Chapter 323: The Group Stage Ends
“Listen to what you were saying out there?”
Xi Min looked helplessly at Xu Zhi, who had just returned.
Xu Zhi shrugged. “It should be fine, right?”
Sure, what she’d said had been provocative—but at most it showed she actually understood the game and had an extremely arrogant personality. Neither of those was a problem.
In fact, pretending to know nothing about the competition would’ve been overdoing it.
After all, in the public eye she was a “privileged young lady” who got in through connections. With the teaching resources of Lian City’s Inner Academy, even a sheltered heiress should at least understand the flow of a match.
As for the online uproar after the commentary session?
That was the thing Xu Zhi cared about least.
“Isn’t this good?” Chu Xiaoyue calmly analyzed from the side. “Right now, the impression the outside world has of junior sister aligns perfectly with our plan.”
“If we’re not unlucky in the first round, we shouldn’t draw a very strong opponent. When facing weaker teams, continuing not to field her will further confirm their suspicions. Other teams will focus on researching my abilities instead and lower their guard against her.”
“Look—people are already saying she wouldn’t tolerate sitting on the bench forever with that kind of personality.”
Xu Zhi tilted her head to glance over. It was a trending topic about her commentary, filled with heated discussion.
[From what she showed today, someone that arrogant wouldn’t be willing to sit out the entire tournament as background decoration.]
[The heiress will only appear when victory is absolutely guaranteed.]
[She talked big today. Let’s see if she can still talk big when she actually plays.]
[What if she never plays?]
[Unlikely. With how proud she sounded, there’s no way she’d endure riding the bench forever.]
[Exactly. Everyone online says she got in through connections. If it were me, I’d definitely want to prove myself on stage.]
“Interesting.” Xu Zhi seemed mildly surprised. Chu Xiaoyue, who looked even more detached from worldly matters than herself, actually had a sharp grasp of online psychology.
But the netizens clearly misunderstood her.
If she could sit on the bench the whole time and still receive rewards, she’d be perfectly happy to.
Her personality was rebellious. Her temper unpredictable. But laziness was carved into her bones.
“That may be true, but this could affect Xu Zhi’s reputation…”
Xi Min trailed off, glancing at the sharply divided comments in the trending thread. Everyone understood what she meant.
Lian City’s Light Academy intended to cultivate Xu Zhi as the next leader figure. “Reputation” did matter—especially for someone who might one day represent them publicly.
“It’ll be fine,” Xu Zhi said again. “As long as we play well later, today’s bad reviews will reverse themselves.”
When a weak person speaks arrogantly, it’s called ignorance.
When a strong and capable person speaks arrogantly, it’s called personality.
“…Alright.”
Xi Min sighed. If Xu Zhi herself didn’t care about her reputation, there was no point worrying on her behalf.
The group stage schedule continued in full swing. Aside from one commentary appearance by Xu Zhi and Shu Yushan, Lian City declined further invitations. The two of them received a generous share of the commentary revenue—thanks entirely to Xu Zhi’s “entertainment value.”
As for how Dingchan’s team might feel after hearing her remarks?
Xu Zhi had never considered it.
The only mildly surprising news during training and match reviews was that Dingchan’s first-year main carry had broken through to Level 7 Comprehension before the third round of the group stage and successfully advanced again.
“Unexpected,” Shu Yushan remarked lightly, a hint of surprise in his eyes.
“Don’t tell me this team’s actually going to make the finals?” Tong Zhou raised a brow at Xu Zhi.
The group stage was more than halfway done. Xu Zhi’s sharp commentary was still frequently brought up. If the very team she had dismissed as worthless made the finals, the internet would have a field day.
Xu Zhi responded expressionlessly, “Even if they make the finals—so what?”
Tong Zhou burst out laughing. “Fair enough.”
Even if they did make it—so what?
They might have sharpened themselves through prelims and group matches, but growth had limits.
They weren’t protagonists in some hot-blooded manga. Reality wasn’t so easily overturned by underdogs. At most, it would add some entertainment value.
Soon, the group stage drew to a close. Several teams Xi Min had shown them footage of earlier performed well. Meanwhile, the team named “Luzhou,” backed by Zhushen Heavy Industries, dominated with a perfect record, drawing significant public attention.
“The group stage is about to end,” Xi Min said. “A few teams here are worth watching, though whether we’ll face them is uncertain. The finals opening ceremony and draw will be held in two days. Stop any extra training—just maintain condition. Get some rest and adjust your mindset.”
The players’ expressions brightened with anticipation.
“Is it finally our turn?”
“Scrims are so boring. Let the finals start already!”
“Not that fast,” someone reminded. “There’ll be a one-week gap after the draw so teams promoted from groups can adjust.”
“Doesn’t matter! I can’t wait to see who we face first!”
“Coach Xi, you have to let me play in the first match.”
Tong Zhou leaned forward eagerly, hands braced on the table. Heaven knew how badly he wanted to unleash himself on stage. In scrims lately, he’d been forced to hold back—it was suffocating.
Xi Min glanced at him and nodded decisively. “Alright.”
“Anyone else want to play the first match?”
“Me, me, me!” Ji Muge shot his hand up.
Xi Min nodded again. “Sure.”
“Really?” Ji Muge beamed.
“Why not? We’ll most likely avoid very strong opponents in the first round. The organizers can’t rig it, but for viewership’s sake they’ll apply seeding-avoidance principles to shape the finals bracket.”
They’d probably face a team that had just advanced from the group stage.
And in the worst-case scenario—if they were absurdly unlucky and drew a particularly troublesome opponent—Ji Muge would be the first to suggest a substitution.
That was why Xi Min agreed so readily.
Because she knew there were no fools on this team.
