translator: Oyen editor: Ciel
The next afternoon, the semi-finals officially began.
The audience was surprised by the guest commentator for the semi-final—— it was Shao Zehang, the first-generation captain of Bronze Sparrow and Nie Yuzhu’s master.
At present, captain Nie was the oldest player in the Peerless Jianghu league. Based on this, most might imagine his master Shao Zehang to be a middle-aged man, but the man who appeared on the screen looked both young and handsome. Clearly, this face value was still high even after several years of retirement.
The live broadcast room suddenly exploded: “Lick, lick captain Shao’s face!”
“With his master’s help, can Nie Yuzhu win against Mojue?”
“Seeing that his master is still young, I suddenly feel embarrassed calling him ‘Old Nie’! Actually, our captain Nie is only 23 years old!”
“Captain Shao is also of mixed race, but he isn’t the same as god Han …”
Shao Zehang was said to be of mixed blood, but he wasn’t like Xiao Han, who was easily recognisable by his head of golden hair.
“A warm welcome to god Shao, Bronze Sparrow’s first-generation great god. It’s been a long time since we last met!” Ye Chao greeted him with a smile.
Shao Zehang nodded indifferently. “Hello, everyone.”
He was like a natural air conditioner in the commentary platform, filling the entire room with cold air.
Liang Ru coughed. “Today’s first semi-final is the match between Without Fire and Mojue. Without Fire’s Nie Yuzhu is your own disciple, right?”
Shao Zehang: “En.”
“What do you think of your apprentice’s strength?” Liang Ru asked.
“Yuzhu is a very steady and calm player,” Shao Zehang replied. “He took over captaincy from me at the age of 19, and has played with Bronze Sparrow for three years. His results have been very stable. Whether it is in tactical arrangements or his on-the-spot reaction, both have been done well.”
“It seems like you are very satisfied with your apprentice?” Ye Chao probed.
“En,” Shao Zehang nodded, “that’s why I suggested that he continue being the captain.”
“Did captain Nie not want to be the captain at first?” Liang Ru asked suspiciously.
Shao Zehang’s explanation was quite forthcoming. “His condition has declined because of his age. He originally planned to retire last year. After news of Peerless Jianghu came out, he realised that the hand speed requirements for this project were not as stringent, so he changed his mind and decided to try this new project. Being worried about his condition, he suggested that a younger player take over as captain. However, in my opinion, with his steady character and rich competition experience, he is qualified for the position of captain.”
Ye Chao sighed. “It seems that he is very considerate of the team. Facts have proved that he is a very good captain.”
“Indeed,” Shao Zehang agreed.
“Do you know Mojue’s three players?” Liang Ru went on to ask.
“I know Xiao Han,” Shao Zehang replied coolly. “He was introduced by his master, Li Cangyu. We are the only mixed-race players in the domestic esports circle. We have exchanged contact information with each other, but we seldom contact each other in private. However, I have met him several times, so I know that he is very strong. He has participated in several world competitions, and his hand speed is comparable to Li Cangyu’s in his peak.” Here, he paused for a few moments. “I know the player Liu Hong. She is the former vice-captain of National Beauty, and she is a very good player. I heard that she switched professions and is now playing an output. However, I haven’t watched recent games, and I’m not sure of her performance after her switch to an output.”
“She’s become very fierce after switching to an output,” Ye Chao informed. “In the all-sect challenge arena, she lost to Nie Yuzhu, who plays the same profession. However, she managed to reach the top 16 in the individual competition, which is a pretty good result.”
“It’s really rare for a player to be able to improve so fast after switching from a healer to an output,” Shao Zehang praised.
“Shen He is a newcomer. He’s Qin Mo’s apprentice, have you heard of him?” Liang Ru asked.
“Not familiar,” Shao Zehang replied straightforwardly.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
“What about the other two players from Without Fire?”
“Ktfrf akb, P xcbk nfgs kfii,” Vtjb Iftjcu cbvvfv, yfobgf lcagbvemlcu atf akb qijsfgr. “P rjk Alcu Tjcu’r lcafgnlfk ogbw ktfc tf fcafgfv atf miey. Lf lr j cfkmbwfg klat bearajcvlcu ajifca, jcv j tjcv rqffv ojrafg atjc wlcf ogbw yjmx atfc. Lbkfnfg, tf tjr cba sfa wjrafgfv atf gtsatw bo atf ujwf, jcv la lr fjrs obg tlw ab ufa mbcoerfv. Yc atf batfg tjcv, Itbe Tjcylcu lr atf miey’r jmf qijsfg. Llr rajaf lr nfgs rajyif, jcv tlr mbcvlalbc lr ja lar qfjx.”
“Does god Shao think Without Fire has a chance of winning against Mojue?”
“The score ought to be 2:1. As to who will win, it will depend on the arrangements made by both sides,” Shao Zehang evaluated calmly.
***
By this time, the players from both teams had stepped onto the stage.
Xiao Han offered his hand to Nie Yuzhu for the customary handshake. “We’ve met at the airport before, captain Nie. I didn’t expect to be able to meet your team again in the semifinals.”
“En,” Nie Yuzhu replied, “A coincidence indeed. God Han, please show us mercy.”
“It’s you who should show us mercy,” Xiao Han quipped.
Both parties exchanged pleasantries before heading for their respective soundproof booths.
According to the results of the dice roll, the first game would be on Mojue’s home court. Selecting an obstacle map that was beneficial to Shen He’s play, Xiao Han elected to send out Liu Hong as their first player.
Immediately after this, Without Fire submitted the name of their first player—— Deep In The Bamboo Grove.
Nie Yuzhu actually went to fight Liu Hong personally!
Seeing this, Qin Mo couldn’t help but sigh. “The next time A-Hong meets him, she will probably want to engage in real life PK.”
Both Nie Yuzhu and Liu Hong were players from Xuanbing Palace’s double-ring flow. Back then, Liu Hong was defeated by Nie Yuzhu in the all-sect challenge arena, and failed to get the championship trophy. After all, captain Nie had over three years of competition experience, while Liu Hong had only just recently switched to an output. When faced with a veteran like Nie Yuzhu who shared the same profession, naturally, her chances of winning were not large.
Liu Hong was also aware that she was not Nie Yuzhu’s opponent. Thus, she started the game fiercely, wanting to narrow the blood volume gap as much as possible. However, Nie Yuzhu was as steady as Mt. Tai. No matter how Liu Hong attempted to interfere with him, he played firmly in accordance with his own rhythm, gradually snowballing a blood volume advantage. Finally, with 30% blood left to him, Nie Yuzhu killed Liu Hong, forcing Mojue to send their second player.
Xiao Han chose to send Shen He as the transition player. Aware that the longer Nie Yuzhu was allowed to live, the wider the blood gap would become, Shen He quickly made the decision to send captain Nie off first, summoning a large number of pets to kill the residual blood Nie Yuzhu the instant he entered the arena.
Indeed, Shen He’s thoughts were not wrong, and he successfully killed captain Nie in a massive explosion. However, Without Fire’s choice of transition players surprised the audience—— Zhou Yanbing!
This player was an expert in the longsword flow, who was capable of competing with Qin Mo in the all-sect challenge arena!
Logically speaking, a stable player like Zhou Yanbing ought to be placed in the guard position. To think that Nie Yuzhu would actually arrange for him to go second- what was this situation?
Entering the arena, Zhou Yanbing immediately used a big move—— Skyward Sword!
White sword qi enveloped the area, causing an explosion that smashed all the stone pillars on the obstacle map!
Seeing this, Shao Zehang praised his apprentice. “Yuzhu’s considerations were thorough. His plan was to destroy the opponent’s map advantage by the second round, allowing Jing Yang to stand guard and compete with speed.”
“In this way, Shen He can’t use the obstacles to control the field,” Ye Chao added. “Zhou Yanbing clearing the obstacles also served to benefit the teammate after him.”
Nie Yuzhu was a veteran with strong tactical awareness. Seeing this, Li Muran’s admiration for this old player grew. If it were him, he would most certainly not have considered so many factors in this short period, and sent Jing Yang as the transition, saving Zhou Yanbing for the guard. In such a situation, if the blood gap was recovered by Shen He, Zhou Yanbing would definitely be unable to defeat Xiao Han. However, Nie Yuzhu changed his team’s lineup at a critical moment, allowing Zhou Yanbing to increase his advantage, widening the 30% blood volume gap to 50%.
Xiao Han faced Jing Yang in a state of half blood and half blue. The young teenager was very smart, closing in directly and forcing a close-quarters fight with Xiao han. The melee attack power of the double sword flow was very strong, comparable to the attack power of Xiao Han’s dagger flow assassin. Although Xiao Han quickly recovered the blood volume gap to under 20% with his stealth tactics, he eventually lost his life to the opponent’s ranged moves.
On Mojue’s home map the first game, victory went to the Without Fire team.
The second game would be on Without Fire’s home court. Nie Yuzhu simply selected a square map, which was advantageous for both Zhou Yanbing and Jing Yang.
Jing Yang was selected as Without Fire’s first player. On Mojue’s side, Xiao Han decisively sent Shen He on stage.
This match became a duel between two talented young players. Shen He summoned his pets to control the field, while Jing Yang constantly closed in to attack quickly. The two teenagers used their highest hand speed to compete against each other, and in the end, almost died together—— the moment Jing Yang fell, Shen He only had 5% of his blood left.
Zhou Yanbing was sent into battle next. The moment he entered the arena, he sent Shen He off immediately before proceeding to confront Liu Hong, finally forcing a draw.
By the time Xiao Han faced Nie Yuzhu, the difference in blood volume wasn’t large. In the end, Xiao Han relied on his strong personal strength to kill NIe Yuzhu, equalising the score.
Ye Chao laughed, pleased. “It seems like our guess is on point. This game will end with a score of 2:1, and the tiebreaker game will be very important.”
“The tiebreaker game requires both sides to submit a lineup blind, meaning that they will not know their opponent’s lineup,” Liang Ru explained. “They will be relying on speculation to target opposing players. Of course, a certain amount of luck is involved.”
Turning around, Qin Mo glanced at Li Muran. “If it were you, how would you arrange it?”
“The tiebreaker game requires stability. Sister Hong ought to take the lead, Shen He plays second, and god Han guards?” Li Muran mused.
Qin Mo nodded. “That is indeed the most stable lineup, but Nie Yuzhu is capable of guessing this order. So, Xiao Han will certainly not select this lineup.”
Because, if captain Nie guessed correctly, he would face Liu Hong personally, and the situation would likely play out like a repeat of the first game. If the blood volume gap from the early stage was too wide, Xiao Han would be easily killed by the opponent.
Sure enough, at the beginning of the third game, both sides submitted their lineups at the same time. The order of the players was displayed on the large screen——
From Mojue, their starting player was Xiao Han. Liu Hong would play second, and Shen He would guard.
From Without Fire, Jing Yang would start the battle. Zhou Yanbing would play second, leaving Nie Yuzhu as the guard.
Both sides changed their regular lineup. The fact that Xiao Han placed Shen He in the guard position surprised Qin Mo greatly, but he soon understood Xiao Han’s thoughts. This was to place more pressure on Shen He.
The random map selected by the system in the tiebreaker game was a bamboo forest map, which was a map that did not offer either side an advantage.
In the first game, Xiao Han gained a huge advantage in his match against Jing Yang. However, Zhou Yanbing played steadily to empty Xiao Han’s remaining blood volume, before facing Liu Hong.
Naturally, Liu Hong wasn’t going to let the other side gain an advantage. She used her highest hand speed to kill Zhou Yanbing, carrying a 30% blood volume advantage into the guard round.
At this point, Nie Yuzhu came out.
Captain Nie was calm and steadfast, quickly dodging Liu Hong’s repeated attacks. Because of his quick reactions, it seemed as if Liu Hong was merely punching cotton. Waiting for when Liu Hong’s skills entered cooldown, he resolutely seized the opportunity to counterattack, sending Liu Hong off the stage.
Nie Yuzhu, who was left with 80% health and 75% blue, would now face Mojue’s guard player, Shen He.
Shen He was somewhat nervous. Just like yesterday, everything came down to him. If he lost, Mojue would be unable to reach the finals…
He couldn’t think too much. He just needed to concentrate on the game…
Taking a deep breath, Shen He stabilised his mood, intently staring at the computer screen.
This would be his first time playing against Nie Yuzhu. Having watched the duel between Qin Mo and Nie Yuzhu, Shen He was clear as to just how powerful this great god was. Captain Nie might not be comparable to him in terms of hand speed, but as a veteran, Nie Yuzhu’s rich competition experience and excellent tactical awareness was more than enough to kill a newcomer like him.
Therefore, in order to face this great god, the best method was to play fast!
Making up his mind, Shen He decisively summoned his pets as soon as the match started, intending to lay siege to Nie Yuzhu. However, before the pets could get close, a loud ‘band’ echoed—— Nie Yuzhu had lain down a series of traps, turning the summoner’s pets into ash.
—— Not good!
Nie Yuzhu had obviously guessed Shen He’s intention to attack. Although this series of traps had consumed much of Nie Yuzhu’s blue, Shen He had also suffered heavy losses in this exchange!
Realising that the situation was not good, Shen He immediately summoned his mechanical puppet to disguise his retreat. However, Nie Yuzhu had already predicted this, flying over with qinggong and laying yet another series of traps, forcing Shen He to step on them after the teleportation.
With Nie Yuzhu’s accurate predictions, the blood volume gap was instantly recovered.
Although Shen He mitigated the situation by using the mechanical horse’s fear, seizing the opportunity to consume some of Nie Yuzhu’s blood, his follow-up control failed to land. Nie Yuzhu closed in, interrupting his summons with a combo of ‘Snake Bead Sparrow Ring’ and ‘Still Water Depths’…
From then on, the rhythm of the match was controlled by Nie Yuzhu. Although Shen He counterattacked several times, managing to beat Nie Yuzhu to residual blood, he was finally caught by the opponent, and killed by a violent set of outbreak.
This was the first time Shen He experienced the feeling of being suppressed in terms of IQ in a competition. Captain Nie was indeed a very strong player; this was as expected from a veteran with four years of competition experience.
Looking at the word ‘failure’ that had appeared on his screen, Shen He suddenly felt frustrated.
Yesterday, he won the game as the guard player, and was extremely happy in front of the reporter. In fact, he was still too inexperienced, right?
God Han and sister Hong gained an advantage in the first few rounds, but when it was passed on to him, he actually allowed the opponent to reverse the advantage. It really was an uncomfortable feeling…
Shen He lowered his head, his usually smiling expression replaced by one of great distress.
Patting his head gently, Xiao Han smiled. “Muran will send you a red packet. Don’t be sad.”
“…” Shen He managed to squeeze out a shaky smile. “I can’t beat captain Nie. Even if he only has 80% of his blood, I still can’t beat him.”
“You’re still young,” Xiao Han explained. “It’s good for you to experience being abused by the circle’s great gods. In any case, the top four places earn similar numbers of points. There’s no need to feel as though you’ve sinned. Your master is watching, and the cameras will come over soon. Remember to smile and maintain a strong demeanour.”
“…” Realising that the camera was aimed at him, Shen He immediately smiled widely.
Looking at his silly smile, the audience was stunned speechless. To be able to smile so happily after losing, Shen He really was the most heartless.
Looking at the smiling face of his little apprentice, Qin Mo’s lips curved slightly—— Shen He ought to be feeling very uncomfortable, but he still needed to pretend to be happy before the camera. Still, this was necessary for him to grow up. Shen He needed encouragement, but he also needed to suffer losses. Only when he had experienced great ups and downs could he truly mature.
In truth, this loss couldn’t be completely blamed on Shen He. Xiao Han had bet on Nie Yuzhu going first to play against Liu Hong, so he started the game, wanting to eliminate Nie Yuzhu directly. However, he had bet wrongly.
Meanwhile, Nie Yuzhu bet that Xiao Han would set Liu Hong as the guard, but as a result, Xiao Han left Shen He as the guard. Although it was a mistake, Nie Yuzhu had managed to hit Mojue’s weakness.
The responsibility of losing the game should be shouldered by everyone. Xiao Han also took the initiative when questioned by the reporters, explaining that he had made a mistake when arranging the lineup. Not daring to speak, Shen He hung his head low, hiding behind Xiao Han all the way. Only until they returned to the hotel did he turn on his phone, and sure enough, there was a red packet from Li Muran.
“To face failure with a smile is the first step of growth.” Li Muran sent only this one sentence.
“…” Shen He immediately puffed up in anger. “Don’t give me this sort of chicken soup; what is up with your ‘psychological counsellor’ tone, huh? You’re only half a year older than I am!”
Li Muran sent a headpat emoticon. “Unexpected failure will make people sad, but you must learn to accept it.”
Shen He: “En, I’ll adjust my state, don’t worry!”
Unexpectedly, Shen He’s mood had calmed by the time he put down his mobile phone.
During the individual and partner competitions, he hadn’t been too upset about his loss, because he was fully prepared to lose.
But this time…
Obviously, he had inherited an advantage from his teammates’ battles in the early stage, but the game was still lost by him. This sort of unexpected failure really dealt a heavy blow to people.
However, Li Muran was right. There were countless factors to winning a competition, and the experience of losing a hard-won advantage to the opponent was something faced by many teams. Even in future team battles, unintentional mistakes, incorrect decisions, and all sorts of accidents could occur. Shen He needed to accept them calmly, and couldn’t lose heart because of it.
He was an energetic Shen He, not a depressed Shen He.
Clenching his fist hard, Shen He adjusted his mentality, before sitting in front of the computer to go through today’s match.
Tomorrow was also a very important day, and he needed to grasp the opportunity.
…❔
Why are they still in the competition when they have already lost? 🤔
Thank you for the chapter~~! 💜💜💜
If I am not mistaken, it is for third place. Since mojue was in semi-final
Ohh, for the third place!!! 😅
Yess, it’s for the third place 🤣
Shen he is adorable cute 😊
Agreeddd~ 😍
Poor Shen He… I do hope that aside from developing his game sense, he would also improve in tactics, not so much as to be a genius, but enough to hold his own in competitions. Fight!
lol, maybe one day he can do it, good luck Shen He!! 💕
Liu Hong also gaining experience playing against the top player of her class. Well placed traps can negate all of the pets and put them on cool down.