C17 Part3

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Chapter 17: Journey on Fire (Part 3)

“Dragon’s manager said they want to do a practice match with us!”

After she saw that message on her phone screen, Qiu Ying quickly sat up, frantically tidying up her shirt which was gathered at her waist. “I have to hurry and give her a response!”

When the first phone call rang, it was hot between Ji Xiangkong and her across the armrest of the sofa. The ringtone lasted for a very long time and she fumbled around for her phone, but he grasped her wrist, pulled it back, and his attack became even fiercer.

“Hello, sorry for not picking up your call.” Qiu Ying guiltily glanced at Ji Xiangkong, who was now lazily propping himself up, head tilted, clothes open from his collar all the way to his lower abdomen to reveal strong and smooth muscles lines inside. “I… I was just doing psychological counseling for our team members.”

Ji Xiangkong buried himself in the side of her neck, silently laughing.

Qiu Ying glared at him. She truly had that intention when she entered the room, but who’d know that as soon as the door closed, he…

While they were speaking, Ji Xiangkong’s large palm was still restlessly moving on her body, and she did her utmost to suppress her increasingly rapid breathing, pale ears burning red. Her mind gradually wandered as she heard the other person endlessly talking about specific matters. “I… I understand, send… send it to my inbox.”

As soon as the other end of the phone changed to the dialtone, she was stifled by his lips, warm breath rushing to greet her face.

……

“Ai, let go of me, I need to check my mail.”

Qiu Ying was tossed around by Ji Xiangkong for a while again before she remembered that she hadn’t yet set the daily schedules for the training matches and hurriedly thumped him with a fist: “You’re such a pervert, you nearly made me miss business!”

Ji Xiangkong kissed the corner of her lips placidly. “That’s fine, anyway, they’ll come find us sooner or later.”

Qiu Ying blinked. “Why? When we went to them looking for practice back when we’d just established the team, they didn’t even pay attention to us.”

Ji Xiangkong smiled with his eyes curved. “Because our results are good now. Only strong teams have worth in practicing against.”

No matter which field it was in, if you didn’t want to be underestimated, speak with strength.

In the next few days, just as Ji Xiangkong predicted, invitations for practice matches with first-string teams came one after another.

Phoenix had already stepped into the first echelon in the standings. All of the major clubs were conscious of the fearsomeness of this new team and no longer dared to disdainfully ridicule them as an “old-weak-sick-disabled team”.

Hidden dragons arise from the abyss, scales and talons soaring. Newborn lions roar in the valley as a hundred beasts tremble.1

**

Team Phoenix, a phoenix reborn from nirvana, had not yet truly revealed its radiance.

In June, the dark horse Phoenix entered the CPL Spring Season Finals!

The professional league of CPL had been established for so many years, but it had never before had a team from the tryout competitions enter amidst the contenders for the championship!

Conquer players across the entire country grew interested, one by one, and groups upon groups of people looked on from the very first game, became fans, and cheered on Phoenix.

At the game arena that would narrow them down from six to four, two commentators were listing, swapping off with each other, the tactics that Phoenix had previously used.

“Tri-nucleoid development.”

“Quick push.”

“Tank assault.”

“Jungler-Support.”

“Global flow.”

“Split four-one push.”

After the BP phase finished, when he saw the new lineup that Ji Xiangkong selected, the commentator cried out, “None of the above! This round, Phoenix is adopting the five long-range aura!”

“Amazing, what doesn’t this team know how to play?”

Top teams in the professional circle usually had their own styles they were the best at. Some liked defending, some were in love with ganking, some were strong in the early stage, some grew strong in the late stage. Before each game, the two sides would target their opponents’ characteristics to prepare for battle.

But if your opponent didn’t have fixed tactics and their lineups for each round seemed completely random, you would never know how they would play this round. Then what could you do?

Your pre-battle preparations became useless. You had no way to ban their core heroes during the BP stage and could only rely on your on-the-spot reactions during the game, just like a pop quiz. You would be at a disadvantage right from the start of the round.

Phoenix was such a team that went on the path less travelled.

Many high-level gamers knew that having flexible tactics was the distinct style of any team that Void Ji Xiangkong was in. For instance, Newland three years ago, Legend two years ago, and VPG who was completely invincible during the Fall Season one year ago.

The way in which Phoenix differed from the previous teams was that each player in all of their positions had a fathomless hero pool. They could use any sort of hero in a match, which indubitably gave Ji Xiangkong the very best hand of cards. Not only that, their teamwork was miles superior than that of other teams. Everyone trusted their caption unconditionally.

Conquer was a confrontation between teams, with the unspoken agreement between five people worth more than everything.

Amidst the surprised cries of gamers across the nation, Phoenix made it into the quarterfinals. They met the titan VPG in the first game, and instantaneously there were all sorts of posts from all directions on the internet. Starting off from rumors about Ji Xiangkong and VPG’s ex-CEO Shu Wen, there was gossip all the way to Ji Xiangkong and Qi Yue’s grudges against each other, relying on “unspoken rules” to interlope, the fight in the training room, another spat in the training room, until the end when Shu Wen was hospitalized and fell from power, Ji Xiangkong fell into isolation, played oddly in the competition after the Recording-gate incident, was swept out the doors by the club, Qi Yue became the captain as the winner, recruited elites from their youth training team, and set out with the brave words of rebuilding Chinese Conquer’s majesty……

This scene of a tangible dog-blood plot filled the audience with expectations for the battle in which Phoenix would face VPG. They originally thought that there would be an earth-shatteringly epic battle, but unexpectedly, 15 minutes after the round began, VPG fell apart across the entire board.

“Summit and Xuan are preparing to gank down to bot, VPG’s ADC Yue has unfortunately been killed!”

“Summit is attacking Yue again! Yue’s died once more!”

“Summit continues his attack at bot, could there be some hatred here?”

“Phoenix’s mid Cloud has begun his attack against Yue at bot as well!”

“Three members of Phoenix are attacking bot! This targeting is a little bit crazy!”

“VPG has been wiped out at bot! Qi Yue’s already become garbage!”

Not even thirty minutes into the game, Phoenix killed them and snatched their tower, flattening VPG’s highland under their iron heel with thunderous momentum.

Because the heroes that Ji Xiangkong banned in the BP phase this round were all those that Qi Yue was adept in, VPG fans were extremely uncomfortable. The arena was filled with shouts that Ji Xiangkong was targeting Qi Yue and turning the match into one of personal grievances; VPG’s lineup was too weak and no one would’ve been able to win no matter who was playing it. And after the second round began, the entire arena boiled over again.

Just as VPG fans wanted, Ji Xiangkong used the exact same lineup as VPG did last round.

In the camera lens on the large screen, he tilted his head with the corner of his mouth hooked up in a smile.

Commentator Luo Tian took in a surprised breath. “My God! Void’s expression is practically saying, ‘Look, we’ll teach you how to play.’”

Another commentator added, “If they really win, they’ll slap their faces so hard that VPG’s morale will plummet.”

Thirty minutes later, Phoenix snatched another round with overwhelming advantage, steamrolling VPG 2:0!

What made the audience scream the most was that during many critical teamfights, Ji Xiangkong solo killed Qi Yue countless times!

Being solo killed by one he scorned as “handicapped”, all the way until he walked out of the glass room and shook hands with his opponents, Qi Yue’s face was dumbstruck.

In the post-match interview, when the reporter brought up these several solo kills that had left a deep impression on people and praised Ji Xiangkong for his improvement in technique, Ji Xiangkong smiled without a care in the world. “It’s not that I’m strong, just that there’s a loophole in Qi Yue’s operating.”

And this loophole was something that Ji Xiangkong had already reminded him of countless time when they were teammates. He couldn’t be any more familiar with it.

“During the game, your entire team targeted Qi Yue quite a lot. Was that because of personal feelings?”

Ji Xiangkong shrugged. “I wasn’t targeting at him at all.”

There were absolutely no billows of the desire for revenge on his face. It was clearly written on his calm expression: Who are you for me to target?

The reporter continued to chase for answers. “You didn’t target him? Then why ban all heroes that Qi Yue is good at? Unless it’s not because he’s the person in VPG that you’re the most wary of?”

Ji Xiangkong raised his eyebrows, slowly revealing an incomparably brilliant smile. “No, it was because he only knows those few heroes. Once you ban all of them, he doesn’t have anything left to choose.”

The reporter was dumbfounded.

“Hahahaha! That’s a great answer!”

Below the stage, the esports reporter Lu Yiyi, who had a good relationship with Qiu Ying, laughed until she was bent over. She nudged Qiu Ying with her elbow. “Let me ask you, do Pei Xi and Qi Yue really not have any deep hatred? This kind of violent attack where the other person must be killed at all costs, I don’t believe that he doesn’t have any feelings in it and that it’s just a tactical need.”

“When Xiangkong and Qi Yue were teammates, how much blame did he take for him and how many things did he teach him? But how did Qi Yue treat him? He isolated and squeezed him out during training, and fought with him and refused to obey his BP during competitions. He even talked bad about him at every turn. During their night talks, when Lin Yixuan tipped them off about that, everyone’s expressions were bad, but Pei Xi’s looked the worst.”

Qiu Ying snapped her disposable chopsticks with both hands. “There are many things that Xiangkong doesn’t care about, but all of us remember it very, very well.”

**

At the finals the next day, Phoenix, who had played a triumphal song the whole road up, confronted the titan Legend!

Another club who had once kicked Ji Xiangkong out their doors. After experiencing the battle with VPG yesterday, the melon-eating masses chose themselves to stand by Phoenix. After all, no matter how many years had passed, the story of a counterattack would made their blood boil up with excitement.

There were no empty seats left in the entire arena. Even though the fans holding Legend lightcards occupied most of the arena, Phoenix’s fans were not to be outdone. Wave over wave of cheers arose.

When the first round began, at the BP stage, the commentators goggled.

“I’m not going blind, am I?! Void’s BP has been blocked! God of Gamblers vs the Merman at mid, Phoenix’s mid Cloud will have a hard time!”

“The jungler hero that Void has chosen for Summit has also been blocked by their opponents! What’s going on?”

When the match began, after the respective names of the operators were displayed for the five heroes chosen, the commentator cried out once more in surprise: “This is truly too unexpected! Summit Pei Xi returns to mid once more! Cloud Xia Ling is the jungler in this round!”

The news of Pei Xi’s return to mid was like a heavy bomb that completely detonated the atmosphere in the arena. Nearly all of the streaming rooms were spammed with “Summit! Number one mid of the new generation!” in the chat.

The commentator clicked his tongue in amazement. “Phoenix switches around their positions! Now the hero that Summit is operating has completely overcome their opponents, and we thought that he would be playing jungler when they were choosing their lineup! We never expected this!”

Another added, “Not only were they not blocked, their overall way of thinking is completely out of our expectations! It’s a fatal blow to their opponents’ mentalities!”

In the spectators’ stands, Qiu Ying’s heart surged. This was the second layer of Ji Xiangkong’s intent to have Pei Xi transform into a jungler!

Shadow tactics!

In certain specific setups, he had Pei Xi and Xia Ling change positions; they practiced for so long and now, finally, applied it to actual combat!

Each hero in Conquer had positions it was commonly used in. For example, some were suited for jungler in the late stage, some were suited for mid, some were suited for support. In the BP phase, a team’s BP player could guess which of their opponent’s chosen heroes would be used in which positions based on their situation.

But in a team, if two people could switch positions, the situation became vastly different.

This was greatly comparable to while playing basketball, you thoroughly researched the opponent’s point guard and thought out a way to target him, practicing that countless times, but after you got on court you discovered that the point guard was playing as a forward this round! Instantaneous bewilderment on your face, right!

Qiu Ying could nearly imagine that in later competitions Phoenix was in, the audience would always first do a warm-up: “Here here here, let’s bet let’s bet, who will the mid be this round?”

After that, Phoenix played as smooth as flowing water, easily and heartily in their finals against Legend. Among them, the one who performed the best of all was the newcomer, Xia Ling.

When Xia Ling went around killing his opponents, the camera gave him a close-up in the glass room. The teen casually put his arms behind his head, eyes squinted as he turned his head, tilting it to exchange a laugh and some words with Ji Xiangkong as if it had been just as easy as moving around a mouse just now.

Qiu Ying thought of back when Xia Ling had been insulted the worst online and she, turning from a patient into the doctor, played the role of a caring older sister to psychologically counsel him. At the time, he’d put both hands in his pockets and raised his chin up high: “I don’t care whether they flame me for being a noob. I’m stronger than all of them, so why should my confidence be shaken because of people who can’t match up with me?

Qiu Ying blinked dumbfoundedly as she heard him continue, “A mindless flamer who can’t even determine the truth is like a group of elementary schoolers who want to point and laugh at a PhD student’s thesis. It’s just a joke.”

Qiu Ying watched him for a very long time, ups and downs in her heart. Finally, she shook her head, hard.

Jay Chou once sang: Humble myself to the enemy, I’m sorry but I won’t.2

Life once put him into hell, but he regained his confidence in a new battlefield. That proud and strong teenager was right there. He had never left.

**

In the end, Phoenix won the Spring Championship 3:1. The analysis desk brought up in their debrief that the members of Legend this time all had very strong ability, but as a team they lacked someone who could serve as their soul. After being defeated in one round, there was no one who could stand up to console the member’s hearts and adjust their tactics for the next round.

The more you lost, the less confident you were. The less confident you were, the more your hands and feet grew bound.

Looking back on Phoenix’s lineup, from the players to the manager, which of them was not someone who once been beaten down into an abyss and had braved a rain of bullets to climb back upward? As they stood on this stage, their atmosphere was far stronger than that of other teams.

Cris entered the VIP spectating area and happened to come across Legend’s team boss, who’d just come out of Legend’s spectating room. The two of them were old friends and exchanged several words. Cris said frankly, “My and your philosophies are, in the end, too far apart. It’s not wrong to value the celebrity effect, but in competitive sports, you can only become celebrities if you have results. Winning is the prerequisite for everything else.”

Legend’s boss’s face sunk.

“I was in Legend for four years. When I left, I said that Xiangkong is my successor. Many people ridiculed him for always relying on thighs to get into great teams, but the truth isn’t like that at all. Xiangkong is a person with great ability as a leader, adept at developing and making use of his teammates’ abilities. He can increase their conditions from 80% to 100%. It’s exactly because of his existence that the entire team may become exceptionally strong. That year, you were determined on kicking him out. I couldn’t persuade you otherwise, but I don’t blame you.”

Cris’s gaze lit onto the arena not far away. “You’ll soon see on the global stage how wrong of a decision that was.”

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1 This is a reference to a 1900 book On the Young China about great futures and how things are only just beginning and suffice to say it’s pretty literary.

2 From his song Dragon Rider. As with all music videos of this era… erm please conveniently ignore whatever the hell is going on in there.

***

Yahoo, 1 more chapter + a surprise left!! :)

This update we see a comeback of Luo ‘beauties on both arms but more worried about work, seriously’ Tian, next chapter there’ll be another blast from the past~

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