning and were chased by the Black Rose team members; each one defeated was another drop of blood. They successfully got 5 kills, getting the crucial 5 points needed to win the game. The game ended with Team Black Rose vs. Team Liuyun scoring 6:4 respectively. The young man stared at the end scene in amazement, and looked at Lin Xiao blankly. ¡°Brother, how did you know Black Rose would win?¡± Lin Xiao glanced at him and let out a faint ¡°Oh¡±. ¡°Well, although both sides were trying to change their own style and find their own rhythm, Shen Chang is after all an unparalleled support player when it comes to team competitions. As long as the Liuyun team continuously creates new strategies, they won¡¯t have enough time to familiarise themselves with them. Remember, our team¡¯s You Jing specialises in catching such loopholes, right?¡± He took a pause then glanced at the screen with a slight smile. ¡°As for the previous games losses, wasn¡¯t Black Rose used to this by now?¡± Although the young man didn¡¯t understand a word of what was said, he felt as if he¡¯d just listened to something very profound and became stunned. The boss walked out from the backroom with an ugly expression. ¡°Why don¡¯t you replace this old computer? It¡¯s so damn outdated! The hard drive that it needs is so old that it¡¯s out of stock. You would have to order it elsewhere. I made a call just now and it will take two or three days at most to arrive.¡± ¡°Oh, it doesn¡¯t matter anyways, I¡¯ll come back in two days.¡± As a poor person with absolutely no funds to purchase a computer, of course Lin Xiao would not mind this arrangement. He glanced back at the laptop screen and it showed the two teams shaking hands at the end of the match. The face values of these players were so high, they caused all the women at the venue to scream uncontrollably. Recalling the match, Lin Xiao frowned lightly. For pro players like You Jing, there were several mistakes made that shouldn¡¯t have happened. The scene switched and showed You Jing picking up his backpack with his right hand, as his eyes flashed imperceptibly. If my memory is correct, this person should be left-handed. Yan here means wild geese and when used together with the other characters gives the idiom ¡®Geese leave no trace¡¯ He replaces the Yan with his Yan to mean he attacks without leaving a trace. Hence it now reads Yan never leaves a trace. Pincer attack ¨C The pincer movement, is a tactic in which forces attack both flanks (sides) of an enemy formation at the same time. CH 8 Without his computer, Lin Xiao returned home completely bored. He held his cigarette in hand while smoking on the balcony. His entire presence seemed to be enveloped within the night. In a soft tone he muttered, ¡°This year¡¯s Black Rose seems rather lacking again.¡± He couldn¡¯t help thinking of You Jing¡¯s state on his way back home. The man¡¯s left hand was definitely injured. Professional players regularly had to undergo high-intensity training which often led to hand injuries, so strict training regimens were usually made to avoid this. But even then, there were still numerous professional players who retired due to hand injuries. Zhang Xuannian, who was the league¡¯s first martial arts player, had been forced to retire due to injuries and later returned as his original team¡¯s new coach. Apparently, the reason why the team didn¡¯t send You Jing to play in the 3v3 matches earlier wasn¡¯t because of some hidden tactics, but to avoid adding more pressure to his hands and to ensure that he could be in his best state for the finals. Without a doubt, You Jing played well throughout the entire event, whether it was his commands or fighting style, everything was superb. He had excellent operation skills and his mind could still stay sharp under pressure. He met all the right conditions to be a captain. After actually seeing how he performed with his own eyes, even Lin Xiao was impressed by the simple stratagems that carried next to no flaws. Because of the importance of a Cleric to a team, throughout the entire league, no captain or even vice captain of any team would choose it as a game profession. The reason was simple. Its uniqueness. There was a reason behind the saying ¡®kill the milk first¡¯1. Whether it was team matches or individual playoffs, the healer was always the core part of any teams¡¯ strategy. Its mere presence could alter the final outcome of the entire game. In such a chaotic environment where one had to survive in the cracks, as the core player of his team, You Jing had to split his attention on focusing on the overall situation as well as creating perfect strategies for the team. This was unbelievable. He was meticulous, whether it was the operations or having a clear view of the overall situation. Just by watching You Jing¡¯s performance, it was easy to become intrigued by his unpredictable methods and the delicate operations that often rescued teammates when their lives were on the line. Lin Xiao was thoroughly entranced by his magnificent techniques today. If he were not paying keen attention to those negligent mistakes, he would not have seen that the man was wounded. Hand injuries could have major impacts on professional players. If it was only a minor injury, it would be fine, but if it went as far as the joints and muscles, any form of neglect was enough to end a career. There were not a lot of players who understood self love, including Lin Xiao, who had done stupid things without thinking of the consequences. Although You Jing didn¡¯t seem like an impulsive person, it was still difficult to say. After all, in the esports circle, the most lacking were the lunatics. Fortunately, Black Rose won this time. Lin Xiao silently let out a puff of smoke before extinguishing the cigarette butt and going into the house. He raised his right palm into the darkness, gazing at its outline, a little fascinated. Being exposed to the professional league once more and seeing scenes that he was once familiar with, this was the first time since his rebirth that he felt an uncontrollable desire in his heart that could not be suppressed. *** After staying home for two days, Lin Xiao had already rested enough and went by the computer shop and brought home the computer that was finally repaired. He assembled it in no time before logging straight into the game. As soon as he entered the game channel and was about to join an instance, he received a message from a friend. [Red Alert: Brother, do you want to play a 3v3 group game and climb the ladder? Jianghu emergency!]2 It wasn¡¯t as if Red Alert hadn¡¯t seen his terrible equipment. And Lin Xiao didn¡¯t believe his gameplay last time had revealed him to be a PvP master, so without thinking, he responded, [Adorable Ghost: So suspicious, this isn¡¯t a conspiracy right?] Red Alert didn¡¯t expect the other party to be so blunt and suddenly choked. He then responded with a string of crying emojis. [Red Alert: Brother, it¡¯s really an emergency! Look at it, it¡¯s a 3v3 match. Winning will allow you to jump all the way to the third rank on the ladder. As long as you aren¡¯t busy, you only need to fill the gap in the team and I promise to take you lying down! Plus, the rewards here are much better than the average instances!] Lin Xiao laughed. [Adorable Ghost: That powerful? ^ _ ^ ~] Red Alert paused, his face looked a bit distorted due to his forced smiling expression before finally explaining the situation. It turned out that while playing games, he would occasionally accept a few requests for leveling up players to make some extra cash with friends who had similar hobbies. Because Black Dawn was the largest guild of the official team, he needed to ensure that everything was done cleanly and all private requests were completed secretly. Two days ago, Red Alert received another order that had a good price which required taking a 3v3 team to the third rank. Originally, the team had made it to the fifth rank with three people. Unexpectedly, one of the players had to stay with his wife in the hospital during delivery so the team lost one person. He had tried recruiting random players, but because of their daily activities, they had to log in and out of the team which made playing a bit unstable. It so happened that he saw that Lin Xiao came online and had no choice but to turn to him in his moment of crisis. As for the person in question who currently had nothing else to do, Lin Xiao took a couple of minutes to compare the rewards gained from completing a dungeon versus what he¡¯d receive joining the 3v3 team. There was a look of satisfaction in his eyes, and he immediately agreed. [Adorable Ghost: Deal.] T/n : A liddle burdiiee said the colours were a nice touch. I think so too(^?^?). Let me know your other suggestions. Regarding slow updates¡­ Aiyyah! I thought I could juggle my new online course, regular school and still keep up with my updates buhh life had other plans. So I quit school because my priorities were all backwords. jk jk jk Hur hur hur¡­ I like challenges, its only a matter of time management (psshhh what is that?). Enough rambling but we should be having more frequent updates from now on. *cups fist* thank you for your patience. ¡®Kill the Milk¡¯ ¨C As explained earlier, the term ¡®milk¡¯ means to heal. So by killing the milk, it only makes sense to get rid of the person who can restore other players HP first. Jianghu Help ¨C This is a distress call in games. Used when needing help from others urgently. To bubbz- because of the issue with differentiating between game chats vs regular chats vs speaking, sleepy and I have been playing around with different formatting features such as adding brackets or using the light blue font colour. Let me know your thoughts as to which you think is more appropriate or if you have any suggestions. [Red Alert warned in an uneasy tone: Brother, there are still two more days to complete the request, so until then be prepared to work overnight!] [Lin Xiao simply glanced at the time on the computer screen: It doesn¡¯t matter, isn¡¯t it just a one night job?] Red Alert wasn¡¯t in the mood to explain whether it was one night or two nights, fearing Lin Xiao may regret it. He quickly pulled him into the 3v3 team and sent a voice chat invitation. Lin Xiao accepted the invite and entered the room. Then he slowly rummaged through some junk, looking for a head set. After putting it on, he sat down and heard an impatient voice, ¡°Hello hello hello, Cutie, are you there? Are you there, Cutie?¡± ¡°¡­ Yes.¡± Lin Xiao went speechless and corrected, ¡°My name is Adorable Ghost.¡± ¡°Okay okay, what category do you play, curse or auxiliary ghosts? Let me have a look at your equipment! Hey, these days must have been a good harvest! Wow, your equipment stats have already reached 4800! I say you should¡­ aiyo, damn!¡± Red Alert suddenly screamed, startling the other player,Empty Spring, in the group who asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Baby Ghost, why do you have these equipment, you can ask me if you need help! But why would you train all your equipment pieces in cooldown reduction? Such a waste of skills and attributes ah!¡± Red Alert was shocked but had to accept reality. ¡°Forget it, you can play curse ghost since its cd (cool down) skill is shorter. When the time comes to use it, just remember to face the opponent.¡± It was no longer called cutie, but all of a sudden it became baby ghost. But why did that sound so uh¡­ awkward? However, Baby Ghost and Adorable Ghost were still much better than cutie. Besides, Lin Xiao was too lazy to continue correcting him and said, ¡°I originally played curse ghost, but¡­¡± Seeing that there was no objection, Red Alert sighed with relief and asked, ¡°But what?¡± Lin Xiao said, ¡°But, I want to play output.¡± ¡°Output, your sister!¡± There was a loud bang in the background like a hard knock on a table. Red Alert only responded through what sounded like gritted teeth, ¡°You play curse ghost, your equipment is strengthened with only cooling reduction attributes and you say you want to play output?¡± Lin Xiao said, ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right.¡± That¡¯s right! That¡¯s right your mother! Red Alert didn¡¯t immediately respond or he¡¯d definitely greet the other party¡¯s ancestors 1in the voice chat. Before he could explode, Empty Spring tried smoothing things over with both sides. ¡°Okay, we just needed somebody to fill the position. When the time comes, Adorable Ghost can play whatever position he wants, Adorable Ghost will play as much as he wants, and we¡¯ll just go all out.¡± After all, he was the one who said he¡¯d endure no matter how unreliable the other person was. Who made him so arrogant talking about carrying the other party lying down? Recalling what happened in the dungeon the other day between the baby ghost and the boss, he finally decided not to say anything. No matter how rubbish his equipment was, or how unreliable he was, at least during battle when they were being chased, he believed the little red riding hood would be able to live on! And it so happened that Lin Xiao did not let them down. As soon as he entered the map, he¡¯d disappear like a jungle cat. Even if the map was turned inside out, Red Alert still could not find him. There was a bloody battle taking place on the outside but occasionally you could see the teams¡¯ adorable little red riding hood playing hide and seek with the opponents in the bushes. Although his teammate, Red Alert, couldn¡¯t help hoping somebody on the opposite side could catch him and strangle it to death. His hatred for this teammate was greater than the enemy. However, Lin Xiao was too familiar with the map. Though his hiding place seemed very simple, he was never found once. Like this, just lying down, Lin Xiao won his way from sixth-tier to the fourth-tier. Lin Xiao watched the battle video while eating melon seeds.2 Not in the least bit uncomfortable, he¡¯d occasionally send a cheer or two on the screen, smiling all the way. And although his teammates would always pretend to be dead and not respond, they were also satisfied with winning this way. No wonder there were people who liked to lie down and win. This was too fucking awesome! Greeting his ancestors- This is a way of disrespecting one¡¯s family line, mainly older ones. Eating melon seeds ¨C watching a show/being a spectator. CH 9 Whether it were 3V3 battles or 5V5 battles, arriving to the 4th tier could be thought of as a major boundary. If before in the lower ranks the opponents encountered were casual noobs or average teams, after reaching the 4th rank one¡¯d likely meet upon official teams or high profiled entertainment anchors. Once again, the team entered the queue to be matched with an opponent. After both sides selected their map, they began waiting for the bar to load so they could enter it. Lin Xiao finally cancelled the mute option in the voice chat room and as soon as he straightened his headset, he heard a low voice from Red Alert, ¡°Unlucky, I didn¡¯t expect to meet the two of them here. Not good ah¡­¡± Empty Spring sighed and replied helplessly, ¡°I heard that they were busy carrying a girl in 3V3, but I didn¡¯t expect to meet them here. What should we do now? Should we just directly surrender?¡± Red Alert snorted. ¡°That¡¯s fart! I¡¯m already so angry, so fuck them! Anyway, no one knows that we are operating the boss¡¯s account at the moment. And that guy who only knows how to pretend to be a master in the group, I¡¯ve long found him displeasing to the eyes. Aren¡¯t they also bringing a rank 8 female to battle? But even if the oil bottle1 on our side is in group B, shouldn¡¯t he be a bit stronger? I¡¯ll type and let him know that after lying down for so long, he can move around.¡± He was in the voice chat room earlier, and tried calling Lin Xiao countless times and never got a response. So he just assumed he had the room muted. Knowing the other party couldn¡¯t hear what he said, he spoke without reservation. However, as he was about to begin typing on the team channel, he heard a faint voice in his ear, ¡°Oh, indeed.¡± Red Alert¡¯s body suddenly shook, causing the earphone cord that was plugged into the computer to pull him forward and squeeze his ears, making him grimace in pain, but he could only let out a laugh at this time. ¡°Ha, ha ha ha, you¡¯re back, baby ghost.¡± Lin Xiao was actually magnanimous enough not to call him out for talking behind his back. He yawned lazily and responded, ¡°It¡¯s a bit boring lying down all night. I¡¯ll move my muscles a little bit, otherwise I¡¯ll really fall asleep.¡± Red Alert became speechless. I was drained both physically and mentally all night, now I really have the urge to beat someone. From the conversation just now, the opposite team should be an old acquaintance of Black Dawn Guild. Lin Xiao glanced at the battle list¨C Tomahawk2Warrior¨C Broken Sky, Combat warrior¨C Happy Thoughts and Cleric¨C Love Affair. Among them, Love Affair should be the eighth-tier girl that was mentioned. If they could bring a rookie cleric to this rank, then the other two should be pros. After they arrived on the map, all three people were placed at their respective resurrection points. Red Alert still couldn¡¯t help but say a few words, ¡°Wait, Empty Spring will follow me and I¡¯ll go blast the cleric first. Be careful Baby Ghost. That Broken Sky specializes in killing people for fun. If you see him, remember to run fast!¡± Lin Xiao replied, ¡°I see .¡± The master who watched his teammates get smashed for the entire night finally sounded ¡°normal¡± and Red Alert felt relieved. He operated his assassin and led the charge. Oil bottle- someone who is a burden to teammates This was a common battle tactic, and because of this, halfway through, the three people on both sides collided. Obviously, the opponents had deployed the same strategy and results led to both sides meeting in the middle of the path. The unexpected meeting left both sides taken aback. After their initial reaction, both parties subconsciously found their respective positions, directly focusing on their selected target and suddenly unleashed a burst of attacks. Lin Xiao naturally knew that the opponents¡¯ Cleric was the primary target. So he didn¡¯t worry much when he saw Red Alert and Empty Spring rush towards her. But as soon as he lifted his head and saw Broken Sky and Happy Thoughts dash towards him like a tiger spotting its prey, the corners of his mouth couldn¡¯t help forming a tiny arc. He manipulated Adorable Ghost to make a sharp turn and moved off with a speed similar to his opponents. His quick movements made it seem as if his shoes were greased with oil. At this time, although Red Alert was no hero rushing to save the damsel in distress, he called out as if their minds were connected. While waving his small blade and still chasing the female cleric, he ran wildly, shouting in a hoarse voice, ¡°Baby Ghost, Run! Run fast! Run as far as you can! Run and don¡¯t look back!¡± His heart-wrenching cry was like a scene taken from one of Qiong Yao¡¯s1 classical romance dramas, a scene of life and death¡­ Seeing this reminded Lin Xiao of Erkang¡¯s stretched hand.2 But he didn¡¯t have the time to play Ziwei and act out this scene with him. He watched as the Tomahawk warrior and combat warrior flanked him from both directions. He immediately sped up, widening the distance between them. While running fast, he slightly turned his character, showing its side profile. From this view, he saw something shine brightly that bounced in the air. He shifted in an unnatural way and the beam of light passed him without doing any harm. Happy Thoughts was shocked after seeing the process clearly, and couldn¡¯t help but exclaim in the voice chat room, ¡°Did you guys see that weird movement the Ghost Priest made just now? He seems like a master.¡± Broken Sky snorted disapprovingly. ¡°My hand probably slipped. He got lucky! Didn¡¯t you see his equipment stats? If you were a real expert, you wouldn¡¯t be so confused. I say, let¡¯s decide quickly. Love Affair is still being chased by those two beasts and waiting for us to rescue her, am I right Love Affair?¡± A female¡¯s voice in their channel responded softly with an ¡°um¡± and said nothing else. She still seemed to be engaged with being chased by the two while running hard so they wouldn¡¯t catch up to her. Fortunately, the ones chasing her were a Cleric, and a melee combat assassin. For a while, though the distance was a bit short between them, there was nothing life threatening at the moment. Broken Sky: ¡°Happy Thoughts, let¡¯s hurry. Let¡¯s rush straight ahead and deal with him directly!¡± Just as he said that, a red light flashed from the body of the Tomahawk warrior, and he activated his berserk skill. While under this buff effect, a phantom like movement was made, increasing his speed. Under this momentum, he quickly shortened the distance between himself and the opponent. He was about to use instant dash but at this moment a block of ice began forming at his feet. Broken Sky couldn¡¯t help cursing on the voice channel, ¡°Fuck me!¡± The Tomahawk warrior avatar stiffened in the air for about 0.2 seconds while his axe continued in a volleyed arc and landed firmly on a thick piece of ice crystal. This position was 10 yards away from the target, the same distance that the instant leap would have brought him if used. Controlling the timing to the extent where the moment the instant leap was released it was stopped, were skills that only high-end players would be competent with. Although as a melee class profession, an Ice Curse couldn¡¯t cause the opponent to lose much blood, upon seeing such a low-level skill easily negate one of his instant leaps, his expression turned ugly. ¡°MD(Maximum Damage)¡ª he really is a master, looks like we have to go all out.¡± Because Happy Thoughts knew he wanted to save face in front of the only female in the group, he gave a small smile. However, as he glanced at the little ghost priest dressed in a red riding hood, he once more became solemn. ¡°If it¡¯s 2v1, it¡¯ll be impossible for him to fight us head-on. Ghost priests are a weak class that can only use long range attacks. Just find a chance to get close.¡± Broken Sky murmured, ¡°Then we have to let him willingly come close to us. It really felt like I saw a ghost; I don¡¯t even know how many cooling reduction equipment pieces he has on his person since his spells cool down so fast.¡± As if hearing their request, Adorable Ghost, who had been running faster than a rabbit, suddenly stopped. A black staff twirled around in his hand after which his entire body was enveloped by a dark skull shadow. The black staff slid around in the hand, and the whole body was immediately enveloped by a dark skull shadow. Along with the flickering little red riding hood, the scene was indescribable. When Broken Sky saw this, he was overjoyed. ¡°Why would you use the ¡®Ten Thousand Ghost Void¡¯ at this time? You idiot!¡± Seeing that Broken Sky had his axe already raised and began rushing forward, Happy Thoughts had no choice but to set himself on defense and launch an energy shield to which Adorable Ghost sent out three successive ¡®Void Wave¡¯ attacks to interrupt his spell casting. As the Void Wave spell was about to hit, Adorable Ghost suddenly moved to the right and cancelled the spell. Unless the player himself cancelled the spell, the period in which a spell was cast stopped all movement. The ¡®Ten Thousand Ghost Void¡¯ was the ghost priest¡¯s ultimate skill. It had a spell duration of 4 to 6 seconds, and afterwards went into cool down mode. His movement just then suggested that he had cancelled the spell, but Happy Thoughts had a bad feeling. He blurted out subconsciously, ¡°Watch your back!¡± But it was too late because at that time, black barriers rose up from all sides, instantly enshrouding both of them. The entire screen went completely dark, and the character¡¯s field of vision was limited to a 5 yard distance. After being shocked for a moment, he almost fell onto the computer. ¡°This¡­ Nima! He finished casting such a large spell in 2 seconds?!¡± Lin Xiao¡¯s words appeared on the nearby channel which were particularly eye-catching in the dark background. [Adorable Ghost :Are you surprised? ^_ ^~] Broken Sky¡¯s expression cracked and he replied in a flash, [Broken Sky: Surprised your uncle!] Before he could continue to tear into him with his words, he heard a loud noise, and his HP frame had lost a bar. Obviously the opponent, upon reaching casting range, launched an attack on him. The damage dealt from a curse ghost was limited after all, so throwing himself into a melee battle was not too bad. Broken Sky had originally wanted to wait for the debuff on his body to lose effect. Yet seeing the opponent¡¯s flawless tactics and his diverse and extensive offense, his hand on the keyboard completely froze, almost forgetting how to move. The short cd skills and abnormal hand speed, was he practicing to be an illusionist? This motherfucker¡­ Let¡¯s end this! She¡¯s a popular Taiwanese romance novel author. If you want to know more about her works check the link below. If you are fan of ancient Chinese dramas like I am, then you¡¯d probably know the series ¡®My Fair Princess¡¯ which was made based on one of her works. https://www.theworldofchinese.com/2019/01/bad-romance/ This was Erkang from the drama ¡®My Fair Princess¡¯ telling his partner Ziwei , ¡°Wait for me¡± CH 10 The display on the computer screen did not have a chance to return back to normal. Within the brief 10 seconds before the effects of the ¡®Blind¡¯ debuff came to an end, the Tomahawk Warrior¡¯s health had already been completely emptied. [System] First Blood! Happy Thoughts was struggling to break himself out, yet he suddenly realized that the party member beside him was lying flat on the ground for an unknown reason. With a blank expression, he asked ¡°How did you die so quickly?¡± What caused him to feel even more bewildered was that, as the Combat Warrior, he should be the squishier1 one out of the two of them. At the same time, after they had been hit with ¡®Ten Thousand Ghost Void¡¯, the one that the opponent wanted to target should have been him. On the contrary, why had he killed off the Tomahawk Warrior instead? That Ghost Priest they were facing really did not play according to convention! Broken Sky stared blankly at the revival cooldown displayed on the screen. In the midst of his disbelief, he pulled himself together with difficulty. He tugged at the corners of his mouth and said, ¡°This is hard to describe. I have this sour feeling from being wiped, anyone who has experienced it would know¡­¡± Broken Sky was a person who rarely spoke discouraging words. This gave Happy Thoughts an ominous premonition. Subconsciously, he had already maneuvered his character to retreat backwards. Yet, by that time, it was already too late. A flower of ice bloomed on his body, pinning down his movements. A conspicuous Little Red Riding Hood was visible on the screen. The staff in her hands flashed with a red light, and the grey black shadow of a skeleton appeared at the top of the Combat Warrior¡¯s head¡­ ¡­ Red Alert was chasing after the priest enthusiastically. Seeing that there was no escape route in the front, he immediately used a ¡®Stealth¡¯ skill. Using ¡®Ghost Sprint¡¯, he dashed towards the girl who had no place to run, silently approaching her until she was in front of him. As he was preparing to use his ¡®Assassination¡¯ skill, he suddenly caught a glimpse of the system notification of a kill on his screen. Still, the priest who was still alive before him made it difficult for him to react. It was only after thinking back that he recalled the Ghost Priest that they had unleashed upon them, and he asked suspiciously in the voice chat, ¡°Adorable Ghost¡­you, killed that enemy?¡± Lin Xiao heard this and replied, ¡°En.¡± Red Alert felt like he still could not completely process what had happened. It should be known that Broken Sky and Happy Thoughts could be considered to be top-ranked experts in the guild. Yet, they had actually been killed in a 2v1 setting? How could it be! His loss of focus caused some delay in his approach, and he had yet to use his skills. When the duration of his ¡®Stealth¡¯ skill had ended, he suddenly appeared in front of Love Affair in such an ¡°upright¡± manner. The girl was obviously frightened. After freezing there for a second, she anxiously sprinted to escape. Only then did Red Alert react. When such an arrow had already been nocked onto the bow, how could he drop the ball at such a critical moment? Seeing that such a rare opportunity was about to slip away, he hurriedly leapt after the girl and pounced at her. With his ultimate move ¡®Sacrificial Strike¡¯, he took her life, successfully clearing out Love Affair¡¯s health bar. [System] Second Blood! [System] Third Blood!2 [System] Victory! The system sent out these three notifications in succession. Seeing the word ¡®Victory¡¯ displayed on the screen, this time it was not just Red Alert, even Empty Spring stared at it in disbelief for a long time. It was unusually silent in the voice chat. The scene of Red Alert using ¡®Sacrificial Strike¡¯ to take Love Affair¡¯s life using his own just now was still fresh in their minds. However, this also meant that not counting the ¡®First Blood¡¯ taken by Adorable Ghost, they had only gained 2 points from winning the battle. Yet, the system was now displaying the word ¡®Victory¡¯. That meant that just now, within those few seconds after the first kill, the third kill had been swiftly completed. In other words, the cute little shota3 who had still been playing peek-a-boo up to the Fourth Division was now able to achieve complete victory in a 2v1 setting, even if his opponents were experts. In a daze, Red Alert vaguely recalled that previously, this person seemed to have said that he was playing as a damage dealer¡­at that time he, cough cough, seemed to have clearly expressed his disdain. The unusually solemn silence in the voice channel was still ongoing, with no signs of stopping. After leaving the arena map, Lin Xiao waited in the arena lobby4 for a long time, yet there were still no signs of the invitation that he was waiting for. Thus, he opened his mouth and asked, ¡°It¡¯s only just 1 o¡¯clock. What, are we not continuing?¡± ¡°No, we¡¯ll continue, continue!¡± Red Alert finally came to his senses after hearing this sentence. Lifting the corners of his mouth, he said, ¡°You completely eliminated the other side in a 1v2, you¡¯re really good, brother. So you were actually an expert?¡± Lin Xiao chuckled and was not humble. ¡°I have always been one.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Originally, Red Alert had been full of praises, but after hearing this abrupt sentence, he no longer wanted to talk about it. He silently sent a party request over and re-entered the matching queue. Amidst the peace and quiet, he received a friends-only chat message from Empty Spring, ¡°Where did you find this Ghost Priest from? There aren¡¯t many people in the guild who can take on Broken Sky¡¯s group in a one-on-one and defeat them. Yet, he actually managed a 1v2?¡± Red Alert was also in a complicated mood. ¡°How would I know where he came from! Do you know how I¡¯m feeling right now? It¡¯s like I picked up a stray cat from the roadside and brought it back home to raise it with care. Then one day, the neighbor¡¯s dog ran over to bully the cat, and just as I was getting ready to help it, it suddenly transformed into a Siberian tiger¡­¡± Empty Spring paused, and couldn¡¯t help praising, ¡°I will no longer say that you are uncultured. This comparison, such imagery!¡± For the later battles, it felt like they had mostly passed with the voice chat being completely silent. Ever since Lin Xiao stopped sitting on the sidelines, the 3v3 group battles seemed to be completely one-sided. Nothing that they encountered was left alive, not even an inch of grass. And just like this, they were directly promoted to the Third Division without any obstacles. When the light of dawn began seeping into the room, they had finally completed all of the items in their power-leveling to do list. As a whole, Lin Xiao was very satisfied with the equipment he had gained tonight. Although it wasn¡¯t the equipment he had originally planned for, in the end, he had found suitable equipment to fill up the three missing parts of his equipment. Even the quality of his equipment had only risen, and did not drop. The most basic equipment that he needed to play through the ranking ladder alone in the future could now be considered to be officially completed. As he casually began to tinker with his newly gained equipment, the other 2 people in the party went offline. Not long after, Red Alert came online as shown in his friends list. Almost immediately after, he sent over a message. ¡°Brother Adorable Ghost, would you like to consider joining our guild? Black Dawn, we are strong and prestigious, and we do not let just any old person into the guild!¡± Lin Xiao¡¯s motions of cultivating his equipment halted upon seeing this message. The corners of his lips lifted into a smile. Oh, so what he had waited for had come. He tapped on his keyboard and, as if he had said it without putting in any thought, replied, ¡°Sure. ^_^~¡± At the time Red Alert saw this message, the long paragraph of words that he had come up with after much thought had only been entered halfway. The fingers that were hovering above his keyboard stiffened in place, and it felt as if his entire body had gone numb. This motherf**ker5, he didn¡¯t go according to script! He had envisioned that the hidden experts who were unaffiliated and wandered about alone would always have their own idiosyncrasies. They might even be stubborn in doing things their own way for areas that were unique to themselves. When sending the guild invite, he had already been prepared to give his all to persuade him to join. But in the end, the other party had actually agreed so directly, causing him to choke back his words. After a long time, he finally forced out a reply. ¡°Wait till the guild leader is online. I will look for him. At that time, we will bring you into the guild.¡± ¡°Alright. I will go to sleep first.¡± Having said this, Adorable Ghost¡¯s avatar on the list also went dark. Lin Xiao went to bed in a good mood. Red Alert stared at his computer in a daze. He was still processing what he had experienced tonight, and the emotional fluctuations were so strong that he could not calm down for a long time. He had done power-leveling so many times, and it had never been as relaxed as it was today. If it could be said that they had carried the other person to victory6 before the Fourth Division, then after the Fourth Division, it was undoubtedly the other person who had carried him to victory. However, this wasn¡¯t a 1v1 singles match, but a team match! 1v2, and in the Fourth Division even? If he hadn¡¯t experienced it personally, he wouldn¡¯t even have dared to think of it! He sat in a daze before his screen just like that, until his guild leader finally came online at 8.30am. Red Alert quickly sent a private message. ¡°Guild Leader, I ran into a very capable Ghost Priest, and I want to invite him to join our guild!¡± As the manager of the club¡¯s guild department, the character that Ye Chen used was the guild leader to Black Dawn, ¡®Black Night¡¯. After receiving the message, he very quickly replied, ¡°A very capable Ghost Priest? Is he even more capable than Chongchong?¡± Because of the previous club leader, Old Ghost, there were many Ghost Priest players within the ranks of the Black Dawn guild that fell within the umbrella of the Black Rose club. The full name of the ¡®Chongchong¡¯ mentioned here was ¡®Bloody Light¡¯7. He was the number one Ghost Priest out of all the non-professional players in the guild. He had already reached the Second Division for the single players¡¯ ranking ladder, and was just a step away from breaking into the First Division. Even professional players who were in the Third Division and above would be overwhelmed by his skills. He had originally said this casually. Understandably, Ye Chen had never thought that it would be possible to randomly find an expert of Bloody Light¡¯s level outside of the guild. However, after tossing out this topic, he waited for ages without receiving a reply. Surprised, he asked, ¡°Could it be that it¡¯s hard to tell?¡± Red Alert hesitated. ¡°¡­Indeed, it¡¯s hard to tell.¡± Although such an evaluation might not necessarily be objective or accurate, since he could make Red Alert unsure of whether his level was above or below that of Bloody Light, it was evident that even if the other party was unable to reach the level of a professional player, he could at the very least be considered to be a bonafide expert within the game. Ye Chen couldn¡¯t help but feel somewhat curious and asked, ¡°What stage has this person reached on the ladders?¡± While speaking about this, Red Alert couldn¡¯t help but to reveal a pained expression. With a very heavy tone, he replied, ¡°It should be¡­the Tenth Division?¡± In front of his screen, Ye Chen, who had taken a sip of tea, spat it out in an undignified manner, causing the other people in the guild department¡¯s office to glance in his direction frequently. He immediately coughed a few times in succession, before heaving out with great difficulty, ¡°An expert in the Tenth Division! Have you been brainwashed by that video that has been going viral lately?¡± ¡°I have not¡­¡± Red Alert had just typed in these words to prove his innocence, when the hands that he had placed on top of his keyboard suddenly paused in that position. Mentally, he felt that Adorable Ghost¡¯s figure was slowly overlapping more and more with the silhouette in that video, and he was immediately struck by inspiration. He immediately deleted his words and typed in a new line of words. ¡°It really seems to be the Ghost Priest that was in that video!¡± A shota wearing a Little Red Riding Hood costume and long boots. A Ghost Priest in the Tenth Division. This was practically all the signs of the main character of that video¡­Red Alert had good foresight, how had he not associated all this with the person he had seen before him! ________________ The author has something to say: Recently, many little angels have been concerned about the question of whether there will be BL for all characters. Old Vinegar will clearly give an answer here (author is referring to herself, as her ID is Green Plum Vinegar): This story has multiple CPs. There are many pairs of CPs, and among them, it is true that quite a few are BL. However, there are also a few that are BG, and not all of them are BL! There might also be a hidden yuri couple (GL). (Is that wrong?) It is as above! While I¡¯m at it, I¡¯ll also express that in about 2 or 3 chapters, we will be able to see Her Majesty the Queen8, please keep reading! ^_^~ Squishier characters = those who are easier to kill as they have less health and defense. For the gamers, this part might sound a bit strange to you, but this part was written in English in the raws. The equivalent for us would be double/triple kill. Most people already should know this, but shota are young boys, typically cute ones. For the non-gamers, an arena lobby is the place where players wait to be matched up to their opponents in a PVP battle. This process is typically also known as a ¡°queue¡±. Previous TL-er left it untranslated as ¡°nima¡±, but since it¡¯s a curse word, I translated it as such since it¡¯s funnier like this. Let me know which you prefer! Literally, let the other person lie down and still be able to win. His full name is Ѫ¹âÖØÖØ (xu¨§ gu¨¡ng ch¨®ng ch¨®ng), and his nickname is ÖØÖØ (ch¨®ng ch¨®ng). We all know who this is ^_^~ CH 11 As part of the management of the official guild under the umbrella of the Black Rose club, Black Dawn, Black Night had the same ¡®Black¡¯ prefix in his name. In fact, most of the management consisted of staff members who handled the administrative affairs of the Black Rose club. Currently, the guild had developed to such a scale that they periodically had to clear out the inactive accounts due to the large number of Black Rose fans who were on the waiting list to join the guild. Presently, the guild was more or less full and not just anyone could join the guild. As the guild leader, Ye Chen received a large number of member recommendations every day. Originally, he did not pay much heed to the Ghost Priest that Red Alert had mentioned. It was only after he saw the last message that he couldn¡¯t help but place some importance on the matter. As per the saying ¡°the outsider sees the excitement, while the insider sees the entrance¡±1, the video that appeared to be very simple in the eyes of an ordinary player was completely different when viewed by the professional staff of the clubs. Although it could not be considered as something earth-shattering, at the very least, it was undeniable that when compared to the entirety of Zone¡¯s playerbase, as well as considering how the equipment effects had been matched up and utilized, then the other party was definitely an expert. ¡°How about this, you give his ID to me. Once he comes online, I will talk to him one-to-one.¡± After a moment of contemplation, Ye Chen finally made this decision. ¡°En, his ID is ¡®Adorable Ghost¡¯, and he should come online before nighttime.¡± Red Alert knew that it was difficult to request for a place in his guild, and he could understand the difficulties that the guild leader was facing. Finally, while harboring bad intentions, he added, ¡°Yesterday, it seems that Brother Adorable Ghost encountered Broken Sky and Happy Thoughts¡¯ team in the 3v3 arena ladder. Leader, why don¡¯t you ask them about it? After all, both sides have gone up against each other, so they should more or less have a good understanding of his skill level.¡± Having calmly rubbed salt into the wounds of the pair who had already suffered from internal injuries2, he logged off and went to sleep feeling satisfied. Over at the guild, Ye Chen shouted to Broken Sky and Happy Thoughts, calling them into a voice chatting room. Going straight to the point, he asked, ¡°Did both of you fight in the 3v3 group arena yesterday?¡± Broken Sky paused for a moment, then sheepishly said, ¡°Guild leader, we merely went to the group arena to get closer with a girl. You didn¡¯t have to call us over for a one-to-one chat in such a serious tone, did you? You never mentioned that we were not allowed to pick up girls in the guild previously¡­¡± Ye Chen said grumpily, ¡°Who was asking about how you were picking up girls? What I wanted to ask about was whether or not you bumped into a Ghost Priest while in the arena?¡± Happy Thoughts said, ¡°We fought in the arena ladder for the whole night yesterday. There were Ghost Priests in many matches. Who is the one that Leader is referring to?¡± Ye Chen said, ¡°The one who was wearing a little red hood.¡± After he said this, the voice chatting room immediately fell into complete silence. Once Broken Sky and Happy Thoughts, who were sitting in front of their computer screens, heard the three words ¡°little red hood¡±, an incomparably pained expression appeared on their faces due to the unpleasant memory. Finally, it was still Happy Thoughts who reigned in his fluctuating emotions and replied, ¡°We ran into him¡­Leader, do you know him?¡± Ye Chen said, ¡°I don¡¯t, but someone recommended him to join our guild, so I came looking for you guys to understand the situation.¡± Speechless, Happy Thoughts said, ¡°¡­Leader, you sure are good at looking for people.¡± Ye Chen felt that his tone of speech was strange. ¡°What, did you lose that match?¡± Happy Thoughts took a deep breath, trying his best to comment on the match objectively. ¡°At that time, we were carrying3 Sister Lovely4 through the group arena. Then, we bumped into that Little Red Riding Hood¡¯s party. On our team, we had myself, Broken Sky and Lovely. On the opposing team, there was Little Red Riding Hood, an assassin, and a priest. We did indeed lose that match.¡± ¡°When carrying girls, you will definitely lose some matches.¡± Ye Chen expressed his understanding, then casually asked, ¡°What was the level of skill of the opposing assassin and priest?¡± Happy Thoughts immediately choked out, ¡°This, unfortunately I¡¯m not too sure.¡± Ye Chen said, ¡°Didn¡¯t you battle with one another? How could you be unsure?¡± Happy Thoughts said, ¡°That¡­we spent the whole match chasing after the Ghost Priest, so we didn¡¯t exchange blows with them.¡± Ye Chen noticed the phrasing they used. ¡°We? You and Broken Sky did a 2v1?¡± Happy Thoughts inexplicably blushed. ¡°Yes, 2v1¡­as a result, the other party still managed to get a double kill.¡± This time, the resulting silence was even longer than the one that came before it. Because Happy Thoughts and Broken Sky felt embarrassed, they definitely would not take the initiative to speak, but for Ye Chen, it was because he was too stunned at this result. It was only after a long period of silence that he asked, ¡°By your estimation, approximately what level is that Ghost Priest at?¡± This time, the one who answered was Broken Sky, who had not spoken at all in the later parts of the conversation. ¡°It should be¡­approximately at the level of a professional.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± Leaving behind these words, Ye Chen left the voice chatting room. He hesitated for a moment, then entered the ID ¡°Adorable Ghost¡± and sent a friend request. What he received was a system notification of the other party being offline. He felt slightly out of sorts as he stared at the screen. After some time, he called over the Assistant Guild Leader¡¯s assistant, Zhou Zhi, and said, ¡°Xiao Zhi, do you remember that face-slapping video from the Tenth Division that went viral online a few days ago? Download it and give me a copy.¡± Zhou Zhi curiously asked, ¡°Brother Ye, didn¡¯t you say that there was nothing worth considering in the Tenth Division? Why are you suddenly interested in it again?¡± Ye Chen said, ¡°The newcomers¡¯ camp of the club has been lacking people recently. Being able to dig out one more is yet another member for them. Act a little more quickly, it¡¯s urgent!¡± Although Broken Sky was considered an expert with decent skills in the online game, he could not exclude the possibility that he had overestimated the enemy due to him losing to the other party. Although the game did not lack passerby kings with high skills, players had long become familiar with those passerby experts. Finding a new face who possessed professional level skills was not such an easy feat. Of course, Ye Chen would not make such a simple judgment based on their words alone. It was just that after putting the various sources of information he had together, he had already ascertained that this person at the very least possessed considerable skill, which was sufficient to convince him to include him in the guild¡¯s ranks. As for whether or not he was at a level where he could be allowed to enter the club to be cultivated further, he could only decide again after he had established closer contact with the person. ¡­ Lin Xiao was not a person who could frequently pull an all-nighter. Although he had only huddled in front of his computer for an entire night, for him, who was naturally lethargic, it was already very exhausting. He fell asleep almost as soon as his head touched the bed, and by the time he woke up, it was close to night time. He slowly took his time to eat his dinner and logged into the game, and almost immediately received a friend request. Once he saw the other party¡¯s name, he couldn¡¯t help but smile. Oh, Black Night, wasn¡¯t this the great leader of Black Dawn? He selected the friend confirmation option and sent a smiling emoji in the chat box. Who knew that the other party would be even more direct, immediately sending him a guild invitation. Lin Xiao did not stand on ceremony and immediately chose to accept. Almost immediately after he had joined the guild, the guild channel, which had always been empty, was immediately bombarded with notifications. The amount was so great that it almost caused his old and laggy computer to crash. Lin Xiao glanced through them and discovered that his entry had not attracted others¡¯ attention at all. He was about to hide the guild channel when he suddenly saw someone yell, ¡°Who added this Ghost Priest in!¡± Once he saw the ID, he immediately felt joyous. Clear Sky, wasn¡¯t this the female priest from the other day who had been so angry at him that she left? Thus, he reciprocated her words by replying, ¡°Sister Clear5, what a coincidence, we meet again. ^_^~¡± Clear Sky felt like spitting blood after seeing this smiling emoji. ¡°Who is your Sister Clear! Who was the one who let in this newbie account with 3200 point equipment, how could you just invite any old person into the guild!¡± Lin Xiao said, ¡°This is where you are wrong. I¡¯m not a newbie, my current equipment has already reached 5200 points. [Smoking emoji]6¡± Clear Sky said, ¡°Even my side account has already hit 5800 points, okay!!! What¡¯s there to be proud about for 5200 points!!! Where¡¯s the moderator? Who on earth added him!¡± Black Night said, ¡°I added him, does anyone have any opinions?¡± Clear Sky: ¡°¡­¡± Lin Xiao asked, ¡°Look, I have such great backing. Sister Clear, have you suddenly started to admire me now? [Smoking emoji][Smoking emoji][Smoking emoji]¡± Clear Sky: ¡­ The inner thoughts of the audience: ¡­ Since the leader had appeared, the guild channel, which was originally very lively, had suddenly gone silent. This made Lin Xiao¡¯s shameless harassment even more eye-catching. Broken Sky couldn¡¯t help breaking the silence. ¡°I say, bro, so you don¡¯t just stop at harassing men, but also harass women as well! You go for both men and women, respect, respect. [Clapping emoji]¡± The spectating people had never expected that the newcomer was not only personally invited into the guild by the leader, but had even made Broken Sky, who never appreciated anybody, use such a polite tone. Immediately, they became full of curiosity with regards to Lin Xiao¡¯s origins. But immediately, their focus was drawn away by the next announcement made by Black Night. This week¡¯s guild battle was once again about to begin. Black Night said, ¡°There will be a guild battle at 8pm this Saturday. This time, the enemy we have been matched up with is the guild Horizon. Later, we will be announcing the list of players who will be participating in this week¡¯s guild battle in the Announcement page. The participating members are not allowed to take leave in the absence of special circumstances. Anyone who is absent without valid reason will be kicked out as per the usual rule. Please pass on this message among yourselves.¡± After the information had just been released, Zhou Zhi brought a namelist, submitted it to Ye Chen, and said, ¡°Brother Ye, the changes among our ranks were rather significant last week. This time, the namelist is short of a few people. Furthermore, we just had to be matched up against Horizon this week, and I don¡¯t dare to randomly assign a few people to make up our numbers. What do you think we should do now?¡± Ye Chen received the namelist and glanced at it. He frowned and thought about it for a moment. He kept glancing at that particular name in the group channel out of the corner of his eyes. He paused, raised his pen and added the words ¡°Adorable Ghost¡± to the list. Then, he returned the list to Zhou Zhi and said, ¡°You should first make the announcement based on this. As for the remaining spots that are missing, leave them empty for now. Some people from the club¡­they might want to come over and play this week.¡± After hearing this, Zhou Zhi was stunned, and his eyes immediately lit up. ¡°People from the club will personally participate? Oh my god, then wouldn¡¯t we win for sure? Who will be the ones who will come!? Captain You!? Will Captain You come!? Or Vice Captain Shen?¡± Ye Chen was rendered speechless by this fanboy-like response. He looked at him and laughed. ¡°About this, I¡¯m currently not too sure either.¡± ________________ TL comments: Lin Xiao is such a troll and I love it xD i.e. the people without knowledge or expertise only sees things superficially, whereas those in the know will be able to see things clearly (for e.g. understand the situation being observed, know the required, be able to appraise the quality of the subject, etc¡­) Literal words used here are to have stabbed people who are already suffering from internal injuries. I changed it a little here to make it easier and more intuitive to understand. Gaming term which refers to how the two guys were doing all the work and helping Love Affair to win the match. Referring to Love Affair (·ç»¨Ñ©ÔÂ). He calls her by nickname (Ñ©ÔÂ), which if translated alone becomes completely different from the original name. Thus, I¡¯ve changed it to ¡°Lovely¡±. To be precise, he¡¯s calling her younger sister Clear. LOL CH 12 Having seen Zhou Zhi use the Assistant Guild Leader¡¯s account ¡®Black Curse¡¯ to announce the name list for the guild battle, Ye Chen carried a stack of materials and walked through a few corridors before arriving at the club¡¯s area. Because a competitive battle had just ended, the club members were still temporarily resting on the premises. Evidently, the practice hall was completely empty. Only one computer in the middle had a brightly lit screen. The person sitting before the computer had a head of short, neat hair, and a delicate, pretty appearance. While he was in his early 20s, he already possessed a stable temperament that put others at ease. Currently, he was focused on the recording of a competitive match that was being played on the screen and had not noticed anyone coming in at all. It was only after 20 minutes, when the video had ended, that Shen Changyu turned his head back and discovered that Ye Chen was standing behind him. With an apologetic expression, he said, ¡°Manager Ye, why didn¡¯t you say anything after coming? I¡¯m so sorry to have made you wait for so long.¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright.¡± Ye Chen had already noticed the contents of the video just now and laughed. ¡°Vice Captain Shen is analyzing the match against Zhang Fengyu? I saw that match, the proceedings were truly spectacular.¡± Shen Changyu casually turned the recording off and stood. ¡°It just seemed as if it was a big battle. In that match, Vice Captain Zhang and I fought very haphazardly. During the transitional periods, we were both fighting without much strategy. However, it is clearly evident that Zhang Fengyu¡¯s adjustments and level of control in the match were more precise than mine in the later half of the match. Thus, we lost. I do not feel that we have been wronged in terms of the outcome.¡± After all, a loss was a loss. There would always be a few grievances on the surface level. However, Shen Changyu¡¯s light and casual tone made it seem as though he was not bothered by it at all. Ye Chen knew that his club¡¯s vice captain had an indifferent personality and tended to go with the flow. So, upon hearing his words, he gently patted his shoulders. ¡°You just have to win it back next time.¡± ¡°I think so too.¡± Shen Changyu smiled, and his line of sight fell upon the documents in Ye Chen¡¯s hands. ¡°Have the matters for the guild battle this weekend been settled?¡± Ye Chen nodded. ¡°I¡¯m just left with this part specifically where I need a few more names. It¡¯s also good for me to arrange for some accounts in advance.¡± Shen Changyu thought for a moment and said, ¡°Prepare a summoner, two gunners and a priest.¡± Upon hearing this, Ye Chen was somewhat surprised. ¡°What, will Captain You be coming too?¡± Shen Changyu was silent for a while, then said, ¡°Just prepare them accordingly first. As for the specifics of whether Captain You will come or not, I will go and confirm it again.¡± Shen Changyu¡¯s gaze fell upon the silhouette that slowly disappeared from the corridor while he saw off Ye Chen, who had returned to arrange matters. He stood up and paused, before turning around and heading towards the club¡¯s rest area. Upon arriving, he knocked on the room¡¯s door, pushed it open, and entered the room. With a glance, he noticed the game¡¯s interface on the computer screen and couldn¡¯t help furrowing his eyebrows. ¡°Didn¡¯t we ask you to let your hand injury heal? Why are you still playing the game?¡± The man before the computer desk had hunched his body and curled up on the chair. Long and slender fingers were wrapped around a cup. Light emanated from his body, giving off an inexplicable charm that pleased all five senses. Upon hearing these words, he looked up with long, narrowed eyes. In a mild tone, he said, ¡°Oh, I¡¯m just casually looking around and won¡¯t hurt my muscles or bones.¡± Seeing the expression on his face, Shen Changyu couldn¡¯t help but remind him, ¡°I am now sharing your workload for the sake of allowing you to rest well. A hand injury may be a small or a big matter, but you cannot treat it lightly. If your condition in the future remains unoptimistic, I will ask Coach for permission to stop you from playing in matches, and to send you to the hospital for a full checkup.¡± You Jing hummed in response. An expression of slight impatience appeared on his face. ¡°Vice Captain Shen, how have I never realised in the past that you are so long winded and naggy?¡± Shen Changyu said, ¡°Don¡¯t forget, that time it was you who said that you wanted to return Black Rose to its former glory1. That was why I chose to stay.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need you to remind me.¡± You Jing interrupted him in a matter of fact manner. It was only at this time that his gaze stayed on him for some time. The corner of his lips lifted. ¡°Speaking of which, you are truly unwaveringly loyal to your Captain Lin. Is attaining glory what you truly want, or is it that you want to attain it in Captain Lin¡¯s place? Even though I have been the captain for so long, in your heart, Black Rose Club¡¯s leader is still only Captain Lin, isn¡¯t it?¡± Shen Changyu was silent. He pressed his lips together and no longer said anything. He did not like others to casually bring up the matter of the previous captain. You Jing glanced at his expression, shut his laptop with a ¡°pa¡± sound and turned his chair around. ¡°Speak. Why have you come to look for me?¡± Only then did Shen Changyu pull himself together and quietly say, ¡°Just now, Manager Lin came to me to finalize the name list for the guild battle this weekend. I gave it some thought, but still feel that it¡¯s enough for myself and the twins to attend. Going by your current state, it is not necessary for you to participate. After all, if something crops up and affects your future matches¡­¡± You Jing interrupted him without a care. ¡°If it¡¯s just that, you don¡¯t need to worry. I merely went in to observe if there are any newcomers for us to dig up from the guild. I am not preparing to participate in the battle.¡± After finishing his sentence, he paused briefly, his eyes containing a laughing expression that was barely visible. ¡°Of course, the main reason is something you are already aware of. I have been quite bored recently.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Shen Changyu looked at him and was unable to refute this reason for some time. He was very clear that if he were to reject You Jing¡¯s current proposal, this man would definitely think of even more means to ¡°relieve his boredom¡±. And those means would be even worse than what he had done today. Every club within the Zone professional alliance had its own unique style. And these styles were to a large extent determined by their captains. In the past, under the leadership of Old Ghost, the Black Rose club had the reputation of having an unpredictable and unorthodox style that was ever changing. It was only after You Jing had become the captain that, with his own exceptional leadership and decision-making skills, he had changed it to the current system which was as exquisite and intricate as a work of art. Even so, what many people did not know was that the current Black Rose club¡¯s Captain You was not just an existence that garnered respect and awe from the various big clubs. Even internally within the club, he was so aloof and wilful that it gave others a headache, especially the conscientious Vice Captain Shen Changyu who was presently talking to him. ¡°Very good, it looks like you understand.¡± You Jing patted Shen Changyu¡¯s shoulder in a seemingly casual manner. He looked down at him briefly, the corner of his lips curled up elegantly. ¡°Regarding my hand injury, it is best if you would talk about it less in my presence. If you mention it too much, the word will spread. Take care so that the matter of my injury will not be discovered by even more people. Vice Captain Shen, if you have so much energy that you can worry about trivial matters, why don¡¯t you think about the problem that is right before you? The direction that you have turned towards, it seems that you will not be able to go through?¡± Seeing the look on his face, Shen Changyu was silent for a moment. ¡°Got it.¡± Recently, the Black Rose club had fallen into a strange impasse as some of the club¡¯s members were about to terminate their contracts and leave the club. However, there were no suitable people in the newcomers¡¯ training camp who could replace them in terms of strength. This resulted in the existence of a large gap in the current system they were adopting. Originally, he had wanted to try and change his own style in order to patch up the areas they were lacking in, but as could be seen in the previous battle, it was not really suitable for them. It was precisely because they were missing replacement members that he was using this guild battle as a means to see if he could dig out a few newcomers with potential. That was how the current arrangement had come about. You Jing had very clearly expressed the importance that he placed on such events. Even so, the matter of his hands currently being injured had been concealed from the majority in order to prevent others from worrying. Looking at the figure who once again sat before the computer desk from behind, Shen Changyu¡¯s expression wavered slightly. Although they were evidently two completely different people, he could not help but reminisce about his past captain. At that time, the professional alliance had developed up to an extremely awkward position. The profession of a pro-gamer was in its early stage of development and esports competitions had just been launched. There were nowhere near as many fans and audiences following them as there were in the present. Helping the team to find a suitable club was somewhat difficult, and many pros could not even guarantee being able to fill their stomachs. As the eldest of the first batch of pros within the alliance, and under such harsh conditions, Lin Xiao had brought up the team that he had formed himself step by step. From then till now, the captain of the Black Rose club, Lin Xiao, whom others called ¡°Old Ghost¡±, had always been an existence akin to a legend within the alliance. At that time, it was Shen Changyu who had always looked up to this person who had casually promoted him to fight alongside him. Even if the current him had already attained heights that would be hard for many people to reach, Shen Changyu had always felt that it was a pity. Back then, the Black Rose club had won the world championship trophy and laid an unshakeable foundation for the alliance¡¯s advancement, which led to it developing to where it was today. However, the person he respected the most had not been able to enjoy even a shred of the glory that should have belonged to him after going through the most difficult times. There was probably no one who found it more difficult to accept Lin Xiao¡¯s departure than Shen Changyu. If not for the fact that he wanted to protect and maintain the foundations personally laid by Captain Lin during his time, he had even considered ending his pro-gaming career for a time. Some time later, he had run into You Jing, and Shen Changyu willingly continued to take up the position of vice captain without any complaints. In the midst of all the questions and uncertainty, he allowed a new player to directly accept the heavy burden of being the Black Rose club¡¯s captain. Such a decision was made only because he was very clear on the fact that You Jing was more suitable to be the core of the team than he was. This decision had not been made with even the slightest bit of personal feelings. It was all for the sake of fulfilling the promise that he had made with his captain in the beginning. You Jing¡¯s performance in the alliance¡¯s competitions later on had indeed not disappointed him. This person had dazzling skills which were completely different from Shen Changyu, yet he also possessed a similar level of talent that many others could only dream about but never attain. In just a year, he had already displayed his skills in the alliance and carved out a stable position for himself. In the blink of an eye, five years had already passed. In that time, Shen Changyu had wondered countless times ¨C if that car accident had not happened at that time, how powerful would a Black Rose club that had ¡°Old Ghost¡± and ¡°Queen¡± at the same time possibly be? Although he knew that this was merely a fantasy that could not possibly come true, no matter how many talented people made their debut in droves in the past few years, Lin Xiao would forever be the highest and most respected existence in his heart. This special trait was one of a kind. Even ¡°Yama¡± Yan Duzhou2, who had been dubbed as the number one player in the current alliance, could not at all compare. ________________ TL comments: Well Shen Changyu, I have news for you~ hahaha (but for real we all need a Shen Changyu in our lives¡­) Literally to return Black Rose to its (former) dynasty. Yama (Yanwang in Chinese) refers to the king of hell. The ¡°yan¡± in Yan Duzhou¡¯s name shares the same Chinese character as the one used for Yama. CH 13 Once Lin Xiao saw the announcement regarding the guild battle that was released by the guild, even he felt that it was somewhat beyond what he had expected. Although his original plan was to use Red Alert¡¯s recommendation to enter the Black Dawn guild, the most optimistic situation that he had thought of was merely that he would slowly be able to fight his way into the guild¡¯s inner circle, then look for an opportunity to slowly get more involved in the matters of the professional team. The current situation was even better, since he had directly skipped the process of having to curry favor with the guild leader. Instead, he had entered the ranks of the guild¡¯s main force in one go. Surprises led to more surprises. Although he had not played the guild battles for a very long time, it really wasn¡¯t anything much. He organized the equipment in his storage, then rushed directly to the arena channel to play in solo matches. This was sufficient for him to simulate battling and to warm up properly. With starter equipment in hand, Lin Xiao¡¯s arena battles could be described as swift and smooth-sailing. With just a day¡¯s effort, he had been promoted from the Tenth Division to the Sixth Division. By the time the guild battle on Saturday was approaching, he already ranked among the expert level players of the Fourth Division. Of course, in the process he had also obtained a substantial amount of equipment. After sorting out the equipment and switching out some pieces to higher quality basic equipment, the total points of his equipment had finally passed the 6000 point hurdle. ¡­ During the preparation time for the guild battle, Ye Chen marked everyone¡¯s attendance one by one off the guild¡¯s list. Then, he confirmed his choices for the finalized list of members. When he marked off Adorable Ghost¡¯s name, he unintentionally glanced at the Division ranking displayed next to the character name and was stunned. He subconsciously rubbed his eyes and checked it again, then realized that he was undoubtedly ranked in the Fourth Division and couldn¡¯t help but curse ¡°F*ck¡± out loud. Zhou Zhi, who was beside him, heard the sound and went over to take a look. Immediately after, he also swore with a ¡°F*ck¡± and said, ¡°How on earth did this person do it! If I am not recalling it wrong, when you pulled him into the guild, Brother Ye, he was obviously in the Tenth Division, right? It has only been two days, yet he has actually blitzed his way up to the Fourth Division?¡± Ye Chen said, ¡°Looks like our conjecture from before was not wrong. This person was stuck in the Tenth Division only because his equipment could not keep up. He should be an old player who has just made his return. Since he could advance so quickly, he is indeed a skilled player.¡± Zhou Zhi asked, ¡°Would you like to assign him to Team One?¡± Ye Chen shook his head. ¡°Team One is the guild¡¯s main fighting power. During that time, we definitely cannot have even the slightest bit of disarray. It¡¯s better if we act more conservatively and let the older members participate for now. Arrange for this Adorable Ghost to join Team Two. Luckily, Chongchong is also there. We can allow him to give him a few pointers. After all, his profession is a Ghost Priest. His judgement of his skill level would be much more precise than ours.¡± Zhou Zhi nodded. ¡°Done!¡± On this end the guild leader and assistant guild leader were busy finalizing the member¡¯s groupings. Suddenly, the door of the guild¡¯s office was pushed open. Having heard the sound of footsteps, Ye Chen turned and immediately stood from his chair. He smiled and greeted them. ¡°Captain You, Vice Captain Shen, you¡¯ve both come! Oh, even the two Xus1 are here!¡± When the four people walked in, they attracted the attention of everyone present, and the initially rowdy surroundings quickly turned silent. Shen Changyu was wearing a clean white T-shirt. He spoke a couple of sentences to Ye Chen in a warm and gentle manner and got a basic understanding of the current situation of the guild¡¯s arrangements. Xu Yiming merely smiled as he leaned on his twin brother Xu Yichen¡¯s shoulder. He did not pay any regard to the latter¡¯s displeased expression and looked around, full of interest in the surrounding environment. You Jing walked slowly at the very back with an expressionless face. He waited for the two people to more or less finish their conversation before lifting his gaze to look Ye Chen in the eye and speaking to him in a mild tone. ¡°Have all the accounts been prepared?¡± Ye Chen looked towards Zhou Zhi, but the other party obviously had not noticed his gaze. Although they were in the same club, the people from the Black Rose team would rarely appear at the guild office after all. Today, aside from the Xu twins who had completely different personalities, even the Captain and Vice Captain, You Jing and Shen Changyu, were here in the flesh all of a sudden. This caused Zhou Zhi, who was Black Rose¡¯s true love fan, to feel extremely excited. Before he could save the list of selected names that had just been recorded down, his hand shook and caused the game interface to close. Ye Chen waited for a long time without seeing a response. He saw Zhou Zhi staring at a few people with a dazed and listless expression. He couldn¡¯t help but push him in a bad temper. ¡°What are you doing, zoning out here? Are you still not going to bring over the account that I had you to prepare before?¡± ¡°Ah? Oh! Oh oh!¡± Only then did Zhou Zhi react, hurriedly passing over the notebook in which the account name and password had been recorded. You Jing received the notebook and flipped through it. He sat in front of the computer that was beside the chair he was leaning on. He casually crossed his long legs in front of his body, and used a Priest account to log in to the game. When he saw the alluring, big-breasted girl named ¡°Hello Kitty¡± before his eyes, the tips of his eyebrows lifted slightly. In a cold and plain manner, he said, ¡°Manager Ye, next time, if you want to coordinate fashion, you should first take note of the aesthetics.¡± Seeing that You Jing had changed the beach bikini costume that the onee-san2 character was wearing back to her equipment¡¯s original appearance, Ye Chen, who was at the side, gave a couple of dry laughs. This was truly pinching Zhou Zhi¡¯s heart to death. Zhou Zhi, who was standing not too far behind, could feel the killing intent in the air, a mournful look on his innocent-looking face. Back when Ye Chen had come looking for him, he had not specified what these accounts would be used for. If he had known that they were to be used by the professional team¡¯s members, he would not have delegated the work to that girl from the clan who was a part of the management, even if it killed him! As he saw the other three people also take their seats before the computers and log in to the game one by one, he felt a greater desire to find a crack in the floor and hide in it ¨C from You Jing¡¯s ¡°Hello Kitty¡± to Shen Changyu¡¯s ¡°Go Pikachu¡±, as well as the ¡°Doraemon Is Not A Cat¡± and ¡°Craziness Is Not An Illness¡±3 that the two brothers, Xu Yiming and Xu Yichen were using, all of them were big-breasted onee-san characters with slim legs and curvy hips. Even the bikinis that they wore were all of the same type! Very good, at least the integrity of the art style had been maintained¡­Zhou Zhi thought this, fooling himself so that he could fool others. However, the image before him was still so strange that he could not help but to look away. There was no way for him to reconcile the characters with the players who were operating them, alright! Ye Chen could only swallow his complaints. Looking at the people who were focused on scanning through the characters¡¯ equipment storage, aside from the fact that they had unanimously ditched the costume fashion, they did not look dissatisfied at all. Only then did he secretly heave a sigh of relief and carefully asked, ¡°The guild¡¯s members have all finished their preparations. Shall I place all of you into Team One later?¡± Shen Changyu said, ¡°You don¡¯t need to put all of us in, just myself and the twins will do.¡± Ye Chen was momentarily stunned. ¡°Then what about Captain You?¡± You Jing used his right hand to casually fiddle with his mouse and responded, ¡°I will not be taking part in tonight¡¯s battle, putting me in Team Two will do.¡± Ye Chen was unable to discern any emotions from his calm demeanour, but such a mild tone sent some chills down his spine. He obediently replied, ¡°Alright, then I will inform the leader of Team Two to rope you in!¡± ¡°Heh, Captain You, you¡¯ve scared him quite a bit.¡± Looking at the silhouettes of Ye Chen and Zhou Zhi, whom he had hurriedly dragged out of the room, Xu Yiming turned back and laughed rather happily. You Jing looked at him, made a soft ¡°Oh¡± sound, then insincerely said, ¡°Then I¡¯m very sorry.¡± Xu Yichen pulled Xu Yiming over in one move and helped him to adjust the headphones he was wearing. Brows furrowed, he said, ¡°Stop fooling around. Aren¡¯t you going to make use of this time to quickly get familiar with the account you are using? When the time comes, you wouldn¡¯t want to find out that you have chosen the wrong equipment.¡± Xu Yiming stuck out his tongue at him. ¡°My equipment has already been selected a long time ago, do you think everyone is as slow as you? Xu Yichen glanced at him, then returned his focus to his screen with an expression that showed his refusal to continue communicating with him. Shen Changyu was in a good mood and found the two people with identical faces funny even as they were having their verbal spat. He turned to You Jing, who was leaning against the computer chair, and reminded him, ¡°Remember what you agreed to.¡± You Jing lifted his eyes and his gaze swept over him in a slightly lazy manner. His eyes flashed with impatience, which could be considered as an answer. ¡­ When Lin Xiao had been pulled into the team, out of the entire Team Two, only the last position was left. With a glance, he scanned through the team¡¯s members on the roster list. The few people from the guild that he had been familiar with were not here. Bloody Light, as the team leader, asked him on the team channel, ¡°The Ghost Priest who just joined, what skill branch4 do you play?¡± Lin Xiao said, ¡°Curse Ghost.¡± Bloody Light responded with an ¡°Oh¡±, and did not say anything else. Not long later, the last missing slot was filled by a person who had just been roped in ¨C Hello Kitty, a female priest. This time, Bloody Light didn¡¯t really ask much, and the team channel was completely silent. What no one knew was that when he, who was sitting before his computer screen, saw the two words that had just entered the team roster, actually felt a little worried. Although Team Two was not as elite and essential to the guild as Team One, they were still an extremely important existence within the team. In the past guild battles, only the best people were selected as members, and there had been no changes for a very long time. However, today they had suddenly swapped out two people. Additionally, the guild leader Black Night had mysteriously entrusted him with someone, causing him to feel even more confused. If this newly joined Ghost Priest had been arranged to join his team for the sake of making it convenient for him to judge his skill level, then this unknown Priest, who had appeared out of nowhere, was even more inconceivable, causing him to be unable to wrap his head around it. At that time, Black Night¡¯s instructions to him had only consisted of eight words ¨C No need to manage, just let him be. Such strange circumstances caused even Bloody Light¡¯s mind, which normally was never full of gossip, to quickly start running wild. Gradually, he could only make a guess ¨C perhaps their guild¡¯s Guild Leader would soon have a wife? Fortunately, Ye Chen had no way of knowing that his actions had given Team Two¡¯s leader such wild fantasies. Otherwise, he would have spat out a mouthful of old blood sooner or later. ¡­ When Lin Xiao had been teleported over to the guild battle preparation map, it was already crowded. He maneuvered his character to take a look around his surroundings. Finally, his attention fell onto the female priest who was standing nearby. This tall onee-san priest had the words ¡°Hello Kitty¡± above her head. Since he had seen her when he had just joined the team, she was the most familiar to him. Knowing that this person was in the same team as him, Lin Xiao, who was feeling extremely bored, smiled and struck up a conversation. ¡°Hello, Sister Kitty, we are in the same team. Do take care of me a little more later!¡± You Jing, who was sitting before his screen, saw this sentence. Good-looking eyebrows lifted slightly, and slender white nails typed out words on the keyboard one by one. ¡°Not free.¡± Lin Xiao operated Adorable Ghost to quickly circle a few rounds about him with a very lively appearance. ¡°No matter, my combat ability is relatively more long-lasting. Whenever you are free, you can just feed me a mouthful of milk5 and I¡¯ll be fine! ^_^~¡± You Jing¡¯s eyes squinted a little. Based on the fluttering red object before his eyes, he was finally able to see the other party¡¯s profession clearly. His expression wavered in a manner that was hard to detect, and the corners of his lips lifted slightly. With an elegance that was almost royal, he replied in the public channel6, ¡°Sure.¡± Lin Xiao saw this brief and concise response and strangely felt that this big-breasted sister who gave off an aura of not wanting people to approach was, en¡­very interesting. You Jing saw the little shota who was wearing a silly and cute little red hood jump about in front of him, as if he was bored and had nothing better to do. Casually, he opened up the other person¡¯s attributes window. Originally, he had just wanted to casually take a look without thinking too much about it, but once he took a clear look at how the other person had matched their attributes in their build7, his eyes darkened and shook. He had seen this type of Ghost Priest who followed such an extreme cooldown reduction build many years ago, and only on one person¡­ ________________ Translator comments: First meeting! Imagine if they had kept up the bikini costume aesthetic LOL. Also, those names¡­I think my favorite is ¡°Go, Pikachu¡±, plus it was given to Shen Changyu xD Also, please welcome my co-editors Musk and Pidgon, who will be helping me with this project! ^_^~ If you recall, in a previous chapter, Shen Changyu mentioned ¡°the twins¡±. Well, here they are~ Big sisterly type of character. If you watch anime, think along the lines of an ara ara~ kind of character For context, Éñ¾­²¡ means crazy, and ¡°²¡¡± means illness. Internet slang replaces the character ¡°Éñ¡± (god) with ¡°Éß¡± (snake), but it means the same thing. The name used here is ¡°Éß¾«Ã»Óв¡¡±. To maintain the meaning, I¡¯ve chosen this translation. A brief explanation for the non-gamers: many games will have multiple skill branches or paths that a character class can follow. For example, a Warrior could follow the sword skill branch, axe skill branch etc. It determines the character¡¯s specialization. The nickname for healers is milk dad/mum, so giving heals is also called giving milk. In games such as MMORPGs, this channel is usually for people who are nearby in the same map. Game characters tend to follow skill and stats distributions when adding their points. This is normally referred to as a skill and stats build. CH 14 You Jing had always remembered the first time he had seen that person¡¯s operations. It had been on the broadcast of a national league match. At that time, he had not even known about the game ¡°Zone¡±, let alone the existence of esports. However, even through the frigidness of the screen, he could still feel the depth of desire for victory that brimmed in that man¡¯s eyes. Back then, the lights shone on the side of his face. Although he had simply been focused on the actions displayed on screen, this caused You Jing to experience a level of attentiveness that he had never felt before. The image on screen suddenly zoomed in and focused on the hands that were speedily maneuvering the mouse. Long and slender fingers were moving so actively that it seemed as if they were dancing in the air. Due to tension, the individual joints of his hand could clearly be seen. The contours of his hands were so good-looking that their structure seemed more or less perfect. Once the word ¡®Victory¡¯ appeared on the screen, the previous excitement slowly faded into a calmness that emanated from the depths of his eyes, expressing a sort of rational indifference. That person slowly stood from his seat, lips curled arrogantly, and shook hands with each of his opponents while complimenting them. At the moment, all of the shouts and cheers resounding at the venue belonged to him. The scene was very natural and attention-grabbing. At this moment, without any warning, he had been completely captivated by it. Just a short competition match had caused him, who had everything that he could possibly want at his fingertips, to feel such growing passion and hot-bloodedness for the first time. And for the first time, he felt an inexplicable longing to experience the same kind of glory. This was You Jing¡¯s first encounter with esports, as well as the very beginning of his firm connection with esports. From then onwards, he had begun understanding the esports alliance bit by bit, started following the Black Rose team¡¯s developments, and started taking note of that man¡¯s every move¡­ You Jing¡¯s impression of ¡°Old Ghost¡± Lin Xiao, Black Rose team¡¯s captain, was that regardless of victory or defeat, he would always be the most magnificent and eye-catching one on the competitive stage. This continued until he had finally stepped on the podium to receive the trophy for the global competition. At that moment, it felt as if he had conquered the masses. He had truly, without any doubt, been the strongest within the realm of esports. Like this, the matters of the past flowed through his mind like a current. A slight, momentary sadness was reflected within You Jing¡¯s eyes for a brief moment. He blinked slowly, then wordlessly closed the equipment window displayed before him. It was not that such a cooldown build where the casting speed was almost instant had never been tested before in the past, but rather, it was that no one had dared to choose to use it in the end. It was not because it ¡°could not¡± be replicated, but rather because it was ¡°impossible¡± to replicate it. ¡­ The guild battle would officially start at 8pm. At 7.30pm, teleportation channels closed in advance. Everyone had already teleported to the battle preparation map. Five teams were fully equipped and ready to go, meticulously making some final adjustments. After Ye Chen had the leaders of each team to account for all present members, he activated the guild¡¯s special voice channel that was specially used for the guild battle and did his usual pre-battle rallying speech. ¡°Our opponent today is our old enemy, the Heaven guild. In the previous guild battle, we have already lost to them once. Thus, we must treat things even more seriously today. Everyone must strictly adhere to the instructions given. We must return the favor to them, and absolutely cannot give them the chance to win again! After all, we belong to the Black Rose team. Be it victory or defeat, we will share the same fate1!¡± Although in past guild battles, the Guild Leader had spoken words that could also somewhat stimulate people¡¯s hearts as well, this time, they were especially pretentious and well-spoken. If they had been heard by the public, they would not have understood anything. Who knew if their leader had taken the wrong medicine and gotten high today. With great difficulty, Ye Chen finished giving the ardent speech that he had spent the previous day preparing. He secretly glanced at the silhouettes which were seated in a line at the other side. Sheepishly, he recalled his performance just now and stealthily mopped up his cold sweat in relief. It was still alright. Anyway, he felt that he had expressed himself pretty well on the whole. After reigning in his feelings of excitement, Ye Chen proceeded to the next stage of deployment. ¡°Tonight, Team One¡¯s leader will be me. Team Two¡¯s will be Chongchong, Team Three¡¯s will be Long Black Curse, Team Four¡¯s will be Broken Sky, and Team Five¡¯s will be Shadow. After we have entered the map, everyone must move based on my broad instructions. The individual team leaders will mainly be responsible for arranging your movements in detail. During this process, unless you are a different person, you must follow instructions at all times.¡± In the hearts of the public, ¡°¡­¡± Unless you are a different person? What the hell did this mean! In a room at the professional team¡¯s area, when Xu Yiming heard these words in the voice channel, he couldn¡¯t hold back his laughter. He nudged Shen Changyu, who was next to him, and said, ¡°Vice Captain Shen, it looks like by coming here, we have caused Manager Ye a lot of stress.¡± Xu Yichen replied, ¡°Having stress is a good thing. It¡¯s better than not caring.¡± Shen Changyu laughed and said, ¡°Manager Ye¡¯s stress level likely had nothing to do with us. It has entirely been caused by someone else.¡± After saying this, he surreptitiously glanced at the person beside him, but You Jing acted as if he had not heard what he said. Even his earphones had been placed aside on an adjacent table. Handsome eyebrows were slightly knitted, and no one knew what he was thinking. Shen Changyu felt a little curious. Could he have found a target so quickly? ¡­ While they were talking, Ye Chen had already allocated specific assignments for the five teams. Each side had three strongholds on the guild map. They were classified as ¡°Territory of Strength¡±, ¡°Territory of Wisdom¡± and ¡°Territory of Gods¡±. Each territory had its own unique protective barrier, as well as its own corresponding boss monster, a guardian envoy, who was stationed nearby. Each side was required to exterminate the guardian envoys of the territory in question within the battle duration. Only then could they proceed to attack the territory itself. It was only after conquering both the ¡°Territory of Strength¡± and ¡°Territory of Wisdom¡± that the pathway leading to the ¡°Territory of Gods¡± would be opened. When one side managed to take over all three checkpoints, they would be deemed victorious. Zone¡¯s administrators could be said to have spent a lot of effort to make the guild battle event more playable. They had released one or two new guild battle maps per month from the first year of the game¡¯s release until now, and the map for each guild battle was selected at random. Currently, the total number of maps was close to about two hundred. Before the game shifted to battle mode every week, there was no way for anyone to find out which map they would encounter. It was even possible that they might get a brand new, never before seen map. The extent of unpredictability, based on past experiences, usually made the players feel very excited. It was only today that Ye Chen felt that it was harder to bear than usual. After all, the opposing Heaven guild was the Apocalypse club¡¯s official guild. They were not only a fierce competitor of Black Dawn¡¯s, but even the professional teams themselves had always competed with the Black Rose team from the early days of the alliance until now. They could be considered sworn enemies. Furthermore, their own team¡¯s captain was currently seated by his side and listening to every single instruction that he gave out. If they were not able to win today¡­the pressure he felt was truly piled up as high as a mountain. ¡ª The guild battle is about to begin, the Territory of Light belongs to your guild! You will fight a decisive battle in Atlan, the World of Space! The system notification flashed with this message at 8pm sharp. The guild battle officially began, and all the players who were in the preparation map were immediately teleported to the map in which the guild battle would take place. This time, Black Dawn was assigned to the blue base camp, occupying the top right half of the territory. Looking at the minimap at the top left corner of the screen, Ye Chen¡¯s face unwittingly revealed a pained expression. Atlan, the World of Space, was a new guild battle map which had been released not long ago. At that time, the administrators had deliberately kept the players in suspense by not revealing the details of the map in advance to maintain secrecy. No one could have guessed that it would have been selected as the map for this battle. The scenery of the entire map was azure colored and was currently being enveloped in a sea of clouds. As the name ¡°World of Space¡± suggested, it consisted of islands that were suspended in midair. At a glance, it felt as if the map consisted of nothing but blue and white hues. Even the mini map was filled with lined symbols representing the various possible routes. It looked very much like a labyrinth that would be difficult to navigate despite looking through it once. No one had ever encountered this completely new map before. It was so riddled with pathways that navigating through it would cause people to claw their heads in frustration. Ye Chen could only rely on his intuition to make some basic conjectures to determine the rough locations of the other two territories. He arranged for two teams to split up and conduct reconnaissance in both directions, leaving two teams to band together and push forward. ¡­ Team Two, which Lin Xiao belonged to, had been divided into four sub-teams based on how they were listed on the roster. Since he had joined late, he was grouped into a team with the other four people who had been added later. The other members were the Plumed Archer2 ¡°I¡¯ll Shoot You To Death¡±, Holy Knight ¡°Meat Meat Meat Meat¡±, Enchanter3 ¡°Blue Skies Aren¡¯t Blue¡±, as well as the Priest who was the last to join, ¡°Hello Kitty¡±. In summary, they had a tank4, a DPS5, a support, and a healer, which could be said to be a perfect lineup. The sub-teams followed the groupings they were organized into and headed towards the four different paths of the forked road located at the top of the map. In this manner, they split up to scout through the map and locate the boss monsters of the other two territories. Both guilds consisted of 100 members. Since they were both facing a new map that they had never encountered before, the decisive factor of the battle would naturally be the speed at which they were able to explore the map, rather than their tactics for battle. As the fourth sub-team¡¯s leader, the Holy Knight Meat Meat Meat Meat, who was also the team¡¯s tank, naturally stood in front and acted as their meatshield. The remaining members followed behind him. Very quickly, they crossed the cloud bridge and set foot on the first floating island. Lin Xiao sized up his surroundings as he walked. He silently compared the paths before him to the routes displayed on the minimap. His line of sight was constantly moving according to his maneuvers. The first time he turned backwards, an onee-san¡¯s huge breasts appeared in the centre of his screen. The second time he turned, it was still breasts. The third time he turned, it was still breasts¡­sigh, this shota model was good in all aspects except for height¡­ Lin Xiao couldn¡¯t help himself and turned towards the Priest onee-san who had been following behind him like a phantom. ¡°¡­Kitty, could you change your auto-follow target to someone else?¡± You Jing had just poured himself a cup of tea. He turned and scanned through the team chat, reading the message that had just appeared. Casually, he replied, ¡°I can¡¯t.¡± Forget it, forget it. Fortunately, this was a girl. It was fine even if she stood closer to him. Even if they bumped into the enemy, he could still follow his principles to become the hero who rescued the damsel in distress. At this time, Lin Xuao was still in quite a good mood, so he did not pursue the matter of his vision any further. With the ¡°natural barrier¡± behind him, he led the Priest onee-san through the paths in a lively manner, skillfully dodged all of the angles which caused his line of sight to be blocked, and leisurely walked at the team¡¯s rear. ________________ Translator comments: Yes Lin Xiao, its a G.I.R.L (guy in real life) ^_^~ Also, fun fact from pidgon is that if you calculate based on the numbers in this chapter, Zone has been out for at least 10 years at this point. This sounds a lot more poetic in the original text (¡°Ò»ÈÙ¾ãÈÙ£¬Ò»Ëð¾ãËð¡±), but it¡¯s difficult to translate the nuances of it. What it means is if a person experiences glory or ruin, then everyone else around them will also experience the same. Since the main point is about everyone sharing the same fate, I¡¯ve decided to go with that for the translation. An archer who specializes in using feathered arrows. An auxiliary class that specializes in supporting the party by giving buffs to strengthen them, or by weakening enemies using status effects like blind, poison etc. A class which specializes in taking damage to protect teammates. A class which specializes in dealing damage. This can be further classified into physical damage (e.g. archers) and magical damage (e.g. mages) CH 15 There wasn¡¯t much to be gained at the next two islands, so the party very quickly progressed forwards to the third island. After Meat Meat Meat Meat had completed reporting on the progress on their end, he entered the team channel and said, ¡°Based on the map, we have moved pretty far from our starting point. However, it looks like we are very close to the red area. We had better be more vigilant, as we might bump into the enemy.¡± The World of Space¡¯s map was very large and had numerous branches. Logically speaking, it should not be that easy to run into the enemy. However, the sub-team leader¡¯s analysis also had some basis to it, so the possibility of it occurring could not be discounted. Lin Xiao had also secretly made a mental note of it. It was at this moment that I¡¯ll Shoot You To Death suddenly yelled ¡°We have a situation on our hands!¡± in the team chat. Immediately, he fired an arrow towards the dense, forested area in the distance. Almost simultaneously, Meat Meat Meat Meat made a 360-degree turn on the spot, and his body suddenly flashed with a bright gold light. Lin Xiao had subconsciously moved some distance away from the others. He looked around their surroundings, but did not see any enemies. Thus, he was rendered speechless1. ¡°Team leader, are you putting on a show for us?¡± Meat Meat Meat Meat stood motionlessly on the spot for a moment. It was only after some time had passed that he spoke again in the team channel, ¡°I¡¯ll Shoot You To Death, do not fire your arrows so carelessly! F**k, I was so shocked just now that I didn¡¯t even click on the chat box, and wasted my ultimate skill. We had better not run into anyone from the Heaven guild later, or we will be brought to our knees!¡± However, it was as per the saying ¡°speak of the good and it will not come, but speak of the bad and it surely will come¡±. Right after he spoke these words, a streak of red light flashed out from the direction in which I¡¯ll Shoot You To Death had fired their arrow, and collided directly with Meat Meat Meat Meat¡¯s body with a ¡°pa¡± sound. It was very obvious that there were enemies here! Lin Xiao watched as the other three party members fell into a state of confusion and was momentarily speechless. This Holy Knight had truly jinxed them with his words. This was really in the same league as Chen Anqi2. He noted the surrounding terrain and moved backwards, creating some distance between them. Then, he took a look at the red colored IDs that had appeared in his vision and were getting ready for battle. He turned, and once again saw the onee-san¡¯s breasts, which were so bountiful that they caused others¡¯ imaginations to run wild. Lin Xiao was momentarily speechless. ¡°¡­Sister, wake up quickly, we are fighting.¡± However, on the other side of the screen, You Jing slouched lazily in his chair. Long, slender, fair-skinned fingers were wrapped around the warm teacup, leaving the keyboard and mouse empty. His lips were raised slightly, and he did not have the slightest intention to operate his character. Rather, he was looking at the centre of the screen with a detached, but interested expression. Hello Kitty did not react at all, and appeared to have left at the last minute. Having to drag along this oil bottle3 that he suspected to be auto-following4 him caused Lin Xiao to feel quite helpless. What made him feel even more helpless was the fact that Meat Meat Meat Meat, the hefty meat shield that appeared to be sturdy and strong, had performed extremely disappointingly. After a weakening debuff had been cast on him, he became a Holy Knight who had been stripped of his holy protections. Under the continuous attacks of the Heaven guild, he was actually the first to fall, without even putting up a decent struggle. Their tank had died, but he still had faith. Although he lay flat on the ground, he did not forget to chip away at the will of his team members5 after dying, his hand speed became even more explosive, and he yelled to the team, ¡°Damn it, it¡¯s the Heaven guild¡¯s Sky team! Run away quickly everyone, if you don¡¯t run away then none of you will be able to escape!¡± Actually, he did not have to give this instruction at all. After identifying the IDs of the opposing team, the others did not have the slightest intention of rescuing their team leader and had swiftly broken formation and escaped long ago. I¡¯ll Shoot You To Death had obviously not expected that this arrow of his would have drawn out this team, which was even more terrifying than a boss monster. He picked up his soles and fled while tearfully crying out to the team, ¡°Big Meat6, I¡¯ve wronged you! It was a conditional reflex just now, it really was a conditional reflex, believe me! If I had known that Laughing Sky was there, I would definitely have gone around them.¡± Lin Xiao brought along the Priest who was following behind him and sprinted along an unobstructed road. Gradually, he pulled away from the person who was pursuing him from behind, and even had the leisure to gossip with his team, ¡°Who is Laughing Sky?¡± Blue Skies Aren¡¯t Blue sent a surprised emoji and said, ¡°No way, you don¡¯t even know who Laughing Sky is? They are the undefeated passerby king on the arena ladder currently. Bro, have you come from another planet?¡± Lin Xiao said, ¡°How clever, you have gotten everything correct. ^_^~¡± Blue Skies Aren¡¯t Blue replied, ¡°¡­¡± At this moment, the formation of the party had been broken apart in one swift move. On the other end, Meat Meat Meat Meat reported the situation to the team leader before choosing to revive at the base camp. Thus, his corpse disappeared from the map and respawned at the revival point. He looked at the positions of his party members on the mini map and continued to advise them, ¡°All of you should first look for a place to hide. Bear in mind that you absolutely must not come out. The team leader is currently dispatching reinforcements over.¡± The other two members immediately obeyed his words and found a place to hole up in, hiding themselves so well that a few mushrooms grew on their heads.7 Lin Xiao brought Hello Kitty with him and ran for some distance before stopping. He turned back and saw that no one had caught up to him, so he stood in the middle of the big road without moving. ¡ª¡ª It seemed like the situation was not quite right? Although the main objective of the guild battle was not to get more kills than the other side, they were enemies after all and would get extra agitated when meeting one another. Even if they were both just sub-teams sent to scout the area, since the formation of one side had already been scattered, by principle, they would definitely not let them off easily. Recalling the positions of the people who had appeared just now, as well as the large stretch of dense, forested area, Lin Xiao made some rough calculations and narrowed it down to the only possibility ¨C that those people were probably sneakily fighting the blue side¡¯s guardian emissary boss! It should be known that the island they were currently on was some distance away from their revival point. Furthermore, an ordinary territorial guardian boss was not a big boss that was particularly difficult to take down. If both sides were to wait for the news to be delivered to guild for reinforcements to be sent, by the time they arrived, it was likely that the boss would have been defeated long ago. This situation, in which they were about to witness others defeating the boss right under their noses, caused Lin Xiao to feel the same level of outrage that one would feel when seeing someone else strip off their girlfriend¡¯s clothes. Although he was not particularly concerned about upholding the guild¡¯s honor, the rewards offered for contributing towards the guild¡¯s victory in the guild battle were far too tempting. Whether or not he would be able to swap out his staff for the one he wanted depended on how successful he was tonight. If they lost, he estimated that he would have to fight in the arena ladder for an additional week. As for that passerby king, Laughing Sky? Indeed, he did not know how strong he was, but in any case, he was definitely not as strong as him. With these riches and benefits to act as double motivation for him, Lin Xiao was not at all concerned about the fact that someone was still following him. He operated Adorable Ghost, who turned around and cutely skipped back to where they had been. You Jing had paid clear attention to the shota¡¯s every move from start to finish, and the depths of his eyes had subconsciously stilled. Currently, through Hello Kitty¡¯s field of vision, he could see how Adorable Ghost was returning to the place they had come from without any hesitation. This was sufficient for him to deduce the other person¡¯s intentions without having to think too deeply about it. Finally, he placed the cup on the desk, slowly pulled the keyboard and casually placed it before himself. When they were still being chased by the enemy just now, the little shota who brought Hello Kitty along with him had used his movements to avoid the ranged attacks that were pursuing them. It was not just the Ghost Priest himself, but even the Priest character had not lost a single bit of health. There had been some distance between them after all. If the one who was escaping and hiding had been a single character, then it would not have represented much. However, this person had been operating two characters together at the same time. This meant that for every step they had made while they were moving around, he had clearly calculated the point at which their opponents¡¯ skills would land, as well as all of the movement trajectories of their characters while they were being chased. These movements required deep thought and planning, as well as precise judgments to pull off. No matter if this person was wearing full cooldown reduction equipment merely because they were Old Ghost¡¯s worshipper, or if it was a choice made purely by accident, the person before his eyes was indeed an expert. ¡­ A certain unlawful crime was still taking place with the small forested area. A few people were battling with one another, and the entire area was filled with skill effects. Since their whereabouts had already been revealed, the Sky team, which no longer had to be careful, released so many skills that the resulting scene was spectacularly dazzling. Within the short span of a few minutes, they had already taken out a third of the Guardian Emissary of Power¡¯s health bar. However, as they fought, a bundle of flames suddenly rose from beneath the Spellsword¡¯s8 feet. In the moment when the flames burst out and wrapped around his body, all of the skill markers on the map briefly turned grey. They had been silenced9? Someone was ambushing them? Laughing Sky was stunned, having never expected that their opponents would actually have the guts to return. Turning back, he saw a cute little red-hooded shota standing not too far away. The staff in his hands was still brimming with black light. It was evident that he was the culprit behind silencing them. When a Curse Ghost faced another team, the subsequent harassment always brought them an unending feeling of sourness. Although the opposing side seemed to only have a Ghost Priest and a Priest, they could not just leave them there unattended. For the sake of allowing his team to take down the boss before reinforcements arrived, Laughing Sky had stopped the other members from pursuing the enemy and had them continue to maintain the damage output by concentrating their firepower on the boss, while he himself lifted his claymore and went to meet the enemy. When he neared them, he activated his Ghost Sprint and swung his claymore. The target he was aiming at was not the Ghost Priest, but the Priest, Hello Kitty, who was standing so closely behind that it seemed as if she was stuck to him. When Lin Xiao saw Laughing Sky rush over, he had long been prepared. He had preemptively taken a step and already moved away. The Priest who was still on auto-follow began to move along with him. In the brief moment when they made contact, Hello Kitty was grazed by the edges of the claymore and narrowly managed to dodge. However, in the brief moment when the skill failed to land, Laughing Sky suddenly activated his Arc Step when he got close to them. In a split second, he had already made a 180 degree turn and gotten close to the Priest. As expected of a passerby king, his movements were indeed very quick. Lin Xiao secretly gave him a word of praise in his heart. He also felt some regret, thinking that he would probably not be able to turn the tides and protect the Priest sister who had been tagging along with him and was not doing anything more. At this moment, Hello Kitty suddenly took a step away from Lin Xiao. This step had not been big, but it was very crafty. From a movement standpoint, it was just enough to avoid the main attack range of the Arc Slice skill. Although she lost some health, after quickly using a minor heal skill on herself, her health would be replenished bit by bit till it was full. ¡°That was a beautiful move, Sister!¡± Lin Xiao praised using the Public channel. At the same time, he had already started casting his skill. When a blood red swirl curled below his feet, Laughing Sky decisively used a Flying Leap to move a distance away and dodged the Blood Pool that spread out where he originally stood a second ago. However, when he landed on the ground, the ground beneath his feet immediately turned into quicksand. A few thin and withered hands eerily caught a firm hold of his feet, locking him in place for a duration of three seconds. Two skills, Pool of Scarlet and Locking Soul of Purgatory, had been cast one after another without any delay. He had actually made use of the position at which he had cast his skill to make him move, and anticipated his successive movements so thoroughly that he had even locked on to his landing point completely¡­no matter if it was the Priest¡¯s movements or the Ghost Priest¡¯s calculations, these two opponents were not easy to deal with. Laughing Sky felt a mysterious and heavy sort of pressure and immediately said in the voice chat, ¡°Black Jack, stay behind and hold off the emissary. Everyone else, come and help!¡± ________________ Translator¡¯s comments: And so it begins~ Also I really like Lin Xiao¡¯s confidence. ¡°He may be good but who cares? I¡¯m still better ^_^~¡± This kind of expression: -_-||| Another character who has yet to appear in the story. Dragging an oil bottle is a metaphor for bringing along children from your previous marriage to your second marriage. In this case it is probably referring to having an added burden. This is a function of some online games, which allows you to automatically follow the target player without having to directly control your characters. In case it¡¯s not clear, author is being sarcastic here. Nickname for Meat Meat Meat Meat. I know it sounds weird translated, lol Imagine something like this: https://www.deviantart.com/rioluisa/art/Dento-s-Mushroom-Room-179047176 Refers to a class that can use both magic spells and sword techniques. A status effect that leaves you unable to use any skills. CH 16 After hearing this command, the other members of the party paused purposefully. On one hand, they immediately threw aside the emissary boss and rushed towards Laughing Sky¡¯s location. On the other hand, someone in the channel asked, ¡°Sky, weren¡¯t there only two people from the enemy team? What, have the reinforcements arrived?¡± Laughing Sky said, ¡°Just the two of them, both are experts.¡± When the others heard this, they were all stunned. To cause the leader of their fixed team to voluntarily admit this was no mean feat. After the 3 seconds in which he had been chained down had passed, Laughing Sky pushed through the Blood Poisoning effect placed on his body and brandished his claymore, slashing it towards Adorable Ghost. The opposing side immediately hit him with a Stun effect. After getting close to them, he made use of the advantages he had in close combat. Using a sudden burst of quick hand speed, he suppressed the Ghost Priest, not giving the other party any opportunity to cast their skills. There were many passerby experts among the players in the First Division of the arena ladder. There was no shortage of skilled players among them who were at a level that might even exceed that of professional players. It was just that these people were not interested in becoming professional players, hence they did not accept the invitations of the various professional teams. Instead, they remained active in the various major guilds within the online game. As the hottest passerby king that everyone had their eyes on, when it came to combat alone, Laughing Sky was definitely a top-notch player. At this time, with an explosively fast hand speed, he interrupted Lin Xiao¡¯s skill casting bar1 a few times consecutively. He stuck closely to the front of his body and kept up a flurry of piercing cold attacks. He noted the position of the Priest standing at the side with a glance, confirmed that the other party was not within casting range, and released a deep sigh. He took a deep breath and focused, his maneuvers quickly speeding up. With precise accuracy, he grasped all of Adorable Ghost¡¯s planned movements and prepared to clear out the rest of the opponent¡¯s¡¯ health bar in one move. At this time, the Adorable Ghost before his eyes once again tried to create a distance between them and cast a skill. Immediately, Laughing Sky dished out a Shadow Slash, wanting to cut him off. Unexpectedly, the other party¡¯s movements suddenly became strangely erratic, and a blue light appeared abruptly out of thin air. He felt a sense of foreboding and wanted to make a quick retreat, but it was already too late. The red-hooded shota suddenly drew closer until he was practically right in front of him. He had directly used a Freezing Curse on him without giving him any leeway. Adorable Ghost took advantage of the moment in which his entire body was frozen, to meet him head on. Brushing past his shoulder, he created a safe distance between them in the blink of an eye. As he was outside the range of all the Spellsword¡¯s skills, the attacks were cut off. Adorable Ghost¡¯s state at the moment was quite tragic. After all, he had been suppressed by a close-range fighter for such a long time. He only had half of his health left. However, to Lin Xiao¡¯s credit, he had used his positioning to avoid a large portion of the damage. If it had been someone else, they would probably have been flattened to the ground long ago. It was inevitable that someone who could be dubbed as a passerby king would indeed have a couple of tricks up their sleeve. If they were talking about hand speed alone, he would be ranked highly even among the players of the professional alliance. Judging by his operations alone, this person was indeed talented. If he were to receive professional training, he would definitely become even more terrifying. It was truly a pity that he did not become a professional player. A strange feeling of pity due to appreciating talent rose in Lin Xiao¡¯s heart. He retreated backwards while taking note of his surroundings. Then, he caught sight of Hello Kitty, who was standing by the side not too far away, once again not moving. It was as if the startling movements that he had glimpsed just now were just a figment of his imagination. When he looked back yet again, he saw a distant silhouette that was flying towards him. Sensing that the opposing side had already called for reinforcements, Lin Xiao made a swift decision to fight and end the battle quickly. He ran a few steps backwards, turned, and started to unleash his skills. At this moment, Laughing Sky was urgently closing the distance between them. He made use of his positioning to dodge the Blood Shura Curses that sprang up from beneath his feet. When he was about to draw close once again, his field of vision suddenly turned pitch black. This was, Blind! He was taken off guard, and yet his hand maneuvers did not stop. He continued to control the character on his screen to rush forward, even amidst the darkness. Lin Xiao saw that the other party had actually continued pushing forward without any hesitation and couldn¡¯t help but feel some admiration in his heart. However, the corners of his lips were slightly curled up as he saw this. The staff in his hands was suddenly enveloped in an eerie black and red aura. One skill after another was released with seemingly no pauses in between. Although these skills all required casting and were utilized in advance, almost all of them accurately fell upon Laughing Sky¡¯s body. It was as if both sides were cooperating to act out a script. Everything was right on target. However, owing to the differences in equipment, the damage was slightly lacking. In the end, Laughing Sky still had a quarter of his health remaining. In the split second in which his vision became clear, he saw that the red-hooded shota was standing within reach right in front of him. Without further ado, he swiftly closed the distance between them in one fell swoop. At this moment, Adorable Ghost just happened to finish casting his Blood Poisoning skill. In a flash, a red light closely followed the Spellsword¡¯s body, and his health slowly began to decrease under its effects. Laughing Sky did not show any hesitation in this situation. He directly used his ultimate move, Traceless Shadow of the Sword, and got ready to completely clear out his opponent¡¯s health in one strike. At this moment, a barrier was suddenly erected between them right before his eyes. This barrier was in a position that lay very specifically between the two people, who were barely one space apart. ¡ª¡ª The Ghost Priest¡¯s ultimate defensive skill ¡°Buddha¡¯s Gate¡±, which could absorb all damage targeted at oneself for 5 seconds. After the period of time where the blade¡¯s silhouette continuously flashed with light, it was as if Adorable Ghost¡¯s health bar had been frozen. His health had not decreased at all. ________________ Translator¡¯s comments: Sorry to have to split the chapter, but I had a busy week and couldn¡¯t really do much translating (it doesn¡¯t help that each chapter is at least 2k words after translating¡­) I tried my best to not leave you guys with a cliffhanger though >< This bar indicates the time taken to cast a skill. Normally, when a character is hit before the bar fills (thus casting the skill), the skill casting is interrupted and the player must recast the skill. This was a skill that could be seen in almost every competitive match that had a Ghost Priest in its lineup. However, Laughing Sky had only seen it being used to block the attacks of Plumed Archers, Black Mages1, and Gunners. But the ability to accurately block close combat skills cast at point-blank range without any flaws, like what had happened before him, was something he had never encountered in his life before today! Having seen with his own eyes how the duration of his ultimate skill had ended without inflicting even a scrap of damage against the other party, Laughing Sky felt a little out of sorts. A clear feeling that he was not willing to admit immediately arose in his heart ¨C he could not win against this person. It was only a split second in which his techniques did not connect, but Lin Xiao had already swiftly grasped the advantage. He continuously casted a range of skills that once again caused the Spellsword¡¯s vision to be blurred. Laughing Sky was very depressed. It had been a very long time since he had been beaten so soundly in a one-on-one battle. Even if he had been fearful and cautious at the beginning due to the presence of the Priest on the opposing side, he had displayed almost all of his ability later in the fight. Excluding the tiny bit of mana he had consumed when he was fighting against the emissary boss, his condition had been almost pristine at the beginning. However, even in such perfect condition, in the face of the opponent¡¯s unpredictable skill usage and precise planning, the hand speed that he had always taken pride in seemed to have become meaningless. As he looked at his completely grey screen, Laughing Sky silently committed to memory the name ¡°Adorable Ghost¡± and chose to revive at his basecamp. The others had just arrived in time to witness the scene of Laughing Sky lying on the floor and disappearing from view and immediately, they unconsciously stopped moving. Someone in the voice channel shouted a few times consecutively without getting an answer. He could only hear someone else helplessly say, ¡°Stop shouting, Laughing Sky has already exited the voice chatroom.¡± The others were dumbfounded. ¡°Then, do we still fight or not?¡± The Priest, Lazybum, glanced at Adorable Ghost¡¯s health and made the decision. ¡°The enemy only has these two people, while there are so many of us. Let¡¯s defeat them quickly and avenge Laughing Sky. Black Jack, you should come over as well. Leave the emissary boss aside for now. Let¡¯s eliminate the people from Black Dawn first!¡± ¡­ Lin Xiao had just defeated Laughing Sky and saw that a few people on the opposing side were dashing over like a pack of wolves. Based on their equipment, he roughly estimated that their rank was in the Second or Third Division of the arena ladder. He turned his field of vision to look backwards and guessed that the enemy had essentially given up on fighting against the emissary boss to fight against him. Since his objective had already been met, as per the saying ¡°a wise man knows how to pick his battles¡±2, it was now time for him to retreat. At this moment, a white light suddenly flickered on Adorable Ghost¡¯s body, and the health bar that was nearly empty filled up significantly. At the same time, a message from Hello Kitty appeared in the Team channel. ¡°Fight them.¡± Ever since Meat Meat Meat Meat had died, this channel had been silent for a very long time. At this moment, this sentence suddenly appeared. Initially, the others in the team who had not been paying attention to the health bars of those two people immediately found it strange. One after another, they began asking, ¡°What¡¯s the matter, have both of you been discovered? Where are you fighting?¡± Lin Xiao did not pay any heed to the non-stop questioning from these people. He looked at Hello Kitty¡¯s flippant words and smiled. No matter what, this sister had witnessed a good show for a long time, but it was only now that she was finally starting to show him mercy and fight alongside him? As if to confirm his conjecture, Hello Kitty filled up Adorable Ghost¡¯s health bar with two or three more heals and stood behind him silently. Lin Xiao glanced at the figure that was much taller than him and followed suit, standing in place without moving. The people on the opposing side had originally seen that the other party wanted to run away and were preparing to give chase. But now, the other party had suddenly become unusually calm and stayed put for unknown reasons, looking as if he wanted to face them head-on. They suddenly felt as if they were being taken lightly, which made them feel indignant. Immediately, all of them rushed forward with fangs bared and claws brandished. Who could have guessed that when a few of them had closed the gap, those two would both take to their heels and run away. ¡°Chase them!¡± Someone yelled in the voice channel as they decided to pursue them. They saw the other party run into the bushes and wordlessly rushed in. To avoid being outdone, the others also chased closely after them from behind. However, shortly afterwards, the team¡¯s voice chat room was filled with aggrieved cries. ¡°There are so many people chasing our party¡¯s sister, don¡¯t any of you know how to feel shame? ^_^~¡± As he said these words in the Public chat, the Ghost Priest¡¯s ultimate skill, Void of Ten Thousand Ghosts, filled the area of the bushes and encapsulated everyone within it. In this moment, great upheaval and chaos descended upon them. As for Adorable Ghost, he merely stood behind a tree not too far away and leisurely began casting his skills. The skills were released one after another. His skills were not as closely packed together as when he was facing Laughing Sky, but the aiming was very precise. Once the debuff duration ended, the Sky team¡¯s Priest had already been thoroughly killed off. The remaining two people were infuriated. With an explosive war cry, they immediately rushed forth. However, when they found that no matter how much they attacked, they were unable to chip away even the slightest bit of the enemy¡¯s health, they felt a strong sense of defeat and finally, they silently chose to stop struggling and surrendered. The Ghost Priest and Priest stood over there before their eyes, one tall and one short. The person in front dealt out damage in a frenzy, while the person behind calmly sustained them. Their actions were so compatible that it was as if they had created an impenetrable barrier. There wasn¡¯t even the slightest opportunity for the Sky Team to break through. Without any suspense, the party had been annihilated. Once Blue Skies Aren¡¯t Blue and I¡¯ll Shoot You To Death arrived after following the mini map, Adorable Ghost and Hello Kitty were sitting next to each other on the grassy plain. The Guardian Emissary of Power was taking a quiet and leisurely stroll near them. This scene was so peaceful and devoid of conflict that they speechlessly looked at each other and asked, ¡°Where are the people from the Heaven guild?¡± Lin Xiao was in a pretty good mood. ¡°They all went home. ^_^~¡± ________________ Translator¡¯s comments: I hope that the translation for the battle scene was alright. I¡¯ll try not to cut any more chapters, but real life never cooperates with me. More RL action starts to happen next chapter, do look forward to it ^_^~ Also, pidgon¡¯s comment in this chapter was ¡°You Jing you¡¯re really weird!¡± Yea¡­imagine our dear Queen just cradling his cup of tea and watching everything unfold xD An offensive mage class that specializes in various elemental attacks such as fire, thunder and ice spells. Literally, a wise man or hero will avoid the unfavorable situation before him so that he will not suffer any losses. CH 17 When Team Two¡¯s main forces hurried over, the rest of the sub-team was still in a state of shock and had no idea how to answer any of the questions they were being asked. It was only when they asked Lin Xiao that they were able to receive a response, but of course, the reply was merely a short and succinct ¡°We sent them packing¡±, along with a faint, unchanging smile on his face. By tracing the route back to the island where the Guardian Emissary of Power was located and continuing further onwards, they arrived at the Territory of Power¡¯s stronghold very quickly. At the same time, they received news from Team Five that they had discovered the Territory of Wisdom¡¯s stronghold. Based on past experience, to preserve the fairness of the guild battles, when the administrators configured the maps of both sides, they would normally make the settings more or less the same. Hence, after familiarizing themselves with the terrain of their own area, they could more or less deduce the corresponding locations of everything in the opponent¡¯s territory. Ye Chen decisively instructed Team Four to replace Team Two in defending the Territory of Power. At the same time, he directed the three elite teams to assemble at the middle path and get ready to launch a proper attack on the Heaven guild after. Having had the position of Guild Leader for many years, Ye Chen was extremely familiar with all of the possible formations that could be deployed for the guild battle. ¡°All party leaders, pay attention. Team One will be responsible for pushing forward. Team Two will perform a pincer attack from the islands on the side to surround the enemy. You will first attack the Heaven guild¡¯s Territory of Power, and then move downwards to their Territory of Wisdom. Team Three will make use of the small paths to sneak around to the rear, after which they will obstruct the reinforcements that the Heaven guild will be sending and block off the path that is connected to their revival point. During the course of the battle, you must always take note of the overall progress of events. Pay attention to the detailed instructions disseminated via the guild channel. If there is a need to change targets, everybody needs to be able to adjust to the new orders immediately.¡± Under his command, the leaders of Teams Two and Three did a roll call and confirmed that all of their members were present. After doing so, they followed his arrangements and began to implement them step by step. Immediately, Black Dawn¡¯s forces began to move with great unity. This truly exhibited the strict discipline befitting of a large guild. Evidently, the Heaven guild members were not as lucky as Black Dawn. They were still not able to find the Territory of Wisdom, and all members were enthusiastically combing through the entire map to search for it. They had merely left a single team on the centre path. By the time this team caught sight of the opponent¡¯s forces, their foes were already too close for them to be able to retreat, and they were very quickly defeated. Following this, Black Dawn¡¯s troops conquered the Territory of Power as swiftly as lightning. The people from the Heaven guild who had hurriedly gathered together were too messy and uncoordinated. Thus, they were completely suppressed. In less than 5 seconds, the Territory of Power had been occupied by Black Dawn. [System] Black Dawn has successfully conquered the Territory of Power! The dawn of victory draws near! [System] Black Dawn has successfully conquered the Territory of Power! The dawn of victory draws near! [System] Black Dawn has successfully conquered the Territory of Power! The dawn of victory draws near!1 When he saw these three system notifications flash onto his screen, Ye Chen was finally able to secretly heave a sigh and relax a little. The uneasiness that he had felt at the beginning due to facing a completely new map had finally dissipated like smoke. Although a brand new map that no one had experienced before was undoubtedly a double-edged sword, it was also obvious that the opposing guild¡¯s luck had been far worse than theirs. Winning because they were lucky2 did not make him feel that they did not deserve the win at all. Rather, he was in an even happier mood. ¡­ As he saw the situation unfold before him, Shen Changyu sighed softly. He turned and saw the twins¡¯ appearance of being unmatched3 in battle and could not hold back his smile. He said, ¡°Relax a little, both of you. If you are so ¡®high¡¯ while playing, the online players might be able to guess your identities, so you should be careful. If that happens, then the headline news will be ¡®Professional Players Heartlessly Stomp on Herbivores in the Guild Battle¡¯. Then, how will you explain yourselves to Manager Li?¡± Who knew if it was because Shen Changyu¡¯s ¡°warning¡± had really scared him, but Xu Yiming¡¯s hand trembled as he heard these words. He had been ready to shoot someone¡¯s head off, but his hand momentarily jerked and his aim went off. This allowed the opposing side¡¯s Priest to quickly heal them up. He glanced at the kill count at the corner of the screen, grinned and said, ¡°What is there to be afraid of? I¡¯ve only taken 40 kills, and have already held back a lot. Don¡¯t worry! I definitely won¡¯t be discovered by others so easily.¡± As he said this, he unconsciously took a look at Xu Yichen¡¯s screen that was beside his. After he had glanced at the other person¡¯s kill count, he momentarily couldn¡¯t resist, swore ¡®Fxxk¡¯ loudly, and said, ¡°Oh my god! How could you have snatched 56 kills so silently? You must be cheating! No no, this won¡¯t do, I must kill a few more. Otherwise, I will have lost to a stuffy, silent gourd like you. When we go back, the others will definitely make fun of me endlessly.¡± Xu Yichen¡¯s hand operations did not stop. When he heard these words, he merely glanced over at him, made a mild ¡®Ah¡¯ sound, and said, ¡°Nobody is that idle.¡± ¡°Damn it, you just wait!¡± Xu Yiming suddenly made some explosive maneuvers. His Gunner immediately activated his Ghost Sprint, dashed straight into the centre of the battlefield, and began to kill indiscriminately without any scruples. Shen Changyu speechlessly watched as the duo mysteriously engaged in yet another meaningless competition. He could only shake his head helplessly. As he was getting ready to continue operating his Summoner, he suddenly caught a glimpse of an ID out of the corner of his eyes and abruptly stood up, as if his whole body had suddenly been struck by lightning. Almost immediately, he rushed towards Xu Yiming and grabbed his mouse. Under his maneuvers, the Gunner¡¯s field of vision rotated about extremely quickly. Yet, all he saw was a bunch of eye-catching skill effects that were so dazzling that his vision had been entirely obscured by them. With the throngs of people participating in such a chaotic battle, the brief silhouette that he saw had been concealed entirely. Xu Yiming was startled by Shen Changyu¡¯s unusual actions. He saw the other¡¯s stiff and frozen expression and felt that his face had become much paler than usual. Unable to resist, he hesitantly asked, ¡°Vice¡­Vice Captain Shen¡­if you don¡¯t want me to kill too much¡­I, I won¡¯t kill then¡­you, don¡¯t be agitated¡­¡± Xu Yichen¡¯s attention had also been drawn over by these movements. His eyebrows furrowed slightly, and the rhythm of his hand movements also slowed down as a result. The hand that Shen Changyu had placed on the mouse gradually tightened its grip, and he was unable to maintain his usual calm and collected demeanour. It was as if some emotions that he had suppressed had come bursting forth, and, almost imperceptibly, his fingertips began to shake slightly. He tried to reign in his emotions, and after what seemed to be half a millenium, he took a deep breath and the tone of his voice seemed to have stabilised somewhat. ¡°Sorry, I must have gotten the wrong person.¡± As if he did not feel the gazes of the other two people, he returned to his own desk and sat before his computer. Under the Summoner¡¯s detailed operations, the attacks suddenly grew more severe. The skills were so numerous that they filled the sky, and they helped to cover up the wild and barely restrained emotions reflected in Shen Changyu¡¯s eyes. It was only after some time that the emotion in his eyes grew more stable and profound, and his lips curled in a bitter, self-mocking smile. ¡ª¡ª Such an ID had obviously been completely sealed away, how could it possibly show up again all of a sudden? In the end, he still had not completely let go of things. It was the emotions that had always been brewing within him that had caused him to have mistakenly perceived something so unrealistic. ¡­ In the end, Black Dawn had achieved a flawless victory. After they had completely defeated the Heaven guild, Black Dawn had quickly conquered the Territory of Power. With such a great disparity between them, it could be described as a complete win. After the guild battle ended, all participating members were teleported out of the map, and the guild channel which had originally been completely silent immediately began bustling with activity. All of them couldn¡¯t wait to discuss about the results of the battle that they had won with one another. After Lin Xiao came out of the map, the first thing he did was to send Hello Kitty a friend request. Once he saw a female portrait light up on his friends list, he was satisfied, and he quickly sent over a message. ¡°Sister, your operations are really great. If you are free, let¡¯s run the arena ladder team battle together~ ^_^~¡± Hello Kitty replied, ¡°Sure, I¡¯m logging off.¡± After an entire night, he had already thoroughly experienced this Priest sister¡¯s lofty attitude that chilled one to the bone. Lin Xiao could be said to be completely immune to such a cold temperament and did not freeze up at all. He even responded with a flying kiss emoticon. He saw the other¡¯s portrait turn dim, and he turned and gleefully began to retrieve the contribution rewards earned from today¡¯s guild battle. He browsed through the guild¡¯s supplies list and began the necessary exchange4 for his desired staff. ¡­ Ye Chen had arranged for the staff to do some final cleaning of the statistical data. He turned and saw that the others had already turned off their computers and stood. Immediately, he went over to them and politely said, ¡°Captain You, Vice Captain Shen, and the Two Xus, you have all worked hard!¡± You Jing said, ¡°Manager You, I will be keeping that Priest account for the time being. Any issues with that?¡± Ye Chen was stunned for a moment, then immediately replied, ¡°No problem, it¡¯s fine even if you take all the accounts.¡± Xu Yiming curiously asked, ¡°Captain You, what do you want to do with this shabby Priest account?¡± You Jing did not reply, but rather looked towards Shen Changyu and said, ¡°Today there was a Ghost Priest in Team Two who I feel is not bad. Have the people from the newcomer¡¯s camp take note of him.¡± Ye Chen heard this and his heart grew unsettled. The Ghost Priest in Team Two, could it perhaps be¡­ At this moment, Shen Changyu had just shut down his computer. He appeared to be somewhat out of sorts as he casually asked, ¡°What¡¯s their name?¡± You Jing said, ¡°Adorable Ghost.¡± In the split second that this sentence was spoken, Shen Changyu¡¯s body instantaneously stiffened, causing all of the documents that he held in his hands to fall, scattering on the ground with a ¡®hua¡¯ sound. He stood unmoving on the spot, so obviously still that it was strange to the people who looked at him. It was as if they could feel some undercurrents surging up and sweeping them away. Finally, after some time, he regained his senses. It was as if he couldn¡¯t really believe it. He lifted his gaze, with eyes full of chaotic emotions that no one present could read. ¡°You said¡­Adorable, Ghost?¡± You Jing nodded. He looked at Shen Changyu¡¯s expression and unconsciously furrowed his eyebrows slowly. ¡°Is there a problem?¡± ¡°No, none¡­¡± After Shen Changyu responded, he grew strangely silent. He just stood there without moving. His two hands that no one was able to see slowly clenched tightly into fists. Because of all of the strength he was exerting, they slowly began to shake. After some time, he suddenly sprinted out of the online guild¡¯s office without saying anything else. The others looked at the documents that were scattered messily on the floor, and then began to look at one another. Xu Yiming looked at the figure that slowly grew more and more distant and was at a loss for words. With a bewildered expression, he said, ¡°What¡¯s with the vice captain today, what on earth happened¡­¡± ________________ Translator¡¯s comments: You can really feel how much of an impact Lin Xiao had on Shen Changyu in life¡­and in death ;_; Also You Jing loves to speak in such short and curt sentences¡­I try to keep to that in my translations but it¡¯s difficult sometimes >< Yes, this line was repeated three times in the raws. Important things need to be said three times I guess? ¡°Lucky¡± is in the raws in English. Literally gods being able to defeat gods and Buddha being able to defeat Buddha. I think this means something along the lines of being able to face anyone in battle and defeat them. It¡¯s not specified if they used a point system where Lin Xiao is trading points for what he wants, or if he is trading some items he got for them instead. Both are possible ways that different games use to give out rewards. I¡¯ve tried to keep it vague so that either scenario works here. CH 18 After the guild battle ended, Lin Xiao did not participate in the guild¡¯s so called celebratory event. Instead, he casually slipped on a jacket and went out. After strolling for a couple of rounds downstairs, he ordered a bowl of seafood ramen from the noodle restaurant nearby to fill his stomach that had been left empty and neglected for the whole day while he was rushing to earn points. After finishing his bowl of noodles and paying the bill, he unintentionally caught a glimpse of the computer in front of the cashier¡¯s counter. It was actually playing the broadcast of the LPP League. He couldn¡¯t help but to strike up a conversation. ¡°Bro, are you a territory fan?¡± When ¡®Zone¡¯ was translated, it contained multiple meanings. However, the domestic fans preferred to call it ¡®territory¡¯ as it had a sense of ¡®this is my land, so I call the shots¡¯, which felt especially good. The phrase ¡®territory fan¡¯ successfully attracted the attention of the cashier, who casually handed the change over to Lin Xiao and grinned at him amiably. ¡°Bro, seems like you are a person who follows the same path? I am a fan of the Apocalypse team, which team are you a fan of?¡± ¡°What a coincidence, I¡¯m a Black Rose fan.¡± Lin Xiao had caught a glimpse of the ¡®Apocalypse¡¯ word that had been edited into the channel¡¯s broadcast long ago. Thus, he half-jokingly laughed, ¡°A sworn enemy! Should we duke it out with each other right now?¡± Lin Xiao¡¯s joke delighted the cashier, who laughed and waved his words off while saying, ¡°Apocalypse and Black Rose¡¯s enmity was not established overnight, how could it be settled with a small scuffle here? We should wait for the real deal on the competitive stage!¡± Oh, this was a rational fan. Lin Xiao took his time to place the change into his pocket. Then, he popped a cigarette into his mouth, but did not light it. The rhythm of his words fluctuated as he sighed and spoke slowly with a melancholic tone, ¡°So many years have passed without me knowing. Who would have thought that so many people would actually pay this much attention to the alliance¡­¡± The cashier smiled and said, ¡°eSports is a genre that has spread throughout the world, how can people not pay attention to it? If you were to drag in random people off the streets right now, if not 90%, then at the very least about 70-80% of them would be territory fans. In recent years, if you were to say that you don¡¯t know about eSports tournaments, then you shouldn¡¯t ever dare to call yourself a young person!¡± The movements of the cigarette that Lin Xiao was smoking paused briefly. Shortly after, he smiled back and replied, ¡°Isn¡¯t that so, after all, it has spread throughout the world.¡± As the conversation came to an end, he glanced at the emblem of the alliance, which had flashed on to the computer screen. He placed both hands into his pockets, then slowly ambled out of the restaurant. The wind that greeted him blew his hair into a slightly messy tousle. Lin Xiao slowly strolled along the street. As he looked upon the bustling crowds having the time of their life, he squinted his eyes in a somewhat listless manner. Although it had only been 5 years, it felt as if he had been placed in a completely different era. eSports, which had been seen as uselessly playing about back then, had already been completely accepted by the public. His persistence, which had been the butt of others¡¯ jokes, now had the support of so many territory fans who were truly passionate about eSports. There were no doubts or mocking laughter involved. It was a very simple and pure kind of passion. It had to be said that this kind of feeling was really good. When he returned to his apartment, the screen of his computer was still lit up. When Lin Xiao had left his home just now, he had not turned off his computer. The game had also been left on the world interface, and since his character had not moved for a long time, it had changed to an ¡®Away¡¯ status. He walked over and was about to log off from the game and turn off his computer when he saw more than 30 unread notifications and got a shock. The first one he opened was a friend invite from Laughing Sky. Lin Xiao casually hit accept, but a new character portrait did not light up on his friend list. Evidently, he had already gone offline. When he recalled the scene of their solo match, he couldn¡¯t help but smile. He had merely felt that it was a waste of talent during their match, but now, he had grown somewhat more interested in this passerby king. For a person to still be able to to send a friend request to someone after being killed by them, they must possess a level of mental fortitude and acuity that was not easily shaken. He leisurely opened a few more notifications, which came from Bloody Light, Meat Meat Meat Meat, I¡¯ll Shoot You to Death and Blue Skies Aren¡¯t Blue respectively. Lin Xiao did not discriminate and accepted them all one by one. It was only when he clicked on a particular system notification that his hand, which grasped the mouse, stiffened in a rare fashion. It was also a friend invite, but the person who sent the invite had an ID that a regular Zone player would definitely not be familiar with, Rain of Time1. Lin Xiao did not click accept, but rather continued to open the other system notifications that followed. There were a total of 20 odd notifications, one after another, all from the same person. The final notification had come in at 10.10pm, which was half an hour ago. Zone¡¯s system did not permit players to adopt duplicated names. The names created by each player were thus unique and one of a kind. Adorable Ghost was the personal ID that he had used before entering the alliance, and few people knew about it. It just so happened that his former Vice Captain was one of those people. Even if the first request could be said to have been sent to him on a whim, the subsequent, unyielding invitations proved to him without a doubt that Shen Changyu had already discovered his existence. Although when Lin Xiao had decided to use this character, he did have some slight intention of using this ID to get into the club through the back door, but after all, something like reincarnating after death, which only happened in novels, was a little too shocking and terrifying to hear about in real life. Currently, he had not yet been able to prepare a story that would be slightly easier for others to accept. Having suddenly been noticed by his former teammate from times past, he was somewhat caught off guard. At the same time, this sudden and unexpected friend request really made him feel a sense of discomfort due to the discovery of his secret identity. Lin Xiao sat before his computer and stared at the ¡°Accept¡± and ¡°Reject¡± buttons, lost in thought. His eyebrows stayed creased for a long time. He glanced at the time displayed at the bottom right corner, which was past 11pm. Finally, he took a deep breath and released a long exhale. Then, he moved the cursor of his mouse to the button on the right side and clicked on it. In the split second in which he had accepted the request, a portrait on his friend list suddenly lit up. Then, because the other party sent over a message so swiftly, he began to fidget restlessly. Very good, he had indeed not followed his usual habit of resting at this time. Had he perhaps been sitting in front of his computer and waiting for him for all this time? Strangely, this caused Lin Xiao to think of the saying ¡°to wait for a rabbit beneath the tree¡±2 With his brows raised, he casually clicked on the chat box and opened it. Rain of Time: ¡°Who are you?¡± He couldn¡¯t tell what the other person¡¯s tone of speech was like through the computer screen. Lin Xiao stared at this extremely familiar ID, and suddenly all of his doubts and hesitation dissipated like a cloud of smoke. Since this moment had come, why should he overthink it? Adorable Ghost: ¡°It¡¯s so late, yet you still haven¡¯t gone to sleep, have you been taking the rule to rest well lightly, and disregarding my past instructions? ^_^~¡± There was a rather long pause after this. A whole 10 minutes had passed before the other¡¯s portrait moved again. The contents of the message only included a single word. ¡°Captain.¡± Lin Xiao looked at this message which seemed to be expressing some sort of hidden meaning, and he gently laughed. ¡°Sorry I¡¯ve made you wait for so long. I¡¯m back.¡± ¡­ In the Black Rose Team¡¯s player dormitory. Shen Changyu sat at his desk and stared unblinkingly at the contents of the conversation in the chat window. He felt almost as if he was dreaming, which was rare for him. His entire body felt as if it was floating. Even at this point in time, he still felt a sense of disbelief. This strange feeling had gripped his thoughts ever since he heard the words ¡°Adorable Ghost¡± up until now, when he read the other person¡¯s explanation word by word. His mind had fallen into a state in which he could not distinguish if he was feeling fear and terror, or surprise and joy. As they conversed through the chat window, he suddenly came to a realization ¨C the Captain Lin of the past had returned. He no longer intended to use his brain juices to wrap his head around the details of the other¡¯s explanation of why his soul had returned in another body. Shen Changyu swiftly opened a voice channel and immediately pulled in Adorable Ghost from his friend list. ¡°Hello, hello hello? Can you hear me?¡± Not long after, a voice rang out. This voice was different from the one in his impression, but because of the somewhat casual and unbridled tone, it mysteriously began to overlap with that of the person in his memories, and there was no feeling of mismatch. ¡°I hear you.¡± After giving this reply, Shen Changyu felt that his throat had become strangely tight, causing his voice to sound a little hoarse. ¡°I say, Little Shen, I saw that careless and unfortunate match of yours. Weren¡¯t you a bit too hasty?¡± Right as he began to speak, Lin Xiao changed the topic so abruptly, causing Shen Changyu to be a little stunned. The corners of his lips unwittingly lifted. No matter the time or place, the first thing he thought of would always be Zone, this was indeed the Captain Lin of the past¡­ He laughed mildly and agreed. ¡°En, indeed.¡± ¡°After all, you are different from Zhang Fengyu. His special traits are too prominent, so it is better to make the necessary adjustments and display them in the individual matches. There would be a definite improvement from his original fighting style. But for a team-oriented player like you, trying to change your style too much would probably just lead to the team¡¯s performance as a whole being affected. Instead of trying to pursue a style that is sharp and flashy, you might as well adopt a new method in the team battles to strive for further improvements.¡± Being subjected to this mercilessly straightforward criticism that was the same as what he had faced a few years back, Shen Changyu did not feel an ounce of annoyance. Rather, he fell into deep thought. ¡°But, the current team does not have a player who can be the anchor in the individual battles.¡± Without waiting for him to finish speaking, Lin Xiao¡¯s cheerful voice resounded through his earphones. ¡°Isn¡¯t there one before you?¡± Shen Changyu was so stunned that he momentarily lost his senses. There was a shred of surprise in his tone. ¡°Captain, are you preparing to return to the team?¡± Lin Xiao replied, ¡°En. But it is not the time yet. Unfortunately, my current identity isn¡¯t very convenient.¡± Shen Changyu originally wanted to retort with a ¡°It won¡¯t be inconvenient¡±, but the words died at his lips. After a brief moment, he changed the topic and asked, ¡°Where are you now? I will go and look for you. We can discuss the details in person.¡± Lin Xiao was rendered somewhat speechless by such an impulsive decision. ¡°I say, you¡­don¡¯t tell me that the team gives you a lot of leave. The next competition is about to begin, isn¡¯t it? To come looking for me, do you think you are very free?¡± Shen Changyu was very persistent. ¡°I want to see you.¡± It was only 5 words, yet they caused the surroundings to fall into a momentary silence. Lin Xiao rubbed the acupoint beside his ear, feeling like he had a slight headache. He felt helpless towards his vice captain¡¯s occasional bouts of stubbornness. He took a look at the dates in his calendar, then sighed and said, ¡°I¡¯m in N city. Coincidentally, you will have to come over here for the competition you have next week. Let¡¯s meet up after it ends.¡± As he heard Shen Changyu reply with a sound of acquiescence, he couldn¡¯t help but whisper, ¡°By the way, Little Shen, are you missing some brain cells? A dead person like me is suddenly alive and kicking and has appeared before you, yet you aren¡¯t even a little bit afraid?¡± When Shen Changyu heard this, the curve of his lips slowly evened out. ¡°As long as you can return, nothing else is important.¡± ________________ The author has something to say: All hail the face-to-face meeting3 Vice Captain Shen is very direct, Vinegar is very pleased~ Regarding everyone¡¯s anxious feeling of wanting to change CP, Old Vinegar can only silently express: the plot is hazardous, be prudent when standing in line~ When the time comes, Old Vinegar will not take responsibility for her extremely heartbreaking plot that will cause your feelings to make a 360 degree turn~~ ^_^~ ________________ TL comments: The long awaited moment! Man, some things were so hard to TL in this chapter¡­like Lin Xiao¡¯s long speech and even parts of the author¡¯s comments, since she loves to use internet lingo. I read as I translate as well so I guess we will find out what she means together ^_^~ Also, the A/N above has successfully scared my editors xD Welp, there¡¯s only 1 way to find out~ It can also mean seasonal rain, but I figured Rain of Time sounds better. This is a Chinese proverb that means to wait fruitlessly for something to happen. The story goes that there was a man who one day saw a rabbit that ran into a tree and killed itself, giving him free rabbit meat for his meal. Having had this unexpected windfall, the man thus begins to wait beneath the tree everyday for another rabbit to show up and kill itself again, so that he can get another free meal without having to work. Of course, it doesn¡¯t happen again. To be precise, this is a meeting for friends of online meetings. It also has a second meaning, which is for two guys to meet up for their first date. CH 19 Every match in the LPP League was held in different cities and different venues. This time, it happened to be in N city, where Lin Xiao was located. This provided an opportunity for them to meet face-to-face. Lin Xiao planned to go to the venue to spectate, however, due to Zone¡¯s current explosive popularity, tickets for the League were extremely difficult to obtain. For the sake of getting a ticket by the deadline, he had exhausted all the means at his disposal. In the end, he had no choice but to participate in an auction on a certain online platform. After spending nearly his entire fortune, he was finally able to obtain a ticket. As he looked at the ticket whose value exceeded its weight in gold, Lin Xiao did not know if he should laugh or cry. If it were before, during every competitive season, large batches of tickets would be sent to him through special channels. He would have to give away 20-30 tickets to all of his friends and family. No one at that time would have thought that there would come a day when they would have to resort to getting on their knees and begging for a ticket. In his current state, he had practically traded his entire fortune for a ticket. Thus, when he returned home, he would likely have to spend a long time worrying about how he would fill his stomach. A week passed very quickly. As it had been raining in N city for the past few days, although the sun was shining brightly, the usual slight layer of humidity enveloped the city. When the wind blew upon one¡¯s body, it brought a cool and refreshing sensation. Jiale eSports Stadium was not far from where Lin Xiao lived. He took his time to make his way over, but gradually found that the crowd up ahead was getting more and more congested. When he was about to arrive at his destination, he found that the traffic was so heavy that it was difficult for him to move forward even by an inch. It was almost as if his entire body had become frozen on the spot and was unable to move at all. ¡°Oh my my, this is kind of incredible.¡± The screams that resounded around the area sounded like an orchestral symphony. With eyes wide and mouth agape, Lin Xiao rubbed his ears and once again experienced the fierce passion of eSports fans. This was not at all like the venue of an eSports competition. Rather, it was like a grand concert with tens of thousands of attendees! At this time, there were still 2 hours before the start of the competition. However, because the outside area was too congested, the organizers had already started allowing spectators to enter based on their seating arrangements. The surroundings quickly became exceptionally noisy and bustling due to all the people present. At the entrance, Lin Xiao spotted a stall selling merchandise. It was stocked with all kinds of props used by the fans to chase after their idols, from LED signs to character cosplay accessories. Because today¡¯s competition featured the Black Rose team against the Nine Skies team, there were even giant posters of each team member. They were so huge that one could hide a person behind it almost completely. Lin Xiao found them interesting. He squeezed his way to the front of the stall and casually browsed through its goods. Finally, he cheerfully pointed at the poster in front, which had Shen Changyu¡¯s face printed on it, and said, ¡°Boss, give me one of God Shen¡¯s posters please, thanks.¡± The boss brought out another poster on the side which had a full body picture and asked, ¡°Are you Vice Captain Shen¡¯s fan? Come, have a look at this. This poster is currently our best-selling item.¡± Lin Xiai glanced at the cool and heroic pose displayed on the poster and waved him off. ¡°I think I will still go with the one I chose just now. After all, his face is big, so I can have a better look at every detail of his face. It¡¯s much more suited to my tastes than this B-side picture. I like this kind of God Shen the most.¡± The boss choked back his words after hearing this. With a strange expression on his face, he shot a couple of bewildered looks at Lin Xiao, trying to size him up. Satisfied, Lin Xiao received the poster which had been nicely rolled up and continued onwards to the competition hall. Along the way, he looked at his surroundings with an expression of great interest. He followed the crowd, showed his ticket, and entered the venue. After he found the seat number indicated on his ticket, he took out his phone from his pockets and sent out a text. ¡°I¡¯m here.¡± Not long after, he received the other party¡¯s reply. ¡°En.¡± It seemed like the pre-match preparation kept him pretty busy. Lin Xiao raised his eyebrows. After reading the reply, he placed his phone back into his pocket. Although the Nine Skies team was considered a second-rate team in the alliance, and the Black Rose team should not be too threatened by them by right, considering You Jing¡¯s recent injury, as the vice captain, the pressure faced by Shen Changyu should still be great. ¡­ Backstage, in the Black Rose team¡¯s waiting room. Shen Changyu had just sent out his reply. He lifted his head and saw that everyone else was staring at him, and couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°What is it?¡± Xu Yiming looked at the expressions of those around him, and finally couldn¡¯t help but gossip, ¡°Vice Captain Shen is actually looking at his phone while we are making the tactical arrangements. This is the first time in history! Recently, everyone has been thinking that you have been acting strange. Give us an honest explanation, have you got a girlfriend?¡± ¡°What are you blindly guessing?¡± Shen Changyu waspishly interrupted his conjectures. He felt the suspicious gazes from those surrounding him and unconsciously cleared his throat. ¡°Don¡¯t talk so much. Have you heard all that I said just now?¡± Although Liu Zeshen was very curious about his vice captain¡¯s private life, he straightened out his thoughts at this time and considered for a moment before asking, ¡°Are you really allowing me to fight in the individual match?¡± Shen Changyu nodded. ¡°Our opponent, Zhao Kongming specializes in close combat. The best person to deal with him is you.¡± With this said, Liu Zeshen¡¯s lips curved up in an instant, and he pushed up the gold-framed spectacles on his nose. ¡°I¡¯m not sure about other people, but if I were to face Zhao Kongming, I would definitely make him choose to say GG1.¡± ¡°If you can¡¯t even defeat an Assassin, then you don¡¯t have to play as a Holy Knight ever again.¡± A voice sounded from outside, and the door opened at the same time. You Jing leisurely strolled into the waiting room, and his gaze calmly swept across the entire room. ¡°Although Nine Skies has grown stronger this season, they still can¡¯t be considered a first-rate team. In today¡¯s match, we must wipe them all out in ten minutes. Understood, everyone?¡± Although there were strong and weak teams among the eight teams within the LPP, they had all undergone rigorous selections to be qualified after all. To wipe out an entire team in ten minutes was a task that no team could have the confidence to achieve. However, when these words were spoken by this person, they were in such a matter-of-fact manner that they seemed to be a foregone conclusion. ¡°That¡¯s a must, kill them all in ten minutes!¡± Xu Yiming was excited by these words, and immediately began to yell excitedly. ¡°The people from Nine Skies are still in the adjacent waiting room, you should be a bit more restrained.¡± Xu Yichen speechlessly blocked his mouth and glanced at the other person who was hesitating and unable to speak. He whispered, ¡°But in this competition season, we should indeed let others taste the feeling of absolute defeat.¡± Because they had previously been adjusting the team¡¯s main lineup, the Black Rose team had not performed as well as they would have liked during the entire LPP League. Shen Changyu knew that his teammates had always been awaiting this moment with bated breath. Thus, he did not chastise them at this time, but rather looked towards You Jing and asked, ¡°Regarding the sub-team matches as well as the team matches2, are you sure you can do it?¡± You Jing pulled on the team uniform that was draped on his body and blandly asked, ¡°What do you think?¡± It was a question, and yet it contained an obvious answer. Shen Changyu lightly furrowed his eyebrows and did not say anything else. He was very clear on the fact that judging by the Black Rose team¡¯s current overall points, for them to enter the top 4 of this season¡¯s playoffs, they needed to nab as many points as they could when facing a second-rate team like Nine Skies. No matter what You Jing¡¯s current condition was like, as the team¡¯s captain and healer, he needed to step up during such times. There was no other choice. It was unknown when it began, but the pillar that supported the whole team had slowly and silently changed to this man¡­Shen Changyu looked at how You Jing was sprawled across the sofa beside him, and his heart was full of emotions. He sized up his calm demeanour and secretly put aside his worries and concerns. It seemed that the results of the check-up 2 days prior showed that there shouldn¡¯t be any major issues. ¡­ The venue of the LPP League was full of the passionate screams of the fans of both teams. Regardless if it was at the center of the hall or along its aisles, the place was completely filled with the cries of the fans. Everyone was immersed in the overwhelming passion that permeated the stadium¡¯s atmosphere. Although the tension in the air was so thick that you could cut through it with a knife, the venue was as festive as a grand banquet. ¡°Hey, you¡¯re blocking the way.¡± Lin Xiao had used the poster to cover his face so that he could catch some shuteye and recover his spirits. He suddenly heard such chilly words and immediately lost the urge to sleep. His eyes opened as he glanced blearily at the person. When he got a clear look at the other person¡¯s appearance, he immediately became thoroughly awake. They had twin ponytails, straight bangs, and a mini skirt. Yet, because the other person¡¯s expression was so dark, when coupled with their deep and soft tone, it created an extremely odd sensation that made them difficult to approach. Lin Xiao was struck dumb. Chen Anqi? What was she doing here? The other person had waited for a long time without getting his response. Her earnest gaze swept across him, and her voice was so deep that it sounded like a curse. ¡°This handsome guy, do you want to start something with me?¡± Almost reflexively, the moment Lin Xiao heard these words, the leg that had previously been propped up against the aisle withdrew with a ¡®whoosh¡¯ sound. He watched as the little lolita, who was so dull and gloomy that she was like a ghost doll, walked past him without sparing him a glance, and secretly wiped away his sweat. He originally thought that this young mistress had already completely retired. Who would have thought that, as a great senior in the alliance, she would actually still be so interested in the competition that she would buy tickets to spectate the matches? He had long known that she had always liked the feeling of invigoration that came with watching others be abused to death. Now, it seemed that she had still not kicked this positive (poor) emotional (distasteful) sentiment (habit)3! It must be said that in the past, there were only a few people within the alliance that Lin Xiao did not dare to provoke or offend. Amongst them, Chen Anqi was definitely ranked within the top 3. It was not because of this female¡¯s strength or capability, but because of the debuff that she herself brought about to others, excluding those in the alliance whom she was acquainted with. The divine power she had, that seemed to have come from the gods, could be summarized simply into 3 words: a crow¡¯s mouth4. But when battling against her, out of everything present, the curses that originated from her far exceeded all of the skill damage received in battle when it came to inducing a heart attack. What was even more frightening was that the power of these curses was not limited to the 2D world. It was effective even in the 3D world. Lin Xiao was not the only veteran player who had had painful experiences of this. All of the players in the alliance at that time had dark expressions on their faces when they heard the words ¡°gothic lolita¡±. As he looked at Chen Anqi¡¯s back silhouette, which was gradually growing further and further away, Lin Xiao couldn¡¯t help but raise his fingers and start counting silently. If, during the time he was in the alliance, this young mistress had been 20 years old, then currently, she should be at least 25 years old, right? Yet, based on the side profile that he had caught sight of just now, she looked exactly the same as she did in the past, which was the appearance of a 14 year old¡­ Lin Xiao was frightened. ¡°Fxxk¡­this is simply an old demon!¡± In the time when he made this complaint, the bright lights of the hall suddenly grew dim. The surroundings briefly went silent, before exploding with even more fierce and passionate screams. The match had finally begun. ________________ The author has something to say: Regarding the meaning of Little Sister Chen Anqi¡¯s name, it was completely taken from the opposite meaning of An Qier5, all of you will understand~~ The gothic lolita that Old Vinegar really loves has a supernatural aura and is worth possessing! ^_^~ Also, we are gearing up for a big match, are all of you ready! ________________ TL notes: Interesting new characters! Can¡¯t wait to see how they are involved in the plot~ Also I sense more battle scenes coming up¡­save this translator please ;_; For non-gamers, GG = good game. It is normally said at the end of a match, i.e. he is saying that Zhao Kongming will give up the fight immediately. This may seem a little confusing, but basically in ¡®sub-team matches¡¯, the team will select a few players to compete, while in ¡®team matches¡¯ the whole team competes. This¡­was a pain to translate. The words in brackets are a phrase in themselves, as are the ones not in brackets. The phrase not in brackets means having positive emotions, being romantic etc. The one in brackets means having a hobby that is in bad taste. I tried to follow the author¡¯s style of writing while preserving the meaning¡­ Meaning to talk about something bad happening, only to jinx it and have it actually occur. Angel CH 20 After the two teams entered the stadium, it was as if the atmosphere of the venue had been lifted by a high tide. The fans fervently shouted out the names of both teams, as well as their players. Fans who were more emotional and excitable were more wild, attempting to bypass the barriers to climb up on the stage, but were prevented from doing so by the well-prepared security guards. Lin Xiao¡¯s line of sight fell on the centre of the stadium, where the players from both teams were respectfully shaking hands with one another. He felt that recently, he seemed to be sighing quite frequently, like how elders in their 70s to 80s would marvel over the little things in life. However, these were indeed the most sincere feelings that he harbored. Although the current state of the eSports circle had developed to a point where it was gradually becoming more and more commercialized, it was fundamentally able to attract so many investors to provide financial backing because it was supported by the general public. Similarly, it was due to the power of the general public that the circle had been able to become more professional. At the same time, hadn¡¯t these rapid developments enabled eSports careers to become established, thus attracting more and more people to join? Lin Xiao had not experienced the rapid developments that had occured in the past five years, but, with a certain level of anticipation, he was eager to experience these ¡°future¡± five years1 in which eSports had made a gradual climb to its peak. He was not familiar with business or fan economics2, but there was one thing that he had always felt strongly about: the development of eSports would definitely not just stop here. He believed that it should have an even broader stage, and attain heights that everyone would aspire to achieve. ¡­ After the players had been introduced, both teams went to their seats and began making their final status adjustments. After all, there was some disparity between the capabilities of the teams in the competition. It was more or less a matter of how many points the Black Rose team could snag from Nine Skies. The audience began to chatter a little among themselves. Everyone was excitedly making their own speculations on the order of appearance that both teams had decided on. When the person who would be playing first finally stood from his seat, some people were so shocked that they made a ¡°huh?¡± sound. ¡°I believe that no one would have guessed that the person the Black Rose team chose to participate in the first individual match would be Liu Zeshen. This is probably the first time in the current League that we have seen a Holy Knight take the stage, isn¡¯t it?¡± After the commentator of the match¡¯s broadcast, Xiao Wu3, got a clear look at the participating players, she also felt that it was quite unexpected. ¡°From a certain perspective, the Holy Knight profession is indeed not suitable for individual battles. But Xiao Wu, look at the participating player from the opposing team. Hehe, the Black Rose team truly played out a beautiful move indeed.¡± Her partner, Edamame, followed up on what she had said. ¡°Oh, the Nine Skies team actually sent out Zhao Kongming? Then this should be a great match to watch!¡± Xiao Wu glanced at the player standing at the other seat and couldn¡¯t help but laugh. ¡°It seems like the Black Rose team intends to take this route against Nine Skies? If Nine Skies¡¯ opponent is Liu Zeshen, then even if they have Zhao Kongming, who has the nickname ¡®Shadow Killer¡¯, it won¡¯t be so easy for them to complete any assassinations!¡± ¡­ The players at the venue were getting their hands accustomed to the computer equipment before them and could not hear what the commentators were saying. However, the current expression on Zhao Kongming¡¯s face was indeed not very good. He, who had always been the main act of the individual battles, had chosen to be the first to play for his team. Originally, this was for the sake of catching the enemy off-guard and killing them quickly. But who would have guessed that his calculations and strategies would have been seen through by the other party so easily. Furthermore, they even had their own tricks up their sleeve. Liu Zeshen¡¯s Holy Knight was exceptional in his chosen profession and was probably the person in the Black Rose team that he least wanted to encounter. Even if he had to face You Jing¡¯s ¡®Dazzling Abundance¡¯4 in a battle of attrition, it would still be much better than facing a meat shield. For the former, he would at least have had a chance of killing the other person. Although Liu Zeshen was usually the picture of a cultured gentleman, he was simply a cultured scumbag who tricked virgin girls when in battle! Zhao Kongming felt a severe pain in the depths of his stomach. He lifted his head and coincidentally made eye contact with the other party. As he saw the other¡¯s smiling face, he felt goosebumps all over his body and immediately looked away. Truly, none of the Black Rose team were herbivores. Each and every one of them was unmistakably a wolf5! ¡­ The match officially began. The large screen in the middle of the stadium displayed the pre-battle page. The videos of both players¡¯ faces, as well as both of their game footage from the first person perspective, were displayed at the bottom of the page in both corners. This caused the fans to scream consecutively in excitement. While he was selecting the maps to be banned for the match, Liu Zeshen chose to ban the maps ¡®Purgatory of Lava¡¯ and ¡®Forest of Wilderness¡¯ to prevent the battle terrain from being too complicated. On the other hand, Zhao Kongming took the opposite route and chose to ban the maps ¡®Polar Field of Ice¡¯ and ¡®Lost City of the Vast Desert¡¯, which made it inconvenient for him to hide. This left ¡®Ancient Tomb of Horror¡¯ as the final map that would be used for their battle. The lights turned completely dim, leaving only the screen lit. This attracted the gazes of hundreds of thousands of people. As the game booted up, the Holy Knight Fine Birds Choose Fine Trees6 and the Assassin Blank Space spawned at their respective revival points on the map. Almost simultaneously, both parties began sprinting along the map. ¡°It¡¯s so rare for me to get the chance to fight in an individual match. If I end up offending you in any way, I will make my apologies here in advance.¡± Liu Zeshen, who had always been polite and well-mannered, spoke courteously. However, when they saw these extremely polite words in chatbox, the fans of Nine Skies couldn¡¯t help but release a string of boos as they looked at the stage. As long as anyone saw any of Player Liu¡¯s matches, they would know about his battle style. He, who had always been exceptionally gentlemanly in his words and manners, would never show any mercy to his opponents, even facing them with an aggravating expression. To put it simply, if he could slap your face till it was swollen all over, he would definitely not stop at just blinding your eyes. He would even thoroughly kick your waist till it broke and, still dissatisfied, he would kick your butt till it was destroyed as well7. ¡°It¡¯s not certain who will be apologizing yet!¡± Zhao Kongming replied. He observed the surrounding terrain and made use of the rows upon rows of graves that lined the map to set up an ambush in the dark, carefully concealing his body. It must be said that when facing the Holy Knight class, as an Assassin player, Zhao Kongming had already displayed sufficient initiative during the course of the battle. It was like what Xiao Wu had analyzed at the start of the match. When facing such a profession, there would be an inherent level of suppression. This match was indeed¡­not a good one for him. After skillfully completing a few stealth attacks, Blank Space had not gained the slightest advantage. Rather, after Fine Birds Choose Fine Trees activated his Protective Shield of Holy Light, quite a lot of damage had been reflected back to him until finally, he was entangled in a close-range battle. He was unable to withstand the attacks of the other¡¯s spear, and under a flurry of thrusts, he fell to the ground, giving away the precious first kill. Blank Space, who had returned to the revival point, did not rush out again. Instead, after half a minute of contemplation, he typed out a ¡®GG¡¯ and chose to surrender, withdrawing from the battle. This was the first match, which had a great influence on team morale. Under such circumstances where it was impossible to win, it was better to settle things quickly like this instead of forcing themselves to fight on to maintain their face8. Zhao Kongming¡¯s actions caused an uproar among the audience. However, everyone had witnessed for themselves how hard he had tried during the beginning. Although they were stunned by the scene of ¡®GG¡¯ being called in the first match, the fans still gave a warm round of applause for his withdrawal. When the players from both teams shook hands on stage as a sign of respect, Liu Zeshen adopted his usual elegant image as he laughed, ¡°You performed pretty well.¡± ¡®GG¡¯ was equivalent to performing pretty well? As he looked at the smiling face which appeared harmless, Zhao Kongming only felt as if a mouthful of blood was surging up his throat. However, since he was in front of a camera, he could only grit his teeth and reply, ¡°You also did pretty well.¡± After they shook hands, both of them returned to the players¡¯ seats of their respective teams, and a loud round of applause resounded through the entire stadium. The Black Rose team had gained a point first through this match. As for the second match, two Gunners would be facing each other in battle. Both people had the same class. Thus, it was naturally the difference between their capabilities that would determine the victor. The Nine Skies team¡¯s Sun Qin was a newcomer in this competitive season. The character he controlled, Shotgun Brawl, had only just started to display his power in the alliance. Although he had had some brilliant performances in the previous matches, in this match he encountered Xu Yiming, a player who liked to use his explosive hand speed to recklessly fight with others whenever there were any disagreements. Under a dazzling flurry of bullets that flew everywhere, the movements of his hands became uncoordinated and he was completely crushed within minutes. Compared to the unprecedented nature of the first match, the results of the second were highly expected. Even so, it had happened so quickly that the spectators felt somewhat speechless. As for the moment when the two players bowed and shook hands, aside from the passionate cheers from the Black Rose fans, everyone else appeared quite disinterested. Xiao Wu couldn¡¯t help but put in an effort to liven up the atmosphere in the stadium. She even made use of the nickname everyone secretly used for Xu Yiming. ¡°Although the second match concluded rather quickly, the process of it was still very spectacular. Everyone was able to see that Little Brother Xu¡¯s hand speed is as terrifying as always. It really feels as if his operations have become more precise. When the match officials send over the statistics for us to take a look, we will be able to see if his APM (referring to the total game movements completed per minute, it is used to judge the speed of maneuvers)9 has indeed increased or not.¡± Xu Yiming, who had just walked towards the players¡¯ seats, faltered in his steps and almost fell down. He lifted his head towards the commentators¡¯ station and objected with an unhappy expression all over his face. ¡°This Elder Sister Xiao Wu sure isn¡¯t kind. I have obviously told the public many times that I am the older brother, alright! Older Brother Xu! Why am I still being called Little Brother Xu, hey!¡± Xu Yichen, who was getting ready to go up onstage, happened to walk past him. He casually tugged at Xu Yuming¡¯s collar and tossed him towards Shen Changyu, making a soft ¡®tsk¡¯ sound. ¡°Childish.¡± The audience members who were sitting nearby had already seen these movements. Countless fujoshis10 had long begun screaming after seeing the twins¡¯ interactions. This wave of enthusiasm quickly spread as the audience members described it to one another fervently in their private conversations. It continued until Xu Yichen went onto the stage. The entire stadium was filled with screams of ¡°Two Xus¡± and ¡°Twin Gunners¡±. The excitement that permeated the venue was unparalleled. Xu Yiming had just been pressed down onto his seat by Shen Changyu. When he lifted his head, he saw this scene and his face immediately drooped. With a tone of someone who had been wronged, he said, ¡°We obviously have the same face, so what is it that makes Little Chen11 so popular when he takes the stage, what is this bias!¡± Liu Zeshen was leaning against the chair beside him while drinking water. When he heard these words, he pushed up his glasses and laughed, ¡°People are screaming ¡®Two Xus¡¯. It¡¯s because they didn¡¯t enjoy watching you play just now that they¡¯re so excited to see Yichen now.¡± Xu Yiming was happy to accept this description of events. ¡°That little brat just now was quite weak. I had no choice either. I¡¯ll just let Little Chen put on more of a show for them for a bit then.¡± At this moment, the equipment had been adjusted adequately and the match began. However this match, which took place amidst the enthusiastic screams of the audience, ended even faster than the previous two. As they saw Xu Yichen walk off the stage expressionlessly, the glaringly obvious 3:0 score caused the audience to look at one another helplessly. They were both teams which had qualified for a place in the LPP League. Could the disparity between their abilities really be so great? ________________ The author has something to say: Old Vinegar expresses that she really understands the feelings of the little angels, who are anxious for the face-to-face meeting to happen. But Old Vinegar is not an author who does things lightly. Everything needs to progress in order, step-by-step. I can¡¯t throw aside every other plot-related scene to satisfy everyone¡¯s wishes and only write the bare minimum for everyone to read! If I do that, I won¡¯t be uploading a novel, but a story outline~~^_^~~~ I! Must! Be! Responsible! So in conclusion, what Old Vinegar really wants to express is ¡ª¡ª I don¡¯t care, I don¡¯t care, before the face-to-face meeting, I need a swift and refreshing battle to be fought! Roll around! Squirm! Act spoiled! Sell meng12! [Doge face] ________________ TL comments: It looks like Lin Xiao¡¯s (troll) legacy has really lived on in the Black Rose team, even after five years ^_^~~ In case it isn¡¯t clear, this is referring to the years in between Lin Xiao¡¯s accident and the present. For example, producing and selling goods or merchandise to the fans. Literally ¡®Little Dance¡¯. She shares the same name as a character from Douluo Continent (¶·ÂÞ´ó½). This is her user/streamer ID and not her actual name. To be precise it means ¡°a view/scenery that is so abundant or bountiful that it dazzles the senses¡±. All three of us cracked our brains but there is no way to convey all of that in a character¡¯s name¡­so I¡¯ve simplified it. Literally a big-tailed wolf. It means that you can tell at a glance that the wolf is a wolf (due to the tail), so I¡¯ve changed it to unmistakable to make it easier to understand. Liu Zeshen¡¯s character name is taken from a proverb which literally translates to the above. It actually means ¡®virtuous people will choose to serve virtuous masters¡¯ (i.e. if you are wise/talented, you will choose to serve a good master). Since it¡¯s a character name, I¡¯ve gone with the more literal translation. Author has a very¡­descriptive way of describing how thoroughly his opponents get wrecked LOL If you are unfamiliar with this, ¡®face¡¯ is a term in Chinese that refers to one¡¯s pride, good image, etc. It also encompasses how others perceive you. The explanation in brackets was included in the raws, so I¡¯m leaving it here. I don¡¯t need to explain this, do I xD Xiao Chen, but considering their dynamic¡­.he¡¯s trying to emphasize that Yichen is younger. Thus, I¡¯ve gone with ¡®Little Chen¡¯ for this. Meng as in cuteness or moe CH 21 A-A+ editor: musk proofreader: pidgon The previous three matches as a whole could be described as clear-cut victories. However, this confirmed that the twins would be unable to participate in the 3 vs 3 sub-team matches. Originally, they could both be considered as the main damage-dealers of Team Black Rose. In other words, Black Rose¡¯s offensive capability for the sub-team match had been relatively weakened. After a short break, the sub-team match began. The large screen in the stadium displayed both teams¡¯ rosters and character information for the upcoming battle. The players representing Nine Skies in the match were the captain Zhou Shiyi, who played a Shadow Swordsman; Gao Jun, who played a Holy Knight; and Su Chenjie, who played a Priest. The participating players from Team Black Rose were the captain You Jing, Vice Captain Shen Changyu, and the newcomer Qin Lei, who had just been discovered and transferred over from the newcomers¡¯ training camp and played a Cannoneer. Looking at the configurations of both teams, Nine Skies¡¯ intentions could be seen1. Both professions were related to swords, but the Shadow Swordsman was not as suitable for controlling the enemy as the Spellsword. However, when attacking at close range, the burst damage that it could deal out in a 3 vs 3 sub-team battle could not be underestimated. As for the Holy Knight, it could easily harass the healer professions to an almost nightmare-inducing degree. It was very obvious that Team Nine Skies¡¯ class composition was meant to target Team Black Rose by engaging in 1 on 1 close ranged battles. As for Team Black Rose, although You Jing and Shen Changyu were both experts ranking within the top 2 in their respective classes, the Summoner was, after all, a profession that was more suitable for providing support in team battles and lacked overall burst damage2. Even if You Jing had his back in terms of support, making an inexperienced newcomer like Qin Lei the core of the team¡¯s damage dealing capability was a huge risk, no matter how one looked at it. ¡°Relax, there¡¯s no need to be so nervous.¡± As he adjusted his own equipment on the stage, Shen Changyu turned back and saw Qin Lei¡¯s somewhat stiff expression. He firmly patted him on the shoulder and said, ¡°Your performance in the past few individual matches has been pretty good. Just play as you normally would in the sub-team match, don¡¯t be stressed.¡± ¡°En.¡± Qin Lei took a deep breath and felt the surrounding lights falling upon him, but his fingers still felt quite stiff. He couldn¡¯t help but to withdraw into himself as his gaze fell upon You Jing. ¡°Captain You, I¡­¡± You Jing¡¯s fingertips were animatedly tapping on the keyboard. Without the slightest pause, he completed his final adjustments for the hotkeys3 and shot a cold glance at Qin Lei, saying flatly, ¡°Follow the strategy we arranged just now. If we lose, go back to the newcomers¡¯ training camp. The competitive scene does not suit you.¡± When Qin Lei heard this, his body gave a jolt. With furrowed brows, he looked at his screen, and his fighting spirit gradually surged forth. Shen Changyu saw all this and smiled as he put on his headphones. If You Jing was dubbed by others as ¡®Queen¡¯ due to his slightly feminine appearance as well as his proud and lofty disposition, then his ice-cold, and at times mean, personality caused the prefix ¡®Iceberg¡¯ to be included in front of his moniker. Yet, this ¡®Iceberg Queen¡¯ unexpectedly suited the current Black Rose team. No matter if it was the veteran players or the newcomers, no one in the team needed to be treated gently or mercifully. They were much more willing to be subjected to this ruthless discipline that bordered on cruelty. ¡­ After the equipment adjustment was completed and the commentators did a simple explanation of the lineup of both teams, the match officially began. While picking out the maps to be banned, both teams were very decisive in making their choices. Finally, the last map remaining was ¡®Polar Field of Ice¡¯. After they had finished configuring their set-up, they entered the pre-battle loading screen. When making the final decision, Zhou Shiyi¡¯s eyebrows furrowed involuntarily, and he said in the team voice chat, ¡°Why do I keep feeling as if Black Rose purposefully left the Ice Field map as the last one?¡± Gao Jun chuckled and said, ¡°Captain Zhou, you think too much. How could they have chosen Ice Field when facing a lineup like ours? It¡¯s not like they¡¯re dumb!¡± These words did make sense. After all, compared to the other maps, Polar Field of Ice was the map with fewer obstacles to hide behind. Apart from the section between the low and high altitude areas, there was very little terrain that they could take cover in. If Team Black Rose wanted to enable their Cannoneer to unleash his maximum damage, no matter how you looked at it, such an open and unhindered map made it difficult for them to deploy their members effectively. On the contrary, this map gave the opposing Nine Skies team an absolute geographical advantage. Naturally, Zhou Shiyi was very clear on these points. Yet, why hadn¡¯t Black Rose chosen to ban this map that inherently restricted them so much? This made him feel a strange sense of unease. The map finished loading in a flash, and both teams began to move. To an experienced professional player who had fought in countless battles, it would be easy and familiar to navigate through any of the maps. From the god¡¯s perspective4 displayed on the large screen, the audience could very clearly witness both teams¡¯ swift movements. The distance between both teams was rapidly decreasing, and the whole venue was brimming with anticipation as the spectators focused on watching the match with baited breath. Unlike the three members of Team Nine Skies that charged forward together, the Cannoneer Fire Barrier, controlled by Qin Lei, had gradually slowed his pace and distanced himself from Dazzling Abundance and Rain of Time. He made use of a gap formed by a crack in the cliff of ice and jumped downwards, sliding along the sheet of ice to sneak behind. This strategy of turning back in the midst of battle was very common, not just in the regular online game, but also in eSports matches. However, it was usually seen only in the 5 vs 5 team battles. It should be known that due to the limited number of members in the 3 vs 3 sub-team matches, it didn¡¯t matter what the teams were lacking in the process of battling. However, the team which lacked people would definitely be suppressed due to facing the excessive firepower of the other team. This was also the reason why the team that first lost a member in the sub-team matches would tend to have a much greater chance of losing the entire battle. From the commentators¡¯ podium, Xiao Wu analyzed the situation for the audience. ¡°Everyone can see that from the very beginning, the battle strategy of both teams is different. However, the interesting thing is that the first to make a move was not Team Nine Skies, who holds the geographical advantage, but rather Team Black Rose, whom we originally thought would lie low and wait for an opportune timing before making a move.¡± Edamame nodded and added, ¡°Just like past games, Team Black Rose has adopted an aggressive approach and taken the initiative. We just don¡¯t know whether or not they can ride on the momentum of the individual battles to control the rhythm of the battle in one firm grasp, and keep on earning these two points from the sub-team matches.¡± At this moment, the camera coincidentally swept over You Jing. The directors had even given him a special caption, causing the fans to release a wave of frenzied screams. Xiao Wu did not know whether to laugh or cry in this bustling atmosphere. ¡°All of Queen¡¯s fans on the scene are very passionate! If I remember correctly, in the previous sub-team match against the Flowing Clouds team, Captain You did not make an appearance. Could he have secretly been preparing for a duel in this match? Let¡¯s continue to look forward to it!¡± Lin Xiao was not paying too much attention to the contents of the commentary. He merely felt that the female fan sitting beside him was yelling so much that his ears hurt. While lifting his hands to rub them, his gaze fell on the position at which Fire Barrier had disappeared, which was displayed on the big screen, and his eyebrows furrowed. Actually, he had already discerned some clues from the very first individual match. When the roster for the sub-team battle was released, he was then able to determine mentally that Team Black Rose was entering the rhythm of snatching points. During the LPP League¡¯s pre-match period, many teams would make use of the first few matches to intuitively evaluate and make adjustments based on their current states. Then, in the last few matches, they would regain the points lost in one go using their full capabilities. This was a tactic that many prestigious teams frequently used to snatch points for themselves. As a well-established team, it was not strange for Black Rose to make use of this strategy. However, the current team was very evidently facing issues of team disconnect due to the change of players. After the old members left, the new blood injected into the team had yet to fully replace the void left behind by the old members. As a direct consequence of this, the current team faced an issue where the period in which teams would snatch points would be very exhausting and difficult for them. When faced with such circumstances, the only solution to address it would be to rely on the team¡¯s star players to forcefully support the team using their personal abilities. Finally, Lin Xiao¡¯s line of sight fell on the Priest who was moving swiftly on the screen. If it was a regular competition, the present state of events would be considered very smooth-sailing. The only thing they needed to take note of now was probably this person¡¯s current condition, and whether or not he could support the team in two continuous, high intensity multiplayer battles. ¡­ In a flash, both teams had already met in the middle of the map. ¡°Why are there only two people on the other side? This¡­they split up?¡± Zhou Shiyi was briefly stunned after he got a clear look at those who were approaching. Although he said this, he did not truly believe that his opponent would make such a low-level mistake as to split up from the very beginning of the match. On one hand, he began taking note of the state of his surroundings. On the other hand, he continued controlling his character, dashing towards Rain of Time. Instantly, a battle broke out. ¡°Gao Jun, remember to keep an eye out for You Jing and watch him well.¡± ¡°Leave it to me!¡± Gao Jun replied clearly. His character ¡®Handsomeness that Broke the Heavens¡¯ charged directly towards Dazzling Abundance with a fierce jab. He had not used any damage dealing skills yet, first rushing forward and using a Taunt on the other. Then, he pulled the Priest who had retreated a step backwards back to his side in a brief instant. It was evident that Team Nine Skies was prepared to adopt a 1 vs 1 close ranged battle tactic. However, no one could have guessed that once the battle started, they would instead witness a 2 vs 3 scenario like the one before them. As the profession with the most close range control skills, it made sense for the Holy Knight to be dubbed as the healer class¡¯s nemesis. Once they got close, the chance of one finding a window of opportunity to escape from their control was as great as that of finding a needle in a haystack. Once Handsomeness that Broke the Heavens managed to get close to Dazzling Abundance, Dazzling Abundance was suppressed and beaten into a sorry state. In an instant, so many skills were released that the effects were blinding. His health bar rapidly plunged, yet he was still able to maintain it at a safe number. This caused the spectators to sigh in admiration as they witnessed his skill and detailed operations. On the other hand, Rain of Time had been briefly controlled by the Priest ¡®Light of Dawn¡¯, allowing the Shadow Swordsman ¡®Eleventh Son of the Zhou Family¡¯5 to successfully approach him. Under the sudden, explosive hand speed deployed by the other party, almost all of the summoning spells he cast were interrupted. His situation appeared to be even more dire than that of Dazzling Abundance. What was even more tragic was that even if he had had the opportunity to create some distance between himself and the enemy to summon his beasts, the opposing Swordsman had even brought his own dedicated nanny. The Priest, who was left unchecked and undistracted, could focus completely on providing heals. This would cause the HP that he had painstakingly decreased to effortlessly be replenished. Seeing how their team was facing such a disadvantageous battle, fans of Team Black Rose could no longer sit still. What the hell was that bloody newbie doing? A perfectly good 3 vs 3 battle had been turned into a 3 vs 2 battle by Nine Skies. He was definitely trying to be funny! It was at this moment that the directors knowingly focused the camera on Fire Barrier¡¯s perspective, displaying it on the screen. The entire audience looked at this scene and suddenly became silent. This angle was¡­ ________________ TL comments: So many new characters names¡­I suffer when its not clear if its an adjective or a character name ;_; (I also suffer when I have to think of how to translate these names¡­QAQ) The latter half of this sentence isn¡¯t actually in the raws, but its meaning is implied here. Also, the translation doesn¡¯t flow well if I don¡¯t include it. Refers to the ability to deal a lot of damage in a short time. Referring to the keyboard setup for which button activates which skill. Some games (like Zone) don¡¯t use fixed buttons for each skill, so players can configure them as they like. Each player has their own preference as it determines how easily they can play. This refers to being able to see the map as a whole, as compared to individual players¡¯ perspectives. This may involve switching around different player cams (e.g. for FPS games like Apex), or being able to see the entire map from the start (e.g. for tower defense games like League of Legends). This is a pun that can¡¯t be translated well. ¡®ÖÜʮһ¡¯ and ¡®ÖÜÊ°Ò࡯ (Zhou Shiyi¡¯s name) have a similar pronunciation. ¡®ÀÉ¡¯ is a generic term used to refer to the sons of a family so ¡®ÖÜʮһÀÉ¡¯ means 11th son of the Zhou family. I doubt he is really the 11th son for obvious reasons, so it¡¯s more of a play on his name than anything. CH 22 From Fire Barrier¡¯s perspective, a few uneven hills were lined up before him in a horizontal line. The scene of a few silhouettes engaged in combat could clearly be seen through the gap in between. Evidently, he had successfully stayed back and snuck behind the enemy. The location he was in now could be considered the most ideal type of terrain for a Cannoneer. At this moment, Qin Lei was extremely nervous. After building two cannons behind the scene of the battle, which was some distance away, he selected a slightly sunken crevice in the ice and began to conceal the third heavy cannon within it. For good measure, he checked once again that there were no mistakes in the positioning of the cannons, then said with a strained voice in the voice channel, ¡°I¡­I¡¯m ready.¡± You Jing said, ¡°Get ready to begin.¡± As he said this, Dazzling Abundance dodged a strike from Handsomeness that Broke the Heavens¡¯s spear. After that, he cast a recovery skill on himself. In that skill¡¯s duration, he swiftly cast a placement skill on himself as well, enabling him to stay rooted to his current position. Within just 0.4 seconds, they activated their Ghost Sprints almost simultaneously. He used his peripheral vision to glance at Rain of Time, who had made use of a Flying Leap to dodge Eleventh Son of the Zhou Family¡¯s Phantom of a Thousand Blades. Following this, Rain of Time leaned towards his direction. In the split second that Rain of Time was within the 40 unit casting range, Dazzling Abundance immediately began casting Prayer of Holy Light. Shit! At this moment, Gao Jun could already sense that things were going awry. Handsomeness that Broke the Heavens decisively chased after Dazzling Abundance, striking at him with his spear. It was obvious that he intended to press the other flat onto the ground. Yet, before his attack reached him, he saw a flash of white light from the other¡¯s staff. As he finished reciting Prayer of Holy Light, Rain of Time was enveloped by the white light and his health bar that had nearly been emptied rapidly filled up at a speed visible to the naked eye. In an instant, he had already regained a large portion of health. ¡°Fxxk! How could his casting time be this short!¡± Gao Jun couldn¡¯t help but cry out in the team channel. He recalled their previous exchange of blows and felt somewhat dumbfounded. He had clearly gotten a decent sense of all of his opponent¡¯s skill cooldown periods. During that one second just now, by right, he shouldn¡¯t have been able to finish casting his spell at all! ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Zhou Shiyi frowned as he saw how Rain of Time, whose health he had painstakingly whittled down till he was almost dead, had once again become so lively1. He felt a strange sour feeling, as if he had eaten something weird. Su Chenjie had been maintaining the health points of his team members all this time and saw all that had happened. In deep thought, he contemplated, ¡°Based on the frequency of the skills You Jing used just now, the cooldown reduction granted by his equipment was indeed not high. But from the look of things now, the previous situation was probably arranged by him to control the rhythm and deliberately incite us. This was to cause us to use the wrong numbers for our calculations¡­¡± Gao Jun understood the implications of his words, and his expression immediately turned rather ugly. ¡°Are you saying that while I was sticking so closely to him in battle that he was quivering, he not only kept his health at a safe level, but even deliberately slowed down his frequency of skill casting? Nonsense! Is this something a human can do!?¡± As he thought about the terrifying extent of calculation and the precision of control required for such an operation, he couldn¡¯t help but shrink into his neck, feeling as if his entire body was covered in goosebumps. Su Chenjie understood how his teammates were feeling, but he could only silently light a candle for them in his heart. ¡°It is impossible for there to be any game errors in this competition. Since the judging panel did not call for a stop, that means that this is the only possible explanation. Just acknowledge the sad truth, you¡¯ve been had.¡± Gao Jun¡¯s eyes were teary. ¡°I¡¯m so thankful for your straightforward honesty!¡± ¡°To be able to utilize skill operations to such a perfect extent, I bet only a few people in the entire pro alliance can do it, right?¡± After a period of shock, Su Chenjie sighed in admiration. ¡°As expected of the alliance¡¯s most highly-regarded Priest. I have no choice but to admit that the Dazzling Abundance controlled by You Jing truly deserves to be called a god-level healer¡­¡± ¡°Stop chatting, we¡¯ve been surrounded!¡± Zhou Shiyi maneuvered his Shadow Swordsman to roll to the side, dodging the sudden ambush that came roaring in from behind. As the explosive sound of gunshots came to an end, the place he had been previously standing at had been thoroughly blasted into an enormous cavity of ice. The program directors pulled up the god¡¯s perspective onto the screen. The audience could clearly see that Fire Barrier, who had abandoned his teammates from the start, had finally finished setting up and aiming his cannons. Then, he began setting off the first round of gunfire. While the first wave was still firing, the blasts of a second wave of heavy cannon fire sounded. As he escaped miserably from the gunshots that were so numerous that they filled the sky, Gao Jun couldn¡¯t help but yell, ¡°Fxxk, it¡¯s a 3 vs 3 but they still want to set up an ambush from behind? Black Rose sure is big-hearted2!¡± Although he spoke in this way, the reality that he inevitably had to face at this moment was that in the process of fighting 3 vs 2, they had not grasped the opportunity to kill them off completely. Now, they had already fallen into a state where they were entirely passive. Su Chenjie¡¯s Priest had lost a significant amount of health after getting hit by several bullets. He hurriedly gave himself a few minor heals and frowned as he asked, ¡°Captain Zhou, what do we do now?¡± Zhou Shiyi was decisive and did not show the slightest hesitation. ¡°Chenjie will look for an opportunity to harass Rain of Time. Gao Jun, quickly just use your ultimate move and concentrate your attacks on Dazzling Abundance with me! As long as we can take away their healer, they won¡¯t be able to pull any tricks!¡± Gao Jun replied, ¡°Understood!¡± The previous round of gunfire had ambushed them, blasting the trio till they were battered and bruised. This led to a sudden change in the momentum of the battle. As a barrage of bullets rained swiftly upon them, they individually ran off in two different directions. After the commentator Xiao Wu got a clear look at their formation, she unwittingly let out a ¡°Hm?¡± sound as she commented, ¡°Light of Dawn, a healer, has actually chosen to go after Rain of Time, a Summoner? It seems that Team Nine Skies intends to concentrate their firepower to quickly interrupt the Priest¡¯s rhythm! Now there¡¯s not just the Holy Knight, but also the Shadow Swordsman. Having to face this kind of pincer attack, it seems that Dazzling Abundance is in quite a pickle.¡± Edamame nodded. ¡°Very clearly, Team Nine Skies has now decided to go all out with a decisive move. The crux of the victory in this battle likely lies in whether Dazzling Abundance will be able to withstand this wave of attacks.¡± Xiao Wu laughed as she turned to look him in the eye. ¡°Then based on your opinion, which team do you think will win?¡± Edamame knew that she was deliberately digging a pit for him, but did not take it to heart as he laughed it off. ¡°Although You Jing is a first-rate star player in the alliance, the Holy Knight¡¯s ability to suppress a Priest is really too strong. Now that there is also an additional Eleventh Son of the Zhou Family to consider, it will probably be very difficult for him to hold out. What do you think, lovely Xiao Wu3?¡± The Black Rose fans on site immediately booed after hearing these pessimistic words. Xiao Wu cleared her throat, smiled and said, ¡°Well I think that¡¯s not necessarily the case. Why don¡¯t we make a bet? If Team Black Rose wins this match, then tonight¡¯s dinner will be on you.¡± In a refreshing manner, Edamame replied, ¡°No problem, it¡¯s a deal!¡± While the commentators were harmoniously making a bet at the podium, the battle had already developed to a white-hot intensity. Although Light of Dawn, as a Priest, did not have any substantial damage-dealing skills to speak of, he was able to dish out a lot of harassing skills to control an auxiliary class. A few Weaken, Rooting and Slow skills were cast upon Rain of Time in quick succession. Even though these were all soft control skills (a type of control skill, it is the opposite of hard control skills which forcefully control the opponent)4, that lasted for less than a second, in the current situation where they were used consecutively, he could effectively limit Rain of Time¡¯s movements for ten minutes. You Jing actively controlled his own positioning, making use of his micro-skills to dodge the concentrated attacks of the two people before him. His fingers danced nimbly across the keyboard, fingertips barely leaving the keys. His long and narrow eyes squinted slightly as they focused on his character¡¯s movements, never leaving the screen for even a second. Suddenly, the pools of his eyes flashed, and his calm and mild voice resounded in the team voice chat. ¡°It¡¯s about time.¡± Shen Changyu responded with an ¡°En¡± sound. The movements of his hands did not stop at all. His focus was concentrated on the opposing player who was battling near him. He turned to look at a vast and boundless glacier nearby and his eyes flashed. He said in a serious tone, ¡°(236, -78).¡± These two numbers suddenly came out of nowhere. The other two people quickly made their move once they heard it. Polar Field of Ice¡¯s coordinates, (236, -78). It was at the moment when the entire audience was focused on the battle, waiting with bated breath for any changes to occur, when Dazzling Abundance suddenly cast a Weaken skill on Eleventh Son of the Zhou Family. At the same time, he turned sideways and dodged Handsomeness that Broke the Heavens¡¯ Valiant Strike. You Jing¡¯s attention had always been on Handsomeness that Broke the Heavens. His eyes suddenly turned cold and stern. Within the duration in which Handsomeness that Broke the Heavens was casting his Taunt skill, he used Flying Leap to escape from the skill¡¯s casting range and headed towards Fire Barrier, creating some distance between himself and Handsomeness that Broke the Heavens. After the effects of the Taunt skill ended, Handsomeness that Broke the Heavens decisively rushed forth and gave chase, immediately aiming his ultimate skill Soul Stomp at Dazzling Abundance. Holy light emanated off his character¡¯s entire body as a hooded figure riding on a horse projected from it, and his armor began to flash with a dazzling gold light. He quickly charged forward, and once again knocked Dazzling Abundance to the ground. While he was pressed to the ground, Handsomeness that Broke the Heavens made use of the two second time frame when all of his stats were significantly increased to swiftly reduce the other¡¯s health to below half. Seeing that Eleventh Son of the Zhou Family had also hurried over, Handsomeness that Broke the Heavens threw out all of his Knockdown skills at Dazzling Abundance with no gap in between, not leaving him with even the slightest chance of escape. Being able to stomp on the other like this made Gao Jun happy. However, when he unintentionally glanced away, he suddenly saw that a one minute Disable debuff5, had been stuck to his body without him realizing it. This was a sustained debuff that could only be caused by a Priest¡¯s Prayer skills. He felt a mysterious sense of foreboding. At this moment, a small, pitch-black hand suddenly appeared at Handsomeness that Broke the Heavens¡¯s feet, grabbing onto him and holding him in place. Zhou Shiyi suddenly yelled in the team voice chat, ¡°What is this black rat doing here!¡± The so-called ¡°black rat¡± was the nickname everyone gave to one of the Summoner¡¯s summonable beasts, the ground traversing beast. Currently, Rain of Time was the only Summoner present, so it was obvious who the culprit was. Two ground traversing beasts had inexplicably dug out from underground, binding Handsomeness that Broke the Heavens and Eleventh Son of the Zhou Family in place. They were completely unable to move for two seconds, with the skill icons of all their movement skills momentarily greyed out. At this moment, a large black shadow descended from the sky, completely enveloping the trio in darkness¡­ ¡°Fxxk, what the hell is this!¡± Gao Jun howled in a panic. As he finished speaking, two heavy mech 3ES-D bombs, accompanied by a rain of countless bullets, came crashing down on them. There was a thick and heavy smoke, followed by frequent and intense explosions that resounded through the entire stadium. A dense layer of gunpowder rose up, which only began to slowly dissipate after some time had passed. Only an enormous canyon remained in the originally smooth field of ice. Surrounding it was a ravine full of densely packed holes caused by the gunfire. The figures of the trio were especially eye catching in the midst of the messy ruins that resulted from the carnage. With the ground traversing beast¡¯s Bleed debuff, coupled with the Disable effect he was subjected to earlier, getting hit by the dense gunfire had cleared out Eleventh Son of the Zhou Family¡¯s entire health bar in an instant. All that was left of him was a figure that lay sprawled out on the ground. As for Handsomeness that Broke the Heavens, even if he was a bulky meat shield, after ¡°enjoying¡± the experience of being baptized by almost all the skills that a Cannoneer possessed, he too had been blasted till he had only a sliver of health remaining. Before Light of Dawn could hurriedly help him recover, Dazzling Abundance had used the Priest¡¯s extremely limited damage-dealing skills to completely wipe out the last thread of the Holy Knight¡¯s health. Without any teammates remaining, Light of Dawn had nowhere to run. After being surrounded and attacked, he gave up the third kill in this match within minutes. At this moment, it was as if the whole world had gone silent. The sub-team match had ended. Team Black Rose vs Team Nine Skies, 5 : 0. ________________ The author has something to say: The competition will end completely after one more chapter, and6 get ready for the face-to-face meeting. ^_^~ (The rest is about the story reaching VIP status and author updating that when it switches to VIP, there will be a triple update.) ________________ TL comments: Why do Nine Skies¡¯ members have to have such long character names¡­QAQ Also, the author¡¯s aforementioned triple update is for chapter 24, which is a monster chapter that¡¯s a whopping 3x the usual chapter length. I¡¯ll be splitting it into 3 parts to not kill myself ^_^;; Literally living as well as dragons and tigers. Note that big-hearted here isn¡¯t really the same as the English meaning. It¡¯s more like having a strong mentality and daring to take risks. For example, someone who is willing to gamble in a high risk, high reward scenario. He addresses her as ÃÀÅ® or beauty, which is a common way of addressing someone. There isn¡¯t really a good way to translate this, so I¡¯ve stuck with lovely, which is more commonly used in English. This is the author¡¯s own explanation that was included in the raws The raws write it as buff, so I¡¯ve changed it to be more intuitive. ¡°And¡± is in English in the raws, lol CH 23 It was even quieter now than ever before in Team Nine Skies¡¯s competition room. As they looked at the word ¡°Defeat¡± displayed on the grey screen, the trio all had befuddled expressions on their faces. They sat in their places and did not come to their senses for a long time. It was not just them. Because the results had been too shocking, everyone present at the stadium had gone strangely silent. The previous battle was chock full of gunpowder, like a scene out of World War 1. Those heaven-shaking explosions had practically elevated the match to the scale of a war movie! As they stared at the notification of Team Black Rose¡¯s victory displayed on the screen, many people were still out of sorts. They were still immersed in the display of intricate, seamless, almost perfect cooperation shown earlier. The director had clipped out the magnificent last scene of the battle into a video. As the commentators began to do a detailed analysis of how the battle strategy had developed throughout, the audience could not help but to maintain a prolonged state of silence. As everyone was aware, the Cannoneer was the damage dealing class with the greatest skill range. In other words, they were the most dangerous out of all of Zone¡¯s professions. It was precisely because they were so strong in this area that the developers had added some fatal flaws when creating this character, which were extremely poor mobility, as well as high inconsistency and uncertainty. In order to battle, the Cannoneer was required to construct their own turrets. This greatly limited the areas in which they could use their skills. Furthermore, all of their skills could only be used when they loaded their ammunition. Thus, they relied on external protection from their teammates during team battles. Furthermore, after each missile was fired, it would still take time to fly towards the destination, with the flight duration corresponding to the distance of the target point. The severe lag time that came with using their skills made them very difficult to land. It was precisely because of this that, although their lethality was high, they tended to be used to provide covering fire in battle, or to destroy obstacles on the battlefield. Once the directors began playing the slow motion video clip for the audience to watch, it was very evident that Fire Barrier had indeed fired all of his cannonballs as soon as he possibly could. But what made the audience go wild was that, at the same time that he was firing his shots, the rest of the players had been fighting their own battles intensely on the battlefield. They had had no inkling at all of what was taking place. It was only 1.5 seconds after the cannonballs were fired into the air that the other two members of Team Black Rose began to act. Firstly, Rain of Time had preemptively summoned two ground traversing beasts and set up an ambush. Then, after Dazzling Abundance had successfully cast the Disable debuff upon the two foes, Rain of Time had made use of restraints to lure their foes towards the coordinates (236, -78). He then swiftly utilized the ground traversing beasts¡¯ binding skills to keep the duo rooted in place. After just half a second, Handsomeness that Broke the Heavens and Eleventh Son of the Zhou Family were able to ¡°enjoy¡± the baptism of cannonfire at that precise spot, with no errors made. ¡°So, this was actually a carefully planned, premeditated trap. Who would have thought that this sub-team battle would end in this manner¡­the MVP of this match should be awarded to Shen Changyu, right? To make such detailed and precise calculations about the point of descent based on the cannonballs¡¯ trajectory is a feat that can probably only be achieved by him alone.¡± Xiao Wu tried her best to keep her tone of voice calm as she explained things to the audience. As she looked at the replay video being shown on the big screen, her heart was filled with boundless admiration. This video could definitely be included in a compilation of this season¡¯s pre-match¡¯s top 10 most magnificent highlights. After all, the scene had really been too bloody and tragic! After listening to the detailed analysis, the audience felt as if their emotions were in a mess. Their gazes, which fell on the seats of Team Nine Skies¡¯s players, were inevitably filled with sympathy. Losing like this really made one feel aggrieved, since it was as if the battle had ended before it even started. While the venue was immersed in this strange mood, the 5 vs 5 team match segment began. Team Black Rose¡¯s lineup consisted of You Jing¡¯s Priest Dazzling Abundance, Shen Changyu¡¯s Summoner Rain of Time, the two Xu twins¡¯ Blood at First Sight1 and Headshot in One Strike, as well as Liu Zeshen¡¯s Holy Knight Fine Birds Choose Fine Trees. And Team Nine Skies¡¯s lineup was Zhou Shiyi¡¯s Shadow Swordsman Eleventh Son of the Zhou Family, Zhao Kongming¡¯s Assassin Blank Space, Gao Jun¡¯s Holy Knight Handsomeness that Broke the Heavens, Yuan Jiazhi¡¯s Tomahawk Warrior Epitaph, as well as Su Chenjie¡¯s Priest Light of Dawn. The rosters of both sides more or less consisted of the players who participated in the previous rounds. Taking part in consecutive matches would inevitably test one¡¯s stamina. Thus, the way the players allocated their efforts for each match was critical for them. After the players paid their respects to each other, they went to their respective seats for the match and began making the final adjustments to their equipment. ¡°The previous match was truly magnificent. As a lead player who plays a Priest, You Jing displayed a strong level of hardiness in the prolonged 1 vs 2 battle earlier. But maintaining such high level plays inevitably places a great burden on the player. From the video, we can see that Captain You is making use of this time to have a short rest. I hope that the previous match will not have too much of an effect on the following team battle.¡± Before the commentators had finished speaking, the directors had focused the cameras on You Jing. From this angle, he could be seen slouching in his chair and closing his eyes while resting. His eyelids drooped slightly, revealing a faint sense of exhaustion. Shen Changyu finished making the adjustments to his equipment. Then, he turned and noticed You Jing¡¯s expression. He couldn¡¯t help but furrow his brows in worry as he asked, ¡°Are you alright?¡± You Jing¡¯s eyes opened after he heard these words. He glanced over at Shen Changyu dully and used his usual neutral tone to reply, ¡°Of course.¡± Shen Changyu was silent. He had been prepared to continue asking some questions, but saw that You Jing had slowly begun to sit up straight. His legs were elegantly crossed before him. After opening up a new Word Document, the tips of his fingers smoothly tapped on the keys of the keyboard. In the blink of an eye, he had typed up a long string of the word ¡®Mom¡¯, filling up an entire page without making any mistakes. When he was done, to prove his point clearly, he placed a hand on the chair¡¯s armrest and turned around in this position with the corners of his lips raised very slightly. Based on the actions and attitude displayed by this person at this time, Shen Changyu suddenly felt as if there was nothing else he had to ask. ¡­ The members of both teams entered their respective team voice channels and the team match officially began. It was possible that the losses they had suffered in the previous matches had left a psychological shadow in their hearts. This time, Team Nine Skies were a lot more direct than they usually were. The moment the match started, they enthusiastically began searching for traces of the opposing team. This bold and unrestrained style of rushing headfirst towards the opposing camp elicited a lot of discussion amidst the audience. Once the two teams met, the four people from Team Nine Skies charged at Dazzling Abundance as if they held immense grudges and hatred2 towards him. The audience suddenly had an epiphany and their discussions turned into an uproar. It seemed as if Team Nine Skies was still holding on to their frustration of not being able to kill Dazzling Abundance in the previous match¡­ After all, this was an official match with rules in place. It was extremely rare3 to encounter an entire team who shared the same hatred and chose to prioritize settling their grudges over strategy. Although this situation made the match seem unorthodox, it ignited the passion of the audience that was watching the scene unfold. Thus, the mood in the stadium became strangely excited. There were even people who suddenly yelled, ¡°Let go of that Queen, let me do it!¡± Under such chaotic pursuit, You Jing¡¯s unusually natural and unhurried movements were especially obvious. From the video that was being broadcasted, it was easy to tell how focused he was as he gazed at the screen. Agile fingertips tapped on the keyboard, as if they were playing an elegant and refined melody. As they danced up and down, each of their movements looked especially good. Amidst the cheers and cries of hundreds of thousands, Lin Xiao gazed at each movement being displayed on the big screen while sitting in the crowd. He did not pay much attention to the surrounding noise that was so loud that it was almost funny. Rather, his eyes were fixed on the figure displayed at the bottom left corner of the screen, and his eyebrows gradually furrowed. You Jing¡¯s movements appeared to be smooth and stable, but while he was completing them, there would always be a slight, almost imperceptible tremor. When he caught sight of this scene, the pools of his eyes gradually darkened in an expression of seriousness. Lin Xiao was also familiar with Team Black Rose¡¯s current status for the pre-season matches. Although he was very clear about the necessity of snatching as many points as they could at this time, he still could not approve of the method that was being used before his eyes ¨C forcibly burdening the lead player with adopting such an intense rhythm when they were already under such great pressure. This absolutely could not continue in future matches. No matter how well it was concealed, he was still able to tell just how much this person had endured while hiding it under a smooth and unperturbed appearance. The battle tactics they had adopted in the previous 3 vs 3 sub-team match had already placed too much of a burden on You Jing¡¯s hands. He still had to hold out for half a month for the regular season matches that followed. Although Lin Xiao was not too familiar with the exact state of this person¡¯s hand injury, he could at least tell that if he were to exert his hands at such a high intensity for the entire pre-season match duration, it would definitely be too much. For You Jing, paying this price for the sake of improving the team¡¯s standing could be said to be a cruel gamble, in which he was staking his future eSports career. In the match, after Blank Space¡¯s fatal strike failed to land, Team Nine Skies fell into a completely passive position. As expected, they were completely wiped out by Team Black Rose, with Black Rose taking five consecutive kills. The competition was over. Team Black Rose had obtained an advantageous score of 10:0 and were the final victors. Under the explosive cheers and applause of the entire stadium, the players from both teams walked out of their respective competition rooms, shook hands and paid their respects to each other. Lin Xiao straightened his clothes and stood from his chair. Amidst the thunderous and deafening screams of the Black Rose fans at the stadium, he stepped away with great difficulty and moved towards the exit. When he approached the door, he turned and caught a glimpse of the exceptionally familiar team uniform. He exhaled softly and strolled towards their meeting spot. As he slowly walked further and further away from the seats, all the buzzing noise was cut off and left behind him. Since he was extremely familiar with the Professional Alliance¡¯s way of arranging things, after Lin Xiao circled around the outer area once, he identified the walkway that was designated for the professional players¡¯ use with great ease. Taking advantage of the moment when the security staff were not paying attention, he stealthily snuck in through the side door. After confirming that there was nobody around, he found a corner and wordlessly hid himself. As the match ended, he heard a babble of sound being transmitted over from a distance. Evidently, the audience was beginning to leave the stadium. Lin Xiao noted that it was about time, so he slowly fished out the poster that he¡¯d bought from the stall earlier and spread it open. It was life-sized and large enough to cover his whole body behind it. At this moment, he happened to receive Shen Changyu¡¯s text asking about his whereabouts. The corners of his lips lifted slightly and he swiftly replied with one line. ¡°Once you come out, you will be able to see me.¡± When the message was sent, he could hear a text notification sound ringing out from far away. The sound of gradually approaching footsteps could be heard, as well as a teasing voice that joked, ¡°Vice Captain Shen, why is there a poster of you there! Could it be that one of the staff members is your fan?¡± After this was said, a few tall figures stepped out through the door. Shen Changyu helplessly interrupted Xu Yiming¡¯s endless chatter. Once he lifted his head, he happened to see the poster, on which his face took up almost all of the space, and chuckled softly. His gaze lowered slightly, and after getting a clear look at the person standing behind the poster, his corners of his lips momentarily stiffened. At this moment, Xu Yiming had also gotten a clear look at Lin Xiao. His smiling, jovial expression immediately changed and he shouted loudly, ¡°Fxxk, how were you able to sneak in here!¡± ________________ TL comments: At this point, I think Team Black Rose is just full of trolls LOL. (Does this make Lin Xiao the dad¡­he is already thinking of how to improve the team dynamic.) Also, the long awaited reunion is here!!! More clever Chinese puns! I presume this is Xu Yiming¡¯s character as he is called Ò»Ãù¼ûѪ. Ò»Ãù are the exact same characters as the ones in his name Yiming. Literally the grudge due to killing one¡¯s father and the hatred due to stealing one¡¯s wife. Literally, an occurrence that is difficult to come by in a century. CH 24.1 Lin Xiao felt the unfriendly gazes falling upon him and rubbed at the messy strands of his hair somewhat helplessly. Of course, he had not forgotten how ¡°his¡± relationship with these people had originated. However, based on the current situation, it seemed that they had a much deeper impression of him than he had expected¡­ One particular gaze that fell on him was exceptionally chilly. He raised his eyes to look in its direction and saw that the person directing it at him did not have even the slightest hint of emotion expressed on his face. That pair of eyes regarded him so coldly that they were as chilly as the Ice Age1. The deep, indescribable hatred that those eyes contained was clearly visible. Yet, Lin Xiao did not feel even a trace of annoyance. Rather, he slowly and casually turned his gaze towards that person¡¯s face. No matter the angle at which he looked at it, the contours of that face still looked so good that they seemed almost perfect. Like this, Lin Xiao¡¯s attention began to sweep downwards, moving bit by bit from the strands of his hair to his lower jaw, then his neck, his waist, his legs, and finally to the pristine and immaculate pair of shoes he wore. When he was done, the corners of his lips lifted slightly. You Jing in person looked somewhat skinnier than he did on screen. Although Team Black Rose¡¯s uniform hung casually on his body, this did not at all affect the cold and lofty temperament that made him difficult to approach. Even if he was just casually standing somewhere like he was now, the impression he gave others was more akin to that of English or French royalty and nobles from the past, rather than simply the upper class celebrities who stood at the peak of today¡¯s society. He gave off an indescribable sense of aristocratic elegance. Lin Xiao, who was currently standing in front of him, paled greatly in comparison. ¡°This handsome guy, will you leave by yourself, or do you want us to call for security to ¡®escort¡¯ you away?¡± The smile on Liu Zeshen¡¯s face looked so kind that it was almost as if the implications of his words were equally friendly. ¡°Don¡¯t, I¡¯m here to look for someone!¡± Lin Xiao hurriedly stopped them as he looked at the handphone that he had fished out. ¡°We all know that you¡¯re here to look for someone. I say, could you possibly be more shameless!¡± The disregardment in Lin Xiao¡¯s reply made Xu Yiming so angry that his hair stood on end. Unconsciously, he stood between Lin Xiao and You Jing and said threateningly, ¡°If you ever cause as much trouble as you did last time, don¡¯t blame me for not going easy on you!¡± ¡°Last time? What trouble did I cause last time?¡± The intonation of Lin Xiao¡¯s reply rose slightly as he tilted his head in a contemplative expression, showing that he did not remember. ¡°Last time, you wanted to molest our captain in broad daylight¡­¡± Before Xu Yiming could speak any further, Xu Yichen promptly covered his mouth and quickly dragged him aside. You Jing¡¯s cold words echoed gloomily, ¡°What are you doing standing here, let¡¯s go back.¡± Everyone felt their whole body turn cold. Immediately, they followed him and headed towards the exit without saying anything more. You Jing did not look at Lin Xiao again. He walked forward and passed him, as if no one else was present. He acted as if Lin Xiao did not exist at all. However, in the brief instant that their bodies brushed past each other, a hand suddenly reached out and grabbed his left wrist. You Jing¡¯s steps suddenly stopped when he felt the slight warmth penetrating through his skin. In a flat and dull tone laced with a threat, he said, ¡°Let go.¡± Lin Xiao acted as if he was completely unaware of the pressure directed at him by this low voice. Rather, he silently increased the strength exerted by his hand. In a soft voice that only the two of them could hear, he casually brushed past You Jing¡¯s ear and whispered, ¡°Captain You, don¡¯t think that warming it with some hot water is enough. When necessary, you must remember to apply some medicine¡­¡± As he heard these words, the depths of You Jing¡¯s eyes shimmered slightly. He looked to his side and happened to make brief eye contact with Lin Xiao. In that moment, all he saw was a casual and thoughtless2 smile full of sincerity. However, since he was aware of this person¡¯s true nature, this sincerity just caused him to feel even more aversion. The feeling of Lin Xiao¡¯s direct touch at his wrist caused You Jing to feel extremely disconcerted, as if it was creeping into his heart bit by bit. With his lips and teeth slightly parted, You Jing¡¯s voice became even more frigid as he clearly spat out the words ¡°Get lost.¡± ¡°Ai3, why ask me to get lost?¡± Lin Xiao was rendered speechless by the other¡¯s lack of appreciation towards his kind intentions. He unwittingly raised his tone of voice, as if You Jing¡¯s actions were completely unfounded. However, he did not have the chance to explain how kind and thoughtful his reminder was. The other suddenly suddenly lifted his feet and straightforwardly stepped away without showing him even a shred of sympathy. Shocked, Lin Xiao hurriedly hopped a few steps backwards to avoid this sneak attack and said in a dissatisfied manner, ¡°Don¡¯t think that I won¡¯t dare to hit you just because you¡¯re good-looking!¡± The expressions of the bystanders immediately darkened upon hearing these words. However, Lin Xiao continued to speak while giving the poster in his hands a little shake. ¡°I know that you don¡¯t want to see me, but you should be a little gentler to the fans of your team. Do you have to be so vicious as to directly want to harm me!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll say this one last time, get away from me.¡± You Jing swept him with a chilly glance, turned and walked away without leave. At almost the same time, the others had subconsciously taken a few steps forward, wanting to take the opportunity to take care of this damned stalker once and for all. Lin Xiao took a look at the silhouette that was getting further and further away, as well as at the antagonistic4 looks of those around him. He sighed helplessly, and felt a strange sense that his future life living under the same roof as these people would be worrisome. Based on the current situation, when he entered the team in the future, it would probably be extremely complicated for him to get close to and develop a good, loving relationship with his captain¡­ Xu Yiming spread his arms wide to block off the path in front of him. It was only after You Jing had left that he silently glanced at the poster with the large print of Shen Changyu¡¯s face on it. He couldn¡¯t help but complain, ¡°I say, since you yourself have acknowledged that you are our fan, you should be a little more professional. You could actually even bring the wrong poster.¡± Lin Xiao was just about to roll up the poster, but paused when he heard these words. With a ¡°hua la¡±5 sound, he spread the poster open and displayed it to everyone before him. Pointing at Shen Changyu, who was standing close by, he raised his eyebrows and said, ¡°Who said I brought the wrong one? I originally came today to look for God Shen.¡± He looked towards the direction in which his finger was pointing. The moment he had spoken these words, Shen Changyu completely froze on the spot as he was enveloped by the stares coming from all directions. Lin Xiao broke out in a smile that was directed at him. ¡°God Shen, I didn¡¯t get it wrong, did I? That you would be able to see me the moment you came out.¡± After a long period of silence, Shen Changyu made an ¡°en¡± sound in a vague tone of voice. The interaction between the two left everyone else in complete shock. They couldn¡¯t help but look at each other, unable to process the way that the latest developments of the current situation had unfolded before them. Why did this gay man who had unabashedly chased after their captain suddenly seem to be so familiar with their vice captain? Qin Lei, who had never witnessed the previous spectacle, was the first to break. He looked back and forth between both people quite a few times, then weakly asked, ¡°Vice Captain Shen, what the heck is going on?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, what the heck is going on! This thing has actually changed favorites?¡± Xu Yiming felt as if his brain was not powerful enough to process this. This didn¡¯t make sense! All of his actions just now had definitely been that of a person who bore unrequited love for their captain, not like those of someone who had stopped being a fan! This fxxker, could he be prepared to ride on two boats at the same time6? ¡°Before, vice captain mentioned that he had an appointment with someone. It couldn¡¯t be him, could it?¡± Xu Yichen, who had been silent from the beginning, suddenly spoke. ¡°Vice captain, you know him?¡± Unlike the others, Liu Zeshen¡¯s use of the word ¡°know¡± implied that he was not referring to a one-time meeting. The barrage of questions from everyone caused Shen Changyu to finally regain his senses. He paused for a moment. Then, he said in a voice that did not reveal much emotion, ¡°I have some things to say to him. All of you can head back to the hotel first, no need to wait for me.¡± After he finished speaking, he no longer answered any questions to explain himself. Xu Yiming was obviously restraining his misery but he left, constantly looking back while Xu Yichen forcefully dragged him away. Liu Zeshen was walking at the very back. Right before he left, he took a good look at both people straight in the eye and, to wrap things up conclusively, he said, ¡°Come back early.¡± Lin Xiao looked at the people who looked so uneasy and couldn¡¯t help but feel that this situation was quite funny. Only when they turned around the corner and their shadows completely disappeared did he turn towards the gaze that had not left him for even a second since just now. He felt as if the other would not stop looking at him till his firm stare bore a few holes through his body. He turned his head slightly, with the corners of his lips raised. ¡°I say, stop looking at me like that! I¡¯m making matters clear, the one who harassed You Jing previously was not me!¡± Shen Changyu choked a little at this, his expression somewhat complicated. ¡°I know it wasn¡¯t you¡­¡± Lin Xiao placed the poster aside and suddenly raised his arms towards him, laughing. ¡°Then, do you want a hug of love first?¡± Shen Changyu was slightly stunned. Shortly after, he suddenly ran forward with large strides, and used his firm hug to express the complex emotions that were storming in his heart like turbulent sea waves. Lin Xiao patted his back, and the smile on his face at this time was more simple, yet more radiant than it had ever been before. ¡°Although I¡¯ve already said this before, I still can¡¯t help but want to say it again. Vice Captain Shen, I¡¯m back.¡± Hearing these words stirred up countless emotions in him. The corners of Shen Changyu¡¯s lips tilted into a gentle smile. ¡°Welcome back.¡± ________________ TL comments: This was surprisingly easy to translate, and full of feels <3 Also, I¡¯m imagining the Black Rose guys with the Pikachu meme face after they found out that the ¡°stalker¡± and their serious Vice Captain know each other, hahaha. Literally 10,000 years of freezing cold. As in lacking ill intent, not the negative meaning we normally use it for in English. I don¡¯t believe this has an English equivalent. Think of it as a cross between an exclamation and a sigh. It can be used in a variety of contexts, from being aggrieved to being dramatic. Literally ¡°looking as if a big enemy had arrived¡±. It¡¯s too funny to not share, haha. Think of the sound you make when you quickly unroll a piece of paper, or the sound of scattering papers. As in to date two people concurrently. Normally used in the context of romantic relationships to describe when someone is cheating on their partner. CH 24.2 Although there was a lot that they needed to tell each other, they tacitly chose not to mention anything for the time being. Lin Xiao had originally wanted to look for a nearby restaurant, but Shen Changyu had persisted in wishing to take a look at where he currently lived. Thus, he had no choice but to buy a cap and mask to completely conceal Shen Changyu¡¯s identity before sneaking back home like a thief. He casually bought two servings of stir-fried thin rice noodles nearby. Then, they both went up to his house together. The place in which Lin Xiao was currently living was a singles¡¯ apartment1. Its entire layout could be seen at a glance. It had one bedroom, one living room, and one bathroom. It was the type of home where a stove casually placed along the walkway acted as the kitchen. It inevitably looked quite shabby due to the passage of time. After Lin Xiao placed the rice noodles on the table, he lifted his head and saw that Shen Changyu had an extremely somber expression on his face for an unknown reason. He couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Shen Changyu frowned. ¡°Captain Lin, you¡¯ve been living in this kind of place?¡± Lin Xiao followed his gaze and looked around the area. He shrugged and handed a pair of chopsticks to him. ¡°It¡¯s simple, clean and everything is within reach. Apart from it being a little messy, isn¡¯t it pretty good? Compared to the warehouse that I recall us staying in in the past, this is so many times better.¡± Shen Changyu did not respond. He lifted and ate a few mouthfuls of rice noodles with his chopsticks, feeling bitter and helpless. After some time had passed, he suddenly looked up and asked, ¡°Why don¡¯t you come back to H City with me tomorrow? If I am the one recommending you, Manager Li should make an exception and allow you to enter the team directly.¡± Without even considering it, Lin Xiao rejected his offer. ¡°Now is not the time yet.¡± Shen Changyu blurted out, ¡°Why?¡± Lin Xiao gave him a look and said, ¡°First of all, if I were to return to the Alliance, I want to continue using the ¡®Adorable Ghost¡¯ account. However, the equipment I currently have in storage is still a bit lacking and is not good enough to be used in professional matches yet. Also, it¡¯s because of my current identity¡­¡± He did not speak any further. The pools of his eyes darkened as he gave a meaningful and profound look to express ¡°You understand it¡±. Since things had been spelled out to this extent, Shen Changyu was naturally able to understand what he was driving at. He knew of all that the original owner of Lin Xiao¡¯s current body had done during the past fan meetings. If described tactfully, they had been sincere confessions. But if described tactlessly, it could be said that a certain degree of sexual harassment had been involved. Since today, he had suddenly become ¡°friends¡± with the person that his teammates viewed as a perverted gay. When he returned, he was already destined to have to go through a round of interrogation. If he were really to bring Lin Xiao to join the team and directly enter the professional lineup, then that would really be¡­ He could have returned with any other identity, but why did he have to become this person in particular¡­Shen Changyu felt unparalleled distress and dread. He took a deep breath, then sighed. ¡°Then, when will you be ready to come back to the team?¡± Lin Xiao noted his unconscious use of the phrase ¡°come back to the team¡±, and he couldn¡¯t help but curl up the corners of his lips slightly into a smile. While taking big bites of his rice noodles, he casually asked, ¡°When will be the next time that the team will be recruiting for the newcomers¡¯ training camp?¡± Shen Changyu replied, ¡°About half a month from now.¡± Lin Xiao nodded. ¡°That¡¯s enough for me to reach the First Division on the arena ladder.¡± Shen Changyu discerned the meaning implied by his words and exclaimed in surprise, ¡°Captain Lin, are you preparing to enter the newcomers¡¯ training camp?¡± Lin Xiao casually explained, ¡°No matter what, all teams will go through a fixed process when recruiting people. Although your recommendation will indeed be effective, it will inevitably cause some unnecessary hindrances as well. When the time comes, I will be able to enter the training camp naturally, and with my skills, it shouldn¡¯t be too difficult for me to stand out from the rest, right?¡± As he finished speaking these words, the tone of his voice gradually lifted. The corners of his lips curved up in an expression of unshakeable confidence. After a brief pause, Shen Changyu gently laughed, ¡°Of course.¡± ¡­¡­ While they ate, Lin Xiao familiarized himself with the current state of the domestic eSports scene and casually asked about how a few of his old friends from back then were doing. After hearing about their current circumstances, he couldn¡¯t help but feel some admiration. ¡°So you¡¯re saying that Zhang Xuannian is now an ace coach that several large teams want to poach, and Ge Han has actually joined the Alliance¡¯s organizing committee? That¡¯s such great news!¡± Shen Changyu responded, ¡°Most of the old players have gone on to become streamers on various platforms after their retirement. Apart from one who has completely cut ties with the Alliance, the rest are mostly working in professions involved with eSports.¡± ¡°Who would have thought that playing games at home could also be considered a job now, tsk tsk.¡± Lin Xiao couldn¡¯t help but sigh in admiration. Then, his tone suddenly shifted. ¡°So, is streaming really so profitable?¡± Shen Changyu choked a little, then questioned suspiciously, ¡°It should be¡­very¡­profitable? Captain Lin, are you really short on cash now? If you are, I actually still have some savings, look¡­¡± The old and worn state of the house caused Shen Changyu to involuntarily make guesses along these lines. Otherwise, why would Lin Xiao¡¯s first reaction be about whether or not he could earn money? He couldn¡¯t help but to start considering if there was a need for him to provide some financial aid to his esteemed captain. ¡°No no no, I was just asking casually, I¡¯m not short on cash! Ahaha!¡± What a joke, how could he, as a great senior, spend the savings of a kid from his team? Lin Xiao hurriedly waved him off as he swiftly changed the topic. His expression immediately turned serious and he said, ¡°From what you said just now, it sounds like most of the old players have already retired. Aside from the ones who were newcomers at the time, only Old Yan is still holding on, right?¡± Shen Changyu nodded. ¡°Captain Yan is truly deserving of respect. Back then, he said in a press conference that ever since we won the World Championships that year, our domestic teams owe it to the domestic eSports fans to win another championship trophy. Before that comes to pass, he will not choose to retire.¡± As they brought up the topic of Yan Duzhou, Lin Xiao couldn¡¯t help but sigh as well. ¡°He sure is stubborn. There¡¯s nothing wrong with acknowledging the effects of age now and then.¡± Come to think of it, that guy would already be 28 years old this year, wouldn¡¯t he? Although most professional players had chosen to work in eSports-related careers after their retirement, when compared to Yan Duzhou¡¯s persistence, their actions really felt quite shameful. Even if Lin Xiao were to search his heart and ask himself if he would have chosen to hold on like that guy had if he had turned 27 this year, honestly speaking, he didn¡¯t dare to make any guarantees either¡­ Although Team Black Rose had kicked off rapid advancements in the domestic eSports industry when they had won first place in the past, conversely, it had also placed a tremendous burden on the players¡¯ shoulders. As the domestic scene developed within the past five years, what resulted was a stark contrast between the glory that they enjoyed within national boundaries and the embarassing state of stagnancy that plagued them ever since. There was no need to talk about the championship, as their best result had merely been entering the quarterfinals. They had never even entered the semifinals before. As they were subjected to constant scrutiny and doubts from both the media and the public eye, the pressure placed on every single professional player was truly very great. This was all the more so for Yan Duzhou, who bore the hopes of millions of people on his back. Lin Xiao said, ¡°But someone like Yan Duzhou, who is especially fiery about gaining honor for the country, always likes to shoulder all responsibility by himself. Thus, the stress is indeed immense.¡± Shen Changyu replied, ¡°If Captain Yan knew about your return, he would definitely be very happy.¡± Back then, Yama and Old Ghost had been the worst of enemies on the battlefield, and the best of friends off the battlefield. The relationship between them had been like that between the heroes depicted in countless movies, which was that of mutual support and appreciation. It appeared to be very complicated, but was actually very simple and pure. Lin Xiao laughed, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Once I return to the Alliance with the Adorable Ghost account, he will naturally find out.¡± Shen Changyu recalled the strange feelings he had experienced a week ago, and couldn¡¯t help but observe a moment of silence for the unsuspecting Captain Yan. ¡°¡­this wouldn¡¯t be a surprise, it is more likely to be a scare, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡­¡­ After finishing their meal, the pair tidied up the table. Shen Changyu glanced at the computer that had been placed in the room. After switching it on, he fiddled with it a little, then frowned. ¡°Captain Lin, why haven¡¯t you swapped out such broken equipment? ¡®Twin Grey Swallow¡¯, I have never heard of this brand before. The sensitivity of both the mouse and keyboard are so poor, haven¡¯t you felt like they have greatly affected your performance?¡± ¡°Not at all. When your skills have reached a certain level, you can bully noobs no matter what you use.¡± Lin Xiao would never admit to his old partner that he was poor. He lazed on the sofa and answered with a completely straight face2. Shen Changyu scrolled through the equipment storage of the Adorable Ghost account, and his expression unconsciously darkened3. ¡°Just how long have you not played this account? The items in your storage can probably be placed in an antique museum!¡± ¡°What do you know, there¡¯s still a lot of discontinued equipment in there. They can all be considered treasures now.¡± In the Alliance of the present, there was probably no one who dared to say the words ¡°What do you know¡± to Shen Changyu. However for Lin Xiao, these words came to him extremely easily. He glanced at the figure that was using his computer to diligently put things in place. After a period of solemn silence, he suddenly said, ¡°You fought pretty well in today¡¯s match.¡± Upon hearing these words, Shen Changyu¡¯s hands immediately stopped moving, and he turned around with a serious expression. Every time Lin Xiao mentioned this sentence, he would always follow them up with some additional words. Listening to his words with a humble heart was a habit that had been ingrained in him from the past. Although five years had passed since then, this action still came to him so naturally that it was as if he was acting on reflex. Lin Xiao sat up straight on the sofa and looked at him in a rare display of seriousness, his face lacking its usual lackadaisical expression. ¡°However, it is best if you don¡¯t ever use such a high intensity battle strategy again in the future. Considering You Jing¡¯s hand injury, he cannot be allowed to act rashly.¡± You Jing¡¯s hand injury had been kept a secret from the other team members all this time. Apart from Shen Changyu, only Li Bochuan, the manager in charge of the team, was aware of it. Shen Changyu would never have thought that Lin Xiao could actually discover this issue just by spectating their match. However, as he heard his later elaboration, Shen Changyu¡¯s eyebrows unconsciously screwed up. ¡°So when you stopped him at the match venue just now, it was to tell him about this?¡± Lin Xiao looked him straight in the eye with a severe expression. ¡°How could that be? At that time, I was merely reminding him to remember to apply his medicine after going back. Who would have thought that he would actually try to kick me! Seriously, your Captain You has no faults in terms of his looks and skills, but his temper is way too bad! He will never be able to find a girlfriend if he is like this!¡± ¡°If someone else had done those things to you, your temper would probably not be any better than his.¡± Shen Changyu couldn¡¯t help but chuckle. Then, he earnestly replied, ¡°But I¡¯m already aware of all you said just now. After I go back, I will adjust our strategy. We will never adopt battle tactics as intense as we did today ever again.¡± Satisfied, Lin Xiao clapped him on the shoulder and spoke with in a deeply gratified manner, looking as glad as if his own child had grown into an adult, ¡°Little Shen, you have become an extremely dependable vice captain now.¡± Shen Changyu: ¡°¡­¡± Lin Xiao had always enjoyed seeing his speechless expression and smiled at him. ¡°It¡¯s been hard on you these past few years.¡± This time, the corners of Shen Changyu¡¯s lips quivered slightly. Countless emotions welled up in him as he shook his head. ¡°It was what I should have done.¡± Lin Xiao dug out his cigarettes and began smoking. After the other rejected his offer of one, he laughed, the cigarette dangling in his mouth. ¡°Who would have thought that after so many years, you still have not learned to smoke.¡± Shen Changyu replied, ¡°I did pick up smoking for a while, but I still ended up quitting.¡± Lin Xiao did not ask why he wanted to start smoking back then. After breathing in, he exhaled a puff of smoke as he suddenly recalled something. ¡°Speaking of which, I saw Chen Anqi at the match venue today.¡± Shen Changyu: ¡°¡­¡± Lin Xiao looked towards him with a wide smile. ¡°Who do you think drew her to buy a ticket to watch the match? If I remember correctly, out of everyone in the Alliance, she loved to stare at you and curse you the most back then. It was such a tragedy that it was hard to look at, tsk tsk tsk¡­¡± Shen Changyu seemed to have recalled some unspeakable matter from the past, and his face suddenly revealed a pained expression. ¡°Captain Lin, can we not talk about this?¡± Upon seeing such an expression on his face, Lin Xiao couldn¡¯t help but feel tickled as he continued to smoke. He glanced at the clock hanging on the wall and said, ¡°Alright, it¡¯s already past 9pm. I¡¯ll send you downstairs. Today¡¯s match has been hard on you, go back early and rest.¡± The lights in the stairwell were a little dim. After the pair arrived downstairs, Shen Changyu looked at the slightly indistinguishable features of the person before him and felt an indescribable emotion. Lin Xiao stood in the middle of the lit area. One of his hands was placed into the pocket of his pants, while the other hand waved towards Shen Changyu as he said, ¡°See you at the club next month.¡± Lin Xiao¡¯s eyes harbored a deep emotion of joy. As Shen Changyu¡¯s eyes met Lin Xiao¡¯s, he also waved and said, ¡°I¡¯ll wait for you.¡± As the rental car began to drive off, that person¡¯s figure gradually grew more and more distant, before vanishing from his line of sight. Although Shen Changyu inevitably felt unwilling to part, the outcome he had attained today was enough to satisfy him. Half a month was not long at all. He believed that they would be able to meet again very soon. ________________ TL comments: So soft and fluffy <3 I love the dynamics between these two¡­I see them as the carefree, but capable (when necessary) older brother and the serious, but cute (only to his brother) younger brother. Also¡­is that a new ship for our best boy that I see?! Think something very similar to a studio apartment or a loft that¡¯s large enough for just one person. If you¡¯re interested in seeing some pictures, you can Google ¡°µ¥Éí¹«Ô¢¡±, but of course the one Lin Xiao stays in probably doesn¡¯t look as good. Literally without blushing and with no heart palpitations, aka no signs of lying. To be precise, it¡¯s like this: -_-||| CH 24.3 By the time he returned to the hotel, it was already almost 10pm. Shen Changyu had thought that everyone else would already be resting. However, when he pulled the door open and entered, he was shocked by the room full of people. Upon closer inspection, he found that almost all of his team members were present besides You Jing. From the looks of it, it seemed that they had deliberately not gone to sleep, waiting for him here instead. Shen Changyu was speechless. ¡°We just had a match, so why are all of you still so energetic.. ¡± Light seemed to flash from Liu Zeshen¡¯s glasses as he gave a slight smile tinted with suspicion. ¡°Vice Captain Shen, isn¡¯t it just because we were waiting for you?¡± Xu Yiming had been fighting with Xu Yichen over a bag of potato chips in a corner, both of them trying to grab it from the other. Who could have guessed that Xu Yichen would suddenly let go, causing Xu Yiming to step backwards too forcefully? He then stumbled and fell backwards, colliding heavily with the wall behind him. However, he did not pay much attention to the pain he felt at this moment. He lifted his head and looked at Shen Changyu with teary eyes and a questioning expression. ¡°Vice captain, tell me quick, what¡¯s going on between you and that gay? If you don¡¯t tell me, I don¡¯t think I can sleep at all tonight.¡± Qin Lei did not say anything. He sat at the foot of the bed which was at the side and silently nodded, expressing his agreement. ¡°I really can¡¯t win against all of you¡­¡± Shen Changyu did not know what else he could say. Yet, the truth of the matter between Lin Xiao and himself wasn¡¯t easily explainable. He had contemplated for a long time before thinking of a reason that he could give. And if you looked at it in a certain way, this reason was in line with what he had originally intended to do as well. ¡°Lin¡­Lin Xiao¡¯s skills and techniques are very strong. Initially, I made an appointment with him today because I wanted to take this opportunity to invite him to join our team.¡± As he finished speaking, the whole room fell into a strange bout of silence for some time. Then, this silence was shattered by Xu Yiming, who was the first to yell, ¡°Vice Captain Shen, are you crazy! To invite that¡­that that damned gay into our team? Within minutes, Captain You will definitely kill you first, and then him!¡± Everyone present couldn¡¯t help but imagine what would happen if You Jing saw that die-hard fan in the team. They felt as if a strange, unexplainable chill suddenly spread throughout their whole body and involuntarily began to shiver. Qin Lei looked up quietly and mumbled, ¡°Senior, is the temperature setting of the air conditioning a bit too low? I suddenly feel so cold¡­¡± Liu Zeshen took the remote and casually increased the temperature setting of the air conditioner by a few degrees. His posture remained unchanged since he did not get up, instead lounging elegantly on a pillow. He frowned slightly and asked, ¡°Are you being serious?¡± Shen Changyu nodded, ¡°I¡¯m serious, but he already rejected my offer.¡± Xu Yiming had not managed to catch his breath and immediately began to cough out fiercely, ¡°Rejected!? Vice Captain Shen, did you slam the door shut on his brain today? Having had such a good opportunity to get close to Captain You sent to his doorstep, I can¡¯t at all imagine what reason he would have to reject it!¡± Qin Lei secretly tugged at the corners of his clothes. ¡°Senior, why does it sound as if you really wanted him to join?¡± ¡°Who said so!¡± Xu Yiming glared at him. However, on second thought his words just now had indeed been rather inappropriate, so he immediately shut his mouth. Shen Changyu cleared his throat and tried to form a sentence with an awkward expression, extremely worried about how he should explain things. ¡°Actually¡­he¡¯s not like how you guys think he is¡­¡± Xu Yichen spoke naturally, cutting off his words, ¡°A crazed stalker and peeping tom who secretly takes pictures and rashly expresses his love by sending love letters that border on harassment and planning on forcefully kissing people at a fan meeting?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Shen Changyu did not speak any further and couldn¡¯t help but silently light a candle for Lin Xiao in his heart. ¡ª¡ª Captain Lin, based on this situation, it looks like you¡¯re on your own in the future. The good thing was that because of Lin Xiao¡¯s rejection, this topic stopped here without continuing any further. It was just that after tonight¡¯s discussion, the flow of the conversation suddenly shifted and began developing in a strange direction for some reason. They began to discuss more restrained ways in which they could pursue the targets of their affections. This went on till 11pm, when he saw the others off from his room. The moment he shut his door, Shen Changyu felt an all-encompassing sense of emptiness and exhaustion. His mind was so tired! He turned back, looking at Liu Zeshen, who was mindlessly watching TV, and tossed a stack of documents from his luggage over to him. ¡°I¡¯m going to take a bath. You can first look through and consider these. Once we have come up with a new set of battle strategies, we will probably have to completely revamp all of our battle styles.¡± After speaking, he entered the bathroom and did not see how Liu Zeshen was so shocked that his glasses dropped onto the floor. Through the closed door, he could still hear the loud exclamation of this great gentleman who had lost his composure in a rare fit. ¡°Change everything? You must be crazy!¡± ¡­¡­ After sending Shen Changyu off, Lin Xiao did not dawdle. His days were spent enthusiastically immersing himself in 1 vs 1 arena battles. After several consecutive days without rest or sleep, he had finally been promoted from the Fourth Division to the Second Division in one go. Henceforth, he could also be considered as one of the experts who were in the forefront of the arena rankings. As he swiftly won yet another battle, Lin Xiao looked with some satisfaction at the consecutive wins in his battle record. He yawned, feeling quite fatigued. When he raised his head, he saw a friend request pop up and casually closed it without taking a closer look. Recently, his performance in the arena had been pretty fierce. Thus, he had frequently encountered noisy trolls with lousy skills who would pepper him with insults. Be it his speed in typing out insults or his level of shamelessness, Lin Xiao personally felt that he was unmatched. Hence, when encountering such people, he would always treat them with the love, concern and sympathy that should be shown towards people with intellectual disabilities. He chose to calmly close off all the shouting these people did from his hearing. Inevitably, some of these people could not get over their anger and insisted on continuing with their insults even after the battle ended. If they acted this way, it was definitely a bit too much, wasn¡¯t it? Every time he encountered such people, Lin Xiao would type out an impressive ten lines of insults within a second with his explosive hand speed. After that, he would blacklist them before they had any chance to react. Having seen so many of these cases, he got sick of playing around with such a meaningless matter. Thus, things had developed to his current situation, where he would immediately reject any friend requests without even looking at them. This time, the ID he had rejected was called ¡°Time Crack¡± and their profession was a Ritualist1 If it had been anyone else, they would probably find this name familiar. It was a pity that this name happened to be outside of Lin Xiao¡¯s range of knowledge. Lin Xiao had rejected him without any thought. On the other side, in Team Seven Stars¡¯s player dormitory, Jiang Shiqi was feeling especially unsettled. ¡°Damn, they actually rejected my friend request?¡± Although he had just joined the eSports Alliance this year, he was still a professional player after all. Furthermore, he had been a wildly popular passerby expert prior to that. Most of the time, others would be trying to think of ways and means to reach out to him. This was really the first time that something like this had happened to him. ¡°Maybe they really don¡¯t know who you are?¡± Tang Qian, who lived in the same dormitory, just happened to come back after refilling his water. He walked over and glanced at the screen, finding a strange ID on it. ¡°Hm, I¡¯ve never seen this name before. Did they just get promoted to the Second Division?¡± ¡°Che, who knows! They might have had some easy battles2 and gotten promoted by sheer luck alone. For all you know, they might be pushed back down by other people within a few days.¡± Jiang Shiqi spoke in a disagreeable tone as he casually opened up the other person¡¯s battle records from the battle information screen3. Then, his whole body immediately froze in shock. Unsure of what he was seeing, he rubbed his eyes but the long string of nothing but wins in their record was still being displayed. His hand that was gripping the mouse involuntarily shook a little. As he continued to scroll further and further through their records, his expression turned more and more solemn while he did so. Even after he reached the last page, there had not been a single loss. He nearly threw his mouse in an uncontrollable outburst. ¡°Three pages of nothing but wins? It must be a lie!¡± Tang Qian, who had been standing behind him, had seen everything. His expression was one of disbelief, but still he did not forget to diss his teammate, ¡°I say, it looks like they won against you based on raw skill, it¡¯s not a matter of luck like what you said.¡± The corners of Jiang Shiqi¡¯s lips suddenly twitched slightly, but he couldn¡¯t think of a rebuttal. After all, he had no guarantee of being able to reproduce such a battle record. He stared at the screen for a long time, frowned and said, ¡°Although he isn¡¯t ranked in the First Division, this kind of win rate is pretty terrifying! What do you think, could this be a pro player¡¯s side account?¡± Tang Qian glanced at him with an expression conveying that he thought of him as an idiot. ¡°The League is currently ongoing, do you think a pro player would be so free as to rank up their side account in the game?¡± Jiang Shiqi choked, ¡°If it isn¡¯t a pro player, should we tell Captain? If we could scout him for our team, we would have found a treasure!¡± Tang Qian was silent for a moment as he looked at the character information on the screen. Then, he said, ¡°Currently, this person is part of the Black Dawn guild, so it¡¯s hard to say whether or not he has any relationship with Team Black Rose. Let¡¯s wait for a while and see how things go. After all, the most important thing for us right now is the League, so our team doesn¡¯t really have the energy to focus on other matters.¡± Jiang Shiqi nodded. ¡°Sure. I¡¯ll save this battle record for now and continue to monitor it now and then.¡± At this precise moment, Lin Xiao had poured himself a glass of water and returned to his computer. He had no idea that his strategy of using his battle performance in the arena to attract the pro teams¡¯ attention had already borne fruit. He slowly clicked his mouse and entered the matching queue for arena battles once more. When the matching was complete, the battle preparation screen was displayed, and his opponent¡¯s character ID appeared on the screen at the same time. ID: Great King of the Mountains At the same time, in live broadcast room number 1001 on the GY streaming platform, the screen of the streamer who was currently live displayed the exact same scene to his audience. ________________ TL comments: I really can¡¯t wait to see how Lin Xiao will fit into the dynamics of Team Black Rose as the grandmaster of shamelessness xD The word used means sacrifice, but that¡¯s kinda awkward for a job class name. Literally a blind cat that chanced upon a dead mouse, meaning an unexpected windfall that was unplanned for. In most games with PVP, there will be a post-match screen displayed that shows the battle statistics for that particular match. Sometimes, you can look at your opponent¡¯s profile and past records from that screen as well. CH 25.1 A-A+ editor: pidgon (Not proofread) At this moment, Little Monkey Lord was noticeably quieter than he had been at any other time. To be precise, he had been boisterously bragging to others just now, but the moment he saw his opponent¡¯s ID, it was as if he had suddenly eaten medicine that struck him dumb. He did not say a word for a long time. This strange change in his behaviour dumbfounded all of his stream viewers. However, when they saw how he had swiftly banned the Forest of Wilderness map immediately after the map banning interface appeared, many of them still typed their comments into the barrage straightaway: ¡°Why are you so anxious to ban this commonly banned map, what¡¯s the point!¡± ¡°Why do I feel like my Monkey has suddenly become a wimp!¡± ¡°The enemy is a Ghost Priest! 66661, has my Monkey recalled an unpleasant memory? I¡¯ll give you a hug to comfort you.¡± ¡°Monkey if you¡¯re such a wimp, you won¡¯t be able to find a girlfriend!¡± ¡­¡­ When Little Monkey Lord saw the barrage, he felt a bitterness in his heart that was hard to describe. When he saw the other person appear on his battle preparation screen, it was simply too shocking. Not much time had passed since then, yet this person had already rushed up to the Second Division? Even if he had previously been acting weak on a smurf account2, this should not have been possible! What was even more depressing was that he had coincidentally bumped into him yet again while streaming. He could only wipe away the bitter tears shed in his heart, sensing a strange premonition of his impending doom. Truly, enemies meet on a narrow road! It must be known that although the Second and Third Divisions of the arena ladder were only one rank apart, the difference between the skill levels of its players was as great as a chasm. Even if a player whose ranking points barely qualified for the Second Division dueled against players in the Third Division, they would basically be able to thoroughly suppress them in battle. Judging by the opposing Ghost Priest¡¯s current points, he definitely did not look like someone who had just been promoted. Since he could maintain a stable win to lose ratio in the Second Division, it was definitely not that he had successfully entered this extreme territory that was chock full of hidden experts3 by sheer luck alone. Currently, there was only one possible explanation ¨C his opponent had been a deeply concealed expert from the very beginning. When he recalled the time when he actually tried to use Adorable Ghost as a teaching prop while he had been on Chef Lu¡¯s account, Little Monkey Lord immediately felt a surge of pain in his body. The match from back then had brought him to his senses in such a painful manner. At the same time, it had unexpectedly allowed him to reach his current ¡°achievements¡±. This could truly be described as something joyful that arose out of his pain¡­it was because of this that Little Monkey Lord¡¯s feelings when he faced Adorable Ghost were complicated. To say it was hatred was a little too much. No matter what, this person could be said to have helped him in some way and was thus a benefactor who had brought him good fortune. But to say it was love, for him to love this Ghost Priest who had dangled a stick in front of him and sent him towards his death for fun? He wasn¡¯t a fxxking masochist! While harboring these complex emotions, the Tomahawk Warrior with the ID ¡°Great King of the Mountains¡± appeared at the Blue team¡¯s revival point as the game finished loading. When looking at the match-up of professions in this match, it was clear that although the Tomahawk Warrior did not hold an especially big advantage when it came to a 1 vs 1 duel. Still, it would not be easy for a ranged-type profession to kill a semi-defensive close ranged warrior whose health was only a fraction lower than that of a Holy Knight. Little Monkey Lord had lost last time, so this time he no longer let his guard down and took extra care while arranging his equipment. He selected gear with health recovery properties and decked out all of his equipment slots with these items. He also stacked up his magic resistance to the limit. Although he was currently participating in a PVP4 battle, his actions were more likely to make others think that he was a powerful MT5 from a PVE6-focused guild who were getting ready to fight against a boss that dealt magical damage! Using this type of equipment clearly displayed how much he wanted to avoid the fight. He had abandoned all avenues of dealing damage. This was simply a case of him taking the path of ¡°I¡¯m not at all prepared to kill you, but you definitely cannot kill me¡± to save face. No matter who he encountered, he would be able to survive to a disgusting extent. Many audience members in the live broadcast room had naturally discovered his actions, which were like that of a drunk person trying to make his escape. However, before they could start banding together to scold him, even more comments appeared in an instant, covering up most of the barrage: ¡°Quick! Quick quick! Quickly look at the enemy¡¯s character! Tell me, what do all of you see!¡± ¡°Excuse me?7 A red hooded? Ghost Priest? Shota?¡± ¡°Is it that? Is it that! Is it the guy from that video! Tell me, is it him!¡± ¡°He actually gave chase and killed his way from the Tenth Division to the Second Division? Is this the working of fate, or the mockery of destiny?¡± ¡°Just maintain your formation and march on, Little Monkey Lord. Don¡¯t think too much, take large strides for the sake of true love!¡± ¡°Just maintain your formation and march on, Little Monkey Lord. Don¡¯t think too much, take large strides for the sake of true love +1!¡± ¡°Just maintain your formation and march on, Little Monkey Lord. Don¡¯t think too much, take large strides for the sake of true love +2!¡± ¡°Just maintain your formation and march on, Little Monkey Lord. Don¡¯t think too much, take large strides for the sake of true love +10086!¡± ¡­¡­ At this moment, no one paid any more attention to whether or not Great King of the Mountains¡¯s equipment choices were his way of trying to avoid the fight or not. The equipment choices, which were specifically good for prolonging the fight, caused the live broadcast room to develop a harmonious atmosphere of ¡°We are quietly waiting to see how you will lovingly fight each other to the death¡±. The arena map was Lost City of the Vast Desert. The yellow sand all around them was swept into the air by the surging wind, blurring their vision considerably no matter where they looked. The most unique thing about this map was its highly limited visibility, as well as the occasional desert sandstorms that would buffet players from a specific direction. These added a lot of unpredictability to how battles played out on the map. The news that the opposing player was suspected to be the Little Red Riding Hood from the video spread like wildfire. After the viewers shared this with one another, the number of people watching the broadcast quickly spiked and, within minutes, had increased by 10,000. Everyone in the audience was excitedly trying to catch a glimpse of the mysterious Ghost Priest expert¡¯s appearance. There was even a significant number of people directly called for GG8 in their own arena battles after hearing the news, just for the sake of not missing this chance to take a look at the elusive expert who had made an appearance. The duel officially began. This time, neither player made use of any roundabout tactics. To be frank, in this map, it was all the same whether or not they chose to show mercy to the opponent or not. As long as two players met, they would more or less get straight to finishing the other person off. This was all the more so for a 1 vs 1 duel, which they were currently engaged in. There was no such thing as having teammates whom they could strategize with and form tactics such as ambushing the foe. Thus, both players could not even be bothered to enter the ancient city, choosing instead to head directly to the vast desert in the middle of the map to engage in battle. Lin Xiao used a few of his basic skills to test things out, and observed that the rate of his opponent¡¯s health loss and recovery was unusual. With this, he was more or less able to guess what their equipment was. To be honest, he still could not avoid feeling disgusted for a short moment. This piece of sh*t! If this had been a battle in the Alliance and both sides ended up fighting for 20-30 minutes, the pace would have been so slow that the organization would have been driven mad. They might even request for a rematch to prevent such instances from occurring. Lin Xiao frowned slightly, but his hands did not stop moving. After making up his mind, he quickly changed his tactics and fought as if it were a close-ranged battle. He even began to stick closely to the Tomahawk Warrior and began engaging in hand-to-hand combat. However, the Ghost Priest was ultimately still a magic-type class. Even if they used their skills, they might not be able to deal much damage to a Tomahawk Warrior with high magic resistance, not to mention using their staff to directly attack. It would be nothing more than a tickle. Unbeknownst to them both, time passed, yet Great King of the Mountains¡¯s health bar appeared not to have moved at all. Since Lin Xiao¡¯s attack power was not high enough to damage him, Little Monkey Lord felt much happier during this fight. Even if he wasn¡¯t able to deal a lot of damage with this set of equipment, thankfully the enemy was like paper9, so he would still be able to deal a little bit of damage! At least this time, the circumstances were more favorable and he could still see a glimmer of hope for victory. If there was one thing that made him feel rather depressed in this match, it was probably the enemy¡¯s movements ¨C Adorable Ghost always seemed to be able to predict what his next course of action would be. Even the slightest of his movements made Little Monkey Lord feel as if his hands and feet had been bound, making it difficult for him to act. ________________ TL comments: Sorry I had to split chapters again everyone >< Not only are the chapters getting longer (almost 2x the length of earlier chapters, which weren¡¯t short to begin with), but I have also been busy recently. Had to prepare for a job interview as well as other family matters. (I confess that my Switch games are also competing with translating for my free time¡­) Chinese Internet slang that means someone is very skilled, but in this case they¡¯re using it sarcastically to tease Monkey. Literally ¡°acting as a pig to eat the monkey¡±, it means to purposefully act weak so that the opponent underestimates you, then defeat them. Similar to how people in higher ranks use smurf accounts to act like a new player. Literally crouching tiger, hidden dragon. Yes, the same as the movie¡­ Player vs Player Short for Main Tank. This refers to the character in charge of taking all the damage from the main boss while other characters try to kill it. Short for Player vs Environment (or Monsters), for example, those who like to challenge difficult boss monsters This was in English in the raws. Aka surrender. Has low defense and thus takes a lot of damage. CH 25.2 He had originally thought that he would be able to easily clear out the opponent¡¯s health within 20 minutes. However, unexpectedly, he had barely cleared out a third of his health after 30 minutes. Going by this speed, getting the first kill would probably take him at least one hour, and he would still have to kill him two more times¡­ Thinking about this made Little Monkey Lord involuntarily feel a sense of anguish. All the people in the audience in his broadcast room were holding out, waiting to see a good show. Yet, who would have guessed that after such a long time, not much health had been cleared out. This caused them to experience a sudden feeling of depression. How was this anything like an exceedingly intense and hot blooded Second Division match? This was simply a lover¡¯s spat taking place in the wilderness! Tsk tsk tsk, look at their small, lackluster actions of pulling at and touching one another, they might as well just act out a fight in the wilderness1 and call it quits! The audience was god. As they grew more and more dissatisfied while spectating, they immediately filled the whole barrage screen with complaining comments that were lined up like a bunch of troops. It was at this moment that Adorable Ghost¡¯s staff suddenly flashed. Upon the skill¡¯s release, a few dry and withered mummified hands rose up from the ground, holding Great King of the Mountains firmly in place and imprisoning him. It was a soft control skill that only lasted for two seconds. Initially, Little Monkey Lord was not bothered by this at all. He was reveling the fact that he had taken out half of the enemy¡¯s health, and preparing himself to charge forward and continue with his assault once the skill¡¯s effects ended. Who would have thought that Adorable Ghost would not take any further action, instead decisively choosing to turn tail and run. Nani2? Why3? Little Monkey Lord was unable to discern what Adorable Ghost¡¯s actions meant and was completely dumbfounded. However, the changes that suddenly took place before his eyes quickly gave him the answer. Yellow sand swiftly began shifting about chaotically in the sand dune about 20 spaces away from Great King of the Mountains. Shortly afterwards, a sandstorm blew a tall layer of sand up around him. Because it had all happened so quickly, the sand seemed to have gotten stuck onto his face. Great King of the Mountains¡¯s vision was immediately obscured by the swirling yellow sand. As the Tomahawk Warrior was buffeted by the howling winds of a tornado, he was swept away in a dizzying movement that caused his entire screen to shake. This caused him to completely lose his senses, fly away, fly high¡­4 Once the storm ended, Little Monkey Lord was initially prepared to use the propelling motion of his skills to counteract his fall and make a safe landing. However, when he was getting ready to use his skill, he discovered that all of his skill icons were greyed out5. He was rendered speechless by the fact that Adorable Ghost had predicted the coordinates at which he would fall. Little Monkey Lord felt depressed, and had no choice but to silently loosen up his hands. The magic resistance that he had stacked onto himself could not help him defend against fall damage at all. It was impossible for him to live after falling from such a height. [System] First Blood! As he helplessly and detachedly watched his screen turn grey, Little Monkey Lord waited for the respawn cooldown to end before returning to the revival point. Then, he enthusiastically stepped upon the yellow sand that filled the land and travelled back towards where he had been previously. From how he had been thoroughly abused that time in the Forest of Wilderness, to how his IQ had been suppressed when he had been outsmarted by Adorable Ghost, he felt as if he had more or less become numb. Adorable Ghost¡¯s methods were too profound, so all he could do was silently bear it¡­ Very quickly, he returned to the location where they had both fought just now. Little Monkey Lord hadn¡¯t even had the time to charge forth when a speech bubble suddenly popped up on the map. Adorable Ghost: ¡°Hm? Are you the Monkey streamer from that something something broadcasting platform?¡± When Little Monkey Lord saw these words, he immediately regained his spirits. He felt as if his face6 had been restored the moment his true identity had been recognized. All his feelings of listlessness immediately dissipated like a puff of smoke. Without really caring about the fact that the other wasn¡¯t able to see him at all, he subconsciously straightened his back and puffed out his chest. ¡°That¡¯s right! I am the great Little Monkey Lord, the streamer from GY broadcasting platform¡¯s channel 1001! I am the undisputed number one in the universe when it comes to humor! Everyone who sees me loves me! Whenever I go, flowers will bloom and car tires will go flat!¡± Some time passed. Just as he thought that his title had scared away his opponent, Adorable Ghost finally responded. ¡°Amazing, that¡¯s quite long. ^_^~¡± That faintly smiling emoji, it was that faintly smiling emoji again¡­as Little Monkey Lord looked at those three words7, he felt like he was being shown an immeasurable amount of ridicule. He felt his anger slowly rising in his chest, but since he was currently being watched by tens of thousands of viewers, he could only restrain himself and continue playing the fool with a thick skin. ¡°How¡¯s that, you¡¯re scared, aren¡¯t you? If you¡¯re scared then call GG! Surrender and I won¡¯t kill you!¡± To be honest, a situation like the present, where a perfectly good duel had turned into a scene of two players chatting face to face, was really quite funny. It was just that Little Monkey Lord, whose brain had been mixed into mush by the other person, had not at all sensed that anything was amiss. Rather, he was so delighted by the fact that his famous name had been recognized by the other person that he felt as if he was flying high up in the sky. ¡ª¡ª I, Monkey, am a famous person too, alright! He controlled Great King of the Mountains to flamboyantly take a few steps back and forth. He was just getting ready to say something, but because the opponent¡¯s following words caused his fingers to shake, his Tomahawk Warrior released a few skills into thin air from his current position. This looked exceptionally funny, as if he was trying to follow a specific theme to fool around for his broadcast. Adorable Ghost: ¡°Surrender? Sure!¡± Then, the 2 letters ¡°GG¡± really appeared on this day¡¯s channel8. Not just Little Monkey Lord, but even the entire audience in the broadcasting room went completely crazy after seeing the system¡¯s notification that the match had ended. How could it have ended so quickly!? F**k f**k f**k, they had all taken their pants off9 for the sake of this fated duel, yet this was the scene that they were presented with!? Regardless of how they felt, the outcome of the battle could not be changed. As they left the arena map and returned to the lobby screen, everyone felt as if they had been tossed about by a strong wind. Little Monkey Lord stared at his screen in a daze. Evidently, he was still unable to process or respond to what had just happened. Could Adorable Ghost really have been scared off by him? But even if he was as supernaturally powerful as Sun Wukong, the opponent was like the alluring White Bone Demon10! After saying he would GG, he immediately GGed? When he had begun this battle, he had not anticipated at all that it would have such an ending! Right as he was deep in thought and trying to make sense of the situation, a friend request from Adorable Ghost popped up on his screen. After selecting ¡°Confirm¡±, Little Monkey Lord received a message from Adorable Ghost very quickly. Adorable Ghost: ¡°Great Mr Broadcaster, since I have satisfied you with GG, shouldn¡¯t you also satisfy a small little request of mine?¡± He was still live streaming, why was he being thrust into the role of someone who was secretly bribing an actor to play out a script!? Under the focus of tens of thousands of pairs of eyes, Little Monkey Lord tearfully replied, ¡°I¡¯m really thankful to you!¡± Adorable Ghost: ¡°I¡¯ve heard that you normally sell some of your video recordings to a few producers, can you recommend a way for me to make money too? ^_^~¡± The moment Little Monkey Lord saw these words, his hands shook, and he immediately shut down his broadcast with an explosive burst of hand speed. It was completely quiet in the broadcast room, before the channel almost exploded from the large number of barrage comments it received11. Little Monkey Lord spinelessly peeked at his broadcast room, which had been completely blasted by the viewers¡¯ comments despite the black screen. He took a deep breath and finally took control of the very last shred of his rationality. ¡°I say, bro, on the account of the shared destiny12 we have between us, recommending you is not a big issue for me. It¡¯s just, I¡¯m not sure if you still remember. When you were in the Tenth Division, there was a summoner called ¡®Chef Lu¡¯ whom you fought against once, wasn¡¯t there?¡± Lin Xiao thought back, but was unable to recall this. Thus, he replied, ¡°Of course I remember. So that was you? We really were destined to meet!¡± Little Monkey Lord went silent for a moment, before responding, ¡°No matter what, you could still be considered as having ¡°helped¡± me before. So, I will help you this time, I¡¯ll help you! Recently Ah Hang¡¯s side has been requesting for some material on 3 vs 3 matches. Why don¡¯t you see if you can arrange for a team to record a video with you?¡± Lin Xiao replied, ¡°3 vs 3? Easy! It¡¯s just, I don¡¯t know what the prices are like?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about the price, it is definitely considered a good price for the industry!¡± Little Monkey Lord felt as if he had choked on a mouthful of blood. Finally, he weakly added, ¡°Don¡¯t fight battles in the Tenth Division to make up the numbers, you must fight in at least the Third Division or above¡­¡± Satisfied, Lin Xiao told Little Monkey Lord to wait for his news. Then, he turned away and began scrolling through his friend list. There was a reason why he still had an impression of this Monkey, whose account was Great King of the Mountains. Previously, after Shen Changyu had discovered his identity, he had conducted some research specifically into the ¡°money making¡± streaming industry. Actually, the so-called low barriers to entry were mainly applicable to cute girls. Furthermore, accumulating popularity as a streamer was a long process. This career was not very reliable for him, an unknown god-level player with an uncertain future and not much free time. Thus, he set his sights on the explosively popular videos which were hot topics on the various Internet platforms they were uploaded onto. He had been mulling over the fact that he did not know anyone who had a clear understanding of the industry whom he could learn the trends from, when coincidentally, he had met this streamer on the arena ladder. By selling his recorded materials, he could not only raise his account, but also earn money at the same time, thus killing two birds with one stone. There weren¡¯t many people on Lin Xiao¡¯s friend list. After scanning through it, he first sent a message to Laughing Sky, whose status was currently set to Idle. ¡°Brother, want to team up and play 3 vs 3?¡± Actually, these two people had not spoken a word to each other ever since they had added each other as friends. After all, Laughing Sky had been thoroughly abused by Lin Xiao during the guild battles before. He13 had just silently left him on his friend list, making the relationship between them rather awkward. Yet the first message he received was this strange invitation to fight in a team battle. Laughing Sky¡¯s response was extremely direct. ¡°I¡¯ll play.¡± Lin Xiao smiled. He liked men like this who were direct and forthright in their actions. In that case, since they already had two damage-dealers, they were just missing a healer. However, the selection of his final teammate admittedly worried him a little. He thought long and hard. Should he invite that Clear Sky from the guild? After all, she really seemed to detest the sight of him¡­ While he was deep in thought, a portrait on his friend list suddenly lit up. Lin Xiao looked at Hello Kitty, the ID that had not come online for all this time, and broke out into an enlightened smile. Without thinking twice, he immediately sent over a message. ¡°Sister Hello Kitty, long time no see! Want to play a 3 vs 3 team battle? ^_^~¡± Hello Kitty: ¡°Sure. Carry me14.¡± ________________ TL comments: And so they meet again ^_^~ I usually try to stay 1 chapter ahead of the weekly releases, but since I¡¯ve been busy lately, I haven¡¯t been able to keep to that. So I will be taking a week¡¯s break to catch up. *fingers crossed that I can get more TLing done* >< Some games allow you to attack people in regular maps outside of PVP/Arena battles. These regular maps are usually referred to as ¡°the wilderness¡± in this context. A loan word, the pinyin sounds exactly like the Japanese words for ¡°what¡±. This was in English in the raws. ¡°fly away, fly high¡± is in English in the raws. I can¡¯t remember if I¡¯ve mentioned this before, but this means that the skill cannot be used at that point in time. This could be due to a lot of reasons e.g. not enough energy/mana, getting silenced/skill blocked, etc¡­ This means something along the lines of pride or dignity, but if you have read a lot of other CNovels you probably already knew this! In case it¡¯s not clear, he¡¯s referring to ¡°That¡¯s quite long¡±. It¡¯s not really specified, but I assume this is in the chat box or something under a special Arena tab. Figuratively of course. It means something along the lines of them being ready to be satisfied *cough* This is a reference to Journey to the West. Tl;dr the White Bone Demon or Baigujing was a shapeshifting spirit who framed Sun Wukong, making Tang Sanzang think that he had murdered innocents. If you are familiar with Youtube or Twitch broadcasts, this is like how you can still chat in the stream room right after the stream ends. Referring to how they happened to meet multiple times and thus making it a fateful occasion. Referring to Laughing Sky. Literally take me to win while I¡¯m lying down. I¡¯ve used the English equivalent aka ¡°carry me to victory¡±. CH 26.1 Like this, the team members were officially confirmed. Lin Xiao considered himself very satisfied with the lineup. There was no need to discuss Laughing Sky¡¯s capabilities. After all, he was a ¡°passerby king¡±. This title was not one that just any player could easily claim. As for Hello Kitty, it would be fine as long as she was happy with being carried. With Laughing Sky, this universally acknowledged big thigh1, to protect her, any failure on his part to carry Hello Kitty up the ranks would affect his pride so much that he would no longer have the face to keep hanging around them. For additional reassurance, Lin Xiao shared his true reason for participating in this 3 vs 3 team battle with the other two people very honestly. When he finished his explanation, to express his sincerity, he especially added, ¡°If we can cooperate on this, I will definitely split the profits earned from selling the video materials between us evenly.¡± Laughing Sky was the first to respond. Although Lin Xiao was merely looking at the chatbox, he was strangely able to envision the other¡¯s facial expression of not being bothered by this small amount of money. ¡°We¡¯ll just fight, no need to think of all these small matters. One video is only worth so much, if you really do sell it you can keep the money for yourself. Anyway, I don¡¯t need it.¡± This was followed by Hello Kitty¡¯s reply, which was clear and concise. ¡°Anything¡¯s fine.¡± These are the world¡¯s best teammates! Gratified, Lin Xiao quickly set up a new team for the 3 vs 3 battles. After adding the other two as members, he sent over an invitation to join his voice chat. Laughing Sky had just entered the chat room. The moment he spoke, he immediately expressed his very obvious dissatisfaction towards their team name, ¡°¡®In the name of the moon, I will punish you¡¯? What kind of team name is this! Are we Sailor Moon cosplayers?¡± His voice was refreshing, putting others at ease. It gave the impression that he was a brave and gregarious Northerner2, yet because it carried his own unique flavor, it was very easy on the ears and comfortable to listen to. Lin Xiao laughed, ¡°Even if we really were Sailor Moon cosplayers, your role would definitely be Tuxedo Mask3, Great Sky.¡± Laughing Sky: ¡°¡­¡± ¡ª¡ª There didn¡¯t seem to be anything wrong with the words he was hearing, but why did he feel like something was amiss? But when he imagined how he would look after putting on the Tuxedo Mask outfit, he finally nodded, deciding to accept this decision cheerfully. After he finished placating Laughing Sky, Lin Xiao turned his attention towards Hello Kitty, who had been silent ever since she had joined the voice channel. ¡°Sister, are you there? Say something if you are.¡± There was still no response. Only two words showed up in the chat window at the bottom of the screen. ¡°No mic.¡± ¡°No problem, it¡¯s fine as long as you can hear us.¡± Lin Xiao merely chalked it up as a maiden being shy in front of strangers and did not push for her to speak. ¡°Then, shall we begin now?¡± Laughing Sky: ¡°We have nothing better to do after all, let¡¯s start.¡± Hello Kitty: ¡°Start.¡± ¡­ After he finished creating the party, Lin Xiao invited the other two to join. They entered the arena queue and began the process of being matched to an opponent. Since they were a newly formed team, they were matched based on the default ranking points4. Thus, they were matched to an opponent in the Seventh Division. When the preparation process had come to an end and they were being sent to the map, Laughing Sky asked in their team chat, ¡°How are we going to fight?¡± Lin Xiao had one of his legs propped up on his chair. His sleepy eyes shut, then opened again somewhat lazily. ¡°Let¡¯s fight casually. Everyone we face will be the same. After all, when the time comes, it¡¯ll be fine as long as both of us pick one to kill.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Although this carefree attitude was really asking for a slap, Laughing Sky had no means to refute his words. He was very clear on the fact that the other¡¯s level was definitely higher than his. It did indeed sound silly for a player with this level of ability to bother about formulating tactics for a small Seventh Division match like this. After giving it some thought, he suddenly gave a suggestion, ¡°Why don¡¯t we compete on who can take first blood?¡± Lin Xiao knew that he had been brooding over his defeat in the guild battles all this time, thus he was also quite interested in the suggestion he put forth. ¡°If we play like this, then it feels a lot more meaningful.¡± Thus, once all of the characters had spawned on the map, Adorable Ghost and Laughing Sky directly charged towards the opponent¡¯s base without saying a word. At the same time, Laughing Sky¡¯s hearty laughter resounded in the voice channel, ¡°Ahahahahaha, just you wait, you enemy vegetables5! Grandpa is coming!¡± The pitiful opponents, who were completely unaware of their circumstances, had mysteriously turned into tools used by two stinky, shameless rogues6 to compete with one another. Once both teams met in the center of the map, the opposing team discovered that there were only two people there. All of them innocently and naively rushed forth without making any preparations at all¡­but, they very quickly made a discovery that caused them to cry a face full of tears. How was the other team here playing PVP, they were simply treating them as trash mobs in the game, they couldn¡¯t even be considered to be obstructive mini bosses! This time, Lin Xiao did not take the Curse Ghost skill path. Rather, he chose the Blood Ghost path, which was focused on dealing more burst damage7. As for his selection of equipment, he merely stacked his magic damage up to the limit. Furthermore, he especially chose equipment that granted a life stealing8 effect to his magic spells. His thoughts when facing such a low-end match were very simple ¨C he wanted to start and end battles quickly. Only then would he be able to rise through the ranks more efficiently. Compared to the enthusiastic charge of the other two, Hello Kitty merely stood at the revival point for a while, after which she seemed to have regained her senses, slowly ambling out of their base camp. Her attitude expressed that the entire situation had nothing to do with her at all. In Team Black Rose¡¯s player dorms, You Jing was clad in a baggy T-shirt, and the hair he had just washed had not been blown dry yet. From time to time, droplets of water ran down the sides of his face and neck. Thus, his exquisite clavicle also grew slightly damp, creating an exceedingly tempting, sexy aura. His left hand was placed motionlessly before him. Because he had just applied his ointment, it gave off the faint scent of medicine. His right hand moved the mouse to steadily control Hello Kitty¡¯s movements. Once his character was finally able to see the other two members who were engaged in battle, he chose some well-hidden shrubs and stopped there, no longer moving forward. Although Adorable Ghost¡¯s performance in the previous guild battle was indeed remarkable, no matter what, the level of the enemies had been too uneven. Thus, it was not a sufficient basis for You Jing to gauge his skill level. Back then, he had requested this account from Manager Ye because he intended to disguise himself using this identity to observe this person even more closely. If they could keep progressing forward in this team battle, once they reached the Second Division, it would certainly be a prime opportunity for him to carry out his observation. Of course, before evaluating his skills, he wanted to see if Adorable Ghost would be able to smoothly rise up to the Second Division under the current circumstances, where a team member was ¡°absent¡±. This requirement might seem harsh to others, but to You Jing, it was merely an entry-level test. The scene of the battle was quite dazzling to the eye. Yet, his calm gaze was always fixed on that small black and red silhouette. He did make some evaluations on his performance, but mostly he silently observed each of his micromovements. However, the difference in skill was too vast. Even if it was just two of them against three foes, he was still able to cause them a lot of trouble. To be more precise, describing the state of the enemy as just tragic was not sufficient. After Adorable Ghost took first blood, they swiftly obtained victory. ¡°They are really too weak, they actually died so quickly.¡± Laughing Sky, having been unsuccessful in killing any of them, felt rather indignant. He began to diss the enemy¡¯s level of skill over the voice channel without holding anything back. ¡°To make these types of moves and with this level of coordination, they should practice a lot more before crawling out for more battles. Embarrassing, so very embarrassing!¡± ¡°It¡¯s good that they¡¯re weak, then it¡¯ll be efficient for us to earn points!¡± Lin Xiao laughingly went along with his implication. After the game ended and they returned to the lobby screen once more, he asked, ¡°Want to continue?¡± Laughing Sky gritted his teeth and replied, ¡°Let¡¯s continue, I will definitely defeat you this time!¡± Lin Xiao chuckled and did not drag things out. Very quickly, they entered their second match. Adorable Ghost took first blood, Adorable Ghost took first blood, Adorable Ghost took first blood yet again¡­as time passed, the team¡¯s rank had already jumped up from the Seventh to the Fourth Division. Laughing Sky was despondent. ¡°I really believe that you¡¯re evil!¡± Just when they were ready to begin the next battle, a ringing sound was transmitted over from the other side. Lin Xiao heard Laughing Sky say ¡°Hold on¡±. Seeing that he needed to take a call, he stopped and waited for him. He could make out the contents of the other¡¯s conversation from start to finish. ¡°What did you say, they don¡¯t want to transfer that piece of land in B city to us yet again? I¡¯ve told you that if this little matter isn¡¯t negotiated well, then I could fire you tomorrow¡­ah that¡¯s right¡­yes yes yes, I will emphasize to you once again, when talking to them, you definitely must remember to¡­¡± As he gradually moved further away from the mic, the sound of him talking over the phone gradually grew more faint as well. Lin Xiao began sweating. No wonder this person had never been moved by any invitations to join the Professional Alliance, and also looked down on that small amount of money from the videos that he had mentioned previously. So he was actually a rich and powerful big boss? For a person to be able to attain the position of a boss and yet be able to play Zone so well, this person¡¯s level of awesomeness was one in a million¡­ Laughing Sky had left to take his phone call, so there was no one talking in the voice chat, causing the channel to fall into a sudden, strange silence. Lin Xiai really didn¡¯t have anything to do. He looked at Hello Kitty¡¯s ID, then directly began to make small talk. ¡°Sister, has this night of lying down9 been comfortable for you?¡± You Jing glanced at the sea of green that was the battle results10 and was compelled to agree. ¡°It¡¯s been alright.¡± Lin Xiao: ¡°Do you feel that these older brothers are very cool?¡± Older brothers? You Jing¡¯s eyebrows raised slightly. ¡°Oh, First and Second Division players are bullying noobs11, is that cool?¡± Lin Xiao laughed, ¡°Don¡¯t say it like that. After all it was two against three, the enemy won in terms of numbers.¡± You Jing did not buy it. ¡°But their standard is terrible.¡± Lin Xiao mused, ¡°Then which Division do we need to be at to be considered as high level?¡± You Jing: ¡°At least Second Division or above.¡± Lin Xiao was rendered speechless. ¡°Sister, your expectations are a little high, the average player cannot meet them.¡± You Jing: ¡°Can you?¡± Lin Xiao chuckled, ¡°Of course I must! Lie down comfortably, I guarantee that your points will skyrocket!¡± The hand that You Jing had placed on the keyboard paused. His expression shook briefly, and the corners of his lips tilted up slightly. ¡°I¡¯ll see how you perform.¡± ________________ TL comments: *reads banter* Bruh these two are low key flirting with each other already¡­ Also happy holidays everyone ^_^~ A powerful supporter. Northern Chinese are often known/stereotyped to be very blunt and unfiltered in their speech. Tl;dr one of the few male characters in Sailor Moon The matching is typically based on these points so that the strong fight the strong and the weak fight the weak. Vegetables, and sometimes herbivores (who eat vegetables), are often used to address weak people in Chinese. Actually the word used here is closer to ¡°rascal¡± in meaning, but I couldn¡¯t resist using this instead. Refers to dealing a lot of damage at once. Most damage dealing classes tend to fall under this category. Life steal (or sometimes blood suck) refers to recovering part of the damage dealt by a character¡¯s attacks to their HP. As a reminder, this means to be carried to win. For victory, vs losses which would be in red. Literal meaning is to abuse vegetables, aka the weak. CH 26.2 After coming back, Laughing Sky briefly skimmed through their conversation in the chat records and asked the other two what they had been talking about. However, although Lin Xiao appeared to be in a pretty good mood, he didn¡¯t answer any of his questions. Rather, he cleared his throat, then entered the matching queue once more. Victory, victory, and yet another victory. However, in Laughing Sky¡¯s perspective it was always failure, failure, and yet another failure. It was as if the current events had all been scripted in advance. In every match, both of them charged forth, facing the enemy head on. Then, they were immersed in battle. Not even five minutes later, Adorable Ghost and Laughing Sky would consecutively take two kills. The third player remaining would then die tragically under the concentrated assault of them both. Thus, they would smoothly secure the overall victory. Like this, the so-called bullying of noobs was in full swing. Everything happened naturally, without any suspense. Hence, the entire process caused them to feel exceedingly bored. When he saw the Victory symbol appear on his screen once again, Lin Xiao yawned for the nth time, having lost track of how many times he had yawned in total. He leaned back into his chair, stretching his body to loosen it up. Fifteen consecutive wins. Because Zone was designed in such a way that players would gain bonus points for getting consecutive wins, the party had swiftly risen through the ranks, getting promoted from the Seventh to the Third Division. Currently, they were just a step away from breaking through to the Second Division. To a certain extent, this in itself was proof of the terrifying extent of their abilities. Furthermore, Hello Kitty, the Priest who very clearly did nothing from start to finish, was also present in this team that had been established at the last minute. When faced with this Priest sister who had been leeching onto their victories this whole time, Laughing Sky still behaved in a sufficiently gentlemanly manner. Not only did he not make the slightest complaint, he even enthusiastically asked, ¡°Are we still continuing?¡± Lin Xiao was able to discern the fatigue in his voice. Glancing at the time, he realized that it was close to 2am. ¡°We are just one battle away from being promoted to the Second Division. How about we just clear that battle now? It would be awkward to leave it hanging like this.¡± Laughing Sky perked up. ¡°Bring it!¡± Lin Xiao: ¡°Sister, if you¡¯re tired you can head to bed. After we enter the map, you can just leave your character at the revival point.¡± You Jing: ¡°Both of you keep going, no need to bother about me.¡± Laughing Sky laughed heartily, ¡°Good sister, you sure are cold and aloof. I like it! Since I¡¯ve carried you for the whole night, want to leave me your contact details?¡± You Jing did not pay him any heed. Laughing Sky had been completely ignored, but strangely, this made him perk up. At this moment, they had just entered the battle. He unintentionally glanced at the enemy¡¯s lineup and couldn¡¯t help but to let out an ¡°oh¡± sound. ¡°The battles we¡¯ve fought the whole night have almost put me to sleep, but now we¡¯ve finally started bumping into more interesting teams.¡± Lin Xiao scanned through the enemy team. There were a few IDs, all of which were unfamiliar to him. He couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°You know them?¡± Laughing Sky: ¡°Heh heh, they¡¯re in my guild, so I¡¯m definitely familiar with them. That Sound of Sea Tides has been chasing after my ass for one on one battles. He has always been jealous of my title as the Number One Shadow Swordsman in our guild!¡± From his tone of voice, Lin Xiao couldn¡¯t help but to sense that there was some gossip to be had. He acted as if he was sleepy, slowly distancing himself from this topic. When Laughing Sky had gotten a clear look at their opponents¡¯ IDs, their opponents had naturally also been able to take note of theirs. The team was called ¡°If you¡¯re dissatisfied, come and hit me¡±, and its three members were all from the Heaven guild, which Laughing Sky belonged to. However, at this moment in their team¡¯s voice chat, there was not even a hint of the happiness felt from meeting someone they had known for a long time. Rather, the tone of Sound of Sea Tides¡¯s voice was permeated with a strange sarcasm. ¡°Oh ho, look who we have bumped into? It¡¯s the highly acclaimed passerby king!¡± As a Shadow Swordsman who was ranked within the top 10 of his class in the arena, Sound of Sea Tides always felt like his position and identity was at stake due to Laughing Sky¡¯s presence in the guild. Naturally, these feelings of dissatisfaction made it difficult for both of them to get along with each other. Needless to say, the other members of his team knew about his thoughts. Thus, they were well-practiced in handling his verbal jabs, and they subtly redirected his attention to the other two members of the opposing team. Adorable Ghost and Hello Kitty? Never seen them before! Once he pulled up the character information of the other two members of the enemy team, the Ritualist Ode to Joy immediately felt somewhat speechless. ¡°When did Sky start hanging around people from Black Dawn?¡± Sound of Sea Tides had not noticed this previously. Upon hearing these words, he scoffed, ¡°I¡¯ve known for a long time that this fella¡¯s heart was never with our guild. Didn¡¯t we hear that he had pulled out of the guild battle early before? From the looks of things now, it seems it is only a matter of time before he jumps ship and leaves the guild.¡± The Priest Snow Fox guessed, ¡°Could it be a coincidence? It seems like he¡¯s been carrying a girl?¡± Sound of Sea Tides was greatly tickled. ¡°Ha, carrying a girl, that¡¯s truly a pity. Seeing as we¡¯ll steal his thunder in front of the girl, it seems things will end here for them.¡± From the start of this evening till now, their ¡°Dissatisfied¡± team had already gotten five consecutive victories and their momentum was pretty good. If they could maintain their current state, it might even be possible for them to be directly promoted to the First Division before the sun came up. Although the 3 vs 3 arena rankings did not affect the individual rankings, reaching the First Division was not a feat that just anyone could attain. On normal days, they could barely even dream of getting five consecutive wins, but the good fortune that they had experienced today inevitably had them feeling a little like they were floating on clouds. ¡°Laughing Sky was carrying a girl? Then we will viciously beat him up in front of her! We will defeat him so soundly that he will be brought to his knees, then expose him for consorting with the enemy before the guild leader, heh heh¡­¡± Sound of Sea Tides was in a great mood as he began plotting. As the loading completed and they entered the map, he began to taunt the other side, ¡°Sky, what a coincidence! Have you been very free recently, are you carrying girls now?¡± Laughing Sky chuckled at him and replied, ¡°None of your fxxking business.¡± Sound of Sea Tides: ¡°Tsk tsk tsk, why are you being so fierce? Is it because you know that you will be utterly creamed this match?¡± Lin Xiao found this scene interesting and couldn¡¯t resist interjecting, ¡°Hey, the handsome guy on the opposing side, you¡¯re mistaken in saying this.¡± Sound of Sea Tides: ¡°How am I wrong? Do you still think you can defeat us while carrying a girl?¡± Lin Xiao: ¡°How is Great Laughing Sky the one who is carrying a girl, it¡¯s obviously this moe moe sister who is carrying him! Look at your team name, your wish to get hit is a little perverted. If you¡¯re not careful, in the name of the moon, I will punish you! ^_^~¡± Sound of Sea Tides: ¡°¡­¡± Laughing Sky¡¯s voice in the team channel was filled with pain and suffering. ¡°¡­I suddenly kind of feel like throwing up.¡± Sound of Sea Tides only came to his senses after a few seconds had passed. He forced himself to ignore the living object who spoke in such a strange tone just now and shifted his focus to Hello Kitty. Right out in broad daylight, he began trying to drive a wedge into their relationship. ¡°Sister Priest, if our team wins this match, add us as friends, will you?¡± No response came from her after a long time, and he immediately began sending the exact same words five more times. Finally, You Jing responded emotionlessly with three words: ¡°You¡¯re too weak.¡± Following this, the opponents turned completely silent. What was considered a massacre? This was! ¡°Give them an excruciatingly painful death!¡± A roar rang out in the ¡°Dissatisfied¡± team¡¯s voice chat. ¡°First, settle that nanny!¡± On the other side, with Laughing Sky¡¯s smug and satisfied laughter in the background, Lin Xiao felt the effects of Hello Kitty¡¯s demeanor, which could cause others to feel disgusted regardless of time and place. In admiration, he said, ¡°Sister, your mocking techniques are even better than mine! I really admire you! I truly thank you from the bottom of my heart for the grace of not looking down on us!¡± After scanning through the individual ranks of the three opponents, You Jing finally closed the laptop that had been playing a video of the League the whole night. As for Lin Xiao¡¯s final words, he merely lifted his eyebrows slightly in a noncommittal response. ________________ TL comments: Happy New Year everyone! Here¡¯s to another great year with Lin Xiao and the gang ^_^~ Can I just say, I admire Lin Xiao¡¯s trash talk more and more with each chapter LOL. And¡­did this part just set a record for having no footnotes? :p CH 27.1 Evidently, after experiencing life or death battles to be promoted to the Second Division, the trio1 had already begun to be matched up against proper arena teams within the Second Division. Laughing Sky was very familiar with the skill levels of the opposing ¡°Dissatisfied¡± team. The three were fixed team members2 who were not particularly easy to deal with. Even so, when he asked Lin Xiao if they should prepare any particular strategies when facing them, he still received the same answer as before. ¡°Of course, it¡¯s still the same. You kill one, and I kill one.¡± Very good, very simple, very unrefined, yet this really suited Laughing Sky¡¯s tastes a lot. At this moment, he no longer tried to be polite. He behaved like a rich second generation son who was gleefully selecting an escort to accompany him to a nightclub as he said, ¡°In that case, Sound of Sea Tides should obviously be left for me.¡± Lin Xiao glanced at the enemy¡¯s lineup and casually replied, ¡°Then, I will kill the Priest in this match first. But Sister, this time you must follow me closely.¡± By all rights, Laughing Sky, who had chosen to pit himself against Sound of Sea Tides, should be in a slightly more dangerous situation. Yet no one questioned Lin Xiao¡¯s judgment in making this decision. After all, his parting words to the other team just now had been too lethal. If nothing unexpected happened, he would definitely be the first target of all of the opponents¡¯ attacks. After the delegation was complete, Laughing Sky immediately made his move, circling around the sides of the map towards the enemy. As for Adorable Ghost, he casually moved forward, bringing along the Great Hello Kitty-sama with him. Although, at the very least, it seemed like their team was not charging forth mindlessly right from the start, as the match progressed, things proceeded rather similarly to their previous matches. Once both sides encountered each other, they immediately charged forth, meeting each other head on. The opposing three players were all very clearly sprinting towards Hello Kitty. After Adorable Ghost chanted a spell, a Thorn of the Void rose up from the ground at which he stood. Right after this, he slipped away and retreated at the very same moment Hello Kitty had taken a step backwards. Because the map was too dim, it was hard to see. After a second passed, the Thorn burst open, and their pursuers stepped on it without realizing. After the enemy group took damage from the Thorn, they were all rooted to the ground where they stood thanks to the Petrification effect of the Thorn. This allowed the distance between them to increase in an instant. Adorable Ghost¡¯s movements did not stop. He held his staff aloft and twirled it, immediately casting a tormenting curse on Snow Fox. The resulting Corrosive effect enveloped Snow Fox¡¯s character in a layer of dark green light. Over the 30 second duration of the curse, his health bar was slowly chipped away by its harmful effects with every second that passed. After the Petrification effect came to an end, Snow Fox immediately used a minor heal spell on himself to recover his lowered HP. He was about to release a party heal skill, but his skill casting was interrupted by a figure that suddenly rushed into their group. After Laughing Sky had successfully snuck around them, he charged and attacked them from behind. With a sweeping Whirlwind Slash, he caught them by surprise, stopping all of them from releasing their skills. Then he strode forward, thunder crackling on his broadsword, and almost seamlessly executed three Thunderbolt Blitz attacks on Sound of Sea Tides. Like this, he managed to firmly separate Sound of Sea Tides from the other players. ¡°Dammit, Laozi will play with him. You guys go and take care of the nanny!¡± Sound of Sea Tides¡¯s expression immediately darkened due to this series of provocative attacks. He wielded his broadsword and charged towards Laughing Sky, aiming a Vacuum Wave attack at his feet. Laughing Sky suddenly turned, making use of his positioning to dodge the upcoming series of sword strokes and waiting for a gap in the attacks directed at him. Sound of Sea Tides quickly grasped this opportunity. Red light flashed on his broadsword, raging flames glowing as they cleaved directly towards Laughing Sky. Laughing Sky did not grow anxious upon seeing how his opponent had made use of the opportunity to counterattack. He glanced backwards and saw the other two enemies rushing towards Hello Kitty without sparing a glance towards anything else. He guessed that this must have been Sound of Sea Tides¡¯s decision, yet he was still idle enough to use the Nearby voice channel to taunt the enemy before him. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, isn¡¯t this your long-awaited chance to fight solo against Laozi?¡± While speaking, he did not neglect operating his character. Laughing Sky brandished his sword and immediately parried the Flaming Sword attack. In the split second in which he resisted the attack and forced Sound of Sea Tides back, he made use of the momentum to direct a Rising Dragon attack towards Sound of Sea Tides. The attack hit him straight on, causing him to collapse onto the ground. Sound of Sea Tides was exerting quite a lot of energy to parry the quick succession of attacks directed at him. Seeing that his teammates had intentions to turn back and help him, he stopped them somewhat violently, ¡°Don¡¯t bother about me, kill the nanny!¡± ¡°¡­¡± Ode to Joy was rendered speechless by Sound of Sea Tides, who was concerned about personal glory and shame even in this type of team battle. Although his intuition told him that doing what he said would inevitably cause him nothing but trouble, he also knew that going to help Sound of Sea Tides at this time would more or less be the same as exposing him and slapping him in the face. Thus, all he could do was to helplessly go along with his reckless ways. ¡°Snow Fox, come with me.¡± Naturally, the other two were also able to get a very clear look at the situation of the battle taking place on this side. ¡°Laughing Sky, you¡¯re not bad, suppressing the enemy as you fight.¡± Lin Xiao appreciated this kind of one-sided battle, so he smiled happily as he praised, ¡°Looks like First Blood will be yours this round!¡± ¡°My family¡¯s son3 always misbehaves and causes trouble outside. Since I have this chance, I must definitely beat him up so soundly that he¡¯s pretty much dead.¡± While he was engaged in battle against Sound of Sea Tides, Laughing Sky appeared to be at ease. Furthermore, he seemed to be in a pretty good mood. It was evident that he had long had a bone to pick with Sound of Sea Tides. Previously, on account of them belonging to the same guild, he had not pursued matters further. Now that such an opportunity had arisen today, he could finally vent all of his dissatisfaction without holding back. However, personal grudges should be kept personal. He was still mindful of the fact that their current match was a team battle. Seeing that the other two members of the ¡°Dissatisfied¡± team had charged forward, he did not forget to remind Lin Xiao, ¡°The other two in their team are both experts, you should be careful of them while you¡¯re carrying our sister here.¡± ¡°Oh, how good are they?¡± Lin Xiao replied mildly and yawned, ¡°That¡¯s just as well, let me see what they¡¯re made of.¡± As he spoke, Adorable Ghost raised the staff in his hands. Because the match was taking place in the Ancient Tomb of Horror, silhouettes clad in red cloaks slowly rose up on the side, with dark and gloomy flames flickering faintly. The whole scene looked rather frightening. ¡°Move away!¡± Following Ode to Joy¡¯s words, Snow Fox hurriedly jumped aside. Almost immediately after they dodged, their bodies brushing past each other, dark purple flames rose up from where the two had been standing just now. In an instant, the ground was flattened even more by the flames, which fiercely burst forth like a wildfire. They burnt everything in their path, leaving nothing but a layer of ashes on the flat ground. These were Ghost Flames, an extremely lethal Ghost Priest skill. Thanks to the two players¡¯ swift reflexes, it had missed. However, they still couldn¡¯t let down their guard. Seeing a black light fall directly upon his body, Snow Fox quickly dodged it, after which his vision was obscured by a layer of smoke that wrapped around his body. Almost simultaneously, after Ode to Joy had created sufficient distance between himself and the enemy, he finished casting his spell. A Bind debuff was cast on Hello Kitty, decreasing her movement speed by 50%. After this, he continued to spin the staff in his hands. Three closely intertwined bolts of lightning flashed through the air in quick succession. They suddenly bloomed open, forming tens of thousands of light beams that headed straight towards the enemy. ¡°You make sure to hold the Ghost Priest back, I¡¯ll hunt the Priest down.¡± Seeing that the opposing Priest¡¯s movements were limited by the lightning prison that surrounded her and that she was left with a third of her health, Ode to Joy no longer paid any attention to Snow Fox. Rather, he used a Haste blessing on himself, and, coupling it with the movement speed bonus granted by Ghost Sprint, he headed straight towards Hello Kitty, attacking without pause. The two people from the ¡°Dissatisfied¡± team were both experts ranked in the Second Division of the individual arena. Naturally, they had already seen through Lin Xiao¡¯s tactic of focusing his attacks on the nanny first. Since Ode to Joy had confidence in Snow Fox¡¯s skill in operating his character, there was no need for any discussion. By default, they had already chosen a battle format that was practically 1 vs 1, which was more ¡°beneficial¡± for them. Snow Fox began to restore some of his own health, but, unexpectedly, his casting was interrupted. At this moment, he began to have some misgivings. However, after the debuff on him ended and his vision was restored, there were still no signs that he had been attacked by the enemy. He immediately lifted his head and began looking around, but all he saw was the Ghost Priest that he had been pursuing in the distance. He was not only far away, but was even running in the opposite direction for some strange reason. As if to answer his question, Adorable Ghost¡¯s words popped up in the Nearby chat channel: ¡°Wanting to kill our sister before taking us out, aren¡¯t you guys thinking too much of yourselves?¡± As they read these words, the phrase ¡°Fxxk your mother!¡± began resounding in both Snow Fox¡¯s and Ode to Joy¡¯s brains. Fxxk me! The one who decided to target our Priest first was you, and the one who was now saying that killing the Priest first was simply thinking too much of ourselves was also you! Because your family¡¯s sister was being chased by others, you gave up on a perfectly good opportunity to battle other players. How on earth did you manage to make your way up to the Second Division? To lack any level of insight, are you an elementary school student!? As they continued to mentally curse and swear, Hello Kitty sent out the very first message that she had sent in their entire process of battling tonight in the Team channel: ¡°Kill the Priest, no need to bother about me.¡± Lin Xiao said, ¡°Sister don¡¯t be afraid, if they want to kill you, they will have to step over my dead body!¡± Originally, You Jing had already entered ¡°The enemy is too weak¡± into the chat window. After hearing these words, he began deleting his words one by one. After replenishing his own health, he stood to the side and watched silently. In the current battle, Adorable Ghost had locked on to Ode to Joy¡¯s position with the Thorn of the Void. Then, after casually tossing a Corrosion spell at Ode to Joy, he had also used a Curse of Doom on him. The effects of the curse swirled around Ode to Joy¡¯s body. An exceptionally eye-catching one minute Skeleton debuff timer that was displayed at the bottom left hand corner of his portrait began counting down. After the one minute duration came to an end, characters who were subjected to the Curse of Doom would sustain extremely heavy damage. ________________ TL comments: Translating battle scenes is tiring, especially when I have to come up with skill names¡­ I¡¯m pretty sure this is referring to Lin Xiao¡¯s party As in, they frequently or always party together. Sound of Sea Tides CH 27.2 Ode to Joy frowned. He saw that Snow Fox had already managed to catch up with the enemy, so he no longer paid any attention to Adorable Ghost. Rather, after he calculated everyone¡¯s positioning, he used a Flying Leap to increase the distance between them. At the same time, he dawdled at the partition made of holy light at the middle of the map. Then, he once again cast one offensive spell after another on Hello Kitty. While the Ritualist could, to some extent, be considered more of an auxiliary profession, Ode to Joy relied on his precise judgment to stack a few weak offensive skills together to inflict as much damage as possible. After all, he was a player who had been ranked in the Second Division for all this time. Thus, he could be considered one of the best offensive Ritualists out there. Every skill he was currently using had been strictly analyzed by him before he determined where they should be aimed. The positioning of the skills he casted was very tricky, completely blocking off the enemy¡¯s escape route. Ode to Joy calmly looked on as Hello Kitty used a Dodge skill due to his provocation and moved according to the path he had predetermined. He smiled slightly as he began to cast Holy Light Retribution. Based on what he could see, as long as the enemy took even the slightest step forward, it would be enough for her to suffer the full brunt of all the skills he had used. However, he saw that Hello Kitty¡¯s movements had stopped just shy of that one step. After pausing there strangely for 0.5 seconds, she used an unknown method to cancel her walking animation and turned, taking an extremely unsteady step to the left. At this moment, the rays of Holy Light Retribution sprang up from the ground and formed an enormous, extremely dazzling pillar. However, due to the difference of a single step, the tall and slender onee-san Priest stood outside of the skill¡¯s range, appearing to be mocking him. The scene that had just taken place had been too unlikely, like something out of a dream. Ode to Joy¡¯s cocky smile from earlier stiffened as a result. It was only when a Blood Hand burst out from the ground and firmly grasped him in place that he reacted. Noticing that Adorable Ghost had already caught up to him, he hurriedly discarded all notions of escaping. ¡°How did he come over so quickly, were you unable to hold him off?¡± Ode to Joy couldn¡¯t help but to ask in their voice channel as, based on Snow Fox¡¯s skill level, it was impossible for Adorable Ghost to have caught up so easily. ¡°He¡­managed to dodge all of my control skills¡­¡± Snow Fox sounded quite depressed. From his tone of voice, it sounded as if even he was not quite sure what had happened. This caused Ode to Joy to unconsciously think back towards the turbulent emotions that he had similarly experienced just now. Right at this moment, there was the loud ¡°Bang¡± of a keyboard being slammed, followed by the flash of a system notification on the screen. [System] First Blood! Immediately, the ¡°Dissatisfied¡± team¡¯s voice channel turned silent. Without asking too many questions, Ode to Joy frowned and immediately made the wisest decision he could under the current circumstances. ¡°Retreat for now!¡± After Sound of Sea Tides¡¯s death, the battle had clearly turned into a 2 vs 3 scenario. If both he and Snow Fox were surrounded and attacked, they would definitely lose this match. Although they currently felt rather displeased with Sound of Sea Tides for silently fighting in a solo battle, they had to bear the overall battle in mind after all. Thus, the two of them had chosen not to pursue the matter. However, even if they wanted to retreat now, the enemy team would not allow them to easily do so. Lin Xiao had long been slightly deafened by Laughing Sky¡¯s booming laughter resounding in their voice chat. Wanting the battle to end more quickly, he decisively cast a Freezing Curse on Ode to Joy. Right as he was getting ready to give instructions to the support, he saw that Hello Kitty had already smoothly cast a Slow debuff on Ode to Joy as well. ¡°What telepathy we have, Sister!¡± Lin Xiao couldn¡¯t help but give her a word of praise. He immediately began casting the skill Void of Ten Thousand Ghosts. When his character¡¯s vision was stolen away all that Ode to Joy felt was the palpitations of his heart. He felt an immediate sense of foreboding and called out, ¡°Snow Fox, heal me up!¡± Unexpectedly, a consecutive string of skills swiftly landed on him. In the blink of an eye, all kinds of Corrosion and Bleeding debuffs were applied on his character and his health began to plummet at a speed visible to the naked eye. At that moment, a white light flashed before his eyes. Thanks to the Priest¡¯s major healing spell, his health increased by a good amount. Although his vision still had yet to return, Ode to Joy couldn¡¯t help but heave a sigh of relief after being healed and said, ¡°Hurry, give me a Holy Light Prayer and heal up my health to the max as quickly as you can.¡± However, he did not receive any response. Snow Fox turned on his mic and said with a slightly weak voice, ¡°I¡­I¡¯ve been hit with a Soul Affliction Curse.¡± Soul Affliction Curse was one of the six types of curses that a Ghost Priest could use. Any person hit with the curse would not be able to complete any actions, nor would they be able to receive any damage or be controlled by any skill effects from their enemies. This would last for 30 seconds. This skill could be considered one of the Ghost Priest¡¯s signature moves. It had a five minute cooldown time, so it normally would not be used casually. Now that the enemy had chosen to use it, there was only one possibility¡­Ode to Joy¡¯s facial expression suddenly changed and he couldn¡¯t help but look at his buff window. With a glance, he happened to see that the Skeleton debuff that had been cast on him earlier had just a few seconds remaining. Without any further thought, he decided to use his Holy Sanctuary skill, wanting to reduce some of the Curse¡¯s harmful effects. However, the Holy Light he expected to see did not envelop his body. Rather, a sweeping glance at his skill window revealed the gloomy sight of darkened skill icons. He was so stunned that even after his screen blew up due to the effects of the Curse of Doom and he had fallen completely into the arms of death, he still had not regained his senses. The Silencing effect1 cast on him had undoubtedly originated from the Priest Hello Kitty, while the Soul Affliction Curse cast on Snow Fox had come from the Ghost Priest Adorable Ghost. Curse of Doom was a skill that would explode and deal massive damage one minute after it was cast. The present situation had played out in a manner that caused him to fall into a daze. Gradually, he came to the realization that the two enemy players had actually been calculating the timing in a precise manner in the midst of their battle, accounting for every minute and every second. These calculations were so thorough that they were simply frightening¡­ This match, which had been so loud and boisterous in the beginning, had ended in an extremely silent fashion. Even after they left the map, no one in their voice chat room spoke. Sound of Sea Tides felt as if he had completely lost face after losing to Laughing Sky, while Ode to Joy and Snow Fox felt the complex emotions of having been taught how to be a person by their enemies2. The other voice chat room was filled with raucous sound. Of course, most of the noise came from Laughing Sky. Having deflated Sound of Sea Tides¡¯s pompous arrogance, he was engaging in a lot more schadenfreude than anyone else. An entire night¡¯s distress seemed to have dissipated like smoke. ¡°What now, are we still gonna fight? Right now I¡¯m so wide awake, wanna keep going?¡± ¡°Maybe another time, we¡¯re good for today now that we¡¯ve hit the Second Division. Even if we were to continue, we probably won¡¯t be able to record any particularly good videos in our current state.¡± Lin Xiao appeased him then turned, wanting to speak with Hello Kitty. However, when he looked down, he saw that she had left the party as soon as he had finished saying those words. Thinking back on the proceedings of the battle earlier and the minute details of their movements, as well as the natural compatibility they had had in the later part of the battle without him needing to say too much, it was hard for him to avoid feeling a strange sense of disbelief. However, the other person had already logged off, so he did not think about it any further and exited the game. He lay on his bed, then recalled a certain matter and couldn¡¯t help but let out a deep sigh, ¡°Ah, I think I forgot to set up a time for our next meeting¡­¡± Ranking for the past few days was simply too exhausting. Lin Xiao slept and woke very late the next day. By the time he blearily logged on to the game, it was already 4pm, but strangely, he received a Friend message from Shen Changyu: ¡°You¡¯re on?¡± Lin Xiao laughed and sent back a response that lacked any substance: ¡°En, I¡¯m on.¡± Shen Changyu: ¡°¡­¡± Lin Xiao: ¡°How is it, see how fast I¡¯ve climbed up the arena rankings?¡± Shen Changyu: ¡°Second Division, I¡¯ve already seen it. But why are you only at 40 ranking points?¡± Lin Xiao: ¡°Oh, by right I could have already gone up to the First Division, but last night I ended up doing the 3 vs 3 team battles instead.¡± Shen Changyu: ¡°3 vs 3? Why are you doing those?¡± Lin Xiao dodged the question and lightly said, ¡°Oh right, my team had a female Priest from Black Dawn. I think her skills are pretty good, want to consider asking the Guild Leader to promote her to a core member?¡± Shen Changyu: ¡°En, sure. What¡¯s her name?¡± Lin Xiao: ¡°Hello Kitty.¡± When he saw these two words, Shen Changyu immediately spit out the mouthful of water he had just drank in a manner that didn¡¯t suit his image. ________________ TL comments: Shen Changyu, Vice Captain, best boi, and now resident wingman :p (One of the reasons this translator loves Shen Changyu is that for some reason, most of the chapters he appears in are kinda easier to tl¡­) A debuff that prevents you from casting any skills. Or how to be human. In English gamer terms, the closest equivalent I can think of would be ¡°taught how to get good¡±, since they taught so highly of their skills but got utterly wrecked, haha. CH 28 ¡°Vice Captain Shen, is something wrong?¡± Xu Yiming stuck his head over from the other side of Team Black Rose¡¯s training room and asked in concern after hearing some movements from this side. ¡°No, ahem, it¡¯s nothing.¡± Shen Changyu replied. After seeing his head withdraw backward, he forcefully calmed himself and turned his focus back to his screen once more. However, his hands hovered above his keyboard for a long time, and he felt quite at a loss as to what he should reply. Should¡­he explain? While he was debating with himself over this issue, he couldn¡¯t help but feel slightly upset at the same time. He had very clearly told You Jing a few days back that he should rest well, but his words did not seem to have been effective at all. Indeed, he had not been spotted in the training room, but he had actually been hiding away in his own room and secretly playing the online game? He had obtained irrefutable evidence that could be used to question him, but everything needed some pretext to explain it, right? For example, if he were to be questioned on how he found out, how on earth should he respond¡­ As he thought this, he felt an extremely complex and indescribable emotion that could not be expressed overflowing within him. You Jing definitely did not know that the person behind the character ¡°Adorable Ghost¡± was Lin Xiao, and Lin Xiao also did not know that the person behind the character ¡°Hello Kitty¡± was You Jing. Why did it just have to be these two with no sense of measure? One was deliberately getting close to the other person to observe, while the other was recommending the other person to be promoted. At this moment, Shen Changyu felt as if he was caught between a rock and a hard place. ¡ª¡ª Both of them loved to blindly cause a ruckus. Did they not spare a thought for his feelings as the only one who was fully aware of the situation? Should he reveal everything? It would be fine to do so to Lin Xiao, but if You Jing were to find out the other person¡¯s true identity¡­as Shen Changyu thought through this scenario, he really could not imagine what kind of situation would unfold at that time, and he couldn¡¯t help but grow more and more solemn. Lin Xiao had waited for a while without receiving any response, and he raised his eyebrows idly. ¡°You know this person.¡± Without waiting for Shen Changyu¡¯s reply, he swiftly sent out yet another message. ¡°It¡¯s You Jing.¡± It was just a short three words, and because of the full stop at the end of the sentence, it seemed to have been tossed out lightly. Yet, it was also filled with an unwavering sense of certainty. As always, he really did not give him any leeway¡­this time, Shen Changyu finally smiled slightly, responding to the conjecture that did not seem to be asking for affirmation at all. ¡°En.¡± The cigarette dangling at the edge of Lin Xiao¡¯s mouth shook a little due to his joy. The pools of his eyes shone slightly, and the corners of his lips lifted in a warm smile. In the few matches that they had played yesterday, Hello Kitty had displayed an exceptional gaming sense that was completely distinct from how little she had operated her character. This sense was not something that an ordinary player could possess. In hindsight, all of Hello Kitty¡¯s strange actions in the time he had known her told him enough to make some guesses as to her identity. Since Shen Changyu had joined the guild battle that day, he obviously would not have been the only Team Black Rose member to have participated. And if they were to consider the fact that the player was controlling the Priest class, then the answer was clear. It was only for the sake of confirming his guess that he deliberately brought it up to Shen Changyu like this. And Shen Changyu¡¯s response had precisely given him an answer in the most direct manner possible. They wanted to dig out new blood that held some potential from the guild? But indeed, this method was one that would not bring them any losses.1 Lin Xiao was deep in thought as he lightly puffed out a mouthful of cigarette smoke. Shen Changyu saw how nonchalant Lin Xiao¡¯s attitude was. Without having to think any further, he knew that he must have unknowingly acted just as Lin Xiao had expected him to, and couldn¡¯t help but feel a little gloomy. But after a moment of deliberation, he couldn¡¯t resist reminding Lin Xiao, ¡°In the past, before Captain You entered the alliance, he had a very detailed understanding of all of the teams, especially¡­Old Ghost¡¯s style of play. If he pays such close attention to you, then could it be¡­¡± Lin Xiao laughed, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that. Normal people would never think in this direction and make the connection, would they? Furthermore, even you have never seen this shitty set of equipment that I¡¯m currently using. What I¡¯m displaying right now is not even 60% of my true capability. At most, You Jing would just think that I am imitating Old Ghost. How much further could he possibly imagine things?¡± Shen Changyu paused for a moment, then said, ¡°Then what will you be doing now?¡± The cigarette at the corner of Lin Xiao¡¯s mouth tilted upwards meaningfully. ¡°The horse has already presented its ass to my door, how can I possibly not pat it?2 Previously I was even anxious about how I could possibly change his perception of me. It looks like I really must treasure this opportunity¡­¡± Shen Changyu: ¡°¡­your strategies for flirting, could you please hold back a little?¡± Lin Xiao smiled wordlessly. For some reason, once his guess had been officially confirmed, he felt that this situation was really interesting. ¡­ Lin Xiao completed a few solo arena battles. In the blink of an eye, he had already attained 80 points. He only needed to win two more consecutive rounds to be promoted to the First Division. At this time, he happened to see that Laughing Sky was online. He was just about to start a conversation with him when he happened to glance at Laughing Sky¡¯s basic information page, causing his gaze to pause for a moment. The Heaven guild name was gone. Apart from an eye-catching icon indicating that he was in the First Division, his information page was completely blank. Lin Xiao sent him a message: ¡°You left your guild?¡± Laughing Sky¡¯s reply was very swift. ¡°En.¡± Lin Xiao said, ¡°Just as well, wanna join Black Dawn?¡± Originally, Laughing Sky thought that the other person would be concerned about the reason why he left his guild. He never thought that he would actually respond in such a refreshingly unorthodox manner. Laughing Sky immediately choked on a mouthful of his own saliva as he responded, ¡°Thanks, but I¡¯m not currently thinking of joining other guilds right now. I¡¯ll just go rogue like this for a while.¡± Lin Xiao did not pursue the matter. ¡°That¡¯s also good.¡± Actually, when he approved Laughing Sky¡¯s friend request a while back, it was because he had had his own considerations as well. No matter what, as a passerby king, Laughing Sky would definitely be a hot commodity3 that all major guilds would want to claim. His skill in solo battle was considered top-notch even when compared with the best players in the entire Alliance. If he could snag Laughing Sky for Team Black Rose and have him hold down the fort for the individual battles, it would be just right to help cover the weaknesses in the current team. That would be the optimal scenario. Since so many professional teams had failed to invite him, Laughing Sky was obviously not someone who could be poached easily. Although his original intention of winning Laughing Sky over had been dampened slightly after he discovered the other¡¯s identity as a boss, this did not stop the thought of continuing to try to persuade him from surfacing from time to time. After all, who knew if he might really be able to move the other¡¯s heart by trying countless times? Lin Xiao had just casually invited him to join the guild just now, and he had never thought that he would immediately succeed in the first place. Thus, he naturally did not feel too disappointed. Rather, he cheerfully began to chat with Laughing Sky, making sure to find topics to keep the conversation going. As for the reason why he had left the Heaven guild, it was most likely related to the three people they had met in the group arena match yesterday. Thus, he decided not to ask for the details. Rather, he was more interested in normal gossip. What Lin Xiao did not expect was that although Laughing Sky gave others the impression that he was an easygoing uncle from the North, he was actually only 20 years old. This shattered the image of a big, burly mustached man that Lin Xiao had had in his mind. Furthermore, he was a stereotypical rich second generation kid. He was currently working on some real estate business. It seemed that this was the fruit of a sum of money that he had requested from his family in the past, so he could venture out and start his own business. Since he was currently 20 years old, considering that he had been doing business on his own for close to 2 years, then he must have been only 17 to 18 years old when he became his own boss and faced numerous hardships, right? Taking a look at the old and shabby environment he was in, Lin Xiao exhaled a big mouthful of smoke and felt mildly aggrieved. Lin Xiao¡¯s mentality suffered some damage as a result of their conversation, which lasted about half an hour. The only thing that brought him comfort was that Laughing Sky¡¯s words and actions all expressed that he was really passionate about Zone. Even if he said that he did not lack money and did not need to increase his net worth by becoming a pro player, he unintentionally revealed his own longing and hope to become one all the same. This was something that could not possibly be overlooked. A chance! Lin Xiao deeply felt that there was a chance! It4 had nothing to do with wealth or stature, nor was it lofty enough to be called a dream that he wanted to attain. However, Laughing Sky made him recall the sincere devotion that he himself had felt in the past, when he had traversed through untouched territory and attained new heights. Nothing else was needed, this was already more than enough. ¡­ When Hello Kitty logged on, it was already 7.30pm. The party of three proceeded to continue entering the team arena like they did the previous day. And this time, Lin Xiao used the reason of ¡°Girls must always be protected¡± to intentionally place Hello Kitty at the very back of their team formation. Then, he roped Laughing Sky into forming a tight defense that encompassed all 360 degrees with no gaps. Thus, all their Priest had to do was to brainlessly restore their health. She didn¡¯t even have to change her positioning at all. They were exceptionally hot-blooded in the matches they fought tonight. In the span of only two hours, they had already managed to record sufficient material for the videos. After wrapping things up, Laughing Sky chatted with them briefly, then went off to play in the solo arena, while Lin Xiao sent the video over to the email address that Little Monkey Lord had provided. After this, he looked back and saw that Hello Kitty¡¯s portrait still showed that she was online. Thus, he sent over a smiling emoji and said, ¡°Sister, you¡¯re still online? What time will you be sleeping today?¡± Originally, You Jing had just left the game on and left it aside to watch some videos. After glimpsing the chat notification that had appeared, he replied, ¡°Not sure.¡± Lin Xiao smiled. Leaning back, he crossed his legs and continued to chat excitedly, ¡°We¡¯ve played together for two days. Sister, what do you think, are my skills good enough to go pro?¡± Finally, You Jing¡¯s attention was completely diverted away from the video. ¡°You want to go pro?¡± Lin Xiao: ¡°That¡¯s right, do you think I can? ^_^~¡± You Jing: ¡°You can. But, you still need practice.¡± Lin Xiao leaned sideways and almost fell from his chair. Thankfully, his reflexes were quick and he grabbed his table for support. Speechless, he sent over a wiping sweat emoji and replied, ¡°Sister, your expectations are pretty high.¡± However, You Jing did not continue with this topic. Instead, he suddenly asked, ¡°Do you know Old Ghost?¡± As Lin Xiao saw these two words on the screen, the corners of his lips curved slightly into a smile. ¡°I do.¡± You Jing: ¡°Your equipment, combat style, and skill paths are all very similar to his. Actually, before meeting you, I once thought that his Ghost Priest could not possibly be replicated. You are undeniably very talented. However, eSports is not something you can excel in with just talent.¡± ¡°If you enter the Alliance in your current state, you will definitely be compared to Old Ghost from the past. If you can¡¯t handle everyone¡¯s expectations of you, it is best for you to give up while it¡¯s still early. Playing eSports is different from playing the game, it¡¯s not merely for playing around. You must understand the true meaning of eSports in order to be qualified to stand on the competitive stage. I don¡¯t want there to be someone who will sully the name ¡°Old Ghost¡±. He¡­has always been my ideal5.¡± Who knew if it was because he could not imagine that this cold and lofty man would be capable of saying so much at once, or because his words contained such a terrifyingly strong conviction, but Lin Xiao¡¯s original teasing smile gradually faded, and his gaze fell upon the words of the very last sentence. ¡ª¡ª He¡­has always been my ideal. Shen Changyu had only told him that You Jing had had a thorough understanding of the Team Black Rose of the past, as well as reminded him that he had paid special attention to Old Ghost. Who would have thought that this man, who many said had almost attained the peak of eSports, could admit so freely that another person was the ideal that he strongly desired to achieve. Furthermore, he had admitted this to a stranger who was separated from him by a screen, and who did not know his true identity. Proud and arrogant. This was the impression that You Jing had given him all this time. This impression had been too vivid and deep, so Lin Xiao had assumed all this time that this person¡¯s pride would cause him to disdain the Alliance and look down on everyone. Involuntarily, he sat up straight in his chair and began typing his words one by one. It was as if he was also expressing his regard to the other person behind the screen. ¡°eSports is my conviction, I have never played around when it comes to it.¡± You Jing slouched in his chair. He glanced sideways at the words on the screen, and his lips curved. ¡°Get promoted into the First Division first. There should be two slots for guild members to be recommended for the newcomers¡¯ camp.¡± ________________ In case this part is confusing, its referring to You Jing¡¯s reasons for hanging around in game ¨C he¡¯s trying to scope out potential players for their team. A pun that¡¯s lost in translation. ¡°ÅÄÂíƨ¡± or patting a horse on its ass means to suck up to someone and flatter them. Lin Xiao is basically saying the horse¡¯s ass (Âíƨ) is right at my doorstep, how can I not take the chance to pat (ÅÄ) it? The word used here is for some kind of fragrant pastry¡­imagine our dear boss, a pastry Laughing Sky¡¯s wish to go pro A vision or goals that he is obsessed with trying to attain. CH 29 ¡°Since the girl is looking forward to it so much, I must do my best! ^_^~¡± Lin Xiao instinctively replied in a serious manner, but the other party ignored him inexplicably. As he imagined the icy beauty¡¯s face on the computer screen, he already had a plan in mind. Attempting to strike up a conversation, naturally should start by stimulating the other party. Although he didn¡¯t dare to say much, it was still obvious that in order to pique You Jing¡¯s interest, he needed to use his advantage in communication skills: ¡°Sister, you¡¯re a fan of the Old Ghost, right? Then look at me. See the style of equipment matching, the fighting method, the uncanny grasp of details, isn¡¯t it the behavior of the Old Ghost?¡± You Jing finally responded: ¡°You are still far from him.¡± Lin Xiao nodded repeatedly and continued with a serious look on his face: ¡°Yes, yes, absolutely, the Old Ghost¡®s ghost priest role is so amazing, you can¡¯t find a second one in the whole world! Thinking about how he swept the world back then, who else can do that in this country? No one can compare at all! In my opinion, not even Yan Duzhou! Sister, tell me, am I right?¡± You Jing replied: ¡°Captain Yan is indeed a complete expert, but in the end, he is too inflexible. As quick as he is to react on the spot, he still lacks improvisation compared to Old Ghost.¡± Lin Xiao had received many praises before, but he had never been so satisfied as he was now. It must be said, even if someone is being praised sincerely, it still matters who does it. Not realizing that a slight smile was blooming on his face, he finally asked the question he always wanted to ask: ¡°Since you like it so much, why did you choose a priest instead of playing a ghost priest?¡± With his talent and skill, if he wanted, he could change into any position, and he would definitely shine even more dazzlingly on the League stage than with the priest he was currently playing. After a brief pause, You Jing¡¯s words came through the screen: ¡°The strength of a certain person does not mean the strength of the team. A really powerful team must have strong enough support behind it, and Healing is the best support. Choosing to play the priest at least means that with me there, no one will die.¡± The e-sports League has now developed into a powerful star-making platform, and many clubs were using their huge fan base to continuously recruit players with the complete package. Lighting, staging, and performances have become almost an indispensable part of league preparation. In such an environment, it was understandable for anyone to seek a better path for their own development. Lin Xiao made a lot of conjectures, but he never expected such an answer. His fingers paused for a while, and he finally replied: ¡°A truly powerful person, no matter what position he is in or what role he plays, will never be buried.¡± On the other side of the screen, You Jing¡¯s gaze lowered as something flickered deep in his eyes, and he did not want to continue this topic. ¡°I¡¯m done.¡± Although the abrupt end of the conversation took him a little by surprise, it did not affect Lin Xiao¡¯s nostalgia for the past. He lit a cigarette and leaned against the window. Caught in the haze of memories, he squinted slightly at the neon lights that flashed near and far, his body half hidden in the thick night. You Jing¡¯s words just now reminded him of when he first debuted in the e-sports arena. At that time, under his leadership, the Black Rose team was like a powerful dark horse in the league, crossing all directions, and they even faced the leader of those times, the Apocalypse team. Yan Duzhou once asked him the same thing, obviously, he could be stronger playing something like the vampire class, so why would he settle for a more support-oriented class with less control, like a cursing ghost? At the time, his answer was, ¡°The team needs it.¡± He never cared about personal honor or disgrace because he always knew clearly that his only goal was to win. Indeed, the strength of one person can never represent the strength of the entire team. To truly lead the team to victory, sometimes there must be inevitable sacrifices, and someone might even have to sacrifice by hiding their edge. But on that note, don¡¯t all e-sports players who fight for their dreams and beliefs think the same? Even if Yan Duzhou asked him this question at the time, if we were to compare the sacrifices and changes he made in the process of leading the team forward, I¡¯m afraid there are a lot more, right? With this train of thought, Lin Xiao quietly exhaled a puff from his cigarette and sighed with a nostalgic look: ¡°Tsk tsk tsk, really, I kind of miss those old guys¡­¡± He smoked several cigarettes one after the other on the balcony, and it was almost eleven o¡¯clock in the evening when he finally returned to his computer desk, reeking of the smell of cigarettes. Although his body has changed, it seems his sleeping habit hasn¡¯t changed at all. Lin Xiao yawned and was about to turn off the computer when he casually glanced at the public chat room, and instantly his drowsiness vanished. The public chat room was more animated than ever, but most of the people on the screen were merely onlookers, and the real protagonist seemed to have fun making a hubbub with a loudspeaker. Coincidentally, one of them happened to be his new comrade-in-arms Laughing Sky, and as for the other one¡­ Lin Xiao checked the individual leaderboard, only to find that it was the Nine Thousand People assassin who was ranked 15th in the top 100 and belonged to the Celestial Guild. It must be said that although many powerful masters only remained observers and did not accept the request of the big clubs, in terms of guild development, the Celestial team had attracted a group of famous players, which was undeniably better than other guilds. It¡¯s just that most of these online master players are arrogant and proud and can¡¯t stand each other. It¡¯s fine if they only see each other once in a while, but once they join the same guild, how can you not smell the gunpowder? Just like Laughing Sky¡®s withdrawal from the team today, without even asking questions, most can guess that it had something to do with the Sound of the Tides. As for why he¡¯s fighting Nine Thousand People now, it is enough to know the ins and outs just by watching the public channel constantly brushing the speakers ¡ª the big deal is that one of them was being suppressed by the other during the solo queue on the ladder. Looking at the tumultuous shouts in the field, Lin Xiao felt an indescribable pain in his heart. Is it really appropriate to flaunt his wealth just because he doesn¡¯t agree with someone? The speaker in the Zone game costs ten yuan for a single sentence. Such a method of going through countless lines per minute obviously did not consider the feelings of poor people like him at all. However, this kind of high-talk playing scene unsurprisingly aroused plenty of enthusiasm from other players. It kept going until now, and the number of bystanders shouting in the chat room started to increase, making it very lively for a while. [Domain] Nine Thousand People: Laughing Sky, it¡¯s better after you left the gang. How can you attack your friends from your old guild just to get some girl from another guild to look at you? [Domain] Nine Thousand People: The man who helped those savages destroy his own guild yesterday, is showing his face again, isn¡¯t he? Still coming out today to continue biting people? You really have no shame, keep kneeling down and kissing Black Dawn¡®s ass like a good dog. They only leave you be to give you face, you know that, right? [Domain] Cat Mimi Mimi: Whoops, I want the front row in this picture, don¡¯t block me, people! [Domain] Nine Thousand People: Why are you so silent? Come out to talk. Anyway, people are used to raising all kinds of animals, so what¡¯s one more vicious wolf like you? [Domain] Red Alert: My dear friend, solve your Celestial Guild problem between yourselves, don¡¯t talk about our Black Dawn, it doesn¡¯t concern us! [Domain] Nine Thousand People: Laughing Sky, whose grandson did you say you were? Didn¡¯t you say you¡¯re a big shot? How the hell do you expect to raise a woman when you can¡¯t afford to use the speaker? Call grandpa, you hear me, grandson? [Domain] Laughing Sky: This grandson brought you halfway up the leaderboard, you stinky dog. Get lost! ¡­ I must say that although the number of lines swiped by Laughing Sky is a tenth of the others, the moment he chose was indeed inspired, and he scored very accurately. The key is to painfully stab the opponent¡¯s vital points! Lin Xiao didn¡¯t know how the other party came to this conclusion, that Laughing Sky fell out with the gang and quit because of Hello Kitty. He had no idea why the other party was so considerate and kind and wanted to give him such a good opportunity to recruit people for his gang. Although it was obvious that Nine Thousand People was going to blow up, he still couldn¡¯t help but want to say to him: ¡®Dude, thank you!¡¯ Lin Xiao ignored the earth-shattering chat room, clicked on the friend list, and sent a voice chat invitation to Laughing Sky. After contacting him on the private channel, he tried to convey a displeased tone: ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you were going to play to move up the leaderboard? What happened in the Chat? How did you come to get scolded?¡± Laughing Sky was not as angry as he imagined, he just snorted disdainfully and said: ¡°That bastard, Nine Thousand People, wants to rank in the top 10. It seemed like one more win could achieve that, so this daddy here wanted to chill him down. Anyway, I don¡¯t care about him, this grandson can still beat him anytime. Although I don¡¯t consider myself a dog, but even a dog will jump the wall if it¡¯s cornered.¡± Things were clear now, Laughing Sky indeed oppressed the opponent on the ladder, but the pressure in the chat made the situation even more difficult. Having entered the first level of the leaderboard, an expert will devote almost all of his energy to the final overall personal ranking. At this point, victory and defeat are separated by only a small margin, and it¡¯s not easy to beat the previous score every time. Laughing Sky simply ruined Nine Thousand People¡®s chance to get promoted, no wonder he was raving mad. It¡¯s just that if you lose in the solo matches of the grid, you can only blame yourself for your lack of strength. Right now, this look of a mad dog was too ugly, it really insulted the demeanor of a master. Lin Xiao couldn¡¯t help laughing out loud: ¡°You¡¯re not going to talk to him all night, are you kidding me?¡± Laughing Sky refuted: ¡°I don¡¯t have time to play with him, it¡¯s boring.¡± Lin Xiao asked, ¡°Are you up for something interesting?¡± Laughing Sky asked: ¡°Like what?¡± Lin Xiao smiled and said: ¡°You have other friends now, right? Do you want to play sniper while he continues to solo?¡± ¡°This move is ruthless, dude! I like it!¡± Laughing Sky immediately wiped away the remaining unhappiness when he thought of sniping the other party down from the 15th place, but after a while, he suddenly said, ¡°But you are only at the second level now, so you probably won¡¯t be able to get him?¡± Lin Xiao choked at this and was speechless: ¡°The way it looks, seeing that guy, I don¡¯t think he¡¯ll be able to stop for a while, so why don¡¯t I just hurry up and take it to the next level? I have a high hidden score, as long as I get to the first level, I have no worry that I won¡¯t be ranked.¡± (The hidden points of characters with more consecutive victories will be significantly higher than the actual rank points. The ranking mechanism will be matched according to the hidden points in the corresponding rank.) Laughing Sky was satisfied: ¡°Good luck, I¡¯ll wait for you!¡± The author has something to say: Still listless today, but inexplicably I am writing here trying to stir emotions, so I don¡¯t want to be too long-winded. The first time this old-timer came into contact with games was when he was in elementary school, and it has been nearly 20 years now. He skipped classes, stole the keys of his parents to play on their office computers, and secretly bought many game discs. During the period, I also poured all the royalties I earned into the game, hoping to lose it. I even had a period of time after graduation to do game planning¡­ Perhaps for many people, the game is just something to play with. For those who really love it, belief in words like this is really not just casual talk. I still remember that my mother asked countless times, how long are you going to play, my answer is, if you are a gamer, you keep playing. I don¡¯t remember how many types of games I have played, from the turn-based Stone Age to Magic Baby, and then to the 3D Zhu Xian, Xiaoao Jianghu, and J3 when I was not working. The big dungeon group, and finally in the LOL, from human-machine scum to a diamond goalkeeper, including RPG-type fairy sword series, ancient swords, and legends, Xuanyuan sword, etc¡­ many memories, many passionate years, and finally it all boils down to Xinxing, the e-sports industry, perhaps because the competitive model that has been insisted on for a long time, is finally presented in such a direct and rigorous manner, it is destined to be deeply attracted. Therefore, it is not an exaggeration for this veteran to say that he is a fanatic. I believe that in the near future, my country¡¯s e-sports industry will be able to develop more fully. Maybe they got foreign aid from South Korea to enhance the appearance, but a real e-sports dynasty belonging to our country it is built so that foreign players can completely bow their heads. ^_^~ But, enough with the memories; in the end, I sincerely hope that more e-sports friends will say this sentence together: e-sports is our belief! Game on! CH 30 S City, Seven-Star Team training base at the Star Trace Club Jiang Shiqi, who had just returned from spending the night outside, was about to enter his room to take a shower and sleep when, passing by the training hall, he heard someone call out to him. Turning around, he saw Tang Qian waving at him, ¡°Why are you so late, come and see something!¡± Jiang Shiqi walked over, puzzled, ¡°What¡¯s going on? On such a good vacation you¡¯ve been training in the club all day? Why are you working so hard, dude?¡± Tang Qian ignored his question, pushed the computer screen toward him, and said, ¡°Don¡¯t say anything, just look at this.¡± Jiang Shiqi looked at the screen, and what he saw was a whole page of green victory list, then glanced at the character ID on the top left and immediately shouted, ¡°Damn, that Ghost Priest just went straight through to the next level?¡± Tang Qian was already expecting his teammate¡¯s surprised outburst. Seeing that he nailed the main point, he casually clicked to bring up the details of the record, and dragged them one by one to show him: ¡°Not only is he on a winning streak, but almost every match is a 2-0 win, and none of them lasted more than 15 minutes.¡± ¡°All these, crushing wins?¡± Jiang Shiqi was stunned for a long time before he could utter a sentence: ¡°Could it be¡­that guy was lucky and happened to meet some weak opponents?¡± Tang Qian was angry and amused at the same time. He gave him a funny look, ¡°Luck for two levels? Then try to be lucky yourself. You don¡¯t have to win ten straight, just three will do.¡± ¡°How vicious! I¡¯ll admit, he¡¯s powerful.¡± Jiang Shiqi turned his attention back to the record details on the screen with a disgruntled expression and grumbled, still not reconciled, ¡°When did ghost priests become so powerful in one-on-one combat? It doesn¡¯t make sense¡­¡± Tang Qian patted him on the shoulder: ¡°Okay, I know you can¡¯t accept it, but you have to admit that this Adorable Ghost is indeed a true master. When the captain comes back in a few days, I think we should ask him to make an assessment himself.¡± Jiang Shiqi looked at the time of the last match and asked, ¡°Twenty minutes have passed since it ended, and no new score has been updated yet. Is he done?¡± Tang Qian shook his head and said, ¡°I checked just now, and he is still online but doesn¡¯t seem to be in the game. It¡¯s like he¡¯s waiting for something.¡± Jiang Shiqi was silent for a moment, then instead of returning to the dormitory, he pulled a chair next to him and sat down. ¡°Then let¡¯s just wait and watch the battle after he enters the game. That way, we can collect some videos so that the captain has more references.¡± Tang Qian nodded: ¡°I think the same.¡± While they were talking, the assistance area updated the match table, and Adorable Ghost¡®s green icon on top turned yellow. As a new round of battle began, Tang Qian made a decisive move, choosing to enter the reading bar of the game¡¯s spectator mode. Jiang Shiqi looked at the opponent¡¯s blue ID and couldn¡¯t help but exclaim in surprise, ¡°Didn¡¯t he just get promoted to the first rank? Has he already reached Nine Thousand People¡®s level? The game is so high-end, how high is his hidden score?¡± Tang Qian immediately checked out the rank of Nine Thousand People, and he couldn¡¯t help but sigh in admiration, ¡°This should be considered the top match of the entire server.¡± Jiang Shiqi was so shocked that he was speechless. Winning streak, how high a winning streak is this that the hidden points can directly reach the highest levels of the top ten in the whole server?! ¡­ This was Lin Xiao¡¯s third tier of solo battles since he advanced to the first level. Neither he nor Laughing Sky had dealt with Nine Thousand People before, and they fought the previous two battles swiftly and decisively. Finally, the moment arrived when, checking the opponent¡¯s ID, he rejoiced as if the entire room was filled with bright lights. With a cigarette in his mouth to keep himself alert, he promised beamingly on the voice chat: ¡°Laughing Sky, boss, wait and see how I¡¯ll piss him off.¡± Although Laughing Sky was not in the same batch as Nine Thousand People, hearing the news from Lin Xiao, he seemed happier than if he had killed him himself: ¡°Give him a good beating and finish him off!¡± Lin Xiao smiled: ¡°Of course.¡± Lava Purgatory could be considered to be the most suitable scene for assassins among the five selections, more so than the others. However, during the process of banning the maps, Lin Xiao deliberately left it out. Obviously, Nine Thousand People wasn¡¯t about to give up his natural advantages as an assassin, so without any suspense, Lava Purgatory became the final battle map used. As expected, after reading the notice, as soon as he entered the game, Nine Thousand People clamored in the chat room, ¡°Hey bro, you¡¯re a little weird, you actually left out Lava Purgatory. Are you looking down on you or me?¡± Lin Xiao grinned and replied: ¡°Do you still need to ask, who would look down on himself, of course, I look down on you.¡± Nine Thousand People sneered, ¡°Oh, he can talk back, I hope you won¡¯t cry and call your daddy later.¡± This speech was funny but we have yet to see who will cry ¡®daddy¡¯ at the end. Lin Xiao didn¡¯t bother with him anymore, but instead operated Adorable Ghost to emerge from the resurrection point, turned around, and walked to the bottom right of the map. ¡­ Due to the delay factor designed by the spectator system to avoid cheating, Jiang Shiqi and Tang Qian, who were watching the match in the Seven Stars team¡¯s training hall, only saw the start of the game five minutes later. ¡°Is he going to detour?¡± Jiang Shiqi looked through the aerial perspective from above and could clearly see the moving route of Adorable Ghost. Taking a casual look at Nine Thousand People¡®s position as well, he said, ¡°Nine Thousand People seems too straightforward. An assassin who plays as direct as he, really has no future.¡± Tang Qian laughed and said, ¡°Nine Thousand People straightforward, are you kidding me? I think these two people started challenging each other from the beginning. Clearly, Nine Thousand People saw that his opponent had just been promoted to this ranking and thought that he would be easy to bully. Relying on his strengths enhanced by this map, he deliberately wanted to show off in front of his opponent. Jiang Shiqi pouted, remembering his previous unpleasant experience, and said with a bit of regret in his tone, ¡°Congratulations to him then, he¡¯ll probably lose at least two positions. Who made him be so careless¡­¡± His words ended abruptly. At this moment, the two people on the screen have almost reached their respective fields of view. Apparently, they both immediately discovered their whereabouts at the same time. While Adorable Ghost hid in a cave on the side, Nine Thousand People flickered and disappeared like a shadow from the enemy¡¯s sight in an instant. To better experience the battle, Tang Qian adjusted his field of vision to Adorable Ghost¡®s viewpoint. Right now, Nine Thousand People was nowhere to be seen, there was only the bubbling magma brewing layers of heat that clouded the vision. However, Adorable Ghost just stood there without moving; even his field of vision remained unchanged. Jiang Shiqi was confused: ¡°What¡¯s going on? Did you get stuck, or did you give up?¡± Before he finished speaking, the magic staff in Adorable Ghost¡®s hand suddenly flashed, and a bloody arc was instantly outlined under his feet. After gradually forming a perfect circle, a thorny black shadow pierced straight up without warning. Stabbing Void. Right now, this unexpected ability seemed to be misused, as if his hand had slipped, but just as the thorns rose from the ground, a strange shadow rushed straight toward the Adorable Ghost without warning. He rushed straight into the damage range as if he had an appointment there. The assassin¡¯s skill activated instantly, but after inflicting a small amount of damage at the moment of collision, he was completely pierced and froze in place in a particularly strange, statue-like posture. ¡°Beautiful prediction!¡± Tang Qian saw everything through the Ghost Priest¡¯s eyes and couldn¡¯t contain his admiration. ¡°The most difficult part when dealing with assassins is forcing them to expose themselves. I also didn¡¯t expect Nine Thousand People to catch his opponent so quickly. It seems that the first wave of sneak attacks it¡¯s already over.¡± As if to validate this comment, Adorable Ghost casually cast an elemental curse on him before the end of the 0.5 seconds in which Nine Thousand People remained frozen in place. After depriving him of 20% of his magic resistance, he cast a corruption spell over him. Enduring the corrosive effect of the blood and energy draining from his body, Nine Thousand People used a rear-trapping technique while moving behind the opponent in an instant, making Adorable Ghost unable to move for a short period of time. He immediately cast the shadow-splitting technique, and after summoning a shadow with half the energy and health and the same attributes as the original, the operator and the shadow simultaneously slashed the Ghost Priest¡¯s throat with a hidden sleeve knife. Once he forcefully brought down by half the opponent¡¯s health bar, Nine Thousand People didn¡¯t continue. Instead, he left the shadow behind to keep fighting, while he returned to hide in the cave complex to the side. Although the Ghost Priest was unable to move for a short time, this did not affect the release of his abilities at all. The dark will-o¡¯-the-wisp on the staff dashed over the Nine Thousand People¡®s shadow and soon burned away its last vestige of life and blood. At this moment, a red light flashed above the shadow as Nine Thousand People used the shadow-shifting technique and instantly switched positions between them. After poisoning the Ghost Priest with a direct hit, he followed up with a series of chaining snipe attacks. The slowdown effect attached to each hit made the Ghost¡¯s movements look extraordinarily difficult. While Adorable Ghost¡®s health bar could be seen dropping at a speed visible to the naked eye, suddenly, a white light looking out of place swooped under Nine Thousand People¡®s feet. As the frost curse exploded, the combo was interrupted instantly. At the same time, a wisp of Ghost Fire quietly landed at his feet and burst forth, spreading a dense ring of fire around and making this map even more like an inferno. Nine Thousand People used emergency evasion to get away. However, even after the Frost Curse disappeared, a layer of the frost effect still inexplicably shrouded their bodies, blossoming into a black flame that was particularly eye-catching. ¡°This Ghost Priest is using a Frost Staff!?¡± Only now did Jiang Shiqi get the clue. Grabbing Tang Qian¡¯s mouse, he revised the equipment bars of both sides, looking at it in dismay, ¡°I say, how could it be possible not to see the Frost Staff from the outside! Damn, what this bastard is wearing is actually a Frost Necklace! Who would have noticed that!¡± After the special effect of the frost attribute equipment was turned on, casting a pure damage spell usually came with a corresponding deceleration effect. Although the slowdown was more effective on mass damage techniques than on a solo target, combined with the wide-scale devastating effect of Ghost Fire, even with no other attack, at least half of the life bar was lost. Not to mention the other party won¡¯t be such a nice person. Tang Qian was also a little speechless at this moment, ¡°He deliberately didn¡¯t activate the special effects before and waited all this time, clearly trying to draw the enemy deeper. He is really calculating¡­¡± In the midst of all this admiration, Adorable Ghost cast his staff abilities one after another without stopping, taking Nine Thousand People¡®s first blood in minutes. The author has something to say: My head hurts badly, if there are logic errors in the battle, please ignore, ignore, ignore¡­ ^_^~ Love me! CH 31 As an expert who maintained his position around 15th place on the leaderboard, Nine Thousand People always aimed to reach the top. Even though he lost to Laughing Sky previously, he just thought it was a defeat due to the professional class and never thought it stemmed from their different skill level. But now, the first blood happened to be taken by a little-known ghost priest, and he was aware that he couldn¡¯t show his face like this. ¡°This ghost knows how to play dirty, watch how I¡¯ll kill you now!¡± Uttering these vicious words towards his opponent, Nine Thousand People set off again after being resurrected. Changing his frontal approach from before, instead, he entered a nearby melting cave to make a detour. He concealed his figure and approached the position where he had fought before. Unexpectedly, Adorable Ghost was still standing in the same place where he died and did not move even a single step. Standing so blatantly, it was clear that he was not at all afraid of being attacked. Obviously, it was an attempt to provoke him by looking down on him. This guy really underestimated him! Nine Thousand People was cursing in his heart, but he kept his patience and showed no flaw during his advance. Thus, he gradually approached, closely watching Adorable Ghost¡®s every move, until he was close enough behind him to attack. Then, a sharp blade flashing in his hand, he charged straight toward him. Adorable Ghost was clearly ready, and as soon as the light on his staff flared, he dodged, sending the Frost Curse on a direct collision course. At the moment of impact, Nine Thousand People suddenly flashed in front of the opponent, avoiding it perfectly, and activated his killing intent without hesitation. With the whole body glowing red, the assassin¡®s strike frequency and critical damage got a boost within 10 seconds. Nine Thousand People attacked three times in a row, directly reducing Adorable Ghost¡®s energy and blood until only a meager layer of blood remained. His hand technique suddenly became more offensive. As the blood bar was about to be completely emptied, a sentence suddenly popped in the chat: ¡°Hand speed is good. ^_^~¡± At the same time as the words appeared, a curse of weakness was placed upon Nine Thousand People. With the damaging effect weakening, the energy and blood loss of the Adorable Ghost was obviously slowed down. He took the opportunity to cast a Nightmare Curse, completely covering Nine Thousand¡®s entire field of vision. Having an inexplicable bad premonition, Nine Thousand People subconsciously dodged back neatly, only to dimly see a halo of light flash beneath his feet, followed by a thorn that pierced through and caught him off guard in the freezing effect. F*ck the predictions! He felt like he was going crazy. Although the target could be killed in just a few moves, he could do nothing but look at that meager bit of blood left on the bar taunting him. The most important thing was that the opponent¡¯s calculations were so precise, even the timing of the curse of weakness was just right. If it was used a moment earlier, he might still have had enough techniques left for the final breakout. If it was a moment later, even without cooldown skills, with the remaining blood bar he could just chop off the head directly. However, because he¡¯s been blocked at this precise moment, this situation was unbearably embarrassing. Nine Thousand People didn¡¯t think about it anymore and immediately used the Image-Splitting technique. Instead of retreating, he simply made a desperate attempt to figure out where Adorable Ghost was and rushed straight toward the predicted direction. ¡°So decisive¡­¡± Lin Xiao praised the other party¡¯s sudden action of changing trajectory with a smirk, but the curse was already cast within 0.5 seconds. At this moment, such a grinning expression was very much like a hunter watching his prey jumping into the trap. With his sight restored again, Adorable Ghost¡®s vague outline gradually became clear in the Nine Thousand People¡®s field of vision. At this very moment, the casting of the curse ended. Before he could clearly see the Shota cute face hidden under Little Red Riding Hood, a black barrier suddenly rose from the ground and directly covered the assassin. Overwhelming darkness covered him completely once again. Just like that, before he had time to see anything, in less than a second, Nine Thousand People who had just regained his sight was once again engulfed by the ghost priest¡®s big move, Myriad Ghost Void. At first, he subconsciously tried to avoid the following attacks, but eventually, feeling overwhelmed by his opponent¡¯s dominance, he gave up the fight altogether. [System] Second Blood! [System] Defeat! Fourteen minutes into the game, Nine Thousand People tasted an unprecedented utter defeat. Looking at the word ¡®Victory¡¯ displayed on the screen, Lin Xiao was in a good mood: ¡°Sure enough, he¡¯s just a big mouth.¡± Laughing Sky didn¡¯t manage to snipe anyone, so now he could only swallow his bad temper and wait patiently for the next opponent. Because he was concerned about Lin Xiao¡¯s progress, he was somewhat absent-minded while shooting. However, he didn¡¯t want to make a sound for fear of disturbing the battle. It wasn¡¯t until he heard a voice, that he suddenly recovered from his muddle. He wasn¡¯t too surprised, though. ¡°Are you done so soon?¡± Lin Xiao countered him immediately, ¡°Why haven¡¯t you finished yet?¡± ¡°Coming, coming!¡± Laughing Sky answered and, without delay, took away the opponent¡¯s head straight on. After exiting the game, he glanced at the online status of Nine Thousand People and immediately cheered up, ¡°Yo, he¡¯s not in the ranking yet, are you surprised?¡± Lin Xiao was not in a hurry at all and was very generous and considerate: ¡°It¡¯s okay, we¡¯ll wait for him.¡± The two waited quietly for a while before finally sitting down for the next game. Laughing Sky shouted happily in the voice chat, ¡°Go! Go! He¡¯s in again!¡± The previous battle left Nine Thousand People really confused. He couldn¡¯t believe that a novice who had just been promoted to the first level could be so powerful that he couldn¡¯t fight back against him. However, after thinking about it for a long time, he really couldn¡¯t remember any of the old top players with a character like this ghost priest. If there was an expert from Korea or the US on the server, could they speak Chinese so fluently? This question puzzled him, but how could he have thought that a well-known expert like him would one day become the target of others¡¯ sniping¡­ Unable to find a conclusion, all he could do was swallow his depression and start another match. But when he saw his opponent¡¯s ID, he almost exploded on the spot. Maybe because there were fewer people in the middle of the night, the one he got this round was Laughing Sky. When they met, the so-called enemies were really furious; however, their fight was extraordinarily skillful and clean. In order not to show cowardice to the opposing side, the whole process was concise, avoiding even any detours. They faced each other simply and roughly so that it ended even faster than Lin Xiao¡¯s match. Fortunately, Lin Xiao was not slow either, he also ended the game about ten seconds after them. After the two finished their games, they checked Nine Thousand People¡®s rank. Seeing him drop to 18th, they happily proceeded to line up for the following matches. Who knows if God deliberately punished him, but in the third round, Nine Thousand People met Adorable Ghost again. This time, it was much more straightforward than the first round. Five minutes for the first blood. Ten minutes to get the second blood. Game over. Seeing the word ¡®Defeat¡¯ displayed on the screen for the third time in a row, Nine Thousand People felt like crying. After a hard night¡¯s work, not only was his rank nowhere near the top 10, he was even about to drop out of the top 20! Meanwhile, he received a friend request. Looking at the eye-catching ID ¡°Adorable Ghost¡± in the applicant¡¯s column, his eyelids twitched, but he chose to pass. Soon he received a message: ¡°Why don¡¯t you line up? We are all waiting! ^_^~¡± Why doesn¡¯t he line up? All are waiting? At this time, how could Nine Thousand People not understand that the opponent was actually waiting to snipe him down! As for the reason? Who else would want to mess with him tonight if not Laughing Sky? Finally, all the frustration he had built up overnight was about to erupt. However, at this moment, he didn¡¯t even have the strength to swear. He could only grit his teeth and tell Laughing Sky in the private chat, ¡°Just wait.¡± Then he let out an angry shout. Seeing this groundless threat, Laughing Sky was in a very good mood. The situation in the first step of the leaderboard was like a jungle where the weak are prey to the strong. No matter who wins or loses, every game must be fought for, as any win or loss is enough to make a difference in the ever-changing leaderboard. The situation in which Nine Thousand People was defeated three times in a row tonight could, without exaggeration, be described as desperate. ¡°Today was really cool! Adorable Ghost, feel free to ask me for anything in the future, I¡¯ll definitely help you as much as I can!¡± If previously Laughing Sky only had admiration for Lin Xiao¡¯s abilities, after this night it could be said that he fully recognized him as a brother. Although Lin Xiao lost a good deal of his sleep time, he was still very satisfied with the precious brotherhood he had gained, so he also made a rare gesture of politeness, ¡°We are friends, what is there to say? That¡¯s what we should do. Let¡¯s block him again tomorrow when we have time!¡± Laughing Sky said with a smile, ¡°I appreciate it, but I¡¯m afraid it won¡¯t be possible tomorrow. I have to go on a business trip to N City, and it might take a few days to get back.¡± Lin Xiao leaned back on the chair and said, ¡°Are you coming to N City?¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m going to¡­¡± Laughing Sky stopped halfway, noticing something different in his tone, and said in a daze, ¡°You¡¯re not by any chance in N City, are you?¡± Lin Xiao grinned, involuntarily speaking in a teasing tone, ¡°Laughing Boss, since we are brought together by fate, you must let me do the honors as host to the best of my abilities.¡± After he had finished speaking, as there was no sound over there for a long time, he added quietly, ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you always hide your face from fans, do you?¡± After an awkward silence, Laughing Sky laughed dryly twice: ¡°How could it be!¡± Lin Xiao nodded with satisfaction: ¡°Then it¡¯s decided, I¡¯ll leave you my phone number, remember to call me when you¡¯re free!¡± Laughing Sky nodded repeatedly: ¡°Ah, yes, no problem, no problem!¡± To reassure this young man who was obviously a bit uneasy about meeting a fellow netizen, Lin Xiao thought of an excellent nighttime activity to boost his enthusiasm: ¡°Let¡¯s go to an Internet Cafe at night and continue to toy with Nine Thousand People.¡± Sure enough, after hearing this proposal, Laughing Sky¡®s voice suddenly brightened again: ¡°That¡¯s a good idea, I like it!¡± CH 32.1 The next day, Lin Xiao slept until noon, then he went out, took a taxi, and headed straight to Jiangbei District. According to Laughing Sky¡®s set schedule, he was supposed to finish the meeting around three in the afternoon. There was enough time to even stroll over there without a problem. In the most prosperous district, on the main shopping street, was the Haosheng Hotel. Quite familiar with the surrounding area, Lin Xiao entered the hotel lobby, sat on a couch in the adjoining lounge, and looked around, sizing up the surrounding set out. This kind of high-end hotel offers a luxury feeling much different than the usual small hotels, so anyone would inevitably feel immersed in the splendor of gold and jade. Not to mention the resplendent decoration, the unique and innovative design, even the background music is piano music that ordinary people like Lin Xiao can¡¯t understand. Coupled with the faint and pleasant smell of wine in the air, as Lin Xiao lay on the couch, he couldn¡¯t help but fall into a drowsy state. Most people coming and going were dressed in neat suits and holding documents. Passing by, they stopped intentionally or not and glanced at the huge magic swordsman figure in his arms. No matter how you looked at it, it seemed extremely out of place. The elevator stopped on the first floor, and several men in suits got out while talking to each other. They stopped at the entrance, politely shook hands, and said goodbye. After watching the other three people leave, the young man who stayed behind picked up the document he had just obtained and flipped through it casually. Then he walked over to the nearby trash can and carelessly threw it in. His actions piqued Lin Xiao¡¯s interest, who squinted and did a double take. This man was slender and looked to be at least six feet tall (1.80 meters). The way he wore his neat and straight suit expressed the quintessence of an elite businessman. His facial features were refined, sharp, and handsome, but a constant half-smile made him look particularly cynical. After throwing away the files, he turned around, his gaze met Lin Xiao¡¯s, and the two were taken aback for a moment. Lin Xiao did not feel at all embarrassed that he was exposed while peeking. Still leaning on the sofa motionless, he gave a little friendly smile to the other man. Then, he saw the guy smiling back at him. However, seeing such a bright smile, why did Lin Xiao feel a little shy? Originally, he thought it was just a casual response to his good-natured attitude, but unexpectedly, the man walked right up to him. While Lin Xiao was still surprised, the guy had already reached in front of him, and his eyes fell on the eye-catching magic swordsman. He paused for a moment and hesitantly asked, ¡°Is it yours?¡± His voice was deep and low, but very pleasant to hear. The key point was that there was an inexplicable sense of familiarity to it. Lin Xiao subconsciously nodded, sized up the man in front of him several times, from head to toe, and finally managed to associate this presence with the image depicted in his head: ¡°¡­ Laughing Sky?¡± ¡°It¡¯s me.¡± Laughing Sky was somehow reserved, but he suppressed his slightly unnatural expression and extended his hand towards him. ¡°We meet at last, Adorable Ghost.¡± Lin Xiao also reached out to shake his hand, but it took some time to get used to this. You know, it¡¯s a bit difficult to connect the devilish warrior who shouts hysterically in the voice chat with this elite businessman who seems so well-mannered and polite at first glance and looks like a decent human being. So in a way, the game world is really a place where human nature coexists in all its aspects¡­ Thinking of this, Lin Xiao stuffed the game figure directly into Laughing Sky¡®s hands and smiled slightly: ¡°A gift for our first meeting.¡± The appearance of such a handsome man in a neat suit standing there with a game figure in his arms was much more noticeable than Lin Xiao¡¯s presence before. ¡°Adorable Ghost, you are really¡­ too polite.¡± Laughing Sky couldn¡¯t think of a way to express his feelings, and it took him a long time to utter this sentence. He rummaged through his pockets, trying to find something to use as a gift in return, but in the end, he could only look at Lin Xiao with an apologetic look, ¡°I¡¯ll make it up next time?¡± Lin Xiao looked at him amusedly, ¡°If you don¡¯t have it, you don¡¯t have it. Is there a need for this? Anyway, I dare not accept a gift that a big shot like you specifically takes the trouble to buy. When that happens, people will say that I cheated you with a small tattered figure.¡± ¡°This limited edition of yours is a treasure that money can¡¯t buy, so it¡¯s not sure who¡¯s cheating who!¡± Laughing Sky was also amused by him and his slightly nervous expression instantly vanished. Glancing at his watch, he said, ¡°It¡¯s too early for dinner, why don¡¯t we go and wait in my room?¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Lin Xiao, naturally, agreed to this proposal, he would never enter this top-level hotel on a normal day. It was a rare opportunity, it seems, to experience the lifestyle of the rich. As the elevator rose steadily, surrounded by the faint reflections of bright lights on all sides, Lin Xiao felt a little uncertainty. It would be fine if Laughing Sky was, as he initially thought, just an ordinary small businessman, but from the current situation, it seems that he was the heir of a noble family, who grew up with a golden spoon in his mouth. Can a person of this status really be convinced to join the eSports circle that seems extremely ordinary in comparison? Through the mirror on the wall, his eyes fell on Laughing Sky¡®s handsome, well-defined features, and he pursed his lips in silence. But even so, he still has to try¡­ As if sensing Lin Xiao¡¯s unnatural gaze, Laughing Sky turned his head and asked, ¡°¡­ Adorable Ghost, do you want to say something?¡± Hearing this, Lin Xiao recovered from his thoughts and immediately flashed a harmless smile, ¡°No, I just didn¡¯t expect that ¡®Laughing Boss¡¯ would be so handsome.¡± Laughing Sky sized up the slender man in front of him speechlessly and, finally, looked at those unfathomable deep eyes and said sincerely: ¡°Same here, um¡­ well, you are handsome too.¡± At this moment, the elevator stopped, and Lin Xiao straightened his posture, following Laughing Sky out. They went all the way to the room at the end of the corridor and swiped the room card to open the door. Entering the room, Laughing Sky took off his suit jacket, hung it on the hanger, then loosened his tie, unbuttoned his shirt collar, and slowly rolled up his sleeves. Turning his head, he saw Lin Xiao standing by the floor-to-ceiling window, looking at the scenery outside. From the side, he could only see his profile, but he couldn¡¯t see his expression clearly. Laughing Sky had an impulse to walk beside him, and looking at the scenery from his perspective, he saw the roads intersecting below the 40th floor and the cars like matchboxes. After looking at it for a while, he didn¡¯t find anything exciting, so he was a little puzzled, ¡°What¡¯s so interesting here?¡± Lin Xiao glanced at him with a half-smile, ¡°It¡¯s nothing interesting if you¡¯re used to it; if it were your first time looking out from this position, of course, you¡¯d find the scenery quite good.¡± ¡°Oh yeah, the scenery¡­ looks really good here.¡± Laughing Sky smiled after a moment of surprise and stopped admiring the beautiful scenery with him. Instead, he poured himself a cup of coffee, sat on the sofa, cleared his throat, and said with some emotion, ¡°Honestly speaking, this is actually the first time I¡¯ve met a friend from the Zone.¡± Lin Xiao looked back at him: ¡°So, how do you feel?¡± Laughing Sky coughed harder under his gaze: ¡°How should I put it? I thought it would be awkward, but now I feel very natural. All in all, this limited edition figure is something I¡¯ve always wanted to buy but haven¡¯t had the chance yet. It¡¯s a good first-meeting gift.¡± These last remarks did not match Lin Xiao¡¯s first impression and threw his thoughts into disarray. But this detail finally gave him an answer: this was a young talent who sacrificed even his image for this basic experience. CH 32.2 Lin Xiao¡¯s smile widened, and he also turned away from the window view. He paced back and forth and eventually walked over to the sofa and sat down next to him, all in a series of actions that seemed remarkably methodical. ¡°In fact, I¡¯m the exact opposite of you. At first, I thought that this meeting would feel natural, but now, seeing you in person, I am a little nervous.¡± Laughing Sky asked dumbfounded, ¡°Do I look very fierce?¡± ¡°No, not fierce, you are handsome and easy-going. But my problem now is that I don¡¯t think I know how to deal with noble families and rich second-generation kids.¡± Lin Xiao took out a cigarette and asked reflexively, ¡°Do you mind if I smoke?¡± ¡°Of course not, do what you please.¡± Laughing Sky¡®s tone seemed a little depressed, ¡°Look, Adorable Ghost, bro, do you have some prejudice against the rich second generation like me? We¡¯re all friends here, if something bothers you, let me know and I¡¯ll try to change it.¡± This simple and straightforward demeanor finally made Lin Xiao link the stranger in front of him with the expert on the Internet he knew before. Except, the man obviously wasn¡¯t on the same wavelength and this misunderstanding made him anxious. Therefore, he decided to go straight to the point: ¡°Well, that¡¯s not what I meant. Simply put, I wanted to invite you to join me at the Black Rose training camp, but now, seeing that you are such a dazzling Mr. Perfect, I feel¡­ ¡± Laughing Sky, in the end, did not fail his expectations and caught the main point of his words, ¡°Are you going to play professionally?¡± Lin Xiao nodded slightly and emphasized again, ¡°And I want to go with you.¡± Laughing Sky was silent for a moment, then refused: ¡°Me, a professional player? Forget about it.¡± Lin Xiao was not at all surprised by such a response, he leisurely blew out the smoke and said in a flat tone: ¡°I know you¡¯ve turned down invitations from many clubs. The reason I wanted to meet you this time was also to talk about this in person. So, is it because you feel that being a transitory expert is enough? Or because you think the professional world is not the way you want to go? Or, because the payment of the players is so poor that it cannot arouse even the slightest interest in you?¡± Laughing Sky shook his head, ¡°None of that. I just feel like the current domestic e-sports don¡¯t make me want to devote myself to it.¡± This kind of answer was what he wanted to hear most, and all the worries he had before, on account of his status, were completely swept away at this moment. He smiled with satisfaction, ¡°So, because you¡¯re disappointed with the status quo of domestic e-sports, you don¡¯t think it¡¯s worth giving up everything you¡¯re doing now to give it a try, right?¡± At such a flat and assertive statement, Laughing Sky did not answer but nodded silently. Lin Xiao looked at his pensive expression, frowned slightly, and straightened his clothes. His tone was indifferent and without many ups and downs, but every word came through clearly. ¡°Indeed, the current domestic e-sports environment is not as good as it seems on the surface because it is too commercialized. However, only the old players who have persevered through the roughest times over the years know that, in all fairness, it really is much better than it was back then.¡± Laughing Sky listened to him silently without interrupting. ¡°Perhaps in the eyes of many, e-sports in our country has declined. Due to the gaudy and sensational performance gimmicks, it¡¯s just like a clown jumping around on the stage when he is put in the spotlight. But that¡¯s just for show, what you don¡¯t see is the hard work and dedication of many players.¡± While talking about this, Lin Xiao paused. ¡°Just for that, you can¡¯t deny the achievements of everyone, for example, Yama1, Yan Duzhou, who chose not to retire yet.¡± Laughing Sky couldn¡¯t refute this. Yama¡®s team was acknowledged by everyone in the league. Even though he wanted to join the Celestial Guild, at that time, he also felt a strong connection to the Apocalypse team. ¡°Anyone can freely express disappointment with a particular competition and vent their frustration caused by the unfulfilled expectations in their heart. As for those who have never experienced all that hard work together, what qualifications do they have to say the words ?¡± As he said this, Lin Xiao¡¯s words suddenly stopped, he looked at the musing Laughing Sky, and his meaningful gaze went to the window. ¡°As I just said, since it was the first time I stood in that position, I naturally felt that the scenery was good. But, the e-sports circle portrayed in the media is not actually standing in that place, so how can you have the best perception? Then why not give it a chance?¡± ¡°I can understand what you said, but¡­¡± Laughing Sky finally voiced his position after being silent all this time. He slowly raised his head and looked at Lin Xiao with a slight frown, ¡°But why do you sound like an old-timer who knows everything? Hey, you haven¡¯t even joined the club yet, right?¡± Lin Xiao coughed a bit awkwardly and hid his indignant look, saying with a serious face, ¡°Cough, well, this does not affect my sincerity as an e-sports fan! Have you really never thought of participating and fighting together with a team to win the World Trophy? You are still young!¡± To say there was no temptation would be a lie. As a fanatic of Zone, who hasn¡¯t thought about actually standing on the battlefield to experience that kind of excitement? Laughing Sky thought for a while and then said, ¡°I have to admit that what you said is indeed true. However, even if I really want to join a club, I don¡¯t have to go to the Black Rose team, right? Is the Celestial Guild not good?¡± Lin Xiao looked at him: ¡°Join the Black Rose team with me, isn¡¯t it great to win the championship trophies all the way from the LPP league to the world competition! Why do you have to go to other teams to experience the feeling of defeat? Are you a masochist?¡± Laughing Sky was speechless: ¡°The LPP champion team hasn¡¯t been in the top four in the world for years, okay? Can you stop talking like we¡¯re going to win the championship at any minute¡­ I said, bro, you¡¯re not even an official player yet.¡± Lin Xiao gave him an indifferent look and said, ¡°As if, if you met me as an official player, you would be able to beat me.¡± Laughing Sky glanced at his watch silently: ¡°¡­it¡¯s getting late, it¡¯s time to eat.¡± Lin Xiao saw that he didn¡¯t want to continue this topic, so he didn¡¯t insist: ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go eat.¡± After Laughing Sky changed into casual clothes and they went downstairs, Lin Xiao said generously: ¡°Since I said I would treat you, I will definitely do my best as a host and take you to eat something you don¡¯t usually eat. I guarantee it will be hot!¡± Ten minutes later, the two were standing in front of a shop. Looking at the name of the store in front of him, ¡°New Taste Malatang2¡°, Laughing Sky silently congratulated himself on his wise decision to change his clothes before going out. It was hot all right! After eating Malatang, Lin Xiao took Laughing Sky, as promised, to a Zone-themed internet cafe next door. They both logged into the game, checked the online friends list, and immediately smiled at each other upon seeing Nine Thousand People¡®s familiar avatar icon. Without speaking, they knew what they had to do. After a night of bloody battles, being mercilessly sniped, at last, Nine Thousand People chose to go offline again, tears streaming down his face. Without their target, the two ended their entertainment that night. After leaving the internet cafe, they were ready to go back to their homes satisfied. Before saying goodbye, Laughing Sky gave his phone number to Lin Xiao, and after deliberating for a while, he dropped a sentence: ¡°I will seriously consider your proposal.¡± After this sentence, Lin Xiao knew that the goal was half achieved. Beaming with a big smile, he proudly said, ¡°I will wait for your news. The next time you come to N City, I will treat you again!¡± Still feeling the remaining burning sensation, Laughing Sky¡®s mouth twitched involuntarily, ¡°Really¡­ Thank you so much!¡± Yama is the Sanscrit God of Death and Justice. In Buddhism he is the King of Hell. Malatang, meaning ¡®spicy numbing hot¡¯ [soup] is a common type of Chinese street food, originated in Sichuan, China. Malatang is named after its key ingredient, mala sauce, which is flavored with a combination of Sichuan pepper and dried chilli pepper. The word m¨¢l¨¤ is composed of the Chinese characters for ¡°numbing¡± and ¡°spicy (hot)¡±, referring to the feeling in the mouth after eating the sauce. CH 33 Whether or not to go the professional route was a big choice after all, so Lin Xiao didn¡¯t contact Laughing Sky again for a few days, giving him time to think about the recent events. It¡¯s just that ever since he bought the expensive Malatang, his life has taken an unfortunate turn of poverty and helplessness. Fortunately, at this point, Little Monkey Master gave him a helping hand, bringing him the good news that two videos were accepted, which finally solved his urgent need for food and clothing. To express his sincere gratitude, Lin Xiao specially sent him a 5 yuan red envelope after the remuneration arrived. Little Monkey Master looked at the three bright letters that said ¡°Big Red Packet¡±, and after receiving it, he sent over a row of crestfallen emojis: ¡°This red envelope is really ¡®big¡¯!¡± Lin Xiao replied very calmly, ¡°Don¡¯t make such a fuss over a small matter. As a big anchorman, are you short of that small amount? After all, I¡¯ve been short of money recently, so it¡¯s not the gift that counts, but the thought behind it.¡± Little Monkey Master was displeased: ¡°Recently? Aren¡¯t you always short of money?¡± Lin Xiao answered, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, you¡¯ll get more money soon.¡± Little Monkey Master kept silent, obviously reserved on this statement, and turned around to tinker with the equipment, preparing for the live broadcast. For this show of distrust, Lin Xiao no longer revealed the news that he was going to enter the professional circle to prove that he was trustworthy. He checked the balance on the card and texted to Hello Kitty, ¡°The video fee has arrived.¡± You Jing had just logged in, and after seeing the news, he only replied, ¡°Oh.¡± Lin Xiao looked at the screen and laughed meaningfully. While eating instant noodles, he used one finger to type: ¡°Girl, how do you want me to send you your share? Will you send me your bank account, or do I deduct it from the full amount and send you a red envelope?¡± You Jing saw that Adorable Ghost was promoted to the first level and changed the subject, ¡°The club¡¯s recruitment campaign for the training camp will start soon, how is it going with the recommended quota?¡± Lin Xiao looked at the date and guessed that it was about time for Laughing Sky to show himself online and give him an answer, so he replied: ¡°Don¡¯t worry, unless something unexpected happens, it should be done in the next two days.¡± You Jing didn¡¯t ask what the so-called ¡°unexpected¡± was and smoothly returned to the original topic: ¡°Send a red envelope.¡± Lin Xiao smiled lightly, seeing the string of numbers texted by his friend. To avoid trouble when transferring red envelopes, most professional players used nicknames that were usually not ostensibly related to the person in question. The same was true for You Jing. After clicking on the info, there was a blank area, and only the ID column said ¡°Meditation,¡± which somehow gave a Zen feeling that was completely different from his quiet but domineering personality. It was as different as black from white. Compared to the little money he had sent to Little Monkey Master before, Lin Xiao was not as stingy this time. There was a total of 3,000 yuan in royalties, plus another 1,000 yuan sent directly, and the uniform red lines on the screen looked particularly eye-catching. Looking at the message asking the other party to open the red envelopes one by one with a faint sense of satisfaction, he raised his brows and asked seemingly casually but pointedly, ¡°Girl, are you part of the club¡¯s internal staff? Why do I feel like you¡¯re very familiar with the team operations?¡± Seeing the question on the screen, You Jing had a light smile, ¡°You will know when you join the club.¡± Lin Xiao originally wanted to take advantage of his knowledge to have some fun, but he became depressed after this calm response. Judging by the situation, it seems that he had no intention of continuing to hide? But if the time comes when a face-to-face discussion is truly necessary, he¡¯ll have to think about it more carefully. After all, You Jing was different from Laughing Sky. Remembering the last time they met, he suddenly felt a little uncertain about his initially very determined strategy of returning to the team. In order to avoid being kicked out on the first day of entering the club, Lin Xiao made a silent resolution. ~No matter what, I must never take the initiative to meet You Jing! I will wait for him to find out himself!~ ¡­ Laughing Sky showed up three days later and sent Lin Xiao several laughing emojis as soon as he went online, yelling out loud, ¡°Okay, okay, I¡¯m in!¡± Very satisfied with the result, Lin Xiao was still curious to know, ¡°Have you thought this through? What about your company?¡± Laughing Sky replied, ¡°It¡¯s very simple, my old man will call a capable person to help me watch over it for now, and when I return, I¡¯ll take over again.¡± Lin Xiao was speechless: ¡°You rich people are really¡­ too funny! Wait, I¡¯m going to find the president.¡± As he said that, he sent a message to Black Night in the friends¡¯ list, ¡°Is the president here? I have a friend who wants to join the gang. Can you approve it?¡± Not long after, he received Black Night¡®s very businesslike reply: ¡°What¡¯s his name, role play, and his rank on the leaderboard?¡± Lin Xiao did not answer each point but directly threw him the ID: ¡°Laughing Sky.¡± Ye Chen, who was sitting quietly in the guild office, trembled when he saw the name and almost fell off his chair. He finally regained his composure and resolutely replied, ¡°Bring him!¡± When Laughing Sky joined the club, it caused a particularly intense reaction, almost everyone in the guild that was online exploded. Some were demanding a group photo, some were buttering him up; in short, it was very lively. At this time he showed his excellent conduct and the cunning attributes of an upper-class elite. Faced with such a chaotic scene, he could remain completely calm, responding in a remarkably natural and decent manner, and many girls who were still hostile due to their previous enmity turned into fans in an instant. Lin Xiao laughed at this pretentious social artistry, and after closing the public chat room, he focused on the familiar avatar icon. After clicking on it, the content sent by Shen Changyu was very simple: ¡°In three days, the recruitment of new members will begin. When will you come to the club, brother Lin?¡± Lin Xiao flipped through the calendar and replied, ¡°If there are no accidents, I should be there on that day.¡± Shen Changyu asked: ¡°Should I pick you up?¡± Lin Xiao refused: ¡°No need. You are too conspicuous, and I don¡¯t want to cause a commotion. Besides, I will bring someone with me this time, so I¡¯d better go by myself.¡± Shen Changyu was slightly stunned: ¡°Who else is coming?¡± Lin Xiao replied with a smile: ¡°Laughing Sky.¡± There was no reply for a long time before finally Shen Changyu replied, deeply moved, ¡°Brother Lin, you are really¡­ so amazing.¡± Although he couldn¡¯t see what kind of expression the person on the other side of the screen had, Lin Xiao could imagine the look of surprise on his face, and right now, he should be extremely happy. Maybe Laughing Sky really was an excellent player worth pursuing by many teams, but that¡¯s about it. However, for the Black Rose team, it was completely different. The team¡¯s current situation made them urgently need individual competition experts. If Laughing Sky were to fill this vacancy, the team¡¯s overall ranking would increase by more than one level. It was precisely because Lin Xiao knew this all too well that he paid special attention to this solitary expert. Fortunately, in that face-to-face meeting, he managed to exchange the Malatang for such a master. After that, everything seemed a lot easier. Knowing that the president of the Black Dawn Society must have received some hints, Lin Xiao went straight to the point that night and called Black Night privately to ask for a place recommended by the guild to live in the training camp. Unsurprisingly, almost without consideration, he received the promise directly. After all, after the teams¡¯ battle at that time, Ye Chen had already silently reserved one of the quotas for Lin Xiao. The reason the other spots were still undecided was that there was no other particularly promising player. To put it simply ¨C most of the current master players had no intention of entering the professional circle for now, while most of the players interested in becoming professional players were nothing more than dabblers. This greatly troubled Ye Chen, whose family was closely related to the qualifications of the recommended contestants. Therefore, Laughing Sky being automatically delivered to his door at this time, was a blessing in disguise for him. The solitary expert, who had never been recruited before, first joined the team and then the club? He felt like his monthly income was doubling. After Lin Xiao got the location, he made an appointment with Laughing Sky to report together. Compared to their previous meeting as netizens, the two were going to meet again as teammates, so eventually, they decided to exchange names. Laughing Sky¡®s real name was ¡°Xiao Li1,¡± a name that suited his image very well. ¡­ ¡­ Three days later, Lin Xiao, carrying a large bag, took the train directly to H City. After arriving at the destination, he pushed his luggage out of the station, took out his phone to dial the saved number, and looking around, he asked, ¡°Hey, Boss Xiao, where are you?¡± From the other end of the phone came the reply: ¡°Where are you?¡± Lin Xiao looked up at the huge number above his head and said, ¡°I¡¯m at Gate 3.¡± ¡°Okay, wait there.¡± Before he could answer, the phone was hung up. Speechlessly listening to the busy tone, Lin Xiao put his phone away and waited on the spot with the bag in his arms. Not long after, some distant noise seemed to be approaching. Looking that way, he saw a red Ferrari approaching at high speed and finally stopping firmly in front of him with the screeching sound of brakes. The car window rolled down, and there was that finely chiseled face. In the driver¡¯s seat, Xiao Li took off his sunglasses halfway, turned his head towards him, and waved, ¡°We¡¯ll be late, hurry up.¡± Under the eyes of thousands of people, Lin Xiao threw his luggage in the back seat, opened the car door, and jumped into the passenger seat. As the sports car started up again, he couldn¡¯t help but mutter out of the corner of his mouth, ¡°It¡¯s too troublesome to drive a Ferrari to report!¡± Xiao Li gave him a sideways glance, then shrugged helplessly and said with some resignation in his tone: ¡°The old man¡¯s only request was that I bring this little trifle, I actually didn¡¯t want to.¡± ~Your little trifle is too expensive!~ Lin Xiao glanced at him in a daze and said honestly, ¡°Watch out for the haters of rich people, don¡¯t blame me when you get beaten up.¡± Xiao Li laughed carelessly and drove, following the GPS along the bustling street to the Black Soul Club training base. The characters for his name are: ÏôÀø, which I¡¯d liberally see it as, ¡°Urging Motivation¡± CH 34.1 Lin Xiao lived in City H for a long time back then, and when he revisited the old place, he was bound to have strong emotional feelings. After reaching Xicheng District, they crossed several roads, and the traffic volume gradually decreased. However, there were still several cars going in the same direction. It seemed they were also going to the Black Soul Club to sign up. After a while, the giant Black Soul Club logo and the team¡¯s base, located in a very large square area, became visible in the distance. Several cars in front stopped one after another at the gate, then went to the public parking lot nearby, under the command of the gate staff. Xiao Li originally wanted to go forward to ask for directions, but before he had time to roll down the window, the guard raised the gate without saying a word, letting them pass without a hitch. After thinking for a second, Xiao Li lifted his sunglasses with one finger and drove in without hesitation. Lin Xiao sighed ruefully, seeing the unhindered way: ¡°Boss Xiao, driving the ¡®small trifle¡¯ really gives you preferential treatment!¡± Xiao Li raised his eyebrows, noncommittal. Lin Xiao glanced at him: ¡°You just drove in like that, do you know the way?¡± Being reminded of this, Xiao Li reacted by slamming hard on the brakes and suggested, ¡°Let¡¯s go back and ask?¡± Lin Xiao was taken by surprise by the sudden impact and barely managed to stabilize himself. Wiping his cold sweat, he said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, just drive forward and turn right.¡± Xiao Li looked at him: ¡°Have you been here before?¡± Lin Xiao looked around: ¡°I was here a long time ago. Although it has expanded a lot now, the original layout plan remained the same. If I remember correctly, the training camp is that way.¡± Xiao Li was speechless: ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me sooner!¡± Lin Xiao shrugged. The ostensible attraction of a Ferrari is that you can still feel the attention of passers-by even after you get out of the car. Lin Xiao cast a sidelong glance at Xiao Li¡¯s calm demeanor, feeling ashamed and wondering: must people of the upper class be thick-skinned or else be like a doormat? Looking around, the large sign ¡°Novice Training Base¡± hanging on the door of a nearby building was pretty conspicuous. A few minutes later, the two arrived at the registration desk. ¡°Were you two recommended by manager Ye from the guild department?¡± Huang Ping, who was in charge of the registration list, was a little thin, but his eyes were exceptionally clear. After sizing them up and down, he asked, ¡°What¡¯s your ranking?¡± Xiao Li replied, ¡°Seems like yesterday I was still hanging in second place.¡± The pen in Huang Ping¡¯s hand paused, and he raised his head in surprise. ¡°Are you Laughing Sky?¡± Xiao Li smiled brightly, revealing a row of neat white teeth, ¡°That¡¯s me.¡± Huang Ping¡¯s eyes lit up, ¡°Welcome, welcome! This is the registration form, please fill in the specific information here.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Xiao Li nodded, picked up a pen, and quickly filled it out. Huang Ping couldn¡¯t help but sneak a peek at the legendary solo expert in front of his eyes, suppressing his urge to take out the small notebook and ask for his autograph. He took a sip of water to calm himself down, turned his attention to Lin Xiao, and kindly asked, ¡°My friend, what is your ranking?¡± Lin Xiao thought for a moment and replied, ¡°I¡¯ve just been promoted to the first level, and I don¡¯t have a ranking position yet.¡± Considering Xiao Li¡¯s precedent, he thought that this time, the guild would recommend two giant Buddhas. Hearing the words ¡°no ranking,¡± Huang Ping needed to digest it for some time before reacting, and he made a rough judgment in his heart. After all, recruiting lone experts on the net was no easy feat. It must have been tough for the guild department to dig up Laughing Sky, and with no candidate for the other spot, they must have randomly picked someone to fill the numbers. So within a minute, he had already determined that the second guy was just cannon fodder. He took another form, threw it in front of Lin Xiao, and said with a frown: ¡°Write down your current account level in detail. This will be used as the basis for the initial screening. After that, the special staff will arrange some test assessments, and if they fail, someone will soon have to go home.¡± Xiao Li, who had just filled out the form, was taken aback when he heard these words. Why didn¡¯t he explain this to him just now? However, seeing Huang Ping¡¯s change of attitude in the blink of an eye, he immediately understood and felt both annoyed and amused by this demeanor of looking down on Lin Xiao. Going home? It¡¯s not his turn yet! Lin Xiao didn¡¯t notice anything, so he remained indifferent and didn¡¯t answer. Taking the pen from Xiao Li¡¯s hand, he leisurely filled out the form, handed it back, then smiled very harmlessly, ¡°I hope we can get along well in the future.¡± Huang Ping nodded blankly and took the registration form. After completing the registration process, a staff member led them inside the novice training base. When Lin Xiao was still in the Black Rose Team, the operation of the Black Soul Club had just begun and there was not even a reliable franchisee. Now the owner had already changed twice, and the club developed rapidly. Not to mention that the headquarters and the related area expanded several times compared to that period, but the layout and equipment were also completely incomparable. Lin Xiao remembered that in the novice training base back then, there were only a dozen old computers in total, but now it was over fifty high-end e-sports computer equipment neatly and orderly placed there. Along with the environment decorated in e-sports style, it created an atmosphere of intense passion for competition. When the two arrived at the training room, it was already full of people. ¡°Computer equipment in the training camp can be used free of charge except for the eight sets with numbers written on the front. The numbered ones are game-specific machines that will be connected to a projector for the OB viewing position during battle analysis (i.e., to watch the battle directly from the player¡¯s point of view). Access to those is usually restricted.¡± After this brief explanation, the staff member left straight away. Looking around, Lin Xiao saw some computer screens showing images of the battles in the Zone, while the people next to them looked a bit reserved, with somewhat downcast expressions on their faces. It didn¡¯t take long to guess what was going on. In theory, today should be the training camp¡¯s day off, but because new people have come to report for the past few days, some old members spared no effort to come here at this time, obviously preparing to show off to the newbies. ¡°Hello, I am Zhang Jin, a member of the third division of the training camp, currently ranked 26th.¡± A young man with greasy hair smirked, looking pleased with his ranking. Although he nodded in a friendly manner, he did not hide the arrogance in his eyes as he said, ¡°Today I will handle the admission of the new members.¡± ¡°Oh, hello, hello.¡± Lin Xiao didn¡¯t mind his arrogant attitude at all and smiled back. Xiao Li also smiled politely but did not answer. Their attitudes were quite good, but nothing more, which made Zhang Jin feel a little puzzled. One should know that it¡¯s not an easy task to reach the first step of the ladder. Moreover, climbing to 26th place with such fierce battles between dragons and tigers was enough to prove his status as an expert in every respect. However, at this point, his attempt to show off something he was proud of, inexplicably felt as if punching a ball of soft cotton candy and receiving no feedback. Zhang Jin exchanged glances with Feng Sheng behind him and said with a smile, ¡°That¡¯s right, you two have also seen a lot of computer equipment in our training room, but some of it is outdated. To avoid misunderstandings about sharing equipment in the future, new camp members must first conduct some battle tests on them, according to the rules. If you win, you can use the newer equipment as you wish. However, if you lose, you must listen to our arrangements.¡± Feng Sheng continued, ¡°If you refuse, you admit defeat. The other newbies who came before have already been tested. I¡¯m sure you won¡¯t give up on this rare opportunity, right?¡± ~Yo, this is the time to get off your high horse.~ Lin Xiao thought it was funny but answered bluntly, ¡°Since it is an old rule, of course, it must be followed.¡± As he said that, he nudged Xiao Li with his elbow, ¡°Then who goes first, Boss Xiao, you or me?¡± In professional esports, this type of one-choice test was known as soloing. Xiao Li was never afraid of such a challenge and did not shy away even if the opponent was a talent whose character made it around the 20th place in the first ranking: ¡°It¡¯s all the same anyway, so I¡¯ll go first.¡± The few newcomers who came earlier than Lin Xiao and his friend had already been abused and beaten to a pulp. Now, looking at the complacent expressions of the two people, it was as if they were seeing themselves not long ago. Foreseeing the familiar scene of someone being abused again, the sights cast from all directions were filled with indescribable sympathy. CH 34.2 Feng Sheng sat down at a computer that was on, looked at Xiao Li, who was sitting in front of him, and as he logged in to the game, he said, ¡°My ID is ¡®Rising Sun¡®, you can add me, and I will pull you in after I create a battle room.¡± Xiao Li agreed and logged into his account. Feng Sheng was initiating a room when he saw a friend request pop up. At first, he opened it indifferently, but after seeing the opponent¡¯s ID, the hand holding the mouse suddenly trembled as he shouted, ¡°Brother Zhang!¡± Zhang Jin, who was standing not far behind him, waiting to enjoy the show, was surprised by the sudden shout and leaned over to ask, ¡°Why are you yelling, is there something wrong with the computer?¡± Feng Sheng shakily pointed at the friend request box on the screen and stammered: ¡°Look, look at this! Laugh¡­ Laughing Sky added¡­ added me as a friend!¡± ¡°What did you say, Laughing Sky?¡± Zhang Jin suddenly moved to take a closer look, and his expression improved greatly. He tapped him on the shoulder excitedly and said: ¡°Accept it! Are you in a daze, why don¡¯t you tick quickly!¡± Trembling, Feng Sheng hurriedly approved the friend request, but looking at the avatar at the top of the list, he didn¡¯t know what message to send for a while¡ª¡ª Hi? Hello? How are you? Or, ¡®Nice to meet you?¡¯ While he was hesitating, Xiao Li poked his head out from behind the opposite computer and asked: ¡°Is the room not ready yet? Why didn¡¯t you add me?¡± It was only then that Feng Sheng, remembering the issue at hand, hurriedly pulled himself together, looked through the information panel, and asked with a puzzled look, ¡°How can I add you if you haven¡¯t sent me a request?¡± Laughing Sky glanced at the name on the friend list: ¡°Didn¡¯t you accept me just now? Rising Sun, isn¡¯t that you?¡± ¡°It¡¯s me, but the only one accepted as a friend just now is ¡­¡± Feng Sheng suddenly stopped as he said this, and his face changed color: ¡°Laughing Sky?¡± Xiao Li looked at him like he was an idiot: ¡°Who else? It¡¯s the friend you just added, can¡¯t you read, big boss?¡± The phrase ¡°big boss¡± made Feng Sheng straighten his back, and almost subconsciously, he sent a battle invitation to the other party while inexplicably, a feeling of hopelessness arose. Hearing the name ¡°Laughing Sky,¡± many bystanders who were ready to enjoy a good show suddenly became interested, and even some of the old members put down their mice and gathered around them, one by one, wanting to see for themselves what kind of strength had the best solitary expert of the leaderboard. As for Feng Sheng, his status already changed from the initial ¡°solo fighter¡± to purely a ¡°guinea pig.¡± ¡°It really is Laughing Sky!¡± Lin Xiao heard someone exclaim after seeing the ID on the screen. Casting a casual glance at the crowd focused on the exciting situation, he yawned in boredom, took a random seat, and started playing with his phone. After Xiao Li opened the invitation, he clicked on ¡®Agree¡® and accepted the match. As they started the preparation phase, Feng Sheng suddenly said, ¡°This round is not necessarily about battle strategy, how about an open front confrontation?¡± Although Xiao Li did not realize that the opponent was only looking for a quick death, he felt that this would save him a lot of time, so he readily agreed. Therefore, at the beginning of the battle, both characters marched toward each other head-on. Pretty soon, they met in the center of the map face to face and, without saying a word, began to fight. Dazzling skills filled the entire screen, and in less than five minutes, Rising Sun¡®s life bar was completely emptied, resulting in the first kill. Unlike the ladder matches, solo duels were usually won by one kill, so this much-anticipated duel seemed to have smoothly ended before it even started. Facing the disgusted gazes directed at him, Feng Sheng cleared his throat in embarrassment and said in a loud voice, ¡°As expected from the most powerful solitary expert of the moment, the fight was exciting, but it¡¯s my fault for not rising at his level! I admit defeat! I really accept it!¡± Everyone was speechless at his shamelessness. Where was the duel just now exciting? The fight was completely one-sided, he was suppressed and beaten from the beginning to the end, okay? He took so much pleasure in bullying the rookies before, but now that he lost so badly, he still has the nerve to admit defeat!? Do you know how to spell ¡°loser¡±? Bleah! Of course, Feng Sheng could also feel this awkward atmosphere. To save the situation, he immediately turned his attention to Lin Xiao and said with a smile, ¡°So, are you next?¡± Hearing this, Lin Xiao looked up from the phone screen and asked Xiao Li, ¡°Ah¡­Boss Xiao, would you mind lending me your account?¡± ¡°No problem.¡± Xiao Li, who was closing the game, adjusted his clothes, stood up from his chair, and looked seriously at Lin Xiao, wanting to make sure, ¡°Do you really want to use my character?¡± ¡°Yep.¡± Lin Xiao grinned and sat down on the seat that was just vacated. Browsing through Laughing Sky¡®s equipment storehouse, he expressed his satisfaction, ¡°As expected from the account of the greatest lone expert, the equipment is complete.¡± Several rows of black lines appeared on Xiao Li¡¯s forehead: ¡°Thank you for the compliment!¡± Looking at the interaction between the two, Feng Sheng, who was in the opposite seat, asked Lin Xiao after sending the battle invitation, ¡°Are you also a magic swordsman?¡± Lin Xiao who had basically finished selecting the equipment to be used looked at him and replied, ¡°No, I¡¯m playing a ghost priest.¡± Everyone present was shocked to hear this sentence. ¡ª What are you playing at? A ghost priest player using someone else¡¯s magic swordsman account, what are you trying to do?! In this strange silence, Feng Sheng¡¯s face looked particularly bad. Although his skills were not as good as Zhang Jin¡¯s, he could still be regarded as a talent among the old members of the training camp. The attitude of this man is a bit underestimating. He covertly glared at Lin Xiao and made a silent decision in his heart to show his true color to this ignorant guy. After all, he couldn¡¯t possibly compare to Laughing Sky, he convinced himself. Could it be that even this little character who came out of nowhere can¡¯t be punished? Lin Xiao had no idea he had aroused so many thoughts in his opponent¡¯s heart. Right now, he was focused on the great feeling of holding the high-end keyboard and mouse, and his heart was filled with eager anticipation. He had his own considerations for not using Adorable Ghost and choosing to borrow Laughing Sky¡®s magic swordsman. Because he lived in that shabby little house for a long time, although he usually did some basic hand speed training, due to the really broken ¡°ancient¡± equipment set, he couldn¡¯t judge his current situation at all. But now that he had finally gotten his hands on a last-generation e-sports equipment, the magic swordsman¡®s hand-to-hand combat attribute was undoubtedly more suitable for him to control the feeling of his hand speed soaring and for going all out, rather than his own ghost priest. Entering the battle map, the opening was exactly the same as the previous round, that is, direct contact followed by frontal engagement. In the end, after a series of spectacular skills, Rising Sun declared himself utterly defeated. [System] First Blood! Looking at the completely dim icon in front of him again, Feng Sheng froze in a daze, his thoughts still glued to his opponent¡¯s seemingly seamless yet ever-changing movements and techniques. Somehow, he couldn¡¯t accept the cruel reality of wasting his blood in just a few minutes for no reason. He also remembered the other guy saying he mainly played ghost priests¡­ ¡°Oh, it really feels good changing the equipment, but it¡¯s still not enough.¡± Lin Xiao shook the mouse in his hand and muttered in a low voice. Glancing back at Xiao Li¡¯s stunned look, he raised his eyebrows and said with a faint smile, ¡°3 minutes and 40 seconds. I won again.¡± Xiao Li¡¯s mouth twitched faintly, and finally, there was one clear and distinct word: ¡°Fuck!¡± The author has something to say: The little boss has a reputation far and wide, and the great Lin has always been regarded as a pushover. It¡¯s really not easy when you think about it. CH 35 The Black Rose team meeting room. In the empty room, only the silhouette of a man was projected in front of a computer, sitting quietly and staring intently at the image on the big screen. Despite his somewhat soft and feminine features, his penetrating gaze gave a slight sense of oppression and an awe-inspiring cold temperament. Liao Yuan, the man in charge of the training camp, took a deep breath, knocked lightly on the door, and said: ¡°The list of several newcomers recommended by each team has arrived.¡± You Jing turned around and said, ¡°Bring it to me and let me have a look.¡± Liao Yuan hurriedly handed him the stack of documents. You Jing took it and casually asked, ¡°Is the person recommended by the guild department here?¡± Liao Yuan replied: ¡°He is, all the information is here.¡± You Jing flipped through the newcomers¡¯ files page by page, and there was an unbearable silence in the room, broken only by the soft sound of pages being turned. When some words came into his view, he stopped flipping through the pages, and his calm expression wavered slightly. His eyes, glued on the name written in the column, suddenly flickered. After reading all the information and materials word for word, the strength of his thin fingers was slightly out of control, and a few distinct wrinkles were left on the sheet of paper. His lips tightened imperceptibly, and after a moment of silence, he suddenly stood up, quickly headed for the door, and blurted out a sentence: ¡°I¡¯m going to the training camp.¡± With such a sudden movement, before Liao Yuan had time to react, he only saw that figure disappear out the door, and after a moment of surprise, he hurried to catch up. ¡­ At this moment, in the training hall, the atmosphere was not very friendly. Zhang Jin has been standing behind Feng Sheng watching, so he could clearly realize the gap between the two. Surprised, he patted Feng Sheng on the shoulder to signal him to stand up, then pulled the chair over and sat down. After logging into the character, he casually looked up at Lin Xiao, smiled, and asked, ¡°Do you mind playing again with me?¡± Lin Xiao, without even thinking about it, immediately nodded and said, ¡°Well, I do mind.¡± Zhang Jin never expected that the other party would refuse so straightforwardly. After being choked like this, the smile on his face was a bit forced, ¡°What, are you scared? Don¡¯t worry, the result of this match will not count. I just want to compete and try my best.¡± Lin Xiao smiled slightly and calmly admitted, ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m scared. So I choose to refuse.¡± Feng Sheng, who had just lost two rounds in a row, was already angry, so he couldn¡¯t help but chime in, saying, ¡°You¡¯re new here, is this the attitude you should have towards the seniors?¡± ~Oh, really, who is the senior here?~ Lin Xiao looked up at the two of them, noncommittal. Xiao Li, on the other hand, felt a little displeased as he heard all this from the sidelines and stood up from his seat. ¡°Isn¡¯t it just a solo? Let¡¯s go, I¡¯ll play with you!¡± Zhang Jin smiled at him with a good attitude: ¡°It¡¯s always been the rule for newcomers to be tested when they first come to the training camp. Your level as the greatest solitary expert is well-known, so it can¡¯t compare; of course, there is no need to compete.¡± Xiao Li snorted coldly: ¡°Yeah, right, as if you could beat Lin Xiao.¡± When they heard these words, the expressions of the other old members inevitably turned a little ugly. Lin Xiao glanced at Xiao Li speechlessly. My dear friend, do you want to mediate the fight, or do you want to fight? Feng Sheng¡¯s face became even more gloomy, and his words were more direct: ¡°I already said it, this is the first established rule of the training camp, don¡¯t you understand?¡± Sensing the gazes from all directions, Lin Xiao sighed helplessly, raised his head to look at Zhang Jin, whose smile didn¡¯t reach his eyes anymore, and said, with a slight grimace, ¡°After entering the Black Rose training camp, the first week will be a theoretical test, the second will be a hand speed test, the third will be a personal combat test, and the fourth week will be a final comprehensive ability test. During the one-month trial period, each round of tests will be based on actual scores to assess whether members are fit to remain in the club and continue training. These should be the rules established since the camp was founded, right? I just don¡¯t know when the new rule was added that ¡®seniors¡¯ would assess the strength of new members?¡± ¡°This is quite comprehensive.¡± Taken by surprise by his eloquent speech, Zhang Jin looked Lin Xiao up and down and slightly lowered his tone, ¡°It¡¯s just that the training camp is not as simple as you think. If you want to be promoted successfully, it¡¯s not enough to put yourself in the limelight.¡± ¡°Of course, it¡¯s not enough being in the limelight, but is it possible to successfully promote a regular team member by suppressing newcomers?¡± With this remark, Lin Xiao¡¯s smile finally faded away, and he looked at Zhang Jin with an indifferent expression, ¡°Training camp is the place where the future pillars of the team are discovered and also the place that carries unlimited possibilities. Since you call yourself a ¡®senior¡¯, you should set a good example, and think about how to improve your own strength instead of only wanting to belittle your competitors. Seeing what has become of the training camp, it¡¯s really disappointing.¡± There was almost no fluctuation in his tone and no superfluous emotion, but a state of emptiness seemed to be weighing heavily on everyone¡¯s hearts following his speech. There was an indescribable sense of deterrence all over the place. When Lin Xiao¡¯s gaze swept over him, Zhang Jin felt a slight chill down his spine. The smile he was trying to maintain was long gone and there was no trace of warmth left on his face. Angrily, Feng Sheng slapped the table, blue veins popping out on his forehead: ¡°A rookie who just joined the team on the first day, what status do you think you have and what position do you hold to express your disappointment here? Where did we fail to set a good example? Admit that you don¡¯t dare to accept brother Zhang¡¯s challenge, what kind of hypocritical airs are you putting on!¡± Just now, Lin Xiao only got emotional because of the current atmosphere in the training camp. He wasn¡¯t actually expecting that a few of his words could change anything, so he just quietly looked at the two with a faint smile and said nothing. There was an awkward silence all over the room, as no one could have imagined that things would suddenly develop in such a tense situation. They all looked at each other, but no one dared to speak. Suddenly, a cold voice was heard from outside, sounding extraordinarily clear and imposing: ¡°Since everyone is so energetic, starting tomorrow, the training camp vacation is canceled.¡± At the sound of this voice, Feng Sheng¡¯s hand, which was vigorously slapping the table a moment ago, suddenly trembled, and Zhang Jin also stood up from his seat in an instant. Not only they, but all the old members of the camp stood up from all sides and straightened their backs. Being the captain of the Black Rose team, You Jing had been to the training camp before, but only a few times for official matters. So, for many people who looked up to him and hoped to meet him, it was still extremely difficult to be in his presence. At this time, his sudden appearance in the camp during the holidays obviously caused a great psychological shock to everyone, and even the thought of the ruined holiday didn¡¯t hurt anymore. The old members¡¯ sudden straightening stance caused the newcomers to follow suit and stand up respectfully, even though they didn¡¯t fully realize what was happening. As they clearly saw the man entering the door and were swept by his deep gaze one by one, they all fell silent, and their heartbeats suddenly sped up. Under such a circumstance, Lin Xiao¡¯s attitude, who not only did not get up to greet him but actually bowed his head lower and lower, looked particularly unusual and conspicuous. Liao Yuan, who came with You Jing, did not expect such a situation in the training camp. Silently wiping the cold sweat from his forehead, he gave Zhang Jin a stern look and said, ¡°What¡¯s going on? You were asked to meet the newcomers here, why did this happen!¡± Zhang Jin managed to squeeze out a smile, but he didn¡¯t dare to say another word. After all, the so-called ¡®entry rules¡¯ were his own self-made assessment for the sake of establishing his prestige. If the boss really wanted to investigate, even if he successfully dragged the ignorant newbie into the water, he would never be able to come out clean either. According to Team Leader You Jing¡¯s methods and character, it was quite possible to be kicked out of the training camp directly. Although Zhang Jin liked to play tricks from time to time, he was still considered a good player in the training camp, so in a way, Liao Yuan¡¯s questioning was to overcome the situation. Seeing that he didn¡¯t talk back, he was satisfied and didn¡¯t continue to ask. He turned around, smiled at You Jing, and changed the subject: ¡°Leader You, who is the person you said you were looking for here?¡± You Jing¡¯s eyes fell on the figure crouching in front of the computer, and after a moment of silence, he spoke again in an unfathomable, emotionless tone, ¡°Who is Lin Xiao?¡± After the words fell, the whole place was eerily silent. No one answered, but some vaguely remembered that this name had been mentioned by Xiao Li before, so the audience¡¯s eyes seemed to be drawn silently, as if on command, to a certain person. Such attention felt like a burning fireball, but there was also a line of sight with a type of invisible coldness that was particularly sharp and clear. There was no way for Lin Xiao to escape, so he sighed helplessly, stood up, and looked at You Jing resignedly, ¡°It¡¯s me.¡± When their eyes met, the deathly still atmosphere around them was like a stalemate. Even the surrounding temperature seemed to have suddenly dropped to zero. CH 36 Lin Xiao, the real name of the Old Ghost who was the captain of the Black Rose team at its peak. However, looking at the familiar face in front of him at this moment, You Jing¡¯s almond-shaped eyes narrowed slightly, and his hand tightened on the documents he was holding. Under such a gaze, Lin Xiao felt like a knife was slowly passing through his body, and the cold sensation made him shiver involuntarily. But right now, the biggest danger was being kicked out directly, so he simply looked with a defeated expression at the man standing at the door. This prolonged staring contest made the atmosphere even more charged, and of course, none of the others dared to break this silence. They just glanced occasionally back and forth between the two, feeling puzzled. Why does this newcomer seem to know Team Leader You? After a long time, You Jing¡¯s eyes flickered faintly, and he finally asked, ¡°Why are you here?¡± His voice was slower and hoarser than usual, and though there was no emotion on the surface, there was still a faint edginess and some hidden thoughts in it. Well, it was inevitable anyway. Lin Xiao rubbed his forehead helplessly and said, ¡°I¡¯m a new member of the training camp now, you should know.¡± ¡°I know you are a new trainee, what I¡¯m asking is, why are you here?¡± You Jing¡¯s eyes darkened a little as he asked again in a calm tone. Now, if you know but still ask, there seems to be a logic problem. The audience was also confused, and Lin Xiao replied with a slight smile, ¡°Of course, I¡¯m here to become a professional player.¡± In the uproar caused by such conceited words, You Jing gave him an expressionless look, ¡°What else?¡± Recalling all the words and deeds of his previous ¡®self¡¯, Lin Xiao suddenly raised his eyebrows playfully and chuckled: ¡°What do you think I should be here for?¡± You Jing¡¯s eyes flashed, and he turned to hand the information sheet to Liao Yuan: ¡°Lin Xiao is eliminated.¡± Liao Yuan was too stunned to respond, but Lin Xiao reacted immediately, rushing forward and grabbing the data file from his hand. ¡°Team Leader You, I was just joking! I really want to be a professional player, believe me!¡± After speaking, he raised the three fingers together, like an oath. You Jing lowered his gaze to size up his expression, and his lips barely moved: ¡°Oh?¡± ¡°Leader You, you can¡¯t be lacking a sense of humor like that.¡± Lin Xiao silently wiped the cold sweat and, noticing the surroundings, coughed lightly and lowered his voice, ¡°That¡­ I think we should, well ¡­ there are some misunderstandings. How about we go somewhere else to talk?¡± You Jing frowned slightly, and after a moment of hesitation, he nodded: ¡°Come with me.¡± Liao Yuan watched them walk out one after the other, feeling very confused. Did Team Leader You come here in such a hurry to find someone, just to drive him out? And more importantly, since they obviously knew each other, did the aforementioned ¡®elimination¡¯ still stand? ¡­ In the empty corridor, the two silhouettes projected on the floor looked extraordinarily slender. You Jing half leaned against the window, and his slightly narrowed eyes fell on Lin Xiao with an impenetrable gaze. Lin Xiao. Adorable Ghost. In fact, when he saw the name in the file, he even had an illusion that he shouldn¡¯t have, but that image was shattered the moment he saw this person. It was not the face he remembered but the fanatic who had been pestering him to no end and had tried every means to get close to him. He frowned, and finally opened his mouth: ¡°What else do you have to say now?¡± Lin Xiao looked at his delicate and handsome features but still couldn¡¯t see his true thoughts. At last, he cleared his throat and said sincerely, ¡°Leader You, I know that I did a lot of things that offended you before, but I have really changed my ways. Look, now I¡¯m recommended to enter the camp as well, so can you be magnanimous and give me another chance?¡± You Jing¡¯s expression was calm, ¡°You say you¡¯ve mended your ways?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right, I¡¯ve mended my ways! I promise I will never bother you again in the future. Right now, I just want to focus on e-sports, and I promise you I have no other thoughts.¡± Lin Xiao looked at him without blinking, trying to convey his sincerity through his tone and show his heart. You Jing¡¯s penetrating eyes glanced over every inch of his face bit by bit, and without warning, he smiled coldly. At a loss, Lin Xiao saw You Jing walking toward him suddenly, getting closer and closer, which made him step back subconsciously until there was no way to retreat. Being pushed back like that, his back and shoulders rested against the cold wall behind him. You Jing leaned forward slightly, resting his right hand on the wall next to Lin Xiao¡¯s ear and staring into his eyes up close. His smile widened and his breath brushed Lin Xiao¡¯s cheek as he calmly said, ¡°Now, say that again.¡± Lin Xiao¡¯s body, involuntarily tensed at such a close distance, and his voice was a little jerky, but he looked at You Jing and said calmly: ¡°Honestly, I have changed. I really want to be a professional player, I am serious.¡± Although this person only appeared in front of him a handful of times, his every action was so absurd and fanatical that it was enough for You Jing to be left with a deep impression. However, right now, being submitted to such a gesture that was enough to drive him crazy in the past, he was just looking at him while talking, firmly, but without the excitement and madness in his memory, just stating a matter of course. He really changed his ways? No, he seemed more like a different person. After giving some thought, You Jing¡¯s eyes flashed, and he straightened up slowly, his gaze fixed on Lin Xiao. ¡°I can give you a chance, Lin Xiao.¡± As he pronounced his name, his voice faltered imperceptibly for a moment, then he continued: ¡°In one month, you must reach the top five.¡± It can be said that this requirement was extremely harsh for most people, but You Jing considered that the man who should have been directly kicked out of the camp by him was given an extra chance for no reason, just because of his name. Lin Xiao. Even if it¡¯s just a coincidence, the man who uses this name on the competitive scene must stand at the top. As You Jing took a few steps back, Lin Xiao was inexplicably relieved the moment his back left the wall. Hearing such a request, he almost smiled, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Team Leader You, I will definitely not disappoint the organization¡¯s expectations!¡± You Jing glanced at him but didn¡¯t answer. ¡­ After sending You Jing off, Lin Xiao returned to the training hall. By this time, almost everyone inside had fled the scene. From a distance, he only saw Xiao Li sitting on the chair with a bored face. However, when he saw him, that expression brightened greatly. ¡°Hey, hey, you actually know Leader You?¡± When Xiao Li came to ask, although the few remaining people didn¡¯t show much, their backs straightened imperceptibly, and their ears quietly pricked up. Lin Xiao was half angry, half amused feeling this gossipy atmosphere, and after thinking for a while, he said, ¡°Actually, I¡¯m a die-hard fan of Leader You, and I¡¯ve met him a few times during previous events, so of course, this left a deep impression.¡± Xiao Li said, deeply moved: ¡°Can a die-hard fan make Team Leader You remember his name? All right, brother!¡± Lin Xiao thought for a moment and said, ¡°Maybe because I asked for his autograph several times?¡± Xiao Li patted him on the shoulder: ¡°No matter what, you still got to know Leader You, it¡¯s amazing.¡± Seeing that he accepted this explanation and noticing that the curiosity of the people around him seemed to have disappeared, Lin Xiao secretly breathed a sigh of relief: ¡°Enough talking, let¡¯s go to the dormitory.¡± Because it was still holiday, the dormitory area of ??the training camp was much more lively than the training hall. When a red Ferrari roared in, many people poked their heads out of the building curiously. The simple act of dragging boxes and luggage inexplicably became a big movie watched by the crowd, and it wasn¡¯t until they entered the dorm that they were out of everyone¡¯s sight. Their dormitory was located in the C area and had two connected rooms. Lin Xiao didn¡¯t have many things, and after bringing in his luggage, he unpacked in no time. Just as he was about to go next room to check on Xiao Li¡¯s situation, someone suddenly knocked on the door. Among the few people standing outside the door, Lin Xiao only knew Zhang Jin and Feng Sheng. The others, of varying heights, stood with their backs to the light, making it impossible for him to see their expressions clearly. One of the tallest men spoke first: ¡°Are you Lin Xiao?¡± Lin Xiao glanced at Zhang Jin behind him, smiling faintly: ¡°It¡¯s me.¡± Xiao Li also came out when he heard the commotion and was taken aback seeing so many people. He frowned: ¡°What are you doing, are you here to find fault again?¡± But the man ignored him and pushed Zhang Jin and Feng Sheng forward, saying softly, ¡°Apologise.¡± The two who were pushed in front of Lin Xiao said with bitter expressions, ¡°We made a mistake today, sorry.¡± Although Lin Xiao didn¡¯t fully understand what was happening, he calmly and forgivingly smiled at them, ¡°Ah, it¡¯s okay, it¡¯s okay!¡± Zhang Jin and Feng Sheng were originally reluctant, but hearing such an answer, their hearts almost welled up. CH 37.1 Weren¡¯t these two people clamoring quite loudly at them, why are they wilting now? Confused by this situation, Xiao Li glanced at the dignified-looking stranger, wondering what his story was. Unable to bear the current atmosphere, Zhang Jin gave in first: ¡°Coach, we know we were wrong, could you¡­¡± Was this Liu Jinxuan, the trainer of the Black Soul Club training camp? No wonder these two guys were so subdued that they didn¡¯t dare to speak out. Lin Xiao raised his eyebrows in understanding, looked at the tall man in the dim light, and concluded with a simple assessment: ¡®He looks very strict. Judging by the aura he currently displays, I¡¯m afraid he is even more severe than he appears.¡¯ With that, he agreed with Zhang Jin¡¯s words, smiling widely, ¡°That¡¯s right, coach, please forgive them, they were just trying to suppress the newcomers, it¡¯s not a big deal.¡± It was better if he didn¡¯t say anything, because as soon as the words fell, the surrounding air pressure seemed to drop a bit, and the atmosphere became even more awkward. If you don¡¯t speak, no one will treat you as dumb! Zhang Jin and Feng Sheng almost exploded on the spot; if it wasn¡¯t an inappropriate occasion, they wished they could rush over and beat this foul-mouthed guy. Liu Jinxuan gave them a blank look and said, ¡°Indeed, it¡¯s not a big deal, so I will punish you with three more hours of reaction training today. If your overall score is lower than 80%, you will keep training tomorrow night.¡± Feng Sheng¡¯s mouth trembled, and he was about to argue, but Zhang Jin discreetly pulled him away and spoke first: ¡°Let¡¯s go now!¡± Lin Xiao happily watched the two jostle away, turned his head to meet Liu Jinxuan¡¯s gaze, and smiled, ¡°Coach Liu is indeed as determined as they say.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want people to misunderstand, it would bother me if they thought everyone was like that in Black Soul Club.¡± As Liu Jinxuan said this, he took the documents from someone else, flipped through them, took out two sheets, and handed them to Lin Xiao. ¡°This is all the training and testing arrangements for one month in the camp. I hope you can stay until the end. You are in Area C, so if you have any questions, you can consult Zou Qiguan. During the trial period, he will be in charge of your area.¡± After these words, a weak voice came out softly: ¡°Hey, hello, I¡¯m Zou Qiguan. Although the second character reads ¡®Qi,¡¯1 because of how it is written, you can also call me ¡®switch.''¡± Although he heard the voice, he didn¡¯t see the person speaking. Lin Xiao looked around, only to find a boy half-hidden shyly behind Liu Jinxuan¡¯s tall body. He looked about sixteen or seventeen. While introducing himself, he subconsciously clutched Coach Liu¡¯s shirt with one hand because of the pressure. The originally neat outfit was already crumpled, yet strangely, Liu Jinxuan let him knead it and didn¡¯t order to let go. It was obviously the boy¡¯s first time ¡®going official¡¯ and he seemed very uncomfortable being the center of attention. ¡°Stay here and explain the details to them. The others, follow me to Area D.¡± After the last sentence, Liu Jinxuan left with the others. Without the natural shield that was the coach, Zou Qiguan looked even more at a loss as he blushed and gripped the corners of his clothes. He had a head full of slightly curly chestnut hair, plus a pretty face with red lips and white teeth that made people want to pet him. This fresh and shy aura emanating from his whole body was like a little plush toy with drooping ears, which softened people¡¯s hearts. ¡°Then¡­then let me tell you¡­¡± After a while, Zou Qiguan finally choked out a sentence weakly. Lin Xiao, who felt like laughing a little at his appearance, carefully pulled him into the room as if he were a small pet and waved at Xiao Li: ¡°Come, come, don¡¯t stand in the hall, come in, let¡¯s sit and talk.¡± As Lin Xiao had said in the training hall before, in the first month of joining the Black Soul Club, the weekly tests remained almost unchanged from that year. The only adjustment was to improve the specific testing methods and rules, which were much more targeted. Zou Qiguan obviously did his homework seriously, and although his introduction was a bit slow, he explained everything clearly and in detail. Although Lin Xiao already understood the regulations by simply flipping through them, he couldn¡¯t bear to disturb him, seeing his earnest appearance. Therefore, he waited patiently for him to finish all the explanations before handing him over a glass of water with a smile, ¡°Very good, very clear explanation, thank you!¡± Zou Qiguan happily took a sip of water and did not forget to remind them, ¡°Tomorrow was still supposed to be a holiday, but just now, the club issued a notice saying that it has been canceled, so don¡¯t forget to wake up early and get together.¡± ¡°Oh no! Why do we have to start training when we¡¯ve barely arrived!¡± Xiao Li wailed, went straight to the bed, and made a pillow out of a pile of clothes that Lin Xiao hadn¡¯t had time to arrange. Lin Xiao didn¡¯t pay much attention to him, and after neatly putting away the materials on the table, he asked Zou Qiguan, ¡°How long have you been in the training camp?¡± Zou Qiguan smiled and replied, ¡°I joined last year.¡± Xiao Li teased him: ¡°Doesn¡¯t that make you our senior?¡± Zou Qiguan scratched the back of his head in embarrassment: ¡°I¡¯m younger than you, so I can¡¯t be called a senior, just call me ¡®Switch.''¡± Lin Xiao complied: ¡°Okay, Switch, what character are you using?¡± At this question, Zou Qiguan blushed inexplicably and hesitated for a while before saying: ¡°My character is a priest¡­ but compared to Captain You, I¡¯m so much worse. I guess I won¡¯t be an official team player too soon.¡± Yo, it looks like we have another fan of You Jing here. Lin Xiao patted his shoulder and said with a smile, ¡°No priest player in the entire League dares to say that he is better than Captain You, right? It¡¯s good for a teenager to have ambitions, but don¡¯t expect too much of yourself in the beginning. You don¡¯t have to compare yourself to Team Leader You and beat yourself up over it.¡± Zou Qiguan shook his head, ¡°It is not like that. Actually, coach Liu nominated me twice before as a candidate for the preparatory selection, but in the end, I was rejected both times. At that time, the coach told me that I have a fatal flaw, that is, when playing against others¡­ sometimes, I am too timid. Thinking about it, maybe I¡¯m not really fit to be a professional player, but actually, as long as I can continue to stay in the training camp, I¡¯m already very happy.¡± Perhaps feeling a little embarrassed at the end of the speech, he secretly stuck out his tongue, then lowered his head and drank some more water. Although such words seemed somewhat despondent, those eyes were always clear and bright, and although he laughed at himself, he did not spread much negative emotion of loss or unhappiness. So, in terms of psychological quality, it was sufficient for the professional level. Lin Xiao observed everything and smiled softly, ¡°In fact, timidity is not necessarily a bad thing. You should know that in a certain way, it also means caution. Speaking of this, wasn¡¯t Vice Captain Shen also very timid when he first joined the team?¡± Zou Qiguan¡¯s attention shifted back from the glass, ¡°Ah, so Vice Captain Shen was the same as me before?¡± Thinking of the past, Lin Xiao touched his chin thoughtfully: ¡°He wasn¡¯t quite the same. To be honest, he was even shyer than you¡­¡± ¡­ At this time, in the training hall of the Black Rose team, Shen Chang, who was concentrating on the evaluation form, sneezed heavily. Liu Zeshen, who was sitting next to him, looked up, ¡°What, have you caught a cold?¡± ¡°No.¡± Shen Changyu cleared his throat and looked up just in time to see You Jing coming through the door with Liao Yuan trailing behind him. His hands stopped moving involuntarily, and he shouted, ¡°Captain You!¡± You Jing stopped at the door and looked at him: ¡°Looking for me?¡± Shen Changyu paused when the words reached his lips and asked tactfully after some deliberation: ¡°The new battle strategy came out, but I didn¡¯t find you this afternoon. Where did you go?¡± You Jing said casually, ¡°Oh, I just went for a walk.¡± Shen Changyu looked at Liao Yuan behind him pointedly and said, ¡°And Manager Liao also went for a walk with you?¡± Hearing this question, a figure inexplicably appeared in You Jing¡¯s mind. With a glint in his eyes and not much emotion in his voice, he said, ¡°I found a stray cat and handed it over to manager Liao to deal with it. If there¡¯s any sign of breaking the rules at any time, kick it out straight away.¡± His eyes swept over Shen Changyu and he finished with one last sentence: ¡°Manager Liao, explain the situation in the training camp to Vice Captain Shen.¡± Liao Yuan stood there dumb until You Jing walked away, then entered the training room with a whole stack of documents. This is a little tricky for non-Chinese speakers, his name is ØÁ¹Ø ¨C QiGuan, and his nickname, ¡®Switch¡¯ is ¿ª¹Ø ¨C KaiGuan. I guess it¡¯s related to the char design CH 37.2 Listening to Liao Yuan¡¯s detailed presentation of the recent situation in the training camp, Shen Changyu looked a little absent-minded. You Jing¡¯s reaction just now made him somewhat uneasy. Why would he suddenly go for a walk? He had the inexplicable feeling that this man must have been to the training camp. But if this was indeed the case, what about Lin Xiao? Have they already met? Thinking of this, Shen Changyu couldn¡¯t help but interrupt Liao Yuan¡¯s report, ¡°Manager Liao, where did you and Captain You go for a walk?¡± Being asked so suddenly, Liao Yuan felt a chill and his back was covered in a cold sweat. You Jing¡¯s attitude made it clear that he didn¡¯t want to reveal that he went to the new players¡¯ training camp. However, Shen Changyu now looked very doubtful, so he inevitably felt a little awkward being caught in the middle. Finally, he cleared his throat and said in an extremely smooth manner, ¡°Vice Captain Shen, it¡¯s like this, I just went for a walk around the training camp with Captain You.¡± Sure enough, he went to training camp! Before the words were finished, Shen Changyu had already stood up and hurried out of the training room with the mobile phone, ignoring the puzzled faces of the others. ¡­ Lin Xiao wasn¡¯t surprised when he received the call from Shen Changyu, he just raised his eyebrows slightly at his description and said with a smile, ¡°Stray cat? It seems that your Captain You is still very wary of me!¡± Standing at the end of the empty corridor and hearing such a careless tone, Shen Changyu was silent for a moment: ¡°So Captain You already met you, yet he didn¡¯t kick you out right away?¡± Lin Xiao recalled everything that happened today, shook his head, and said, ¡°Well, you can¡¯t say that. He was really going to kick me out, but luckily I ran fast and my hand speed was good when I grabbed the documents.¡± Shen Changyu was at a loss: ¡°What documents did you grab? What does this have to do with hand speed?¡± Lin Xiao cleared his throat and changed the subject: ¡°Anyway, don¡¯t worry, at least for now I should be able to stay. Spending a month in camp, I can observe closely to see if there are any talented candidates, and then we will be brought into the team together.¡± Shen Changyu finally breathed a sigh of relief, and his mind turned back to the team¡¯s matters: ¡°The team has indeed considered promoting a few more newcomers recently. With you keeping an eye on the training camp, of course, I feel more at ease.¡± Lin Xiao said: ¡°I¡¯ve carefully analyzed the current team configuration, and according to the situation, once Xiao Li and I fill in, that would solve the problem in the individual competition. However, the line-up of the competition team is still somewhat lacking, and the long-range support mode is too easy to target. It is best to find an opportunity to deploy another breakout type, similar to an assassin.¡± Shen Changyu frowned: ¡°According to the current situation in the training camp, there are no outstanding players of this type.¡± Lin Xiao smiled: ¡°If there is no such thing in the training camp, we¡¯ll find it in other places. I have such a candidate now, the rest is up to you.¡± Shen Changyu was puzzled: ¡°Are we going to transfer from somewhere else? But there are still several months before the transfer period, right?¡± Lin Xiao leaned comfortably on the bed and said slowly: ¡°Remember I told you, who did you see on the game day?¡± Shen Changyu¡¯s words froze for a moment, then he smiled slightly and said: ¡°Captain Lin¡­ you don¡¯t mean to find Chen Anqi to make a comeback, do you?¡± Lin Xiao raised his eyebrows and corrected, ¡°How can such an insignificant character like me have such abilities? Of course, I won¡¯t be looking for her. You will, Vice Captain Shen.¡± At these words, there was only a strange silence on the other end of the phone. After quite some time, Shen Changyu seemed to have recovered, but his tone still quivered slightly. ¡°I¡¯ll go back¡­ let¡¯s get in touch and see.¡± Lin Xiao smiled and said, ¡°Thank you for your hard work, Vice Captain Shen.¡± After that, they talked casually about some things that happened during the day today. Shen Changyu originally intended to take part in the reorganization, but Lin Xiao objected. After all, team spirit could not be achieved in a day or two. From Liu Jinxuan¡¯s attitude after the conflict, it was obvious that those two people were only a small part of the team, and he was going to meet the rest in the next few days. Finally, after Lin Xiao thought about it, he drew his conclusion: ¡°In the next few days, I will look more carefully and try to bring in a priest when the time comes.¡± Shen Changyu heard the meaning behind his plan, and after a moment of silence, he replied: ¡°I understand.¡± After finishing the call with Shen Changyu, Lin Xiao lay lazily on the bed, narrowed his eyes slightly, and touched his shoulder, thinking about what had happened during the day. To be honest, You Jing was really interesting, he was so handsome, but he always had that look, like an iceberg that kept a distance from strangers. Sometimes, he really wanted to see what the iceberg would look like when it cracked. And most importantly, he was still his fan! What if he took the opportunity to have Shen Changyu get an autograph and bring it to him? Bored, Lin Xiao browsed his mobile phone and saw that besides the previously added Shen Changyu, there was another avatar online. Since he added You Jing as a friend, they have never spoken again. His eyebrows raised slowly as a thought suddenly came to his mind. Sending an aggrieved emoji, he wrote: ¡°Sister, please comfort this suffering baby.¡± In another dormitory, looking at the ghost head icon floating on the screen, You Jing¡¯s bright eyes sunk slightly, but in the end, he tapped on it. He silently looked for a while at the text sent by the other party and finally replied, ¡°What is it?¡± A triumphant smile flashed across Lin Xiao¡¯s face, and he replied very quickly while holding the phone in his arms: ¡°I saw Captain You today and realized the previous misunderstanding went too far. I almost got kicked out.¡± You Jing replied, ¡°Oh.¡± Lin Xiao choked when he saw this cold response, sighed in his heart, and felt he had to give more support to their relationship. This Lin Xiao had definitely overdone it in the past, or else how could a man like You Jing be so affected by it¡­ Thinking of this, he typed another sentence, ¡°Would you laugh at me if I said my goal is the World League trophy?¡± Such a remark in the current circumstances of e-sports inevitably seemed a little shallow, but You Jing answered flatly: ¡°No.¡± Lin Xiao said: ¡°However, the championship is a matter of the future. The first step I need to take now is to get the approval of Captain You, otherwise, I won¡¯t even have the chance to try!¡± You Jing said: ¡°If you really have such determination, just use your own strength to reach the standards of the Black Rose team.¡± Lin Xiao grinned: ¡°Thank you for your encouragement, I will definitely do it! When I become an official player, I will treat you to dinner! ^_^~¡± You Jing: ¡°We¡¯ll talk then.¡± CH 38 Early in the morning, Lin Xiao, who had trouble getting out of bed, was assailed by Xiao Li¡¯s violent knocking on the door. He finally got up slowly, yawning as if he still hadn¡¯t woken up, and just drifted to the training hall. When they arrived, the room was already full of people and it was practically the first official gathering of old and new members. Lin Xiao caught a glimpse of Zhang Jin and Feng Sheng standing not far away. At this time, they just happened to also look his way, and their joking expression suddenly froze when their eyes met. The people next to them noticed the awkward atmosphere, asked something in a low voice, and then looked up. Lin Xiao didn¡¯t pay much attention to this. After looking around, he found an empty seat and wanted to catch a few more minutes of sleep. However, he saw some people coming toward him and frowned impatiently. Do you know that disturbing a man¡¯s sleep is like killing their parents, that¡¯s how hateful it is. ¡°Are you Lin Xiao?¡± The man in front was tall and thin, looking him up and down as he spoke, ¡°I heard that you are very good?¡± ¡°Are you not done yet?¡± Xiao Li was a little impatient, ¡°Just because you lost twice in a row yesterday, is it worth keeping on like this?¡± ¡°Tch, it was just luck.¡± Feng Sheng said that out of embarrassment but meekly shut up after the man glanced at him. ¡°May I ask who you are?¡± In the end, Lin Xiao raised his spirit. ¡°My name is Qian Bin and I am in charge of Area A. I¡¯m really glad there are new members joining the boot camp and I look forward to chatting with you both in the future.¡± Saying so, the man politely held out his hand. Lin Xiao sized him up. In his eyes, he saw no challenge, only a deep hidden emotion. This man was obviously very confident in his level, but this attitude of eagerness to confront his opponents was not annoying. Lin Xiao smiled slightly and reached out to shake his hand in a friendly way: ¡°My pleasure.¡± Only after that did Qian Bin look at Xiao Li: ¡°Laughing Sky? We fought against each other so many times, but seeing you in person is a little different.¡± Xiao Li¡¯s eyelids twitched slightly, and he asked unhappily, ¡°Who are you?¡± Qian Bin said, ¡°The black mage Frozen Tears. Do you remember me?¡± He was one of the top 10 players on the ladder and also one of the opponents he often fought against. Xiao Li took a closer look at the man in front of him and said somewhat awkwardly: ¡°Frozen Tears? Why are you here? Could it be that the threshold of the Black Rose team is so high that even at your level, you still have to stay in the training camp?¡± Qian Bin replied, ¡°My age is no longer suitable for the professional circle. I have a different identity here as an assistant trainer.¡± ¡°I almost forgot how old you are.¡± Xiao Li suddenly thought about something and glanced at him suspiciously, ¡°But can you be a teaching assistant or something? What if your men lose?¡± Qian Bin looked at him and smiled, ¡°It¡¯s okay, you¡¯ll know when the time comes.¡± Xiao Li wanted to say something else, but at that moment, Liu Jinxuan walked into the training room and looked around. There was an instant silence. The training camp as a whole was divided into four zones, A, B, C, and D. The daily training of each area was coordinated by a person, and they organized battle rounds between them from time to time to build a good competitive atmosphere. At the same time, it was also an important criterion for the players¡¯ selection. Some of those in charge were assistant coaches, and others were reserve players. Besides Qian Bin, who was in charge of Area A, and Zou Qiguan, of Area C, the people responsible for Areas B and D were Sun Xiuqian and Li Fei. Because Zou Qiguan was younger, when he was standing side by side with the other three people, he was particularly conspicuous, which made his ruddy face even hotter. After the four leaders reviewed the members of each zone, they began daily basic hand speed training. The new members were taken separately to the adjacent conference room and given a booklet with all the details, such as the skills introduction and cooling shorter time of all characters. Lin Xiao flipped a couple of pages casually, and suddenly his drowsiness vanished as his interest was piqued. This was good! Although he had browsed some information on the Internet before, it was a bit chaotic, and he never had the patience to sort it out. In this booklet, even the details of the annual version adjustment were clearly written. It was practically tailor-made for his current situation! On the other hand, when he heard that this thing actually required a written test, Xiao Li suddenly withered. Holding his cheek with one hand, he flipped helplessly through the pages with the other, and seeing Lin Xiao so engrossed, he couldn¡¯t help but say: ¡°What¡¯s so good about this lousy book, do I have to memorize all this? It¡¯s abnormal!¡± Lin Xiao glanced at him and said lightly: ¡°Do you know what is the biggest gap between you and the pro players right now?¡± Xiao Li shook his head: ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Lin Xiao smiled: ¡°Theory. A systematic theory for which you have no deep understanding at all. Also, the strategic concept of the battle process.¡± Xiao Li was at a loss: ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± ¡°For example, your current sparring style is typically hand speed over brain speed.¡± Seeing that he still didn¡¯t understand, Lin Xiao patiently explained, ¡°In other words, during the fight, rather than analyzing the opponent¡¯s behavior, you respond through instinctive reaction and generate instantaneous bursts of reflexive hand speed. There¡¯s not much anticipation of the opponent¡¯s actions before that.¡± Xiao Li nodded in agreement: ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± Lin Xiao raised his eyebrows, ¡°So when you meet some routine players, you can be easily overwhelmed.¡± Xiao Li suddenly realized: ¡°No wonder I had the feeling of being overpowered by you at that time.¡± Lin Xiao shook his head, ruthlessly exposing him: ¡°It¡¯s not entirely correct. Even without anticipation, I can beat you with just my hand speed.¡± Xiao Li was silent for a while, then glared at him: ¡°¡­¡­ Who do you think would win in real PK1?¡± ¡°Ahem, well, never mind.¡± Lin Xiao cleared his throat and turned the conversation to the previous topic, ¡°The e-sports arena does not have that sort of random response as in online games. Before each fight, the opponent has probably developed a multitude of strategies to deal with you. If you want to become an e-sports player, hand speed it¡¯s definitely a norm, but it is not unconditional. It¡¯s more important to adapt and improvise. Before that, it is necessary to accurately understand the attributes and traits of your opponent. This is why many pros may not rank very high on the ladder but will shine in the arena.¡± Xiao Li completely surrendered under this tirade: ¡°Okay, okay, you¡¯re right! I agree, it¡¯s not enough!¡± Lin Xiao smiled with satisfaction, ¡°So, being a professional gamer is not as easy as you think.¡± The whole morning was spent in the conference hall like this, and all the while, Lin Xiao took note of the other people¡¯s activity. With the two of them, this batch who entered the boot camp had a total of twelve people, and except for a few lazier ones dozing off here and there, most of them were extremely serious. Looking at those faces full of hope for the future, he pursed his lips, somewhat listless. He remembered that when he previously joined the team, there was also such a group of highly motivated people. However, with the trials and tribulations that came later, gradually, they began to drop out one after another, and few could persevere till the end. After all, behind the professional stage, which looks extra glamorous and glorious to outsiders, there is a lot of boring and repetitive practice day after day. There is also unseen sweat squandering and an uncertain future that is still unpredictable no matter how hard you work. In the process, many people gradually feel disheartened and exhaust their fighting spirit. After many days and nights, they will forget their original intention, and in the end, only a few people will be left. And even among the few people left, only a fraction might have the opportunity to enter the league in the end. As for those who would absolutely shine on this stage, those were even fewer. Following a dream doesn¡¯t necessarily mean success, and working hard doesn¡¯t mean you will achieve something. That is the harsh reality of e-sports. ¡­ After a morning of studying, at noon, all training camp members went to the Black Soul Club restaurant for lunch. Lin Xiao looked around, and seeing no trace of the Black Rose Club people, he sent a message to Shen Changyu: ¡°You don¡¯t have a lunch break?¡± After a while, he received a reply from Shen Changyu, ¡°We are now finalizing the battle strategy.¡± Lin Xiao looked at the date and remembered that the match against the Apocalypse team was two days away, so he didn¡¯t bother him with another message. After replying to Lin Xiao¡¯s text message, Shen Changyu took a deep breath, looked at the person sitting in front of him, and tried to calm his tone: ¡°Again, the deployment of this battle strategy is complete from start to finish, why can¡¯t it be accepted?¡± The atmosphere in the closed-door conference room was a bit tense. You Jing half leaned on the chair, his bright eyes lightly glanced at the planner scattered on the table, and he tapped the table lightly with his fingers, saying: ¡°Vice Captain Shen, you know who our opponent is. Do you really think you can beat the Apocalypse team like this?¡± Shen Changyu frowned, ¡°If we can¡¯t win, we can¡¯t win. We will do our best to get as many points as possible.¡± ¡°You know where we stand in the ranking right now,¡± You Jing said, looking up at him. ¡°If we don¡¯t get more than seven points in this match, we might not even qualify for the playoffs. So, it¡¯s not that we can¡¯t win at all, but rather that we can¡¯t lose.¡± He casually took the players list, picked up the pen, and modified it with a stroke: ¡°You, Xu Yiming, and Qin Lei will play in the individual competition. Liu Zeshen, Xu Yichen, and I will play in the team competition. The team will keep its old composition. As for the specific battle strategy originally formulated, it will be implemented accordingly.¡± Shen Changyu stared with a darkened gaze at You Jing¡¯s hand holding the pen, and then he said: ¡°If you can¡¯t lose the game against the Apocalypse team, what about your hand, can it take it?¡± He had purposely dismissed the others to keep the problem with You Jing¡¯s hand hidden, but at this moment, seeing the careless attitude of the man in front of him, he suddenly felt like calling everyone and simply revealing this issue. Hearing these words, You Jing stopped writing. He calmly looked up at Shen Changyu, his tone as indifferent as his eyes: ¡°I know my own hands.¡± Shen Changyu slapped the table and stood up: ¡°You really think that no one will know if you hide the examination report! Captain You, there must be a limit to your stubbornness!¡± You Jing frowned and said nothing, but his eyes darkened. Under his cold gaze, Shen Changyu¡¯s rising anger was silenced again, but still, he felt upset in his heart. ¡°I¡¯ve already asked your attending physician, so there¡¯s no need for you to keep lying to me. I admit, the last time we played against the Nine Heavens team, I didn¡¯t think thoroughly about it. That had already put a heavy strain on your left hand, so this time, it is absolutely impossible to let you mess around again.¡± ¡°Are you done?¡± Exposed in such a direct way, You Jing¡¯s eyes only flashed slightly. Calmly, he finished modifying the document and pushed it toward him. ¡°If you¡¯re done, go and revise everything according to this list, and have Manager Li send it to the competition committee in the afternoon.¡± When Shen Changyu saw that he didn¡¯t take him seriously at all, he got angry: ¡°Can¡¯t you think about yourself for once?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t.¡± You Jing replied flatly and crossed his fingers before him, smiling faintly. ¡°Because I am the captain.¡± Shen Changyu felt a pressure in his chest and opened his mouth, but could not say anything for a while. Because I am the captain. A long time ago, there was someone else who told him that. You Jing slowly stood up and casually gathered the documents on the desk into one place. He gracefully stopped in front of Shen Changyu, looked directly into his eyes, and said: ¡°I¡¯m the captain, and I have to make sure the team can make the playoffs before I can think about myself again. If it were you, Vice Captain Shen, would you be willing to let the team stop here because of your personal matters?¡± He was as calm and cool as ever, without any extra emotion on his gentle and handsome face, but when their eyes met, the tone of the voice, clear and flawless, was like an undeniable command that could not be disregarded. Shen Changyu was silent for a while, struggling with himself, and finally, he compromised with mixed feelings: ¡°If there is anything wrong at any time, I will ask for the game to end immediately.¡± The author has something to say: The boot camp activity has officially begun, and the competition is approaching. ^ _ ^ ~ 1) ¡°PK,¡± or player-killer, is most commonly used nowadays in computer games as players are out to ¡°kill¡± or defeat enemies. 2) Battles (referred to as PK or ¡®player knock-out¡¯ in China) are essentially real-time competitions between streamers, where the winner is decided by the viewers: whichever streamer earns more diamonds during the battle is declared the winner. CH 39 After a short lunch break, they all returned to the training hall again. Because he hadn¡¯t woken up early for a long time, Lin Xiao inevitably felt a little drowsy after lunch. As he yawned, he heard Xiao Li complain, ¡°It¡¯s been a long time. Why hasn¡¯t anyone come yet?¡± When Zou Qiguan heard this, he smiled and reassured him, ¡°Coach Liu has gone to the competition team and should be back soon.¡± Xiao Li was surprised: ¡°What is he doing over there?¡± Speaking of this, Zou Qiguan¡¯s eyes shone with excitement: ¡°Coach Liu revealed to us this morning that he negotiated with the team and invited some official players to come in the afternoon and give teaching explanations to the training camp members. In the end, some members will be selected for a one-on-one mentoring competition.¡± Xiao Li cheered up: ¡°Sounds like fun!¡± ¡®Official players, who could it be?¡® Thinking of this, Lin Xiao lazily fluttered his eyelashes and frowned slightly. Obviously, Zou Qiguan was looking forward to the afternoon activities. Puffing his small face, he pulled Xiao Li to his side to chatter endlessly: ¡°Say, who do you think will come this afternoon? Captain You, Vice Captain Shen, or Liu Zeshen, hmm? In fact, the Xu brothers are also very good¡­ I don¡¯t know if Qin Lei got used to staying there. I haven¡¯t seen him in a long time. Will he also take this opportunity to return to the camp to see me?¡± ¡°I really hope Captain You can come. Every time I see him in action, I feel that everything is absolutely accurate and perfect. Although I guess I will never reach his level in my life, I¡¯d really love to receive his guidance up close! I¡¯m also looking forward to the 1v1 mentoring match, but unfortunately, I¡¯m a priest, so I probably won¡¯t be able to play even if I get picked¡­¡± For such a meek and shy boy to become so exulted, one could see that he was looking forward to this event from the bottom of his heart. Lin Xiao yawned listlessly again, slumping all over the table. Maybe he would have been a bit more interested if it was about matchups with other teams. At the very least, they could more or less understand the real situation of the enemy team, which would be useful for future confrontations. But now it was just the Black Rose team¡¯s guys. He got tired of watching their videos a while ago and was already familiar with their general style, let alone listening to their lectures. By this time, the other people apparently also started getting the news and the initial impatience caused by waiting was replaced by an expectant look on their faces. As the forms were submitted, each person filled in their own information, and then they were all collected. A large stack was gathered in the corner of the podium, said to be used to determine the number of seats selected. Zou Qiguan glanced at the time and muttered, ¡°It¡¯s almost time, they should be here¡­¡± As soon as the words left his mouth, the sound of footsteps coming from outside was heard, and the training hall, which was so noisy a moment ago, suddenly fell silent. Lin Xiao looked up, as did the others, and saw three people enter the door. Of the two in front, one was wearing gold-rimmed glasses, looking gentle and refined. The faint smile at the corner of his mouth and the shirt that set off his slim figure showed the demeanor of an educated gentleman. The other one had clean-cut and tidy hair and a fair and delicate face that girls liked very much. The casual T-shirt looked very clean and neat. Behind them was Liu Jinxuan, looking very serious. So, the people sent by the Black Rose team were Liu Zeshen and one of the twins. As one of the two delegates, as soon as he entered the door, the twin said with a sunny disposition: ¡°Oh, hello, everyone. I¡¯m glad to meet you here!¡± ¡®Oh, so it¡¯s Xu Yiming.¡® Lin Xiao thought and bowed his head lower as the two stepped onto the podium. After all, the impression he left previously on several team members was really ¡®upsetting.¡¯ Obviously, You Jing didn¡¯t expose him until now because he thought it was better to avoid unnecessary trouble. Coincidentally, he thought the same. On the podium, Liu Jinxuan glanced down at the audience and said: ¡°Today is the first time for new members to participate in group training, and we would like to welcome you here. I think many of you should already know that my name is Liu Jinxuan, and I am the head coach of the training camp, so I won¡¯t introduce myself any further.¡± After a pause, he continued, ¡°Today, we are honored to invite two official team players, Liu Zeshen and Xu Yiming, who will share some simple experiences with you.¡± At this, many people in the audience began to stir. ¡°It¡¯s really Liu Zeshen! Holy shit, I finally got to see him in person!¡± ¡°Xu Yiming looks much taller than on TV.¡± ¡°Captain You and Vice Captain Shen did not come ah, what a pity ¡­¡­¡± ¡°Where is Xu Yichen? Didn¡¯t the twins come together?¡± Even Xiao Li couldn¡¯t help but grumble: ¡°When I was having dinner with my cousin, she kept praising Liu Zeshen for being handsome, so that¡¯s what he looks like! He¡¯s just a pretty boy who looks good on TV. He doesn¡¯t look all that handsome to me. Tsk, the taste of girls nowadays is really ¡­¡­¡± ¡°Cough cough cough¡­ ¡± Lin Xiao spurted the water he was drinking and immediately tried to shrink under the table. Not daring to draw too much attention, he tried hard to hold back his cough, his back heaving. Xiao Li¡¯s face immediately darkened: ¡°What, even you think this pretty boy is more handsome than me?¡± Lin Xiao waved desperately: ¡°No, no, you are handsome, cough, you are the most handsome!¡± On stage, after Liu Jinxuan finished his opening speech, Xu Yiming came forward. Facing the expectant eyes all over the room, he straightened his clothes, smiled, and said solemnly: ¡°Hello, everyone, I¡¯m Xu Yiming, and I¡¯m very happy to meet you all. So I wanted to ask, has everyone eaten yet?¡± With that last sentence, the audience that was ready to applaud instantly froze, as if the pause button had been pressed. After being speechless for a while, a few sporadic voices answered one after the other: ¡°We¡¯ve eaten!¡± Xu Yiming smiled with satisfaction at this reaction and calmly took out a thick stack of documents from the file bag he had brought into the room. In a good mood, he said: ¡°Well, now I¡¯m going to share my experiences with you!¡± Looking at the stack of documents as thick as a Chinese dictionary and listening to his meticulous and mechanical reading, everyone vaguely felt that they had returned to the days of reading aloud in elementary school. Faces gradually turned livid, and finally, no one had the impulse to applaud anymore. Honestly, this content sounded familiar. Therefore, some people discreetly checked their phones and got exasperated. Wasn¡¯t this a hot topic on the forums a while back? It was that Guide for Dummies on ¡°How to Become a Good Pro Gamer from a Noob!¡± So, obviously, Xu Yiming simply printed that thing out, and now pretended it was his own script! Liu Zeshen looked a little bored during his teammate¡¯s speech, so he casually dragged out a chair and sat down next to him, elegantly crossing his long legs and playing unfazed on his phone. It was only when Liu Jinxuan approached him and said a few words that he slowly stood up again, grabbed Xu Yiming by the collar to pull him aside, took the stack of documents from him, and smiled slightly. ¡°Sorry, that¡¯s all for Yiming¡¯s commentary today. Now, let me explain the essentials for analyzing a fight.¡± Hearing what he said, there was a collective sigh of relief. Compared with Xu Yiming¡¯s eloquent nonsense, what Liu Zesheng said could almost be called practical information. After all, for many inexperienced players, the on-the-spot response ability was weak due to inexperience and was often used by the opponent as a breakthrough point. Although it was only the verbal description, after all, this was the experience of the pro players, which was really useful. During the lecture, many people actually got out their pens and paper and started seriously taking notes. Lin Xiao smiled in satisfaction as he saw Zou Qiguan¡¯s lively expression writing beside him. Then he looked back at Xiao Li, who was staring at the people on the podium with disdain and glanced away speechlessly. Is this grudge just because his cousin thought Liu Zeshen was more handsome? So much hate? When Liu Zesheng finished his speech, the first session was officially over, and then they went on to the next phase. Since the meaning of filling out the forms was previously announced, all the members present were looking forward to the chance to play one-on-one. Although people in the camp could be considered experts in regular online games and occasionally met professional players, those were usually busy with training and did not have much time to play, so it was not so easy to meet them. Even if they sometimes signed up to play on the ladder, it was just to relax and they did not necessarily show their maximum level. Therefore, the opportunity to play such a game was particularly rare. After all, in a way, if you could defeat an official team player, it was, without a doubt, the most direct proof of your ability. After casually flipping through the forms, Liu Zeshen drew out three candidates to fight: ¡°Wei Si, Chen Xiaoxiao, Xiao Li.¡± Seeing that he was not picked, Lin Xiao breathed a sigh of relief. Unlike him, Xiao Li, who was chosen, raised his face excitedly and sneered, ¡°Wait and see how I deal with him.¡± Lin Xiao glanced at him silently, then at Liu Zeshen, and smiled meaningfully: ¡°My condolences.¡± CH 40 ¡°Brother Lin, what level is Brother Xiao?¡± Due to his young age, Zou Qiguan did not care at all about his status as the so-called leader of the area. He asked this while Xiao Li stepped up to the podium. ¡°His name¡­ Laughing Sky. Have you ever heard of it?¡± Lin Xiao made no secret of it. ¡°He¡¯s the Wanderer King!¡± Zou Qiguan¡¯s eyes lit up immediately. ¡°Then won¡¯t it be exciting later?¡± ¡°Well, it should be.¡± Lin Xiao replied with a smile. While the two were talking, the battle gear on the stage was being prepared. Wei Si was the first to play, and he and Liu Zeshen sat in front of the computers on either side. Since it was an internal battle, both sides used simulation servers that imported role data in synchronicity. After the battle room was set up, the first mentoring match was about to begin. Nearby, boot camp staff were adjusting equipment, and on the high wall in front of the podium, a screen slowly unfolded as the projector lights came on. The global view of the battle map was projected onto the huge screen, just like a miniaturized game scene. Many of the new members were amazed as they experienced this powerful competitive atmosphere for the first time. For Lin Xiao, it was impossible to own this kind of equipment back then. This was not only because of the undeveloped technology but also because the unfavorable environment at the time did not allow them to ¡°waste¡± the few funds on it. But now, this level of equipment was the most basic setup in major training camps. As long as an investment can benefit the improvement of the players, the club will spare no effort to fulfill it. Looking at everything in front of him, he smiled, ¡°Today¡¯s players are really blessed¡­¡± Zou Qiguan nodded along with a dreamy face: ¡°That¡¯s right, if the official players could come to guide us every day, we would be even happier! Even more so if it¡¯s Captain You!¡± Lin Xiao: ¡°¡­¡± On the big screen, after completing the maps¡¯ banning, the players quickly selected their equipment and decided on skill points, and then, in front of everyone¡¯s eyes, everything entered the readout interface. As a member of the training camp who was neither new nor old, Wei Si was in an awkward position. He knew full well that if he continued like this, sooner or later, he would face elimination. Then, all his previous efforts would have been in vain. His talent was average, so he had to put in more effort than others in training, but because he had enough enthusiasm for e-sports, he was really happy to be picked this time. Although he didn¡¯t really think that he could win against an official player like Liu Zeshen, he was still looking forward to it. At least there could be one or two brilliant moves to catch the coach¡¯s attention and score some tiny good points for future training. With such a simple expectation, Wei Si entered the battle map nervously. The operator adjusted the screen interface to display on the sides the equipment configuration, skill route, and full numerical details. After a glance, Lin Xiao had a simple judgment on Wei Si¡¯s status: ¡°The selection of equipment and skill routes are pretty decent¡­¡± Facing Liu Zeshen¡¯s rogue paladin, Wei Si¡¯s demon hunter chose an agility-based main attack, speed equipment, and the Light Archer skill route based on increasing passive movement speed. This style was defined as a flying kite battle method. However, did Liu Zeshen face this kind of routine any less often? Lin Xiao glanced briefly at the equipment and route selected by Choose a Tree to Nest In, then looked away with emotion, silently shaking his head. Actually taking the output route meant that he was completely unwilling to give his opponent a chance to fly the kite! Although it was a mentoring match, there was no need to be so ruthless, right? If the boot camp members are left with psychological trauma, how will they cope in the future¡­ Tsk. ¡°If you¡¯re ready, let¡¯s begin?¡± When entering the game, the words of Choose a Tree1 appeared in the map channel. With that said, the paladin went into hiding under everyone¡¯s gaze, and on the other side, the demon hunter sneaked into the jungle cautiously. Although he had the advantage of a better tactic because of his superior understanding, in the map selection process, Liu Zeshen picked one with less water. He deliberately left such a wild forest as a battle map to allow a long-ranged character to occupy a dominant position. That said, the gap between the two sides was already very clear in terms of map usage. In fact, Wei Si was nervous from the start of the match. According to the strategy he had worked out in his mind, he groped forward cautiously, carefully watching every inch of movement around him. Because his mind was too tense, the palm holding the mouse was already sweating. However, he still couldn¡¯t find the opponent¡¯s position. Others, on the other hand, have already seen Choose a Tree from the global perspective on the big screen going around to get behind him, and their heartbeats sped up. While Wei Si was still looking around, suddenly a muffled roar came through the headset. Before he had time to react, he saw a rider-like figure charging straight toward him. His hands were shaking, and unable to dodge, he was directly trampled by the opponent. Choose a tree to live in launched the ultimate move of the paladin profession Soul Trampling. With a boost of his own attributes, the dazzling golden light enveloped his whole body, and the spear in his hand was particularly bright, stabbing directly at the demon hunter. For a long-range character, being stabbed by a paladin was fatal, and Liu Zeshen could be said to be ruthless. The series of techniques employed connected almost perfectly, leaving Wei Si in a complete mess. He could only watch helplessly as his character was stabbed again and again by his opponent, almost in a state of suspension where he had never fallen to the ground during the entire process. It was the first time he felt such a direct suppression of his power that his mind went blank and he, not knowing how to fight back, could only frantically press the keyboard. However, before the blood bar was emptied, any operations were already redundant, let alone expect any outstanding performance. Until the end of the game, Wei Si was still sitting on the chair in a daze, unable to process the ¡°Failure¡± sign that popped up on the screen. ¡°Good fight.¡± A voice sounded from above him, and he raised his head in a daze, only to see Liu Zeshen¡¯s extraordinarily elegant smile, but he was unable to say a word. Did he play well? He didn¡¯t seem to have any brilliant move just now, did he? Seeing his look, Liu Zeshen guessed what he was thinking, patted him on the shoulder, and said with a smile: ¡°Your outfits and skill settings are perfect, which shows that you do have a certain level of understanding of the professional mindset. This is one of the qualities required of a professional player, but it¡¯s not enough.¡± Glancing at the computer screen that was still dim because he didn¡¯t click to exit, he smiled faintly: ¡°Go back today and watch the battle replay a few times and you¡¯ll find there are still many places on this map that you need to understand.¡± Wei Si was silent for a long time after his words, and when he looked up again, although his eyes were still reluctant, the discouragement in them had greatly diminished. He stood up, bowed to Liu Zeshen, and said seriously: ¡°Thank you for your advice!¡± Liu Zeshen hurriedly helped him up, and not being used to such a thing, he felt embarrassed by the grand gesture, ¡°You¡¯re welcome, you¡¯re welcome.¡± The crowd gave a round of applause to Wei Si, who left the stage, and the next one, Chen Xiaoxiao, sat in front of the computer. Seeing such a beautiful girl with big eyes on the opposite side, Liu Zeshen had a somewhat awkward expression, ¡°It¡¯s not good, I can¡¯t do anything against a pretty girl.¡± Everyone was speechless. This self-proclaimed gentleman Liu Zeshen said this in an interview before, but when they met the Red Leaf team with only female players, coincidence or not, he really didn¡¯t show up. This became one of the three unsolved mysteries of that round. When the game started, everyone¡¯s attention was immediately drawn to it. Pretty soon, many observant people noticed that in terms of equipment, Liu Zeshen had indeed held back a lot compared to the previous round. He did not employ the same offensive equipment but replaced it with some of the defensive equipment often used by the paladin characters. However, although Liu Zeshen was very upright in this round and did not play any tricks, the fight was not as one-sided as with Wei Si and even lasted twice as long. But once the onlookers had the full picture, they could only say two words in their hearts ¨C Holy shit! Is this a war? Is this a game? Is this a mentoring game? It looked like a hooligan in paladin armor messing with a sexy-dressed gladiator in the wilderness. The whole video was like a crime scene from start to finish! Chen Xiaoxiao stood up from the computer with a mixture of emotions but politely nodded to Liu Zeshen, ¡°Thank you for your guidance.¡± Being next, Xiao Li could barely wait for the two games to end and stood up eagerly. After watching Liu Zeshenin the previous battle, the look on his face said: ¡®this stinky rascal!¡¯ Although Liu Zeshen was puzzled by this inexplicable hostility, he smiled at him politely. After they logged into the game, he was surprised to see his opponent¡¯s ID, and his initially calm expression subsided, revealing a bit of interest. At this time, other people also saw the name on the big screen, and the whispering in the crowd suddenly stopped. In an instant, all eyes fell on Xiao Li, and a moment later, the chatter rang out again, filling the hall with even greater force. It was at this time that many people realized that this new member was actually Laughing Sky. They were surprised, excited, and filled with anticipation. As the script unfolded on the big screen, the room went completely silent again, and everyone held their breath in anticipation of the next awesome duel. Not caring about the audience¡¯s reaction, Xiao Li glanced at Liu Zeshen, rubbed his hands to exercise his muscles, and sneered contemptuously. At this moment, there was only one thought in his heart: Destroy him! Then show this video to his cousin, and let her know who¡¯s more handsome! I shortened his name for practical reasons ~^_^~ CH 41.1 ¡°Hmm, they both chose the most familiar routines and put forward their genuine skills¡­¡± As the preparation phase was over, Lin Xiao looked at both display panels on the screen and sighed. If Liu Zeshen really had a reason to win because he couldn¡¯t lose face to the camp members, then Xiao Li¡¯s persistence in his ¡®handsomeness pageant¡¯ was really admirable. The map used this round was the Lost Desert City, which had no particular advantage for either of the two melee-type chars. You could say that it will be a competition between two complete forces. Compared to the Wild Forest, the map of the Lost Desert City was actually not that big. In the center was a piece of yellow sand, surrounded by a circle of old and abandoned ruins of a city, and everywhere there was a gloomy and desolate atmosphere. After loading the battle map, the two sides began to march almost at the same time. From the global view, both of them could be seen moving toward the center of the map. Originally, according to this pace, they would meet soon, but upon passing through the ancient city, they both turned around and reversed their route toward the top of the map. Obviously, they both intended to avoid each other, who would expect that in this situation they were still about to collide head-on? From the first perspective displayed in the corner of the big screen, no matter whose point of view it was, you could see the scenery changing as the two people moved at an impressive speed, and many people felt a little shocked. Not to mention that it was necessary to ensure the speed of travel while balancing the character¡¯s physical attributes, but while moving at such a fast pace, they also had to be aware of their surroundings which could change at any moment. This was not something ordinary players could do. Just as everyone was holding their breath, anticipating the collision of the two, they saw Choose a Tree making a sudden side flip at a tricky angle to enter the dilapidated house next to him. At the same time, Laughing Sky was just entering the field of vision, and in a span of 0.1 seconds, he had successfully avoided being discovered. No one could explain how Liu Zeshen made such an accurate judgment without seeing the opponent. The crowd marveled and focused even harder, afraid to miss any of the subtle details of the master¡¯s movements. At this moment, there was no one in Laughing Sky¡®s field of vision, no sign of Choose a Tree in the barrenness of the ancient city. However, Choose a Tree, who was hidden in the house, saw all his movements clearly. As Laughing Sky passed in front of the house step by step, the spear of Choose a Tree was suddenly flung, striking from behind. This sneak attack could be said to be perfect, but Laughing Sky reacted sharply the moment he heard the sound of the air splitting. He turned with a wave of his heavy sword and made a superb block, firmly stopping the spear behind him. His reaction was so fast that someone couldn¡¯t help but say ¡°beautiful,¡± but then he remembered where he was and hurriedly covered his mouth and quieted down. Xiao Li didn¡¯t notice the audience¡¯s reaction because of his concentration, but he smiled complacently. ¡ª Didn¡¯t you say he was inexperienced? What does it matter? Let¡¯s show that hand speed! Thinking of this, his hand suddenly erupted with violent action. After this block, Laughing Sky immediately changed the defense to attack, and the light overflowed with the swing of his sword. There was a flurry of skill combos against Choose a Tree, forcing him to go on the defensive. Not bad. Liu Zeshen was also taken by surprise for a moment, but soon he stabilized his rhythm again. He silently praised in his heart and immediately activated the Holy Light Armor. Due to the ricochet damage, the attack was stopped for a moment, and he immediately saw the opportunity to raise the spear and hit Laughing Sky with a heavy blow, which produced a short-term dizzying effect. After seizing the opportunity, naturally, Choose a Tree would not easily let go, so he immediately followed with a series of skills in a row. The blood bar that was dropping after Laughing Sky¡®s pressing offensive just now was almost leveled again. As soon as the stun effect ended, Laughing Sky made another counterattack. The moment the heavy sword struck the spear, it instantly cast a three-stage thunderbolt streak, pushing Choose a Tree backward a few feet. Then a broad vacuum wave shot out, slashing straight at the opponent. Seeing that he was about to be hit again, Choose a Tree suddenly jumped and avoided the ripple effect. When he landed, he performed several consecutive backflips directly towards the tile house, disappearing behind the tall dilapidated wall and out of sight of the Laughing Sky in the blink of an eye. Laughing Sky made a quick decision and gave chase into the dilapidated house without delay. However, by the time he entered the house, there was no sign of his opponent. Xiao Li was slightly taken aback. Where did this man go? There was no one in Laughing Sky¡®s field of vision, but the onlookers saw the process clearly. At this moment, everyone couldn¡¯t help but sweat for him. After rolling into the house a moment ago, Choose a Tree didn¡¯t stay there, and without delay, he had already exited from another side window. Once out of the house, he did not leave but made a detour and returned to the main entrance of the tile house again, meaning he was now behind Laughing Sky. When the roar of the great technique of Soul Trampling sounded, no matter how fast Laughing Sky was, there was nothing he could do in such a narrow space. Choose a Tree charged straight at him with a roar, and on impact, he used a flying kick, overthrowing Laughing Sky straight into a corner and, at the same time, hitting him head-on with a taunting skill. With the buff effect attribute of this great maneuver doubling the buff of the fighting power, the fierce combo attack firmly subdued Laughing Sky. Trapped in the corner between two walls, there was not enough room for him to resist. He was brutally plastered against the wall, and the blood splattered under the spear attack made a gruesome picture. ¡°The winner has been decided.¡± Lin Xiao knew that a comeback was impossible when he saw Choose a Tree skillfully controlling Laughing Sky in the corner. Looking at Xiao Li¡¯s black face on the stage, he smiled slightly. This disastrous defeat may not be a bad thing. At least, he should finally realize that the gap between professionals and amateurs is not in the speed of operation, but in the on-the-spot strategy. When the word ¡®Failure¡¯ appeared on the screen, Xiao Li¡¯s face didn¡¯t look too good until Liu Zeshen politely approached him and shook his hand. After hesitating for a moment, he shook hands with the other party, his expression still showing displeasure: ¡°If you have the ability, you don¡¯t have to play tricks. If you win like this, you might not be better than me.¡± Liu Zeshen was taken aback for a moment, then laughed nonchalantly: ¡°You are welcome to play your tricks next time.¡± Xiao Li felt stifled and his neck seemed to be twice as thick. Amused by his reaction, Liu Zeshen looked at him from head to toe with a faint smile, still speaking with courtesy, ¡°I look forward to being your teammate in the future.¡± At these words, not only Xiao Li but also the other people present were stunned. ¡ª¡ªIs this implying something? Anyways, when Xiao Li left the stage, he received extraordinarily warm applause. Returning to his seat under everyone¡¯s gaze, he coughed twice in response and said: ¡°Accidentally I got in his way, it was an accident, pure accident!¡± Lin Xiao looked at him with an ¡°I understand¡± expression, and smiled without saying a word. Zou Qiguan, who was still immersed in the wonderful battle just now, comforted him with regret on his face: ¡°Brother Xiao, you can actually fight so fiercely with senior Liu, it was very impressive! It¡¯s normal to lose, don¡¯t be discouraged, you can definitely get your revenge in the future!¡± Is it normal to lose? Don¡¯t be discouraged? Xiao Li¡¯s mouth twitched when he heard these words, and it took him a while to utter a normal sentence: ¡°Thank you, Switch!¡± Lin Xiao was amused and was about to say something when he saw Liu Jinxuan step up to the podium again and start drawing lots for the second round of the mentorship matches. Because time was running out, the number of Xu Yiming¡¯s opponents in the lottery was reduced from three to one. He himself didn¡¯t have much to say about it, and smiling, he pulled a note from the pile of lists and read: ¡°The one who will join me in the next battle is Lin Xiao. Where are you, friend? Come up, come up!¡± Amidst the sighs of the people who saw their hopes dashed, Lin Xiao choked up his words just as he wanted to tease Xiao Li. ¡ª¡ªWhat were the odds of being drawn with only one spot left? Is this for real? Xiao Li reacted first and clapped him on the shoulder excitedly, ¡°Brother, good luck! You¡¯ve been chosen!¡± Lin Xiao glanced at him wordlessly. What was there to be excited about, did he look like he really wanted to go up and play? ¡°I¡¯m here. I¡¯m coming.¡± When Xu Yiming called out his name again after seeing no movement for a long time, Lin Xiao finally stood up and slowly walked onto the stage in front of everyone. Among all the looks, there were two in particular that, falling on him, stood out clearly and abruptly due to different emotions. Xu Yiming stared at him blankly until Lin Xiao approached, then he suddenly came to his senses and almost jumped up. ¡°Damn, why are you in our training camp!?¡± Liu Zeshen also frowned, and his amiable expression froze instantly when he saw Lin Xiao: ¡°You¡¯re a new member this time?¡± Such behavior managed to turn those envious eyes into gossip and curiosity in an instant. Especially Zhang Jin and Feng Sheng, who had witnessed the previous conversation between Lin Xiao and You Jing, were even more circumspect in this scenario ¨C who in the world is this person, who not only knows Captain You, but also even Xu Yiming and Liu Zeshen, two seniors? Hearing the whispers rising from below, Lin Xiao felt a little helpless. It was precisely because he anticipated that it would be a troublesome situation that he did not want to face these two people head-on in this situation¡­ Lightly rubbing his messy bangs, he flashed the two of them a friendly, harmless smile: ¡°Since we¡¯re going to be teammates, please let bygones be bygones and help each other out in the future.¡± ¡°Since when have we been teammates with you?¡± Xu Yiming has never seen such a brazen person who would take for granted something that hadn¡¯t happened yet! At this moment, there was only one thought in his mind, what would happen if Captain You knew that this kid had sneaked into the training camp¡­ The more he thought about it, the crazier he felt. It was unimaginable! Compared with the turbulence in Xu Yiming¡¯s eyes, Lin Xiao was much calmer. He patted him on the shoulder with a smile, pointed to the computer, and asked, ¡°Then, are you still playing?¡± Xu Yiming felt stifled internally from his calm demeanor and gave him a stern look. Turning around, he hurriedly sat in front of the computer, vowing to get revenge in his captain¡¯s name: ¡°We¡¯ll fight! I¡¯ll teach you a lesson!¡± Oh, it¡¯s a mentorship game. Lin Xiao raised his eyebrows slightly, sat opposite him without other questions, and logged into his account. CH 41.2 Seeing the attitudes of those two, Liu Zeshen frowned thoughtfully. The crowd watched in confusion as the two talked in riddles before turning their attention to the screen. In fact, Lin Xiao never thought that he would have too many encounters with the official members of the Black Rose team so soon. However, the current situation presented such an opportunity, and since it was given to him, he could not let it go to waste. Of course, he won¡¯t play pretentious and refuse them. He might as well give in and find out the bottom line. After all, fighting is the best way to intuitively sense your opponent¡¯s strength and also to find their weaknesses. After entering the Tomb of Horror map, both sides approached the resurrection points directly opposed and did not perform any strategic positioning. Not surprisingly, they collided head-on in the center of the map. Xu Yiming took the lead in action. With a smart move, he was completely buried in the dark night, but at the same time, he was the first to open fire. With such evasive movements, only the flame from the shots made his approximate position vaguely discernible. Tsk, why are you in such a hurry? Lin Xiao shook his head internally. With flexible mouse control, Adorable Ghost nimbly dodged in place at the time of the shooting, without any big movements. However, after the gunfire broke out, the unchanged blood bar was enough to let people know that he had perfectly avoided all the shots. After this offensive wave, Yiming saw the blood bar intact and did not continue. On the big screen, everyone could see his rapid movements in the night, and in a blink of an eye, he has completely deviated from the coordinates exposed a moment before. After this shooting wave, Adorable Ghost unhurriedly started to walk too, changing position. If one were to pay close attention to the forwarding angle, those who did some research could find that such a position blocked Yiming¡¯s path ahead. Liu Zeshen saw everything and a trace of surprise flashed in his eyes as he suddenly remembered Shen Changyu¡¯s attitude of strongly recommending this person. Giving it more importance in his mind, he started to watch the match more seriously. Meanwhile, Adorable Ghost fumbled to a certain coordinate point, suddenly stopped there, and did not move. What¡¯s the matter, is there something wrong with the computer? The crowd was puzzled, but looking at Lin Xiao on the stage, he was watching the screen with concentration, and nothing seemed unusual. Cry for Blood1 was still moving, but Xu Yiming¡¯s expression was a little more anxious. Just after completing the strategic detour, when he was supposed to launch a second wave of attacks, he was surprised to find that Adorable Ghost had completely disappeared from his control range. He had to abandon his previous strategy and started firing randomly to find the ambush location. The sound of gunfire in the quiet, eerie graveyard was especially unnerving, occasionally sparking a few wisps of soul fire that merged with the gun muzzle. In an act that seemed to actively expose his position, Xu Yiming actually kept an excellent attitude. The angle of his main field of view was very tricky, and he kept a Z-shaped position at all times so that he could face any unexpected situation from any side and react first. Lin Xiao had to admit that Xu Yiming was indeed good enough in the field of professional shooters to have a place in the league. However, the current situation was a bit too intense. It could only be said that his strength and talent were quite remarkable, but what a pity that his temper was still too hasty. In the current situation, if Xu Yiming had been more careful, he might have been able to play a little longer, but he chose to expose himself rashly. Sure enough, he was still too young and underestimated the enemy¡­ With a slight smile at the corner of his mouth, after Cry for Blood¡®s rain of flames, Adorable Ghost suddenly jumped in place behind the nearby bushes. Spinning the staff in his hand, he immediately began chanting for the ultimate move, Ten Thousand Ghosts Void. The audience was stunned by his actions. Was that leap in place just now because he slipped? And at this time, Cry for Blood was still out of range of the ultimate movement. According to his current position, that chanting may be wasted! However, when everyone was criticizing, Cry for Blood quickly left the large area of flames burning on the ground. Due to the red light emitted during the release of the fire spell, the opponent¡¯s coordinates were located. His feet moved quickly and quietly like a ghost, and the moment he approached, he opened fire toward the position exposed by the Adorable Ghost a moment before. Witnessing all this, the audience was speechless. Xu Yiming¡¯s reaction speed was undoubtedly excellent, but the problem was that the area was already empty! What was even worse, the Ten Thousand Ghost Void¡®s spell had been completed by this time, and due to his quick approach, Cry for Blood had entered its range. As the area below his feet was completely covered in darkness, an extremely faint debuff icon appeared on Cry for Blood¡®s body, and at the same time, his vision was blocked. By now, how could Xu Yiming not understand that he was deliberately lured by the opponent? However, he continued to move while cursing in his heart. Even if he lost his sight, Cry for Blood still moved keenly on the field, trying to escape. At this point, the quality of a professional player was fully displayed. Even if he was almost completely blinded, Cry for Blood¡®s speed was not hindered much. Instead, relying solely on his previous impression of the nearby terrain and only with the help of the small map, he was about to escape the ghost priest¡®s range. However, when a Frost Curse landed at his feet, Cry for Blood was stopped dead in his tracks, and the skills that fell upon him one after another could be described as a frenzied bombardment. Without even a chance to formally adjust his state, the expert shooter¡¯s blood bar was neatly emptied in just a few seconds. Not even Xu Yiming could recover from that. Although ghost priests did not often appear in individual competitions, he had still encountered several ghost priest masters. Even in the professional league, there has never been a situation like this where it could be said that he was completely humiliated without even being able to retaliate. Just hand speed? No, such a routine requires enough cooling reduction to support it, which will definitely reduce the output damage of all skills. However, the opponent had an almost perfect skill grasp, and there was not the slightest flaw in the control imposed. Even when the screen completely darkened, Xu Yiming still had an inexplicable sense of terror like never before. Lin Xiao didn¡¯t pay much attention to the word ¡®Victory¡¯ that popped up in front of him. Instead, he moved the mouse a few times and looked at the keyboard on the desk thoughtfully. ¡ª¡ªAlthough the equipment in the training camp was top-notch, in terms of hand feeling, it seemed something was still missing¡­ Just as he was thinking about this, Xu Yiming stood up, walked toward him with a complicated look, and finally extended his hand reluctantly, saying, ¡°Thank you for your guidance.¡± This gesture inevitably caused an uproar in the crowd. It was true that the winner was decided, but an official player to thank a newcomer for guidance? Shouldn¡¯t it be the other way around!? Lin Xiao shook his hand casually, ¡°You are also quite good.¡± Xu Yiming¡¯s entire face scrunched up in frustration. No matter how you heard this sentence, it sounded like a senior¡¯s assessment of the younger generation. No matter what, this was a conversation between peers. Who was the senior here?¡­ Fortunately, he was not a narrow-minded person, so was willing to admit defeat. Now that he had seen that the opponent was indeed stronger than him, of course, he will not bother to save his image. After not finding his words for a while, he said: ¡°Lin Xiao, right? As long as you can join the team in the future, I will recognize you as a teammate.¡± Lin Xiao was slightly taken aback when he heard these words and glanced up at Liu Zeshen. Seeing that he had an indifferent expression and didn¡¯t object, he smiled and replied calmly, ¡°Ah, I am very honored.¡± Really, you¡¯re not very polite. ¡°¡­¡± Xu Yiming was finally at a loss for words. The author has something to say: Hold a moment of silence for 3 seconds for Boss Xiao and the entire process of Adorable Ghost successively restoring the inner impressions of teammates¡­ This is Xu Yiming char¡¯s name CH 42 Faced with Xu Yiming¡¯s speechlessness, Lin Xiao just laughed it off indifferently, while the onlookers in the audience were blown away. He walked off the podium under various gazes from all directions and received a warm hug from Xiao Li upon his triumphant return. On the other hand, Zou Qiguan looked at him with bright, worshipful eyes and excitedly swayed around him: ¡°Brother Lin, you are very good, wow!¡± Lin Xiao usually ignored the gazes of others in the past, but under Zou Qiguan¡¯s bright eyes, he seemed to see a small tail wagging happily behind him. Finally, he couldn¡¯t help but reach out and stroke his curly brown hair. Well, it must be said, it felt really good. In the midst of the chaos, Liu Zesheng quietly dragged Xu Yiming away. Liu Jinxuan opened his notebook to record the analysis of the game just now. When his gaze flicked over that figure on the map, he paused meaningfully, his expression became a little more thoughtful, and he added a few words after a pause. The match just now was not long, but it was enough for him to determine the skills of this newcomer who was already above the training camp level. But, for some reason, he had an inexplicable feeling that this person was a little restrained during the battle, and didn¡¯t fully reveal the pace he actually had. Throughout the afternoon, until the end of the training activity, all the topics and discussions revolved around the identity of Xiao Li, the wanderer king, and Lin Xiao¡¯s explosive operation. When he returned to the dormitory after dinner, Lin Xiao just fell on the bed when he received a call from Shen Changyu and said jokingly: ¡°What, I only beat an official player, and even the vice-captain is alarmed so quickly?¡± ¡°What official player did you beat?¡± Shen Changyu was at a loss. Then he remembered the event that Liu Jinxuan had applied for and realized, ¡°Did you fight with them this afternoon?¡± ¡°Yeah, I played a game with the juniors.¡± Lin Xiao said curiously, ¡°So that¡¯s not why you called me, huh?¡± Shen Changyu was silent for a moment, but he was not in the mood to continue the topic, so he brought back the focus: ¡°I called you about the next game against the Apocalypse team.¡± Lin Xiao didn¡¯t need to think too much and said: ¡°It seems that with that tight score, You Jing doesn¡¯t want to change the lineup, does he?¡± Shen Changyu indeed wanted to talk to Lin Xiao about this matter, so he sighed helplessly and recapped the entire daytime negotiation process in detail. With that, he said, ¡°If we play in accordance with the originally planned lineup, I am afraid it will put a heavier burden on the captain¡¯s hand.¡± Lin Xiao listened quietly, and then said: ¡°So the scenario you want to replace is Qin Lei, Liu Zeshen, and you in the individual tournament, and then Er Xu and You Jing in the team competition? If this formation is used against the Apocalypse team, although the probability of winning the team competition will be higher and easier, if there are no accidents in the individual competition, it is likely that they will only be able to score one point.¡± Shen Changyu nodded, ¡°So Captain You insisted on using the original lineup so that he could win two points in the individual competition and at the same time try for victory in the team competition. If the situation is good, we could have four points before the team game.¡± ¡°I have to say that in this case, if it were me, I would have made the same choice as You Jing.¡± Lin Xiao smiled leisurely and said, ¡°The Apocalypse team led by old Yan is no pushover. As the team competition win rate cannot be guaranteed, they should try to get more points in the early stages. According to the current points leaderboard, it will be really difficult for the team to qualify if they lose points in the next few rounds.¡± Shen Changyu was at a loss for words: ¡°Captain Lin, you¡­¡± ¡°From an emotional point of view, I really don¡¯t approve of this kind of risky behavior that may aggravate the injury. But from a rational point of view, facing a team that may lose qualification at any time, such a risk is indeed imperative.¡± Lin Xiao said, somewhat emotionally, ¡°It is undeniable that You Jing is very conscious and responsible as a pillar of the team. In this regard, I really can¡¯t find any reason to stop him.¡± Shen Changyu asked grimly, ¡°Then we let him continue like this?¡± ¡°In the current situation, there¡¯s nothing we can do. We can only hope it doesn¡¯t get worse.¡± Lin Xiao also felt helpless, ¡°When the time comes, you have to pay more attention to his situation.¡± Shen Changyu resignedly replied, ¡°I will.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not convenient for You Jing to say it, but you can stop it if necessary, don¡¯t put too much pressure on yourself. Regardless of how many points we score against the Apocalypse, it is vital that the team makes the playoffs.¡± Lin Xiao looked at the stars outside the house with a smirk in his eyes, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I will find a way to officially join the team before the next round. By then, the previous two rounds will total 20 points, not a single point less.¡± Shen Changyu¡¯s tone fluctuated slightly: ¡°Have you thought of a way to enter the team?¡± ¡°When the time comes, the situation will be compelling; therefore, it won¡¯t be hard to get in. But then, Vice Captain Shen, you will have to make your contribution as well!¡± Lin Xiao said with a smile, ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about it for now. You¡¯d better try to finish the next game, go fight.¡± Although on the other side of the phone, Sheng Changyu still seemed to be touched by the smile in his voice and shivered. However, after this conversation, he felt inexplicably at ease, his impetuous mood calmed down, and finally, a smile appeared on his face: ¡°Well, I will do my best.¡± ¡­ Two days later, according to the schedule, the Black Rose team¡¯s current round match happened to be held in the Rainbow Gaming Hall in H City. Liu Jinxuan entered the training camp early in the morning and chose a few people to go to the secondary arena to watch the battle together. This list also reflected the importance that the head coach placed on some people, so when the two new members, Lin Xiao and Xiao Li, were chosen, they inevitably received a lot of envious glances. As the start of the battle approached, the arena was gradually filled with people. The host had already warmed up the atmosphere as the commentators were giving brief introductions to the players on both sides. Occasionally they teased each other with a few jokes, which caused a lot of laughter in the audience. Fans from both sides held up posters and neon signs of the team members and shouted their names. Somehow, the shouts of this game were more enthusiastic than usual. Wave after wave of shouts made it seem like the fans were already facing each other with drawn swords, even though the two teams had not yet started the fight. Commentator Xiao Wu interacted with her partner, ¡°Both teams are very popular, and the fans are very passionate today!¡± Mao Dou smiled and said, ¡°It¡¯s true. After all, both Apocalypse and Black Rose could be said to be among the most popular teams in the league at the moment, and today¡¯s match was highly anticipated.¡± Xiao Wu looked at the information about the players appearing on the big screen, sorted out the documents in her hand, and said: ¡°Judging by the current roster of players, the overall lineups of the two sides haven¡¯t changed much. I don¡¯t know if there will be any new strategies in the actual battle.¡± Mao Dou glanced at the current time and said: ¡°It¡¯s 15:29, and the game is about to start, I can¡¯t wait.¡± As soon as his words fell, the light in the arena suddenly dimmed, and when it came back on, the players from both teams entered the stage one by one through the side doors. As the camera focus switched, the contestants¡¯ profiles were broadcast one after the other on the big screen, and the sweeping close-ups caused another explosion of screams in the arena. At the end, the two close-ups of the captains of both teams were shown simultaneously on the big screen, one on the left and one on the right, bringing the atmosphere to a new climax. Lin Xiao hadn¡¯t seen You Jing for several days, so he couldn¡¯t help but take a second look at that face that looked perfect from any angle. It had to be said that the team uniform on this man, looked really fit, brought out his cold and reserved personality, and also concealed his particular sharpness. Thinking this way after a glance, his eyes turned to the other man¡¯s face. He still had the same frown and angular profile, but five years had brought him a more mature and stable air. Even when he was simply standing on the stage, he exuded an indescribable sense of oppression. This was the most experienced veteran of the Glory League and also the longest-standing professional player in the e-sports circle. He dedicated himself completely to the Apocalypse team, regardless of the consequences, and it was enough to earn the respect of everyone who loved e-sports. He was Yan Duzhou, known as the ¡°King of Hell.¡± If the e-sports circle was also a microcosm of the entertainment circle, in this era of rampant anti-fans, where no matter the player, it was inevitable to be controversial, this was the only person who was never questioned. Regardless of victory or defeat, his existence was like a milestone in the league, and the end of each game left a strong mark in the history of e-sports. When this familiar figure fell into his eyes, Lin Xiao automatically straightened his posture, paying a silent tribute to this old friend and rival. If he had to say who he totally admired in the entire league, maybe Yan Duzhou was the only one. He knew very well the reason why this man did not choose to retire, and it was precisely because he knew that he respected him even more. Whether this man won the world trophy or not, he was the irreplaceable uncrowned king in his mind. CH 43 Onyx Blue12-14 minutes 16.04.2023 After shaking hands and greeting each other, both players took their seats, and the game officially began. In the first round of the individual competition, Qin Lei¡¯s heavy gunner Fire Barrier from the Black Rose team faced Chen Rifa¡¯s gunsmith One Shot A Day of the Apocalypse team. Shen Changyu noticed the tension on Qin Lei¡¯s face, smiled, and patted him on the shoulder, comforting him: ¡°Just relax and play like you normally do.¡± Qin Lei did not speak, just nodded quietly and clenched his fists. Although he also knew that his chances of winning were not that high, he still cheered himself in his heart. Regarding the current situation of the Black Rose team, every point was extremely important. So when they saw this inexperienced rookie opening the game, the crowd in the arena froze for a moment ¨C this arrangement meant giving up a point since the beginning of the game? Although the battle area was completely soundproofed, Qin Lei could feel the changes in the atmosphere even from the stage. However, his face remained unchanged. As the import data reached the end, the two sides refreshed at their respective resurrection points, and Fire Barrier had already begun to move proactively. The map for this round was Ancient Oasis in the Desert. He had made detailed preparations before the battle and had some confidence in his heart. After finding the coordinates, he began to meticulously arrange the line of fire according to the battle preparation strategy. The key to the outcome of the whole game depended entirely on whether the Fire Barrier could build his line of fire accordingly. The audience held their breath, watching the distance change between the two opponents through the global view on the big screen. It¡¯s getting close. It¡¯s closer. Closer! Just as the fire line was about to be completely set up, One Shot A Day finally found Fire Barrier under the tower in the southwest corner. When the two guns were brought out, there was a blinding burst of gunfire almost without pause, and the final arrangement of the Fire Barrier was completely disrupted. The whole audience suddenly erupted with a ¡°wow¡± exclamation. Fire Barrier fled in a bit of panic under the complete suppression of One Shot A Day¡®s shooting fire. With the help of the surrounding gun turrets, he made a few covert counterattacks. He also rolled several times in succession, trying to escape the opponent¡¯s field of vision, only to see One Shot A Day avoiding all his attacks with agility. Seizing the opportunity, the shotguns in One Shot A Day¡®s hands fired non-stop, and a laser beam wrapped around Fire Barrier¡®s legs, significantly reducing his movement speed. In the blink of an eye, the firepower concentrated on his body suddenly became more intense, and his entire figure was almost obliterated in the firelight. Seeing his blood bar drop at a rate visible to the naked eye, Fire Barrier deliberately moved away to avoid the attack. However, the opponent¡¯s violent offensive left him with no way out. Adding One Shot A Day¡®s accurate predictions, he was firmly controlled by the opponent and placed in an extremely passive situation. At such a disadvantage, Qin Lei was inevitably anxious, but the more anxious he was, the more error-prone he was. Even after repeated struggles, he could not extricate himself from the opponent¡¯s complex offensive until his blood bar emptied completely. ¡°He is still too young, he can¡¯t hold his ground.¡± Offstage, Lin Xiao glanced at Qin Lei, who was too impatient, and silently shook his head. The outcome of this round was as expected, and the victory was already decided. After that, Qin Lei¡¯s second death looked like a replica of the first. After the resurrection, Fire Barrier was again actively engaged in finding opportunities for the fire line placement. However, One Shot A Day seemed to have figured out the routine from the previous firing line location and easily found his position again. Due to the dual advantages of the profession and hand speed, the battle was easily solved. With a decisive score of 2:0, Chen Rifa claimed victory, and the Apocalypse team took the first point. Qin Lei came out of the game looking very depressed. He was aware of the importance of each point for the team in the current situation, and after returning to the players¡¯ bench, he bowed deeply to his teammates: ¡°I¡¯m very sorry.¡± ¡°Sorry? What are you sorry for, you¡¯ve played very well for a rookie!¡± Xu Yiming hurriedly helped him up, took off his coat, threw it on a nearby chair, and patted him on the head with a smile. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, let the seniors avenge you and watch me closely!¡± At this time, the second round on the battle list was displayed on the big screen. From the Apocalypse team, Qiu Zhiyuan played with the character tomahawk fighter The Beauty is Back. When he saw his opponent¡¯s name, Xu Yiming raised his eyebrows, somewhat taken aback, and as he walked towards the stage, he rubbed his hands together, eager to try. ¡°Ah, ah, my opponent is a beautiful woman! I really don¡¯t think I can bear it!¡± Xu Yichen glanced at him as he passed by and said, ¡°If you lose, don¡¯t even think about having dinner tonight.¡± Xu Yiming grimaced, and he called out: ¡°What are you talking about!? If I said I can win, I will. You wait and see. I¡¯m in great shape today and I¡¯ll show no mercy!¡± He shouted loudly, and when he looked up, he happened to see Qiu Zhiyuan¡¯s sharp gaze sweeping toward him, and he immediately covered his mouth. In fact, there have been many female competitors in the Zone, and some have even reached the highest level of their respective professions. But there were only a few like Qiu Zhiyuan, who would choose an unsightly tomahawk fighter as their char. Qiu Zhiyuan¡¯s natural shoulder-length curls and perfect curvaceous figure made the Apocalypse¡®s plain, almost old-fashioned uniform look sexy, with a special charm. Such bright red lips paired with an angelic face were not at all inferior to the beautiful young actresses in today¡¯s film and television industry. As soon as she appeared on the stage, all the nerds shouted like mad and wanted to rush on the stage. When she first joined the league, no one understood why such a pretty woman chose such a rough and brutal role as the tomahawk fighter. Some even speculated that she was just a ¡®vase¡¯ relying on underhanded rules. But all these gossips have been completely silenced by her impeccable performance. As a high-profile female player, Qiu Zhiyuan was widely recognized for her appearance and strength. After the two sides entered the preparation phase, they adjusted their equipment, and the competition on the stage officially started. Many people were eagerly waiting for the beautiful competitor¡¯s performance, but unexpectedly, from the very beginning, when the two sides faced each other, Cry for Blood completely opened up the kite¡¯s tactics based on his flexible and complicated movements. The turning point of the entire game was whether The Beauty is Back could find a chance to get close to Cry for Blood, but judging by the current situation, it was almost impossible. Under the gunfire, the scene looked bloody and violent, but Xu Yiming was nothing like Liu Zeshen, a man with protective feelings toward the fair sex. Once he got high in the fight, he completely ignored everything. He immediately moved to more unconventional positions, and his wandering on the battlefield seemed even more elusive. Although The Beauty is Back finally found a chance to get close to him, she had consumed too much health and blood before, and on the other hand, Cry for Blood only lost a third of his health and a little blood. However, Xu Yiming was completely unleashed at this moment, and he didn¡¯t even stop to look at the body of The Beauty is Back, who had been knocked to the ground just now. He went directly to the opposite point of the resurrection. Everyone was silent: Do you have to be so ruthless¡­ In the players¡¯ box, Xu Yichen smiled slightly, glanced at Qin Lei beside him, and said, ¡°It seems that little Ming is in good shape today.¡± Although Xu Yiming¡¯s usual fighting style was wild, he had never seen him run so rampantly on the battlefield as he did now. Qin Lei looked at the one-sided situation on the field in bewilderment and pursed his lips. Thinking about what he declared before he went on stage, he didn¡¯t know what to say. He could only say that he really was trying to avenge him¡­ You Jing looked at Cry for Blood galloping across the field, and a faint light flickered in his deep eyes. The second round of the individual competition ended with Xu Yiming¡¯s complete victory, and the overall score was 1:1. The final game was held between the vice captains of the two teams. For the Black Rose team, it was Shen Changyu¡¯s summoner, Seasonal Rain, fighting against Song Lan¡¯s shadow swordsman, Rising Shadow Sword of the Apocalypse team. The captain and vice-captain of Team Apocalypse have always been known as the two most different players in the league. Back then, everyone thought that a meticulous captain like Yan Duzhou would choose his right-hand man to be equally cautious and steady, but who would have thought that Song Lan, a rookie who had just entered the league, would be promoted to the vice-captain position a year ago? This fact reminded people of Shen Changyu, similarly promoted by Old Ghost back then. And now, the two vice-captains with such similar backgrounds have met on the field, which was bound to attract special attention. As one of the fastest players in the league, Song Lan brought the shadow swordsman¡®s wind-like agility into full play, and with his tricky and eccentric style of play, he put a lot of pressure on Shen Changyu from the very beginning of the game. In response to these characteristics of his opponent, during the battle, Shen Changyu used the summoner¡®s professional advantage to operate Seasonal Rain to harass Rising Shadow Sword from the sides. Relying on his precise computer-like terrain control, he forced the one-on-one competition that was initially a fast-paced fight into a protracted battle that Song Lan was not good at. At 23 minutes and 35 seconds, with Rising Shadow Sword¡®s last powerful blast, Seasonal Rain scored the third kill with only 28 HP remaining. It was a narrow win with a difference of one kill, 2:1. The players shook hands after leaving the stage. ¡°I say, don¡¯t you feel tired after dragging the battle for so long?¡± Song Lan stared at Shen Changyu for a long time with a reluctant expression but finally waved generously. ¡°Forget it, looking at your team¡¯s points crisis, this point doesn¡¯t mean much, I can ignore it.¡± Shen Changyu smiled: ¡°Since you are so considerate, why don¡¯t you talk to your teammates and give us the next 7 points?¡± Song Lan threw his hand away: ¡°Oh, what a great idea you have!¡± With the vice-captains stepping down the stage, the individual matches ended, and a 3v3 team match was next. The two teams¡¯ lineups have already been displayed on the big screen. The names of Yan Duzhou and You Jing stood out in particular. Watching the players on both sides rise from their seats, the crowd¡¯s cheers almost lifted the roof of the stadium. Many teams that faced Black Rose, purposely adjusted their strategies because of You Jing¡¯s presence, and the same went for the Apocalypse team. Just now, Yan Duzhou did not choose the individual competition but remained in the team competition. Somehow, it was because of the concern about You Jing that their deployment was designated to counter his range. The atmosphere at the venue was extremely charged, and it was obvious that a fierce competition would ensue. Instead of looking at the big screen, Lin Xiao focused on the figure sitting at the front of the Black Rose team¡¯s bench. Watching him walk step by step to the battle zone, the playful look in his eyes gradually subsided, and his thoughts settled in the depths of his eyes. After taking the stage, the contestants of the two sides shook hands and entered the fighting zone one after another. Once they adjusted the gear, the team competition officially started. CH 44 Onyx Blue16-21 minutes 23.04.2023 After a 15-minute break, contestants from both sides stepped into the spotlight. The lineup of the Black Rose team was: You Jing¡¯s priest, Dazzling View, Liu Zeshen¡¯s paladin, Choose a Tree to Live in, and Xu Yichen¡¯s gun bomber, One Shot to the Head. Team Apocalypse played with Yan Duzhou¡¯s black mage, Sunken Boat at Twilight, Xing Shihan¡¯s priest, Cold Wind, and, Luo Wei¡¯s demon hunter, Dimensional Hunter. This long-awaited duel reminded people of the heated discussion about the ¡°conflicting views,¡± an argument that appeared on the Internet not long ago. As a player with high explosive power recognized by the domestic league, the force value of Yan Duzhou¡¯s black mage was beyond doubt. However, You Jing, the nation¡¯s number-one healer, did not catch many people¡¯s eyes. Between the two of them, Yan Duzhou mostly played in the individual competition, while You Jing participated in the team competition. Since joining the League, except for the team competition, his other games could be counted on one¡¯s fingers. No one expected that Yan Duzhou would not participate in the individual competition at the end of the preseason but choose the team competition instead. Many people speculated whether he was deliberately allowing other players to gain more experience in the individual competition, but more believed that the Apocalypse team, which had already secured the playoffs in advance, may have a new three-man lineup that needed practice. That was why he intentionally chose You Jing¡¯s Black Rose team. But in any case, such a ¡°battle of two kings¡± was enough to fuel the expectations of the arena fans. As the game started, the two sides met head-on at the top of the map, directly bringing the atmosphere in the arena to a climax. In the beginning, the Black Rose team coordinated their teamwork beautifully and managed to secure an excellent advantage on the field. However, a small mistake made by Liu Zeshen and Xu Yichen in the middle of the match allowed Yan Duzhou to take advantage of the situation and break up the three opponents in one fell swoop, completely separating You Jing¡¯s Dazzling View from the other two team members. ¡°Hold on, Captain You. I¡¯ll be right there to back you up!¡± Xu Yichen said on the voice channel, preparing to catch up quickly, but heard You Jing say, ¡°No, you and Liu Zesheng go after Cold Wind.¡± Xu Yichen was taken aback: ¡°What about you?¡± You Jing said, ¡°Just kill him as soon as possible. I can stall them.¡± Stall two people, including Yan Duzhou? I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s something no one dares to believe in. However, Xu Yichen was only silent for a moment and answered without further questions, ¡°Alright!¡± After this, One Shot to the Head changed his route, running full speed toward Cold Wind. Under the double attack of Yan Duzhou¡¯s black mage and Luo Wei¡¯s demon hunter, Dazzling View¡®s blood bar fluctuated at a frightening rate. However, when everyone was expecting the other two teammates to come to the rescue, they never showed up. In fact, the camera showed that the other two not only did not come toward Dazzling View but even moved further and further away. At the commentary table, Xiao Wu couldn¡¯t help but exclaim, ¡°Are the two of the Black Rose team both chasing after Cold Wind? Looks like our Queen is getting ready to dance with two at once!¡± Mao Dou was also surprised, ¡°From the current situation, both sides are targeting the healers, but it is obvious that You Jing¡¯s situation is much more dangerous. Xing Shihan is still playing chase with the opponent, and although Captain You¡¯s strength is well known, after all, now the opponent is Yama, the King of Hell. Will he really be able to hold on?¡± Towing away two opponents was indeed a common tactic in team competitions, but one or two teammates were usually around for support, and most were in a power-providing position. Furthermore, in the opposite group was Yan Duzhou, who was at the top of the League. The sight of the contestants staring intently at the computers conveyed a tense atmosphere even beyond the big screen. Commentator Xiao Wu let out a sigh, ¡°To make such a bold decision in front of the King of Hell, I can only say that the Black Rose team shows their confidence in You Jing¡¯s personal actions.¡± Mao Dou picked up the phrase, ¡°Right now is undoubtedly the most drastic test of the priest¡®s operational skills. The show director has already presented the APM1 values, and You Jing¡¯s APM shows that he has reached the highest hand speed among the healer profession in this year¡¯s preseason and is even on an upward trend. Obviously, Yan Duzhou¡¯s effectiveness has put him under great pressure.¡± The APM values displayed on the big screen fluctuated in accordance with the actions of the players on the field. Shen Changyu, who was sitting on the players¡¯ bench, couldn¡¯t help but stand up, seeing that the value was gradually increasing. The concern in his eyes grew more intense. Li Bochuan, the head coach of the team, was sitting not far away, and his face also looked very serious: ¡°It¡¯s too messy.¡± The other team members didn¡¯t know what happened, but looking at the expressions on the two of them, they seemed to sense the gravity of the situation. Twenty-six minutes into the match, Xu Yichen finally killed Cold Wind with the assistance of Liu Zeshen, and then he wasted no time going back as fast as he could. Under the ferocious attack of the Sunken Boat at Twilight and Dimensional Hunter, the blood bar of Dazzling View almost reached the bottom several times during the chaotic battle. You Jing¡¯s hand speed exploded a few times, but under the double offensive, his fatigue became more and more pronounced, and an unbearable pain pulsed faintly from his hand as he stared at the screen without showing any emotion. Seeing that he couldn¡¯t last any longer with only 126 blood units left, One Shot to the Head¡®s beam bomb interrupted the Sunken Boat¡®s chanting, while Choose a Tree¡®s taunt hit Dimensional Hunter. The 3V2 situation has officially formed, and the thrilling suspense has become a foregone conclusion. In the end, the Black Rose team scored two points in the team competition in a thrilling fashion. After the end of the game, players from both sides paid respect to each other. Yan Duzhou shook hands with You Jing, glanced at his left hand with a slightly complicated look, and said, ¡°Is it really necessary to go this far?¡± After the tension in his mind completely relaxed, there was an unbearable numbing pain in his hand, and hearing the question, You Jing raised his head to meet the other party¡¯s gaze and smiled faintly, ¡°It is necessary.¡± Yan Duzhou was silent for a moment and said, ¡°I¡¯ll wait for you in the playoffs.¡± As the two players came off the field, after a moment of silence, the room burst into thunderous applause. This was not only for the winning Black Rose team but also for the defeated Apocalypse and for every e-sports competitor who put on such an awesome show for everyone. The winning trio returned to the players¡¯ bench, and instead of receiving the expected joy and celebration, they felt a distinctively heavy atmosphere. ¡°Show me your hand.¡± Coach Li Bochuan came over with a gloomy expression. You Jing frowned, and the moment his left hand was held, he was visibly shocked by the severe tingling pain he felt. Although he tried his best to bear it, every light touch was like a knife cutting into his bones, and his face slightly lost color. When Li Bochuan saw it, his tone sank: ¡°Let¡¯s go to the team lounge.¡± As if realizing something, everyone¡¯s eyes turned to You Jing¡¯s hand hanging by his side, and a look of understanding appeared on their faces. ¡­ At the end of the team game, the Black Rose team took the lead at 4:1 with two more points. The fierce fight brought the emotions of the audience to a climax. They all stood up, shouting the titles ¡®King of Hell¡® and ¡®Queen.¡¯ The echoes floated over the arena for a long time, making everyone¡¯s blood boil. On the big screen, captures from the captivating previous battle were replayed one by one, and the comments induced by the atmosphere in the arena were full of passion. ¡°Since the start of this year¡¯s season, one of the most discussed topics was probably that the old strong team, Black Rose, has started to show a declining trend. But the exciting game just now was enough to convince us that as formerly kings, Black Rose still deserves to be one of the top teams.¡± ¡°Yes, facing a strong team like the Apocalypse team, the Black Rose clearly demonstrated their strength. Although there have been a lot of twists and turns in the game, the final victory speaks for itself. Both sides showed a lot of power, and it was indeed an exciting game!¡± ¡°Especially in the last marvelous match, You Jing fully displayed his superb skills to show us what a real god-level priest means! Facing Yama¡®s strong suppression, he was able to withstand Luo Wei¡¯s double-pincer attack at the same time. The course of events of the battle was indeed a classic textbook example of the priestly profession!¡± ¡°Hahaha, so, with the Queen in charge, even if the King of Hell dominates the formation, it will be difficult to find an opportunity to take advantage of?¡± ¡°But can you say that the Black Rose team is currently the strongest in the team competitions? After all, they had a narrow victory by a slight margin. I wonder what arrangements will make Team Apocalypse in the next tag team competition? I can not wait!¡± ¡­ The enthusiastic comments set off the atmosphere in the venue, but amidst the fiery enthusiasm, Lin Xiao lost his usual relaxed expression when he watched the game replay on the big screen. It was a great game, but something didn¡¯t feel right. The performances of Xu Yichen and Liu Zeshen were remarkable, but in terms of the overall rhythm, the MVP of the audience undoubtedly belonged to You Jing. However, precisely because of how important the supporting role was throughout, in a way, such a pace seemed a little cruel to the player, not to mention that the man had a hand injury. At this point, the overall statistics of the APM value have come out. As a healer, You Jing¡¯s value was undoubtedly already close to its peak. The medium-term high was reached in the second half with a short period of decline. Then it reached its highest point and was maintained for a long time. I am afraid this was the result of forcing himself to endure. Although he really didn¡¯t want to see this result, he had to face the situation that there was something wrong with this man¡¯s hand. Lin Xiao sighed silently and said in his heart, ¡°The war strategy is truly ruthless! They¡¯re already on track for the playoffs, why are they still so harsh? Old Yan is really¡­¡± Xiao Li noticed that he was lost in thought and poked him: ¡°Hey, the battle team won, why do you look unhappy?¡± Lin Xiao glanced at him without replying and got up from his seat, ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I¡¯m going to the bathroom.¡± ¡­ After the game was over, there was another 15-minute break before the start of the next set of matches. The players from both sides left the arena and the players¡¯ bench and returned to their respective lounges to make final adjustments. In contrast to the lively scenes outside, the Black Rose team lounge seemed extremely cold. In the general silence, Li Bochuan looked at You Jing and said in a low tone: ¡°Whether you agree or not, we must forfeit the next match.¡± Shen Changyu was silently filling out the waiver application form, and his expression was not very good. You Jing sat on the lounge chair next to him, his coat half draped over his shoulders, and his bangs covering his face. The others couldn¡¯t see his expression, only heard his faintly monotone voice: ¡°You know what it means to give up these five points.¡± ¡°It means that of a total of 20 points possible in the last two rounds, we need at least 18 points or more to make the playoffs.¡± Liu Zeshen¡¯s gaze fell on the waiver request form on the table, and he heaved a long sigh, ¡°While I have to admit the situation at hand is really bad for us, I think it¡¯s necessary to make a clear statement ¨C this time I¡¯m in favor of Coach Lee¡¯s proposal.¡± Xu Yichen, who had been silent all this time, said, ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Xu Yiming had a resentful look since he learned about the injured hand, and at this time, he completely broke out: ¡°I also agree with Coach Lee¡¯s proposal. And I¡¯m really angry now, Vice Captain Shen, you knew about his hand injury, but why did you keep it from us? Do we really look that unreliable?! Captain You, you work hard for the team, and so do we! Now I¡¯m really, really mad! Really mad!!¡± Qin Lei silently nodded beside him, expressing his agreement. ¡°Sorry, I don¡¯t want the team to be eliminated for personal reasons.¡± You Jing looked up at his teammates in the room with dull eyes, ¡°I can still participate in the competition and I¡¯m definitely not going to hold the team back.¡± Xu Yiming finally exploded completely: ¡°Excuse me? Hold the team back? This is not the point, okay!? It¡¯s not like if you quit the game we¡¯re 100% out! There are two more rounds to go, when the time comes, everyone will do their best! Captain You, the team is everyone¡¯s, not yours alone, OK?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, the team belongs to everyone.¡± A laughing voice sounded from outside, immediately attracting everyone¡¯s attention. As he felt the attention falling on him from all directions, Lin Xiao walked in, sweeping his gaze around and saying: ¡°I have something to say to Captain You, can I borrow him for a little while?¡± Liu Zeshen frowned and subconsciously looked at the tired Shen Changyu beside him but saw that the latter¡¯s expression seemed relieved seeing Lin Xiao. Just as Xu Yiming was about to say something, Shen Changyu had already spoken: ¡°We don¡¯t mind, please go ahead.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Lin Xiao patted him on the shoulder and walked straight to You Jing, ¡°Then, Captain You, can you come over to talk?¡± You Jing glanced at him with no intention of getting up: ¡°This is not a place for you to come, get out. We have a meeting now.¡± ¡°I¡¯m already here, there¡¯s no point in just going back.¡± Lin Xiao directly met his slightly displeased gaze and reached out to grab the right hand of the man in front of him. Increasing his strength, he no longer considered You Jing¡¯s mood and was about to take him by force under the gaze of the others. You Jing wanted to break free, but when he started to raise his left hand, he frowned due to the severe pain. Afraid of aggravating the wound, he had to let go of the strength in his hand completely. The others reacted, trying to stop them, but Shen Changyu blocked them. Although they didn¡¯t understand what was going on, they could only watch in a daze how their captain was ¡°kidnapped.¡± At the end of the corridor, after the other man had finally let go of his hand, You Jing took a step back and looked at Lin Xiao with a gloomy expression, ¡°What the hell do you want?¡± No one was passing around there, and the surroundings were quiet, all the hustle and bustle completely cut off in the distance. Lin Xiao leaned his slender body against the wall and his peripheral vision swept over You Jing¡¯s profile and stopped on his dangling left hand. He put a cigarette in his mouth, rubbed his messy hair helplessly, and muttered: ¡°What can I say, you¡¯re good at everything, but you¡¯re too stubborn. However, e-sports is not a one-man game, really, there is no need to carry everything on your shoulders¡­¡± You Jing¡¯s gaze fell on the distant lights at the end of the corridor, and he said with a touch of impatience: ¡°It¡¯s not something you need to worry about.¡± ¡°What, you¡¯re allowed to worry about it, but no one else is?¡± Lin Xiao glanced at him and smiled, ¡°Actually, Vice Captain Shen has his own considerations, even if he forfeited the match, the situation is not as bad as you think. Anyway, as long as we win the next 20 points, we can easily qualify.¡± As long as you win 20 points? It sounded as if it was easy to get such a big score from the following two teams. You Jing finally rested his eyes on Lin Xiao and said in his monotone voice, ¡°This makes no sense.¡± ¡°I know it sounds like talking from the sidelines at no cost and is not convincing to you at all.¡± Lin Xiao raised his brows and said slowly, ¡°But then again, if we can make sure the team makes the playoffs, can we agree with forfeiting the current game?¡± You Jing looked at him quietly without saying anything. Under such gaze, Lin Xiao¡¯s smile gradually widened. He took a few steps forward until he was in front of You Jing, looking at him intently, and the cigarette in the corner of his mouth rose and fell rhythmically with his words: ¡°You don¡¯t have to trust me, but even if you don¡¯t, then¡ªdo you trust Old Ghost?¡± You Jing froze imperceptibly, and a deep emotion surged in his eyes. Looking at the playful appearance of the man in front of him, it was much more difficult to distinguish the coldness on his face: ¡°What do you mean?¡± Lin Xiao chuckled: ¡°Ah, literally.¡± The author has something to say: Lin Xiao: Then do you trust Old Ghost? You Jing: Trust what? Lin Xiao: I believe I will be heartbroken. ^_^~ You Jing: If your heart hurts, come to my room at night. Actions per minute, abbreviated to APM is a term used in video games, particularly in real-time strategy and fighting games which refers to the total number of actions that a player can perform in a minute. CH 45 Onyx Blue9-11 minutes 23.04.2023 You Jing did not speak, waiting for his next words. Why does this scenario not seem right? Prior to this, Lin Xiao had imagined thousands of reactions, but he fell silent for a while when facing the attitude of ¡®you talk and I listen¡¯ of the man in front of him. Clearing his throat, he began his prepared speech as calmly as possible: ¡°It¡¯s like this, you would never guess that Old Ghost once had a disciple.¡± There was still no response, and the atmosphere seemed a little awkward. Lin Xiao glanced at You Jing¡¯s expression, but he couldn¡¯t see much emotion on that face, so he could only continue talking nonsense in a serious manner: ¡°Well, in fact, I am the only apprentice of the Old Ghost. You know, we both have the same name, and it was for this reason that I attracted Master¡¯s attention, and then he discovered that I had a rare setup and excellent talent. At first glance, it was a rare occurrence in the e-sports circle, and as soon as the decision was made, that door was opened for me, and I was recruited.¡± This description was very emotional, but You Jing¡¯s attitude was still unclear. ¡°Later, because I was young and frivolous, I quarreled with Master and left over a trivial matter. At that time, I never thought that this departure would actually be a farewell.¡± Lin Xiao became more and more engrossed in his narration, and when he reached the end of his speech, he seemed lost in memories, ¡°In fact, when I heard that Master was in a car accident, I was in denial for a while. When you think of it, why does this human life have so little value? When it¡¯s gone, it¡¯s gone, it¡¯s really¡­¡± As he said this, he suddenly paused and looked straight at You Jing with an extra cautious tone: ¡°Master held an unrivaled position in my heart, so when I learned that you had taken over his position as captain, I deliberately ¡®observed¡¯ you and even used all kinds of strange methods to ¡®test¡¯ you, trying to determine if you were truly qualified to lead the Black Rose team. In order to get You Jing to accept that the former host¡¯s previous strange actions really had a ¡®reason,¡¯ Lin Xiao deliberately accentuated some keywords to emphasize that whatever he did was well-intentioned. You Jing finally spoke: ¡°What happened next?¡± ¡°Of course, I convinced myself that you are indeed qualified as a captain! Not only is your modus operandi incisive and your control ingenious, but you also handle the special responsibility of a captain well. Sometimes I feel like you even surpassed my Master!¡± Lin Xiao flattered incessantly, talking endlessly. ¡°And that¡¯s why I finally decided to become a professional player, join the Black Rose team that Master created, and fight for the Championship trophy with my teammates! After all, our country has been waiting for the second World Championship trophy for too long, hasn¡¯t it?¡± You Jing¡¯s eyes flickered slightly and looking at the calm man in front of him, he fell silent again. This man really had the same way of thinking as when the Old Ghost was dominating the League. He also had a fast hand speed, enough to match the ultra-high APM of the cooling reduction flow and even unexpected strategies; all this was like the shadow of the former leader. But the Old Ghost¡®s disciple? He¡¯s never heard of it. Frowning slightly, he asked: ¡°How can I trust you?¡± Lin Xiao was waiting for this, and seeing that he was finally asked the question he had been looking forward to for so long, he took out his phone unhurriedly, with a relieved smile: ¡°It¡¯s very simple, I have a witness.¡± Just like that, he dialed a number in front of You Jing: ¡°Hey, Vice Captain Shen, I need you to prove something.¡± Since Lin Xiao forcibly took You Jing away, it was inevitable that Shen Changyu would be questioned by his peers about this inexplicable behavior. Under the siege, he racked his brain for an explanation as he anxiously watched the time pass. At this moment, he finally received a call, but hearing such an unexpected sentence, he was taken aback: ¡°Prove what?¡± Lin Xiao said softly, ¡°Well, testify about my relationship with Master.¡± Captain Lin had a Master before? Shen Changyu was at a loss. ¡°As for the fact that I¡¯m the Old Ghost¡®s apprentice, you can tell Captain You directly.¡± Lin Xiao said this as a reminder and then handed the phone to You Jing, smiling lightly, ¡°Captain You, I think it would be most appropriate for Vice Captain Shen, the person that Master chose to inform about this matter, to answer your questions.¡± You Jing took the phone, and after a moment of silence, he asked, ¡°Is it true?¡± On the other end of the phone, Shen Changyu sensed that the tone was not as calm as it appeared on the surface, and only then did he understand what Lin Xiao meant when he said he needed his help a few days ago. But at this moment, the only feeling he had was that he wanted to hang up the phone directly. The Old Ghost¡®s disciple? How on earth did he come up with such nonsense? Although his hand was shaking slightly, Shen Changyu forced himself to calm down so as not to fling the phone impulsively. After a moment of silence, his mouth twitched slightly as he tried to sound calm and steady, ¡°Yes. It¡¯s¡­ true.¡± On the other end, You Jing didn¡¯t say anything and hung up the phone abruptly. ¡°I heard something about disciples. What¡¯s the situation, Vice Captain Shen? Why exactly is that man looking for Captain You?¡± Xu Yiming, who has been eavesdropping, leaned over and asked with a puzzled look. Shen Changyu said a light ¡°Well,¡± glanced at the inquiring gazes all around, and said in a monotone voice as if he was talking about what to have for dinner: ¡°It¡¯s nothing. It¡¯s just that Lin Xiao was Captain Lin¡¯s disciple back then.¡± Xu Yiming exclaimed, ¡°Old Ghost actually had a disciple!? That gay guy is really Old Ghost¡®s disciple!?¡± Everyone¡¯s expressions were particularly astonished. Shen Changyu turned around silently, and handed the waiver request form to Li Bochuan: ¡°Manager Li, I think it¡¯s time to sign.¡± ¡­ Lin Xiao looked at You Jing hanging up the phone and raised his eyebrows, ¡°Are you convinced now?¡± ¡°I am.¡± You Jing¡¯s voice was a little tenser than usual, and after handing the phone to Lin Xiao, he said, ¡°If you¡¯re willing, I will tell Manager Li to skim all the procedures of the training camp. We will talk about the details after returning to the club. Now I have to go back, the team competition will start soon¡±. Seeing that he turned to leave, Lin Xiao reached out to stop him, somewhat dumbfounded: ¡°You really don¡¯t think I¡¯d take such a big risk to reveal my identity to you just to get in through the back door, do you, Captain?¡± You Jing heard the faint ring bell coming from the stage and frowned, ¡°Get out of the way.¡± ¡°You just won¡¯t give up.¡± Lin Xiao still had a faint smile, but in his heart, he was finally overwhelmed by such a stubborn attitude. He rarely acted so impetuously. Just as You Jing wanted to go around him, he pressed his shoulder and suddenly pushed him against the wall. Propping on the wall behind, he looked down at the handsome face that, although bloodless, still held a kind of temptation. Lin Xiao¡¯s deep eyes flickered slightly, and he said, ¡°As I said, I swear in my Master¡¯s name that the Black Rose team will make the shortlist for the playoffs. Why don¡¯t you listen?¡± You Jing couldn¡¯t use his left hand to free himself, so he simply stared at him: ¡°Old Ghost is not a name to swear by casually. After all, you¡¯re not him.¡± ¡°So what? After so long, isn¡¯t it time to move on?¡± Lin Xiao¡¯s gaze slowly moved from his handsome face to the arm hanging by his side, ¡°There¡¯s no denying that the captain does carry the burden of leading the team to victory, but that¡¯s not all there is to it. Back then, Old Ghost used to think that winning the championship was more important than anything else, but later he deeply understood that teammates were much more important than victory.¡± You Jing pursed his lips, and there was an inexplicable emotion in his eyes. Thinking of things from the past, Lin Xiao sighed lightly with a hint of helplessness: ¡°The team is not protected by one individual. A team is when every member protects each other. Don¡¯t do something that will make your teammates regret it.¡± ¡°Please trust your teammates more, Captain You, and let¡¯s call it a day.¡± Although he spoke in his usual tone, somehow there was no room for discussion. Seeing the reluctance in You Jing¡¯s expression, Lin Xiao took out his cell phone and called Shen Changyu again, ¡°Vice Captain Shen, submit the waiver application.¡± Shen Changyu had already prepared everything for some time and was just waiting for a decisive answer, so he was relieved: ¡°Okay, leave it to me.¡± Lin Xiao said, ¡°Thanks for your trouble.¡± Except for talking on the phone, there was an eerie silence in the surrounding atmosphere. It wasn¡¯t until the phone call ended that You Jing spoke again: ¡°Can you move away now?¡± Lin Xiao was still motionless. He looked at the time displayed on the phone in his hand and said leisurely: ¡°It¡¯s getting late, you better hurry up and get to the emergency room. Oh, by the way, what hospital did you get all your previous tests done at?¡± Under his gaze, You Jing was silent for a moment, his eyes downcast: ¡°H City Second Hospital.¡± Lin Xiao smiled in satisfaction, then took a step back and made a gesture of invitation: ¡°Then, I¡¯m coming with you.¡± CH 46 Onyx Blue11-14 minutes 30.04.2023 When the organizing committee announced that the Black Rose team had abandoned the match, it immediately caused an uproar in the venue. No one expected such a thing to happen in this round, so after reading the notice received, the commentator fell silent. The passion ignited by the two teams during the match seemed to have been completely extinguished by a cold water basin. Not only the fans of Black Rose but also the Apocalypse team¡¯s fans could not accept this situation of winning without a fight, and there were questions everywhere. After a scene that seemed a little out of hand, both teams exited the arena under security escort. In the post-match interviews, the reason why the Black Rose team abandoned the game naturally became the focus of all media reporters. When the team members came into the inner lounge for the reception, some people immediately noticed You Jing¡¯s absence and turned their attention to Shen Changyu, who was sitting in the captain¡¯s place, and the accompanying head coach, Li Bochuan. Faced with a flurry of incisive questions, Shen Changyu¡¯s answer sounded very official: ¡°Due to some internal arrangements within the team, we have temporarily decided to give up this round. We are very sorry for that.¡± All those present were veteran journalists, so how could they not hear the perfunctory nuance of the words? Immediately, someone asked a perceptive question: ¡°May I ask why Captain You didn¡¯t attend the reception? The match that ended earlier was really impressive. Is his absence now related to the previous game?¡± This question drew everyone¡¯s attention, and the audience immediately quieted down. Li Bochuan pulled the microphone toward him, looked around, and calmly replied: ¡°Undeniably, the duel against Captain Yan depleted a lot of Captain You¡¯s energy, which is why we let him go back to rest early. However, the temporary withdrawal in this round is entirely due to the team¡¯s strategic arrangement and has nothing to do with Captain You.¡± Now, regarding the meaning of ¡°strategic arrangement of the team¡±, in the subtext it actually meant ¡°no comment.¡± Seeing that they couldn¡¯t get any breaking news so far, the reporters looked unreconciled and threw out another question: ¡°As we all know, the Black Rose team has not performed satisfactorily so far this season and has now voluntarily given up the fight for five points in the team competition. Judging by the situation, you are likely to miss the playoff qualification. How does the team feel about the current situation, which is not optimistic?¡± Such a question was obviously pointed and one might even say targeted. Xu Yiming was the first to feel upset, and he grabbed the microphone: ¡°Why is it not optimistic? Just wait and see, we will definitely make the playoffs!¡± Shen Changyu patted him on the shoulder, motioning him to sit down, and looked at the reporter who asked the question with a faint smile: ¡°As Yiming said, we¡¯ll see you in the playoffs.¡± Although he had the same gentle smile as usual, his tone exuded a clear sense of confidence, as if he was bound to win. The atmosphere in the venue was weird for a while, but from the current situation, it was obviously impossible to dig out any clues from the Black Rose team. The reporters could only watch them leave helplessly, and after the Apocalypse team entered the interview area, they directly focused on Yan Duzhou: ¡°May I ask Captain Yan, what do you think about the ¡®strategic¡¯ explanation given by the Black Rose team for forfeiting the game?¡± Yan Duzhou seemed to have the same indifferent expression for thousands of years. He paused for a moment when he heard the question and smiled slightly: ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to seeing what strategy they come up with next.¡± Hey, hey, what we want isn¡¯t a purely official answer, okay? Reporters almost felt like crying. Everyone was so tight-lipped, how the hell were they going to dig up valuable journalistic material?! Unwilling to give up, they could only continue to ask tentatively: ¡°So, Captain Yan, do you have anything else to say about Black Rose¡®s strong confidence that they can make it to the playoffs?¡± Yan Duzhou said: ¡°I am looking forward to playing against them again in the playoffs.¡± With such an insubstantial answer, many reporters threw their notebooks on the floor ¨C why was it so hard to hear anything concrete from these contestants? How could they do their job under these circumstances? ¡­ Department of Orthopedics, Second Hospital of the H City. Lin Xiao was waiting bored in the hallway for You Jing to finish his examination when he received a call from Xiao Li: ¡°Hey, Boss Xiao.¡± ¡°Hey, what hey? I say, where are you now? Do you know that our team has abandoned the competition? This place is now in a frenzy!¡± Xiao Li was obviously still at the scene, and from the noisy background, one could almost imagine the chaotic scene. Lin Xiao said: ¡°It¡¯s too noisy, I¡¯m in the hospital now. You can go back by yourself.¡± Xiao Li was taken aback: ¡°Hospital? Didn¡¯t you go to the toilet? Why are you at the hospital?¡± Lin Xiao said, ¡°I am here with someone. We¡¯ll talk when I get back.¡± Without listening to what Xiao Li had to say, he hung up the phone. When he looked up, he saw You Jing walking out, casually donning his team uniform. He looked at the wound on his hand that had been treated briefly and asked: ¡°Does it still hurt?¡± You Jing said: ¡°It doesn¡¯t hurt.¡± From his angle, Lin Xiao saw the man¡¯s thick eyelashes that seemed to have a thin layer of mist due to the cold air around him and were hiding the expression in his eyes, making it impossible to guess his thoughts. Amused, he followed behind, sat cross-legged on the chair next to him, and waited. When the examination report came out, before You Jing could react, he had already grabbed it without a word, then turned and led him to the doctor¡¯s office. When he presented the examination results to the doctor, Lin Xiao was predictably nervous. ¡°From the report, it does look like it¡¯s slightly worse than before, but the good news is that nothing vital has been hurt. But I can¡¯t guarantee what will happen if you don¡¯t heed my advice this time to take a break and get some good rest!¡± It seemed that Lin Xiao was regarded as a friend who tolerated You Jing¡¯s capricious behavior, as the old doctor glared at him the entire time he spoke, with an attitude of disdain for someone who didn¡¯t take good care of him. ¡°Today, there are some new medicines, some taken orally and some applied externally. You must take care of him when you go back!¡± ¡°Yes, yes, definitely.¡± Lin Xiao responded with a playful smile, but after he was glared at, he put on a serious face and a correct attitude, ¡°I promise to keep an eye on him this time, and if he messes around again, I¡¯ll take responsibility.¡± You Jing glanced at him. Assured by such a sincere attitude, the old doctor was finally satisfied and let them go. ¡­ By the time they returned to the club base from the hospital, the sky had completely darkened, and for some reason, at this point in time, they hadn¡¯t bumped into anyone along the way. Lin Xiao strolled behind with big and small bags, all the way to the door of the dormitory. Just as he was about to enter, You Jing suddenly stopped, turned around, and blocked the door: ¡°Put these things down, you can go back.¡± Under his gaze, Lin Xiao did not take another step. Instead, he slowly leaned over and placed the things by the door, casually looking at him: ¡°You sure you want me to go back?¡± You Jing said: ¡°Definitely.¡± Lin Xiao smiled and said, ¡°Did you forget what the doctor said?¡± You Jing frowned: ¡°That¡¯s my business.¡± ¡°Oh, it is indeed your business.¡± Lin Xiao glanced at the gauze in the bag, then at his slender and beautiful fingers, and he smiled faintly, ¡°If you can finish the dressing with one hand, I have no problem.¡± In the silence around him, the words seemed very slow: ¡°Of course, you can also ask Vice Captain Shen or other team members to help. They probably won¡¯t mind learning more about your condition, by the way.¡± You Jing looked up, and his cold eyes flashed, seeing the smiling face before him. Without another word, he turned and entered the room, leaving the door open. Lin Xiao happily brought the things from the door, took out the gauze and herbal patch, and looked at the room layout. It had to be said that for a men¡¯s room, it was indeed meticulously maintained. Everything was neatly placed, without expensive decorations, but no matter where you looked, there was a unique indescribable feeling, just like the temperament of the owner. After looking around, Lin Xiao paused suddenly when he accidentally caught a glimpse of the poster on the wall. Whether it was the person on the poster or the whole scene, he was particularly familiar with it. Better said, it was never forgotten. It was in London, England at the GDL World Finals in a 10,000-capacity venue. The man in the center of the image was holding up the championship trophy, showing it to everyone. There was a very shallow smile on his lips, and the arrogance of a supreme king could be seen in his eyes. No one was more familiar with the scene in the picture than he. This was his biggest moment of glory when he won the first national e-sports trophy that year. After all these years, except for the old group of e-sports fans, the new gaming fans probably only heard of Old Ghost from some recordings. He didn¡¯t know when and where You Jing got this poster and suddenly felt somewhat confused. Glancing at the face that still didn¡¯t show emotion, Lin Xiao had a secret plan in his heart¨C He would have to ask Vice Captain Shen to find his autograph as a souvenir some other day. With this in mind, he crouched in front of You Jing, carefully held his left hand, and gently applied the medicine. You Jing looked down at the serious man, and his focused expression left him stunned for a moment. There was a sudden pain in his hand that made him subconsciously hum, and Lin Xiao immediately raised his head to look at him, ¡°Does it hurt?¡± You Jing frowned and averted his gaze when their eyes met: ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± ¡°Say if it hurts, or don¡¯t blame me if I press too hard.¡± Looking at his apparent calmness, Lin Xiao was angry, but despite what he said, his movements were much more careful. It must be said that his bandaging skills were very good, professional even, and what might seem tedious to many people was done in minutes. Seeing the thin fingers wrapped like white radishes, Lin Xiao looked very satisfied and stood up after finishing his work: ¡°Be careful and don¡¯t touch the water. I¡¯ll come again tomorrow night to help you change your bandage.¡± You Jing looked at him quietly, without replying to his words, then suddenly asked: ¡°Have you ever done this kind of bandaging before?¡± ¡°I did. There was a time when I had problems with my hands because I was training for too long. At those times, I bandaged myself.¡± Lin Xiao answered casually, then came back to his senses and suddenly paused, ¡°Uh¡­ Not only that but later, when my Master got hurt, I¡­ Well, I often applied medicine for him, too.¡± Following his words, there was a strange silence in the room. In this atmosphere, Lin Xiao had a rare feeling of embarrassment, and his entire body was suddenly aware of a sudden cold sensation. ¡°Alright.¡± Just when he thought his secret was exposed, You Jing finally looked away, ¡°I¡¯ll be careful about the injured hand. You don¡¯t have to talk about the specific situation with other people.¡± It was enough for him to know these things, and he was not ready yet to tell Vice Captain Shen and the others about that. Lin Xiao cleared his throat and replied calmly, ¡°No problem.¡± The author has something to say: Lin Xiao: Does it hurt? You Jing: It¡¯s okay. Lin Xiao: Just say it hurts, or don¡¯t blame me if I press you too hard. Shen Changyu: (with a black line) What are you doing¡­ CH 47 Unsurprisingly, the news of the Black Rose team abandoning the game caused quite a stir after it spread throughout the gaming community. While neither Team Black Rose nor Team Apocalypse revealed much information during their post-match interviews, that didn¡¯t affect the media¡¯s imagination at all. Endless reports with differing opinions continued to pour in from all sides and it became one of the hottest topics in the League forums in recent days. Among these various posts, the real reason for forfeiting the game became the most important speculation of all parties. A large number of netizens gave free rein to their imagination, ranging from internal conflicts within the team to conspiracy theories about changes in the club¡¯s hierarchy, and some even correctly guessed You Jing¡¯s troublesome situation. In the countless frenzied posts and re-posts on microblogs and forums, the attitude of gaming fans also varied. There was regret, confusion, and disappointment, as well as some trolls wishing for the whole world to be in chaos. As such, they took the opportunity to spread bad comments about the total decline of the Black Rose team, trying to create a negative image. In such a chaotic situation, the public relations of the Black Soul Club racked their brains, trying every means to calm down the general turmoil. That kept them extremely busy. Seeing all these messy comments, Xiao Li was very angry. He spent all day in the training hall, browsing the forums on his phone and even fighting with the others through messages, always with a sour look on his face: ¡°Why do you think these people like causing trouble so much? Haven¡¯t we already said that it is a tactical arrangement? Why do they keep going?¡± Looks like this guy really believed the club¡¯s PR rhetoric¡­ But considering how easily he even believed the made-up reason that he rushed to the hospital because a friend had a car accident that day, Lin Xiao shouldn¡¯t be at all surprised. Lifting his cup and sipping some water, he couldn¡¯t help sweating a little for the PR department. This time, the scandal was really big, and there may be further implications later, so it was not a matter that could be easily resolved overnight. ¡°Ahhh, We won! We¡¯ve been promoted! Our team has advanced one level!¡± Hearing a sudden burst of cheers nearby, Lin Xiao looked over there and saw that Zou Qiguan¡¯s five-member team just won a crucial battle on the ladder. At this time, on the screen was popping up the promotion logo, shiny, dazzling wings unfolding in front of everyone, particularly eye-catching. Looking at the face slightly flushed with joy, Lin Xiao couldn¡¯t help but pinch it and said with a smile: ¡°Not bad, you¡¯re starting to look like a professional gamer.¡± Satisfied, Zou Qiguan squinted his eyes happily and said: ¡°I¡¯m far from being a professional. If it weren¡¯t for your guidance, our team wouldn¡¯t have progressed so quickly.¡± ¡°I say it would have. No matter what advice I give, after all, you have your own talent.¡± Lin Xiao glanced at the health stats on the screen, and his eyes showed gratification as if he was looking at his own child. In fact, in the beginning, after he discovered this boy¡¯s strong psychological qualities, he just wanted to observe him as he gave it a try. He didn¡¯t expect the kid to have such rapid growth. It must be said that the attribute of ¡°shyness¡± was deeply rooted in Zou Qiguan¡¯s character. However, after adapting a new five-player strategy for him, the cautious style derived from this attribute played an unexpected role in the game. But Lin Xiao wasn¡¯t a full-time priest player after all, and he couldn¡¯t give too much targeted guidance to Zou Qiguan, just some general directions. Seeing the kid¡¯s adaptability, he thought of finding an opportunity to arrange a master for him. In this way, he will be able to perform even better in the future. Lin Xiao touched his chin thinking about it, when suddenly a man entered the room, looked around, and asked: ¡°Who is Lin Xiao? Manager Li asked you to go find him in the main office.¡± After these words, he could feel the eyes of those around falling on him, surprised and puzzled. Manager Li from the main office could only be Li Bochuan, the head coach of the Black Rose team. For some unknown reason, a rookie from the training camp was suddenly summoned by the big boss. Lin Xiao was particularly aware of people¡¯s thoughts. Although others could not guess, he knew that his summoning must mean that the matter of his joining the team had been settled. Therefore, he calmly patted Xiao Li on the shoulder and walked out amid everyone¡¯s attention. ¡­ When he entered the office, Lin Xiao found that Li Bochuan was not the only one inside. You Jing was sitting on the sofa, and at a glance, he could see the bandage wrapped around his hand. Still, that funny wrapping didn¡¯t affect his elegance as he sat there quietly. When he heard the door open, he didn¡¯t look up, but sipped his tea, turning his eyes to the beautiful scenery outside the house and showing only half of his handsome face. Seeing Lin Xiao walking in, Shen Changyu¡¯s expression was a bit complicated, as if he was hesitant to say something. However, it was inconvenient for him to say anything in front of so many people, so he could only show a vaguely resentful feeling in his eyes. He was, obviously, still brooding over the so-called ¡°Old Ghost¡®s apprentice¡± bullshit. Lin Xiao smirked and averted his eyes, quietly rejecting his silent accusation. Li Bochuan was very straightforward: ¡°Lin Xiao, right? The two captains have already told me about you. Given the team¡¯s current situation, we have decided to make an exception and promote you directly as a main player. Here is the registration form and the contract. If you have any questions, you can ask directly.¡± Lin Xiao picked up the contract, skimmed it casually, then closed it so fast that anyone could see he hadn¡¯t read the content at all. However, he just smiled and said, ¡°I have no questions.¡± Li Bochuan frowned and was about to speak, but he heard Lin Xiao say again: ¡°I¡¯m not the only exception, am I? Didn¡¯t Vice Captain Shen mention there are two others?¡± Li Bochuan turned to look at Shen Changyu and asked, ¡°What, there are others?¡± Slightly taken aback by the question, Shen Changyu glanced at Lin Xiao. Lin Xiao slightly raised an eyebrow and reminded him: ¡°Vice Captain Shen, didn¡¯t you say the other day that you needed someone for the individual competition and a priest replacement?¡± Shen Changyu finally understood, coughed lightly, and said to Li Bochuan: ¡°Indeed, the Wanderer King, Laughing Sky has joined our camp this year as well. Given the current situation, it would be best if they were promoted together. As for the priest¡­¡± Lin Xiao said: ¡°Vice Captain Shen believes that Zou Qiguan from the boot camp has made rapid progress and should be promoted as a priest replacement player. After all, given Captain You¡¯s situation, it is not convenient for him to participate in both individual and team competitions at the same time. As the saying goes, it¡¯s better to be prepared!¡± At these words, he felt a cold gaze upon him and shrank his neck with a shudder. Clearing his throat, he immediately put on a nonchalant expression and shut his mouth. Li Bochuan pondered for a moment and finally handed over the final decision to You Jing: ¡°Captain, what do you think?¡± Lin Xiao also turned to look at You Jing, and all his hopes were openly written on his face. You Jing glanced at him, put the cup on the table unhurriedly, and said: ¡°Since it¡¯s Vice Captain Shen¡¯s idea, let¡¯s do it.¡± Li Bochuan nodded: ¡°Then, go and invite the other two over.¡± ¡­ First, it was Lin Xiao, then one after the other, Xiao Li and Zou Qiguan were summoned, leaving everyone in the camp confused. However, not to mention the outsiders, when the two entered the office and learned why they were summoned, they froze in shock. After that, what Li Bochuan said to them did not enter their ears at all. Staring at the contract on the table, their minds were filled with the words ¡®main selection,¡¯ and any other information was blocked. From the time the three came out holding the contracts until they had arrived at the base camp, they still hadn¡¯t recovered. For the nth time, Zou Qiguan stretched out his already reddened face to Lin Xiao and urged: ¡°Brother Lin, can you pinch me again? Have I really been chosen? Am I really not dreaming?¡± Annoyed, Lin Xiao pushed his face back and said, ¡°Really, you aren¡¯t dreaming.¡± Xiao Li sighed excitedly, ¡°Didn¡¯t everyone say that it¡¯s very difficult to be selected for the main team? Lin Xiao, what method did you use to have us all sign the contract at the same time?¡± Lin Xiao looked at him speechlessly, ¡°It¡¯s the club¡¯s decision about how to use the new people. What could I do? I say, can you guys stop thinking so much, hurry back to pack your things and move from the dormitory. We don¡¯t have much time left, we need to start training as soon as possible and actively prepare for the games.¡± By the time they returned, the training in the camp had already ended, and the news that the three people were excepted from the whole process and were directly promoted spread like wildfire all over the training camp. When they went to the dormitory to pack their bags, there were a lot of whispers and people looking at them from far and near with envious and suspicious eyes. There was even open contempt in the looks some people threw at Lin Xiao. Lin Xiao was a little confused about this attitude, but he didn¡¯t pay too much attention to it until he vaguely heard something as he walked out, which almost caused him to fall to the ground. The muffled voice said, ¡°See, this is Lin Xiao. I heard someone saw him sneaking out of Captain You¡¯s room in the middle of the night.¡± The other person had a sudden realization and was even a little excited for no apparent reason, as if he had finally solved the case: ¡°Oh! No wonder all the people who were selected were recruited from Area C!¡± Hey, be reasonable, how can such a righteous person like me be sneaky? How rude! Lin Xiao dragged his luggage to the front door with an annoyed expression. A staff member ran from afar and handed them the completed transfer forms. When he gave it to Lin Xiao, he suddenly paused, sized him up and down, and then said: ¡°Your dorm is next to Captain You¡¯s, room 303 in building A. Don¡¯t move to the 2nd floor with them.¡± Xiao Li was surprised, ¡°Not bad, Lin Xiao, you¡¯re getting special treatment!¡± Zou Qiguan also looked with twinkling eyes: ¡°Brother Lin, you are really amazing, Captain You seems to think so highly of you!¡± ¡°¡­¡± What special treatment, what respect? It¡¯s obviously just to keep an eye on him at all times and prevent him from talking around, right? Sensing more and more gazes upon him from all sides, Lin Xiao froze on the spot for a little while, then he smiled stiffly: ¡°Captain You is really¡­ so kind to me! Haha, ha¡­¡± The author has something to say: Let me explain here. In this novel¡¯s setting, players are not allowed to transfer during the competition. However, after a club signs with the player, the lineup of each match can be adjusted before it is reported, and it cannot be changed after it is reported. So, in the next game, our cute Xiaoxiao will be playing~! (^.^)y-~~ CH 48 After Lin Xiao helped Xiao Li and Zou Qiguan move an astonishing amount of luggage to the second floor, he waved goodbye and went up to the third floor with his only suitcase. Passing by the corridor, he silently glanced at You Jing¡¯s door, which was closed tightly as if no one was there. Secretly relieved, he opened his own door with the key he got. Compared with the previous accommodation in the training camp, the dormitory of the official players was obviously much better. Of course, this compound was only built in recent years, and he didn¡¯t get such good treatment when he was leading the old team. Lin Xiao opened the suitcase and quickly began to unpack. Because he didn¡¯t have many things, everything was set up in a short time. However, at first glance, the room still seemed empty and lifeless, and it could be said that there was no change with or without the move-in. Shabby. It was so shabby. Lin Xiao couldn¡¯t suppress this thought. Later, when he re-establishes his reputation, the contract remuneration will naturally be higher, and he will arrange it properly. Even if he was not as good as Xiao Li, who made the room look like an exhibition of high-tech products, at least he should not lose much of the prestige of the League players. With this thought in mind, just as he raised his hand to close the luggage, a flat voice suddenly sounded behind him: ¡°Are you done?¡± Startled, Lin Xiao stiffened for a moment, then turned around only to see a slender figure lazily leaning against the door. With the light behind him, he couldn¡¯t see the expression on You Jing¡¯s face, but he could feel the indifferent gaze cast upon him. When did this guy get here? He didn¡¯t even make a sound, just like a ghost. Dumbfounded, Lin Xiao answered: ¡°Well¡­ It¡¯s done.¡± You Jing straightened up, with his eyes on him, and said calmly: ¡°Then, come to my room.¡± Lin Xiao froze on the spot, and when he came back to his senses, the other party had long since left. He put his luggage aside, went out, and entered the next room. You Jing sat at the table holding a water glass. There was only one desk lamp lit in the room, and from the entrance, one could see his well-defined collarbone showing through the slightly open collar of his shirt. His fine eyebrows looked drawn with a brush, and if you saw him once, you wanted to look again. Although he was a thin person, his demeanor gave people an inexplicable sense of repression. This type of temperament was somewhat contradictory to his overall image, but it suited him well. Hearing the door close, You Jing turned and looked at Lin Xiao: ¡°There are still ten days until the match against the Seven Stars team. I want to know what are your thoughts about it.¡± His thoughts? Lin Xiao did not see any emotion on his face, as usual, and felt a little helpless: ¡°What, you still remember what happened that day at the arena? At that time, I was in a hurry to convince you, so I said something out of turn, so please, be generous and not bother with this rookie!¡± You Jing asked: ¡°So, were you rambling?¡± Lin Xiao nodded with a sincere face: ¡°I was wrong.¡± You Jing looked at him, ¡°Does Old Ghost¡®s disciple have a habit of speaking incoherently?¡± Lin Xiao was taken aback for a moment, and after realizing it, he hurriedly said, ¡°No, no, everything was true!¡± You Jing smiled faintly: ¡°Or will this ¡®rambling speech¡¯ make the team shortlisted for the playoffs?¡± Lin Xiao coughed: ¡°Of course, it was all true. I mean it¡­. ¡± You Jing raised his eyes: ¡°Since it¡¯s all true, then you must have some thoughts about how to deal with the next round of battles, right?¡± As for the strategy, actually, Lin Xiao originally wanted to discuss this with Shen Changyu privately, but now You Jing came to him first, which caught him off guard. Although he was slightly surprised, his heart was calm. At first, he thought about how to let Shen Changyu convince You Jing, but now that he had the opportunity to talk face to face, it saved him a lot of trouble. Feeling relieved after thinking about it, Lin Xiao cleared his throat and said, ¡°Since you asked me, I¡¯ll just say it.¡± You Jing nodded: ¡°Speak.¡± Pondering for a moment, Lin Xiao said: ¡°In the next round against the Seven Stars team, since individual competition is their forte, I suggest that Vice Captain Shen go first, Xu Yichen second, and Xiao Li third.¡± Noticing You Jing¡¯s frown, he explained: ¡°It does sound a bit reckless to let Xiao Li, a rookie, directly end the individual race. However, based on the Seven Stars team lineup, if there is no accident, the player in the third game should be Captain Wei Chengzhe. It may not be suitable for Xiao Li to fight others, but if he plays against Captain Wei, who is known for his ingenuity, I do not guarantee that he will win, but I can say for sure that he has a nine out of ten chance.¡± You Jing said, ¡°Go on.¡± ¡°Then there will be the small team and the main team competition.¡± Seeing that he didn¡¯t object, Lin Xiao breathed a sigh of relief, then said, ¡°For these two games, my suggestion is this. The three players in the small team competition are me, you, and Liu Zeshen. As for the main team, Vice Captain Shen, Er Xu, Zou Qiguan, and I will play. This lineup should be the best right now.¡± You Jing pursed his lips: ¡°Oh, so I won¡¯t need to play for the main team?¡± In fact, if it wasn¡¯t to block the media gossip, Lin Xiao wouldn¡¯t have wanted him in the competition at all and would even transfer to the team as the Queen¡¯s bodyguard to keep an eye on him. This was what Lin Xiao muttered in his heart while glancing at You Jing¡¯s left hand wrapped in gauze, but putting a serious and upright expression on his face, he said: ¡°Recently, I found a set of tactics particularly suitable for Zou Qiguan. It makes him almost invincible in every battle. It would be wasteful not to use it.¡± You Jing did not directly refuse but asked after a moment of silence, ¡°How can I trust you with this lineup?¡± Well, as long as there was no instant rejection, everything should be easy to deal with. Lin Xiao narrowed his eyes happily: ¡°Didn¡¯t we just sign the contract today? If we don¡¯t get a complete victory this round, I¡¯m willing to directly cancel the contract at the end, how about that?¡± He said this with a calm expression, even with a bit of carelessness, as if throwing a few coins to a roadside vendor. It would have been hard to realize that what he said was actually a very important and serious guarantee if one hadn¡¯t noticed his clear and deep gaze brimming with self-confidence. You Jing was absent-minded for a moment, then he retracted his gaze and said: ¡°Alright. I hope you won¡¯t let me down.¡± Facing such a ¡°talkative¡± You Jing, Lin Xiao felt somewhat overwhelmed. You know, Shen Changyu complained about how stubborn and difficult Captain You was, which cast a shadow in his heart. Moreover, after witnessing the sternness of this man who didn¡¯t take him seriously at the arena that day, he was even more apprehensive. However, the current situation went so smoothly that he suddenly had the illusion that the captain was actually extremely gentle and easy to talk to. But, he retained at least an ounce of reason to realize very clearly that it was definitely just an illusion. ¡­ Due to the temporary lineup change, the time left for the team to prepare for the match was extremely tight. After Lin Xiao stayed up all night to formulate the strategy, he privately handed it over to Shen Changyu, who distributed it to everyone else. In the following days, all the team members were locked in the training room, day in and day out, and even stayed up for several nights. When they finally came out, almost all of them had pandas eyes. Being in contact with the other team members these days, what surprised Lin Xiao the most was that they did not object to his joining. In fact, when he reported on the first day, Xu Yiming gave him a big bear hug, declaring his ¡°long-time admiration,¡± which left him a little confused. Later, he realized that Shen Changyu had already disclosed his ¡®identity.¡¯ Lin Xiao¡¯s mouth twitched, but he couldn¡¯t refute it. He knew very well that this was definitely ¡®revenge¡­¡¯ But after all, wasn¡¯t it his doing? Soon, the day of the game against the Seven Stars team was just around the corner, and the team took two days off in advance to relax the players¡¯ mood. On the last day, Lin Xiao just nestled in his room, fell asleep, and got out of bed in a daze only when it was dark outside. Looking at the time, it was already eleven o¡¯clock in the evening. He rubbed his hair, washed up, and went downstairs to look for food. When he came into the corridor and looked up, he saw that the next door was only half closed, and a dim light was coming from the inside. Why is he still awake at this late hour? Lin Xiao frowned, pushed open the door to see what was going on inside, and silently closed his mouth. In the room, except for the light from the desk lamp, there was only a faint light from the laptop. The man in front of the computer was probably tired and fell asleep on the table. The night wind was gently blowing the curtains, and this peaceful scene was so beautiful that, looking at it, his drowsiness immediately dissipated. Really, he isn¡¯t afraid of catching a cold? Lin Xiao gently pushed the door and went in. After looking around, he took the blanket from the bed and covered You Jing. He was relieved when he saw that he didn¡¯t wake up. Looking down, he caught a glimpse of the beautifully handwritten notes caught under his body. Impressive, even his right-handed writing can look so good¡­ Curious to see what he had written, Lin Xiao leaned closer and read the words, only to find that they were all the reports and statistical analyses of each player¡¯s training process over the past few days. Stunned, he lowered his head and glanced at You Jing. It wasn¡¯t easy keeping him away from the training room and not letting him in, but he actually cooped up in his room to write this every day. It seemed he was worried about the team, but others were also worried about him¡­ Just as he was thinking of this, You Jing¡¯s eyelashes fluttered as if a butterfly¡¯s wings were lightly touched, and he slowly opened his eyes unexpectedly. At this moment, because Lin Xiao had leaned toward him, they were very close to each other as their eyes met. Such a distance even seemed slightly ambiguous, like a scene of a stolen kiss. Lin Xiao was stunned by the sudden look until he felt the coldness in the other man¡¯s eyes, then he jumped up and immediately took a few steps back: ¡°Captain You, no¡­ it¡¯s not what you think!¡± As the disorientation in You Jing¡¯s eyes due to the sudden awakening completely receded, he looked at Lin Xiao with narrowed eyes, and after a moment of silence, he said, ¡°Get out.¡± Seeing the man¡¯s attitude, Lin Xiao made a bitter face, feeling that he could not wash clean even by jumping into the Yellow River: ¡°Well, Captain You, it¡¯s really not what you¡¯re thinking!¡± You Jing was expressionless: ¡°Do I need to say it again?¡± ¡°No, no need!¡± Lin Xiao ran out of the room without saying a word but was a little uneasy. After a moment, he suddenly half-peeked from behind the door and said: ¡°You go to bed early too, don¡¯t worry too much about tomorrow¡¯s game. Well, good night.¡± ¡°¡­¡± You Jing watched the door close again, and when he looked back, he noticed the blanket covering him. After a moment, he set aside the notebook on the table and leaned back heavily in his chair. Although he did not participate in training these days, he meticulously recorded everyone¡¯s training situation. Whether it was the training pattern or the extremely clear focus, it did not seem like any training content that Shen Changyu could formulate. Looking at the starry sky, after a long period of silence, he muttered to himself: ¡°Old Ghost¡®s disciple¡­¡± CH 49 After many days, whether it was defaming or defending the Black Rose team, the situation calmed down with the passage of time. However, on the morning of the match against Team Seven Stars, the newspaper E-Sports Times published a report titled ¡°The Former Giants Fell Again¨CReporting Behind the Black Rose Team¡¯s Abandonment¡± on the Internet, which once again brought back the attention that had been somewhat diverted. The author of this report was Kong Yan, a rising journalist who has been particularly popular recently. In the article, he analyzed the round of battles between the Black Rose team and the Apocalypse team from various angles. The narrative was sophisticated and objective, and the analysis was brutal but with an impersonal style. After making a good reason for You Jing¡¯s problematic situation, he further concluded that the Black Rose team would stop here and miss the playoffs. After this report was released, it could be said that one stone stirred up a thousand waves, and everyone¡¯s attention was undoubtedly focused on the match between the Black Rose team and the Seven Stars team that day. Until then, if a fan was randomly selected and asked what the core of the Black Rose team was, almost no one would hesitate to speak one person¡¯s name, You Jing. It was true that, as a priest player, You Jing has never stood on the individual competition stages. But whether we are talking about the small team competition or the main team competition, as long as he was present, the lineup of the Black Rose team can be said to be secure. It was precisely because of You Jing¡¯s presence that no one ever doubted the overall strength of a veteran team like the Black Rose, which should not be underestimated. However, without its captain, no one ever imagined how far the team could go in the League¡­ Of course, after such an unsubstantiated and even fanciful report appeared, many people criticized the E-sports Times. The fact that even such a one-sided speculative article could be published without considering the consequences was a sign of the irresponsibility of the magazine towards professional teams. In order to get stronger evidence to accuse Kong Yan of acting like a clown who uses hot topics to gain attention, many people opened their eyes wide and prepared to watch the game closely. As an avid reader of the E-Sports Times, Xu Yiming also saw this long-winded report early in the morning and was so pissed off that he yelled in the lounge: ¡°I say, the hearts of these reporters are really one dirtier than the other. I don¡¯t remember our team ever offending that Kong Yan, right? To provoke us like this, what does he want to achieve!¡± Xiao Li also read the newspaper just now, and he didn¡¯t look too good after learning the content: ¡°Who is the sponsor of this E-Sports Times? When I get back today, I¡¯ll call the old man and see if there¡¯s any chance I can buy it. I will make sure they pay the consequences.¡± Lin Xiao, who was trying to take a nap, looked at him speechlessly, ¡°Boss, it¡¯s really not easy to be your friend when you¡¯re so rich and powerful.¡± Li Bochuan pushed the door and walked into the lounge, ignoring the commotion of the few people: ¡°It¡¯s time to go.¡± ¡­ The atmosphere in the arena was in high spirits, and when the players from both teams entered the venue one after the other, the already bubbling emotions escalated to the highest point. This was not the first time Lin Xiao experienced this competitive stage, but it was the first time he was under the hot lights again as a player after becoming the current ¡®Lin Xiao.¡¯ Looking up, he could see the star-like lights sprinkled across the ceiling of the arena, then inadvertently, he glanced at Shen Changyu walking in front, just as he suddenly looked back toward him with a complex expression. When their eyes met, his smile deepened. The contestants came forward to shake hands and greet each other before the game. After seeing the other team¡¯s players, Wei Chengzhe, the captain of the Seven Stars team, had a flash of surprise in his eyes but still kept a polite smile: ¡°Captain You, it looks like there are quite a few new faces on the team.¡± Xiao Li, one of the new faces, smiled, looking calm compared to the shy Zou Qiguan, the second new face. He wore the black team uniform, making his slender figure appear even more good-looking and straight. With that handsome face, he caught the attention of many female fans of the Black Rose team. As for Lin Xiao, the third new face, after they had finished greeting, he quietly yawned, looking a little sleepy. At Wei Chengzhe¡¯s words, You Jing calmly replied with a very official attitude, ¡°I am looking forward to today¡¯s wonderful showdown.¡± Already familiar with the cool attitude of the Black Rose captain, Wei Chengzhe just laughed it off. Stepping off the stage, the contestants went to their seats, and the individual competition was officially launched amid everyone¡¯s attention. In the first match, Shen Changyu¡¯s summoner from the Black Rose team faced off against Tang Qian¡¯s assassin from the Seven Stars team. At first, Shen Changyu fell into a passive stance due to Tang Qian¡¯s aggressive style, but then he used an extremely difficult slope angle to get the assassin to expose himself. He took advantage of this short-lived opportunity to turn things around, then, in a burst of energy, managed two kills in quick succession, winning the first round of the individual competition. The Black Rose team took the lead with 1:0. As if inspired by their vice-captain, the Black Rose team members who played later won the remaining two matches one after the other. Compared to Xu Yichen¡¯s narrow 2:1 victory, Xiao Li, who played for the first time, completely overwhelmed the veteran Wei Chengzhe from start to finish, so that when he won with a 2:0 score, not even 10 minutes passed. Faced with such an unexpected result, the whole audience was boiling. If before this, the name ¡°Laughing Sky¡± only gave a vague impression of a ¡®wanderer expert¡¯ to many people, at this moment, all the audience present and fans everywhere who watched the live broadcast finally understood for the first time why this person can rank first on the leaderboard all year round. Xiao Li did not display any strategy from the beginning to the end of the duel. To put it more clearly, he was playing a League-style 1v1 game, practically a live broadcast of a ranking match with an audience. From the start of the game, he went straight to the coordinates in the center of the map without any tactical movement. Then he simply stood in an empty ice field, waiting for Wei Chengzhe to appear. There was no concealment around the coordinates he chose, which made Wei Chengzhe¡¯s sneak attack from any angle appear particularly useless. After that, the outcome of the battle was inevitably set in terms of hard power. As the captain of the Seven Stars team, Wei Chengzhe has not been much of a tactical player, focusing mainly on tricky versatile techniques. Now, facing a rookie playing for the first time, as a veteran, of course, he saw no reason to be overly cautious. However, during the battle, he soon found that no matter how he launched an offensive to catch him off-guard, the opponent could always cope with it and even launch a counterattack in return. What vexed Wei Chengzhe even more, was that such a sharp reaction was not because his opponent anticipated his plan beforehand, but it was entirely out of an uncanny intuitive instinct. Even in retrospect, it seemed like the best reaction at first glance. That kind of reflex was like a wild animal¡¯s¡­ Wei Chengzhe lost, but he was convinced. When he shook Xiao Li¡¯s hand, he was very emotional and praised him, ¡°You are very talented.¡± With such recognition and the thunderous applause he received when he came off the stage, Xiao Li felt very satisfied. He returned to the players¡¯ seats, humming a little tune on the way, and seeing him, Lin Xiao stood up, patted him on the shoulder, and said with a smile, ¡°Well played.¡± Lin Xiao glanced at him and smiled back: ¡°But of course.¡± After the successive defeats in the individual competition, the atmosphere in the Seven Stars team was very depressing. At this time, the list of players for the small team competition was displayed on the big screen in the center. Jiang Shiqi, who was about to play, was quietly cheering himself up when he inadvertently glanced at the big screen and froze as he stood up. Wei Chengzhe, who had just stepped off the stage, noticed his strange expression and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± With a grimace, Jiang Shiqi said: ¡°Captain Wei, do you still remember a few days ago, Tang Qian and I mentioned a ghost priest who rose strongly through the ranks on the individual leaderboard?¡± Wei Chengzhe nodded: ¡°I remember. I was already planning to ask Manager Chen to find an opportunity to contact him. What¡¯s the point of talking about this now? Let¡¯s talk later; go and play a good game first!¡± ¡°I guess you won¡¯t need to contact him anymore.¡± Jiang Shiqi remembered the victory records, entire pages completely green, and suddenly felt deeply worried about the next team match: ¡°He is now on the list of the Black Rose team, that is, that Adorable Ghost¡­¡± Surprised, Wei Chengzhe turned his attention to the big screen. ¡­ Meanwhile, at the training base of the Flowing Cloud team, Yan Lingjiang, who was sitting in front of the computer screen with his teammates, felt he was going crazy when he saw the name ¡°Lin Xiao.¡± When he saw that familiar figure on the live stream, his body finally tilted, and he fell to the ground amid the confusion of his teammates. On the other hand, at Team Apocalypse¡®s training base, the focus of the team members was to see if You Jing was really injured. However, after seeing the strange ID on the battle list, Song Lan couldn¡¯t help but mutter: ¡°What¡¯s going on, the Black Rose team is actually using newcomers one after the other in such a crucial match? Laughing Sky it¡¯s fine, but where did this Adorable Ghost come from?¡± Such a complaint set off a flurry of nods from the rest of the team. As they were laughing and joking, suddenly, a voice came from behind them: ¡°Did you just say Adorable Ghost?¡± All the members of Team Apocalypse, who were still eating melon seeds and chatting a moment ago, reflexively stood up as they looked back and saw Yan Duzhou. However, seeing their captain¡¯s gaze, more cryptic than usual, they suddenly felt their breath tighten and even forgot to respond except for a subconscious nod. Yan Duzhou¡¯s gaze had already fallen on the live broadcast of the event on the computer screen. The author has something to say: Yan Duzhou: You mean Adorable Ghost? Lin Xiao: That¡¯s right, it¡¯s me, it¡¯s me, it¡¯s me! ^_^~ CH 50 If the words ¡®Adorable Ghost¡® only brought a little surprise, then at the name ¡®Lin Xiao,¡¯ the surprise in Yan Duzhou¡¯s eyes turned into deep shock. No matter whether now or in the past, if we searched the entire League, Yan Douzhou was the only one who knew Old Ghost long before becoming a professional player. At that time, he was not called Old Ghost but had a rather silly name ¨C Adorable Ghost. Yan Duzhou was lost in thought at this moment. When the images of the Black Rose team players appeared on the screen, his eyes swept over You Jing and Liu Zeshen and finally fell on the stranger who was shown last. This new competitor with the name of Lin Xiao and the account of Adorable Ghost had a completely different face than the one in his memory. Yan Duzhou¡¯s eyes narrowed slightly, looking at the vaguely familiar smile on that face, and his train of thought derailed as he began to recall some events from the past. If there was one person who could be considered on the same level as him in the gaming world, that person was undoubtedly Old Ghost Lin Xiao. At the time, both could be said to be at the top of their field, and countless people compared them to each other. Fans of both sides often got into scuffles at the events and even in Internet cafes where they watched live broadcasts. Such situations were commonplace, not to mention that reporters who wanted to cause trouble would often deliberately instigate them during post-match interviews, trying to find the real intentions behind the words. To this, Yan Duzhou often just replied calmly, ¡°He is very good,¡± as for Lin Xiao, he said solemnly, ¡°Old Yan is the e-sports player I admire the most, none other.¡± Laid-back and easy-going were the most perceived traits of Lin Xiao in the gaming circle, and seriousness was the positive impression that Yan Douzhou left on all his fans. As captains, they were also the pillars of the two teams, and everyone in the circle knew that although the two were the strongest opponents, they were also each other¡¯s heroes. What was not known, however, was that they did not know each other from the arena, but their relationship could be traced back to the ranked battles of the earlier era of online gaming. They¡¯ve been rivals ever since. Even entering the professional circle at that time was due to the agreement made by the two to make the country¡¯s e-sports flourish. As for the fact that they weren¡¯t on the same team and how they became rivals, that¡¯s a story for later. Yan Duzhou withdrew his distant thoughts and stared pensively at that unfamiliar novice. ¡­ In the arena, Lin Xiao, who was sitting in the battle area, sneezed several times in a row for no apparent reason and sniffled as he focused on the upcoming match. Both sides entered the preparatory stage after completing equipment commissioning. In past matches, You Jing, who held the first position, was responsible for the map ban decisions. This time, however, instead of deciding on his own, he asked through the voice channel, ¡°Which one to ban?¡± Lin Xiao was still wondering who was talking about him behind his back. It wasn¡¯t until he felt a cold gaze that he realized he was the one asked, and replied without thinking: ¡°Ban the Polar Ice Field first.¡± The confirmation for that place was sent. On the other side, the Seven Stars team banned the Horror Tomb. Lin Xiao: ¡°Ban Lost Desert City.¡± The Seven Stars team banned the Lava Purgatory. Lin Xiao looked at the only one left, the Wild Forest, and said in surprise, ¡°That¡¯s good, I¡¯m familiar with this map!¡± You Jing said: ¡°Since you are familiar with it, you will be in charge of this game.¡± Before Lin Xiao could express his surprise, Liu Zeshen had already asked, ¡°Captain You, is this okay for such an important match?¡± You Jing said, ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± Lin Xiao originally wanted to pretend to be polite, but he stopped being polite when he heard this: ¡°Then please cooperate with me. Follow me when we enter the map and don¡¯t wander around.¡± Liu Zeshen¡¯s mouth twitched at his familiarity, but he replied, ¡°Got it.¡± After the map loaded, both teams spawned at their respective recovery points. Under Lin Xiao¡¯s lead, Choose a Tree To Live In and Dazzling View followed Adorable Ghost¡®s pace and began to move. In fact, although he made a fuss before, ever since the banning of the maps, Lin Xiao had guessed that between the two maps left, Lava Purgatory and Wild Forest, the Seven Stars team, known for their professional long-range players, would undoubtedly choose Wild Forest, which was more suitable for long range play. It¡¯s just that ghost priests were of course also long-ranged players, and Lin Xiao had a very strong preference for this map. Because the Wild Forest was covered in layers of vegetation, it was very conducive to hiding and sneaking around. On the big screen, the audience could see the strategic detours of both sides. Because they were all too cautious, the angle of the detour route was extraordinarily large, and moreover, as in a tacit understanding, they did not choose the same direction. In the end, it was no surprise that they missed each other completely. Team Seven Stars marched to the top of the map, and when they realized they missed the encounter, they changed direction and began to head back. As for the other side, Lin Xiao suddenly stopped when he saw that he was about to reach the end, then found a thick clump of trees nearby, and signaled to his teammates, saying: ¡°Come on, hide in.¡± When Choose a Tree and Dazzling View completely hid in the lush forest, Liu Zeshen found that Adorable Ghost was still standing there motionless, so he asked, ¡°Why don¡¯t you hide?¡± Lin Xiao clicked his tongue and said, ¡°It¡¯s enough for you to go in. Don¡¯t come out no matter what happens later.¡± Liu Zeshen was silent for a moment: ¡°¡­You are not going to fight 1 vs 3, are you?¡± Lin Xiao: ¡°Hehe. We¡¯ll see.¡± With that, Adorable Ghost took two steps forward, standing in the sunlight among the towering trees of the rainforest. The cloak of Little Red Riding Hood swayed lightly in the breeze, and the crowd could not help admiring the excellent quality of the Zone animation team. ¡°Look at this rookie, he wants to use himself as bait ¡­¡± At the commentary table, Xiao Wu was speechless after seeing such a series of actions. ¡°This action of hiding in the grass waiting for the enemy to fall into the ambush is probably familiar to the audience who played low-end multiplayer games. To use this kind of routine in a professional tournament is a bit unlike You Jing¡¯s command style.¡± However, just as she was speaking, the situation on the big screen suddenly changed. Standing in the center, Adorable Ghost began to chant and cast a series of spells. The black shadows from his staff were thick, and the crimson beams struck the surrounding plants one by one, cutting them to the ground. After a while, a big area that was initially hidden by vegetation was cleared by him effectively. ¡°What should I say? Well, I¡¯d say this new player has good hand speed and doesn¡¯t skimp on spell value. It seems he is not at all afraid of a shortage in the later stages. It looks somewhat imposing! I said¡­¡± Mao Dou¡¯s comment came to an abrupt end at this moment. When the figure on the screen appeared in the field of vision, his mouth twitched slightly: ¡°I have to admit that Lin Xiao¡¯s luck is indeed¡­ very good.¡± Lin Xiao couldn¡¯t hear the comments from outside. After clearing the surroundings, he saw several figures flashing by out of the corner of his eye, and he smiled slightly. Adorable Ghost didn¡¯t stay in the same spot to pose but nimbly turned back and hid in the jungle area he hadn¡¯t cleared and was still dense. This location was some distance from where Dazzling View and Choose a Tree were hiding. Almost as soon as the Adorable Ghost retreated, a few distant gunshots rang out, and scattered bullets struck in all directions, causing a commotion in the initially silent rainforest. Mo Shou Chengui, the powerful gunman of the Seven Stars team, was the one who took the initiative to launch the offensive and test the positions of the Black Rose team¡¯s members. Several stray bullets whizzed past Adorable Ghost but missed him as he didn¡¯t move from his spot. From his angle, he could see his opponents through the gaps in the leaves, carefully approaching step by step. Although they were obviously trying to avoid exposure, it was really difficult to make a strategic approach without leaving traces through all that mess. When the demon hunter, operated by Lang Haojie, shot a fluorescent arrow from his bow, Adorable Ghost, who had been concentrating on the ambush, suddenly started the Ghost Speed and, making an almost seamless leap, quickly retreated to the rear. Before fleeing, he dropped a Void Spike behind him, as if he was afraid of being chased by the opponent. Seeing that one opponent was flushed out, the Seven Star team, relying on its long-range advantage, kept a certain distance behind, while being on the lookout for the other two players. However, Adorable Ghost¡®s panicked look and hasty escape led them to believe that he had gotten separated from his teammates. As the healer of the team, Jiang Shiqi observed very carefully from the rear, finally stopped holding back, and said decisively: ¡°That kid is alone. Let¡¯s not miss this opportunity. Go, get him!¡± At this, the other two rushed forward, and after some bombing techniques that cut down one-third of Adorable Ghost¡®s blood bar, they tried to block his retreat. Seeing that the opponent was quickly retreating and about to get out of attack range, the gunman and the demon hunter simultaneously activated their Ghost Speed and chased after him. Right now, outside the arena, such an extraordinarily heroic charge did not arouse any enthusiasm from the Seven Stars¡® fans at all. Because on the big screen, they could see that in the bushes not far behind their team members, the spear of Choose a Tree to Live In began to glow faintly with golden light as he activated the Spirit of Chivalry. Obviously, the Seven Stars team has completely fallen into the opponent¡¯s ambush. Looking at the Seven Stars team members flanked by the enemy, commentator Xiao Wu, who witnessed the whole process, expressed her heartfelt emotion: ¡°The escape performance just now was really top-notch acting! This player Lin Xiao who has just walked on the path of the League competition, could, without exaggeration, be an Oscar winner¡­¡± The author has something to say: Lin Xiao: Life is like a play, it¡¯s all about acting! ^_^~ CH 51 The audience was not disappointed. Just when the Seven Stars team was surrounded on two flanks, Adorable Ghost suddenly stopped running. As he stopped and turned around, the staff in his hand began to emit a faint light as he chanted. Almost at the same time as he began to chant, Lin Xiao shouted on the voice channel, ¡°Now!¡± Liu Zeshen was already prepared and waiting for the command, so at this moment, he activated his ultimate move, Soul Trampling, and rushed forward. The neighing of the horse alerted everyone in the Seven Stars team, but the paladin riding on the tall horse had already arrived in a dazzling golden light. No one would have thought that one moment he was chasing the cute little boy with a knife, and the next, an imposing paladin suddenly emerged from the grove beside the road. The feeling of being forced into an unwanted situation was really sour. Since the Disintegrator was the most advanced in pursuit, he was also the furthest away from Choose a Tree. Therefore, he immediately used his demon hunter skills to avoid the surprise attack and rolled aside in time, avoiding being trampled on. However, the other two were not so lucky. Space-Time Gap and The Maverick were both trampled under the hooves, looking like a pair of mandarin ducks fleeing in desperation. In just a split second, Adorable Ghost completed the chanting for his ultimate move, Ten Thousand Ghosts Void. The cage of darkness completely surrounded the two, cutting off almost all of their vision. Mo Li suddenly shouted: ¡°The chanting is over so soon? Impossible!¡± Meanwhile, the entire process was shown on the venue¡¯s big screen without a single omission, but most people in the audience were amateurs, so it didn¡¯t feel like much. However, the two commentators also noticed the surprisingly short chanting time and immediately opened the guide to look up the specific attribute values ??of the Adorable Ghost. After seeing the 75% cooldown reduction, Mao Dou subconsciously glanced at Xiao Wu, and seeing the same shock in the other party¡¯s eyes, he lowered his voice and said: ¡°The ghost and priest collocation turned out to be in the extreme cooling direction. 75% is probably the most extreme cooling reduction ever used by all the players in the league, isn¡¯t it?¡± Xiao Wu¡¯s tone seemed a bit complicated: ¡°I really didn¡¯t expect to see a player with this outfit style on this stage. I don¡¯t know if any of the old fans still remember that there was such a player with extreme cooling in the history of the League, the former captain of the Black Rose team, Old Ghost, and the character he used happened to be a ghost priest.¡± The name ¡°Old Ghost¡± made the audience feel a little restless. Mao Dou sighed and said: The same extreme cooling flow, the same ghost priest, does the appearance of such a player means that the Black Rose team intends to return to the fighting style of its heyday? Or maybe it¡¯s just a tactic to disrupt the opponents?¡± Xiao Wu went on to say: ¡°But seeing the current situation, whatever the reason is, the Seven Stars team has indeed fallen into a passive situation. It¡¯s not hard to see that the Black Rose team¡¯s offensive isn¡¯t over yet. As you can see, Adorable Ghost is on the move again.¡± Mao Dou was surprised: ¡°His position¡­¡± The image on the screen showed that Adorable Ghost¡®s location was already within the casting range. But when Lin Xiao looked at the position of the Disintegrator, he did not rush to continue chanting other spells but unexpectedly took a few extra steps back. At the same time, he didn¡¯t forget to give further instructions in the voice channel: ¡°Attack the priest.¡± Choose a Tree to Live In almost made no pause in reversing the backswing while using the character¡¯s step movement. Just as Space-Time Gap was about to stand up, he raised his spear and hit him with a taunt skill. Jiang Shiqi was now trapped in the boundless darkness, and before he had time to perform any operations, he could vaguely see himself through the dim screen, being hit by a tall silhouette with a thick magic book. The figure of the priest was very slim, and this kind of action looked like in the flirting scenes in a TV series, when the heroine taps the other on the shoulder with a book and shyly says, ¡°You are bad.¡± Although he didn¡¯t see the opponent¡¯s appearance clearly, he could figure out from his feet that it was that big meat shield, Choose a Tree to Live In. The smile on Jiang Shiqi¡¯s face had completely faded, and now he had a look of hopelessness on his face as he said on the voice channel: ¡°I¡¯m being targeted by the paladin, so you be careful.¡± Lang Haojie said: ¡°Hold on, I¡¯ll kill their ghost priest first.¡± Meanwhile, the Disintegrator rapidly approached the position of Adorable Ghost, and after entering the range of attack, he shot a blood-poisoning arrow from his bow. Direct hit. While a small amount of blood was instantly removed, Adorable Ghost¡®s blood bar will continue to decrease due to the permanent blood poisoning effect. However, Adorable Ghost didn¡¯t seem to notice it at all, the light of his magic staff kept shining, and spells were cast one after another toward The Maverick behind the black curtain. From start to finish, the Disintegrator¡®s attack on him was completely ignored, and even though the opponent was almost stepping out, he didn¡¯t move a single step, seeming determined to hold onto Mo Li until he was killed. If it wasn¡¯t for the fact that the opponent was still chanting his abilities, Lang Haojie would almost have wondered if he had been disconnected during the battle. Glancing at his teammate¡¯s rapidly dropping blood gauge, as the APM1 value soared, the Disintegrator¡®s offensive immediately intensified, and the only idea was to kill the ghost priest before the other party was done for. At this moment, the effect of the Myriad Ghost Void had ended, and The Maverick who had retreated before was about to step out of the spell¡¯s range, while the Disintegrator¡®s timely Demon Trial sent Adorable Ghost back at the same time. Immediately after Adorable Ghost put a Ghost Blood Curse on The Maverick, instead of continuing to pursue him, he turned his target to the Disintegrator and blocked his actions with a Frost Curse. For the next six seconds, the Ghost Blood Curse would generate a blood loss every two seconds. The first two parts had lower damage, while the last stage produced a higher bleeding effect. Mo Li frowned and said in the chat room of Team Seven Stars, ¡°I¡¯ve been cursed with the Ghost Blood.¡± Being pressed by Liu Zeshen, Jiang Shiqi was already annoyed and shouted impatiently, ¡°Come here.¡± Mo Li glanced at the blood value and said: ¡°I¡¯m already out of the casting spells¡¯ range, as long as Haojie stops the ghost priest, it¡¯s not a big problem. His spell damage is pretty low, and I won¡¯t die after three stages of bleeding.¡± Jiang Shiqi said: ¡°Better to be safe!¡± Just then, Lin Xiao slowly announced in the chat room of the Black Rose team: ¡°In four seconds, hit the priest with the Breakdown technique.¡± As he spoke, he glanced at You Jing¡¯s position, took the same stance as the Disintegrator, looking like a schoolboy in front of him, and confronted him face to face. Due to the previous concentrated attack, Adorable Ghost¡®s blood bar was still less than 40%, and facing the Disintegrator, whose blood tank was almost 100% full, this method of going head-to-head seemed a bit unwise. Not expecting him to be so stubborn, Lang Haojie had no reason to refuse the confrontation. After discovering the opponent¡¯s tricky skills, he gave up the time-wasting moves, and although he had the feeling that something was wrong, he still faced him and started fighting. Such a scene might seem a little funny, but the audience saw it much more clearly than the protagonists. When Adorable Ghost made such an unexpected move, everyone could clearly see Dazzling View¡®s location on the big screen. I¡¯m afraid that no one could imagine that You Jing, who was always the center of attention on the field, became the one who received the least attention in this small team match so far. This situation was undoubtedly unprecedented. The Maverick quickly approached Space-Time Gap, ready to have his blood volume restored, but when he just entered the casting distance, he saw Choose a Tree to Live In hitting the priest with the Breakdown technique and knocking him unconscious on the spot. At the same time, a mysterious dark red halo flashed across The Maverick¡®s body as he was still preparing to move on. When the last bleeding effect of the Ghost Blood Curse was triggered, the screen in front of Mo Li suddenly went dark, and the first system message of the game popped up on the map. [System] Adorable Ghost killed The Maverick. [System] First Blood! Blood, First blood? How was it possible? Obviously, the damage value of that bleeding effect was not enough! Mo Li did not react at all for a while, however, with his death, the voice channel also closed. In silence, he accessed the death record and saw something that should not have existed before the damage caused by the last stage of the Ghost Blood Curse. The most basic skill of the priest, that few people used, Descending Soul, increased all the damage the character receives within one second. He leaned back involuntarily, completely slumping on the chair. One second. He never thought that it would be over in just one second. In other words, no one thought until now that the ghost priest¡®s Ghost Blood Curse could be used in combination with the priest¡®s Descending Soul technique. Mo Li¡¯s death undoubtedly put heavy pressure on the other two team members. Jiang Shiqi felt his heart sink as he heard a ¡®shit¡® ringing in his ears, and with a bad feeling, he asked, ¡°What happened?¡± Lang Haojie, however, seemed to be suffering, and it took him a long time to come up with a sentence: ¡°This ¡­ This game is lost.¡± A few seconds later, the system displayed three messages in a row. [System] Adorable Ghost killed the Disintegrator. [System] Double Kill. [System] Second Blood. Jiang Shiqi was stunned when both offensive players were killed at the same time and completely gave up the fight. After that, the Black Rose team won the team competition again, with a score of 5:0. At the end of the game, you could clearly see what happened through the replays on the big screen. It turned out that when The Maverick died, Adorable Ghost¡®s blood bar was almost cleared as well, but at the last moment, a white healing light fell on him, instantly restoring his health and blood with more than half value. At that time, the positions of Dazzling View, The Maverick, and Adorable Ghost were all included within the casting distance. After he cast Descending Soul on the gunman, without even needing to move, he chanted healing skills on the spot, saving Adorable Ghost, who was on the verge of death. You Jing¡¯s timing for the treatment was as accurate as ever. Too early would make the Disintegrator vigilant and adjust the distance. Too late and would inevitably result in Adorable Ghost¡®s death, and the situation would change again. Add to that the one second for the Descending Soul to enhance the damage and help take The Maverick¡®s first blood. Either video was a classic example of perfect timing. After getting off the stage, Liu Zesheng understood the true meaning of the successive changes on the field and tried to remember all the commands issued in the chat room at that time. But he had no recollection of what Lin Xiao had told You Jing, so he asked doubtfully: ¡°Have you guys discussed the tactics before?¡± Lin Xiao took a bottle of water, unscrewed the cap, and laughed when he heard this, ¡°Captain You is so skilled that there¡¯s no need to discuss beforehand, even if it¡¯s a temporary solution or something, it should be a perfect tacit understanding!¡± Liu Zeshen was speechless. You Jing took the water handed by Lin Xiao and took a sip, noncommittaly. APM is an acronym that means actions per minute. It¡¯s most commonly used in real-time video games such as Starcraft and refers to how many actions a player can perform in a minute. The best players have high APM rates. CH 52 The MVP player ID of the last game was displayed on the big screen ¨C Priest, Dazzling View. As the previous comment predicted, although You Jing seemed to be treading water from start to finish, he was actually the key player who decided the outcome. Even if it was just an auxiliary skill that amplified the damage and a healing skill that restored Adorable Ghost¡®s life at a critical moment, these two techniques which took mere seconds, were enough to establish the well-deserved MVP position. However, aside from You Jing, much of the public¡¯s attention began to focus on Lin Xiao. Although it was only a small team match, it was already enough to get everyone¡¯s attention. Lin Xiao¡¯s deliberate tactical positioning during the battle was evident to all. Even though some members of the Seven Stars team were confused, the audience on the outside could clearly see that every step was completely planned by this man. There was a reason why he released The Maverick directly after casting the Ghost Blood Curse and turned his target to the Disintegrator. That was because the damage value had been calculated to ensure that when the last stage of bleeding was over, it was bound to take the opponent¡¯s life. Naturally, this involved enough confidence in You Jing that he would cast Descending Soul at that exact second, increasing the damage to help him complete the harvest. Not only that but after entering Dazzling View¡®s spellcasting range, he had no fear of standing against the demon hunter, the Disintegrator, also because of that kind of absolute trust. Such perfect cooperation could be accepted if it involved Shen Changyu, who had been the Vice Captain for many years. Even Liu Zeshen and the twins, the other important candidates, could not give the audience the means to envision such a meticulous connection. However, the one who completed this performance was just a newcomer playing for the Black Rose team for the first time. Could it be that, after holding back the entire preseason, the Black Rose team has finally unleashed a secret weapon for the final comeback? Everyone thought about the dropout incident from the previous game and couldn¡¯t help but associate these things in their minds. Although it was a bit late to wait until the penultimate game, at this point, they couldn¡¯t think of any other more reasonable explanations. With that in mind, everyone focused on the next crucial team match. After the break, the team competition roster was displayed on the big screen as the players returned from the lounge. First, there was the lineup of the Seven Stars team: Captain Wei Chengzhe¡¯s paladin, Sir Wei, Vice Captain Fang Ke¡¯s fighter, Cube, Lang Haojie¡¯s demon hunter, Disintegrator, Tang Qian¡¯s assassin, Humble Gentleman, and Jiang Shiqi¡¯s priest, Space-Time Gap. The fans of the Seven Stars team in the audience cheered warmly, but when the roster of the Black Rose team was displayed, the entire venue went eerily silent for a few seconds. Black Rose team lineup was: Vice Captain Shen Changyu¡¯s summoner, Seasonal Rain, Xu Yiming¡¯s gunner, Cry for Blood, Xu Yichen¡¯s gunner, One Shot to the Head, Lin Xiao¡¯s ghost priest Adorable Ghost, and Zou Qiguan¡¯s priest, White Switch. After the lineup was displayed, the players stood up from their seats one after another, getting ready to play. The image director promptly switched the focus to the Black Rose team¡¯s player bench. From the on-screen footage, You Jing could be seen chilling on the bench with his team uniform draped loosely over his body, clearly in a bystander position. One by one, people came to their senses, rubbing their eyes and looking carefully again and again. By the end, the whole arena was boiling. In such a crucial team game, You Jing, the pillar of the Black Rose team, was unexpectedly not playing?! Even more, in this lineup of five, two new players appeared for the first time in this round. If Lin Xiao¡¯s ability was seen by everyone now, who was this Zou Qiguan, who looked like a cute teddy bear with a head full of curly brown hair, standing behind the team? Could there be another powerful god-level healer besides You Jing¡¯s Dazzling View? No one could believe such a thing. Could the news of You Jing¡¯s injury mentioned in today¡¯s newspaper be true? Why else would the Black Rose have relied on the boot camp rookies in this life-and-death situation that determined whether they could be shortlisted for the playoffs? Or were they ready to skip the playoffs this season? Following the clamor of the Seven Star fans, the Black Rose fans fell into complete silence. ¡­ Because it was his first time on the stage, Zou Qiguan followed his teammates, trembling all the way. After shaking hands with the opponents, he dazedly entered the battle area, and until the adjustment was completed, he was still burdened by the chaotic beatings of his heart. Shen Changyu noticed his nervousness, gently patted his shoulder, and said soothingly: ¡°Just relax and proceed as we talked before. Qin Lei was as nervous as you, so don¡¯t think too much about it.¡± Zou Qiguan grinned dryly, but he still felt that his face was stiff. At this moment, a force suddenly pulled him over, and before he could stabilize himself, he was completely engulfed in someone¡¯s arms. His tender face was mercilessly rubbed by someone¡¯s claws, finally causing him to wail, ¡°Ah ah ah, ouch, ouch, ouch! It hurts, it hurts, it hurts!¡± However, Lin Xiao did not let go until he thoroughly rubbed his face red. Looking down at the young man in his arms, teary-eyed and aggrieved, he smiled and said: ¡°Well, how is it? Are you still nervous?¡± Hearing this, Zou Qiguan swallowed the accusation that was on the tip of his tongue, and after a moment of silence, the expression in his eyes gradually brightened: ¡°Oh! I¡¯m not nervous anymore!¡± Lin Xiao pushed him toward his seat: ¡°Good, then play well!¡± Although it was agreed in advance that Lin Xiao would be in charge, Xu Yiming was still a little uneasy. After putting on his headphones and entering the chat room, he asked in a rare serious tone: ¡°Say, Lin Xiao, you never told us before what kind of tactics you were going to use, but now that we¡¯re at the critical point, you need to tell us about it, right?¡± Lin Xiao seemed to have just remembered this, and after thinking for a while, he said: ¡°Oh. I don¡¯t know which map will be used in the end, so there¡¯s nothing to say.¡± Xu Yiming was angry: ¡°Don¡¯t you even have an overall idea?¡± Lin Xiao smiled: ¡°Yes, I do. As far as you are concerned, the key to the whole process is one sentence.¡± Xu Yiming asked: ¡°What sentence?¡± Lin Xiao: ¡°Fight at will.¡± Is this a sentence? These are obviously just three words! Xu Yiming felt he was going to burst with anger: ¡°Fight at will? Then, can I fight you?¡± Lin Xiao corrected him seriously: ¡°We are teammates, you can¡¯t fight me.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Had it not been for the competition, Xu Yiming could not guarantee whether he would have launched a real-life PK on the spot. Sure enough, as is the master, so is the disciple. In the past, he only heard the senior players say that Old Ghost used to drive people to exasperation, but now he felt that Lin Xiao was even worse! In the banning map session, both sides were extremely decisive, and in the end, Horror Tomb was left as the final battle map. While rummaging through the equipment storage for the final setup selection, Lin Xiao reminded them: ¡°Except for Switch, check for equipment with the attributes of the ¡®Phantom¡¯ series. If you have them, use them all.¡± Shen Changyu answered, ¡°Okay.¡± Xu Yiming initially wanted to object to using such strange equipment, but seeing his Vice Captain so obediently listen to this novice¡¯s command, he opened his mouth but finally swallowed the question back. After the preparation phase was over, when importing the map, Lin Xiao checked out the final equipment configuration of his teammates and, looking around, nodded in satisfaction and praised them: ¡°As expected from the pros, it¡¯s perfect! Awesome!¡± The sarcasm of this man was still the same, no matter friend or foe. Shen Changyu couldn¡¯t listen to it any longer, and holding his forehead, he said, a little dumbstruck: ¡°Lin¡­cough, Lin Xiao, how do we fight when we go in? Tell us something quickly.¡± Lin Xiao smiled and said, ¡°Didn¡¯t I just say it? Fight at will.¡± Xu Yiming couldn¡¯t take it anymore and roared, ¡°Speak human!¡± Lin Xiao said: ¡°Well, in addition to Vice Captain Shen and Switch leisurely going in the same direction, I will also mark three coordinate points, and you will know it when you¡¯re in. Really, young people nowadays, are too impatient.¡± Xu Yiming¡¯s blue veins swelled on his forehead, and he was about to explode, but Xu Yichen cut his words off first: ¡°Understood.¡± In this sensitive atmosphere, Zou Qiguan¡¯s faint voice was heard: ¡°I¡¯m okay with it¡­¡± ¡­ In the arena, everyone was focused on the two types of setups displayed in the center of the big screen. If the equipment style of the Seven Stars team was as cautious and stable as ever, it could be said that the raven-colored equipment of the Black Rose team dazzled everyone. The Phantom series gear was black in style, and due to the wide variety and the easy way to drop many of the pieces, it was not unfamiliar to regular online players. In addition to the uniform color system, this equipment set also had a common attribute, that is ¨C additional attack/spell life-stealing value. If this kind of gear could still be used for stalling tactics in individual competitions, then in the team competitions, because of the presence of healers coupled with the poor blood-sucking percentage, it was almost permanently blocked in the cooldown stage. At this moment, however, four of the five players in the Black Rose team were wearing the Phantom-type black gear, without a care for fashion. It actually looked like they were wearing Black Rose¡®s team uniforms. As for that priest White Switch? After seeing his equipment, commentator Mao Dou wanted to praise him as the only normal player on the field, but he suddenly choked on his words, his face flushed, and he almost cried out loud. At this time, he was almost completely messed up. ¡ªFuck, what the hell is this? A healer wearing equipment that increases movement speed? Where is the healing capacity? What about chanting time reduction?! You still fucking care whether your teammates are dead or alive, or are you planning to run away indefinitely? How afraid of death are you?! Because they really couldn¡¯t decipher the mystery behind such a ¡°unique¡± setup, the two in the commentary booth fell silent for a while after analyzing the Seven Stars team. Meanwhile, the interface import finished, and the image of the two parties leaving the resurrection points and starting to march appeared on the big screen. When they saw the Black Rose team¡¯s actions, the commentators¡¯ already numb expressions stiffened completely. Compared to the Seven Star team, who marched together in an orderly manner, the Black Rose team seemed to engage in the novice boot camp routine of playing the team game for the first time. Except for Seasonal Rain and White Switch marching unhurriedly together, the other three characters, Adorable Ghost, Cry for Blood, and One Shot to the Head, were moving in three completely different directions at a fast pace. In team competitions, whichever team breaks ranks first might be at a disadvantage, but it was the first time they had seen someone take the initiative to disperse the lineup so early in the game¡­ Mao Dou and Xiao Wu looked at each other: how could they explain to the audience? The author has something to say: Lin Xiao: Ah, let¡¯s play the game casually~! ^_^~ CH 53 The Seven Stars team didn¡¯t know what about the movements of the Black Rose team. During the march, the atmosphere in their chat room seemed a bit heavy due to the successive losses suffered. Vice Captain Fang Ke was the first to break the silence: ¡°Stop thinking about the previous game. Captain Wei, hurry up and make a decision, how are we going to play this game?¡± After thinking for a moment, Captain Wei Chengzhe said: ¡°First, we must find an opportunity to break up the opponent¡¯s lineup. Lang Haojie and I will keep an eye on Seasonal Rain while you, Vice Captain Fang, try to make trouble for that Adorable Ghost guy. While we are fighting, Tang Qian, you should walk around the periphery more and be careful not to get involved. Find a chance and try to assassinate one of the twins after they expose their whereabouts.¡± No one expressed any objection after receiving the orders. After a while, Tang Qian cleared his throat and said: ¡°Well¡­ Captain Wei, why don¡¯t we kill the priest first in this round?¡± Wei Chengzhe was puzzled: ¡°What priest to kill, don¡¯t you know that their priest is¡­¡± At this moment, his words stopped abruptly, and there was a sudden realization in his tone: ¡°Yeah, why not kill the priest first!?¡± Attacking the healer was supposed to be the most basic strategy in the team competition. However, because the Black Rose¡®s priest was You Jing, many teams suffered great losses over and over again because they wasted too much time targeting him. Over time, whenever they encountered the Black Rose team in the game, more teams had to make changes and adjust to deliberately bypassing the priest, which was extremely annoying. But this round, it wasn¡¯t You Jing¡¯s Dazzling View in the priest role, but White Switch of the rookie player, Zou Qiguan! Wei Chengzhe reacted promptly by adjusting his strategy in time: ¡°In this round, let¡¯s pay more attention to see if there is a chance to kill their priest first!¡± While they were talking, the whole group reached the graveyard in the middle of the map. The entire map of Horror Tomb was immersed in a thick night, and the background arrangement was an uninhabited wilderness. The dense forest was shrouded in darkness, marked by faint shadows that gave a pervasive eerie feeling. Normally, both teams should have reached this position by now, but there was no sign of the Black Rose team at this time. Wei Chengzhe reminded them once more: ¡°Spread around and watch out for ambushes.¡± Heeding his words, the other teammates retreated a little in all directions. Among them, Jiang Shiqi¡¯s Space-Time Gap priest stayed behind to ensure he could grasp any changes around him and provide healing assistance for his teammates in time. At the commentary table, Xiao Wu glanced at the positions of the Black Rose players and slightly furrowed her beautiful eyebrows: ¡°Now, Cry for Blood and One Shot to the Head appeared in the forests at the top and bottom of the map, and Adorable Ghost isn¡¯t far ahead of Team Seven Stars. Looks like the opponent is almost surrounded.¡± Mao Dou nodded: ¡°That¡¯s true, but Seasonal Rain and White Switch¡®s position deviates too much from the line. Judging by the current distance, if a fight breaks out now, they may not be able to join the battle in time. Sure enough, sending two rookies out in such an important game, what is the Black Rose team thinking¡­ Holy shit!¡± He hadn¡¯t finished speaking when he saw a sudden change on the map that made him blurt out some nasty words without realizing it. Under Xiao Wu¡¯s sideways gaze, he hastily covered his mouth. The three people who were supposed to lie in ambush approached the center fast, and once they were in the attack range, they started a sudden bombardment of skills toward the Seven Stars team members, officially igniting the battle of this round. Driven by this sudden offensive, the atmosphere in the arena immediately flared up. As Lin Xiao maneuvered Adorable Ghost to march at full speed, he also paid attention to the formation layout of the opponents, then estimated the approximate position of the twins on the map and seized the proper opportunity. With a sharp look in his eyes, he made the call: ¡°Open fire, now!¡± The twins had been waiting for his words and opened fire almost at the same time. At once, the sky was full of flames, looking particularly blinding on the pitch-black map. Under the hail of bullets, as a well-trained official team, the formation of the Seven Star team not only did not disperse but actually shrank to the center in an instant, completely condensing together. Such a formation was meant to avoid the firing range of the guns and bombs. Further bombing harassment would be impossible unless the twins left the forest area, which would expose their positions. Even so, the situation of the Seven Stars team¡¯s members was extremely difficult. At this moment, they have thoroughly realized that the previous deployment and even the usual group combat practice were almost useless, seeing as there was no need to find a way to break up the opposing team. From the beginning, they never intended to play by the rules. In the silent chat room, Wei Chengzhe knew that the team members were waiting for him to make a decision, so he asked with a frown, ¡°Does anyone have the approximate location of the opponents?¡± ¡°If they haven¡¯t moved too much, they should be around (498, 260) and (-338, 189), but we can¡¯t tell if they¡¯ve changed places now.¡± Tang Qian replied with a serious tone, ¡°But that¡¯s only the twins¡¯ location. Shen Changyu and Adorable Ghost haven¡¯t revealed their whereabouts yet, maybe they are lying in ambush somewhere.¡± Wei Chengzhe paused, then said in a deep voice, ¡°Stay where you are, and wait for their next attack!¡± On the Black Rose side, Xu Yiming felt a little pressured when he saw that the Seven Star team hadn¡¯t moved for a long time: ¡°Hey, I was having fun playing, but why is the opponent so cowardly? How can we fight if they are shrinking like this?¡± Lin Xiao laughed: ¡°Then we need Vice-Captain Shen¡¯s big move to open the way.¡± At this time, Shen Changyu and Zou Qiguan had also entered the visible area. Before Lin Xiao finished speaking, he had already started chanting the Fire Dragon technique. A few seconds later, a huge flaming dragon appeared in the center of the map and rushed straight into the lineup of the Seven Stars team with a roar. Such an initiative was tantamount to revealing his whereabouts. The demon hunter, Disintegrator, immediately melted into the darkness, and the assassin, Humble Gentleman, also took advantage of his invisibility to start a detour. The remaining fighter, Cube, made an instant decision and cast a huge wave of power, hitting the incoming fire dragon head-on. The powerful impact brought up a monstrous flame, and almost at the same time, the impatient Cry for Blood rushed straight out of the forest area in the disturbance brought by the light. The messy gunshots continued to ring out, and in an instant, the three people left in the center of the field lost some of their blood. A golden light flashed from Lord Wei¡®s body, and after he hit the giant dragon with a taunt, he held up his holy shield in front of his teammates, canceling out more than half of the attack. Immediately, he threw his spear, stunned the giant dragon, and seeing that the priest¡®s enchantment had greatly increased his defense parameters, he turned and rushed toward Cry for Blood. At the same time, a Void Wave from Cube also hit Cry for Blood head-on. While stunned in place, Xu Yiming saw the paladin fiercely rushing toward the center of the screen and frantically started typing on the keyboard. Seeing that the opponent was about to trample his gunner, he immediately rolled back, continued with a leap, and slipped into the night filled with shadows behind him. But after finally forcing the opponent to act, how could he just let him go? Lord Wei started the Ghost Walk almost at the same time and quickly caught up with him. Initially, Cube followed closely behind him, but suddenly, another rapid burst of shots from behind passed directly in front of him, blocking his path. After learning about the situation in the rear, Wei Chengzhe immediately made a decision: ¡°Jiang Shiqi, you and Vice-Captain go after One Shot to the Head, and leave Cry for Blood to me!¡± After this order, Cube did not continue the chase but went straight to the rear after One Shot to the Head. His blood bar continued to decline during the chase, and One Shot to the Head returned to the woods on the lower side of the map, trying to escape into the deep forest. Cube then pursued him relentlessly, and with a flying kick followed by a fighting technique, he knocked him to the ground. During the struggle, due to the close-up shooting, the opponent¡¯s damage reached the maximum value at the same time, and his blood bar also decreased at a speed that was visible to the naked eye. Meanwhile, the priest, White Switch, was caught in the combined siege of both the Disintegrator and the Humble Gentleman, while his own priest was following him, which made Cube¡®s attack more fearless. After several blood refills, the gap between the two sides became more and more clear. Lin Xiao said, ¡°Hold on and bring some more inside.¡± Hearing this, Xu Yichen engaged the Leaping Step at his disposal and took a few steps back, causing Cube to punch in the air. At the same time, he activated the Ghost Walk and quickly started the retreat to the right top side of the map. ¡°You¡¯re actually running farther and farther away from your priest, you really want to die!¡± Fang Ke thought in his heart and followed without pause. As they moved deeper inside, they heard Jiang Shiqi suddenly call out through the voice channel: ¡°Holy shit, Adorable Ghost is waiting here in ambush!¡± Although he saw One Shot to the Head with only a trace of blood left, he unwillingly had to leave to help his own healer. However, at this time, the other party also was unwilling to quit. One Shot to the Head, who was fleeing a moment ago, suddenly turned his gun and launched several projectiles, throwing the place into chaos and completely blocking his retreat. In this short period of time, Jiang Shiqi was already shouting madly in the voice channel: ¡°Ahhhhh! Help me now! Somebody, I¡¯m dying! I¡¯m going to die! Ah, I have to¡­.¡± Here, his voice was completely cut off, and with the sudden silence, the hearts of the Seven Stars members sank to the bottom. Obviously, the sudden disappearance of the voice was not because Jiang Shiqi shut his mouth but because he was blocked on the voice channel after his death. [System] Adorable Ghost killed Space-Time Gap. [System] First Blood! It was Team Black Rose¡®s first blood again, and again, the first blood of Adorable Ghost! The audience clearly saw Adorable Ghost¡®s series of interception and killing operations. No matter the route or the time of the attack, it was all a perfect performance. After living up to expectations and taking the first blood, the audience completely erupted. Was there anyone who thought that these were the actions of a novice? Even considering this round alone, I¡¯m afraid even a top-star player wouldn¡¯t have accomplished all that. Adorable Ghost? Many people began to think back, but be it in the online games or the daily reports of the League, they didn¡¯t remember ever being such a player. The boiling arena did not disturb the players on the field. After learning that Space-Time Gap was isolated and died in battle, Fang Ke did not pause to mourn the loss of his teammate. Instead, he turned around and rushed out of the smoke bombs, appearing in front of One Shot to the Head. Although the previous attack had caused him to lose a lot of blood, now that there was no other healer around and One Shot to the Head only had a sliver of blood left, he still hoped to take the opponent¡¯s head first. Such thoughts crossed his mind, but when his vision cleared, and he saw the blood bar above his opponent¡¯s head, Cube¡®s attack faltered due to his surprise. A moment before, the opponent only had a small half-unit of blood left. When has it been restored to more than three units? In a daze, Fang Ke looked at the light blue outfit the other party had changed into and smiled helplessly. According to Xu Yichen¡¯s personality, he wasn¡¯t the type to be interested in fashion. The reason he behaved unusually right now was probably to hide the special equipment he wore. To actually use blood-sucking equipment in the team competition, was completely unexpected¡­ [System] One Shot to the Head killed Cube. [System] Second Blood! [System] Seasonal Rain killed Humble Gentleman. [System] Third Blood! With two consecutive kill messages flashing across the map, the team match was decided. In the end, without losing any of its members, the victory sign appeared on the screen in front of the Black Rose team. ¡°It¡¯s a shame we didn¡¯t even get one of them.¡± Such an ending would inevitably make people feel frustrated. Fang Ke took off his earphones, stood up, and sighed helplessly, turning his gaze to Tang Qian, ¡°How come you didn¡¯t even succeed in assassinating the rookie priest? I thought at least we could get one kill.¡± Tang Qian said helplessly: ¡°I thought so too, but that priest runs faster than a rabbit. You try to kill him if you have the ability¡­¡± Fang Ke was confused. How the hell does he run like a rabbit? CH 54 All the players came on stage to shake hands and salute each other. The audience in the arena, still immersed in the intense atmosphere of the competition, only then realized that today¡¯s games were over and immediately gave warm applause to all the competitors. When Wei Chengzhe shook hands with You Jing, he couldn¡¯t help but glance at the people behind him, and although his tone carried a hint of helplessness, he expressed his sincere blessings: ¡°Captain, congratulations on being one step closer to the playoffs. All three new players are excellent, and we hope you can continue to win for us in the next games.¡± The Seven Stars team was also initially ranked very low, and this 0-point setback took them out of the race for a playoff spot early, even with one final round of matches remaining. You Jing squeezed his hand a little tighter, ¡°Sure.¡± The other members of the Seven Stars team also had gloomy faces. When he approached Lin Xiao, Jiang Shiqi carefully sized him up, and after thinking for a while, he asked, somewhat aggrieved: ¡°Do you remember me?¡± What, another old acquaintance? Lin Xiao carefully looked at the man in front of him again and again, but he couldn¡¯t associate him with anyone he knew in his mind. After a pause, he smiled toothily and earnestly: ¡°Ah, I remember, of course I remember!¡± ¡°¡­¡± This expression clearly showed that he had no impression of him at all! Speechless, Jiang Shiqi didn¡¯t ask anything else and, with a depressed look, continued to shake hands with the other players. Amidst warm applause from the fans, the Seven Stars team has officially reached the end of this season. ¡­ At the post-match press conference, Wei Chengzhe, as the captain, thoroughly analyzed the reasons for the failure in front of reporters. Because the speech was so detailed, the whole stage was full of rustling notes and fewer of the usual sharp questions. However strong the two teams were, a total defeat did not happen easily in the professional league. But was the 0:10 score today really because the Seven Stars team performed too poorly? This was not the case, actually. Many exciting moments could be found in small operations throughout the game. The Seven Stars team lost, not because it was too weak overall, but because the other party was too unpredictable. At this point, most people intuitively thought about a person¡ªLin Xiao, a new member of the Black Rose team and the operator of the ghost priest, ¡°Adorable Ghost.¡± It wasn¡¯t until Wei Chengzhe finished his analysis that the reporter finally asked the question that had been on his mind for a long time: ¡°Excuse me, Captain Wei, what do you think of the three new players of the Black Rose team?¡± Such a question was expected, so Wei Chengzhe calmly replied, ¡°Today¡¯s performance of the Black Rose team was obvious to everyone, and the performance of the three new players was outstanding.¡± Xiao Li is the wanderer King of online games. Whether it is hand speed or reaction judgment, he is very swift. He is a rare and typical 1V1 player. Later, Zou Qiguan replaced You Jing in the team competition. At first glance, it looked like all he had to do was run around, but in fact, he was the key point of the strategy in this match. As for Lin Xiao¡­¡± Saying this name, he frowned slightly: ¡°Perhaps because it¡¯s the same name and surname, it inevitably reminds me of Captain Lin¡¯s ¡®Old Ghost¡® from the Black Rose team back then. Judging by today¡¯s performance, this Lin Xiao player is very sophisticated and cunning in terms of technique and tactical positioning. Overall, he is indeed very powerful.¡± Perhaps because they were fated to leave, this round of interviews with the Seven Star team was like an open chat box, revealing their inner thoughts without any taboo. Throughout the whole process, the reporters¡¯ pens almost never stopped, and everyone seemed satisfied. Lin Xiao is very strong. They quickly understood the key points in Wei Chengzhe¡¯s words, and upon receiving the most desired news, all kinds of emotional reports were automatically generated in their minds. ¡­ In the subsequent press conference of the Black Rose team, everyone¡¯s focus naturally fell on the topic of You Jing¡¯s unexpected injury. As soon as the reporters¡¯ question session started, someone asked directly: ¡°May I ask Captain You, is the news about your injury in the ¡°E-Sports Times¡± today true? Is the reason why you didn¡¯t play in the team match today also related to the injury?¡± You Jing glanced around calmly and replied: ¡°Instead of paying attention to this groundless gossip, it is better to pay attention to the game. I think the record of today¡¯s game speaks for itself.¡± Gossip? In other words, that report is really groundless? The reporter who asked the question stopped there, while the other people in the venue showed some gloating expressions. Although the injury issue was indeed a hot topic, many reporters were not focusing on this matter because, after all, the news of You Jing¡¯s injury was exclusively covered by the ¡°E-sports Times.¡± If this report was true, it was like a slap in the face to all the other media that had no reaction. But now, You Jing was denying this matter between the lines, and things didn¡¯t look too good for ¡°E-sports Times.¡± Coincidentally, Kong Yan, the author of this report, was also on the scene, and the attention toward him became particularly intense. Feeling the strange atmosphere around him, Kong Yan¡¯s face sank. Being young and prideful, he was unable to swallow this grievance, so he suddenly stood up from the chair and said with a sneer: ¡°In fact, there¡¯s no need for all this nonsense, it¡¯s easy to see whether or not he is injured!¡± Before he finished speaking, he rushed directly onto the stage in front of the crowd and grabbed You Jing¡¯s left hand. The sudden action caught the security guards by surprise, so they were a step too late to stop him. The moment he grasped his hand, You Jing suddenly stood up from the table and reacted fast, pushing Kong Yan away. However, as he fell backward, the man still pulled his wrist viciously before letting go. You Jing frowned but held back his groan of pain in front of so many people. However, under such a huge joint force, he was inevitably pulled forward and was about to fall as well. Unexpectedly, a hand appeared from behind, accurately grabbed his arm, and pulled him back, restoring his center of gravity with its own strength. Kong Yan fell heavily to the ground and was a little surprised that he didn¡¯t drag You Jing down with him. Looking up, he saw Lin Xiao, who was a few positions away a moment ago, and it was unknown how he had ended up behind You Jing, looking down at him. Under his gaze, the snarking remarks he was about to utter froze on his lips. Lin Xiao glanced with a frown at the cold sweat on You Jing¡¯s forehead due to the severe pain, looked at Kong Yan with a half-smile, and said: ¡°Mr. reporter, in order to forcibly prove the correctness of your report, you think it¡¯s okay to play this kind of trick in public? Can squeezing his hand prove an injury? Why don¡¯t you let me squeeze your hand ¡®gently¡¯ and see if it¡¯s disabled or not?¡± ¡°Stop talking nonsense, don¡¯t think that changing the subject can cover up the truth!¡± Kong Yan¡¯s face didn¡¯t look good after suffering the painful fall, and he raised his chin, trying to look more confident. Meanwhile, the security guards had finally reacted and surrounded him, so his arrogance toned down. You Jing walked out from behind Lin Xiao expressionlessly, and his eyes narrowed slightly, looking at Kong Yan: ¡°Kong Yan, right? I think there¡¯s something you don¡¯t get.¡± Kong Yan felt a little chilled by him and blurted out, ¡°What, exactly?¡± ¡°As a reporter, you should behave differently from the paparazzi.¡± You Jing¡¯s smiled grimly and walked up to him, step by step, his tone emotionless, ¡°It¡¯s not just me in the Black Rose team. Today¡¯s results should be enough to give you the answer. So whether my hand is injured or not does not affect the team¡¯s performance, and it has nothing to do with you.¡± Kong Yan was so angry at being called a ¡°paparazzo¡± that he subconsciously wanted to fight back, but he suddenly realized he didn¡¯t know how to retort. You Jing glanced at him, then looked at the man next to him: ¡°The competition committee should know how to deal with this person.¡± ¡°Of course, of course.¡± The manager standing next to him immediately jumped up with an apologetic smile and turned to the security guards: ¡°What are you doing standing there, take him out quickly, hurry up!¡± Lin Xiao watched Kong Yan being taken away in the middle of the guards and turned to the podium with a smile on his face: ¡°Alright, since there are no more questions, that¡¯s it for today.¡± With a frosty face, You Jing left the hall without waiting for the others to respond. The rest of the Black Rose team walked out one after another without saying a word. The reporters from other media were initially rubbing their hands, waiting to see the ¡°E-Sports Times¡± making a joke of themselves, but before they could react, they saw the members of the Black Rose team walking away without a second thought. Facing the empty stage in front of them, the whole group of reporters felt like crying. Damn it, while they were understandably unhappy with the way their captain had been mistreated, it wasn¡¯t their fault! It was clearly the fault of the ¡°E-Sports Times,¡± why couldn¡¯t they ask the questions they had prepared since morning?! But now that the players have left, what could they do? The reporters had no choice but to take their notebooks and leave. Fortunately, today¡¯s entire round of matches was full of bright events, so even if there were no news from the interviews, it would still be enough to write until next week. The Black Rose team was obviously not concerned about the plight of these reporters. Li Bochuan had already booked a private room, and after the win, everyone was ready to let loose and have a good night. The author has something to say: Lin Xiao: No one can touch my wife¡¯s hand! ¦×(¨t_¨s) CH 55.1 The reserved hotel was not far from the arena, and as soon as they entered the lobby, they could see the familiar figure of the head coach from a distance, waiting for them. Before he could open his mouth, Xu Yiming rushed to tell the story in detail from beginning to end with righteous indignation, including how that person had been finally dragged away. ¡°It¡¯s really too much.¡± Li Bochuan did not expect such a thing would happen at the press conference while he was away. He frowned and looked at You Jing, ¡°If I remember correctly, Mr. You seem to have some shares in the ¡°E-sports Times.¡± Do you want to negotiate with them to ban this Kong Yan?¡± When he said this, the others listened in amazement, their eyes wide open. Everyone knew You Jing¡¯s family was well-off, but they never heard him talk about it. But according to Li Bochuan, if he owned shares in the newspaper, his background was not just ¡°well-off¡± but rather ¡°extremely well!¡± Everyone was in a good mood as they couldn¡¯t wait to see Kong¡¯s deflated appearance, but You Jing rejected the proposal without any hesitation: ¡°No, my family doesn¡¯t need to get involved in my affairs.¡± Li Bochuan sighed and said: ¡°Alright. After all, it¡¯s not a big deal. It¡¯s better to take action in the name of the club.¡± With that, he greeted the people standing next to him and said, ¡°Everyone is waiting inside. Don¡¯t stand here, let¡¯s go in.¡± For a while, although no one said it, because of the temporary replacement of players, everyone held their breath. It was precisely because they couldn¡¯t afford to screw it up that their hearts were in their throats. The fact that they won the previous round with a score of 10:0 proved that the adjusted lineup had enough room for development. So, they all breathed a sigh of relief and naturally ate and drank happily together. After entering the private room, Zou Qiguan was very happy to find that Liu Jinxuan was also sitting inside, waiting for them. Knowing that the head coach who single-handedly decided to bring him out of the boot camp must have watched his performance today, he happily ran to the seat next to him and sat down. While looking at his face apprehensively, he was full of thoughts about whether he did not do well enough and disgraced his coach. Liu Jinxuan knew what he was thinking at a glance. Looking at his flushed face, his heart felt itchy, and inexplicably, he thought of the teddy back home. He habitually reached out and rubbed his head, praising him: ¡°Today, you played very well.¡± Zou Qiguan was overjoyed and had a big smile on his face. Shen Changyu stood up and, raising his cup, he said: ¡°Everyone has been working hard, training extra during this period, and played very well today, so I hope we can get the same result in the next game against the Red Leaf team! I¡¯d like to propose a toast to all of you.¡± Everyone followed suit and stood up, raising their glasses and toasting to each other, and the atmosphere was particularly lively. Xiao Li, who was originally just an ordinary individual player and followed Lin Xiao into the Black Rose team in a burst of enthusiasm, now suddenly became an official team player. The momentum did not slow down at all, and in such a warm atmosphere, his whole body seemed to be completely on fire. If he was still in a state of confusion before, this time, he finally felt a sense of responsibility. So, this was the e-sports spirit! As he was thinking, a somewhat helpless voice reached his ears: ¡°Ugh, why is the next game with the Red Leaf team? It¡¯s not my style to fight a woman in public¡­¡± Knowing that Liu Zeshen¡¯s worry was completely justified, the people around him burst into sympathetic laughter. As the only all-female team, the Red Leaf could be said to be the color spot in the league. In fact, the female players were not the issue, the real key lay in the whole team ¨C from the captain to the last member, each of them had her own unique style and beauty. Indeed, they were beautiful! Precisely because of this, regardless of the team they were facing and how fierce the battle was, from the arena to the live broadcast room, the atmosphere in the audience was always weird, like, full of pink bubbles. If you looked at the chat stream, the main picture was practically, ¡°XXX I love you,¡± ¡°XXX you are my goddess,¡± ¡°XXX I want to marry you,¡± ¡°How can you kill XXX, are you a man?¡± and so on¡­ Although Xiao Li heard something about it, he still rolled his eyes in disgust and muttered in a low voice as he ate: ¡°The last time he fought a woman, he was very aggressive, but now he¡¯s pretending to be upright. How come my cousin likes this kind of pretty boy with a pale face? Next time we meet, I must enlighten her.¡± Thinking of this, he sipped a mouthful of soup and inadvertently looked up to see two smiling eyes quietly watching him. His chest suddenly constricted, and he choked, almost spurting the soup in his mouth. Finally, though he managed to restrain himself, he had a coughing fit. Smiling, Liu Zeshen watched this handsome solitary player¡¯s reaction with great interest and asked humbly, in a voice that only the two of them could hear: ¡°Little Xiao, I wanted to ask you something for a while now.¡± Who is little Xiao?! You are little! Xiao Li stopped coughing, but he was very annoyed, as he corrected through gritted teeth: ¡°Ask your question, but please note that my name is Xiao! Li!¡± ¡°Oh, okay, Xiao Li.¡± Liu Zeshen did not dwell on this small detail, and his smile was still very warm. ¡°What I want to ask is, have we met before? Or, have I ever offended you in a way I don¡¯t know about? Why does it feel that, from the beginning, you seem to have something against me?¡± It¡¯s not that it ¡®seems,¡¯ is that he really doesn¡¯t like this kind of gentle scumbag at all! Xiao Li cursed in his heart but was polite on the surface with the same attitude he had in business meetings and replied with a smile on his face: ¡°There¡¯s no such thing, you¡¯re overthinking.¡± Liu Zeshen nodded and said sincerely: ¡°I was thinking that if you mind that I have massacred you at the training, I can actually apologize for that.¡± Massacred? The veins on Xiao Li¡¯s forehead twitched, and he made an extra effort to keep the smile on his face: ¡°I told you, there is no such thing!¡± Liu Zeshen smiled elegantly: ¡°Oh, that¡¯s great.¡± CH 55.2 Onyx Blue4-6 minutes 11.06.2023 Lin Xiao kept picking up the vegetables from the plate quietly, but he actually listened to their every word and tried hard to hold back his laughter. Looking at the harmonious atmosphere in the venue made him recall the fuzzy feeling of hanging out with his teammates back then, so, in a happy mood, he drank two more glasses. However, after a few drinks, he started thinking about the arrangement for the next match. After all, the Red Leaf team was different from the Seven Star team they encountered today. If the Seven Stars were a second-tier team on the verge of relegation, the Red Leaf this season was a first-tier team with a 100% playoff promotion rate. Thinking about this, even with his personality, which has never been afraid of any challenges, he still felt a headache coming. He sighed, glanced back, and happened to meet a cold gaze. His gesture of toasting the glass stopped, and he put it back on the table quietly. Then, he subconsciously touched his face, full of doubts. Well, it seems there was nothing on his face, huh? Although he understood that the expression ¡°deliciously handsome¡± must have its far-reach meaning, still, why did You Jing stare at him like there was still a subtle feeling¡­ Lin Xiao cleared his throat, smiling harmlessly: ¡°Captain You, are you drinking juice? Oh, apple flavor, it looks good.¡± You Jing: ¡°¡­¡± Because of his hand injury, You Jing did not participate in the drinking feast but chose apple juice. However, such a conversation seemed like a pick-up line and was a little weird, so in the end, he averted his eyes. However, Lin Xiao, like he was the one who was teased, cheerfully insisted: ¡°By the way, Captain You, what do you think of my performance on the field today? I didn¡¯t let you down, did I? Was it good?¡± If he got any closer, this person would completely stick to his body, so You Jing had to turn around and push him away a little. After a moment of silence, the response came, ¡°¡­ Not bad.¡± ¡°Hey, what¡¯s with this attitude? Is that all you can say, ¡®not bad?''¡± Lin Xiao frowned dissatisfied, propped his head on his right hand, and looked at him with a smirk, ¡°Captain You, it¡¯s boring to be so difficult.¡± You Jing glanced at him: ¡°Are you drunk?¡± Lin Xiao: ¡°No.¡± Under his gaze, You Jing remained silent for a while, then said, ¡°Very good.¡± Lin Xiao understood that he was actually answering the previous question. Although there was only a different wording, it could be called a qualitative leap. His smile widened, and he suddenly leaned toward You Jing¡¯s ear, saying in a cheerful tone: ¡°That said, Captain You, I¡¯ll come to your room tonight.¡± At such a close distance, the vague scent of alcohol could be smelled on their bodies. If one didn¡¯t know he was coming to treat his hand injury, such behavior would sound ambiguous as hell at first glance. You Jing raised his eyelashes imperceptibly. If his reason hadn¡¯t told him that this person didn¡¯t have a hidden agenda as he initially thought, he would have hit him directly, like in the past. Fortunately, Lin Xiao knew when to stop, so he raised his glass, tapped gently on the apple juice, and drank it all. That night, everyone had a good time drinking. Although Lin Xiao was a little tipsy, he didn¡¯t really get drunk. At the end, he intentionally stayed behind and grabbed Shen Changyu when no one was paying attention, saying, ¡°After one more round, the preseason will be over, don¡¯t forget about contacting Chen Anqi.¡± Shen Changyu drank a lot tonight, but except for the slight blush on his face, nothing on his expression showed that he had just left a banquet. Hearing the words of reminder, he replied solemnly: ¡°That¡¯s what I wanted to tell you, I already contacted Chen Anqi a few days ago. But she said she would come to watch our next game against the Red Leaf team, and we will talk about the specific situation after that.¡± ¡°That is to say, if we lose, we don¡¯t have to talk anymore.¡± Lin Xiao grasped the meaning of the words and couldn¡¯t help laughing, ¡°But then again, Vice Captain Shen, you still have the same big heart as always! After all, Red Leaf is Chen Anqi¡¯s old team, built by her from scratch. Are you sure this lady won¡¯t outright reject our invitation because of how badly we will beat the girls when the day comes?¡± Shen Changyu paused, and his expression stiffened: ¡°I forgot about this¡­¡± CH 56.1 Onyx Blue6-8 minutes 11.06.2023 On the way back, Lin Xiao checked out his mobile phone and found seven or eight missed calls. Surprised, he clicked on the caller ID and felt a headache coming on. Wasn¡¯t this the original Lin Xiao¡¯s childhood friend, the Scattered Clouds team¡¯s player, Yan Lingjiang, who was looking for him so frantically? Apparently, the live broadcast of today¡¯s event caught the attention of this man as well. Facing this old friend, Lin Xiao had complicated feelings. After all, he had inexplicably occupied another man¡¯s body, so there really was no way to give him a reasonable explanation. Hiding everything seemed to have become the only option now. Thinking of the time when Yan Lingjiang asked him to join the Scattered Clouds team, Lin Xiao looked up at the sky, feeling emotional. However, he didn¡¯t hesitate for too long and finally chose to call back. ¡°So you still know to call back!¡± The answer was almost instant, and Yan Lingjiang¡¯s voice was so loud that Lin Xiao had to take the phone away from his ear. After a while, confirming that there was no other sound, he responded, ¡°The celebration banquet just ended now.¡± ¡°What are you celebrating, what banquet? As if you have already entered the playoffs.¡± Yan Lingjiang muttered, obviously a little upset, ¡°I say, what the hell is wrong with you?! You actually went to the Black Rose team without a word? And suddenly it became the right choice, no less! Oh, and didn¡¯t you use to play as a black mage before, is that ghost priest account specially assigned to you by the Black Rose Club?¡± Those were a lot of questions¡­ In order to avoid unnecessary troubles, Lin Xiao did not make any rebuttals, but with a solemn look, he uttered some nonsense: ¡°That¡¯s right, the team found that I was very talented in playing ghost priests, so they tailored a role for me. Doesn¡¯t it look awesome?¡± ¡°Awesome my ass!¡± Yan Lingjiang complained, ¡°Stop fooling with me, that¡¯s not the point at all, okay? The point now is, why did you suddenly go to the Black Rose team without saying a word?!¡± Lin Xiao smiled indifferently and said: ¡°Of course, there¡¯s a reason why I didn¡¯t tell you. I knew that you would make such a fuss.¡± Yan Lingjiang choked and said, after a long pause: ¡°Damn it, what a show-off! Don¡¯t let me catch you on the field, or I¡¯ll hunt you down specifically and beat you up!¡± ¡°It seems that our opponent in the last round is not your team, is it?¡± Unconcerned, Lin Xiao laughed, ¡°But it¡¯s right for you to say that. In fact, you also know that we¡¯re definitely going to make the playoffs, right? Why else would you provoke me so impatiently?¡± Yan Lingjiang paused for a long time and finally lashed out, ¡°¡­Dream on!¡± After getting rid of this nuisance, Lin Xiao felt somewhat cheerful. After strolling for a while, letting the night wind dissipate the alcohol, he slowly headed to the dormitory. When he went upstairs, he was surprised to see the half-closed door to You Jing¡¯s room. Could it be that the door was left open for him? With this thought, he pushed the door casually, as familiar as entering his own room. Right now, if he had looked back, he could have seen three figures standing stiffly in the corner. Because Xu Yiming and Qin Lei clamored to go out for snacks after the banquet, Xu Yichen had no choice but to go with the two drunken boys. It never occurred to them that returning a little later, they would run into this unexpected scene. Xu Yiming subconsciously turned his head to look at Qin Lei¡¯s jaw-dropped expression, and his voice trembled slightly: ¡°You¡­ did you see that? Where Lin Xiao just entered was not his room, but Captain You¡¯s room, right? It was Captain You¡¯s room, right? Huh?¡± Speechless, Qin Lei could only nod silently, guessing in a weak voice: ¡°Is it true that Captain You was going to give him individual tutoring?¡± ¡°Captain You is giving this newcomer individual tutoring alone!? Are you kidding, I¡¯ve never had this kind of treatment!¡± Because Xu Yiming drank too much wine, he was much more irritable than usual at this moment. So, hearing this, he was displeased and rolled up his sleeves, ready to knock on the door aggressively. ¡°Do you want us to be punished with additional training tomorrow?¡± It was unknown if it was due to a telepathic relationship, but Xu Yichen had already skillfully grabbed his twin¡¯s collar before taking the second step. While dragging him to their dormitory, although he didn¡¯t show much on his face, he still gave a meaningful look as he passed by You Jing¡¯s room. Following behind, Qin Lei couldn¡¯t help but go to the door to listen carefully, but hearing no movement inside, he returned to his room with a disappointed face. ¡­ Lin Xiao had no idea that he had been caught red-handed, and at this moment, he was carefully applying medicine for You Jing. After removing the gauze, he took a look, but the injury didn¡¯t seem to be aggravated by the reporter¡¯s rude behavior today, and his tense heart finally relaxed. When he finished dressing the wound, he heaved a sigh, looked up at You Jing, and joked: ¡°By the way, you kicked that damn reporter pretty hard today. Have you practiced anything before?¡± You Jing glanced at him: ¡°Taekwondo. Black belt.¡± This answer actually shocked Lin Xiao. After all, this man looked so thin and slender that it was really hard to associate him with something like that. Thinking back to all the actions he had done before, the fact that he was not disabled yet, was indeed due to You Jing¡¯s compassionate heart. He inwardly wiped the cold sweat in his heart. His hand was still on the back of You Jing¡¯s hand a moment ago, and coughing covertly, he drew it back, particularly aware. The surroundings were quiet, and Lin Xiao waited for a long time before the other man spoke again. Inevitably, the atmosphere became complicated. In fact, he had already made enough preparations for today¡¯s battle situation and for receiving the corresponding interrogation. Previously, he even memorized the lines of the explanation he prepared. However, even in the current situation, You Jing still acted as if today was a calm and ordinary day. Such an attitude made people more insecure. This strange feeling still persisted even when he went back to his room. CH 56.2 Onyx Blue5-7 minutes 18.06.2023 Lin Xiao lay on the bed staring at the ceiling, and his mind was full of reminiscences of today¡¯s scenes on the field, causing him insomnia. Although the past five years he missed were nothing but a concept of sleeping and waking up for him, the fact that he could still personally experience the whole game really made his blood boil. He knew very well that back then, many people regarded him as a seasoned veteran player. However, he alone knew that, no matter how many teams he had experienced, every time he stood on the battlefield, he still trembled uncontrollably. Not because of nervousness, but because of excitement. No matter when or where, regardless of whether the stage was big or small, every nerve in his body mobilized with extraordinary ease, and that never changed. After staring at the ceiling for a while, Lin Xiao got out of bed and sat down at the table, opened the laptop he borrowed from Xiao Li, and browsed the web randomly. While following the online discussion about today¡¯s event, he also logged into his account. However, just after logging in, before he could do anything else, he was taken aback by a series of friend request messages that popped up like crazy. He hurriedly turned off the system option that allowed adding friends and closed the friend requests that popped up one by one. Just when it was almost empty, an ID jumped into his eyes, and the mouse that had moved to ¡°reject¡± suddenly paused and stopped before clicking it. The ID was ¡®Sunken Boat at Twilight.¡¯ If others had seen it, they would have screamed like crazy. However, Lin Xiao only squinted slightly and complained: ¡°Looks like there were quite a lot of people watching the game today¡­¡± That being said, he actually accepted the request with sincerity. The ID ¡°Adorable Ghost¡± was used by him before he became a professional player. Shen Changyu found out because, at the time, he often took this kid after the game to eat a lot of noodles, and Yan Duzhou could also remember that he had experienced the glorious years of online games with him. Now that he was back in the alliance with this account, maybe it was some arrogance because of his nostalgia for his first account, but in short, the idea was to make himself more recognizable to the old acquaintances. Moreover, facing this man, Yan Duzhou, Lin Xiao felt somewhat guilty in his heart. After all, Old Ghost passed away suddenly and irresponsibly after reaching the peak of glory, letting the burden of the entire e-sports circle fall without warning on Yan Duzhou, who was too rigid and serious. So over all these years, he was left alone to support the domestic gaming scene for so long. That was why Lin Xiao returned with this incredible identity, at risk of being dragged to the laboratory for investigations and analysis if too many people found out. Still, he didn¡¯t intend to hide anything in front of this best opponent and best friend. Moreover, even if he wanted to hide it, it probably wasn¡¯t possible for him to do so. After accepting the friend request without other whims, Lin Xiao just sent a smiling expression that has remained unchanged for thousands of years. Now that Yan Duzhou has watched today¡¯s entire game and there were so many events, it was obvious that he should drop all pretenses. Almost at the same time he sent the emoji, the other party also sent three words, ¡°Who are you?¡± Oh, it seemed that this man had nothing better to do all night but stay at the computer and follow him? Lin Xiao raised his eyebrows and wanted to reply with ¡°I am a ghost,¡± but then thought better of it, deleted it, and finally sent back the question: ¡°What do you think?¡± Yan Duzhou replied in a second: ¡°Just say it.¡± Lin Xiao was speechless. This old Yan really still has no sense of humor at all¡­ After thinking for a while, he finally replied half-jokingly, ¡°Would you believe me if I said I was Lin Xiao?¡± Yan Duzhou: ¡°I believe you.¡± Although it was the same first and last name, it was obvious which ¡°Lin Xiao¡± he was referring to now. But the other side¡¯s response was a bit suspicious. He believed he was ¡°Lin Xiao,¡± he said, but which ¡°Lin Xiao¡± was he talking about? Lin Xiao expected many reactions, but when he received this reply, he almost choked in frustration. After a moment of silence, he pretended to be serious and said expressionlessly, ¡°Well, then I am Lin Xiao.¡± Yan Duzhou: ¡°¡­¡± Still waiting for the other party to have some interesting reactions, Lin Xiao suddenly asked with great interest, ¡°So, do you want to ask something now? ^_^~¡± Yan Duzhou: ¡°No.¡± What the hell?! He should be horrified and surprised, then suspicious, and after a hundred explanations, he would finally, reluctantly accept the fact that he was resurrected and reborn. Could this be a plot that can only be seen in novels?! Very good, typical of old Yan! Seeing the other man¡¯s calm attitude without even the slightest suspicion, Lin Xiao¡¯s smile became more and more distinct. For some people, no matter how many years have passed and what they have experienced, no matter whether you have changed beyond recognition, with just a simple glance, they can still recognize and accept you without any hesitation. In fact, the one who knows you best is often not your teammate but your strongest opponent. CH 57 Lin Xiao didn¡¯t expect to catch Yan Duzhou¡¯s attention so soon, but after all, it was bound to happen sooner or later, and now he could stop worrying about it. The week after, however, the major gaming newspapers and magazines scrambled to cover the previous round of the tournament, which was even more unexpected. Although these extensive reports on the game were largely related to the fact that the Seven Stars team was saying goodbye to the playoffs early, most of the content focused on the tactics used by the Black Rose to defeat the enemy with a huge advantage of 10:0. And what attracted the most attention was undoubtedly Lin Xiao, who appeared in public view for the first time. Perhaps as an attempt to make up for the impulsive move at the press conference, ¡°E-sports Times¡± specially published an entire front page to introduce the big victory of the Black Rose team. The report, in addition to analyzing the tactical policy adjustments made by the Black Rose team, also focused on analyzing Lin Xiao¡¯s combat tactics which were very similar to Captain Lin¡¯s Old Ghost back then. On top of that, the association of the same name made it very clear that it was a rookie cultivated as the successor of the Old Ghost¡®s core tactics. The story was exceptionally detailed and received a lot of attention because it had the legendary saga plot about ¡°a rookie competitor who had the same style as the veteran Old Ghost.¡± Although Old Ghost had long since disappeared from view, there were still many hardcore gaming fans who considered him a leading light. Once the report came out, it immediately caused a huge reaction, and many fanatical netizens on major forums not only launched a crusade against ¡°E-Sports Times¡± but even turned the flames of war on Lin Xiao, attacking him from all sides with their snide remarks. Among them, the general contents were as follows: Netizen A: ¡°Is the reporter blind? How can this kid still wet behind the ears be compared with Old Ghost!¡± Netizen B: ¡°Now anyone can borrow Captain Lin¡¯s popularity and use the same name as him, deliberately changing it? Lin Xiao, right? Good, you have successfully caught my attention!¡± Netizen C: ¡°Are you kidding, now anyone can claim to be Old Ghost¡®s successor just by playing a random game? What a way to write a story without any responsibility at all!¡± Netizen D: ¡°Captain Lin pushed through all his life, while this noob is hyped for his name after hiding all his life!¡± Not just the ¡°E-sports Times¡± forum but even the official Black Rose team forum was not spared. In this regard, the PR teams of the two companies happened to be taking the same attitude ¨C turning a blind eye. However, what was different from previous online riots was that, with tens of millions of clicks a day on the match video, the number of netizens joining the ¡°condemnation alliance¡± not only did not dwindle but actually increased much more. Therefore, many media outlets jumped on the hot topic and began to participate in this ¡°discussion,¡± competing to analyze the similarities and shortcomings of Lin Xiao and Old Ghost back then. However, the comments were not objective and professional enough to mislead anyone. Some were hailing Lin Xiao as an emerging talent, feeling that his portrayal as Captain Lin¡¯s Old Ghost was just a hype stunt, as the ¡°ghosts (Old Ghost¡®s fans)¡± said. Regardless, everyone involved in this topic received extensive attention. What started as a comment by the ¡°E-sports Times¡± about promoting newcomers in order to suck up to the Black Rose team has inexplicably become the hottest focus in the league right now. With this unexpected development, although as an innocent person, he suffered many slanders, Lin Xiao was on a roll. As a new internet celebrity, he was the most surprised. The fame was like a tornado that came too fast to get out of its way. Because of this, seeing the PR department position and the attitude of the staff there, Shen Changyu wondered if ¡°E-sports Times¡± sincerely apologized for this report or simply dug a deeper pit to bury them. A few polite words of comfort were enough for the PR department, but the next game was about to start in the blink of an eye, and he was more concerned if the team members were affected. And the main object of concern was naturally Lin Xiao, the one directly involved. After all, since joining the League, Old Ghost has been sought after by tens of thousands of people and has been followed and supported by many fans all along. Even the fans of the opponent teams had nothing to say about his abilities. As for being called out and scolded like now, I¡¯m afraid he has never experienced it so far. Thinking of all this, Shen Changyu walked into the training hall and saw Lin Xiao sitting alone in the corner and staring at the computer intently, seemingly browsing the web. Judging by his demeanor, he didn¡¯t seem affected by anything. Looks like he made a mountain out of a molehill. Shen Changyu breathed a sigh of relief, walked behind Lin Xiao, and was about to say something, but when he looked up and saw the forum page displayed on the computer screen, he froze. Lin Xiao noticed someone approaching, turned around, and seeing Shen Changyu, he smiled smugly, showing off: ¡°Look how smart I am! Taking advantage of the current popularity, I opened a Twitter account and got 500,000 followers in one night! Look at the new message I posted just now, in just a few minutes the comments exploded!¡± Shen Changyu grimaced looking at the obviously offensive comments on the screen and didn¡¯t know how to express his feelings. Lin Xiao crossed his legs and scrolled the pages with interest: ¡°Look, look what fun scolding is. Hey, why didn¡¯t I realize I had so many diehard fans back then? After all these years, I didn¡¯t expect they still love me so much. Wow, my charisma is still great, although I¡¯m different.¡± Shen Changyu finally couldn¡¯t help but cough twice to interrupt his narcissistic show. He didn¡¯t understand his mental circuit at all and deliberately reminded him: ¡°But you¡¯re the one who¡¯s getting smeared so bad right now¡­¡± Lin Xiao didn¡¯t care at all: ¡°So what, it¡¯s love that kills!¡± ¡°¡­¡± This is just too much! Shen Changyu could only try to change the topic, and focusing on the two-digit follower list, he asked: ¡°Who is following you on this account?¡± Lin Xiao clicked on the detailed list and scrolled down to show him: ¡°For now, only some people from the team and some officials from the club. Oh yes, Lao Yan is also following me.¡± Shen Changyu opened his eyes in surprise when he saw the distinct mutual relationship logo with Yan Duzhou¡¯s account: ¡°Captain Yan actually looked you up? Could it be that he already¡­¡± ¡°He came looking for me yesterday and never gave me a chance to cover up for my sockpuppet1.¡± Lin Xiao, with a funny look on his face, shrugged, ¡°Don¡¯t even ask me how I explained it to him. In fact, that guy, old Yan, never asked me for an explanation.¡± Shen Changyu was speechless for a long time and finally let out an emotional sigh, ¡°Captain Yan is really¡­¡± ¡°Open-minded!¡± Lin Xiao tacitly picked up his next words. The controversy over Lin Xiao lasted for more than half a month, but neither the media nor the club made a public statement until the end. As for Lin Xiao himself? Amidst the daily scoldings, he happily carried himself like the hottest celebrity on the internet. He never refuted or explained anything, and his daily posts were boring topics like eating three meals a day. Everyone complained: who the hell cares what time you eat, when you go to bed, what you eat, and what you drink? However, no matter how much hubbub there was on the internet, the final round of the pre-season tournament still came as scheduled, and with the Black Rose team¡¯s points, the next game was undoubtedly the key to their ability to enter the playoffs. Under the special attention of people from all walks of life for this game, in the first round of matches against the Red Leaf team, the Black Rose started with a personal record of the individual game and directly adjudicated three points. The Red Leaf, as the only women¡¯s team in the league, was not a top-notch powerhouse but still maintained the record of successfully entering the playoffs every year. It was never a team to be underestimated or easily defeated. When Captain Xu Yun shook hands and saluted the opponents before the team match, there was a sweet and lovely smile on her childish face: ¡°We are going to take revenge in the team competition!¡± As for the doll-like young captain of the Red Leaf, anyone who fought against her knew not to be fooled by her innocent and harmless appearance. This weekday foodie Loli was actually a ruthless opponent on the field, which was especially suitable for the assassin profession she operated. After the two teams entered the battle zone, they began the final preparations. At this time, in the training camp of the Apocalypse team, all the members sat solemnly in the conference hall at the request of Yan Duzhou. The big screen in the center was broadcasting live the match between the Black Rose and Red Leaf teams. Puzzled by this arrangement, Vice Captain Song Lan asked: ¡°Captain Yan, it¡¯s nice to watch the live broadcast of such a game, but was it necessary to gather us all here on the day off?¡± Yan Duzhou always kept his gaze on a particular figure on the field, and his tone was calm: ¡°Pay attention to the actions of the ghost priest. I will ask for details later.¡± Once those words fell, the initially pretty relaxed atmosphere in the venue suddenly became tense. Asking about details was a necessary part of every combat analysis meeting. But those who answered wrong had to go through a whole week of extra evening training, which was purgatory-like torture. Everyone present had experienced such torture, but this time their faces showed some bewilderment. The ghost priest of the Black Rose team? Wasn¡¯t he the Lin Xiao who recently made a lot of hype about Old Ghost? Was all this mobilization today just for this newcomer? A sockpuppet is an online identity used for purposes of deception. CH 58 In this round, the Black Rose team did not choose the same lineup as they played against the Seven Stars team but assigned Liu Zeshen to the individual competition. Therefore, in the small team competition, Shen Changyu¡¯s summoner, Seasonal Rain replaced the paladin Choose A Tree To Live In. The remaining two characters were still You Jing¡¯s Dazzling View and Lin Xiao¡¯s Adorable Ghost. When Lin Xiao stepped onto the stage, he clearly felt the gazes cast on him from all directions and smiled casually, not very surprised by it. Sitting in the battle zone, he glanced sideways at the person next to him and joked in good spirits: ¡°Another life and death game, how about that? Are you nervous?¡± You Jing paused for a moment and looked back at him: ¡°Who are you asking?¡± Lin Xiao changed his target, ¡°I asked Vice Captain Shen.¡± Shen Changyu found himself innocently involved¡­ For this small team competition round, the members of the Red Leaf team were: Captain Xu Yun¡¯s assassin, Beefsteak Rice Beauty, Vice Captain Ding Jie¡¯s assassin, Aged Cold Wine, and Ou Xinxin¡¯s priest, Lychee Smoothie. The all-female Red Leaf team showed no weakness in front of the audience. On the contrary, female players mostly used a more ruthless fighting style than many male players. The current ¡°double assassination¡± combination was one of the assets among many other combinations specific to the matching style of the Red Leaf team. Of course, including food names in their chars ID was also one of Red Leaf¡®s hallmarks. Many times, fans were actually calling the Red Leaf team they supported the ¡°Midnight Snack Team¡± to express their extreme doting over the goddesses. Shortly after the two sides finished commissioning the equipment, the game began. Immediately, the Red Leaf¡®s pair of assassins, Beefsteak Rice Beauty and Aged Cold Wine, simply abandoned their priest, Lychee Smoothie, and moved intently around the map. The map for this game was the scarlet-dyed Lava Purgatory. Red flames kept surging from the ground as if they were going to devour everything at any time. Featuring a succession of caves that lead nowhere, rather than a map, it was more of a maze of twists and turns. Many teams who played against the Red Leaf banned this map because it was extremely suitable for ambush and assassination. Unexpectedly, in this crucial round, the Black Rose team deliberately released this map. In a way, it could be seen as arrogance. While operating the Loli-shaped Beefsteak Rice Beauty, Xu Yun, who still had some baby fat on her face, showed no impatience and smiled while her dark and bright eyes were full of caution. ¡°Jie, what do you say now? You thought that the ghost priest from the Black Rose team would make an appearance. See, the ghost priest is not here.¡± Ding Jie has already spotted the two figures at the end of the character¡¯s field of vision from the corner of her eye. Her glossy lips lifted slightly, and her magnetic voice was enough to make any of her words sound sexy: ¡°What does it matter? As long as you kill Dazzling View, even the ghost can¡¯t save them.¡± When Xu Yun heard this, she giggled: ¡°You¡¯re so bad.¡± With that, Beefsteak Rice Beauty was not in a hurry to move toward Dazzling View, instead, she moved in the opposite direction and, a few moments later, disappeared again into the intricate caves. As for the Aged Cold Wine, she activated the assassin¡®s specific rapid movement mode, and they split up, detouring in the other direction. The tall and slender style of the imperial concubine caught the public¡¯s attention due to the extremely sexy outfit of the assassin. Right now, from the perspective of the characters of the Black Rose team, it could be said that the surrounding area was peaceful, and there was no sign of trouble. But suddenly, You Jing spoke on the voice chat: ¡°Get ready.¡± Shen Changyu replied, ¡°Understood,¡± and looked at the screen with increased caution. By now, the audience had fully seen the situation on the big screen and immediately understood the ultimate goal of the Black Rose team in releasing this map. Although it cost half his mana, through the careful arrangement of the Seasonal Rain summoner, there was already a summoned beast guarding every nearby cave like a door god. During this time, when no one took the initiative, and everyone stood still in place, occasionally looking around, the whole picture looked like watching Pokemon. As the chief commentator of this round of competition, Xu Qingli made a professional analysis after seeing the arrangement: ¡°The Black Rose team is obviously setting a textbook demonstration on how to deal with the double assassination lineup. When someone enters the attack range of the summoned beasts, they will automatically exit the standby state, which is an excellent alarm against the assassin¡®s approach. It also forces the assassin to enter the Shadow Escape technique in advance, as she can¡¯t get close without being noticed in the first place.¡± There was a touch of approval in his tone: ¡°Lava Purgatory is a map that could have given the Red Leaf team an exceptional advantage, but through such ingenious use, they are now falling into a passive and embarrassing situation. I have to say, the tactics of the Black Rose team are really superb.¡± His partner Chen Xiaoyan was a little dumbfounded seeing the formation of troops who looked like goalkeepers on the field: ¡°I wonder who came up with such a vicious¡­er, so amazing tactic. In the end, it leaves no way out for the Red Leaf team, hmm!¡± Xu Qingli laughed: ¡°You can¡¯t really say that. According to my speculation, in this situation, given the action style of both the Captain and the Vice Captain of Red Leaf, they will probably choose to make a strong frontal attack.¡± As if to confirm his statement, Beefsteak Rice Beauty and Aged Cold Wine, who were meandering on the field a moment before, suddenly increased their speed again and approached the two members of the Black Rose team. Almost at the same moment, both assassins flashed with blue light and disappeared from the picture. It was the assassin¡®s Shadow Escape technique. Where did they all go? The audience in the arena held their breath, searching for them on the empty map. ¡°Get ready.¡± There was no emotion in You Jing¡¯s tone. While speaking, the magic staff in Dazzling View¡®s hand lit up as he chanted and drew a healing field at his feet. This was an enchantment that restored a small amount of blood every second within its boundary. Even though the two characters still had a full-blood bar, and at first glance, it looked like a wasted skill, those who knew the style of the Red Leaf team were completely impressed by such an accurate prediction. From the Dazzling View¡®s perspective, no shadow of any opponent could be seen at all, but this man, simply by virtue of his keen judgment, already took preemptive measures at the first opportunity. Not far away, as the Beefsteak Rice Beauty¡®s concealing time ended, when her figure appeared, the fire elf of Seasonal Rain had already launched a fierce attack. However, when the fireball swept by, she dodged with a precise side roll and then leaped, rushing straight to Dazzling View. On the other hand, Aged Cold Wine also escaped the ice dryad¡®s attack, stepped out of the summoned beast¡¯s range, and in an instant, flashed in front of Seasonal Rain and hit him with a stun spell. Instantly, she distanced herself again, avoiding a potential deadlock effect. Obviously, Ding Jie¡¯s ultimate goal was not Seasonal Rain, but, same as Xu Yun, she was aiming for Dazzling View. With the delay brought about by the summoned beasts, You Jing had time to stack several layers of buffs on his body, and seeing the two approaching at the same time, he released a space-time portal. It wasn¡¯t possible to stop them from getting closer, but it was enough to slow the momentum of the two people coming straight at him. In a short while, most of the blood bar that fell down in a blink of an eye was instantly lifted up again by You Jing in the momentary gap won. After Seasonal Rain¡®s stun time ended, he immediately took control of the summoned beasts and plunged into the melee. However, Xu Yun and Ding Jie were working together exceptionally well, taking turns to deal with the five summoned beasts while continuously focusing their firepower on Dazzling View. The fluctuations of the blood bar were particularly exciting, but under You Jing¡¯s precise and accurate healing ability, there was no end in sight. Xu Yun frowned and said in the chat room of the Red Leaf team: ¡°That Adorable Ghost hasn¡¯t appeared yet. In order to prevent any mishaps, we must speed up things.¡± Ding Jie agreed, looked at Dazzling View¡®s blood level, and said in a deep voice, ¡°Let¡¯s do it when his blood level exceeds half the next time.¡± Xu Yun stared intently at the events on the screen, and with a flash in her eyes, she said, ¡°Now!¡± As soon as the words fell, a red light shone on Beefsteak Rice and Aged Cold Wine¡®s bodies as their bloody daggers slashed straight toward Dazzling View¡®s throat. The assassin¡®s big move, ¡°Kill with one blow,¡± was an assassination technique, discarding 90% of the current HP and causing huge damage to the target. In a time of vulnerability, this skill could often achieve the effect of thousands of troops putting their lives on the line. And right now, under the double attack, even if Dazzling View¡®s defensive attributes were piled up to the extreme, with the premise of only having half of his HP and between the two ¡®kills with one blow,¡¯ it was inevitable that the blood bar would empty. [System] Beefsteak Rice Beauty killed Dazzling View. [System] First Blood! As the announcement of the system came out on the big screen, the two characters, Beefsteak Rice Beauty and Aged Cold Wine, who only had a tinge of blood left, disappeared into the center of the screen almost at the same time. The summoned beasts that lost their target stopped attacking, and the screen that instantly quieted down was as empty as many people¡¯s hearts. After completing the assassination, the two female contestants successfully retired with an ingenious operation. The concealing skill used before has completely cooled down by now, and their Shadow Escape at this time was particularly clean and neat, without muddling along. There was a moment of silence in the arena, and then, the fans of the Red Leaf team burst into cheers. On the contrary, the supporters of the Black Rose team were in a daze after losing their vital healing role. Looking at the head score of 1:0 on the screen, it felt like a layer of coldness caused by the reluctance to accept failure gradually spread from the soles, and finally, the whole body became cold. Could this year¡¯s League qualification round really end like this? The author has something to say: You Jing: What are you looking at? Lin Xiao: What are you doing? You Jing: Huh? Lin Xiao: I was talking to Vice Captain Shen! Shen Changyu: ¡­ CH 59 Chen Xiaoyan looked at the Dazzling View¡®s fallen figure, with a bit of sadness in his voice: ¡°I have to say, the Red Leaf team¡¯s captain and vice-captain really work well together. I really didn¡¯t expect them to be able to perform such a perfect assassination operation even after being forced to use the Shadow Escape technique first.¡± Xu Qingli also said with emotion: ¡°In the face of this instantaneous burst, unless there is a system bug, even a top expert like You Jing is just as helpless.¡± Chen Xiaoyan sighed and said: ¡°What a pity for the Black Rose team. The faux pas in this round of the team competition can be said to be fatal to them. With the current results, I¡¯m afraid it will be¡­¡± ¡°Could this be the end? No, not yet.¡± Xu Qingli¡¯s eyes fell on a corner of the map, and he smiled meaningfully, ¡°Before that, it seems we were missing another very important key person.¡± Forgot someone? Lin Xiao! After being reminded by the commentator, this name instantly flashed in many people¡¯s minds. With the rapid switching of the camera, the screen suddenly changed to Adorable Ghost¡®s point of view. However, from this angle, all that could be seen was the opponent being blocked once the ice spell exploded. Black flames rose from the raised staff and flew over a white-robed figure, taking the last trace of blood from the blood reserve. [System] Adorable Ghost killed Lychee Smoothie. [System] Second Blood! Is she dead? After Ou Xinxin¡¯s cry for help on the voice channel a moment ago, the Red Leaf team¡¯s chat room was completely silent now. The joy of successfully assassinating Dazzling View has not even been tasted yet, and at this time, the two assassins who left in a hurry to save their own priest, were standing not far from the crime scene with less than 10% of their blood bar. This sudden change came too quickly, maybe if the two had arrived a second earlier they could still have made a turn for the better. Or maybe if Lychee Smoothie could avoid those techniques a bit, she wouldn¡¯t have died just yet. However, under Lin Xiao¡¯s operation, all of Adorable Ghost¡®s attacks came so quickly, and the placement of each skill was so precise and tricky that Ou Xinxin had no way to dodge, and her last blood was thus taken away before she had time to react. But, was this really the end? Nope, it was just getting started. Operating Adorable Ghost, Lin Xiao turned his field of vision and looked at the two figures facing each other in the center of the screen with a meaningful smile. In the middle of the map channel, a sentence appeared on the screen: ¡°Exchanging two ¡®one-hit kills¡¯ for our priest¡®s life is a big deal, girls. ^_^~¡± Beefsteak Rice Beauty: ¡°Not really, the tactic required it.¡± Aged Cold Wine: ¡°Looks like you want to take revenge for your captain, little brother?¡± The words ¡°little brother¡± left Lin Xiao speechless, but thinking about his current age, he was indeed not as old as Ding Jie, the sexy imperial concubine, so he acquiesced: ¡°Yeah, so ladies, be careful!¡± Aged Cold Wine: ¡°That depends on your strength.¡± Even though she said so, Ding Jie was not as optimistic as she appeared on the surface, but she couldn¡¯t admit it. In the current situation where they had lost their healer, the only feasible way left was to ¡®toughen up.¡¯ Beefsteak Rice Beauty and Aged Cold Wine rushed towards Adorable Ghost with their bloody knives in their hands. Adorable Ghost was already prepared, and immediately adjusting his position, he faced the two beautiful girls rushing towards him and summoned a rain of flames above their heads. After the intense rain hit the two, their blood bars, which were originally less than 10%, began to drop again. The reaction of this ghost priest was so fast! Xu Yun was astonished and wanted to withdraw Beefsteak Rice Beauty, only to see a piece of ice blooming under her feet. Followed by the single-target attack Void Burning, as the pillar of fire completely engulfed the character, the blood bar was finally emptied. [System] Adorable Ghost killed Beefsteak Rice Beauty. The three consecutive skills happened almost at the same time, and the audience could only stare dumbfounded. They even forgot to cheer for a while, and some even felt something wasn¡¯t right. Dead¡­ for real? In a blink of an eye, another one was dead!? The Red Leaf team, which was almost unanimously considered victorious just a moment ago, only had Aged Cold Wine left, and her blood bar was almost at the bottom. Although this was just an ordinary preseason game, and it didn¡¯t even affect their team¡¯s progress into the playoffs, at this moment, Ding Jie felt a huge pressure that she hadn¡¯t felt for a long time. Instinctively, she wanted to retreat, however, when she operated her character with the fastest hand speed to perform the evacuation operation, that skill that fell from the sky already blocked all the way back. It was the ghost priest¡®s biggest move, Ten Thousand Ghosts Void. It¡¯s really hard to imagine that after such a close battle against time, this man, through his ultimate move, still had the situation firmly in his hands. Perhaps, it was just to ensure that he can 100% cut off her back? When this thought crossed her mind, Ding Jie let go of the mouse, slowly took off her headphones, and gave up the fight. [System] Adorable Ghost killed Aged Cold Wine. [System] Double Kill. Victory£¡ The word ¡°Victory¡± appeared on the screen next to Team Black Rose, and the entire Black Rose fanbase froze for a few seconds before finally coming to their senses. There was a thunder-like roar in the arena, expressing their inner excitement. Even the other players, who had been nervously following the game from the player¡¯s boxes, had all risen from their seats at this moment. Team Black Rose vs Team Red Leaf, 5:0. Although it was only the small team match, everyone was as excited as if they had won the final victory. They knew better than anyone what winning this game meant ¨C to be just one last step away from the playoffs. In the battle room, Lin Xiao, who had just taken off his earphones, turned around and said with a smug smile, ¡°What do you say, Captain You? I told you I could win, right?¡± As You Jing who was putting away his equipment, looked up, the ¡°Little King¡± LOGO on the mouse and keyboard caught his eye, and he looked at Lin Xiao. Calmly, he said, ¡°Well played, indeed, very much in the Old Ghost style.¡± When Lin Xiao heard this, the smiling expression on his face froze slightly, he coughed dryly twice, rubbed his forehead, and said, ¡°Cough¡­you don¡¯t have to praise me so much.¡± You Jing smiled faintly. This expression made him look somewhat ethereal, and from that angle, the color of his eyes was even slightly transparent, like glass. Lin Xiao inadvertently looked up and felt a little confused, then a feeling of modesty surged. Truthfully, this was probably the first time You Jing had such a ¡®friendly¡¯ attitude towards him, right? When he returned to the contestants¡¯ bench, Xu Yiming excitedly jumped over Shen Changyu directly and threw himself on Lin Xiao: ¡°Wow! I couldn¡¯t even tell that there were indeed two techniques!¡± ¡°Come down now, you are too heavy!¡± Lin Xiao seemed to hear the sound of ¡®cracking¡¯ bones and finally pulled away the kid hanging off his body. After massaging his muscles and bones, he looked at You Jing, and reconfirmed: ¡°Are you sure there is no problem with the team competition?¡± Hearing this, the others immediately looked over. ¡°Of course.¡± You Jing placed the mineral water on the chair, and under everyone¡¯s gaze, he said, ¡°Victory is ours.¡± As if influenced by this unyielding tone, the eyes of all team members filled with a strong fighting spirit that was ready to go. After the break, the team competition officially started. When the formations of both sides were displayed in front of everyone, You Jing¡¯s second appearance finally completely dispelled people¡¯s speculations about his hand injury. The Black Rose team players were: You Jing¡¯s priest, Dazzling View, Shen Changyu¡¯s summoner, Seasonal Rain, Liu Zeshen¡¯s paladin, Choose A Tree To Live In, Xiao Li¡¯s magic swordsman, Laughing Sky, and Lin Xiao¡¯s ghost priest, Adorable Ghost. In this composition, there were: healing, defense shields, explosive attacks, and long-ranged control. It could be described as a very formal and complete team battle lineup. However, because the lineup looked too much like a demo tutorial, people couldn¡¯t help but feel that something must be wrong with it. This doubt persisted until the battle broke out. After seeing the Red Leaf team, who had worked so hard to make detours, finally being drawn into a melee, not only were the spectators stunned, but even Xu Qingli, known as the most professional commentator in the League, was speechless. After the previous battles, everyone thought that the Black Rose team would maintain this unpredictable strategy style. Who expected, that, just when the Red Leaf team began to talk strategy and tactics, they actually went for a simple and brutal fight mode! The skills¡¯ dazzling light effects were all over the field, and the soaring APM values on the big screen made the chaotic battle look even more thrilling. In the end, after a completely chaotic battle, when the smoke finally cleared, two figures were still standing: Dazzling View and Adorable Ghost. In the last round of the preseason, the Black Rose team finally defeated the Red Leaf team with a perfect score of 10:0 and qualified for the playoffs from eighth place. Although this was what the supporters of the Black Rose team expected, when this result was really obtained, many fans finally couldn¡¯t help crying with joy. ¡°We won.¡± With the close-up of Dazzling View and Adorable Ghost still on the screen, Lin Xiao took a deep breath, looked up just in time to meet You Jing¡¯s gaze, smiled, and opened his arms, ¡°Wanna hug?¡± In fact, he was already prepared to be kicked off, but You Jing actually came over, hugged him, patted him on the back, and said, ¡°Thank you.¡± These two words had a very profound meaning, and Lin Xiao smiled, and hugged him back tightly: ¡°You¡¯re welcome.¡± ¡°Hey, hey, hug me too!¡± Xiao Li was the first to be killed by the opponent¡¯s poisonous hand in the team competition, and he was feeling a little uncomfortable. Seeing those two acting like no one else was there, he was even more unhappy. Liu Zeshen had just packed up the equipment, and upon hearing this, he approached him with a smile and said, ¡°Why don¡¯t I give you a hug?¡± Xiao Li kicked him angrily: ¡°Who wants to hug you!¡± Liu Zeshen nimbly took two steps back to avoid the surprise attack, casually brushed the dust off his pants, and smiled without saying a word. When they opened the door and walked out of the battle room, enthusiastic cheers immediately engulfed them. Xu Qingli¡¯s voice from the commentary table spread throughout the venue, being heard very clearly: ¡°Congratulations to the Black Rose team, who defeated Red Leaf with a perfect score of 10:0, and they will get the last spot in the playoffs! Once again, congratulations to Black Rose!¡± CH 60 The victory in this game finally allowed the Black Rose team to enter the playoffs without any risk. Although the fans of the Red Leaf team were a little disappointed, after all, they were already latched in the top eight teams. In general, this result can be said to be a happy one. When leaving, the Black Roses met the members of the Red Leaf team at the side passage door. In the evening, they planned to go to the KTV to celebrate, and after casually greeting them, Shen Changyu extended the invitation to the girls. Xu Yun, with a lollipop in her mouth, glared with her round eyes: ¡°Vice Captain Shen, you¡¯re going to karaoke to celebrate the victory, why do you want us to come, to celebrate a complete defeat?¡± Lin Xiao glanced at the girls of the Red Leaf team, and when he heard the words, he came over and said with a smile: ¡°Victory and defeat are a common matter in military affairs. Enmities should be resolved rather than kept alive. It¡¯s no use for us, veterans to be so fussy!¡± Ding Jie looked at him with great interest and smiled coquettishly: ¡°Actually, there is nothing to do tonight, it would be nice to go to karaoke together. It¡¯s you, Lin Xiao, who was so ruthless during the competition, so shouldn¡¯t you ¡®make amends¡¯ in the evening?¡± Lin Xiao coughed and said with a straight face, ¡°Absolutely.¡± ¡°What, are you going to KTV to talk things out?¡± A cold voice came suddenly. Even the other members of the Black Rose team, who were secretly gawking at the beautiful women nearby, stopped whispering and subconsciously looked in that direction. A black headband tied her long hair into two high ponytails that fell to her waist. She wore a simple black dress with black leather boots and her fair skin framed her deep-set eyes. Chen Anqi¡¯s ethereal eyes just casually swept over, and everyone felt an inexplicable coolness seeping through their bodies. Ding Jie, who was still teasing Lin Xiao, was a little surprised to see the visitor: ¡°Anqi, why are you here?¡± ¡°I had an appointment with Vice Captain Shen and stopped by to see your match.¡± Before Chen Anqi finished her words, she saw a colorful mass rushing forward and pouncing on her. Feeling the heavy pressure on her body, she frowned, ¡°Xu Yun, how many times have I told you that you are the captain and have to act like it.¡± Xu Yun still clung to her tightly, with a look of joy on her face, completely oblivious to the increasingly low air pressure of the person in her arms: ¡°Master, how long has it been since you came to see us? I missed you so much! Do you want to go to KTV tonight with them, master? Let¡¯s go, let¡¯s go together!¡± Seeing Chen Anqi was about to burst out, Ding Jie pulled Xu Yun back, poked her forehead, and said, ¡°You want to challenge master after playing like this, don¡¯t you feel guilty?¡± Xu Yun came to her senses and quieted down. Seeing that she was finally silent, Ding Jie looked at Chen Anqi with a doting smile on her charming lips and asked: ¡°Is this about what you said last time? So, did you finally decide now?¡± ¡°Maybe.¡± Chen Anqi¡¯s eyes flashed, and she turned to look at Shen Changyu: ¡°So, Vice Captain Shen, what have you arranged?¡± Shen Changyu¡¯s arrogance vanished suddenly after receiving such a glare from her: ¡°It¡¯s like this¡­¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go to a cafe to discuss the details.¡± You Jing interrupted Shen Changyu¡¯s words, fastened his collar buttons, put on the team uniform, walked over to Chen Anqi, and gracefully held out his hand as a gesture of invitation. Taken aback, Lin Xiao shouted: ¡°Captain You, aren¡¯t you coming to karaoke?¡± You Jing paused his steps and looked back at him: ¡°No, but you guys have fun.¡± Alas? I thought I could hear this Iceberg Queen sing. Lin Xiao looked at the backs of the two people walking away and felt slightly disappointed. Just as he was lost in thought, Ding Jie¡¯s slender fingers grabbed his collar, and forcibly dragged him away, with a charming tone: ¡°Lin Xiao, little brother, why are you in a daze? Let¡¯s go, my sisters are still waiting for you to make amends!¡± Lin Xiao staggered back two steps but couldn¡¯t turn around, so he helplessly had to be dragged by her in this way. As for Ding Jie, it was obvious that she didn¡¯t consider his appearance at all. With one hand she held his collar high and with the other hand, she held Xu Yun¡¯s shoulder to stop her chasing after Chen Anqi. ¡­ In the large KTV box, after everyone took their seats, the Red Leaf team took turns ordering the songs one by one, and soon the whole atmosphere almost became a music tour of the women¡¯s group. The melodious music echoed in the small space, intoxicating the heart. Liu Zeshen poured himself a glass of red wine, took a sip, and smiled, narrowing his eyes: ¡°The most beautiful girls in the entire League should be in the Red Leaf team, right?¡± Xiao Li glanced at him silently and thought to himself: ¡°I knew it! Girls, girls, he is really a hooligan!¡± Ding Jie had just finished singing a song, and seeing there was no movement among the Black Rose team, she simply called the name directly, ¡°Lin Xiao, your turn.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t¡­ ¡± When Shen Changyu heard this proposal, his face instantly turned ugly, but before he could stop it, Lin Xiao had already been pushed on the stage by a group of girls laughing, and it was too late to hold him back. Lin Xiao was not at all pretentious, ordered the tracks two or three times, took the microphone, said ¡°Hello¡± twice, and followed with a smile, ¡°Allow me.¡± Amid the loud applause around him, Shen Changyu silently covered his ears. With the beginning of the track, the accompaniment music of ¡°The Itch¡± began to pour out from the speaker, the prelude ended, and the main song entered: ¡°She~is a swipe of the setting sun~Thinking~thinking~who knows how to appreciate~~~he~has a blue cloud window~just wait~just wait~someone will share~share with her~~~¡± Liu Zeshen¡¯s hand trembled, and he inadvertently almost dropped the wine glass from his hand, but fortunately, he recovered in time to grip it back. However, just when he raised his head, Xiao Li, who had just taken a sip of beer, sprayed it on his face with a ¡°poof.¡± Zou Qiguan choked half to death with the mung bean cake he had just swallowed. Xu Yichen managed to hand him a water glass, then was pushed down on the sofa by Xu Yiming, who was already laughing madly. As for the Red Leaf team members, they were completely petrified. ¡°I knew it¡­¡± Shen Changyu held his forehead helplessly. If Lin Xiao¡¯s e-sports talent was a maximum of 10 points, his musical talent could be said to be completely on the negative scale. Originally there was a bit of luck, and there was hope that maybe now he could be a little more reliable, however, the actual situation has finally been proven: ¡ªThere was no growth or progress at all! If other people¡¯s singing was sentimental, then his singing was simply murderous! However, Lin Xiao did not notice the emotions of the others who were collapsing around him, completely immersed in his own world of music, and unable to extricate himself. At the climax, he took a deep breath and pulled the mic closer: ¡°Come~ah~~happy~ah~~anyway, there are~~a lot of time~~~~~come~~love~ah~~anyway, there are~~a lot of stupidity~~~~~come~ah~~~¡± ¡°Help!¡± Xu Yun finally couldn¡¯t take it anymore and rushed to the sound system with lightning speed, reached out, and pulled out the microphone plug. The only sound left in the KTV was the background music, which fell on everyone¡¯s ears like the sound of nature after a catastrophe. Lin Xiao looked blankly at his unplugged microphone, and shrugged helplessly: ¡°If you don¡¯t like this song, you could just tell me, I know other ones, like ¡­.¡± ¡°No need!!!¡± Xiao Li didn¡¯t let him finish and interrupted him before he had an idea for the next song, then suggested, ¡°Everyone is tired after singing for so long, let¡¯s play a game! How about Truth or Dare!¡± ¡°Yes, yes! Anything is better than that!¡± Xu Yiming raised both feet and hands in favor. Xu Yun, who had successfully stopped the ¡®magical¡¯ voice, returned to the sofa exhausted and began to stuff her mouth with food, breathlessly saying: ¡°You guys play, I just want to be quiet.¡± Lin Xiao put down the microphone and watched the others busy preparing the game props. He sat down with Shen Changyu and poured himself a glass of beer. Glancing at his lifeless expression, he patted him comfortingly on the shoulder and said: ¡°Vice Captain Shen, as always, you still don¡¯t know how to appreciate art.¡± Shen Changyu¡¯s mouth twitched faintly and he turned around without saying a word. In fact, Lin Xiao played the game Truth or Dare five years ago, and up until now, there was not much innovation. But before the game started, Liu Zeshen, who was in charge of writing the challenges, mysteriously said that one of the cards had a ¡®surprise¡¯ in it. As the game began, one by one they proceeded clockwise down the line, some people choosing the truth and others, the dare. Almost all of them were innocuous topics, and small risks, like drinking wine or imitating animal calls. When it was Lin Xiao¡¯s turn, he pondered for a moment and chose the dare so as not to be asked about sensitive topics. He randomly took out a note from the pile and, seeing the contents on it, was stunned ¨C please kiss one of the teammates on the mouth and take a photo as a souvenir (complete it in three days). Kissing on the mouth, taking pictures, so many compromises linked together, and must it be a teammate? Excuse me, the Black Rose team seems to be all male players now! Was this the ¡®surprise¡¯ Liu Zeshen just mentioned? Lin Xiao¡¯s face turned black, and he silently cast his eyes on Xiao Li, causing him to desperate scream, and cover his mouth: ¡°Don¡¯t even think about it!¡± Then he turned his head to look at Shen Changyu. Shen Changyu coughed twice: ¡°This¡­ is really not a good idea.¡± Lin Xiao let out a long sigh and asked helplessly, ¡°What happens if I can¡¯t get it done?¡± Xu Yiming patted him on the shoulder, smiled, and said: ¡°It¡¯s easy; if you don¡¯t finish, just treat us to a buffet at a French restaurant one day!¡± A buffet at a French restaurant? That¡¯s expensive! Especially for him, who has not yet received his salary, and was still in a state of extreme poverty¡­ Lin Xiao didn¡¯t want to bother with this anymore and basically came up with his own idea ¨C it was impossible to obtain the kiss mentioned above, so he could only try to find a chance to take a secret photo. In the end, everything was to save money, save money in order to buy equipment! The author has something to say: Lin Xiao: Come on~ have fun~ anyway~ a lot of time~ (gag) eh~~~~! After a while. You Jing: Have you had enough? Lin Xiao: Ahem ¡­. enough. CH 61 That night, everyone stayed together until the wee hours of the morning before dispersing. Lin Xiao was almost asleep after returning to the dormitory. Because later everyone somehow unanimously refused to let him touch the microphone again, Lin Xiao had nothing to do but drink a lot of wine. So much so that when he was woken up by the alarm clock the next day, he still had a headache from the hangover. Lin Xiao was ready to turn off the alarm clock and continue to sleep, but when he saw the message he received on his phone, he instantly lost all his sleepiness, washed up, and went out the door with lightning speed. He almost forgot to go to the hospital for You Jing¡¯s reexamination! At the Black Soul Club entrance, the morning light fell on You Jing, casting a faint halo over him. Lin Xiao walked up to him and casually handed him the case file. Feeling the faint smell of alcohol that still enveloped him, You Jing¡¯s eyelashes dropped slightly as he said, ¡°It seems that you had fun with the Red Leaf members last night.¡± Lin Xiao was stunned for a moment, then casually replied: ¡°Ah, it was okay.¡± You Jing shook the key hanging on his right index finger and asked, ¡°Can you drive?¡± Lin Xiao said frankly: ¡°No.¡± You Jing glanced at him, reached out, and stopped a taxi by the side of the road: ¡°To the Second City Hospital.¡± Lin Xiao looked at his back in silence for a while. From that expression, no matter how you looked at it, he seemed unhappy, didn¡¯t he? Right now, even if he knew how to drive, he couldn¡¯t, since he didn¡¯t have a driving license for his current identity! Why is he to blame? As he got into the taxi muttering to himself, he couldn¡¯t help but think that maybe it was time to take his driver¡¯s license test. ¡­ You Jing finished all the necessary examinations and handed the report to the attending doctor. After hearing the conclusion that he had finally improved a lot, Lin Xiao was finally completely relieved. As for the need to recuperate for a period of time, they shouldn¡¯t worry about it. There was still a while before the playoffs, which left enough time for it. When they came out of the hospital, Lin Xiao thought he could go back to the club to get some sleep, but unexpectedly, You Jing asked the driver to drive to the Computer City Shop. Although he had some complaints, looking at the expressionless profile, he swallowed the words silently. After all, you are beautiful and you can do whatever you want; I am handsome, so I can only do errands. They arrived at the third floor of the Computer City Shop, and as they walked in silence, suddenly, You Jing looked back at Lin Xiao and asked, ¡°What brand do you usually use?¡± Lin Xiao looked around and answered this question belatedly, ¡°What?¡± You Jing frowned, ¡°Are you going to play the playoffs with this kind of internet cafe equipment?¡± Was he going to give him a set of e-sports gear? Lin Xiao was already saving money just to get a convenient set of equipment, but who would have expected to encounter such a good thing falling into his lap? His eyes lit up at once, while his face was insincerely polite as he said: ¡°How can I let you, captain spend so much money on me!¡± You Jing raised his eyebrow slightly and looked at him without saying anything. Lin Xiao¡¯s tone changed: ¡°I¡¯m used to using the Golden Beetle series of mice, and the Alien Ghost keyboard. I don¡¯t know which one feels right until I try them.¡± You Jing looked at the manager and tapped his fingers on the desktop, ¡°Bring out the latest models of both series and let us take a look.¡± In the blink of an eye, a total of more than ten top-tier equipment models were spread across the counter. After connecting the equipment, he tried them one by one, and although there were many models, Lin Xiao did not falter at all. After a brief examination, he selected the 302G mouse of the Golden Beetle GXIII series and the latest keyboard of the Alien Ghost S6 series 9006A model, totaling 5000 yuan. Seeing You Jing swiping the card at the checkout without changing expression, Lin Xiao sat beside him holding the devices he had dreamed of, and he couldn¡¯t help expressing his feelings: ¡°Captain You, you are so kind to me¡­¡± You Jing glanced at him: ¡°It¡¯s just an investment for the team.¡± Lin Xiao grinned and he boasted with sincerity: ¡°Captain You has a good eye, this is definitely a perfect investment with a 100% return rate.¡± ¡°Oh, I hope so.¡± You Jing responded perfunctorily, thought for a moment after retrieving the card from the manager, and asked, ¡°Should we get a spare set?¡± It¡¯s nice to have money! Although Lin Xiao was tempted, he still kept his last conscience: ¡°There is no need¡­¡± Finally, after You Jing bought a set of equipment for himself as well, the two returned to the club. ¡­ Lin Xiao did not attract less attention along the way, carrying big and small shopping bags. Back at his dorm, he fell straight onto the bed because he had a terrible hangover headache and fell asleep hugging his new keyboard. However, perhaps because he was too excited, he didn¡¯t sleep much this time. When he opened his eyes, it was just after noon, and he rubbed his belly, feeling a little hungry. It wasn¡¯t until he stretched and got out of bed that he realized in a daze that he had actually brought You Jing¡¯s equipment back with him. That man forgot to remind him¡­ After a moment of silence, Lin Xiao got ready to go and return the items to its owner. Leaving the room with the equipment, he only had to make a turn and found himself in front of You Jing¡¯s room, which was very convenient. He wanted to knock on the door, but seeing that the door was ajar, he peeked in and was surprised to find that You Jing had once again fallen asleep on the table. It¡¯s not a good habit to sleep sitting down like this. Lin Xiao muttered to himself, and giving up the idea of knocking on the door, went into the room lightly and put the equipment by the bedside. Just as he was about to retreat, he inadvertently glanced at the sleeping face and a thought suddenly crossed his mind, making him stop in his tracks. Stepping closer, his eyes slowly fell on the lips of the man in front of him. After staring for a long time, his heartbeat inexplicably sped up a bit. You Jing usually had an expressionless face, but the way he was sleeping now made his facial features much softer. The scattered black hair covered his closed eyes, giving him an alluring appearance. The expression ¡®a feast for the eyes,¡¯ flashed in his mind. He took his mobile phone and crept closer, staring straight at his red lips, then suddenly leaned over and kissed him very gently. The feeling of his lips was very soft, with a faint but pleasant fragrance. It tastes good. Lin Xiao commented silently in his heart, and there was a smile in his eyes. Meanwhile, his hands did not stop, he did not forget to take out his cell phone, and put it in the right position¡­ ¡°Click¡ª!¡± With the sound of the shutter, all the good mood of the previous moment was swept away. With a bad feeling in his heart, Lin Xiao completely froze in place. He forgot to mute it! The moment he hesitated, the eyes that were tightly closed a moment ago slowly opened. That glassy mist gradually dissipated, and the emotions in his eyes suddenly became stormy. The oncoming oppressive feeling finally brought Lin Xiao back to his senses, and he subconsciously took two steps back, hastily and guiltily. ¡°What are you doing?¡± You Jing¡¯s voice was colder than ever. Before he finished speaking, he suddenly stood up, and when his right hand was on Lin Xiao¡¯s shoulder, he pushed him back violently. From the force of the ensuing impulse, Lin Xiao only felt that after the world spun with him, You Jing¡¯s arm was firmly locked around his neck, and he was currently pressed against the bed, immobilized. The choke made him cough a few times, and finally, You Jing eased his strength a little bit, and he breathed a sigh of relief before sincerely expressing his admiration: ¡°Black belt, cough, it¡¯s really amazing!¡± The expression in You Jing¡¯s eyes deepened even more. Lin Xiao was chilled all over by this gaze, but because he was almost completely pressed under You Jing, he could only look directly at him and smile unnaturally: ¡°Ah, Captain You, listen to me. Actually, I just wanted to take a picture for the group¡­¡± You Jing glanced at the clear and distinct photo on the mobile phone screen lying on the ground and pursed his mouth, ¡°Oh, a picture for the group?¡± ¡°Yes, for the group, a special photo¡­.¡± Lin Xiao felt that his waist would break from being pressed like this and immediately explained the matter of the Truth or Dare game with a straight face. In the end, he vowed: ¡°It¡¯s all true! All the guys can testify!¡± Listening to this explanation, You Jing looked at him impassively. In this position, the two were actually quite close to each other, close enough that their breath touched each other¡¯s skin. Since it seemed to be no further ¡®retaliation,¡¯ Lin Xiao restored his smiling face: ¡°Captain You, you have to believe that I if chose you, it¡¯s because I really like you.¡± After these words, You Jing finally had a reaction, got up, and directly kicked Lin Xiao out of bed. Sprawled on his back, with his waist numb, Lin Xiao was just about to say something when he heard You Jing¡¯s low and deep voice from above his head: ¡°Everything I bought today will be returned.¡± Never expecting that the good things would turn into such a situation, Lin Xiao¡¯s smile froze, and he looked up incredulously: ¡°Captain You, you don¡¯t seem to be the kind of person who goes back on his word!¡± You Jing sat down on the bed with his clothes a little disheveled from the action just now, and with a half smile said in a calm tone, ¡°I don¡¯t mind.¡± But I do mind! Lin Xiao stood up abruptly, leaned over, and pressed You Jing¡¯s shoulder, saying in a sincere tone: ¡°Captain You, please don¡¯t give up this investment project on an impulse!¡± You Jing¡¯s eyes flashed, and he was about to say something when he heard the door pushed open, and there was a lot of noise: ¡°Captain You, have you heard about the Korean issue? Now the entire e-sports circle has blown up¡­¡± A group of people swarmed in, and as Xu Yiming¡¯s eloquent words came to an abrupt end, all eyes fell on the two disheveled people in the room. As if they had collectively hit the stop button, they entirely and utterly froze in place. CH 62 After a moment, Shen Changyu was the first to react, and coughed twice: ¡°It seems that we should come back later.¡± Qin Lei was frozen in place in a petrified state, and his mind was blank. Hearing this, he subconsciously accepted the order, turned around, and was about to walk out of the house, when he was stopped again. ¡°Everyone, come back.¡± You Jing¡¯s voice was extremely low, and the words fell to their ears coldly, making a thought flash in their minds¨C he wouldn¡¯t kill to silence them, right? Xu Yiming was about to cry: ¡°Captain You, please believe us, we really did not see anything!¡± Well, what a way to reveal what he intended to hide. Xu Yichen shook his head heavily. There was a saying: don¡¯t be afraid of God-like opponents, but of pig-like teammates. In contrast, Liu Zeshen was much calmer. He leaned against the door, slowly stroking his chin with his thumb, and said with a meaningful smile: ¡°Captain You, are you exercising?¡± You Jing didn¡¯t respond to this clearly teasing question, his eyes fell coldly on Lin Xiao¡¯s hands on his shoulders: ¡°Let go.¡± No matter how thick-skinned was Lin Xiao, under the ambiguous words of everyone, he felt a little hot. After letting go of You Jing, he stood up, straightened his messy clothes, and said with a serious face the words that seemed to be said a little too often recently: ¡°Actually, it¡¯s not what you think.¡± Liu Zeshen grinned: ¡°Oh, we know.¡± Lin Xiao: ¡°¡­¡± Xiao Li gave him a meaningful look, raised his hand with a clenched fist, and said with an underlying connotation, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I understand too!¡± Lin Xiao: ¡°Understand my ass¡­¡± Zou Qiguan¡¯s expression was much more complicated than the others. After looking back and forth at Lin Xiao and You Jing several times, he said firmly as if he had finally made a decision: ¡°Brother Lin, don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t tell anyone what happened today!¡± Lin Xiao was speechless: ¡°Hey, hey, don¡¯t lead Switch astray! Actually, I just wanted to take a picture¡­¡± Suddenly, an unknown object flew towards him, interrupting his words, and he subconsciously raised his hand, only to find that it was his cell phone whose screen had been dimmed. ¡°Take care of it, don¡¯t leave it at random places.¡± You Jing¡¯s voice sounded without inflections. Lin Xiao met his gaze, and subconsciously swallowed all the explanations he wanted to make. Although he didn¡¯t say it clearly, his instinct gave him a very clear feeling that if this photo was seen by others today, he would, um, die a terrible death¡­ You Jing had already tidied his clothes and sat at the computer. The farce from now seemed to have not affected his emotions at all. He looked up at Shen Changyu and asked: ¡°What happened, why did you come to me at this hour?¡± ¡°Oh, right.¡± Although the topic changed abruptly, Shen Changyu returned to the main topic very naturally, ¡°Some things that happened on the Korean side have now blown up the entire national forums.¡± Lin Xiao, who was furtively fiddling with his phone, trying to remove the photo, looked up when he heard the words: ¡°What¡¯s wrong with the Korean side?¡± Xu Yiming, full of anger, interjected, ¡°Those arrogant people think that if they won two world championships, they can look down on others. They simply mocked our domestic players for their lack of standards in interviews on the game website. It¡¯s so annoying!¡± Shen Changyu patted him on the shoulder to calm him down and explained the details carefully. It turned out that the domestic professional league in South Korea had just ended its preseason two days ago. After the last game, the host interviewed Jiang Minjun, a player from the MTG team who won the MVP, as usual, and when asked if he was stronger or weaker than Yan Duzhou, a Chinese player with a similar fighting style, he made the following statement on camera: ¡°I have always admired senior Yan Duzhou¡¯s perseverance, but I wouldn¡¯t say that my style is similar to his. After all, as an older generation of e-sports players, as his hand speed deteriorates, his combat style is not as sharp as it used to be. Although the current situation in China is that the level of e-sports is relatively low and older players cannot retire, I still believe that e-sports should be a stage for young players. Senior Yan Duzhou is already old and it¡¯s not sufficient to compete with the new generation of young players. Anyway, now I have enough confidence that I am better than him.¡± Because not everyone understood Korean, fans who watched the match live that day didn¡¯t have much of a reaction because they didn¡¯t know the content of the interview, until someone broadcast the subtitled version on the Internet, and all the netizens were in an uproar. Although it was true that Yan Douzhou failed to win a trophy with the team, he held the highest status in the hearts of all e-sports fans in China. So what does this bastard who hasn¡¯t even grown up yet want to say!? That Yan Duzhou is old and should retire because his skills declined? As the current leader in the field of domestic e-sports, how could he say that he is not worthy of being compared to such a novice player as himself, and even shamelessly say that he is not as strong as him? How dare he say ¡°China¡¯s overall e-sports level is low¡± just because Korea won the international league in the previous two years? What gave him the guts!? With tens of millions of rebroadcasts of the video, the anger of netizens was further ignited. The key trigger was that the arrogant Jiang Minjun, faced with the people¡¯s anger after the incident, instead of apologizing, posted another tweet early in the morning bragging about how he had completely crushed Yan Duzhou in Korea. He even listed many videos of top national players defeated by Korean representatives, which, between the lines, once again scorned the low end of the national gaming level. As soon as this tweet was released, the comment section was filled with curses. However, before they could organize a response, many people found that not only Jiang Minjun but also several professional players from other Korean teams had reposted it, making a mockery of it. Many netizens also launched a counterattack, posting videos of Korean e-sports players being defeated in national team competitions. However, those shameless arrogant people didn¡¯t seem to get angry, all immersed in their self-constructed ¡°weakling Chinese theory,¡± completely ignoring the unfavorable videos about themselves. I have seen shameless people before, but not to that degree! Henceforth, the domestic e-sports circle has finally exploded. But that¡¯s not all. After all, not all professional players in South Korea were as arrogant and domineering as Jiang Minjun. Many veteran players still had enough respect for god-level players like Yan Duzhou, and some stood up for him and tried to mediate. However, before things settled down in the League¡¯s professional circle, a post on a Korean forum was picked up by Chinese netizens in its original form. The post was from a Korean ladder first-rank player, the entire article was a mockery of Chinese players and finally insinuated that all Chinese players playing in the Korean League should all leave. The posts after the story added exponentially. Basically, it was some ordinary players who followed the trend to show off their might and contempt for the players of the national server. In the past, there were players in South Korea who had a certain degree of contempt for Chinese players, but now this kind of contempt has been directly put on the table, and displayed in the hearts of players in the national league. For a while, in the wake of the stir created in the domestic circle, the posts and microblogs of the major teams were almost entirely related to this incident. As the top experts from the first and second tier of the national circle spontaneously attacked the Korean league one after another, the comment area seemed to be a petition asking the professional players of each team to jointly sweep up the Korean ladder. Saying that the level of our domestic professional players is at the bottom? Saying that Yan Duzhou, the top god in the domestic league, has degraded? Saying Chinese e-sports are now declining? Let¡¯s see if there is anyone in the national circle to wipe you out properly! Do you really think that after winning two World League Championships, you can touch the sky? Just wait for the hundreds of millions of players in the national league to sweep up the Korean ladder and win the top places in the Korean league to give you a slap in the face! Oh no, it can no longer be called a slap in the face, it should be called stepping on the face! ¡­ After listening to Shen Changyu¡¯s explanation, Lin Xiao was not as angry as Xu Yiming. He only felt those people were like clowns jumping around, making it look more like a joke. When he was still in the league, the e-sports circle was dominated by European and American teams. Only when he won the championship leading the Black Rose team did he break their dominance. After his comeback, although he heard that the previous two championships were won by the Korean team, he never thought they would be so arrogant. At this thought, he smiled slightly. Pride has been the natural enemy of competitive sports, so such a self-righteous mentality may make their downfall all the more painful sooner or later. After all, not everyone could bear the feeling of falling straight from heaven to hell. ¡°Damn it, those people are really too arrogant! There was still some time to go before the playoffs, and anyway, there was not much training, so their team will apply to the coach to collectively enter the Korean ladder! It¡¯s really unbearable to look at the arrogant faces of those suckers!¡± Lin Xiao really admired Xu Yiming, it must be quite difficult to continue to blow up for so long. You Jing did not object: ¡°I will discuss it with Manager Li.¡± Having received an accurate answer, the crowd left satisfied. After walking out of the door, Xiao Li turned his head inadvertently and saw Lin Xiao coming out with them with a calm face as if nothing had happened. He glanced into the room meaningfully, and said with a smile: ¡°Actually, it¡¯s okay if you go back and continue, don¡¯t worry about us.¡± As soon as the words left his mouth, the others turned their heads to look at him, knowingly. Misunderstandings, I guess, are called misunderstandings because they can¡¯t be explained. Lin Xiao silently glanced at the mobile phone in his hands under the collective ¡®knowingly¡¯ gaze and thought of You Jing¡¯s threatening words. In the end, he choose not to take out the photo, but sighed faintly: ¡°I¡¯m giving up last night¡¯s big challenge and inviting everyone to the buffet tomorrow or the day after¡­¡± Liu Zeshen patted him on the shoulder with a smile: ¡°Oh, you know how to bribe seniors, good, good.¡± Lin Xiao took out a cigarette and looked up at the sky with some melancholy. How to say, he felt an inexplicable and subtle change in his mood at this time¡­ The author has something to say: I saw everyone¡¯s message reminders today, so here¡¯s an explanation: 1. I personally don¡¯t hate Korea, and I don¡¯t have the so-called disgust, so everything here is just for the sake of the plot, don¡¯t read too much into it. 2. There are arrogant people and fans who stir trouble everywhere. The article also explains that there are decent people in Korean esports who are trying to salvage the situation, showing that not everyone is bad. The plot needs to be treated rationally. 3. The author knows that many e-sports fans are fans of the real Korean team, but please believe that all the characters are fictional. If you want it, you can consider substituting your idol for the handsome Korean e-sports professionals who will appear in the future. Don¡¯t make things difficult for yourself by supporting the few jumping clowns that have appeared so far! 4. If you really can¡¯t accept my explanations, you can address them. Lao Jiang is not a stubborn person! =£þ¦Ø£þ= *** *** *** You Jing: Yes, you understand the deep meaning of my words well. Lin Xiao: Actually, I just realized that bribery is the primary productive force. CH 63 The proposal of the team members to petition collectively has already been put forward, but in such a tense situation, it was not so easy to get an account above the second level of the Korean ladder. Except for a few old players who had played in the Korean circle before, Xiao Li, Zou Qiguan, and Lin Xiao could only wait for the club to help them set up an account. This time it could almost be called a general mobilization of the national players. No matter what rank, or even whether they have played the ladder before, regardless, they all had to go to the Korean ladder to show their determination to defeat the opponents. As a result, the Korean server was overcrowded several days in a row, and it took at least half an hour to queue up to log in. But that didn¡¯t dampen the determination of the people to show their real color to those who were making a fuss in online. As a result, the national forums, which were very lively before, seemed a little deserted in the next few days. When Lin Xiao saw Sunken Boat at Twilight national account in his friend list, he froze for a moment and immediately expressed his sympathy: ¡°Old Yan, what¡¯s going on, the whole country sounded general mobilization and went to the Korean ladder to support you, why did you come back to the national server by yourself? It¡¯s not nice!¡± After a while, Yan Duzhou replied, ¡°I¡¯m tired.¡± Such a reply was really beyond Lin Xiao¡¯s expectations. As far as he could remember, a man like Old Yan, who always goes all out in everything he does, never seemed to have uttered the word ¡°tired.¡± No matter what he did, he will always do his best, and no matter how difficult it was to achieve a goal, he will try everything to achieve it in his own way. But now, hearing the word ¡°tired¡± uttered by the other man, Lin Xiao knew very well that he wasn¡¯t just referring at the Korean incident that had attracted much attention but also included many other things. After a moment of silence, he replied, ¡°Take a break if you¡¯re tired.¡± Yan Duozhou: ¡°Now is not the time to rest.¡± Lin Xiao said helplessly: ¡°Old Yan, I think you have been standing at the top for a long time and are used to taking all responsibility upon yourself. In any case, after all, you are only a professional player. China¡¯s e-sports will not collapse completely because of you taking a break.¡± Yan Duzhou: ¡°I know, so I¡¯m waiting for you.¡± Looking at the words on the screen, Lin Xiao paused with his hand on the keyboard, shook his head smiling, and replied very frankly: ¡°Old Yan, I feel a lot of pressure when you say this.¡± Yan Duzhou: ¡°All this pressure should have been yours in the first place.¡± Shit! Just a moment ago, he felt that old reliable man was a good-natured dude with good roots, righteously fighting for the sake of the country¡¯s name at the forefront of the e-sports league battles. But in just a minute, the responsibility was pushed away completely, it shouldn¡¯t be like this! Lin Xiao threatened: ¡°If you¡¯re like this, I won¡¯t go to the Korean league to help you!¡± Yan Duzhou quickly grasped the point: ¡°The Black Rose team is also going to the Korean league for training?¡± Lin Xiao also understood the meaning of the words: ¡°Surely your Apocalypse team is also going?¡± Yan Duzhou: ¡°You¡¯re welcome.¡± Lin Xiao: ¡°¡­¡± Although he didn¡¯t know what Old Yan has been through all these years, why did it seem that his mind had more misconstructions? After Yan Duzhou went offline, Lin Xiao casually browsed the website, and as expected, almost all the pages were still occupied by those provocative posts. As two days passed, the battle could be said to be raging because of the influx of all kinds of high-level players into the Korean service. Players of many domestic teams put on the national uniform, and professional teams like Apocalypse and Black Rose even formed a team to climb the ladder. However, the professional players in South Korea were naturally not to be outdone. Coupled with the innate advantages of having local accounts, it was inevitable to have an advance on the ladder, which made the fight against them have some twists and turns. Because of this, the Korean trolls clamoring in the forums became more complacent and rampant, and their remarks became even more ugly. They were only short of naming names and belittling their ancestors for eighteen generations. However, this not only did not diminish the enthusiasm of the people but also inspired the motivation to rise up and fight. Although there were also some rational and objective voices on South Korean websites, according to the inertia of netizens in any country, this kind of uninteresting content was usually ignored. Therefore, the translated posts that were picked up on the internal forums were mostly the aggressive ones. As he watched the melee between the various parties, Lin Xiao felt a little emotional: ¡°This fight really won¡¯t stop! I wonder what those peace-loving people like Devin think of the current situation. Must be a headache for them too¡­¡± ¡­ In the Apocalypse team training hall, Yan Duzhou did not turn off the computer after logging out. At this time, the Messenger chatbox was opened on the desktop, and the dim light on the screen made the avatar id appear very clear. It was his best friend¡¯s nickname, Devin. Anyone who paid some attention to Korean e-sports should know who this person was. Choo Sung-hoon, the former captain of South Korea¡¯s ACE team, led Korean e-sports to win the first international league trophy as a milestone. In a way, his influence on Korean e-sports may be more influential than that of Yan Duzhou on Chinese e-sports. Going back even further, it could be said that it was as significant as Lin Xiao winning the world championship trophy, not to mention that he achieved a second consecutive victory for Korea. Yan Duzhou met Devin at an international league match one time. This top Korean player, who was an all-star in both looks and skill, has already attracted a large and loyal fan base around the globe in his first year of debut because of his extraordinarily humble attitude that didn¡¯t match his ability. Perhaps because of mutual sympathy, Devin and Lin Xiao¡¯s relationship was particularly good back then. The language barrier did not prevent them from declaring themselves brothers. At that time, during the international league, Yan Duzhou often watched them get along enthusiastically, both with an attitude of, ¡°I don¡¯t know what the other is talking about, but he must be complimenting me for being so cool.¡± Yan Duzhou has always had an attitude of respect for this Korean idol-style contestant who wanted to enter the show business without going too far. This time, the conflict and dispute between the Chinese and Korean e-sports circles, was indeed a bit unpleasant, but as for Yan Duzhou himself, he was not as offended as the large number of fans who were filled with righteous indignation. In his view, one of the undeniable reasons was that he had not done well enough, thus allowing the other party to make such remarks. Rather than pursue the other party¡¯s offense, it was more in line with his character to find a reason in himself. So he was a little surprised to see that Devin had even logged on to Messenger, which he had not used for years, to apologize to him. ¡°Jiang Minjun doesn¡¯t represent all Korean players. All our ACE players are very sorry for the disputes caused by netizens with this incident.¡± Devin expressed his apology in English, while helplessly explaining the difficult position of other Korean e-sports players at the moment, ¡°But because the matter has implicated the Korean¡¯s ladder ranking, the domestic players have to step in to defend their country¡¯s honor, and I hope you will understand.¡± No matter how extreme the remarks were, when it came to the issue of national strength, the latter must be the priority. Therefore, Yan Duzhou expressed his understanding: ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much, I understand all these.¡± Devin: ¡°When this turmoil passes, our Korean e-sports league will definitely ask Jiang Minjun to give an explanation to the Chinese league.¡± Yan Duzhou replied: ¡°Compared to this, I am more concerned about whether you will also participate in this Korean general melee.¡± Devin: ¡°Do you want me to join?¡± Yan Duzhou: ¡°Of course. See you in Korea.¡± In an apartment building far away in Seoul, South Korea, a handsome young man with brown hair looked at this sentence in the chat box on the computer screen and smiled a little, typing with his nimble fingers: ¡°I am looking forward.¡± ¡­ Two days later, Lin Xiao and Xiao Li finally received the Korean account that Li Bochuan got through his channels. These new accounts were currently at the second level. Although it will inevitably take some time to reach the first level, it could be said that it was not bad considering the current tense situation. After logging in to the Korean server with his new account, Lin Xiao had a headache looking at the dazzling Korean writing on the screen. Fortunately, the general setup of the game was similar and the essential text content could be extracted from memory. As for equipment in storage, it could be recognized by its appearance. ¡°The map order of the Korean server is different from that of our national server. If you don¡¯t understand Korean, just click on it to see the map details. What you just banned is Lava Purgatory.¡± Lin Xiao had just initiated a match on the ladder when he was startled by a sudden voice behind him: ¡°Captain You, when did you come¡­¡± You Jing glanced at him: ¡°It¡¯s been a little too loose the last few days. Today starts a week of extra training, and I¡¯ll be watching you closely.¡± Lin Xiao had thought that he¡¯d really gotten over that incident, who knew he was still unforgiving? He said under his breath, ¡°It¡¯s not right to take personal revenge like this, Captain You.¡± You Jing: ¡°Two weeks.¡± Lin Xiao: ¡°Alright, I have nothing to say!¡± You Jing pulled a chair and sat down behind him. Is this what he meant by watching him closely? Lin Xiao silently looked around the training hall and saw the other team members glancing at each other, but there were always vague gazes drifting in this direction, which made him feel funny. If you want to gossip but don¡¯t dare to watch openly, I can give you something! There was a flash in his eyes, and while the game loaded, he turned the computer chair slowly, deliberately leaned over to You Jing, and lowered his voice: ¡°Captain You, about that computer gear, I think we need to talk.¡± Such a posture seemed a little ambiguous, and unsurprisingly, a ¡°bang¡± was heard. Not far away, Xiao Li, who was still sitting upright a moment ago, inexplicably tilted his body until he fell to the ground. In contrast, You Jing was much calmer. Ignoring such an obvious intentional move, he gave a clear answer: ¡°If you want the equipment back, it¡¯s very simple, get first place on the Korean ladder.¡± At this obvious deliberately difficult request, Lin Xiao could only shrug helplessly, ¡°Fine, fine, whatever you say.¡± The author has something to say: Regarding the question of why ¡°Korea¡± is used instead of ¡°Country H¡± in the article, the author has added an explanation after yesterday¡¯s update, just take a look at it. Although it may indeed cause some controversy because there will be world-class events in other countries later. At that time, you will see a lot of R, M, A, and F countries. You can imagine that it will really affect the reading experience and the enthusiasm of the atmosphere of the full text¡­ I will continue to emphasize that there are bound to be good and bad players from every country, including ours, so please be rational and don¡¯t take it personally! The plot is required, the content is figurative, and there is absolutely no personal hatred for a certain country. Swear to God! CH 64 The accounts brought by Li Bochuan have been renamed. Because Koreans couldn¡¯t use Chinese, they all used English names. Lin Xiao¡¯s ID was LovelyGhost, which was a very literal translation. Come on, his ghost priest was called ¡°Adorable Ghost,¡± not ¡°Lovely Ghost!¡± It was not an easy task for anyone to promote from the second to the first level tier of the Korean leaderboard. After all, the Korean players, whether they were amateurs or professionals, were indeed among the best in the world. In the first round, Lin Xiao got a demon hunter player. A minute later, the two sides ran into each other at the bottom right of the map, and the demon hunter tried to use ¡®kite¡¯ tactics to reduce the blood level of the ghost priest. This was a strategy often encountered with amateur players. After all, as a continuous damage-producing occupation, it was not a wise choice to have head-on contact with an official professional. Lin Xiao wasn¡¯t too worried about this, he operated the character to move leisurely while keeping an eye on the opponent¡¯s every move. The moment the opponent made a misstep, the staff lit with a flash, and a black-purple ghost fire swept forward through the narrow gap in the middle of the blockage and landed evenly on the demon hunter. As the flames instantly spread like a prairie fire, the passive skill of the Ice Staff technique was triggered, and a layer of light blue ice-like animation also moved under the demon hunter¡®s feet like a wave together with the flames. The lagging demon hunter was like a slow-moving live target. Lin Xiao¡¯s operations with both hands suddenly accelerated, and a burst of skill quickly brought out the first kill. ¡°How is it, awesome, right?¡± Lin Xiao smiled and turned back. Unexpectedly, You Jing was sitting on the chair and looking at a tablet, and he didn¡¯t even see the wonderful operation he just did, so he couldn¡¯t help but say seriously, ¡°Captain You, do you know what a waste it is for you to sit behind me and not appreciate my performance?¡± You Jing shifted his gaze from the tablet to the battle duration on the screen and said, ¡°The waste is that it took 15 minutes.¡± Lin Xiao: ¡°¡­You wait.¡± You Jing looked at him and said: ¡°Oh.¡± After that, for the second victim, Lin Xiao was obviously much more straightforward than at the first kill. Immediately after the end of the first round, he entered the second round. In the preparation phase this time, instead of using the control-based Ghost Spell, Lin Xiao chose the main output of the Ghost Blood Curse. Because of the high damage and a concentrated outburst comparable to the long-range physical attack system, it only took 10 minutes from the beginning to the end of the battle. In terms of mentality, Lin Xiao¡¯s decisiveness can be said to be extremely good for attack. After all, whether they were amateurs or professionals in the national league, they all should be cautious while climbing the Korean leaderboard from the second tier because they could always encounter some hidden masters. I¡¯m afraid there aren¡¯t many people out there who could simply and brutally defeat others based on hand speed and no thinking like him. The thought of losing points for failure did not slow down Lin Xiao¡¯s actions at all. After the second round of the match, he glanced at You Jing, who was still not paying attention to the battle situation and entered the queue again. The third match ended in another 12 minutes. And then the fourth. The fifth¡­ Lin Xiao played more and more smoothly, and it was only when he approached the first tier of the leaderboard that he began to slow down a little. From this stage onwards, it was easy to encounter a real master of the first rank, and even he could no longer take it lightly. At this time, the sky had already darkened unknowingly. Looking around, the lights in the training hall were brightly lit, and the others had finished training and left. Looking around, it seemed a little deserted, only two figures in the corner here and the cool night wind blowing over their bodies. You Jing had fallen asleep at some point leaning back in his chair. Lin Xiao walked over to the window to shut out the night breeze. As he approached, he glanced at the still-lit tablet screen, only to see that it showed the current Korean leaderboard situation. Some of the listed IDs were marked in red. Although he didn¡¯t know the affiliation of other characters, it was not difficult to see from Yan Duzhou¡¯s ID that these should be the accounts used by the national league experts for the Korean league. This man can really fall asleep anywhere. Lin Xiao remembered how he had always bumped into this ¡®Sleeping Beauty¡¯ in various modes since he came to the Dark Soul Club, and he smiled faintly. However, with the lessons learned from the previous two times, he also knew that although this man seemed lethargic, he actually slept very lightly, so in the end, he dispelled any suicidal ideas. He took off his coat and put it gently on You Jing¡¯s body, then stretched heavily and sat back in front of the computer. At this time, LovelyGhost¡®s record information page was full of green winning check marks. From 3:30 in the afternoon, when he took over the account and started the leaderboard battles, until now at 9:20 in the evening, excluding dinner time, there were a total of 15 rounds, all won. Anyone who¡¯d see such a record would remain dumbfounded. You must know that this was not an ordinary game of tier 3 or 4. Tier 2 in the Korean league should be at the end of tier 1 in the national league. It was undoubtedly a high-end game for anyone. However, in the current series of victorious battles, from the queue matching time to the preparatory stage, coupled with the complete battle process, each game was controlled within half an hour on average. In other words, he won all his personal battles along the way in a completely crushing fashion. However, the intensity of such a continuous battle did get a little tiring. Lin Xiao leaned on the computer chair and subconsciously touched his pants pockets, then he glanced back at the sleeping figure behind him and finally shoved back the half-empty cigarette pack. He closed the gaming record and glancing at the current points, he muttered to himself: ¡°Well, I thought Manager Li really had a wide range of means, but who knew that this second-tier account actually needed supplementary points. It¡¯s too deceptive!¡± In leaderboard battles, consecutive wins could make the account earn a lot of hidden points, and in each game, the points accumulation would increase more. Conversely, even one loss will naturally reduce the hidden points. Mostly, the perception when you drop below the current actual rank is that the leaderboard points you get for winning each game will generally be lower than the average level. As for the LovelyGhost account that currently belonged to Lin Xiao, it was the kind with a tragically low score. A normal account with ten wins in a row can directly advance from the second tier to the first with 0 points, but this account could only reach the stage of promotion after 15 consecutive victories. The key was that the leaderboard was based on hidden scores. Given the insane amount of points required for this account, it would take a long winning streak to join the ranks of those highly skilled Korean pro players. He heard before that these accounts were assigned by You Jing, so it should not be intentional¡­ A strange thought suddenly popped up in Lin Xiao¡¯s mind, and the more he thought about it, the more suspicious he became. He inadvertently looked up just in time to see the chat box on the screen light up. In fact, Lin Xiao wasn¡¯t the type to easily remember profile pictures, but really, that silly monkey with a big head is so memorable at a glance that he doesn¡¯t need to click on it to know that it¡¯s Little Monkey Master who comments. Since his debut in the e-sports competition, Little Monkey Master has been talking about him for a long time, basically saying, ¡°I finally have a friend who is a professional gamer,¡± ¡°I feel that I have finally been promoted,¡± and other inept comments, so now that he was looking for him, he didn¡¯t have the slightest expectation. Clicking on the message, Little Monkey Master¡®s words were straight to the point: ¡°Adorable ghost, adorable ghost, this time there is such a commotion, has your club also mobilized to fight against Korea?¡± Lin Xiao emphasized his strict tone, ¡°You¡¯ve got the wrong person, I¡¯m not one who likes to gossip.¡± Little Monkey Master expressed his dissatisfaction: ¡°~~(©s?)~~~ Don¡¯t say that, I¡¯m here to show you how to make money.¡± Hearing the word ¡°money,¡± Lin Xiao suddenly became interested. He sneaked a glance at You Jing behind him to make sure he was not awake, then he turned around and asked, ¡°Our team is in Korea, what advice do you have, handsome monkey master? ^_^~¡± Little Monkey Master said solemnly: ¡°It¡¯s simple, Ah Xing is going to make a compilation of anti-Korean videos. If you are interested, take this opportunity to record some high-end battle videos. If you are hired, the salary will be at least three times higher than last time. I wouldn¡¯t tell just anyone about such a good opportunity!¡± Lin Xiao was wary: ¡°As before, the ID should not be exposed, right?¡± Little Monkey Master said: ¡°Of course, Ah Xing is a professional, and we will never reveal the source of the video! If there are videos of other team members, you can bring them too! For example, those from Vice Captain Shen, Liu Zeshen, the twins, and so on, bring the whole pack!¡± Lin Xiao responded with an angry face emoji: ¡°You think you are engaged in market wholesale and still want a pack! It is enough to have me alone. Quality and quantity are guaranteed!¡± After agreeing on this business with Little Monkey Master, with the stimulation of money, Lin Xiao stopped dawdling and entered the queue again in high spirits. Meanwhile, during the live broadcast of an e-sports program in South Korea, Jiang Minjun, as a guest, explained the operation essentials of the black mage to the audience at the scene and online. At the same time, he logged in to the program¡¯s pre-arranged gaming account to enter the queue as well, ready to perform a real combat demonstration. Jiang Minjun, with the deserved title of the rookie king of the Korean league and with the buzz created after his interview incident, has become one of the most talked about e-sports players at the moment, and he himself was really enjoying the status quo. Generally, in this kind of e-sports live broadcast, the program would not perform an online battle, but Jiang Minjun wanted to hold a solo show in front of his many fans, so he strongly requested that, and the staff could only specially arrange it for him. At this point, he was smiling at the camera while selecting the gear in his arsenal: ¡°The previous explanations are all theoretical knowledge. Next, let¡¯s actually enter the upper games of the second-tier leaderboard so that everyone can directly observe and appreciate the essence of the operation of the black mage.¡± At the end of the preparation phase, before loading the game interface, he took a last glance at his opponent¡¯s ID and frowned. LovelyGhost. Korean players rarely used such odd English names, and this ID didn¡¯t ring a bell. Could it be the Chinese who have recently stormed into Korea? CH 65 ¡°Are you C?¡± When the interface loaded, this sentence suddenly popped up in the map chat channel. Lin Xiao was a little surprised. He really didn¡¯t expect the black mage with an unreadable Korean ID to greet him. After all, they never met before, so there was no need to chat. Seeing the opponent¡¯s question in English and understanding his meaning, he didn¡¯t expect him to guess his nationality. He also responded politely: ¡°Yes, I am. Are you?¡± Jiang Minjun was satisfied with Lin Xiao¡¯s frank admission, but when he saw the latter sentence, he almost spat blood. What the fuck did he mean with ¡®are you!¡¯ If he was Chinese, did he still need to speak English? He answered angrily: ¡°.i¡¯lbeatyoutillyoucan¡¯ tstandup.¡±1 There was a threat between the lines, but this time, there was no response from the other side. Lin Xiao glanced at the English letters in the dialog box, and calmly operated the priest ghost to move. If this happened to other people, most of them would definitely be pretty angry at this extremely arrogant sentence, but Lin Xiao was not. After all, foreign languages were always a weakness for him. In other words ¡ª he didn¡¯t understand a thing. However, this kind of distant attitude gave people a slight feeling of being disdained. The lack of a reply caused Jiang Minjun¡¯s anger to explode instantly, and he wished he could catch the ghost priest immediately, throw a whole set of skill combos at his face, and take him down directly. The remaining shred of rationality reminded Jiang Minjun that he was on a live broadcast, so he still kept a gentlemanly smile in front of the camera. When his eyes fell on the opponent¡¯s ID, he suddenly thought that he could immediately catch a Chinese who appeared from nowhere and slap his face in front of tens of thousands of Korean viewers. With this, he felt refreshed and no longer cared about the other party¡¯s contemptuous attitude. Those Chinese players who were looking to be humiliated actually stormed the Korean league, jumping up and down because of his words. They simply don¡¯t know what they¡¯re doing. Everyone knew how strong Korean e-sports was nowadays, and the strength of those Chinese players could not even compare. Today, he will show them the gap between the two sides. Thinking of this, Jiang Minjun sneered and operated the black mage to walk intently around the map. Soon, they both spotted each other. Lin Xiao did not fight as unconventionally as before. He could tell his opponent was a master just by his movements, so he followed the black mage taking detours. The map was a wild forest, and the vision was a bit obstructed because of too much vegetation. During Lin Xiao¡¯s long walk, Jiang Minjun finally couldn¡¯t hold back under the attention of all the people. Just as the shadow of the ghost priest passed by, a set of wind spells blurred his face. Lin Xiao had been waiting for him to make the first move, so when he saw his attacking skills set, he immediately activated Ghost Sprint, accelerated, and perfectly avoided all the damage with a few flexible movements. Taking advantage of the skill cooling gap, he used acceleration to close the distance between them. After unleashing a Void Burn on the black mage, as his blood bar slowly decreased, he summoned a large shower of flames to fall from the sky, hitting the entire rainforest. Jiang Minjun hardly hesitated, and before the fire rain burned the whole ground, he used a leaping step to flash out of the range of this mass damage skill, avoiding all subsequent damage. ¡°Oh, good insight.¡± Lin Xiao muttered without breaking the operation, and in a blink of an eye, another ghost fire spread from the staff, and the landing point happened to be where the black mage¡®s leaping step was, forcing the opponent to immediately start the Ghost Sprint to avoid the next round of attack. Lin Xiao smiled as he saw that the opponent had completely given way in two moves, and the ghost priest turned around and buried himself in the lush forest. Compared with his calmness, Jiang Minjun¡¯s whole face was completely dark. Although he has just started to rise in the professional e-sports competition this year, being the hottest rookie king in South Korea right now, he really hadn¡¯t felt this kind of feeling of being completely overwhelmed for a long time. It felt like someone was holding a knife to his neck, forcing his every step of the operation, and there was always an uncomfortable feeling that his next move was completely under control. And not just that. Being in the spotlight, Jiang Minjun could clearly feel that the gaze of the audience looking at him had changed a little. He noticed the confused and stiff expressions, and it was enough to give him an uncomfortable feeling, making his initially pale face flush. He gritted his teeth fiercely, locked onto the ghost priest¡®s position, and held his breath. The moment he caught a tiny loophole of the opponent, his hand speed exploded in an instant, and he launched a fierce offensive. The black mage was the most productive class in the Zone system. Due to the skill switching of the four major factions of ice, fire, wind, and earth, the operator could change the attributes at any time to create an extreme output mode with almost no cooldown. In previous games, Yan Duozhou¡¯s black mage¡®s skill of aggressively switching the flow has been highly appreciated by fans in various countries. Because Jiang Minjun also liked this style of fighting while switching attributes, it was inevitable to be compared with Yan Duzhou once he was noticed by the public. Being a proud and arrogant man, this situation was hard to accept, hence the infamous interview scene. However, Jiang Minjun was indeed an explosive player with extremely fast hands. Eager to prove himself to the public, he used his skills to forcefully render a magnificent special effects scene worthy of a blockbuster. Such a fierce offensive was definitely enough to suppress any player on the second rank of the Korean ladder, but what made him feel a bit powerless was ¨C the ghost priest¡®s positioning was just too good! It was so good that by the time his attack landed on the selected spot, the opponent had already moved, perfectly avoiding the next offensive wave. It was precisely because this acute awareness seemed to permeate all his thoughts that Jiang Minjun unknowingly found himself using up all his spells bar after a sudden burst of uncontrollable hand speed. In a daze, he thought maybe he had an inexplicable misperception¡ªit wasn¡¯t that the opponent was too fast, but that he himself was too slow? Within seconds, the black mage, who was unable to retreat in time after the attack ended, was completely enveloped in the ghost priest¡®s techniques. Jiang Minjun subconsciously maneuvered his character to dodge after returning to his senses. The situation of the two sides seemed to be a replica of the previous moment but completely reversed. However, unlike the previous moment, the black mage couldn¡¯t avoid all the output damage as methodically as the ghost priest. Each hit was like a heavy slap in Jiang Minjun¡¯s face in front of tens of thousands of spectators, leaving marks all over his face. [System] First Blood! When the screen dimmed while recalibrating the revival points, Jiang Minjun held his numbed face and typed another sentence on the map channel: ¡°Who are you? Are you Yan?¡± Although the opponent used a ghost priest and not a black mage, except for Yan Duzhou of the Apocalypse team, Jiang Minjun couldn¡¯t think of any player with such a combat style in China. The most important thing was that if the opponent was really Yan Duzhou, his embarrassment could be a little redeemed. Lin Xiao understood the meaning of this simple conversation this time, and joked in a good mood: ¡°Noo, he¡¯s old! I am a young man!¡± At first glance, this sentence reminded people of Jiang Minjun¡¯s irony in the interview that Yan Duzhou was old, but when a Chinese said it himself, it had a strong sense of sarcasm. Jiang Minjun gritted his teeth and asked, ¡°Who are you?¡± ¡°I¡¯am a Ghost. I just want to give you some color to see see.¡± Lin Xiao silently praised his soaring English level with great satisfaction, while using his own vocabulary to make a very deterrent threat, ¡°Please remember no zuo no die don¡¯t be try.^_^~¡± Jiang Minjun was a little confused by the completely incomprehensible Chinglish. He understood the first sentence, but it made him even more depressed. Everybody knows you¡¯re Ghost, okay? I fucking know you¡¯re LovelyGhost! Shit! Seeing that the other side didn¡¯t respond after receiving his threat, Lin Xiao was just about to take his position, only to hear a lazy voice behind him: ¡°I didn¡¯t know your English was so good.¡± Lin Xiao looked back and met You Jing¡¯s narrow eyes that were still a little sleepy, faintly raised his eyebrows and laughed, ¡°Oh, it¡¯s so easy!¡± On the other end, Jiang Minjun did not argue with the opponent after reviving at the resurrection point but instead began to angrily search for the annoying ghost priest. At last, the hated figure was vaguely visible in a patch of bushes. He approached cautiously, and when he saw the other party standing motionless, his eyes lit up. The opponent looked like he was disconnected? When he discovered this, he felt a kind of pleasure in his heart that he could avenge his grievances, but after thinking about it, he almost cried out because of this shameful and humiliating thought of his. ¡ª¡ª When the hell did he, a rising king, have to rely on the opponent¡¯s abandonment to win a game!? It was nothing but a premature funeral! The author has something to say: Lin Xiao: Let the horse e on. Jiang Minjun: ¡­ ¡ù¡ù¡ù Lin Xiao: You are the red faow me. Yan Duzhou: ¡­ ¡ù¡ù¡ù Lin Xiao: We are brothers, who and who ah! Shen Changyu: ¡­ ¡ù¡ù¡ù Lin Xiao: First see you, I ** love you. You Jing: Me too. ¡ù¡ù¡ù I left the wording as it was in the raws, considering Jiang Minjun was talking in some kind of code CH 66 When You Jing sat up straight, the coat draped over his body went slightly down. This casual look revealed hints of a languid temperament, slightly neutralizing the iceberg aura that made people feel a little cold but also unable to take their eyes off him. It¡¯s no wonder so many young girls were fascinated by him, and even the steadfast elders like him were a little confused¡­ Thinking of this, Lin Xiao glanced again at that seductive face and put on a smile that he thought was handsome and charming: ¡°Captain You, are you awake?¡± You Jing¡¯s eyes fell on his computer screen, and he replied lightly, ¡°Oh, you are dying.¡± Lin Xiao stiffened and jerked his head back, only to see that his character only had a layer of blood left under the intense and indiscriminate bombardment. With a sudden reaction, his hand speed exploded, and he leaped out of the black mage¡®s attack range, thus managing to save his life. Lin Xiao wiped off his cold sweat, cursing inwardly. ¡ª¡ªThis Korean guy was not kind, he made a sneak attack while he was not paying attention, almost embarrassing him in front of You Jing! This thought made him even more unhappy. Really, what a lack of morals! Inhaling through his nose, his gaze suddenly sharpened. You Jing leaned lazily on the chair, half-supporting his arms on his forehead, and his bright eyes fell on the profile of the man in front of him, noticing that this serious expression was completely opposite to his usual sloppy look. When he was engaged in the battle, he seemed to be a different person. ¡­ In the live broadcast room far away in South Korea, Jiang Minjun¡¯s enthusiasm when he thought he could kill the enemy with his own hands disappeared with that sudden leap. His face darkened in an instant. Did that mean the Chinese man was back? Losing this prey that could be reaped easily in just two or three more moves, Jiang Minjun felt reluctant and immediately activated the Ghost Sprint to catch up quickly, vowing not to give up. At this moment, only the crisp sound of typing remained in the live broadcast room as everyone in the audience was silent. The expressions on their faces had changed from the initial shock and dismay to a dull look at this moment. Everyone could tell that, just now, the ghost priest on the other side was either away from the computer or disconnected. If it was just an ordinary ranking match, it was undeniable that many people would do the exact same thing as Jiang Minjun. But this was no ordinary game. And the one operating the black mage was also not an ordinary player. He was this year¡¯s newly crowned king of the Korean e-sports league, Jiang Minjun. He was a professional player representing the Korean e-sports level and was destined to become one of the leaders of the next e-sports generation. However, he chose to trample on his professionalism under the attention of tens of thousands of South Korean fans in such a disadvantageous situation and when there was an unexpected situation of unfair competition. If a moment ago, everyone was looking forward to Jiang Minjun because the other person was Chinese, right now, no one could cheer for him anymore. This was not what they expected an e-sports player to be like. The disappointment was like a virus spreading through the internet, and the fans who were still frantically rooting for him were also reduced to silence. There was no more chatting in the live feed, and the chat boxes were blank. At this time, the ghost priest who had just fled away a moment ago had once again entered the vision of the black mage. But, unexpectedly, facing the menacing enemy who still had a full-blood bar, instead of activating the Ghost Sprint to escape quickly, he directly raised his staff. Everyone was confused. Was this ghost priest with only a layer of blood left willing to fight? Was it possible to fight Jiang Minjun¡¯s black mage with his full-blood bar? When everyone was wondering this, Lin Xiao had already answered this rhetorical question with his crazy and cool operation. After a predetermined attack that was even more intensive and compact than before, yet still achieved a near 100% hit rate, the black mage didn¡¯t even touch the ghost priest again and died with hatred in his eyes. [System] Second Blood! Looking at the word ¡°Victory¡± popping up on the screen, Lin Xiao stretched lazily, looked at his opponent¡¯s unreadable Korean ID, and sneered. At first, he was irritated because he sneaked up on him while he was chatting with You Jing, but even after running away, he insisted on chasing, which made him even more upset. What¡¯s this? You¡¯re underestimating me? I¡¯ll make you cry! Lin Xiao, of course, did not know that before this, Jiang Minjun was not far from crying after being beaten by him, and had no idea he was actually doing a live broadcast, or he wouldn¡¯t have pressed him so ruthlessly. If he knew, he would definitely lecture the other as if he were his son so that he wouldn¡¯t even dare to raise his head in front of him! Rebuking others and rubbing it in their faces, he loved that! Seeing that he was one step closer to the first level, Lin Xiao looked at the time at the bottom of the screen with satisfaction and clicked the shutdown button casually. Relaxing his muscles and standing up, he turned to look at You Jing and smiled shamelessly: ¡°It¡¯s getting late. Let¡¯s go, Captain You, I¡¯ll take you back!¡± Obviously, the distance between their rooms was only a few steps, and only he was thick-skinned enough to say that without changing his face or heartbeat. You Jing glanced at him: ¡°I¡¯m so grateful.¡± ¡­ The next day when he logged into the Korean service again, Lin Xiao was surprised to find that he inexplicably received a large wave of friend applications again, with no apparent reason, so he had to consult You Jing on how to refuse them: ¡°Where is the option to reject friendship requests in Korean?¡± After You Jing pointed it out, he showed him the tablet and said, ¡°Congratulations, you¡¯re trending.¡± Lin Xiao felt dizzy when he saw the screen full of Korean signs, but looking at the avatar pic, it was vaguely familiar, and in the end, he remembered: ¡°Isn¡¯t that the last one from last night? What¡¯s going on, did he record it?¡± You Jing said: ¡°That black mage was Jiang Minjun.¡± Lin Xiao had a sudden realization: ¡±No wonder I felt that his combat style was somewhat familiar. So, it¡¯s that arrogant Korean kid who is very similar to the old, ahem, to Captain Yan! Oh, wait, why am I trending? He didn¡¯t seem to be in the limelight yesterday. Why did the Korean media report this? Do they also think my operation is very cool?¡± You Jing looked at the Korean title clearly written, ¡°E-sports players participated in the live broadcast show and staged a loser¡¯s drama,¡± and replied lightly: ¡°Your English is trending.¡± Lin Xiao stroked his chin and accepted the reason, ¡°Not surprising, there really aren¡¯t many people in China who speak English as well as I do.¡± You Jing paused the water glass at his mouth, put it back on the table beside him without taking a sip, and said slowly: ¡°You can start today¡¯s training.¡± Lin Xiao appreciated this rarely-seen choked expression and started his new journey on the Korean ladder with a slight smile. Although this day¡¯s ranking has been improved, it went much smoother than the previous day. After Lin Xiao successfully advanced to the first level, he won several consecutive games. Finally, in the middle of the night, the LovelyGhost ID made it to the Korean top-tier leaderboard. ¡­ Compared with Lin Xiao¡¯s leisurely and calm attitude, in the training hall of the Apocalypse team, Yan Duzhou stood in front of the dimmed screen after watching the black mage¡®s first-person perspective in the video and remained silent for a long time. In the minimized chat box, Devin¡¯s last question still remained: ¡°This ghost priest is Chinese. Yan, do you know who he is?¡± The screen lit up again with the resurrection of the black mage, followed by the indiscriminate bombardment of a character who was obviously not in front of the computer, and was interrupted by a sudden leap out of sight. Then, after finding the opponent through untold hardships, he failed to kill him as he had intended but instead initiated a nightmarishly ferocious backlash. The screen darkened again with his death, and the battle ended. Although the black mage was Jiang Minjun, who spoke badly about him, Yan Duzhou was not happy with his tragic death. He replayed the video, this time, his gaze firmly locked on the ghost priest¡®s field of vision, and the calm light in his eyes gradually became brighter. Although Lin Xiao¡¯s performance was undoubtedly the most eye-catching in the last two games of the preseason tournament, in Yan Duzhou¡¯s view, his strength should be more than that. He had worried before that the bizarre things that happened to Lin Xiao might have unpredictable negative effects, but after seeing his aggressive and ingenious operation, those concerns immediately disappeared. Although he has not reached his peak, it was satisfying enough that he could suppress Jiang Minjun to this point. Lin Xiao, was still the worthy opponent that could make him go all out. This year¡¯s Black Rose team, with the addition of several new players, will likely be one of the two teams entering the World League alongside the Apocalypse team. At last, he will longer be the only person who works so hard to support domestic e-sports, and this man will soon catch up with him again. That¡¯s good. Yan Duzhou smiled faintly, feeling as if there was a wave of fighting spirit rising slowly in his body. For a while, it seemed that he had returned to the burning years when both enemies and friends worked together for the e-sports of their country. Opening the chat box, he answered Devin¡¯s question, ¡°I know he will be a strong enemy for your Korean team.¡± The author has something to say: Lin Xiao: Today, I will teach you how to learn English! Remember to read it with me! ^_^~ The first sentence: Let (put) the horse (horse) e on (come over). Translated as: let the horse come over. The second sentence: You (you) are (is the red (red) face (face ¡ú Yan) know (knowledge) me (I ¡ú self). Translated as: You are my confidante. The third sentence: We (we) are (is) brothers (brothers), who (who) and (and) who (who) ah (ah)! Translated as: We are brothers, who and who! The fourth sentence: First see you, I ** love you. I won¡¯t translate it, shame~! CH 67 As the confrontation between China and South Korea was in full swing, in order to keep up with the trend, the Korean leaderboard list was also being updated anytime and anywhere. One of the things that attracted a lot of attention was undoubtedly the real-time ranking of several professional players led by Yan Duozhou after these days of fierce battles. A few days ago, Yan Duzhou¡¯s black mage BlackBoat was forcibly pushed back from eighth to ninth place under the joint attack of several Korean professional players. But after these few days of hard work, he has now risen to sixth place again, and he was also the closest player to the top of the Korean server among the current national players. Right behind Yan Duozhou was Wen Shuqing, the captain of the Scattered Clouds team under the Streamer Club. As a player who regularly hung out in the Korean service, he has always been at the top of the leaderboards, but a prolonged disappearance some time ago caused the Shadow Swordsman account to drop right down to 34th place. Because in these preseason matches, the Scattered Clouds team was led by vice-captain Zhang Fengyu, and Wen Shuqing was never seen from start to finish, everyone thought that maybe there was something wrong with his physical condition. However, after the China-Korea e-sports war ignited this time, he reappeared in the limelight again, and he even reached the 16th position on the Korean leaderboard in just a few days, giving a powerful and straightforward answer to all the supporters. As for other temporary rankings of domestic professionals so far, Shen Changyu of Team Black Rose was 30th, Liu Zeshen was 76th; Song Lan of Team Apocalypse was 22nd, Chen Rifa was 89th; Zhang Fengyu of Team Scattered Clouds 25th, Yanling Jiang ranked 42nd; Red Leaf team¡¯s Xu Yun ranked 48th, Ding Jie 69th; and many players from other teams also ranked in the top 80, but a relatively large part of them mainly concentrated in the top 100. As the rankings have been updated frequently over the past few days, in addition to those professional players¡¯ known accounts, a new ID has also attracted a lot of attention. He rose all the way up the rankings like a rocket in just a few days, scoring frantically from the end of the first 200, reaching 53rd in a twinkling of an eye and continuing to climb at an astonishing speed. Many people were shocked when this strange ID suddenly appeared, and in the forums, some players who have visited various platforms have already started to get excited. They commented that this person was one of the protagonists of the recent popular humiliating video, and someone attached the link to watch the video in the subsequent comment. This video, with tens of millions of views, was the one that Lin Xiao gave to Little Monkey Master to sell to Lu Xing. After editing, the entire video brought out the ferocity of each other¡¯s attacks extremely vividly. Although both sides¡¯ IDs were indeed avoided as agreed during the process, the live broadcast of Jiang Minjun was such a big deal in South Korea that even many Chinese netizens noticed it. They felt something familiar, and a quick comparison made it very easy to put it in the right place. The news that behind this mysterious ID was a national expert spread like wildfire, and all the national players who had read the post were immediately excited. Some people even checked this character¡¯s battle record, and the winning streak starting from a few days ago was all green, the effect downright dazzling. After the screenshot was posted, all the onlookers were stunned again. Judging by the situation, in just a few days, the record was close to 100%, which would explain why the ranking of this account constantly increased at such a constant speed. This interest lasted for a whole week, and after seeing that instead of being squeezed out, this account was promoted all the way to the 10th position on the leaderboard, the entire national league finally completely erupted! At this point, there were two national players who reached the top 10 in the Korean leaderboard, one was Yan Duzhou, ranked fourth, and the other was Wen Shuqing, who had just been promoted to sixth. That way, if this new ID that appeared suddenly was indeed Chinese, then he was the third player in the top 10 of the Korean server. LovelyGhost. Who the hell was that? With the uproar in the domestic forums, LovelyGhost¡®s record has also attracted the attention of South Korea. In a way, thanks to Jiang Minjun, I¡¯m afraid the Korean side has been paying attention to this new face much earlier. Many members of professional teams have become vigilant, and some have even begun to prepare for sniper operations in the game. ¡­ At a time when the e-sports fields in China and South Korea were going at a turbulent pace, Lin Xiao was looking with interest at the dazzling skills displayed on the computer screen with his arms folded. As the victory emblem popped up, You Jing took off his earmuffs and looked back at him: ¡°Wanna fight?¡± Lin Xiao shook the cigarette in the corner of his mouth, looked at the various statistics after the battle, glanced at the horrific amount of healing, and refused without hesitation: ¡°Absolutely not.¡± You Jing: ¡°Too bad.¡± Lin Xiao raised an eyebrow silently without comment. Although he was very confident in his level, this did not mean he was a masochist. The reason why this priest role has always been controversial was precisely because of the low damage and the low amount of healing that could cause an awkward situation. But this issue was obviously completely ruled out as far as You Jing was concerned. In the usual team matchups, his simple healing routine was good enough to keep under control the health level of the entire five-member squad, but in the 1V1 battle, the only one he needs to take care of is himself, and this amount of healing was more than enough. In other words, if you need to deal about 10,000 damage in normal battles, then you need at least 100,000 damage when facing You Jing¡¯s priest. In order to win a round, there must be an outburst equivalent to at least ten rounds. Just thinking about it a little bit, no one is willing to experience such a thing. Lin Xiao felt that it was better for him to be a quiet little spectator. Just as You Jing started the next round, Xiao Li came with the mobile phone, looking at the post on the screen and then at Lin Xiao as if he was a monster: ¡°I say, when did you even climb into the top 10? This is too much! I¡¯ve only just reached 21st place!¡± Lin Xiao said with a smile: ¡°Extra training is effective. If you don¡¯t believe me, you can stay with me all night?¡± ¡°You are too complacent!¡± Xiao Li rolled his eyes angrily, and he looked a little depressed, ¡°Besides, it¡¯s not like anyone who spends more time on this leaderboard will be able to advance. I struggled all day yesterday between 21st and 25th place. I¡¯m so tired.¡± Lin Xiao turned back to look at You Jing¡¯s nimble fingers which were moving at a rapid pace, and replied somewhat perfunctorily: ¡°This means that you need to have the perfect luck to be matched with rookies all the way through the rankings.¡± Xiao Li was speechless and forcefully dragged Lin Xiao in front of the computer next to him, then pushed him into the chair, pressing his hands on his shoulders. Before Lin Xiao could react, he had already opened the Korean list with a click of the mouse, urging: ¡°Don¡¯t talk nonsense, enter the game, join the queue, and let me have a good look at the level of the top 10 Korean masters.¡± Lin Xiao glanced at him: ¡°Hey, I¡¯ll have to charge you for forcing me to perform like this.¡± Xiao Li looked disgusted: ¡°Three top-quality cigarettes.¡± ¡°Deal.¡± Lin Xiao said with a happy smile, ¡°Since you admire me so much, I will show you my true strength!¡± Xiao Li kicked his chair leg angrily: ¡°Alright, hurry up.¡± You Jing, who was supposed to be in the middle of the battle, suddenly turned around, and his eyes fell on Lin Xiao¡¯s hand, which was about to reach for a lighter. ¡°Smoking is prohibited during training,¡± he said in a calm tone. Lin Xiao¡¯s movements paused, then he put the lighter on the table very naturally, with an ingratiating smile: ¡°Don¡¯t be nervous, don¡¯t be nervous, I just felt it was too tight in my pants pocket, so I wanted to take it out.¡± Xiao Li watched the interaction between the two expressionlessly and glanced at the system kill information displayed in the lower left corner of You Jing¡¯s screen. Seeing the procedure time of 5 minutes, he then withdrew his gaze, still expressionless, but with a slight involuntary twitch of his mouth. Captain You was clearly engaged in a fight right now, so how did he suddenly have the time to pay attention to whether people were smoking or not? How can a priest kill his opponent in less than five minutes? These people can¡¯t be human. I guess the opponent will have psychological trauma in the future, right? As he was thinking about this, the long queue lined up on the screen for a long time finally ended. At first, he just glanced over it absent-mindedly, but when he saw the ID of the enemy, the expressionless and stern image that Xiao Li had been trying to create before finally completely collapsed. He was so shocked that he subconsciously took two steps back and didn¡¯t even react when bumping into someone¡¯s chest until he heard Liu Zeshen¡¯s voice with a hint of laughter in it, and then he came back to his senses: ¡°What¡¯s the matter, Xiao Li? Why are you so surprised?¡± It was rare that Xiao Li didn¡¯t argue with him, and even asked as if seeking confirmation subconsciously, ¡°BlackBoat, that¡¯s¡­ Captain Yan, right?¡± Compared to his shock, Lin Xiao looked much calmer. After banning two successive maps, a profound look imperceptibly flashed in his eyes as he looked at the opponent¡¯s ID. He took off the unlit cigarette in the corner of his mouth and put it aside, muttering to himself in a voice that only he could hear: ¡°Oh, this won¡¯t be easy to handle¡­¡± That¡¯s what he said, but his eyes narrowed slightly, suppressing a smile. ¡­ Meanwhile, Yan Duzhou, who was far away at the Apocalypse team¡¯s training base, also didn¡¯t expect that they would face each other in this situation. The fighting intent in his eyes flickered vaguely, and his already serious demeanor appeared even more solemn. Song Lan was humming a song, passing by with a cup of water, when he inadvertently noticed his captain¡¯s demeanor and curiously came closer to take a look. When he caught sight of the other¡¯s ID, his steps stopped, and he couldn¡¯t leave anymore. LovelyGhost? Wasn¡¯t he the mysterious expert in the national league that has been in the spotlight recently? The author has something to say: Lin Xiao: Come on, let¡¯s hurt each other! CH 68 If it was a normal encounter, Lin Xiao would definitely take this opportunity to tease Yan Duzhou a little. But now he was not alone. Not only Xiao Li and Liu Zesheng were watching closely behind him, but You Jing, who had just finished the battle, was also quietly watching. As soon as he saw the picture, Lin Xiao sent a message on the map chat: ¡°Captain Yan, please be merciful, take it easy on me!¡± Then he added a crying face. Xiao Li was still dazed and had not yet come to his senses, but after seeing this sentence, he complained: ¡°I say, Lin Xiao, can you have a little dignity? Although you¡¯re bound to lose, there¡¯s no need to be on your knees¡­¡± Lin Xiao looked back at him, ¡°What do you know? You can defeat the enemy in one shot if you numb his senses and relax his vigilance. Why would I lose? Maybe I will win by chance if I use the strategy well?¡± Xiao Li: ¡°Come on, Captain Yan knows who you are!¡± Lin Xiao: ¡°What if he knows? Anyway, I¡¯m also a celebrity now!¡± Xiao Li: ¡°¡­ Hurry up and hide your big tail that is wagging happily!¡± Lin Xiao shook his head: ¡°Young man, you should learn to accept reality.¡± At this time, Yan Duozhou¡¯s response to his words popped up on the map chat, ¡°I might.¡± Xiao Li was about to refute Lin Xiao¡¯s words, but when he saw this answer, he choked and coughed with a red face. He might!? Might what, showing mercy, taking easy on him? After all, it was a top duel on the Korean leaderboard, so I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s not a good idea¡­ Lin Xiao did not take the opportunity to embarrass Xiao Li, and, at a rare moment, he was also somewhat speechless. From his reply, it was obvious that Yan Duozhou also guessed that it was not convenient to recognize each other in this situation, but such words were too ambiguous¡­ He coughed dryly twice, lowered his head, avoiding You Jing¡¯s sight, and fixed his attention firmly on the computer screen. As the expression in his eyes became more and more serious, his playful smile gradually began to fade. In fact, Lin Xiao never thought that he would face Yan Duzhou so soon. In his expectations, he was going to play in the individual competition in the playoffs, and could only have a chance to meet him in the team competition. As a result, all expectations have been broken. However, after the unexpected emotions dissipated, only a faint excitement remained in his heart. Even though he wasn¡¯t 100% sure that he could win against Yan Duzhou in his current situation, he was looking forward to the next duel from the bottom of his heart, even a little impatiently. Under Lin Xiao¡¯s control, the ghost priest shuttled rapidly through the Horror Tomb map with an unprecedented proactive attitude. However, judging from the course of action, his detour arc was very large, and he was even moving close to the outermost edge of the map. Obviously, he wanted to avoid the first wave of confrontation that may be caused by head-on encounters. I don¡¯t know if it was due to his deliberate actions or other reasons, but for three minutes after the game started, let alone a battle, the two sides never even saw each other. This kind of situation was extremely rare not only in ordinary battles but even in professional competitions. Xiao Li muttered to himself: ¡°Captain Yan is really taking it easy¡­¡± Liu Zeshen unceremoniously denied, ¡°You¡¯re overthinking it, Captain Yan is not such a person.¡± Xiao Li gritted his teeth: ¡°Then how do you explain this?¡± You Jing suddenly said, ¡°Pay attention to Lin Xiao¡¯s positioning moves, they are not random, but deliberately avoid the opponent¡¯s route based on his anticipation.¡± ¡°Anticipating Captain Yan¡¯s route?¡± Xiao Li was speechless, ¡°Is this possible?¡± ¡°Any individual¡¯s operation has a certain degree of reproducibility, and there are certain patterns to be found.¡± You Jing said this, never moving his eyes away from the screen, ¡°Nothing is impossible with enough knowledge of your opponent and a fair amount of experience.¡± His words ended abruptly, and his almond-shaped eyes slowly narrowed, covering the spark within them. Although Xiao Li had gotten the explanation that Lin Xiao was intentionally avoiding Yan Duozhou¡¯s path of action by anticipating it, he was still a bit confused: ¡°But, Captain You, what¡¯s the point of avoiding the fight like this? Zone battles are judged as a draw if they exceed the set time!¡± You Jing replied calmly, ¡°Combat preparation.¡± Combat preparation? Xiao Li felt a little confused by this answer. Isn¡¯t it just a 1v1 personal ranking game, just play it, what preparation do you need? At this moment, Lin Xiao¡¯s hand suddenly accelerated, the direction of the ghost priest changed, and he stopped his roundabout movements. Instead, he moved straight to the main graveyard in the middle of the map, kept rotating its field of view as he moved, and finally stopped at certain coordinates. This location was in the middle of a messy graveyard. The east side was the tombstone of the main grave, the huge cross particularly conspicuous; the south side was all dense and tangled shrubbery. From this position, the location of the ambush could be clearly seen; the west side was a vast open space, with almost no possibility of taking cover, and there were rows upon rows of graves on the north side, with a few will-o¡¯-the-wisps flashing from time to time. The point was, it was impossible to hide and cast spells without being noticed. A seemingly simple coordinate was deduced through Lin Xiao¡¯s careful analysis. The figure of the black mage flickered into view, followed by thick, dark clouds that suddenly condensed overhead, and within moments hail covered the sky, and its density almost completely covered the place where the ghost priest stood. But Lin Xiao seemed to be waiting for this scene to happen. The ghost priest leaped out of the technique range the moment the spell was cast and rushed toward the figure in the vision field. However, before he could get close enough, the figure had already disappeared from view once again. Just as Lin Xiao didn¡¯t give Yan Duzhou a chance to strike first, Yan Duzhou didn¡¯t give Lin Xiao a chance to counterattack either. It took only an instant from appearing to disappearing as if he had already decided that the attack from now would never succeed. Lin Xiao didn¡¯t get impatient because he missed the opportunity, but he was a little disappointed. Old Yan, this guy, was still as cautious as ever, which was very frustrating! No, actually, he¡¯s calmer and more terrifying now than he was then. He never expected to take advantage of the trap positioning when facing this old opponent, so in front of this ambush that had ended before it even started, he just licked his lips and continued to plan for the next step. After losing his target, the ghost priest didn¡¯t stop. After throwing a wisp of Ghost Fire toward the bushes, he suddenly changed direction and ran the other way. Whether it was a fated encounter or a chance encounter, the two characters met head-on without warning while they were rapidly moving. In an instant, as the Ghost Fire ignited a raging black flame circle on the ground around the black mage, an icicle that bloomed like a flower in a moment also rose around the ghost priest. Immediately after that, while both of them turned on the Ghost Sprint to move at a faster pace, the bright greenish spectral lights of one black and one blue staff seemed to have become the most noticeable points on the screen. Dazzling skills collided and overflowed in all directions, vibrating and roaring, making the originally dark map completely covered in a gorgeous light curtain due to the intensive release of spells, and the violent outputs were intertwined, releasing visual effects that could only be seen in 5V5 battles. Amidst the dizzying light effects, two figures could be vaguely seen moving rapidly at the same time. Watching these scenes, Xiao Li was utterly stunned. He has always known that Lin Xiao¡¯s hand speed was very high, but he never imagined that it could be so fast; he also always knew that Lin Xiao was a very good player, but he never thought that he could be so good that even under the ¡®King of Hell¡¯s full firepower, they were still even¡­ If at first, he didn¡¯t think Lin Xiao had the slightest chance of winning, now he actually began to look forward to what would happen if he would defeat Yan Duzhou. However, observing the blood volume of both combatants, the rate of decline of the ghost priest¡®s blood bar was faster than that of the black mage. Indeed, Lin Xiao was having a difficult time now. In the previous games, it was fine, but now he met a top player, by contrast, this set of Internet cafe equipment he had, was really a hindrance. This duel was supposed to be related to the response speed of the combatants, but because the keys of the device were too stiff, neither the skill frequency nor the operation speed could keep up with his pace, and it also aggravated the strain on his fingers on a higher level. From the moment they met, Yan Duzhou had already gained the upper hand, and after that, what appeared to be a fierce battle on the surface was actually just his cover for the defense. Seeing that his blood bar was about to be emptied, he forcibly increased his hand speed, but just as he was about to perform the last counterattack wave, a sudden ¡®click¡¯ was heard, and the monitor went dark. ¡°Holy shit!¡± Xiao Li was watching with excitement when everything turned awry. What the hell is going on here, I didn¡¯t guess the beginning, and now I can¡¯t guess the ending at all! ¡°No way, power outage?¡± Lin Xiao took off his headphones and also looked around in confusion. ¡°Sorry, my feet slipped, and I stepped on the power strip.¡± As You Jing said that, he stepped on the power strip lightly, glanced at the power led that was on again, and said, ¡°Since the power was turned off, today¡¯s extra training will come to an end.¡± ¡°Ah, what a good time for your feet to slip!¡± Lin Xiao ignored Xiao Li¡¯s painful expression, rubbed his sore fingers, and praised him with a smile. As he spoke, he looked up only to see You Jing taking out a large bag from somewhere and placing it on the desk: ¡°During the training period, I will lend it to you temporarily. If the training goal is not achieved, I will take it all back.¡± Xiao Li was curious: ¡°You guys have a training goal, what is it?¡± You Jing: ¡°None of your business.¡± Lin Xiao smiled: ¡°It¡¯s a secret.¡± Xiao Li: ¡°¡­¡± Liu Zeshen thought about it and suggested: ¡°Perhaps, we could also set a goal?¡± ¡°Good idea!¡± Xiao Li raised his eyebrows at Lin Xiao disdainfully, pulled Liu Zeshen up, and walked to his computer desk, ¡°It¡¯s great to have a goal, we can set one too! Tsk!¡± CH 69 In the center of the computer screen, the fierce battle that was still going on a moment before suddenly stopped. In the light of the black mage¡®s staff, the intensive skills intertwined suddenly stopped, leaving only the ghost priest standing motionless with only a quarter of his health left, which was particularly abrupt compared with the tense scene just now. Song Lan held the cup and watched the whole game behind Yan Duzhou¡¯s computer with excitement, so when he encountered such a sudden stillness, he couldn¡¯t regain his senses. As he looked at the ghost priest who stood there like a stone statue for a long time, there was a flash of light over his body, and the word ¡®Victory¡¯ appeared on the screen, leaving him speechless: ¡°No way, he went offline?¡± In the Zone, with the exception of 3V3 and 5V5 team matches, if an individual match was disconnected for more than five minutes, it would be considered a forfeit. That was obviously the case with this ghost priest, right now. After exiting the battle map, Yan Duozhou looked at his ranking, which had gone up one more place, but he didn¡¯t show any joy. He did not choose to continue entering the queue but directly exited the game and shut down the computer. Seeing Yan Duzhou stand up and walk out, Song Lan also followed behind him, feeling a little emotional: ¡°Captain Yan, it¡¯s been a long time since I saw such a powerful ghost priest! That LovelyGhost, is he really a national player like they say?¡± Yan Duzhou responded, ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Why, Captain Yan, do you know him?¡± Song Lan smelled something else from this answer and became more curious, ¡°Who the hell is this guy? He seems quite powerful, is it possible to bring him into our team?¡± Yan Duzhou didn¡¯t even think about it: ¡°He won¡¯t come.¡± ¡°Alright then.¡± Song Lan had only been asking casually and wasn¡¯t too disappointed with this answer. Instead, he smiled, ¡°Anyway, no matter what, he¡¯s not as good as you, Captain Yan, and you are not inferior to him. Although he went offline for some reason, according to the situation, with such a big difference in health and blood bar, he was destined to lose anyway.¡± Yan Duzhou, who was walking in front, suddenly stopped. Not paying attention, Song Lan almost bumped into him and immediately scrambled to stabilize the teacup, shouting: ¡°Yo, Captain Yan, be careful!¡± Yan Duzhou stared at him for a while, ignoring his yelling: ¡°Have you forgotten what I taught you before?¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t forgotten!¡± Under such gaze, Song Lan¡¯s expression gradually became serious: ¡°Captain Yan, I was wrong! I shouldn¡¯t underestimate the enemy or take it for granted!¡± Only then did Yan Duzhou look away in satisfaction, and recalling the scenes of the battle from now, he stated slowly: ¡°Always remember, facing anyone and any battle, as long as it is not over, you¡¯re not allowed to slack. Especially when facing strong and respectable opponents.¡± Song Lan nodded earnestly: ¡°I¡¯ll remember.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll be the captain of the Apocalypse team in the future. It¡¯s time to learn to bear some things on your own.¡± After saying this, Yan Duzhou walked to the end of the corridor step by step, and after turning a corner, his figure couldn¡¯t be seen anymore. He never looked back from the beginning to the end. Song Lan stood there blankly because of the impact of the last sentence and even forgot to catch up with that man. A few days ago, he had also heard people talking about a conversation between Captain Yan and Manager Fu. It was said to have considered retirement, but he did not take such rumors to heart. That¡¯s because he knew too well the captain who single-handedly promoted him and how important e-sports were to him. It was precisely because he understood him that, even though he knew Yan Duzhou had already passed the age of retirement, he still believed that the ¡°King of Hell,¡± who could scare anyone, would never give up the team and the e-sports. However, those words made Song Lan very confused, and he didn¡¯t know what to think now. So, is Captain Yan really going to retire this time?¡­ ¡­ The Korean leaderboard posted on the forums was updated in real-time, and with the end of the current game, when everyone realized that Yan Duozhou¡¯s BlackBoat had climbed to fifth place, they erupted in joy. However, it was soon discovered that LovelyGhost, who has been on the rise, lost one place at the same time. Did he really start to decline after entering the top 10? Some people were suspicious and went to check the battle records. If you don¡¯t check, you don¡¯t know. If you check, you will be surprised. Upon seeing the black mage¡®s opponent¡¯s ID in the matchup list, the followers¡¯ comments immediately piled up exponentially. LovelyGhost vs. BlackBoat¡­ isn¡¯t this like a family fight? However, considering the results of this game, did it also mean that LovelyGhost, despite how insane his previous record was, will inevitably be crushed when he faces China¡¯s #1 man, Yan Duozhou? While admiring Yan Duzhou¡¯s strength, the rest of the national players also felt a little disappointed. After all, most of them had hoped that this mysterious expert would top the Korean rankings, but now, the situation was telling them that LovelyGhost may not be as strong as they imagined. However, such a small fluctuation did not affect the expectations of domestic players too much, after all, the person LovelyGhost lost to, was Yan Duzhou, rather than some Korean player, so in their minds, there was still an uplifting vision. Even if he can¡¯t reach the top of the Korean leaderboard, maybe LovelyGhost could try to get second or third place? If they can get at least two places in the top three, it will undoubtedly leave two striking marks of slaps on the faces of those noisy Koreans. Thinking like this, the domestic audience, as well as the players, immediately cheered up again and began to look forward to the upcoming ranking updates. But what they didn¡¯t know was that this game not only caught the attention of the national players, but also the ACE team in Seoul, South Korea. Devin was leading the team for a training match today and happened to see Yan Duzhou online in the friends list, so he temporarily changed the training content to the analysis of the individual match. Originally, he thought Yan Duzhou, currently ranked No. 6 on the leaderboard, would be an excellent analysis material no matter which Korean player he would meet in the high-end game. What he didn¡¯t expect was that, either it was the other party¡¯s luck or his luck was too good, because in this round, he actually met LovelyGhost who was in the limelight recently, so he had the opportunity to examine both of them at the same time. Although the game only lasted a short time and ended as a farce when LovelyGhost went offline, both sides revealed a world-class matchup in terms of their positioning and the details of handling the situation. After analyzing the battle for the players and leaving them to their training sessions, Devin turned off the running video and leaned back in his chair to rest his eyes. Images of the battle replayed through his mind like a movie, and every fine detail seemed to play clearly before his eyes. The captain of the Apocalypse team, one of the most respected players, Yan Duozhou, even at an age when he should have already retired, still showed enough strength and was full of surprises, as impressive as always. However, in this game, it was the mysterious expert Lovely Ghost who really attracted his attention. From the roundabout movement at the start to the precise judgment and exploitation of locations, and then the skillful breakout when the two sides clashed later on, all of these made him superimpose another person in his memory that could no longer appear. But it was only a similarity. Judging only after this brief round, his old friend¡¯s operation style was much more precise and ruthless than this LovelyGhost¡®s. Reviewing the ghost priest players from the major professional teams in China one by one, Devin couldn¡¯t remember when such a character had ever appeared. ¡°He will be a strong enemy for your Korean teams.¡± Yan Duzhou¡¯s words were still vivid in his mind, and Devin could not stop a faint smile as he glanced at the ID on the screen with great interest: ¡°Oh, a strong enemy?¡± If he thought it was just hype before and didn¡¯t pay much attention to it, at this moment, he did have some expectations for this mysterious expert. Nothing to do since they happened to be the top players in the ghost priest profession. He took out his mobile and dialed a number: ¡°Hey, it¡¯s Devin. Help me monitor LovelyGhost¡®s online activity. Yes, that¡¯s right, remember to notify me next time he goes online. Ah, yes, I want to play sniper¡­¡± After ending the call, he slowly turned his chair toward the window, the falling sunlight sprinkled on his face, making his smile somewhat sharper: ¡°Lin, it¡¯s been a while since someone as interesting as you showed up.¡± ¡­ ¡°Ah-choo, Ah-choo, Ah-choo¨C!¡± Lin Xiao had just returned to the dormitory after extorting Xiao Li for a meal and an afternoon tea, and before entering the door, he was almost knocked over by a series of successive sneezes. He rubbed his nose and looked suspiciously at the person who hadn¡¯t gone far: ¡°Boss Xiao, you didn¡¯t put something in the tea, did you?¡± Xiao Li¡¯s mouth twitched, and he raised a foot to kick him. Lin Xiao flashed into the room quickly and slammed the door, and then he heard a heavy sound, followed by a cry of pain and some faint words: ¡°Ah, Captain You, no, I didn¡¯t damage public property¡­ Yes, I¡¯ll pay! I¡¯ll pay for it!¡± After a while, his phone buzzed, and when he opened it, he saw a message from Xiao Li, which was concise and to the point: ¡°You just wait!¡± Lin Xiao laughed in a good mood, put his phone on the table, looked up, and let himself fall comfortably on the bed. The extra training these days is really¡ªreally tiring! The author has something to say: Lin Xiao: Although I don¡¯t know what he¡¯s talking about, I know he must be saying I¡¯m cool. Devin: Although I don¡¯t know what he¡¯s talking about, I know he must be saying I¡¯m cool. Yan Duzhou: ¡­ CH 70 Little Monkey Master: ¡°Hey, hey, are you there, are you there?!¡± Lin Xiao just opened the messenger box after a day¡¯s rest and received a burst of indiscriminate bombardment of messages. He replied speechlessly, ¡°Yes, is there a video demand again?¡± Little Monkey Master: ¡°Bah, videos are just a small matter, you must think on a bigger scale! When you start playing for the leaderboard, add me as a friend and let me OB1 (that is, as a true spectator) live! Well, the price is negotiable.¡± At this point, Lin Xiao, of course, understood and sent back a smiling face: ¡°What, are you taking advantage of my fame to make a small fortune?¡± Little Monkey Master corrected: ¡°Let¡¯s say we make a small fortune together! b(£þ¨Œ£þ)d¡± Lin Xiao: ¡°Actually, live broadcast it¡¯s okay. The income will be divided 80%-20%. I take 80, and you take 20.¡± Little Monkey Master flipped the table: ¡°Are you kidding me?¡± Lin Xiao: ¡°Oops, you caught me.¡± Little Monkey Master: ¡°¡­¡± Lin Xiao: ¡°Well, actually, it¡¯s 70%-30%. I get 70, and you 30.¡± Little Monkey Master: ¡°¡­ I can¡¯t stand you!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t mind standing myself. ^_^~¡± Lin Xiao replied, ¡°Today I¡¯m starting the race for the number one spot on the Korean leaderboard. If you feel you are at a disadvantage, then I can find someone else to cooperate with me.¡± He just fell to 11th place yesterday, if he starts racing to the first place, at least 20 consecutive victories should be guaranteed, right? Little Monkey Master¡®s mouth twitched, and finally, after weighing the pros and cons, he typed two words with pain: ¡°Deal.¡± In front of the computer, Little Monkey melancholically lit a cigarette with a vague moodiness, and looking at the dark clouds outside the window, his thoughts flooded like a river. Had it not been for creating the Little Monkey Master¡®s live stream brand, he wouldn¡¯t have reached such a cooperation agreement with that guy with no conscience! Of course, even a 30% commission, given the current reputation of LovelyGhost, was definitely a lot of money. If he was lucky, he may even be able to establish his status as the top player of the platform in one fell swoop. Taking a deep breath, he didn¡¯t delay anymore, and hurriedly urged Lin Xiao to log in to the game account and add him to the Korean friend list. The name of the live broadcast room was changed to ¡°Live Stream of LovelyGhost¡¯s Race to the Top of the Korean Leaderboard¡± while the footage played on the screen. Almost as soon as the name was changed, groups of viewers and players from the national league began to pour into the live streaming room, and the number of online users increased at a dizzying speed. Little Monkey Master¡®s excited voice filled the entire live room, ¡°Welcome to Little Monkey Master¡®s live stream! Today we will give you a broadcast of the whole process of the legendary freshman LovelyGhost¡®s race to 1st place on the Korean leaderboard. It¡¯s now open for prizes, so you can bet if LovelyGhost can hit that goal today. First come, first served, until the betting is full!¡± As soon as the words fell, the entire screen suddenly burst with countless pop-ups with cheers and shouts mixed with occasional disdainful and discordant remarks. Everything swept by like a rocket filling everyone¡¯s vision. Just then, the indicator light in front of LovelyGhost¡®s avatar in the friends¡¯ list turned yellow, opening the first individual battle of the day. Because of the high hidden score, Lin Xiao, who was currently ranked 11th, was not as easy to match up with opponents as before. It took nearly 20 minutes before he entered the battle interface. After glancing at the opponent¡¯s profession, he casually banned two maps, and after sorting his gear, he entered the battle. Going from 11th to 1st place seemed to be only ten positions away, but the experience required was beyond imagination. So, Little Monkey Master actually took it as a joke, and the name of the room was just a gimmick to attract people. But on this question, if Lin Xiao were to be asked if he was serious, his answer would inevitably be, ¡°Ah, of course I am serious.¡± Actually, at that time, the special training time given by You Jing had already ended, and in a way, he hadn¡¯t accomplished the set task within the specified time period. If before it was possible to put the blame on that inadequate set of equipment, now that he was using a piece of top-notch equipment that worked so nicely, he could no longer make excuses for himself. One of Lin Xiao¡¯s consistent principles was that he must do what he promised! What¡¯s more, he was now taking advantage of others! Lin Xiao stroked the keyboard with a smile on his face, enjoying the tactile sensation from his fingertips. After the game loaded, he smoothly began to control the ghost priest¡®s movements. At 36 seconds into the game, the two players met in the upper right corner of the map. The ghost priest avoided the head-on assault of the shadow swordsman through subtle movements and used the surrounding terrain to hide, predicting the opponent¡¯s whereabouts and cutting off one-third of his blood fast. At 2 minutes and 15 seconds, the shadow swordsman was ambushed by the ghost priest. After the two combatants exchanged leaps and double steps, the shadow swordsman was about to chase after the ghost priest but was hit by the Ground Void and slowed down, losing the opponent¡¯s trace again due to lack of control. Before 5 minutes had passed, the ghost priest was up to his old ambush tricks, carefully hiding and draining the last stripe of blood from the shadow swordsman and getting the first kill. At 6 minutes and 15 seconds, the revived shadow swordsman began to walk in a roundabout way, but the moment he approached the ghost priest, he bumped into the opponent¡¯s ultimate move, Myriad Ghost Void. He didn¡¯t get any chance to struggle and was directly swept away by the opponent¡¯s almost seamless combo. At 7 minutes and 05 seconds, he got the second kill and won overall. LovelyGhost won the first victory of the day and returned to 10th place. ¡°He won! Simply impeccable!¡± In the live broadcast room, Little Monkey Master was so excited that he jumped up from his chair. The entire screen was occupied by a series of superimposed numbers, and at first glance, only overlapped and blurred words could be seen, and one could not even clearly see the specific content. Through the virtual network, one could even feel the cheers and applause of countless national players at the other end of the screen. Most players have seen the video of LovelyGhost¡®s match against Jiang Minjun, a top Korean player. Although the opponent at the moment was not a top player, the massacre just now gave people this strange feeling that the ghost priest they saw in the live broadcast seemed to be more terrifying than they imagined. ¡°Congratulations to LovelyGhost for winning the first game, let¡¯s continue to place bets and guess who will win the next game!¡± Little Monkey Master watched the online viewership grow linearly at a near-doubling rate, and he was smiling so happily that his eyes narrowed into slits. Meanwhile, Lin Xiao has already started a new game. For him, the amount of money to be shared and the number of viewers watching the game in the live stream were all things for later. Right now, the only thing he had to consider was fulfilling his promise to reach number one in the Korean rankings as soon as possible. It was the only thing he could trade for this expensive e-sports gear. The previous match was just a warm-up for the rest of the day. What followed was a gluttonous feast. The gates to the slaughterhouse have just opened from here on. Lin Xiao was smiling, seeming to be in a particularly happy mood. ¡ªSo, have you ever experienced despair?¡ª The second round of matches began in the midst of the public¡¯s attention and ended in the midst of a million people¡¯s revelry. This one took even less time than the previous one, ending in just 6 minutes and 30 seconds. Right after that, in the third game, he met a member of the Korean team GOD but won easily in about 12 minutes. With three straight wins to this point, he even crushed a Korean pro and moved into 9th place. All the players watching the battle went crazy. Someone created a recording of the battle on the forums, using the live stream name of Little Monkey Master, thus attracting more viewers. Since then, the number of people watching the live stream has exceeded ten million. After watching LovelyGhost¡®s overwhelming victory, people who still had doubts about the ability of this mysterious expert because of the game with Yan Duozhou, have already started to think ¨C maybe, this person can really achieve the feat of reaching the top of the Korean ranking! Comments filled the screen, from the initial praise to a unified and neat slogan: ¡°Climb the Korean rankings, dominate the leaderboard!¡± By noon that day, Lin Xiao had won eight consecutive victories and was ranked 6th. Such overbearing and unbelievable scoring speed made not only the Chinese but also the Korean viewers who followed the changes in the ranking, go crazy. Keep winning, keep scoring, and keep climbing the rankings, he was practically running rampant through the Korean league. With such strong momentum, he seemed to be about to break through the top of the list without a hitch. If at first LovelyGhost was only noticed by the Korean players, instead now, he seemed to have become a more daunting presence than Yan Duzhou. While the Korean league was in shock, professional players from the top echelons logged into the game one after another and started an overwhelming sniper attack in order to defend their last touch of dignity. However, after out-ranking four Korean pros in a row, the winning streak has yet to be stopped, and several top players have been taken down after successive encounters. By 7 o¡¯clock in the evening, he had achieved eighteen consecutive victories, ranking second. There was only one last step left to the top. The last hope of all Koreans was placed on the current number one Korean myth ¨C Devin, the ghost priest. Once the procedures to enter the game were complete, seeing both IDs, whether national or Korean viewers, they were all in a frenzy. LovelyGhost VS Devin. LovelyGhost had 3488 ranking points, while Devin had 3600 points. Due to the high hidden scores of both players, the winner will receive 100 points, while the loser will have the corresponding 100 points deducted. In other words, LovelyGhost originally needed two more matches to overtake the first-place owner, Devin, and reach the top of the Korean rankings. This matchup has now become an early battle for first place on the Korean leaderboard. Looking at the familiar ID of the opponent, Lin Xiao narrowed his eyes slightly with an anticipating smile. What is this, is there no one else left? It¡¯s really, really interesting¡­ Outside Broadcast (¡°OB¡±) refers to any television or radio program which is broadcast from a location away from the normal studio setting. The location doesn¡¯t actually have to be ¡°outdoors¡± ¡ª the ¡°outside¡± simply means ¡°outside the studio.¡± CH 71 In the last round, LovelyGhost was finally taken down. While Devin was relieved, he also felt tremendous pressure on the other hand. None of the previous games had as much pressure as now. However, he knew very well that this time, not only fans of e-sports from China and South Korea but also observers from many other countries were watching this game, monitoring the strength of e-sports of the two countries. The stakes of this duel have reached a higher level that no one can control. Strictly speaking, Devin was now just an ordinary retired player. After he left surrounded by such glory, he shouldn¡¯t have to bear this heavy pressure again, but at this moment, it could be said that he was forced to climb the mountain, and there was no other choice for him. The truth was that, in Devin¡¯s view, this really was a pain in the ass. In fact, he has been trying to catch this mysterious Chinese expert ever since LovelyGhost¡®s first game went online. But, no matter what, they were never matched together until such a life-and-death game finally led to the meeting of the two. I have to say, God¡¯s arrangement is really, too wonderful, wonderful! Like everything was on purpose! In the current situation, Devin could only sigh helplessly, but he gradually became serious looking at the screen. The other players of the ACE team also stopped all their training programs and gathered around the computer, watching the game of the century with bated breath. Both sides entered the maps¡¯ banning stage. When he saw that the opponent¡¯s first ban was the Lava Purgatory map, Devin¡¯s eyes flashed with surprise, and he banned Lost Desert City without hesitation. Immediately after, LovelyGhost banned Horror Tomb, and after a moment of hesitation, Devin finally decided to ban the Wild Forest, leaving the Polar Ice Field as the final battle map. This kind of vast map was obviously suitable for direct and fast combat. A team member frowned and said: ¡°Coach, this banning method is like he¡¯s targeting you¡­¡± Another person interjected, ¡°Could it be that he did some research on you?¡± Devin didn¡¯t answer, his silence a tacit consent to what they said. Indeed, from the routine of banning the maps, the opponent seemed to be unexpectedly familiar with him. But with his identity, it was no wonder someone had done some research on him, so he didn¡¯t think much of it. Once the map loaded, the showdown was officially underway amidst everyone¡¯s eager anticipation. Little Monkey Master made a temporary guest appearance in the live broadcast room to explain his identity. He thought that Lin Xiao would be like in the video he showed him before, dropping a sentence in that astonishing English of his to spice up the atmosphere, but who would have guessed that until after the first wave of skirmishes that ended in a head-on collision between the two, the map chat was still empty, and no one had said half a word. Faced with such a situation, finding his own interpretation, he felt a little emotional. Sure enough, going up against the masters was different from those jumping clowns, the pressure was huge, and no one was in the mood to joke! So, Lin Xiao can¡¯t be distracted because he¡¯s playing against Devin, right? Well, not really! He just did it because of an old Chinese saying ¨C talk too much, lose much! Who was Devin, after all? They met in the international tournament that year and regretted not having met earlier. They had some happy conversations in their gibberish language. On the other hand, now he had nothing to communicate with the other party in English, and he needs to consider bigger problems, okay? By the way, he had to say hello to Old Yan later, and warn him not to betray an old comrade-in-arms! Lin Xiao thought about this, and after a few nimble maneuvers, he took the lead, opening Ghost Sprint and rushing head-on the moment both combatants came into view. At the first contact, shortly after the start of the game, the spectators still had a vivid memory of the scene of the two testing each other. That time, in order to find out their tactics, they fought in a roundabout and subtle way, so that after a small surge, each lost some blood, and neither of them had the advantage. But right now, LovelyGhost suddenly evolved from the previous cautious actions to the current aggressive and ruthless style, which caused everyone to need some time to adjust. However, there was not much time for people to slowly adjust, as after only a flashing of amazing skills, both sides started to chant at the same time, and the battle situation was soon entangled again. In this bout, although LovelyGhost won the first move due to his prompt decision, he was caught off guard by Devin because of a very small mistake in the sparring, and by the end of the bout, he was put at a disadvantage. Seeing that the blood gauge had bottomed out, and Devin still had half a bar left, the audience in the live broadcast room held their breath nervously. Devin put an elemental curse that reduced magic resistance on LovelyGhost, then threw the Ghost Fire in his face. The moment the ability burned LovelyGhost, a figure flashed, and the place where he was standing a moment ago was suddenly empty, and the ability landed in the air. If you looked from Devin¡¯s perspective, you could see that the LovelyGhost who was in front of you a moment ago suddenly disappeared without a trace and evaporated in the air, leaving only an empty cliff. However, compared to the ignorance of all ACE members, the audience who watched from the main perspective in the live broadcast room saw what happened clearly. It was precisely because they could see so clearly that everyone¡¯s expressions became stiff and distorted. In their hearts, an inner voice was roaring: Damn, how can you play like this! The location where the two had just fought was on a cliffside in the lower left of the Polar Ice Field map, and LovelyGhost had been pushed by Devin to the point of having no way out. However, just as the last deadly skill fell, it so happened that the cooldown of his Leap Step had just ended, and so he took the opportunity to take some distance. Originally, this kind of impromptu reaction would have come naturally to any expert player, but the key lay in the direction he took while dodging out of the way. Under everyone¡¯s stunned eyes, LovelyGhost did not move toward any position on the ice peak, but jumped directly off the cliff! That was why, from Devin¡¯s main vision, he seemed to have mysteriously disappeared into thin air. Jumping off a cliff was basically committing suicide. However, when you looked for it, there was no corpse! In Zone, the game settings respected the subtlety of almost all 3D games, so jumping straight off a high cliff would be enough to drain LovelyGhost¡®s last remnants of life and blood. However, he jumped, but the system did not announce the death message at all, which caused everyone who knew the truth to burst into tears. At this moment, LovelyGhost¡®s field of vision was filled with crystalline, translucent ice, and since he was so close to the ground, every detail of the ice crystals could be clearly seen. If it weren¡¯t for the fact that we¡¯re in a life-and-death situation, we¡¯d have to marvel at Zone¡®s exquisitely detailed art. But now, no one had the heart to praise the excellent production work because all thoughts were on LovelyGhost¡®s current situation. Who would have thought that the Polar Ice Field map, not far below this cliff actually had a protruding slab that could just accommodate a person¡¯s width? Nope, it was no longer about who could have thought of it, but who the hell could be that bored to discover such a cockamamie detail design!? Could it be possible to jump off cliffs just for fun every now and then? However, people didn¡¯t have time to ridicule such a novel discovery because now, LovelyGhost not only successfully escaped from the life and death situation with the help of this detail but even began to chant Myriad Ghost Void just like this, face against the ice wall, without looking sideways. Devin¡¯s current location starting from this cliff happened to be within the spellcasting range of the ghost priest. Of course, Devin, who didn¡¯t know what was going on, had no idea about the shocking reversal of events that was about to take place. Spectator A: ¡°¡­¡± Spectator B: ¡°¡­¡± Spectator C: ¡°¡­¡± Spectator N: ¡°¡­x10086+ID card number.¡± At this moment, the live feed in the streaming room was completely overwhelmed by ellipses. [System] First Blood! With the news that Devin had been killed, the entire studio was still full of endless ellipses and no one had the slightest thought of cheering and shouting. The excitement was there, but why couldn¡¯t they express it¡­ What to say, while it¡¯s true that as a patriotic gaming fan, you should be a little ecstatic about LovelyGhost¡®s temporary lead, there¡¯s just no way to get your heart racing about a killing done in such a helpless way! The crowd was in tears. The mood at this moment was really too complicated! As for Lin Xiao, he couldn¡¯t hear the inner turmoil of the audience. After operating the character to look left and right for a while, he climbed up the cliff. Then, he found an ice hole near the cliff and crawled into it like a cat wiggling its butt, disappearing without a trace. This time, not only the audience but even Little Monkey Master couldn¡¯t enjoy himself completely, his mouth twitched again and again, and finally, he couldn¡¯t resist complaining in front of tens of millions of online viewers, almost choking himself in exasperation. So, Little Monkey¡¯s inner beef at the moment was like this: ¡°I say, Brother LovelyGhost, this was a life and death top game in the Korean leaderboard! Can we have some master demeanor here, eh?! I can¡¯t even enjoy doing live streaming if you keep this up!!!¡± The author has something to say: Lin Xiao: Impressive, isn¡¯t it? ^_^~ Little Monkey: ¡­Go away! (¨s¨F ¡ä)¨s¦à©Ø©¤©Ø CH 72 Although unexpectedly losing his life in an absolutely dominant situation, Devin was a lot calmer than the audience who couldn¡¯t stay calm. After figuring out the key points, he just frowned slightly and looked at the opponent¡¯s ID thoughtfully. After a moment¡¯s thought, the official ACE team players understood what had happened, and they all looked a little indignant, obviously disdainful of this kind of speculative way to win. Faced with the displeasure of the team members, Devin said calmly: ¡°Winning is winning, and losing is losing. Remember, losing or winning, there are no excuses on the battlefield, only results.¡± After the words fell, silence followed them. Devin no longer paid attention to their moods and focused back on the field. After resurrecting, he continued moving to the coordinates of the previous battle without hesitation. The opponent only had a strip of blood left at this time, and only one skill would be enough to eliminate it easily. If there was no accident this round, whoever took the second life will set the outcome of the whole game. But to his surprise, he didn¡¯t see anyone after reaching the previous position. Was this an ambush? With his mind on high alert, Devin became more cautious as he moved. His eyes swiveled in a circle before finally settling his attention on a hole in the ice not far away that towered abruptly in the middle of the ice field. The viewers in the streaming room held their breath nervously when they saw that Devin had actually accurately guessed LovelyGhost¡®s true hiding place. Although the protagonist was a bit cheap, anyway, this was a duel about the dignity of e-sports, so no matter what, they could only be biased! Devin was about to walk into the casting range, but LovelyGhost shouldn¡¯t have been able to see the outside situation at all because of the ice wall in the way. However, the light on his staff began to glow as if it had sensors outside, and the spell began without hesitation the moment the opponent was close enough to get struck. Almost the instant the spell fell, Devin suddenly closed the distance with a Leaping Step, and the light on his staff soared, the skill landing in the only hiding place there, behind the ice cave. This series of operations could be described as perfectly connected, there was not even an extra step, no pause, no hesitation. LovelyGhost was really going to die this time! The first skill to land was Frost Curse, which caused a short pause, enough to affect the situation. With the amount of blood that LovelyGhost had left, all it took was to follow up with any kind of damage ability, and he would die for sure. Sure enough, the instant the Frost Curse fell, the magic staff in Devin¡¯s hand shone out as the Ghost Fire chanting was done, and it swept toward LovelyGhost behind the ice cave like the shadow of death. This operation was extremely fast, as long as the Frost Curse hit, all subsequent actions of LovelyGhost were completely stopped, and at the same time, the damage brought by the Ghost Fire will take away his remaining life without any suspense. Just as the complete process of being killed flashed through everyone¡¯s minds, a sudden change occurred! LovelyGhost, who was hiding behind the ice cave a moment ago, suddenly shifted his position through a Leaping Step! The moment the Frost Curse fell, LovelyGhost, without seeing the other party¡¯s actions at all, as if having a godly prediction skill, used the Leaping Step and completely avoided the two skills. And even more jaw-dropping was that, just before he avoided the skill, he had already completed the chanting of his own skill. Almost at the same time as he leaped aside, the dim curtain interwoven by the Myriad Ghost Void had already risen under Devin¡¯s feet, enveloping him in a heavy blanket. At this moment, everyone¡¯s minds were almost in a state of shutting down. How was this possible?! However, LovelyGhost didn¡¯t give them time to react, and with the spinning of his staff, he had already begun to unleash his skills one after another, raining them down upon Devin, who had lost his sight and had a weak debuff. The streaks of light became the most dazzling scenery in the picture, and Devin, who had used Leaping Step a moment ago, had no choice but to start Ghost Sprint, avoiding the skills while retreating outside the shroud of the Myriad Ghost Void. It has to be said, Devin¡¯s movements were really top-notch, avoiding most of what was coming despite completely losing his vision. After regaining his sight, he didn¡¯t hesitate any longer and smoothly collected LovelyGhost¡®s last stripe of blood. However, Devin, who still had a full blood bar a moment ago, had already lost almost half of it by the time he got to stand in front of his opponent¡¯s corpse. Replacing 5% of LovelyGhost¡®s blood with 50%, even though the current ratio was leveled at 1:1, it still had the same feeling as if chasing a virgin for sex and getting robbed of all the money instead. The big screen in the live streaming room which was still full of ellipsis a moment ago, was now drowned in a sea of ¡°666 666.¡±1 Looking at the dim screen, Lin Xiao rubbed his sore shoulders and stretched himself. He was just in the middle of a yawn when someone behind him said, ¡°Looks like things went pretty well in my absence.¡± That made him immediately stifle the rest of his yawn. He didn¡¯t notice when You Jing came in. Looking back, he saw that he was holding a stack of papers in his hand, and because he had just come back from the outside, a layer of the night¡¯s chill enveloped his entire body. The dim light in the hall gave him a kind of unique temperament. ¡°The new equipment felt so good that I couldn¡¯t resist playing a few more games.¡± Lin Xiao looked at the dazzling white shirt, handed the coat that was placed beside him to You Jing, and asked, ¡°Wasn¡¯t it just a routine meeting for the playoffs, why are you back so late?¡± ¡°I had a meal out with the other teams.¡± You Jing didn¡¯t act formally either. After taking the coat, he casually draped it over his shoulders. His eyes fell on the lit computer screen, and he said, ¡°Your opponent has surrendered.¡± Surrender? Lin Xiao turned around in surprise, and sure enough, he saw a message from Devin in the map chat record: ¡°GG.¡± GG. Although it¡¯s often used in 3V3 or 5V5 matches as a way to taunt the opponents, many people have forgotten that these two letters have another meaning: Good Game. Lin Xiao smiled slightly and replied politely: ¡°GG.¡± Devin was a smart person. It should be very clear from the previous game that their strength was actually in a state of equality. After his careful planning gave him the advantage, he was left with only 50% of his blood. It was completely impossible to compete with 100%. Of course, if it were someone else, they probably wouldn¡¯t choose this way of self-destroying their reputation, but this was the Devin he knew, who had a very straightforward attitude towards e-sports. With the opponent¡¯s surrender, the game ended. After returning to the main panel, a message box appeared in the center of the screen indicating the increase in the leaderboard points. A bright trophy logo with the dazzling No. 1 word on it took everyone¡¯s eyes in the live streaming room. Number one on the Korean leaderboard! He really made it to the top! Everyone went completely crazy! However, before they had time to express their excitement and enthusiasm in the feed, the picture on the screen dimmed, and the entire live broadcast room was plunged into darkness. Everyone was stunned for a moment, and it took a while before they started leaving the game and turned off their phones. Little Monkey Master was roaring excitedly just a moment ago, but after being hit so suddenly, he changed his tone wisely: ¡°Come on, come on! Support LovelyGhost to reach the top of the Korean leaderboard! Move fast, be like a deep-water torpedo! Let¡¯s go, don¡¯t stop!¡± ¡­ Lin Xiao turned off the computer, leaned back in his chair, and turned around, smiling at You Jing: ¡°How is it Captain You, I told you I could get the job done, right?¡± You Jing said, ¡°Oh, great.¡± Lin Xiao looked at this gorgeous but also cunning face and sighed with complicated emotions, ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± You Jing looked at him and said: ¡°I¡¯ll take you to dinner.¡± Lin Xiao was speechless: ¡°So stingy¡­ Sigh, forget it, a meal is a meal, I¡¯m going to have a nice dinner.¡± You Jing: ¡°As you like.¡± Glancing at the tired look on his face, Lin Xiao stretched his muscles and bones, dropped a hand over his shoulders, and said with dignity: ¡°Oh, I¡¯m really tired after playing all day. It¡¯s so late, I have to hurry back to rest.¡± You Jing¡¯s gaze swept over his hand, pushed it away, and left without a word. ¡­ The following day, Lin Xiao was sleeping comfortably, but was awakened by a loud knock on the door. Opening the door with a head of straw-like disheveled hair, before he could see who was there, he just felt himself being pushed back into the room by a gust of wind. Rubbing his eyes, it took him a while to realize that the person who was naturally and skillfully opening the notebook on his desk was Xiao Li, the rightful owner of the computer. After all, it was really his notebook, so Lin Xiao couldn¡¯t say anything about it, but he expressed deep dissatisfaction with the attitude of disturbing people¡¯s dreams so early in the morning: ¡°I say, can we make a contract that, no matter what, you won¡¯t come to me before noon, Boss Xiao?¡± After Xiao Li finished whatever he was doing, he finally turned his head to look at him, his eyes shining brightly: ¡°Wow, you¡¯re really good, bro! In just one day¡¯s work yesterday, you really became the No. 1 on the Korean leaderboard? Hurry up, sign in, and show me what it¡¯s like to be number one!¡± ¡°If you cherish it so much, why don¡¯t you go get one yourself, Loner King?¡± Lin Xiao glared at him with resentful eyes and yawned before lazily sitting in front of the computer and entering the account password in the Korean login interface he had opened. He confirmed the login. However, what popped up after this was not the lobby interface, but a striking message box. Since the words in the message box were all in Korean, of course, Lin Xiao couldn¡¯t read any of them, but when he turned his head and saw that Xiao Li¡¯s expression was not very good, he couldn¡¯t help asking curiously: ¡°What does it say here?¡± Xiao Li looked at him with a complicated expression, and after a while, he said with a dull voice, obviously suppressing his anger: ¡°LovelyGhost¡®s account has been suspended for three years, under suspicion of using third-party software.¡± Lin Xiao¡¯s eyes flashed with surprise but without any anger. Rather, he felt amused, and there was a hint of a smile in his eyes. Suspicion of using third-party software was just a nice way to put it. The reason for this suspension could be expressed in a simpler and cruder way ¨C You¡¯re using a plugin. I have to say, in the face of the current pressure of public opinion, the way the Korean side handled things was really, really interesting. Comes from Chinese gaming slang, where gamers would put ¡®666¡¯ in the chat after seeing someone showing an impressive skill CH 73 When the news about LovelyGhost allegedly using third-party software broke, the e-sports circle of the two countries exploded in an instant. As far as the Korean League was concerned, this news was undoubtedly welcome. In just one morning, all the Korean forums were filled with topics about LovelyGhost¡®s suspended account. Many of the Korean players who have endured for days, holding back their anger, have finally started popping up again in droves. Among so many posts, the one mentioned the most had the particularly unpleasant title, ¡°The suspended cheater.¡± The national players of course couldn¡¯t stand the provocation and slander. The audience who watched the live broadcast recorded the whole process that day and put the video on the forums. They said that Korean noobs didn¡¯t know to lose, so they resorted to tricks, accusing them to use a cheat even though they were blown away in minutes by the adversary? Here¡¯s the video and the truth, what about you guys, show me the proof if you can! The Korean side turned a blind eye to such empty shouting, and some people even initiated an academic analysis on the forums, which pointed out: from these videos, the prediction of LovelyGhost is so accurate that it is really unthinkable. In addition, the comparison of the scoring speed of the previous days was completely inconsistent with the performance of that day, especially the loss in the battle with Yan Duzhou, which really needed to be analyzed. After all, even Yan Duozhou had only advanced a few places in the rankings after so many days of fights. In this way, suddenly, an unknown player whose strength was not as good as Yan Duozhou¡¯s, with such a perfect record of zero defeats in one day, went all the way to first place on the Korean leaderboard. So, this explanation for using a plug-in seemed to be extremely reasonable. After all, although the Zone versions in various countries had their own operators, the main control was still in the hands of the developers. Adhering to the principle of reasonableness and fairness, there has never been a case of wrongful banning so far. This post was kept on top by countless Korean players and has been entrenched on the homepage for a long time. After it was translated by the national players, one stone caused a thousand waves, and the entire domestic circle finally exploded. Shit! I¡¯ve seen shameless people before, but not like this! Just because your idol was crushed by someone, does it have to be the other party¡¯s cheating? If you don¡¯t know how to lose with dignity, just say so! At this time, after seeing the news, Devin posted a message on social media, openly stating that LovelyGhost was a very strong player, and although he did not know the cause of the plug-in incident, the other party¡¯s ability was not inferior to his own. When this statement was released, the current situation became even more convoluted. Motivational players expressed their support for Devin¡¯s courageous act of taking responsibility and their willingness to acknowledge the fact that LovelyGhost did obtain first place on the leaderboard. However, there was also another category of people who ridiculed Devin¡¯s message. They thought that Devin had already felt his power decline, and for fear of losing face in the Korean League, he resorted to this maneuver because he was ashamed to admit this fact. Those Korean players who insisted on the cheating theory, unanimously said that a suspended account stays suspended, so why not open a new account and retake the leaderboards to prove himself, or if he was indeed wronged, why not make an official appeal? The national league players were quite angry at this kind of blatant challenge, but after waiting a few days, they have still not seen LovelyGhost come out to speak. So some of them took the initiative to contact Korean officials to ask for an explanation, and all they got back was that there were indeed signs of third-party software detected during that day¡¯s match, and all appeals were dismissed. After many days of fretting, some of the more observant players checked LovelyGhost¡®s battle records for the day and found that he quit the game at 9:45 PM that night after his match with Devin, but inexplicably, another bizarre matching game appeared at 1:25 in the morning. Matching games were different from leaderboard games. Most of them were used by players to practice skill routines or new gear, and it didn¡¯t affect the rankings. That is, they could be considered mostly recreational games. Therefore, LovelyGhost¡®s last game before being banned was not a battle with Devin, but a matching game. After this discovery was exposed, there was a lot of speculation amongst the national players about what could have happened in this matching game. However, because LovelyGhost never showed up, this small disturbance in the general storm soon disappeared. ¡­ In an apartment building somewhere in South Korea, a man in a dark brown t-shirt was sitting on the sofa, leisurely drinking coffee. Another man was in front of a lit computer screen and his hand moved uncontrollably on the mouse. Under the reflection of the light, he looked a little distorted because of his twisted smile. There probably wasn¡¯t a single Korean player who wouldn¡¯t recognize this face. Jiang Minjun. He browsed through the posts that were scolding LovelyGhost page by page, his smile growing more and more intense until, seeing Devin¡¯s post in support of him, he frowned and snorted contemptuously: ¡°Devin really thinks that he can influence online public opinion just because he won two championships? I¡¯m teaching this Chinese guy a lesson saving him some face after the defeat, but he¡¯s still so shameless.¡± The man on the sofa looked up at him: ¡°Just keep these words to yourself, don¡¯t talk nonsense when you go out.¡± Jiang Minjun laughed, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m not stupid. It was so hard to find a way to block that LovelyGhost¡®s account, so I¡¯m not going to make the mistake of wasting this opportunity.¡± The man said, ¡°I¡¯m glad you know.¡± Jiang Minjun glanced at him with a half-smile: ¡°And you, Huan Bingxu, I didn¡¯t expect you to intervene in this matter.¡± The man put the cup on the coffee table and sneered: ¡°I¡¯ve never been a fan of the Chinese, you know.¡± Jiang Minjun exchanged a knowing look with him and turned his eyes back to the computer screen. As players of the same team, MTG, Jiang Minjun admired this Huan Bingxu very much, not only because of his strength as a DPS1 player but also because of his other identity as one of the top hackers in Korea. After LovelyGhost finished the last game with Devin, Huan Bingxu hacked into the other side¡¯s data network to get the login password and then used a third-party software to log in to the account for an additional match. Then reporting the account and banning it, was a piece of cake. However, one discovery that surprised them was that LovelyGhost¡®s login IP showed that he was actually registered in the Black Soul Club¡®s training base, in which case, this mysterious expert was probably not a random player, but a professional e-sports player. As far as he knew, the current Black Rose team did not have a top ghost priest player known by the public, so this made Jiang Minjun more confident to act in the current chaotic situation. If he was a casual player and showed up to make a statement, it was unknown which way the trend would go, but if he was a professional player, it would be completely different. He was quite certain that since the other party had yet to identify himself during the process of climbing the ranking, he wouldn¡¯t be foolish to come forward at this point in time. After all, based on the current situation, that person has absolutely no way to prove that he is LovelyGhost. And once he came forward and identified himself, it may even be considered a deliberate marketing strategy to take advantage of this hype. Jiang Minjun was very satisfied with such a result. Black Rose team, is it? This issue could not be solved with just a suspended account, and if they would meet at the World Championship later, he would definitely avenge the humiliation from the live broadcast! ¡­ Black Soul Club. Right after the tactical meeting for the playoffs, Lin Xiao was packing his things when a small envelope suddenly appeared in front of him. When he looked up, he saw You Jing who said to him, ¡°Take a look.¡± Lin Xiao glanced at the exquisite packaging, and raised his eyebrows: ¡°What is this, a love letter?¡± You Jing¡¯s eyelashes drooped slightly, and the look in his eyes became a little more patient. ¡°Hey, just kidding. Why are you taking it so seriously?¡± Lin Xiao shrugged and read the paper casually at first, but after seeing its content, he raised his head suspiciously, ¡°How did you get this?¡± You Jing said: ¡°I investigated.¡± Lin Xiao asked, ¡°Is that why you¡¯ve been out every day the past few days, to investigate?¡± You Jing said: ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± ¡°Actually, it¡¯s just a number, there¡¯s no need to work so hard to find out¡­ Ahem¡­¡± Under his gaze, Lin Xiao changed the subject, ¡°So, the truth is really amazing! What do you think?¡± You Jing glanced at the envelope expressionless and said: ¡°The strategies come from above, we just need to comply.¡± After pausing, he looked at Lin Xiao: ¡°Aren¡¯t you angry?¡± ¡°I¡¯m angry, very angry! I hate that everything broke onto my head!¡± Lin Xiao had a slight frown, but his tone indicated delight, ¡°Besides, even our Captain Yu has spoken now, so we have to wait until the international championship to severely humiliate them! How about this proposal, is it good?¡± You Jing approved: ¡°Humiliation in front of a worldwide audience? Very good indeed.¡± Lin Xiao had a ¡°you know me¡± grin on his face: ¡°That¡¯s right, I think so too.¡± If there were no accidents, the MTG team should be one of the top three in the Korean League. Since these insidious villains who only played small tricks were going to make a fool of themselves, this scene was too small and boring. Of course, it¡¯s better to choose the global live broadcast event of the World Championship to trample on them. This was simply too cool, just thinking about it was enough to make him feel happy for a long time. But until then, it looks like he needed to save his energy for the upcoming playoffs. DPS is an acronym that means damage per second in multiplayer online gaming. It¡¯s used both as a noun (a weapon type, class, or a character capable of massive damage) and as an adjective to describe a weapon¡¯s capability. CH 74 The LovelyGhost incident caused e-sports fans in China and South Korea to quarrel for a long time. However, due to the approaching playoff schedule, e-sports players from both countries have gradually withdrawn from this dispute and begun to devote themselves to the intense preparation phase. As a result, voices from all factions gradually receded and eventually fell silent. The atmosphere before the opening of the League playoffs was much weirder than in previous years due to the confrontation between China and South Korea, so the fans did not start to react to the fact that the key game was about to start until they saw similar topics appearing on the club¡¯s official platform and players¡¯ forums. However, in fact, all of this was not as uneventful as it appeared on the surface, at least. At least, all professional players in the League knew very well that in the unknown depths, there were many undercurrents quietly churning. There were a total of eight teams that had been selected for the League playoffs this year, namely Black Soul Club¡®s Black Rose, Flowing Light Club¡®s Scattered Clouds, Sky Dome Club¡®s Apocalypse, Flying Leaf Club¡®s Red Leaf, Kyushu Club¡®s Nine Heavens, Blade Club¡®s Blade team, Reaper Club¡®s The Undead, and Thunderbolt Club¡®s Blitzkrieg team. The biggest difference between the playoffs and the preseason was the compact, rotating format. From opening day, there will be four consecutive days of competition per week. In the morning and afternoon, two teams will compete in a round-robin competition. After the round-robin competition system ends, the four teams with the highest score will directly enter the semi-finals. Such a tight schedule was undoubtedly a major test for teams and players, and a few days before the opening, all players gathered in the imperial capital. After the draw ceremony, the players of the eight teams devoted themselves to the final stage of the field simulation practice under the leadership of their respective coaches. That night, the members of the Black Rose team gathered in Li Bochuan¡¯s hotel room to discuss the final stage of strategic deployment. When he saw the playoff schedule newly released to the teams, Xu Yiming could not help shouting: ¡°Shit, shit, shit! Damn it, who drew this lot? How do I have such bad luck? Running into the second-seeded team in the first match, there¡¯s no way to live!¡± Feeling a headache coming, Xu Yichen suppressed this cry of distress by covering his mouth and, in a voice that only they could hear, stopped his next words with only one sentence: ¡°Captain You drew lots, are you sure you want to complain about it?¡± Liu Zeshen glanced at Xu Yiming, who was suddenly quiet, and teased him with a smile: ¡°According to your way of complaining, wouldn¡¯t you be hanging yourself from a beam if you drew the Apocalypse team?¡± What he said was mostly a joke, but it was not entirely wrong. The combined strength of the Scattered Clouds team was indeed one of the best in the League at the moment, but compared to the Apocalypse team, there was still a certain distance. Although it was not a very satisfactory result to meet them at the first stop, at least it was not the worst-case scenario. Xu Yiming stopped yelling, but he said with a grimace: ¡°Although the Scattered Clouds team is indeed inferior to the Apocalypse team, we have drawn Group A, which happens to be the opening match! At first, I thought I could rest for a day and a half to recharge my batteries, but now I¡¯m done, I have to play right away!¡± You Jing¡¯s movements as he flipped through the information paused and looked up at him, ¡°So?¡± Xu Yiming¡¯s expression changed when he was caught by the chilly gaze: ¡°So, we must conserve our energy and use the best and smartest state of mind to meet new trials and battles!¡± Xiao Li couldn¡¯t hold back and burst out laughing. ¡°If the Scattered Clouds team would follow the preseason setup, it would not be difficult to win with our current lineup. However, they did not have Wen Shuqing in the preseason, and now, not only Wen Shuqing has returned to the team, but they also spent a lot of money to hire Zhang Xuannian as their coach. After this training period, their overall strength may not be the same.¡± Ignoring Xu Yiming¡¯s ramblings, Li Bochuan placed an information file on the table, and analyzed it for everyone, ¡°But even so, the opening game will greatly affect the trend of public opinion and the morale of the subsequent games, so these are all reasons why we must win.¡± Shen Changyu nodded and began to distribute the current temporary setup to everyone while explaining: ¡°Considering the opponent¡¯s situation, our current proposal is for Lin Xiao, Xiao Li, and myself to compete in the individual competition. Is there any problem?¡± Xiao Li: ¡°I¡¯ll follow the club¡¯s arrangement.¡± Lin Xiao was just yawning, and after a pause, he smiled and said, ¡°I have no problem with that.¡± Shen Changyu nodded and continued: ¡°Then, in the team competition will play Liu Zeshen, Chen Anqi, and Captain You. Do you have any questions?¡± You Jing¡¯s silence was a tacit consent. Liu Zeshen smiled and nodded: ¡°I¡¯m good.¡± Shen Changyu turned his questioning gaze to Chen Anqi, who was standing by the floor-to-ceiling window, looking at the night scenery in a trance. After a few moments, she felt the eerie silence in the room and turned her head, showing a strange smile: ¡°The Scattered Clouds team is going to be unlucky tomorrow, I, for one, don¡¯t have anything to say.¡± The delicate voice was like a hand quietly scratching the heart, sending a shiver down the spine of everyone in the room. Ever since Chen Anqi joined the team, she hasn¡¯t talked much. At first, the young players cheered because there was finally a female player on the team, until some night, returning to the house, they somehow got lost inside the compound and couldn¡¯t find their dormitory, and they fell down the stairs for no reason. And after a series of strange and inexplicable incidents that were labeled as bad luck when she mentioned them, no one dared to joke with this senior loli again. At Chen Anqi¡¯s answer, Shen Changyu coughed twice, and the room fell silent. After confirming the arrangement of the team competition, You Jing glanced coldly around the room, and as usual, there was no hesitation in his voice: ¡°Please use tomorrow¡¯s performance to show the audience our strength. We must win.¡± Lin Xiao raised his eyebrows and laughed: ¡°Since Captain You has spoken, there has to be a win!¡± ¡­ Awaited by hundreds of millions of League fans, the opening day of the playoffs has finally officially arrived! At eight o¡¯clock in the morning, the whole venue was brightly lit, thousands of spotlights at the top swept the scene, and the atmosphere in the audience was boiling under countless lively beams of light. Fans of all the major teams created waves of sound with their frenzied shouts, each one more intense than the previous. The names of the teams intertwined with the shouts, forming a fervent carnival-like atmosphere. Under the playback of world-class sound controllers, the background music was like war drums, and every beat hit the depths of everyone¡¯s hearts, stirring emotions that could not be suppressed. The low and majestic atmosphere in the scene was full of mystery, making everyone¡¯s blood boil in anticipation. The shouts and cheers of thousands of on-site spectators intertwined with the repetitive ear-splitting cathartic symphony of excitement. Let the playoffs begin! The big screen at the front suddenly lit up abruptly, and the logos of the eight major teams flashed one by one, each in their own unique ways. As the exclusive interview clips of the members of each team were played, the atmosphere in the field rose to a high point again. While the scene was full of enthusiasm, the TV station¡¯s e-sports channel joined hands with the GY live broadcast platform to broadcast live at the same time, and thousands of Zone players who were unable to watch the game in person stayed in front of the computer screen, watching the exciting battle begin. At exactly nine o¡¯clock, the exciting music in the venue stopped abruptly, and a man and a woman in formal attire walked onto the stage with microphones in their hands and began to introduce the specific schedule of this playoffs to the audience. Dressed in a pure white dress, Xiao Wu looked dignified and gentle. Standing beside her was Xu Qingli in a suit and leather shoes. The two of them were the official commentators for the playoffs. After Xiao Wu finished the opening speech in a mellow and pleasant voice, Xu Qingli picked up the microphone and said with a smile: ¡°I believe everyone is already a little impatient, same as me. Next, let¡¯s welcome the start of today¡¯s grand show with all the excitement and applause we can muster! Now, I announce that the League playoffs ¨C have officially begun!¡± Suddenly, the floodlights in the stadium began to bounce everywhere, and as soon as his last word fell, the cheers and shouts from the stadium poured out like a sea, almost toppling the dome. After so many days and nights of waiting, the day has finally come when the war begins! As the commentator¡¯s eloquent speech ended, the contestants from the teams playing the opening game began to enter the arena one after another. First playoff game: Team Black Rose vs. Team Scattered Clouds. The players went to the center of the arena to shake hands and salute each other. Lin Xiao glanced over them casually, but then his eyes fell on the man in the wheelchair in front of the team, and his eyes narrowed thoughtfully. In this passionate atmosphere, this person was like a warm clear spring, and people were attracted to him at first glance. Wen Shuqing. The captain of the Scattered Clouds team and the only disabled e-sports player in the League. Shaking his cold hand, Lin Xiao was about to say something when the next one in line hurriedly pulled his hand into his: ¡°Lin Xiao, how are you, long time, no see!¡± Raising his head, Lin Xiao was stunned to meet Shang Yanlingjiang¡¯s angry eyes. Then again, how did he forget about this old friend? Sensing You Jing¡¯s line of sight drifting toward him, his soul was shaken, and he hastily put on a harmless and innocent smile: ¡°Dayan, long time no see, hehehe¡­¡± CH 75 ¡°It¡¯s good to meet you.¡± When Yan Lingjiang spoke, he glanced at You Jin and rolled up his sleeves as if he was ready to go. ¡°It would be even better if you could match up with me in whichever game you play today!¡± Lin Xiao smiled and said, ¡°I¡¯m in the last game of the individual competition, so are you my opponent today?¡± Before Yan Lingjiang could speak, Lin Xiao¡¯s hand was already lightly shaken by the next person: ¡°Coincidentally, your opponent is me.¡± Lin Xiao Yi looked up and saw Zhang Fengyu¡¯s face with a strict expression, and smiled faintly: ¡°Ahhh, so it¡¯s Vice Captain Zhang. That¡¯s a bit of a problem.¡± Zhang Fengyu laughed and dragged Yan Lingjiang by the collar as he was just standing there motionless, hindering the team¡¯s advance. Yan Lingjiang wanted to resist, but under Zhang Fengyu¡¯s glance he hung his head resentfully and returned to the contestants¡¯ seats, only to hear a playful voice asking: ¡°Brother Yan, is he the old friend you mentioned?¡± Tao Yaofei asked this while she was handing a bottle of water to Wen Shuqing. Although she seemed to ask casually, her clear, bright eyes were full of curiosity. Speaking of which, she and Captain Wen were known to be childhood friends, the kind that took care of each other in their daily lives and even their meals. So much so that some time ago, when the captain went to the doctor, she followed him every step. She didn¡¯t even care about the team¡¯s preseason game. If one didn¡¯t know her strength, one would have thought she was just a confidant of Wen Shuqing. Seeing this kind of scene, Yan Lingjiang felt a sourness in his chest, and he simply glanced over their heads, ignoring them. However, under Wen Shuqing¡¯s questioning gaze, he had no choice but to answer: ¡°That¡¯s right, he¡¯s the one I was planning to recruit to our team. He had always wanted to join a professional team, but for some reason, he suddenly joined Black Rose. He was actually allowed to play in such an important game, and he was not afraid that he would hold them back or something.¡± As soon as his words were over, a coat fell from the sky and covered his head, and a big hand pressed firmly on the top of his head while Zhang Fengyu¡¯s somewhat pensive voice was heard: ¡°Hold them back? You underestimate that Lin Xiao a little too much. If you have such a line of thoughts, you will suffer in the future.¡± The hand that Yan Lingjiang was about to push away lifted itself, and he stopped on the spot when he heard the words, muttering: ¡°Vice Captain Zhang, maybe you are overestimating him? You must know that Lin Xiao used to have difficulty reaching even the third step of the ladder!¡± Zhang Fengyu said, ¡°Don¡¯t base your assessment on your previous information. You should have seen all the videos of his matchups in the previous preseason, objectively speaking, do you really think his level is weak?¡± Wen Shuqing interjected with a gentle voice, ¡°He¡¯s not weak, he is actually very strong.¡± Yan Lingjiang fell silent after the words of his Captain and Vice Captain. Weak? It really didn¡¯t look like that. Just looking at the videos of that ghost priest¡®s sparring matches, how could one say that he was weak, in fact, he was so strong that it was frightening. But what in the world made the ordinary Lin Xiao change so much? Was it because of that man¡­ Yan Lingjiang lifted the jacket off his head and glanced toward the Black Rose team. His eyes fell on the man who looked the most refined and elegant in the black uniform, and his expression subconsciously showed a bit of overt hostility. Zhang Fengyu noticed his fighting rooster-like appearance, his eyes moved slightly, and he sat expressionlessly next to him. ¡­ The first match of the playoffs was the Black Rose team vs. the Scattered Clouds team. As both were equally veteran first-tier teams, this opening match arrangement was very satisfactory for the audience and fans. Knowing that the Scattered Clouds team maintained a steady pace of entering the playoffs in the preseason, even without Wen Shuqing, one could see its strength. Now that Captain Wen Shuqing had officially returned to the team, they were on a whole new level. As for the Black Rose team, although the performance in the early games was not very satisfactory, with the addition of new members, this giant team had half of the blood freshened and became very strong at the end of the preseason. It was enough to make everyone look forward to their performance. If Wen Shuqing of Scattered Clouds and the new members of the Black Rose were a special arrangement for the two teams to preserve their strength in the preseason, then, the battlefield of the playoffs should be the brightest stage where they could fully display their strengths. In the first individual match, Xiao Li of the Black Rose faced Yan Lingjiang of the Scattered Clouds. When the match lists were displayed in the center of the big screen, a wave of murmurs rang out from the stage. Xiao Li and Yan Lingjiang both used the same profession, magic swordsman. In the past, someone ranked the professional players in the National League. At that time, whether the No. 1 magic swordsman should belong to the king Laughing Sky, an unaffiliated player with an aggressive and wild style, or to Yan Lingjiang, who had a sharp style of operation and was very popular, has always been a topic of dispute. Moreover, although both were masters of magic swordsmen, because Yan Lingjiang was recruited into the Scattered Clouds team in his early years, so far, the two have not officially met. As a result, the outcome of this battle has been directly promoted to the level of a national match by the good-willed people. Some people have even placed guessing bets in the live broadcast, and the prize pool was already very attractive. Lin Xiao really didn¡¯t expect that Yan Lingjiang, who had been in the team competition before, would be suddenly placed first in the individual competition. Turning his head to look at the man in the wheelchair on the opposing player¡¯s bench, all his thoughts flashed by, and he felt a little sad when he watched Xiao Li go on stage, like saying goodbye to a brave man. ¡°What, do you think Xiao Li will lose?¡± You Jing¡¯s calm voice came over. ¡°If he was facing other players, he might still have some hope, but against Wild Goose, it¡¯s still uncertain.¡± Lin Xiao didn¡¯t beat around the bush and exposed his thoughts straight away¡­ ¡°Wild Goose¡®s battle style is not very fanciful. Although Boss Xiao is a good one-on-one player, it is difficult in terms of experience and coping strategies.¡± You Jing smiled in a vague way: ¡°You think highly of your friend.¡± Lin Xiao glanced at him: ¡°Captain You, let¡¯s be reasonable. It has nothing to do with whether he is my friend or not. I¡¯m just discussing the matter.¡± You Jing: ¡°Oh.¡± Seeing his calm expression, Lin Xiao raised his eyebrows, and smiled: ¡°Of course, the final victory belongs to us.¡± You Jing: ¡°Naturally.¡± Xu Yiming, who was beside him, couldn¡¯t listen any longer and finally complained: ¡°Hey, hey, Xiao Li is still fighting hard in the arena. If he knew that you have given up on him like this, I wonder if he would cry and pass out in front of the computer.¡± Lin Xiao cleared his throat: ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Boss Xiao is very strong, even if he faints from crying, he can still stand up.¡± Liu Zeshen nodded: ¡°Indeed.¡± Xu Yiming: ¡°¡­¡± While they were talking, the arena erupted into a bloodbath, and moments later, after a fierce battle, Yan Lingjiang was temporarily ahead with the score of 1:0. Amidst the boisterous cheering of the Scattered Clouds team¡¯s fans, the revived Xiao Li leveled the headcount ratio to 1:1 in a fierce battle. After that, the amount of blood left was finally no match for Yan Lingjiang¡¯s second life¡¯s full blood bar, and he eventually lost by 1:2. The situation was not much different from what Lin Xiao had predicted. Overall, Yan Lingjiang¡¯s style of play was too restrictive for Xiao Li. Although it was childish to decide who was the No. 1 in the National League just by winning or losing a duel, it was indeed a perfect opportunity if you compared just the two of them. So, in the first individual match, Yan Lingjiang was actually sent to intercept Xiao Li¡¯s battle. If this was indeed Wen Shuqing¡¯s intentional arrangement, this man¡¯s insight was indeed as impressive as the rumors said. It was said that the Scattered Clouds team had two brains, one was Zhang Fengyu, who was good at calculating and analyzing, and the other was Wen Shuqing, who had an unparalleled view of the overall situation. And now, the two brains were gathered again, which was undoubtedly enough to give a headache to their opponents. But admiration is just admiration. After all, the lineup configuration was only one of the factors that could affect the outcome of a battle. In the final analysis, the specific success or failure still required an overall power as the basis. It¡¯s not that there was a problem with Scattered Clouds¡® power, but Lin Xiao was very confident about his current team¡¯s overall combat effectiveness. Xiao Li¡¯s face was full of resentment when he came down, and he was obviously a little bitter about losing the game. As soon as he returned to the contestant¡¯s bench, Liu Zeshen smiled and handed over a bottle of water, ¡°Well played.¡± Xiao Li glanced at him sullenly and didn¡¯t bother to remove the arm skillfully placed on his shoulder. He raised his head and drank vigorously as if the mineral water was a strong wine. Liu Zeshen looked at him amused, and, seeing that the bottle was about to be emptied, he handed him another bottle with a smile on his face. Xiao Li¡¯s complexion darkened instantly with this childlike coaxing. Lin Xiao watched the interaction between the two with amusement and tactfully did not get involved. Seeing Shen Changyu was the second choice in the individual competition, he raised his eyebrows when he saw the match list on the big screen. As expected¡­ You Jing asked as if it was a routine: ¡°Then what do you think of this one?¡± This time, Lin Xiao replied in a very relaxed and casual manner: ¡°Vice Captain Shen is the better of the two and will definitely win.¡± Once again, his speculation was verified. In only 15 minutes, Shen Changyu easily won the duel. The Scattered Clouds team had sent a rookie player. He was very nervous in his first appearance in the playoffs and under Shen Changyu¡¯s provocation, he made frequent mistakes. In the whole game, it was almost impossible to find some bright spots, and it looked like a scene of a car accident. And this kind of battle just confirmed Lin Xiao¡¯s guess. Putting Yan Lingjiang first in the individual competition was indeed a special arrangement to block Xiao Li. But it seemed that Scattered Clouds¡® strategic speculation estimated that Xiao Li would play first in the individual competition, Xu Yichen or Xu Yiming would play in the second game, and Shen Changyu would be last because Zhang Fengyu has also been assigned to the last position. In the end, in the real setup, none of the twins appeared in the individual competition, which completely messed up the rookie¡¯s ¡°preparations,¡± making his loss a bit ugly. After this result, Lin Xiao just smiled, took off his jacket, threw it on the chair, and when he passed by Shen Changyu on the way to the stage, he gave him a high five: ¡°Watch me now.¡±