Chapter 321: One Sentence, Two Teams Insulted
No matter how much the comments mocked Liuping as the weakest of the seed teams, it couldn’t be denied that Liuping’s foundation was far stronger than Dingchan, a team that had suddenly emerged from obscurity. Their overall strength was indeed superior.
At the very least, judging from the extraordinary ranks revealed in this battle, Liuping had three Longevity-tier members. Dingchan only had two—one of whom was the healer [Heart], while the other was the vice-carry acting as the frontline breakthrough.
As for the first-year main carry, so far in this match he hadn’t shown anything particularly dazzling. His teamfight coordination was solid, but his individual strength was limited. Overall, he seemed merely average.
“At the moment, although Liuping was disrupted early on, their stronger individual capabilities give them room for error. They’ve adjusted and successfully protected their injured healer.”
“Because Liuping’s other members retreated to defend, Dingchan’s Qiu Jing had to give up his solo dive into the backline and return to his team to look for another opportunity.”
After saying this, Xiaoxiao didn’t forget to ask, “Xu Zhi, how do you view the current situation?”
Entertainment above all. As long as nothing explicitly forbidden was said, the officials wouldn’t interfere with bold commentary.
“Dingchan can’t win a prolonged fight. The next wave will decide it.”
Xu Zhi started with something reasonable.
Then she continued casually, “So far, I haven’t seen a single highlight in this match. I hope both teams try harder from here on.”
Good grief.
It was true—but how could she just say it like that?
Sure enough, Xu Zhi only needed one light sentence to instantly ignite the audience and flood the comments.
[So arrogant!]
[‘No highlights at all’—is there a more mocking line than that?]
[Is she some kind of genius trash-talker?]
[It’s not completely without highlights. A no-name team from prelims trading evenly with a seed in teamfight right from the start is already surprising. Their overall strength is weaker than Liuping, yet they’ve made it look balanced. That’s interesting in itself.]
[But honestly, it hasn’t been that exciting so far, has it?]
[I’m curious what kind of “highlight” she could produce if she played.]
As if offended by her evaluation, the battlefield suddenly flipped dramatically.
Liuping hadn’t come unprepared. They knew Dingchan’s support-created terrain greatly amplified the first-year’s abilities. Once they stabilized slightly, they used their powers to melt parts of the ice and snow in the arena, trying to limit Qiu Jing’s output.
But the reversal happened at the very moment the ice melted.
“We can see Liuping has broken Dingchan’s favorable terrain—but how will Dingchan respond? Huh?!”
Xiaoxiao gasped.
“What happened? Liuping’s [Heart] player has suddenly collapsed!”
“She had only previously been hit by Qiu Jing—did he do something?!”
Data and analysis quickly fed into the studio. Xiaoxiao read out the conclusion.
“So that’s it! One of Qiu Jing’s abilities—never revealed in prelims!”
The principle of [Winter] was not just snow and ending, but also disappearance.
When Qiu Jing created an “ice clone” from the arena’s snow and struck an enemy, that enemy became infected with the aura of the snowfield. When Liuping later used their powers to melt the ice, the power of “disappearance” activated simultaneously—targeting their own [Heart] teammate.
Already injured, she took a critical hit from her own side and collapsed.
“What a troublesome combo skill!” Xiaoxiao commented. “When facing this team, you absolutely cannot be hit by Qiu Jing!”
Unless you prevented Dingchan’s support from establishing the terrain in the first place—or eliminated Qiu Jing (or his teammates) before he could land a hit.
The support’s ability wasn’t powerful on its own, but it perfectly complemented Qiu Jing.
Considering their prelim performance, Xu Zhi guessed this “dark horse” team probably still had more hidden cards.
A third-rate seed like Liuping wasn’t enough to force them to reveal everything—just one concealed trick.
“How do our two guests view this combination from Dingchan Academy?” Xiaoxiao asked, tossing out a question that could easily become a trap.
“Has potential,” Shu Yushan replied safely.
But the audience clearly wanted Xu Zhi’s take.
And she didn’t disappoint.
“Cheap coordination.”
She wore a faintly perfunctory smile, speaking casually, as if unaware of what she’d just said.
Xiaoxiao’s professional smile froze for half a second before she quickly tried to interpret it.
“Haha, is Xu Zhi referring to the main carry’s lower extraordinary rank, meaning the energy cost is lower compared to others?”
[Xiaoxiao tried her best.]
[I’m tearing up. She really gave it her all.]
[No need to explain—we all get it. This guest isn’t here to commentate, she’s here to show superiority!]
[So what counts as “not cheap” coordination?]
[Obviously her own team’s.]
[To be fair, compared to her teammates, this level might seem cheap to her. But from my perspective, it’s actually impressive—using limited resources to create a tricky situation.]
Xu Zhi glanced at Xiaoxiao in mild surprise.
“No. I mean their coordination is cheap in terms of spectacle, utilization of abilities, timing, and the level of opponent they’re facing.”
Then, as if remembering something, she wrinkled her nose.
“Though yes, the energy expenditure is also cheap. That part is true.”
She even nodded lightly afterward.
Xiaoxiao: “…Alright.”
[…I’m stunned.]
[If I were Xiaoxiao I’d have lost it.]
[Arrogant big-city person—I’m tired of saying it.]
[The entertainment value is off the charts.]
[Absolutely maxed out.]
[She really dares to talk. One sentence insulted two teams at once, didn’t it?]
[Is this the confidence of someone who doesn’t even have to play? Since she won’t be on stage, she can say whatever she wants without worrying about backlash.]
[So she’s winning either way?]
