Chapter 154 Utter Suppression

Such a sorry state was something Tang Rou hadn’t experienced in a long time. In her relatively short Glory career, perhaps only during her initial matches with Ye Xiu, and when she fought against Wang Jiexi, the captain of the Tiny Herb team who had invited her, did she feel such a deep sense of powerlessness.

But Tang Rou knew that those two were definitely far superior to her, and her skill level was low at the time. When those two fought her, it was like how she was now bullying ordinary players.

Now, as her skill continued to improve and her experience accumulated, even when facing those two gods again, Tang Rou felt that she wouldn’t be as helpless as before. Yet now, just a player from Team Wu Ji, whose name Tang Rou didn't even know, only that he was the guy who had been ridiculed terribly by Wei Chen in the previous match, and mocked by Wei Chen for a full half hour after the match, was now suppressing her completely.

Complete suppression.

It was as if she was facing Ye Xiu's unspecialized character or Wang Jiexi's Magician, Tang Rou felt utterly powerless.

Tang Rou certainly knew that the Warlock class had strong crowd control abilities. But if she was being beaten so badly just because of the class, wouldn't that mean the Warlock class was invincible? In the pro scene, there were all kinds of classes that went up against Warlocks, including her own Battle Mage. Did everyone get beaten so helplessly when facing a Warlock?

Of course not. The reason had to be found within herself. Was it that she hadn't played well from the start, causing her to fall into her opponent's rhythm?

Tang Rou was no longer the newbie she once was. She had learned to reflect on the problems that arose during matches, and her reflections were quite accurate.

But regretting it now wouldn't rewind time to that moment. She still had to deal with the situation in front of her. However, after being hit by Chaos Rain, her character was beyond her control, and she could only watch helplessly. This was also due to some equipment reasons. Pro teams paid great attention to resistance to status effects. If they had to face a Warlock, they would definitely adjust their equipment accordingly.

Team Happy didn't have such conditions yet, so Soft Mist’s resistance was very mediocre. Facing a Warlock, the skills had a great impact on her. She couldn't break free from the chaotic state in a short time. For a simple example, against physical attack classes, physical defense was needed; against magic attack classes, magic defense was needed. Similarly, against Warlocks, the mental stat, which affected resistance to status effects, was the most important. Soft Mist didn't have specific measures, so her current embarrassment was partly due to this. That's why in the online game, Warlocks were once considered a bug class that broke the balance. But as players paid more attention to resistance to status effects, they understood that it was just that each class had its strengths and weaknesses, and they all countered each other.

Tang Rou wasn't thinking about these things now. She was just looking for reasons within herself. Just as the chaotic state was about to end, Leopold had already prepared a new control skill.

A Binding Curse bound Soft Mist, followed by a wave of dark skills.

The audience channel was becoming increasingly lively. One character's health was plummeting, while the other remained motionless. The restrained and reserved face-slapping party could no longer hold back. Some even started calling their companions, as such a satisfying face-slapping scene was too good to miss.

Team Wu Ji’s Warlock player was also very excited. This week’s preparations had been timely. The feeling of having everything under control was great. The Warlock player was getting smoother and smoother, his thinking clearer, his actions more flexible, and his timing more precise. Everything seemed to be in sync with his breathing and heartbeat. At this moment, he truly felt like he was Leopold, standing under the red flower pavilion, chanting dark incantations.

With his opponent's excellent performance, Tang Rou ultimately failed to turn the tables, and was completely defeated by Leopold. The cheers in the audience channel when Soft Mist fell were overwhelming. The face-slapping party that had come to watch had quickly taken over the channel, overshadowing the fans of Team Wu Ji.

Taunts like "The east wind blows, the war drums beat, who should Soft Mist fear?" finally flooded the screen.

On Team Happy's side, the atmosphere was also a bit tense.

Everyone knew about Tang Rou's competitiveness. Being completely defeated in this match must have been a great psychological blow. Everyone was looking at Tang Rou. Of course, she couldn't have a smile on her face. The word "depressed" was practically written all over her. The movement of pushing back the keyboard and releasing the mouse was extremely reluctant.

Chen Guo walked over, trying to comfort her, but... this loss was a bit too embarrassing. Where could she find something nice to say?

As a result, Ye Xiu spoke, saying only four words: "Still needs practice!"

Too heartless!

Wei Chen almost couldn't help but scold him! The depressed look on the beautiful woman's face after losing the match was really heartbreaking. You bastard, is that how you comfort people?

Before Wei Chen could mock him, Tang Rou responded with a simple "Mm!"

After speaking, her hand returned to the keyboard and mouse. Chen Guo, who had been about to comfort her, saw Tang Rou exit the arena and was surprised. "What are you doing?"

"Going to practice!" Tang Rou said.

Chen Guo was really a bit dumbfounded. If she didn't truly understand Tang Rou, she would have thought that Tang Rou was angered by Ye Xiu's words "Still needs practice!" and was stubbornly going to practice.

"The match isn't over yet!" Chen Guo said.

"Must win!" Tang Rou shouted, raising her hand.

"Nonsense." Ye Xiu replied succinctly.

Team Happy's second player was Qiao Yifan and his One Inch Ash. The character was already standing at the competition seat. Tang Rou left him with a full-health opponent, which made him feel a bit pressured, but after hearing the simple and crude conversation between the defeated Tang Rou and the yet-to-play Ye Xiu, he seemed to gain courage.

The second round of the individual competition began soon.

Qiao Yifan, One Inch Ash.

Since Chang Xian's interview hadn't been published yet, no one except for Team Excellent Era knew that One Inch Ash was actually Qiao Yifan, who had also worked in the pro scene. In addition, he rarely played before. In the first round, Team Wu Ji’s intelligence on One Inch Ash was quite limited. They only found that this character had completed the God's Domain challenge at level 55, breaking through to the God's Domain. Based on this alone, this person shouldn't be a new player from the new server.

Through the first round of the match, Team Wu Ji came to the conclusion about Qiao Yifan: cunning, very cunning.

How should one deal with a cunning player? Naturally, one had to be careful, very careful.

Moreover, through analysis, Team Wu Ji concluded that One Inch Ash was a Formation Master, which was a relatively favorable point.

The playstyle of a Formation Master and a Blade Master were completely different, so it was easy to tell at a glance. Formation Masters were more team-oriented, providing support, so their combat power in one-on-one situations was slightly weaker. This became an important aspect of dealing with One Inch Ash.

That was all the information they had. The Team Wu Ji’s Warlock player, who had just defeated Tang Rou, was in a state of confidence. After silently reviewing the characteristics of this player and character, he already had a plan in mind. Every encounter with an opponent was unpredictable, so they had to prepare for any possibility. Whether it was against Soft Mist, One Inch Ash, or even Windward Formation and Lord Grim, each player on Team Wu Ji had thought about and discussed countermeasures during this week. They were well prepared for this round.

Three, two, one...

After the countdown, the match began. The map was still Red Flower Pavilion, but the two opponents were now classes that controlled the power of darkness: a Ghost Swordsman and a Warlock.

Similarly approaching the center of the map, Qiao Yifan wasn't as direct as Tang Rou. One Inch Ash had been using the map's possible cover along the way. In the eyes of Team Wu Ji’s players, this was cunning!

Qiao Yifan didn't actively approach his opponent, and Team Wu Ji’s Warlock player didn't actively look for him either. Are you kidding me? In the first round, Team Wu Ji’s Sharpshooter was too proactive, which led him to step into One Inch Ash’s trap. They couldn't make the same mistake twice.

In fact, such traps and pitfalls might be ineffective for a regular player team. Many ordinary players were unscrupulous, and there was no online supervision. Ten out of ten would open a God's perspective to remind and shout at each other. However, Team Wu Ji was very disciplined. So far, only He An couldn't help but offer a reminder during the individual competition. Everyone didn't mention the matter after the match. That match also ended in Team Wu Ji's defeat. If they had won because of that reminder, it would have been an unsportsmanlike victory. Even if they were happy about the victory, there would always be a shadow in their hearts.

The second round of the competition was crucial. Even so, from the individual competition to now, Team Wu Ji hadn't violated any rules. They had only prepared diligently for a week, but never thought of using cheating methods to help themselves overcome difficulties.

One Inch Ash and Leopold hadn't clashed for a long time, and the audience was getting impatient. Those watching were more likely to be nervous at this point. The God's perspective allowed them to have a clearer understanding of the dynamics of both sides. Right now, the two were moving around, but not making contact. Finally, Leopold quietly moved to One Inch Ash’s flank. One Inch Ash was now exposed to Leopold's casting range!

"Kill him!!" The audience channel was filled with spam.