The King's Avatar Chapter 1371-1388

Chapter 1371: Endgame Preparation

Translator: Nomyummi  Editor: Nomyummi

With Round 37's match, Luo Ji had truly become a protagonist.

"How about it? Feels pretty good, doesn't it, kid?" After returning from the press conference, Wei Chen came up to Luo Ji and tousled his hair.

"It's great, it's great," Luo Ji said excitedly. MVP? Just a few rounds ago, he'd been worried about not dragging down the rest of the team, but now, he'd actually become the match MVP, the crucial piece in the team's victory… Luo Ji was truly thrilled, and even though the reporters had hounded him like wolves, he didn't really mind. All that mattered was that he could be useful to the team.

"Keep it up, your future is filled with light!" Wei Chen said.

"Yes, Boss Wei!" Luo Ji happily answered. Soon after, the other young players like Qiao Yifan and An Wenyi surrounded him with congratulations, and Steamed Bun took on the role of a boss as he gruffly warned Luo Ji against becoming too arrogant.

How good it is to be young…

Watching Happy's vibrant young members, Wei Chen was filled with emotion.

In Wei Chen's eyes, Luo Ji's skill truly wasn't all that much. The professional circle was overflowing with talent. But Luo Ji had what Wei Chen admired and envied the most: his youth.

If only I could be ten years younger… Even if I lost all the technique and experience I have now, and started over from zero, that would be fine!

Technique could be trained, experience could be raised. Only youth, once lost, could never be regained.

Luo Ji still had the future. He had chance after chance to be useful in Happy's matches. But what about Wei Chen himself?

Wei Chen lit a cigarette, and took a deep breath.

For him, there was perhaps only this handful of battles remaining.

One match left of the regular season. If they made it to the finals, if every round of the playoffs became three matches long, that meant nine matches. Ten matches total.

Ten matches…

Even if he went on in every single match, his professional career would have no more than ten matches left. Next season? Wei Chen didn't dare think any more. If he stubbornly clung on, then he would only become dead weight for the team.

Back then, why had he retired?

Wei Chen suddenly felt regret swelling in his heart.

If his thirty-year-old self could still hold on now, then back then, why couldn't he have held on in the first place? Even if he had simply joined some random team, he always could have found a position.

Six years… Why in the world had he wasted those six years?

As the young members talked and laughed, Wei Chen let out a sigh. They felt joy at making it to the playoffs in their debut year, while Wei Chen felt melancholy as he thought of his rapidly dwindling professional lifespan.

"Look at these young ones, how nice." Ye Xiu suddenly appeared out of nowhere, slapping a hand on Wei Chen's shoulder.

"Fuck!" Wei Chen hadn't been holding his cigarette securely, so when he was startled, it almost flipped into his eye, giving him a second scare.

"Just ten rounds left," Ye Xiu said.

"What?" The fact that Wei Chen only had ten professional matches left was, for a pro player, an extremely tragic and cruel thing. No matter how shameless Ye Xiu was, he wouldn't deliver this kind of jab, would he? For him to say this…

Were these the last ten rounds for himself, as well? Was this guy also planning to retire?

"Don't regret it!" Wei Chen finally said.

"Haha." Ye Xiu only chuckled.

All sorts of discussion emerged after Round 37. The five teams struggling for a spot in the top eight were the hot topic, of course. Hundred Blossoms dropping three points to Tyranny before successfully counter attacking, Thunderclap winning seven points from Samsara, 301 earning a perfect victory against Seaside, all earned praise. And the final score of Happy against Wind Howl was 6-4, relatively close, so they couldn't say one side was particularly disastrous. In the individual rounds, Wind Howl fell behind one point and then earned four in succession, which was quite a strong performance. As for the team competition, Su Mucheng and Luo Ji of course earned much praise, and Liu Hao became the only player in the crucial Round 37 who performed terribly, and thus the sole target of critics.

And even Tang Hao had expressed dissatisfaction over his performance in the post-match press conference by calling him a disaster. This only further supported the point.

A few less professional media directly took this out of context. Tang Hao had clearly just been speaking fact, that Liu Hao's performance in this one match had been too subpar, like a disaster. But these reporters took this to mean that Wind Howl overall had met disaster, and described Liu Hao as cancer for Wind Howl. Clearly, Liu Hao's performance in Wind Howl this season had been fairly strong. The team trusted him, the fans liked him. Otherwise, how could he have become vice-captain and an All-Star?

But in this round, no matter how upright the media, couldn't find anything good to say about Liu Hao.

As far as the eye could see, there was nothing but negative reviews. Liu Hao felt that all he had endeavored to build up over this entire season was collapsing because of this one disastrous performance.

Next round, I have to redeem myself. Liu Hao grit his teeth.

June 5th, Season 10 of the Glory Professional League finally arrived at the final match. For half of the teams, this was the end of a season, but ten teams would step onto a new journey after this. Some would go on to fight for the highest glory, while others would now fight for salvation.

There were three matches in this final round that were attracting the most attention: Happy playing their home game against 301, Samsara home game against Hundred Blossoms, and Tiny Herb home game against Wind Howl.

Three matches would determine which three teams would enter the top eight and earn the right to compete in the playoffs. 301, Hundred Blossoms, and Wind Howl couldn't slack off one bit. Every point might determine their ultimate fate. And because of these teams, Happy had to continue to fight as hard as they could. They, too, couldn't afford to grow careless.

"Let me go on!" As Team Happy prepared, someone was begging to play in the match.

But others all told him, "Rest, rest!"

"Leave it to us, it's no problem," everyone said.

"Don't! I haven't played in the team competition in a whole month! Please, I'm begging you, give me the chance to keep my hands warm." Ye Xiu struggled to obtain a chance to go onstage.

Actually, for both Round 35 and Round 37, Ye Xiu had originally intended to play. But everyone in Happy had very firmly shoved him back down onto the bench.

"With all your experience, do you still need to train your hands?" Tang Rou said.

"Right right, if it's Boss, he doesn't need it at all," said Steamed Bun.

"Rest, rest!" everyone continued to say.

"I still need this! Hurry and let me go onstage!" Ye Xiu shouted.

Chen Guo was at a loss. With all of the commotion, she also couldn't tell whether Ye Xiu really needed to play a match to keep his hands warm, or if he was just lonely.

"Do you really need it?" Chen Guo asked Ye Xiu.

Ye Xiu was about to cry. "How could I not need this? I haven't played in a month."

Chen Guo looked at Su Mucheng and Fang Rui, for confirmation from those who had professional experience.

"Let's follow his plan!" Su Mucheng laughed.

At last, Ye Xiu began planning out the next round. He began by confirming that he would have a starting position in the team competition, which was instantly met by a room full of boos.

"This is an abuse of power."

Ye Xiu heard someone say this, and he began to question whether these guys genuinely wanted him to rest, or if they were trying to squeeze him out of his position.

After that, they progressed with the planning. Everyone finally put away their joking attitudes, and listened to Ye Xiu's match arrangements seriously.

"Three points. That will guarantee our entry into the playoffs. But we can't set our goal that low. Fight for victory with everything you have! Don't worry about 301's survival," said Ye Xiu.

"Understood!" everyone answered.

"Let's start practice!" Ye Xiu waved his hand, and everyone began their tense training for the next round's match.

The R&D department was also making the final sprint to the playoffs. Everyone hoped that they could complete equipment upgrades before the playoffs began. In the playoffs, one mistake could lead to a complete loss, and to suddenly switch to unfamiliar equipment in the middle of the playoffs wasn't a wise decision. The differences brought by changed equipment could lead to miscalculations or misjudgments in the middle of a match. To some extent, the playoffs were a competition of which side could make fewer mistakes.

"36 pieces of pseudo-Silver equipment, and the Myriad Manifestations Umbrella has been completed. Do you want to upgrade now?" Seeing Ye Xiu come over, the R&D workers asked him excitedly. They were also looking forward to see their own handiwork equipped on characters to give the entire Alliance a shock. Although the stats of the Silver equipment wouldn't be displayed, the equipment level would be shown. The sight of Happy's characters clad in Level 80 equipment, what kind of shock would that bring to the Glory circle? Just thinking about it was enough to cause excitement.

"We'll upgrade after this match!" Ye Xiu said. "Can there be more?"

"For now, it'll probably just be this much," the R&D worker answered. "Most equipment can't manifest this kind of complex, redundant structure."

The R&D called the structure used by the Level 80 pseudo-Silver "redundant addition." If they were simply making the equipment, they wouldn't need nearly this many materials. But to raise it to Level 80, they had to forcefully add on more materials, while ensuring that these materials didn't change the original properties of the equipment. Many equipment couldn't take this additive modification, and these were the failed products that had no way of reaching Level 80.

The recent research of Happy's R&D had been focused on determining which equipment could be upgraded and which couldn't, and this process had used up a large amount of materials. Fortunately, because they were only aiming to make Orange-level Silver equipment, they didn't need as many rare materials. And there was always a surplus of dungeon materials, so they could almost always get them from the in-game marketplace. The rarer ones would be the drops from the highest-level dungeons, but on the guild side of things, Wu Chen had coordinated teams to increase their acquisitions, and they were able to meet the demands of the R&D.

Even as they continued their development of pseudo-Silver, they didn't forget about their research of real Silver, either. After all, they only needed pseudo-Silver for now. This batch was directly jumping to Level 80, but when the overall level cap was updated to 80, it was unknown whether they could still use the method of redundant addition to upgrade to Level 85. Only real Silver equipment would be the true path to sustainable development. Happy could expend effort on pseudo-Silver largely because there wasn't much conflict with the materials required for real Silver. Because the two goals didn't interfere with each other, Happy could grab both.

Chapter 1372: Playing Too Honestly

Translator: Nomyummi  Editor: Nomyummi

Round 38 of the Alliance was rapidly approaching. Given that it was the final round, it was inevitable that there would be a of publicity surrounding it. After this round, voting for the awards of the current season would begin. The awards would be based on the performances of the regular season, with the playoffs having their own set of awards afterwards.

Amongst the various awards, the one that caught the most attention was naturally the MVP award. There were many players who had been raised as possible MVPs, to the point that even Bai Shu, who had only joined 301 in the winter transfer window, was also part of the list.

Other than that, there were Samsara's Zhou Zekai, Blue Rain's Huang Shaotian, Tiny Herb's Wang Jiexi, Tyranny's Zhang Xinjie and other All-Star players were frequently raised as possible candidates. Apart from these players, there the was the player with the strongest return to the Alliance: Happy's Ye Xiu.

Team Happy's performance may not have been as outstanding as Samsara or the other powerhouse teams, but as a new team, achieving such results was already entirely unprecedented, and within the team, the role that Ye Xiu played was something that anyone with eyes could see. If the Alliance were to take into account Happy's difficulty in achieving such results, Ye Xiu's inclusion in the list of MVP candidates was indisputable. If there was anything that was disadvantageous to Ye Xiu, it was his continued "ceasefire" for the last 4 rounds. Missing out such crucial competitions would have a negative impact on his assessment for the MVP award.

The MVP award was something that had various different considerations and factors. In comparison, some of the other awards that only looked at results or numbers were more easily decided upon.

The King of Dueling title was based on the results of the individual competition. The award would definitely go to Ye Xiu without much suspense, given his 36 consecutive victories in the individual competition. Looking at the statistics, One Hit One Kill, the award based on the number of killing blows accomplished within the team competitions, was already in Zhou Zekai's hands one round early.

Then there was the Arena Star, the award based on how much damage a player had dealt throughout the course of the group arena competitions. Similarly, the holder of this title had been convincingly decided one round early: Team Samsara's Sun Xiang. 

Other than that, awards like Best Partners, Best Rookie or Best Sixth Player were also like the MVP award, and wouldn't be decided purely by numbers or statistics, instead needing careful consideration of the various player's performances after the end of the 38th round. 

Everything was waiting for this final round.

On the evening of the 5th of June, the 20 teams in the Alliance gathered in 10 different team's stadiums, marking the beginning of the 38th round of competition.

In the end, the broadcasters decided to show the match between Samsara and Hundred Blossoms. Hundred Blossoms was temporarily in 9th place, and if they wanted to enter the top 8, they could either win 1 more point than Wind Howl or 3 more points than 301 in this round. In the previous round, after falling behind by 3 points against Tyranny, they had valiantly snatched back 7 points, lighting the expectations for them to produce a breathtaking performance in their away-game against Samsara. The Glory community hadn't forgotten that Team Samsara's crazy streak of wins in the first half of the season had ultimately been put to a stop by Team Hundred Blossoms. This final match would be Team Hundred Blossom's most important match of the whole season. 

In this final round, every stadium was packed to the brim, including the stadium for Seaside and Bright Green, the two teams in the relegation zone. Next season, they wouldn't be able to compete in this stadium anymore, so the heartbroken fans had come to accompany their teams in battle till the very last moment, even though it was already too late to change anything.

At 8.30 in the evening, the final round of the competition punctually began in all ten stadiums.

In Happy's stadium, Ye Xiu appeared in the individual competition for the 37th time, taking another shot at breaking his own record. This time, the player attempting to snipe his streak was someone who had garnered a lot of attention in the second half of the season: Team 301 Degrees' Knight player Bai Shu, hailing from Europe. 

The competition quickly began. Until the very last round, Ye Xiu had persisted in choosing the same style of maps: clean and minimalistic maps meant for a head-on battle. The two characters loaded in, appearing at two opposite ends of the map. 

Bai Shu's Knight character, Tide, was clad from head to toe in Silver equipment. In this small map where sunlight was shining brilliantly, the reflections off Tide's metal armor was dazzling, and his shield, Silver of Life had practically become a mirror. 

"Ah, this map choice is a little unfortunate!" Fang Rui said, sitting on Happy's player bench.

"Wait, why?" Chen Guo asked frantically.

"It's too bright, it dazzles the eyes," Fang Rui said.

"Are you talking about the reflections from Tide's equipment?" Chen Guo asked.

"That's right. In the context of Glory, things like this will all become disturbances to the opposing player," Fang Rui replied. 

Chen Guo immediately felt a sense of apprehension. Losing 1 point was nothing to fear, but she really didn't want to see Ye Xiu's streak of consecutive victories come to an end. In fact, she was still brooding over the fact that Ye Xiu didn't play in the first round! That meant that he could at most have 37 wins in a row, not a complete sweep of all 38 rounds. The tiny bit of imperfection was extremely regrettable.

As they spoke, the two characters on stage had already started to charge towards the center of the map.

Boom boom boom!

Ye Xiu used Lord Grim's long-ranged superiority to open fire first, sending three Anti-Tank Missiles flying out.

Charge!

Bai Shu surprisingly didn't dodge, instead choosing to have Tide press the assault. His shield was raised in front of him, and all three Anti-Tank Missiles exploded on it in succession. In a moment, Tide had left the cloud of smoke and the sound of explosions behind him, the gap between the two shortening in the blink of an eye. Tide's shield, Silver of Life, was shining brightly. On the large screen in the stadium, everyone could see from Ye Xiu's player perspective, and all they saw was a field of dazzling radiance, similar to the effect from a Spitfire's Flash Bullet.

"Look!" Fang Rui had long been watching Ye Xiu's player perspective, and at this moment, he immediately pointed at the screen for everyone to see.

Heroic Leap!

Tide leapt into the air, but the only thing that Ye Xiu could see in his vision was a flash of brilliant light, and then nothing.

Shining Cut!

Ye Xiu used the skill to dash out.

This was an instinctual reaction that he made based on his experience. When the opponent disappeared, no matter where he went, eventually he would want to continue his assault. At this time, the best thing to do was to keep moving, and figure out where the opponent was afterwards.

Tide descended from the air, and Lord Grim fled from his original position. The two of them had more or less completed a swap of positions. After Shining Cut, Lord Grim immediately twisted his body in mid-air, and the moment he saw Tide in his field of view, the Myriad Manifestation Umbrella changed back into Gun Form, and Lord Grim opened fire! 

Bang!

A single bullet flew out.

But this time, Bai Shu didn't have Tide use his shield to block the attack.

This single bullet was the Spitfire's Burning Bullet, which would create a fiery blaze as it fell to the ground, something that the shield couldn't prevent.

Tide jumped out of the way, dodging the Burning Bullet. As a sea of fire immediately began to spread on the ground, he had already stepped out of the range of the attack.

Gatling Gun!

Lord Grim used yet another skill, sending a torrent of bullets towards Tide. This time, Tide raised his shield, forcefully advancing under the rain of bullets. Tide's Silver of Life wasn't as large as the Myriad Manifestation Umbrella's Shield Form, so it couldn't possibly shield his whole body. As such, Ye Xiu adjusted the angle of the Gatling Gun, attempting to send the bullets to the gaps that weren't being protected by the shield. Despite that, all the bullets were blocked by Tide, as Silver of Life's position was adjusted non-stop, unexpectedly blocking the Gatling Gun bullets that were coming from continually shifting angles.

"This guy!" Fang Rui exclaimed in surprise. Team Wind Howl's original lineup also had a Knight, so he had a fairly impressive understanding of the class. Being able to use his shield in such a way to completely block Ye Xiu's gunfire meant that his fundamentals were far more solid than normal. 

Atr this moment, in Ye Xiu's field of vision, Silver of Life became dazzling once more. Evidently, they had once again entered an angle in which the shield could reflect sunlight.

"Eh? This time..." This time, Fang Rui was bewildered.

"What is it?" Chen Guo frantically asked again.

"His timing of the sunlight was a bit sub-par," Fang Rui expressed.

On stage, Ye Xiu slightly adjusted Lord Grim's position, easily avoiding the reflection of the sunlight this time around, before continuing to assault Tide from a distance.

"He isn't doing it on purpose." At this time, Wei Chen spoke up.

"Who are you referring to?" Chen Guo asked.

"Bai Shu. He didn't think of using his equipment to reflect the sunlight, it was actually all accidental," Wei Chen replied.

"Really?" Chen Guo looked at Fang Rui, but he was deep in contemplation, so he didn't respond.

"This player from abroad seems to disdain these kinds of dirty tricks!" Wei Chen said.

"Do you think he's like all of you?" Chen Guo snorted at Wei Chen, and then shifted her gaze to Fang Rui. These two played in an especially wretched way, with an innumerable number of dirty tricks up their sleeves.

"I'm looking down on him, can't you tell from my tone?" Wei Chen replied.

"In order to win, I would be as unscrupulous as I need to be. These kinds of players who pretend to be upright and not use the tricks they have access to are the kind I hate the most," Wei Chen said.

Chen Guo didn't know whether to laugh or to cry. This wasn't about pretending to be upright, couldn't a person just prefer not using these kinds of methods to fight?

"Lose, he's definitely going to lose!" Wei Chen cursed.

"That I can agree with," Chen Guo nodded.

At this moment, Tide had already drawn closer to Lord Grim by quite a bit, raising his hand and gesturing towards him: Provoke.

Lord Grim promptly charged towards Tide without hesitation, and sent out a Collapsing Mountain! Ye Xiu straightforwardly used this skill, and Lord Grim jumped up, sending his blade chopping downwards.

Clang!

An ear-piercing noise rang out. Surprisingly, Bai Shu had let Tide raise his shield to block the powerful Berserker skill, Collapsing Mountain, before using his other hand to brandish his sword for a counterattack.

"I have no words left," Wei Chen said.

"What is it now?" Chen Guo asked.

"Couldn't he just have avoided this attack?" Wei Chen said.

"Is using the shield to block not good enough?" Chen Guo asked.

"Using the shield to block still costs HP. If he's able to avoid losing HP altogether, does he still need to be so unyielding?" Wei Chen replied.

"He can... counterattack a bit faster?" Chen Guo's answer sounded quite professional, her standard was improving! 

"If he can't take the initiative from the counterattack, what's the point of counterattacking at all?" Wei Chen continued to look down on him. 

After blocking Collapsing Mountain, Tide's counterattack indeed wasn't able to help seize the initiative, and the two of them continued to trade hits, countering each other's every move.

"That Taunt usage was also baffling, this is a 1v1, and the opponent doesn't want to run away, what's the point of taunting him? Taunting him only results in close-range combat, but that's what Lord Grim's good at," Wei Chen continued.

Chen Guo was puzzled. According to Wei Chen's analysis, this Bai Shu was really full of problems! But looking at the match, he didn't show any signs of faltering when fighting against Ye Xiu! In this match, she couldn't see any sign of who was going to win or lose.

"You'd best ignore him." Su Mucheng saw Chen Guo's bewilderment and laughed, "They have completely different styles, so of course they can't stand the sight of each other."

"Is he playing too honestly?" Chen Guo consulted Su Mucheng, and ended up being viciously stared at by Wei Chen, causing her to momentarily not dare to say anything more.

"In this confrontation, it's exactly this kind of upright and frank play that's needed to determine victory or defeat!" Su Mucheng replied.

"It's boring as hell," Wei Chen and Fang Rui said in unison.

"I believe that Ye Xiu won't give him that kind of opportunity," Wei Chen said sincerely, "That guy has no limit to his shamelessness!"

Chapter 1373: Peak Skill

Translator: Nomyummi  Editor: Nomyummi

Fight justly and fairly?

Chen Guo trusted Su Mucheng's words more than Wei Chen's. Then again, she really couldn't tell the difference between fair and shameless in a match.

Crusader's Trial!

At this moment, Bai Shu suddenly cast a powerful high-level skill at an extremely close distance. Tide crashed forward with a Charge, his sword and shield brandished.

Shining Cut!

Lord Grim flashed by with a cold light.

The direction of Crusader's Trial could be controlled though. The moment Lord Grim flitted to the right, Bai Shu had Tide cut across from the left.

Charge and Crusader's Trial moved at the same speed, which didn't lose to Shining Cut. Even though the first stage missed, the second stage of the skill smashed towards Lord Grim.

Charge!　　

Ye Xiu used another movement skill. Lord Grim switched directions, dodging the second stage.　　

Colliding Stab!　　

Shadow Clone Technique!

Slide Kick!

Ye Xiu used multiple movement skills in a row in an attempt to escape from Tide, but in the end, he failed. Bai Shu's controls were extremely fast and precise. He immediately adjusted his Crusader's Trial with every escape attempt from Lord Grim. The viewers were dumbstruck as they watched these two characters shuffle around a small area in a blur. Ye Xiu was clearly using a variety of skills from different classes, but by chaining them together in a single breath, it was hard to believe that there were multiple skills being used; it looked like one smooth yet messy movement. On the other hand, Bai Shu was using just a single skill, so his movements were naturally smooth. However, he was the one reacting to Ye Xiu's actions. Being able to stick so tightly to Ye Xiu despite these circumstances was truly a terrifying display of technique.

Multiple movement skills had been linked together in an instant. Sometimes, a skill wouldn't even complete before the next skill began. But after the Slide Kick, the attentive viewers noticed Lord Grim's skill bar. The first skill he had used, Shining Cut, was still on cooldown.

Players had already figured out which low-level movement skills Lord Grim possessed. He had the Assassin's Shining Cut, the Kinght's Charge, the Berserker's Colliding Stab, the Sharpshooter's Slide Kick, and the Ninja's Shadow Clone Technique.

Five skills on rotation was usually more than enough. But today, Ye Xiu had been forced by Bai Shu to use all five skills consecutively, yet he still couldn't escape. The Level 75 Crusader's Trial had a maximum of nine stages. Tide had only used five stages so far and still had four more stages to call upon.

This time, what high-level skill had Ye Xiu added onto his Myriad Manifestations Umbrella? Perhaps a Teleport? People began thinking of the possibilities. However, those who had noticed Lord Grim's skill bar suddenly realized that apart from these five movement skills, Lord Grim also had Spike Trap on cooldown.

If it was on cooldown, it meant it had been used. But when?

No one had any time to ponder over this question. The pace of the battle was extremely fast. Tide had chased Lord Grim to the sixth stage of Crusader's Trial, when a sudden "ka" sounded. Tide could still swing his weapon, but his feet wouldn't budge an inch.

Spike Trap was triggered just like this. Everyone was dumbfounded. Besides those who had been paying attention to Lord Grim's skill bar, everyone else had been caught off guard. Judging from the position of the Spike Trap, Lord Grim must have placed it while Slide Kicking.

Spike Trap only restricted movement. It did not interrupt skills. Tide could continue his Crusader's Trial, but he could only do it in place. Lord Grim jumped back nimbly, and Tide's attack could no longer reach him. Ye Xiu was just about to counterattack, when Tide's sword suddenly flew out towards Lord Grim.

Spirit Guidance!

The Exorcist's Spirit Guidance gave the ability to throw your weapon. Exorcists and Knights were both Priest classes and could learn each other's low-level skills.

This attack had been quite sudden. Happy's home crowd cried out in alarm. Lord Grim promptly rolled though, and evaded the attack.

Grenade, Shuriken, Mechanical Seeker. As Lord Grim rolled, he threw a bunch of things at Tide, who who had no way of dodging due to the Spike Trap. However, he still had his shield. Tide immediately crouched down and raised his shield, Silver Life. The Grenade and Mechanical Seeker exploded on his shield, while the Shuriken was deflected.

"See, dirty!" Wei Chen shouted excitedly.　

He wasn't talking about Tide and his shield, or Lord Grim's chain of attacks. These were far from being qualified. Wei Chen was talking about how Ye Xiu was having his Lord Grim approach while sticking close to the ground.

When Bai Shu used his shield, he made sure to give himself an open line of sight. But with Lord Grim crouching down, the line of sight that the shield allowed him to have wasn't quite enough. He couldn't see the target, so he subconsciously lowered his shield a bit. Right after he did so, he heard a gunshot.

Bai Shu reacted extremely fast and hastily lifted up his Silver Life again. However, he then heard a "pu", a hit.

Bai Shu looked down in disbelief and saw a bullet wound at his feet. This opening hadn't been there originally. When he raised his shield instinctively to protect his head, a small crack had appeared in his defense. To think his opponent could grasp that tiny opening...

No, it wasn't his opponent grasping an opening. Bai Shu had clearly heard the gunshot before lifting his shield. In other words, the other side had shot at his feet, predicting that he wouldn't be able to see the attack and would lift his shield thinking it would be a headshot...

To think there was someone who could calculate this many steps ahead.

Bai Shu was amazed.

He had only started playing Glory after going abroad. He had played in the European servers and then joined England's Pro League. As a pro player, he could be considered a locally born and bred European player. However, his homeland was still China, so he paid some attention to the Glory scene there as well. But because of China's mediocrity at popular sports like football and basketball, he didn't think very highly of the skill level of China's competitive Glory scene. As a result, he mainly followed the scene out of curiosity and didn't take it seriously.

When Team 301 sent out a formal invitation to him, he had been both surprised and proud. To think I could receive attention from a competitive league on a completely different continent, it looks like my skill and fame is quite high!

Along with a feeling of intimacy for his homeland, in the end, Bai Shu was moved by Team 301's detailed plans for him, especially after knowing that Team 301's situation wasn't too great. Instead of disappointment, he was rather excited to be the savior for a team.

As a result, he returned to his home country and joined Team 301. He began adapting to China's competitive league and helped Team 301 form a new tactical system.

Much of this came from the strategies and techniques that Bai Shu had learned from his career in Europe. After combining these with Team 301, the team's win record improved drastically. Win after win, the spotlight shone on him.

Bai Shu felt great. Sure enough, Europe was the superior region. After joining the Alliance, Team 301 became like a fish in the water. They had originally been dozens of points away from top eight, but they quickly squeezed their way in a huge reversal.　

However, near the end of the season, Team 301 had been caught into an intense struggle for playoffs, a bit far from Bai Shu's goal of sweeping through the league. Bai Shu wasn't discouraged though. After all, he had only been a part of 301 for half a season. Both sides needed more time to synergize to reach their peak condition. Team 301 had made a huge comeback within this half a season. To be able to do that was more than enough for Bai Shu. After his arrival, 301 had only lost to two opponents. One was Wind Howl and their sudden improvement. 301 hadn't been prepared and lost. The other one was the Alliance's current number one, Samsara. Bai Shu very much recognized their strength. It would truly be quite challenging for Team 301 to win over them.

Apart from those two though, the powerhouses in the Alliance such as Tyranny, Blue Rain, and Tiny Herb had all fallen to 301. From Bai Shu's perspective, those teams were on par with each other. Neither team was better than the other by much.

Their teams were like so, the individuals were like so. Bai Shu hadn't noticed anyone who could make him feel fear. The so-called number one Knight, Xu Bin, had apparently come from 301. But in their 1v1 match, Bai Shu won quite easily. He was nothing impressive.

Finally, in this last round, Team 301 would meet Team Happy.　　

Ye Xiu had won 36 individual rounds in a row. Just this win record alone made it so Bai Shu could not underestimate him. After doing some research on him, he learned about his legendary history.

But isn't he a bit old?

Whether it was in China or Europe or anywhere else, the pro players were all around the same age. Ye Xiu's 27 years of age was a genuine old general in any competitive scene.　

To let such an old general keep winning in the individual competition?　

When Bai Shu first came over and heard about his win streak, he had a hard time understanding. Then, he heard about the unspecialized's playstyle as well as his strange weapon, which made him quite curious.

At that time, he had made a decision. This Ye Xiu needed to be taught a lesson. However, Team 301 and Team Happy would only be meeting each other again in Round 38, at the end of the regular season. It would only be then would Bai Shu be able to realize his long-cherished wish.

During this half a season, he had personally watched quite a few of Ye Xiu's and Lord Grim's matches, and made ample preparation. That ultra fast speed made many people's heads hurt, but wasn't he keeping up with it just fine?

But in the process, he had fallen for a trap that had been placed who knew when.

Then, he was hit by a bullet that had completely seen through his thoughts.

So this is someone who won 36 individual rounds in a row... China's peak skill?

Chapter 1374: Thirty-Seven Consecutive Wins

Translator: Nomyummi  Editor: Nomyummi

A shot that Ye Xiu had so precisely calculated and fired of course wouldn't just be an ordinary attack. This was a Spitfire skill: Stun Bullet. The instant it hit, Lord Grim was already pulling back and circling around. Then, he began his offensive.

Unspecialized Blitz!

This was a term that had circulated for a while now. Bai Shu had heard of it before, and he had studied it. He had felt that he wouldn't give Ye Xiu that kind of opportunity during the match. But now, he understood, it wasn't that he would give an opportunity, it was that the opponent would create the opportunity himself. After being hit by the Stun Bullet, Tide could no longer move, and so when Lord Grim charged over, circled around to his back, and began attacking, what could he do?

The Paralysis status wore off fairly quickly, but Lord Grim's offensive was far from over. Bai Shu tried to control Tide to block with his shield, because he just needed to block one attack to rebalance the situation. But Ye Xiu had clearly considered this point from early on. Tide was a Knight, which was a class that had a shield that gave them a natural advantage in interrupting the opponent's attack. This was why Ye Xiu had begun his attack from behind, preventing Bai Shu from controlling Tide to pull out his shield to block. Just like that, the famous Silver of Life became mere ornamentation.

Thirty-seven!

The fans in Happy's home stadium were already cheering.

A win streak lasting thirty-seven rounds. How incredible of a record was that?

It had never been done before, and it would likely never be repeated again. Right here, right now, this miraculous record was about to be born. Countless fans in the audience were rising from their seats, and Happy's diehard fans had already made preparations beforehand. They were just waiting for the instant that Lord Grim killed Tide for good, and then they would begin their celebration ceremony for this record.

"Ten!"

"Nine!"

"Eight!"

"Seven!"

"Six!"

There wasn't much remaining of Tide's health. From some corner of the stadium, this countdown suddenly began, gradually spreading through the audience. By the time they reached six, aside from a few depressed 301 fans, the entire stadium was chanting along.

"Five!" Everyone stared at Tide's dwindling health bar.

"Four!" Everyone watched Lord Grim attack.

"Three!" Everyone calculated the damage that was dealt by this attack.

"Two!" Everyone once again checked Tide's remaining health.

"One!" Another attack from Lord Grim arrived, and everyone prayed, fall, you bastard! They didn't have any particular enmity toward Bai Shu, but in this moment, they cursed him with all their heart.

"Zero!" The cheers reached their peak, Lord Grim's Sword Draw flashed out, and the blade scattered blood as it swung to the sky. And finally, Tide's health reached zero!

"Thirty-seven!!!" After zero, another number surged forward, but no one was surprised. This was what they had been waiting for.

Bang bang bang bang bang!

The stadium erupted with fireworks, colorful confetti bursting forth to surround the whole stage. This was all clearly something that Happy fans had planned in advance. The fans who had the fireworks had arranged themselves in a ring all around the stadium, to allow the celebration to spread to all corners. Even in the middle of the away team's fan section, a spy had somehow infiltrated their midst and set off a firework, although it was only round. Probably that fan was soon forcibly stopped by the surrounding 301 fans.

"Thirty-seven!" In the midst of the confetti, the fans cheered with all their might, and Chen Guo felt the tears beginning to stream down her cheeks. That guy, he had actually done it. He had started as an overnight manager at Happy Internet Cafe and established this team from scratch. He personally defeated Excellent Era, the team he had spent seven years fighting for. He returned to this stage, and then he established this shocking record that perhaps no one would ever surpass, permanently carving his true name onto this homeland of Glory.

"Too incredible!" Chen Guo exclaimed, wiping at her tears.

"It is!" The shameless Wei Chen, for once, didn't have any words of mockery, and his voice was sincere and heavy as he answered Chen Guo. Yes, it was really too incredible. How was this bastard so strong? Was he even stronger than he was ten years ago?

"I can't believe him!" Fang Rui yelled. "What about all the players in the future? This record is so ridiculous, it's disgusting!"

"To surpass it, you'd need thirty-eight consecutive wins?" Tang Rou still saw that tiny thread of hope.

"Boss is powerful, Boss is dominating," said Steamed Bun.

"As expected of Senior," said Qiao Yifan.

"It's amazing, I could never do that," Luo Ji said.

"This is really our captain..." An Wenyi was originally a Tyranny fan, and Ye Xiu had always been the person he could never like too much, but now, he had essentially been converted into his fan.

"..." Mo Fan didn't say anything, but his eyes, like those of the others, were filled with marvel.

Su Mucheng didn't say anything, either. She knew the hardships Ye Xiu had endured these past two years, and she knew that this insane win streak wasn't just for himself, but for another legacy. That character, Lord Grim, should have been controlled by another person to shine onstage with power unstoppable. But unfortunately, that could never become reality.

Now, Ye Xiu had completed this season for him. He used the character Lord Grim to leave behind a record that could never be erased. Perhaps no one would ever learn that other person's name, but Lord Grim, this character he created, would forever remain in Glory's history.

It was amazing.

Su Mucheng stood and clapped. She didn't cry, because she had always believed in Ye Xiu.

He said he would return, and so he returned.

He said he would establish a win streak, and so he won thirty-seven in a row.

He said they would aim for the championship this season, and Su Mucheng believed that this championship would undoubtedly belong to Happy.

The door to the competitor booth was opened. Ye Xiu walked out, walked onto the stage, and the cheers of the crowd instantly grew even louder. Bang bang bang, another ring of fireworks was set off. The fans had planned to do another round at this moment, although the fireworks from the away team's seating came a fraction later. Still, even when surrounded by the strict monitoring of the 301 fans after the last round of fireworks, this brave man still managed to suddenly break through and fire again. He could be called the hero of the fans.

"Thirty-seven!" Everyone continued to holler. Ye Xiu waved to the audience, expressing his thanks, before walking offstage.

"What an incredible record!" At this moment, although the live broadcast was set to show Hundred Blossoms' match against Samsara, they suddenly took advantage of the break between battles to show the scene at Happy's stadium. This, too, was something the broadcasters had arranged beforehand. They didn't choose to show this Happy versus 301 match, but they didn't want to miss the moment that this powerful record was born. They had to record this in video.

Fortunately, when Ye Xiu defeated Bai Shu, Samsara and Hundred Blossoms had also just finished their first battle. The broadcast didn't care too much about how difficult it must have been for Hundred Blossoms, as the away team, to earn a point against Samsara. As soon as they saw how perfectly the timing was, they didn't hesitate to switch the cameras over to Happy.

The commentators Pan Lin and Li Yibo also couldn't be bothered to compliment the old general Zhang Wei or acknowledge how difficult it must have been for him to defeat Samsara's All-Star Lu Boyuan. The two swiftly began to sing their praises for this terrifying win record that Ye Xiu had established.

"An incredible record, an incredible record." Pan Lin repeated this phrase three times, because he truly couldn't find any other words to describe it.

"Thirty-seven consecutive wins, Ye Xiu is really…" Li Yibo also couldn't find the words.

"Amazing!" Pan Lin found it.

"Mm." Li Yibo nodded, but he didn't echo it too much. Because of his Tyranny background, it was already somewhat difficult for him to give impartial commentary on Ye Xiu. To extol him now, to proclaim him the greatest, Li Yibo suddenly felt somewhat uncomfortable.

"Happy's fans are very excited. These are all fireworks that they've set at the stadium, to celebrate this birth of this extraordinary record," Pan Lin described the scene at the stadium.

"Right now, Ye Xiu is walking offstage. The audience is giving him a standing ovation - oh, and the players of the two teams as well! 301 is very dignified, even though this record was ultimately built from their defeat. Haha, even the judge is coming over, standing at the side of the stage and applauding, this record is truly too moving. To be able to experience this moment in person is also a very fortunate thing!" Pan Lin continued.

"The judge has finished clapping, it looks like he's saying something. Hm? He's insisting that the match continue? This judge is a bit strict. At such a historic moment, what's the harm in letting everyone be happy a little longer?" said Pan Lin.

"This is the final, most critical match, after all!" Li Yibo said.

"Mm. The display screen is already showing the players for the next battle, Happy's Luo Ji, the MVP of last round, the rookie who's earned the respect and notice of us all. What about 301? Oh, it's the Blade Master Gao Jie! Let us… Oh, let's return to Samsara versus Hundred Blossoms." Pan Lin wiped at his forehead. He had almost begun to start commentating the match of Happy against 301.

At Samsara's home stadium, the match had progressed to the second battle of the individual competition. Hundred Blossoms had won the first battle, earning a first point, so this match was off to a good start for them. And 301 had lost a point first, which was good news for Hundred Blossoms. But their primary competitor right now was still Wind Howl, and news from Tiny Herb's home stadium said that Wind Howl had also won their first battle. Having won one point, they continued to suppress Hundred Blossoms by their superior head-to-head score.

"Don't worry about everyone else. We'll only have the right to seize our chance if we play our own matches well!" Hundred Blossoms Captain Yu Feng encouraged his teammates. In the second battle of the individual round, they would be sending Zhou Guangyi against Samsara's vice-captain, Jiang Botao.

Another win!

A few minutes later, Hundred Blossoms once again received good news. Zhou Guangyi defeated Jiang Botao, helping Hundred Blossoms earn another point.

"Hundred Blossoms is in excellent condition today!" Pan Lin and Li Yibo both exclaimed. In these two consecutive matches, the Hundred Blossoms players had performed exceptionally.

And after the end of each match, everyone would immediately worry about the points of their direct competitors.

"301 won the second individual battle against Happy," Pan Lin said, checking updates from the other matches.

"In Tiny Herb vs Wind Howl, Wind Howl also won the second battle," Li Yibo added, looking in on that match.

"Well, it looks like Hundred Blossoms is still behind!" Pan Lin sighed. Even though they'd managed to win two points from the powerful Samsara, they still hadn't been able to change the situation. This could be quite a blow to morale.

"Hopefully Hundred Blossoms won't be disrupted. They need to adjust their mentality and play their next battles well. This is only the beginning," said Li Yibo.

Chapter 1375: Seeking Victory

Translator: Nomyummi  Editor: Nomyummi

Reality was cruel.

Hundred Blossoms had taken 2 points from Samsara with great difficulty, yet they were still in a predicament. It was a huge blow to their morale. Although their captain Yu Feng was constantly trying to encourage them, every player had a different personality. Not everyone was so tenacious.

Team Hundred Blossom's third player in the individual competition, their Summoner Zhu Xiaoping, was downcast. Knowing that Hundred Blossoms could not afford to lose a single point, the pressure bearing down on him was enormous. In the end, he performed poorly and lost to Samsara's Assassin, Wu Qi.

At the same time, news from two other matches came, which only added hail to snow for Hundred Blossoms.

Team 301 had won against against Happy, taking a 2-1 lead with the individual competition.　　

Wind Howl had swept the individual competition against Tiny Herb, taking all three points. If Hundred Blossoms wanted to surpass Wind Howl, they would now need to win 2 more points over them instead of 1.

After Zhu Xiaoping, who had just gone down from the stage, heard this news, the color on his face became even paler. He wanted to apologize to his teammates, but he didn't know what to say. He just stood there like a statue, unable to even find his own seat.

"We're going to need to win 2 more points than Wind Howl, or win 3 more points than 301. What are your thoughts everyone?" Captain Yu Feng said.

Everyone was dead silent.

"Uh, or to be more precise, it should be what are your thoughts, and what are your thoughts?" Yu Feng looked over two players.

Zou Yuan and Zeng Xinran.

They would be the players going up in the group arena. Yu Feng ignored the rest of the team and only picked out the two players, who would be fighting for the points.

"I won't give up!" Zou Yuan spoke firmly.

Yu Feng nodded his head and fet gratified. In fact, Zou Yuan held more seniority than him in Hundred Blossoms. He was the successor of Hundred Blossom's Spitfire, the core of the team for many years. But after his arrival, Zou Yuan was perfectly happy to give him full authority in the team. This sort of trust and acceptance made Yu Feng even more confident that he had made the right choice. Right now, with their backs to the walls, Yu Feng trusted that Zou Yuan would not let him down, and he would put in his utmost as well.

Yu Feng and Zou Yuan both turned to Zeng Xinran.　　

"Fight! What's there to be afraid of!" Zeng Xinran responded. In his very first match on the professional stage, he had been so nervous that his entire body had froze. To Zeng Xinran, that was his most shameful moment. From then on, he carried the attitude that it was impossible to ever do worse than that time. In fact, he became braver and braver on stage until he gradually rose to his position in Hundred Blossoms, a position high enough such that in this crucial match, the team had sent him up for the group arena.

Seeing the determination of his two seniors, Zeng Xinran found no reason to retreat and boldly stood together with the two of them.

"Good!" Yu Feng said in a voice loud enough for the entire team to hear.

"What's there to be afraid of? If we win the group arena and Wind Howl loses there's, we'll take the lead," Yu Feng said.

"Watch us!" Zou Yuan was Hundred Blossom's vice-captain. In this crucial moment, he would bear the burden together with Yu Feng.

"Let's go!" Yu Feng said.

"Yes, captain!" Zeng Xingran replied loudly. At age 17, he strode forward at the very front.　

This was Samsara's home stadium. They would receive no encouragement or support, but their hearts were firm. They knew that in City K countless Hundred Blossom fans were waiting for them to grab the ticket to playoffs, and there was only way to get that ticket --- win.

The other matches were taking place at roughly the same pace.

When the group arena between Hundred Blossoms and Samsara began, Wind Howl's three players, their fighting spirits burning, were continuing their charge towards Tiny Herb.

Zhao Yuzhe started the group arena, facing Tiny Herb's Gao Yingjie.

The two were rookies of the same generation. Gao Yingjie joined the champion Team Tiny Herb as soon he began and received countless attention. It seemed as if it had already been predetermined that he would be Best Rookie that season. However, in Season 8, the Best Rookie title was given to Zhao Yuzhe. Why not Gao Yingjie? It was because he had played in too few matches and didn't qualify for the Best Rookie contention.

The title had been awarded to Zhao Yuzhe, but in response, many people simply sighed - it was a pity that Gao Yingjie hadn't been given enough chances to play this season.

Zhao Yuzhe was very unhappy, extremely unhappy.　　

If he wasn't given enough chances to go on stage, then it meant he wasn't ready yet. However, everyone seemed to think that if Gao Yingjie had played in enough matches, the title of Best Rookie wouldn't have been given to that Zhao guy.

Peh!

Zhao Yuzhe didn't believe it. He didn't believe that this so-called genius was anything incredible.　

But in Season 9, Gao Yingjie, who had failed to qualify for Best Rookie, had directly been chosen into All-Stars. And Zhao Yuzhe? He still carried the title "rookie" and was "still maturing" in Wind Howl! Even more infuriating was that season, a little demon had popped out of Blue Rain, taking the title Best Rookie and voted into All-Stars.　　

In the Glory Alliance, the title Best Rookie had first been awarded in Season 3 to Wang Jiexi.

Zhang Xinjie in Season 4. Zhou Zekai in Season 5. Yu Feng in Season 6. Sun Xiang in Season 7. Him in Season 8. Lu Hanwen in Season 9...

Every player who had been awarded the title Best Rookie became All-Stars or even Gods. In comparison, the name Zhao Yuzhe seemed pitifully pathetic among them. He was often nicknamed the Worst Best Rookie by some.

I'm definitely not trash!

Zhao Yuzhe really wanted to prove himself, and Gao Yingjie, the same-generation rookie who many believe should have received the title of Best Rookie, was an eyesore to him.

I'll definitely give you a good beating!

Zhao Yuzhe made a firm decision.

"Come! Genius!" After the match began, Zhao Yuzhe called out into the chat. He was going to tell everyone that a genius was nothing special.

Gao Yingjie didn't reply. He simply had his Kind Tree quickly move forward. The group arena map was neither complicated nor simple, a balanced map. Gao Yingjie flew directly towards the center of the map. Zhao Yuzhe didn't want to show fear either. His Elementalist, Beautiful Light, also moved swiftly. Not long afterwards, the two sides met.

Piercing Lightning!

Zhao Yuzhe wanted to make a show of his strength to Gao Yingjie. As soon as Kind Tree entered Beautiful Light's range, he immediately acted.

Lightning flashed, but at such a distance, no matter how fast the attack, it wouldn't be able to threaten Gao Yingjie. He easily shifted to the side, dodging the Piercing Lightning.

Forward!

Kind Tree moved like the wind towards his opponent. Team Tiny Herb was currently in 4th place, but it would be difficult for them to move up or down from 4th, unlike Wind Howl and Hundred Blossoms who were placing their entire season's hopes onto this single match. However, Tiny Herb definitely wasn't a team that would just simply give away a free win.

The first day Gao Yingjie came to Tiny Herb, the first word he heard was "champions".

They were a champion team. They existed to be the champions, and champions were always built upon victories.

They would never give up on the pursuit for victory. A team that aspired to be the champions should never let up.

Boom!

The spells by the two mages collided into brilliant lights. Gao Yingjie did not have Kind Tree stop though. These were the steps to victory, the steps to become champions.

Zhao Yuzhe was astonished.

He could clearly feel Gao Yingjie's determination in a match that didn't even matter to Tiny Herb.

Was it because he felt it was embarrassing for Tiny Herb to lose all three matches in the individual competition?

Zhao Yuzhe always thought about things from this perspective. He looked at himself and the team in this way. He also wanted to win, but his reason for winning was to show off his skill, to let everyone know his might. Even at the bottom of his heart, winning the championships was simply a way to show off.

This was Glory, not flaunting.

Zhao Yuzhe clearly didn't think so, so he couldn't understand Tiny Herb; he couldn't understand Gao Yingjie's pursuit for the championships, nor his heartfelt pursuit for Glory.

"I won't let your arrogance run rampant!" That was all Zhao Yuzhe could think about.

In terms of spirit, he had already lost.　

What about skill? Gao Yingjie was called a genius, and that wasn't a title just anyone could have.

Boom!

The Witch's spells gradually suppressed the Elementalist's. Kind Tree finally made his way to Beautiful Light, and Elementalists could not match Witches in close combat capabilities.

"Shit!" Zhao Yuzhe hastily tried to Teleport. Beautiful Light shifted away, creating distance between them.　

But who didn't know how to use Teleport?

Kind Tree was a mage subclass. He had added the Teleport skill to his weapon, Morning Dew.　　

With a flicker, Kind Tree puller closer to Beautiful Light. His Teleport was only Level 1 though, so his Teleport distance wasn't as far as Beautiful Light's. But with just a sweep of his broom, Morning Dew, he instantly closed that remaining distance.

"How annoying!" Zhao Yuzhe refused to admit defeat. As he shouted, Kind Tree's Morning Dew swung downwards.

Beautiful Light hastily dodged, but that swing had been exceptionally fast.　

Gravity Accelerated Sweep!

Magic was used to increase the gravity and thus the speed of the swing to strengthen the strike.

Bang!　　

Morning Dew didn't hit Beautiful Light, but rather the ground. With a loud bang, the force from the Gravity Accelerated Swing produced a shockwave. Beautiful Light had just jumped away to dodge the swing was hit by the shockwave and shot up even higher. 　　

Kind Heart leapt onto his broom and flew towards the airborne Beautiful Light.

Pa pa pa.

Morning Dew struck Beautiful Light again and again.　　

These simple attacks didn't contain any other meaning. Gao Yingjie and Kind Tree would always only have a single goal: victory.

GLORY!

The word "GLORY" flashed onto the big screen.

Any pro player, any Glory player would see this single word who knew how many times every day. For some, it was a word that was rooted deeply in their hearts. For others, it was simply a symbol of victory.　　

Glory only belonged to those who truly cared.

Chapter 1376: So-called Talent

Translator: Nomyummi  Editor: Nomyummi

"In the Tiny Herb versus Wind Howl, Tiny Herb has taken the first round of the group arena!"

As the match between Samsara and Hundred Blossoms continued in the live broadcast, Pan Lin also stayed alert for updates from other matches. If the other matches had developments, the people there would also prioritize sending the information to the live broadcast.

"Oh, this is good news for Hundred Blossoms. Although Hundred Blossoms themselves…" Li Yibo cut off mid-sentence.

On this side, the first round of the group arena had not yet finished, but Hundred Blossom's situation didn't look too good. Zeng Xingran entered the stage with a fearless attitude, and played quite courageously. However, Sun Xiang, who was first up for Samsara, was not merciful in the slightest. In a head to head, Zeng Xingran still fell short in terms of technical skill. Zeng Xingran really didn't have many options open to him in this situation, since he did not have the experience to compensate. He desperately fought with nothing but his stubborn refusal to accept defeat.

Zeng Xingran was at his limits and did all he could, but unfortunately, he still ultimately lost to Sun Xiang.

"Can Hundred Blossoms not seize this opportunity, when it's finally a new era for them?" Pan Lin said.

All the Hundred Blossoms fans sitting in front of the TV wiped the sweat from their brows. It was one thing if they claimed a big victory, but were still knocked out of top eight because their competitors also won hard. However, if their competitor's match was already falling apart and Hundred Blossoms didn't seize this opportunity, the regret would probably be harder to endure.

Fight on!

Every Hundred Blossoms fan cheered for their team wholeheartedly. They still had two players, and they happened to be Hundred Blossoms' core players. The fans believed that they wouldn't lose so easily.

Fight to the last breath!

Zou Yuan entered the stage with such conviction.

He wasn't some prodigy. His current core position was already a fluke. Hundred Blossoms had been looking toward the future when they hyped up his talent with the public, but Zou Yuan knew, deep down, that it was simply a public relations move to appease the fans. He was pushed into the core position by Hundred Blossoms because they really had no other choice. Talent? Zou Yuan didn't know what talent he possessed back then. He was confident that Hundred Blossoms didn't know either.

But he was very grateful.

He was grateful that Hundred Blossoms used this kind of helpless and senseless method to promote him. He was grateful that the team actually kept their faith in him patiently. He did not perform well in seasons 7 and 8. In season 9, instead of abandoning him, Hundred Blossoms instead measured him up and tailored a character to his style.

In the pro circle, there was a joke that the previous Spitfire of Hundred Blossoms, Zhang Jiale, possessed upstanding moral qualities. Thus, his successor possessed outstanding fortune...

This was a joke, but Zou Yuan had to admit that he really was fortunate.

He wasn't some eye-catching prodigy. He could not forge a path to a core position himself. He was just an ordinary player, who somehow became a core player of a team as soon as he entered the professional circle. He actually came across this kind of dumb luck. Zou Yuan had felt hesitant, perplexed, and overly pressured.

But when he came to, he realised that he was like the child of a rich parent: he was given something that others would chase for a lifetime and still not obtain, without doing anything himself.

At this point, how could he still yell out "This isn't what I wanted!"? He would probably be beat up by a group consisting of the whole Alliance's regular players, rotating players, substitutes, and even those who wanted to get into the Alliance but who couldn't. If you didn't even want this, then what the hell did you want?

As a result, Zou Yuan started working hard. Because he knew this was a rare opportunity.

He didn't have a gift and also didn't know what his so-called talent was. He could only double down and train hard. He would forge his talent by grinding.

In Season 9, Hundred Blossoms acquired Yu Feng. The additional core took a lot of pressure off Zou Yuan. And this season, he had made great progress.

Now in Season 10, he managed to get himself into All-Stars with his own skills.

However, up until now, Zou Yuan still didn't know what his so-called "talent" was. He just knew to display his hard-earned skill on the battlefield, to find more paths towards victory. Every player probably did this. While honing their own skills, they would slowly develop their own "talent". Zou Yuan always thought of it that way.

Now, Hundred Blossoms faced a do-or-die match.

He needed to use his yet to be awakened "talent" to battle someone who was dubbed a genius in the Alliance.

But Zou Yuan did not feel fear.

He was no longer that newbie who struggled to shoulder a character like Dazzling Hundred Blossoms.

He snatched up his outlandish luck, he possessed his own tailored character, and he nurtured his own confidence.

Charge!

Bright Blossoms rushed forward.

Bullets, explosives. He created a dazzling scene of his own.

He was the successor to Zhang Jiale, but had a different style to him. Zou Yuan controlled Bright Blossoms to tangle with the renowned One Autumn Leaf in combat from the get-go.

I don't know what talent I have, but I can defeat any opponent!

"Beautiful play! Hundred Blossoms' Zou Yuan seems to be unfazed by the current situation. He's proactively launched an offensive and currently has Sun Xiang firmly suppressed!" Commentator Pan Lin yelled excitedly.

"He's playing resolutely but also clear-headedly. His attacks are strong, and he's defending well too. The group arena isn't just defeating the opponent in front of you; there are still two opponents after Sun Xiang," Li Yibo said.

"Especially when one of them is currently the number one in the Alliance, Zhou Zekai," Pan Lin added.

"Even though Hundred Blossoms won against Samsara last time 7 to 3, I recall that they didn't win the group arena," Li Yibo said.

"Yes, last time Hundred Blossoms got two points in the individual competition," Pan Lin agreed.

"Well, what about this time!" Li Yibo said.

This time, after sending off Sun Xiang, Zou Yuan welcomed his second opponent, Samsara's blademaster Du Ming.

"Two more!"

Zou Yuan counted in his head calmly and continued to charge forth.

"Zou Yuan is in fantastic condition right now!" Pan Lin yelled. Zou Yuan again proactively launched an offensive this battle, and quickly gained the initiative.

"It really is fantastic," Li Yibo also exclaimed.

It must be good, there's no reason for it not to be.

I had this kind of luck and hit the ground running. If I don't cherish this opportunity, what kind of future would I still have? What future would be even more brilliant than that I already had when I first started?

Having an iron grasp on my fluke, fighting tooth and nail to not let the opportunity slip away. That is probably my so-called talent!

The talent of not letting go of an opportunity that presented itself.

Because I'm the pro player who was given the best opportunity in Glory history!

Boom boom boom! As the bright flashes on the battlefield died down and the smoke cleared away, Du Ming's blademaster was already on the ground.

"He won again!" Pan Lin was astonished. Even though he felt Zou Yuan was in great condition, he didn't expect Zou Yuan to go that far. He managed to defeat Sun Xiang and Du Ming, while still having 41% health left on Bright Blossoms.

"Is this guy preparing for a 1v3?" Pan Lin yelled.

"..." Li Yibo was silent. His gut tells him that this would be impossible. 1v3 was hard enough, and their current opponent was Samsara… However, Li Yibo could also see that Zou Yuan was insanely fired up. A Bright Blossoms with 41% health remaining, under the control of the currently unleashed Zou Yuan, might just be able to beat the current Glory number one Zhou Zekai!

How's it going on Wind Howl's side?" Li Yibo suddenly asked for information from the other matches. He wanted to calm himself a bit. Zou Yuan's sudden unleashing defeating two opponents in a row had the commentators very tense.

"Tiny Herb is leading, 2 against 1. Wind Howl only has Tang Hao remaining," Pan Lin said very excitedly, even though he was a commentator and should not be biased. This was because he saw the amazing opening by Hundred Blossoms falter, followed by their hush and hesitancy after the loss of a point, and now their struggle to claw back two points. Humans had emotion; how would Pan Lin not be moved after seeing this struggle? He was really unwilling to see Hundred Blossoms' season come to an end by losing this match, even after they gave it their all. That would be too cruel. Even though this kind of feeling would be unfair to Wind Howl, Pan Lin's heart was with Hundred Blossoms right now. Li Yibo also had to take a deep breath. Why shouldn't he feel like this? Why shouldn't Hundred Blossoms deserve an outcome they worked so hard for?

"What about Happy versus 301?" Li Yibo asked again.

"On that side, 301 is in the lead," Pan Lin said.

"If 301 wins the group arena, then they would be up 4-1 against Happy," Li Yibo said.

"Indeed," Pan Lin nodded.

"In that case, if Happy lost the team competition as well, they would only get 1 point this round," Li Yibo said.

Pan Lin started. Happy only getting one point… This possibility was analyzed way before the matches started. Under these circumstances...

Pan Lin hurriedly counted the points using the current results in Hundred Blossoms' and Wind Howl's two matches. "Happy initially led Hundred Blossoms and Wind Howl by 7 points. If they only got one point, they would be ahead by 8. If Hundred Blossoms won this group arena and went on to win the team competition, they would have 9 points and overtake Happy! Wind Howl already has three points from the individual competition. The group arena looks bad for them, so let's say they lose these two points and go on to win the team competition, They would get 8 points and have the same points as Happy!"

"Happy has a chance to be pushed out of the top 8??!" Pan Lin said with great alarm, and hastily checked the previous results. If they had the same points...

"Oh, no they wouldn't. Happy would have the advantage if they had the same points as Wind Howl. Happy has already secured their spot in the Top 8. If this happened, Wind Howl would be pushed to 9th because they lost to Happy twice," Pan Lin said.

"If Happy won instead, 301 would get 4 points added to the 2 point lead they had. With only 6 points, they would be pushed out of the top 8 if Hundred Blossoms and Wind Howl both managed to win their respective team competitions," Li Yibo said.

"Ah, so it's like this huh," Pan Lin nodded.

"So in conclusion, the team competition is crucial. Whoever loses the team competition out of these three teams could then potentially lose their spot in the play-offs," Li Yibo said.

Chapter 1377: Grasp the Initiative

Translator: Nomyummi  Editor: Nomyummi

Pan Lin and Li Yibo calmed their frayed nerves with an analysis of the current situation. On the field, Zhou Zekai's Cloud Piercer had already loaded into the map. Zou Yuan once again charged forth heroically. Even against Glory's Number One, he showed no fear and no intention of backing down at all.

The sound of gunshots didn't stop.

Gunfire flashed from the two muzzles, bullets flying, carving trails into the air.

Zou Yuan had initiative, but Zhou Zekai was no slouch either. After seeing two rounds of Zou Yuan's performance, Zhou Zekai had figured out how to deal with him.

Be faster!

Be more precise!

Zou Yuan's Hundred Blossoms Style required the successive use of skills to overwhelm his opponent. His previous two opponents, one a Battle Mage and the other a Blade Master, were both melee fighters and gave the mid to long ranged Spitfire plenty of openings to use these skills. They had to charge head on into Zou Yuan's Hundred Blossoms Style.

But it was different for Zhou Zekai.

His Sharpshooter had an attack range that didn't lose to and could even overwhelm a Spitfire's. From the moment they engaged, Zhou Zekai had Cloud Piercer maximize his firepower, not giving Zou Yuan a chance to build up his Hundred Blossoms Style.

Though the two characters were ranged fighters, they looked like two melee characters, entangled in a brawl. The bullets were a chain between them, the trails they carved through the air, connecting the two characters intimately.

Neither of them could back down even the slightest, attacking relentlessly, bullets flying, trying to see whose predictions were more precise, whose mechanics were more flawless.

Flowers of blood bloomed on Bright Blossoms' body, signs of bullets disturbing his flesh.

Cloud Piercer would sway and stumble every now and then, knocked about by the effects of the grenades Bright Blossoms threw.

Both of them were doing their best to overcome this through their mechanics.

At a time like this, whoever stepped back, whoever hesitated, would fall behind.

The gunshots didn't stop until one of the two characters fell.

Cloud Piercer. In the end, it was Cloud Piercer that stayed standing on the field. Zhou Zekai, in the end, was the one to claim victory, and prevented Zou Yuan from achieving a 1v3. However, this victory had cost him. Cloud Piercer still had 59 percent of his health remaining, having spent 41 percent of his health. As for Bright Blossoms, the amount of health he had at the start was also 41 percent. The two characters had managed to tie in the amount health they had spent.

Zou Yuan had really done the best he could. Against Samsara's group arena, he was probably the one who had done the best in everyone that had tried this regular season.

We can't waste the chance Zou Yuan has fought to give us!

Yu Feng stepped onto the stage with this resolve.

That guy who had done all he could had given up the position of core to him. Since he had accepted this responsibility, he couldn't lose to that guy on the field! Otherwise, what right did he have to call himself their core?

"Come on!" Yu Feng yelled into the chat. After years of being sealed away, Blossoming Chaos, the once Number One Berserker, had finally returned to his throne with Yu Feng's arrival at Hundred Blossoms and now charged fiercely up towards Glory's current number one.

If he couldn't even take out 59 percent health, then how could he face his fellow teammates?

Greatsword Blossoms Burial slashed forth.

Slashing forth, determined, through Cloud Piercer's rain of bullets.

Would they win?

All the Hundred Blossoms fans were anxious, hoping like never before. Even if the one blocking their way was Zhou Zekai, a person who'd make people think "there's no way we can win" reflexively when on the field.

Win! 

　 

They had to win!

They absolutely must win!

Practically no one paid the details of their battle any mind; everyone's focus was on the health of the two characters. This was the most alluring aspect of competition. Victory, it was victory, everything was to win. When victory and defeat were a hair's breadth away, no one had the mind to care about what spectacular techniques were being used. Health, that was the clearest indicator of the line between victory and defeat, so everyone focused on the characters' health. The changes in these two bars, representing the lifeforce of each character, were the clearest, most intense footnotes of the battle.

Whose health bar was depleting faster?

Whose health bar was depleting slower?

Cloud Piercer?

Blossoming Chaos?

The audience's gazes flashed between the two, and occasionally, when the shot cut to one without the health bars, the audience practically had the mood to jump up and curse. The live broadcast knew that this was a moment of tension as well, and made sure that the health bars were clearly displayed, no matter what shot it was.

They'd win, right?

They wouldn't lose again, right?

On the health bars, Cloud Piercer had only 5 percent of his health left, while Blossoming Chaos had 32 percent.

A very large advantage, but there was no relaxing until the very last minute.

Hurry and die already!

That was the only voice in the hearts of the Hundred Blossoms fans. Finally, greatsword Blossoms Burial struck down like a whirlwind, dealing the final blow in this battle. 

　 

"We won!!!" 

　 

Samsara's home stadium erupted in cheers. Of course, this wasn't that even the Samsara fans had been moved, it was just that the long-suppressed in-venue Hundred Blossoms fans exploded with emotion just as Blossoming Chaos finally killed Cloud Piercer.

"Oooooohhhhhhhhh!!!"

In that moment, the Hundred Blossom players on the player bench all jumped up like they were going crazy, as if they had already won the championship.

They had won. Under these trying circumstances, they had managed to win the group arena at Samsara's home stadium.

"How are things going over there?" Immediately, someone asked after Wind Howl. Once this question was out in the open, the atmosphere tensed once more. If Wind Howl also won their group arena, then Hundred Blossoms would still be behind.

"Wind Howl…" Someone started looking up the match status, and then burst out in excitement, "They lost! Wind Howl lost to Tiny Herb in the group arena!"

"That means, right now, we…" 

　 

"Have a one point lead!"

"Yesssss!!!!" 

　 

The Hundred Blossoms players and the fans that came with them now all knew Wind Howl's current status. Wind Howl had lost the group arena, so they currently only had three points. Meanwhile, Hundred Blossoms had won two individual matches and then the group arena, gaining four points and finally overtaking Wind Howl.

Though the match hadn't completely finished yet, Hundred Blossoms had finally grasped the initiative. They didn't need to act and plan around others anymore. So long as they did their best, so long as they won the following round as well, then they'll have a hundred percent chance of entering the playoffs.

That unsteady feeling of knowing that even if they did everything they could to win they still might be knocked out by an opponent who was doing the same finally disappeared. Hundred Blossoms could finally put all their focus and hard work on the playoffs without caring about other teams.

"Hundred Blossoms' dedication has finally allowed them to hold onto the initiative! Now, their fate is completely up to their own efforts. On the other hand, after being defeated by Tiny Herb in the group arena, Wind Howl's survival will depend on how well their opponents do. Even if they manage to defeat Tiny Herb in the last round, their rival will have to lose to give them a chance," Pan Lin said.

"Indeed. The last round, whoever loses the team competition will end their summer here," Li Yibo agreed.

"Just one step away. That's a very cruel result for anyone. But, there's nothing to it. Today, one team must taste such a bitter end. Who will it be? 301 Degrees? Hundred Blossoms? Or Wind Howl?" Pan Lin's words were no longer just commentating on this one match, but on three matches at once.

Hundred Blossoms and Wind Howl's results had reached Happy and 301 Degrees as well. Chen Guo did a quick calculation with her fingers and delight appeared on her face.

"We're in. We're in the playoffs for sure now." Chen Guo was excited, because now, their place in the playoffs was 100 percent certain. Happy would enter the playoffs and set out on the road to the championship.

"So it won't matter even if we lose all our remaining battles?" Wei Chen asked.

"Yup." Chen Guo nodded, but then added, "But everyone still has to do their best!"

"Of course. Who wants to walk into the playoffs with defeating hanging off of them?" Ye Xiu retorted.

"You don't want to, but 301 Degrees wants to even less!" Wei Chen exclaimed. 301 Degrees had to win to ensure their place in the playoffs. Though they had won two individual matches and the group arena, they still had the danger of being knocked out of the playoffs if they lost their team competition. They had to do their absolute best in this last round of the regular season.

"Who cares about them?" Ye Xiu said, "They dared to win a consecutive four points off of us. We've got to teach them a lesson, right, Little Tang?"

"Definitely!" Tang Rou was still angrily waiting to venting her loss in the group arena!

"Alright then, let's go! Let's end the last round of the regular season with a bang," Ye Xiu said.

"Best if they get eliminated because of it. That way we'll be in their nightmares the entire summer, hahahaha," Wei Chen laughed.

"Okay, let's go and give them a nightmare!" Ye Xiu waved his hand, and Happy's team competition lineup stood.

Ye Xiu, Su Mucheng, Fang Rui, Qiao Yifan, An Wenyi and sixth player Tang Rou. This was the most common lineup of Happy's this regular season, and they would pull the curtain on Happy's regular season this match. 

　 

As for 301 Degrees, their players also stood after their captain, Yang Cong, gave them all a pep talk.

Yang Cong, Bai Shu, Gao Jie, Li Yihui, Sun Mingjing and then sixth player Qian Wenju was also their core lineup for the latter half of the regular season, after Bai Shu's addition. It was with this formation that 301 Degrees managed to turn their situation around and become a powerhouse that charged towards the playoffs. In the latter half of the regular season, they had used this formation to defeat Blue Rain, Tiny Herb, and Tyranny. It was only because they lagged behind in the first half of the season that they were pulled into such an intense and anxious chase for the positions in the playoffs.

The people had all the reason to believe that if 301 Degrees could enter the playoffs, then they might get even further. They had already proven that they had the strength to compete with powerhouses in the regular season.

"Let's win this!" 301 Degrees' players cheered as the six core members entered the stage. After getting four points consecutively in the one on one matches, their morale was at an all time high.

Chapter 1378: Playoffs Experience

Translator: Nomyummi  Editor: Nomyummi

The team competition of the very last round of Season 10 of the Glory Pro League began one after the other in the home stadiums of ten teams. Twenty teams, six players per team, a total one hundred and twenty players. Sixty of them would end their season here with this last battle. Fourty-eight of them would step from here to a more intense journey called the playoffs. And the last twelve would be bidding this stage a farewell after this match.

Happy's home stadium, two teams...

One had already confirmed that they would be continuing their journey. The other was still working hard to reach that point.

They had to win.

301 Degrees had no other choice. Only by winning, could they make sure that their efforts this year weren't wasted.

As for Happy...

"It's the last round of the regular season. Let everyone see how much you've all grown this year!" Ye Xiu exclaimed.

All the players gazed back in silent determination.

"Especially you, Fang Rui," Ye Xiu called Fang Rui out.

"Fuck off!" Fang Rui bristled. As an All Star player, hearing a word such as "growth" used on him pissed him off. Even though he was still transitioning between classes, Fang Rui felt that "integrate" was a much more appropriate word than "growth".

"Let's crush them. This is a rare chance to warm up for the playoffs. 301 Degrees definitely has the determination and lust for victory as a playoffs team. Take this chance to familiarize yourself with this rhythm!" Ye Xiu said.

This wasn't just a pep talk.

Playoffs experience, finals experience, these things were a whole new level in and of themselves. The playoffs were engulfed in a far more tense pace and atmosphere, and this tension would peak at the finals. Under these situations, a player's mental fortitude would be tested. Some inexperienced players might get too nervous or too cautious, resulting in careless mistakes.

Those with experience knew how to face the playoffs, and even the finals, allowing them to adjust their mood and mental state. They would be cautious when required, and strike without mercy when necessary. Many players might not be noticed much during the regular season, but they would shine during the playoffs. These were clutch players who had laudable mental fortitude. The more stressful and critical the situation, the better they performed.

Amongst Blue Rain's current players, Qi Master Song Xiao was a renowned tough hearted player. From his performance and the statistical data gathered in the regular season, he was nowhere near god level, but during the playoffs, his combative ability would rise dramatically. Having debuted during the fifth season, he became a core member of Blue Rain after his debuting season, helping Blue Rain achieve the championship in the sixth season and earning himself the title of "Mister Clutch".

Team Blue Rain's lineup had gone through many changes these years, but Song Xiao had retained his position throughout all of that. He was usually in rotation during the regular season, but during the playoffs, his match time would greatly increase. It was clear that Team Blue Rain knew where his value lay.

Song Xiao was a player that had natural talent in this area. Most clutch players were born through accumulating playoffs experience. These experienced, composed veterans might not play much in the regular season, but they shone bright in the playoffs, and that was were the value in playoffs experience lay.

Team Happy's rookies naturally didn't have such experience. Though, from Ye Xiu's observations, it was clear that Happy's rookies had shockingly powerful mental fortitude, there was no saying if they would be able to last through the playoffs. This match was a rare opportunity. 301 Degrees would definitely be playing with the same energy that they would in the playoffs, so Ye Xiu hoped that his teammates wouldn't let themselves relax. They should find the appropriate attitude to face the intense atmosphere of a battle to the death. Though the previous few rounds were very intense, it was nowhere close to a match like this that would decide a team's survival. After all, they couldn't compare to the intensity of the playoffs matches.

"Understood." Once Happy's onstage players replied, they each went into their own player booths. On the other side, 301 Degrees had finished preparations as well. The map loaded in, and the two sides soon began the match.

Happy's map choice: Paulownia Tower

A map with a high point, clearly considering 301 Degree's current preferred strategy. So long as there was a high point, then Happy could use it to observe 301 Degree's movements and prevent their Life Risking Strike from hitting.

Thus, their strategy became clear and straightforward: fight for the high ground!

301 Degrees naturally wouldn't be clueless about this map and they didn't take any long routes, all of them charging out as soon as the battle began.

As such an important strategic point, Paulownia Tower naturally wouldn't be closer to one spawn point or the other. Whoever arrived first would depend entirely on movement speed.

301 Degrees had charged out as a team but soon enough, the characters pulled away from one another.

Scene Killer!

301 Degree's captain, Yang Cong's Scene Killer charged at the head, having no intentions to move with the team. He sped up ahead of the rest and charged out towards Paulownia Tower first.

Team Happy's Silver equipment was relatively few in number, making their stats more transparent. It was already Round 38, and Happy had garnered enough attention for their characters to be researched thoroughly. Movement speed wise, Yang Cong had confidence that he wouldn't lose to any of Happy's ordinary characters. Unfortunately, Happy had a very much extraordinary character.

Lord Grim.

If this unspecialized character used movement skills, then his movement speed would probably top Scene Killer's.

However, Yang Cong predicted that Happy wouldn't have Lord Grim stand guard over the high ground. In Happy's core lineup, Lord Grim was a core melee DPS. The one to stay on the high ground would naturally be Su Mucheng's Dancing Rain.

However, Dancing Rain couldn't outpace Scene Killer in speed. This, Yang Cong was certain, that Happy knew as well. Thus, having Lord Grim temporarily stand guard here before switching with Dancing Rain when she arrived was their most stable plan of action.

Yang Cong's thoughts were clear and thorough.

Although 301 Degrees had never gotten a particularly good result in the playoffs before, they had participated enough times. As a player who debuted in the third season, Yang Cong had plenty of playoffs experience and knew all too well the suffocating atmospheres that surrounded these battles to the death. He didn't lack playoffs experience, and so he was able to analyze the situation calmly and carefully.

Heading out alone with Scene Killer wasn't just to fight for the high grounds, but also to do reconnaissance. Happy's Lord Grim was slightly faster than he was. It wasn't a good idea to engage while he had the initiative. The playoffs rhythm was to work towards a position of absolute advantage, so Yang Cong currently had no intentions of engaging.

He was just here to observe Happy's arrangements and see what Happy was planning. If he had a chance, he'd strike. If not, then he'd wait. In any case, before his hand was forced, then he'd only come out when he had a solid grasp on the situation.

Paulownia Tower soon appeared in Yang Cong's view. He took a look at the terrain around it and then had Scene Killer begin to circle closer.

From his understanding of Lord Grim's speed, if the other went all out, he'd have arrived by now.

It didn't appear that anyone was on the top of the Paulownia Tower. Where would Lord Grim be hiding? Under the tower? Inside the tower? Or somewhere close by? Was he planning to ambush Yang Cong?

Even as Yang Cong calculated his opponent's movement speed, he trusted that his opponent also had a clear understanding. Though his Scene Killer was donned entirely in Silver equipment with his stats hidden, after fighting in this circle for all these years, Scene Killer's stats had probably been figured out ages ago even if there was no exact data. Happy had a few veterans amongst their midst, so they had an idea.

He was circling to make certain that Lord Grim wasn't hiding around.

However, after making a complete circle, he didn't see anyone.

Yang Cong took a look at all the hiding spots around Paulownia Tower. Lord Grim wasn't anywhere to be seen. If Lord Grim had arrived, then there was only one possibility: he was hiding inside Paulownia Tower.

Paulownia Tower's interior comprised of a spiral staircase going all the way to the top. There were no open windows in the tower, so if Lord Grim wanted to hide inside, then Ye Xiu wouldn't have any way of figuring out if 301 Degree's people had arrived or not. He could onlt sit there and wait.

Yang Cong didn't bother with further confirmations. After circling around, he had a new plan. He had found a good hiding spot next to the Paulownia Tower, so Scene Killer moved over and prepared to ambush.

He didn't dare bet on if Lord Grim had arrived or not.

However, was certain that Dancing Rain had yet to arrive, and if she wanted to gain that high spot, then she's soon come. As for the place Scene Killer was currently in, it was perfect for ambushing and killing Dancing Rain. If he managed to stall Dancing Rain, then he would've dismantled Happy's plans. Yang Cong's Assassin wouldn't be at a disadvantage at all in a melee fight against a Launcher. If he made it so that the rest of Happy was forced to come and assist, then he would have managed to cause their formation to break up entirely.

Yang Cong's plans were detailed and precise. This was exactly what an experienced veteran should be like.

Thus, Scene Killer hid there. This position was perfect. It was good for ambushing anyone that arrive in the direction of Happy's spawn point and it was also out of range of an ambush from the top of or under the Paulownia Tower. This was a blind spot from any direction.

Yang Cong had only just hid Scene Killer away when he heard the sound of cannonfire.

She's coming!

Yang Cong knew it this was Dancing Rain, heading over with Aerial Cannon.

The sound approached steadily and Yang Cong was already counting down in his head, aiming to attack at the optimal time. 

　 

Boom! 

　 

Boom!

Boom!

Yang Cong could practically see Dancing Rain jumping and firing to glide over!

Boom!

She's here!

With another boom, Yang Cong had this clear idea in his head. This was the result of years of experience. He didn't need to calculate. He could feel it.

Scene Killer jumped up, Dancing Rain's figure immediately flashing by.

Shining Cut!

Scene Killer charged out.

Chapter 1379: No Other Choice

Translator: Nomyummi  Editor: Nomyummi

A chilling light flashed out!

The Shining Cut of the Number One Assassin, Scene Killer, was clearly much fiercer, much swifter than one executed by an unspecialized like Lord Grim. In addition, Scene Killer was wielding dual swords. Though the attack speed couldn't compare to a dagger, its attack power and range was much stronger. Different weapons also executed Shining Cut differently. For daggers, there would only be a single flash of chilling light. Scene Killer held dual swords, so the chilling flashes of light crossed into an x shape before slashing down to either side.

Two streams of blood trailed after the cross of chilling light, but at the same time, with three thunderous booms, explosions erupted between the two characters.

Su Mucheng's reaction speed wasn't slow. She had noticed movement from the corner of her eyes and knew that a character in the middle of Aerial Cannon couldn't dodge, so she could only hurriedly turn her cannon around and blast back.

Although Shining Cut had hit Dancing Rain, it couldn't stop Anti-Tank Missiles from activating. 

　 

The explosion threw Scene Killer to the side and the powerful recoil changed the pathing of Su Mucheng's Aerial Cannon. Scene Killer had managed to close in with one skill, but he was soon left in the dust. Yang Cong wouldn't let this chance escape and quickly readjusted his position and view. Just as Scene Killer landed, he lunged towards Dancing Rain. 

　 

Dancing Rain blasted the other with her cannon. Although it was all normal attacks, she comboed them with backward jumps, allowing her to attack Scene Killer even as she pulled away.

However, Yang Cong was prepared for this. After all, Su Mucheng was a skilled and experienced top player. It was hardly surprising that he wasn't able to close in with just that. Yang Cong had left other tricks up his sleeve.

Swift Movements!

This skill didn't have a short cooldown, so Yang Cong had saved it for this moment. It was clear that he had gotten to the point of thinking three steps ahead for every step he took for this match.

Swift Movements and then sprinting, that was the fastest your movement speed could get in Glory. Scene Killer's form was so fast, he was practically a blur. He dashed past Dancing Rain's missiles, and those who couldn't see as well almost missed his dodge. 

　 

Heart-Piercing Stab!

Scene Killer caught up to Dancing Rain in the blink of an eye. His dual sword swept out with two more flashes of chilling light. 

　 

Boom!

Yang Cong really hadn't expected that Su Mucheng would play the same trick twice. After that normal attack she had sent, she had time to attack again to try and hinder him, but she purposefully didn't, letting her hand cannon droop like she was printing backwards. In reality, she was hiding the muzzle to secretly load a Cannonball.

Scene Killer's approach was swift, and with that, he didn't have the time to notice such an insignificant detail. By the time his dual swords Dancing Shadows stabbed out, Dancing Rain's hand cannon Devouring Sun was set against Scene Killer's chest like a knife.

A normal attack?

Of course not.

For gunners, their normal attacks were gunshots, so wacking someone around the head was actually a skill. For example, a Launcher's knock-up skill, Swing, swung their cannon and knocked their opponent into the air. However, that clearly wasn't what Dancing Rain was doing. The muzzle seemed to retract into the barrel, causing the hand cannon to shorten. In that moment, Yang Cong knew that this was a charged Cannonball and by then it was far too late to dodge. Devouring Sun's muzzle bounced back out and flung forth a cannonball, which then rather unrealistically exploded between them upon hitting its extremely close ranged target. The recoil and blast power of the charged Cannonball was stronger than all three Anti-Tank Missiles added together, throwing Scene Killer far back while allowing Dancing Rain to retreat even further.

He had once again failed to stick close to Dancing Rain, but Yang Cong was relatively satisfied with the current situation. He had, at least, managed to stall Su Mucheng. If Happy couldn't get the high ground, then their strategy...

"We've met the enemy!"

That was when a sudden messaged jumped out in the 301 Degrees chat. It came from Paladin player, Sun Mingjing.

Yang Cong felt his heart jump. He had the gist of this map down in his head. If 301 Degrees had met the enemy before they even got to the Paulownia Tower, then there was only possibility: Their opponent's goal was never the Paulownia Tower. Instead, they had predicted 301 Degrees' actions and took a shortcut over to catch them off guard.

So, if Happy never wanted to get the high ground, then that meant his stalling of Dancing Rain was meaningless.

However, Dancing Rain still appeared here as if she wanted to take the high ground. 

　 

This was... 

　 

"How many!" Yang Cong hurriedly asked in the chat.

"4" The reply was just a single number, with no coordinates or punctuation. Clearly, they were already in an intense battle. 

　 

Luring the tiger from its mountain!

The name of that stratagem filled Yang Cong's mind.

He had tried to block Su Mucheng's Dancing Rain in order to destroy Happy's plan of taking the high ground.

However, what was the point of Happy getting the high ground in the first place? Clearly, it was to better observe 301 Degrees' movements as a whole and prevent them from successfully executing their favored Life-Risking Strike.

Thus, now, Yang Cong had successfully blocked Dancing Rain, but at the same time, where was their favored strategy? Without his Assassin, how would they manage to use Life-Risking Strike to kill their opponent's key character? 

　 

Turning their trick against them!

Glory Textbook, Master Tactician Ye Xiu's most practiced playstyle. This wasn't the first time third season debuter Yang Cong had seen it, or experienced it personally.

But even now, no matter how on guard you were, you couldn't defend against it.

It was as if, from the very first day Ye Xiu joined the Alliance, he had skills better than everyone else's, a more comprehensive understanding, deeper and more meticulous strategies. He was like a time traveller from the future, able to stand at the front of everyone else no matter what. He had created countless playstyles, designed countless strategies, proposed countless theories.

Who could possibly be better at turning others' strategies against them than this forerunner of Glory ?

It was like he had an absolute grasp over everyone's thoughts and schemes and would easily stay one step ahead, always in the lead. By the time you noticed and realized, when you looked back, everything seemed so simple. But in reality? You had no way of thinking so deeply before, and you couldn't predict the convoluted path he had chosen to walk.

301 Degrees had to cover for him to help him successfully execute Life-Risking Strike.

So Happy had to break this Life-Risking Strike strategy.

So Happy had to get the high ground.

So 301 Degrees, in order to protect their strategy, couldn't let Happy get the high ground.

So 301 Degrees' fastest character Scene Killer came here. 

　 

And the one most suited to standing guard at the high ground, Dancing Rain, also arrived. 

　 

Scene Killer had successfully blocked Dancing Rain, but at the same time, without Scene Killer, how was 301 Degrees supposed to get a Life-Risking Strike off?

If 301 Degrees couldn't use Life-Risking Strike, then was the high ground even important anymore?

After this whole convoluted mess, it was 301 Degrees at a disadvantage.

They couldn't use the strategy they had gotten used to, the strategy they had managed to defeat all those teams with.

Yet, Happy's counter was built on such a simple idea.

If the person who could use Life-Risking Strike was no longer there, then they naturally couldn't use Life Risking Strike. This was so simple, a young child could easily figure it out, yet that was exactly where 301 Degrees had fallen into the trap; Yang Cong had charged right into it. 

　 

Scene Killer wanted to turn and flee, but this time, the one stalling became Dancing Rain.

A melee class being chased down by a ranged class was a very painful process.

This was because you could only run like hell, dodge, flee, until you escaped the opponent's attack range. You had no way of counterattacking. If you wanted to counterattack, then you had to close in, and closing in and fleeing were clearly opposites.

All these years, Yang Cong's Assassin maintained the image of a heroic warrior that charged at the frontlines. This year, he had switched to kamikaze warrior. The art of escape really wasn't Yang Cong's forte. No matter what style he chose, he relied on passion. Dirty play, something that Nightwalkers usually relied on, wasn't something that he really used.

Gunfire pursued Scene Killer, hindering Yang Cong's escape.

He had already given up on throwing Dancing Rain off. He just ran and ran, hoping to regroup with his team as soon as possible and execute their favored strategy.

Under the relentless attacks, Scene Killer's movement speed plummeted. Eventually, the battle appeared in his view. His brothers at 301 Degrees and Happy, their opponents.

Almost there!

Comfort filled Yang Cong's heart, but soon enough, seeing the large swaths of shadows in his view, he wasn't able to keep up his smile.

Yang Cong raised his view, looking up behind him.

This was the shadow of Paulownia Tower, lying on the ground. Not long in front of it was the battlefield.

He could have Scene Killer dash over and regroup with his teammates, but then? Then he knew that Su Mucheng, who had been pursuing him all this time, would let him go, because then she'd have Dancing Rain ascend the Paulownia Tower, and observe 301 Degrees' tactical system from up high.

He had ran like hell all the way back, yet he was faced with such an awkward situation. Had their opponents planned to this point, too?

So, from the start, ever since he had the idea to block Su Mucheng, he only had one option.

Get rid of Su Mucheng!

Only then, could they resolve the dilemma they were in, allowing him to regroup with his teammates and execute their favored strategy.

Apart from that, there was no other choice. 

Yang Cong had settled on this, yet Scene Killer still ran towards the battlefield, as if he hadn't realized their plot.

As expected, Su Mucheng soon let him go and went into the Paulownia Tower.

Yang Cong purposefully slowed down, calculating the speed at which Dancing Rain could climb the tower before resolutely turning back and charging over!

He wanted to trap Dancing Rain inside the tower. Otherwise, if he just turned around and pursued his target directly, who knows where Dancing Rain would kite him to.

Yet, just as Scene Killer was about to arrive at the bottom of the Paulownia Tower, Yang Cong suddenly paused. He realized that he had made a mistake that he really shouldn't have.

If he caught up, then could he manage to trap Dancing Rain inside the tower? Once she got to the top, she could just jump down.

He had really been led in circles!

Chapter 1380: Repeat Effect

Translator: Nomyummi  Editor: Nomyummi

He couldn't pursue, but he couldn't not pursue either.

This wasn't the first time Yang Cong had been met with an awkward situation like this in a match where no matter what he chose, it wouldn't help. Was there a third option? Yang Cong didn't know. Perhaps there was, but he couldn't see it, so he could only pick one of two actions. Even if neither option was optimal, he had to make a choice. For every moment he hesitated, the worse the situation became. 

　 

After her!

In the end, Yang Cong decided to pursue Dancing Rain. Letting Happy take hold of the high ground would throw them into even worse straits. This was why when they saw the map, 301 Degrees' players all felt their heart stutter, and they ended up sending Yang Cong forth to perform reconnaissance. Yang Cong noticed that their mistakes started from here, from letting their minds focus on the high ground of this map. As for him realizing that he wouldn't be able to trap Su Mucheng, this was a very minor mistake. Even if he didn't make this mistake, he'd had turned back to try and close in on Dancing Rain anyways, and then Su Mucheng would have Dancing Rain kite him, which might lead him in circles using the tower anyways.

They hadn't been prepared enough from the beginning and hadn't considered that Happy could use this high ground to trick them and counter trap them.

What would they do if they were met with such a situation again?

This thought flashed through Yang Cong's head, but was soon pushed to the side. 

　 

This wasn't the time for think about that. First, he had to focus on dealing with the current situation. If they managed to get into the playoffs, then it wouldn't be too late to resolve this issue then.

Scene Killer ran like the hounds of hell were at his feet, charging right up the tower. He could clearly hear the sounds of cannonfire; who knew how much ranged support Dancing Rain had been able to provide already? In addition, the entrance to the tower was clear in her view. Su Mucheng immediately saw Scene Killer when the other charged up. Then, despite there being no voice, Yang Cong felt like he could hear Su Mucheng giggling; despite characters having no expression, he felt like he saw Dancing Rain flash him a smile.

Without any hesitation, Dancing Rain jumped off the tower roof.

Yang Cong didn't hesitate. He had been expecting this. He too jumped off the roof without hesitation.

Diving Arrow!

Anti-Tank Missiles!

Scene Killer stomped on Dancing Rain in midair, but, at the same time, he was struck close range by Dancing Rain's cannonfire.

Light and fire exploded in the sky. Below, Happy and 301 Degrees' eight were deep in battle and didn't have the time to pay any attention to it.

They knew what was happening over there. In comparison, 301 Degrees was naturally under more pressure. Without Yang Cong, their strategy lacked the most important aspect. They didn't have to use Life Risking Strike, but after demonstrating their success in using it these few times, Yang Cong's Scene Killer's presence in and of itself became a huge hindrance to their opponents. So long as he was here, then their opponents would have to keep a careful eye on his movements, on what he was planning to do. 

　　 

Team 301 Degrees would expand on this to claim victory. The ultimate goal of the match was victory. Using Life-Risking Strike was just a means to an end, but not the only means. It was just that this means had too large of an impact, making the opponents wary and making 301 Degrees' openings successful. However, this time, Yang Cong's Scene Killer wasn't even there, so Team 301 Degrees couldn't use the strategy they had been using for the latter half of the season. The remaining four weren't performing so well against Happy right now. However, Bai Shu's performance in the team competition was more striking than his performance in 1v1s. Protecting his teammates, synchronizing with them, even charging at the forefront, no matter what, he performed excellently. It was clear that he had already become an integral part of this team.

Unfortunately, a 301 Degrees with only him had still lost its sharpest sword. They could stall and stand up against Happy, but they couldn't find a way to win.

As for Happy's four? Under the mix of offensive and defensive maneuvers performed by Ye Xiu's Lord Grim and Fang Rui's Boundless Sea, Qiao Yifan's One Inch Ash set ghost boundary after ghost boundary.

Ghost boundaries were inanimate, and players had life. A noob would probably think that ghost boundaries were easy to deal with: I'll just stay far, far away from it, then my opponent won't have any way to get to me.

It wasn't that this was incorrect, but when a pro level Phantom Demon started setting ghost boundaries, they were also weaving a tight web. If they wanted to struggle out of it, if they wanted to get through it, then just staying far away wouldn't be nearly enough, especially in a team competition.

Ghost Boundaries were inanimate, players had life, but these living players included a Phantom Demon's teammates.

In a team competition, if you wanted to retreat, then you had to make sure that everyone on your side could retreat successfully. This clearly wasn't as simple as escaping on your own in a 1v1. In a team competition, Phantom Demons would cooperate with their teammates to capitalize on this. There was no need to trap everyone on the other side. Just trapping one person was equal to trapping everyone. After all, they couldn't just leave one of their teammates here to die.

Not good!

Seeing the ghost boundaries appear one after the other around them, 301 Degrees' players knew that things weren't looking up for them. They desperately needed Yang Cong's support, but Yang Cong couldn't come over. 

　 

What should they do?

"Here" a single word suddenly popped out in the chat. It was Bai Shu.

Here? What's here?

301 Degrees' team members knew that it wasn't the time to ask, and all turned their gazes towards Bai Shu's Tide. 

　 

Knight's Spirit!

Bai Shu's Tide activated the Knight's awakening skill and then bellowed, waving his sword and shield in the air.

Sacrificial Roar!

Bai Shu had finally gotten a chance where he'd be able to take control of all four of Happy's characters at once. He swiftly grasped this chance and then released this Sacrificial Roar, which just so happened to reach all four of Happy's members. 

　 

He had waited a long time for such a chance. From the beginning, he had realized that Happy was on guard of his taunt skills and the occasional chance that appeared were all traps.

As expected of Ye Xiu! 

　 

Bai Shu's opinion of Ye Xiu had gone through a huge metamorphosis by now. Not only did the other have skill that not even he could rival, his team worked together like a well oiled machine. However, Bai Shu believed that there would be an opportunity. No one could work flawlessly like a robot, so he waited patiently, endured patiently, observing the situation and preparing to grasp this opportunity.

It had come. 

　 

Under the effects of Sacrificial Roar, Happy's four all forcibly turned to attack him. However, Roar and Provoke were different. Provoke inflicted a Taunt that had a time limit on a single target. Roar would affected everyone within range, but only lasted until the taunter was attacked once.

For ranged fighters, it was easy to get rid of Roar's effect. All they had to do was attack the target once. It was more troublesome for melee fighters. If they were far away, then they would have to close in first, and the skills unleashed while not closed in would be judged by the system to see if they counted as attacking the taunter. Currently, it seemed that the system wasn't so easy to trick. It would make a judgement using the range of the attack to see if it posed a threat to the Knight or not.

Ye Xiu and Fang Rui both had ranged attacks, so within a second after Sacrificial Roar, Lord Grim and Boundless Sea immediately sent attacks at Tide and resolved the effect. Yet, even so, their original offensive was interrupted for a moment, allowing 301 Degrees' other three members to do as they pleased without hindrance for a moment.

For Happy, the one most affected was Qiao Yifan. Ghostblades could use the power of the Phantom Ghost to execute attacks of a longer range than Blade Masters and other Swordsmen. However, right now, he wasn't close enough to reach Tide with his attacks, so Qiao Yifan had no choice but to have One Inch Ash rush after Tide. Unfortunately, Bai Shu's main target was this Ghostblade of his. He wanted to pull away, making it so that One Inch Ash couldn't strike, and thus destroying his Ghost Chaining technique.

From this point of view, Roar's effect really was rather disgusting. If the opponent couldn't execute an effective attack, then the taunt would remain forever.

However, it wouldn't be that easy to maintain this effect because Happy had two characters that could cleanse it.

The Qi Master's Calm and Composed.

The Cleric's Focus.

These were both skills that could remove the taunt status, and Happy just so happened to have both classes.

By now, if 301 Degrees' players didn't think to support Bai Shu, then they might as well retire.

Triple Slash!

The moment Sacrificial Roar was executed, Gao Jie immediately understood what Bai Shu was trying to do. Stellar Sword swung his white lightsaber, carving a brilliantly white sword light into the air and dashed towards Fang Rui's Boundless Sea, not giving him a chance to use Calm and Composed.

Bai Shu, on the other hand, used Knight's Spirit to charge at An Wenyi's Little Cold Hands with a Heroic Charge.

Li Yihui's Grappler, Moving Mountains, charged towards Ye Xiu's Lord Grim.

Normally, an unspecialized wouldn't have any skills that could remove taunt, but Lord Grim's Myriad Manifestations Umbrella could have a skill equipped to each form, so they had to be wary of the possibility.

As expected!

Seeing Lord Grim's movements, 301 Degrees began to panic.

His Myriad Manifestations Umbrella had been folded into two parts, a tonfa in each hand, his palms held towards each other, qi flowing, it was the Qi Master's Calm and Composed.

Don't even think about it! 

　 

Li Yihui was desperate. His Grappler's attack range was absolutely appalling, and he most likely wouldn't make it in time. However, an ex All-Star level Grappler player wouldn't give up so easily.

Circle Sweep Kick!

Li Yihui's Moving Mountains leaped into the air, shooting forwards. He seemed to grab for an opponent in midair with his legs, but there was no target within range. However, with this leap forward, he managed to catch up with One Inch Ash's movement, blocking Lord Grim's target for Calm and Composed and making him unable to target One Inch Ash. 

This was a small trick, but it was effective.

Lord Grim's Calm and Composed failed, in the end, and he used it on himself in order to not waste it. Li Yihui sighed in relief, yet that was when he saw Lord Grim's tonfas reconnect and then, with a click, it turned into a scythe.

A Priest weapon!

Li Yihui paled again.

There were too many Taunt removers for Priest skills. The Cleric's Focus, the Knight's Immovable Mountain, the Exorcist's Calming Talisman, the Paladin's Purify. All four classes had a skill of this kind and apart from the Knight's, which could only be used on oneself, the other three could all be used on other targets.

After setting a Calm and Composed on his Myriad Manifestations Umbrella, had Ye Xiu then added a skill with a repeat effect?

Chapter 1381: So It Ends Here?

Translator: Nomyummi  Editor: Nomyummi

It wasn't just Li Yihui, Bai Shu's expression turned heavy too.

Adding on a skill with the same effect? It sounded wasteful, but to 301, it was their biggest bane. 301's strategies had been brought back by Bai Shu. He knew better than anyone else how it should be played, as well as all the tricks and techniques involved.

In these strategies, the Knight was undoubtedly crucial. Provoke and Roar, the two Taunt skills, were essential for letting the Assassin complete a Life-Risking Strike and were incredibly valuable for other tactics too. It could be said that these were the two most important skills for their strategies.

These strategies weren't used in China's competitive scene. Bai Shu had confirmed it. And after 301 started using them, they became a force to be reckoned with. Their execution wasn't perfect yet, but 301 had already achieved great results. A major reason for their success was the Alliance's unfamiliarity with these foreign tactics.

However, Happy's Ye Xiu had attached two skills with the same effect onto his weapon, most likely to target Tide's Provoke and Roar. It was enough to say that he had grasped the key points of this set of strategies.

Luring away Yang Cong and his Scene Killer was only a part of Happy's set-up. The other part was restricting the enemy Knight's two Taunt skills.

With a Qi Master, a Cleric, and who knew how many skills Lord Grim had added onto his umbrella, Happy had numerous ways to achieve this goal.

What a guy. He's even better than I imagined.

Bai Shu was shocked.

Ye Xiu had seen through his techniques, his thoughts, and even the strategies he had brought back from outside of the scene.

The Glory Textbook.

Bai Shu had heard of this nickname. Now, he was convinced, truly convinced. Was there anything this guy didn't excel at? He was top-tier at every aspect of Glory? And that weapon his character possessed, Bai Shu had never even heard of it before. The European scene obviously had self-made equipment, but to create one that could transform, wasn't that cheating? Wasn't that changing how the game was supposed to be played? Bai Shu had questioned it at one point.　　

But now, he had nothing to say.

For such a freakish weapon to appear in such a freakish player's hands, there was nothing he could say.

Lord Grim flickered, avoiding the flying Circle Sweep Kick from Moving Mountain. The scythe form Myriad Manifestations Umbrella arced in the air, drawing out a Rising Emblem, suspending Moving Mountain in the air. Instead of falling down, Moving Mountain shot into the air.

Lord Grim rushed forward, holding a talisman in his other hand, the Exorcist's Meditation Talisman, which could dispel Taunt effects.

No one could be faster than Lord Grim, and no one could block him. Team 301's current team comp had a very obvious weakness: no ranged.

Before 301's sixth player Qian Wenju came onto the stage, 301's starting team comp consisted of an Assassin, a Knight, a Blade Master, a Grappler, and a Paladin, all melee.

An all melee team was a viable team comp though, unlike all ranged team comps. Even though they would have some trouble against ranged attacks, all melee teams had the numbers advantage in melee brawls. This was the goal of all melee teams. Defense first, and then once an opportunity appeared to fight the opponent melee characters, jump at it and never let go.

However, oftentimes, without a long-ranged class, they could meet situations where there was nothing they could do. For example, trying to interrupt a skill was exceptionally difficult. Lord Grim was getting ready to attack, but without long-ranged firepower, they had no suitable ways of stopping him.

Pa!

Lord Grim's Meditation Talisman was stuck onto One Inch Ash. The Roar effect was finally dispelled. Qiao Yifan immediately had One Inch Ash place down a ghost boundary. The timing of the dispel was immaculate. The ghost boundary could continue to remain.　

At this moment, Bai Shu turned around and lifted his hands. Ye Xiu's Lord Grim made his way over to him in a single step. Bai Shu was shocked. With just one press of his finger, Tide would have let out a Glorious Provocation, but Lord Grim stood in his way. This was the method that Li Yihui had used to block Lord Grim's Calm and Composed.

Lord Grim moved towards Tide, but was Ye Xiu afraid?

Tide had reached Little Cold Hands. Even if Bai Shu hadn't Provoked him, Ye Xiu would have went over anyways to rescue their healer. Now, with the Provoke, he didn't even need to press any buttons to move. He could focus solely on using skills as he rushed over.　　

Bai Shu was helpless.

Provoke and Roar had been used, and under Knight's Spirit, their might had even been buffed. However, the opponent had blocked them. Could he still escape?　　

No tricks would work. His only choice was to brute force his way out. If it was just himself, he could have ran long ago, but the goal was to get the rest of the team to retreat too. One Inch Ash's ghost boundary needed to be put under control. 301's objective hadn't changed.

Just Heroic Leap!

Tide jumped over Lord Grim's head and smashed towards One Inch Ash. Lord Grim was still under Provoke's effects though. The system forced him to follow, so his reactions were perfect. Tide had quickly leaped over his head, but Lord Grim instantly turned around. Ye Xiu followed in his steps and also jumped. His Myriad Manifestations Umbrella transformed into a spear, Circle Swing!　

Pu!

Tide was stabbed in mid-air. Bai Shu turned his head in disbelief. To be able to attack in this situation, what were his limits?

Bang!

Tide had been thrown to the ground by Circle Swing. The weight of a fully plated Knight wasn't light. He formed a crater in the ground as the earth trembled. Bai Shu immediately had Tide get up, but his skills were locked. Happy's Cleric had probably thrown down Sacred Fire when Lord Grim threw him, sealing his skills.

In the blink of an eye, Qiao Yifan completed a chain of ghost boundaries. He didn't need to trap all of 301, just a single character was enough. Unless their opponents were crippled, how could they not go rescue their ally?

Gao Jie was unfortunately the one to be captured. He was wildly attacking to stop Fang Rui, but he didn't realize that it was actually him being locked down by Fang Rui. One Inch Ash's ghost boundary chain linked together with him in the center of it.　

Gao Jie was dumbfounded. Then, he watched as the rest of Happy rushed over, each of them with sinister expressions.

Not good...

Team 301 could do nothing. They couldn't help but look towards the other side. Their team captain, Yang Cong and his Scene Killer, should be back by now. But, no. Yang Cong was currently fighting with Su Mucheng, who was patiently kiting him. In short, she was doing one thing: stalling.

Yang Cong completely understood Su Mucheng's intentions, but he had no way of resolving the issue. In fact, he was hoping Bai Shu and the others could find a way to come over and group back up. If everyone lockedd Su Mucheng outside of Paulownia Tower, their tactics would be able to open up. How could he know that Happy had locked up the other four, stopping them from leaving. Both sides were hoping for one another to save them, but right now, neither side could help the other.

In the end, the trapped Gao Jie was unable to be rescued.

When Yang Cong saw Stellar Sword's name suddenly turn gray, his heart sunk.

He knew that the other side had lost, and in the end, he wasn't able to get rid of Su Mucheng and rush back to help. Despite knowing the other side's intentions, he could do nothing but be led around by the nose into a losing situation.

Gao Jie had fallen. Who was next? Yang Cong clearly knew that the death of an ally was the most dangerous moment. The remaining players would instantly feel the pressure multiplied. Before their sixth player arrived, everyone would need to put in even greater effort to hold on in order to last while their side had a numbers disadvantage. If any teammate was unable to persist, the opponents would utilize their numbers advantage to quickly sweep everyone.

I need to group back together with them. Yang Cong made his decision. Scene Killer tossed Dancing Rain aside to return. Su Mucheng continued to give chase with her Dancing Rain, but this time, Yang Cong's retreat was more decisive. When Dancing Rain entered Paulownia Tower, he didn't even look back.

In this live or die moment, tactics could only be thrown aside for now. To group up, even if they had Su Mucheng above breaking their tactics, it could be considered as a method of intimidation. Afterwards, they could go on the offensive. Either way it was still better than letting Happy lead them around by the nose.

Scene Killer finally grouped together with everyone, and 301's sixth player had quickly arrived as well. But it was too late.

When Yang Cong got closer, he saw that Bai Shu's Tide no longer had much health left. At a numbers disadvantage, he had relied on his sturdy plate armor and his own body to protect the other two members. As a result, he took huge amounts of damage.Their healer, Sun Ming's Paladin 007 had been focused by the other side as well and could not provide any assistance.

Yang Cong was only an Assassin. He wasn't a healer. His return could help relieve some of Bai Shu's burden, but at this point, Happy was trading health for health. At this rate, Tide would certainly be killed.

The Knight Tide was perhaps had the most health out of any Knight in all of Glory, but in order to protect his team, he fell as well.

Boom boom boom!

Dancing Rain had climbed up the Paulownia Tower and was providing help. Yang Cong lifted his head and saw the dazzling yet harsh gunfire.

We lost!

Yang Cong knew that the fight was over.　

But was it the end of this match, or the end of their summer?

How bitter! No matter what, losing would always make one feel bitter!

I don't have many too chances left!

Reality was cruel. With this team competition, Happy beat 301, the final score 6-4. Team 301 would have to wait for the results of the two other matches before they could know their final fate.

As for Happy?

"To think they didn't even let me play, or could it be a mark of how much we've improved?" Tang Rou wrinkled her brow in complaint

Chapter 1382: It’s All Over

Translator: Nomyummi  Editor: Nomyummi

"Happy and 301 Degrees' match has come to an end. Happy won."

In the live broadcast of Samsara and Hundred Blossom's match, Pan Lin immediately announced the results of the other match once he received them.

"Happy won, huh?" Li Yibo sighed, his tone filled with sorrow. Pan Lin didn't respond, and let out a sigh of relief as well, before focusing on the match again.

Happy had won. Originally, this was great news for Hundred Blossoms, but unfortunately, they hadn't managed to grasp their chance this time. In the team competition against Samsara, Hundred Blossoms was clearly at a disadvantage. Currently, it was five against four on the field, with Hundred Blossoms down one person. It looked like they weren't going to be able to defeat Samsara twice in the regular season after all.

Would they have a chance to turn the tables?

Pan Lin and Li Yibo both silently watched on. If there wasn't any miraculous save, then there was little need for them to commentate.

"How is Wind Howl's match going?" Li Yibo suddenly asked.

"It's not over yet." Pan Lin was also, in fact, checking up on the other match every now and then. However, the only information he had gotten so far was that the match wasn't over yet, but no details.

The match continued. With the fall of each Hundred Blossoms character, the hope for a miracle dimmed a little more.

Pan Lin sighed again.

Hundred Blossoms had done everything they could. Even in front of a powerhouse like Samsara, they maintained hope. Finally, they were able to gain two points in the group arena and overtake Wind Howl, grasping the initiative.

But fate had once again played a cruel trick on them. They had gotten the initiative, but it had slipped out of their grasp again. Right now, all they could do was wait for the results of the Tiny Herb and Wind Howl match.

But by the time Samsara and Hundred Blossoms match ended, the results still hadn't come out.

6-4. To Samsara, this wasn't any spectacular victory, but the venue had exploded into a sea of cheers.

The thirty eight rounds had finally came to an end. Samsara had obtained a total of 319 points. They had started in the lead and had never once been overtaken. Their entry into the playoffs had been guaranteed four rounds ago. However, out of respect, they didn't celebrate too much. But now, with all thirty eight rounds over, there was no need to hold back any longer, and this was Samsara's home stadium as well. They had long since prepared a celebration ceremony, and some hadn't even managed to wait until the end of the match to start.

Team Hundred Blossoms shook hands with Samsara's members amidst this joyful cacophony. Samsara's members were courteous enough to wait until after these procedures were over to wave their fists in celebration with the Samsara fans in-venue, a celebration of thirty eight rounds of victory.

"We are the champions!"

This classic by Queens blared through the stadium speakers. The fans in the stadium all roared along with this line. This was a truth in the regular season and a beautiful blessing for their playoffs journey.

Team Hundred Blossoms left the stage disappointed, surrounded by this sort of atmosphere. No one would care much about the losers, and it wasn't the first time Hundred Blossoms had been filled with disappointment in a celebratory situation. Their seniors had walked off the stage of the grand finals in disappointment like this thrice. 

　 

"Has it ended?" The players that had just finished playing in the match didn't know the results of the other match. After asking, they found out that Tiny Herb and Wind Howl's match was still ongoing.

"Is there any hope left?"

Everyone held hope, but this feeling, how they couldn't grasp this hope with their own two hands, was terrible. They felt like a grounded fish. They could do nothing but wait. 

　 

What would it be?

Their eyes held hope and anxiety, and a mess of similar emotions.

All until the news came.

"We're in," The person who obtained the news said.

"Is that so?" Yu Feng gave a long sigh and sat down on the player bench. The tension in him finally drained out.

"We're in?" Some others still needed confirmation. 

　 

"Yes, we're in. We're in. Wind Howl lost to Tiny Herb. We're one point in the lead, we're in for the playoffs!" The person who had got the news burst out in excitement.

Hundred Blossoms' members looked at each other.

Excitement? Delight?

They didn't seem to be feeling any of that.

After all that had occurred, all they felt was a sense of relief, like they had managed to escape death. 

　 

In the yet unfinished live broadcast, Pan Lin and Li Yibo had naturally also received the news.

"I didn't think it there would be such a dramatic ending to all this," Pan Lin commented.

"Yeah, in the last team competition, the three teams that needed to win didn't manage to win any of them. Thus, the points remain unchanged," Li Yibo said.

"We can't really say it's completely unchanged," Pan Lin laughed, "One round ago, Wind Howl sat at eighth and Hundred Blossoms was at ninth. However, Hundred Blossoms gained four points this round, overtaking Wind Howl and squeezing into the top eight."

"Unfortunately, Team Wind Howl wasn't able to enter the playoffs," Li Yibo lamented.

"But they're still young. They can try again next year!" Pan Lin said.

Thus, the regular season ended just like that...

Tiny Herb's stadium wasn't as lively as Samsara's. After all, for Tiny Herb, they had merely finished a match that had little to no effect whatsoever on their points. There was no need to celebrate getting into the playoffs either. They acted like this was all a very normal match, with an applause given to the two teams. However, under the applause stood the most disappointed team of the round.

They lost. It was over.

In the moment the match ended, Wind Howl knew that this would be the result. They were the ones who needed to win this round. The team that wouldn't have any chance whatsoever if they didn't win. However, in the end, they lost.

Especially knowing that 301 Degrees and Hundred Blossoms had both lost, Wind Howl were even more frustrated. A chance had appeared but unfortunately they weren't able to make use of it.

With Round 38 of the regular season, Team Wind Howl's journey fpr Season 10 had come to an end. They weren't able to get into the playoffs and, for a team that had set its goal as the championships, this was a complete failure. They had never expected that their summer would end so soon. They didn't know what they would do next. Everyone felt lost, and silently left the stadium just like that. A season of hard work, a season of their efforts, all dispersed in the wind.

The results of the matches of Round 38 were out one after the other. This would decide the teams final rankings and also the teams' first opponents in the playoffs.

The live broadcast still hadn't ended. It was waiting for this moment, the moment the final match results came out. Pan Lin and Li Yibo swiftly organized the materials at hand, giving a simple report on this season's final results.

Team Samsara was the regular season champions at 319 points.

After them was Tyranny in second with 278 points. They weren't as impressive as last season, and even began the season under doubt from all sides. However, after thirty-eight rounds, they had silently managed to climb over the other teams into second place.

Blue Rain was third, just a point away from Tyranny. They had switched places several times with Tyranny, and in the last round had ended things with a one point disadvantage.

Team Tiny Herb was at 270 points, placed fourth. Fifth was Thunderclap with 254 points, then it was Happy, 301 Degrees, and Hundred Blossoms, whose places were only confirmed with the last round.

Team Wind Howl, unfortunately, falling short by just one point. Void was tenth and Misty Rain was eleventh. After that, it was Miracle, Royal Style, Parade, Heavenly Swords, Lightly, Conquering Clouds and Radiant. Bright Green and Seaside were the only two teams of the season whose points didn't manage to reach the hundreds, and they were both relegated.

It's over!

For the teams not in the top eight, Season 10 was done. As for the top eight, they would enter the final war of the season. Considering the matchups the Alliance had always used, everyone could draw the matchup situation of the playoffs from the rankings.

"The ranked first Samsara will be up against Hundred Blossoms in the first match of the playoffs," Pan Lin announced the first set of opponents.

"This… the teams have just finished playing a round against one another, and now they're going to fight two more rounds in the playoffs, or maybe even three," Li Yibo pointed out.

"Then it's Tyranny versus 301 Degrees, Blue Rain against Happy, Tiny Herb against Thunderclap," Pan Lin continued.

"Yup. And then the winner of Samsara and Hundred Blossoms will fight whoever wins between Tiny Herb and Thunderclap, while the victor of Tyranny versus 301 Degrees will go up against whoever wins between Happy and Blue Rain. Then the winners of these two battles will go up against one another in the grand finals," Li Yibo announced the rest of the matchups for the playoffs.

"Coach Li, can you give a prediction of how the playoffs might go?" Pan Lin asked. 

　 

"Haha, the results are hard to say. In the playoffs, what's gained from the regular season loses its value, especially with the new rules in place. This makes it even harder to predict from the results of the regular season. For example, for Team Tyranny, they were a subject of doubt in the regular season, but now everyone's realized that they were saving up strength for the playoffs. Under these circumstances, it's hard to say how well Tyranny will perform in the playoffs," Li Yibo replied.

"Then what about Team Happy? What do you think of them, Advisor Li? This team managed to enter the playoffs as a new team. This is something that has never happened before. Where do you think they'll be able to get to, Advisor Li?" Pan Lin inquired.

Li Yibo could feel his insides clench. Happy was a team he didn't dare make predictions about!

"Er, Happy… well, they might count as a new team, but this new bottle holds old wine. Ye Xiu, Su Mucheng, Fang Rui, just the three of them alone have plenty of playoffs experience, comparable or even more than the other seven teams. Apart from that, it's all rookies. Such a conflicting team composition has never been seen before. I'm eager to see how they'll perform, as well," Li Yibo said.

"Haha, Happy's just finished their post match press conference. The reports asked about the playoffs, and guess how Ye Xiu replied."

"How?" Li Yibo asked.

"He said, now that they've gotten here, he won't be thrown off again," Pan Lin said.

"Ha! Let's hope that's true!" Li Yibo laughed.

Chapter 1383: Regular Season Awards

Translator: Nomyummi  Editor: Nomyummi

The regular season finally came to a close.

At the Round 38 post-match press conferences, the teams that managed to get into the playoffs were asked questions on how they planned to face the playoffs. Each team's response was rather reserved, at most expressing their determination. No one expanded on it too much.

The first round of the playoffs was set to beginning on June 14, the start of the new week. The playoffs would open with Samsara versus Hundred Blossoms. After resting for a mere eight days, the two teams would once again meet on the battlefield.

Eight days, no team would really spend these eight days resting and relaxing.

After confirming their opponents for the first round, each team entered a high tension state of preparations. It wasn't just the teams that grew busier. The Alliance, the media, and sponsors were all rushing to make arrangements for this season's climax.

The reporters sent out by different media outlets hoped to obtain the situations of each team's preparations. Some teams would use this as a chance to set a smokescreen. The war that was the playoffs had started ever since Round 38 ended, from on the stage to outside the stage, from mental fortitude to mechanics and strategies. This war wasn't just one on the battlefield.

Happy, because of their unique origins, had plenty of people keeping an eye on them. However, the day after the last round, Happy announced that they were going into isolated training. Even the Esports Home reporter Chang Xian, who was the closest to them, was sent away politely.

They weren't the only ones though. Happy's opponent for the first round, Blue Rain, had also closed itself from the outside world. Their PR gave the media a few courtesy words that were common in the playoffs.

The other six teams didn't seem to treating this as solemnly as Happy and Blue Rain.

Samsara openly expressed their determination and confidence in accomplishing a consecutive three championships.

Tyranny kept a low profile like they had the entire season, not revealing anything.

Tiny Herb's roster had undergone great change since their two championships, and captain Wang Jiexi expressed his hopes for Tiny Herb's future. 

　 

Thunderclap's captain Xiao Shiqin mentioned the awkward situation of how Thunderclap had never succeeded in advancing to the second round of the playoffs. This time, he expressed his hope that they would breakthrough. "We've gotten here, and we only have one goal: the championship!" Xiao Shiqin displayed an ambition that Thunderclap hadn't dared display all season. 

　 

301 Degrees had only managed to charge into the playoffs with Bai Shu's arrival in the latter half of the season. They might not have a high point score, but the combative power they had displayed in the latter half of the season was nothing to joke about. Thus, Team 301 Degrees was very confident about the playoffs. "This is a completely new 301 Degrees," was what 301 Degrees expressed in their interview.

In eighth, Hundred Blossoms who had narrowly beaten Wind Howl by one point, first expressed, self-mockingly, that they really were quite lucky. "The playoffs is a new beginning. We won't waste this rare fortune." When Hundred Blossoms talked about luck, it would always make people sigh over it, but now they kept talking about their fortune and good luck; their attitude was most certainly very enthusiastic.

Let's wish them a good luck in the playoffs.

All the reports on the teams were, in the end, about such words. After that, there were analyses and predictions for each team flooding in. Team Samsara was undoubtedly the one people had the highest hopes for. They had managed to leave everyone in the dust in the regular season. Even the Four Heavenly Kings of Tyranny in Season 9 hadn't given such a dominating performance.

All sorts of reports, all sorts of comments, all sorts of debates.

The matches hadn't even begun and the normal players were all in a tizzy, all talking about their reasons and opinions.

The esports sites had also began all kinds of polls, to calculate each each's support ratio.

On June 8, six days before the beginning of the playoffs, the Alliance announced the rewards for the regular season.

King of Dueling, Happy's Ye Xiu.

Arena Star, Samsara's Sun Xiang.

One Hit One Kill, Samsara's Zhou Zekai.

These three were calculated purely through statistical data with no subjectivity. The final results weren't anything that could be argued over anyways. There were people who'd pick out needles in the haystack and even complain that Ye Xiu's flawless record was built on a God, of all players, playing in the individual competition. These people who were just looking for trouble had nothing they could actually use against a record like this. The occasional nitpicker would be ganged up on and insulted into submission.

After the three statistically calculated awards, it was time for the other awards decided by the Alliance. Since different people had different opinions, these awards would elicit an intense debate each year. This year followed that trend, and the argument was the most intense yet because the Best Rookie went to Tang Rou.

The Alliance, in the end, decided to respect the fact that this was a competition of skill. Speaking solely in regards to performance, Tang Rou, a core member of Team Happy, held an impressive record of group arena wins and admirable performance in the team competition. No other rookie in the tenth season had a chance against Tang Rou for this award. The most impactful statement on her report was: a player that has managed to smash through Rookie's Block 1 with her fierce determination.

Unfortunately, Tang Rou's conduct had many people viewing her in a different manner. They were all more willing to point out her flaws and magnify them, using them to make her seem unskilled.

Of course, Tang Rou's performance wasn't flawless, and under such nitpicking, people could find flaws everywhere. After these flaws were magnified, Tang Rou was nothing more than a pretty face who couldn't do accomplish anything, according to some. 

　 

Unfortunately for them, Tang Rou's performance clearly rebuked that. Even if they had ignored her strengths, her victories were recorded and noted.

Tang Rou had broken through Rookie's Block without faltering.

This was a spectacular achievement for a rookie, yet those nitpickers completely neglected to consider it.

In these ten years since the alliance had been created, only two people had managed to break through Rookie's Block before without faltering: Wang Jiexi and Sun Xiang. Both were top Gods now. After that, last season's Tyranny's rookie, Qin Muyun had managed to play a stable hand through his debuting season. However, in Tyranny's team, the four gods had drawn a lot of attention and snatched a lot of data. Qin Muyun's statistical data wasn't all that impressive, low profile to the point where people didn't even think any fluctuations in his data were noteworthy. In addition to his rather wallflower like presence, he escaped most people's attention.

This was to the point where, when the alliance was writing up the report on their choice of Best Rookie, they only mentioned Wang Jiexi and Sun Xiang for players who had broken through Rookie's Block and completely ignored Qin Muyun.

However, this was enough to prove how impressive Tang Rou's performance had been this season.

Because of this impressive performance, the Alliance couldn't not give Tang Rou this award for something like "conduct". From a competitive perspective, this definitely wouldn't be fair. 

　 

Best Rookie: Happy's Tang Rou.

That was the Alliance's final decision, and they weren't surprised by the uproar that it created. However, Tang Rou's powerful performance gave them the confidence that she'd live up to the award she was given.

Compared to this Best Rookie, the other awards had some objections, but it wasn't nearly as intense.

Best Sixth Player went to Blue Rain's Song Xiao.

Most Improved was Hundred Blossom's Zou Yuan.

Best Partners, in the end, was given to Team Samsara's new striking duo, Zhou Zekai and Sun Xiang.

MVP, Happy's Ye Xiu.

With the unspecialized character Lord Grim and his Myriad Manifestations Umbrella, he had managed a spectacular thirty-seven consecutive individual competition wins and led a new team like Happy to the playoffs.

Ye Xiu's return to the Alliance had brought yet another never before seen record.

Samsara's strength, after two consecutive championships, was something everyone was used to now. In contrast, the lack of it would be uncharacteristic and disappointing. Naturally, everyone's expectations rose. As for Happy, a new team like them reaching such heights was downright weird. What did one mean by "valuable"? This was valuable. It was because of his existence that Happy reached such heights. This display of value was the best explanation for the choice of MVP.

A fourth time!

That was when people realized that Ye Xiu had broken yet another record with this award.

Three-time MVP was a record belonging to Ye Xiu. No one would've guessed that after so many years, he would win it again.

Four-time MVP, and the Glory Pro League had only had ten seasons so far.

Behind Ye Xiu, it was the Season 8 and Season 9 MVP Zhou Zekai.

Then, there was Season 7's Wang Jiexi, Season 6's Huang Shaotian, Season 5's Zhang Jiale and Season 4's Han Wenqing. These names, at the top of Glory, had only gained such an achievement once each. The four of them added together was equal to one of Ye Xiu. 

　 

The true king has returned!

This was what many thought, seeing the number of this greatest regular season award that Ye Xiu had won.

In the prep time for the playoffs, the regular season achievements had caused a small uproar, but this was something everyone was used to already. The regular season awards were distributed at around this time every year, and every year, there would be objections.

However, such an intense argument over a rookie was something completely new. The Alliance had been prepared, clearly stating the reasons for Tang Rou's award in an interview, but many still wouldn't accept it and continued to argue over it. However, they couldn't do much except argue, because they couldn't change the Alliance's decision.

The award winners would all be personally informed by the Alliance. Chen Guo was exceptionally excited over Ye Xiu's and Tang Rou's awards, while in the face of the other awards, Chen Guo became an irrational nitpicker.

For example, for Best Sixth Player, Chen Guo thought Tang Rou performanced well and was often fielded as sixth player, so she was definitely worthy of this award.

For example, Most Improved, Chen Guo didn't care that Qiao Yifan only began playing official matches this year, saying that he had shown great improvement since he was in Tiny Herb, so he should get the award. Fang Rui had successfully switched classes, which was an improvement as well, so he should get the award as well.

For example, for Best Partners, Chen Guo had only ever and would only ever accept Ye Xiu and Su Mucheng as best, no debate.

"It should all be ours!" In the end, Chen Guo was very unsatisfied with the Alliance's choices.

Chapter 1384: Too Close

Translator: Nomyummi  Editor: Nomyummi

Happy responded to Chen Guo's complaints with a grin.

Naturally, winning these awards were a cause for celebration, but Team Happy didn't have the time for a celebration yet. They still had plenty to do in preparations for the playoffs, especially getting used to their new equipment.

Forty pieces of Pseudo Silver equipment!

In this last week, Happy's R&D worked overtime and managed to finish the last three Silver equipment right after the end of the thirty-eighth round, giving Happy a total of forty pieces of Pseudo Silver equipment.

Compared to proper Silver equipment, Pseudo Silver equipment was disposable, a temporary fix for Happy's lack of proper equipment, but they didn't have any room for improvement. This expenditure pained Chen Guo, but she understood Happy's current situation. Without special methods, it was impossible to improve their hardware so quickly. The other teams had managed to get to where they were through years of cumulative effort. No matter how talented Happy was, they couldn't catch up to the powerhouses in these one to two years of time. So, right now, Happy could only use these short-term solutions.

It was just good that this solution didn't use up too many valuable materials, so it didn't conflict much with Happy's development of proper Silver equipment.

The only proper piece of Level 80 Silver equipment was the Myriad Manifestations Umbrella. 

　 

For it to be equipped, the umbrella needed a five level reduction to its level requirement. They had finally managed to create this stat and apply it every form of the Myriad Manifestations Umbrella. As a result, each form's base stats were clearly a cut above level 75 Silver equipment, and the bonus stats had gained small improvements as well.

At level fifty, when the Myriad Manifestations Umbrella had been fully developed, it had shield, spear, rifle, taichi, scythe, staff, ninjato, tonfa and estoc forms, as well as having the abilities of a Mechanic's mechanical box.

All the further improvements had maintained these forms. And this time, Guan Rongfei successfully added new forms in the jump from level 70 directly to level 80. 

　 

Using the tonfa form as a base, the Myriad Manifestations Umbrella could now become Nightwalker's dual swords.

The umbrella ribs that held up the umbrella while opened could now be detached and equipped to the wrists to form a Fighter's claws.

With the umbrella closed, The canopy could open horizontally above the shaft of the umbrella, forming a weird shape like a poleaxe, but this was actually the Swordsman's greatsword. 

. 

In addition to the nine old forms of the Myriad Manifestations Umbrella, there were now a total of twelve forms.

To use all low level skills, all they needed was a form for each superclass (Mage, Swordsman, Priest, Gunner, Fighter, Nightwalker). However, more forms meant more variety, and would allow the unspecialized style to become even more unpredictable and complex. Plus, considering how it was possible to set a different skill on each form, three more forms meant three more non-unspecialized, non-awakening class skills.

In the end, of the twelve forms, there were two Swordsman, one Gunner, two Fighter, three Priest, two Mage and two Nightwalker. It was pretty evenly distributed.

Everyone, including Ye Xiu, were doing their best to familiarize themselves with the new equipment in this limited time given. Esports Home's reporter, Chang Xian, called or came to visit the Internet cafe every now and then. After all, he was a reporter, and his primary work was to gather intel. Though he knew that no team liked to be bothered at a time like this, Chang Xian still had to try and get something out of them.

However, no matter when he came, Chang Xian didn't see anyone except Boss Chen Guo.

The only person he managed to meet in the team was the boss; this was a clear display of Happy's grassroots status. No team's boss was like a receptionist like Happy's Chen Guo, easier to find than any of the team members even. If it was any other reporter trying to interview a team, then they'd probably die of happiness at such a situation.

However, Happy was the exception. Chang Xian snuck into Happy again, only to see Chen Guo looking at him with a smile. He smiled weakly, feeling a little helpless. "Sister Chen…"

"What? Not happy to see me?" Chen Guo asked. She was only just starting to learn how to interact with the media, but the reporter she had the most exposure to was Chang Xian, also a newbie in his field. He was honest and principled individual, not nearly as sly as veteran reporters. Against him, Chen Guo had no problems.

"No no, of course not," Chang Xian hurriedly replied. He didn't dare offend Chen Guo! Though she was almost like a receptionist in how easy it was to a get a hold of her, she was still the boss of a team.

"Sister Chen, seeing that I've come over so many times, could you give me some insider info?" Chang Xian was practically begging.

"There really isn't anything to give. It's just that they don't want to be disturbed, so they went into closed-door training for the championships!" Chen Guo said cheerfully.

Chang Xian had heard these words many times already, but he couldn't believe them. Although he was new to the industry, these few years had honed his observational skills. In addition, Chen Guo wasn't someone who was adept at hiding her thoughts.Her cheerful manner of addressing Chang Xian clearly told him that she was hiding something from him.

"Ai, sister Chen, can you let me see brother Ye and the others and ask them about how they feel about the first round?" Chang Xian was close to tears. It might've been plain as day that there were things going on in the team that Chen Guo was hiding, but the problem was that she was hiding them, and hiding them well. Chang Xian didn't have any way of getting her to spill. She was clearly enjoying the feeling of knowing something that he didn't!

"They're pretty busy recently, why don't you wait a couple days?" Chen Guo answered, sounding completely serious.

"Then, sister Chen, what do you think of the first round?" Chang Xian could only make do with Chen Guo. 

　 

Yes, make do!

For any other team, getting an interview from the boss was no small feat, but over here with Happy, it was "making do", because it was way too easy to get to see Chen Guo. Chang Xian had seen Chen Guo who knows how many times while eating noodles at the food stall on the street corner. They were familiar with each other like kin, and there was no sense of mystery to it at all. Thus, Chang Xian knew that Chen Guo was a rather unorthodox boss, and it sometimes felt like she was just one in name. Happy's biggest decision maker wasn't her. Of course, on the Alliance's database and Happy's registration forms, as well as the sponsorship forms, Chen Guo was the sole owner of Happy's assets, the biggest boss of Happy.

This boss… was a bit of a puppet, but she was more than happy to play the part. If Chang Xian had to describe it, then he'd call her a One True Fan!

Yes, a One True Fan*!

Compared to that young master Xia Zhongtian from Chien Tea Green, she was way more of a true fan. Xia Zhongtian had far greater control of New Excellent Era than Chen Guo had of Happy, and he acted like a typical team club boss. As a City H reporter, Chang Xian had naturally gone to see the current Excellent Era.

Chang Xian really wasn't sure how to deal with a boss like Chen Guo.

They were friends and that was great, of course. However, as an interviewee, though she had such a high position, her value was low and just thinking of it was frustrating him. He often saw Happy's boss, but he couldn't get any information about what was happening with Happy. He'd be considered a joke if word got out!

"The first round? We'll defeat Blue Rain, of course," Chen Guo said.

Chang Xian sobbed inside. There was no substance to that! He had been expecting it though, so he hadn't even bothered to record it.

"Do you have any special strategies planned?" Chang Xian asked.

"That's a secret, I can't say." Chen Guo smiled.

What secret? You don't even know, do you? Chang Xian felt the mental tears pour.

"Will boss Wei play in the match against Blue Rain? He has history with Blue Rain, after all!" Chang Xian then asked.

"That'll depend on our strategic needs. We won't arrange anything for the drama," Chen Guo informed him seriously.

Damnit, what's with that serious attitude. That guy told you to say that, didn't he? Chang Xian looked around subconsciously, as if someone in the Internet cafe had somehow sent her a telepathic message.

"Little Chang, sit for a while and make yourself comfortable. I have to go out to get some supplies," Chen Guo then said.

Chang Xian nodded helplessly. See! That was Happy's boss. She never acted like a bigshot or anything. Chang Xian watched as Chen Guo left the Internet cafe and then went into a random tobacco shop, coming out with a carton of cigarettes not long later. 

　　 

So she was getting cigarettes for Ye Xiu and Wei Chen! Chang Xian was familiar enough with Happy to immediately come to the conclusion.

"Little Chang, sorry to have to ask you to wait a little longer. I have to take this up!" Chen Guo returned, waving the cigarettes at him and then going upstairs.

They were too familiar!

Chang Xian's mental tears were like a relentless waterfall. They were so familiar with each other that they didn't think of him as an outsider anymore. Originally, this would be a great relationship to have, getting so friendly with a team would be a great convenience for any team reporter! However, Chang Xian knew that he was too close with Happy now. They were close to the point where he felt rather ashamed to pry into their preparations, like he was desecrating the shrine of their friendship!

He… really hadn't been very good at drawing the line between professionalism and friendship! It was a little too late now for him to realize this. After a moment, Chen Guo came back down and began chatting casually with Chang Xian as she went through the bookkeeping for the Internet cafe.

Happy's boss believed that all the regular season awards should belong to Happy...

This was what Chang Xian got from their chat. However… was this something he could write into an article? Was it??? This was just teasing between friends! Of course it wasn't something he could write.

What was he to do?

The weekly esports issue was going to be a special on the Glory League playoffs. This issue before the matches began was meant to be about the preparations for each team. How was he going to write up an article on Happy?

 Nomyummi

TLNote Joui*: In China, fan culture is diverse, and people have gone as far as to label different fans. For example, I've used One True Fan for 真爱粉 (literally, true love fan), taking inspiration from "OTP/3" One True Pair/Threesome/etc. to mean a fan that feels sincere loyalty and love for their team/idol and is willing to follow them and help them, but generally keeps a clear head. You also have rabid/brainless fans 脑残粉 which has come up before in the novel.

Chapter 1385: Playoffs Special Issue

Translator: Nomyummi  Editor: Nomyummi

Chang Xian was worrying over the fact that he might not be able to complete his assigned task. Professionally speaking, the blame was partly on Happy for not being reliable. Other teams, for example Blue Rain, were also in closed training, and weren't taking interviews, but they had their own public relations team working to provide their reporters with something to report, allowing them to deal with their own work responsibilities. As for Happy? In a single year, they had the core of the team down, but they didn't have a club system that could deal with all their issues like Blue Rain did!

Public relations?

Happy didn't have anything of the sort. Chen Guo didn't have enough experience, while Ye Xiu put everything he had into overseeing his team members' growth, their strategic arrangements, improvement of their equipment, accumulation of stored materials. However, he didn't care about things like dealing with the media that had no direct influence of their team's strength. The others wouldn't notice this sort of thing either, so Team Happy really had no understanding of this whatsoever.

Chang Xian once again returned empty-handed. Some of Happy's regulars were now looking at him weirdly. He had heard them mumbling once and almost coughed blood. With him running over to Happy so often and constantly hanging around Chen Guo, he no longer seemed so innocent. In the eyes of outsiders, he seemed like a shameless pretty boy who refused to stop clinging to Chen Guo.

Chang Xian felt like crying himself to death. When he went back and checked their Esports Home reporters' group chat, the other team reporters responsible for the playoffs issue had plenty of material to go on, and even the City G reporter responsible for Blue Rain had a draft that Blue Rain had provided. All he had to do was add some of his own opinions and then he'd be good to go for Blue Rain.

As for him?

This time, he'd better not think of distinguishing himself from everyone else. If he could even get anything in, he'd be content.

Chang Xian could feel his anxiety rising, he pulled on his hair, he couldn't sleep!

He didn't bother hoping for an article draft like Blue Rain had given because he knew very clearly that Happy didn't have anyone to deal with that sort of thing. He couldn't place his hopes on the players, they didn't have the time. Apart from that? Boss Chen? Chang Xian felt cold sweat on his head just thinking about it. His impression of Chen Guo was the furthest it could be from writing this sort of thing.

There was nothing for it. He could only rely on himself. He'll just make it up! He'll show it to them afterwards to make sure it was okay.

Helpless, Chang Xian could only write up draft himself. After struggling over it for two days, he went back to Happy, with a slight hope that he might be able to meet one of their players, only be be crushed when he saw Chen Guo downstairs again.

"Sister Chen," Chang Xian greeted.

"Back again!" Chen Guo greeted him, but why did that 'again' sound so piercing? Looking around the Internet cafe, there were quite a few looks of disdain directed at him that were quickly retracted and fixated to computer screens when they noticed Chang Xian looking over.

"I drafted this article on Happy for the playoffs issue. Have a look, how is it?" Chang Xian weakly handed over his substanceless article draft, which had no sources but himself to take from.

"Oh? Alright!" Chen Guo accepted it and looked through it carefully, which made Chang Xian feel marginally better.

"Little Chang! This article is just full of slogans. There's no substance to it!" Chen Guo said.

Chang Xian felt the tears start again.

Of course there wasn't any substance! You always block me at the Internet cafe and never let me interview the players or leak any information to me. Where would I get any substance from?

Chag Xian felt chagrined, to the point of speechlessness. Seeing this, Chen Guo wasn't completely clueless as to why.

"Er… just now I was just speaking from the point of a reader. It's actually pretty good, go ahead and publish it!" Chen Guo said.

"Sister Chen, can't you give me something to write about?" Chang Xian asked.

"There really isn't much I can give you. We Happy only have so much to our name, you know that! And because of this, we have to fully utilize all the time we're given and improve as much as possible in this week," Chen Guo replied.

"Stop trying to fool me, Sister Chen, I know you guys have a trick up your sleeves. I can tell," Chang Xian said.

"Haha. Of course we have something, but we can't say anything about it! Otherwise, how are we going to surprise everyone?" Chen Guo said.

"Alright!" Chang Xian nodded. Chen Guo had personally admitted that they had an ace up the sleeve and that could probably count as something with substance he could write about. As for not knowing the specifics to their ace up the sleeve, that was reasonable! If a team really revealed all the tricks and strategies they were going to use to deal with their opponents, then everyone would probably be suspicious that they were doing it on purpose to fuck with their opponents. Chang Xian was pretty skilled at his job, and upon hearing of this information, the gears were already turning in his head, figuring out how he could use this.

Soon enough, the weekly esports special playoffs issue started publishing. The pre-match articles were, naturally, about predictions and hopes for each team in the playoffs. Apart from articles from the assigned reporters of each team, Esports Home had also invited renowned Glory analysts to write about their views of the playoffs.

For example, famous guest commentator Li Yibo. His special column was of the same style as his commentating this season, careful and cautious, not daring to make predictions. Li Yibo's section was like a replay. He brought up all the most spectacular moments of the regular season; of course, he had been a commentator for all these matches, and his rehash of the events were lifelike and clear. Then, he went on to explain what strengths and flaws each team had, in his opinions, before bringing his article to a close with best wishes to all the teams.

Renown analyst Cha Xiaoxia had announced that he was a brainless fan of Happy's long ago, and had supported Happy plenty throughout the season. However, Cha Xiaoxia's brainless fan comment was just a simple joke. He merely looked more highly upon Happy and thought them more interesting. He merely spent more effort on uncovering Happy's strengths. His praises for Happy were methodical and logical, unlike those Happy haters with Ruan Cheng at their head. They were really brainless crazies and pretty much beyond saving with their delusional talk.

In Cha Xiaoxia's column, he had continued to express his love for Happy, and in his analysis for the eight playoffs teams, Happy took up 70 percent while the other seven teams took up the other thirty.

The editorial department had mixed opinions on if they should invite Zuo Chenrui to write a section or not because this guy was a real brainless maniac when it came to what he loved and what he hated. It would be natural that anything he wrote would lack objectivity. In the end, the editorial department decided to try and get Zuo Chenrui to write a piece not about Blue Rain and Tiny Herb. In the end, they were resolutely rejected by Zuo Chenrui.

Others, like Ruan Cheng, only wrote for Esports Times, so even Esports Home wanted them, they wouldn't be able to invite them.

They had gotten plenty of long and eloquent pieces. Apart from these renowned analysts, they also had a few by pro players, some retired, some still going. The players of the eight playoffs teams naturally didn't have any time for it, but the players of other teams were already on summer break. The media usually invited renowned gods to write for them. This time, they had managed to invite Void's Li Xuan, Misty Rain's Chu Yunxiu and Royal Style's Tian Sen.

The three had more or less recovered from their disappointment of this season, and had their popcorn prepared for the show ahead. They each had different views on how the playoffs would go.

Li Xuan had his bets set on Samsara. This was the most mainstream opinion; there wasn't much more to it.

Chu Yunxiu, on the other hand, was rooting for Happy, and she directly admitted that the main reason was because her good friend was in Happy. Of course, afterwards, she also went and discussed Happy's strengths and flaws from a competitive perspective.

As for Tian Sen, he had his eyes set on Tyranny. He thought that, after holding back for a season, they would meet the playoffs with explosive force. Royal Style, once at the top, was heading towards ruin, and Tian Sen deeply felt that forlorn feeling of feeling himself wither away. Tyranny's veterans were, no doubt, currently experiencing this stage of life. Though Tian Sen was in his prime as a pro player, he had the same feeling as he watched them. His hopes in them was more like well wishes.

The esports weekly issue was comprised of these contents. Afterwards, the reporters they had sent provided more into each of the eight teams. Apart from Blue Rain and Happy, the other six had managed to interview the team players and had plenty of material. Blue Rain's club had provided a draft, and the reporter had, naturally, built off of that. Happy's was a little worse. Chang Xian had more or less written a draft for Happy and then used what little he had gotten from Chen Guo to expand.

Yet, in the end, the six that had managed to interview the team players all seemed rather plain and boring. The severe atmosphere of the playoffs seemed to have already enveloped them. Though they had personally faced the media, the players of those six teams had barely said anything of substance. Blue Rain had provided a draft, so that was even worse. In the end, it was Chang Xian's piece on Happy that was most authentic, stating how boss Chen Guo herself had personally admitted that Happy had an ace up the sleeve for the playoffs.

What was this ace up the sleeve?

This was what Chang Xian had focused on.

Chang Xian's guesses weren't important. After all, anyone could try and guess! Thus, what ace up the sleeve Happy had became the biggest discussion of the issue. Some guessed that it was a new strategy, some guessed that it was a new and never before seen team formation, and some guessed that it was secret weapon in the form of equipment. Either way, there was a limited amount that could be talked about and all sorts of guesses were flying around.

"What do you think?"

Team Blue Rain, Huang Shaotian asked Yu Wenzhou as he set down his newspaper. They were going to be Happy's opponents soon, so they were naturally rather concerned about this. After he asked, Huang Shaotian didn't bother waiting for Yu Wenzhou to answer, immediately expressing his own opinion, "With that guy present, I bet that this is just a smokescreen."

"Really? I don't think so." Yu Wenzhou held a newspaper in hand, too. His gaze didn't leave the page as he listened to Huang Shaotian talk.

"They probably have some sort of trick or ace. If they didn't have anything, then this smokescreen would be rather pointless. Happy's members aren't that immature," Yu Wenzhou continued.

"Then what is it?" Huang Shaotian was confused.

"Don't think. If you think about it, then you'll have fallen for the trap," Yu Wenzhou set the newspaper down as he spoke. "Just pretend you haven't seen it!"

"I'll do my best…" Huang Shaotian didn't sound very confident.

Chapter 1386: Complementary

Translator: Nomyummi  Editor: Nomyummi

Was this a smokescreen of Happy's or not? The players were curious and the debate raged on. However, apart from Blue Rain, the other teams didn't concern themselves with it. What tricks did Happy have up their sleeve? Either way, Blue Rain was their lab rat. Once they fought with Blue Rain, then everything would be revealed. It wasn't like the other teams were gonna meet Happy first round, so why should they care?

All the teams were working hard to prepare to take down their respective opponents. On the dawn of the war, everything was quiet. There was no more news or rumors flying about, just each team silently preparing for that fateful moment.

June 14th, the opening match of much anticipated playoffs began.

City K, at Hundred Blossom's home stadium, Hundred Blossom's captain Yu Feng had arrived, alone and too early. He stood in the middle of the field. Here, was exactly here the projections would be, where the characters would tear at one another for victory.

Yu Feng looked up, gazing at the high end projection technology.

Here he was, once more...

Yu Feng looked around the venue.

It had been two years since he had came to Hundred Blossoms, and this was the second time he had stood on the stage of Hundred Blossoms' playoffs journey. Last year, their opponent had been Tyranny and he had personally seen the attitude Hundred Blossoms' fans had towards Zhang Jiale. It looked like hate, but was this hate not born from love? In the end, it was because Zhang Jiale was important to them. Yu Feng hoped to gain such importance, so he always did his best at Hundred Blossoms, and he hoped to bring Hundred Blossoms something they had never had before.

The championship!

Yu Feng had won the championships before, and this made him far more fortunate than many of the other players in their circle. However, that championship bore too many marks from other people. He wasn't primary in that championship. Yu Feng hoped to have a championship that, when people thought of it, they would immediately think of his name.

That was why he stood here, and mercilessly abandoned the team he once loved so deeply, Blue Rain. Because of that, that brainless fan of Blue Rain's, Zuo Chenrui, had dragged his name through the mud and stomped on it, but Yu Feng merely smiled and dismissed it.

In the face of what he pursued, none of this was important. The world was fair. If he wanted to gain something, then he would have to lose something. This was, more or less, the basis of the principle of equivalent exchange. This was what he had done, and wasn't this also what Hundred Blossoms' ex-captain Zhang Jiale had done?

Of course, him and Blue Rain weren't like Zhang Jiale and Hundred Blossoms, and this was one of the reasons he had come to Hundred Blossoms. Yu Feng had even, embarrassingly enough, had a dream where after he left Blue Rain and joined Hundred Blossoms, Blue Rains fans treated him the same way Hundred Blossoms had treated Zhang Jiale. That wasn't any sort of great situation to be in, and Zhang Jiale's pain was plain to see, but Yu Feng envied him. That was exactly what he sought, after all: to be seen as important!

He knew that his position in their hearts couldn't compare to Zhang Jiale, and probably even fell short of their previous Berserker Sun Zheping, but Yu Feng had confidence because he was already completely a part of Hundred Blossoms. He believed that his efforts would be seen by Hundred Blossoms' fans, and now, what he had to do, was charge through this first stage.

Samsara!

The strongest team, in the eyes of countless. In this matchup, the online polls had 81 percent of people with their bets on Samsara, an overwhelming advantage.

But what was funny was, that in the regular season when the two teams faced off, Hundred Blossoms had won 7 to 3 once, and then lost 4 to 6 last time. If you added the scores, Hundred Blossoms was in the lead 11 to 9! From this, it could be seen that sometimes, statistics really meant nothing. Who would think that they were stronger than Samsara just from the advantage from these two matches between them? None, practically none at all. The 19 percent support that Hundred Blossoms had probably wasn't because anyone thought them stronger, but just that they could win.

Strong and weak, victory and defeat, there was never any certainty in it. Being stronger would increase your chances, but it was never 100 percent. And so long as it wasn't 100 percent, then there would always be a chance for a different ending. Even if it was one in a million, it was still a possibility.

Right now, it seemed, that the general populace believed that Hundred Blossoms only had a 19 percent of victory.

Then let this 19 percent become reality! Yu Feng took a deep breath and glanced at the time. It was still early, nowhere near 8:30 PM. After taking a walk across the competition stage, he decided to leave, but that was when he saw Zou Yuan. This teammate of his had also come to the stadium and was ascending the stairs to the stage.

"You came, too?" Yu Feng asked. Though the two were rather far away from each other, there was no one in the stadium, making it completely silent. Yu Feng barely had to raise his voice to hear it echo throughout the stadium.

"Yeah, I came to get a feel for the atmosphere ahead of time," Zou Yuan replied.

"Get a feel? How?" Yu Feng looked behind him. There was not a single person in the stadium. It was dead silent.

"I'm going to put my imagination to the test, as exaggerated as possible. That way, when the time comes, I'll just think to myself 'Ha, so that's it?' Then, I won't feel the pressure anymore," Zou Yuan said.

Yu Feng laughed. The pressure the team had suddenly piled on top of his teammate had nearly driven his teammate crazy. He was probably thinking of that time as a way to alleviate the match pressure!

He looked towards Zou Yuan, who stood at the edge of the stage staring at the empty spectator seats. Suddenly, Zou Yuan shut his eyes and opened his arms, focusing on his method of relieving the pressure he felt. Yu Feng didn't utter a sound. He simply watched him quietly, not even taking a step.

A short while later, he saw Zou Yuan retract his arms, open his eyes, look at him, and chuckle.

"Done?"

"Done. Would you like to try?" Zou Yuan asked.

"Me? Nah! It doesn't suit me. If the crowd isn't is as spirited as I imagine, I'd probably be disappointed," Yu Feng said. 

"Haha, true. You're different than me!" Zou Yuan sighed.

Yes, the two were different, not alike in the slightest.

The pressure that Zou Yuan had nearly gone mad from was exactly what Yu Feng had always hoped to have.

Zou Yuan feared that pressure, but Yu Feng enjoyed it.

When Yu Feng came to Hundred Blossoms, Zou Yuan didn't hesitate to hand over his responsibilities as the core player and the captain to Yu Feng. After the pressure onto him lessened, Zou Yuan worked hard to learn those responsibilities, to seize the good fortune that had been forced onto him. His efforts gradually paid off, but he didn't regret his decision of giving up his core position. In the end, he couldn't change his personality. The roles with the most pressure, captain and core player, were far more suited for Yu Feng, who would certainly do better at them than he could.

How fun!

Zou Yuan couldn't help but think to himself sometimes. The two of them were opposites, yet they had ended up becoming teammates and partners. Was it because they were different that it was easy for them to complement each other? In this season's evaluations for Best Partners, the two had earned high marks.

Is it the revival of Blood and Blossoms?

Zou Yuan remembered the target the Club had initially given the two of them. Now it looked like they would just have to make do. Blood and Blossoms required a quick connected playstyle. It wasn't as simple as just having the technical portions down. The personalities of the players mattered too. Unfortunately, Yu Feng was no Sun Zheping, and he was no Zhang Jiale. The two were unable to recreate the former Blood and Blossoms. In the end, they created a style that belonged to only them, a different partnership between Berserker and Spitfire.

This was the so-called passing of time.

The past wast the past. Trying to force a recreation would always lack a certain flavor. What people reminisced wasn't really Blood and Blossoms, but rather the feelings they first felt seeing Blood and Blossoms. Those feelings could never be replicated because a first was a first. The next time would never be the first, but the second.

Our own style!

Zou Yuan thought to himself. In the beginning, when Zhang Jiale's Dazzling Blossoms had been left with him, he had been terrified. The team called for him to succeed Zhang Jiale's position, so he studied Zhang Jiale like his life depended on it to the point that he had almost started copying Zhang Jiale's habits. But what was the result? He wasn't able to do it as well as the real Zhang Jiale. He couldn't bear the pressure. That season, Hundred Blossoms had relied on the rising Tang Hao to carry them, while he as the core studied and copied Zhang Jiale, throwing the team out of the season.

Afterwards, he knew that he couldn't continue on like this. He needed to find a path that would let him survive. As a result, he was very grateful the moment Yu Feng joined the team. Yu Feng had taken that burden off his shoulders, letting him find his own path without any pressure.

Sure enough, they were a good pair! Zou Yuan recalled the idea of being complementary that he had just thought of.

Then next on the list is winning together!

Zou Yuan was just about to say something, when he heard a loud commotion. He and Yu Feng turned their heads towards the other side of the stadium, where a group of people were pouring into the stadium.

Samsara!

It was Team Samsara!

Team Samsara's members were all present. As soon as they entered, they saw Yu Feng and Zou Yuan standing on the stage. Their footsteps didn't stop because of this though as they walked onto the stage. Yu Feng checked the time and knew that Samsara was here to warm up too. The away team would often come ahead of time to familiarize themselves with the new environment. It was the playoffs right now. Samsara definitely wasn't going to miss even the slightest detail that could give them an advantage.

"It's Hundred Blossom's two leaders!" As everyone knew, Samsara's captain Zhou Zekai rarely took the initiative to greet others. The one to greet Yu Feng and Zou Yuan was Samsara's vice-captain, Jiang Botao.

'Yup, you guys are here to warm up?" Yu Feng responded. He wasn't a stranger to Jiang Botao. Their generation of players had an intimacy from growing up as rookies together. Team Samsara had been formed from Season 5, Season 6, and Season 7 players. Many of them were of the same generation as Yu Feng. For example, the All-Stars Jiang Botao and Lu Boyuan had debuted in Season 6 just like him. Yu Feng had undoubtedly been the most eye-catching. That season, he had won both the title Best Rookie and the championship title with Team Blue Rain. Yu Feng's rookie season had been perfect. The only other one to have garnered such achievements in his first year in the Alliance was Team Tyranny's Zhang Xinjie.

Even so, it didn't change one point: their group of Season 6 rookies had all played supporting roles in their respective teams.

The one to break through that fate was Yu Feng. He had joined Blue Rain and came to Hundred Blossoms, becoming the first among the Season 6 rookies to assume a core position.

Chapter 1387: First Match

Translator: Nomyummi  Editor: Nomyummi

There were four players who debuted in Season 6 and went onto becoming All-Stars: Yu Feng, Xu Bin, Lu Boyuan, and Jiang Botao. Apart from Yu Feng, the other three were not core members of their respective team. If even these All-Stars were like so, then the other rookies of that generation were even less important.

The Season 4 rookies were nicknamed the Golden Generation. On the other hand, these Season 6 rookies were nicknamed the "Helper Squad" because of these coincidental happenings. The name pointed at how the Season 6 rookies all held support roles in their respective teams.

The title was just for fun. No one would actually take these words to heart. But still, now that Yu Feng had become the core of Hundred Blossoms, the name "Helper Squad" no longer had the same impact as before. The Season 6 players all joked that Yu Feng had let them down.

They were joking, of course.

Even if Yu Feng became his team's core player, so what?　　

Jiang Botao and Lu Boyuan were still members of the "Helper Squad", but they stood besides Zhou Zekai, forming the formidable Team Samsara. The "Helper Squad" had helped win the team two championships back-to-back.

Yu Feng didn't envy them though.

Champions? He had already become the champion once. What he wanted was to win the championships not just with the status of a "Helper Squad" member.

That was his personal goal. He didn't care about denying being a part of the "Helper Squad".

"We're not bothering you guys, are we?" Jiang Botao continued to chat with him. This social player could make friends with anyone, even when the two parties were irreconcilable adversaries. But for old players, though their attitudes on stage were very professional, none of them ever showed anger to each other off the stage.

"No problem, you guys go ahead. We'll stop bothering you," Yu Feng said.

Even though both sides could maintain professional relationships on stage, in this sort of life and death battle, they were unlikely to happily chat around under such a tense atmosphere.

"Take care," Jiang Botao said as he watched Yu Feng and Zou Yuan leave the stage together. Samsara's other players didn't regard their encounter as anything serious, and the everyone quickly started warming up.

At 8 PM, no seats in the stadium were empty. For the playoffs, each match was crucial. Thus, playoff matches were much more watched than regular season matches. The stadium had seats specifically for the away-game fans as usual, and Samsara's loyal fans already had their slogan hanging down. The words two-time champions were the most important. After all, three-time champions had yet to happen, and it wouldn't be good to call it too early as their slogan. It could be something that they could yell as a good-luck blessing throughout the entire tournament though.

The two teams finally entered the stadium.　

The entrance ceremony wasn't any different than the ones in the regular season. As Hundred Blossom's home stadium, the cheers and claps for them were louder. Although Samsara was the defending champions and the current most popular team, it was still their playoff opponent's home stadium. The fate of the noise from Samsara fans could only be obliteration. Any team that made it to the playoffs were inevitably popular teams.

The broadcast wasn't going to miss out on any playoffs match. The commentators were once again Pan Lin and Li Yibo, the signature duo. The broadcast team had originally wanted it to be a tri-cast like the Happy versus Tiny Herb match. In that match, the program had invited a guest commentator, and since many players wouldn't be participating in the playoffs, the program wanted to invite a well-known player.

For this match, the program had thought of a brilliant figure.　

Sun Zheping!

He was a former Hundred Blossoms player, and he would certainly have a lot of things to say as a guest commentator.　　

But when the program sent an invitation to Sun Zheping, they didn't think he would actually refuse. As soon as they approached him, the door was shut. Their morale had dropped considerably. During that time, they failed to find any other suitable players. In the end, it was still Pan Lin and Li Yibo duo-casting for the first match of playoffs.

After introducing the players on both sides, the two looked for things to say as they waited for the match to officially start.

"These two teams encountered each other in the final round of the regular season. Just another week later and they're back at it again." Pan Lin said.　　

"With it being a back-to-back match, these two teams must have a deep understanding of each other by now. In this situation, none of them have any secrets. The winner will be decided by how each team is able to execute their plans and adapt to their opponent's plays." Li Yibo said.

"From the regular season records, Hundred Blossoms actually has an 11-9 advantage. However, in the online poll before the playoffs, 81% of players thought Samsara would win!" Pan Lin said.　　

"It looks like Samsara's outstanding performance this season has helped them earn quite a bit of support and confidence from players!" Li Yibo said.　

"I wonder how this match will turn out?" Pan Lin wondered expectantly.

"Hey hey! You guys aren't going to watch the match?"

At Team Happy's meeting room, Chen Guo was keeping the TV under her watch. She saw that the match was about to begin, yet no one was coming over. She rushed out of the meeting room baffled and found everyone focusing on their own computers.

"Of course we will, but not now," Ye Xiu said.

"Then when?" Chen Guo was puzzled.

"We'll watch the VODs," Ye Xiu said.

Chen Guo understood now. Ye Xiu and the others wouldn't be watching to see who would win, or for fun. They would be watching it for the information, so a live broadcast wouldn't be as helpful to them as a VOD.

Since no one would be watching, Chen Guo found it boring to watch it alone. Normally, the playoffs was a time when even players who weren't fans of the participating teams would watch excitedly. However, the current Chen Guo was no longer a pure Glory fan. She needed to consider Team Happy as her first priority for most things. As a result, after hearing Ye Xiu's explanation, she realized that this match wasn't just a brilliant show, but precious information. Thus, watching the VODs would be better.

A bout of shouting could occasionally be heard from the first floor of the Internet cafe. Happy Internet Cafe's match broadcasting tradition never went away. The playoff matches would obviously be played. Chen Guo gently closed the door to the practice room, so Ye Xiu and the other could continue practicing in peace.

Bang!

Just when she closed the door, she heard a loud noise from behind her. She turned around and saw that it was their guild department's Wu Chen.

He looked towards the meeting room. From the not-yet-closed door, he could see the match playing on the projection screen. However, there didn't seem to be anyone there, and Chen Guo had just gently closed the door.

"They're not going to watch?" Wu Chen said.

"They'll be watching the VOD," Chen Guo said.

"Oh!" The former pro-player Wu Chen immediately understood.

"Everyone's really working hard!" Wu Chen sighed.

"Yup!" Chen Guo nodded her head. At this moment, another shout came from down below. Chen Guo couldn't help but look towards the meeting room.

"Boss, you're not going to watch either?" Wu Chen asked.

"I... I'll be watching!" Chen Guo nodded her head. In the end, she was still curious. Samsara, Hundred Blossoms, who would win? Who would be Happy's next opponent? If they wanted a better chance to win the championships, then it would be better if Samsara was eliminated early, no?

Chen Guo and Wu Chen went into the meeting room together. The players on both sides had entered the stage. The climax before the match had ended, and the floor downstairs had quieted down. Pan Lin and Li Yibo were still chattering non-stop. There clearly wasn't going to be any high points until the match finally started.

Thump.

Chen Guo heard a noise from behind her. When she looked back, it was Guan Rongfei. He had somehow sneaked in without a sound and found a seat to sit at.　　

So I'll be watching the match together with these two today? Chen Guo smiled. It had never happened before!

When the match finally began, Chen Guo, Wu Chen, and Guan Rongfei quietly watched the match.　　

"Who won?"

Happy had a good work-rest schedule down, and it could not be broken in such a crucial moment like playoffs. When it was around 10 PM, everyone came out of the practice room and watched the broadcast of the match that had ended not too long ago. They went over and asked about it.

"Samsara," Chen Guo told them the results. She had hoped Hundred Blossoms would make the upset. Because she had wanted it, the match had been more stressful all the way until the end. In their home game, Hundred Blossoms ahd lost the group arena and team competition to Samsara.

"Points?" Ye Xiu asked.

"11-7." Chen Guo said.

The playoffs tournament format was based on headcount. Samsara had won the group arena and team competition, so they won the full 11 points. Hundred Blossoms had lasted until the last matchup in the group arena, so they took 4 points. However, they suffered a large defeat in the team competition, only taking down three of Samsara's players, ending with 7 points total.

"Oh," Ye Xiu nodded his head.

It seemed to only be a 4 point difference, but from the competitive format, it could be considered a crushing defeat. Lasting until the last matchup of the group arena meant they were equally matched in that area, but losing the team competition with a 3 person deficit was a huge loss.　

"Let's analyze the match tomorrow!" Ye Xiu said.　

Hundred Blossoms home stadium.

The audience members had left. The post-match press conference had ended too. Only the janitors were left in the stadium.

Yu Feng once again returned to the stadium onto the stage.

We lost...

They had tried their hardest, yet they still lost.　

In the regular season, Samsara had been so fierce and aggressive, but in the playoffs, they became calm and steady to the extent that they couldn't tell that they were an aggressive team at all.　　

After winning two championships, this team had been thoroughly refined. In their away game, in such a tense playoffs match, they could still play so calmly. Hundred Blossoms had chosen to be aggressive this match, hoping to show off their power in their home game. But facing Samsara's calm display, their aggressiveness was like throwing rocks into the sea, silently stifled by their opponents.

Lost!

The loss wasn't regretful or resentful; the loss was so... proper. It was as if it were inevitable.

This sort of feeling terrified Yu Feng.

Had his fighting spirit been worn away during this match? Had his unconscious already determined that Hundred Blossoms could not win against Samsara?

Yu Feng clenched his fist. I cannot waver. In times like these, I definitely cannot waver!

Chapter 1388: Each Making Their Own Preparations

Translator: Nomyummi  Editor: Nomyummi

After the end of the first playoffs match, there was an outpouring of reviews praising Samsara's champion-like performance. As for Hundred Blossoms, they hadn't made any major mistakes worthy of criticism, but it was exactly for that reason that Samsara seemed all the greater.

In the blink of an eye, it was the next day. The first match hadn't even been fully digested when the second match of the playoffs had arrived. Team 301 was playing their home game against Team Tyranny. Tyranny had conserved their energy all through the regular season, so how would they explode now in the playoffs? Because so many were curious about this question, this match received extra attention.

But Happy needed to pay attention to this match for a bigger reason than mere curiosity. According to the playoffs bracket, if Happy eliminated Blue Rain and advanced to the semifinals, then their opponent would be the victor of 301 vs Tyranny. If everything went smoothly, then Happy would be facing one of these two teams.

But on this night, Team Happy hadn't gathered together to watch the match. They weren't watching this match, nor had they watched recordings of the previous playoffs match.

The next day was Happy's match, and throughout this entire day Happy's training had been focused on small adjustments and regulation. After dinner, everyone was free to do whatever they wanted. They could each use their own methods to reduce the pressure of this upcoming life-or-death match.

In the meeting room, Chen Guo once again set up the projection screen to watch the match, and like before, the two who came by were Wu Chen and Guan Rongfei.

The players came onstage, the match was about to begin, but Chen Guo couldn't focus.

What was everyone else doing?

Chen Guo really wanted to know. After dinner, everyone had split up without talking about what they were all going to do, and although she was curious, she ultimately hadn't bothered them. But to be honest, she still had some small hope that one of the players would stay with her, because she was very nervous too! She wished that she could do something with someone who was going to play the match tomorrow.

"Has it started?" At this moment, she suddenly heard Ye Xiu's voice.

"Huh?" Chen Guo turned her head to see Ye Xiu walking through the door.

"You want to watch?" she asked, surprised.

"Yeah, I have nothing to do, so I'll watch," he said, casually finding a seat and sitting down.

Chen Guo looked at him and realized, that's right! This guy didn't need to do anything to relieve pre-match pressure, right? To him, wasn't this all as natural as eating and sleeping? He would just do it however he was supposed to.

"It's just about to start," Chen Guo said. Ye Xiu might not feel any pressure, but Chen Guo was extremely nervous. Still, once Ye Xiu arrived to watch this match with her, she suddenly felt that her heart relaxed quite a bit.

"These guys actually know how to conserve strength," Ye Xiu mused. "I do want to see what kind of match they can play now."

"Mm…" Chen Guo of course knew to whom Ye Xiu was referring with "these guys."

The match began.

Tyranny's first player: Lin Jingyan; 301 sent up Li Yihui.

A face-off between two Fighter class players. The final winner was Li Yihui, with a small advantage.

And then Tyranny sent up their second player, the rookie Song Qiying. After defeating Li Yihui, who'd only had a small amount of health remaining, he also defeated 301's second player Gao Jie.

"This kid has a bright future," Ye Xiu said, giving his judgment of Song Qiying. Even though he lost the Best Rookie award to Tang Rou, that was largely because he was in a well-established team like Tyranny, and as a rookie he hadn't had as many chances to play in real matches like Tang Rou had. If not for Tyranny's three old generals rotating out this season, Song Qiying might have had even fewer chances onstage.

If Song Qiying had had the same chances as Tang Rou, or if he had been used by Tyranny like Lu Hanwen last season, maybe he would have posed a threat to Tang Rou in the contest for Best Rookie. With a personality very similar to that of Zhang Xinjie, even though he was young, he gave people the impression of being extremely reliable.

But after defeating Gao Jie, Song Qiying was very quickly sent off by 301's third player Qian Wenju. Then, Tyranny's Zhang Jiale went in and defeated Qian Wenju. 301's Yang Cong came up, but in the end he too died in Zhang Jiale's brilliant Hundred Blossoms display.

"These guys are in pretty good condition today!" Ye Xiu said. Qian Wenju had dealt a good amount of health when Zhang Jiale took him down, and then Zhang Jiale had continued on to defeat Yang Cong's full-health Scene Killer. It was practically a 1v2. After that, however, 301's group arena anchor Bai Shu came onstage. By this point, Tyranny still had three players left, so their advantage was clear. Zhang Jiale played a very relaxed match, and although he didn't complete a 1v3, he still did his job in whittling down Bai Shu for the next player. Tyranny's fourth player was their captain Han Wenqing, and in the end Bai Shu's Tide fell to Desert Dust.

"They all have a lot of spirit!" Ye Xiu exclaimed, after seeing Tyranny take the lead in the group arena, 5 to 3.

Next was the team competition. Tyranny finally revealed how their rhythm was different from what it had been during the regular season. In the regular season, even towards the end when they stopped rotation and come onstage together like this, the focus had still been on maintaining condition for the playoffs. There had always been worries that such rotations that prevented all three from being onstage together would cause their cooperation to become rusty. 

Reality proved that for these generals, such concerns were unnecessary. For these experienced players, it was like riding a bicycle - once you learned, then no matter how long you went without riding one, you would be able to pick it up again very quickly.

Three out of the four Tyranny old generals appeared in a match during the regular season, but when they started making their adjustments for the playoffs, they swiftly readapted to working together, and didn't need much time to get used to each other again.

They continued to repress their excitement and save their strength. They were waiting to unleash it at the playoffs.

And now, it was here.

They'd restrained themselves for this season, they'd heard all sorts of comments like "these guys can't keep up anymore." But at last, Tyranny entered the playoffs, and they didn't need to save their strength any longer. They'd endured this kind of talk, and could now launch their powerful counterattack. Of course, however, they weren't doing this because of the talk. This was the rhythm that Tyranny had prepared for this season, since the very beginning.

6 to 2.

In the end, they won a crushing victory. 301's strategy had only been refined through half a season. Now that it had lost some of its newness, it couldn't stand up to this most experienced team in the Alliance.

The final score was 11 to 5, quite a large difference, and this had been 301's home game…

Hundred Blossoms, 301, they had barely clawed their way into the playoffs, only to lose their home games in the very first round.

Some were delighted, some were crying; this was how all competitions were destined to end.

"It looks like Tyranny will win," said Ye Xiu. 11 to 5, this was a large advantage. Not many people would favor 301, who would have to make a comeback on Tyranny's home field.

"Alright, let's head back and rest!" Ye Xiu stood up and announced, as though he were about to go onto a battlefield right now. In his mind, probably, tonight's rest was a very important part of preparing for tomorrow's match.

One after another, they exited the meeting room, only to see that there was still a light on in the training room. Ye Xiu casually pushed the door open, and found that Mo Fan was still inside.

"What are you doing?" Ye Xiu asked.

"Video." Now, finally, Mo Fan wouldn't completely ignore people when they spoke to him. When it was a question, he would at least answer it.

"Oh?" Ye Xiu walked up, followed by Chen Guo. The two of them stood behind him and saw…

"These are all videos of Blue Rain's players!" Ye Xiu realized that Mo Fan was watching the performances of Blue Rain's players in the group arena. Happy of course had all of these match recordings, and they had organized them. Matches that were particularly worthwhile were picked out to serve as final summary data of Blue Rain. Mo Fan was watching all of Blue Rain's 1v1 battles from the regular season.

And tomorrow, Mo Fan would be appearing in the group arena. Ye Xiu didn't have the habit of waiting until right before the match to announce the roster; typically he'd announce it the day before the match.

The roster they were using against Blue Rain had been announced that morning. This round, Mo Fan would be the second player in the group arena. Now, it was already the night before the match and everyone was relaxing and adjusting their condition. Mo Fan, however, was still stubbornly studying the data on the Blue Rain players.

"Don't stay up too late!" Chen Guo, feeling moved, gave him a heartfelt reminder.

Mo Fan didn't answer, he just nodded his head and continued watching the video intently. The few of them realized that there was no possibility of chatting with Mo Fan, so they didn't say anything else and merely left.

Downstairs, the match had ended, and people should have been dispersing after watching the broadcast in Happy Internet Cafe. But right now, it seemed even more lively than it had been during the match. From the top of the stairs, Ye Xiu and the others looked down and saw that their three players, Qiao Yifan, Luo Ji, and An Wenyi, had been enthusiastically surrounded.

"What's going on?" Chen Guo immediately ran downstairs to ask the manager.

It turned out that these three youngsters had sneakily joined this crowd of gamers to enjoy the match with everyone else, but when the crowd was dispersing, they were accidentally discovered and recognized. Gamers who came to Happy Internet Cafe, did their attitude toward Team Happy even need to be mentioned? They swiftly surrounded them and sent their well-wishes toward these three young players.

"Hey hey!!" Chen Guo directly rushed for the PA system at the front desk of the cafe and shouted to get everyone's attention.

"Let our players rest!" she shouted.

"Ye Xiu!!" In the end, everyone hollered even louder than Chen Guo. Ye Xiu hadn't taken the back door, instead walking down the steps through the Internet cafe. Chen Guo's shout had attracted everyone's attention, and instantly everyone discovered this even more exciting presence.

"Calm down!" Ye Xiu decisively made his way to the front desk and plucked the microphone from Chen Guo's hand.

"Everyone calm down! If you want to cheer us on, everyone is welcome at the stadium live tomorrow!" Ye Xiu shouted.

"Go Happy! Go!" Everyone chanted enthusiastically. They were all fairly in control, actually, because everyone knew that tomorrow was Happy's match, and no one dared harass them too much at this time. If someone was being particularly difficult, then the other gamers wouldn't accept it and would take care of the problem themselves. So, Ye Xiu's simple two shouts were enough to let everyone understand and settle down. The three youngsters extricated themselves, thanked everyone for the support, and left with Ye Xiu.

Halfway back to their residence, they saw two familiar silhouettes squatting on the curb. One had cigarette smoke curling all around him, while the other was playing with what looked like a bicycle chain in his hands.

The group quietly approached, and heard Wei Chen telling Steamed Bun all about his glory years.

"In those days, I was Blue Rain's soul and backbone, a person they could never be without!" Wei Chen was saying, his face full of sadness from reflecting on the past