The entire venue fell silent, making one feel as if they were in a verdant cave, with viscous night wind surging in from all directions, making breathing difficult.
Wang Xin fled like a beaten dog, utterly disgraced to have been defeated by a rookie.
Not only him, but Zhao Ritian's face was also ashen.
However, he was now the great god who had defeated Ye Lan and the captain of the Tianshu team. Even if his opponent possessed great talent, it was merely talent; wanting to snatch victory from him seemed almost like child's play.
This game wasn't purely about reaction speed, but more importantly, about the mind.
"Hey, the guy named Zhao, it's your turn."
Ren Yuanhao slightly flexed his right hand, his gaze fixed on Zhao Ritian, sharp as a blade, as if telling the other party that anyone who dared to humiliate him would be ruthlessly slapped back in the face!
"What a powerful aura!"
"Yeah, but do you think he can defeat the battle-hardened Tianshu captain?"
"I doubt it. As you saw earlier, that sparring partner only lost because he underestimated the opponent. If he had started with full buffs, who knows what the outcome would have been."
At this moment, Ye Lan watched Ren Yuanhao's every move like a fan, her bright eyes darting, her expression radiant.
In fact, she had discovered 'Chongming Finger' in the休息室 (xiūxí shì - lounge) earlier, so she wasn't surprised to see him use it so skillfully just now.
She remembered Ren Yuanhao's words to her: "Don't worry, with me here, anyone who dares to laugh at you, I'll be the one to knock out their teeth!"
She chuckled, wondering when she had been drawn to that man. Was it when his eyes exuded a sunny warmth? Or when he had paid out of his own pocket to save that child? Or was it when he always stood in front of her?
But all of this was just an order. Fool, when the dream wakes, he will disappear from your world, like a fleeting illusion...
Ren Yuanhao had no idea that the woman sitting beside him was already in a turmoil of emotions.
Meanwhile, Zhao Ritian, under everyone's gaze, finally sat down in his chair, ready to face the challenge.
"Oh, right, before the duel begins, I want to ask you. Should it be best of seven, giving you some time to prepare psychologically, or a single round to decide the winner? I'm very considerate of the weak, don't worry."
Ren Yuanhao returned Wang Xin's earlier taunt to Zhao Ritian verbatim!
"Of course, it's a single round to decide the winner. Kid, you better be careful, I won't hold back."
Although Zhao Ritian was unhappy, he had to maintain the image of the Tianshu team in public.
"Damn, this guy actually dares to openly provoke the great god Zhao. Damn it, it gives me goosebumps, so exciting!"
"Let's wait and see. This match is much more interesting than what's happening in the livestream."
Both of them entered the martial arts arena simultaneously, and Victor's battle anthem echoed through the entire Big Shark internet cafe.
The war between the old king and the new king had begun, and only death could end it.
Zhao Ritian was still controlling "Mountain Overlord," with all buffs active. Ren Yuanhao, on the other hand, finally used both hands. He had watched Ye Lan's positioning and playstyle on the big screen earlier. Now, with the "Wu Wu Kai buff" (wǔ wǔ kāi - 50/50 chance, meaning evenly matched) and sky-high talent value, he completely replicated Ye Lan's previous battle strategy, charging directly towards the upper right.
Zhao Ritian had expected Ye Lan to advise Ren Yuanhao to abandon his previous losing strategy, so he also chose the path to the upper right. However, he didn't expect to run smack into Ren Yuanhao!
Fortunately, his reaction was swift. Two consecutive backflips allowed him to forcefully create distance and escape the attack range.
"Trying to dodge? Not so easy!"
Ren Yuanhao's lips curved upwards. His little finger, in coordination with his palm bones, made a wide, decisive keystroke on Ctrl+1. The spirit beast he had positioned on Zhao Ritian's evasion route suddenly unleashed an 'Ice Soul Snow Heart' freeze skill, freezing both Mountain Overlord and his spirit beast!
"God-tier prediction!"
"Damn, it's more than god-tier prediction, it's like having an all-seeing eye, no, it's like he's read the script!"
This divine prediction left the high-level players stunned and exhilarated.
Zhao Ritian's hands trembled slightly. This kind of playstyle wasn't unseen, but separating the hero and spirit beast was extremely dangerous, and crucially, incredibly difficult to predict. Thus, although some people used it, very few had truly succeeded!
"Who exactly is this kid?" Zhao Ritian snorted, but he could only let his opponent continuously lock down his actions with consecutive control skills.
Before long, his spirit beast was worn down and killed. The only chance for a counter-attack now was to wait for his health to drop, triggering "Hu Tian Ri Yue."
But just then, Ren Yuanhao lazily said, "Hey, Zhao Ritian, you've actually already lost."
Ren Yuanhao's words immediately sent a shockwave through everyone present.
"What makes you think I've lost!"
Ren Yuanhao snorted, then simply recalled all his spirit beasts and activated his dance emote. His character, Oblivion, began to dance enchantingly!
"You're provoking me!"
"No, no, no, I'm just stalling for time. Your health has already dropped to 50%, and my strong control skills can prevent you from casting abilities for four to five seconds. As long as I don't miss mid-combo, and continuously chain my controls, you'll have no room to retaliate. The tournament rules state that if neither player is knocked out in the end, the one with more remaining health wins. That means, I can completely avoid wearing down your health, preventing your Hu Tian Ri Yue from triggering, and you will simply be defeated by my dance!"
Ren Yuanhao's declaration caused an uproar in the hall!
"That's right, everything he said is correct. But maintaining continuous control for about 4 minutes without a single miss, such precise timing micro-management is too difficult!"
"Yeah, even our goddess probably couldn't do it."
"Unless, he's some kind of human cheat program!"
—Human cheat program? I like that title.
Ren Yuanhao thought to himself, I'm Wu Wu Kai, so being called a human cheat program isn't an exaggeration! Thus, he arrogantly switched back to one-handed operation, looking with a smile at the ashen-faced Zhao Ritian opposite him.
Time ticked by, and the continuous control seemed as simple as breathing in Ren Yuanhao's hands. When the final bell of the battle sounded, Zhao Ritian's heart turned to despair. He slammed the table and stood up from his esports chair!
"Who the hell are you!"
"Oh? Can't handle the loss? Fine, I can give you a chance to reconsider. How about best of seven?"