The mesmerizing offensive of Qianhua Miren was dazzling, with a lightning-fast rhythm. To evade such an assault, Invincible Most Handsome's movement couldn't be minimal. This led to Chen Guo, who was beside Ye Xiu and staring at his screen, being thoroughly confused.

Despite that, she was incredibly excited.

Because she was possibly the only person who fully confirmed both their identities.

Ye Xiu, that went without saying.

Zhang Jiale, this dazzling Hundred Blossoms style of the Sharpshooter had already aroused suspicion. What's more, Ye Xiu's whispered words to Qianhua Miren were inaudible to anyone in the game except Qianhua Miren, but Chen Guo, who was right next to Ye Xiu, had heard them clearly when she leaned closer. Chen Guo didn't need to ask any more questions; she had accurately guessed this person's identity.

Chen Guo immediately immersed herself in excitement, even forgetting to scorn Ye Xiu's later actions of calling for a healer and then going into melee combat.

Zhang Jiale, he was definitely a god-level figure!

Chronologically speaking, six years of a professional career was considered quite a veteran status in the Glory Professional Alliance, which was only in its eighth season.

And in those six years, reaching the finals three times was also a remarkable achievement. Among the top-tier gods of the entire league, only Ye Qiu and Wang Jiexi had such experience. But Ye Qiu had reached the finals four times and won three championships; Wang Jiexi had reached the finals three times and won twice; Zhang Jiale had reached the finals three times and won zero championships.

This bloody comparison was truly depressing. Especially since Zhang Jiale's opponents in those three failed finals were Ye Qiu and Wang Jiexi respectively, making Zhang Jiale seem even more like a tragedy in comparison.

So, in the previous season, the seventh season of the professional league, after Zhang Jiale's Hundred Blossoms team lost to Wang Jiexi's Tiny Herb team for the second time in the finals, Zhang Jiale was completely disheartened. After a long offseason, he suddenly announced his retirement, catching the Hundred Blossoms team completely off guard. Because the preparations during the summer break weren't done well, the Hundred Blossoms team's performance this season declined drastically. However, Tiny Herb was so eye-catching in terms of regression this season that they took up a lot of the headlines that should have been criticizing the Hundred Blossoms team.

However, the Hundred Blossoms team's decline wasn't as inexplicable as Tiny Herb's. The core ace suddenly retired, and no one rose to take over the core role. It was inevitable that the team would decline after such a sudden change. But a team that could reach the finals three times was extraordinary after all. The Hundred Blossoms team's second-year rookie, Tang Hao, rose strongly this season, but unfortunately, the team's ace character in the hands of Zou Yuan, who was forced into the position, was simply substandard. While Tang Hao himself was outstanding, the Brawler account under his control wasn't a sufficient ace. The Hundred Blossoms team's performance was ultimately shaky. At this time, many people naturally thought: If Zhang Jiale was still here, with the core ace Dazzling Hundred Blossoms and the strong Tang Hao as support, the Hundred Blossoms team would undoubtedly be more competitive this season.

The harsh guys ridiculed Zhang Jiale as being worthy of the title of the most tragic god in Glory's history. After enduring so many years, he couldn't stand it anymore and retired, only for a powerful helper to immediately emerge in the team. He had missed the year that was most likely to win the championship.

However, more people with a sense of fairness felt sorry for Zhang Jiale. Judging from the still dazzling Dazzling Hundred Blossoms in last season's finals, Zhang Jiale wasn't so old that he needed to retire. It was just that years of striving failed to yield the desired rewards. Although he wasn't old in years, his heart had been worn down. Disheartened, he retired suddenly without warning, acting somewhat irresponsibly.

The topic of Zhang Jiale had persisted for a season. Even with the rise of Tang Hao, the Hundred Blossoms fans' memories of Zhang Jiale couldn't be erased. During the All-Star Weekend's Rookie Challenge, Tang Hao's flamboyant "underdog victory" led some to say after the match that it might have been because the Hundred Blossoms side was always discussing their retired captain, which drove the rookie crazy, making him eager to rise to power to the point of being possessed. On closer inspection, this explanation seemed somewhat far-fetched, but it was indeed hard to say whether Tang Hao had any complaints in his heart.

What would a team's newly promoted god think when all he heard was everyone praising the previous one? Keep in mind that Tang Hao's greatness was only his technique. In terms of age, he was only a second-year rookie who would turn eighteen this year, the age when he was most easily arrogant. Could you expect such a young man to be mature and calm?

The Hundred Blossoms team's various problems this season all stemmed from Zhang Jiale's retirement. He left quite decisively, but was he really willing in his heart? If there was another chance, would he come back again? With Tang Hao's rise this season, the calls from the Hundred Blossoms fan base to bring back Zhang Jiale had been very loud.

And now, in the game, Zhang Jiale's Sharpshooter had appeared. Combined with the previous encounter with Wei Chen, Chen Guo was instantly excited.

Chen Guo was clearly a little uneasy about their team, which was starting from scratch. And now, with such a powerful god-level figure appearing before them, how could Chen Guo not be excited? She eagerly anticipated the recurrence of the Wei Chen incident.

"You infiltrated Tyrannical Ambition just for this?" Chen Guo's excited tone was trembling.

"Which one?" Ye Xiu was puzzled.

"Him! Zhang Jiale." Chen Guo pointed at the fleeting figure of Qianhua Miren on Ye Xiu's screen. Chen Guo felt a little dizzy watching the duel between the gods from a first-person perspective.

"I ran to Tyrannical Ambition to infiltrate them just to find Zhang Jiale? Analyze the logic in that for me," Ye Xiu said helplessly.

"Isn't that so?" Chen Guo asked doubtfully.

"Of course not! It's purely coincidental! Knowing that he's here, wouldn't I be deliberately seeking death by coming like this?" Ye Xiu said.

"What do you look like?"

"Just my current equipment, no guild, and 160 free attribute points short," Ye Xiu said.

"Are you saying you can't beat him?"

"Didn't you see that I already died once?" Ye Xiu asked, very puzzled.

"I thought that was your despicable tactic," Chen Guo said, dumbfounded.

"What kind of tactic is that? Dying and reviving also deducts experience points. I'm at max level now, and deducting experience points lowers my stats," Ye Xiu said.

"So, you're even more tragic now?" Chen Guo asked.

"Didn't you see me calling for a healer just now?" Ye Xiu said. "What exactly were you watching?"

"I... I..." Chen Guo was completely speechless. She really hadn't expected that the reason why Ye Xiu's Invincible Most Handsome died and called for a healer was simply because he "couldn't beat him," so simple and unadorned. She had been thinking very deeply about what shameless conspiracy was hidden in those actions. The truth left her speechless.

If you can't beat him, you die.

If you can't beat him, you call for help.

How logical was that? But when it happened to Ye Xiu, Chen Guo regarded it as the most illogical thing and didn't even think about it for a second.

Chen Guo was still in a daze when Ye Xiu shouted rudely again, "Is there anyone who can help?"

Now Chen Guo really knew that this wasn't a conspiracy, this wasn't trash talk, this wasn't a trap. He was really calling for "help" because he couldn't beat him.

Although Ye Xiu's Invincible Most Handsome seized the opportunity created by Zhang Jiale's momentary daze and launched a wave of counterattacks, as he had told Chen Guo, he was at too great a disadvantage in terms of his character. Although the equipment was provided by Jiang You, it was only slightly better than his outdated set, far inferior to Qianhua Miren's. This inferiority wasn't just in terms of stats. Invincible Most Handsome was just given a random set by Jiang You, while Qianhua Miren's was obviously carefully put together by Zhang Jiale based on his operating habits and style. It was like two people fighting, one using a brick he just picked up, and the other using a weapon that he was very comfortable with.

Secondly, there was a difference of 160 attribute points. Because Invincible Most Handsome didn't have a guild, he didn't have them, while Qianhua Miren was affiliated with the Hundred Blossoms guild.

These two disadvantages were enough.

The current opponent wasn't any player from the Heavenly Domain. Ye Xiu could easily beat them even if they were higher level. This was a pro-level god on the same level as him, with only one less finals experience than him. Not to mention ordinary players, even Wei Chen was no longer on the same level as Zhang Jiale.

So, Ye Xiu only let Invincible Most Handsome show off for a while after seizing the opportunity, but Zhang Jiale calmly relied on his obvious advantages to turn the situation around. So, Ye Xiu had to call for help again.

But this time, the Hundred Blossoms guild wouldn't give him another chance.

After recognizing Zhang Jiale's identity, the belief in upholding this battle even surpassed the desire to grab the Boss.

"Explode him!!!"

After hearing Ye Xiu call for help again, the Hundred Blossoms guild players cheered excitedly again.

Zhang Jiale also seemed to have returned to the arena, launching attacks continuously amidst the cheers of the fans.

"I say, why are you so serious?" Ye Xiu said, while maneuvering Invincible Most Handsome to find an opportunity.

"I don't see you relaxing much either?" Zhang Jiale finally spoke.

"Of course, I'm determined to rebuild the team and return to the league, so I have to be serious. I'm doing serious business! If you want to abuse noobs and find a sense of superiority, go somewhere else. Hurry up and pretend to disconnect," Ye Xiu said.

"Didn't you just say that abusing noobs doesn't give you a sense of superiority? I think abusing you is not bad," Zhang Jiale said.

"I'm doing serious business, I don't have time to fool around with you!" Ye Xiu said angrily.

"You're still not planning to give up?" Zhang Jiale asked.

"Why should I give up?" Ye Xiu retorted.

"You've already had everything you should have, what are you clinging to?" Zhang Jiale asked.

"I've never heard of anyone complaining about having too many championships," Ye Xiu said.

"You still want to win a championship?" Zhang Jiale laughed.

"The feeling of winning a championship is addictive. I really miss that feeling," Ye Xiu said.

"Damn..." Zhang Jiale was depressed. He knew what his situation was, yet this guy was talking about the feeling of winning a championship, which was just rubbing salt in the wound!

"I don't think I've reached the point where I need to retire. As long as there's a glimmer of hope, I'll never retire, even if it's just for one more day," Ye Xiu said.

"Bro, you're also in retirement right now, okay?" Zhang Jiale said.

"Striving isn't just limited to the professional league. This is also Glory, this is where we truly started."
Hu Die Lan
Chapter 1 The Beginning