Chapter 154 The Applause

In the silence of the arena, applause began in a corner and quickly spread, filling the entire venue.

Happy didn't have many supporters at the venue, and some players even disliked them. However, fair-minded Glory players wouldn't ignore such a brilliant performance. The electronic screen hung before the eyes of all the spectators, and everyone could see Qiao Yifan's performance, an indisputable display that deserved such applause.

The rash attack at the beginning was finally reinterpreted as a trap to lure the opponent, with the goal of bringing Ghost Swordsman to the desired location.

"I'm sure the audience hasn't forgotten that sneak attack at the corner of the wall. Let's take a look together." The commentator couldn't wait to have the director cut to that moment when reviewing the match.

The director had prepared this footage in advance, but the subsequent battle was continuous, lasting until Ghost Swordsman was killed, so there was no time to broadcast it. Now that it was finally shown, everyone saw Ghost Swordsman's perspective.

When Ghost Swordsman chased into the alley, he couldn't see An Inch of Gray, but at the corner, a long shadow was cast on the ground. Ghost Swordsman saw it and immediately pursued. Reaching the corner, he moved in an arc, creating space as he rushed out, where An Inch of Gray, hidden in ambush, struck with both man and blade.

The setting sun shone down, both real and illusory. In Ghost Swordsman's perspective, An Inch of Gray was just a silhouette, his blade light completely swallowed by the incoming sunset light and shadow. Ghost Swordsman was caught off guard and hit, and then he was trapped in the corner, leading to his defeat.

"So that's how it was…" the commentator exclaimed. "Happy's player cleverly used the position and the light, hiding his slash within it. Everyone, please note that An Inch of Gray jumped when he used Moonlight Slash. It was this jump that sent the blade light into the cover of the sunset light. I think this must have been practiced extensively, and this position used to kill Ghost Swordsman was clearly planned. Happy had a clear strategic intent from the beginning. As everyone knows, although the map for this match was designed temporarily, all the maps were available for download after the start of the competition, and the map for each match was announced in advance in the event schedule to facilitate preparations by the teams. It seems that Happy's players have worked hard in this regard, but what about Team Zhuxian? He's also a Ghost Swordsman, although he's a hybrid build of both blade and formation, this is also a geographical position that could have been used, but he doesn't seem to have noticed it."

"Happy's player won beautifully. Let's remember the name of this player, Qiao Yifan! He should stand up and receive the applause of the audience, but unfortunately, this is a individual arena competition, and he still has the match to continue. But it doesn't matter, there will be a long road ahead, and I believe this player has a bright future. Speaking of this player named Qiao Yifan, he initially played for Team Tiny Herb. For some reason, we never seemed to see him on the field, and he left after one season. I wonder if Team Tiny Herb will have any regrets seeing Qiao Yifan's performance today?"

Amidst the commentator's praise and the applause of the audience, the defeated player from Team Zhuxian walked out of the player booth. The cheers and applause for Qiao Yifan were so embarrassing for him. He walked slowly, as if trying to escape back to the player bench, while their boss, Xiao Jie, sat outside the field with a dark face. Seeing his slow pace, he coldly snorted and ignored him, calling Team Zhuxian's third player to come forward.

"Pay more attention. The opponent knows the map very well. Be careful not to repeat the same mistakes. Also…" Xiao Jie instructed with great concern.

"I understand." The third player, Zheng Shengchao, was a Berserker using the character Zhan Xiangsi. After being instructed by Xiao Jie, he stepped onto the field.

The third match began. The situation was unfavorable for Team Zhuxian. An Inch of Gray had consumed a lot of mana in the second game, but lost less than 20% of his health. He was almost ahead by one player. Xiao Jie, who was at a disadvantage, sat up straight and didn't turn his head to talk to Ye Xiu with a smile.

The match started. Because of his outstanding performance in the previous match, even the commentator couldn't help but show some bias. At the beginning, the concern was how Qiao Yifan would deal with this match with low health and mana. After the concern, the commentator introduced Zhuxian's new player, Zheng Shengchao.

It's a bit awkward for Berserkers to fight in an individual arena competition. The signature skill, Bloodthirst, creates a unique play style that involves selling blood. The rhythm changes caused by selling blood make many people find Berserkers troublesome. However, in a one-on-one fight, it can be decisive, but in an individual arena competition, what can you do against the next opponent if you sell all your health? Although a Berserker's fighting power increases as their health decreases, it's not enough to casually kill opponents. Are you going to throw away 90% of your health at the start? There's no such thing as selling blood like that. While selling blood, a Berserker will also suppress the opponent's health to a similar level. If you see a Berserker with very little health and the opponent with full health, don't think the Berserker is selling blood for a big burst. Ninety-nine percent of the time, it means the Berserker is about to be killed…

This profession's characteristics make it a bit difficult for Berserkers in an individual arena competition, especially when the opponent is in the lead. It becomes even more difficult.

Xiao Jie gave their Berserker player a thorough lecture, but his expression remained cold and stern, indicating that he was aware of their current situation.

They knew, and Qiao Yifan knew even better. From his performance in the previous match, it could be seen that Qiao Yifan had done a lot of preparation and was very serious and meticulous in his preparations. He even noticed and used the sunlight at a corner. How could he not be mentally prepared for the current situation?

Zheng Shengchao didn't rush his Berserker to duel with An Inch of Gray. Qiao Yifan didn't let his guard down just because he was in the lead. Both of them were carefully and patiently looking for opportunities.

This scene made Xiao Jie a little anxious.

He was certain that the leading position would make the opponent more aggressive and bold. Under normal circumstances, they might try something bolder in situations where they would need to think more carefully, since they have a health advantage to fall back on! Therefore, he instructed Zheng Shengchao to actively exploit this mindset.

But now, does the opponent have such a mindset? Xiao Jie couldn't help but wonder. In the previous match, Qiao Yifan actively used sneak attacks and temptations to take the initiative on the field. But in this game, he was even more cautious. He wouldn't even try a bold attempt with a three-tenths chance. Now, Qiao Yifan would ignore opportunities with five-tenths or six-tenths of a chance, seeking even more certain opportunities.

Xiao Jie's judgments were completely wrong, which made him very unhappy. Zheng Shengchao also noticed this on the field. After cautiously testing each other with Qiao Yifan for a while, he finally decided to abandon the strategy Xiao Jie had arranged for him. The opponent simply wasn't falling for it.

Unable to lure the opponent, Zheng Shengchao had to seek an opportunity to break through head-on. But Qiao Yifan didn't fight him head-on, instead weaving through the streets and alleys, familiar with the map as if it were his own home.

Zheng Shengchao was puzzled. It was a new map for both of them, so how could Qiao Yifan be so familiar with it, understanding the map so thoroughly?

As Zheng Shengchao chased, he became increasingly frustrated. At each turn, he had to look up to see where the sun was, and he had to think about whether there were any pits or blind spots that could be completely blocked by ghost formations. With so much to consider, he often lost track of Qiao Yifan after chasing for a while, which made Zheng Shengchao even more frustrated.

"Are you trying to run until you fully recover?" Zheng Shengchao couldn't help but talk to his opponent in the public channel. Glory characters have default health and mana regeneration, but the effect on actual combat is negligible. Otherwise, wouldn't the competition never end? So Zheng Shengchao knew that the opponent wasn't doing it for that purpose. He was just taunting him.

As a result, on Happy's player bench, Ye Xiu actually leaned over and asked Chen Guo next to him, "Did Yifan bring recovery equipment?"

"Do you think everyone is like you?" Chen Guo felt powerless.

Ye Xiu had done such a thing before, but it was considered a bold move by a skilled player. Carrying two sets of equipment increases the load, and the combat situation may be different. It's hard to say whether the extra set of equipment will save your life or kill you in the end. So, after the equipment-switching strategy became popular in the professional circle for a short period, it was quickly deemed impractical. It's okay to carry one or two pieces for some variation, but carrying two sets of equipment with the intention of using them each effectively will probably just drag you down.

Even Ye Xiu would only dare to do so when facing the players of Team Wuji. If he were to compete with a high-level expert of the same level, he would have to consider it carefully.

"I think that with Yifan's level, bringing such a set is reliable!" Wei Chen gave a positive affirmation, meaning that Qiao Yifan's level was enough to handle the Zhuxian players and play with it.

"Did you think that Yifan would be as shameless and have no bottom line as you two?" Chen Guo was exasperated.

"I think it's mainly because Yifan is more cautious," Ye Xiu said.

"Yes, yes, I have to say he overestimated these Zhuxian players a bit," Wei Chen said.

"At the beginning, there was also an analysis that Zhuxian had hidden strength," Ye Xiu said.

"Yeah, you're right. If this hadn't happened, he would have brought it now," Wei Chen said.

"Yeah, he would definitely have brought it," Ye Xiu nodded.

"Get out, get out, you two get out!!" Chen Guo shouted.

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It's late, have you all had lunch already?!