Chapter 318: Then I’ll Wish Him Success
The competition venue was a super-large stadium built specifically for the League. The hotel where the seeded players stayed was right next to it, connected by an exclusive passageway—designed precisely to prevent competitors from running into media or fans on their way to the arena.
Inside the stadium, the competition area had been divided into over a hundred different zones. The more attention a match received, the closer its arena would be to the center.
The match Xu Zhi was scheduled to commentate on, thanks to her presence and the Tournament Committee’s marketing, had excellent entertainment value. Naturally, its popularity was not low.
When Xu Zhi arrived at the broadcast room, there were still thirty minutes before the match she would be commentating began.
The staff in the studio asked for her and Shu Yushan’s preferences. Neither wanted makeup, so they were simply fitted with live broadcast microphones.
After briefly explaining the topics to avoid during the stream and a few important precautions, the staff left them to wait for the broadcast to begin.
This time, joining Xu Zhi and Shu Yushan was one of the League’s most popular hosts, Xiaoxiao. She had already commentated several matches earlier in the day. After greeting the two of them, she chatted casually for a while to keep the atmosphere from feeling stiff or awkward once they went live.
The official broadcast room had multiple channels. As soon as one match ended, the feed would switch to the next. Each channel’s schedule was arranged in advance. Before this highly anticipated match even began, plenty of viewers had already gathered.
[Hurry hurry hurry hurry hurry!]
[Why are we still watching ads? Open the door! Open the door!]
[The last match ended ten minutes ago. Why hasn’t the next one started yet?!]
[Open the door! Don’t hide in there and pretend you’re not home! I know you’re inside!]
Under the “siege” of bullet comments, the advertisements finally ended five minutes before the match began, and the live feed appeared.
“Hello everyone, welcome back to the League livestream~”
Xiaoxiao was beautiful, sweet-voiced, and highly experienced, having professionally commentated the League for many seasons. Her opening remarks and ability to warm up the atmosphere were second nature by now.
Glancing at the rapidly scrolling comments beside her, she smiled. “It seems everyone is really looking forward to this match. Let me first introduce the two competitors joining me today in the commentary booth.”
“The two beside me are contestants from Light Academy of Lian City—sixth-year competitor Shu Yushan and first-year competitor Xu Zhi.”
“I’m sure many of you have been waiting a long time to see them. But today they’re only appearing as commentators. If you want to see them compete, you’ll have to wait a little longer.”
As her voice fell, she glanced at the comments again. Sure enough, there were very few about Shu Yushan. Most were discussing Xu Zhi.
[So this is that first-year?]
[She’s really pretty. Looks quiet and gentle—not like someone who can fight.]
[A nepotism pick needs to fight? She just has to sit back and watch her teammates do the work.]
[Whether she’s a connected pick isn’t important. Connections are a kind of strength too. The resources behind her could make her a starter next year—or the year after.]
[No idea what you’re all debating. I just know I’m already her fan.]
[My heart has been stolen by Xu Zhi. There may be no more joy or sorrow in my life.]
[Just heard that Chunyu from Lingzhou will commentate a match in three days!]
[Yes!!]
[You guys really need to calm down.]
Seeing some of the more absurd comments, Xiaoxiao’s smile deepened slightly. “Everyone’s enthusiasm is overwhelming. But it’s time for the players to enter the field. Let’s first take a look at the competitors in today’s match.”
“The first team entering is from Liuping City Academy. Liuping’s team is ranked 478th among the group’s seeded teams. This is their first match this season. While they don’t yet have a record for this year, historically Liuping has performed quite steadily. They may not break into the top rankings, but they consistently manage to retain their seeded status.”
It sounded a bit strange—almost not like praise. But considering the scale and strength of League competitors, maintaining seeded status in a group was far from easy.
So it was, in fact, praise.
“Liuping specializes in the classic 2-2-1 formation—two damage dealers, two supports, and one healer. Most teams use this setup. Even Light Academy of Lian City, represented today in our commentary booth, has mostly used this formation in previous years.”
She was clearly tossing the conversation over to them. Xu Zhi didn’t respond—after all, as a first-year, she genuinely didn’t know much about her academy’s past formations.
So Shu Yushan took over. “That’s correct. Our academy does have some experience with the 2-2-1 setup.”
“More than just some, I’d say?” Xiaoxiao teased lightly before continuing.
“Liuping will most likely stick to 2-2-1 this year as well. After all, changing a school’s strategic direction comes at a heavy cost. Years of teaching resources and accumulated experience would have to be abandoned. So very few academies abruptly change their tactical philosophy.”
“This year’s Liuping roster consists of five sixth-years and two fifth-years—a very solid lineup. They should be a formidable opponent.”
After the brief introduction of Liuping, the feed switched to their opponents.
“And their opponents are quite surprising to many—the dark horse team Dingchan, appearing in the League for the first time and successfully advancing through the qualifiers.”
“Of course, Dingchan’s attention isn’t solely because this is their first League appearance. More importantly, they also have a first-year competitor—and not as a substitute, but as a starter!”
“Looking back at the qualifiers, this first-year named Qiu Jing contributed significantly to Dingchan’s advancement and has already gained a portion of the audience’s support. Even though, as we know, he is a Winter-attribute extraordinary who has only reached Level Six Comprehension.”
“I’m sure everyone is curious just how far this striking newcomer team—and this rare first-year starter—can go.”
“Since you’re also a first-year, Xu Zhi, is there anything you’d like to say to him? Or any expectations?”
Suddenly being called on, Xu Zhi blinked.
Recalling Xi Min’s lengthy pre-departure lecture, she didn’t blurt out the first thing that came to mind. Instead, she forced her not-so-smooth brain to think for a second.
“Mm…” She paused briefly. “I don’t really understand the group stage very well… so I’ll just wish him success first?”
“A heartfelt wish from one first-year to another,” Xiaoxiao added with a smile.
The comment section, however, clearly didn’t see it that way.
[Heartfelt? Xiaoxiao can’t seriously not hear the sarcasm in that tone.]
[Of course she hears it. Veteran commentators are sharp—but she has to smooth things over.]
[I’m dying. ‘Wish him success.’ Does anyone else hear that faint superiority in it?]
[Translation: Even though we’re both first-years, I don’t compete in low-tier matches like the group stage. I don’t understand them. So good luck climbing up to my level first.]
