Chapter 329: A Roadblock
After Xigong City Academy’s support had his sword knocked from his hand, a trace of boredom flickered subtly through Xu Zhi’s eyes.
Only then did she belatedly remember Xi Min’s instructions.
Her grip on the saber trembled slightly. She forced her breathing to grow heavier, standing in place as if exhausted.
It wasn’t the most heartfelt performance—but she’d acted often enough lately that her skills had improved. It looked convincing enough.
Xigong City Academy’s support showed a flash of surprise—then immediately realized:
This was his chance.
Run. As long as he could get back to his teammates!
For some reason, ever since he had swapped positions with Lian City’s support, his extraordinary ability seemed sealed. It was likely someone on Lian City’s side suppressing him. He’d been forced to take hits passively this entire time.
Now that he finally had breathing room, he had to escape.
He turned hurriedly toward his teammates—
And saw a scene of utter despair.
The last teammate still standing had just been pierced through by Shu Yushan’s spear. Blood poured from his mouth. His pupils were already unfocused—he might not even know what he was doing anymore.
It was over.
“Sigh… victory is decided.”
Peak Bro’s tone carried little surprise.
“While the result isn’t unexpected, there were still some pleasant surprises. For instance, Xu Zhi actually managed to hold her own in a near-even 1v1 against Xigong City Academy’s sixth-year support.”
“However, data shows that one of that support player’s abilities appeared to be sealed by Lian City’s support. Combined with the poor opening, it put him at a disadvantage. Even so, Xu Zhi’s performance was quite solid.”
But not dazzling.
“Indeed.”
“Let’s congratulate Lian City Light Academy on winning their opening match!”
As Peak Bro spoke, the screen showed Xigong City Academy’s support being pierced once more by the returning Lian City members.
The last standing player lost combat capability.
In the finals, the rules were simple: as long as even one enemy player was still judged capable of fighting, the match continued.
“We also feel for Xigong City Academy. They showcased their own style throughout this league. Let’s look forward to an even more brilliant performance next year!”
The broadcast cut from the arena back to the commentary desk.
“We can see Lian City won five 1v1 matches and lost one, accumulating 4 small points. With a team battle victory worth another 4 small points, they take the match win and earn 1 major point.”
“The final result is 1:8. They currently rank 13th on the leaderboard!”
In cases of tied scores, ranking priority went to the team with the shortest match duration.
It was only Day One of the finals, and they were already 13th. Although tied teams had faster clear times, the bigger reason was obvious—
Some teams had no intention of hiding strength. They went all-out in 1v1, sweeping 1v5 and then winning team battle to maximize points.
To outsiders, 13th place on Day One was already impressive.
But for Lian City themselves, it wasn’t especially good.
Still, for a team like them, leaderboard position wasn’t particularly important.
Final standings weren’t decided by cumulative points. Points mainly determined seeding and gave spectators a more intuitive sense of relative strength.
For teams aiming at Top 10, what mattered more was information gathering and tactical preparation—what could be called “operations.”
“It seems Lian City Light Academy isn’t aiming to compete for leaderboard dominance,” Peak Bro commented.
“Yes. Even if they chose to ‘coast,’ their ranking wouldn’t drop far.”
“Meanwhile, some mid-to-lower-tier teams are clearly calculating from Match One how to maximize points to secure a seed slot.”
The chat agreed:
[Compared to those teams, Lian City looks completely at ease.]
[They clearly don’t care about points, yet they still got 13th…]
[What others painstakingly calculate is something they don’t even value. That’s the gap.]
As the comments suggested, leaderboard ranking had never been part of Xi Min’s planning.
They didn’t need extra exposure or reputation. Nor did they need to fight desperately for seeding. As long as they avoided mistakes, a seed slot was practically guaranteed.
Lian City Light Academy played twice a week.
Over the next stretch, they continued to win—but Xu Zhi did not appear again.
Neither did Chu Xiaoyue.
The two of them sat on the bench for five straight matches.
Finally, the finals entered its most intense phase. Only 80 teams remained. After this round, the field would be cut to 40.
Throughout this time, public discussion of the finals only intensified. The more teams were eliminated, the fiercer the debate about those remaining.
Among the final 80, none were pushovers.
Every single one had won six matches to get here.
Even if they’d faced weak opponents early on, the “soft persimmons” were long gone.
Any one of these 80 teams—
Was composed entirely of Longevity-tier members.
The chat buzzed:
[At first I was shocked by this year’s participant quality. Now I’m numb.]
[So the only non-Longevity left is Lian City’s first-year, right?]
[Doesn’t matter. She doesn’t even play. I’m more curious about their hidden captain. She hasn’t played once—there’s no way they’re still hiding her at this stage, right?]
[Not just them. Lian City Academy is hiding too. Both Lian City teams have been hiding their main carry all season. What kind of trump card is this?]
[What’s crazy is those two teams from the prelims still haven’t been eliminated.]
[Craziest is Dingchan. That first-year broke through to Longevity before their last match! His teammates improved too. They went from two Longevity in prelims to full Longevity now. What are they eating? I want some.]
[They’ve looked better every match since prelims. At first they were mocked by Lian City’s first-year. Now they’re way stronger.]
[Feels like the leveling-up protagonist in a hot-blooded novel. Definitely this year’s dark horse.]
[Relax. Top 80 means no more soft matches. Every game now is brutal. They might not go much further.]
Inside the meeting room—
“Prepare yourselves. Next match, Chu Xiaoyue will play.”
Xi Min made the decision.
Ji Muge had gained sufficient experience. Next season, she could serve as vice-carry. At this stage, there was no longer room for her development.
Moreover—
Chu Xiaoyue nodded, hesitating slightly. “The opponent next match…”
“Minjiang City Academy,” Xi Min finished for her.
