Pro Scene
In the Glory Professional Alliance, many teams competed for the championship—starting from the regular season and leading into the playoffs. They would fight each other until only one team remained at the top. The championship had become a dream goal for many, and Ye Xiu had already tasted victory, starting from Season 1 to Season 3. His former team, Excellent Era, dominated the Glory Alliance until Season 4, when Tyrannical Ambition ended their streak, forming a rivalry between the two teams that lasted for almost a decade.
The competition was divided into three sections: the Individual Challenge, the Group Challenge, and the Team Challenge.
Each provided points. In the Individual Challenge, limited to three players, they engaged in 1v1 battles. Every win was worth 1 point (3 points in total).
The Group Challenge functioned similarly. It was also limited to three players per team, but in this format, the winner remained on stage to face the next opponent. The match continued until one team was completely defeated. The last team standing would earn 2 points.
Lastly, in the Team Challenge, five players engaged in a 5v5 battle. If one player died, they could be substituted by the sixth man. Whoever won this match would be rewarded with 5 points.
However, the point distribution changed during the playoffs—the Group Challenge was worth 5 points, and the Team Challenge was worth 6 points.
The format always followed the same order: individual, group, and finally team. However, there was a limit—each player could only participate in two events. Meaning, if a player joined both the Individual and Group Challenges, they wouldn't be able to participate in the Team Challenge.
The match began. Ye Xiu, Ron, and Chen Guo stood at the back, watching.
The first match was set—Team 301's Gao Jie, whose character was Stellar Sword, versus Team Excellent Era's Su Mucheng, who used Dancing Rain!
When Su Mucheng's name was mentioned, the crowd erupted. Boys and girls shouted her name excitedly, waving their fists in the air and jumping around while chanting:
"OH OH! Su Mucheng!"
"Su Mucheng! So pretty!"
"My idol!"
Seeing the hype, Ron grew curious.
"They keep shouting her name. Is she really that incredible? " he asked, which was quickly answered by a diehard fan, Guo Guo.
"Of course! " she exclaimed proudly. "Not only is she beautiful, but she's also the strongest female player in Glory! "
"Strongest female player, huh? That's interesting…" Ron said, focusing back on the match.
However, Ye Xiu had a different opinion. "Strongest female player? Who said that!? " he said with a chuckle, catching both Ron and Guo Guo's attention.
Ron looked puzzled while Chen Guo stared at him in disdain. "Isn't she the strongest female player? " she snorted.
"Nope. That's just hype," Ye Xiu replied.
"A hype, huh… So she's not the strongest then? " Ron asked.
"Yes. If we're talking about skill, then the strongest female player would be Chu Yunxiu," Ye Xiu replied.
Between the two, Ron obviously believed Ye Xiu more—after all, he was far more experienced than Guo Guo. Still, she refused to accept it.
"Really? How can she be the strongest when her team always drops out early in the playoffs? "
"Haha! " Ye Xiu only laughed instead of answering. "Just watch—the match has started."
The gap between normal players and professionals was massive—both in equipment and skill set. Pro players usually had silver equipment, though that didn't mean others didn't. In truth, the difference between pro players wasn't too large; it often came down to small details—stats, timing, or precision—and in the end, victory depended on individual skill.
While God-level accounts made a significant difference on paper, Su Mucheng's Dancing Rain hadn't reached that level yet—especially compared to One Autumn Leaf. Even compared to Ron's No Name, Dancing Rain wouldn't hold a candle.
Still, the same applied to Stellar Sword; his account wasn't God-level either, though at least it was above average among pros in the alliance.
"Beautiful, Su, I'll be starting now! " Gao Jie typed in public chat.
Trash talk wasn't uncommon in the game—players often used public chat to send messages or taunts. Normally, voice chat would have been available, but due to endless chatter from some players, the rules were changed.
Despite his comment focusing on her femininity, Su Mucheng wasn't affected (though her fans certainly were). She simply replied, "Okay :)."
It was a battle between a Launcher and a Blade Master. If Tang Rou were here, she might've thought Launchers were weak in close combat—but Guo Guo would explain that it all depended on the player's skill.
The map wasn't an open field; it had been pre-selected by Team 301. They clearly studied it well—Stellar Sword hid strategically, tracking Dancing Rain's movements. In Glory, teams could choose to fight on their home or away turf. This time, Excellent Era was the visiting team, meaning Team 301 had the privilege to select the map.
Despite the advantage, Stellar Sword didn't rush. This clearly showed the difference between pros and amateurs. Pro players never rushed blindly—every move was calculated with victory in mind.
Stellar Sword's silver equipment was a full set of white armor, and he wielded a sword named White Light Saber. Taking a long route, he carefully navigated toward Dancing Rain's position, ready to strike when she least expected it.
But being an expert herself, Su Mucheng had already predicted his movement. Dancing Rain repositioned to higher ground so that if Stellar Sword attacked, she could unleash heavy fire from above.
"That guy knows what he's doing," Ron said, noticing the subtle tactics.
While most of the internet café viewers mocked Gao Jie, calling him an amateur for sneaking around instead of attacking, Ron saw the truth. As someone who preferred stealth and assassination tactics, he understood that Gao Jie's movements weren't random—they were deliberate. Ye Xiu saw it too.
Just as they predicted, Gao Jie didn't charge recklessly. Instead, he had Stellar Sword lower his stance and sneak along a different route.
Seeing this, Chen Guo couldn't hold back anymore. "Why does this guy keep sneaking around!? Hurry up and get yourself killed already!! " she shouted.
What is she saying? That's not how it works, Ron thought. He decided to speak up. "Boss, that's a blind spot."
"Huh? " Chen Guo frowned, not understanding. Ye Xiu stepped in to explain.
"Boss, Gao Jie's position is a blind spot. No matter where Su Mucheng tries to snipe from, she won't be able to locate him," he said.
"And he's using her footprints to figure out which sniping spot she's hiding in," Ron added, earning Ye Xiu's nod of approval.
Hearing their analysis—which matched the commentary—Chen Guo's face turned crimson with embarrassment. She went quiet and focused on the match.
But then Ron said something that surprised her.
"Stellar Sword will be killed."