The King's Avatar Chapter 1332-1342

Chapter 1332: A New Future

Translator: Nomyummi  Editor: Nomyummi

These guys actually did it!

Under the eruption of Rising Dragon Soars the Sky and Flash Burst, Vaccaria's health was finally wiped out. Their healer couldn't make it in time to provide support and Vaccaria fell without resistance. 

However, Happy had also paid a high price for this. 

Soft Mist and Boundless Sea, as they dealt this last blow together, had been killed by Tiny Herb's furious offensive. 

Three characters wiped out at the same time? 

This was truly a rare and devastating trade. The entire stadium was sent into shock. The three in the broadcasting room were speechless.

Bang bang! 

Two gunshots. 

In that moment, even the players on the field were stunned, their rhythms slowing. Only one person was still doing as they should. In the face of such a devastating situation, he hadn't been affected in the slightest. He didn't even spare a glance for the three fallen characters before his character switched targets and charged. 

Lord Grim's two gunshots had been aimed at Gao Yingjie's Kind Tree.

Naturally, they wouldn't have been able to successfully execute this sort of kill without CCing the opponent's healer. 

Tiny Herb's Aweto was being blasted by Dancing Rain to the point where he was completely incapable of acting. Happy's Little Cold Hands, on the other hand, was being knocked witless by Gao Yingjie's Kind Tree. 

The kill had only just happened, yet Ye Xiu's Lord Grim had already turned his fire towards his next target. With bullets on the way, Lord Grim used movement skills to flash to Kind Tree's side. Gao Yingjie was a little out of it because of what had just happened and was easily blasted into the air by Lord Grim. 

Everyone snapped back to reality, seemingly only just realizing what had happened on the field.

Wang Jiexi, Vaccaria, Tiny Herb's core, the strongest part of their team, had been destroyed by Happy. 

The stadium went silent. 

No one had any grasp of the weight of the one for two trade. The audience only noticed one thing: Vaccaria had fallen, Wang Jiexi was out of the match. 

What now? 

Such a thought took over the hearts of countless fans. With Wang Jiexi gone, they were lost. They were used to seeing Wang Jiexi lead Tiny Herb to victory, vying for the championship cup year after year, season after season, match after match. From the third season, when he took the role of captain onwards, the regular season, the playoffs, sponsorship matches, sparring matches, exhibition matches, Tiny Herb's 398 matches, their captain Wang Jiexi was always present. 

　 

No matter when, he would be on the field to lead his team. 

　 

No matter when, so long as he was there on the field, everyone would feel secure. 

But now, Wang Jiexi was the first to be sent out of the match. 

In all these years, it wasn't that no team had ever tried, it was that no one that they could remember had ever succeeded. 

But now, in front of their very eyes, the one thing that had never happened in all these years had, and in their home game, too, executed by a team that was new to the Alliance. 

"The match isn't over!" 

　 

On the screen, in Tiny Herb's team chat, a message suddenly popped up. 

After Kind Tree had been sent flying by Lord Grim, Gao Yingjie was the first one to clearly understand: their captain had been killed, but the match wasn't over. 

In the current situation, Tiny Herb's Wang Jiexi, his Vaccaria had been wiped out, but they still had Xu Bin, Gao Yingjie, Liu Xiaobie, and Yuan Baiqing on the field. Their sixth player Liang Fang had also switched in automatically. 

For Happy, two of their characters had been killed and their sixth player Qiao Yifan had been switched in. Currently, only Ye Xiu, Su Mucheng and An Wenyi were there with Gao Yingjie and his teammates. 

Their captain was no longer there, but Tiny Herb still held a clear advantage in numbers. They couldn't just stop and stare. Happy, over there, was at a disadvantage, yet their performance was still as stable as ever. Ye Xiu had immediately saved Little Cold Hands, and Su Mucheng's Dancing Rain was still blasting their healer, Aweto, as she ran to regroup. 

It's a four versus three right now, and we hold the advantage! 

Gao Yingjie told himself again and again. 

But, what should they do? 

After telling himself that, he then questioned himself. 

Should he be making arrangements for what they were to do next? 

Gao Yingjie knew of the expectations his team had of him, and the future his captain hoped he could shoulder. He always worked hard for this, yet when this moment was placed in front of him like this, ever so abrupt, he floundered. After he sent that message, "the match isn't over", he didn't know what to do next. 

This shouldn't be! 

Even if he were just a normal team member, he shouldn't feel so lost, so adrift. He had to do something. 

You're going to be the one to shoulder Tiny Herb's future! 

His captain's voice echoed in his ears ever so clearly, yet the current him was unable to shoulder such responsibilities. He couldn't even do what he had to do on the field like a normal player. 

"With Vaccaria dead, Tiny Herb's morale has been severely impacted." Even the commentator, Pan Lin, could see what state Tiny Herb's players were in. After Vaccaria had been sent from the match, they had lost their way, flailing in the match without direction. 

They had the advantage in numbers, their opponents were right there in front of them, but it was Happy's three that had managed to adjust first and it was Happy's three who took the initiative to attack. 

"Tiny Herb won't just lose like that, will they?" The difference in the states of mind of the players had Pan Lin doubting Tiny Herb despite their advantage. 

"Not everyone," Li Yibo said, abrupt. 

"What?" Pan Lin didn't get what this was referring to. 

"Xu Bin!" Ruan Cheng yelled. 

Wang Jiexi really had been sent from the match by Happy. This was shocking, but fortunately, it hadn't been without dire consequences for Happy. One for two. Happy had killed off their opponent's core player, but dong so had sent themselves into a disadvantage in numbers. Their actions didn't seem worth it.

However, Ruan Cheng soon realized he was wrong. 

From the reaction of the audience and the players of Tiny Herb, he finally truly understood what Wang Jiexi was to Tiny Herb. He was no normal core player. 

He was their heart, their foundation, their hope, their confidence… Anything that they needed to continue fighting, Tiny Herb only had because of Wang Jiexi. 

And now, he had fallen. 

What he left to the players on the field was shock, the unknown, the sense of being lost, anxiety.

However, there was one exception. 

Xu Bin. 

　 

A player who debuted in the sixth season and transferred to Tiny Herb from 301 Degrees, he had been a part of Tiny Herb for one and a half years, seeing great improvement and even becoming an All-Star, becoming Glory's Number One Knight. 

He adapted to Tiny Herb well, but, in the end, he transferred over. He had only been a part of the team for a year and a half. Compared to the players of Tiny Herb who were born and raised there, his dependence on Wang Jiexi wasn't that strong. 

When Vaccaria had fallen, he felt the same shock, but he didn't lose his cool, nor did he stop. 

He had dealt with Soft Mist and had prepared to continue this offensive, but he hadn't expected that all his teammates would suddenly stagnate. 

Xu Bin had intended to team up with Gao Yingjie and gang up on Little Cold Hands. So long as they got rid of Happy's healer, then their victory was pretty much assured. Who would've thought that Happy would adjust themselves even faster. Ye Xiu's Lord Grim swiftly came back to support and Su Mucheng's Dancing Rain also hurried over to regroup. However, what was more shocking to Xu Bin was that Gao Yingjie's Kind Tree had been easily blasted away by Lord Grim. 

Angelica, having prepared to charge over and help him, could only stop. Then, seeing Gao Yingjie's message, he thought that there would be some sort of arrangement forthcoming. Though he had only come to Tiny Herb a year and a half ago, he had been named vice-captain. However, Xu Bin knew with clarity that Tiny Herb's future captain was Gao Yingjie. He was certain to be the one who would take up Vaccaria and continue Tiny Herb's fight after Wang Jiexi abdicated from his position. As for Xu Bin, he would always be a supporting character. 

Xu Bin wasn't that ambitious and didn't have any complaints about this arrangement. After Vaccaria was defeated, the match would go to Gao Yingjie's control, so he was still that vice captain, the Knight that would stand by his king. 

Yet after Xu Bin saw Gao Yingjie, the one who should take over, type that message into the chat, the other had fallen silent. In contrast, Happy's three players adjusted themselves decisively, swiftly removing themselves from the devastating trade and beginning to counterattack.

Boom boom! 

Dancing Rain's missiles soared over. 

No matter how lost Gao Yingjie was, his instincts as a pro player were solid. The opponent had attacked, and if he didn't know to dodge, then he deserved to die. Following Happy's attacks, Liu Xiaobie and Yuan Baiqing started waking up, facing the current situation with a more focused mind. 

They still had the advantage. 

That was obvious to them. 

But, what should they do next? 

Everyone looked to Gao Yingjie's Kind Tree 

Tiny Herb had always revolved around their Witches. Their strategy and playstyle revolved around the Witch; they needed a hero to guide them. 

The Tiny Herb of the past only had a Vaccaria. He was so dependable, always there to guide them on the battlefield. But now, they also had a Kind Tree. The dual Witch arrangement made them feel like they had two safety nets. However, everyone knew that this was merely a transitional period, slowly shifting the core of their team. Wang Jiexi, debuting in the third season, was coming to the end of his pro career. Of the talented players debuting in the same season, Zhao Yang had already retired and Yang Cong had abdicated from his position as ace, changing playstyles. 

Only Wang Jiexi remained the way he was on the very first day, shouldering the entire team, allowing them to lean on him. 

But now, it was time to switch players. From today onwards, another would hold up this team. 

"Yingjie!" Liu Xiaobie called out in the team chat. They were doing their all to avoid Happy's attacks. Though it was four against three, they needed some sort of team tactic. They needed someone to led them into battle, and that person should be Gao Yingjie. 

But.. what should I do? Gao Yingjie gazed at their opponent, their numbers depleted yet still closing in. Ye Xiu, Su Mucheng, even against Tiny Herb, who had won two championships, they were still the Best Partners on the field.

Could he do it? Gao Yingjie gazed into the distance as if his and Team Tiny Herb's new future was over there.

Chapter 1333: Overlapping Ghost Boundaries

Translator: Nomyummi  Editor: Nomyummi

"Go, Yingjie! We'll follow your pace!"

In Tiny Herb's team chat, Liu Xiaobie sent this message. As a longtime teammate of Gao Yingjie's, he could sense the other player's confusion and panic.

If he's still not confident enough, then let's help him establish confidence! Aren't we used to supporting a Witch? No matter who it is, we'll go along with him.

"Go!" Xu Bin understood Liu Xiaobie's intentions and also encouraged Gao Yingjie. At the same time, their healer player Yuan Baiqing was controlling Aweto, preparing to give aid to the whole team.

With the encouragement of his teammates, Gao Yingjie's emotions gradually steadied. He was carrying everyone's hopes, how could he let them down? He had to carry Tiny Herb's future!

"Go!" Gao Yingjie also sent a message in the chat, displaying his state of mind to his teammates, and after that, the Witch Kind Tree once again took flight.

Target: Little Cold Hands!

Gao Yingjie decided to resume the objective that he hadn't been able to complete earlier. At the moment, they had the advantage of numbers, so there should be many openings through which they could attack Little Cold Hands. If they managed to kill the opponent's healer, the game was set.

But he had barely taken a few steps when he saw that Little Cold Hands was already retreating. Ye Xiu's Lord Grim smoothly intercepted Kind Tree's path of attack.

"Charge past!" Gao Yingjie sent in the team channel. There were three of them, so even if he got tangled with Lord Grim, there were still two others who could force their way toward Little Cold Hands.

Charge!

Triple Slash!

Xu Bin's Angelica and Liu Xiaobie's Flying Sword, assisting this new generation Tiny Herb Witch from the left and right, rushed forward together.

Boom boom boom!

From a long range, Su Mucheng's Dancing Rain had found an angle from which she could fire. With a Tri-Shot Anti-Tank Missile, three shots fired toward the three of them. They each dodged with their own techniques: Gao Yingjie's Kind Tree twisted in the air; Liu Xiaobie's Flying Sword changed direction on the second slash of his Triple Slash; Xu Bin's Angelica simply used a Heroic Leap, aiming to land in Lord Grim's direction.

But then…

Boom boom boom!

Another Tri-Shot Anti-Tank Missile came, this time from Lord Grim's Myriad Manifestations Umbrella at a much closer distance. In the end, they burst into three explosions.

All three Tiny Herb players were hit. The methods they used to dodge Su Mucheng's initial attack had all been predicted by Ye Xiu.

Kind Tree and Flying Sword were directly sent tumbling by the shockwaves of the explosion, but Angelica's Heroic Leap had priority. Plus, he had the stronger armor of a Knight, so even though he too was hit, his body was only slightly buffeted, and his offensive wasn't diminished at all. But just when he was about to land, brilliant white flames suddenly surrounded his body, and the priority of Heroic Leap vanished. A Sacred Fire from Little Cold Hands had Silenced him.

"Unbelievable! After sealing Vaccaria, he now seals Angelica. And these predictive attacks were both made under conditions of high-speed movement! We didn't even see the Sacred Fire burning on the ground before it took effect. An Wenyi has truly taken the precision of this skill to the limit…" Li Yibo exclaimed in shock. He too was surprised that he would save such unrestrained praise to give to An Wenyi, of all players.

After all, at the beginning, this was the guy whose mere ability to exist in the professional scene had been questioned!

"Happy ignored the doubts of the outside world and insisted on keeping An Wenyi as their main healer. Are they finally reaping the rewards?" Li Yibo continued to exclaim.

To the side, Ruan Cheng's expression darkened. As long as there was something negative said about Happy, he would always take part, and he was extreme with his criticism. With An Wenyi, for example, not only did he criticize An Wenyi for having such a low skill level, he used this as a lens through which to criticize the judgment and management of Team Happy as a whole. But now, Happy's support of An Wenyi brought them this kind of reward. Of course, this was the strongest retaliation toward his type of criticisms.

Ruan Cheng had opened his mouth, prepared to say something, but because Li Yibo had dragged the topic here, he had no way of adding anything. He could only shut his mouth, depressed.

Sky Strike.

The Myriad Manifestations Umbrella had already become a spear in Lord Grim's hands, thrusting directly toward the falling Angelica. At the same time, another round of fire exploded upon his body. Clearly, Dancing Rain was still helping Ye Xiu output damage from afar.

But the combo didn't last too long, because Gao Yingjie and Liu Xiaobie were already back.

Boom!

Lord Grim used one last Falling Flower Palm to shove Angelica toward Kind Tree. Gao Yingjie immediately wanted to dodge, but a Laser Rifle slammed into Angelica's body again. Instantly, Angelica's body accelerated from the force of the impact and was in front of Kind Tree in the blink of an eye. Gao Yingjie hadn't anticipated this and couldn't react fast enough. Angelica slammed into him, and the two became tangled together. Even though the damage from this wouldn't be too high, this interrupted Tiny Herb's offensive and put them in an unbearably weak position.

Did Tiny Herb's offensive trio have no way of dealing with these two from Happy?

At this time, the sixth players of both sides finally arrived.

Tiny Herb, Liang Fang, Berserker Black Bamboo.

Happy, Qiao Yifan, Ghostblade One Inch Ash.

We can't let them set up Ghost Boundaries.

This was Gao Yingjie's judgment at this moment, but on Happy's side, Lord Grim was already covering One Inch Ash as the Ghostblade prepared to cast the first Ghost Boundary. Dancing Rain opened fire with Gatling Gun, sending a storm of bullets flying their way. The four from Tiny Herb scattered, and Angelica used the cover of his weapon Sighing Wall to take the direct path.

But they were still too slow. By the time the close-range fighters arrived, the light gathering on One Inch Ash's blade was released.

Ice Boundary!

The boundary landed right beneath the feet of Lord Grim and One Inch Ash. The close-range fighters who had planned to stop him immediately had to retreat.

Ye Xiu's Lord Grim used this opening to complete a cast - another Ghost Boundary, a Sword Boundary that used blade aura as a buff.

Dancing Rain and Little Cold Hands entered the range of the Sword and Ice Boundaries. Under the protection of these Ghost Boundaries, Happy's four players steadily began to advance their position.

Ghost Boundaries appeared on the map one after another. In Tiny Herb's roster, Xu Bin, Liu Xiaobie, and Liang Fang were all close-range classes, and after the Ghost Boundaries forced them out of range, their choices of attack were extremely limited. Gao Yingjie's Kind Tree could still attack the target from outside the range of the Ghost Boundaries, but his attacks alone were far from enough to stop Happy's step-by-step advancement.

"Retreat for now!" Gao Yingjie made this decision.

The biggest limitation of Ghost Boundaries was that they couldn't move. Happy had established a strong formation, so even though Tiny Herb had an extra person, they couldn't brute-force their way through. They'd wanted to try this, relying on their healer, but they had nothing to show for their efforts.

Boom boom!

Su Mucheng sent the Tiny Herb players on their way with a few cannon shots. Tiny Herb's players dodged, feeling depressed, when all of a sudden, Happy's Little Cold Hands suddenly raised his weapon Holy Contract. There was a flash of brilliant light, so bright that it would attract everyone's attention. It was a Hypnosis attack.

Aweto!

Tiny Herb's Cleric instantly stopped in his tracks. His body swayed, clearly already asleep. And at this moment, Lord Grim's two hands opened outward, and a gust of qi flowed outward…

Cloud Grasping Fist!

When they saw this skill, the faces of the Tiny Herb players turned ashen.

Happy's formation needed the support of the Ghost Boundaries, so they couldn't move quickly. Yuan Baiqing's Aweto, had been far back in a secure location the whole time. Because of this, Tiny Herb hadn't worried too much about protecting him, because in their view, there was no way Happy could charge out of the Ghost Boundaries, and the long-range firepower of Dancing Rain or Lord Grim alone didn't pose a great threat.

But now, Happy actually pulled Aweto into their formation. Tiny Herb had neglected the protection of Aweto, and it was now too late to interrupt the Cloud Grasping Fist. There was no way they could retreat now and come back later. Disregarding everything else, all of the Tiny Herb players turned around and rushed back to rescue Aweto.

But Happy was prepared for this. One Inch Ash continued to lay down Ghost Boundaries without rest, connecting into a chain of obstacles that hampered their movements. Just like that, Aweto was pulled by Lord Grim into Happy's formation, and the various Ghost Boundaries he passed through caused him to suffer all sorts of damage and status effects. As soon as he landed, Lord Grim didn't hold back in attacking him. Dancing Rain used her firepower to continue to take care of everyone else, and Qiao Yifan's One Inch Ash maintained the completeness of the Overlapping Ghost Boundaries.

How did things end up like this?

Gao Yingjie was in a daze. It was five against four, they clearly had the advantage of numbers, so why had they been countered at every step? How had they ended up in this situation, where their healer was stolen away and they had no way of rescuing him?

If only Captain were still here, this battle never would've become such a mess!

In the end, it's because I'm useless, isn't it?

Too useless.

Tiny Herb's future? Everyone's hope? How in the world could I ever carry that?

Ah!!!

Gao Yingjie gave a shout of anger in his heart. Kind Tree, a character who could still attack from the edge of the Ghost Boundaries, now arrived there.

Dark Boundary? Ice Boundary?

Gao Yingjie studied the Ghost Boundaries on the ground. The status effects from these were too strong; no matter what, he couldn't enter those regions.

Plague Boundary?

That would only decrease his defense. He could take that.

But… that was a trap. Gao Yingjie carefully observed the positions of Happy's players. If he charged through the Plague Boundary, then all of the opponents' attacks could easily focus upon him. Under the defense-reducing effect of the Plague Boundary, the damage and effects from the attacks would all be magnified. If he tried a charge like that, he would definitely be forced back, and just the smallest mistake could result in his own death.

Gao Yingjie felt a rare clarity of mind. All of these thoughts flashed through his mind, and he made his judgments. He couldn't enter any of these areas sealed by the Ghost Boundaries. Then, all that was left was…

Silence Boundary, a region that would lock all skills. Anyone else would skip this option without a second thought.

But, I'm a Witch! Even with ordinary attacks, I can go in and cause some chaos. If I can interrupt one of Yifan's Ghost Boundaries, then my teammates can seize the opportunity to counterattack.

It'll be a bit hard, but I have to try!

Kind Tree, under everyone's shocked gazes, stepped into the Silence Boundary. His skills were instantly sealed, but his footsteps didn't halt.

Was there an open area where he could stand? Was there an opening caused by switching skills that he could seize?

Gao Yingjie concentrated everything he had on his surroundings. His Kind Tree charged toward One Inch Ash. HE was going to interrupt the opponent's array of Ghost Boundaries.

"Behind you!"

But at this moment, he received a warning from his teammate. He immediately tried to roll and dodge, but blood was already flying from Kind Tree's neck. Then, someone was already lifting him, and carelessly tossing him to the side.

Lord Grim's silhouette had already used another movement skill to return and resume his offense against Aweto. Just like that, Kind Tree was tossed into the middle of the Dark Boundary.

The entire world went black.

Chapter 1334: Decisive

Translator: Nomyummi  Editor: Nomyummi

Is this the end?

Gao Yingjie felt the dejection swelling in his heart as his camera view turned into a screen of darkness. 

No!

But another sound rose in his heart, because he felt that he heard that sentence once again.

Shoulder the future of Tiny Herb!

This isn't over yet.

The Dark Boundary didn't cause any damage, only the loss of vision. The position he'd been in when he hit the ground, the direction he was facing…

Kind Tree clambered to his feet, turned his body slightly to face the direct center of the Ghost Boundary, and charged through!

What?

Everyone was shocked and had to double-check that that Dark Boundary hadn't already faded.

No, the Dark Boundary was still there, and there was no way the Blind effect would fade so quickly. In other words, Gao Yingjie's vision was still nothing but darkness, but he could still make such accurate controls? He had done all of this based on his memory? What incredible instinct and intuition!

Kind Tree flew into the air, riding atop his broom, Morning Dew.

At this moment, there was no way for him to make many precise controls. He could only use a few sweeping skills to try and disrupt the opponent.

Broom Tornado!

Morning Dew swung through the air, Kind Tree spun and a tornado whipped up… To win this match, he was using everything he had, even if his skills had been sealed by the Silence Boundary, even if the Dark Boundary stole away his vision, he still refused to give up.

But the audience couldn't bear to watch any longer.

They couldn't bear to see Gao Yingjie work so hard only to fail to accomplish anything in the end.

Dancing Rain had already lifted her cannon. She aimed right at Kind Tree, and shot a Laser Rifle right at him.

Boom…

The midair Kind Tree was instantly sent flying by this Laser Rifle.

In the end, it still wasn't enough?

Gao Yingjie let out a sigh… This was far from an opponent he could defeat with his eyes closed!

The moment that Kind Tree flew out of the area affected by the Dark Boundary, he recovered his sight. Gao Yingjie immediately adjusted his position. Then, he saw Aweto trapped by countless overlapping Ghost Boundaries, with all sorts of status effects and damage stacking on top of him. Light and shadow intertwined; the occasional flashes were all black in color.

One Inch Ash's tachi was raised in the air. Those Ghost Boundaries lying upon the ground seemed to hear some sort of call, and the power of the Phantom Ghost became shifting and restless.

Ghost Feast!

In this instant, all of the phantom power exploded! The power flew in chaotic patterns through the air, searching for targets within the range of the Ghost Boundaries. Which Tiny Herb player would dare advance at this moment? But in the very center of the boundaries, where they all overlapped, Tiny Herb's Cleric was being devoured by all of the phantom power.

Boom!

Another Satellite Beam fell from the sky. Along with the waving claws and dancing fangs of the Phantom God's power, it swallowed Aweto whole, leaving not a scrap of clothing…

Tiny Herb's Cleric fell.

In that moment, for countless people, this match was decided. Tiny Herb's stadium was silent. Only the loyal Happy fans sitting in the away team audience area were jumping and singing, welcoming the crazy victory that was just about to arrive.

"This is really… unbelievable." This adjective appeared again and again in the commentary of today's match. And this time, seeing Happy kill Tiny Herb's healer, Pan Lin once again used this adjective to describe the situation.

Even though Tiny Herb had become somewhat disorganized and depressed when Happy had killed Wang Jiexi earlier, they still had the absolute numbers advantage, and so most people still favored Tiny Herb. Ruan Cheng gritted his teeth as he waited for Tiny Herb to kill Happy, so that he could pick apart Happy's faults one by one.

But now, it looked like there was no need.

Tiny Herb's Cleric was killed. This one move was simply too decisive. Now, there probably wouldn't be any more earth-shaking miracles, would there?

There wouldn't be.

Enough shocking events had already happened today.

After this, Tiny Herb's four attackers attempted to kill Little Cold Hands, but One Inch Ash's Ghost Boundaries quickly gave Little Cold Hands the best protection. When An Wenyi was able to stand at a secure position and focus on healing, then Lord Grim, fighting on the frontlines, could be that much more reckless in his attacks.

No reversals, no comebacks. The battle ended here. Happy won their away game against Tiny Herb, with a final score of 8-2.

There was too much that needed to be digested, and so the stadium was a bit subdued. The players from both teams walked out of the competitor booths and met in the middle, just like they had before the team competition. But now that victory had been determined, one side could laugh heartily, while the other side could only taste bitterness.

Wang Jiexi, the first one killed in this team competition, calmly looked at the players of this team standing before him.

Ye Xiu… Counting from when Wang Jiexi had first entered the Alliance, the two of them had already competed with each other for a full seven seasons. If only speaking of their results during that time, then Ye Xiu, who had never appeared in a season finals after Season 4, seemed a bit inferior to Wang Jiexi, who had played in the finals three times and won two of them.

Over the regular seasons, they had met 14 times, each with his share of wins and losses.

In the playoffs of Season 7, the two teams met in the first round, and Tiny Herb sent home the Excellent Era that Ye Xiu led. It was after that battle that everyone started screaming, believing that Ye Qiu's era was over for good. But for some reason, Wang Jiexi felt that he hadn't truly defeated this opponent. This wasn't only because of the achievements and trophies that both sides had accumulated, this was a feeling closer to the battlefield. The battle strength that Excellent Era had displayed during that playoffs match was so fragmented that even Wang Jiexi, as their opponent, almost couldn't bear to watch.

That battle became the last time the two of them fought. During the regular season of Season 8, before Tiny Herb and Excellent Era could meet, Ye Xiu announced his retirement.

When he first heard the news, Wang Jiexi couldn't understand it at all.

The outside world believed this and that. But as his opponent, Wang Jiexi only knew one thing - Ye Qiu's competitive condition was far from the point where he would need to retire. Some internal conflict must have occurred within Team Excellent Era…

But all of this became unimportant with Ye Qiu's retirement. Wang Jiexi's job was to lead Tiny Herb on a road of endless victory.

And now, he had returned. Wang Jiexi didn't know what was up with Ye Qiu becoming Ye Xiu, but either way it wasn't important. This player had used that one and half years of time to pull together this team standing here now, and then once again defeated Wang Jiexi in battle.

When was the last time I lost to this guy?

Wang Jiexi couldn't remember anymore. What he could remember in clear detail was Season 3, when he'd won Best Rookie. He was the so-called king of rookies, but that was nothing in front of God Ye Qiu! The world had likened his Magician style to the sight of heavenly horses crossing the sky, but in front of Ye Qiu there were none of the stunning effects of magic. One Autumn Leaf waved that famed Silver weapon Evil Annihilation, using that Battle Mage style that was everywhere in the player guides, and beat his Witch bloody. The Excellent Era that he had raised was truly invincible in that era.

This time, do you plan to carry such a team once again?

"Congratulations," Wang Jiexi said, extending his right hand toward Ye Xiu.

"Thank you." Ye Xiu also extended his hand, and they shook.

"Next time, we will win," said Wang Jiexi.

"Oh? You guys?" Ye Xiu laughed, and looked at the line of Tiny Herb players arranged before him. Having lost the match, they were of course in low spirits. Gao Yingjie especially seemed painfully upset. His head hung low, and the teardrops were clear to see as they fell from his eyes.

"Maybe if they treated you as a role model, and not a crutch."

When Ye Xiu said this sentence, he had already moved past, and was shaking hands with the person standing next to Wang Jiexi.

Role model?

Crutch?

Wang Jiexi was dazed. Even when Fang Rui walked in front of him and extended his hand, he didn't react until Xu Bin reminded him. He hurriedly recovered and shook hands.

Is he saying that I've been working too hard all this time? But when you were in Excellent Era, weren't you also giving your all to carry the team on your shoulders? Wang Jiexi watched Ye Xiu's retreating silhouette, which now arrived in front of Gao Yingjie at the end of the line.

Gao Yingjie's head was bowed. He saw that someone had walked in front of him, but he didn't lift his head, and only extended his right hand.

"You did well." Ye Xiu took the initiative to speak with him. "But awareness and determination are far from enough. Who doesn't have those things?"

As soon as he finished speaking, he was already gone. But Gao Yingjie, surprised, finally lifted his head to look at him. Behind Ye Xiu, the rest of the Happy players walked by, one by one, shaking his hand, until the very last Happy member. Qiao Yifan.

In over a year's time, young players like them could grow a lot, whether in appearance or character.

Both of them had grown taller, and the childishness had faded from their faces. Gao Yingjie's face was still streaked with tears, but now that he was facing his old friend, he finally reacted and hurriedly wiped his face.

Qiao Yifan didn't laugh at him. He pulled some tissues out of his pocket and offered them to Gao Yingjie.

Gao Yingjie took them, but he didn't use them to wipe his tears.

"Yifan, you're really amazing now," Gao Yingjie said.

"So are you, still as genius as ever, being able to play even in the Dark Boundary," Qiao Yifan said.

"But what use is that? We still lost." Gao Yingjie's sadness was still clear when he said this.

"Keep working hard!" Qiao Yifan said.

"Yes. Next time I'll win for sure," Gao Yingjie said.

"Alright," Qiao Yifan smiled, not fussing over how the statement "I'll win for sure" had the implication "you'll lose for sure."

With that, the match came to a close. In the post-match press conference, both sides expressed extremely high praise toward their opponent's performance. In Tiny Herb's press conference, Captain Wang Jiexi frequently revealed a pensive expression while answering questions, and their genius player Gao Yingjie, after this failure, expressed a strength and determination that he had never shown before.

Ruan Cheng had been so prepared to sarcastically mock Happy after they'd lost this battle, but in the end, he didn't even show up to Happy's press conference. But soon, the television broadcasting station received countless calls from viewers, all expressing that they'd rather hear the commentary of someone whose skill wasn't high enough than the commentary of someone as biased as Ruan Cheng.

At the conclusion of Round 27, Happy's away game victory against Tiny Herb was one of the more unexpected results. But aside from this, there was another surprise: Team Wind Howl, after stumbling in so many battles, finally found their footing in this match, and won 8-2 against Team Blue Rain.

Chapter 1335: Don’t Worry About the Details

Translator: Nomyummi  Editor: Nomyummi

Not even Wind Howl's fans felt any hope for them, and in a match against a powerhouse like Blue Rain, not even 70 percent of the tickets had been sold. Many fans gathered outside of the stadium, refusing to go inside and watch and thus expressing their displeasure for Wind Howl's recent performance.

Yet it was on this night that Wind Howl won an individual competition, won the group arena, and then won the team competition. They beat the current number two, Blue Rain, 8 to 2.

"There are many factors that can influence a match. Doing the right thing at the right time is the most efficient way to win a match. Wind Howl's offense was strong tonight, and our defense wasn't up to par," Blue Rain's captain, Yu Wenzhou, commented at the post-match press conference.

The reporters in the audience had a very clear understanding of this match. Team Wind Howl had fallen, their fans cooled, but there was one aspect that was indisputably admirable about them. No matter how terrible their performance was, their desire for victory burned as brightly as ever.

Yu Wenzhou's comment was a good summary.

If you say that victory required doing the right thing at the right time, then the previous Wind Howl could never find that right time to do that right thing.

And this time? In this team competition, Wind Howl had used an extremely crude playstyle. After their starting lineup had loaded into the map, they immediately switched their healer out for their sixth player, creating an all-DPS formation. Then, they had attacked Blue Rain, forcing their members to fight 1v1.

This sort of strategy was extremely rare in the high-end pro circle. Once the 1v1 arrangement was completed by Wind Howl, Blue Rain's team was ripped asunder. Apart from their healer, Yu Wenzhou wasn't good at 1v1s either, making things far more difficult for Blue Rain. In the end, they were unable to regroup and support each other efficiently, losing the team competition. 

　 

The right thing at the right time...

The reporters digested this comment from Yu Wenzhou. It seemed like words of courtesy spoken post-match, but the meaning behind the words were clear. There was no need to comment any further.

As for the stars of the day, Team Wind Howl… This long-awaited victory against such a powerhouse finally let them raise their heads, standing tall and confident at the press conference.

"The competition is just beginning," they intoned solemnly. 

　 

Sure...

The reporters looked to the rankings after 27 rounds. Wind Howl was still just outside of the playoffs, though they were only 8 points away from the eighth ranked team. The problem was that none of the top eight seemed to be falling behind.

The one who was one place above Wind Howl was 301 Degrees, who had been rising up ever since the winter transfer window. This round, they had defeated Heavenly Swords 8 to 2 in their away game, scoring their tenth consecutive win. The Life Risking Strike assassination didn't appear in this match, but that meant that 301 Degrees didn't just have that one method of winning. They would judge the situation for the method necessary to obtain victory. Their captain Yang Cong wasn't so stiff as to stubbornly stick to his new Life-Risking style no matter what. He could still use the warrior-like playstyle that he favored before, charging at the head of his team if the team so required.

301 Degrees wasn't planning on relying on this singular strategy; everyone had realized that by now.

Team 301 Degrees had risen through the ranks, and the one they had knocked out of the top eight was Wind Howl. Now Wind Howl had become the pursuers and the reporters checked the schedule. A good show was soon to come. Round 28 was a faceoff between these two teams: Wind Howl's home game would be against 301 Degrees.

This seemed quite like a fight to the death.

There were still eleven rounds in the regular season. Eight points of difference wasn't a small gap, but it wasn't a very big gap either. If you wanted to turn the tables in one round, then this face off was a chance. If they won with a 9 to 1, then they'd be even. Ten to zero and they'd overtake them.

However, Wind Howl, having already disappointed everyone so much, couldn't win back everyone's faith and admiration with just a single victory against Blue Rain, especially compared to 301 Degrees with their 10 consecutive wins.

However, Team Wind Howl's members had an indomitable will to fight against the tides. The more the outside world didn't believe, the more focused they were on the match.

On March 28th, the day before Round 28 of the Pro League, the teams generally would choose such a time to announce the lineup they were to use in the match the following day.

"What? You're putting me in?"

For Tema Happy, when their lineup was announced, the loudest voice came from the computer on their meeting table.

The last time Luo Ji had played in an official match since coming to Happy was all the way back during the Challengers League. His contributions to Team Happy were more like that of a R&D member, rather than a player.

However, Luo Ji was doubtlessly a registered player of Happy's. Though he usually couldn't stay with the team because of his studies, when matchday came, no matter home or away game, Luo Ji would rush over to the stadium and meet with everyone.

Though he had never been on the stage, he had the chance to watch up close and personal. Luo Ji was no longer the noob he once was. His judgement, knowledge, were far from average. As for skill, he naturally knew his own level. In the current Happy, not even Wei Chen had much of a chance to be fielded. For himself, he was satisfied with just sitting at the sidelines. Maybe, after honing himself for another year and half, he might get some chance to play.

That was what Luo Ji thought. He never would've expected that Ye Xiu planned to field him in this crucial time as the season approached its end.

"Do you want to play an individual match or group arena?" Ye Xiu asked.

"I, I, I…" Luo Ji stuttered, speechless. It was shocking enough that he was getting a chance to play, never mind being able to choose the match for himself. This… was probably the encouragement and reward he was getting for this season.

There are still eleven rounds. It's time you gained some real battle experience," Ye Xiu decided.

Luo Ji was one of the elite students of an institution for higher education. His IQ was high, that was undebatable, and he soon figured out the logic in Ye Xiu's words.

From his view, with only eleven rounds left, if Happy had a massive lead like Samsara, then it was fine to let some newbie take the stage and gain experience in some relatively unimportant matches as the regular season came to a close. However, Happy was currently sixth with a total of 178 points, 4 points ahead of number seven Hundred Blossoms and 12 ahead of number eight 301 Degrees. Compared to number nine's Wind Howl, they did have quite a lead with 20 points ahead.

However, even if Happy didn't drop out of the top eight, falling to eighth place wasn't good either. If the current situation was any clue, Samsara's lead was certain to continue. In accordance with the playoffs rules, the eighth ranked team would be up against the number one team, Samsara, in the first round… Everyone was naturally trying to avoid such a strong opponent. If it became unavoidable, like in the finals, then they'll just go all out and hope for the best.

Happy wasn't at the point where they could relax and train their newbies. However, if Ye Xiu fielded him now, that seemed to mean that Ye Xiu was placing importance on his use later and not throwing him some unimportant matches to gain experience!

Yet Ye Xiu had said that he had to gain real battle experience in these eleven rounds. Could it be that Ye Xiu was planning on having him play in the playoffs?

Though he was sitting down, Luo Ji felt his legs go weak.

After gaining some experience in eleven rounds, he'd have to contribute to that vicious competition where a single mistake could mean a year's worth of work wasted called the playoffs?

"Is that… really alright?" Luo Ji didn't voice any of what he had thought, merely asking the question that was going through his mind.

"You've been working hard for a long time. It's time to experience what being on the stage is like," Ye Xiu replied.

"But my skill…" Luo Ji hesitated.

"Your skill is already at the point where you need real battle experience to improve. It'll tell you what to give up and what to strengthen, how to make decisions. You have to develop such an awareness yourself; if I just tell you, there's little use," Ye Xiu explained.

"You can tell me first, I'll focus on it," Luo ji said.

"Don't worry about the details," Ye Xiu intoned.

"Just say it, I'll definitely be able to look at things clearer if you do," Luo Ji reassured.

"I already said it!"

"Ah? Just don't worry about the details?" Luo Ji was dumbfounded for a moment. He had thought Ye Xiu had been telling him to not worry about the detail of "listen to it first and then focus on it".

"Yes, see? There's not much use, no?" Ye Xiu said.

This harsh reality had Luo Ji struck speechless. These words really weren't much use to him.

"Or, rather, pay more attention to the details you need to," Ye Xiu added.

"Pay attention to what details are important?" Luo Ji's IQ was impressive, able to easily find the implications.

"Yup," Ye Xiu confirmed.

"I'll pay close attention to it." Luo Ji nodded and didn't say much more. This was because he realized this really was something you could only develop through going through the battles yourself. Then he considered his current situation. Paying attention to details was his habit and style, and it was because of this that he could create those incredibly detailed guides. However, when 1v1ing, the more you paid attention to, the more you had to worry about. In addition, Summoners already had very complex mechanics so he often floundered and flailed when it came to it. 

　 

Ye Xiu's advice of paying attention to what details could be ignored and what should be considered wasn't telling him to stop paying attention to detail, but to find the details that would benefit him the most when it came to defeating his opponent and then utilize them effectively. If he could do this, then he probably wouldn't be all over the place when it came to controlling his character. Luo Ji knew that he was no hand speed expert. He couldn't control a bunch of summons under complex battle situations.

Choosing between these details really was something he needed to master to improve from his current level. Ye Xiu had probably noticed that he had reached such a level and arranged for him to improve through actual matches. 

　 

However… there were only eleven rounds left.

Even if he played one match per round and even gained some experience from the team competitions, was it enough to improve and allow him to perform well in the playoffs? 

　 

This question lingered in Luo Ji's heart, and Chen Guo had doubts about it, too.

"Will Luo Ji be alright?" Chen Guo asked Ye Xiu after the meeting was over.

"Don't forget, he has a high IQ!" Ye Xiu replied.

Chapter 1336: The Freedom to Choose

Translator: Nomyummi  Editor: Nomyummi

Luo Ji was more prudent, choosing to appear in an individual competition in the 28th round. At the end of the day, he was still worried that his skill level would end up dragging down his team in the group arena, which would cost 2 points, whereas a loss in the individual competition would only cost 1 point. As for the team competition, having no available slots for him to take instead gave him a sense of relief.

Luo Ji's attitude made the members of Team Happy sigh with sorrow, especially those veterans who had more experience as a professional player.

When it came to players nowadays, who wouldn't want to have as many opportunities as possible to shine? How many people would actually have misgivings about their own ability being insufficient and dragging down their team?

"He's a really honest kid..." Chen Guo sighed sorrowfully. She may not have had much experience, but she had seen enough to know that characters as sincere as Luo Ji were hard to come by, especially amongst rookies.

Round 28 soon arrived.

It was unanimously decided that the match between Wind Howl and 301 Degrees would be the one to be broadcasted. As it was coming towards the end of the regular season, many teams would be out of hope, with the exception of those fighting over the 8th place, where the most intense competition would be taking place. And in a match like this, where the two teams were directly competing for a spot in the top 8, both teams would definitely exert their fullest effort, making the match that much more exciting and intense.

In Wind Howl's home game, during the first round of the individual competition, Wind Howl's captain, Tang Hao, took the stage.

In the Round 18 of the regular season, Tang Hao also appeared first, with the goal of sniping Ye Xiu's streak of consecutive victories in order to boost the morale of the team. Unfortunately, he was unable to win, and Team Wind Howl ended up losing to Team Happy in a 10-0 blowout victory.

After ten rounds had passed, when faced with what could be Team Wind Howl's most important match of the regular season, Tang Hao once again took up the same role.

Perhaps, under his command, Wind Howl may not have achieved the results that everyone expected from them, but still, Tang Hao was filled with valor and confidence, leading Wind Howl in their charge towards victory. His appearance in the first round showed their intentions clearly; he could not afford to lose. If he postured like this and still lost, the morale of the team would definitely suffer a severe blow. On top of that, given that he had tried this before and failed, if he attempted it again without success, the damage to the team's morale would be even greater, and he would definitely be the subject of even more ridicule.

But even so, he was devoid of fear. In such an important match, he shouldered all of this pressure and stood as the first player on stage. Team 301's vanguard was also their team captain, but if one were to call him the nucleus of the team, that would be outdated information.

After testing and tempering their new strategy in the last few rounds of the competition, it became clear that Bai Shu was the core of Team 301. Whether in attack or defense, it was still Bai Shu who was leading 301. As for Yang Cong, he now had more freedom in the role he played. The team placed great faith in him, allowing him to use his own intuition and experience to decide what to do in the battlefield. Of course, Yang Cong took up this responsibility, and in the second half of the season, his performance was very eye-catching. If they only had the foreign monk Bai Shu and not him, Team 301 wouldn't have been able to perform as well as they had.

The Brawler, Demon Subduer, and the Assassin, Scene Killer. Both characters quickly loaded into the match, and Yang Cong could immediately see Demon Subduer at the other end of the map.

Maybe it was due to Ye Xiu's map choices, but during this season, choosing this kind of plain and simple map had become increasingly popular. Tang Hao also ended up picking such a map that left out almost any room for tactical maneuvering, instead forcing his opponent to clash with him head on! 

Assassins had no fear of this kind of head-on combat, and Yang Cong had originally been a player who had such a direct playstyle anyways. Seeing that the map was like this, he wasted no time in hesitating and just decided to adopt his old playstyle and attack!

Ding!

The curtains to the competition lifted with that tiny sound. Demon Subduer lifted his hand and threw out a Paralysis Needle, but the Silver weapon Dancing Shadows was lifted into the air by Yang Cong, sending the Paralysis Needle flying harmlessly to the side.

Powerful Knee Strike!

Tang Hao directly and unambiguously started his assault.

How fierce!

Yang Cong was filled with regret in his heart. Truth be told, the Brawler class wasn't particularly strong at these kinds of direct attacks, instead, it was there numerous dirty tracts that allowed the class to have stronger control abilities, making Brawlers more suited as a control-oriented class. If it was just about pure attack power, there were many classes that were stronger than the Brawler in that regard.

But it was exactly this class that became extremely aggressive in Tang Hao's hands, completely different from when Lin Jingyan was playing it in the past.

It was precisely because of these players with different dispositions piloting all the different classes that made Glory such a rich and colorful game. Wasn't it Yang Cong himself who had turned his Assassin into a forceful fighter on the front lines?

Seeing Tang Hao's violent and forceful Brawler, Yang Cong could only lament, "it must be nice being young". If it were a few years ago, he would also have the heart to compete against his opponent in such a forceful and direct manner. Comparing whose reactions were quicker, whose hand speed was greater, whose mechanics were more perfect.

But now, he had to adjust a little bit.

Yang Cong controlled Scene Killer to Dodge towards the side, avoiding Demon Subduer's incoming attack before quickly striking out with the Dual Swords, sending a Heart-Piercing Stab directly at Demon Subduer's back.

Tang Hao wasn't bad enough to get hit this easily. When Powerful Knee Strike didn't connect, Demon Subduer had already twisted his body in mid-air, sending out a Sand Toss instead. Yang Cong hurriedly turned his field of view away, relying on his memories and experience to try to hit his Heart-Piercing Stab. In the end, Scene Killer's movements suddenly became stiff after the attack.

Not good!

Yang Cong's experience allowed him to determine what had happened. Once Sand Toss was over, he turned his camera back to the original angle, and saw that Dancing Shadows had been gripped firmly by Demon Subduer's claw, Blood Vanishing Soul.

If it was just an attack being parried, he wouldn't feel as if he couldn't control his character properly. Instead, that kind of sensation was as if he had been controlled by a grab skill.

Empty-Handed Blade Block!

Surprisingly, the skill that Demon Subduer used was from the Striker class and had obviously been added to his weapon beforehand.

A low-levelled Empty-Handed Blade Block didn't have much attack power, but its effectiveness in dismantling attacks was the same. Professional players were only able to add a level 1 skill to their weapon, so they wouldn't pursue damage output, but instead pursue a unique effect that only that particular skill possessed.

Blocking and dismantling at the same time!

After this hit, blows immediately rained down upon Scene Killer's body, and the combo began…...

He really was aggressive enough!

As Scene Killer took hit after hit, Yang Cong concentrated on Demon Subduer's frantic offensive. To unleash such an offensive, it meant that the player behind the character was frantically inputting controls as well.

Do you really think this kind of attack can defeat me?

What do you think I relied on to stand firmly in the Alliance for so long?

Yang Cong's chest boiled with hot-bloodedness under the continuous attacks from Demon Subduer. Originally, he wanted to play more calmly and achieve victory, but now, he very much wanted to be like Demon Subduer and unleash his own flurry of attacks.

Yang Cong stared at his opponent's attacks, and finally saw an opening.

Assassin Movement Technique: With the Wind!

Scene Killer's body flickered strangely, and Demon Subduer's head-on attack actually missed him by a little bit. Attack again! Demon Subduer sent another strike out.

Assassin Movement Technique: Against the Lightning!

Demon Subduer's clenched fist suddenly lagged behind Scene Killer's body.

With the Wind, Against the Lightning, Turning Flame, Standing Ice.

The four movement techniques that the Assassin possessed were actually to retreat, to advance, move left and right or not move, things that could be achieved through normal controls. However, using the skills would naturally have a far stronger result.

Yang Cong saw an opening, used the two movement techniques and shook free of Demon Subduer's offensive in a flash.

Now... it should be my turn, right?

The Assassin's Dual Swords, Dancing Shadows, flew through the air towards Demon Subduer…...

Another kind of alternative Assassin style in the Alliance.

Scene Killer!

Two classes that were perhaps more suited to a different playstyle completed a furious bout of direct attacks. Yang Cong let go of the misgivings in his heart and used the the playstyle that he had used for so many years.

Every competition needs an end, and victory or defeat had to be decided.

This time, it was Yang Cong who lost.

"Ah, what a shame..." Yang Cong sighed.

He had lost, but that kind of free-spirited play was something that he very much enjoyed. He could try out the most eye-catching kind of Assassin playstyle, with Life-Risking Strike, or he could make use of the direct playstyle he was most familiar with after so many years.

Just like in this match, where he had started off hot-blooded, directly fighting against Tang Hao, but in the midst of it, he had also tried to find an opportunity to land a Life-Risking Strike.

He was pursuing the end-goal of victory, but he was also enjoying the thrill of competition.

Losing was a bit of a shame, but who could say that using a certain method would definitely result in a win?

For the past eight years, during every competition, he had to carefully consider what methods and tactics to use, but now, he had abandoned all of that, allowing him the freedom to do as he pleased, and the end result wasn't too disastrous. This time, he had lost, but who knew what would happen the next time?

Yang Cong left the stage having lost, but he still felt a sense of fulfillment.

"Captain, what a pity..." Team 301's players all surrounded him, breaking down the countless moments in the match that had made them excited or left them with regret. Losing, but not being discouraged because of it; Yang Cong's match had conveyed this sort of message.

"Continue to try your best!" Thus, he was able to magnanimously encourage his teammates.

"Understood!" Everyone responded, and the next contestant took the field.

At the same time, in another stadium, Luo Ji shakily stood up from his seat.

He was finally going to welcome the first match of his professional career, and he felt a hundred times more nervous than the time in the Challenger's League.

"Don't be nervous," Ye Xiu told him, after having continued his winning streak in the individual competition.

"Mm," Luo Ji said, thrice, as he rigidly nodded his head.

"Your opponent is the same as you, a new player in a new season!" Ye Xiu comforted him.

"But it isn't his first time appearing on stage!" Luo Ji felt that Ye Xiu's reassurance was completely useless.

"Don't sweat the small details!" Ye Xiu said.

"..." Did that have some kind of double meaning? Luo Ji, with his high IQ, began to ponder.

In this round, Team Happy was up against Team Miracle.

In the first half of the season, they had won in a 10-0 victory against Miracle in their away-game, beginning their frantic journey of snatching points. Team Miracle, on the other hand, had stumbled and staggered before gradually producing more stable results. Being the number thirteen team, with 110 points, this could be considered an extremely impressive result for a new team. In their team, they had many rookies who had never played competitively before, and now, they were against a player who had never played until the Round 28 of the regular season.

Team Happy's Luo Ji, and his Summoner, Concealed Light.

Chapter 1337: Who’s Being Bullied?

Translator: Nomyummi  Editor: Nomyummi

Since he had never appeared in a competition before, Luo Ji's Summoner, Concealed Light, obviously wasn't the focus of Happy's tailor-made Silver equipment. At the moment, there weren't more than 3 pieces of Silver equipment on Concealed Light's body, and they were all put together from the leftover scraps after Guan Rongfei had finished making equipment for the other characters. After half a season, Concealed Light had only collected 3 pieces of Silver equipment.

This set of equipment was below average in the Glory Alliance, but where equipment was concerned, Luo Ji's opponent for this match wasn't better off than he was.

After Team Miracle took in the three players who had previously been in Excellent Era, their expenditure was significant, and they weren't able to make any big moves in terms of their equipment or materials. In their team, the development of equipment similarly had an order of priority to it. He Ming, Shen Jian and Wang Ze, these three former Excellent Era players were obviously the core generals of Team Miracle, so their equipment priority was naturally the highest. After them was their rookie, Guo Shao. After these four players, Miracle's equipment was more or less accounted for. In terms of equipment, they really weren't even a match for Team Happy. Whether it was their stockpile of materials or their R&D talent, they still lost to Happy by quite a bit.

This time, Luo Ji's opponent was a very pitiful player who had no standing in Team Miracle: Jia Xing, and his character, Battle Mage Prideful Mage.

The classes that Team Miracle prepared for their players was an exact duplicate of Excellent Era's original class line-up. But in practice, their structure was actually the exact opposite.

He Ming's Elementalist was originally the sixth player in Excellent Era. Shen Jian's Striker and Wang Ze's Sharpshooter were both second-string players, but now all three of them formed the backbone of Team Miracle. On the contrary, it was the Battle Mage, Launcher and Spellblade, the classes that originally belonged to the core players of Excellent Era that had become secondary characters in Team Miracle.

Jia Xing was one of these players. His Battle Mage, Prideful Mage had an arrogant-sounding name, but he actually didn't have anything to be arrogant about. Team Miracle hadn't received much attention. If they had achieved the same kind of results as Happy, there were many in the team who were likely to face the question of "whether or not they were at a professional caliber", just like An Wenyi.

Jia Xing could be considered part of the main force of Team Miracle, and his standard wasn't too bad. In the competitions, he was always careful and prudent. A stifling and oppressive performance like that of the Battle God was something that he had begun to dare to dream of.

As a rookie who had just entered the professional scene, Jia Xing was perpetually walking on thin ice. But being part of a team as new as Miracle did have a benefit: while he was still a rookie, he had far more chances to compete than rookies in other teams.

After half a season, he had grown considerably, and Team Miracle's performance was receiving favourable evaluations. Jia Xing didn't receive much attention, but still, there was a seed of restlessness in his heart. Who would be willing to continually play the role of an obscure and unknown player? A performance as grand as the Battle God's was no longer something limited just to Jia Xing's wildest fantasies, but something that he had begun to have a the tiniest bit of hope for.

So today, when he had been selected to represent Miracle in the second round of the individual competition, he had looked at his opponent's name on the television screen, and his heart skipped a beat.

Luo Ji? Who was that?

Happy had always received a lot of attention, and Miracle, a new team, just like them, could only be jealous of them. But Luo Ji was a player who had never once appeared in a competition. No matter how much attention the team was receiving, it would still be very difficult to have news about him. Luo Ji was just like Qiao Yifan in the old days. Despite being in a champion team, he had no chances to appear in the battlefield, leaving the outside world to have no way of gauging his strength. At most, when one looked at the player seats, they would realize that the team actually still had such a person.

Never appearing in a competition simply meant that their caliber wasn't high enough. Concealing a hidden weapon? The Glory Alliance was a serious place, with no room for such a whimsical playstyle!

A rookie, and a player who had never appeared in a competition before; Jia Xing's excitement was as if he had just discovered the New World for the first time. As someone who had been around the block, he couldn't be clearer on how nervous one would be when they first appeared on stage. He had used quite a few rounds before managing to slowly get rid of that kind of discomfort. As for how much that discomfort would affect one's technical skill, he was also clear on that matter. 

So, in his eyes, Luo Ji was a sub-par rookie who would be in complete shambles because of his nerves.

Finally, I've encountered an opponent that I can bully!

Jia Xing was fairly happy about this.

In the past 27 rounds of competition, there was no need to talk about the strong teams. Even when facing Bright Green and Seaside, two teams that looked doomed to be relegated in this season, someone as new as Jia Xing couldn't afford to look down upon their players, and had to use all his effort when facing them. But now, he finally had a chance to show-off to his heart's content, and display all of the fighting strength that he had.

Luo Ji?

Hahaha, this was a convenience delivered to his doorstep!

Jia Xing impatiently entered the player booth, impatiently waited for the competition to begin, and impatiently waited for the timer to countdown before the two of them loaded into the map. Then, he impatiently controlled Prideful Mage to charge out.

At the same time, Luo Ji was still taking deep breaths and still trying to rid himself of the nervousness and dread that he felt. He felt as if his whole body was on fire, and as stiff as hemp…...

Huu, huu, huu!

After taking three deep breaths, Luo Ji controlled Concealed Light and left the spawn point.

This was Happy's home game, and the map was selected by them. For his very first competition, how could Luo Ji dare to be careless? He had selected the map he had felt most comfortable and familiar on during his practice sessions for the individual round.

As he walked out of the spawn point and saw the familiar landscape around him, Luo Ji felt his mood lightening greatly.

"This should probably be the home team's advantage? It's really useful!" Luo Ji thought, controlling Concealed Light as he began to execute his mental plan for this battle.

After finding out that he was to appear in this round, Luo Ji had visualized countless scenarios in the match. Last night, he had slept very late, but woke up very early. Still, the lack of sleep didn't show on his face at all. He was too nervous, to the point where he couldn't even tell if he was tired anymore.

"Adopt your normal frame of mind."

"Just do it like you did in your practices, and you'll be fine."

These were some lines that his teammates told him to ease his anxiety, and the effectiveness was basically zero. Everyone dropped a few vague lines, with no one really hoping to be able to dissipate his nervousness with just a few words. At the end of the day, it was still left to Ye Xiu to be honest, telling him, "Go and carefully experience the feeling of competing!"

This kind of feeling, did it include nervousness?

As Luo Ji controlled Concealed Light, he thought about this and that, before suddenly realizing that his concentration was far too scattered. He frantically purged all of these useless thoughts from his mind, completely focusing on the road in front of him.

Jia Xing's Prideful Mage very quickly reached the center of the map, took a glance, and realized that no one was there.

He still wants to play tactics! Jia Xing laughed. A rookie who hadn't even competed before, what tactics could he possibly come up with?

Jia Xing had no fear. He originally wanted to just wait for Luo Ji to arrive, but after thinking about it, he decided to be a little more proactive, to appear more domineering. As a result, his character moved everywhere, searching for Concealed Light's whereabouts.

Fuck!

Luo Ji's heart leapt violently. He was just controlling Concealed Light to move very carefully when Prideful Mage's silhouette suddenly flitted across his camera. Just a flicker in his field of view had caused Luo Ji to be unbearably nervous. He frantically controlled Concealed Light to take cover in a corner, before inwardly guessing whether or not the other player had seen him.

If he had seen me…...

As Luo Ji thought about it, he promptly began casting a spell, and a Devil World Flower was immediately summoned near his leg. Immediately after that, he summoned a Frost Wolf.

The Frost Wolf's attacks were physical in nature, but they had the chance of applying a magical freezing effect. Under Luo Ji's inputs, it curled up next to the Devil World Flower, giving Luo Ji a fair bit of peace of mind.

However, his opponent hadn't appeared from start to finish.

He didn't see me?

When he had first seen his opponent, Luo Ji was hoping that his opponent hadn't noticed! But after completing his summons, when his opponent didn't appear, he actually felt a little disappointed.

Had he really not noticed?

All of the spectators in Happy's stadium had their hearts in their throats!

Jia Xing had seen Concealed Light and had clearly seen where he had gone to hide. But this fellow wasn't stupid. Even though he took Luo Ji as a gift sent to him to bully, when he saw how Concealed Light had hidden himself, he knew that his opponent had noticed him. If he just charged over, who knew if his opponent had an army of summons waiting to pounce on him? That would be difficult to deal with!

So, Jia Xing chose to take a roundabout path. At the same time as Luo Ji was anxiously making his conjectures, Prideful Mage had already used another path to loop around, spying on Luo Ji's arrangements from a corner.

Of course there's an ambush.

Jia Xing laughed coldly.

There weren't a lot of summons, but the Devil World Flower was capable of attacking in all different directions, and the Frost Wolf's attacks could cause a freezing effect that would slow enemies, making them particularly annoying to deal with. If he had rashly charged over just now, things wouldn't have ended well. Even though it was his opponent's first time on stage, Jia Xing still didn't look down on him too much. He couldn't just assume that his opponent was some normal player that he could deal with easily.

Waiting a bit more would be good enough.

The Devil World Flower could attack in all 360 degrees, so mounting a sneak attack from behind wouldn't make much sense. JIa Xing decided to let the Devil World Flower time out. He didn't believe that Luo Ji would repeatedly summon a Devil World Flower at the same spot to protect him. The Summoner's summons had a high mana consumption, they couldn't simply be summoned for no reason.

Jia Xing adjusted Prideful Mage's position slightly, waiting for the Devil World Flower to time out before launching a sneak attack.

It was at this moment that a cat's cry could be heard from his character's side. It wasn't a languid purr, no, it was the wrath-filled cry of a cat chasing after a mouse.

What?

Jia Xing was greatly alarmed and frantically turned his camera, only to see a black Spirit Cat already flying towards him. At this moment, Prideful Mage was already crouching down and couldn't crouch any lower, so Jia Xing could only control him to roll towards the side. Surprisingly, the Spirit Cat was extremely nimble, twisting its body in mid-air as its claws stretched out, leaving three bloody lines on Prideful Mage's face.

The audience let out a sigh of relief.

Were they worried about Concealed Light being sneak attacked? Of course not! With the 360 degree protection from the Devil World Flower, a sneak attack was impossible. They were worried because they had seen Concealed Light summon a Spirit Cat before simply letting it free.

Would such an attack be able to hit Prideful Mage? This was what the crowd was nervous about, because Luo Ji's commands to the Spirit Cat weren't very definite, as if wasn't confident that Prideful Mage was there. But now, the Spirit Cat's attack had completely uncovered Prideful Mage's location. Luo Ji immediately turned around and started casting.

Chapter 1338: I Can Too

Translator: Nomyummi  Editor: Nomyummi

Did Spirit Cat have an auto-targeting system?

Of course not. The summons of a Summoner, when set to free attack mode, would automatically attack any non-teammate target that wandered into its aggro range. Spirit Cat and a comparatively larger aggro range, more or less meaning that it's senses were sharper.

This map was carefully chosen by Luo Ji. There was no other one on one map that he was more familiar with. Jia Xing had thought that he would be able to sneak up on Luo Ji just by taking a more roundabout route, viewing Luo Ji as a complete newbie and underestimating his meticulous mind and familiarity with the map.

A sneak attack from behind was something Luo Ji he had accounted for! Spirit Cat had been arranged in a position where it would be able to sense if any enemies were in that area. Poor Jia Xing had no idea, happily waiting for a chance to strike. In the end, what he got was a Spirit Cat, and then another Devil World Flower.

Concealed Light had summoned another Devil World Flower, making sure Prideful Mage was placed within its attack range. Then, Frost Wolf rapidly approached as well.

Concealed Light, on the other hand, was continuing to cast, another summoning array appearing on the ground, followed by the cry of an eagle. Thunder Eagle burst out of the array and, after circling for a bit in the sky, darted towards where Prideful Mage was like a streak of lightning.

It flew through the air like lightning, spitting thunderbolts; this Thunder Eagle was one of Concealed Light's main summons.

Four Beasts Style!

Seeing Spirit Cat, Frost Wolf and Thunder Eagle appearing one after the other on the battlefield, the players more familiar with the game had an idea of what style Happy's debuting Summoner was using.

Young Wyvern, Frost Wolf, Thunder Eagle, Spirit Cat.

They were called the Four Summon Beasts, each being one of the four elements in Glory, Fire, Ice, Light and Dark respectively. Any summons combos that revolved around these four beasts were known as Four Beasts Style. With the level 75 update, an ultimate skill that could be activated when all Four Summon Beasts were summoned: Beast King Elemental Formation, once again increasing the strength of the Four Beats Style.

Now, Spirit Cat, Frost Wolf, Thunder Eagle had all appeared, so Young Wyvern probably wouldn't be long.

Luo Ji didn't disappoint. Young Wyvern was the lowest leveled of all four beats with a quick summon time. With a swift cast, Young Wyvern also flew out of the summoning array with a breath of flame, flying towards Prideful Mage after Thunder Eagle.

Seeing the beasts heading his way, Jia Xing's mood plummeted.

Spirit Cat was very, very hard to throw off and now that he was in Devil World Flower's attack range with the other three beasts rapidly approaching, aiming to surround him. If the Elemental Beast King Formation was then activated, then that would take a chunk out of Prideful Mage for sure.

This guy wasn't bad!

Jia Xing was careful to not underestimate him anymore, already realizing that Luo Ji wasn't an opponent he could easily wipe the floor with. Currently, with the summoned creatures coming one after the other, there were layers to this offensive, a system. It was almost too much.

Flee? 

　 

With Spirit Cat already on him and Thunder Eagle's speed, fleeing wasn't a good idea. Currently, it seemed like the only solution was to brute force his way out of these summons.

This guy was no easy opponent, managing to force him into a dire situation like this.

The situation was a pain, but there was no other choice. The earlier he acted the better.

Swinging his spear, he knocked Spirit Cat aside as it leaped at him once again. With a Dragon Tooth, he forced Frost Wolf to back off a little.

Boom!

Sparks danced across Prideful Mage's body. After two actions, he was then hit by the thunderbolt that Thunder Eagle spat out. 

　 

How troublesome.

Jia Xing no longer felt like showing off anymore. He could tell that Concealed Light's four summons weren't put on automatic, but being controlled manually instead. That was why it was so systematic, so well-paced, and so hard.

Wasn't he going to come forward a little?

Jia Xing kept an eye on Concealed Light's movements. Summoners had the skill Lash, which lashed the summons and increased their combative power. With him already in an encirclement, most Summoners would come over to lash their summons to strengthen them.

However, Concealed Light didn't. He merely stood far off, constantly using Mark to adjust the actions of his summons.

Looks like he'd have to wait for the summons to switch out...

Jia Xing felt helpless. He was rather helpless against these meticulously executed attacks. He couldn't flee and could only wait until one of the summons disappeared and his opponent summoned another. There might be an opening to be found there.

Thus, Jia Xing didn't bother trying to break through and started fighting the summons. One against four with a Devil World Flower disrupting him… if it weren't for summons having rather simple and bland ways of attacking, Jia Xing definitely wouldn't be able to last. Right now, though, he could just about hold on...

Summons depended on two things to live, one was time and the other was health.

Waiting for their time to run out was too passive, so Jia Xing had to attack and try and get rid of one. However, these four summons weren't so easy to kill. Spirit Cat was quick and nimble, hard to hit; Thunder Eagle and Young Wyvern were both fliers, even harder to hit; in the end, the easiest one to deal with of the four was Frost Wolf, but Frost Wolf just so happened to also be the tankiest one of the four, with a huge chunk of health.

How did it end up like this? Jia Xing felt like crying. He had originally thought he could easily bully this newbie, but now who'd have thought he'd be struggling to survive. In these 27 rounds, he, as a rookie on a rookie team, had been through so many hardships. Why was he falling into the same position against a rookie from a new team, in their debuting match, too?

Could it be that he had become overcautious by habit?

Did he turn to defense whenever he met any sort of trouble?

After facing off against so many experienced seniors, could it be that he had been so oppressed that he had lost his aggression?

These questions surfaced in Jia Xing's mind one after the other. 

　 

He wasn't willing to continue like this!

However, if even this opponent could suppress him like this, then when would he ever be able to gain the initiative in battle?

Initiative!

He had to take the initiative!

He shouldn't get used to this passivity. If he accepted it, then wouldn't he just continue to live in this mediocrity?

Dragon Breaks the Ranks!

As if suddenly waking up, Jia Xing saw an opening in front if him and acted without even thinking. The subconscious nature of his actions had his fingers darting across the keyboard much swifter and more dexterous than before. Prideful Mage charged out!

Bang!

Spirit Cat had lunged a moment too late. It's priority was nothing compared to Dragon Breaks the Ranks, and it was flung to one side. Thunder Eagle's thunderbolt and Young Wyvern's fireball all struck the spot behind Prideful Mage, missing him entirely. 

　 

He broke through!

Delight washed over Jia Xing, though even he was a little confused as to how he had succeeded. That opportunity just now… If he hadn't been reckless, if it hadn't been subconscious, then he'd probably have given it up, thinking he couldn't do it, no?

So he really could do it!

With his delight, Dragon Breaks the Ranks broke out of the formation made by the Four Beast Summons. Devil World Flower's vines quietly creeped out of the earth, but Jia Xing was ready for it.

Shattering the Lands!

Prideful Mage leaped skywards, surging magical energy pulsing from the tip of his spear. This only made Jia Xing feel a delighted warmth spread through his heart and mind.

This wild battle style was something he had only seen in the matches of gods! Yet now, he had managed to execute the same style in a match! He could do it! He really could!

Prideful Mage landed, and the magical energy roared, bursting out. Even the flying Young Wyvern and Thunder Eagle couldn't approach.

Luo Ji's Concealed Light backed away quickly, escaping from the range of this attack. However, by then, he had already been separated from his summons by this powerful, surging skill. How would a Summoner face the powerful Battle Mage without any summons?

How did everything fall apart? 

　 

Luo Ji was puzzled. His control over the situation wasn't bad.

Under Ye Xiu suggestion, he ended up choosing the Four Beasts Style as his Summoner style because he was decent at controlling four summons at once to make offensive arrangements. Though the Spirit Style and its sea of summons was powerful, especially with the new level 75 skill Spirit Sacrifice which was the ultimate damage skill for a Summoner, he wouldn't be able to maintain control. Even with that skill, he wouldn't be able to utilize it properly.

However, his opponent had still managed to break through the four beasts Luo Ji was confident in being able to control. Did he miss some important detail?

As Luo Ji thought to himself, he was already making new arrangements.

If a summon died, it could be re-summoned, so they could stay and tank damage, usually. However, Shatter the Lands came with a huge shockwave. Even if you let your summons tank out the damage, they'd still be knocked away by the magic energy. The four beasts had their way blocked and couldn't immediately come to help, so Luo Ji hurriedly had Concealed Light resummon a creature while Prideful Mage was still in his ending lag.

He could make it!

As for his ability to calculate, that was something Luo Ji had even more confidence in. As expected, Concealed Light managed to summon a new Frost Wolf to protect him before Prideful Mage arrived, but...

Circle Swing.

Just like that, Frost Wolf was tossed behind Prideful Mage and then a Dragon Tooth struck him.

A Summoner that had been closed in on was helpless. The good thing was that even if he didn't make any moves, so long as his summons were still on the field, they would attack automatically.

However, Prideful Mage darted back and forth as he struck again and again before suddenly disappearing.

Teleportation!

This Battle Mage had shockingly chosen to add the Elementalist's Teleportation into his weapon.

A Falling Flower Palm hit from behind, and he was shoved forward. That's when he saw his Four Summon Beasts standing obediently in a straight line.

Summons without manual control really weren't any good! Luo Ji hurriedly had them scatter, but, it was too late.

Rising Dragon Soars the Sky!

Prideful Mage's spear shot forwards, magic energy forming a massive dragon which devoured Concealed Light and all of his Four Summon Beasts.

Boom!

The magical energy erupted, darting and flashing through its multiple victims, absolutely spectacular.

I really can do it!

Jia Xing was very satisfied with his performance today.

Ai… It had been going so well in the beginning, so how did things end up like this? Luo Ji, on the other hand, was lamenting.

Chapter 1339: Writing a Guide For Yourself

Translator: Nomyummi  Editor: Nomyummi

Luo Ji had lost.

This result wasn't too unexpected, but at the beginning, he felt that he had been doing quite well. His confidence was being slowly built up, but who would have predicted that his opponent would knock it down again so quickly.

His opponent wasn't anyone impressive either. He was like Luo Ji, a rookie on a new team. The only thing he held over Luo Ji was 27 rounds of experience.

Luo Ji took a deep breath and exited the player booth, not at all expecting the entire stadium to explode into applause.

What was this?

Luo Ji was puzzled. At first he thought that this was their home game fans respecting Miracle's spectacular performance and applauding them. However, after he left the stage, walking away, he noticed the calls of "Luo Ji, you did great" and the gazes that were on him. He knew then that this applause was his, an encouragement for him.

Though he had never played a match before, Happy's fans all knew of his existence in Happy. This wasn't just from observing the player bench during matches, but because Happy's boss Chen Guo never forgot to mention Luo Ji when she brought up Happy's players. In fact, to make sure Luo Li was noticed, she'd often be willing to talk more about Luo ji. Though Luo Ji had never fought a match, Chen Guo wouldn't hesitate to tell everyone of the contributions he had made to the team.

This was a testament of Chen Guo's attentiveness. She hated the thought of this benched player feeling uncomfortable or left out, so she did her best to show that he was equally as much a part of the team as anyone else. 

　. 

Chen Guo's actions finally bore fruit at a time like now. Not only did Happy's fans know Luo Ji, they all liked this member of Happy who, despite not having much of a chance to play for the team, had still carefully and sincerely contributed to the team. They were even hoping for the day Luo Ji would have a chance to play.

Thus, when Luo Ji really did get the chance to play a match, what he received wasn't pressure, but encouragement.

Applause and well-wishes escorted Luo Ji step by step back to the player bench.

Miracle's Jia Xing was stunned.

When he first came out of the player booth, he had truly thought that the applause was for him because he had thought he fought spectacularly in this match, just like an expert.

I've even managed to sway the hearts of my opponent's fans, Jia xing thought to himself in delight. That wasn't an easy thing to accomplish at all. He waved, continuing to show off his demeanor, and acknowledging these cute Happy fans that were clapping for him. 

　 

It was only until he had come off the stage and approached the stands that he heard what the fans were yelling. He stiffened. He suddenly wanted nothing more than to cut of that damned waving hand.

This Luo Ji was so well liked amongst Happy's fans? Even if he lost he could still gain everyone's love like that? Jia Xing stared at Luo Ji, who had returned to the player bench, with a heart full of envy.

Luo Ji sat in the empty seat next to Ye Xiu without needing any prompting.

Even if Ye Xiu didn't come to to find him, he would go and ask Ye Xiu for pointers regarding this match. Depressed from losing? When it had just ended, a little, yeah! But Luo Ji had been prepared to lose so he soon shook off those feelings. Then, hearing the cheers and encouragements from the fans after exiting the booth, Luo Ji was determined to work even harder in order to thank his team and the fans for their support.

Luo Ji had noticed Chen Guo's efforts in trying to make sure he didn't feel left out.

"You started off well." Ye Xiu didn't bother with courtesies, getting straight to the point.

"Yes." Luo Ji nodded.

"Your control was meticulous; that's your strength," Ye Xiu continued.

"Yes." Luo Ji nodded again. His calculations were accurate, thus his actions were meticulous. Luo Ji understood himself well.

"Yet that's exactly how you lost," Ye Xiu then said.

Luo Ji fell into contemplation.

"Your opponent is a person, not a machine. A person's mechanics, a person's performance, will never be as precise as theory. Sometimes they might be in a poor condition, other times they might go beyond their usual limits. Your playstyle has to account for these changes in your opponent's pace," Ye Xiu explained.

"Do you remember the Dummy's Guides you used to make often?" Ye Xiu asked.　　 

"I do." Luo Ji nodded.

"Your current control has the same flaws as your guides for dummies: They don't tolerate mistakes and deviations," Ye Xiu said.

"Oh…" Luo Ji immediately understood what Ye Xiu was getting at.

He thought of when his opponent had used Dragon Breaks the Ranks to break through his summons. In his calculations, that opening wasn't something this opponent had the ability to grasp.

But his opponent had broken past his own limits, achieving a hand speed and mechanics he wouldn't have been able to usually. Thus, what Luo Ji had thought wouldn't happen, happened, and his playstyle didn't have any way to make up for this.

It seemed like his calculations regarding his opponent's ability wasn't comprehensive enough! However, just as Ye Xiu had said, a person's condition would fluctuate and change. Even they themselves would be incapable of controlling this. It was impossible for another to completely account for this in their calculations.

"Then what do I do?" Luo Ji asked.

"The best way is, of course, to refine your playstyle further," Ye Xiu replied.

Luo Ji felt a headache coming on. He naturally understood this reasoning. More refined attacks, harder to counter attacks, that would naturally allow him to suppress and defeat his opponents. The problem was that his ability was limited. He could only refine his playstyle within the boundaries of his talent. This best way was something he couldn't choose, or else he'd have tried ages ago.

"If you can't refine everything, then what about smaller parts?" Ye Xiu then said.

"Partly refine?"

"Consider Mo Fan," Ye Xiu suggested.

Luo Ji was stunned for a moment. What did Mo Fan have to do with this?

Currently, Mo Fan was already on the stage for the third individual match. The projection and the big screen were both playing the scenes of his and his opponent killing each other. 

　 

Whoosh! 

　 

A rapid five part combo had Deception's opponent floundering.

I'll probably never be able to accomplish that, Luo Ji thought to himself. However, Deception, after a few impressive combos, quickly fled the area.

Luo Ji naturally knew why Mo Fan's playstyle was like so, and thus instantly realized why Ye Xiu wanted him to consider Mo Fan.

Ye Xiu meant that for certain controls, Luo Ji might not be able to refine completely, but some simpler actions were things that he could definitely master with his current ability.

Rebuilding his offensive system through fully utilizing these actions he could master? 

Luo Ji felt like he was beginning to understand. 

　 

All this time, he had been referencing guides, learning all sorts of Summoner knowledge. He already knew what he should learn, what he should master. Therefore what he needed to do now was find the things that were most suited to him, the things he could do the best in. Just like deciding on the Four Beasts Style, he had to choose what suited him the most.

It was time he wrote a Dummy's Guide for himself.

"I understand!" Luo Ji nodded. 

　 

Ye Xiu smiled. Speaking with smart people was always the easiest! Just look and Luo Ji and then consider Mo Fan, who was currently onstage. Ok, he'll admit, speaking to Mo Fan wasn't all a waste, but getting Steamed Bun with his unique brain structure and planes of thinking to understand was truly harder than hard! 

　 

After the individual matches, the group arena soon ended. 

Mo Fan had claimed victory for the third individual match and the group arena saw the powerful formation of Tang Rou, Su Mucheng and Fang Rui successfully defeating Miracle giving them a 4 to 1 lead as they entered the team competition.

In the team competition, Happy had everyone shocked, fielding Fang Rui, Su Mucheng, Tang Rou, Qiao Yifan, An Wenyi and Steamed Bun. They had let Ye Xiu rest for a round! 

　 

"Holy crap!"

Before anyone else reacted, Miracle, who was fielding all their core members, expressed their discontent first.

Miracle had three previous Excellent Era members! They believed that they had a comprehensive understanding of Ye Xiu, of Su Mucheng and of their teamwork. Last time, Happy had swept them 0 to 10. Thus, this time, they had made even more preparations. They had carefully honed their tactics to deal with Ye Xiu and Su Mucheng, determined to win back their points on Happy's home turf. Yet then… Ye Xiu wasn't even participating in the team competition this round.

Was this Ye Xiu looking down on them?

Miracle's little group felt somewhat offended, but then, thinking back on the time they were with Ye Xiu in Excellent Era, when had the other ever looked down on anyone? No matter how weak, he'd never do that. He would only mock them! No matter how strong the opponent, he'd always manage to find something to mock them for.

So was this a way of mocking them?!

The three considered it again.

However, not playing a match didn't seem like Ye Xiu's method of mockery.

The three were distressed.

They should've been laughing in delight at their opponent's strongest player not being fielded, but Miracle treated this as some sort of hateful, despicable thing. Nothing was more painful than dedicating yourself to rehearsing and practicing, but then finding out right before going on stage that it was no longer necessary; the show had been changed.

Absolutely shameless!

Miracle's three brothers felt anger burning inside them.

"Even so, we can't lose!" He Ming said to the players about to go on stage. Then he saw Guo Shao's confused blinking.

He Ming immediately realized his words seemed off.

Even so? Even so what? With his tone and wording, it was like without Ye Xiu, their opponent's just got stronger!

That wasn't right at all. Ye Xiu was Happy's core. Without him on the field, Happy's overall strength would only decrease, not increase.

"Ahem…" He Ming cleared his throat, trying to figure out what to say.

"If Senior Ye Xiu isn't being fielded, then does that mean our tactic is useless?" Guo Shao's words struck them straight in the gut.

"Yes. However, without Ye Xiu, their strength will definitely be affected. This is our chance," He Ming used this to turn them back on track.

"What should we do then?" Guo Shao asked.

He Ming short circuited.

This was because the current situation was truly the worst. Their pre-match practice was all about dealing with Ye Xiu, completely ignoring this possibility. Who would've thought that after 27 rounds, on the 28th with them, Ye Xiu would decide to do this? Miracle's pre-match preparations were all for nothing and they couldn't really come up with any detailed plan on what to do.

"Focus on… on…" He Ming looked through Happy's lineup. 

"Qiao Yifan!" This name suddenly popped out. "Yes, Qiao Yifan!" He Ming nodded, saying with confidence.

Chapter 1340: Wind Howl’s New Playstyle

Translator: Nomyummi  Editor: Nomyummi

He Ming was the sixth player when he was at Excellent Era. Players of this position were generally suddenly switched in while the two sides were deep in conflict, so they had to have the ability to read the situation and immediately understand what was happening, thus allowing them to join in and come to their teammates' aid as soon as possible.

He Ming usually played this position in Excellent Era, so his abilities in regards to this were considerable. Judging the situation, observing the tactics, he was rather good at all that. So who should they focus on first out of Happy's current lineup?

Cleric Little Cold Hands? Often considered Happy's weakness, Happy's Cleric was usually the main focus of other teams in the team competition. However, precisely because of this, Happy would often have a very meticulous plan to protect their Cleric. The teams who tried to attack Happy from this direction would often get led around by the nose instead.

Using the opponent's strategy against them! That was something Ye Xiu simply loved to do. Of the Four Master Tacticians, Ye Xiu was definitely the one with the most sophisticated plans and schemes, no matter if it came to his sheer experience or simply his style. As the Glory Textbook, he could put himself into another's shoes and predict a lot of possible strategies his opponents would use and counter them. Thus, any team of which he was a part of, if you didn't have absolute confidence in being able to take advantage of an obvious weakness, it was best to leave it be.

Miracle was currently a new team, not any sort of powerhouse and He Ming naturally didn't have enough confidence to challenge the traps Ye Xiu had laid. Thus, the choice Little Cold Hands was thrown out.

Apart from that?

Su Mucheng? They were familiar with Su Mucheng from a teammates perspective, but Su Mucheng was a Launcher. For ranged fighters, if they wanted to use Screen Cannon, they could often stay out of the main battlefield. If they targeted her, the entire team might get kited around and thus fall to a heavy disadvantage. This wasn't a good breakthrough point.

Then, Fang Rui, Master of Dirty Play. This… nope, never mind! He Ming thought to himself. A tricky and cunning opponent like that wasn't one a young, new team like them could deal with.

Then, there was Tang Rou, the fearsome Battle Mage. Even if her reputation had taken a hit, no one dared to underestimate her actual skill. Just now, in the group arena, Tang Rou had gone first and had almost managed to wipe out two of Miracle's players. Though she had yet to defeat a God, her persistence, her aggression meant that she definitely had the ability pin an opponent like a god level player. If they targeted Tang Rou, they might end up pinned by her, unable to escape.

Thus, looking over Happy's starting lineup, it seemed that Qiao Yifan was the only choice for a breakthrough. Plus, his Ghost Chaining was very dangerous. Dealing with him first would mean to alter the battle situation entirely.

"Let's go!" With limited time, He Ming quickly adjusted their tactics a little before leading the team onstage.

At the same time, at another much anticipated match, Wind Howl versus 301 Degrees had already entered the team competition stage.

In the 1v1s, the two teams had ended up with a 4 to 1, Wind Howl taking the lead on their home turf and only losing one point.

As for the team competition afterwards...

Man to man!

Wind Howl seemed to have tasted the sweetness of this strategy after their victory against Blue Rain. For them, who didn't have any sort of high-end strategy at the moment, dividing the opponent and conquering them through isolating the match into five 1v1s which depended on individual strength seemed like a good choice.

Of course, Wind Howl wasn't naive enough to think that 301 Degrees wouldn't be watching out for this strategy after that last match. When the match begun, Wind Howl, very uncharacteristically, didn't charge right for the center of the map. This was something extremely rare after Tang Hao had become the captain.

Wind Howl used their map advantage for their home game and split up, preparing to observe 301 Degrees from the flanks. After approaching, they saw that, as expected, 301 Degrees was on guard against their man to man offense they had used against Blue Rain. The characters of 301 Degrees were all standing closer together than usual. Every character could assure that they'll have at least two other characters' support. If they charged right in, they probably wouldn't be able to tear their team apart. 

　　 

However, since Wind Howl had been expecting their opponents to be on guard against this, they naturally had their own way to deal with it. This week, Team Wind Howl had focused on practicing how to dismantle an opponent in a formation primed for teamwork and support, tearing them apart into one on ones.

After observing 301 Degrees' current formation, they quickly communicated their plans in their team channel and then Wind Howl's characters charged out from the sides.

Brawler Demon Subduer, Elementalist Beautiful Light, Spell Blade Total Darkness, Qi Master Qi Breaker, Thief Doubtful Demon.

Five classes, no healer. Wind Howl had once again executed this daring strategy. 

　 

Demond Subduer, Tyrannical Chain Punch!

Tang Hao's Demon Subduer was the first to lunge. For this skill, shoving the opponent onto the ground was equal to a grab, a very powerful control.

Qi Breaker, Cloud Grasping Fist!

Guo Yang had truly met an opportunity at Wind Howl this season, though his current Qi Master character, Qi Breaker, was rather weak. Although this was that powerful Qi Master of Excellent Era's glorious past, when the Challenger League happened, Excellent Era didn't have a Qi Master character and so this character wasn't upgraded with the big update. It wasn't until Wind Howl bought the character for a low price a Excellent Era's clearance sale that its equipment began to be upgraded, so it was natural that it was a little behind. However, for Guo Yang, this was the character he was most familiar with, one he had used for years, and it was much smoother than the character Wind Howl had given him last year. Although Wind Howl hadn't had the best journey this season, he only got better with time and stabilized his position as the last member of Wind Howl's team competition lineup. In the current Wind Howl, apart from Ruan Yonglin, all the players had changed from before.

Right now, he cooperated with Tang Hao, of the two Fighters, one closed in and grabbed a target and the other snatched a target from afar.

Afterwards, Beautiful Light began the cast for the AoE Heavenly Lightning Earthen Fire while Liu Hao's Total Darkness sent Wave Sword after Wave Sword into 301 Degree's formation. Lin Feng's Doubtful Demon, a battle Thief that didn't care for dirty play, went into pursuit, using this opportunity to start isolating his own target.

"Wind Howl's teamwork isn't bad!" Commentator Li Yibo called out. Team 301 Degrees was clearly having some trouble reacting to Wind Howl's offensive.

Demon Subduer's attack should be dodged.

Qi Breaker and Beautiful Light's attacks should be interrupted, but the two were far off.

Total Darkness' Wave Sword attacks were sweeping into their team, cutting up their formation.

Everything had occurred simultaneously, and there wasn't enough time for giving orders. In these situations, they could only rely on their teamwork and synchronization, on the reactions of the individual team members.

However, 301 Degrees' weakness was unfortunately exposed. Their team had their new core member join during the winter transfer window and their strategy had gone through a metamorphosis. Though they were doing well, it didn't change the fact that they were still in a transitional period, still trying to get familiar with one another.

Thus, in a situation that necessitated a high level of synchronization between team members, where they had to be able to divide up their workloads, they erred.

Qi Breaker's Cloud Grasping Fist wasn't interrupted, and Knight Tide was pulled out of the formation.

Tide was originally using his shield to shield his teammates from Total Darkness' Wave Swords, preventing their formation from being ruined. But with him dragged off, Total Darkness' Wave Swords reached their formation, and 301 Degrees' formation scattered as the team members dodged. Lin Feng's Doubtful Demon took the opportunity to dart in, using a Staggering Blow to dizzy Gao Jie's Stellar Sword. Though Demon Subduer's Tyrannical Chain Punch had been dodged, Demon Subduer managed to grab 301 Degrees' Paladin, Sun Mingjin's Double O Seven, and throw him out of the formation in the confusion.

Currently, 301 Degree's formation had been completely destroyed. They hurriedly tried to adjust, but the weakness in their lacking synchronization once again surfaced. In the blink of an eye, they were thrown to a dire disadvantage.

In the end, Wind Howl won, which surprised many. No one would have thought that the 301 Degrees that everyone was nervous about facing, having been reborn after the winter transfer window with a new set of tactics, would lose to a team like Wind Howl, who was seen as weak.

"After Blue Rain, 301 Degrees, too… If succeeding the first time was just because they had it easy by catching their opponents off guard… But this time 301 Degrees had clearly been on guard against this playstyle of Wind Howl's, yet in the end, they still didn't manage to defend against it. Team Wind Howl acted swiftly, precisely, utilizing this man to man offensive to its fullest. I believe that we can reignite our hopes for this team. They seemed to have found the style that suits them," Li Yibo commented post-match.

"But wouldn't just one playstyle be too simple?" Pan Lin wondered aloud.

"One playstyle can be used in many different ways. I believe that Team Wind Howl won't just just stop here. They'll definitely continue to practice and perfect this playstyle. Of course, this doesn't mean that we can say for certain that they don't have any other strategies. In any case, this playstyle is a good new addition to Team Wind Howl's strategies. In the future, whenever a team faces Wind Howl, they'd have to be on guard for this and will have to practice countering this. This, in and of itself, is already one way to hinder their opponents," Li Yibo explained.

"You're too right! And this is where Wind Howl and 301 Degrees' match ends. This match really was fast. Currently, all other matches are still fighting their team competitions!" This live broadcast was surprisingly quick to end and the broadcasting channel was probably adjusting the plans for the time they had left over. The match had ended, but the broadcast was continuing. Pan Lin and Li Yibo then turned the match broadcast into a talk show.

"Hey, we can take a look at the other matches!" Li Yibo suggested.

"Wait!" Pan Lin merely took a glance before he cried out, "Ye Xiu didn't appear in the team competition between Happy and Miracle!"

"Oh? How come? We didn't get any news of this. Is he hurt or…? Did he fight in the individual competitions?" Li Yibo asked, rapidfire.

"He did fight in the individual competition, continuing his streak." Pan Lin looked over the information. "Huh? Luo Ji's appeared to play in this round."

Li Yibo was stunned for a moment. "Sending up rookies for experience, their team's core player Ye Xiu not playing… Does Happy think that their position in the playoffs are secured and they can treat the remaining matches as training for their troops?"

Chapter 1341: An Uneventful Round

Translator: Nomyummi  Editor: Nomyummi

Pan Lin and Li Yibo were surprised at the arrangements Happy had made this round, and at this point, Happy and Miracle were deep into their match.

Target Qiao Yifan's One Inch Ash?

He Ming's analysis and plan was good in theory, but reality told them that Qiao Yifan wasn't someone they could wipe out so easily. When the two sides met, they didn't see a hint of One Inch Ash. The other had gone on some strategic approach.

Matches weren't so inflexible. Since their target wasn't there, they weren't going to cling to this plan, ignore what was in front of them and run off to find their target. Thus, Miracle, seeing that they had the advantage in numbers, decided to just go for it!

They did, in fact, have the advantage in numbers, and a huge advantage, too.

When the two sides met face to face, Miracle was a full team of five while Happy was only Tang Rou and Su Mucheng's characters.

5v2, what was there to be afraid of? 

　 

Miracle swarmed over, but they knew that Happy wouldn't just send to people for them to kill, so they were on guard for if Happy would suddenly attack from some other direction.

5v2, with this exchange, there had yet to be a result, but He Ming, Wang Ze and Shen Jian felt rather anxious.

What were they up against? The combo of a Battle Mage and a Launcher! The combo they were most familiar with, the one that the team they had spent years in revolved around. Plus, in the past this combo had done it all: 2v1, 2v2, 2v3, 2v4, 2v5. Subconsciously, He Ming and co had erased their advantage in number from their mind. Advantage? What advantage? They were the ones pinned!

Soon enough, Fang Rui's Boundless Sea appeared and Qiao Yifan's One Inch Ash also arrived from their right and left flanks, executing a pincer attack on Miracle.

One Inch Ash had appeared, but the goal of focusing on getting rid of One Inch Ash wasn't going to be easy to accomplish at all. He Ming and co shockingly realized that they had been trapped. Also, this scene was too familiar! In the past, it was their opponents who would be trapped by the Battle Mage and Launcher duo, while they caused trouble from the sides.

So in the end, it was the strategy we were most familiar with?

He Ming and the other two's spirits fell. Lord Grim and Dancing Rain had used their familiarity with these two opponents to craft a strategy to counteract them. Lord Grim straight up didn't show up though, yet it was like Miracle had lost their core. In the end, however, Soft Mist and Dancing Rain had executed a playstyle that was far more familiar to them than Lord Grim and Dancing Rain, giving them a sense of deja vu. 

　　 

Sigh, if they had known earlier...

He Ming and co all held such thoughts. In the end, the team competition ended in Happy's victory, and Happy had won a spectacular score of 9 to 1 this round.

In the post-match press conference, no one had much interest in Miracle, and their press conference ended quickly. When Happy arrived, the reports naturally expressed great interest in Luo Ji's appearance in the match and Ye Xiu's lack thereof in the team competition.

The answer they received was that they were preparing for the playoffs.

Happy already getting into the pace for the playoffs!

Soon enough, such headlines appeared on the news. However, this wasn't really anything to be too shocked about. The season was approaching its last stages, and teams that had stable scores were already preparing themselves for the playoffs. No matter now or before, the playoffs had always been different from the regular season. The matches were frequent, and you'd have to travel back and forth for the home and away games. This truly did necessitate some adjustments and planning.

However, it was only Round 28! Wasn't Happy getting into the pace of the playoffs a little too soon? If they started preparing their troops and training them, then weren't they afraid of accidentally slipping out of the playoffs list?

However, this round of training their troops still ended up with a landslide victory of 9 to 1, so what could anyone really say? Those Happy haters could only swallow their words in the face of reality.

Round 28 was a round of landslide victories from the powerhouses. Apart from Wind Howl's 9 to 1 victory against 301 Degrees, nothing unexpected happened in any of the other matches.

Team Happy, gaining another 9 points to their score, had 187 points in total, continuing to place sixth. Next was Team Hundred Blossoms with 183. After Wind Howl had beaten 301 Degrees, they had managed to overtake the other team with their 9 to 1 victory. Though they had the same number of points at 167, Wind Howl had beaten 301 Degrees 9 to 1 this round and lost to 301 Degrees 3 to 7 in the ninth round. The total score of their matches was 12 to 8, Wind Howl in the lead, so Wind Howl was ranked above 301 Degrees despite their equal point value. 

　 

Wind Howl and 301 Degrees' ranking switch was the only movement for this round. The other teams all retained their original rankings. For all the teams ranked lower than number 12's Royal Style, it was more or less over for them this season. Now all that was left was to see if they would make a final charge towards gaining a few more points on the rankings. However, this motivation was primarily present in the club, and not the players.

The media was diving into the small area surrounding 8th place. They didn't even bother reporting on the top ranked powerhouses Samsara, Blue Rain, Tiny Herb, etc.. The fight for the top place in the regular season had long since lost its suspense. The powerhouses' score were stable and there was no way they would fall out of the top eight. What was there to write about? The teams heading for the top four did have some juice to them. After all, being in the top four did have the advantage of an extra home game. However, compared to the fight for the eighth place, the charge for the top four could be pushed to the backburner.

April 3rd, Round 29 of the Pro League, 301 Degrees welcoming Misty Rain to their home game became one of the more interesting face offs. 

　 

Misty Rain currently had 149 points, ranked tenth, was 18 points away from the ninth and eighth ranked 301 Degrees and Wind Howl. They still had hope for getting into the playoffs. However, considering Misty rain's performance this season, most people didn't really expect anything.

Team Misty Rain's new playstyle had been constantly criticised, but after the winter transfer window, they still didn't make any adjustments. In the latter half of the season, their performance hadn't improved any. Now in these last ten rounds, no one knew if they even had the courage to make the charge for the playoffs. Though the club PR always sprouted messages about trust, diligence, fighting for a chance to turn the tables, these were things everyone knew to say. Bright Green and Seaside had also said that they wouldn't give up, but anyone could see that they had already disarmed themselves.

Round 29 was rather calm. Happy had an away game against Royal Style this round. Once a top team, they had already fallen to the point where they didn't even have a chance for the playoffs. However, Royal Style's home turf was still as lively as ever. This was an old team with ten years of history, after all. How many other teams in the alliance had ten years of history?

There were many older fans in their home stadium, middle aged fans were no rare sight. This was probably a scene exclusive to older teams. These people probably hadn't dedicated themselves to Glory much later than even Ye Xiu. Though they were only normal players, lacking the accomplishments that Ye Xiu had achieved, they definitely didn't love Glory any less, able to persist for a full ten years. Glory had already become an integral part of their lives.

Royal Style had completely fallen, but these people didn't leave. Like how Glory was an integral part of their lives, Royal Style was an integral part of their Glory. They had gotten used to supporting this team. If they did well, then good. If they didn't, it didn't matter either. They were no longer fans at an age where they would run over to young players and new promising teams, howling with excitement.

In the first individual competition, Happy continued to field Ye Xiu, and the audience even applauded when Ye Xiu entered the stage.

They had watched ten years of Glory, so they held respect for this veteran of ten years. Thought this guy had crushed Royal Style in the finals of the very first season of the Glory Pro League, Royal Style didn't have as big of a grudge as Tyranny. After all, they only held a grudge for this one year, not like how Excellent Era and Tyranny had gone back and forth for a full four years, always clashing in the finals; that would naturally result in such a huge grudge.

The applause was rather surprising for Ye Xiu, and he acknowledged the audience with a wave. Thinking of Royal Style's past, and then their present, Ye Xiu grew deeply nostalgic.

Then, on the stage, seeing the opposing player and character, Ye Xiu's breath hitched with emotion. 

　 

Tian Sen, Peaceful Hermit.

Royal Style had sent out their core and captain in the first match against Ye Xiu.

Unlike Wind Howl sending Tang Hao up first, Royal Style had probably arranged this with a very different attitude. In this season, they wouldn't be able to do much more or aim for anything further. Thus, they relaxed, and even their core came over to fight an individual match. They probably wanted to try breaking Ye Xiu's record, giving their team a little boost and their fans some action! After all, if they just ended it like this, it would be way too calm.

Peaceful Hermit!

Ye Xiu gazed at the character projected by the central projector of the stadium.

This was the character that fought with Ye Xiu over the championship of the very first season of the Glory Pro Alliance. Back then, One Autumn Leaf, Desert Dust and this Peaceful Hermit were the three most elite, most famous characters of the alliance. And now? Peaceful Hermit… Now how many young people still remembered the strength of this character? In the All-Stars this season, Peaceful Hermit didn't even get in.

Tian Sen. Ye Xiu looked to Peaceful Hermit's current player, getting into the player booth on the other side. This player, tall and built more like an athlete than an esports player, always seemed to struggle to get into the booth more than others; it was somewhat comical.

The Golden Generation, the batch of rookies that had shone the brightest, had all become core members of their teams. Tian Sen was probably the most tragic of them. His pro career had consisted of watching as Royal Style declined from a top powerhouse to a team that didn't even had hope to enter the playoffs. Yet he still persisted, silently. In the winter transfer window, 301 Degrees had invited him to join their team. Before Team Royal Style could express anything, he had stepped forth to speak his own mind.

No matter how well they did, just by this heart, he was a player deserving of respect.

As Ye Xiu entered the player booth, he thought of the player who had Peaceful Hermit before Tian Sen. That player had been known as one of the Three Gods of that era along with Ye Xiu and Han Wenqing: Guo Mingyu.

"God, my ass," Ye Xiu cursed as he inserted his account card into the card reader, "He owes me money, and he just disappeared like that. What an ass!"

Chapter 1342: They Call It Counter?

Translator: Nomyummi  Editor: Nomyummi

Happy versus Royal Style, individual competition match 1. Both characters had already loaded onto the map.

On one side was a ten-year player who had changed character; on the other side was a ten-year character who had changed player. These two sides rich with history stood on the stage now, and quickly met at the center of the map.

This was Royal Style's home game, but Royal Style had actually chosen to use a simple map like the ones that Ye Xiu normally chose. For a team that already had no more goals for this season, these matches had no pressure. Tian Sen probably wanted to use this kind of battlefield to directly break Ye Xiu.

"How daring." Ye Xiu couldn't help but praise the opponent.

"Bring it!" Tian Sen answered.

He had joined Royal Style just in time to witness the team's decline from prosperity. Everyone said that his story was a tragedy, but in reality, Tian Sen felt that he was still rather fortunate. At least Team Royal Style was still here, and he could still be its member. But what about the person in front of him now? Where was the team he once represented, Excellent Era? Once upon a time it was at the pinnacle of Glory, a dynasty-establishing team, but it had since collapsed until it was nothing more than smoke and ashes. And the final blow had been delivered by this person himself. This person standing here now, he was the most tragic person in Glory, was he not?

There had been numerous discussions about what had happened between Ye Xiu and Excellent Era. Tian Sen wasn't someone who liked to gossip, but he believed Ye Xiu. He believed that as long as he was allowed, he would absolutely fight for Excellent Era until the end. No matter how well or poorly the team fared, he wouldn't leave or quit. This wasn't mere loyalty. This was a sort of unbreakable tie that existed between the first generation of players, their teams, and their characters. Tian Sen understood this well, because he had inherited all of this. Even though he was part of the Golden Generation, he adhered to spirit and ideas of the Founding Generation.

Parting from one's team, parting from one's character, it was undoubtedly painful.

So Tian Sen refused to leave Team Royal Style, no matter how many promising invitations he received.

As for this person before him now? He parted from his team, parted from his character, and even had to fight a death match against his One Autumn Leaf. When he thought about these things, Tian Sen always felt deeply wronged on Ye Xiu's behalf.

But even so, Ye Xiu hadn't fallen. He continued to advance forward, all for the sake of Glory!

Yes, for Glory!

This was the spirit of the first generation of players, the Founding Generation. No matter what situations they faced, they would never give up.

Why had Ye Xiu chosen the extraordinarily difficult road of building his own team? Tian Sen felt that he understood. Because, aside from Excellent Era, he wouldn't choose anywhere else. He could only start over from zero, and create a team himself.

Perhaps everyone could see the hardships he went through, perhaps they could see the miracle that was his return to the Alliance. But no one would ever truly know the tragic journey his heart had taken.

But even so, Tian Sen would still use everything he had to defeat him. This was the greatest respect he could offer to this type of player.

Bring it!

After saying this, Tian Sen was already attacking.

Back in the day, Peaceful Hermit hadn't beaten One Autumn Leaf. Then what about today's Lord Grim?

It was said that the Exorcist was the counter to the unspecialized Lord Grim. But as the number one Exorcist in Glory, Tian Sen had only two words to say to this: how naive!

If an equipment-sealing talisman was enough to make an Exorcist the counter to Lord Grim, then what about those who had methods to dizzy, to put to sleep, or any other control techniques? Would those become all sorts of counters?

Every skill had its value. But for one skill to raise a class to the status of being a perfect counter, that was too shallow a way of thinking.

The skill was there. But how to use it?

Team Void's Ge Caijie was an excellent Exorcist rookie, but hadn't he fallen to Ye Xiu all the same? Counter, what counter?

There was no such thing as a perfect counter in Glory. Those who thought they were counters, they were just waiting to be countered by the opponent! Because the opponent would always successfully use what you were trying to block. Especially this person here, the Glory Textbook Ye Xiu, the master of calculation… No one who had heard the words and deeds of the older generation would ever forget this.

Team Void? Still too young! That was why Ge Caijie, when placed on the field, would be sent running in circles.

Tian Sen wouldn't be that naive. He didn't treat himself as the counter. He faced this confrontation as he would any match.

Two players, two characters, two classes. On one side, the unspecialized, on the other, the Exorcist.

Peaceful Hermit's left hand snatched a talisman from the air, while his right hand was already waving the scythe Death Savvy as he charged forward. Without fear, he began close-ranged combat with Lord Grim.

But Ye Xiu was unalarmed. Lord Grim swung the Myriad Manifestations Umbrella, switching to gun form, and fired a rapid burst of shots toward Peaceful Hermit: Gatling Gun.

Tatatatata...

The gunshots were nonstop. Under Ye Xiu's control, the bullets flew everywhere, attacking not one point but an area.

Peaceful Hermit shook his left hand and the talisman flashed with light. Characters had already formed on the paper, and it was quickly slapped onto his own shoulder.

Hardening Talisman!

Peaceful Hermit didn't dodge, he simply continued to charge straight forward. The bullets exploded on his body in sparks, and he took some damage, but his forward momentum wasn't hampered by these bullets. This was the effect of Hardening Talisman, a stronger version of the Striker's skill Reinforced Iron Bones.

Using the increased defense granted by this talisman, Peaceful Hermit swiftly approached Lord Grim. Lord Grim threw a grenade at Peaceful Hermit's feet, but Tian Sen completely ignored it as well. When Peaceful Hermit stepped there, that grenade exploded, but even though it left a hole in the ground, it didn't shake Peaceful Hermit at all.

Shadow Cloak!

Lord Grim swept his sleeve and sent another skill flying. This type of grab skill was the counter to Super Armor skills like Hardening Talisman. But Tian Sen was fast with his controls. Peaceful Hermit swung Death Savvy down, and the scythe carved through the air with a burst of light. At first glance, it really seemed quite similar to the darkness swung out by Shadow Cloak.

Two skills. Which was faster?

The viewers waited for the result, but the two players had already made their judgments in an instant.

Death Savvy's swing would come faster! The attack speed of a scythe was naturally 10, and the top Exorcist Peaceful Hermit, having chosen such a fast weapon, would definitely have the best equipment to enhance his attack speed even further.

Jump back!

Ye Xiu immediately canceled his Shadow Cloak and controlled Lord Grim to jump backward and dodge. But to his surprise, Death Savvy flew out of Peaceful Hermit's hand toward him. Tian Sen had actually used Spirit Guidance!

Throwing his weapon of course increased his attack range drastically, still carrying the trajectory it'd had when Peaceful Hermit was swinging it. Lord Grim, jumping backward, couldn't escape this range, and it was too late to parry. Death Savvy hit Lord Grim right in the shoulder.

Peaceful Hermit lifted his hand, already prepared to retrieve the weapon. But the scythe was hooked around Lord Grim's shoulder, so when the Spirit Guidance pulled the weapon back, it carried Lord Grim along with it. Peaceful Hermit's left hand had already snatched another talisman, a character already written on it: Immobile.

Immobilizing Talisman!

His right hand pulled back his weapon, dragging Lord Grim along, while his left hand slapped out a talisman. They met, time slowed down, and this talisman was stuck right on Lord Grim's forehead.

Instantly, Lord Grim was unable to move. But the audience burst into shouts.

It wasn't because Peaceful Hermit had played excellently. It was because, as soon as that talisman landed on Lord Grim, another Lord Grim had already flashed behind Peaceful Hermit.

Too bad I saw it. Tornado!

Death Savvy suddenly flipped under Peaceful Hermit's elbow. Tian Sen hadn't turned his camera view, but he already sent this attack to Lord Grim's real body.

This attack came so suddenly, and Peaceful Hermit's attack speed was so high. Lord Grim, who had wanted to sneak up and use a Cut-Throat, was actually slashed by this backward, upside-down attack first. A sheet of red sprayed into the air.

"Ah!" Chen Guo couldn't help but shout.

She had already watched who knew how many matches of Ye Xiu's, but this was the first time she'd seen him caught by his opponent like this. She'd been so sure that Peaceful Hermit's neck would soon be spraying blood, but this time, the one bleeding was actually Lord Grim.

And the scythe once again demonstrated its unique uses. After slashing, it once again hooked Lord Grim, preventing him from retreating to Peaceful Hermit's side. Peaceful Hermit had already turned around, his left hand already gripping yet another talisman. The character written on the paper flashed in the light, as though it were about to fly out.

The Level 75 skill, targeting the opponent's equipment, the Seal Talisman!

Tian Sen didn't agree with the "counter" mindset, but that didn't mean he disagreed with the value of this skill. When there was a suitable opportunity and he could use it, he of course wouldn't let it go.

Seal Talisman. With a twist of this body, Peaceful Hermit sent this talisman toward the Myriad Manifestations Umbrella in Lord Grim's hand.

Kaka!

But with two sounds, the umbrella suddenly broke apart into two. Peaceful Hermit couldn't retract his slap, and the talisman landed upon Lord Grim's chest…

Clothes were equipment. The Seal Talisman immediately took effect, and whatever stats granted by this upper-body clothing were temporarily nullified. But this absolutely was not what Tian Sen wanted, and he didn't think "better than nothing." A skill could only be considered successful if it achieved the effect it was meant to achieve. He failed this attack, and what was waiting for him afterward was of course a counterattack. The Myriad Manifestations Umbrella split in two, that was its tonfa form. The Fighter class skills relied on this weapon form.

Pow pow!

Kicks and punches landed nonstop upon Peaceful Hermit's body. There were regular attacks, there were skills, and in the end there was a Fling which sent Peaceful Hermit flying. Taking advantage of this grab skill's priority, which locked the target's movements, Lord Grim chased after with a Shining Cut, and at the right angle, he was able to use a Sand Toss at point-blank range right onto Peaceful Hermit's face. When Peaceful Hermit hit the ground, his vision was completely dark. All he could see was a message from Ye Xiu in the chat box to the side.

"You've studied my playstyle pretty thoroughly!"

Tian Sen had indeed studied Ye Xiu extremely well, and discovered that Ye Xiu loved using Shadow Clone Technique to circle around behind the opponent. So, he carefully watched Lord Grim's hands at all times. No matter what, Shadow Clone Technique required hand seals to form. Unfortunately, even though he correctly anticipated the attack, he still fell short.