Chapter 326: The Gap in Strength
On the day of the main event, Lian City Light Academy’s match was scheduled for 4 p.m.
Not quite prime time—but still a very good slot.
Now that the finals had begun, many matches were worth watching. Especially today—several teams that could be considered real powerhouses were competing. However, Xi Min did not allow her team to observe the other matches. Instead, she instructed them to relax as much as possible and focus only on the opponent they would be facing today.
As for the other teams’ matches, they would review recordings afterward.
The participating teams were distributed across different arenas. Any team competing that day would have its own private preparation room. Each team had to arrive at least one hour before the match to check in.
Twenty minutes before the official start, the head coach and players had to leave the prep room and head to the arena. There, a waiting area allowed them to see the stage and the opposing team’s preparation zone.
That afternoon, shortly after lunch, Xi Min led the team to their preparation room.
“Our opponent, Xigong City Academy, advanced from the open qualifiers. In previous years—when there were fewer final slots—they usually hovered near the bottom of the group advancement rankings and occasionally failed to qualify for the finals. They’re not particularly strong, but we can’t underestimate them.”
Before the match, Xi Min gave her final instructions.
“Don’t think of this as a chance to play around. You can look down on them in your hearts—but don’t hold back when you act. Understood?”
Seeing them nod, she said no more. “Alright. Rest for a bit. We’re about to start.”
In the official livestream, the previous match had ended some time ago, and most of the advertisements had already aired.
[Where are they where are they?!]
[Why hasn’t the next match started yet?]
[Today’s schedule is amazing! Our company literally gave us the day off to watch—so good!]
[Jealous. Must be a big corporation. Probably sponsoring one of the teams.]
[Next match is Lian City Light Academy, right? I’ve been waiting forever!]
[Great schedule today, but they’re all stomps. No suspense.]
[What’s wrong with stomps? I love watching stomps!]
[I just want to know if Lian City Light Academy’s first-year is playing.]
[If she’s not playing in a stomp, when would she play? Against strong teams?]
[She probably will. But if she does, that just proves she’s a rich kid here for experience.]
Amid all the speculation, the livestream finally returned to the commentary desk. After Xiaoxiao and Peak Bro finished their introductions, the match officially began.
“We can see Lian City Light Academy’s players entering the preparation area. This is one of today’s most anticipated teams—a long-established powerhouse. And before the tournament even began, discussion was already buzzing because they have a first-year starting player.”
Xiaoxiao introduced the lineup, and her co-commentator Peak Bro chimed in at just the right moment.
“Although many people say last year’s lineup was excellent, in my opinion, this year might be another peak for them. We can see that this team has a rare member with extremely obvious externalized attributes. Extraordinary individuals like that usually possess extraordinary talent. And she’s the team captain—that alone shows she’s this year’s core.”
“Exactly. The only question is—will the captain be playing today?”
“Let’s find out! The match between Lian City Light Academy and Xigong City Academy begins now!”
As Xiaoxiao finished speaking, both teams finalized their order for the 1v1 stage.
There were plenty of spectators on site today. The stands were packed—more than half clearly fans of Lian City Light Academy. When the words “Match Start” rang out, thunderous cheers erupted from the audience.
“Hearing all this applause is making me nervous.”
Tong Zhou rolled his wrist, watching Shu Yushan walk toward the stage.
“Hope the kid leaves a few for me.”
But that seemed unlikely.
There was a reason this team only managed mid-to-lower advancement rankings.
They had three Long-Lived members—but none capable of instantly securing victory in a 1v1 scenario. In fact, if the opponent deliberately gave up, Shu Yushan might even be able to pull off a 1v5.
Of course, given that their chances in the team battle were slim, the opponent wouldn’t give up the 1v1 stage.
If they were destined for a first-round exit, they might as well showcase as much strength as possible. Who knew—maybe some financial group would notice one of them?
Fight to the death.
A 1v5 would be difficult for Shu Yushan—even though each opponent individually was weaker than him.
Sure enough, once the match began, the opposing team sent out their strongest members one after another for the 1v1 stage. Shu Yushan managed to achieve a 1v3 streak. Though he still had enough strength for another match, there was no need to push it.
After defeating the third opponent, he chose to concede and passed the baton to Tong Zhou.
When he stepped off the stage, his extraordinary energy was nearly depleted. Xi Min approved of his decision. It was only the first match—there was no need to go all out. A 1v3 was already mission accomplished.
“We can see that, against Lian City Light Academy, Xigong City Academy really doesn’t have many options.”
“This is the consequence of the gap in strength.”
The commentators sounded regretful.
“Xigong City Academy has already sent out their fifth player—but Lian City Light Academy has only fielded their second member. And judging from his expression, he still looks completely at ease.”
[Home team Lian City. So satisfying.]
[Kind of sad for small teams that draw a powerhouse like this. Easy 2v5—and that’s without their main core even playing. If she played, it’d probably be a 1v5.]
[Teams that get 1v5’d basically become background props in league history. No sponsor would look twice. Lian City is probably hiding their main core’s abilities—but honestly, they’re doing the opponent a favor?]
[These two are probably the strongest after the main core, right? Was the first one the vice-core? Even their vice-core is stronger than group-stage team cores.]
[Terrifying. Is this what an old powerhouse looks like?]
[Watch the earlier matches today—it’s all like this. Entire teams full of Long-Lived. Ridiculous. Makes you wonder if Long-Lived are cabbages over there.]
[Now you understand why seed teams are seeds. Letting them play qualifiers would be like sharks entering a pond.]
[1v1 isn’t satisfying enough—bring on the team battle!]
Amid the barrage of comments, the intermission between the 1v1 and team battle ended.
[The best part—the team battle—is here! Wonder if Lian City Light Academy will sub in two bench players like the previous teams?]
[I bet they will!]
[Against a team this much weaker, even two substitutes wouldn’t change the outcome.]
[Not so sure. Their subs are different. One’s a first-year. If she’s not strong enough, that’s basically handing over a flaw.]
[Or maybe—even if they hand over two flaws—they’d still win?]
