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81021 Overturning the Sky
9Translator:Nomyummi | Editor: Nomyummi
10
11Dragon Tooth looked like a normal attack. For a low-level skill like Dragon Tooth, if only the damage was considered, the powerful One Autumn Leaf wouldn't even bother to block it. However, the value of Dragon Tooth didn't lie in the damage, but rather the stun effect that it carried. Dragon Tooth could be considered the most used skill among Battle Mages. It had the greatest coverage. It could be used to start a combo, and in theory, could be used as a follow up for any skill.
12
13In theory…..
14
15Facing One Autumn Leaf, turning theory into reality wasn't easy.　
16
17Because One Autumn Leaf was too strong. Due to the character's resistances, the stun from Dragon Tooth would be significantly reduced, leading to many follow-ups with Dragon Tooth being unviable against One Autumn Leaf. This was why God-level characters were fearsome. It wasn't as simple as having higher defense and attack. Strong resistances greatly limited the opponent's options. These limitations weren't just the result of piling stats on a character. The R&D teams would adjust the character's stats depending on the player's tendencies. The character's stats would try to make up for the player's weaknesses, as well as support the player's strengths.
18
19This was the problem that Ye Xiu saw with Sun Xiang and One Autumn Leaf.
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21One Autumn Leaf's switched equipment was still very good, but the synergy between the character and player wasn't as perfect. Strictly speaking, this tiny imperfection couldn't be considered a hole, but Ye Xiu couldn't be any more familiar with Battle Mage stats and One Autumn Leaf's original stats. Ye Xiu analyzed it bit by bit and turned it into a hole.
22
23Eating a Dragon Tooth mid-jump backwards?　
24
25In the eyes of the spectators, so what?
26
27With One Autumn Leaf's stats, the stun effect would disappear in a flash. One Autumn Leaf happened to be jumping backwards too. There wasn't any opportunity for Lord Grim to make any follow-ups after the stun. That jump looked like a beautiful and successful dodge.
28
29That's what everyone thought. No one thought that this stun effect wasn't the important point. It was the attack itself that was important. Because before this, Sun Xiang had been stunned, which allowed the Dragon Tooth to hit.　　
30
31The Sky Strike changing directions twice tore at the slight imperfection in the synergy between Sun Xiang and One Autumn Leaf. If this had been the original One Autumn Leaf, Sun Xiang would have been able to block it.
32
33But now, he couldn't dodge or block it. This was the scariest part about this attack.
34
35Sun Xiang was at a loss as One Autumn Leaf landed on the ground. Lord Grim didn't chase after him, but the spear in Lord Grim's hands did. Magic undulations coiled around the Myriad Manifestations Umbrella into a humongous dragon.
36
37Rising Dragon Soars the Sky!
38
39The Myriad Manifestation Umbrella's spear form actually transformed into a high-level skill.
40
41Even though this skill could only be at the lowest rank one, this was already an incredibly powerful skill considering Lord Grim's skill set.
42
43One Autumn Leaf hastily rolled to the side. From those movements, it seemed as if Sun Xiang was panicking.　
44
45Ye Xiu hadn't hoped for this attack to hit. After Rising Dragon Soars the Sky, he had hidden a follow-up attack. But this follow-up attack wasn't actually needed.
46
47This guy... dodged too far, no?
48
49Sun Xiang's movements had been too excessive. It was outside of Ye Xiu's expectations. Moreover, Sun Xiang didn't counter attack as soon as the first clear opportunity appeared. It seemed like he was still thinking about that previous Dragon Tooth.
50
51Has his focus been disrupted?
52
53That would be a pleasant surprise.
54
55Ye Xiu hadn't expected Sun Xiang's mental state to tilt after that attack. If a player wasn't focused, the player's reaction speed and playing would slow down. At the highest levels of play, this was enough to be fatal.
56
57Lord Grim's Myriad Manifestations Umbrella transformed into a gun form. Three Anti-Tank Missiles shot towards One Autumn Leaf.　　
58
59If this was the usual Sun Xiang in peak condition, he would have just taken these attacks and charged through them, but at this moment, Sun Xiang's reaction speed was clearly a lot slower slow. By the time he started moving, the missiles had already reached his face. He could only make a roll and dodge these missiles in a crude manner.
60
61Lord Grim quickly approached. Sky Strike!
62
63Sun Xiang tensed up. He still didn't understand what had happened previously, but he was certain that it wasn't a coincidence. Ye Xiu had definitely done it intentionally. Changing the arc of Sky Strike twice was to allow the following Dragon Tooth to hit. Even though there weren't really any follow up after that Dragon Tooth, that was just one time. What about next time?
64
65Sun Xiang didn't dare to be negligent. When the Sky Strike arrived, he chose to dodge it.　
66
67Ye Xiu smirked. Sun Xiang gave up on blocking with an attack and instead chose to dodge. For Sun Xiang, that was equivalent to giving up on what he was best at.　
68
69Blocking with an attack fit Sun Xiang's personality best. It was also what was easiest for him. He was still very good at dodging, but it wasn't what he liked to do. If he had a choice, Sun Xiang would very rarely choose to dodge. But now, he felt compelled to choose what he didn't like to do.
70
71That was easier than I thought!
72
73Ye Xiu thought to himself and had Lord Grim continued chasing. It was just a Sky Strike. It wasn't enough for him to gain the upper hand. Ye Xiu had many more things for Sun Xiang to enjoy, all of which happened after Lord Grim's health dropped to 10%.
74
75Sun Xiang was in a daze.
76
77Ye Xiu's attacks weren't sharp, but they were very precise. Every attack targeted a vital point. He hit where it hurt.
78
79Sun Xian felt uncomfortable. In his three years as a pro player, he had never felt so uncomfortable before.
80
81It wasn't like he had never fought against Ye Xiu before. When he had been part of Team Conquering Clouds, he had fought against Team Excellent Era three times. And in two of those, Sun Xiang and Ye Xiu had faced each other in the individual competition.
82
83Even though he lost both times, Ye Xiu had been using the Battle God One Autumn Leaf. On the other hand, Sun Xiang was using a so-so pro character from a mid to low tier team.
84
85Although he lost, the fights had been very close. Sun Xiang had had a good chance of winning.
86
87If he, too, had a character like One Autumn Leaf, perhaps the results would have been different!
88
89That was what many people said after those matches. That season, Sun Xiang had been a spectacular rookie. Using a normal character, he challenged Ye Qiu and the Battle God One Autumn Leaf. Losing by only a sliver of health, even in defeat, Sun Xiang basked in glory.
90
91If I had One Autumn Leaf, I definitely would have won.
92
93It wasn't just others who thought that. Sun Xiang thought that as well.
94
95Later on, he came to possess of One Autumn Leaf. Because of him, Ye Xiu was forced to leave the team and announce his retirement. This made Sun Xiang truly feel like the winner. He looked forward to the future awaiting him.
96
97And then under his lead, Excellent Era was like a wild horse out of control and was relegated…..
98
99This was an embarrassment. It hadn't been easy for Sun Xiang to accept.　
100
101He wanted to prove himself. But the Challenger League? Lead Excellent Era back into the Alliance through the Challenger League? How could that be considered proof? For Excellent Era, this should be as easy as eating food. What's more, after getting relegated, they even got Xiao Shiqin to come over.
102
103It looked like he could only endure for this upcoming year.
104
105That was what Sun Xiang originally thought. However, then there were rumors of Ye Xiu forming his own team and joining the Challenger League.　
106
107This piece of news was like a stimulant for Sun Xiang.
108
109After switching ace players, Team Excellent Era's placings improved slightly before directly falling into relegations. The controversy over Sun Xiang was quite big. Comparing him to the former captain Ye Qiu was very normal.
110
111The club firmly stood by his side the entire time, but in reality? Sun Xiang needed to prove himself.
112
113The Challenger League wasn't enough for him to prove himself. Sun Xiang could only impatiently wait for the next year, so he could shut up those who said he was worse than Ye Qiu. Who would have thought that an opportunity would arrive in the Challenger League? This instantly made the Challenger League interesting. For him, this was a stage meant for the two of them. How well would Team Happy perform? How would he lead Team Excellent Era? The finale would only happen when the two sides clashed. It was a finale that he and the media would look forward to.
114
115That year, he lost because his character wasn't as good as One Autumn Leaf. And now, he possessed One Autumn Leaf. He would let Ye Xiu witness just how powerful his Battle God was.
116
117At this moment, Sun Xiang didn't hurry to beat Ye Xiu. He was like a cat playing with his food, showing off his superiority. Just winning this match wasn't enough. He needed everyone to see that beating Ye Xiu was a trivial matter to him.
118
119But now….. Why was it like this?
120
121"Another attack hit. This was a Sword Slash chasing after One Autumn Leaf. It was a very accurate read. What's going on? We know that going berserk at 10% health was just a joke, but why did it actually happen when Lord Grim's health reached 10%? Even though Lord Grim didn't follow through with any combos, it was obvious who had the upper hand. Sun Xiang's One Autumn Leaf seems to be struggling. What's going on?" The commentator, Pan Lin, shouted, but he didn't get a response like he had anticipated. He turned to look at his casting partner. Li Yibo was puzzled. He clearly wasn't prepared for something like this to happen. He had been singing Sun Xiang high praises the entire time, saying how Sun Xiang was playing well and suppressing Ye Xiu.
122
123How did Ye Xiu suddenly overturn the sky in the blink of an eye? Moreover, why was the advantage so obvious?
124
125What's going on? You're asking me?! I'm the one who wants to find someone to ask! Today's match was making him feel very depressed.
126
127Rate this chapter
128
129254 comments, join in >
1301022 Rolling Meat
131Translator:Nomyummi | Editor: Nomyummi
132
133Lord Grim, who only had 10% health remaining, clearly held the upper hand. A professional commentator wasn't needed to see that. Lord Grim's 10% health seemed to be immovable as if he had become invincible. On the other hand, One Autumn Leaf was like an open faucet, gushing blood. Even a Berserker wouldn't trade their health like this. This was irrefutable proof that One Autumn Leaf was at the disadvantage.
134
135One Autumn Leaf still had half of his health left. In the previous exchanges, Sun Xiang had been constantly giving Lord Grim heavy injuries. He had felt the thrill of a predator playing with its food. He had felt like the fight was under his complete control. Ye Xiu seemed to be struggling, trying to hang onto his life. It's useless. Your time is already over…..
136
137Sun Xiang had been preparing to say these words the moment he won, but at this moment, the situation had flipped. No, to be more accurate, who had the upper hand was even more clear now. Before, Sun Xiang could feel his opponent's struggle, but now? Sun Xiang couldn't even struggle. Every attack from Lord Grim would make his head go blank as he failed to come up with any sort of counterplay.
138
139Where did I go wrong?
140
141Sun Xiang was feeling fretful. He watched as his health slowly bled away. He originally had fifty percent of his health left. In the blink of an eye, it turned to thirty percent. When his health reached twenty percent, he thought to himself: what had he done so far? He couldn't even struggle. He had been waiting for this opportunity to come for so long and this was going to be the outcome?
142
143In this match, the wide disparity between both sides could be easily seen.　
144
145He was young and brimming with talent. He was destined to leave his mark on the Glory Alliance in the near future. On the other hand, his opponent had been in retirement for a year. His most resplendent achievements had been made six years ago.
146
147He possessed the Battle God One Autumn Leaf. If the Battle God claimed second, no character would dare to claim first. On the other hand, his opponent had only just started leveling his character when the tenth server opened. It was a small character with a name that even begged to be laughed at. (TL: A more accurate translation for Lord Grim would be Please Don't Laugh)
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149He had gone into the fight at full health, while his opponent had just finished an intense match and only had half of his health left. Even though Lord Grim was given time to recover, it was only until 70% health. The two sides hadn't started from the same line.
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151For this match, let along losing, Sun Xiang wouldn't even accept an even match.
152
153But now, he seemed to be walking towards the abyss of defeat with every step he took, while Ye Xiu's Lord Grim was behind him, pushing him closer towards that abyss.
154
155Lose like this?
156
157No!
158
159Sun Xiang's spirit suddenly rose as he saw Lord Grim slash towards his head. He immediately had One Autumn Leaf scrunch up into a ball and roll to the side. He wasn't out of Lord Grim's attack range. It could be be said that this dodge wasn't successful. It was a roll that no skilled player would have done.
160
161But Sun Xiang did it. Not waiting for the commentators to note this mistake, One Autumn Leaf dodged the blade, but didn't get up and instead continued to roll to the side.
162
163It was too ugly to look at. Along with Lord Grim's swing and the rolling One Autumn Leaf, it made the viewers think of the phrase: rolling meat**.
164
165This wasn't a good phrase. To make people think of this phrase signified just how unsightly One Autumn Leaf looked right now. The character that was known as the great Battle God and always viewed as Glory's number one character, it could actually move in such a vile manner?
166
167The crowd instantly fell into silence. Excellent Era's fans had trouble responding. As for Excellent Era's players? Tao Xuan was embarrassed. He even glanced to his left and right like a little thief, as if he didn't want others to see One Autumn Leaf's unsightly appearance.　
168
169Unfortunately, his hopes wouldn't come true. It wasn't just the crowd that saw this, but also the millions of people watching the broadcast.
170
171The entire Glory world might have frozen at this moment. One Autumn Leaf actually rolled several times in a row to get away from Lord Grim's combo.
172
173Would Ye Xiu be startled by this ugly move? Of course not.
174
175No one knew better than him that, although One Autumn Leaf's several rolls looked very ugly, these rolls were truly effective. Sun Xiang managed to save himself from Lord Grim's combo with that.
176
177The rhythm had been broken!　
178
179At this moment, the other side would most likely counter attack, and with Sun Xiang's personality, the counter attack would only be that much more impatient. Ye Xiu didn't dare to be negligent. He hastily had Lord Grim move back two steps to distance himself from his opponent. However, Ye Xiu discovered that One Autumn Leaf did the same thing.
180
181Not only was Sun Xiang not in a hurry to counter attack, he had his character retreat to distance himself.
182
183"This guy... focused again?" Ye Xiu was startled.　　
184
185The two characters confronted each other. Neither side made any rash moves. One Autumn Leaf was at 20% health. Lord Grim was at 10% health.
186
187One Autumn Leaf's advantage was obvious, but he looked to be on the losing side. Not rushing forward to attack in this type of situation wasn't Sun Xiang's style. This guy was the type to think of himself as invincible, even if he only had 1% of his health left and would charge forward proudly to fight with his opponent. But at this moment, he unexpectedly chose to retreat?
188
189Normal players might not understand what this implied, but those who understood Sun Xiang's style would immediately notice this abnormality.
190
191Pan Lin and Li Yibo quickly explained this abnormality to everyone.
192
193Was this a talent about to go berserk? The two commentators concluded.
194
195The two characters started to move. They didn't rush forward, but instead moved horizontally, slowly closing the distance between them.
196
197Lord Grim had long-ranged attacks, but he didn't use them at this moment. Instead, he maintained practically the same rhythm as Sun Xiang's One Autumn Leaf.
198
199"Both sides have began to play more cautiously. Neither side plans on making any rash moves." Li Yibo said.
200
201"This makes me think of when two masters confront each other in wuxia stories. Even though they're just standing still, neither side has any holes. Whoever moves first is the first to expose an opening." Pan Lin said.　　
202
203"Wow, it really does feel like that." Li Yibo said.
204
205"Then is Sun Xiang about to burst forth?" Pan Lin asked. He was clearly hoping for this to happen.
206
207However, that wasn't what happened.　　
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209After the two sides carefully moved around, in the end, they started fighting again. Soon afterwards, Sun Xiang's One Autumn Leaf was suppressed again.
210
211A talent about to go berserk?
212
213What a joke! Pan Lin and Li Yibo once again felt like they had fallen into a trap.
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215"Sun Xiang doesn't seem to have any way out of the combo!" Pan Lin returned back to the previous topic. When the two sides fought a few minutes ago, that was pretty much all he said.
216
217The match seemed to have gone back to the old road. Only Ye Xiu knew that that wasn't the case.
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219Before, he had been carefully probing out the level of synergy between Sun Xiang and One Autumn Leaf and then found small holes he could exploit. But now, it was the reverse. Sun Xiang had started testing what those problems were using Ye Xiu's Lord Grim.
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221Previously, Sun Xiang's mind kept going blank. He wasn't focused, making it so he wasn't able to figure out where the problems lay. But this time, it was different. He was fully focused now. Sun Xiang was keenly inspecting where his problems were.　
222
223The holes that Ye Xiu had found were being patched up
224
225One Autumn Leaf's health was still bleeding away. Excellent Era's fans watched on with worry, but Sun Xiang wasn't the same. The more he played, the calmer he became. He found the problems one by one.
226
227These holes that Ye Xiu had uncovered couldn't help but make Sun Xiang somewhat fearful.
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229These were problems that he himself hadn't been aware of, yet Ye Xiu was actually able to find them? And everything had been figured out during the match?
230
231He really is terrifying…...　
232
233This was the first time Sun Xiang felt fear. He had fought against Ye Xiu twice before. Even though he lost both times, the only thought he had was that he only lost by a little bit. If he was the one with One Autumn Leaf, then he would certainly have a crushing victory.　
234
235It was only now did he wake up from his delusion. One Autumn Leaf's title as Battle God hadn't come from just the Silver equipment on him. It was a character that had been raised step by step under Ye Xiu's control.
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237The title was granted to the character, but in reality, the title should be granted to the player. It was the player who brought glory to the character.
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239Sun Xiang finally understood just how terrifying the Battle God was.
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241However, this wasn't going to stop Sun Xiang's desire to win. His pride always told him that no matter how great the opponent was, he was better.
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243The holes were quickly repaired. As soon as he figured out the problems, he just needed to be more aware to eliminate them. The imperfect synergy between him and his character was still there, but that itself wasn't fatal. It just meant that it wasn't perfect.
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245Sun Xiang had actually been quite happy about this discovery. His imperfect form could beat Ye Xiu. Wasn't that even greater evidence of his skill?
246
247The opportunity to counter attack was almost here! Sun Xiang looked at One Autumn Leaf's health. Ten percent. He had also locked onto this moment. On the other hand, Lord Grim's health hadn't gone down since then. It was pretty much at ten percent too.
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249Perfect. Everyone's on an equal playing field. A fair victory begins now!
250
251When One Autumn Leaf's health dropped to ten percent, Sun Xiang finally sounded the horn to counterattack.
252
253Translator's Thoughts
254NomyummiNomyummi
255**滚刀肉 is a chunk of meat that is hard to cut, hard to cook, hard to chew. It is used to describe a person who is shameless, hopelessly muddled, and impossible to convince (basically a pain in the ass). 滚 means to roll. 刀 means a knife. 肉 means meat. I had no idea how to translate it, so I just translated it as "rolling meat" since One Autumn Leaf was like a chunk of meat rolling around on the ground. Baidu gives "hob meat" as a translation, but searching "hob meat" on google gives me nothing so I didn't use that.
256
257Rate this chapter
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259723 comments, join in >
2601023 The Classic 0.03% Kill
261Translator:Nomyummi | Editor: Nomyummi
262
263Dragon Tooth!
264
265Sun Xiang didn't do any theatrics. He used the simplest of initiations for Battle Mage combos.
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267After jumping backwards a little to avoid it, Lord Grim swung with a Sky Strike.
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269Sun Xiang immediately composed himself to deal with it. When Ye Xiu had managed to use this to create an opening, he had done so by changing Sky Strike's trajectory. So this time, Sun Xiang didn't bother to get One Autumn Leaf to block and instead sidestepped by three body units, swerving to Lord Grim's flank.
270
271Lord Grim twisted, Sky Strike chasing after him. That was when One Autumn Leaf suddenly blocked it.
272
273Could there be any more variations to Sky Strike?
274
275No, the upwards stabbing of Sky Strike wasn't endless and limitless. If you kept stabbing up up up, then wouldn't you just end up throwing your weapon away?
276　　
277One Autumn Leaf's three body unit sidestep had pulled this Sky Strike far enough so that it couldn't be modified any further. Even so, Sun Xiang didn't hold back from his habitual reaction: block.
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279This actually wasn't just Sun Xiang's personal habit and style. Battle Mages needed their attacks to hit in order to stockpile Chasers. Blocks were considered hits by the system, so they could also produce Chasers. Thus, all Battle Mages would block if possible.
280　
281The current Sun Xiang didn't deviate from this and neither did the past Ye Xiu.
282
283So, Ye Xiu knew that while Sun Xiang had done a lot of dodging before, he would still choose to block when it came down to it. He couldn't just dodge instead of block to cover for his openings because if he did that with a Battle Mage, he would only be reducing his own strength.
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285Blocks were mostly defensive techniques for other classes, but for the Battle Mage, blocks were an offense in a defense. Then, when their opponent became too concerned about not letting the Battle Mage create Chasers and intentionally avoided the blocks, the true fatal power of the block was revealed: it had created chaos in the opponent's rhythm.
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287Thus, no Battle Mage would easily let go of blocks. For Sun Xiang to temporary give up his habits and resort to dodging so often was an extremely rare and commendable effort. His pride wouldn't allow him change his style so completely. He had experienced the terror of fighting Ye Xiu, but he wouldn't cower because of it. He wanted Ye Xiu to experience his skill, too.
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289The block swept forth brazenly.
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291This Sky Strike had lost the effect and power it originally was meant to have, so Ye Xiu obviously wouldn't send it over and gift One Autumn Leaf with a Chaser. Sky Strike was cancelled and One Autumn Leaf's block hit air.
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293This created a great opening to take advantage of. The block of a Battle Mage would bring this sort of trouble to their opponent. Should you let him block or not?
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295Ye Xiu had chosen the latter, giving Sun Xiang a chance to mount an offensive.
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297A Falling Flower Palm was thrown out at Lord Grim.
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299Mounting an offense often necessitated a lot of low level skills, as they were fast to activate. As for powerful skills, if you didn't pave a road for them, you would already be late to the game by the time you unleashed them.
300
301As for this quick Falling Flower Palm of One Autumn Leaf's, Ye Xiu didn't seem to have much of a choice but to have Lord Grim return with his own Falling Flower Palm.
302
303The palms of the two characters hit, and released a magical pulse that swept up the dust and dirt around them. Lord Grim's figure skidded backwards. How could Lord Grim compete with One Autumn Leaf in priority for the same skill? This clash had still given One Autumn Leaf a Chaser. Battle Mages had a total of five Chasers, unleashed through one of five low level skills, Sky Strike, Dragon Tooth, Double Stab, Falling Flower Palm, and Circle Swing. Because of Chasers, Battle Mages relied on low level skills a lot.
304
305Falling Flower Palm had ended with Lord Grim being pushed back. As for One Autumn Leaf? One Autumn Leaf had managed to gain a Fire Chaser, which was immediately sent out by Sun Xiang. A magical pulse like a flickering flame swirled around One Autumn Leaf's arms. This was the visual effect from the strength buff that the Fire Chaser gave. As for that big fireball of a Chaser, it had already sped towards Lord Grim. Sun Xiang was about to prepare a follow up attack when something flashed in front of his eyes.
306
307What was that?
308
309Sun Xiang didn't have the time to think, subconsciously having One Autumn Leaf to dodge.
310
311But it was too late!
312
313That thing had come too fast and by the time Sun Xiang noticed it, it seemed like his Fire Chaser had cracked open as if something trying to worm its way through.
314　
315Lord Grim's attack used the Fire Chaser as cover. The finesse this required was unreal. Sun Xiang hadn't noticed it at first, only reacting when it had shot through the Fire Chaser, but by then it was already too late.
316
317He was shot!
318
319Lord Grim had sent out a bullet and One Autumn Leaf was immediately stunned when it hit.
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321This wasn't the small stun from a normal shot. That miniscule effect would do nothing against a powerful character like One Autumn Leaf.
322
323This was a Stun Bullet, a low level skill of the Spirfire class and stun was its crucial effect.
324
325Then, a blade flashed and cut the Fire Chaser in half before striking the stunned One Autumn Leaf with a Sword Draw.
326
327In this exchange, it was clear that One Autumn Leaf had not benefited. The only gains he had was the Fire Chaser that was buffed his strength.
328　
329However, the one with the initiative was still Lord Grim. After the Sword Draw, the Myriad Manifestation Umbrella didn't change forms, already following up with a Collapsing Mountain.
330
331One Autumn Leaf hastily dodged, jumping backwards, while stabbing forth with Evil Annihilation, hoping to pull Lord Grim into a Circle Swing.
332
333Lord Grim's sword swerved. The Collapsing Mountain missed One Autumn Leaf entirely and struck Evil Annihilation instead.
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335One Autumn Leaf gained another Chaser, but who would be more clear on the gains and losses of these Chasers than Ye Xiu? He knew which Chasers he could afford to give and which he couldn't. He wasn't the kind of person who would be troubled by a Battle Mage's blocks because, unfortunately, he was the one who created this playstyle.
336
337Giving One Autumn Leaf a Chaser had allowed Lord Grim to close in.
338
339Sun Xiang was uncomfortable. He had thought he had the situation under control, but he never expected that it would spiral away from him again.
340
341That was when Ye Xiu stopped using those openings and came at him head on with these attacks.
342
343The careful preparation Sun Xiang had made to deal with Ye Xiu's tricks was for naught.
344
345Of course, he wasn't afraid of this direct and straightforward brawl, and would even have an advantage due to his young age and stamina. Yet now, he had to keep his guard up against another possibility, where he might fall into a trap due to a subconscious action. So, he had to stay absolutely focused.
346
347With Sun Xiang completely focused, it wouldn't be easy to distract him, but having to focus on so many aspects was definitely draining. It was good that Sun Xiang was young so he could endure.
348
349Let's see who'll make it to the end!
350
351Sun Xiang gritted his teeth, advancing and having One Autumn Leaf meet Lord Grim blow for blow, while also paying attention to the modifications each of Lord Grim's strikes could go through, determined to not fall into that real life stun again.
352
353The overall situation resulted in a deadlock.
354
355The health of both sides dropped, nine percent, seven percent, six percent...
356
357Who would reach zero first?
358
359No one could guess. In this moment, either side could be the victor. However, looking at the big picture, Ye Xiu had been at a disadvantage when the match began, so he had already won by being able to reach this point, fighting Sun Xiang.
360
361Unfortunately, that wasn't how matches were judged. The true victor was the one who was left standing.
362
363Who would it be?
364
365Many people in the audience stood up, as if they wouldn't be able to see clearly otherwise. However, after they did that, the people sitting behind them really couldn't see. Some people began to argue and others just stood up as well, thus, the majority of the present audience had come to their feet to continue watching the match.
366
367The Excellent Era fans had already forgotten to cheer. This crucial moment made them just as tense as the players on the field.
368
369Curse Arrows!
370
371That was when Lord Grim summoned several small black arrows with Curse Arrows while dodging One Autumn Leaf's attack, hoping to slow down One Autumn Leaf's momentum.
372
373However, when victory was in grasp, Curse Arrows? That wouldn't be able to kill him, so there was no way he was letting this chance go!
374
375One Autumn Leaf advanced in spite of the damage. Stronger characters held an advantage in situations like this. Often, they could afford to be more aggressive than other characters, because in situations where other characters couldn't hold on, they could.
376
377Slide Kick!
378
379Seeing One Autumn Leaf charge forth, Lord Grim didn't retreat and charged as well.
380
381One Autumn Leaf jumped up, spear stabbing down at the Slide Kicking Lord Grim with a Circle Swing.
382
383Lord Grim rolled to avoid it and knelt on one knee, swinging open the Myriad Manifestations Umbrella and shooting furiously with Gatling Gun.
384
385Sun Xiang was even more direct. One Autumn Leaf, falling from his jump, shook his spear and suddenly, a tumultuous magical pulse exploded out from Evil Annihilation. He had somehow managed to unleash a Rising Dragon Soars the Sky in the time it took for Lord Grim to roll!
386
387Gatling Gun's bullets came in a flood, but compared to Rising Dragon Soars the Sky, who would die?
388
389Sun Xiang smirked. Unspecialized was something no one had much experience dealing with. However, since it had popped up, and they knew there was a possibility of facing it, why wouldn't Excellent Era put effort into researching it?
390　
391The only thing Excellent Era lacked was the Myriad Manifestations Umbrella. As for unspecialized accounts, they had began levelling several of them up after realizing they might meet Ye Xiu and Lord Grim in the Challenger League.
392
393Excellent Era had spent no expense to deal with Ye Xiu. They had tried to research the Myriad Manifestations Umbrella, but in the end they had gotten nowhere. However, if Excellent Era didn't look into the possibilities one could achieve with an unspecialized and such a weapon, then they didn't deserve to be called a pro team.
394
395There was no contest in who would benefit in an exchange between Gatling Gun and Rising Dragon Soars the Sky. Ye Xiu obviously couldn't just let this exchange happen and hastily had Lord Grim dodge.
396
397Want to escape? It's too late!!
398
399Rising Dragon Soars the Sky's dragon head swerved towards Lord Grim.
400
401Rising Dragon Soars the Sky, Dragon Raises it's Head! The audience exploded into cheers. From their perspective, this was the deciding strike in the match.
402
403However, it wasn't. Lord Grim's movements were extremely precise. He seemed to have calculated Rising Dragon Soars the Sky's pathing and, with a single step, was already behind the dragon's head.
404
405That was when everyone saw that the dragon head, which had already swerved to the side twisted even further, almost in the completely opposite direction.
406
407"Ah!!" Pan Lin screamed in excitement in the live broadcast, "Dragon Raises it's Head? No, this isn't it. This is no long Dragon Raises its Head, it's already a Dragon Looks Back!!" The new technique for Rising Dragon Soars the Sky had been christened by Pan Lin.
408　
409"Spectacular! This is probably a technical modification made possible after the level 75 update." Even Li Yibo, who was usually rather calm and tried to appear omniscient, couldn't hold back his excitement anymore.
410
411"Rising Dragon Soars the Sky hits! This is a new technique, Dragon Looks Back! As expected of a team with the Battle God. They are a representation of the greatest skill level a Battle Mage can reach. In this match alone, we've witnessed two new Battle Mage techniques." Pan Lin yelled. He was about to announce victory, but then suddenly saw that, while Lord Grim had been hit by the Rising Dragon Soars the Sky, he hadn't died. He had managed to perform a Guard behind his back, managing to catch this attack.
412
413However, the amount of damage Guard could reduce was limited and Rising Dragon Soars the Sky wasn't something it could neutralize. Lord Grim, a Guard at his back, was thrown forward by this attack, skidding all the way in front of One Autumn Leaf. However, his health wasn't completely gone. The broadcast immediately switched to a close up. 0.03 percent. Lord Grim's health had fallen to the point where they needed two digits after the decimal point to express it. This was probably an amount that One Autumn Leaf could destroy with a punch, even after throwing away Evil Annihilation.
414
415Yet, the current One Autumn Leaf was still trapped in the ending lag of Rising Dragon Soars the Sky. No matter how amazing Sun Xiang's mechanics were, it was impossible for him to do anything right now.
416
417Lord Grim had been pushed directly in front of Sun Xiang's One Autumn Leaf by One Autumn Leaf. He only had 0.03 percent of his health left, but he struck the true deciding blow.
418
419The entire stadium had gone silent and the commentator Pan Lin gaped. In this moment, he couldn't think of anything to describe the scene before him.
420
421Such a spectacular Rising Dragon Soars the Sky Dragon Looks Back didn't manage to kill the opponent, but instead pushed the opponent in front of himself and sent himself to death?
422
423Pan Lin had originally thought out what he was going to say.
424
425Sun Xiang, using a mutation of Rising Dragon Soars the Sky even more spectacular than the Dragon Raises its Head that Ye Xiu created, managed to defeat Ye Xiu. What a meaningful, amazing way of succeeding the old with the new. This scene could've been a perfect ending to this battle, turning it into a classic moment remembered by all those who played Glory!
426
427But now it was all gone!
428
429All Lord Grim did was Guard. Though placing a Guard behind a character's back had some degree of difficulty, it was still a level 20 and under skill. How could that possibly compare to Dragon Looks Back?
430
4310.03 percent!
432
433Just that 0.03 percent, an amount of health that would be lost in any exchange, somehow managed to last till the end. If it didn't, then so long as Lord Grim was killed, the classic moment wouldn't have to be changed, even with that Guard.
434
435Yet now, nothing was the same.
436　　
437The sixth match of the Challenger League finals went to Happy, Ye Xiu, and Lord Grim.
438
439That's right, Lord Grim.
440
441Rate this chapter
442
443421 comments, join in >
4441024 That Also Counts as a 1v3?
445Translator:Nomyummi | Editor: Nomyummi
446
447On stage, the last one standing was Lord Grim. One Autumn Leaf lay at his feet. One Autumn Leaf had once brought Ye Xiu boundless glory. This time, it was his opponent, and it fell by his hand.
448
449The crowd was silent. Team Happy's few fans had also forgotten to cheer.
450
451He won?
452
453They had a hard time believing it. One Autumn Leaf's Rising Dragon Soars the Sky had been filled with vigor. Dragon Raising Its Head into Dragon Looks Back. Such a crazy technique made them believe that Lord Grim had fallen. But the last one standing on stage was Lord Grim. What exactly happened in that moment?
454
455The broadcast took great pains to replay that moment. In comparison, Ye Xiu's final blow to One Autumn Leaf wasn't anything special. He just took advantage of the ending lag from One Autumn Leaf's high level move and did a quick combo. Neither side had much health left, so a quick combo was enough to finish off One Autumn Leaf.
456
457The broadcast replayed the clip. It followed Lord Grim and showed the moment he blocked the Dragon Looks Back from behind.
458
4590.03% health. The clip intentionally zoomed in on Lord Grim's health.
460
461"What a spectacular block. However, it was extremely risky. That final 0.03% health left is evidence of that. If that block had been off in the slightest, it would have been a different result." Pan Lin came out of his disappointment and commented on the replay. For him personally, he had no bias towards Ye Xiu or Sun Xiang. He just wanted more to talk about. Sun Xiang's Dragon Looks Back giving the final blow to Ye Xiu would definitely have been much more exciting. Pan Lin looked at things from the media's point of view. He had hoped for more flashy performances. The outcome made him a bit disappointed, but he had to admit that this fight had been a brilliant one.
462
463"Coach Li, 0.03% health. Do you think that Ye Xiu actually planned for that to happen or was it just luck?" Pan Lin asked.
464
465"..." Li Yibo was annoyed. Can you not ask me to guess what Ye Xiu was thinking?
466
467Pan Lin saw Li Yibo furrow his brows without saying anything. He immediately feigned as if those words were just a sigh and switched topics.
468
469In the crowd, Team Tiny Herb's three players were discussing this question.
470
471"Probably luck? 0.03% health? That number is too precise. I think it's luck." Liu Xiaobie expressed. As a Blade Master, he naturally had a deep understanding of blocking and knew the difficulty of executing such a block.
472
473"Under normal situations, it'd be nearly impossible to calculate, but Ye Xiu should have a very good understanding of his opponent's character, no? So it's possible that he could have such a precise calculation." Xu Bin said.
474
475"But One Autumn Leaf is a bit different than before from what I see." Gao Yingjie said.
476
477"Hm, that's true." Xu Bin nodded his head.
478
479"So it's luck?" Liu Xiaobie said.
480
481"It's hard to say..... In any case, you can't be careless when facing him." Xu Bin said.　　
482
483"Will he be our opponent in the future?" Liu Xiaobie mumbled softly. Ye Xiu's victory had completely changed the atmosphere in the stadium, but the problem was that Happy was still on the losing side. Team Excellent Era still has two players left. As for Happy? Lord Grim only has 0.03% health. He pretty much doesn't count... even if he tried to hide and recover his health, his opponent probably wouldn't give him enough time. Moreover, Wish Prayer was still on cooldown. In the group arena, there was no recovery after a round was complete. Whatever state you are in when the round ends will be the same at the start of the next round.
484
485Happy was still in a disadvantageous position. Excellent Era was a pro team that had experienced hundreds of matches. They wouldn't be shaken by a single loss even if it was their ace player.
486
487Liu Xiaobie wasn't wrong. However, he neglected the relationship between Ye Xiu and Excellent Era.
488
489If it were any other player that took Sun Xiang down, Excellent Era could regain their calm and continue with their advantage, but it was Ye Xiu who took down Sun Xiang, the one who was supposed to be his successor. However, Sun Xiang lost. The implications of this loss were simply too great.
490
491The instant One Autumn Leaf fell, Team Excellent Era's boss Tao Xuan almost went insane. The importance of this confrontation was as important as the entire finals, yet they lost in such a manner... Lord Grim only had 0.03% health left. People might not stress this small detail. Ye Xiu won. Sun Xiang lost. That was the result. In view of this result, people might talk more about how Lord Grim wasn't at full health from the beginning. Tao Xuan could imagine how the media would ask sharp questions about this fight. How would he explain it when the time came?
492
493Tao Xuan's expression was incomparably ugly. Excellent Era's other players subconsciously kept their distance from their boss. At this moment, Sun Xiang exited the stage to their bench. His gaze was filled with incredulousness. He had actually lost. He had faced a character who was inferior to One Autumn Leaf and was also not at full health, yet he still lost to Ye Xiu.
494
495Why did it turn out this way?
496
497Am I really not as good as him?
498
499This was the first time Sun Xiang doubted himself because this time, he couldn't find any excuse. His gaze shifted to the other side at Happy's bench, but he unexpectedly saw Ye Xiu also exit the stage.
500
501Sun Xiang stared blankly.
502
503Why did Ye Xiu come out? Players were not allowed to leave the stage in the middle of a match. Doing that was equivalent to forfeiting!
504
505At this moment, the referee jogged over to Happy's seats.
506
507"What are you doing? You don't know that players are not allowed to leave the stage mid-match?" The referee asked. Leaving was absolutely not permitted, but special circumstances needed to be treated appropriately. For example, if something happened to a player's health or condition. As a result, the referee still asked.
508
509"I know, but I only have so little health remaining. Is there any point in continuing?" Ye Xiu said.
510
511"Can't you.... Do that something?" The referee was reserved. He felt too embarrassed to say heal himself.
512
513"Haha, it's fine. I did a 1v3! I should give the other players a chance!" Ye Xiu said and continued to walk down from the stage. This move could only be deemed as a forfeit. There weren't any other penalizations.
514
515The referee stood there in a daze.
516
517"1v3? When did he 1v3? Did he accidentally miscount?"
518
519How puzzling! The screen in the stadium showed the scoreboard for the group arena. The referee took a glance and nearly coughed blood.
520
521From this meticulous scoreboard, it could clearly be seen that Lord Grim had won against Life Extinguisher.
522
523As a result, in theory, Ye Xiu did a 1v3. That was certainly true. Xiao Shiqin had left the stage in that confrontation!
524
525But who didn't know the circumstances? Xiao Shiqin had used up all his mana. The two hadn't done anything to each other. Xiao Shiqin just typed GG and left. This type of victory counted as a statistic, but how could the player be so bold as to actually count it as one?
526
5271v3? That counts as a 1v3?
528
529Rate this chapter
530
531837 comments, join in >
5321025 Unexpected
533Translator:Nomyummi | Editor: Nomyummi
534
535After completing a 1v3, Ye Xiu came offstage. Fortunately, these words had only been spoken to the referee. If the whole stadium had heard him, the wind from the boos could probably directly blow Ye Xiu out of the building.
536
537Ye Xiu and Sun Xiang left the player booths at almost exactly the same time. Naturally, they also reached their seats in their respective team areas at around the same time.
538
539Those on Happy's side naturally showed Ye Xiu a level of respect normally reserved for heroes, but what about Excellent Era? Tao Xuan was extremely gloomy. Yet, he still had to pat Sun Xiang on the back and console him. "Not bad. You were only off by a tiny bit."
540
541Indeed!
542
5430.03%
544
545Wasn't that just a tiny bit? Yet, this small bit had been the difference between heaven and hell. Sun Xiang felt infinitely conflicted, and could only stare at Team Happy's side. In regards to the boss's words of comfort, he said nothing, only nodding his head before sitting alone to the side.
546
547"We have to win the next round!" At this moment, Tao Xuan gave a desperate command. Even though they were a well-known and experienced team with all kinds of knowledge in coping with difficult situations, Sun Xiang had been defeated by Ye Xiu. This wasn't as simple as an ace player losing a match. Ye Xiu had always had an unusual effect on Excellent Era.
548
549Although Excellent Era was still clearly in the lead, the entire atmosphere of the stadium had changed after Ye Xiu's victory. All the Excellent Era fans had become uncharacteristically silent, as had the previously prideful and arrogant Sun Xiang.
550
551After warning the next player to go on stage, Tao Xuan once again glanced over towards Happy's side, his heart sinking at what he saw.
552
553Sun Zheping!
554
555Surprisingly, Happy's fifth player in the group arena was actually Sun Zheping.
556
557Tao Xuan glanced at Xiao Shiqin, someone he relied heavily on. Prior to the competition, when they were deciding their lineup, the vice captain had guessed that Sun Zheping wouldn't come onstage during the group arena.
558
559As a first-generation God, Sun Zheping would obviously receive a lot of media attention after suddenly joining Happy. Many reporters present were looking for an opportunity to interview him.
560
561With Sun Zheping's personality, he obviously wouldn't cover up his hand injury. He calmly informed the reporters of his current situation. Thus, Xiao Shiqin's had assessed the situation and reached the conclusion that Sun Zheping would only be able to play in one of the rounds, either the group arena or the team competition, in the match against Excellent Era.
562
563After all, the difficulty in facing Excellent Era couldn't be compared to that of other teams. Unless Sun Zheping decisely forfeited the round when the tides of the battle turned, his hands would definitely have to weather an enormous amount of strain. If he appeared in both the group arena and the team competition, the burden would really be too heavy for him to bear.
564
565Except, he was an extremely strong player. This could be easily seen in the few matches in which he had appeared on stage before. As a result, Xiao Shiqin had believed that he would definitely conserve his strength during the group arena, and instead come out during the more important team competition.
566
567However, Sun Zheping was actually Happy's last player in the group arena. This was very unexpected in Xiao Shiqin's eyes. In this position, if the previous players fell behind, a huge burden would be placed on Sun Zheping's shoulders. Like right now, he would have to face two players back-to-back. Regardless of whether he won or lost, after facing this kind of strain, would he still be able to compete in the team round?
568
569"Could it be that the reports by the media were false?" Tao Xuan wondered.
570
571"That's not likely ..." Xiao Shiqin replied. He had entered the Alliance at a time when the Hundred Blossoms duo, Zhang Jiale and Sun Zheping, had been at its peak. Thus, he had a good understanding of this God. This kind of scheming behavior outside of a match wasn't in line with Sun Zheping's personality at all. In Xiao Shiqin's eyes, this man was the type of person who wouldn't hide his true circumstances. Even if he made a mistake, he was the type of person to face it head on like a real man instead of trying to pretend it didn't happen. To make a big deal out of something like a minor hand injury really didn't seem like something he would do.
572
573These years of retirement would be enough enough for him to change his temperament. Yet, seeing his performance on stage, he seemed just as fierce, wild, and untamed as before.
574
575In light of these circumstances, there was only one plausible explanation: Sun Zheping would not be appearing in the team competition.
576
577Then, who would be appearing in the team competition?
578
579In this way, Excellent Era's lineup for the team round would be disrupted. Xiao Shiqin had no idea that Sun Zheping, the definitive number two player in Happy who could even be called Ye Xiu's equal, would actually not be appearing in the team competition? This was actually as unexpected as one not bringing a Cleric to the team competition!
580
581In any case, the lineup for the team competition had long since been decided. There was no way to change it now. Luckily, he would be able to give the other players instructions during the team competition. When the time came to battle, he would simply have to make adjustments based on the situation! Xiao Shiqin took a deep breath, stopping his train of analyses and conjectures. He turned back to calmly watch the match.
582
583From Team Happy, Sun Zheping stepped onto stage.
584
585Excellent Era sent out Shen Jian, a Striker player.
586
587This was likely the only group arena match today in which Happy appeared to be the stronger contender on paper.
588
589Sun Zheping was a former God. Although he had retired for many years, it was due to an injury, not because his condition was slipping. Zhang Jiale, who had been a player of the same generation as him, was still lively on stage. If not for the hand injury, Sun Zheping shouldn't be any worse than Zhang Jiale was now, so he should still be at the same level of an All-Star.
590
591What about Excellent Era's Shen Jian then? In Excellent Era, he could probably only be considered average.
592
593Before Sun Xiang came to Excellent Era, when Excellent Era's troop arrangements during the team competition were relatively stable, the lineup was made up of Ye Xiu's Battle Mage, Su Mucheng's Launcher, Liu Hao's Spellblade, Guo Yang's Qi Master, and Zhang Jiaxing's Cleric. He Ming's Elementalist was usually their sixth player.
594
595Shen Jian could be considered their substitute player. Depending on who their opponents were, he would sometimes have a chance to go onstage.　
596
597After Ye Xiu left, Excellent Era was relegated. Right afterwards, both Liu Hao and He Ming were traded for Xiao Shiqin, and Guo Yang left soon after. Of Excellent Era's original lineup, only Su Mucheng and Zhang Jiaxing remained. As a player with a decent amount of strength and battle experience, Shen Jian also naturally rose in the food chain, joining the main roster.
598
599Excellent Era was a powerhouse team. Being able to rise to the position of a substitute player showed that Shen Jian already possessed an impressive amount of skill. In a weaker team, he might even be considered a strong member. However, in the face of Sun Zheping, this kind of player was evidently still not enough. Right now, the only thing that made people worry was that Sun Zheping had retired due to an injury, before suddenly appearing in the scene once more after so many years. It was said that he still hadn't entirely recovered. Then, when all was said and done, how much strength did this player truly have left? His previous performances could be considered powerful, but Excellent Era's level was not the same as those other teams. Shen Jian was previously only a sub for the team, and even now, he was just a normal player on the main roster. If he was tossed in a team like Mysterious Fantasy or Jade Dynasty, he might even become their core player!
600
601In the face of this kind of player, would Sun Zheping still be able to showcase the same kind of overpowering performances he had before?
602
603This competition left the audience in this kind of suspense. In this match, the attention wouldn't be focused on Excellent Era's player. In the spotlight was Sun Zheping, the former number one Berserker.
604
605Yes, the topic had once again become focused on Sun Zheping. Team Happy ... why were they always casually tossed to the side?
606
607Rate this chapter
608
609835 comments, join in >
6101026 Meeting Force with Force
611Translator:Nomyummi | Editor: Nomyummi
612
613The audience still hadn't recovered from the spectacular fight between Ye Xiu and Sun Xiang. The next round had begun, but the stadium was still silent.
614
615However, this wouldn't affect the players on stage. When they entered the player booths, the players and characters became one. This was the mindset that they currently put themselves in.
616
617Shen Jian's character was a Striker, which was a purely offensive type character similar to Sun Zheping's Berserker. The Striker's weapon was their body, so it had the shortest attack range of the 24 classes. However, this class represented the principle that a shorter weapon was more dangerous. When fighting in close quarters combat, their attack speed was ranked the fastest among the 24 classes. Strikers, Assassins, and Grapplers were known as the Nightmare Trio when it came to close combat.
618
619When the match started, both sides showcased the straightforwardness of their respective classes. They didn't move strategically, but headed straight for the center of the map to fight. 
620
621Speaking of character strength, Excellent Era held a clear advantage. Sun Zheping's Another Summer of Sleep didn't have any Silver equipment at all; all of his equipment was orange. This could be considered a disadvantage because all of his stats were known by the opponent. Shen Jian could carry out the fight according to Another Summer of Sleep's stats and bonuses. Although Shen Jian's Striker was a sub Excellent Era, Excellent Era was still a powerhouse team. The subs wouldn't have characters too different in strength compared to the characters of the starting roster. Shen Jian had a set of ten Silver equipment, a number enough to make most players drool. In reality, a powerhouse team might not have a small number of Silver equipment even for substitute characters. The real difference between the God-level characters lay in the quality. This was clearly related to the the distribution of a team's resources. It went without saying that the ace and core characters would get prioritized when it came to using these resources, and naturally, the equipment given to these core characters were much more suited to the players' playstyles.
622
623Shen Jian was promoted to a starter in this season, so his character also received more attention. Since he was better than he was last season, he couldn't wait to use his upgraded character to show a brilliant performance. However, this could only happen after they cleared the Challenger League.
624
625There was a wide gap between the characters' stats, but Sun Zheping showed no trace of being courteous. When the two met, he immediately made the first move. Another Summer of Sleep swung the greatsword in his hand and launched a Collapsing Mountain.
626
627Due to a Striker's limited attack range, they often failed to attack first. However, this didn't mean that they would be stuck in a passive state. Shen Jian's response was very tough. He activated Reinforced Iron Bones, and rushed towards Another Summer of Sleep's Collapsing Mountain with swinging fists.
628
629Sun Zheping? He was famous, but this did not mean Shen Jian would be afraid of him. They were both pro players, so even if his opponent was a God, his opponent's strength wouldn't in another league. If he turned soft every time he faced someone of a higher level, how could he even participate in a match? As a new main roster player, Shen Jian didn't have many chances to show himself. Since he got to meet a figure like Sun Zheping in the match against Happy, it seemed like a good opportunity to reveal himself.
630
631The number one Berserker? Very well, I'll use an even more fierce and crazy way to beat you.
632
633Shen Jian thought to himself and then controlled his character to charge forward.
634
635Reinforced Iron Bones increased his character's physical defense, but more importantly, it also granted Super Armor.
636
637Super Armor made the character immune to all forms of CC apart from grabs. In this way, although he faced a cut from the opponent, it didn't affect his Striker's advance at all. He only lost a bit of health from this attack, but his attack continued as normal. Shen Jian neither avoided nor blocked the incoming attacks, and pushed forward with Reinforced Iron Bones. This revealed his intention to fight straightforwardly.
638
639Sun Zheping unexpectedly reacted extremely fast. He leapt up and cancelled Collapsing Mountain in midair. Another Summer of Sleep then swung his sword. It seemed like an Upward Slash, but this blow from Upward Slash seemed to release magical waves as if ripping apart the air.
640
641This was a low-level Spellblade skill, Wave Wheel Slasher, which used a magic boundary to seal a target before spinning and slicing the target. All four swordsmen classes typically put at least one point into it. They wanted it for its Super Armor piercing effects. 
642
643Shen Jian saw this, but didn't have any other options available. He could only choose to retreat. However, Sun Zheping had reason to not let him escape. After Another Summer of Sleep's jump, he landed and reached out to grab Shen Jian's Fighter. This was a Berserker grab Soul-Devouring Crimson Grip.
644
645The Striker jumped back as Shen Jian chose to give way again.
646
647Another Summer of Sleep wasn't in a hurry to rush up this time and let out a Sword Draw instead.
648
649Shen Jian's Striker was still under the effects of Reinforced Iron Bones, so he wouldn't be beat back by this blow. He rushed forward to smash the sword's light with his body, and swung his fists once more.
650
651However, Another Summer of Sleep held his sword in front of his chest and attacked with the Blade Master's Lunge. 'Tu-tu!' The two blows landed on the Striker. It was true that a Striker buffed with Reinforced Iron Bone wouldn't be affected by the skill effects, but the sword was pointed at his chest. If he continued to advance, wouldn't his character be pierced by the blade? Although this was a game, it couldn't be too illogical. The two lunges held up the person like a stick, and managed to postpone the incoming force of Shen Jian's Striker.
652
653Shen Jian was unwilling to give up; there was no big deal in losing a bit of health after activating Reinforced Iron Bones. However, it would be a mistake to not seize the opportunity to attack. The Striker that was stabbed twice continued to push forward tenaciously. This time, Sun Zheping's Another Summer of Sleep retreated. He jumped back repeatedly without turning around.
654
655"Where are you going!" Shen Jian cried out in his head and forced his character forward even faster. The Striker used Straight Punch to try to close the gap.
656
657Who would have thought that after Another Summer of Sleep's two backwards jumps, he would take out the sword behind his back? As Shen Jian rushed forward, the Great Sword thrust out and slashed straight down.
658
659Demon-Slaying Slash!
660
661Apart from its outstanding damage, Demon-Slaying Slash could also lower the target's defense. When this skill was fully upgraded, a blow could reduce the target's defense by 30% for eight seconds. 
662
663All of this couldn't be avoided when one activated Reinforced Iron Bone. Even if it was activated, the damage from the skill was rather heartbreaking. There seemed to be no convenient chance to attack, so this Demon-Slaying Slash caused Shen Jian to hesitate a bit before finally choosing to dodge.
664
665At this point, even commentators like Pan Lin and Li Yibo were able to clearly see through Shen Jian's hesitation, let alone Ye Xiu. This guy was set on fighting resolutely and tough, but obviously that wasn't his original style. So when he fought with truly tough players like Sun Zheping, he backed down. No one understood why he activated Reinforced Iron Bones and wasted the skill's effect in the end.
666
667Wasting Reinforced Iron Bone was a huge mistake. This was because when Strikers used this skill, they would usually neglect defense and receive a large amount of damage. If a player couldn't find an opportunity to beat the opponent enough to cough up litres of blood in this situation, what was the point of even using this skill? Shen Jian not only had no reason to, he was literally selling his blood too. No, it wasn't even selling blood. By selling blood, there was some profit to be made. Shen Jian was purely giving out blood.
668
669Pan Lin and Li Yibo gave a thorough analysis of Shen Jian's terrible opener. Judging from this aspecte, there was quite some distance between Shen Jian and the top Gods. After all, Pan Lin and Li Yibo could comment on it with such ease. When Ye Xiu was on stage before, the two kept on falling into traps. It's obvious that they weren't skilled enough to the point that they wouldn't even be able to finish a single level of Contra if not given 30 lives.
670
671By failing to grasp an opportunity with Reinforced Iron Bones and taking a lot of damage, Shen Jian knew how badly he fought and immediately became restless. Was Sun Zheping the kind of person to give his opponent any chance to catch his breath? His attacks grew stronger blow by blow. He waved his greatsword around like a windmill and slashed crazily.
672
673Apart from "No wonder he's the Number One Berserker", "As expected from the Number One Berserker", and "Look, this is the power of the Number One Berserker", the two commentators had nothing else to say. They couldn't help but refrain from giving any blunt comments on Sun Zheping's performance. They had fallen into too many traps today, if they fell into another one again, all 30 of their lives would be used up.
674
675On the Excellent Era bench, Tao Xuan's expression was extremely gloomy.
676
677Shen Jian's resolute attitude before he went on stage caused him to feel very much at peace. Although he gave a must-win command, there would always be wins and losses in a match. Tao Xuan obviously knew about this principle. The must-win command was a type of resolution, so the player would feel pressured as well as motivated. Whether it was a win or a loss, Tao Xuan would never bring out the must-win command to criticize a player.
678
679In addition, he clearly knew about Sun Zheping's skill. If Shen Jian couldn't take him down, he wouldn't say much, but he was losing in such an unsightly manner. Tao Xuan was angry at how Shen Jian was trying to appear fierce even though he was weak inside. If he fought like this, it would look better if he had just typed 'GG' the moment he stepped on stage!
680
681Unfortunately, no one could point out anything in this match, and Shen Jian continued to fight with fear. Using a fierce and crazy way to defeat Sun Zheping? This plan was long forgotten. An alarmed Shen Jian even forgot to win at this point. He was too busy thinking about how he could survive as if this were an apocalypse.
682
683Shen Jian lost without any turning points or any glimmers of hope. His performance was worse than Tang Rou's and Mo Fan's. Even though the two couldn't take down much of Xiao Shiqin's Life Extinguisher's health, at least they had a few moments of brilliance that belonged to them. They used their efforts to clearly express their intentions.
684
685Shen Jian? He had intentions when he went on stage, but it was smashed to pieces in two blows by Sun Zheping's Another Summer of Sleep. His thoughts were rather weak.
686
687"Shen Jian was obviously unprepared." Pan Lin said.
688
689"Yeah, he might have expected Sun Xiang to finish everything, so he wouldn't have needed to go on stage." Coach Li expressed his agreement.
690
691"He probably didn't think he would be fighting a strong opponent like Sun Zheping."
692
693"It was quite unwise of him to try to match Sun Zheping with force."
694
695"Yes, Han Wenqing is the only Striker in all of Glory that could use such a method to fight Sun Zheping."
696
697"Even though Sun Zheping retired many years ago, he shouldn't be underestimated like this!"
698
699"Yes!"
700
701"Too careless."
702
703The match ended with this.
704
705Winner: Team Happy, Sun Zheping, Another Summer of Sleep.
706
707Rate this chapter
708
709870 comments, join in >
7101027 Seize the Competition
711Translator:Nomyummi | Editor: Nomyummi
712
713Shen Jian walked off stage in a daze. The Excellent Era fans booed due to their discontent for the first time this match. Previously, Xiao Shiqin's 1v3 didn't need to be said. All the boos had been meant for Happy. Afterwards, Qiu Fei and Sun Xiang lost, but the crowd didn't react as harshly. The performances from Qiu Fei and Sun Xiang weren't bad. The fans didn't even look at the results. They also cared about the process.
714
715Shen Jian's performance clearly didn't make them feel satisfied. It was just that compared to the boos towards Happy, the boos from the Excellent Ea fans were still much more polite. Amidst these boos, there was even some applause to encourage their team's players.
716
717Shen Jian returned to the bench with his head drooped down. Tao Xuan patted his back and said a few consoling words before telling him to go rest. Tao Xuan was still the boss of a veteran team. He naturally wouldn't be so childish as to lose his temper like Jade Dynasty's Xiao Jie.
718
719Excellent Era's final player was about to come on stage. Everyone stretched their necks waiting for this person to go up. Whether it was intentional or not, Tao Xuan stole a glance at Happy. On Excellent Era's side, Su Mucheng stood up.
720
721As expected…...
722
723Chen Guo thought to herself.
724
725No one mentioned the possible conflict. Would Su Mucheng represent Excellent Era today? And now the truth had finally been revealed.
726
727Su Mucheng glanced at Happy's side. Her gaze didn't expose too many things. She turned around and walked towards the player booth. On the other hand, Tao Xuan suddenly turned his head to look at Happy. No, to be more accurate, he looked at Ye Xiu. His eyes seemed to be filled with delight as if he were making fun of him.
728
729What's that supposed to mean?
730
731Chen Guo didn't understand. She turned her head to look at Ye Xiu and saw an expression she had never seen before on his face. Is that anger?
732
733Yes, anger!
734
735Even after Ye Xiu was kicked out and painted black by Excellent Era, he had always stayed calm. He's angry? Why? Because Su Mucheng was sent out?
736
737Chen Guo felt like that wasn't the reason. Tao Xuan's expression when Su Mucheng went out was probably why Ye Xiu was angry. Chen Guo was still pondering over it, when she saw Ye Xiu stand up and walk over to Excellent Era's bench, to Tao Xuan.
738
739Tao Xuan was still sitting down. He didn't move and simply raised his head slightly. He looked at Team Excellent Era's former captain. They were once good friends, who got to know each other in game. At that time, they were like brothers that had gone to hell and back together. Afterwards, he raised enough money to form a team and he pulled over his brother to become his team's captain. The two gradually stopped calling each other brothers and now, the two had become enemies.
740
741"What's the meaning of this?" Ye Xiu had restrained his anger. He looked at Tao Xuan as calm as ever.
742
743"I hope she'll give a good performance." Tao Xuan smiled, while giving an irrelevant answer.　　
744
745"So it's like that." Ye XIu seemed to have gotten the answer he wanted and returned to his seat.　
746
747Chen Guo really wanted to ask, but... she was too afraid to. Ye Xiu no longer showed any anger like before, but his expression was gloomy. This was also an expression that she had never seen on him before.　
748
749"Calm down." Wei Chen suddenly said.
750
751"Mm." Ye Xiu nodded his head. He didn't argue back or question him. He simply nodded his head, saying that the current him wasn't calm at all.
752
753Ye Xiu wasn't calm?
754
755Chen Guo felt like something must have happened. But what? Chen Guo looked at Wei Chen. She knew that he should know the answer. She used her eyes to tell Wei Chen, he could either die or explain the situation to her.
756
757"Ahem….." Wei Chen was attacked by her glance. He gave a cough and then scooted over.
758
759"Do you know why Su Mucheng was put last?" Wei Chen said.　　
760
761Sure enough, it had to do with Su Mucheng.... Chen Guo thought to herself, but was there some sort of special meaning in it?
762
763"Excellent Era is doubtful of Su Mucheng, but that they can't openly say that. After all, Su Mucheng is very popular. Just look at the crowd's reaction." Wei Chen said.
764
765Yes, the stadium was already cheering. Shen Jian's embarrassing performance didn't wipe out their passionate cheers for Su Mucheng. She was only walking on stage and the crowd was going wild.
766
767"So she's been placed last." Wei Chen said.
768
769"Why?" Chen Guo still didn't understand.
770
771"For one, this is their treat to the fans. If you look at how Excellent Era ordered their line up for the group arena, they planned to finish the group arena with three players, so the chances of Su Mucheng coming out is very small. However, she's at least a part of the line up, showing that they trust her. As for placing her last, that could be explained as a safeguard. This is completely reasonable." Wei Chen said.
772
773"Mm." Chen Guo nodded her head in understanding.
774
775"But if the situation arises and Su Mucheng needs to come out on stage, what then? She carries the burden of Excellent Era winning the group arena. Each and every move of hers will be watched with rapt attention. If she truly has ideas of sandbagging, I'm saying if!!!" Wei Chen said sandbag, Chen Guo's expression changed, so he immediately stressed the word if, "Then if anyone notices it, her reputation... will be completely destroyed."
776
777"F*ck!" Chen Guo suddenly became angry. She shot a death glare over to Excellent Era's side. Unfortunately, no one was looking at her.
778
779"I'm just saying if. Of course, you and I believe that Su Mucheng is a professional so she wouldn't do that. However, in such a sensitive match, even if she doesn't sandbag, if she loses, she'll most likely arouse the suspicions of others. For a match, a first impression holds more weight than the details. Any mistakes she makes could be viewed as sandbagging... so for Su Mucheng, she can only win. She cannot lose. If she loses, she'll be affected negatively." Wei Chen explained everything very thoroughly. After saying this, he put up his guard, making sure that their bold boss wouldn't flip a table over and try to murder someone.
780
781What he didn't expect was that, after he finished explaining, Chen Guo didn't react aggressively like he thought she would. Chen Guo watched as Su Mucheng walked onto the stage; her expression was filled with bitterness.
782
783Su Mucheng didn't want to win this match, but she had no choice but to. What type of conflict was going on inside her?
784
785Chen Guo didn't know if Su Mucheng was aware of Excellent Era's intentions. After hearing Wei Chen's words, she felt like it wasn't really hard to figure that out, but even so, it was thanks to Tao Xuan leaking out such a delighted expression that Ye Xiu and Wei Chen realized it. If not, no matter how shameless the two of them were, they might not have thought much of it.
786
787From this view, Su Mucheng might realize this despicable plan. What would she do to resist?
788
789Would she directly type GG and leave? Use this type of reckless way against Excellent Era's coercion? Even though Chen Guo would feel great if that happened, the aftermath would be very worrying for Su Mucheng. Because the consequences were just like Wei Chen said, a complete loss in reputation. No matter the reason, a pro player was not allowed to violate the competitive integrity of the esport. It was for this reason that Excellent Era dared to treat Su Mucheng this way.
790
791The current Chen Guo couldn't bother with getting angry at Tao Xuan. She also understood why Ye Xiu was so quick to restrain his anger. It was because the person everyone was concerned about was about to face this difficult situation. Was there time to worry for her? Who was in the mood to split their attention towards Tao Xuan?
792
793What would she do?
794
795Seeing Su Mucheng walk on stage and load in her character, Chen Guo's heart leapt to her throat.
796
797Then, the match started. The two characters loaded into the map. Chen Guo watched Su Mucheng's Dancing Rain carefully and finally let out a sigh of relief.
798
799Su Mucheng at least didn't say GG.
800
801The two characters moved. Sun Zheping's Another Summer of Sleep went straight for the center of the map. Su Mucheng's Dancing Rain moved more tactfully and quickly reached a place that Li Yibo called "an excellent sniping spot".
802
803Launchers had the longest range out of all 24 classes. Utilizing the terrain, hiding, and constantly kiting the opponent with long-ranged attacks was the usual strategy, especially against an extremely aggressive player like Sun Zheping. This method of kiting could wear away the opponent's mental state and health. Su Mucheng should be using this method to covertly attack.
804
805This was Coach Li's analysis, but the crowd saw Su Mucheng's Dancing Rain stand up on the wall with her heads held high and the cannon on her shoulders. She didn't seem to have any intentions of hiding. She completely exposed herself on the high grounds and started firing at Another Summer of Sleep.
806
807Li Yibo's mouth dropped wide open. He had experienced a hundred battles, but this time, he couldn't save himself because Su Mucheng's slap to his face was too quick. As soon as he finished saying that she would hide, she stood up heroically and started firing. This pose was less like taking the initiative and more like shouting out loud "I'm attacking!!"
808
809Chen Guo hadn't given up on listening to the commentators. When she saw the huge difference between Su Mucheng's play and the commentator's analysis, her heart suddenly thumped.
810
811Su Mucheng didn't directly go so far as to say GG, but was she planning on boldly sandbagging to slap Excellent Era's face?　　
812
813Artillery fire instantly covered Chen Guo's mood. The heavy suppression made it impossible for the aggressive Sun Zheping to charge at her directly.
814
815Under the pursuit of artillery fire, Another Summer of Sleep ran behind a wall, planning his next step, when an enormous force lifted him up from behind. Another Summer of Sleep was overturned along with that wall from Su Mucheng's barrage.
816
817"Excellent Era... are they planning on fighting force with force against Sun Zheping?" In the crowd, Team Tiny Herb's three pro players could see the pros and cons of that strategy.
818
819Rate this chapter
820
821264 comments, join in >
8221028 It Ends Here
823Translator:Nomyummi | Editor: Nomyummi
824
825Su Mucheng's performance caused many of her die hard Excellent Era fans forget to cheer because this kind of strategy was indeed very different from her usual style.
826
827When Ye Xiu was still on the team, Su Mucheng's Launcher had always played a supportive role. Her character's coordination with One Autumn Leaf had always been very distinct.
828
829After Ye Xiu left the team, his successor, Sun Xiang, didn't have this same kind of implicit understanding with Su Mucheng. Dancing Rain's position on the team also appeared awkward for a time.
830
831Fortunately, Su Mucheng rapidly adjusted herself, transforming from a support player into one of the main damage dealers. Yet even so, her style still wasn't as aggressive and unyielding as what she was showing today.
832
833In reality, not being aggressive and unyielding was something that many people often accused female players of. Team Misty Rain's Captain Chu Yunxiu had constantly been flamed by critics because of this, to the point that it was considered one of her trademark weaknesses.
834
835Except now, Su Mucheng was actually showcasing this kind of tough playstyle, making many people feel taken aback. Even a player like Sun Zheping had been suppressed to the point that he had no way to directly attack. It was obvious how intense her firepower had to be to reach this point.
836
837Sun Zheping's Another Summer of Sleep and the wall behind him were both overturned, but Dancing Rain's offensive didn't stop for a moment. Only now could it be seen that Su Mucheng's original positioning of Dancing Rain on high ground wasn't to conceal her character to discreetly launch a sneak attack. Instead, it was done in order to obtain a wider field of view so as to allow her Launcher's attacks to cover a larger area. Attacking from afar allowed her to utilize her strength to the maximum.
838
839Another Summer of Sleep still hadn't climbed out of the pile of rubble from the broken wall. A Stinger had long since been launched and had split in midair, the fragments raining downwards. This skill shot out at an arc. Although the distance the projectile could travel wasn't actually that long, Dancing Rain was currently towering above all on the high ground. The range of this skill had been increased a lot because of this.
840
841The Stinger exploded above the ruins, turning the area into a sea of fire in the blink of an eye. Another Summer of Sleep suddenly rose, sweeping off the fragments of stone on his body. Looking at him, it really felt like a dramatic change.
842
843However, Su Mucheng didn't let up at all. Dancing Rain had long since finished charging up a Laser Rifle. In the instant that Another Summer of Sleep burst forth, the laser beam was also released. Another Summer of Sleep's awe-inspiring pose didn't last even a second before he was pushed back by the Laser Rifle, sliding quite a distance. His feet had carved out two parallel grooves as he traveled.
844
845At this moment, the stadium finally recovered and exploded in applause.
846
847Facing Sun Zheping, a player who was defined by his aggressive playstyle, Su Mucheng was actually able to answer with aggressive plays of her own! Furthermore, her opponent didn't even have an opportunity to respond! If they didn't applaud for this kind of brilliant performance, what would they applaud for?
848
849In comparison, Shen Jian's previous performance, which had been like a sheep in wolf's clothing, was unbearable. Except at this moment, who was even still thinking about his clumsy display? It was only brought up because the commentators used it as a comparison when they were looking for topics to talk about. After that, they went back to speaking about Su Mucheng's beautiful performance.
850
851It really isn't easy ...
852
853Even Sun Zheping, who was currently onstage, felt a sense of sorrow. He had lost many matches before, but there had been very very few in which he had absolutely no opportunity to advance on his opponent. Today, the beautiful Su Mucheng had set her heart on showcasing her power! Honestly, when he saw Su Mucheng go onstage, Sun Zheping had had some doubts about the quality of the match. Right now, since he was helping Happy compete, he obviously wouldn't shy away from any topics or problems regarding Excellent Era. He knew that Su Mucheng was in a very tangled situation. In this kind of match, would a beautiful girl still be able to display her full strength? In his heart, there was originally a question mark.
854
855Now, however, the question mark was smashed to pieces. Su Mucheng had fought to the point that he had no way to push forward. This was practically exceeding her full strength.
856
857However, although Sun Zheping understood Su Mucheng's inner turmoil, he wouldn't go easy on her during the competition. In his opinion, these were two completely unrelated things. In any case, all he was concerned with was winning the competition. It didn't matter who his opponent was. It didn't matter what the situation looked like. It didn't matter how he felt, or what his state of mind was. On the stage, outside of victory or defeat, there was nothing else ...
858
859If strength wasn't enough, then what about tactics?
860
861No, this was never Sun Zheping's style. It hadn't been many years ago, and it wasn't now. Perhaps there were many people secretly watching, watching to see if Sun Zheping had lost some of his former grandeur after being forced to retire due to an injury. Sun Zheping wanted these people to know that, even if he had a hand injury, even if he could only fight at a high skill level for a few minutes each time, in these trifling minutes, he wouldn't back down. He would press onwards with the same vigor, because that was his style. This was Sun Zheping. The grace and elegance of the Number One Berserker would not fade for any reason. Even if it could only manifest for a few minutes, so be it. In these few minutes, everyone would witness the grace, the beauty, the marvel, the brilliance, the excitement, the delight. This was the way of the Number One Berserker.
862
863Another Summer of Sleep suddenly charged forward. Su Mucheng saw this clearly, immediately firing three Anti-Tank Missiles. Another Summer of Sleep raised his sword, releasing a Whirlwind Strike!
864
865The blade of the sword swung towards the incoming projectile. The flames of the explosion were sliced clean in half by the sword, fluttering harmlessly before dissipating next to his body. One, then another, then the third and final one were all chopped in half by Sun Zheping in an aggressive manner. Another Summer of Sleep continued charging forth with large strides.
866
867Everyone was stupefied. Under this kind of suppressive firepower, he actually still wanted to push forward. This kind of style was completely unreasonable. It was absolutely crazy!
868
869Had any other player acted this way, they would likely have been seen as courting death. However, Sun Zheping and his Another Summer of Sleep pushed onwards step by step, beating into the hearts of every person watching. All they saw was this pro player and his character, possessing unyielding determination, tenaciously push forward. Step by step, they never stopped to rest. Perhaps he would die on this road, but never would he even think of compromising.
870
871"This guy!!" At this moment, all of Happy's players felt incredibly moved.
872
873Throwing the game?
874
875If anyone watching this match still entertained these ideas, they really should be dragged out of the stadium and executed by a firing squad a hundred times over.**
876
877This confrontation was one that required full commitment from both sides. There wouldn't be anyone throwing the match, nor would either side back down. Everything this stage represented, everything it embodied, all of it came down to the two players' Glory. At this moment, everything else became truly irrelevant.
878
879Victory! This was what both sides were trying so hard to achieve.
880
881Everyone present was influenced by the players passion. They too forgot everything. At this moment, all their attention was drawn to the confrontation unfolding before their eyes. Their only concern was who would attain victory. Not one person even considered the many consequences that would arise from either side's victory.
882
883Who would win? Who would lose?
884
885No one blinked, all eyes focused on the two characters on stage. Another Summer of Sleep — a character name that sounded extremely languid and laid back. No one knew what was going through Sun Zheping's mind when he came up with a name that had nothing in common with his playstyle. But now, the languidly-named Another Summer of Sleep had finished his Long March.*** Now, he had finally arrived in front of Dancing Rain, and he could finally sink his teeth into the one who had hindered his journey, the opponent who had lined his road with a thousand different obstacles and dangers.
886
887However, it was also at this moment that Dancing Rain finally took a step back ...
888
889Sun Zheping's strike only struck air. He stared blankly.
890
891When he recovered his senses a moment later, he unexpectedly laughed.
892
893He had only been thinking of charging forward, and he forgot. He forgot that Su Mucheng wasn't him. In these circumstances, Sun Zheping would stay and collide his opponent head on. But Su Mucheng, she temporarily retreated. This was something that Sun Zheping would never choose to do. Yet, it indeed was the smarter choice.
894
895I'm going to lose ...
896
897Sun Zheping knew this in the bottom of his heart. His opponent had fought more intelligently, whereas he had perhaps only been recklessly acting without thought all along.
898
899It really was a pity because he wouldn't have many more opportunities to play so recklessly, without a regard for the rules. He really missed the old days, when he so recklessly fight onstage however much he wanted.
900
901Dancing Rain retreated, and in the blink of an eye a Satellite Beam descended from the sky. Another Summer of Sleep had finally reached the last thread of his life, collapsing onto the ground. He brought with him Sun Zheping's profound regret, not only for this match, but for his entire Glory career. Even when he could only compete for a few minutes, he still was that Sun Zheping. Yet, such a short amount of time truly couldn't satisfy him ...
902
903The group arena had finally concluded. Su Mucheng was victorious. Excellent Era finally won one point.
904
905Sun Zheping walked out of the player booth first. The entire stadium was silent. Gradually, however, sounds of applause rang out, eventually spreading to the entire stadium.
906
907In the past, Team Happy had only received booing and derision. Now, they were suddenly being applauded?
908
909Of course not.
910
911At this moment, they were applauding was for Sun Zheping. Although he had lost, through this one match, every person had experienced and appreciated his unyielding fortitude. Why did this kind of player have to suffer the misfortune of a hand injury, which was deadly to pro players? No one could voice the regret they fell. The audience could only send their respect and blessings through applause.
912
913Afterwards, the applause was directed towards Su Mucheng, who had obtained victory for the team. The audience waited for Su Mucheng to exit the player booth. However, they discovered that Dancing Rain hadn't immediately logged off after winning. At this moment, she was still standing onstage.
914
915"My time with Excellent Era ends here."
916
917In the competition channel which had yet to be closed, this sentence suddenly appeared. Before anyone could react, Dancing Rain logged out, disappearing from the stage. Immediately afterwards, Su Mucheng exited the player booth.
918
919For a moment, that inexplicable sentence caused the audience's applause to become scattered. Soon after, under the gaze of everyone present in the stadium, Su Mucheng walked off of the stage towards the team benches. When she passed the Excellent Era bench area, she didn't stop, walking all the way over to Happy's area before sitting down.
920
921The entire stadium exploded. Amidst the commotion it was impossible to make sense of anything. However, Su Mucheng didn't care at all. At this moment, she felt more calm and at ease than she had in a year and a half. She no longer felt any inner turmoil, nor any burden weighing her down. Everything had returned to the beginning, when she had followed her brother and Ye Xiu as they struggled to make a living through video games. It had been hard, it had been exhausting, but they had been content.
922
923Su Mucheng felt tears begin to form in her eyes. She quickly buried her face in the shoulder of the person sitting next to her.
924
925"Leave the rest to me!" That person said.
926
927"Okay...." Su Mucheng agreed. In reality, she had never wanted the spotlight for herself ...
928
929Translator's Thoughts
930NomyummiNomyummi
931** This is the literal translation of 枪毙一百遍. The translators do not condone violence in any form.
932
933*** 万里长征 refers to the Long March that the Communist Party of China took from October 1934 to October 1935 in order to escape from the Chinese Nationalist Party. Literally, it can be translated as "thousand mile expedition," although the Long March reportedly spanned over 5600 miles. This event would eventually cement Mao Zedong's ascent to power.
934
935--Veriquity
936
937Rate this chapter
938
9391141 comments, join in >
9401029 Starting Lineup
941Translator:Nomyummi | Editor: Nomyummi
942
943The crowd couldn't calm down. How deep was the friendship between Ye Xiu and Su Mucheng? Because Ye Xiu had always kept a low-profile, his fans didn't know. As a result, Su Mucheng publicly announcing her split with Excellent Era right after the group arena ended and then sitting at Happy's bench was simply too astonishing.
944
945Why?
946
947The crowd clamored noisily, but no one could answer the question. Pan Lin and Li Yibo were also dumbstruck by this outrageous conduct. For a moment, they didn't know what to say.　　
948
949"Su Mucheng.... Su Mucheng..." Pan Lin was the first to regain his composure. He wanted to explain this crazy action, but when the words reached his mouth, he couldn't find the right words to describe his thoughts. He had never encountered such a situation before. No matter how experienced he maybe as a commentator, he was no better than anyone else at the moment.
950
951"Does the Alliance have any rules regarding this?" After stumbling on his words for awhile, he suddenly asked a question.
952
953"What do you mean?' Li Yibo asked.
954
955"The... the..." Pan Lin wanted to say "The rule not permitting players to sit at another team's bench", but he had second thoughts. Su Mucheng publicly announcing her split and defecting to the enemy side had never happened before, but if you said sitting at another team's bench, that wasn't anything new. Sometimes, the players on the two teams were good friends off-stage, so they went over to each other's bench to make some small talk. However, doing that was a somewhat sensitive subject, so there was usually a special precondition required for it to happen.
956
957Su Mucheng was definitely an exception though. She was touching on the "sensitive" subject that everyone was worried about. She displayed this "sensitive" subject for everyone to see.
958
959What should be said for this conduct? Pan Lin was unable to say what he wanted to say. His co-caster, Li Yibo, racked his brains and finally squeezed out a few words: "In any case, Su Mucheng's conduct is inappropriate. No matter what the reason is, such an action is a heavy blow to her team and her fans. It doesn't matter if there's some sort of conflict between her and Excellent Era, this definitely isn't the way to resolve it."
960
961Li Yibo was clearly saying empty words. For Su Mucheng to act in such a way, who would believe she had a good relationship with her team? Su Mucheng and Excellent Era definitely had some sort of conflict and it clearly wasn't a small one. The two of them weren't needed to analyze something so obvious. Everyone in the crowd knew. They were wondering what the conflict was to make Su Mucheng defect to Team Happy.
962
963Was it related to Ye Xiu?
964
965Many people thought that was the reason. After all, Ye Xiu had the closest relationship with Su Mucheng among those in Team Happy.
966
967Opinions differed.
968
969The crowd discussed with each other. The reporters were also looking at their data and racked their brains to analyze the reasons. However, the match was still going to continue. The team competition came after the group arena. The break time was a bit longer than usual. The employees nervously prepped the player booths. The six players participating in the team competition might be different than the five players participating in the group arena, so adjustments needed to be made to the setups in the player booths.
970
971The players competing in the match also had some free time during their rest time. They could go to the restroom and so on. However, no one left. On Excellent Era's side, the color of Tao Xuan's face had already turned purple. He hadn't expected Su Mucheng to actually do something like that.　　
972
973Her way of splitting with the team was too crazy. There was no precedent. The media must be very interested in digging deeper. Once they started digging, they might find a lot of problems, which had been covered up by Tao Xuan the entire time. Because once this fuse was set, it might explode in front of the public. How could Tao Xuan be calm? As for Su Mucheng defecting to Happy, he wasn't concerned about that issue because he knew long ago that this would happen. When Su Mucheng firmly refused to renew or extend her contract, he already knew it was inevitable. Unlike the public, he had a clear understanding of the relationship between Su Mucheng and Ye Xiu. When he renounced Ye Xiu, he had already been prepared to let go of Su Mucheng. Her departure wasn't unexpected, but her way of doing so was.
974
975Tao Xuan had no idea how to handle the situation in front of him. Su Mucheng's actions affected the team. They still needed to play in the team competition. Their hearts couldn't waver right now.　
976
977Tao Xuan was busy trying to stabilize the team, while Happy was jubilant. If one only looked at the atmosphere surrounding the two teams, no one would believe that Excellent Era had just won the group arena by one point. It looked like Excellent Era was losing by a lot.
978
979The crowd clamored noisily for however long the break time was. Everyone was concerned about the issue of Su Mucheng from start to finish. They practically forgot about the following team competition. They still hadn't figured it out, when it was announced that the team competition would be starting soon.
980
981On Excellent Era's side, with Tao Xuan personally stabilizing the situation, the team had calmed down. As teammates, they also knew that Su Mucheng would leave at the end of the season. As a result, they were similar to Tao Xuan. They were mainly surprised by her way of doing so.
982
983"In this team competition, don't give them any opportunities! Good luck everyone!" Tao Xuan clapped his hands in encouragement. The other worries in his heart had been buried for now. In any case, winning this match was what was most important.
984
985"Okay, let's go!" Sun Xiang had lost to Ye Xiu in the group arena, but it looked like he had readjusted his mindset. As the team captain, he walked at the front, leading their team competition players to the player booths.
986
987Sun Xiang, Xiao Shiqin, Qiu Fei, Shen Jian, Zhang Jiaxin. Sixth player - Wang Ze.
988
989The lineups for the team competition had been fixed ahead of time, so they couldn't be changed at the last moment. From this, it could be seen that Excellent Era's number three All-Star player, Su Mucheng, hadn't been a part of the team competition lineup. It could be seen how doubtful Tao Xuan was of Su Mucheng. In the team competition, he didn't have any method of forcing Su Mucheng to play seriously, so he might as well just kick her to the side.
990
991"Are you ready?" On Happy's side, Ye Xiu asked. His words weren't aimed at the entire team, but at a certain someone.
992
993"Yes." A player on the bench nodded his head and stood up. At this moment, the Happy players were being introduced.
994
995Wu Chen. Launcher. Dawn Rifle.
996
997As the introduction echoed throughout the stadium, everyone in Team Excellent Era halted their footsteps.
998
999It was not just them. When the crowd heard this name, they were also stunned.　　
1000
1001Whether it was Excellent Era or Happy, those who had been following the matches closely were all familiar with this name. But Wu Chen... this person was undoubtedly a part of Team Happy's registered players, but in the offline tournament, he had never made an appearance. And now in such a crucial match like the finals, he would be making his first appearance?
1002
1003There was no applause from the crowd.
1004
1005He was a player that had never gone on stage and he wasn't a player that everyone had been looking forward to seeing. His sudden appearance made everyone puzzled rather than expectant. Even the commentators, Pan Lin and Lin Yibo, were crazily ridiculing Happy. It could be considered as them venting their emotions from not knowing what to do about Su Mucheng's actions. They did all sorts of analyses on Wu Chen and most of their conclusions were unfavorable.
1006
1007"Happy is in a difficult position against Excellent Era, so they thought of putting out a surprise player. However, this player has no experience of what it's like on stage. Suddenly throwing him out in the finals is too rash. Going too far is just as bad as not enough!" Li Yibo concluded.
1008
1009And at the same time, the players on both sides were walking towards their player booths.
1010
1011Team Happy. Their players were Ye Xiu, Tang Rou, Steamed Bun, Qiao Yifan, An Wenyi, and Wu Chen.
1012
1013Wei Chen and Sun Zheping, the two veterans, weren't participating in the team competition. Sun Zheping didn't participate much because of his hand injury. He couldn't play for too much without his injury flaring up. As for Wei Chen, his age was a reality that couldn't be avoided. His energy was limited. It wasn't obvious in the game. When he pulled an all-nighter and killed monsters, he seemed to be just as energetic as the younger players, but in an intense high-level competition, his energy clearly dropped faster than the others. Happy had fought several intense matches in the offline tournament. Wei Chen had to put in a lot of effort in them. The longer they took, the more tired he felt.
1014
1015In their plan for the group arena, Wei Chen was supposed to face Sun Xiang. This difficult matchup would certainly put a lot of stress on Wei Chen, so in their plan for the finals, they had Wei Chen participate in the group arena, but not in the team competition. In the end, even though Wei Chen didn't face Sun Xiang, he still had to face an All-Star like Xiao Shiqin. Their original thinking behind the arrangement was still put to use.
1016
1017Apart from that, there was Luo Ji, who wouldn't be appearing this match. His skill level was rather low, so they couldn't let him play in such a critical match.
1018
1019The biggest surprise was Wu Chen.
1020
1021Through this analysis, Wu Chen's appearance might not have been intended as a surprise, but rather out of helplessness.
1022
1023Wu Chen quietly walked among Team Happy's players. He wasn't aware of the discussion going on because of him. As a player from Team Everlasting that had been a part of the Challenger League for several years, it had been a long time since Wu Chen had received any attention. Even when he was in the pro scene, he had never gotten so much attention.
1024
1025In the eyes of the pros, his skill level wasn't top-notch.
1026
1027But he had a dream and he relentlessly pursued it. Wu Chen had been ready for this match for a long time, perhaps too long. He had always been hoping for Team Everlasting to stride past this obstacle and return to the Alliance. Team Everlasting was no longer there, but the dream in his heart had never died.
1028
1029Get through the Challenger League and return to the Alliance!
1030
1031Rate this chapter
1032
1033284 comments, join in >
10341030 A Childish Annoyance?
1035Translator:Nomyummi | Editor: Nomyummi
1036
1037The two teams of players had already neatly filed onto the stage.
1038
1039The team competition was like an opera. It was a life or death situation. Who won and who lost would decide the fate of both teams. Living meant heaven, while dying meant another year of hell. Yet for Excellent Era, this would be an even deeper hell. Spending two years a row stewing in the Challenger League? Even Excellent Era would be embarrassed to call themselves a powerhouse if that happened. Sun Xiang, Xiao Shiqin, they were both All-Star players and top players in the Alliance. Both of them had sacrificed a year because they had been looking towards Excellent Era's future, but if the future was another year in the Challenger League, it was hard to say if either of them would be patient.
1040
1041We have to win!
1042
1043This kind of conviction wasn't something Tao Xuan needed to remind them of. They would certainly have it themselves. The future was what they were all looking towards, yet it was also something that they had to grasp and create for themselves.
1044
1045What about Happy then? They had no way of sustaining for a year. As far as the outside world had been concerned, every step they advanced to signified their limit, but now, they had reached the final stage of the Challenger League. This was already something very unexpected. Defeating Excellent Era? In the eyes of many, this was something entirely unconceivable. Even those who wanted this to happen didn't think it could.
1046
1047The disparity in strength was too great.
1048
1049Many people knew this very well. Even Happy themselves were well aware.
1050
1051But the fact that no one knew the final result was what made competitions interesting. No one would dare to say who won with one hundred percent certainty. If the results could be determined just by looking at who was stronger on paper, why would there still need to be a fight?
1052
1053Victory. It would always need to be fought for and earned. It was never about comparison.
1054
1055The total number of players on both sides was twelve. At this moment, they had all entered their individual player booths. The map for the team competition slowly materialized on stage. The screen displayed the current loading bars of the twelve characters. Introductions were being made for each of the characters.
1056
1057Wu Chen had never appeared during the offline tournament, so naturally his character had had little exposure. Now, after he suddenly appeared in the lineup, the spectators were suddenly brimming with curiosity about his character. Raising their heads with difficulty to look at Wu Chen's Dawn Rifle, everyone was greatly disappointed.
1058
1059Dawn Rifle had originally been an important member of Team Everlasting. However, every piece of valuable equipment on him had been peddled away after Team Everlasting was dissolved. Yet, while Happy had been in the process of strengthening their characters' equipment, they hadn't focused on creating any pieces of Silver Equipment suited for the Launcher class, so they could only choose from the selection of level 75 Orange equipment.
1060
1061Ultimately, Wu Chen managed to pull together a full set of level 75 Orange equipment for Dawn Rifle. In-game, this kind of character would be considered almost unmatched. However, on the professional stage, especially in the face of a powerhouse team like Excellent Era, a full set of Orange equipment, whose characteristics could be determined with a glance, really wasn't enough. Looking at this character, Wu Chen really didn't seem like Happy's secret weapon for defeating Excellent Era.
1062
1063After both teams' characters had finished loading, the final troop arrangement was finally revealed.
1064
1065On Team Excellent Era's side, the reserve player was Wang Ze.
1066
1067On Team Happy's side, the reserve player was Steamed Bun.
1068
1069Wu Chen was actually part of the starting lineup?
1070
1071The audience once again erupted in murmurs. After seeing Wu Chen's character, everyone had been more willing to believe that he had come onstage because Happy didn't have any other choice. Thus, when the audience saw that he would be one of the starting players instead, they were once again surprised.
1072
1073At this moment, the system's countdown ended. The team competition had officially begun.
1074
1075Map: Ancient Maple Path.
1076
1077As the designated map for the most important match of the Challenger League, Ancient Maple Path was another very comprehensive one. However, this time, the battlefield had been moved from the city to the countryside. A long, secluded ancient road ran from one side of the map to the other. Both sides of the road were lined with maple trees, the scarlet leaves rustling with the wind. Naturally, this was where the name of the map originated. However, a map couldn't be made up of just a single road. On both sides of the map, behind the trees, there were hills, rivers, mud holes, and scattered stones. Whether or not all of these things should be together in one place wasn't important for a competition map. What was important was giving the map a more diverse feel, especially for this kind of designated map. It definitely couldn't cater to any one playstyle, because this would give an unfair advantage to a team that was well suited to that style. It would be like giving one team the advantage of a home game map!
1078
1079Match: start.
1080
1081The characters from both teams spawned at opposite ends of the ancient road. These spawn points were also the designated support zones. Outside of these, there were also four other support zones distributed evenly on both sides of the map.
1082
1083As soon as Team Excellent Era's five characters spawned, they began skillfully advancing, showing their familiarity with the map.
1084
1085Qiu Fei's Combat Form was at the head of the group, with Xiao Shiqin's Life Extinguisher following behind at a varying distance. Zhang Jiaxing's Cleric, Woven Shadow, followed behind, under the protection of these two characters. Woven Shadow was also quite a famous character within the Alliance. As a powerhouse, Excellent Era obviously wouldn't have any weak links.
1086
1087After his awful performance in the group arena, Shen Jian didn't dare to make any more mistakes. His Striker character acted as a bodyguard for Woven Shadow, not daring to take a single step out of line.
1088
1089Behind all of the others was Team Excellent Era's ace, One Autumn Leaf. It seemed that the generalissimo was well accustomed to bringing up the rear.
1090
1091It seemed like a chaotic formation, but in reality every person's position was calculated. Traveling along the ancient road, Excellent Era constantly maintained this formation. Only Xiao Shiqin's character appeared flexible.
1092
1093In contrast, Happy's side didn't have any of Excellent Era's discipline or tacit understanding. Nevertheless, their movements were still well coordinated. All of the characters neatly walked towards the left, evidently not planning on engaging with Excellent Era's forces head-on.
1094
1095"How will the two sides perform?" At this time, Pan Lin clearly couldn't wait. From before the contest began until the official start of the match, he had already asked this question four times.
1096
1097"Happy has elected to take a more tactical approach, which isn't unexpected. The two sides clearly differ greatly in strength, so they will have to employ flexible tactics if they want to win." Li Yibo said.
1098
1099"But Excellent Era also has a Master Tactician, and furthermore he appears to be performing at his peak today. Will Happy's tactics be of any use?" Pan Lin wondered.
1100
1101"Let's take a look at Happy's formation first!" Li Yibo pointed out.
1102
1103Happy's five players all took a detour along the left side of the ancient road. Their sense of direction was very clear. It was obvious that they had come up with this strategy after carefully researching the map. However, Team Excellent Era's footsteps had already come to a stop. Those who studied the map had a clear understanding of where their opponents would enter their field of view if they had gone straight down the road. At this moment, Excellent Era had already reached this spot. Since they hadn't seen anyone from the opposing team, they obviously knew that Happy wouldn't be facing them in a direct confrontation.
1104
1105This point obviously wasn't a surprise to Excellent Era. The team immediately changed directions, heading towards one side of the road. Seeing this, Pan Lin immediately grew excited, because the direction that Excellent Era had chosen led straight towards Happy! At this rate, the two sides would meet in the northwest part of the map.
1106
1107The broadcast also cut to display an image of the map, revealing the intricacies of the terrain. Since battle had yet to break out, they had time to let everyone familiarize themselves with the map first!
1108
1109At this moment, the spectators present became even more nervous. On the projection, both sides' characters were currently tiny dots, hurrying towards their destinations. Excellent Era's five characters still maintained their previous formation, whereas Happy's five people still seemed disorderly. As the gap between the two sides closed, the projection also zoomed in. The terrain and the characters also became more and more focused.
1110
1111Soon!
1112
1113Just as this thought crossed everyone's minds, a gunshot rang out. From Happy's side, the one who had caused everyone's surprise, Wu Chen, fired the first shot of the battle.
1114
1115Dawn Rifle's projectile flew out, but it didn't seem to have any sort of purpose. It randomly exploded somewhere on the ground. It appeared as if this shot had been some sort of misclick.
1116
1117.\
1118
1119Except, Team Excellent Era clearly made immediate adjustments. The distance between the two sides had already reached the point at which artillery fire could he heard.
1120
1121"Their sense of direction is very clear!" Pan Lin, seeing Excellent Era's adjustments, shouted. Just from hearing this noise, Excellent Era had made adjustments and now charged very clearly in Team Happy's direction.
1122
1123"Is Happy planning on setting up an ambush?" Li Yibo, seeing Happy's action, didn't dare come to a hasty conclusion. In a 5v5 match, the power of an ambush wasn't as powerful as many expected it to be. It was mainly used to grasp an opportunity by catching the opponents off guard, but in a match in which the gap in strength was wide, it only gave initiative. It wasn't enough to win a competition in one fell swoop. Excellent Era definitely had the strength to control the aftermath and take back the initiative.
1124
1125"It seems .... that this isn't the case ..." Pan Lin said.
1126
1127Happy's characters didn't spread out and conceal themselves, instead choosing to immediately retreat. Ultimately, they managed to put some distances between themselves and Excellent Era, but the earlier noise meant that the opposing team was very clear that they had been here just recently. As they got closer to the area, they began to guard against Happy's ambush. In the audience's eyes, their extremely careful movements were almost laughable. Excellent Era's fans only hated the fact that they had no way of warning their team that the opponents had already run away.
1128
1129Excellent Era quickly realized that their opponents had indeed left. Once again, the team's formation was adjusted, widening in order to search a larger area. However, at this moment, another explosion rang out. Wu Chen's Dawn Rifle had once again unexpectedly fired.
1130
1131Excellent Era once again followed the source of the noise, yet once again Happy turned and retreated, disappearing into thin air. Excellent Era's formation once again tightened to guard against an ambush, making the spectators look at one another in dismay.
1132
1133If all they wanted was to use this method to wear down Excellent Era's spirit, weren't Happy's so-called tactics too childish? This kind of annoyance, as long as you ignored it, what kind of damage could it do?
1134
1135As a result, when Wu Chen's Dawn Rifle fired out a third shot, Excellent Era's team still appeared patient, chasing the noise once more. However, Team Happy finally decided to switch things up. The team split into two, with Wu Chen's Dawn Rifle suddenly running off on his own.
1136
1137Rate this chapter
1138
1139778 comments, join in >
11401031 What Kind of Opponent!
1141Translator:Nomyummi | Editor: Nomyummi
1142
1143The crowd was starting to grow restless. There was finally a change in Happy's tactics, but that change alone wasn't enough for them to see through their intentions. The poor commentators, Pan Lin and Li Yibo, saw the change, but they remained very cautious with their words. They had fallen into too many traps because of these players, especially on Happy's side. Ye Xiu was definitely the leader of the group. The two of them didn't dare to make any rash guesses, so for the previous "childish annoyance", the two could only grind their teeth and talk about other unrelated things.
1144
1145Wu Chen's Dawn Rifle and the other four teammates split up. When Excellent Era arrived, they naturally failed to find them for a third time. This failure didn't seem to deter Excellent Era's players. They carefully searched the area like before, but unfortunately, still discovered nothing.
1146
1147What was Happy planning on doing?
1148
1149The crowd could wait for the answer to appear, but Excellent Era couldn't. They needed to guess and be prepared. When the answer finally came, what if the answer wasn't something they were prepared to defend against?
1150
1151A fourth shot rang out. Excellent Era didn't immediately chase after the source of the gunshot like before.
1152
1153"Wait a second." Xiao Shiqin gave out his first order of this match. There was one small subtlety in this. Orders were usually given out in the team chat to prevent the opponents from seeing them. However, it seemed as if Xiao Shiqin forgot about this detail and announced it for everyone to read.
1154
1155"Hahahaha." Li Yibo laughed. He was just about to comment on it.
1156
1157"Go!" But in Excellent Era's team chat, Xiao Shiqin unexpectedly gave out a completely opposite order.
1158
1159Li Yibo swallowed his words.
1160
1161Too crafty. I almost fell into a trap again.
1162
1163On the other hand, the crowd was smiling with joy. As Excellent Era's fans, they felt like Xiao Shiqin's actions were quick-witted. On Happy's side, their supporters saw Xiao Shiqin's actions and shook their heads.
1164
1165"Those who play with tactics are too dirty**!" Wei Chen sighed.
1166
1167"Yeah!" Sun Zheping nodded his head.
1168
1169Just when Team Excellent Era finished pulling off their bluff and prepared to chase after the sound to achieve their aim through a trick, another gunshot rang out. This time, it came from the opposite direction.
1170
1171Team Excellent Era stared blankly. Everyone stared blankly. However, the crowd could at least see that this gunshot had come from the group that split apart from Dawn Rifle. The only one among them who could make a gunshot was their unspecialized, Lord Grim.
1172
1173The Myriad Manifestation Umbrella's gunform wasn't a handcannon. His attacks make an exploding noise. Lord Grim had fired Anti-Tank Missiles, but cancelled the skill after the first missile flew out. By doing this, he was able to perfectly replicate the sound of gunfire from Dawn Rifle's handcannon. It must have taken painstaking efforts to perform.　
1174
1175However, what was his intention?　
1176
1177Just looking at the idea, it was just as childish as the earlier blank shots to get the enemy's attention.
1178
1179But this was a confrontation between two Master Tacticians. How could such childish thinking appear in this kind of high-level match?
1180
1181What was the point of firing gunshots on opposite sides?
1182
1183All that did was tell the other side that the enemy team had split into two. And then? Was Happy hoping for the other side to split up and give chase? Or was Happy hoping for Excellent Era to focus one target? And then how was Happy going to respond to the Excellent Era's decision?
1184
1185The purpose of tactics was to give your side an advantage. However, Happy's move didn't seem to be able to get them any advantage. Wasn't splitting the team apart supposed to be a secret? Wasn't announcing it to the enemy team the same as giving away your advantage?
1186
1187I don't understand. I just don't understand.　
1188
1189Pan Lin and Li Yibo had their brows furrowed in deep thought. After a long time, they turned their heads and saw the same puzzled look on each other's face before dumbly turning their heads back to the match.
1190
1191They obviously couldn't explain things that they didn't understand.
1192
1193Deliberately mystifying things?
1194
1195Apart from calling it "childish", this was the only other possibility that Li Yibo could think of. However, the problem was that even if Happy was deliberately mystifying things, there had to be some sort of goal in mind. So what if Happy confused Excellent Era with their actions?
1196
1197Team Excellent Era merely hesitated a bit when they heard two gunshots from two different locations. Soon afterwards, Xiao Shiqin's Life Extinguisher resolutely headed towards their original target. The other four characters followed him, maintaining their formation as they continued to move in perfect sync.
1198
1199The five players had chosen to bite Wu Chen.
1200
1201Let alone him just being a player from a relegated team, even a top God from the Alliance would be at an absolute disadvantage.
1202
1203What was Ye Xiu thinking?
1204
1205Everyone was puzzled.
1206
1207This time, it wasn't just Pan Lin and Li Yibo who weren't skilled enough to understand what was going on. The three Team Tiny Herb players were also confused, unable to see through Ye Xiu's intentions.
1208
1209If they couldn't guess, they could only keep watching and wait for the answer to come to them.　　
1210
1211Team Excellent Era moved swiftly, an advantage of having powerful characters. Strong characters were strong in all aspects. Attack and defense were just one part of the equation. As a team, equipping a character might not simply be for the sole purpose of improving one's own individual strength, but rather for the purpose of synergizing with the other characters in the team.　　
1212
1213For example, take movement speed. Every character had their own movement speed. The entire team's movement speed depended on the slowest team member. Perhaps this character didn't need high movement speed, but sometimes, in order to increase the speed of the entire team, this character would need to wear equipment that was pointless alone. However, for the team, it was a very meaningful upgrade.
1214
1215And this was another layer to research into Silver equipment. It wasn't just about higher stats, but rather how Silver equipment interacted with each other in a team.
1216
1217Happy clearly weren't at that level yet. Even in the Alliance, only a few powerhouses had reached this step. Team Excellent Era had a new addition, Life Extinguisher. Just like how the player needed to meld into the team, the character needed to as well. And now it looked like Excellent Era had done a good job. Whether it was Xiao Shiqin or Life Extinguisher, Team Excellent Era was already a single entity. Their movements didn't seem to be crude in the slightest.
1218
1219Their advantage in movement speed allowed Team Excellent Era to get closer to Team Happy bit by bit. Happy's equipment was simple and crude. The vast majority of their equipment was Orange, so their stats were known, giving Excellent Era a rough estimate of the strength of Happy's characters. The movement speed of Happy's character was one of these estimates.
1220
1221After missing three times, Excellent Era wasn't shaken because they knew that as long as they kept on chasing, they would soon find the other side.
1222
1223Fourth time!
1224
1225Judging by the difference between our movement speeds, we definitely won't miss a fourth time. Xiao Shiqin had calculated it. However, this time, when they chased after their target, they still missed.
1226
1227Xiao Shiqin obviously wasn't hoping for Happy to just sit there waiting. When he was certain that they wouldn't miss, he meant that they should see signs of Happy within their field of view.
1228
1229However, when they gave chase for the fourth time, they still didn't see any signs of their target.　
1230
1231Bang!
1232
1233At this moment, a new gunshot rang, clearly from up ahead.　　
1234
1235"Hurry up and give chase!" A God like Sun Xiang obviously had very good judgement. He also had a good idea of their movement speed advantage. He felt like their miss this time was probably because they slowed down a bit every time they reached their target location. If they hurried, they would certain catch the other side the next time.
1236
1237"We won't be able to catch them." Xiao Shiqin suddenly typed.
1238
1239"It's only one person here. His movement speed is above our team's." Xiao Shiqin said. Wu Chen's Dawn Rifle wore a full set of Orange equipment, so Xiao Shiqin naturally had a very strong grasp of Dawn Rifle's movement speed.
1240
1241Why did Happy split up? Hints for why could finally be seen. It was a very precise tactical change. Xiao Shiqin had been certain that they would catch their target the fourth time. As a result, Happy split up before this. Happy couldn't compare to Excellent Era in terms of their overall team movement speed, but Wu Chen's Dawn Rifle on his own was faster than Excellent Era.
1242
1243What had Happy gained from this minute change? Was it just to continue with their "childish annoyance?"
1244
1245The crowd members could finally see glimmers of the thinking, but it came with new questions. Neither side had yet to fight yet. They were just running around, baffling everyone. Many people had already gotten impatient. The boos from the crowd had naturally become extremely loud. Excellent Era's fans were very unhappy with Happy's mysterious strategy.
1246
1247At this moment, another gunshot rang out.
1248
1249Wu CHen's Dawn Rifle once again reminded Excellent Era where he was located.
1250
1251To give chase or to not give chase?
1252
1253Xiao Shiqin finally hesitated. If they chased, they definitely wouldn't be able to catch him. If they didn't chase, they wouldn't lose anything, but then what should they do?
1254
1255Xiao Shiqin felt his head hurt a bit. He suddenly realized that this was a rather unfamiliar situation because up until now, he had been leading the weaker team. Through tactics, they contended with stronger teams. Overwhelming strength? Team Thunderclap had never possessed that.
1256
1257But now? Xiao Shiqin realized that if he had been in Ye Xiu's position, perhaps he would have had an easier time because beating the strong as the weak was his strength. The strong beating the weak? He had started experiencing that this season, but the opponents that they encountered were too weak. So weak that he couldn't get any experience from it. In the blink of an eye, it was the finals. Now, they had encountered a weak team, but not strong enough to pose a threat.
1258
1259And his opponent was another Master Tactician, Ye Xiu. To Xiao Shiqin, his generation had been hugely affected by this God. Their Glory knowledge had more or less come from this God. Why else was he called the Glory Textbook?
1260
1261Quite a few of Xiao Shiqin's tactics and strategies had been learned from Ye Xiu's matches. His tactical ability wasn't any better than the opposing God.
1262
1263Xiao Shiqin suddenly became aware that the opponents he had to beat this match were similar... to the former Team Thunderclap that he had once led.
1264
1265Rate this chapter
1266
1267940 comments, join in >
12681032 Attempted Exchange
1269Translator:Nomyummi | Editor: Nomyummi
1270
1271The current situation made Xiao Shiqin feel somewhat embarrassed. Besides Xiao Shiqin, even his teammates might not notice this small detail.
1272
1273Although Team Excellent Era's captain was Sun Xiang, the commanding position had been transferred to him when he joined the team as vice captain. At this moment Xiao Shiqin suddenly became silent. In a situation like this, which required the team to choose, they had come to a sudden halt, almost as if a fire had been extinguished.
1274　
1275Xiao Shiqin immediately recovered his senses. Coming to a stop like this could be fatal on stage. He needed to quickly adjust himself instead of getting distracted, so he could grasp their current situation. After Xiao Shiqin understood that Ye Xiu was trying to do what he had been doing the entire time throughout his career, his train of thought became incomparably smooth.
1276
1277Simply put, Ye Xiu was Ye Xiu, Xiao Shiqin was Xiao Shiqin. Even if they were doing the same thing, they weren't the same people. Ye Xiu was someone Xiao Shiqin had studied, but this didn't mean that he completely grasped Ye Xiu's patterns. After thinking about things from Ye Xiu's perspective, Xiao Shiqin was suddenly at a loss.
1278
1279From Ye Xiu, he had learned tactics to fight the strong with the weak, and for the most part, it involved deducing many things from what he already knew. During Ye Xiu's entire time at Excellent Era, the team hadn't been anywhere near as weak as Thunderclap was. At most they would be disadvantaged during a match, yet they never fought with the mentality of a weak team facing a stronger team. Even during the season when Excellent Era had been in danger of being relegated, no one had thought that they were a weak team. Excellent Era's relegation had been considered something of a miracle.
1280
1281Even taking Happy's current position into consideration, Xiao Shiqin still couldn't determine what Happy's intentions were. At the very least, if he were the one playing the Happy card, he wouldn't have brought it to this kind of situation.
1282
1283Should they keep chasing, or should they stop?
1284
1285To be honest, in the current situation, Excellent Era really didn't need to be so vigorous in taking the initiative. Because they had won the group arena, they were currently in the lead. They could simply sit and wait for Happy to come knocking at their door.
1286
1287But the problem was, they were Excellent Era. They were the team that held the clear advantage in this competition. The dignity of a powerhouse prevented them from acting in such a passive manner. This was why Excellent Era's actions in the past had always been proactive and aggressive. They vigorously searched for Team Happy's position, wanting to quickly decide victory or defeat, as if they were the ones falling behind.
1288
1289Except now, they had a target right in front of them, yet they couldn't reach it.
1290
1291Split up?
1292
1293Xiao Shiqin shook his head. If they really divided their troops so that one group was fast enough to catch up, they might actually fall into Happy's trap.
1294
1295"This way."
1296
1297Xiao Shiqin once again sent this message in the public chat. Afterwards, he directed his character to lead Team Excellent Era in the opposite direction.
1298
1299He gave up on chasing after Wu Chen's Dawn Rifle, instead charging in the direction of Ye Xiu and his Lord Grim's fake shot. However, his message in the public chat was intended to cause confusion. This way ... which way was this way?
1300
1301Xiao Shiqin obviously didn't want Happy to easily deduce his intentions. However, this time, when Wu Chen fired a projectile, he didn't immediately leave. Xiao Shiqin's message of "this way" hadn't done anything to sway him. He waited for a short period of time, but he didn't discover any traces of Team Excellent Era. In Team Happy's chat, Wu Chen reported this occurrence. A moment later, Ye Xiu replied with his coordinates.
1302
1303The members of the audience, who paid close attention, could see that these coordinates pointed to the place where Lord Grim had pretended to fire his shot. This was also in the direction that Team Excellent Era was currently headed.
1304
1305Wu Chen's Dawn Rifle decisively altered his course, also heading towards this location.
1306
1307From their omniscient view, the audience could see the whole situation very clearly. Wu Chen's Dawn Rifle increased his speed, gradually pressing closer to Team Excellent Era from behind. Yet, Team Happy's other four members moved in a wide arc, seeming to want to circle their way behind Dawn Rifle.
1308
1309Everyone anxiously watched the scene unfold. Finally, Wu Chen's Dawn Rifle caught up to Team Excellent Era. All five members of the team were currently within his field of view.
1310
1311However, at the same time, he was also discovered by Excellent Era. Even if they had clearly been focused on getting to their destination, how could an experienced pro team like Excellent Era forget to keep track of their surroundings while moving?
1312
1313"Behind!" Zhang Jiaxing called out, discovering Dawn Rifle during one of his routine sweeps.
1314
1315No one rushed to look back. In a flash, the other four members had already created a protective encirclement around Zhang Jiaxing's Cleric. The entire team turned around as one.
1316　　
1317Immediately afterwards, artillery fire rained down ...
1318
1319Excellent Era's five members easily dodged, but they had no way of returning fire. At this distance, only Launcher's had the range to fight back. Tean Excellent Era's current team composition consisted of two Battle Mages, a Striker, a Mechanic, and a Cleric.
1320
1321Mechanic Life Extinguisher was without a doubt their number one long range attacker. However, compared to Wu Chen's Dawn Rifle, his range was insufficient. After releasing his first attack, Dawn Rifle had already begun charging up a second attack, then a third ...
1322
1323Everyone was struck dumb. Dawn Rifle seemed inclined to challenge Excellent Era's entire team alone. Was this really Team Happy's secret weapon?
1324
1325Team Excellent Era obviously wouldn't sit passively or be thrown into disorder by Wu Chen's long-ranged attacks. The team rapidly flew towards Wu Chen, quickly closing the distance.
1326
1327However, Wu Chen wasn't greedy at all. As soon as he saw Team Excellent Era charging towards him, he immediately retreated. He moved even faster than he had previously, even utilizing Aerial Fire.
1328
1329Team Excellent Era could only watch helplessly. Dawn Rifle's movement speed was indeed above their team's. This had already been previously confirmed.
1330
1331However, as soon as they stopped, Wu Chen's Dawn Rifle once again happily rained skills down onto them.
1332
1333Was this ... kiting?
1334
1335Once again, everyone stared blankly. Wu Chen, a completely unknown player, was actually single-handedly kiting Excellent Era?
1336
1337In reality, this kind of max range offensive couldn't effectively hurt Excellent Era's players because their characters were simply too strong. However, this kind of endless harassment made them unable to just sit still and let it happen.
1338
1339In fact, the reason the team's speed was slower than Dawn Rifle was because they were being held back by the slowest member.** If we were only considering each individuals, any member of Excellent Era outside of Zhang Jiaxing's Cleric could surpass Dawn Rifle in terms of speed.
1340
1341Leave the Cleric behind and kill Dawn Rifle first?
1342
1343Just as Xiao Shiqin had this thought, his entire body suddenly broke out in a cold sweat.
1344
1345If they really did this, they would be abandoning their Cleric. Wouldn't this be just the opportunity Team Happy was looking for? Even if Wu Chen's Dawn Rifle was caught and killed this way, to trade his life for Excellent Era's Cleric would definitely be worth it.
1346
1347So treacherous, so despicable!
1348
1349Was the initial wild goose chase a ploy to make Excellent Era drop their guard?
1350
1351So they could quickly pick off our Cleric?
1352
1353Xiao Shiqin's Life Extinguisher looked around, sweeping the surrounding terrain. As a Master Tactician, he had an experienced eye, quickly locating a location extremely suited to this kind of sneak attack.
1354
1355"Go!" This time, the order was only sent in the team chat. Team Excellent Era suddenly changed directions, charging towards the optimal attack location that Xiao Shiqin had calculated.
1356
1357Translator's Thoughts
1358NomyummiNomyummi
1359** TL Note: 木桶理论 literally means that a barrel’s capacity is limited by the length of the shortest plank. In economics, this is known as Liebig's law of the minimum (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liebig%27s_law_of_the_minimum#Liebig's_barrel). It essentially states that maximum potential is limited by the resource is scarecest, instead of by the sum of all resources. The concept itself is pretty straightforward, although it can be applied to a lot of situations outside of economics, as seen here. -- Veriquity
1360
1361Rate this chapter
1362
1363257 comments, join in >
13641033 Heading for Tiger-Borne Mountains
1365Translator:Nomyummi | Editor: Nomyummi
1366
1367Xiao Shiqin gave the signal to attack and the team immediately obeyed. One Autumn Leaf, who had been at the back of their formation, charged to the front and dashed in the direction Xiao Shiqin had pointed out to them along with Qiu Fei's Combat Form.
1368
1369Now knowing that all that was behind them was a far off Dawn Rifle, there was no need for Excellent Era to be so cautious about their backs. The two Battle Mages advanced together, swiftly arriving at the place Xiao Shiqin had pointed out to them.
1370
1371A miss!
1372
1373They had missed again.
1374
1375The place Xiao Shiqin had predicted would be the best spot for Happy to ambush them was devoid of people.
1376　
1377"Could it be that Ye Xiu had predicted I would realize this and didn't choose this position on purpose?" Xiao Shiqin unavoidably began to do another mental multiple choice with himself.
1378
1379That's how Team Excellent Era was sent into uncertainty once more. Wu Chen's Dawn Rifle courageously moved forward a few steps and fired wildly at them. Though it wasn't any serious threat, Excellent Era's players still had to dodge it, so it still caused them trouble, no?
1380
1381Xiao Shiqin might have been considering their strategy, he also managed to react swiftly. In the current Team Excellent Era, the one who could get Dawn Rifle in range first was Xiao Shiqin's Life Extinguisher.
1382
1383Who would've thought that Wu Chen's Dawn Rifle would immediately and resolutely go into a full retreat the moment he began to act.
1384
1385Xiao Shiqin felt helpless.
1386
1387For this player, he had only done research on him just in case. Although Wu Chen had barely appeared in the Challenger League, he had still fought in the pro league prior to that, so Xiao Shiqin had found some resources. Dawn Rifle was a player with a good grasp of the foundations, but no other particularly striking abilities. Xiao Shiqin hadn't gone in-depth with how they should deal with him.
1388　
1389Yet now, it was this player that was causing them the most trouble.
1390
1391He didn't need or want to do anything fantastic, he just wanted to complete his mission without mistakes. Wu Chen carefully maneuvered his Dawn Rifle. He was clear on his own skill level. Against Excellent Era, he didn't have the ability to deal any significant damage to them, but he could still accomplish this sort of harassment.
1392
1393This was because this wasn't a task with any true difficulty. Other pro players probably wouldn't be willing to accept such a simple task, but not Wu Chen. He knew he was a player with no talent to shoulder such important tasks. This sort of simple task was a chance for him to do what he could, and he took it very seriously.
1394
1395It was easy to imagine the result of him taking a simple task so seriously.
1396
1397Excellent Era really had gotten frustrated with Wu Chen's harassment.
1398
1399The entire team wouldn't be able to catch up to him, so they could only split up if they wanted to hit him.
1400
1401Xiao Shiqin had realized Ye Xiu's intentions, but… he had no choice but to comply.
1402
1403This was because he wasn't in command of Thunderclap anymore, where he could lower his position. He was in command of Excellent Era, the strongest team, the only team to ever erect a dynasty. Even being relegated couldn't kill the pride this team had. They thought of themselves as that team that had created a dynasty, and their fans saw them as a powerhouse team that was second to none. Being relegated was nothing more than an accident.
1404
1405A team like this couldn't perform as if they were disadvantaged. When relegated, they were even more sensitive, and even more repulsed by such an idea. They would let Dawn Rifle buzz around them like a fly. Xiao Shiqin thought it wouldn't matter in the larger scheme; everyone just had to dodge a little more.
1406
1407However, because they were Team Excellent Era, their fans and the audience wouldn't accept it if they couldn't even deal with a bother like this. Excellent Era couldn't just win. They had to crush their opponents and win with conviction.
1408
1409They had to attack...
1410
1411Team Excellent Era adjusted their direction, chasing after Dawn Rifle. Except, this time, they didn't move as a unit. Xiao Shiqin's Life Extinguisher and Qiu Fei's Combat Form brought out their fastest movement speed. They swiftly began to close in on Dawn Rifle while, behind them, Sun Xiang's One Autumn Leaf and Shen Jian's Striker stuck close to and protected their Cleric, Woven Shadow.
1412　
1413Xiao Shiqin actually felt very insecure. He knew that the situation Ye Xiu had been waiting for had appeared. Team Happy definitely would've made arrangements for such a situation. However, he couldn't do anything about it. He had finally been given a clear experience of how a powerhouse had to act even when they knew they shouldn't. Throughout the Challenger League, they could still steamroll their opponents like that, but this time, they were facing an enemy that worried them.
1414
1415Seeing Life Extinguisher and Combat Form in pursuit so suddenly, Dawn Rifle fled without a care for harassing them any more.
1416
1417"Slow down," Xiao Shiqin typed into the channel, directing this mostly towards Qiu Fei.
1418
1419If they went at full speed, they would be able to catch up to Dawn Rifle faster, but they would also widen the distance between them and the other three. Knowing that Happy would capitalize on this, Xiao Shiqin would naturally do the best he could to weaken what advantage they could gain. He wouldn't use his all to chase after Dawn Rifle, but just choose a speed that could catch up to Dawn Rifle. This way, they wouldn't draw away from One Autumn Leaf and the other two so quickly.
1420
1421Xiao Shiqin hoped that Happy would strike sooner than later, yet Happy didn't act.
1422
1423The audience could clearly see that Happy's Lord Grim and co were following Dawn Rifle a small ways away and were prepared to coordinate. However, when Dawn Rifle began to retreat, the four darted away from their positions and got into positions for an ambush. Yet, not long after, the four began to move again, leaving their original positions.
1424
1425Now that the arrangements of each team were crystal clear, the commentators Li Yibo and Pan Lin could finally begin to commentate confidently.
1426
1427"Happy wants to use the harassment from Dawn Rifle to force Excellent Era to split their forces," Pan Lin said.
1428
1429"Yes… In reality, Dawn Rifle can't do very much to harass them, at least not to the point of forcing them. However, it seems like Excellent Era is very confident in their ability to deal with this," Li Yibo added.
1430
1431"Uh… It doesn't seem like Life Extinguisher and Combat Form are running in pursuit at full speed?" Pan Lin questioned.
1432
1433"Yeah… they're trying to preserve the team formation as much as possible. They don't want to split up too much. It seems like Xiao Shiqin has a clear understanding of Happy's strategy," Li Yibo said.
1434
1435"So that's why Happy hasn't struck yet. Their offensive formation has yet again been shifted," Pan Lin noted.
1436
1437"Why isn't Team Excellent Era being more resolute? If they use One Autumn Leaf and Combat Form to lead the charge and have Xiao Shiqin's Life Extinguisher in the middle with his long-range capabilities, they can split the team into three parts and better deal with the situation." That was when Li Yibo voiced an uncertainty and it really did seem like a more secure arrangement than Xiao Shiqin's.
1438
1439This, naturally, wasn't a question Pan Lin could answer. The audience, too, could only be puzzled, feeling that Li Yibo was very correct. Why didn't a Master Tactician like Xiao Shiqin choose a better strategy?
1440
1441Yet, it was Chen Guo on Team Happy's bench, the Chen Guo that usually worried over not being able to understand anything that was going on in the match grinned smugly at the commentary.
1442
1443"For the team competition against Excellent Era, this is our breakthrough point!"
1444
1445When Ye Xiu had said this in Team Happy's strategy meeting and pointed at Xiao Shiqin's name on their strategy board, Chen Guo had found it extremely strange. Even though she wasn't very skilled, she was also relentlessly thinking of a method on how to beat Excellent Era. When fighting stronger opponents, you had to find your opponent's weak point. This was something Chen Guo understood. However, she had never imagined that Xiao Shiqin would be Excellent Era's weak point.
1446
1447"Why?" Though Chen Guo wouldn't take part in the matches, she was still the first person to question this out of curiosity.
1448
1449Because Xiao Shiqin still hadn't synced up with Excellent Era's rhythm yet.
1450
1451This was the answer Chen Guo had received.
1452
1453Xiao Shiqin's background had influenced a lot of his tactical style and playstyle. For a powerhouse like Excellent Era, Xiao Shiqin's tactical style held them back. His detailed, calculated and nitpicking style wasn't noble enough for Team Excellent Era.
1454
1455That was something that Xiao Shiqin had been acutely aware of since joining Excellent Era.
1456
1457He had made adjustments and the two sides synced up cheerfully. Unfortunately, they had never met an opponent that could truly test them, because for Excellent Era, the Challenger League was too low a level. Any sort of adjustment would seem seamless at this sort of level.
1458
1459Only strong opponents would be true tests of their success.
1460
1461Happy might not be a powerful opponent, but they were the only true test Excellent Era had been pitted up against since their relegation.
1462
1463Any dissonance that existed between Xiao Shiqin and Excellent Era would be tested for here. If there was a problem, they would have to resolve it on the field. If they couldn't resolve it well, more problems might become apparent.
1464
1465Happy's tactics were so simple that they seemed almost childish. However, they had managed to accurately strike at the disharmony between Xiao Shiqin and Excellent Era.
1466
1467Xiao Shiqin, with his original style, wouldn't have bothered about this sort of childish harassment. However, after taking on Excellent Era, he had to find a way to deal with it.
1468
1469Knowing that a mountain hid tigers, yet heading for those tiger-borne mountains anyways. This wasn't Xiao Shiqin's preferred style at all, but he had to deal with these problems in such a way. He could only face this with care, but the arrangements he made weren't nearly as proactive and daring as Li Yibo's ideas.
1470
1471This was because Xiao Shiqin still subconsciously displayed the style he as most comfortable with in uncertain situations.
1472
1473He didn't want Excellent Era to seem cautious and nervous like a mid to low tier team.
1474
1475Thus, he had used a different method to avoid executing his original cautious method...
1476
1477Team Excellent Era, having split into two, continued to pursue Dawn Rifle, but Dawn Rifle was running for his life and Happy's other members were retreating for their lives. Xiao Shiqin might've suppressed his speed, but Happy drew out the duration. In the end, the two groups still managed to pull apart to a distance that Xiao Shiqin was reluctant to have.
1478
1479Even Pan Lin couldn't help but sigh in disappointment for Excellent Era, "If they had known sooner, Life Extinguisher and Combat Form might as well have sped up. That way, they would at least be able to attack Dawn Rifle a couple times."
1480
1481"Isn't Excellent Era being a little too cautious? They're so much stronger than Happy, after all. They can totally afford to be a little more headstrong," Li Yibo commented. This time, he really hadn't gotten anything wrong. Xiao Shiqin, struggling to make a decision, had reverted to what he was most comfortable with.
1482
1483Team Excellent Era was forced to exercise excessive caution under this style.
1484
1485Rate this chapter
1486
1487953 comments, join in >
14881034 1v2
1489Translator:Nomyummi | Editor: Nomyummi
1490
1491Xiao Shiqin and Qiu Fei accelerated in pursuit of Dawn Rifle, but they weren't thorough enough.. In the end,, they still pulled a certain amount of distance away from Sun Xiang's group. Even worse, not only were they not getting closer to Dawn Rifle, the two saw signs of the other Happy members. 
1492
1493Not good!!
1494
1495When Xiao Shiqin saw the other members of Happy in that direction, his heart skipped a beat. He thought Happy would disengage and then regroup to ambush their Cleric, but judging from their current position, it was obvious that they didn't have such intentions. Their true targets were the players pursuing Dawn Rifle.
1496
1497"Stop!"
1498
1499After realising that they had fallen into a trap, Xiao Shiqin subconsciously made adjustments, gesturing to Qiu Fei to stop his pursuit. He then spun his view to look at the distance between them and the three characters behind him.
1500
1501"Retreat!" The distance caused Xiao Shiqin to feel a lack of security, so he had Life Extinguisher retreat.
1502
1503Qiu Fei's Combat Form visibly hesitated for a moment, but obeyed the order nonetheless.
1504
1505However, the members of Happy had already appeared. How could they let them escape so easily? Dawn Rifle stopped retreating while the other silhouettes quickly grew clearer. They carried out a fan formation and moved to encircle Life Extinguisher and Combat Form.
1506
1507This was indeed a trap!
1508
1509Xiao Shiqin felt fortunate for being able to react quickly, so he could retreat in time. The loss shouldn't be too great, right?
1510
1511The loss was indeed insignificant. Even though Happy pressed them fiercely, the other three members of Excellent Era weren't so far behind that they couldn't be seen. Reinforcements arrived in the blink of an eye. Happy only advanced on them, attacking only for a moment, and then retreated before the members of Excellent Era finished grouping up.
1512
1513Xiao Shiqin let out a long sigh of relief. He was pretty satisfied with his response towards the situation. However, it was unknown if the commentators, viewers, and other pro players understood his reasoning... Everyone apart from him felt that his choice of action meant an opportunity wasted.
1514
1515"Why did he retreat?" Pan Lin was very puzzled.
1516
1517"Excellent Era is fighting very hesitantly! Since they've already given chase, why did they choose to retreat? Even though Excellent Era had been outnumbered, from the strengths of their pro players and characters, they shouldn't need to escape. Reinforcements would have arrived if they held out a bit longer, so Happy wouldn't have attacked too rashly. By retreating, Happy could attack fiercely without needing to heed the consequences! Excellent Era is currently retreating very quickly. They have no continuity in their attacks at all!" Li Yibo spoke.
1518
1519"Excellent Era's performance is quite abnormal today." Pan Lin said.
1520
1521"Is it because the group arena didn't meet their expectations? Or is it because they've never met a troublesome opponent like Happy in the Challenger League? No matter what the reason may be, Excellent Era shouldn't fight with such a lack of confidence..." Li Yibo only mentioned the problem, but was still thinking about the specific reason. Even though he roughly knew what it was, what was it specifically?
1522
1523"Xiao Shiqin... is treating Excellent Era like Thunderclap." In the end, it was a pro player from Tiny Herb who discovered the exact problem.
1524
1525"He lacked comprehensive and high-level practice this season, so he wasn't able to judge thoroughly enough. In stressful situations, he subconsciously responds with the play style he used to lead Team Thunderclap." Xu Bin said.
1526
1527Xu Bin had the right to talk about Xiao Shiqin. This is because his former team, 301 Degrees, was a mid-tier one along with Xiao Shiqin's Thunderclap. The two were direct rivals, so they always fought to the death with each other in order to vie for the spot in the finals. Their matches would greatly impact their final rankings, so they always had to thoroughly investigate each other.
1528
1529"Yes. He is now leading Team Excellent Era! With fierce players like Sun Xiang, there's no need for him to fight like that. I'd say, if he let Sun Xiang's One Autumn Leaf rush to the front, he might have been able to neutralize Happy's ambush." Liu Xiaobie said.
1530
1531Whatever was said could only remain as words; the match didn't progress like they thought. At this time, Xiao Shiqin started to realize that something was wrong. This was thanks to their Cleric, Zhang Jiaxing, one of the three members who had caught up to him.
1532
1533"Aren't we fighting a bit too passively? I think we can be more proactive." Zhang Jiaxing expressed his opinion. There was only one shot caller, but other players had the right to give advice and speak their thoughts. Among Excellent Era's roster, Zhang Jiaxing was the only player who had been a core member of the team the entire time. Coincidently, the Cleric was a character who needed to be able to observe the general situation, so he could acutely discover what was off today.
1534
1535Xiao Shiqin woke up with these words. He immediately became aware that he mistook Excellent Era for Thunderclap when he was commanding. In fact, he had been reminding himself to change his character for the entire season. However, he was still unable to take on his new role with familiarity during crucial moments in the match. The tactical habits he had developed from Thunderclap were still deeply rooted in him. He needed time and matches to erase it. Although he had ample time this year, he didn't have enough matches. The level of the opponents in the Challenger League weren't adequate enough.
1536
1537"You're right, we need to be more proactive!" Xiao Shiqin was not the type to save his face when the problem was found. Saving face was mostly found in powerhouses, so players from medium to small teams wouldn't have this shortcoming even for an All Star.
1538
1539Xiao Shiqin immediately made adjustments after noticing the problem. Excellent Era's ace, One Autumn Leaf, finally pushed towards the peak of the formation. Combat Form and One Autumn Leaf immediately accelerated in pursuit, while Xiao Shiqin's Life Extinguisher acted as a support in the middle. Shen Jian's Striker took the responsibility of protecting the team's Cleric.
1540
1541"Yes, it seems like Excellent Era has finally discovered the problem and is quickly making adjustments." Li Yibo spoke happily. It was not because he felt happy for Excellent Era, but because their adjustments followed the format he thought was best before. He was able to show his skills as a commentator through the comments today, so Li Yibo was rather pleased with himself.
1542
1543Sun Xiang's One Autumn Leaf and Qiu Fei's Combat Form no longer held any reservations. They attacked with full power while moving swiftly. Soon, the retreating characters of Team Happy appeared in the two's field of view.
1544
1545Lord Grim!
1546
1547The one they were able to catch up to was coincidentally Ye Xiu, who had defeated Qiu Fei and Sun Xiang in the group arena. They were able to meet in the team competition again.
1548
1549Dragon Breaks the Ranks!
1550
1551Dragon Breaks the Ranks!
1552
1553The two Battle Mages of Excellent Era, One Autumn Leaf and Combat Form, suddenly used this high-level move. The two characters raced out in sync. Yet after dashing out, they immediately pulled a distance between them. It wasn't a coincidence. This was obviously a combination that the Battle Mage duo were trained to do. The opponent they teamed up in challenging was the person, who had brought Battle Mages to the pinnacle.
1554
1555Boom boom boom!
1556
1557Lord Grim swept the Myriad Manifestations Umbrella, and three artillery shells were sent towards the two challengers from the umbrella's tip.
1558
1559This attack couldn't stop Dragon Breaks the Rank's momentum at all, but Lord Grim was able to fly a great distance backwards using Anti-Tank Missiles' recoil. He then swung the Myriad Manifestations Umbrella up over his head his head and a Rotor Wing twirled above his head as he flew up into the sky. The moment his feet left the ground, Sun Xiang's One Autumn Leaf arrived. When he saw Lord Grim flying up, he readjusted Evil Annihilation's trajectory, but he was too late. One Autumn Leaf speedily swept across, but hit nothing. Combat Form, who was a step slower, naturally ended up in a similar situation. However, the two Dragon Breaks the Ranks still came out from below, causing him to sway to and fro due to the strong winds from the attacks. The force from their attacks could clearly be seen.
1560
1561While rocking in midair, Lord Grim retracted the Rotor Wing and unsheathed his tachi. He tilted his body in mid air and used a Sword Draw towards the two, who had just used a high-level skill.
1562
1563Dragon Breaks the Ranks could be quickly cancelled with no ending lag, and Sun Xiang and Qiu Fei's reactions were very quick. One Autumn Leaf and Combat Form jumped to the left and right respectively. ,dodging the sword slash from Sword Draw.
1564
1565Falling Light Blade!
1566
1567Lord Grim used this skill afterwards, aiming for the space between the two characters. The skill had a small attack range, but it was just enough to reach the two.
1568
1569But because it was only just enough to reach them, One Autumn Leaf and Combat Form only had to take a step back in order to escape from the attack range. Two spears glinted as they crossed at an angle towards Lord Grim.
1570
1571Slide Kick!
1572
1573Lord Grim didn't pause after Falling Light Blade and slipped away with a Slide Kick. By matching skills across different classes, he used the most prominent feature of an unspecialized. When Excellent Era learned they were going against Ye Xiu's unspecialized, they trained specifically for him. The players in Team Excellent Era were all familiar with what skills an unspecialized could use. This was done by interpreting the unspecialized as the 25th class.
1574
1575Even though they were familiar with the possible skills available to an unspecialized, Excellent Era, the team who was most familiar with Ye Xiu, was unable to predict how Ye Xiu would use the skills. When Ye Xiu was in the team, he focused his efforts on Battle Mages. However, this was only 1/24 of his battle capabilities when applying their prior knowledge to his unspecialized. By changing his class, Excellent Era's familiarity towards Ye Xiu became extremely limited.
1576
1577A Slide Kick after Falling Light Blade?
1578
1579Sun Xiang and Qiu Fei's reactions were relatively quick, but still a beat too slow. The spears the two characters held weren't able to catch Lord Grim.
1580
1581After Lord Grim dashed away with the Slide Kick, he threw a grenade behind him. One Autumn Leaf and Combat Form leapt aside once again, and the explosion's flames flashed between the two characters. One Autumn Leaf and Combat Form turned around to chase him, but a purple fog rose up after they took two steps. They happened to step onto a Poison Gas Trap. The two were completely unaware when Lord Grim had planted this trap.
1582
1583The stadium bubbled with excitement. Everyone thought Ye Xiu's Lord Grim would immediately find a chance to break away and leave, but from what they were seeing, this guy was carrying out a 1v2!
1584
1585The audience had an omniscient view, so they also knew that the other members of Happy were pushing towards Excellent Era to ambush their Cleric.
1586
1587Translator's Thoughts
1588NomyummiNomyummi
1589There'll be two more chapters tonight
1590
1591Rate this chapter
1592
1593741 comments, join in >
15941035 Cut Off From the Team
1595Translator:Nomyummi | Editor: Nomyummi
1596
1597The team competition between Happy and Excellent Era had completely unfolded. In the beginning, Excellent Era nipped at Happy's heels, refusing to let up until they finally caught up and started attacking, but the crowd could see that Team Happy's Ye Xiu was performing a 1v2, while the other four were preparing to ambush Excellent Era from the rear.
1598
1599Team Excellent Era was clearly unaware of it. Xiao Shiqin had just realized that he wasn't being daring enough, so he adopted a more proactive attitude. On the other hand, Team Happy had already changed their strategy.　　
1600
1601The commentators Pan Lin and Li Yibo saw these changes, but restrained themselves from making any early conclusions. It was only when the movements of Team Happy's Soft Mist, Dawn Rifle, One Inch Ash, and Little Cold Hands became very obvious did they dare to comment on it.
1602
1603"How unexpected.... It's simply too unexpected." Li Yibo sighed, "We were just talking about how Team Excellent Era was playing a bit too conservatively, unlike a strong team. In the blink of an eye, it's Happy that's moving out in an imposing manner. Happy's ace player is pinning down Excellent Era's main force, while the others are preparing for a sneak attack from the rear. This is a standard strategy for a powerhouse team with a top-tier ace player!!"
1604
1605Li Yibo's statement woke up many people.　　
1606
1607Indeed, Happy's current strategy was a standard powerhouse strategy. By using a top player, a character to pin down as many opponents as possible, would allow for more openings to attack. This principle was applicable to many sports. For example, in basketball, a skilled player might have two or three defenders on him, giving his other teammates more openings and opportunities to score.
1608
1609But the problem was that the powerhouse should be Team Excellent Era! But in this match, it was Happy employing this strategy. Wasn't that kind of weird?
1610
1611"For this strategy to work, the ace player's performance is crucial! Ye Xiu probably isn't a stranger towards this strategy, but the problem is that the current him is no longer the Battle God Ye Qiu from before. Right now, he's facing a pincer attack from Sun Xiang and Qiu Fei. One Autumn Leaf doesn't need to be mentioned. Even Qiu Fei's Combat Form is a formidable character. Can Ye Xiu hold on?" Pan Lin spoke swiftly.
1612
1613Can he hold on?
1614
1615The answer didn't matter. Team Excellent Era's rear had already caught on fire. Team Happy's timing had been perfectly executed; they didn't let Ye Xiu take too pressure alone. His main purpose was to draw the attention of Team Excellent Era and have them pull away from each other.
1616
1617Now, Happy's group of four got into position and charged forward without any hesitation.　
1618
1619Dragon Breaks the Ranks!
1620
1621By the time Shen Jian noticed the ambush, Soft Mist's spear had already arrived. Excellent Era thought that Dawn Rifle and One Inch Ash were ahead of them, but those two had now suddenly appeared at their flank within attack range.
1622
1623Shen Jian's responsibility was to defend their healer, so he naturally stepped forward and acted as a meat shield. He had his Striker step forward and shield Zhang Jiaxin's Cleric with his body.
1624
1625Soft Mist's Dragon Breaks the Ranks hit him square in the stomach, but it failed to send him flying. The instant that Shen Jian stepped forward, he immediately activated Reinforced Iron Bones. Under this skill's effect, his Striker wouldn't be pushed back by the knockback. Immediately afterwards, he made his counterattack towards Soft Mist. Suddenly, a Satellite Beam descended from the sky, completely enveloping him. Wu Chen's Dawn Rifle had shot out a high-level skill in coordination with Soft Mist's attack.　
1626
1627Tang Rou didn't fight with Shen Jian. She had Soft Mist circle around and attack Zhang Jiaxin's Cleric, Woven Shadow.
1628
1629Zhang Jiaxin deserved to be the healer for a powerhouse like Team Excellent Era. he didn't panic. In the team competition, the healer was often a priority target. Staying calm in these situations was a fundamental trait that every healer needed. As someone qualified to be part of a powerhouse's starting line up, he obviously wouldn't be lacking in this regard.
1630
1631The instant Shen Jian did his job, Zhang Jiaxin had his Cleric retreat. In these situations, the healer needed to win as much time as possible because no team would let their healer die so easily. When a healer was attacked, the team would immediately come to save him, so the healer needed to minimize the losses they would take during this period of time and coordinate with his teammates coming to the rescue.
1632
1633As Zhang Jiaxin had Woven Shadow retreat, he grasped his current situation. Excellent Era's formation was still intact. As soon as Happy launched their ambush, Life Extinguisher changed directions and went back to assist his team's Cleric. This was already enough to make Zhang Jiaxin feel at peace.
1634
16353v4. With Excellent Era's strength, Zhang Jiaxin felt like there shouldn't be any problem.
1636
1637With this support, Zhang Jiaxin became even more calm. When he saw Soft Mist charge directly towards him, he had his Woven Shadow retreat even faster. Kiting Tang Rou for some time was doable for Zhang Jiaxin, but doing that wasn't smart. Zhang Jiaxin grasped Happy's formation. Tang Rou's Soft Mist was at the very front and, from what he understood, despite this player being very pretty, her aggressiveness on stage didn't lose out to any male player. Zhang Jiaxin had his Woven Shadow continue to retreat. He wanted to lure Soft Mist in further to pull her away from her team. That way, when Excellent Era counterattacked, she would become Happy's burden.
1638
1639In this short instant, being able to come up with this kind of plan was enough to show his worth as an experienced player, but when he saw the way Soft Mist was holding her spear, Zhang Jiaxin suddenly felt like something wasn't right.
1640
1641"Behind you!" Before Zhang Jiaxin could yell out his warning, Soft Mist already turned around 180 degrees and thrust forward with her spear. Magic waves surged forth. It was a Rising Dragon Soars the Sky. At this distance, it would be a back attack.
1642
1643Hit!
1644
1645Shen Jian had been struggling due to the combo from Dawn Rifle's Satellite Beam. At the same time, he had to pay attention to all of the other members of Happy. Soft Mist didn't attack him and instead circled around, so he naturally thought that she was going for their Cleric. As a result, he didn't even think that Soft Mist would be circling around to attack him from behind. It was an extremely powerful attack too.　
1646
1647After being hit, he was sent flying away. By activating Reinforced Iron Bones, he could resist the effects of most attacks, but a high-level skill like Rising Dragon Soars the Sky had grab priority, the one flaw of Reinforced Iron Bones.
1648
1649He was sent flying. As a result, it wasn't Soft Mist splitting apart from the team, but him. He landed in a location, where Qiao Yifan had set up numerous ghost boundaries. From this, it could be seen that Happy had been plotting a one-wave offense the entire time.
1650
1651Rate this chapter
1652
1653246 comments, join in >
16541036 Bypass
1655Translator:Nomyummi | Editor: Nomyummi
1656
1657Poor Zhang Jiaxing played a Cleric. In this situation, he could only support Shen Jian and help him endure, but couldn't turn the tides. If he wasn't careful, he might even get caught up in it himself.
1658
1659The hesitant Zhang Jiaxing didn't dare have his Cleric, Woven Shadow, get any closer. Right now, all he wanted was for Xiao Shiqin's Life Extinguisher to hurry back over. However, considering Happy's detailed strategic arrangements, there was little chance that they would've neglected to think of such a situation. Although Ye Xiu wasn't here, Tang Rou and the other three still fought methodically. After Shen Jian's Striker was sent into one of One Inch Ash's ghost boundaries, Qiao Yifan didn't hesitate to sent a relentless barrage of attacks. In an instant, Qiao Yifan's One Inch Ash shot up on the DPS charts to first place. Somehow, the one who headed Happy's offensive as the main DPS was a Phantom Demon. This was something that was completely unforeseen to most people.
1660
1661No matter if it was Zhang Jiaxing or Shen Jian, the two were more focused on Soft Mist, who had led the charge when ambushing. They had neglected the Phantom Demon, which was usually a supporting role, and now they were paying the price. After falling into One Inch Ash's ghost boundaries, Successive Strike's health had immediately plummeted. When One Inch Ash then triggered Ghost Feast, Happy's Cleric, Little Cold Hands, had even given Successive Strike a Holy Commandment. Tang Rou's Soft Mist and Wu Chen's Dawn Rifle took this instant to strike with their strongest skills as well.
1662
1663Boom!
1664
1665The explosions created by Launchers had the most impressive sound effects, and spirits wrecked havoc amongst the flashing light. Soft Mist's valiant figure was blurred and engulfed by smoke, and Shen Jian was at a loss as to where to strike, only able to clearly see his character's health falling rapidly.
1666
1667As for Woven Shadows?
1668
1669In that moment, Shen Jian had even forgotten that Woven Shadow was someone he should protect. Instead, he was just hoping that Woven Shadow could hurry up and save him.
1670
1671Clerics were rather helpless to prevent this sort of offense, but they could help hold the situation steady. To Zhang Jiaxing, it looked like Happy was pulling Shen Jian's Successive Strike to one side while attacking. It looked a little like a street brawl, where you first pulled your victim into an alleyway to beat up.
1672
1673The reason for pulling a victim into an alleyway was to avoid witnesses. Happy's current actions were, naturally, to get for as much time as possible before Life Extinguisher came to support.
1674
1675Taking a careful look, Zhang Jiaxing realized that if he just let Shen Jian endure on his own, he'd probably get killed. There was no room for further consideration; he hurriedly had Woven Shadows step up to heal Shen Jian.
1676
1677Yet the healing spell hadn't been finished before a missile exploded in front of him. Having seen Woven Shadow's actions, Wu Chen immediately swung his canon around to interrupt the healing Zhang Jiaxing had been trying to give.
1678
1679Interrupting healing was basic knowledge in team competitions. As a player, Wu Chen didn't have any striking talents, but he had great foundations. Since he knew that his natural talent was limited and he wouldn't make any high-end breakthroughs, he made sure he had a solid of a grasp on these basics as possible. His current healing interruption was giving even Excellent Era's healer a hard time. After all, Zhang Jiaxing had no cover right now and was casting heals while completely exposed to the other's canonfire.
1680
1681Again and again, Woven Shadow's casts for healing were interrupted rhythmically by Dawn Rifle. In the blink of an eye, four casts had already failed.
1682
1683Zhang Jiaxing felt a deep-seated helplessness and, in the end, could only send out the instant cast Cures. Cures didn't need casting and healed for quite a lot, but consumed a lot of mana and also had long cooldowns. Usually, healers would save them as a last resort, leaving them for when they were truly and direly needed during the match. However, Zhang Jiaxing was helpless in the current situation. If he didn't help Shen Jian hold on, this might become a critical point that would lose them the match. Though, originally, with Zhang Jiaxing's belief that they would have no problem fighting three on four, losing a person first wasn't a problem, he wasn't so optimistic after seeing how much damage Happy could and did deal with their tactics.
1684
1685Wu Chen had little ability to interrupt the Cures that came down. Though you could focus fire a single target in team competitions, it was hard to take down a character in a single wave of attacks because of healers.
1686
1687Tang Rou and the others had done their best, but in the end, they didn't manage to wipe out Shen Jian's Successive Strike with this wave of attacks. Xiao Shiqin's Life Extinguisher arrived as support with a hail of Air Drops.
1688
1689Even so, Team Happy was still fighting four against three with an advantage in numbers. However, they didn't loiter and hurriedly fled before Xiao Shiqin's Life Extinguisher got too close.
1690
1691Team Happy had launched an offensive worthy of a powerhouse team. Their ace player had stalled the main force of their opponents while the others fought fewer with more. Yet in the end, they had retreated in a very un-powerhouse-like manner. In a situation where they had the advantage in numbers, they chose to retreat.
1692
1693"Ah…" Commentator Pan Lin thought that this was quite the missed chance, "Successive Strike doesn't have much health left…"
1694
1695"However, Xiao Shiqin has already come back. Under the cover he can provide, Zhang Jiaxing can heal better. The situation will be pulled back to a head on fight. While Happy has the advantage in numbers, what about in skill and character strength? Especially since healing is a huge factor in team competitions. Happy's healer isn't all that skilled!" Li Yibo commented.
1696
1697"That's true," Pan Lin agreed with a nod, "If this was a powerhouse team of a similar strength to Excellent Era, this tactical ambush might've became a decisive point to the match!"
1698
1699"Not necessarily," Li Yibo said, smiling, "If this really was a team that matched Excellent Era in strength, they probably wouldn't handle things the same way. Look, after the ambush, only Xiao Shiqin ran to support, but Qiu Fei and Sun Xiang are still there sticking to Ye Xiu!"
1700
1701"Seems like Excellent Era feels that the three of them are enough to deal with the four of Happy!"
1702
1703"That's one of the reasons. Another is that Excellent Era doesn't want to waste this chance where Ye Xiu is alone and without support! Who is the largest threat in Happy to Excellent Era? It's, of course, Ye Xiu. If they can send him out of the match early, then the ending of this match would be set. I think Happy has neglected to consider this aspect. All they thought of was how Ye Xiu could be a diversion, but forgot that this was also giving their opponent a chance!" Li Yibo said.
1704
1705"Alright, let's have a look at the situation over there…" Pan Lin said.
1706
1707For the broadcast, this sort of situation was rather troublesome. This was because the battle had split into two. They might have cut to Happy's ambush, but Ye Xiu's exchange with Sun Xiang and Qiu Fei had never stopped!
1708
1709"Seems like Ye Xiu's situation isn't looking good!" Pan Lin said when the shot switched back to the battle over there.
1710　
1711This was originally a very interesting one versus two. Weren't Sun Xiang and Qiu Fei both Ye Xiu's successors? It was rare that there would be a chance for them to brawl undisturbed like this in a team competition. However, when the shot switched over, they saw Ye Xiu's Lord Grim curled up into a ball shooting out from between One Autumn Leaf and Combat Form with an Aerial Fire. The sight of such an incredibly precise technique made Pan Lin's scalp tingle. He didn't even have the time to play up this face-off. They had already fought for so long. The climax might've already gone by.
1712
1713Furious Dragon Strikes the Heart!
1714　
1715Right after Lord Grim darted out through the gap, Combat Form followed with a powerful technique, his spear heading directly for Lord Grim's chest. The Myriad Manifestations Umbrella immediately changed forms and Lord Grim used a Guard in midair, accurately blocking the attack. Then his umbrella swiftly returned to gun form and fired to add momentum to what Dragon Breaks the Ranks had given him. Lord Grim flew backwards lightning fast and the stab One Autumn Leaf had tried to give after Combat Form's attack hit air.
1716
1717After landing, Lord Grim didn't bother engaging the two any longer, turning and fleeing. Everyone could see that in Happy's team chat, the four had informed Ye Xiu that their offensive was over. Thus, Ye Xiu naturally wouldn't continue playing with the two. He had never thought of dealing with these two alone.
1718
1719"Lord Grim has retreated and now on both sides it's Happy retreating while Excellent Era is in pursuit. It was Happy that was on the offensive just now, yet it seems like Excellent Era has the initiative now," Pan Lin noted.
1720
1721"It can't be helped. If Happy's attack just now had managed to wipe out one of Excellent Era's players then it might not be like this. However, they had managed to do so, letting Excellent Era turn the tides," Li Yibo explained.
1722
1723"Then that means… the attack by Happy was a failure?"
1724
1725"Having not achieve what they planned, it should count as a failure. I believe that Happy didn't just aim to deal some damage to Successive Strike and have Woven Shadow expend some mana, right? Such a grandiose set up, even putting Ye Xiu in danger, it wouldn't be worth it."
1726
1727"Ok, so now Happy is trying to throw their pursuers off on both sides," Pan Lin said as the shot switched between the two sides.
1728　
1729"At the moment, the four over here aren't doing so well! They have the advantage in numbers, meaning that their movement is more restricted, and their movement speed as a whole has dropped."
1730
1731"In this situation, Happy probably won't be able to throw off their pursuers. I'm afraid that they'll probably have to go all-out to hold on," Li Yibo said.
1732
1733"Now let's check on Ye Xiu… Ah, he threw them off! Lord Grim's movement speed shouldn't have such a big advantage against One Autumn Leaf and Combat Form… How did he do it?" The switching of the shot somehow managed to miss out on Lord Grim escaping from the two Battle Mages, surprising Pan Lin greatly. It was a good thing that there wasn't anything substantial happening currently, so they had the time to playback. Thus, the process of Ye Xiu throwing off his pursuers was replayed.
1734　
1735"Seems like it's still old ginger that's more spicy*..." After watching, Li Yibo sighed.
1736
1737Ye Xiu hadn't raced with the two, but instead used the environment to his advantage. He had clearly known where to go when first retreating. As expected, after running into an area with a lot of cover, Lord Grim vanished from the two's view with a few turns. And now, Lord Grim had already skipped town while One Autumn Leaf and Combat Form were still running in circles back there!
1738
1739Even at hide-and-seek, God Ye Xiu's skill was at the top of the top, making people awestruck. Sun Xiang might also be a God at the top, but in this situation, he stood no chance.
1740
1741"Ye Xiu's escaped." Sun Xiang and Qiu Fei had to inform the others through the team chat.
1742
1743Hearing this, Xiao Shiqin's heart stuttered.
1744
1745Could it be… Xiao Shiqin hoped that his guess was incorrect.
1746
1747"Stop the pursuit! Coordinates, regroup," Xiao Shiqin hurriedly ordered in the team chat.
1748
1749Rate this chapter
1750
1751766 comments, join in >
17521037 Unrescuable
1753Translator:Nomyummi | Editor: Nomyummi
1754
1755They say that team competitions are ever changing with all sorts of playstyles, but these differences never deviated from a set of standards. In the end, all these changing elements were geared towards creating the eventual situation of many against few, strong against weak.
1756
1757Seeing the coordinates given by Sun Xiang and Qiu Fei, Xiao Shiqin wasn't just anxious anymore, he was shocked.
1758
1759The distance between them had been drawn out so far, and how did that happen? Xiao Shiqin's three person group had chased the four members of Happy while Sun Xiang and Qiu Fei pursued Ye Xiu.
1760
1761That's right. This happened through their chase of Happy.
1762
1763This was the finals of the Challenger League, not ten random players going five on five in the in-game arena. When retreating from being chased, you had to be tactical, too, and not just run around like a headless chicken. If Happy's path of retreat was planned out, then that meant that Excellent Era's split was intentionally caused by Happy. Then, Ye Xiu easily threw Sun Xiang and Qiu Fei off his tail. If he didn't realize something was wrong by now, then Xiao Shiqin's tactical sense would be terrible and he wouldn't deserve to be known as one of the Four Master Tacticians.
1764
1765"Regroup!" After Xiao Shiqin sent some coordinates in the team chat, he and his two teammates didn't bother with Happy's four anymore and quickly turned to leave. Yet they had just turned when Happy's four person team that had been fleeing clumsily suddenly turned to launch an energetic counterattack, chasing after the three and taking advantage of their situations. Their attacks in pursuit were smooth and well-versed; it was clear that they had practiced specifically for such a situation. Xiao Shiqin's heart fell further.
1766
1767Yet the three of them hadn't gotten very far before a figure flashed in front of them.
1768
1769There were only so many characters on the field, so who other than Lord Grim could appear at this time?
1770　
1771As expected!
1772
1773Xiao Shiqin now knew that his guess was completely correct. They had, once again, fallen into Happy's trap. It seemed like the wave of attacks that they had launched was more than satisfactory, but Happy's scheme didn't end there. They had long since prepared for the next step. After pulling Excellent Era's two groups far apart enough to be out of support range, Ye Xiu would throw his opponents off his tail to regroup with them first, once again turning this into many against few.
1774
1775After giving their exact coordinates, Sun Xiang and Qiu Fei would also run over as fast as possible. However, before then, Xiao Shiqin's three person group had to deal with an offensive from these five. It might seem like five people was just one more person than four, but the problem was that this time, Ye Xiu was there. The Ye Xiu that was even more of a threat than the rest of Happy put together.
1776
1777A pincer attack.
1778
1779"Charge through!" Xiao Shiqin's Life Extinguisher was the first to attack. Shen Jian's Striker, Successive Strike, followed, fists swinging. Zhang Jiaxing's Cleric, Woven Shadow, wasn't idle either, using the skills that Clerics had to harass the character blocking their way.
1780
1781Ye Xiu was scary, but if he was just blocking the way on his own, he can't block us all, right?
1782
1783There might be people in pursuit behind them, but Excellent Era's three were still very confident against Ye Xiu's blockade and the three charged forwards together.
1784
1785As expected, Ye Xiu alone couldn't block all three of them. They were all pro players, not normal players in the online game. Not only did he fail to block them, Lord Grim also received significant damage against the three's charge.
1786
1787Breakthrough, regroup with Sun Xiang and Qiu Fei, then turn back and crush Happy. That's what Xiao Shiqin had planned, but then he looked left and right. Shen Jian's Striker, Successive Strike, had charged through, but where was Zhang Jiaxing's Cleric, Woven Shadow?
1788　
1789Xiao Shiqin hurriedly looked back with Life Extinguisher and immediately felt like crying.
1790
1791As expected, Ye Xiu didn't have the power to block all three of them, so he hadn't bothered trying. He only wanted to block one of them. Life Extinguisher and Successive Strike had broken through, but Zhang Jiaxing's Woven Shadow had been blocked by Lord Grim. It was totally worth the damage that he had taken.
1792
1793Dragon Tooth, Sky Strike, Falling Flower Palm.
1794　
1795Turning his view, Xiao Shiqin saw Lord Grim smoothly execute the simple three-hit Battle Mage combo. After Woven Shadow was hit by Falling Flower Palm, he was immediately blown far away. Happy's other four had managed to catch up by then. Soft Mist jumped, spear in hand and used a Circle Swing to catch the airborne Woven Shadow, swinging him in a circle before smashing him to the ground.
1796
1797On the ground, Qiao Yifan's One Inch Ash had already managed to lay down several ghost boundaries. They were like several large pots, emitting the aroma of the Phantom Ghost's power and awaiting ingredients to complete this dish!
1798
1799Zhang Jiaxing's Woven Shadow was, without a doubt, the long-awaited ingredients. After being thrown into the pot by Soft Mist's Circle Swing, they immediately began cooking. Little Cold Hand's Sacred Fire came down as the spices, then Dawn Rifle blasted attacks at him. The flames were rising!
1800
1801Woven Shadow was cooked immediately. In such a situation, Clerics had a very hard time saving themselves. As a magic class, most of his skills had to be casted. Thus, when he was being attacked continuously like this, he couldn't use any of those casts. He could only hope for outside help.
1802
1803Xiao Shiqin was extremely frustrated with his own carelessness. Though it would be hard with their disadvantage in numbers, but they couldn't just leave their healer to die. Life Extinguisher and Successive Strike simultaneously turned to charge back into the fray, but found their way blocked by Lord Grim again.
1804
1805Xiao Shiqin didn't have time to deal with Ye Xiu. Life Extinguisher sent all his long-ranged skills towards Woven Shadow, but Happy's team ignored them, fighting through Life Extinguisher's attacks.
1806
1807As for Shen Jian's Successive Strike, he had to get close to deal damage. Being blocked by Lord Grim, he couldn't charge over to help for now. However, in this exchange, Xiao Shiqin's Life Extinguisher had managed to get closer. However, for him, getting closer was no different than staying away. Most of his attacks didn't require for him to close in. Even if he used them, no one would pay any heed to it. Even if they had to take more damage, they were determined to kill Woven Shadow.
1808　
1809Xiao Shiqin knew very well that this exchange was definitely worth it. It went without saying that he alone wouldn't be able to kill a target when the opponent had a Cleric. Even if he could, it would still be more worth it for their opponents to take out their healer.
1810
1811Firepower coverage was ignored. Go up to wreck havoc? No matter how bad their opponents were, they still had four people, and Mechanics weren't a class that could charge bodily into an opponent's formation. With Xiao Shiqin's tactical knowledge, he obviously wouldn't do something so mindless.
1812
1813With a turn of view, Life Extinguisher launched another round of attacks, but this time he focused his firepower on Little Cold Hands, Happy's healer.
1814
1815As expected of a Master Tactician. In this helpless situation, he decided to surround Wei to save Zhao*. How could Happy just leave their healer to be attacked?
1816
1817Team Happy really did just ignore their healer being attacked, speeding up their attacks on Woven Shadow. Xiao Shiqin felt like crying. Was Woven Shadow really unrescuable? Kill the opponent's healer as an exchange? The problem was, there were three people surrounding and attacking Woven Shadow who was helpless. As for his side? It was just his Life Extinguisher attacking Little Cold Hands alone. Even though his technique was good enough to make Little Cold Hands helpless, his DPS couldn't compare to the combined DPS of three characters. Plus, he had been late in striking. If his opponents killed Woven Shadow first and then went over to support Little Cold Hands, then wouldn't all his hard work be for nothing?
1818
1819In these crucial times, Xiao Shiqin was quick and decisive. Life Extinguisher abruptly turned his fire towards Lord Grim.
1820
1821This action was very confusing to everyone. The commentators, Pan Lin and Li Yibo analyzed this as trying to kill off Lord Grim, exchanging a Cleric for Team Happy's ace.
1822
1823The two used a very questioning and uncertain tone when saying this. Was Ye Xiu the type that could be killed so easily? Under Sun Xiang and Qiu Fei's combined offense, Ye Xiu had managed to play a graceful game of hide and seek and threw them off his tail. Even when hopelessly outnumbered, he still had very strong self-preservation skills. Trying to take out Lord Grim wasn't even as feasible as trying to take out Little Cold Hands.
1824
1825Yet, Xiao Shiqin's intentions soon became very clear. Turning his fire on Lord Grim and attacking wildly had given Shen Jian a chance to slip away. Successive Strike charged past Lord Grim, ignoring all else, and towards the enemy's formation.
1826
1827Xiao Shiqin also took this chance to change focus again, showering Soft Mist and the others. This time, it provided cover for Shen Jian's Striker's charge and Tang Rou and co's encirclement was finally broken open.
1828
1829Zhang Jiaxing was an experienced pro as well, not a weakling that needed to be constantly protected in the online game. He took the chance to dart out of the opening. Xiao Shiqin was delighted and hurried to provide suppressing fire. Woven Shadow was like a little lamb that had finally found its way home, stumbling and tripping as he shot towards Life Extinguisher.
1830
1831The two regrouped and immediately turned to flee. They hadn't taken two steps when Xiao Shiqin suddenly realized something was missing. Turning his view to look, he was close to bursting into tears. They might have pulled Zhang Jiaxing's Woven Shadow out, but Shen Jian's Striker, Successive Strike had been trapped in.
1832
1833The audience was stunned.
1834
1835This was Xiao Shiqin! Because of him and him alone, an ordinary team like Thunderclap had become a regular visitor of the playoffs. This team had managed to continuously cause trouble for the powerhouses. They could cause a headache for any team.
1836
1837Yet now they were so careless when playing now. They had lost their Cleric a moment ago. Now that they had picked their Cleric back up, they lost their Striker.
1838
1839Normal characters weren't as valuable as healers, but they couldn't just leave him there either, right? There was a total headcount of six on each side. Losing one meant losing a portion of their strength. Many team competitions had ended with one team losing one member and then spiralling downhill, unable to hold on.
1840
1841Xiao Shiqin helplessly had Life Extinguisher turn back and Zhang Jiaxing couldn't ignore this either. He wasn't a helpless rescued princess; he was here to help out on the field.
1842
1843Rescuing Shen Jian's Striker would be easier than rescuing a healer. After all, Strikers had great offensive capabilities and could easily find an opening with assistance from outside.
1844
1845With Zhang Jiaxing's Cleric, Woven Shadow, helping out with Sacred Fire and similar skills, Successive Strike finally broke out. Like Woven Shadow before, he hurried towards the warm embrace of his team.
1846
1847"Careful!!" Xiao Shiqin hurriedly type out that message, but didn't manage to help Shen Jian. Lord Grim suddenly came in from an angle and used a Circle Swing with his Myriad Manifestations Umbrella to impale Successive Strike and, running and swinging him about, threw Successive Strike back into the encirclement.
1848
1849After going in this massive circle, would the first to die in the team competition still be Successive Strike?
1850
1851"Keep up his health!!" Xiao Shiqin was like a commander in a dungeon, yelling at the healer to keep his health stable.
1852
1853Translator's Thoughts
1854NomyummiNomyummi
1855TN: Surrounding Wei to save Zhao comes from an event in the warring states where the army laid siege to Wei to force their troops to retreat from Zhao, thus saving Zhao. - Jouissance
1856
1857Rate this chapter
1858
1859276 comments, join in >
18601038 Emergency Substitution
1861Translator:Nomyummi | Editor: Nomyummi
1862
1863Everyone was struck dumb.
1864
1865In the group arena, Excellent Era had only won one point. This was already inconsistent with the expectations of many people, but what about now? Unexpectedly, Team Happy continuously held the initiative, dominating the whole way, whereas Excellent Era was forced to constantly run for their lives. Just looking at the current situation, just who was the powerhouse here? Who was the grassroots team?
1866
1867Many in the audience had wanted to see Happy emerge victorious, because it would be an exciting upset. However, seeing the scene before them, it really did seem inconceivable. Yet, this was something they were looking forward to, so obviously it would be something that made them excited. The stadium wasn't only made up of Excellent Era fans; this wasn't Team Excellent Era's home ground.
1868
1869Only, these audience members, who wanted to see Happy succeed, couldn't really be called Happy's fans. Truthfully, they only wanted to see a major upset. Thus, they wouldn't act like Happy's true fans and recklessly cheer for the team. Since Happy's chances really weren't optimistic, this kind of cheering could easily end with them getting their faces slapped. False fans would obviously be willing to risk this.
1870
1871Except now, Happy had actually grasped an advantage during the team competition. These spectators, who were only looking for an upset, were also beginning to stir. Those who were more hot-blooded had already started cheering. Gradually, the others followed suit, expressing what they truly wished in their hearts. They too began loudly shouting encouragement. On the flip side, Excellent Era's fans, seeing their team's passive movements, could only sit stupidly.
1872
1873Originally, they had been prepared to cheer to add to Excellent Era's beautiful performance. Now, with the team acting so passively, it would be more like sending help at the darkest hour.** They weren't mentally prepared for this! Thus, in that instant, the stadium was suddenly filled with loud voices cheering for Happy, drowning out the voices of Excellent Era fans who had been distracted. It seemed like ages before they reacted, desperately raising their voices to cheer for Excellent Era.
1874
1875Often, cheers from fans in the stadium would be a sort of catalyst for the players on stage. However, Glory was an exception to this, because the players would be completely sealed within their player booths. They weren't able to hear anything going on in the stadium. Although the reasoning behind this was simple, the fans' wishful thinking still caused them to believe that their cheers would somehow transfer strength to their players. At the same time, the pro players didn't do anything to deny this. Even if they couldn't hear any of this support, it wouldn't do them any good to betray their fans good intentions.
1876
1877At this very moment, the stadium echoed with two equally powerful cheers, yet on stage the situation didn't really change.
1878
1879"Heal! Heal!"
1880
1881Truthfully, Xiao Shiqin's directions were a bit redundant. At times like this, it wasn't as if Zhang Jiaxing could still just sit and watch! He had long since controlled his Cleric Woven Shadow to heal Successive Strike. Unfortunately, he was a bit late, because Happy's side also wasn't just sitting back and doing nothing. Besides Wu Chen's Dawn Rifle, Ye Xiu's Lord Grim was also harassing him non-stop. Zhang Jiaxing had already expended the cooldowns of all of his instantaneous skills. While his chanting skills were off cooldown, the problem was he couldn't find any opportunities to use them. He was constantly interrupted, as if he was dancing from excitement.
1882
1883"Protect! Protect!"
1884
1885Zhang Jiaxing also yelled out in the chat.
1886
1887However, this reminder was just like Xiao Shiqin's earlier reminder to heal. How could Xiao Shiqin not know to shield the Cleric? Of course he knew, but he couldn't do anything. This was because they were currently faced with the existence of an uncontrollable factor ... Team Happy had more people.
1888
1889Yes, more people. This advantage had been personally cultivated by Ye Xiu from the start, until it reached an utterly heartless degree. Zhang Jiaxing's heals weren't enough. Xiao Shiqin's cover fire wasn't enough. And these two definitely weren't any ordinary players! Zhang Jiaxing was the main healer of Excellent Era, a powerhouse team, and Xiao Shiqin was an All-Star! He had just showed off his military might during the group arena, gracefully retreating off stage when he knew he was finished. Except now, when facing against all of Team Happy, these two seemed to be completely stuck.
1890
1891But even in a situation like this, as long the two persevered, it wouldn't all be for nothing. Every so often one of Woven Shadow's skills would find an opening and heal a little. Furthermore, Shen Jian was still doing his best to struggle and break free. Although everyone was on edge, at least they still had hope. Yet Xiao Shiqin and Zhang Jiaxing were constantly sending each other warnings in the team channel. The true use of the channel was seen here.
1892
1893With this kind of shouting, it could be seen that Excellent Era was truly in a dire position. Sun Xiang and Qiu Fei began accelerating without any regard for future consequences. For example, even a Dragon Breaks the Ranks was brought out and used as a movement skill. The broadcast switched to a close-up view of the map, showing the two characters moving at a breakneck pace. The audience could see that the time it would take for these two to reach the battlefield could be measured in seconds.
1894
1895Missing just one final step?
1896
1897At this moment, this sentence appeared in everyone's minds.*** If these two Battle Mages reached the battlefield in time, they could definitely reverse the situation. Team Happy's characters were really a bit disappointing; at a crucial moment like this, their damage output was really too low. If these characters could stand shoulder to shoulder with the ones from a powerhouse like Excellent Era, perhaps Shen Jian would have been killed already.
1898
1899Beautiful tactics. Beautiful execution. But in the end, would they lose it all because of useless characters?
1900
1901At this moment, the silhouettes of One Autumn Leaf and Combat Form could be seen on the horizon. Looking at Successive Strike's health and doing a few quick calculations, Xiao Shiqin quietly let out the breath he had been holding. At the same time, he felt ashamed. Just a while ago, when he was still in Team Thunderclap, he had lost many matches because of this kind disparity in character strength. Back then, he had often fantasized about having a powerhouse character within his grasp. But now, he finally achieved that dream, and he was instead relying on the brute force of the characters. It looked like Happy's beautiful display would soon be thwarted, but right now Xiao Shiqin felt disgusted. This kind of brute force was what he had admired for so long before. But now that he was truly winning only because of this, he couldn't feel any joy.
1902
1903Happy's characters ...
1904
1905As Xiao Shiqin wistfully looked at these characters, he was suddenly startled.
1906
1907What's going on? How come there were only four characters on Happy's side?
1908
1909Where's the Cleric? Where was Little Cold Hands?
1910
1911In his haste to protect Woven Shadow and save Shen Jian's Successive Strike, Xiao Shiqin had neglected such a huge change! Now that he suddenly discovered it, his heartbeat quickened, and his mind quickly mapped out this entire region.
1912
1913Not good!
1914
1915Xiao Shiqin's Life Extinguisher suddenly rushed forward like a melee character. This move caused Zhang Jiaxing to jump with fright.
1916
1917Was this the beginning of a counterattack?
1918
1919But Sun Xiang and Qiu Fei still hadn't reached the battlefield! And even if they had, as a Mechanic, there was no reason for him to jump to the front lines like this!
1920
1921In the end, Zhang Jiaxing was also stupefied.
1922
1923A shadow of a person flew into the attackers' encirclement. Yet this character originally shouldn't have appeared.
1924
1925Steamed Bun Invasion!
1926
1927Unexpectedly, it was Steamed Bun Invasion!
1928
1929"When did he appear?" It wasn't just the harried and preoccupied Xiao Shiqin and Zhang Jiaxing who had failed to notice. Even the spectators, with their omniscient view, had been so focused on the fight that they hadn't paid attention to the fact that Happy had actually switched out a player.
1930
1931At this moment, there was no time for a replay. Steamed Bun Invasion had suddenly joined joined the fight, immediately using Strangle. However, in a crucial moment like this, Happy had actually managed to complete a character substitution?
1932
1933Cleric Little Cold Hands had withdrawn. Brawler Steamed Bun Invasion had joined the fight.
1934
1935Happy no longer had the damage output of four characters. They now had five!
1936
1937It was only after realizing this that Xiao Shiqin had recklessly charged forward. He knew that against the damage output of five characters, Successive Strike wouldn't be able to last until One Autumn Leaf and Combat Form arrived. He needed to charge in at this moment in order to disrupt the setup.
1938
1939At this very moment, Happy didn't have a healer either. If they took this opportunity to focus their attacks on one character and managed to take out a lot of health, with the support incoming from Sun Xiang and Qiu Fei, perhaps they would be able to swap again.
1940
1941Just as Xiao Shiqin made this decision, he saw the Myriad Manifestations Umbrella in Lord Grim hand shake ...
1942
1943Tears streamed down Xiao Shiqin's face ... In his moment of desperation, he had once again forgotten this unspecialized character. An unspecialized's healing capabilities were still weak, but ... no matter how small a mosquito was, it was still flesh. On a professional stage, even a tiny bit could mean the difference between victory and defeat. With him here to heal the team, Happy could likely sustain until they found the chance to switch their healer back in. After all, this position was quite close to a support zone. It was only after Xiao Shiqin become conscious of their current position, after he mapped out the area in his head just now, that he finally realized Happy's intent. However, his realization had arrived a bit late.
1944
1945Steamed Bun Invasion had joined the fight, and Team Happy's damage output had immediately increased by a level. Every time Xiao Shiqin's Life Extinguisher rushed over, he was blocked by Lord Grim. His ultimate decision to do everything he could to disrupt the situation had also fallen to pieces.
1946
1947It wasn't possible for Ye Xiu to kill him in an instant, but blocking him and obstructing his disturbance wasn't a problem.
1948
1949Boom!
1950
1951Another round of explosions occurred. Shen Jian's Striker finally fell.
1952
1953After an unbearably bad performance during the group arena, Shen Jian became the first to fall during the team competition. But from a fair point of view, this time, it wasn't really his fault. Facing this kind of trap, any player would find it hard to cope. It was regretful, but competition was just this cruel sometimes. This kind of situation had happened to him, ending his performance in this match here. He hadn't made any eye-catching plays and was even the first to be killed. As far as those who hadn't bothered to ask about the sequence of events were concerned, this was basically the worst performance of the match.
1954
1955However, up until now, had anyone really performed poorly during this team competition? No, everyone had worked hard to bring out their individual skills, but in a fight, there would always be a winner and a loser. Shen Jian very much regretted being the first one out. He could definitely be called the most unlucky player tonight. WIth this being the most important match of the season for Excellent Era, his performance was really too terrible. Shen Jian sat paralyzed in his seat, as if he could see himself returning to the time when he had been a substitute player.
1956
1957Translator's Thoughts
1958NomyummiNomyummi
1959TL Note: **The first idiom used, 锦上添花, means to add flowers to embroidery, or to decorate something that is already perfect. The second idiom, 雪中送炭, means to send charcoal in snowy weather, or to provide help in a time of great need.
1960
1961***The "phrase" mentioned here is actually a chenyu, 功亏一篑. Literally translated, it means that in the process of piling up many hills (usually nine) of dirt, one bucket is missed. Basically it means to almost finish something, but end up missing by just a tiny bit, the last step. --Veriquity
1962
1963Rate this chapter
1964
1965902 comments, join in >
19661039 Shadow Play
1967Translator:Nomyummi | Editor: Nomyummi
1968
1969"Steamed Bun Invasion! Strangle! Happy is focusing their attacks! One wave rush! Beautiful!!!"　　
1970
1971With a fierce battle ongoing, there was no time for the commentators to give any lengthy explanations or play-by-plays. Pan Lin ended up using short and hurried keywords, which helped make the intensity of the match even more clear.　
1972
1973"Happy... The first kill goes to Happy!!!" He stumbled a bit on this result. Pan Lin wanted to shout that Happy had taken the first point, but he thought about it again and remembered that wasn't how the point system worked anymore! Killing the opponent didn't count as a point. The number of points won depended on how many of your players were left standing at the end of the match. The two methods of calculating points didn't have any impact on the end result, but for the experienced Pan Lin, he felt like calculating points through kills would be more exciting and fun.
1974
1975I'll give them my recommendation later.
1976
1977Pan Lin quietly thought to himself. The new tournament format was being tested in the Challenger League. The Alliance was currently taking feedback. As part of the broadcast team, he had quite a lot of authority in this matter. Much of the competitive format was established for the convenience of the broadcast. For this season's potential change, the broadcast had put a good amount of effort into pushing for it.
1978
1979These thoughts flashed through Pan Lin's head. There was still a match going on. He couldn't spend his time thinking about his recommendation at the moment.
1980
1981Shen Jian's Successive Strike was killed. Even though the sixth player Wang Ze immediately loaded in, he would appear in the support zone. He would be in the same situation as Sun Xiang and Shen Jian; he needed time to arrive.
1982
1983For now, Excellent Era was at a one player disadvantage, but if the situation was calmly looked at, not many would think that Happy was at an advantage.
1984
1985Excellent Era had one fewer player, but One Autumn Leaf and Combat Form had finally arrived. As for Happy, to make up for their insufficient DPS, they did a character switch. While they had killed Successive Strike, they left behind a hidden danger: Happy didn't have a healer right now.
1986
1987Admittedly, Lord Grim had healing capabilities, but for a team competition, his healing would be like trying to extinguish a burning cart with a cup of water; it barely counted as support.
1988
1989Even though Excellent Era lost a player, it was a good time for them to make a strong counterattack.　　
1990
1991Xiao Shiqin obviously wouldn't miss this opportunity. He had already made preparations for this situation. He couldn't do anything about Lord Grim's healing, but this was their opportunity to give Happy a heavy blow. If Ye Xiu wasn't able to control the situation well enough, it was very possible that Happy would be swept away by Excellent Era in one swoop because Excellent Era's ace player Sun Xiang and his One Autumn Leaf had arrived.
1992
1993Shattering the Lands!　　
1994
1995Sun Xiang possessed the spirit of an ace player. One of his teammates had been killed. It didn't matter how strong or confident Excellent Era was, this irrefutable reality was a blow to their morale. The ace player needed to stand out at times like this to turn the tides through a brilliant performance to win back their morale.
1996
1997As a result, Sun Xiang started off immediately with a high-level skill. One Autumn Leaf leapt high in the air with Evil Annihilation raised up and jumped directly into the middle of Team Happy.
1998
1999"Scatter!"
2000
2001Ye Xiu shouted in the team chat.　　
2002
2003The oppressiveness of Battle God One Autumn Leaf wasn't something any of Team Happy's characters could contend against. The ghost boundaries set up by One Inch Ash wouldn't be effective. Shattering the Lands was an AoE attack. In addition to the possible Landslide effect from Evil Annihilation, he would turn the sky and earth upside down despite being trapped within the ghost boundaries.
2004
2005Just this single move was enough to force Team Happy to scatter. This was the might of the number one character in the Alliance, Battle God One Autumn Leaf.
2006
2007The other members of Excellent Era had already started coordinating their attacks with One Autumn Leaf. Qiu Fei's Combat Form followed One Autumn Leaf like a shadow. Excellent Era had never played with dual Battle Mages before. The previous matches hadn't showed anything particularly special about it. It was only until this match did hints of it appear. Qiu Fei's Combat Form was like wingman for One Autumn Leaf. His attacks were a guide for One Autumn Leaf, filling in any holes. This was a very famous playstyle called Shadow Play. However, in the era of stars, it was rarely seen nowadays. Of the 24 All Stars, not one of them were shadows.
2008
2009It could be said that shadows did the dirty work. They were oftentimes the ones that covered up the mistakes made by ace players. With them, the ace players would perform more brilliantly, but the existence of the shadow was likely to be ignored. Who would be willing to be that type of player? As it turned out, being an invisible shadow also required a very high level of skill. Not just anyone was qualified to take on that role, so very few teams used it because there was no one appropriate for the role.
2010
2011But Qiu Fei? His skill was solid. A year and a half after Ye Xiu's departure from Excellent Era, he could already contend with Ye Xiu 1v1. He was also a new rookie with no name, so no one was surprised that he was pushed into this position.
2012
2013But then again, this decision also depended on the team's needs and style.
2014
2015Tiny Herb and Blue Rain also had incredible rookies with the same class as their team's ace players. However, neither Gao Yingjie nor Lu Hanwen were appointed as shadows for their Gods. They had their own place on the stage. They worked hard to demonstrate their skill and continued to shine brightly.
2016
2017Neither choice was right or wrong. Objectively speaking, Excellent Era's ace player Sun Xiang was younger. Sun Xiang wasn't like Tiny Herb's Wang Jiexi or Blue Rain's Huang Shaotian who needed to train a successor soon. Sun Xiang was still rising, so a shadow by his side was a very good push forward. The advantages of having a better ace player didn't need to be mentioned. Compared to Tiny Herb and Blue Rain, Excellent Era was very suitable for a Shadow Play. It was just that using Qiu Fei as a stepping stone for Sun Xiang was a bit regrettable.
2018
2019Then again, gold always shines. Shadows were easily ignored by the general crowd, but they wouldn't escape the eyes of professionals. This was also why the Shadow Play was difficult to maintain. Outstanding shadows were too easily recruited. Just the promise of no longer having to be a shadow was more than enough. If they could have their own stage to shine, who would be willing to remain as a stepping stone?
2020
2021Qiu Fei was a diligent and steadfast player, so he didn't reject the team's choice. He took on the burden willingly. However, through the Challenger League, Sun Xiang didn't need a shadow to crush his opponents. For Excellent Era, this was their first formidable opponent for their newly formed duo.
2022
2023But just before, under everyone's watch, the two of them had failed to catch a single player. The two of them had targeted Lord Grim, yet Lord Grim was able to escape from their grasp so easily. Then, Lord Grim ran over to help his teammates kill one of Excellent Era's players.
2024
2025From how long it took for Lord Grim and how long it took for the two of them to reach the battlefield, it could be seen just how cleanly Ye Xiu was able to escape from them. If not for Xiao Shiqin noticing the change in tactics early on, the two of them might have still been searching for Lord Grim!
2026
2027It easy to think of what Sun Xiang was feeling like after being played around like that. He had been preparing to show his superiority over Ye Xiu in this team competition. Not yelling at Qiu Fei to move to the side was already a huge improvement for him.
2028
2029After losing to Ye Xiu in the group arena, Sun Xiang underwent a huge transformation. For the sake of victory, he started to reach a compromise. He abandoned his previous attitude towards his reputation. Victory. Right now, the only desire in his heart was victory.　
2030
2031The team competition had only just started and Excellent Era was losing. If this was the previous Sun Xiang, he would have become irritated long ago. But now, he was able to maintain his calm and follow Xiao Shiqin's arrangements.
2032
2033Shattering the Land scattered Team Happy's formation. Qiu Fei's Combat Form seized the opportunity to charge forward. Shattering the Land didn't have that aspect to it, so it was up to him to make up for it.
2034
2035With this duo joining the battle, Team Excellent Era exploded with fighting strength. Team Happy scattered, but didn't show any plans to counterattack. They clearly didn't want to clash directly with Excellent Era here, even if they had the numbers advantage.
2036
2037"Focus Dawn Rifle!" Xiao Shiqin gave a new target.
2038
2039Wu Chen was someone who had never appeared on stage before this point. Xiao Shiqin picked him not because he was underestimating Wu Chen or because Wu Chen was the most convenient target, it was because he recognized that this person was biggest hidden danger to Excellent Era.　
2040
2041Launcher!
2042
2043He had noticed it earlier. Was there any class more fitting to partner with Ye Xiu? His Battle Mage and Su Mucheng's Launcher were titled Best Partners every year in the Alliance before his retirement.
2044
2045Wu Chen couldn't compare to Su Mucheng whether it was in individual skill or character strength, but with Ye Xiu by his side, his fighting strength was vastly improved. In the entire Glory scene, no one understood how to coordinate with Launchers better than Ye Xiu. Even though right now, Wu Chen's Dawn Rifle was mainly just being guided around, Xiao Shiqin didn't think his value stopped there. From Wu Chen's careful harassment to his solid fundamentals that he showed when interrupting their Cleric, Xiao Shiqin was certain that under Ye Xiu's lead, Wu Chen would show even greater potential. And this had never been seen before this match. This sort of unknown variable made Xiao Shiqin feel uneasy. He decided that it would be best to hurry up and get rid of him before his potential erupted. 
2046
2047Sun Xiang had originally planned on targeting Lord Grim, but then he saw Xiao Shiqin's orders…...
2048
2049Victory! For the sake of victory!
2050
2051Sun Xiang grinded his teeth as he went against his wishes. When Shattering the Lands ended, he immediately had One Autumn Leaf rush towards Dawn Rifle.
2052
2053Xiao Shiqin wasn't just someone who ordered people around. All sorts of gadgets poured out from his Life Extinguisher and marched towards Dawn Rifle like an army.
2054
2055Translator's Thoughts
2056NomyummiNomyummi
2057TKA's #2!!! If we can get to #1 this week or next week, I'll post a special video when the EE vs Happy match ends :)
2058
2059Rate this chapter
2060
2061850 comments, join in >
20621040 This Again
2063Translator:Nomyummi | Editor: Nomyummi
2064
2065How fast!
2066
2067Seeing One Autumn Leaf suddenly turn around and then the famed spear Evil Annihilation flash in front of his eyes, Wu Chen only had this single thought in his mind.
2068
2069He was just an average player. He didn't have crazy reaction speeds nor insane hand speed. This type of attack was truly hard for him to defend against. He had been carefully maintaining his distance the entire time, but at this moment, One Autumn Leaf was too close. He leaped back in panic while simultaneously preparing to use Aerial Fire, but he felt like it was already too late.
2070
2071Ding!
2072
2073A clinging noise sounded.　
2074
2075The sounds of two weapons clashing felt so real. A scarlet spear stabbed forward and blocked the black Evil Annihilation.
2076
2077So he's here!
2078
2079The instant he blocked, Sun Xiang unconsciously thought that he was facing Ye Xiu. The only player in Team Happy that he had his eyes on was Ye Xiu. In his eyes, Ye Xiu was the only one qualified to block his attacks.
2080
2081But unfortunately, in the next second, Sun Xiang saw his opponent clearly, Soft Mist.
2082
2083Sun Xiang felt somewhat annoyed.
2084
2085If it were Ye Xiu's Lord Grim, he might have stopped for a bit to fight him, but seeing that it was Soft Mist, he resolved himself to carry out Xiao Shiqin's orders and take Dawn Rifle out of the match.
2086
2087At this moment, a stream of fire flowed out from Soft Mist's scarlet spear towards One Autumn Leaf.
2088
2089Flowing Flame!
2090
2091Sun Xiang recognized this effect and knew it was a special effect from a weapon. The probability of triggering the effect usually wasn't high, but it looked like the other side was lucky. To think she was able to trigger it with just a single block. But so what?
2092
2093Sun Xiang ignored the flaming attack. It was just a weapon effect. Was it necessary for the Battle God One Autumn Leaf to dodge it?
2094
2095One Autumn Leaf didn't retreat and instead advanced. Under Sun Xiang's control, One Autumn Leaf was going to force his way through Soft Mist's interception. Suddenly, Soft Mist's spear pierced through the flames?
2096
2097Dragon Tooth?
2098
2099No.
2100
2101Double Stab?　
2102
2103No.
2104
2105Circle Swing?　
2106
2107Definitely not.
2108
2109Furious Dragon Strikes the Heart!
2110
2111This spear aimed for One Autumn Leaf's heart. It was the Level 60 Battle Mage skill, Furious Dragon Strikes the Heart. It was best described as a simple stab, but its might was far greater than a Dragon Tooth.
2112
2113How could a normal attack be enough to defend against a high-level skill? It definitely couldn't be blocked with just one's body. In the end, Sun Xiang was forced to retreat and leapt backwards twice to just barely dodge the attack. However, Soft Mist wasn't done yet. She was just about to execute her next attack. However, Qiu Fei's Combat Style attacked from the flank, stopping Soft Mist from continuing her assault.
2114
2115From an outsider's point of view, it was a very normal assistance from a teammate, but in Sun Xiang's eyes, it was disgraceful! Just Soft Mist alone had forced him to require Qiu Fei's assistance?
2116
2117Sun Xiang was angry. One Autumn Leaf stepped forward one step. Tooth for tooth. He unleashed his own Furious Dragon Strikes the Heart, except compared to Soft Mist's, it was more crafty and fast.
2118
2119Qiu Fei's Combat Form had been at the front, but when he saw Sun Xiang's One Autumn Leaf return to attack, he immediately opened up space for him. He followed Xiao Shiqin's orders and thrust his spear at Dawn Rifle.
2120
2121But with Tang Rou's interception, Wu Chen had seized the opportunity to use Aerial Fire to escape. The army of machines created by Xiao Shiqin's Life Extinguisher rushed forward, but they were stopped by Qiao Yifan's ghost boundaries. The gadgets from Mechanics were far weaker than the summons from Summoners. Many of them were one-time use tools. In addition, ghost boundaries could injure Mechanic gadgets and Summoner summons. As soon as the weak gadgets entered the boundary, there was almost no chance of them leaving. Xiao Shiqin hastily made adjustments. He couldn't let all of these skills go to waste. In the end, he also lost his opportunity to catch Dawn Rifle.
2122
2123Xiao Shiqin was extremely annoyed. He knew that Ye Xiu had once again been one step ahead of him. Soft Mist's interception, One Inch Ash's trap. Both of them were to protect Dawn Rifle. Happy had guessed that Excellent Era would target him.
2124
2125He really is…. So troublesome…..
2126
2127Xiao Shiqin sighed. He wasn't as single-minded as Sun Xiang, but Ye Xiu was undoubtedly the biggest threat in Happy. He didn't lack experience fighting with Ye Xiu. In short, he had lost more times than he won, but back then, Ye Xiu's Excellent Era was much more powerful than his Thunderclap. Xiao Shiqin had been at a clear disadvantage in all of those matches, so even though he lost more times, he was still confident in his ability. But now, the two had switched positions. He was the one with Excellent Era, as for Ye Xiu? His team was a grassroots team even weaker than Thunderclap, but how was the match going? It was beyond anyone's expectations.
2128
2129God of Glory…
2130
2131Thinking of Ye Xiu's most spectacular title, Xiao Shiqin didn't need to ascertain Ye Xiu's skill. Ye Xiu had always been a part of a powerhouse like Excellent Era. A powerful team would often cover up how much an individual shined. For example, when Xiao Shiqin lost to Ye Xiu before, he didn't think that it was because he was worse than Ye Xiu. The difference lay in the team's overall strength!
2132
2133But now, the positions had switched. Why was Excellent Era in such dire straits? This time, there was no excuse!
2134
2135Dawn Rifle had already escaped. What next?
2136
2137Xiao Shiqin observed their situation. Mindlessly attacking wasn't a thing. He needed to find a breakthrough point and deal a damaging blow towards Happy.
2138
2139Bang!
2140
2141The noise from Falling Flower Palm got Xiao Shiqin's attention. Sun Xiang versus Soft Mist. Sun Xiang was more skilled and had the stronger character, so after a few exchanges, One Autumn Leaf's Falling Flower Palm sent Soft Mist flying. He and Combat Form rushed forward after her.
2142
2143Dawn Rifle had escaped outside of their attack range, so Sun Xiang and Qiu Fei switched targets to Soft Mist. Listening to the shotcaller was very important in a match, but players weren't wooden dolls who could only do as they were told. Oftentimes, players needed to make decisions based on their circumstances.
2144
2145Xiao Shiqin noticed the two switch targets already and saw that the situation looked good, so he immediately started attacking Soft Mist as well. Right now, he was the only other attacker on Excellent Era. When those two switched targets, it was easy for him to switch targets too. He didn't need to give anyone instructions. As for Zhang Jiang, he had been healing when needed.
2146
2147"Go die!" Sun Xiang typed in the public chat. He was clearly not happy about Soft Mist disrupting his plans. He was even angrier that it wasn't Ye Xiu who had blocked him, but this little character.
2148
2149Sun Xiang and the shadow Qiu Fei, along with Xiao Shiqin's support. This trio wasn't something any one person could defend against, but Tang Rou didn't back down from the fight. She raised her spear and actually stood in an attacking stance.　　
2150
2151"What a noob…" Sun Xiang remarked disdainfully. She didn't know her own strength and she was going to die for it.　
2152
2153But this remark caught Xiao Shiqin's eyes. He was startled by it.
2154
2155Were there noobs among Happy? Perhaps in the past, but right now, how could Ye Xiu let a noob participate in the finals?
2156
2157Everyone in Happy should be able to see the difference in strength between the two sides, yet no one helped Soft Mist. Was she sacrificing herself to give others time or?
2158
2159Xiao Shiqin looked around wildly. The others in Happy didn't disperse after Soft Mist became the focus of Excellent Era. They were still in a battle stance.
2160
2161But what about Lord Grim?
2162
2163Xiao Shiqin swept the field and discovered that Lord Grim was nowhere to be found!
2164
2165Lord Grim had been the character that he had been paying close attention to the entire time. His attention had shifted when he switched his target to Soft Mist. During those few seconds, where could he have gone?
2166
2167He turned 720 degrees and finally found Lord Grim. That guy had stealthily hid behind a tree trunk. Xiao Shiqin had noticed his head sticking out. Then, he saw Lord Grim open his hands. Xiao Shiqin was greatly alarmed and he looked towards where Lord Grim's palms were facing. Woven Shadow! Zhang Jiaxing's Woven Shadow!
2168
2169"!!!" Xiao Shiqin wasn't able to type out any words. He only had time to warn everyone in this way. Unfortunately, it was too late. Zhang Jiaxing's attention had been focused on One Autumn Leaf's and Combat Form's health. He hadn't noticed that there was an ambush set up for him. The instant that Xiao Shiqin typed out the warning, Woven Shadow flew out.
2170
2171Cloud Grasping Fist!
2172
2173The Myriad Manifestations Umbrella opened up. It was a low-level Grappler skill. Ye Xiu had used this method in the match against Team Jade Dynasty to grab the opponent from afar and his target had been Team Jade Dynasty's Cleric.
2174
2175And this time, Team Excellent Era had actually fallen for this move too.
2176
2177It was the same technique, but used differently.
2178
2179With Jade Dynasty, no one had expected that an unspecialized could do this, so Lord Grim had been very brazen. His teammates just needed to get the opposing side's attention for him to use it.
2180
2181Facing Excellent Era, Ye Xiu had thought about what the opposing side might do and waited patiently until an opportunity arose. Tang Rou's Soft Mist do a 1v3? This wasn't a noob acting rashily. This was bait to attract Excellent Era's attention. With such an advantage, who wouldn't want to take it? Just when they thought that they had an opportunity to kill Soft Mist, their healer was snatched away.　
2182
2183Was this a trade?
2184
2185No!
2186
2187Soft Mist's tenaciousness exceeded their expectations. Three Battle Mages fought. She was in a 1v2 and even though she was losing, her spear danced like flowing water.
2188
2189What type of hand speed is this?
2190
2191Seeing Soft Mist's insanely fast rhythm, everyone was dumbfounded.
2192
2193"How is she… compared to you?" In the crowd, Tiny Herb's Xu Bin suddenly asked his teammate Liu Xiaobie. Hand speed had always been Liu Xiaobie's greatest weapon.
2194
2195Liu Xiaobie didn't respond. Was it because he didn't feel like responding, or because he felt too embarrassed to admit that his hand speed wasn't as high?
2196
2197Rate this chapter
2198
2199368 comments, join in >
22001041 A Familiar Scene
2201Translator:Nomyummi | Editor: Nomyummi
2202
2203Along with Lord Grim's strategic ambush, Soft Mist's performance attracted quite a bit of attention too.　　
2204
2205Sun Xiang, Xiao Shiqin, and Qiu Fei. Let alone whether she could contend against the three allied together, just daring to block them on her own showed her courage. Besides blocking, she also showed a bit more, letting others know that she wasn't just being sent to her death. How could this type of performance not attract any attention?
2206
2207Even the three Team Tiny Herb players were focused on Soft Mist. In Team Happy's coordinated ambush, Soft Mist's performance was the cause, while Lord Grim's ambush was the effect. Without Soft Mist restricting the other side's main attackers, how could Lord Grim have escaped Xiao Shiqin's eyes and find an opportunity to set up an ambush?
2208
2209Therefore, for Team Happy's tactic to work, the key component was actually Soft Mist. By standing out alone, she made Excellent Era think that she was their breakthrough point, but when Excellent Era attacked her, they realized that she wasn't that easy of a target. A short while later, Excellent Era's Cleric was snatched away.
2210
2211Those paying attention to Happy had placed far too much focus onto Ye Xiu, including Team Excellent Era. Then, for this tactic, the real ace player appeared to be Soft Mist, that lost Soft Mist who had been completely crushed by Xiao Shiqin in the group arena.
2212
2213When the Cleric Woven Shadow was snatched away, the 1v3 danger that Soft Mist had been in was instantly gone. This was relieving a besieged ally by attacking the besieger's home base. Excellent Era was already behind. They definitely couldn't let this trade happen. They needed to go rescue their Cleric.
2214
2215Life Extinguisher's attacks were the first to arrive. He was their long-ranged character after all. He didn't need to move. He just turned around and started attacking. But then Lord Grim followed up with a Toss and flung Woven Shadow, making Life Extinguisher's attacks look like fireworks raining down on Woven Shadow. When Woven Shadow landed, One Inch Ash's ghost boundaries had already been set…..
2216
2217Happy executed this team combo very smoothly. It looked as if they had practiced this thousands of times. This combo had been used for fighting for wild bosses in the game.
2218
2219Pro matches were high-level matches, but in terms of chaos, wild boss fights were on a whole new level. Team Happy's players had coordinated with each other, created opportunities for their allies, and found opportunities to attack in these wild boss fights. An important part of killing wild bosses was keeping the boss's aggro under control. Where did this aggro come from? From continuous attacks. It was only by maintaining continuous attacks could the boss's aggro be stabilized.　
2220
2221These types of combos were what Team Happy was best at. Today, their targets had been changed from bosses to pro players, but it didn't seem like it was any different. After sending Shen Jian's Successive Strike away, Zhang Jiaxing's Woven Shadow was next.
2222
2223But this time, Excellent Era wasn't as weak. Xiao Shiqin's Life Extinguisher quickly turned and switched targets. Sun Xiang and Qiu Fei weren't slow either. The two characters wanted to rescue from a different direction, but Tang Rou was still there. She immediately had her Soft Mist intercept them.
2224
2225Sun Xiang naturally knew that drawing their focus towards Soft Mist had been a trap. Seeing that she still refused to let go, his heart blazed with anger!
2226
2227"Get out of here!" The angry Sun Xiang's explosiveness was quite frightening. Numerous Chasers on One Autumn Leaf exploded, instantly creating an eleven hit combo. Qiu Fei's Combat Form followed up with a Rising Dragon Soars the Sky, comboing it with Sun Xiang's burst.
2228
2229Soft Mist took heavy damage from this combo, but the Rising Dragon Soars the Sky also pushed her to the side.　　
2230
2231Sun Xiang had originally planned on continuing to attack Soft Mist, but then saw Combat Form force her back. Annoyance flickered in his heart as he had One Autumn Leaf chase after her, but after the first step, he suddenly remembered that rescuing their healer should be their priority. He immediately turned around and headed towards Woven Shadow. As for Qiu Fei's Combat Form? He just quietly followed alongside One Autumn Leaf. Only a professional's eyes would have been able to see the significance of that Rising Dragon Soars the Sky.
2232
2233That Rising Dragon Soars the Sky had interrupted One Autumn Leaf's combo. If this was a fight against Soft Mist, it would have definitely been a mistake. It would be a good point to review after the match, but in this situation, the interrupt reminded Sun Xiang of what was more important. Sun Xiang clearly reacted to it. If not, he might really have chased after Soft Mist and delayed the rescue of their Cleric.
2234
2235Those who weren't skilled enough might not have noticed the significance of this move. They might have just thought of it as Sun Xiang and Qiu Fei working together to get rid of the obstacle in their way. Li Yibo saw One Autumn Leaf make that step though and sighed: "Sun Xiang appears to be a bit hesitant! For such a crucial moment, he really should be more decisive, even if it ends with attacking Soft Mist. Wavering like this probably isn't a good sign."
2236
2237It was hard to say if Li Yibo saw through Qiu Fei's move, but the point he made on his hesitation was a good point. Hesitation would affect the players and waste time. When they started rescuing their healer, if they thought "if we had gotten rid of Soft Mist before", it would just be a distraction. If a player wasn't fully focused, a player might only be able to perform at 70-80%. The player might miss small details and openings. They might make more mistakes too. Li Yibo's words were frightening to hear.
2238
2239Luckily, Excellent Era was using a shadow. Sun Xiang would always have a Qiu Fei alongside him. In terms of age, Sun Xiang wasn't actually much older than Qiu Fei. But in terms of stability, the young Qiu Fei was much more steady than Sun Xiang. This was also why Excellent Era chose to employ a Shadow Style. From a tactical perspective, making up for each other's weaknesses was very powerful.
2240
2241Lord Grim snatched Woven Shadow with Cloud Grasping Fist and then tossed him. Although he was able to fling Woven Shadow a certain distance away, there was a limit to what he could do. In the match against Team Jade Dynasty, this move had allowed them to kill off their opponent's healer. But today, the opponent was Team Excellent Era. Once their healer was grabbed, they immediately switched targets. Previously, Happy had stopped Jade Dynasty's rescue attempts, but they had no way of stopping Excellent Era. After sending Soft Mist flying away, Sun Xiang and Qiu Fei reached Happy's cooking pot. Qiao Yifan's One Inch Ash and Steamed Bun's Steamed Bun Invasion were currently beating up Woven Shadow. Bullying a healer was something every Glory player was good at.
2242
2243When One Autumn Leaf and Combat Form arrived, One Inch Ash and Steamed Bun Invasion completely ignored them.
2244
2245You want to kill him before you die? It won't be that easy!
2246
2247Sun Xiang glanced at Woven Shadow's health. It wasn't that low! Zhang Jiaxing wasn't an ordinary healer. Even without any protection, he wouldn't be bullied so easily. If he had been against two normal players in the game, it would be hard to say who would be bullying who! Zhang Jiaxing was doing his best dodging and attacking, keeping up his health. When he saw One Autumn Leaf and Combat Form arrive, he immediately started moving to regroup with them. Suddenly, he was grabbed from behind and tossed back with a Back Throw.
2248
2249Zhang Jiaxing turned and saw Lord Grim. His mix and match equipment was always funny to look at. But in this instant, he saw this figure rush towards One Autumn Leaf and Combat Form. When he saw him fighting with his two allies, he went into a bit of a daze.
2250
2251It wasn't until Steamed Bun Invasion punched him did he wake up.
2252
2253Not anymore...
2254
2255This figure was no longer the one helping defend him.　
2256
2257Zhang Jiaxing was Excellent Era's healer. When Ye Xiu was in the team, how could there not have been many times when Ye Xiu had come to rescue him. Even though the character was different and the equipment was different, Lord Grim charging forward bravely reminded Zhang Jiaxing of when Ye Xiu had been on the team and led them in battle. He had been protected by this very person.
2258
2259But now, this person, who he had once hoped would never fall, had become the sign of his death.
2260
2261Die or not die?　　
2262
2263For a moment, Zhang Jiaxing truly was in a daze. Then, he saw a field of light engulf Lord Grim.　
2264
2265Life Extinguisher?
2266
2267It clearly wasn't. Excellent Era's goal was to rescue the Cleric. If Life Extinguisher was going to attack, the attacks would be focused on covering up Woven Shadow. From where the light came from, it was long-ranged support from Dawn Rifle. At the same time, Qiao Yifan's One Inch Ash laid down a ghost boundary, not for Woven Shadow, but to help Lord Grim.
2268
2269Can I escape? Seeing One Inch Ash split his attention over there, Zhang Jiaxing looked for an opening. But then Steamed Bun Invasion came out of nowhere and pinned him to the ground with a Tyrannical Chain Punch.
2270
2271It looks like One Autumn Leaf and Combat Form aren't going to be able to get here. What about Life Extinguisher?
2272
2273Zhang Jiaxing struggled as he looked over. Life Extinguisher was on his way, but he was blocked midway. It was Soft Mist! After being sent flying away by One Autumn Leaf and Combat Form, she quickly got up. Instead of looking for revenge, she switched targets to Life Extinguisher.
2274
2275When Xiao Shiqin saw that it was Soft Mist, his head started hurting. In the group arena, he had easily beaten Tang Rou, but he couldn't use the same strategy in the team competition. If he took Soft Mist away and kited around her, by the time he got back, there would only be a corpse left!
2276
2277Life Extinguisher wasn't able to reach Woven Shadow. Dawn Rifle would sometimes assist Lord Grim, sometimes take care of Life Extinguisher, and even help out Zhang Jiaxing's Woven Shadow.
2278
2279This strategy...
2280
2281Zhang Jiaxing stared blankly. This is too familiar…..　
2282
2283Screen Cannon!
2284
2285The Screen Cannon was Team Excellent Era's most used tactic. It revolved around the Launcher, who provided large-scale support. To break this tactic, restricting the Launcher was crucial. However, the Launcher attacked from afar. It was difficult for melee classes to go over and suppress him. And with Excellent Era's situation? Woven Shadow wouldn't be able to hold on much longer. There was no time to break through the Screen Cannon through traditionally methods.
2286
2287Breakthrough! Hurry up... Zhang Jiaxing started to panic.
2288
2289Translator's Thoughts
2290NomyummiNomyummi
2291If we get first, Jouissance will be able to do ~12 chaps per week for the following week, but only if we are still first at the end of the week (for the next few months)! Unfortunately, I can only contribute ~5 chaps per week, and I won't be able to do anymore than that unless I can find something to do over the upcoming summer. TLDR; TKA #1 -> 17 chapters the next week
2292
2293Rate this chapter
2294
2295968 comments, join in >
22961042 Box Tactics
2297Translator:Nomyummi | Editor: Nomyummi
2298
2299"They're actually using Screen Cannon..." Li Yibo's words rushed out in a breath of surprise upon realizing what Team Happy was doing, but then wasn't sure what else to say. He had a strange feeling. From the performance the two teams had displayed today, overall, Happy was more like Excellent Era while Excellent Era… Excellent Era didn't really seem like much of anything.
2300
2301That's right. The current Excellent Era wasn't the same Excellent Era that it used to be anymore. In the current team, only the ace character One Autumn Leaf and Cleric Woven Shadows were from the original roster. The rest of the characters had all been switched out.
2302
2303Originally, everyone saw Excellent Era as a team with three All-Star players. However, from the current team build, it was clear that Su Mucheng's Launcher had lost her place on the team.
2304
2305Was this a tactical decision? It didn't seem certain.
2306
2307Though the Shadow Play was a very good way to make up for Sun Xiang's shortcomings while utilizing his ability to the fullest, in the Screen Cannon strategy that Excellent Era once employed, Launchers gave the best coordination and support, and that was Su Mucheng's most striking characteristic as a player.
2308
2309Was it that they didn't know how to coordinate after switching aces? Pro players weren't dumb. They had to determine if that strategy would still be employed and if the team still needed her support and coordination.
2310
2311Starting from the latter half of the last season, it was clear that Su Mucheng and Dancing Rain's role in the team had clearly changed. She and Sun Xiang's One Autumn Leaf never gained the title of Best Partner that they had always received before. She had become an independent offensive player. As for this season, since there were no pro matches to play, what little that made up the Challenger League wasn't enough to make Excellent Era's new methods apparent.
2312
2313With Xiao Shiqin's Mechanic and Shen Jian's Striker, the Excellent Era of today held no trace of the original Team Excellent Era.
2314
2315On the contrary, it was Happy, despite having completely different classes from the original Excellent Era, whose performance elicited a warm familiarity in the hearts of many Excellent Era fans with this strategy they were using.
2316
2317Li Yibo had no words. Excellent Era's fans were at a loss, too.
2318
2319A team rebuilding their style from scratch wasn't enough to scare their fans away. However, when they realized that their opponent was so similar to the original team they were loyal to, the fans couldn't help but feel quite uncertain.
2320
2321Now, the two were personally strangling each other to death. Seeing the tactics that were most familiar to them suppressing the very team that they supported, the feelings Excellent Era's fans were in turmoil.
2322
2323They were watching helplessly as their Team Excellent Era was torn apart while Happy was throwing around all of their most familiar tactics.
2324
2325"Screen Cannon… and Ye Xiu stalling Qiu Fei and Sun Xiang. This ace player oriented style that belongs to powerhouses…" Pan Lin was detailing the tactics and strategies used by Happy.
2326
2327"You've missed one: Tang Rou is stalling Xiao Shiqin," Li Yibo brought up.
2328　
2329"Ah… This is…" Pan Lin hesitated for a moment. "Box-1?"
2330
2331"That's right, it's Box-1," Li Yibo confirmed with confidence.
2332
2333The so-called "Box-1" was when a member of the team was sent to stall and harass a key member of the opposing team. That member would no longer be responsible for coordinating with the rest of the team. They only had one task, which was to prevent the target player from coordinating with the rest of their team. So long as this was accomplished, then this "Box-1" would be considered successful. It didn't matter if the player couldn't kill the opponent because "Box-1" targeted a player crucial to the opposing team. Through isolating that player from the opposing team, that team's formation would take a tremendous hit. That was the true tactical intent of "Box-1".
2334
2335Using "Box-1" against a Master Tactician like Xiao Shiqin was extremely difficult. However, it was a good thing that Team Happy's goal wasn't to remove or isolate Xiao Shiqin, but to stall for time. Just like how Ye Xiu was fighting one on two. In reality, he stood very little chance against the combination of Sun Xiang and Qiu Fei and could only keep being pushed back. However, what he gained was time. This was what caused Zhang Jiaxing, head raised in hope, to despair. At this rate, he'd be killed!
2336
2337Xiao Shiqin was desperate, but he couldn't find any breakthrough points. All his hope was placed on Excellent Era's sixth member, Wang Ze.
2338
2339The sixth player would automatically be switched in upon a player's death. They could choose which support zone to switch in from. The reason Happy could switch out Little Cold Hands for Steamed Bun Invasion to maximize DPS was because this area was close to a support zone. Wang Ze's Sharpshooter should be here any time now.
2340
2341Gunshot!
2342
2343Wang Ze's Sharpshooter came just as Xiao Shiqin predicted. He appeared where Wu Chen's Dawn Rifle was, so his first attack was aimed at Dawn Rifle. This caused a great disturbance in Happy's Screen Cannon. Plus, Wang Ze's class was coincidentally a Sharpshooter. His attack range wasn't as good as Launchers, but he didn't have as much trouble as the melee classes. Due to the gunfire aimed at him, Dawn Rifle's tempo was messed up. His talent was average, so using a Screen Cannon under this focused fire was hard for him to maintain.
2344
2345"Rescue the Cleric!" Xiao Shiqin hurriedly sent out the order.
2346
2347Even without the Screen Cannon in the way, Sun Xiang and Qiu Fei couldn't get past Ye Xiu so easily, and nor could Shao Xiqin throw Tang Rou off. After so long, the healing skills Zhang Jiaxing's Woven Shadows could use were all on cooldown, and he couldn't really do anything. He was too busy dodging attacks. All he could do was await support. Out of the three sides on Excellent Era, if any one side could break through, then the situation could be salvaged. Right now, it seemed that the newcomer Wang Ze was their best chance.
2348
2349The sixth member couldn't watch the match from an omniscient point of view, so in reality, he was the most confused person. His only knowledge of the situation came from what he could glean from the messages in the chat. The players on the field didn't really have any time to communicate the situation to the sixth player, who would appear on the field at an uncertain time. Usually, the first order given to the sixth player was to tell them which support zone they should switch in from upon a player's death.
2350
2351Entering the match then rushing over from the support zone, the first of Happy's characters Wang Ze saw was Dawn Rifle, so he quickly began to attack as he looked over the situation.
2352
2353Without looking he would have no idea, but now that he saw what was going on, he was shocked. His own team was scattered and their Cleric was being beaten up, unprotected, and in a dire situation.
2354
2355Wang Ze was just thinking he should probably go rescue Woven Shadows first when Xiao Shiqin gave the order. Naturally, he unhesitantly threw Dawn Rifle to the side to charge into the fray.
2356
2357Yet that was when Wu Chen decided he wasn't having that and Dawn Rifle began to attack Wang Ze's Sharpshooter wildly, even closing in to block him with his body.
2358
2359Launchers didn't have that many melee skills like Sharpshooters did, so closing in on a Sharpshooter meant nothing good for them. However, was he at a disadvantage now? Of course not. Wang Ze just wanted to get him off his tail as fast as possible, but Wu Chen didn't care, clinging to the Sharpshooter with all his might.
2360
2361That's right. He was a very ordinary, even closer to a below-average pro player. After his own team had disbanded, he had lost his source of bread and butter. He wasn't young anymore and he wasn't very skilled. Which real team would take him? The only teams that would were grassroots teams that couldn't even attract pro players!
2362
2363Yet a grassroots team really had came.
2364
2365Happy had eliminated them from the Challenger League and was the perpetrator of their disbandment. This team that he should hate was the one that had sent him an invite.
2366
2367Wu Chen accepted. He couldn't bear leaving Glory so soon. It was just that, after joining to Happy, his main job was no longer to be a player that competed in matches. That, for him, was somewhat disappointing. Though his skill wasn't at the cream of the crop level, the eagerness pros held towards competing wasn't measured by skill level.
2368
2369It was a good thing that Happy had registered him in the Challenger League, which made him hopeful for another chance. He hoped to compete onstage more, but he had never thought that Happy would leave the grandest stage of the Challenger League to him. When Ye Xiu had told him he was going up for the finals of the Challenger League, he could barely believe his ears. After confirming things, he naturally had a few doubts. Because even though Happy might've been a grassroots team, Wu Chen knew that his skill wasn't anything special among the members of this grassroots team. Even disregarding God Ye Qiu, the other newbies had potential that was better relied on.
2370　　
2371Why me?
2372
2373Wu Chen had questioned and Ye Xiu had replied honestly: because you're a Launcher.
2374
2375So it was because of his class.
2376
2377This sort of reason would disappoint most people. Everyone hoped that others would notice their talent, but not Wu Chen. Talent? After being a part of the Glory circle for so long, he knew how much talent he had. With his talent alone, he wouldn't be given the chance to appear on this sort of stage at all.
2378
2379Because of his class. This reason wasn't anything wonderful, but it was satisfactory enough for him. Wu Chen thanked the class he had stuck with and loved for giving him such a chance in the end. Wu Chen knew with clarity that this match would probably be the last time he ever appeared in an official match and this stage was probably the largest he could ever get.
2380
2381The finals of the Challenger League opponent? Excellent Era!
2382
2383Wu Chen had been excited and nervous. For this match, he had went and trained with all his might, doing everything he could to accomplish what was required of him. Ye Xiu had already clearly informed him of what the team needed him to do, and he had trained according to these needs. Finally, the matchday had arrived.
2384
2385His had performed… alright, right?
2386
2387Until today, the careful and precise Wu Chen had been satisfied with his performance. Now, all they had to do was kill Excellent Era's Cleric and then they would've completely tilted the scales of victory for this match. Yet, it was at such a crucial moment that Excellent Era's sixth player had arrived and tried to break through the area he was in to save their Cleric.
2388　
2389No! I won't allow this to happen!
2390　　
2391Wu Chen, who had been careful the entire match, seemed to completely lose all rationality in that moment. He used a fighting style that should never appear on a Launcher and stuck to this Sharpshooter like gum. His mind had mostly blanked. All he knew was that he had to stop this person to assure victory in this match.
2392
2393"Wu Chen… this… this…" Wu Chen, a player who should've been easy to see through for Li Yibo, was now someone whose actions had made Li Yibo speechless. His current actions weren't something that was for show; it was ugly; it had no skill to it.
2394
2395"Is this… Box-2?" Pan Lin suddenly asked.
2396
2397"Box-2?" Li Yibo was stunned. Ok… from some perspectives, this could be counted as a Box-2, but Wu Chen's performance really was rather "two"*. Yet Wang Ze's Sharpshooter really had been stalled by him.
2398
2399"It's over," Li Yibo sighed, shaking his head. Team Excellent Era, Zhang Jiaxing's Cleric, Woven Shadows, had been eliminated from the match.
2400
2401Translator's Thoughts
2402NomyummiNomyummi
2403TN: *Two, in Chinese, is a way of saying stupidly incomprehensible. - Jouissance
2404
2405Rate this chapter
2406
2407330 comments, join in >
24081043 Regarded as Helpless Grass
2409Translator:Nomyummi | Editor: Nomyummi
2410
2411In the audience, Seven Field and his group were clapping until their palms were swollen.
2412
2413"Do you see that? That's our Happy!!!" Seven Fields strained his throat, yelling at the Excellent Era fans surrounding him. Seven Field was usually a rather calm person, but in this moment he could no longer control his excitement. Was Excellent Era strong? Yes, they were, but in this match, it was Happy that was suppressing Excellent Era. From the beginning, they had been leading Excellent Era around by the nose.
2414
2415Seven Field's voice was already rather raspy. Not just him, but all 53 Happy guild members that lived in City B, who came to cheer Happy on, were all losing their voices from yelling. This was because compared to the thousands of Excellent Era fans here, their fifty three was negligible.
2416
2417Yet in this moment, they had the upper hand because their team was supporting them. The Cleric had even been killed. Anyone who knew Glory would know that in this situation, there was no optimism left to be had. Faced with Seven Field's open taunting, the Excellent Era fans had nothing they could use as a response. And Seven Fields only had one disappointment in that moment, which was… the name Happy really was too ordinary. It didn't feel special, being yelled out.
2418
2419"The healer, wiped out! Team Excellent Era's Cleric Woven Shadow has been killed and player Zhang Jiaxing has left the match. In the finals of the Challenger League, Excellent Era is in a dire situation!" Pan Lin was also yelling in the live broadcast. As the commentator of the broadcast, he wasn't biased to either side. What he hoped to see was a spectacular performance. The biggest point of drama about this match, apart from Ye Xiu versus Excellent Era, was to see if a dark horse would appear.
2420
2421And now, the situation of the match was obviously tilting in Happy's favor. This caused the commentators, who were looking for drama, to become excited. According to the TV Audience Rating Department, the view count for this match suddenly skyrocketed. This was evidently because Happy had killed the Cleric Woven Shadow. Without a healer, the scales of victory had tilted sharply. The Glory players that heard of this would probably all turn on a TV or switch channels to watch this match that originally held no suspense.
2422
2423Excellent Era's competition booth.
2424
2425Zhang Jiaxing, having left the match, seemed to lose all strength, slumping in his seat. Now, he was able to watch the match from an omniscient view, but how would this match go? He found himself almost afraid to watch. He couldn't help but think, what would it be like if Excellent Era was stopped here and couldn't return to the Alliance, forced to participate in this Challenger League for another year?
2426
2427It definitely wasn't just him that was worrying about this.
2428
2429Just as Woven Shadow's health fell to zero, like a bolt of lightning, this thought surfaced in the minds of almost all of Excellent Era's players, the players off stage and the players onstage alike. Many people had already glanced discreetly at boss Tao Xuan and they found that the boss' eyebrow kept twitching. He, too, had long since lost the calm he usually had.
2430　
2431In the field, Excellent Era only had four people left in total and no healer.
2432
2433"Focus fire on the Launcher!" In the moment Woven Shadow fell, Xiao Shiqin gave a new order. He knew that he couldn't save Woven Shadow anymore. The only one that had hope of breaking through was Wang Ze and he had been blocked by Wu Chen reckless and wild actions. However, this desperate recklessness meant that he was more or less using Dawn Rifle's life to block Wang Ze. He used Dawn Rifle's body to block shot after shot of Wang Ze's Sharpshooter.
2434
2435No matter how strong a character was, they couldn't afford to be a meat shield like that. In that moment, Wu Chen had evidently hardened his heart and prepared to sacrifice his own character. Someone who no longer cared about their own life was always the scariest. Wang Ze had been stalled by Wu Chen in that state and the shots and blows he had made had all mercilessly struck Dawn Rifle. Wu Chen didn't make any movements to dodge, afraid that Wang Ze might manage to grasp an opening. Just like that, he managed to stall Wang Ze's Sharpshooter by brute force, but also sentence Dawn Rifle to his death.
2436
2437Xiao Shiqin had a clear view. They might not have a healer right now, but Happy currently didn't have one either. They needed to take this chance to barrage the other side with attacks and kill off as many of their characters as possible. The longer they stalled, the worse off they would be, with their lack of a healer.
2438
2439In this situation, it wasn't a good idea to stall the opponent's ace, so Xiao Shiqin swiftly gave an order, getting Sun Xiang and Qiu Fei to switch targets and wipe out Dawn Rifle, who only had 30 percent of his health left after the beating he received from Wang Ze. This was because he saw One Inch Ash and Steamed Bun Invasion rushing to support Dawn Rifle after finishing Woven Shadow off. He couldn't let their plans come through again.
2440
2441Both sides were fighting to get there first!
2442
2443However, Sun Xiang and Qiu Fei's charge against Ye Xiu and Xiao Shiqin's attempts to throw off Tang Rou had been happening for a while already. It wasn't that they couldn't. It was just that they didn't have enough time to save Woven Shadow. Now, both sides broke through and immediately focused their attacks on Wu Chen's Dawn Rifle. Their sudden change in rhythm finally displayed the airs a powerhouse team like theirs should have. Steamed Bun Invasion and One Inch Ash weren't slow either, but they weren't healers and could only attack to try and suppress their opponent's offense. Excellent Era, without their healer, aimed to finish things as fast as possible and didn't methodically exchange blows with Happy. When they needed to storm their opponents, they would be willing to trade some blood even without their healer!
2444　　
2445One wave rush!
2446
2447Excellent Era's four characters ignored everything else and focused on unleashing a torrent of attacks, crushing Wu Chen's Dawn Rifle and instantly managing to close in on Happy by a player.
2448
2449Happy's Cleric Little Cold Hands was automatically switched in, but needed time to arrive from the support zones. During this time, the two sides were fighting four on four, equal in numbers. The audience suddenly realized that Excellent Era didn't seem to be at a disadvantage!
2450
2451On Happy's side, only Steamed Bun Invasion and One Inch Ash were in a relatively good state.
2452
2453Ye Xiu's Lord Grim had already fought Sun Xiang and Qiu Fei while alone twice. His one versus two fight had a cost. The damage he had dealt to One Autumn Leaf and Combat Form was nothing compared to the damage he had taken from the two. The current Lord Grim only had 70 percent of his health left.
2454
2455Tang Rou's Soft Mist was in a far worse condition though. Before, she had courageously taken on Sun Xiang, Qiu Fei and Xiao Shiqin's charge alone and had already lost a lot of health. Then, she had gone to block Sun Xiang and Qiu Fei before being sent flying and switching to stall Life Extinguisher. Through all of this, the damage she had taken far exceeded the damage she had dealt. Currently, Soft Mist only had 20 percent of her health left, not even as much as Dawn Rifle. It was just that Xiao Shiqin had placed heavy importance on getting rid of the tactical advantage Dawn Rifle had provided for Happy and named him to be the first target. After their success, the four Excellent Era membered charged for Soft Mist at once.
2456
2457Fast!
2458
2459That was what everyone thought.
2460　
2461After their Cleric was killed, Team Excellent Era didn't dawdle and instead immediately increased their rhythm, swiftly focusing their fire on and wiping Dawn Rifle off the field, then charged at Soft Mist hoping for another One Wave Rush.
2462
2463"I never expected that Team Excellent Era would fight more wildly after their Cleric was killed…" Pan Lin said, stunned.
2464
2465"Happy's tactics haven't been laid out very smoothly, it seems! Excellent Era storming Dawn Rifle, Steamed Bun Invasion, and One Inch Ash running to support, this sort of natural instinct lost them the initiative they had for the majority of the match. Seems like they really are still too young. Look at Xiao Shiqin. When Woven Shadows was about to be killed, he had already given the order to focus their fire on Dawn Rifle instead. This sort of rhythm is something Happy can learn from."
2466
2467"Then how do you think Happy should deal with this?" Pan Lin asked.
2468
2469"Support Lord Grim or Soft Mist, continuing to draw out the situation where they outnumber Excellent Era and trading with them. When at an advantage in numbers, this sort of trade would put a great amount of pressure on Excellent Era and Happy could continue to keep hold of the initiative. Yet now, the match is in Excellent Era's control again… I think Ye Xiu is probably regretting things now. He should've done the same thing as Xiao Shiqin and gave his team members orders beforehand. Happy's members are younger, more inexperienced, they need his guidance more!" Li Yibo said.
2470
2471"He might not have had the time to do so, when facing Sun Xiang and Qiu Fei alone," Pan Lin suggested.
2472
2473"That's true. Sun Xiang and Qiu Fei have been very aggressive in these fights." Li Yibo nodded.
2474
2475In any case, this was a completely unexpected situation.
2476　
2477Excellent Era's fans, who had wilted a little, sprung back to life then. Having been taunted by Seven Fields, they immediately retorted. Excellent Era's fans had far more people. This counterattack almost drowned Happy's small cheerleading squad in yells.
2478
2479"See that? That's Excellent Era for you! So what if they lost their healer? Can you endure our one wave rush?" The Excellent Era fans, who sat close and had thus almost been hit in the head by Seven Field's excited gesturing, jumped up to shout as revenge, shoving their heads towards Seven Field.
2480
2481As for Seven Fields and the others? They were too nervous to care about arguing with Excellent Era's fans.
2482
2483Hold on!
2484
2485The 53 Happy guild members clenched their fists as one, almost seeming to hear the inner voices of their comrades.
2486
2487Hold on!
2488
2489How would Happy deal with this?
2490
2491Those who wondered all looked to Lord Grim. Ye Xiu should take command by now, right? If he just let these rookies do whatever they wanted, they would only get led around by the nose by the experienced Xiao Shiqin. Out of all of Happy's players, only he had the ability to match Xiao Shiqin in tactics.
2492
2493Yet he said nothing. In this crucial moment, he didn't give any orders, letting the members of Happy act according their their own judgements.
2494
2495Excellent Era's four players advanced, but Soft Mist, with only 20 percent of her health left, had no intentions of backing down.
2496
2497"Attack!!" At Xiao Shiqin's command, the two Battle Mages charged forward and the two gunners provided firepower coverage from afar.
2498
2499Missed!
2500
2501Xiao Shiqin was stunned. They had to wipe their target off the field in a single wave of attacks so everyone had to be careful to not only deal damage, but also entrap their target, cutting off all of Soft Mist's paths of retreat and not letting her escape.
2502
2503Yet now, their entrapment seemed miles away from Soft Mist.
2504
2505This was because neither Xiao Shiqin nor Wang Ze, nor Sun Xiang and Qiu Fei had thought Tang Rou, when faced with this situation, wouldn't choose to dodge or back down, but… to charge forward!!!
2506
2507Dragon Breaks the Ranks!
2508
2509Soft Mist unhesitantly charged forward with her 20 percent of health.
2510
2511Xiao Shiqin cried internally: we bloody know you're an aggressive player already, but there's got to be a limit! You're charging forward in a situation like this? Do you take us for helpless grass?
2512
2513Rate this chapter
2514
25151055 comments, join in >
25161044 The Last Drop of Blood
2517Translator:Nomyummi | Editor: Nomyummi
2518
2519Soft Mist's Dragon Breaks the Ranks stirred up the entire stadium. The commentator, Pan Lin, could only give a long "Oh..." before becoming silent.
2520
2521Despite facing four members from Excellent Era all by herself, Soft Mist dared to rush ahead with more vigor and initiative than before. This girl... does she even understand the situation she's in?
2522
2523Many people wanted to make fun of Tang Rou's suicidal action. However, everyone was stunned the very next second when they saw Soft Mist's Dragon Breaks the Ranks get past the suppression of the two Battle Mages, One Autumn Leaf and Combat Form, and arrive in front of the two long-ranged gunners.
2524
2525This seemed like a situation where Tang Rou was walking right into a trap. If anyone in Excellent Era had been prepared, they could have gotten rid of Soft Mist right away. The problem was that they hadn't been. Whether it was the Master Tactician Xiao Shiqin, the new generation's God Sun Xiang, or the talented rookie Qiu Fei, none of them expected Tang Rou to be so fearless. .
2526
2527At the time, no one could determine whether her courage was deserving of praise or extremely foolish.
2528
2529Soft Mist's spear swept around in a circle, and the two long-ranged gunners were forced to retreat. As they dodged, they lifted their guns and started to shoot. One Autumn Leaf and Combat Form spun around to pincer Soft Mist.
2530
2531The four from Excellent Era adjusted extremely quickly. However, Tang Rou's unexpected move still managed to disrupt their rhythm. They surrounded her again, but it wasn't as perfect as the previous wave, regardless of whether it was their positioning or rhythm.
2532
2533Their encirclement might have been enough for normal players. Unfortunately, for Happy's Ye Xiu, such a disorderly encirclement couldn't just be politely described as "imperfect", it was filled with flaws.
2534
2535"Matchstick!"
2536
2537A message suddenly popped out from Lord Grim in Happy's team chat.
2538
2539This wasn't a code word; Matchstick was the name of Wang Ze's Sharpshooter. Although he had only arrived in the map not long ago and failed to save Excellent Era's Cleric, he was able to set up a good foundation for Excellent Era's comeback by dealing a lot of damage to Dawn Rifle. However, he had now become Happy's breakthrough target.
2540
2541This was probably the first direct confrontation between the two teams in this Matchstick. The four characters from both sides were gathered in the same area and each attacked their respective tactical targets.
2542
2543"Happy is putting on a tough front facing Excellent Era's counterattack!!" Pan Lin cried with surprise. Happy had been deliberately avoiding direct confrontations the entire time. However, now their approach suddenly changed. When the four from Excellent Era surrounded Soft Mist, the other three characters from Happy valiantly charged forward to save her.
2544
2545At the same time, Tang Rou, who was surrounded, also carried out Ye Xiu's instruction.
2546
25471v4. There was nothing that could make Tang Rou more excited. Her hand speed exploded as Soft Mist charged towards Matchstick. She swayed left and right at high speeds, dodging the incoming gunner attacks. One Autumn Leaf and Combat Form chased closely behind her. The two had nothing harassing them, so their movement speeds werewas faster and the distance between them continued to decrease.
2548
2549Dragon Breaks the Ranks!
2550
2551At this moment, time was the most important. It was a matter of speed. No one would save their high-level skills for later. One Autumn Leaf unleashed a Dragon Breaks the Ranks towards Soft Mist's back.
2552
2553But Soft Mist leaped up into the air.
2554
2555Shattering the Lands!
2556
2557Excellent Era wasn't the only one who knew how to use this Level 75 skill.
2558
2559One Autumn Leaf's Dragon Breaks the Ranks brushed past her, missing by just a hair. Combat Form had originally been planning on following up with an attack, but seeing Soft Mist use Shattering the Lands, he immediately made adjustments.
2560
2561The attacks from Xiao Shiqin and Wang Ze didn't stop. Soft Mist was in the air now, so dodging was more difficult. She was struck repeatedly by bullets, and her health slid down.
2562
2563Her Shattering the Lands still came out though!
2564
2565Soft Mist descended from the air along with streaks of blood and fire. Her spear stabbed into the ground and magic waves lifted up the earth. Dirt and stone swirled in the air. A blaze of fire flowed out from the center, her spear's Flowing Fire effect.
2566
2567This type of high-level skill couldn't be taken directly. Qiu Fei's Combat Form was unable to advance. Sun Xiang's One Autumn Leaf immediately dodged to the side. On the other hand, Xiao Shiqin and Wang Ze escaped from its attack range, while continuing to attack.
2568
2569"Kill her!!!" Xiao Shiqin roared. Soft Mist's ferociousness would fire up the spirits of anyone who crossed her path.
2570
2571Just when Soft Mist's health was about to hit 0, a white light surrounded her body.
2572
2573Small Heal!
2574
2575"Wha... what..." Pan Lin was about to explode. He was just about to announce Soft Mist's death, but he hadn't expected Lord Grim to cast a heal to save Soft Mist at the last second.
2576
2577"Brilliant!" This was Li Yibo's evaluation of it. Small Heal had a cast time, so being able to time it so perfectly required extremely accurate predictions. It wasn't just a matter of hand speed.
2578
2579However, the heal was a low-level skill. Lord Grim wasn't a healer and he didn't have healer equipment either. This Small Heal only allowed Soft Mist to not die in the last moment. Truly saving her from death was still far away.
2580
2581However, by prolonging her inevitable death, Tang Rou was able to attack once more.
2582
2583Soft Mist attacked Matchstick with a Falling Flower Palm.
2584
2585Wang Ze didn't dodge. Soft Mist's hitpoints were at single digits. Instead of dodging, he might as well just finish her off.
2586
2587That's what everyone thought, so they all attacked.
2588
2589Suddenly, another white light flashed onto Soft Mist.
2590
2591Small Cure!
2592
2593Soft Mist once again survived with a last second save. Just from Soft Mist's remaining health, it could be seen how prompt the heal had been. After the heal, her health dropped to near zero. Soft Mist was hanging on with just one last drop of health left.
2594
2595But that didn't affect Soft Mist from carrying out her attack.
2596
2597Falling Flower Palm sent Matchstick flying away towards One Inch Ash's five overlapping ghost boundaries. Steamed Bun Invasion pounced forward and grabbed Matchstick in midair. Wang Ze couldn't even Quick Recover.
2598
2599Matchstick was sent flying. A huge gap appeared in Excellent Era's encirclement. Soft Mist immediately tried to rush through it, but Xiao Shiqin wasn't going to give her that chance. Bullets rained down on her. However, a figure flashed and Lord Grim appeared with his umbrella propped up, protecting Soft Mist completely.
2600
2601Soft Mist actually didn't die?
2602
2603No one wanted to believe it. Li Yibo was just about to talk about Ye Xiu's two miraculous saves and their effects on the Matchstick. He hadn't expected that Soft Mist would be saved once again.
2604
2605Just one more attack yet Excellent Era wasn't able to do it?
2606
2607That was just... too unlucky.
2608
2609Yes, something so outrageous couldn't be from skill. It could only be luck.
2610
2611But this was just temporary, no?
2612
2613One Autumn Leaf and Combat Form had charged forward. Their two spears crossed each other at 120 degree angles, attacking Lord Grim from the left and right. As for Soft Mist, who was hiding behind Lord Grim, she was within their attack range too. Xiao Shiqin's Life Extinguisher used a Rotor Wings to fly up and get around Lord Grim's umbrella shield by attacking from above.
2614
2615They just needed one attack. How could they not do it? The three players from Excellent Era were confident, even if Ye Xiu was protecting her. They didn't think that Ye Xiu could protect her so thoroughly.
2616
2617Ye Xiu couldn't protect her, but he also didn't bother trying. Life Extinguisher flew into the air with Rotor Wings and saw what Soft Mist was doing. He suddenly cried out in alarm.
2618
2619"Careful!"
2620
2621The warning was too late though. One Autumn Leaf and Combat Form had reached them. Lord Grim's Myriad Manifestations Umbrella retracted and a powerful magic wave surged forth, Rising Dragon Soars the Sky!
2622
2623Soft Mist only had just a drop of health left, yet she actually attacked. Under the cover of Lord Grim's shield, this was a two-player Blind Shield Play. Sun Xiang and Qiu Fei hadn't expected it at all. By the time Xiao Shiqin became aware of it, it was too late.
2624
2625Dancing Fire Flowing Flame turned into an angry dragon and flew out from behind Lord Grim's umbrella towards Combat Form. Combat Form had already let out his attack, but its priority couldn't compete with Rising Dragon Soars the Sky. He was chomped by the magic dragon. The magic waves coiled around his body and then exploded. Combat Form took a full blow from this high-level skill.
2626
2627Sun Xiang's One Autumn Leaf didn't get hit by the sneak attack. Lord Grim's umbrella greeted him instead. The umbrella strike looked like it was more to drive him away than to damage him, but Sun Xiang could only get hit by it. He couldn't dodge Ye Xiu's strike. If he did, he would be in the path of Soft Mist's Rising Dragon Soars the Sky. Wouldn't dodging over there be letting them hit two birds with one stone?
2628
2629Rising Dragon Soars the Sky wasn't just a sneak attack. Ye Xiu used it to limit the opponent's space, allowing him to put in two strikes and knock One Autumn Leaf to the side. Life Extinguisher's gunfire rained down from above, but Lord Grim simply opened up the umbrella put it above his head. Using the umbrella shield in this way was the easiest. After all, wasn't that the original purpose of an umbrella?
2630
2631After taking care of those two, he convened with Steamed Bun Invasion and One Inch Ash under the gunfire above from Life Extinguisher. It was like he was taking a stroll in the rain. Ye Xiu had already casted a Recover onto Soft Mist. Her health was slowly recovering. Even though it wasn't much, but to those in Excellent Era, it was like a stab to their hearts.
2632
2633How long is it going to take to get rid of that last drop of health?
2634
2635Translator's Thoughts
2636NomyummiNomyummi
2637Heals have a cast time but no cooldown. Cures have no cast time but a long cooldown.
2638
2639Rate this chapter
2640
2641290 comments, join in >
26421045 Interlinked
2643Translator:Nomyummi | Editor: Nomyummi
2644
2645Recover healed over time in bursts. The amount of heal per burst wasn't much to begin with. Lord Grim was a poor healer too, so each burst was even more dismal. In fact, even with these bursts, Excellent Era could still kill off their target in one strike. However, every burst was like torture to them.
2646
2647What's worse, Happy's Cleric was most likely about to arrive. Even though that Cleric's skill wasn't amazing, in this situation, it was more than enough to be the deciding factor. Xiao Shiqin suddenly felt a bit upset. After killing Dawn Rifle, they should have headed towards the support zone to cut off and maybe even kill the enemy Cleric. Instead, they got into a tangle with Soft Mist. Even if she would die in the end, it was still embarrassing!
2648
2649The fight had already reached this point. Regretting now was useless. Soft Mist must die before the healer arrived.
2650
2651Xiao Shiqin made arrangements for the team formation using just a few concise words in the chat. The Battle Mage duo, Sun Xiang and Qiu Fei, headed directly towards Happy's four player group. Previously, they had surrounded Tang Rou's Soft Mist, but ended up being attacked by Happy from the inside and outside. This time, Happy had surrounded Wang Ze's Matchstick. It should be their turn to attack from the inside and outside.
2652
2653Wang Ze had just joined the battle. His Matchstick was at full health. He wasn't panicked despite being surrounded by Happy. This time, Excellent Era's rescue operation came quickly. One Autumn Leaf and Combat Form charged forward ferociously. They weren't in a hurry to rescue Matchstick. Their target was still Soft Mist. Soft Mist only had a sliver of health left. It was already a miracle that she was alive. Without a healer, focusing their attention onto protecting her was actually a huge burden for Happy. However, Happy didn't protect her. Soft Mist charged at them with just 20% of her health left. Later, she only had a drop of health left, yet she and Lord Grim coordinated together to strike Combat Form with a Rising Dragon Soars the Sky. Soft Mist's existence had become a huge hindrance to Excellent Era's plans. She was like bait, controlling Excellent Era's goals. Not only did she not become a burden to her team. She was using every second of her time on the field very effectively.
2654
2655Xiao Shiqin was clearly aware of this issue. Excellent Era made adjustments. They didn't put all of their efforts into killing Soft Mist. While Sun Xiang and Qiu Fei charged into Happy's formation, Xiao Shiqin's Life Extinguisher circled around from a different direction.
2656
2657What is he trying to do?　
2658
2659Pan Lin and Li Yibo glanced at each other. For a moment, they didn't understand, so they didn't dare say anything. The orders that Xiao Shiqin gave in chat didn't really convey what he was planning on doing.
2660
2661Life Extinguisher was making every second count. As he sprinted, he observed Happy's movements. When he realized that no one was paying attention to him, there seemed to be some hesitation to Life Extinguisher's movements.
2662
2663At this moment, everyone finally understood Xiao Shiqin's intentions. They couldn't help but think of a popular verse from many years back: as the last to know the truth, my tears fall.
2664
2665Yes, Xiao Shiqin's Life Extinguisher had been planning on intercepting Happy's Cleric, but the problem was that he had gone in the wrong direction…..
2666
2667The spectators had an omniscient view, so from the beginning, they knew which support zone Little Cold Hands had swapped in from. It wasn't the closest support zone. At that time, everyone felt confused, but now everyone understood that swapping in from the closest support zone was too easy to guess. Happy had made preparations for it. They were very careful about maintaining their healer advantage.
2668
2669Xiao Shiqin had Life Extinguisher run towards this direction for awhile, but having not seen any signs of Little Cold Hands, he felt like something wasn't right. From his calculations, he should already be able to see the Cleric. However, he didn't. That at least meant that the other side had been ready for his interception, whether that was taking a roundabout route or coming from a different support zone.
2670
2671Another judgement error made Xiao Shiqin feel exhausted. He realized that he was unable to grasp Happy's thinking.
2672
2673He understood Ye Xiu, but the Ye Xiu that he understood was the Ye Xiu leading a powerhouse. But the Ye Xiu he was facing now was a Ye Xiu leading a grassroots team displaying more complex strategies. From time to time, Ye Xiu would show the craftiness of small teams, while showing the oppressiveness of top teams.
2674
2675Just take this choice of support zones. From Xiao Shiqin's experience of leading a weak team, entering from the closest support zone was a necessary choice because a weak team needed a healer to hurry and help them maintain their advantage. However, Happy just had to be bold and actually had their Cleric take a longer path. Xiao Shiqin had never had this type of confidence when he led Thunderclap.
2676
2677In the end, is it because I'm not confident enough?
2678
2679When I was on Thunderclap, had I ever thought of leading the team to win the championship?
2680
2681No. Never.
2682
2683The outside world had always believed Thunderclap to be a weak team. Just being able to make into the playoffs every years was a huge success. As a result, Thunderclap and even Xiao Shiqin had always thought so as well. Their goal every year was to make into the playoffs. As for the playoffs itself, they didn't have any high ambitions. They clearly thirsted to be champions, but they never believed in themselves nor aspired to be number one.
2684
2685In the end, Xiao Shiqin left Thunderclap to be a champion. Even though no one criticized him for it and even thought it was something he should have done earlier, Xiao Shiqin finally understood that he himself was weak. He hadn't believed in his teammates or himself. There was too big of a difference between himself and his opponent. Ye Xiu was leading a team scraped together from an Internet cafe, yet he dared to join the Challenger League and challenge a powerhouse like Excellent Era. How many had a laughed at him? But now? This joke was turning into a reality step by step.
2686
2687But him? Although Team Thunderclap repeatedly beat the stronger opponent, he had never been confident in himself. Why had he never been confident? Thunderclap was able to win over strong teams in the regular season, so why couldn't they repeat that same performance in the playoffs? If they just repeated it three times, then wouldn't Thunderclap become the champions?
2688
2689In the end, he had only been confident in the matches he should have won. However, Ye Xiu had the confidence and courage to create miracles!
2690
2691Xiao Shiqin's Life Extinguisher swiftly returned to the battle. The situation had already changed.
2692
2693Soft Mist was finally killed.
2694
2695Tang Rou wouldn't let herself become a burden that the entire team needed to put all of their efforts into protecting her. Even if she only had just a drop of health left, she would still fight and contribute to the team. After one last final struggle, she fell. In that instant, the stadium erupted into applause. Even Excellent Era's fans chose to remain silent. In this life and death situation, they were unable to give any applause to the enemy team, but they at least stayed silent to show their respect. In the group arena, Tang Rou lost miserably. But in this team competition, she finally left a deep impression on everyone. Although it was hard to tell at times whether her performance was bravery or stupidity, her brave or stupid performance was a crucial factor in Happy reaching this point.
2696
2697During the period of time it took Xiao Shiqin to run over in an attempt to block the healer, Excellent Era's three players were able to successfully kill Soft Mist, but they also suffered a blow, especially Wang Ze's Matchstick. He had been pincered by Steamed Bun and Qiao Yifan from the start. Later, Lord Grim came over to join in while protecting Soft Mist. Team Happy's focus wasn't to protect Soft Mist, but to continue targeting Matchstick.
2698
2699One Inch Ash's ghost boundaries were extremely effective defenses. If One Autumn Leaf and Combat Form wanted to attack Happy, they had to go into the ghost boundaries. If they didn't, they could only just wait and watch as the other side besieged Matchstick.
2700
2701There were ways to break through the restrictions from ghost boundaries, but in general, Ghostblades were difficult for One Autumn Leaf and Combat Form to deal with. Wang Ze's Matchstick only had limited support. He himself wasn't able to break out of the encirclement either. When Xiao Shiqin's Life Extinguisher arrived, Soft Mist was already gone, but Matchstick was facing imminent danger.　　
2702
2703When Xiao Shiqin returned and saw the negative debuffs on the two Battle Mages, he felt helpless. Ghostblades generally had a hard time affecting long-ranged classes, but he just had to be a Mechanic. Many of his gadgets had no way of breaking through ghost boundaries, so for a Mechanic, breaking through a ghost boundary was very difficult. If not, Xiao Shiqin would have had someone else block the Cleric, while he stayed. It wasn't like the two Battle Mages couldn't separate from time to time.
2704
2705And now because of the existence of the ghost boundaries, they had no way of displaying their full strength. Their Sharpshooter, which wouldn't have been affected much by the ghost boundaries, had been snatched away by the other side long ago.
2706
2707Xiao Shiqin didn't believe this to be a coincidence. This match gave him a completely knew understanding of how terrifying Ye Xiu's strategies were. All of his tactics were interlinked, each step taken was a step closer to victory. Every one of Team Happy's members were utilized to the limit. From Wu Chen's Dawn Rifle to Tang Rou's Soft Mist and now Qiao Yifan's One Inch Ash.
2708
2709I have to find a way to get rid of this Phantom Demon!
2710
2711No... wait…..
2712
2713Xiao Shiqin was thinking of a countermeasure, when a light suddenly lit up in his head.
2714
2715Phantom Demon. Their next target should be this Phantom Demon, but if they did that, wouldn't they fall into Happy's trap again?
2716
2717From the very start of this match, Happy's members revealed their talents one after the other, which Excellent Era locked onto. Then, they were put into a difficult spots because of these targets…...
2718
2719Yes, so it's like that. The key to Happy's strategies lies here!
2720
2721Rate this chapter
2722
27231164 comments, join in >
27241046 Steamed Bun’s Tempo
2725Translator:Nomyummi | Editor: Nomyummi
2726
2727The crucial characters that dictated Happy's tactics were always traps. Every time Excellent Era attacked those characters, they would always fall into an unfavorable position and had to pay a considerable price for it. As a result, not only did they fail to break Happy's tactics, they suffered in the attempt.
2728
2729Xiao Shiqin quickly deleted the "focus ghostblade" that he had typed into the team chat. Excellent Era couldn't afford to fall into any more traps. The current situation was a 4v3. Although Happy had captured one of their players, Happy was in a completely defensive position. Happy's three players were confined inside the ghost boundary, not daring to leave its range.
2730
2731Excellent Era was at a disadvantage because of the protection from the ghost boundary. For now, they had no way of routing Happy. Without a healer, they couldn't play the long game. They needed to quickly find an opening.　　
2732
2733Focus Ye Xiu!
2734
2735A new order jumped into Excellent Era's team chat. Xiao Shiqin had pressed the Enter key quite forcefully. He was a bit annoyed, not discovering this issue earlier. He shouldn't have thought so much. After finding Lord Grim, he should have had Excellent Era focus all of their efforts and disregard all else to eliminate Ye Xiu from the beginning.
2736
2737Yes, disregard all else.
2738
2739After giving this order, Xiao Shiqin typed another four words: get rid of him.　　
2740
2741Even if they had to sacrifice one, two, three, even four including their healer, as long as they got rid of Ye Xiu, Excellent Era may be at a numbers disadvantage, with their superior strength, how could they not be able to take care of Happy's green rookies?
2742
2743This reasoning was so simple, simple to the point that Xiao Shiqin had completely disregarded it. He had thought very highly of Ye Xiu and analyzed all sorts of possibilities. He had spent all his time thinking about what Ye Xiu might do, so he hadn't thought about forcefully eliminating Ye Xiu.
2744
2745In the end, it was because Xiao Shiqin was unable to get rid of his mid-tier team thinking. His tactics were unable to completely utilize Excellent Era's battle power. Their vastly superior strength in the Challenger League covered up this point, so when the finals came and the opponent's tactics and players managed to keep up, Excellent Era was suddenly overwhelmed.
2746
2747This was completely inconsistent with what people had anticipated this match would go. In their eyes, even if Excellent Era lost, it must have been because, despite being at an advantage the vast majority of the time, they made a huge mistake that was seized by Happy. Who would have thought that Excellent Era would be the one at a disadvantage and be nibbled away by Happy.
2748
2749It was only now did Xiao Shiqin realize where the problem lay. Even though he was unable to completely identify the problems with him and Excellent Era, he at least found where the crux of the issue lay.
2750
2751Focus Ye Xiu and disregard all else.
2752
2753No healer?
2754
2755No healer was no healer. As long as they could get rid of Ye Xiu, any price was worth it. Excellent Era still had a numbers advantage at the moment. This might be their last opportunity. They needed to eliminate Lord Grim by whatever means possible, whether that meant eating the damage and debuffs from the ghost boundaries and taking the attacks from the other members of Happy. They could not back down.　　
2756
2757The new order didn't just show their strategy.
2758
2759Disregarding everything else showed their determination.
2760
2761Everyone saw the order given by Excellent Era. Their hearts leaped up. They had a premonition that the biggest storm in the match was about to arrive.
2762
2763Xiao Shiqin took the lead. His Life Extinguisher showed the same vigor as Dawn Rifle and rushed forward. He abandoned all of the gadgets restricted by ghost boundaries and released all of the heavy gadgets that could withstand the ghost boundaries. Under the cover of Air Drop, Life Extinguisher charged directly into the ghost boundaries.
2764
2765What he meant by "disregard all else" was very clear. The other three Excellent Era players became spirited. Wang Ze's Matchstick turned his body. Ignoring the attacks taken, he headed straight for Lord Grim. Sun Xiang and Qiu Fei ignored the debuffs and damage from the ghost boundaries and put a target on Lord Grim. They would kill him in the most efficient way possible.
2766
2767Excellent Era's abrupt offensive was something felt not just by Ye Xiu, but Qiao Yifan. The ghost boundaries placed down by him were being completely ignored. These ghost boundaries debuffed and damaged the enemies, yet they were still focusing their attacks onto Lord Grim.
2768
2769Lord Grim wasn't at full health. He had been through several fierce battles and withstood numerous attacks as well. He had protected Soft Mist with his umbrella shield. He looked like he was taking a stroll through the rain of bullets, but in reality, he had taken a lot of damage.
2770
2771The shield form reduced a percentage of damage and also increased his defenses. To a certain extent, he couldn't completely nullify the damage like a block, but he didn't need to calculate attack priority with a shield unlike with a block. Facing attacks, as long as he met those attacks with his shield, he would be able to reduce the damage that he took.
2772
2773Soft Mist hid behind Lord Grim's umbrella, so she didn't take any damage. However, Lord Grim would still take damage. If everything was added up, Lord Grim actually had the least amount of health in the team. He only had 50% of his health left.
2774
2775Why didn't I think of prioritizing him earlier?
2776
2777Xiao Shiqin's mind churned. The more he looked at the situation, the more he felt like prioritizing Lord Grim was the correct decision.　
2778
2779After his Life Extinguisher entered the ghost boundary, he also ignored the existence of the ghost boundaries and only thought about killing Lord Grim.　　
2780
2781Qiao Yifan immediately strengthened their defenses and threw down more ghost boundaries. However, these ghost boundaries were still being ignored by Excellent Era, who had surrounded and were crazily attacking Ye Xiu's Lord Grim. Steamed Bun Invasion and One Inch Ash seemed to be invisible. Excellent Era completely ignored their attacks.
2782
2783"CC them!" Qiao Yifan hastily reminded Steamed Bun.
2784
2785Readily following orders was one of Steamed Bun's features. It didn't matter who said it. He didn't consider if the reasoning made sense or not, he would follow it regardless. Steamed Bun Invasion pounced forward and used Tyrannical Chain Punch to pin down a target, but reality proved that even though Excellent Era disregard the two of them, they would still be on guard for these types of attacks. Steamed Bun had targeted One Autumn Leaf, who made a nimble turn and easily dodged it. Steamed Bun wasn't clingy. He turned and used Strangle on Combat Form.
2786
2787Strangle had to be dodged. Even though Strangle wouldn't stop the target from attacking, it restricted the target's movements, which meant that he would be unable to reach Lord Grim.
2788
2789Steamed Bun Invasion's attack was once again evaded, but he followed up with a Sand Toss, Brick... Brawler's had quite a lot of CC skills. Steamed Bun was throwing them out brainlessly. He didn't have a single target or any clear-cut thinking. Whichever target was the most convenient would be the target to attack. In an instant, his skills were all on cooldown. Steamed Bun's hand speed was quite outstanding. However, at this point, his low-level skills had refreshed, so he started chaining them again.　　
2790
2791"Too reckless….." Li Yibo sighed.
2792
2793However, this recklessness actually made a big impact on the situation. Excellent Era still put all their efforts into killing Lord Grim. They didn't care about the damage from these attacks, but they were afraid of these CC skills delaying them. They needed to pay attention to Steamed Bun Invasion's skills. However, Steamed Bun's attacks didn't have any thinking behind them. It was completely random. Xiao Shiqin had tried predicting Steamed Bun's attacks and ended up being hit by a Brick.　　
2794
2795Yes, a Brick hit Life Extinguisher in the back of his head, putting him to enter a Dizzy state. Unfortunately, due to Life Extinguisher being inside the ghost boundaries, the constant damage from the ghost boundaries instantly got rid of his Dizzy state. Qiao Yifan felt regretful. This Steamed Bun didn't coordinate with him. If he had known that Brick would hit, he wouldn't have placed down a ghost boundary that dealt damage!
2796
2797But Steamed Bun didn't care. He had already switched targets. For a moment, Steamed Bun Invasion was actually singlehandedly flustering Excellent Era. They didn't want to waste their time on Steamed Bun Invasion, but they needed to put quite a bit of effort into defending against Steamed Bun Invasion's attacks.
2798
2799Neither the heavens nor the earth knew where his attacks were coming from, whether that was a Brick or another skill. Every time Steamed Bun lifted his hands, everyone in Excellent Era dodged out of fright. And in the end? Steamed Bun Invasion could only target one person, so the other two were just wasting their time, no?
2800
2801"This this... how messy..." Pan Lin was dumbstruck. Due to Steamed Bun's wave of attacks, the match was incomprehensibly chaotic. It could no longer be deciphered through their knowledge of Glory. Li Yibo was silent for a long time before finally saying: "He disrupted Excellent Era's tempo."
2802
2803Yes. Anyone could see that. Excellent Era's tempo was in a mess, but the problem was what about Happy's tempo? They didn't have any at all. Excellent Era couldn't grasp Steamed Bun's attacks, but neither could the rest of Happy.
2804
2805"F*ck off!!"
2806
2807Sun Xiang was finally unable to endure it anymore. That clown was actually slowing down their assault on Lord Grim. One Autumn Leaf temporarily let Lord Grim off the hook. His Evil Annihilation headed straight for Steamed Bun Invasion. He was determined to send this clown flying far away.　
2808
2809"Careful!"
2810
2811The moment One Autumn Leaf turned around, a spear suddenly shot towards him. Ye Xiu wasn't dead yet. In this type of chaotic battle, there were opportunities everywhere. One Autumn Leaf suddenly switched targets without paying attention to anyone else. Ye Xiu's attack was almost out of instinct. If he didn't attack, he would be wasting his many years of practice.
2812
2813Circle Swing!
2814
2815Lord Grim sent One Autumn Leaf flying towards Matchstick.
2816
2817"Good job, Steamed Bun."
2818
2819"As if you need to say that!" Steamed Bun said incomparably confident, but did he even know what exactly what he had done? Team Happy expressed their doubts. They felt like Qiao Yifan telling Steamed Bun to abuse his CC skills deserved the most credit.
2820
2821Rate this chapter
2822
2823418 comments, join in >
28241047 Disregard All Else
2825Translator:Nomyummi | Editor: Nomyummi
2826
2827Had Steamed Bun Invasion's barrage of chaotic attacks happened at any other time, it probably wouldn't have brought him any form of praise from any expert. However, it had coincidentally coincided with this moment, when Excellent Era was trying to bring Lord Grim down while disregarding all else. His actions were extremely disruptive to Excellent Era's tempo.
2828
2829It wasn't that Excellent Era had no way of dealing with his chaotic attacks, but that they didn't want to waste time on Steamed Bun Invasion. They had just set their target as Lord Grim. If they suddenly focus fired a different target, then their determination just now would be nothing but a joke.
2830
2831Excellent Era's players never would have thought that Steamed Bun's playstyle would give them so much trouble. Those unpredictable attacks had somehow managed to constrain them.
2832
2833They couldn't just do nothing about it, but what if this was another of Happy's traps?
2834
2835Before Xiao Shiqin made a decision, Sun Xiang had already struck first.
2836
2837It wasn't hard to deal with Steamed Bun, but what made things difficult was that Lord Grim hadn't been killed yet! Under such a chaotic rhythm, Sun Xiang's sudden target switch left an opening that Ye Xiu immediately took advantage of. Lord Grim had been faster and managed to capture One Autumn Leaf first.
2838
2839Battle God One Autumn Leaf had become Ye Xiu's weapon...
2840　
2841Although this had been the case for the past ten years, but this time it was completely different.
2842
2843One Autumn Leaf was roughly slammed down by Lord Grim and then hurled at Matchstick.
2844
2845Wang Ze was completely caught off guard. Matchstick and One Autumn Leaf were thrown into a heap on the ground. Lord Grim then turned and threw a Sky Strike at Combat Form who was advancing on him from behind. Combat Form's spear trembled, his Double Stab parrying the first stab and striking with the second.
2846
2847Double Stab's Cancel and Combo Technique!
2848
2849The technique Qiu Fei had missed out on using a year ago. The technique that Ye Xiu had used to deal damage to him in the Group Arena a year later.
2850
2851In reality, Qiu Fei had already mastered this technique and now used it to parry Lord Grim's Sky Strike. The second strike stabbed forward without any hesitation.
2852
2853Following this strike up with a combo was enough to kill Lord Grim. Lord Grim didn't have that much health left, so this combo didn't need to be too complicated. Qiu Fei had confidence that he could do it.
2854　
2855It was just that since this technique was one that was deeply imprinted into his mind, Qiu Fei was rather moved.
2856
2857"Thank you!"
2858
2859After sending the two words into the global chat, Qiu Fei went to complete his next actions.
2860
2861Yet that was when Lord Grim's character suddenly crouched. The second stab of Double Stab hit nothing but air and then Lord Grim's outstretched hands grabbed Combat Form's waist.
2862　
2863"You've still got a ways to go!"
2864
2865Lord Grim straightened, arching backwards and throwing Combat Form head-over-heels into the ground.
2866
2867Back Throw!
2868
2869In that moment, One Autumn Leaf and Combat Form, Excellent Era's Battle Mage duo, had been successively smashed into the ground by Lord Grim. The one to disrupt Excellent Era's rhythm was Steamed Bun, but the one to truly turn the situation around was still Ye Xiu!
2870
2871They really should have wiped him from the game earlier! Xiao Shiqin was vexed, but also knew that regrets would do nothing for them now, determinedly charging forth.
2872
2873"Ghost Feast," Ye Xiu said in the chat.
2874
2875"Roger," Qiao Yifan responded. One Inch Ash revealed the edge of his blade and the ghost boundaries that were scattered across the ground swelled up like rolling waves.
2876
2877Ghost Feast!
2878
2879The power of the Phantom Demon was released from all the boundaries, exploding and creating a blanket of flashing lights and silhouettes. Xiao Shiqin had charged forwards, but the lighting created by the explosions made it impossible for him to locate his targets. He could only make judgements according to the positions he had last seen of the characters. That was when Life Extinguisher's waist was grabbed.
2880　
2881Xiao Shiqin lowered his view and found Steamed Bun Invasion squatting in front of him.
2882
2883Back Throw...
2884
2885Life Extinguisher was also slammed to the ground, head-over-heels, by a Back 
2886Throw. That was when the smoke from Ghost Feast's explosion dispersed. Another of Excellent Era's character names went grey. Wang Ze and his Matchstick had been eliminated.
2887
2888Life Extinguisher swiftly rolled to his feet and saw Lord Grim, One Inch Ash, and Steamed Bun Invasion all advancing on him amidst the dispersing light.
2889
2890Xiao Shiqin didn't retreat, his finger rapidly tapping. Life Extinguisher immediately summoned three gadgets, splitting up heading for a different character. With the ghost boundaries gone, his gadgets were finally able to shine.
2891　　
2892Bang bang bang!
2893　　
2894Lord Grim aimed, fired, and with three successive gunshots, caused three explosions with startling speed.
2895
2896The gadgets that Life Extinguisher had only just sent out were instantly destroyed by Ye Xiu's precise shots.
2897
2898One Inch Ash's Moonlight Slash swept over and Xiao Shiqin hurriedly had Life Extinguisher dodge. Then, the back of his head was hit by a Brick; Steamed Bun Invasion's Brick.
2899
2900Xiao Shiqin felt like he was going to go crazy.
2901
2902This Steamed Bun was sometimes utterly chaotic, not in sync with his teammates at all, but sometimes he somehow managed to get into a dead angle to deliver critical strikes.
2903
2904Xiao Shiqin had researched every single one of Happy's opponents. For this Steamed Bun, he really didn't know how to describe him because he had never seen a player like this. You had no idea what he was doing. Looking at the previous matches, he seemed to flow with the tactical arrangements, but in the next match, his fluency with the very same tactical arrangements seemed to have vanished.
2905
2906In Xiao Shiqin's tactic handbook, he had written and erased, erased and rewritten, written and edited the information on Steamed Bun. Every match, he would discover something new, and none of what he saw would repeat.
2907
2908In the end, in Xiao Shiqin's notebook, only one sentence had remained unchanged in regards to Steamed Bun: an incredibly unstable player.
2909
2910Yes, that was the final judgement Xiao Shiqin had made for Steamed Bun. As for this match, it adhered to Xiao Shiqin's judgement perfectly. After making this judgement, Xiao Shiqin couldn't think of any way to deal with this player tactically because there was no way of predicting this guy, so he could only deal with his actions as they came.
2911
2912Yet at the crucial moment, Excellent Era had been sent into chaos by Steamed Bun and then dismantled by Ye Xiu.
2913
2914Now, Xiao Shiqin himself had been CCed with a Brick from Steamed Bun.
2915
2916Lord Grim and One Inch Ash's attacks came not a beat too late, knocking Life Extinguisher all over the place. If it wasn't for Sun Xiang and Qiu Fei running over to support, Xiao Shiqin would worry that he was about to be one wave rushed.
2917
2918As soon as One Autumn Leaf and Combat Form arrived, Happy's three immediately ran.
2919
2920"Don't let them get away!" Xiao Shiqin yelled.
2921
2922After Ghost Feast, the field was completely clean and it was a great time to charge. Xiao Shiqin's Life Extinguisher advanced while keeping an eye out and making sure to interrupt One Inch Ash's attacks. ghost boundaries were all chanted skills. If you managed to quickly notice and interrupt them, it would make a Phantom Demon's life very difficult.
2923
2924Apart from that, there was also that Steamed Bun Invasion. Half of Xiao Shiqin's focus was on him. He couldn't let this guy throw the situation into chaos again.
2925
2926Xiao Shiqin keeping an eye on the two by himself was naturally to give Sun Xiang and Qiu Fei a chance. During the Ghost Feast's explosion, he had healed himself a little and was now at 8 percent health. However, his health was still in the range of being wiped out in a single wave by the two members of Excellent Era.
2927
2928Would there be a reason for Ye Xiu to face the two head on? Of course not. Lord Grim began to lead the two about in all sorts of tactical maneuverings.
2929
2930Seeing this, Xiao Shiqin felt a headache come on.
2931
2932Playing dirty...
2933
2934Just went they had to finish things as quickly as possible, Ye Xiu began to play dirty. One Autumn Leaf and Combat Form were melee classes and Lord Grim had ranged firepower. If he started to play dirty, the two would have little chance of catching up quickly.
2935
2936Xiao Shiqin took a look at the time and contemplated for a moment… it should be about time, right?
2937
2938A message popped up in Excellent Era's chat.
2939
2940One Autumn Leaf and Combat Form had suddenly switched directions while chasing Lord Grim.
2941
2942The viewers quickly understood. These two had gone off to catch the healer Little Cold Hands.
2943
2944Xiao Shiqin clearly knew where the support zones on the map were. His error in judgement before had naturally been taken note of. That meant that this time he should be correct. Otherwise, if it were somewhere else, the support zone would be way too far.
2945
2946This time, Xiao Shiqin hadn't guessed wrong. One Autumn Leaf and Combat Form's change in direction really did take them in Little Cold Hands' direction. The two hadn't gone far before they saw Little Cold Hands.
2947
2948Yet, behind them, Team Happy's other three members lunged for Xiao Shiqin's Life Extinguisher like hungry wolves.
2949
2950They weren't going to rescue their Cleric?
2951
2952Xiao Shiqin was puzzled.
2953　
2954In reality, they didn't have any way to easily and quickly kill off their opponent's Cleric. However, this was the greatest threat to Excellent Era's victory. Happy would definitely protect their Cleric with their lives.
2955
2956If that happened, then Excellent Era would have successfully caused a lot of trouble for Happy. With a target to protect, Happy would be a lot less flexible with their movements. And Xiao Shiqin's primary goal in this lure for Happy to support was to trap Ye Xiu and kill Lord Grim. However, he would have never thought that Happy would ignore their Cleric and instead focus their fire on his Life Extinguisher.
2957　
2958Trade?
2959
2960Xiao Shiqin was confused. If this trade was successful, they might be in a three versus two situation, but Lord Grim only had so much health left. He wouldn't be able to turn that situation around with the pitiful amount of healing his unspecialized possessed. Three versus two had a high risk for them, no? What were they relying on? The CC from ghost boundaries? Phantom Demons were good at controlling, but the problem was that ghost boundaries still had their limits. After killing Happy's Cleric, Excellent Era would be much less pressed for time. In this sort of situation, two Battle Mages still had the ability to break through ghost boundaries.
2961
2962Xiao Shiqin couldn't figure it out, but he wasn't going to stop there and let himself die. Life Extinguisher hurriedly went to retreat, but then realized that Ye Xiu playing dirty just now had "dirty played" his character into a perfect position. His current and only path of retreat was being blocked by Lord Grim.
2963
2964They had planned this!
2965
2966After realizing this, Xiao Shiqin felt uneasy. The opponent had planned this. That meant the current situation was still within their expectations.
2967
2968That was when Xiao Shiqin suddenly saw Sun Xiang yell in the chat: "Holy shit, this Cleric is so fast!!"
2969
2970Translator's Thoughts
2971NomyummiNomyummi
2972Give your energy (power stones) to Happy!! If we're #1 at the end of the week, then you'll get your 17 chaps next week! Also, Butterfly Blue (TKA Author) has noticed us :D https://imgur.com/RDqcj5y
2973
2974Rate this chapter
2975
29761175 comments, join in >
29771048 I’ll Leave it to You
2978Translator:Nomyummi | Editor: Nomyummi
2979
2980Xiao Shiqin, having seen Ye Xiu's well prepared boxout, he began to feel nervous about the current situation. Seeing Sun Xiang's message in the chat, his heart thudded even louder.
2981
2982The Cleric was fast? What did that mean? How fast could Happy's Little Cold Hands be?
2983　
2984Since Happy's characters had more Orange equipment than anything else, it was easy to see their stats. There was no reason for Little Cold Hands' movement speed to cause One Autumn Leaf and Combat Form surprise.
2985
2986Unless… he was wearing a completely different set of equipment!
2987
2988Little Cold Hands had two sets of equipment?
2989
2990Xiao Shiqin was completely correct. In the broadcast, as well as the statistics given, Little Cold Hand's equipment page was displayed for all to see. As expected, his entire body was covered with equipment bearing movement speed buffs. It completely ignored the stats that Clerics usually needed and focused solely on movement speed alone.
2991
2992Another set of equipment would definitely increase the weight of character. Clerics were a cloth armored class though. Cloth armor was the lightest of all types of armors so holding onto another set had minimal influence on weight. However, the speed this reckless movement speed buff gave Little Cold Hands really was something that even a God level account like One Autumn Leaf would find shocking.
2993
2994Had such a strange Cleric ever appeared in the pro circle?
2995
2996This Cleric had lost everything that made him valuable as a Cleric. His only ability was running. Yet that was exactly what Excellent Era hoped he lacked the most.
2997
2998Sun Xiang and Qiu Fei had already calculated Little Cold Hand's movement speed in comparison to One Autumn Leaf and Combat Form: neck and neck.
2999　
3000Under these circumstances, there were only two possibilities if they wanted to catch up. One was to use something that would buff their movement speed or debuff the opponent's movement speed. Battle Mages did, in fact, have such techniques. Among Magic Chasers, Ice Chasers could lower the target's speed and Neutral Chasers could buff one's own movement speed. The problem was that you couldn't just make Chasers whenever you wanted. You had to hit a target to create one, but the two of them couldn't even catch up to the target, so how were they to create any Chasers?
3001
3002The other possibility relied on pacing. The fastest movement speed relied on Sprinting and Sprinting required stamina, and stamina could only be recovered under certain situations. This pacing would affect the resulting average movement speed. There was no need to worry about Sun Xiang and Qiu Fei. These pro player foundations were solid enough that they definitely had a solid grasp of pacing. What about their opponent? After chasing for a while, Sun Xiang and Qiu Fei despaired. As experts, it was clear to them how good the other was once they had began chasing. Little Cold Hands' switching between the different movement speeds told the two immediately that this person had put a lot of effort into training this area. Wanting to catch up through mechanics wasn't going to be easy.
3003
3004Faced with hopelessness in their mission to kill the Cleric, the two briefly informed Xiao Shiqin of the situation. In that moment, Xiao Shiqin's heart sunk to rock bottom.
3005
3006The thought of dealing with the Cleric reminded him of a problem: in this match, had Team Happy's healer done anything that a healer was expected to do?
3007
3008No! Not at all.
3009
3010He had been part of the starting lineup and then given some insignificant healing in the exchange between the two sides. Since Team Happy didn't need much healing back then, Little Cold Hands had been more valuable in providing DPS buff support with his Holy Commandment than in healing. Then, he had silently left the match to let in Steamed Bun Invasion and maximize Happy's DPS.
3011.
3012What a transparent character.
3013
3014Yet, he was also a character that couldn't be ignored. This was because he was the healer, the very healer that was a decisive factor in most Team Competitions. Especially after Excellent Era's healer had been killed, Little Cold Hands' absence was, in itself, a powerful presence that kept all of Excellent Era on their toes.
3015
3016Xiao Shiqin naturally had tactics to deal with healers, especially since Happy's healer Little Cold Hands was, in his eyes, one of the biggest weaknesses in Happy. As a character that couldn't not be part of the team competition, his skill level wasn't good enough.
3017
3018For this, Xiao Shiqin also had a set of tactics. However, he never got the chance to utilize them. Happy didn't give their Cleric very much to do before having him leave silently. Then he had suddenly become the player that would decide the victory of this match. Even knowing that this person wasn't all that skilled, Xiao Shiqin had to place a heavy focus on him at a time like this.
3019　
3020Even after realizing that they should place killing Lord Grim above all else, killing Little Cold Hands was still something that Xiao Shiqin placed equal tactical importance on. So, against a Ye Xiu playing dirty, Sun Xiang and Qiu Fei had received orders to switch targets and go to pincer Little Cold Hands.
3021
3022Yet, what they found was a Cleric that knew nothing but running...
3023
3024"Come back…" Xiao Shiqin said helplessly into the chat. If Happy dared to make such arrangements, he believed that this player would have been specially trained in this area. Even if it was Sun Xiang and Qiu Fei, they would probably need a lot of time to deal with it. If they stalled for too long, then all that this would end with was these three going forth to support their healer after killing Life Extinguisher.
3025
3026Another check.
3027
3028Little Cold Hands had barely done anything a healer should, but managed to pin them with just his status as a healer.
3029
3030In this moment, a well-known saying in Glory somehow came to Xiao Shiqin's mind: an unused skill is the most terrifying skill.
3031
3032That's right. This saying had been put into practice as a tactic by Ye Xiu, using Little Cold Hands.
3033
3034Xiao Shiqin could deeply feel that Happy's tactics for this match was a dense web. Every character, every stage, every detail entangled with one another. Even if you found a way to cut one string, another connection would immediately swarm forth, embedded within one another, uninterruptible and unfathomable.
3035
3036It seems that… that's it for me...
3037
3038Xiao Shiqin, in a one versus three, was doing his best to hold on, seeming to want to endure until Sun Xiang and Qiu Fei returned. However, it was unfortunate for him that Ye Xiu, having made so many tactical arrangements, knew how important it was to finish this as soon as possible. Apart from Lord Grim, who was a little more careful, the other two went all out in an effort to kill him.
3039
3040Kill Lord Grim with disregard to all else?
3041
3042A few minutes earlier, Xiao Shiqin had just given such an order. Yet, in the blink of an eye, it had switched to Happy killing his Life Extinguisher with disregard to all else.
3043
3044"I'll leave it to you."
3045
3046These were the last words Xiao Shiqin left to his teammates. Then, Life Extinguisher fell.
3047
3048Xiao Shiqin was, without a doubt, a very important member of Team Excellent Era and left the most impact on this match. However, this wasn't any sort of good memory for him. In the tactical battle between him and Ye Xiu, he had been completely defeated. Then, when he had fallen, he had left a terrible situation for his teammates.
3049
3050Two versus four and their opponents had a healer...
3051
3052They were in this terrible situation yet he still said "I'll leave it to you"? Shouldn't these words be said when leaving his teammates a winning chance? But did Excellent Era have that now?
3053
3054The Excellent Era fans were displeased by this. Their boos, for the first time, were aimed towards their own team, their own players. They were displeased and also afraid. Was Excellent Era really going to lose here?
3055
3056One Autumn Leaf and Combat Form arrived, saw Life Extinguisher fall and the message Xiao Shiqin had left them in the chat, as well as the situation he had left for them.
3057
3058Two versus three plus a healer?
3059
3060In this sort of situation, some teams might have already typed GG, but would Excellent Era?
3061
3062"Of course not." In the audience, Xu Bin of the Tiny Herb trio said this with confidence, seeing the situation, because Liu Xiaobie was guessing if Sun Xiang and Qiu Fei would GG.
3063
3064"The situation Xiao Shiqin left them with is still possible to win." Xu Bin continued.
3065
3066"Oh?"
3067
3068"Don't you think that to kill Life Extinguisher, Happy's Steamed Bun Invasion and One Inch Ash lost a lot of health?" Xu Bin asked.
3069
3070"So you mean…" Liu Xiaobie seemed to realize something.
3071
3072"If Xiao Shiqin really wanted to, I think he could've held on until One Autumn Leaf and Combat Form arrived." Xu Bin explained.
3073
3074"So you mean to say that while Happy was trying their best to crush him, he was also doing his best to deplete Happy's characters of their health. This accelerated Life Extinguisher's death, but he also managed to deal a lot more damage." Liu Xiaobie said.
3075
3076"That's right, that's why he left such a message. It was because he used all he could to set the situation up for Sun Xiang and Qiu Fei." Xu Bin said.
3077
3078"This situation is better than keeping his Life Extinguisher alive?" Liu Xiaobie questioned.
3079
3080"That's what he thinks." Xu Bin said.
3081
3082"He probably… felt that he couldn't beat Senior Ye Xiu in tactics so left a situation where pure combative strength would decide the victor, right?" Gao Yingjie suddenly cut in.
3083
3084"Combative strength to decide the victor?" Liu Xiaobie repeated to himself. The current situation was a two versus four and Happy had a healer. This sort of absolute advantage didn't require any tactics anymore, right?
3085
3086"I never expected that Xiao Shiqin would get a chance to use the tactic he's best at in this situation." Xu Bin said.
3087
3088"The tactic… Xiao Shiqin is best at?" Liu Xiaobie was confused. He was someone who focused on mechanics. In regards to tactics, he didn't really pay much attention.
3089
3090"Being underestimated." Xu Bin explained.
3091
3092"Being underestimated?"
3093
3094"That's right. He's making his opponent underestimate them." Xu Bin said.
3095
3096Liu Xiaobie suddenly understood. Xiao Shiqin had come from Thunderclap, which wasn't very strong. If they intentionally had their opponent underestimate them, they would be able to find a lot of opportunities. Yet now, he had come to Excellent Era and they were in the Challenger League nonetheless, so the one tactic he was best at had never had a chance to be used. Just the name Excellent Era was enough to make some opposing teams surrender.
3097
3098Yet now, Xiao Shiqin had used the death of his own Life Extinguisher to send Excellent Era to an absolute disadvantage. Two versus four and the opposing side had a healer. Even pros like Liu Xiaobie would feel like you could just type 'GG' in this situation. It was clear what Excellent Era's chances of victory were.
3099
3100If they had an absolute grasp on victory, then they had the right to look down on their opponents, which naturally meant that there was the possibility that they would underestimate their opponents.
3101
3102In this final moment, Xiao Shiqin had finally used the one method he was best at to set the scene for his teammates.
3103
3104I'll leave it to you!
3105
3106This wasn't something said lightly.
3107
3108Rate this chapter
3109
31101178 comments, join in >
31111049 Worries of Being at Low Health
3112Translator:Nomyummi | Editor: Nomyummi
3113
3114Being underestimated was the tactic that Xiao Shiqin was most familiar with when he had led Thunderclap. However, if even Xu Bin knew what Xiao Shiqin was good at, it meant that it wasn't a secret. This was Xiao Shiqin's tactical style.
3115
3116To put it simply, it could be described with nine words: show weakness to the enemies, entice them to relax.
3117
3118The theory was simple, but actually employing it wasn't easy, especially when everyone knew that was what you were good at. Whenever anyone faced Xiao Shiqin's team, they couldn't help but remind themselves to focus and not be careless.
3119
3120However, emotions weren't always dictated by the mind. The tides constantly shifted in a match and after overcoming numerous difficulties, it was hard not to be excited when one had the upper hand. These were the places where Xiao Shiqin placed his traps. He used ample preparations to contend against a moment of lapse from the enemy due to excitement. He would bait the other side into becoming negligent.
3121
3122In reality, Excellent Era hadn't prepared to do this in this match. There was something that Excellent Era had that was different than Thunderclap. They had stronger characters and better players.
3123
31242v4. Excellent Era was definitely in a disadvantageous situation, but with Sun Xiang and Qiu Fei, perhaps they had the ability to make a comeback?
3125
3126Xiao Shiqin was gambling on the ability of these two. He had done his best to pave a path for them. In terms of numbers, Excellent Era was losing, but in Xiao Shiqin's final moments, he had traded his health away to deal massive damage to his opponents. Although he had been killed, he had greatly reduced Steamed Bun Invasion's and One Inch Ash's health.
3127
3128Lord Grim had even less health than those two. With Little Cold Hands not there yet, it was hard to say what the outcome of the match would be!
3129
3130While Tiny Herb's group analyzed the situation, Sun Xiang and Qiu Fei didn't waste a second and immediately attacked.
3131
3132Shattering the Land!
3133
3134　
3135
3136Qiu Fei's Combat Form opened with a high-level skill. The AoE attack was used to break the ghost boundaries. You don't want to leave your ghost boundaries? Then eat this move. Let's trade.
3137
3138Happy's three characters were at low health. Steamed Bun Invasion and One Inch Ash had lost a lot of health because of Life Extinguisher. Sure enough, they didn't dare stay within the ghost boundaries and eat the high-level skill. The three characters avoided Shattering the Lands. One Autumn Leaf rushed forward, targeting Lord Grim.　
3139
3140Ye Xiu didn't fight him. He dodged the attack and Aerial Fired away. Steamed Bun Invasion ran over from the side with a brick in his hand, preparing to smash it into One Autumn Leaf's head. Qiu Fei saw this and rushed over. Before Steamed Bun Invasion could throw his brick, a spear flashed in front of him, forcing him to jump out of the away of it.
3141
3142Qiu Fei reacted swiftly. His spear nipped at Steamed Bun. A Dragon Tooth and then a Falling Flower Palm. Steamed Bun wasn't able to dodge it and was hit!
3143
3144Before Steamed Bun Invasion could be sent flying away, he was blocked off by One Autumn Leaf. Sun Xiang actually ignored Lord Grim and switched to Steamed Bun Invasion.
3145
3146Qiao Yifan's One Inch Ash ran over hastily to rescue Steamed Bun, but Phantom Demons were good at controlling the field, not support. If he had to rescue a horse from a river, his class felt somewhat lacking. Laying down ghost boundaries could only restrict the enemies. It couldn't stop the enemies from attacking. Happy's characters didn't have much health left. Just restricting the enemies wouldn't be enough.
3147
3148Steamed Bun and Qiao Yifan weren't able to stop the two Battle Mage's assault. Ye Xiu's Lord Grim was forced to turn back, attacking from long-range to close-range. Sun Xiang and Qiu Fei dodged, while continuing to attack Steamed Bun Invasion and One Inch Ash. When Lord Grim joined the fight, Combat Form suddenly turned around and thrust his spear fiercely with a Furious Dragon Strikes the Heart.
3149
3150Sun Xiang remained focused and continued to attack Steamed Bun Invasion. One Inch Ash's attacks? Take them! One Autumn Leaf was the strongest character on this battlefield. He was also in the best condition. A ghostblade's attack could be completely ignored as long as it wasn't an Ice Boundary type of CC.
3151
3152The Excellent Era duo clearly held the initiative, but had Xiao Shiqin's underestimate-us tactic been effective? It was hard to say because the emotional changes were subtle. Hoping the other side would completely underestimate them and stop concentrating on the match obviously wasn't realistic.
3153
3154However, the value of Xiao Shiqin's final struggle could be seen. Facing One Autumn Leaf and Combat Form, Ye Xiu had the most pressure on him. His Lord Grim had the lowest health, but he had to face the dangers and help Steamed Bun and Qiao Yifan.
3155
3156As for Happy's Cleric?
3157
3158Happy needed their Cleric too urgently. The spectators could see that Little Cold Hands was almost there. Just a bit more and he could start healing.
3159
3160But at this moment, Combat Form left the battle and headed towards Little Cold Hands. Ye Xiu, Steamed Bun, and Qiao Yifan had been left to Sun Xiang alone to fight.
3161
3162It was a 1v3 by a Battle Mage. Tang Rou had done this previously.
3163
3164But the difference was that Tang Rou had been the one initiated on. She baited the enemies to attack and then struggled to survive. Sun Xiang's situation was different. He faced Happy's three characters alone. He wasn't defending. He was attacking.
3165
3166Kill!
3167
3168It was a 1v3, but One Autumn Leaf put on an aggressive posture.　　
3169
3170Everyone was shocked, but no one doubted Sun Xiang's actions.
3171
3172He could back up his actions.
3173
3174He was a top God in the Alliance. He held the strongest character in this battle. He might have three opponents, but they were at low health. If they just stood there like sandbags, One Autumn Leaf could kill them in an instant. He could probably kill the three of them faster than Combat Form could kill Little Cold Hands.
3175
3176The three weren't sandbags though. However, they were feeling somewhat helpless against Sun Xiang's attacks.　　
3177
3178They couldn't just eat these attacks. If they truly traded blow for blow with One Autumn Leaf, they might be the ones to fall, not One Autumn Leaf.
3179
3180Clerics were the saving grace when a character was at low health. However, their saving grace was being blocked by Qiu Fei. When An Wenyi saw Combat Form charging towards his Little Cold Hands, he turned directions and ran. He didn't have confidence in healing his allies while fending off a pro player simultaneously.
3181
3182Ye Xiu, Qiao Yifan, and Steamed Bun needed to fight with Sun Xiang, while figuring out a way to receive Little Cold Hands. Even though they held the numbers advantage, they were still in a difficult position.
3183
3184　
3185
3186"Happy should have received their healer sooner. They were a bit careless." Li Yibo remarked.　
3187
3188"It's probably because Sun Xiang's and Qiu Fei's turnaround had been too quick. As soon as Life Extinguisher died, they arrived and started attacking. Happy didn't have any time to receive their healer." Pan Lin said.
3189
3190"The problem is that Happy never showed any intentions of doing so. Ye Xiu's Lord Grim had originally been Aerial Firing away to escape from the battle, but he chose to come back." Li Yibo said.
3191
3192"But if he didn't come back and left One Inch Ash and Steamed Bun Invasion to fight with the Excellent Era Battle Mage duo, by the time he received the Cleric, those two might already be dead. Those two had very little health left." Pan Lin said.　　
3193
3194"Xiao Shiqin's final struggle like a fish in a net really dealt a huge blow to Happy." Li Yibo said.　
3195
3196Pan Lin and Li Yibo talked back and forth during this intense battle until they ended up speechless. After discussing with each other, Happy's difficult position at that time was instantly made clear. Although Xiao Shiqin was no longer there, the final exchange before his death had truly given Happy a big blow. If he had tried to survive for as long as possible, he wouldn't have dealt as much damage. Even if Excellent Era had three players right now, Happy wouldn't be in as bad of a situation.
3197
3198Right now, Sun Xiang was holding off three Happy players. Why? Because their health was low. With low health, they could not employ any forceful methods. Split up and run? That would result in one of their players dying. And then? One Autumn Leaf had four Neutral Chasers hovering around him. All of them had been formed by Sun Xiang intentionally. He was saving them specifically for that situation. He also had Dragon Breaks the Ranks, which was no longer on cooldown. He could use it any time to chase after a target.
3199
3200Being amply prepared, Sun Xiang was even hoping that Happy would make such a move. That would give them an opportunity to turn the tides. He was confident that he could finish off two players before they reached their healer. Afterwards, it would be a 2v2. Once that happened, the healer wouldn't be as threatening, especially one at that skill level.
3201
3202The Happy fans cheering for their victory were instantly stunned. On the other hand, the eyes of a few of the Excellent Era fans suddenly brightened. When they saw the current situation and then listened to the two commentators, they finally realized what Xiao Shiqin had done.
3203
3204"Let's go, Excellent Era!!" The Excellent Era fans suddenly exploded into cheers. The final moments of the match were approaching. Their players were fighting, so they couldn't relax. Even if the players on stage couldn't hear them, they also needed to strive for victory alongside their players.
3205
3206An Wenyi had Little Cold Hands run away from Combat Form. Seeing the opponent wasn't letting go of him, he hastily switched out his equipment. He had originally thought that he would be healing after getting there, so he had switched to his healing equipment. He hadn't expected that Happy's four players would be suppressed by Excellent Era's two players. As he ran, he searched for opportunities to get closer to the battle. It would be helpful if he could cast a few instant heals. Happy's three characters needed healing too urgently.
3207
3208However, Qiu Fei wasn't going to let him do as he pleased. Combat Form clung onto Little Cold Hands, blocking the way over to the battle. Little Cold Hands could only turn around. There weren't any opportunities to heal. The only thing that he would meet would be Combat Form's painful attacks. In this situation, he could only run farther and farther away.
3209
3210It hadn't been easy to get a healer advantage, yet because of this, the healer wouldn't be able to join the battle?
3211
3212Happy's supporters felt unreconciled. They hoped that Happy had some way out.　
3213
3214At this moment, an opening suddenly appeared in the 1v3 location. Lord Grim had just been fighting One Autumn Leaf, when he suddenly turned around and flipped his two hands.
3215
3216"Cloud Grasping Fist!!"
3217
3218Who knew how many people shouted at this moment. Lord Grim used Cloud Grasping Fist again, the move that had won them two miracles this match.
3219
3220Was a third miracle going to appear?
3221
3222No!
3223
3224One Autumn Leaf's Evil Annihilation flew over. One Inch Ash and Steamed Bun Invasion tried to block it, but One Autumn Leaf suddenly switched moves. The spear suddenly slanted upwards into a Sky Strike.　　
3225
3226The two were caught off guard by the Sky Strike and were knocked into the air. As Evil Annihilation fell, it switched directions and shot towards Lord Grim as if no one had ever tried to intercept it.
3227
3228However, this slight delay allowed Lord Grim's Cloud Grasping First to come out and grab Combat Form. However, Lord Grim couldn't continue because One Autumn Leaf's attack had arrived. If he continued, he could hold onto Combat Form longer, but it would be quickly interrupted. What's worse, if the attack hit, Sun Xiang could very well combo him to his death.
3229
3230Ye Xiu had no choice but to cancel his skill and retreat. Those with hopes for Cloud Grasping Fist were disappointed. Then, the two in the air let out attacks. Not waiting to land, Steamed Bun Invasion raised his left hand and threw with his right hand. A Brick concealed inside a Sand Toss was thrown out.
3231
3232This trick didn't escape Sun Xiang's eyes. He was very focused right now. He quickly deduced the trajectory of the brick before turning his head to avoid Sand Toss's effect. But during that instant, Qiao Yifan's One Inch Ash immediately started casting. Frost started to form from the tip of his sword, Ice Boundary!
3233
3234Ice Boundary was the most effective CC skill against One Autumn Leaf. Qiao Yifan hadn't usd it because he couldn't find an opportunity to. Sun Xiang was clearly wary of a Phantom Demon's threat and took him very seriously.
3235
3236But because of the Cloud Grasping Fist mix-up, Qiao Yifan was finally able to find an opening. This opening might not mean a guaranteed hit, but it was worth a try.
3237
3238Before he could finish casting, One Autumn Leaf turned his head back. Sun Xiang's actions were extremely precise. He only dodged the Sand Toss at the last moment. After turning his head, he had more than enough time to interrupt One Inch Ash's chant. But at the same time, Lord Grim strode over, using his body to block Sun Xiang's line of sight.
3239
3240This block alone won enough time for One Inch Ash. When One Autumn Leaf pulled away to get a better view, he saw One Inch Ash's taichi drop down as ice spun around its tip.
3241
3242Dragon Breaks the Rank!
3243
3244Sun Xiang activated a high-level skill. A dragon rushed towards One Inch Ash.
3245
3246The Ice Boundary fell, but One Autumn Leaf was able to escape from its range using the high-level skill. One Inch Ash wasn't sent flying from the attack. One Autumn Leaf pressed down on his Evil Annihilation, holding One Inch Ash still. Sun Xiang was clear that his suppression over the three Happy players had ended. He at least needed to kill off one opponent though.
3247
3248However, he hadn't expected Lord Grim to suddenly appear beside him.
3249
3250His appearance was too sudden. Dragon Breaks the Ranks had little ending lag, but Sun Xiang was unable to react in time. Lord Grim grabbed One Autumn Leaf and then threw him into One Inch Ash's Ice Boundary.
3251
3252It was just a Toss.
3253
3254Rate this chapter
3255
3256270 comments, join in >
32571050 The Race to Kill
3258Translator:Nomyummi | Editor: Nomyummi
3259
3260One Autumn Leaf had high resistance, but not enough as that he could completely ignore the freezing effects of Ice Boundary. He wouldn't be completely frozen, but his movement speed being reduced was a reality that was already occurring.
3261
3262No one bothered with him any longer. Lord Grim, One Inch Ash, Steamed Bun Invasion all darted towards Combat Form from their respective positions. Even people who hadn't played Glory, but only similar games would know what the key was to this current situation.
3263
3264Seeing the situation here change abruptly, An Wenyi knew what he had to do next. He no longer focused on running, prepared to switch all his equipment at a moment's notice. The time for him to heal had finally come.
3265　
3266The situation of the field was ever changing and not something that anyone could be certain of.
3267　
3268
3269But at this moment, the situation was clear.
3270
3271The key to victory was if Happy could regroup with their healer or not. Their health had all fallen to a dangerous low. Lord Grim had 5 percent, One Inch Ash at 8 percent and Steamed Bun Invasion at 10 percent.
3272
3273This sort of health was at the range where powerful character like those of Excellent Era's could take down in one wave. On the other hand, of Excellent Era's two characters, One Autumn Leaf still had 67 percent of his health and Combat Form had 55 percent. These two characters hadn't received any critical damage. The damage they had taken was accumulated through exchanges of attacks. With this sort of advantage in health, Happy wouldn't come out well even in a three versus two without some good healing.
3274
3275Charge!
3276
3277If they entered Little Cold Hands' healing range, then they could launch a full-on offensive without worrying. Then, what Excellent Era's duo would be facing was the same difficulty and awkwardness Ye Xiu and co had when they went up against Sun Xiang and One Autumn Leaf.
3278
3279An Wenyi had begun to maneuver himself, trying to find a way to get support. However, Qiu fei was still locked onto him, chasing him further and further away.
3280
3281Most people wouldn't understand the full situation, but they could still tell what their intentions were.
3282
3283In terms of movement speed, Lord Grim and co didn't have any advantages over Combat Form. If Combat Form could continue to herd Little Cold Hands like this, then the distance between the three sides would remain constant. Then, Sun Xiang's One Autumn Leaf would be able to charge back into the fray.
3284
3285This sort of shocking occurrence was being realized under Qiu Fei's strict and efficient pathing. When Lord Grim and the other begun their chase, he had accelerated as well. Little Cold Hands was locked out of range by him, only able to run farther and farther away. He might not be able to keep this up forever, but it wouldn't be long before One Autumn Leaf managed to escape the Ice Boundary.
3286　
3287Were they going to lose this advantage they had fought so hard to gain?
3288
3289Happy's supporters felt cold sweat in their fists. Everyone's gaze all focused on a single person.
3290
3291Little Cold Hands.
3292
3293That's right. The only one who could make a breakthrough in this sort of situation was him. With his skill level, he really couldn't face pro players properly, but just dodging like this wouldn't help the situation any, only bring it to a deadlock. No matter what, he had to take a risk.
3294　
3295It's on!
3296　
3297The calm and rational An Wenyi found that he had no other choice but to take this risk and hardened his heart.
3298　
3299Little Cold Hand abruptly switched out several pieces of equipment and his movement speed immediately plummeted. Then, he turned and charged.
3300　　
3301He had to charge into the fray.
3302
3303However, he wasn't the only one who understood this. Qiu Fei had clearly realized, too, and had been waiting for An Wenyi to let go and charge. Little Cold Hands' current actions were within his expectations.
3304
3305Dragon Rises from the Sea!
3306
3307Cloud Whirling Windstorm!
3308　
3309In these desperate moments, no one would hold back anything. They would do everything they could, use everything they could. Qiu Fei's Combat Form successively used these two big skills, and this was something he had also done in the group arena. He used the chaotic magical energy from Cloud Whirling Windstorm to spread the vapor from Dragon Rises from the Sea across the area, creating a blanket of mist.
3310　　
3311Hide the characters, block the view!
3312
3313This use of effects wasn't some sort of signature move. Zhang Jiale's Hundred Blossoms style was representative of using skill effects in this style. However, used now, Little Cold Hands and Happy's three attempts to find each other became like looking for needles in a haystack. Combat Form hid within the mist, no doubt aiming to strike at Little Cold Hands. When incapable of seeing where attacks were coming from, An Wenyi couldn't find a target even if he wanted to heal.
3314　
3315Angel Wings!
3316　
3317An Wenyi dealt with this with an Angel Wings. Snowy white wings made from holy light sprouted from his back and Little Cold Hands floated into the air. He wasn't very high up, but it helped him gain a better view.
3318
3319An Wenyi was too rational. He didn't think for a second that his skill level was high enough to use pathing to evade a pro player's blockade so he didn't even try. What he wanted to do was grasp a chance to send out a heal. His goal was that simple.
3320　
3321The floating Little Cold Hands charged forwards, using his height to locate Lord Grim and the others once more. In the distance, Sun Xiang's One Autumn Leaf had also escaped the Ice Boundary and was dashing over. He had originally had four neutral Chasers prepared, but unfortunately, Chasers weren't food. You had to use them to attack in order to get the buffs. Currently, he had no attack targets nearby so even with the four Chasers, he couldn't buff his movement speed.
3322
3323However, he wasn't the focus of the match right now.
3324
3325Dragon Tooth!
3326　　
3327Combat Form, amidst the mist, had attacked, his spear stabbing upwards in a diagonal towards Little Cold Hands.
3328
3329An Wenyi wasn't useless. He was naturally on his guard against Combat Form's attacks, hurriedly swerving to the side while sending a Sacred Fire in return.
3330
3331Combat Form easily dodged, his attack rhythm not affected in the slightest. After the Dragon Tooth came a Double Stab, spear thrusting forwards twice. This time, An Wenyi had trouble dealing with it. When facing a mechanics expert, someone whose mechanics wasn't all that great would have trouble keeping up with their opponent's combo pace. After using his all to avoid these two strikes, An Wenyi knew he was at his limit. He wouldn't be able to dodge the following strike.
3332　
3333That was when three cannon blasts sounded.
3334　
3335Anti-Tank Missiles!
3336　　
3337The three successive booms of this skill's activation were too striking and the only one that could use this skill currently on the field was Lord Grim.
3338
3339Combat Form hastily dodged to the side, but his attack didn't stop. A Circle Swing finally pulled Little Cold Hands down from midair. At the same time, he saw the cross in Little Cold Hands' hands flash with sacred light and a Holy Cure was clearly sent out.
3340　
3341How could this be!
3342
3343Qiu Fei was stunned for an instant before realizing that while there were three blasts of a canon, no missiles had come. Yet soon enough, with a string of gunshots, a hail of bullets arrived.
3344
3345Lord Grim had entered attacking range!
3346
3347Qiu Fei realized he had been tricked.
3348
3349The mist from the attack effect had cut the two sides out of each others line of sight, but also hindered his own awareness of the situation. He had thought Lord Grim, gleaning his position from his attacks at Little Cold Hands, had launched his own attack. Dodging had slowed his Circle Swing down just a little.
3350
3351Though this was enough to catch Little Cold Hands, the Cleric had managed to rush out a heal in that time.
3352
3353If Qiu Fei's calculations were correct, Lord Grim and the others should be just out of range.
3354
3355However, the absence of the Anti-Tank Missiles alerted him to what had occurred.
3356
3357Lord Grim's Anti-Tank Missiles weren't an attack, but an Aerial Cannon. Using Qiu Fei's limited awareness, he had tricked Qiu Fei with the sound of the Anti-Tank Missiles. His dodging had slowed down his attack pace while Lord Grim's skill had increased his movement speed. The combination of this had given An Wenyi a chance to heal in that instant and An Wenyi didn't waste it. His grasp of timing was his greatest talent.
3358　　
3359Holy Cure instantly pulled Lord Grim's health back up by 8 percent to 13 percent. The healing power of a proper healing was something a part-timer like Lord Grim could hope to achieve.
3360　
3361Following this, Lord Grim, having closed in, started to use firepower to suppress Combat Form. Since he had entered attacking range, he had also entered Little Cold Hands' healing range. No matter what, letting the healer fully regroup with Happy's three spelled defeat for them. He had to work harder on creating an opening.
3362
3363Sky Strike, Dragon Tooth, Falling Flower Palm!
3364
3365This was one of the most classic three-skill Battle Mage combo. After sending a target airborne, landing a Dragon Tooth and then a Falling Flower Palm, Little Cold Hands was thrown far off by this combo.
3366　
3367Qiu Fei didn't try to boxout Little Cold Hands any longer. Lord Grim had already reached his side, so how would he possibly get the chance to?
3368
3369Whirling around, Combat Form launched a furious offense in disregard to everything else, forcing Lord Grim backwards, determined to not let him take another step forwards.
3370　
3371One Inch Ash and Steamed Bun Invasion quickly entered the fray and behind them, Sun Xiang's One Autumn Leaf had finally arrived as well. The value of Qiu Fei boxing out Little Cold Hands was apparent here. Sun Xiang hadn't left the battle for too long. After having to hold it in for so long, he was merciless with his attacks.
3372
3373"Kill them quickly!"
3374　
3375Sun Xiang yelled into the channel.
3376
3377Racing to kill them was, naturally, a race to kill them before Little Cold Hands returned. Having been thrown out by the Battle Mage, Little Cold Hands was rushing over as fast as he could.
3378
3379Sun Xiang and Qiu Fei didn't think about blocking Little Cold Hands anymore because they knew that with Ye Xiu here, they wouldn't have another chance.
3380
3381Race to kill them! They had to race to kill them no matter the cost; they had to kill them before Little Cold Hands arrived.
3382
3383In that moment, there was no tactics, no dodging, no parrying, just attack after attack as if their characters had endless health. They bled continuously even as they forced their opponents to do the same. Everyone's hand speed had erupted to a peak state and the pacing of the battle was terrifyingly fast. All sorts of skills flew about and blood splattered everywhere.
3384　　
3385Had they lost all sanity?
3386
3387No!
3388
3389Excellent Era was at a state where they had to risk it all. The healer was fast approaching so all they could do was race to finish this. As for Happy? Low health was their problem. Even with a healer, if their health was too low and the opponent was brute forcing DPS, not even a healer would be able to save them. Sp all Happy could do was respond with equal mercilessness, competing with Excellent Era on DPS.
3390
3391Rate this chapter
3392
33931216 comments, join in >
33941051 Never Meant to be Played Alone
3395Translator:Nomyummi | Editor: Nomyummi
3396
3397What would the result of this clash be?
3398
3399No one could predict it and no one had the time to predict it. This DPS competition really only lasted for a duration less than twenty seconds. Everyone used their most efficient methods of DPS. Those slow and powerful skills were all a waste of time in this situation.
3400　
3401The health bars of both sides were plummeting, but from this, it was evident that in the wild dash to kill the other, there was a method to their madness. Happy was evidently focusing their fire on Combat Form. Combat Form's original 55 percent of health was instantly forgotten. From when the fight erupted, this number had been dropping constantly, plummeting in free fall.
3402
3403Considering character strength, Happy was nothing compared to Excellent Era, but Happy had an extra person. The three focused their fire and, in this battle where defense was neglected for more DPS, it would be easy to wipe a character out.
3404
3405But for Happy? Their actual situation wasn't as good as things seemed. Even combined, the health of their characters were less than either of Excellent Era's. An extra person gave them more DPS. However, without a solid amount of health as a foundation, how could they make sure they would be able to keep up this DPS? The one with the most health among the three of them was Lord Grim's 13 percent. In this situation with everyone going all out, he'd be wiped out instantly if One Autumn Leaf and Combat Form focused their fire on him.
3406
3407Happy was at a major disadvantage. The only thing that could turn this around for them was their Cleric, but what would happen during the time it took for their Cleric to arrive? Would Happy be able to hold on until then?
3408
3409This period of time was a mere instant, but it was in this mere instant that the audience personally saw an advantage that was unique to the unspecialized class: the seamless transition between all of the low level skills.
3410
3411No single class had so many short CD low level skills. With the battle where it was, no one would wait for all your skills to come off cooldown before unleashing them, so, for any class, after the battle began, there would never be a time where its skill tree would be wholesome because used skills would go on cooldown. The more intense the battle, the more skills were on cooldown.
3412
3413Excellent Era versus Happy had already gotten to a point where the battle raged so intensely, that it couldn't get more intense. Under this situation, Lord Grim's skill options was still mostly complete.
3414
3415You could only say mostly. After all, Lord Grim was also continuously using skills and low leveled skills also had cooldowns. However, this mostly complete was an absolute advantage over any other character in this fight.
3416　
3417The battle had reached its peak. Even the greatest player would feel like they didn't have enough skills.
3418
3419Seamlessly cycling through a comboed set of skills? That was PvE. Only PvE would have something like that. This was PvP and it was a high-end PvP match. There was no time for anyone to cycle through skills without disruption like in PvE.
3420　
3421A fast-paced battle would soon make people feel like they had no skills to use and less and less choices to make.
3422
3423Pro players were good at controlling their rhythm as to not fall into an awkward disadvantage. However, no matter what, they still had to use skills and there would always be cooldowns. As the pace went up, the room they had to maneuver would decrease.
3424
3425But the unspecialized didn't have this problem!
3426
3427Thus, when Happy was fighting with their backs to the wall and both sides felt like their skills weren't enough for the battle, Ye Xiu's Lord Grim still managed to fight at his fastest pace. While the offense of the others began to seem rather thinned out, Lord Grim still had sleeves full of tricks.
3428
3429Not needing to worry about cooldowns and having skills to use anywhere anywhen was something that probably only occurred in the wet dreams of most players. Yet now, the unspecialized had turned this dream into a reality. Especially in this sort of crucial moment, the unspecialized's ability was magnified further as the opponent's skills diminished.
3430
3431An unused skill was always the most terrifying skill.
3432
3433And the unspecialized's skills were always at an unused state because he had more skills, because his skills had shorter cooldowns.
3434
3435Happy managed to hold on in the few seconds it took Little Cold Hands to arrive, but no one fully understood what, exactly, happened in those few seconds. The advantage unspecialized had in this crucial moment wasn't something bystanders could glean, but those who were directly involved. Only Sun Xiang and Qiu Fei truly understood what sort of disadvantage they had when fighting against Lord Grim.
3436
3437As for the commentators of the broadcast?
3438
3439They were still lamenting over Little Cold Hands' arrival for Excellent Era!
3440
3441"No, it's not over yet!" Li Yibo suddenly exclaimed.
3442
3443Lord Grim's best efforts in restricting his opponents were just to help his own side endure this period. This was already an absurd result. However, Sun Xiang and QIu Fei's offense hadn't been truly interrupted. Happy's three had still taken quite a few hits, it was just that none of them had been fatal.
3444
3445With Little Cold Hands' arrival, he saw the pitiful health bars of Happy's trio and didn't dare use chanted skills. He was afraid they might die in the time it took him to complete his chants.
3446
3447Instantly, two instant cast Cures were sent over.
3448
3449And then? There was no "then". After that, healing would require chanting. The three instant cast Cures had all been thrown out already.
3450
3451Healers weren't gods. There was still a limit to their healing ability.
3452
3453However, Happy's characters really had too little blood. At this point, they couldn't really hold on for much longer. There were situations that even a healer couldn't save.
3454
3455Having used up all his instant casts, An Wenyi could only start to chant a heal. Yet right when he was about to do so, he suddenly saw a message from Ye Xiu in the chat: Holy Com.
3456
3457Holy Commandment?
3458
3459Not wanting healing at such a time but DPS support?
3460
3461Everyone who saw Ye Xiu's command was completely stunned, all thinking they were hallucinating and wondering if this abbreviation had some other meaning. It couldn't possibly be that he wanted the healer to not heal, but support their offense?
3462
3463The audience was hesitant, but the players on the field weren't. Seeing the order, An Wenyi didn't think twice before a Holy Commandment was immediately thrown out. The target was Combat Form who had less health and was obviously Happy's focus. If An Wenyi couldn't even make this sort of judgement, when he really had to apologize for all the effort Ye Xiu had gone through to dig him out of those players in Tyrannical Ambition.
3464
3465The Holy Commandment enveloped Combat Form. It wasn't just the audience that was shocked by the Holy Commandment from little Cold Hands, even Sun Xiang and Qiu Fei felt puzzled.
3466
3467However, they had no time to stop and consider. With the opponent's Cleric here, they were pressed for time. If they couldn't storm their opponents and Little Cold Hands managed to hold their health up, then the ending would be set.
3468　
3469Attack!
3470
3471Continue the attack.
3472　
3473Sun Xiang and Qiu Fei had long since been prepared to mount their furious attack against this healing.
3474
3475This was the scene Xiao Shiqin had set for them. After bringing down the health of two members of Happy, Sun Xiang and Qiu Fei would use the time it took for the Cleric to arrive to intensify their attacks. Being able to take down even one before the Cleric arrived would allow them to maintain a chance a victory. It wasn't easy.
3476
3477We can do it!
3478
3479Sun Xiang and QIu Fei were red eyed with bloodthirsty. Nothing else existed for them. They stared at the last scraps of blood that Happy's characters had, attacking, taking it down.
3480
3481Success!
3482　
3483Steamed Bun Invasion's health was wiped, a situation even a healer couldn't save. Steamed Bun Invasion fell to Excellent Era's offense.
3484
3485And then? One Inch Ash's health was already in the decimal range, could they take him down, too?
3486
3487Another one fallen!
3488
3489One Inch Ash fell, a second kill.
3490
3491Success!
3492
3493Two versus two, so what if there's a healer? The eventual victory will be ours! Sun Xiang's heart soared and there was finally only one opponent left in front of him. He had One Autumn Leaf lunge wildly. He could finally defeat this person.
3494
3495Who would've expected that Lord Grim would suddenly jump up, sending out Anti-Tank Missiles at Combat Form, his characters flying backwards from the recoil.
3496
3497Sun Xiang turned his view with this attack. What he saw caused him to charge over like he had gone crazy, trying to use his own body to block the three Anti-Tank Missiles.
3498
3499But it was too late. Everything was too late. Lord Grim didn't just send out Anti-Tank Missiles. A grenade had also rolled over, across the ground.
3500　
3501Combat Form, Qiu Fei's Combat Form had run out of health.
3502
3503The shadow that had been with him the whole way, helping him. In truth, Sun Xiang hadn't thought that he was very important, but in that moment, he truly wished to save Combat Form from death, willing, even, to use his own character, One Autumn Leaf, to shield his shadow from death.
3504
3505But it was all too late. Engulfed by the light of the explosion, Combat Form could no longer escape and his health fell to zero. Combat Form, he had fallen.
3506
3507AAAAAHHHHHH!
3508
3509In the playor booth, no one could hear how Sun Xiang had screamed. One Autumn Leaf suddenly turned, a skill that had just come off of cooldown was flung forth.
3510
3511Dragon Breaks the Ranks!
3512　
3513In pursuit of Lord Grim, who had flown out backwards, he caught up in the blink of an eye.
3514
3515"Die!!" Sun Xiang bellowed out through gritted teeth, uncaring that the other couldn't hear this roars.
3516
3517Lord Grim, airborne, was incapable of dodging this strike. He could only unsheath his sword to Guard, but he was still knocked out of the air from the force of the attack.
3518
3519Yet before Lord Grim even hit the ground, a holy light washed over him.
3520
3521Holy Heal.
3522
3523This was the Heal that required the longest cast time, but also healed the largest amount of health and it accurately engulfed Lord Grim.
3524
352515%!
3526　
3527The high-end heal that needed an immense cast time instantly pulled Lord Grim's health up by that much.
3528　
3529Sun Xiang felt his despair return.
3530
3531One versus two and the opponent had a healer, this situation...
3532　
3533"Didn't I tell you before, Glory was never meant to be played alone. Now, Sun Xiang… what do you say?" Lord Grim sent in the public chat as the Holy Heal descended.
3534
3535Glory was never meant to be played alone?
3536
3537Saying this when you were fighting two on one with a healer on your side? This made everyone speechless, but no one could retort it. This was an example of a situation going from hopeful to despair.
3538
3539Sun Xiang hadn't wanted to give up yet and aimed to hurry and take out Little Cold Hands first. However, the moment he saw Ye Xiu's words, his fighting spirit extinguished. He knew that he wouldn't get a chance to do so.
3540
3541"Yes… Glory... was never meant to be played alone…" After replying with the same words, Sun Xiang didn't type GG. He directly left the match.
3542
3543Translator's Thoughts
3544NomyummiNomyummi
3545GG
3546
3547Rate this chapter
3548
35492132 comments, join in >
35501052 We Are The Champions
3551Translator:Nomyummi | Editor: Nomyummi
3552
3553It… it's over?
3554
3555The system announced Team Happy's victory, and after that the system automatically gave a few close ups of the surviving characters. Shots of Lord Grim, with his colorful equipment, and Little Cold Hands at all sorts of angles were being displayed on the screen.
3556
3557However, no one really reacted properly. Their hearts were still in their throats, waiting for a final explosion of attacks. This was because One Autumn Leaf still had over forty percent of his health left. Though he had to fight one on two, Excellent Era had a lead in the group arena. If he went all out, he might be able to at least take one person down even if he couldn't get them both. That way, it would at least end with a tie. Yet Sun Xiang had just the match left like that?
3558
3559Did the system disconnect him?
3560
3561No one dared to believe the reality before their eyes, and even the referee had to check the game's system to confirm that Sun Xiang really did surrender and it wasn't some sort of mistake.
3562
3563After that, he finally announced that Happy had won the team competition, gaining two points. In the end of the Challenger League, Team Happy won 2 to 1 against Team Excellent Era.
3564
3565"Fuck!!!"
3566
3567An enraged bellow came from Excellent Era's bench. Their boss, Tao Xuan, suddenly seemed to have been possessed by the Battle God or something and jumped up, smashing the water bottle in his hand against the side of the stage.
3568
3569They lost? They actually lost?
3570
3571Tao Xuan didn't dare to believe his eyes. His Team Excellent Era, the powerhouse Team Excellent Era, with top players like Sun Xiang and Xiao Shiqin, and spectacular characters like One Autumn Leaf and Life Extinguisher had actually lost to the grassroots team Ye Xiu had led out from nowhere? How was that possible!?
3572
3573"Hahaha, well played, well played." That was when someone from Team Happy's bench also stood up. Wei Chen extended his hands towards Excellent Era's bench, purposefully applauding for them to see and hear. His expression was one of nonchalance though, as if there was nothing much to their victory.
3574
3575"Stop pretending, alright?" Chen Guo, who had almost began crying when their victory was announced, didn't know whether to laugh or cry at Wei Chen's actions. This guy had obviously been jumping for joy at this, but purposefully feigned nonchalance to anger Excellent Era. You might say that, but your tone is still trembling, man.
3576
3577"We won!" Chen Guo turned her head around and said to Su Mucheng, who sat next to her. Su Mucheng was supposed to be an opponent in this competition, and she was even responsible for the point that Excellent Era had gained, but Chen Guo saw her as one of their own.
3578
3579"Yes, we won…" Su Mucheng nodded.
3580
3581"I'm glad I didn't waste my time coming out here." Sun Zheping let out a long breath, stretching out in his seat.
3582
3583"We won, we won, we won!" Although Luo Ji hadn't gone up in this match, he was just as happy as everyone else was. He wanted to find someone to share this victory with, yet when he turned his head, he found that it was Mo Fan that sat closest to him, staring at the stage with his characteristic emotionless expression.
3584
3585"We won!" Luo Ji hollered at him. Mo Fan turned his head, looking at him emotionlessly.
3586
3587"Er…" Luo Ji decided to walk a few more steps so he could celebrate with the others. He charged forward and joined Chen Guo and the others. Yet, he hadn't noticed that, although Mo Fan hadn't spoken, though he was still stoic, his hand, in that moment, had clenched into a fist,
3588
3589Happy's bench had exploded with celebration, while Excellent Era's bench was dead silent. Their boss's explosion of rage caused them to shrink back into their seats with their heads lowered, as if no one could see them that way.
3590
3591That was when the audience there finally recovered.
3592
3593They won. Happy actually won.
3594
3595Seven Fields opened his mouth and stayed stunned for a full half minute until the person next to him nudged him.
3596
3597"Fuck, fuck fuck fuck, fuck!!!" Seven Fields turned this way and that, cursing and spitting everywhere, but none of the people around him minded, grabbing him tightly. "We won."
3598
3599"Yes, we won!"
3600
3601"Holy fuck, we won!!!" Seven Fields gave the loudest cheer yet. Happy's group of loyal fans, surrounded by Excellent Era's fans, erupted as one. They threw everything in their hands that they could throw up into the air, cheering and yelling, singing and dancing about. The security guard in the stadium were poised, ready to take action just in case, but didn't go up to stop them. Happy's victory truly hadn't come easily. If they didn't allow them to celebrate, that would just be cruel.
3602
3603As for Excellent Era's fans? They were all dumbstruck. 
3604　
3605Contemplate if Sun Xiang's departure from the game was accidental or not? They weren't in the mood for that anymore. No matter what, the end was set and Happy was the final victor. As for their Team Excellent Era, would they have to stay in the Challenger League another year? They were a powerhouse team with God level players and God-level accounts, but they had to sink in the Challenger League for another year? Currently, all the Excellent Era fans could feel was sadness, disappointment, and discomfort.
3606
3607"Happy… Happy won?" In the broadcast, when the system announced the victor, commentator Pan Lin had announced the result with a tone full of uncertainty. Even he was incredulous.
3608
3609"Yes, Happy won. A miracle, they've truly created a real miracle." Li Yibo, on the other hand, had gotten back into character and couldn't help but sigh with deep emotion.
3610
3611"This is completely unexpected! Happy has defeated Excellent Era, winning this year's Challenger League. They will become newcomers to the Pro Alliance next season. As for Excellent Era? This powerhouse team that created the only dynasty in Glory history is once again subject to another year of the Challenger League and the one to put them into this situation is, coincidentally, the ex-captain that built that very dynasty. For Excellent Era, is he an angel or a demon? I believe all of Excellent Era's people are feeling very conflicted right now. They must regret letting Ye Xiu enter retirement so easily."
3612
3613After Pan Lin recovered from his shock, he leapt back into character. Happy's victory was truly unexpected, but there was much to say about it, too. Pan Lin swiftly formulated a response and began to commentate.
3614
3615Now, the award ceremony began immediately after the match. All of Happy's players would have to go onstage to obtain their awards. Chen Guo was their boss, but she was also a registered member of Team Happy. Though she had barely played a single match, she still had the right to come onstage. Chen Guo was very proud of herself, walking on stage with the others. Onstage, the players had already stepped out of their booths.
3616
3617Ye Xiu, Tang Rou, Steamed Bun, Wu Chen, Qiao Yifan, An Wenyi...
3618
3619Everyone's gaze landed on them. Apart from Ye Xiu, the others were complete unknowns. Yet just now, they had created a miracle. They really defeated Excellent Era in the Challenger League, taking the only slot and entering the Alliance.
3620
3621The present was no longer Excellent Era's world. In this moment, applause filled the venue. With the results out, those who had been hoping for this result, hoping for Happy to win no longer needed to hide. They could express their support and respect openly.
3622
3623As for Excellent Era's competition booths?
3624
3625Sun Xiang, Xiao Shiqin, Zhang Jiaxing, Shen Jian, Wang Ze, Qiu Fei.
3626
3627Apart from Qiu Fei, they were all people with at least some renown in the pro circle, and some were even Gods. Yet in that moment, they were failures. This stage was no longer theirs and they didn't have the heart to watch their opponent's crowning. They silently left the stage on one side.
3628
3629Excellent Era's bench was still in complete silence. No one went up to comfort their returning teammates. It was their boss, Tao Xuan, who charged up to Sun Xiang like a Dragon Breaks the Ranks.
3630
3631"The match wasn't over, why did you leave?!" Tao Xuan roared at Sun Xiang.
3632
3633"I couldn't win," Sun Xiang shook his head.
3634
3635"How would you know that without trying? Even if you couldn't win, you could still tie by defeating one of them and bring us into overtime," Tao Xuan bellowed.
3636
3637"I wouldn't be able to, because Glory was never meant to be played alone," Sun Xiang said.
3638
3639"You…" Tao Xuan was stunned. This was what Ye Xiu had said to Sun Xiang on the field. Yet at this time, Sun Xiang had used it to retort against him.
3640
3641Ye Xiu...
3642
3643Gazing at the figure onstage, Ye Xiu was quite a ways away and Tao Xuan couldn't see his face clearly. However, as his once upon a time most dear friend, he should have been able to imagine this friend's smile without seeing it, but why was it that his mind was in such a mess? After so long of running this team, what had he gained? And what had he lost?
3644　
3645Glory… was never meant to be played alone?
3646
3647This sentence seemed to be true not only for the battlefield!
3648
3649Tao Xuan stared for a while and then sat back down dejectedly. He raised his head to look around and saw that all around him, there were people clapping for Happy. Tao Xuan knew there were quite a few Excellent Era fans here, but where had they gone now? How did they feel about this result?
3650
3651Team Excellent Era...
3652
3653Tao Xuan gazed at the stage. Excellent Era's team logo stood tall here at Excellent Era's bench. On a stage without a spotlight, it seemed dulled.
3654
3655The award ceremony had long since been prepared for, the only thing that would need to be changed was who to give it to. The ceremony had already begun by then and the MC naturally had to go and interview Happy a little bit before bringing the trophy up.
3656
3657"Happy's victory is, for most, an unexpected and shocking event. How do you feel about this?" The host threw the question at Happy's captain, who was also Excellent Era's ex-captain, Ye Xiu.
3658
3659"Excellent Era was a formidable opponent, but Happy won the match. We are the champions. This is our glory." Ye Xiu said.
3660
3661The opponent was strong, but we won the match.
3662
3663This was more like a courtesy in a pro match, but here, no one would take it as just that. This was because Excellent Era truly was a powerful opponent, far stronger than Happy, but Happy still won.
3664
3665That's right. It was just that simple.
3666
3667That was what competition meant. That was what Glory meant.
3668
3669You're stronger than us, but we won the match.
3670
3671So, we are the champions.
3672
3673Translator's Thoughts
3674NomyummiNomyummi
3675Ye Xiu has officially returned to the scene with Team Happy!!! It's been a long journey, and now a new one is about to begin! So sit back tight, we've still got 700 chapters to go :^)
3676
3677Rate this chapter
3678
3679521 comments, join in >
36801053 Reopening a Can of Worms
3681Translator:Nomyummi | Editor: Nomyummi
3682
3683The entire stadium was filled with applause. This sort of finale made all those spectators who were hoping to witness a miracle feel that their journey was completely worthwhile. Applause, screaming, the host, having only just gotten the chance to ask one question, couldn't continue amongst this noise. He had to wait a full minute for the noise to die down. The host hurried to grasp this opportunity, throwing out a second question.
3684
3685"Next is a question about you, personally. As the ex-captain of Excellent Era, winning this match, I think many people are curious as to what your feelings are right now."
3686
3687This question was like a signal and the entire audience immediately fell silent. The MC's words weren't exaggerated at all; everyone was immensely curious about this topic.
3688
3689"Nothing really. To me, victory is the most important," Ye Xiu said mildly.
3690
3691"Then is there anything you want to say to Excellent Era?" The MC was obviously unsatisfied with Ye Xiu's answer. He wanted to hear something more juicy regarding the relationship between the two.
3692
3693"Continue to work hard," Ye Xiu's answer was still as calm as ever.
3694
3695The MC gave up on that train of thought and could only continue with the next question. "There's another thing everyone is curious about. In the past, you never revealed yourself to the public, but how come you've changed this habit with your return?"
3696　
3697"Heh, no reason in particular. I guess I was just going with the flow," Ye Xiu replied nonchalantly.
3698
3699The three successive questions hadn't elicited any interesting information and the MCcouldn't accept this! He just really couldn't. He wasn't some randomly assigned newbie, he was a very professional Glory reporter and had interviewed countless pro players. He knew which Glory pro players were hard to deal with in media. However, after these three questions, the MC understood; friends in the media, don't think for a second that Ye Xiu accepting interviews is a boon. There's probably going to be another player placed on the list of impossible-to-interview players.
3700
3701"Alright. Next, let's welcome the chairman of the Glory Alliance, Mister Feng Xianjun, to hand the trophy to Team Happy, as well as the certificate of qualification to the pro league!" Seeing that the award ceremony preparations had finished, the MC didn't continue the interview. Out of the four questions, three were directly at Ye Xiu personally and were topics that were popular prior to the match.
3702　
3703Feng Xianjun walked up the steps and onto the stage, smiling in a relaxed way and coming to shake the hands of every member of Happy and congratulate them.
3704
3705In Happy's lineup, there were two that were familiar faces for Feng Xianjun.
3706
3707"You can still play?" When shaking Sun Zheping's right hand, the chairman intentionally used more strength than necessary, smiling.
3708
3709"Not much, but it's still enough." Even facing the chairman, Sun Zheping was still the same as ever.
3710
3711Feng Xianjun smiled, nodding, and ended the conversation there, continuing down the line to shake hands. Wei Chen was a player from the first two generations and back then, Feng Xianjun wasn't the chairman yet, so they weren't really too familiar. They conversed normally before he finally arrived in front of Ye Xiu.
3712
3713"I shouldn't have expected anything less from you," Feng Xianjun said, shaking Ye Xiu's hand.
3714
3715"Heh," Ye Xiu chuckled, "You didn't write the wrong name on the certificate, did you?"
3716　
3717"You should be careful to not write the wrong name yourself," Feng Xianjun retorted, smiling.
3718　
3719The quiet conversation went unheard by anyone else. Outsiders only saw their peaceful smiling faces. Then Feng Xianjun turned and grasped the trophy, handing it to Ye Xiu.
3720
3721Ye Xiu accepted it and raised it high as the crowd exploded into applause once more. The MC loudly announced the champions, but in truth, the value of the Challenger League wasn't in the trophy, but the beautifully printed certificate Feng Xianjun then handed over.
3722　
3723The qualification certificate to the pro league.
3724
3725With this, it meant that Happy had the right to enter the pro league next season, and that was what everyone was truly fighting to take..
3726
3727Champions of the Challenger League? That was never the final destination, but a starting point, one that started from this very certificate.
3728
3729Ye Xiu accepted the certificate and saw Team Happy printed there. The certificate had been prepared long ago, but the team name was only printed after the final result had been revealed. Happy's other members had already clustered around and Feng Xianjun stepped to the side, letting them share their joy and leaving the celebrations to them. Tonight, they were the main characters.
3730　
3731As for those side characters who had failed, they wouldn't be completely ignored. Feng Xianjun then went over to Team Excellent Era and gave a few words of comfort and encouragement. As for the reporters, they were already looking at Excellent Era like tigers watching their prey. They had already prepared who knows how many questions, waiting to launch them at Excellent Era. They had already been told that this Challenger League match had a press conference afterwards. Never had this been arranged for the Challenger League before. It was clear how much importance the Alliance placed on this year's Challenger League match in comparison to the past. However, the reality was less grandiose: not enough popularity. However, this year, with the topic of Ye Xiu versus Excellent Era, they had arranged for time to gossip afterwards.
3732
3733The first to appear at the press conference was Team Excellent Era. The manager Cui Li, as well as Sun Xiang, Xiao Shiqin, and the other Excellent Era players all attended the press conference, sitting on the stage dumbly. No one initiated conversation. They were all silent.
3734
3735There was complete silence and the reporters were looking at each other as well.
3736
3737Losing the Challenger League was probably even worse than losing the championship match, especially for a powerhouse team like Excellent Era. The reporters felt sorry for them, but their professionalism wouldn't allow them take mercy on Excellent Era just because they were sorry for the loss. After sitting in mournful silence with Excellent Era for half a minute, some reporters probably felt that they had met a quota for their sympathy and raised their hands to ask questions.
3738
3739The members of Excellent Era were still sitting there numbly. In the end, it was an Alliance news manager who began to choose reporters to ask questions from the side.
3740
3741"During the match, Su Mucheng suddenly declared that she and Excellent Era were over and sat on Happy's side of the bench. Could you explain why this is? Is there any bad blood between Su Mucheng and Excellent Era?" Upon asking the first question, the reporters had chosen a difficult question for Excellent Era.
3742
3743However, they were all people who had experience with worldly situations. Cui Li glanced at the reporter and said without emotion, "Su Mucheng is still a member of Team Excellent Era and Excellent Era will convene with the players before making decisions regarding their futures. Before then, there's nothing to say."
3744
3745"Then may I ask how Excellent Era convened with Ye Xiu when he announced his retirement? From the match today, I doubt that anyone would believe that Ye Xiu is a player who should retire. He's in a surprisingly good state that doesn't lose to any of Excellent Era's players." The question that followed hit an even sorer spot for Excellent Era. This was a problem that Excellent Era's PR had wanted to disperse. Since Ye Xiu refused to accept interviews, it had made things convenient for Excellent Era. It was more or less whatever they said that goes.
3746
3747Yet now this old can of worms had been reopened after the finale of the Challenger League. When Ye Xiu had originally announced his retirement, everyone wanted to know the reason. However, since he was a very private person, no one was able to gain first hand knowledge from the man himself. Excellent Era was their only source of information to gain this information from. Under this situation, it was easy for Excellent Era to guide the discussion. They had to first cover up the truth of Ye Xiu's retirement and then mix in the truth of Excellent Era's slipping performance. That Ye Xiu's skill was slipping had been a logical excuse. With Ye Xiu's habits, quietly retiring wasn't unexpected. The fans might be sorrowful, but they still accepted this truth.
3748
3749They had thought it had all blown over. Who would've expected that Ye Xiu would build up another team from scratch after leaving Excellent Era and then fight them in the Challenger League?
3750
3751This wasn't something Excellent Era had planned for. After creating a lie, they could only weave more lies around it to prevent it from falling apart. It was a good thing that Ye Xiu refused to appear in public, so Excellent Era held the reigns of the discussion.
3752
3753Ye Xiu had never come out to say anything. Even after qualifying for the offline matches in the Challenger League and accepting some interviews, he had never expressed any form of concern towards these problems. Even so, upon seeing Ye Xiu accepting an interview for the first time, Excellent Era had panicked. They made preparations of all sorts of public backlash, but it was all for nothing. What they worried about was nothing to Ye Xiu.
3754
3755Even now, Ye Xiu still didn't say anything.
3756　
3757However, he won the match.
3758
3759Nothing was more convincing than this. You say Ye Xiu's skill has slipped? Then defeat him if you can! He had beat Excellent Era with a grassroots team. Never mind not being able to see any slips in his ability, even if his ability had slipped, no one would believe it after seeing such a conclusion.
3760
3761Had Ye Xiu's state worsened to the point of needing to retire?
3762
3763No one was more clear on this than Excellent Era.
3764
3765The reason they wanted Ye Xiu to retire was precisely because they knew that Ye Xiu was still skilled, terrifyingly so. They wanted to give up on Ye Xiu, but were afraid that Ye Xiu would be a threat to them after becoming an opponent. They took more than they were given, and the situation had spiralled out of control.
3766
3767Now, with this powerful reality as evidence, this question was like a knife's edge for them.
3768
3769Even worse, Ye Xiu no longer refused the media and soon enough, he would be sitting in this exact same place, facing the same reporters, and possibly answering the same questions.
3770
3771The days of being the only voice in the discussion had gone and would never be back.
3772
3773When Excellent Era had wished Ye Xiu would walk onto the stage and get close to the media, promoting the team and himself, Ye Xiu had refused.
3774
3775Now, when Excellent Era hoped that Ye Xiu could continue keeping his head down and refuse the reporters, he decided to stand up.
3776
3777He hadn't said anything yet, but just the fact that he was willing to accept interviews caused Excellent Era to feel like they were sitting on pins and needles. Then, that last victory was an even stronger, clearer slap to the face.
3778
3779"Manager Cui? Team Leader Cui?"
3780
3781In his trance, Cui Li seemed to hear a voice calling out to him. He wanted to respond, but his body was no longer in his control.
3782
3783"Doctor, is there a doctor here? Call an ambulance, someone's fainted!!" The press conference descended into chaos.
3784
3785Rate this chapter
3786
37871271 comments, join in >
37881054 The Fate of a God
3789Translator:Nomyummi | Editor: Nomyummi
3790
3791In the end, Cui Li was carried out on a stretcher, accompanied by an entourage of flashes. After the press conference had been disrupted, Excellent Era's press officer charged in, stopping the reporters that would like nothing more than to follow them all the way and take pictures.
3792
3793"Sorry everyone, but with this incident, the interviews will end here today." The press officer said, ignoring the complaints of the reporters and herding the attending members of Excellent Era out.
3794
3795The reporters loudly objected, but Excellent Era was steadfast in their decision, leaving a "we'll be holding another press conference in the near future, so you're welcome to come and ask whatever inquires you have then." In the blink of an eye, all of Excellent Era's people had left.
3796
3797The reporters couldn't do anything about Excellent Era's steadfast decision, which ignored any way they could condemn them with their words. However, while they only had the chance to ask two questions, they managed to elicit very interesting responses. A question that could cause the answering side to faint? How much information was Excellent Era hiding in regards to the answer behind this question?
3798
3799Though they might not get an answer today, the reporters wouldn't be discouraged. A monk might be able to run, but his monastery couldn't. It wasn't like such a large organization such as Excellent Era could disappear overnight. The reporters were all formulating their plans for the following interview.
3800
3801Excellent Era might have escaped, but the press conference would continue. No matter how famous Excellent Era was, or how much there was to talk about, the champions were the true main characters of the night.
3802　
3803The reporters waited patiently. If they couldn't get their answers from Excellent Era, then they would get them from Happy. The central figure to all of these questions was a part of Team Happy, after all.
3804
3805Yet after waiting for a long time, they were still left without their targets. That was when the press officer of the Alliance walked in with an awkward expression on his face. His originally impeccable suit was wrinkled all over.
3806
3807"Sorry everyone, but the press conference today will have to end here." The press officer walked onstage and, seeing the anxious gazes below, announced with embarrassment.
3808
3809"What?" All the reporters crashed to the ground.
3810
3811"You've got to be fucking kidding me!" Someone hollered.
3812
3813"What about Happy?"
3814　
3815"That's right, Happy's players haven't arrived yet!"
3816
3817"Happy's people, they left…" The press officer also sounded depressed as he informed the others. After the award ceremony, all the employees had come to clean the place up. There was quite a lot of chaos. Pro players all knew what to do. For example, Team Excellent Era's players went to wait for the press conference backstage without prompting.
3818
3819As for Happy? Well, they left.
3820
3821Yup, they left. They didn't tell anyone, and no one noticed. This was because this was impossible to anyone with common sense. No one would be on guard for the team that had just finished a match.
3822
3823Thus, Team Happy really did leave. It wasn't until the press conference was ready to start when the Alliance realized that only Excellent Era was present, while Happy was nowhere to be seen.
3824
3825The employees looked for them everywhere with all their might, but they couldn't find anything. In the end, they asked around before finally getting word that a large group of people had left, yelling "we're the champions!"
3826
3827Happy's player? Or Happy's fans?
3828
3829They didn't know. All they knew was that Happy's people had left. They had stood up the press conference.
3830
3831It was a good thing that Happy was going second, being the victors, so the Alliance still held a slither of hope. They hurried to find a way to contact Happy, rushing to get Happy back before Excellent Era's press conference ended.
3832
3833Who would've thought that Excellent Era wouldn't be so cooperative either? It was only the second question and someone had already fainted.
3834
3835The Alliance couldn't stop them from ending the press conference with this reason. However, on the other side, they hadn't even found Happy's contact info yet!
3836
3837Chairman Feng Xianjun, having been informed of this, was stunned. No way? In the past, it was Ye Xiu who refused to attend these kinds of events, could it be that the entirety of Happy would refuse to attend these events now? That was too against the rules; that was most certainly not allowed to happen.
3838　
3839"We must find him and figure out what this is about!" That was the order the chairman gave.
3840
3841They had found Happy's number and hurriedly called, but no one ever picked up. The Alliance was helpless in this situation and they couldn't have the reporters wait there forever, so the press officer had to go and announce that the press conference was over.
3842
3843The press officer knew how awkward this situation was and was prepared to be surrounded and bombarded by the complaints of reporters, but Happy had left and they couldn't find them, so what could they do? The press officer could only face things with a strained smile.
3844
3845The finals of the Challenger League, the press conference with all the juicy information that the reporters had been waiting for, yet it had been stopped with the fainting of a single person?
3846
3847No one would accept that.
3848
3849The media stands had all began to plan out their next steps. The media groups with idle soldiers stationed in H City all moved their troops out towards Happy Internet Cafe and Club Excellent Era. Do you really think you can escape us?
3850
3851But the next day, Club Excellent Era suddenly announced that they would no longer be answering inquiries from the media. The reason, they explained, was because losing the Challenger League had brought their development to a grinding halt. Now, they had a lot of problems to deal with and didn't have the time or energy to deal with the media.
3852
3853This reason seemed rather legit. Team Excellent Era had never thought they would lose the Challenger League. Their plans for the past year were all in regards to the Pro League and winning the championships. Now they had to stay in the Challenger League another year. The second coming of such a disaster was really more than they could deal with. Even disregarding that, Sun Xiang, Xiao Shiqin, these Gods, who had stayed with Excellent Era in the Challenger League for a year already, wouldn't accept having to go another year. Not just these Gods, but Zhang Jiaxing, Shen Jian, these pros, who could easily find a place in the Alliance, wouldn't be willing to continue to play in the Challenger League. There was also the rookie, Qiu Fei, who, according to the media of City B, was being sought out by Team Tiny Herb, who was looking for a chance to negotiate his transfer with Excellent Era.
3854
3855This news came from a small, local paper and wasn't necessarily trustworthy, but it clearly showed that the Challenger League was a waste of even Qiu Fei's talent. Could Excellent Era keep these players?
3856
3857There were, indeed, many troublesome things that Excellent Era had to deal with, but right now, the media wouldn't believe that they refused to respond to inquiries because they were busy.
3858　　
3859They were busy, but the reason they didn't want to face the media was because they had something to hide.
3860　
3861The more they had to hide, the more interested the media would be in digging up their secrets. Excellent Era might have closed themselves off to the media, but the media was omnipresent and would always find a way to attack from a different angle.
3862
3863First of all, they found out from one of the receptionists at Happy Internet Cafe how exactly Ye Xiu came to their Internet cafe. Though they knew that Happy was only a road apart from Excellent Era, running to an Internet cafe after leaving Excellent Era really didn't suit the status of a God of the Alliance.
3864
3865Yet they didn't think it really was just as things seemed.
3866　
3867Happy Internet Cafe's receptionist didn't hide anything, openly admitting that Ye Xiu had come to the Internet cafe and asked for a computer then, seeing the notice that they were looking for employees, applied for the position.
3868
3869A God of Glory….. after announcing his retirement had come to an internet cafe for work?
3870
3871Then, the reporters were given a tour of Happy Internet Cafe and the places God Ye Xiu had fought from. There was a small bed and a whole bunch of miscellaneous items in the small storage room; the reporters almost cried.
3872
3873Was this the fate of the first generation God that built up Excellent Era's dynasty and made the title of Battle God resound throughout the entire Glory scene?
3874
3875On the morrow, the media was full of pictures of this heartbreaking storage room. The big websites and internet celebs were also all reposting this, and some TV companies even wanted to come and film onsite.
3876
3877The Glory scene was shocked!
3878
3879The fans were shocked!
3880
3881The reason for Ye Xiu's departure from Excellent Era was no longer of importance. Was this what the general, who had poured sweat and tears into taking the team to its pinnacle, got for all his hard work after retirement?
3882
3883Working in an Internet cafe, living in a doghouse?
3884
3885"How could they do this?!" One of the randomly interviewed Glory players exclaimed. "I can't imagine that a God like Ye Qiu would receive this sort of treatment after retirement. I can't imagine how Excellent Era must treat its players. Will there still be any pros willing to play for them after this? Oh, that's not right. What pro would be willing to go to a team in the Challenger League?!" This player really could trash talk, wiping a fistful of salt over Excellent Era's wounds.
3886
3887"Ye Xiu, in this situation, after retirement? This can't be true, right? It isn't some sort of scam, is it?" There were also some who were doubtful.
3888
3889"This is so hard to believe! What kind of club is Excellent Era? It doesn't matter what they've achieved. Letting the person who brought them to such heights fall into such destitution. All I can say to that is that they truly are heartless. This kind of team deserves to be relegated. Good work, Ye Xiu. I watched the finals of the Challenger League, spectacular, amazing, awesome, fuck!"
3890
3891"I think this is suspicious. Think of what value God Ye Xiu has. All he did was retire, why is it like he's cutting all ties or something? This is suspicious, too suspicious."
3892
3893The aforementioned interviews weren't conducted with Excellent Era supports. Apart from the few doubtful ones, the others all cursed openly, unafraid of the consequences.
3894
3895As for Excellent Era fans? In the face of this truth, they were heartbroken, sorrowful, wanting to explain things for their team but not able to find an excuse.
3896
3897"I think… It's not as simple as it seems. There must be something more to it." In the hearts of Excellent Era's fans, they still had hope for the better. They all wanted to believe that their God, and their team held love for one another.
3898
3899"Fuck, this must be Ye Xiu's way of getting pity and intentionally trying to tarnish Excellent Era's name. Who the hell would believe that this is what happened to a God like that? Not me, at least." There were also those who still supported Excellent Era and ignored the truth, deriving things through their own logic.
3900
3901"I don't know…" And then there were some fans who were like Team Excellent Era when faced with this question. They fell silent, unable to answer. No matter what, all that was left was hurt.
3902
3903However, most Excellent Era fans couldn't stand this torment and held massive gatherings, protesting in front of Club Excellent Era daily and requesting the club to end their silent and give an explanation.
3904
3905Rate this chapter
3906
3907298 comments, join in >
39081055 Excellent Era’s Silence
3909Translator:Nomyummi | Editor: Nomyummi
3910
3911The Challenger League finals came to an end on Friday night. The following evening was the 37th round of the regular season of the season nine Glory Pro League, as well as the second to last round. A few teams had their rankings set in stone by then, but some were still fighting for a place in the playoffs or the right to stay in the Alliance.
3912
3913Yet on such a crucial match day, there was a blanket of reports on the results of the Challenger League finals.
3914
3915Happy had truly created a miracle.
3916
3917The entire Glory circle was enthusiastically discussing this topic.
3918
3919And on the following Sunday, the pitiful truth surrounding Ye Xiu's treatment after his retirement had elicited another wave of attention and discussion. All of Glory was discussing this gossip. The media fell right to Ye Xiu's side in this argument, all ganging up on Excellent Era together. Amongst the majority of Glory players, Excellent Era also took the brunt of shame and disdain.
3920
3921The pro circle also placed heavy importance on this. Many media groups used mobile, QQ, and other methods to interview pro players on their opinions.
3922
3923"This is a disgrace." Han Wenqing, the captain of Team Tyranny, who had already cemented their place as first in the regular season, stated in anger.
3924
3925"Considering the position Ye Xiu has in the Glory circle, I believe all the pros are bitterly disappointed in Team Excellent Era for the situation that they left Ye Xiu in after his retirement," was Team Blue Rain's captain, Yu Wenzhou's opinion.
3926
3927"Without a doubt, Ye Xiu has been treated unfairly." Team Tiny Herb's captain, Wang Jiexi, said.
3928　
3929"This isn't right," Team Samsara's captain, Zhou Zekai, expressed.
3930
3931The pro players from the powerhouse teams almost seemed to have discussed this beforehand and condemned Excellent Era for their behavior solemnly.
3932
3933Team Excellent Era was facing an unprecedented crisis of trust!
3934
3935As the media group holding the most authority in the Glory circle, Esports Home liberally used up pages to report this shocking news on their Monday issue. On the other hand, the crucial 37th round of matches was only given a casual report of the results on the front page. The contents of the matches were several pages in. The news that took up the most eye catching placements were all on the Challenger League, Ye Xiu and Excellent Era.
3936　
3937Esports Home never exaggerated just to attract attention. Excellent Era, which had hurriedly gone silent and hid away from the public, was like a guilty coward in the eyes of the people. From the media to the normal players, pressure was being placed on them from all sides. However, Excellent Era was strangely stubborn with their public relations this time and didn't make any moves to soothe the situation. Club Excellent Era's doors were sealed and the players that gathered at their building never managed to catch a single member of Excellent Era. No one knew what Excellent Era was thinking.
3938
3939Many people sensed something strange from Excellent Era's inaction.
3940
3941The protests continued for two days and, Wednesday evening, a piece of news began to circulate online. Someone said they had seen a meeting between the higher-ups of Excellent Era and Samsara in City S.
3942　
3943What was Excellent Era planning?
3944
3945This rumor without proof immediately had people's thoughts spiralling out of control. At such a time, Excellent Era interacting with other teams was a very strange sight. Was Excellent Era planning to give up on itself and throw a clearance sale?
3946
3947The rumors spread rapidly. Immediately, reporters were sent to Club Samsara to divulge the truth from them. Team Samsara ended up being very open about it, openly admitting that they were in negotiations with Excellent Era about purchases, but they didn't leak anything about the contents of these negotiations.
3948　
3949Even after the June sixth Friday issue of Esports Home came out, Excellent Era still maintained their silence and ignored all the requests and demands from the fans.
3950
3951June 7th was the last day of the regular season, but on this day, Excellent Era finally opened up to the media and what they had to say was a massive bombshell: Club Excellent Era was up for sale.
3952
3953The boss of Excellent Era, Tao Xuan, told his spokesman to say that after being the head of Excellent Era for all this time, he felt bone-deep exhaustion; it was time for him to change his lifestyle. Thus, he had decided to sell Club Excellent Era and hoped that his successor could bring Excellent Era glory once more. As for him, personally? He would always be Excellent Era's most loyal fan.
3954
3955It sounded nice, but everyone knew what this was about with a glance. Excellent Era could endure this crisis and didn't plan to try. Boss Tao Xuan was already preparing to abandon ship.
3956　
3957However, was it so easy to find someone to accept current Excellent Era?
3958
3959Excellent Era, having not made any attempt to soothe public relations, only found themselves with more and more dirt being dug out. Now, Excellent Era's name had been completely tarnished and not even their glorious dynasty of the past could save them. Not only was their name dragged through the dirt, they didn't have the qualifications to the Pro League either. Disregarding this though, their hardware was still the cream of the crop in the Glory circle, and this made the selling of Excellent Era very complicated.
3960
3961In simple terms, Excellent Era's hardware was as spectacular as ever, but its software was nothing but a mess.
3962
3963Yet it was this software that truly represented the value of the two words "Excellent Era". Now that the software was destroyed, no one would want this anymore. As for the hardware, if anyone wanted it, they could seek out that they needed. With Excellent Era and Samsara already in negotiations, this was made very clear. Team Samsara wouldn't purchase Excellent Era. What were they interested in, seeking out Excellent Era for negotiations? Players? Characters?
3964
3965After coming to such a realization, Excellent Era's fans panicked.
3966　
3967Putting Excellent Era up for sale. This was clearly a clearance sale preceding Excellent Era's disbandment! After this, could Excellent Era still stay alive?
3968　
3969For Excellent Era's fans, this wasn't something that they could ever accept. No matter if Excellent Era was good or bad, they had entrusted so much to Excellent Era. That was something that would never change. With what had happened, they were panicking. After all, no one would ever want to see their team in such a state. Some people might leave, but there would always be those that stayed, hoping that their team would stand once more, that they would be able to be at their team's side forever.
3970
3971Yet now, Excellent Era was facing disbandment and might disappear forever. The team they had poured their hearts and souls into to support, the team they had cheered for for so long, would cease to exist like this?
3972
3973No!!
3974
3975Not long after the news came out, Club Excellent Era was surrounded by countless people. They were far more irrational than those who had been demanding an explanation front the team. With time running out, they weren't able to make many preparations. They could only yell again and again to express their feelings.
3976
3977They didn't want the club to be sold. No matter what, they wanted to walk with their team until the end.
3978
3979Rate this chapter
3980
3981310 comments, join in >
39821056 At Least They’re Still With Us
3983Translator:Nomyummi | Editor: Nomyummi
3984
3985Everyone was all up in arms about Excellent Era, but where was the other star of this incident? They had yet to appear after the Challenger League.
3986
3987Right now, it was the final stretch of the regular season many life and death matches were being fought. Yet, the place where the most Glory reporters had gathered was City H, which didn't even have any teams currently in the Pro League.
3988
3989The reporters swarmed to take a look around the Happy Internet Cafe, and saw people protesting daily outside Club Excellent Era. But where was Ye Xiu? He was the reason that they came, but no one ever saw him. Ye Xiu didn't appear, nor did any other member of Team Happy. The people working at the Internet cafe didn't know either. It was only until they asked one of the employees to contact the boss, Chen Guo, that they found out that Team Happy was still in City B.
3990　
3991After the match, they had never come back.
3992
3993After winning the Challenger League, Happy was drowning in delight and triumph. They had forgotten everything else. The post match press conference? What was that? Such a thought hadn't surfaced in their minds for even a second.
3994
3995They had left the stadium directly and had been welcomed by a group of Guild Happy's tenth server members, led by Seven Fields. The massive group of people had gone to find a place to celebrate their victory; everyone was eager to toast God Ye Xiu. Amongst these fans was Sleeping Moon. Every time he thought of his and Lord Grim's first meeting in the tenth server, Sleeping Moon wanted to bury himself. His old friends like Seven Fields and Drifting Water still laughed at him even now: you're very brave, daring to challenge God Ye Xiu?
3996
3997Sleeping Moon wanted to cry! That God was his idol. If only he had known earlier; it would have been more appropriate for him to go and lick his shoes.
3998
3999After discovering Lord Grim's true identity, this had become a thorn in his heart. Today, Sleeping Moon wanted to use this chance to properly express himself and wash away the past. Holding his wine and lining up in the queue to toast, Sleeping Moon mentally prepared what he wanted to say. Yet, right after the first toast, someone began shouting, "What happened? What happened?"
4000　
4001Sleeping Moon rushed over and took a look at what was happening. Was the God drunk?
4002　
4003"What did you put in the drink?" No one believed the truth and mercilessly surrounded the young man who had toasted first. They immediately thought that he was a spy from Excellent Era. Did this bastard intend to poison their God?
4004
4005"I didn't, I really didn't!" The young man was almost crying, trying to explain himself with the empty glass in hand.
4006
4007"He… is a bit of a lightweight," Chen Guo explained, remembering Ye Xiu's younger brother, the real Ye Qiu.
4008
4009He's a lightweight?
4010
4011Everyone felt that boss Chen Guo's words really were modest. If he really had gotten drunk, then could you call this being a lightweight? This was a One-Hit KO!
4012
4013The invincible God of Glory was instantly KO'ed by one cup of wine.
4014
4015Without the star of the show, the party died down quite a bit. The players who came up to toast didn't know what to do.
4016
4017That was when Sun Zheping came over, tossing the drunk Ye Xiu to one side and rolling up his sleeves, yelling, "Come on! I'll drink with you!"
4018
4019The party instantly livened up. It was Chen Guo, seeing Sun Zheping about to drink without care, who said in doubt, "But, pro players don't drink, right?"
4020
4021This was something that Ye Xiu had told her. If you drank too much too often, it would depress your nervous system causing your reaction speed to fall, your body to slow down and your hands to tremble. These were all taboos for pro players.
4022
4023"That's right! Pro players should never drink." Hearing Chen Guo's words, Sun Zheping turned and smiled a bitter smile before raising his head and downing the cup of wine.
4024
4025"Nice!!!" The players all cheered, clustering around Sun Zheping to compete.
4026　
4027Seeing this, Chen Guo felt melancholy in her heart. Pro players shouldn't drink, but Sun Zheping evidently no longer felt like he was a real pro player anymore. This celebratory event, for him, also held sorrow. He should have been able to do more. What little contributions he had made wasn't enough to satisfy him.
4028
4029Mo Fan didn't get many chances to play and Luo Ji didn't even appear in the finals, but they had futures ahead of them. They had time and opportunity to compete, but Sun Zheping didn't. He could only end things here, heart yearning for more and victory adding to his disappointment. This was probably the reason he never returned even though he could still manage to play at a pro level with some strain. For him, this wasn't nearly enough!
4030
4031"What happened, what happened?"
4032　　
4033Chen Guo was still over here feeling melancholy for Sun Zheping when a commotion broke out there. She went over to see and found that Sun Zheping had fallen, too.
4034　　
4035"How many glasses?" A player who was probably about to strike, holding a glass of wine, asked.
4036
4037"Three?" A person with an empty glass said incredulously.
4038　
4039With Ye Xiu being OHKO'ed before, three glasses didn't seem all that shocking, but the problem was Sun Zheping's bring-it-on attitude from before. Everyone thought he was a great drinker who would take ages to get tipsy, but he fell at just three glasses?
4040
4041Three glasses wasn't much better than one glass.
4042
4043Chen Guo felt even worse now. Sun Zheping actually couldn't drink at all, could he? These gods, for their dreams, were always strict with themselves. How many years had it been since Sun Zheping had retired? He was evidently still holding himself to that rule of not touching alcohol, otherwise he wouldn't be down with just three glasses. Drinking ability was like mechanical skill; it could be trained, to some extent.
4044
4045Yet Sun Zheping didn't. He persisted with the habits of pro players, protecting his own body. Did he hope to one day have the chance to return to the battlefield?
4046
4047Chen Guo didn't think on it further, silently helping Sun Zheping to the side.
4048
4049"Another so fast?"
4050
4051On one corner of the sofa, Su Mucheng was eating sunflower seeds. The blackout drunk Ye Xiu was sleeping askew to one side. Soon enough, Sun Zheping was shoved over.
4052　　
4053Chen Guo sighed. When she was just a fan, all she saw was the spectacular performance these Gods had on the field. She would have never considered the amount of effort they had to put in off the field.
4054
4055"What's wrong?" Su Mucheng would tell how Chen Guo didn't seem very happy. This was a night of their victory. What could wash away the joy of a championship?
4056
4057Chen Guo glanced at the drunken two, but didn't really know how to explain.
4058
4059"Don't worry." Su Mucheng seemed to understand upon seeing Chen Guo's gaze. "At least everyone is still with us."
4060
4061At least everyone is still with us...
4062　　
4063Chen Guo didn't know how to react for a moment and glanced at the two again.
4064
4065That's right. It didn't matter if it was Ye Xiu who had been kicked by his club, or Sun Zheping who could no longer reach his peak, what with the injury to his hand, or Wei Chen over there who had retired for longer than most people's pro careers yet was still doing his all to climb back to the top. Their lives hadn't been smooth, but no matter what, they didn't give up. They held hope in their hearts and charged forwards at every opportunity. No matter what, they were still here.
4066
4067"These two useless things, my turn!" Over there, Wei Chen looked at the two drunk gods with disdain and rolled up his sleeves, preparing for battle.
4068
4069The Guild Happy members muttered among themselves, not very enthusiastic about Wei Chen's upcoming performance.
4070
4071"I bet four glasses and he blacks out."
4072
4073"I bet five."
4074
4075"I think I'll bet three."
4076
4077"No one betting one glass?"
4078
4079"If no one's betting one glass, I will!"
4080　
4081"Alright alright, confirm your bets…" They had even began a betting pool about Wei Chen.
4082
4083It was doubtful that many would go home sober tonight. Chen Guo originally was going to be strict with herself, but then she drank a little out of courtesy every now and then and ended up tipsy.
4084
4085Steamed Bun, Wu Chen, Luo Ji and An Wenyi were all swaying about. Even Mo Fan who barely interacted with anyone had managed to drink himself into being unable to walk straight.
4086　　
4087"A hundred glasses! I bet a hundred glasses!" Wei Chen hollered as he walked out with the others, all supporting each other. Wei Chen didn't lose face for pro players. He really could drink. If he really managed a hundred glasses, no one would know, but at the very least he could walk by himself with some help from the wall. It was just that after he left, he got on a taxi and asked to be sent back to Happy Internet Cafe. Under the taxi driver's confused gaze, he was dragged back out.
4088
4089It was a good thing that the girls hadn't gotten so drunk. After sending off wave after wave of Guild Happy players, they got the drunk guys back to the hotel.
4090
4091When she next woke, it was already noon. Opening her eyes, Chen Guo was immediately blinded by the sunlight.
4092
4093She glanced around her room. There was no one there. Originally, this was her and Tang Rou's room, but she didn't know where everyone slept after last night.
4094
4095We… really won the Challenger League?
4096
4097Chen Guo stared at the ceiling, ignoring the blinding sunlight and suddenly felt a little lost. Drunken nights were always very blurred. With their victory of the championship, it all seemed like a fantasy.
4098
4099Chen Guo quickly rolled to her feet and went to find her handbag.
4100　　
4101The handbag was right beside her pillow and Chen Guo opened it, quickly finding what she wanted.
4102
4103The qualification certificate to the Pro Alliance.
4104　
4105Team Happy.
4106　
4107Yes! They really did it. All of this was real. In that moment, Chen Guo felt like she was surrounded with bliss. Last night was full of passion, excitement, energy. Only after giving it a night to sink in did the satisfaction and bliss of getting the championship really flood in.
4108
4109"Where are the others?" Chen Guo hurriedly got up and charged out of her room.
4110　
4111The others were getting up as well, though the others who had been dead drunk weren't nearly as lively as Chen Guo, who had only been tipsy.
4112
4113"You all alright?" Chen Guo greeted everyone before seeing Ye Xiu still asleep on the bed.
4114
4115"He's really too weak!" Chen Guo recalled the scene from last night. "I know he's a lightweight, but getting blackout drunk with just a cup just seems unreal!"
4116
4117"It's not just from drinking," Wei Chen said, "He's exhausted. Let him rest a few days!"
4118
4119Translator's Thoughts
4120NomyummiNomyummi
4121We're #1 just like Happy!! The 17 chapter week starts today plus a bonus vid translated by me and veriquity! The MAD is called Along this Journey and is centered around Ye Xiu. We've translated it so that the lyrics are singable too :)
4122
4123https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dl_-6qUNnCA
4124
4125Rate this chapter
4126
41271051 comments, join in >
41281057 End of the Regular Season
4129Translator:Nomyummi | Editor: Nomyummi
4130
4131Ye Xiu slept for an entire day. The rest of the team felt sluggish for a day after all the drinking and celebrating. Chen Guo spent her time on the web, surfing through all the reports of Happy's victory in the Challenger League and bursting with joy. Yet, on this day, they also received a phone call from the Alliance. Happy was solemnly admonished for their conduct during the press conference after the competition.
4132
4133"We forgot! We were so happy that we completely forgot." Chen Guo gave this explanation.
4134
4135The Alliance immediately communicated that they would not be launching an investigation. However, as one of the new teams entering the Alliance next season, there would be another press conference that they would have to attend. Obviously, Chen Guo had no way of refusing this request. After asking for a date, she found that they still had a week. This press conference for new teams would only take place after the season had ended. They at least had to figure out which teams each of the two new entries would be replacing first!
4136
4137That day was also the second to last round of the season. Because Heavenly Swords would be preparing for the competition, they only congratulated Happy on their championship over the phone the day before. They obviously didn't have the chance to gather together. This Saturday, Luo Guanning sent over a stack of tickets, inviting everyone in Happy to watch the match.
4138
4139After that night's match was finished, the two groups pooled together, once again enthusiastically celebrating.
4140
4141This was partly because Heavenly Swords wanted to make up for the lack of in-person blessings during the previous evening. At the same time, after this round, they also had a reason to celebrate themselves. They had maintained their spot in the Alliance!
4142
4143Maintaining a spot in the Alliance.
4144
4145This was Heavenly Swords' goal after realizing their own strength. This was definitely below the expectations that the media often painted for them. All of Heavenly Swords' publicity after their announcement of joining the Alliance had shown off their financial resources, leading many to expect them to be a dark horse. The pre-season forecasts even dared to place them in the number ten spot.
4146
4147All of this failed to sway Heavenly Swords from their intended path. Every step that they took was sure and steady. In this way, the early stages were unusually tough. The professional league was indeed not as simple as they had once thought.
4148
4149Luckily, this season, Glory had released an expansion, winning them an opportunity. This kind of change was very good news for low to mid-tier teams. The widespread emergence of Level 75 Orange equipment allowed them to somewhat shrink the character strength gap between them and more powerful teams in a short amount of time. Yet in addition to this, Heavenly Swords was also an in-game ally of Happy. This allowed them to focus their energy on competitions. It could be said that, while many pro players rushed into the game, they were freed from such a burden by Happy's presence.
4150　
4151All of this was left unsaid between the two sides, but within their hearts each knew this clearly.
4152
4153Now, the second to last match of the season was complete. Team Heavenly Swords ultimately locked in 14th place. The outcome of the last match of the season wouldn't affect their ranking. Although this contradicted the pre-season media expectations for the team, Heavenly Swords had completely achieved the goal they had set for themselves. They were especially aware of the fact that had it not been for the expansion, had it not been for the fact that they could continue to concentrate their energy on the matches during that time period, they would be in a precarious place right now. Before this, Heavenly Swords' placement had been just around the relegation zone, their situation an imminent danger.
4154
4155"To Happy's victory! To Heavenly Swords' continued spot in the Alliance! Let's toast!" Luo Guanning took the lead to cheer. However, Happy had been completely intoxicated the day before, so today they really needed to demonstrate some control. As for Heavenly Swords, they had all been pro players for a year now, so they would also control themselves when celebrating.
4156　
4157"Next season, we'll be opponents." Luo Guanning said with infinite sorrow. Interacting with Happy, especially interacting with the God Ye Xiu, had really brought a considerable amount of profit for their Heavenly Swords. If he had a choice, Luo Guanning obviously wouldn't want to give up this kind of friendship and become opponents.
4158
4159"I hope that in the future, we won't run into a kill-or-be-killed situation against you." Luo Guanning raised his glass towards the ladies and gentleman of Happy. "However, even if this happens, no matter the outcome, I swear our friendship off stage will not change.
4160
4161"Hahaha, you're thinking too much Little Luo." Ye Xiu laughed, "I'm afraid our two teams have completely different goals. That type of kill-or-be-killed situation shouldn't arise."
4162
4163"Oh? What's Happy's goal for the next season?" Luo Guanning asked curiously.
4164　
4165"Champions."
4166
4167"Pffff..." Even with all of his etiquette training, and despite his usual unshakable elegance and composure, Luo Guanning spit out the sip of wine he had just taken. He hurriedly apologized to the person he had spit on.
4168　
4169Just a while ago, when the five of them had gathered together to create a team, their goal had also been to directly aim for the championships. They had been prepared to take the Alliance by storm. After they met the God, he had helped them realize how unrealistic their goal was. For a team that had been constantly pulling small heists within the game, saying that they were directing aiming to become champions was really too disrespectful to the Alliance!
4170
4171But God, you, you can't have this kind of double standard!
4172
4173You called us unrealistic and impractical, yet your team, which has just joined the Alliance, is already shouting about becoming the champions? Isn't that too unconvincing?
4174
4175Even though you have the strength of a God, what about the other characters and players on your team? Glory isn't meant to be played alone... wasn't this what you said at the end of the competition yesterday?
4176
4177Luo Guanning couldn't accept this, yet this also wasn't something he could easily say out loud. However, whether or not he said this out loud didn't even matter. The mouthful of wine that he had spit out had already made his thoughts very clear!
4178
4179"Hahaha." Ye Xiu nevertheless laughed at his appearance, not giving an explanation for his words. He simply raised his glass, also giving a toast: "Everyone come!"
4180
4181Tonight's celebration was subdued, yet when all was said and done it couldn't really count as any kind of real rest. After today, Chen Guo didn't even call everyone back to City H, instead looking for a resort within City B. She directly dragged the entire team over for some real rest and recuperation.
4182
4183The place that Luo Guanning introduced was truly a location on the level of The Peach Spring beyond this world.** It was only through his name and connections that Happy's people got the chance to enjoy it. This place was truly detached from the outside world and devoid of distractions. However, going online every day and seeing everyone's reactions to their victory was still Chen Guo's greatest joy.
4184
4185The praises showered upon Happy and the questions aimed at Excellent Era all made Chen Guo sigh with contentment. She felt especially vindicated seeing that reporters had visited the Happy Internet Cafe, and had been given a tour of Ye Xiu's previous dwelling in the storage room. Their violent denouncements were simultaneously laughable and sad.
4186
4187Finally, we've won!
4188
4189Seeing all the different news reports and remembering everything that had happened over the past year, Chen Guo felt very moved. Although she was this team's boss, in reality she really hadn't done much. All of the most demanding burdens were pretty much being shouldered by Ye Xiu alone. In a year and a half, starting from a brand new server and a new account, leveling up, finding people, fighting for materials, upgrading equipment, training the other players ...
4190
4191Ye Xiu had truly done so much, yet Chen Guo, who was always by his side, had only become aware of it now.
4192
4193They relaxed in the resort for a week. Meanwhile, the Pro Alliance had reached its final stages. Excellent Era also dropped a bomb: they had entered the scrap market and were ready to sell.
4194
4195During this week, Chen Guo had also been contacted many times by people who wanted to meet and interview Ye Xiu. She rejected all of these requests. Although she had long wanted Ye Xiu to step out and and give a serious response about the true nature of his retirement, at this time, she just wanted Ye Xiu to get some good rest because she had discovered that this was truly the most important thing to Ye Xiu. He needed to recover his health and adjust his mental state. Only like this could he continue persevering on the Glory stage.
4196
4197To Ye Xiu, this year and a half wasn't as simple as merely missing the pro stage. When all was said and done, how much did this year and a half of demanding labor shorten the career span of this already aging pro player?
4198
4199A week of recuperation might not be able to save much. Yet, Chen Guo did not wish to see Ye Xiu spending more time and energy doing other things during this period of time.
4200
4201He's truly too tired. He needs to rest properly.
4202
4203Wei Chen words rang true. Chen Guo could only do her best to create for him a good resting environment. This at least was something she could work hard to achieve.
4204
4205On Saturday night, amidst the dispute and clamor that Team Excellent Era was facing, the regular season of Season 9 of the Glory Pro League officially came to an end.
4206
4207Team Tyranny did not fail to meet expectations, placing first in the regular season. However, they failed to break Excellent Era's old record score. After all, now was a shining era filled with stars. With the immense improvement in technology, Excellent Era's overwhelming strength from those days was becoming increasingly difficult to duplicate.
4208
4209Tyranny and Excellent Era, a pair of mortal enemies from the past.
4210
4211However, Tyranny was the team at the top. Even as people felt sorrowful that such a record could not be surpassed, they also thought about how the record-holding and archenemy team Excellent Era was currently crumbling to pieces on the side. In the interview with Team Tyranny's captain Han Wenqing after the season ended, the question of the captain's opinion on Excellent Era's situation was posed. Han Wenqing did not take joy in his opponents' suffering, yet he mercilessly replied with one sentence: they reaped what they sowed.
4212
4213After Tyranny, the previous championship team Samsara stood in second place. Their ace player Zhou Zekai was the same as ever, gorgeous and powerful. Although they were nominally second place, compared to the previous season, Samsara was surprisingly even stronger than before. It could only be said that this season, Team Tyranny was more steady and efficient.
4214　
4215In third place was Team Wind Howl. Under the lead of their new ace Tang Hao, Wind Howl displayed their strength from the start. Their goal was no longer simply making playoffs; instead, they were aiming for the championships. However, in the end, they still failed to surpass the two teams ahead, although they did manage to beat Tiny Herb and Blue Rain by a full head.
4216
4217Tiny Herb and Blue Rain stood in fourth and fifth place. The greatest excitement that this pair of old powerhouses brought were their two young rookies. The prodigy Gao Yingjie had officially become a part of the main force of Tiny Herb this season, with many eye-catching performances. On Blue Rain's ride, the 14 year old Lu Hanwen was even more extraordinary, directly filling the gap left by All-Star Yu Feng after his transfer. He truly embodied the saying, the newborn calf isn't afraid of the tiger, radiating all kinds of passion and enthusiasm on stage. Even though he still had many flaws in his playstyle, outside of him there really wasn't a choice for this season's Best Rookie. Gao Yingjie very much regretted that he was already a second year player, and thus no longer qualified for the title of Best Rookie.
4218
4219After these five teams, Misty Rain, Void, and Hundred Blossoms occupied sixth through eighth place
4220
4221Translator's Thoughts
4222NomyummiNomyummi
4223**TL Note: The Peach Spring beyond this world (世外桃源) means a hidden utopia of peace and prosperity. The chengyu is a reference to The Peach Blossom Spring (桃花源记), a fable about an isolated paradise village that a fisherman accidentally discovered whilst sailing down a river. -------------------------------------------------------The UI for Translator's Thoughts seriously sucks. I can't format stuff (put in tabs and new lines) or paste images/videos. If the spirit stones to unlock a chapter didn't depend on word length, I would put my TL notes in the chapter. As a workaround for now, I'll post stuff on Patreon since I won't be limited to length that way. So for more information on The Peach Blossom Spring, check out: https://www.patreon.com/posts/18349699/
4224
4225Rate this chapter
4226
4227276 comments, join in >
42281058 New Team Press Conference
4229Translator:Nomyummi | Editor: Nomyummi
4230
4231Overall, the situation in the Alliance hadn't seen much change. Although Wild Howl had surged up the ranks, the other powerhouses hadn't fallen either. Instead, it was Thunderclap and 301 Degrees that hadn't managed to make it into the playoffs after losing Xiao Shiqin and Xu Bin. Team Hundred Blossoms hadn't been off to a good start, unstable for the first half of the season, but after the update, their performance surged. From the team to the fans, they all exhibited a peak in fighting spirit and performed better and better, eventually catching the last bus to the playoffs.
4232
4233With the rankings set in stone for the regular season, the schedule for the playoffs was released. The most intense clash of the first round was the fourth ranked Blue Rain and fifth ranked Tiny Herb. As these two teams were both champion level powerhouses, this clash would doubtlessly be tacked with the tag "pre-finals" or something along those lines. In addition, with the disharmony between the two teams, and the fact that both teams had very amazing rookies, this match was abundant with discussion and content.
4234
4235However, if you were talking about hot topics, then the hottest one would definitely be the clash between the first ranked Tyranny and eighth ranked Hundred Blossoms in the first round.
4236
4237Zhang Jiale's arrival at Tyranny upon his return was still being debated about even now. Now, with Zhang Jiale allied to Tyranny and facing the team he had once led, Team Hundred Blossoms, no drama-lover would miss the war that was set to rage.
4238
4239The other two battles were Samsara versus Void and Wind Howl versus Misty Rain. Compared to the other two, these matches weren't as hot of a topic, but this was only a comparison. There was no weak team in the playoffs.
4240　
4241However, there were always tears that had to accompany laughter.
4242
4243These eight teams managed to charge into the playoffs, but there were also two teams that had to leave the Alliance. Yet for these weak, relegated teams, not much attention would be given to them except among their fans. Instead, it was the teams that were going to replace them that were hot topics.
4244　
4245Team Myth!
4246
4247After being approved by the Alliance, a whole new team was born. They debuted in the Alliance-held press conference on the first day of the new week and enthusiastically expressed their determination and will. In the past, new teams like this would elicit a lot of attention and curiosity, but today, the reporters all hoped that this new team called Myth would finish their rambling and get lost. The team everyone was waiting for was the next team, the team with God Ye Xiu, the team that had miraculously crushed Excellent Era and charged into the Alliance, Happy.
4248
4249Under this background, the Q&A session after Team Myth had finished their speech was filled with nothing but very cooperative silence from the reporters. In the end, a few veteran reporters asked a few cliche questions out of courtesy. Team Myth ended up leaving, dispirited, with the Alliance press officer's repeated "are there anymore questions?"
4250
4251Yet the moment Myth left, the still and low-spirited reporters suddenly jumped up with enthusiasm. Those who were practically drooling as they napped seemed to shine with the glow of being recharged.
4252
4253"It should be Happy now, right? Where are they?"
4254
4255Team Myth hadn't even completely left and they saw the response of the reporters, wanting to cry.
4256
4257"Ahem… Next, let's welcome Team Happy…" The Alliance press officer continued to act as a host.
4258
4259"They're coming, they're coming!!" It didn't need to be mentioned how excited the reporters wer. As soon as Happy's people appeared, flashes enveloped the room. People were taking photos nonstop until Happy sat in their seats, especially for Ye Xiu. Fuck, they hadn't manage to take photos of him for so long; today they were gonna take their fill.
4260
4261Ye Xiu was so blinded by the flashes that he couldn't even open his eyes. Even the Alliance press officer couldn't watch this go on and hurriedly cleared his throat and announced that the press conference was beginning.
4262
4263This press conference was an exhibition of the new teams, so all the members would be attending. However, they had to stay within the rules. For example, Su Mucheng couldn't sit onstage at this time. As for Sun Zheping, he had already bid them farewell and left for Heavenly Swords to prepare for the next season and didn't attend either. As for Wu Chen, Ye Xiu and Chen Guo had asked for his opinion and he had expressed that he was satisfied with being able to take part in such a spectacular match. He didn't have any further hopes for the pro league and wished to focus on the guild completely.
4264
4265Do you really have no more hopes?
4266
4267Ye Xiu and Chen Guo didn't ask that because they knew the answer.
4268
4269Wu Chen definitely still hoped he could take part, but he knew what the reality of it was. He wasn't young anymore and not very skilled either. An occasional striking performance meant little. What was more important was that he knew that Su Mucheng would be joining Happy in the next season. Go and fight over this place with the Number One Launcher of the Alliance? Here, Wu Chen let go of it all. He was a player with limited talent. Being able to perform and help out in this high-level and crucial match, helping his team enter the Alliance, that was his peak already. Aiming even higher was too unrealistic for him.
4270
4271Wu Chen left the team, but still attended the press conference as Team Happy's guild leader. The Guild Department had always been a very important part of the team and acted as the right and left hands to the team with the R&D Department. Guild leader? A guild leader of any normal guild was nothing impressive, but a guild leader of a club was a very important position.
4272
4273Team Happy was onstage and the press conference began. First, was the introduction for the team members. Then, the boss of the team, Chen Guo, who was truly the first in the team, had to say a few words. Since the Alliance had informed them beforehand, they naturally had a speech prepared. However, while Chen Guo might be open and extroverted usually, she was still rather nervous in a situation like this. Yet, reminding herself that she was the boss of the team that defeated Excellent Era, Chen Guo steeled herself.
4274
4275Then, the captain would have to say a few words.
4276
4277Ye Xiu, after all these years, finally appeared in an event like this. The flashes immediately started up again.
4278
4279Boss Chen Guo represented the club as a whole. Even though this club of theirs didn't have all those individual departments, they were one in name. As for the captain, he represented the team.
4280
4281Everyone was eagerly anticipating Ye Xiu's speech! However, as they listened, the reporters with good memories began to scratch their heads.
4282
4283"No way, how come this speech sounds so familiar?"
4284
4285"Really?"
4286
4287"Yeah, I've definitely heard it somewhere. I know it."
4288
4289"Pick a few keywords and search it up?"
4290
4291"Yeah, that line just now was too familiar. I'll search it up."
4292
4293Soon enough, the answer was out. The reporters wanted to cry. Fuck, wasn't this the speech the captain of Team Heavenly Swords had used last year when they entered the Alliance? It's so rare for you to attend a press conference like this; would it kill you to take it a little more seriously?
4294
4295Rate this chapter
4296
42971082 comments, join in >
4298
42991059 What is Excellent Era
4300Translator:Nomyummi | Editor: Nomyummi
4301
4302Heavenly Swords and Happy were in completely different situations.
4303
4304Yet, just like that, Ye Xiu calmly used the other captain's speech, not even making an effort to modify it. Upon finding out, the reporters felt like plastic bags blowing in the wind.
4305
4306The only saving grace was… this kind of promotional speech was all empty talk, so there usually wouldn't be anything interesting to write about. After listening to this speech while clutching at their hearts, it finally came to the Q&A session that they were most eager for.
4307　
4308"Hm, next we have our question and answer session." The Alliance press officer had only just announced this when a sea of hands rose. Thankfully, Team Myth had already left, otherwise they would cry for sure, seeing the difference in their treatment.
4309
4310Having too many hands raised was troublesome as well. Pointing at a person would cause a group to stand. Then it had to be specified whose question was being answered from that group.
4311
4312The first chosen one stood under the envious and jealous gazes of the other reporters.
4313
4314"Hello, I'm a reporter from City B.B City. First of all, congratulations to Happy on winning the Finals of the Challenger League and gaining the qualifications to entering the Pro Alliance." The reporter directed this congratulations to the entire team, but his gaze was fixated on Ye Xiu. Ye Xiu had no choice but to respond for the entire team. "Thanks."
4315
4316"I don't mean to disrespect Happy, but Happy truly achieved a miraculous victory. However, what I'm more shocked about isn't the result, but the process. In the team competition, Happy had the initiative the entire way. Compared to simply victory, this is a far more impressive accomplishment. I'm curious as to how Happy managed that." The reporter said.
4317
4318"This isn't something to be shocked about," Ye Xiu said with a smile, "Opportunity always smiles on those who are prepared."
4319
4320"Prepared?" The reporter was stunned for a moment, "From what I know of, Excellent Era wasn't negligent with their preparations for this match. From the beginning of the offline matches, they had done specialized research into how to face this final match. In the last week, they even closed themselves off for special training. I believe Excellent Era was very well prepared."
4321
4322"Unfortunately for them, we were more prepared," Ye Xiu said.
4323　　
4324The reporters were going crazy. Was it fun to give us all these vague statements? This was just wasting time!
4325
4326"Why are you so certain?" The reporter hurriedly asked.
4327
4328"Because we prepared for this match for a full year." Ye Xiu replied.
4329
4330Everyone was struck dumb.
4331
4332One side had started preparing since the offline matches, which could be considered at most a month of preparations, while the other had prepared for a whole year.
4333
4334This was true!
4335
4336All the reporters immediately realized this. This was because a year ago was when Excellent Era had been relegated. Even if you used your knee to think, you'd know that this would be an unprecedented boss in the Challenger League, the ultimate final boss. No matter who it was, if they wanted to conquer the Challenger League, they would have to get through this step. They completely trusted that Happy had started researching Excellent Era from that time forth.
4337
4338A year of research and this research was directed towards Excellent Era that Ye Xiu was extremely familiar with in the first place...
4339
4340As for Excellent Era? Even though they had known since the start that Happy had Ye Xiu, would they put everything into studying an opponent like Happy? The one they had been on guard against this entire time was just Ye Xiu, no? Yet in that team competition, every single member of Happy had shown their worth. They might not have been the MVPs, but in that match, everyone managed to display their strengths to the fullest.
4341　
4342Was this because Happy's players were in a better state?
4343
4344Now everyone knew that it wasn't the case. This was the result of ample preparations! For this match, who knew how much specialized training Happy had gone through?
4345
4346A full year of preparations sent everyone into speechlessness for a while. It wasn't until the Alliance press officer called out that the reporters came to again.
4347
4348The second chosen reporter stood up, but his question was no longer about that match. That match had been a whole week ago. Focusing on it now would be a waste of pages, and there were more interesting things to report now anyways.
4349
4350"I want to direct this question to Captain Ye Xiu. As Excellent Era's ex-captain, I trust you've heard of the recent news that Excellent Era is being sold. What thoughts do you have on this?"
4351
4352"I believe that Excellent Era won't fall just because of this. Excellent Era has a shining future ahead of them," Ye Xiu said.
4353
4354"But from the current situation, Excellent Era is likely to be disbanded and cleared out in a sale. The name Excellent Era might cease to exist," the reporter retorted.
4355
4356Ye Xiu smiled and said, "With so many people who care for and love Excellent Era out there, do you really think that the name Excellent Era would cease to exist? I believe that a successor to Excellent Era will appear. Excellent Era won't crumble because of one man's decision. This is because Excellent Era isn't an asset to be sold, but a mindset, even a culture. It exists within the hearts of everyone who cares about and loves Excellent Era. They are the true people of Excellent Era. This is something that no one can sell. So long as they exist, Excellent Era will never fall."
4357
4358"Brilliant!" Someone suddenly yelled loudly. The reporters all turned their heads and saw that one of their fellows had been unable to keep to himself any longer. Those who knew this person knew that he was a deeply loyal fan of Excellent Era's. This speech that sounded simply like pretty but empty words to most managed to move this real Excellent Era fan.
4359
4360This was because only real Excellent Era fans would know what sort of panic and anxiety that the news coming from Excellent Era during this time had brought them. Now, Ye Xiu's words had awakened him.
4361
4362"Excellent Era will never fall!" This person said with force, seeming to have come to some sort of decision.
4363
4364"Yes." Onstage, Ye Xiu nodded his head firmly in response.
4365
4366The ex-captain of Excellent Era had taken a new responsibility now, and when faced with Excellent Era, he hadn't shown any mercy. Excellent Era's current situation could even be seen as his personal handiwork. However, he was a true person of Excellent Era. He knew better than anyone what Excellent Era was.
4367
4368Excellent Era wasn't a good or service to be sold, and not something that the owner could destroy with a single decision to sell. So long as Excellent Era's spirit lived on, it would continue to endure. If worse came to worst, they could always copy Happy and create an Internet cafe, rising back up as grassroots. They might not have Excellent Era's ace accounts or ace players, but they had Excellent Era's spirit. So long as they had that, they were Excellent Era.
4369
4370"Thank you!" This reporter had forgotten his job already and stood, bowing deeply to Ye Xiu who was on stage. Those who knew him well knew that this loyal Excellent Era fan had published many articles condemning and doubting Ye Xiu upon the release of the news of Ye Xiu being at Happy. But now, he had managed to gain an understand of what Excellent Era truly was from this old captain. He felt that he had to give him this show of gratitude.
4371
4372"You're welcome. Good luck." In that moment, Ye Xiu didn't seem to see a reporter either, but a brother that had once fought by his side.
4373
4374An unfathomable atmosphere had blanketed the press conference and, in that moment, no one was able to come up with a question.
4375
4376"Ahem, is there any reporter that still has a question to ask?" The Alliance press officer asked.
4377
4378Question? Of course they did. The questions that had been begging to be asked had been held back for this occasion. But now after gaining an understanding of Ye Xiu's inner thoughts, they suddenly found that these questions had all been answered in that instant. Everything that had happened between Ye Xiu and Excellent Era in the past had no gossip value any longer. They had already clearly felt Ye Xiu's true feelings.
4379
4380Rate this chapter
4381
4382258 comments, join in >
4383
43841060 Can’t Understand
4385Translator:Nomyummi | Editor: Nomyummi
4386
4387The question about Excellent Era caused the atmosphere to die down a little. It was only when the press officer asked for the third time if there were any more questions that a reporter finally stood.
4388
4389"Hello, Captain Ye Xiu. Your words just now filled us with confidence for Excellent Era's future. However, I still want to hear your personal thoughts on Excellent Era being put up for sale. Thank you."
4390
4391It was only until this person finished speaking that the reporters realized something.
4392
4393Wasn't this the same question as before? However, Ye Xiu's response wasn't exactly answering the question. His answer was one that didn't answer the question directly, but followed from it. He had switched topics and left everyone in deep contemplation about it. It was good that there were people who managed to stay clear headed. With this reporter's emphasis and repetition of the question, the other reporters realized that this God, who had never really interacted with the media, would be very hard to deal with.
4394
4395"Uh…..." Ye Xiu's expression wasn't so calm as it was before, "To be honest, it pains me and at the same time, I feel very disappointed."
4396
4397Hearing this, the eyes of the reporters lit up.
4398
4399"By pained and disappointed, are you referring to the decision to sell Excellent Era?"
4400
4401"Yes," Ye Xiu nodded, "Excellent Era is at its most desperate times and, deciding to put Excellent Era up for sale at a time like this, I think, this is a complete betrayal and abandonment of what they once fought for. In this decision, Excellent Era has become nothing more than a commodity."
4402
4403Ye Xiu didn't mention a specific name in his speech, but who else could make the decision to sell Excellent Era? Only the boss, Tao Xuan.
4404
4405However, the reporters wouldn't lose out from making this all clearer. Immediately, someone asked, "So the one that caused you this pain and disappointment is actually the boss of Excellent Era, Tao Xuan, right?"
4406　
4407"Yes." Ye Xiu nodded. "If it was for the continued and better growth and development of the team, no matter in what shape or form, I could try to understand. Since everyone looks at problems differently, they would naturally come up with differing solutions. However, excuse me if I cannot bring myself to understand the decision to sell the team.
4408
4409"But you just said that, no matter what, Excellent Era wouldn't fall."
4410
4411"Yes, Excellent Era will never fall, but some people already have." Ye Xiu replied.
4412
4413This time, no reporter stood to ask for clarification on who this person was. After these questions, everyone had more insight to what Ye Xiu meant. Excellent Era did belong to Tao Xuan, but this was only from a business standpoint. From an esports standpoint, Excellent Era was a team that existed in the hearts of all its fans. Even though Excellent Era belonged to Tao Xuan in name, he could only have the commodity. When he put Excellent Era up for sale, he had completely left the true Excellent Era that existed in the hearts of the people.
4414
4415This time, the reporters truly understood. Some people were thinking to themselves quietly. Others had already opened up their laptops and started typing, and those who were more used to pen and paper started jotting stuff down.
4416
4417With something to write about, the reporters seemed to be afraid to forget something, already beginning to draft their articles and forgetting their current situation.
4418
4419The Alliance's press officer had attended countless interviews and press conferences, but this was the first time he had seen reporters forget where they were and start drafting up their articles. He was stunned for a long while before managing to react. "Ahem, are there anymore questions?"
4420
4421His question managed to bring these reporters back to reality. Everyone snapped out of it, feeling unsettled by their actions just now. It was almost like they had been bewitched. They all hurriedly composed their thoughts. It wasn't until the press officer asked again that some people finally sat straight, focusing on Ye Xiu who was on stage.
4422
4423Everyone was already very satisfied with what they had managed to elicit from this press conference. However, the one onstage right now was Ye Xiu. After all these years, this was his first time ever attending a press conference. They couldn't just let him go like that. After so many years, there were too many questions they had for Ye Xiu about all sorts of matters. They had to make the most of today. Even if they couldn't think of any big questions, using some small meaningless questions to drag things out was good, too.
4424
4425Thinking of this, there were immediately some reporters who raised their hands. The one who was picked probably had yet to think of a good question to drag things out and made a few noncommittal sounds before gathering his thoughts and asking, "May I know why Team Happy didn't attend the press conference after the Challenger League?"
4426
4427The reporters all stared at him.
4428
4429This question was one that the reporters who had been stood up were desperate to know, but these reporters weren't so docile and well-behaved to wait until today to ask. They had already pried for an answer from the Alliance after the press conference came to an end with Happy's lack of attendance.
4430
4431The Alliance made up a reason for why Happy didn't attend the press conference that day, so it was no longer a problem anymore. Now this person was asking again; this was rather tactless! The press officer that had given them the reason before was right there. Hearing this, he might think they had no more questions and end the press conference. That couldn't be allowed to happen!
4432
4433It was a good thing that while the problem was resolved for the Alliance and media, it wasn't unexpected for Happy. This time, it wasn't Ye Xiu who answered, but Chen Guo.
4434
4435"First of all, I'd like to apologize to everyone who came to the press conference that day." Chen Guo imitated a professional, official tone. "As everyone knows, Happy is a very ordinary grassroots team. We've never attended a pro match before and don't have any experience with this. That day, though we received the call about the press conference, we were delighted upon winning the championship and forgot. I really am sorry."
4436
4437This explanation was more or less the same as the excuse the Alliance had given, but the reporter, looking at the stage, suddenly felt that something wasn't right. He gazed at Ye Xiu who was on the far right. "But, God Ye Xiu…" The reporter had only gotten there before his words got stuck. Ye Xiu, on the other hand, smiled and responded, "What about me?"
4438
4439"No… nothing…" The reporter was about to say that God Ye Xiu had a lot of experience with pro matches, but then he remembered that while Ye Xiu had much experience with the matches, had he ever attended a press conference? Never! With the other's meaningful smile, the reporter decided to not bring it up.
4440
4441With that problem settled, another reporter was called to speak. "May we have some information on what plans Happy has for the next season? For example, is Happy planning anything in the summer transfer window?"
4442
4443"We've already settled a transfer," Chen Guo replied, tone serious.
4444
4445"Can you give us some specifics?"
4446
4447"Su Mucheng has confirmed that she will transfer for free to Team Happy next season," Chen Guo said.
4448
4449This was something the reporters had guessed already with their sharp senses. However, an official announcement was still far more meaningful. With this, Team Happy wouldn't be just held up by Ye Xiu. Would the best partners in the Alliance resurface in Happy?
4450
4451"Could we have some details on the contract Su Mucheng will be signing with Happy?" Since the transfer of pro players was a hot topic, reporters were interested in the contents of contracts, too. Logic said that an All-Star player like Su Mucheng wasn't someone an internet cafe team like Happy could keep. However, there was already an even bigger god residing there, so people couldn't judge Happy through this usual logic.
4452
4453"Uhh we're still discussing some details, so we can't leak anything yet." Chen Guo's response was rather well formulated, but the awkwardness in her expression that had appeared in that split second didn't go unnoticed by the reporters. Pay and treatment was something Chen Guo worried about. They had managed to get through the Challenger League, but now it was the Pro League. Everyone was a pro player now. She couldn't have them play pro matches with just board and food in repayment. What sort of contract should she give to them? The very thought gave Chen Guo a headache. She had too little experience because no grassroots team had ever managed to slaughter their way to the Pro League before.
4454
4455The thousand something RMB in being an Internet cafe employee? That definitely wasn't appropriate! But, going by pro player standards? Chen Guo had gleaned some understanding of it. Currently, the income for pro players was very high. For example, Team Tyranny's captain Han Wenqing had earned thirty million in three years. That meant ten million per year and two hundred thousand per week. In Chen Guo's eyes, Ye Xiu was an existence beyond even Han Wenqing, but, let alone something higher, just Han Wenqing's income would cause Chen Guo to cry to death.
4456
4457However, Han Wenqing's contract ended this year. He'd have no problem renewing it, but his pay might decrease by a lot. After all, he was a veteran past his peak. His current record of having the highest salary might come to close this summer.
4458
4459The most common contract in the teams of the Alliance was a three year contract. And, for the Golden Generation who had joined in the fourth season, most of their contracts would come to an end this summer after the ninth season. They were all at the peak of their forms as well, and then if you considered the growth Glory had gone through with the teams all flourishing, a new record for pro player income might appear this summer.
4460
4461Under this circumstance, Team Happy dealt with their player's wage through board and food. This was extremely unscientific.
4462
4463The reporters acutely sensed Chen Guo's awkwardness and they immediately keenly posed another question. This time, their target was no longer Ye Xiu. They focused on Tang Rou. She had already caught the attention of countless teams and was an extremely valuable player in the eyes of most.
4464
4465"Ms. Tang Rou, may I ask, are you familiar with the current income situation of pro players?" The reporters asked.
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