Chapter 80

"Who do you think will win the next semi-final match?" Director Zhou asked with a smile.

Pang Ze smiled and said, "Although I have high hopes for Xu Jingming, I must admit that his current strength is still inferior to Lei Yunfang. I think unless a miracle happens, Lei Yunfang has a more than 90% chance of winning."

At another part of the stands, Cheng Zihao sat silently, with only Zhou Feng accompanying him.

Cheng Zihao listened as the commentators began discussing Xu Jingming, and he saw countless comments rolling in the comment section.

"I have more faith in Xu Jingming; he's too fierce, too cool!"

"Unconditionally supporting Xu Jingming!"

"Do you even know what 'unconditional' means? Xu Jingming hasn't even cleared the third level of the Starry Sky Tower. How can he compare to Lei Yunfang?"

"In the last match, the Immortal Posture Team was swept, and Zhang Qing was crushed. In this match, the Pear Wood Team will also be swept, and Xu Jingming will be crushed!"

"The gap is too big!"

"Support CatCat, support Brother-in-Law! Brother-in-Law, you're the best!"

"Get real, face the reality of the gap between Xu Jingming and Lei Yunfang! Maybe in front of Lei Yunfang's agility, Xu Jingming won't even have a chance to fight back."

"Lei Yunfang is one of the top few experts in the world, listed on the Starry Sky Rankings."

Countless comments.

Cheng Zihao's face turned grim as he said, "It seems that the majority of the audience still believes Lei Yunfang will win."

"Yes, the gap between Xu Jingming and Lei Yunfang is still significant," Zhou Feng said with a smile.

"But now, he is already recognized as one of the top four experts in Xia Country," Cheng Zihao said, his face grim and his brows furrowed. "Xu Jingming's luck is really good; this one move has made him soar to the top."

Zhou Feng immediately said, "He's just a martial artist, a somewhat famous martial artist. How can he compare to you, Boss? Your company's valuation has risen to 30 billion in just over a month."

"Valuation, just valuation," Cheng Zihao said, his mood improving. "Now is the time for the virtual world to explode. We need to seize the opportunity, continue to expand, and capture a larger share of the live streaming market. For example, we should try to sign some of the most outstanding players from the Spark Cup, like Fang Yu."

"What about Xu Jingming? He's young and has potential. Should we sign him?" Zhou Feng asked.

Cheng Zihao frowned slightly but nodded. "We can sign him. After all, it's about making money, and we need to think big. But let's see how he performs in this semi-final. If he loses badly, we can lower the signing cost."

"Understood," Zhou Feng nodded. "I understand. The signing plan will definitely be confirmed by you, Boss."

...

Sun Li sat alone in the stands, silently watching the commentators discuss the Pear Wood Team members.

"I was also a member of the team. How did it come to this?" Sun Li sat there, looking at the countless comments, many of which mentioned Xu Jingming. "I felt Xu Jingming had potential back then. Now he's one of the top four experts in the country. How could I have been so foolish? The opportunity was right in front of me, and I missed it."

Sun Li was frustrated.

The more famous Xu Jingming became, the more he suffered. He could have been riding on Xu Jingming's success, enjoying the good life.

...

"Let's go, it's time to go on stage." Xu Jingming and his five teammates stood up and clicked to accept the official live stream invitation.

On the commentary stage, the six members of Xu Jingming's team and the six members of Lei Yunfang's team sat down. Lei Yunfang still had a stern expression and remained silent. The eyes of millions of viewers were on the two teams, and the team members were relatively used to it.

"The two teams are now on stage," the host Liu Xin said with a smile. "Teacher Lei Yunfang, I'd like to ask, how do you plan to fight in the upcoming match? Will you let your teammates fight first, like Teacher Liu Hai did?"

After hearing this, Lei Yunfang thought for a moment and said, "Whatever."

"Whatever?" Host Liu Xin's expression froze.

"The captain means that our team members can fight however they want, with no specific plan," a teammate quickly explained.

Beside him, the male guest Jin Fan warmed up the atmosphere, saying with a smile, "I've always had a question. How does Teacher Lei Yunfang choose his teammates? Teacher Liu Hai said he chose from his real-life martial arts friends."

"Whatever," Lei Yunfang said.

"Whatever?" Jin Fan was puzzled.

A teammate immediately said, "We met the captain in a regular god-level battle. After the match, the captain invited us to form a team for the Spark Cup."

"Me too."

"Me too, the captain invited me after the battle. I was naturally excited to accept."

"The captain is leading us to victory."

The teammates were all happy, after all, Lei Yunfang was generous and had given them a share of the prize money, and they had all earned a lot.

Host Liu Xin looked at the Pear Wood Team and said, "Captain Xu Jingming, Teacher Lei Yunfang said their battle plan is 'whatever.' What are your thoughts?"

"We will still give it our all," Xu Jingming said humbly.

"Are you confident?" Jin Fan asked.

Xu Jingming looked at Wang Yi, Yang Qingshuo, Liu Chongyuan, Heng Fang, and Li Miaomiao, then smiled at the male guest. "Of course, I have so many capable teammates. With everyone's unity, we can win."

Lei Yunfang, sitting there, raised his eyelids and glanced at Xu Jingming.

Host Liu Xin looked at the system prompt and said, "The captains of the two teams, please each send a message to the other. Xu Jingming, you go first."

"Senior Lei," Xu Jingming said humbly, "please give it your all! Let us young ones see your strength."

Lei Yunfang looked at the system prompt, stood up, and said, "Xu Jingming, I have a piece of advice for you. When facing me, use dual shields. You can last longer that way."

Xu Jingming also stood up. "I can tell you now, Senior, in this battle, I will use a spear."

"Young man, you have courage. I hope your strength matches your words," Lei Yunfang said, then disappeared, and the other teammates also vanished, heading to the battle space preparation area.

"Let's go," Xu Jingming and his team also headed to the battle space.

...

In the battle space preparation area.

Xu Jingming and his team members chose their weapons and equipment one by one.

"Captain, are you really not choosing a shield?" Wang Yi asked.

"Facing Lei Yunfang, with his agility, I won't have time to switch weapons," Xu Jingming said. "In this battle, using a shield would almost guarantee a loss. Using a spear is more dangerous, but it has stronger offensive capabilities."

His Eight Extremes Shield Technique, though fierce, depends on the opponent.

Facing Lei Yunfang, the world's best in agility, his Eight Extremes Shield Technique might not even get close. No matter how strong his defense, he would just be a target, lasting a bit longer.

Moreover...

To clear the Starry Sky Tower, he needs to rely on his spear skills! His spear skills need improvement, and a highly anticipated peak battle is a rare opportunity for training. Whether for victory or training, he must choose the spear.

"Captain, Xu Jingming didn't even choose a shield," the other team's preparation area clearly saw.

Lei Yunfang nodded slightly and said softly, "This is a desperate move, not giving himself a way out. Interesting."

Swish! Swish!

Both teams were ready, and the ten players flew into the map.

...

In the ancient town map, light rain fell, and the ten players were scattered throughout the town.

"An ancient town map," Xu Jingming appeared in an alley and smiled. "I remember the first Xia Country god-level battle was also in an ancient town."

"Everyone, gather at Sister Yi's location first," Xu Jingming said in the team voice chat.

"Okay."

"Yes."

"That Lei Yunfang, what is he doing! He's on the clock tower!" Yang Qingshuo said in surprise in the team voice chat.

Xu Jingming immediately leaped to the roof and could barely see the clock tower, the tallest building in the center of the town. On top of the clock tower stood a figure in green.

Lei Yunfang, dressed in green, with two swords on his back, stood at the top of the tallest building in the town, overlooking the entire town.

The light rain sprinkled on his face, making his mood particularly good.

His gaze swept across the town, and from his high vantage point, he could see far. Suddenly, he noticed a figure in a window of a distant house, which was Heng Fang, who was sneaking around.

"Found one," Lei Yunfang took a step and shot like a shadow to the distant roof, then took another step and flew even farther.

Feeling the wind in his ears.

Lei Yunfang moved as if riding the wind.

He didn't even choose armor, only wearing the closest-fitting clothes, with the heaviest equipment being the two thin swords.

"Oh no, he's found me," Heng Fang was a bit panicked.

Lei Yunfang was too fast. In just a few seconds, he had covered over 300 meters. Heng Fang ran frantically on the stone-paved street and saw a green shadow approaching from behind.

"Go!" Heng Fang suddenly turned and threw two short spears at high speed.

The green shadow flashed past Heng Fang.

Heng Fang's eyes widened, with a red knife mark on his forehead, and his body dissipated into nothingness.

The green shadow flashed and disappeared from the spot.

...

"Senior Lei Yunfang is fully displaying his agility. Look, his top speed has reached a terrifying 73.8 meters per second," the live stream immediately showed the speed of the green shadow, which was indeed shocking.

"Even on a global scale, this is the highest speed that current experts can achieve," host Liu Xin said. "At such a speed, there's often no time to react."

...

"Heng Fang has been killed, Liu Chongyuan has been killed," Xu Jingming immediately received the team notification and rushed into a nearby tavern, quickly reaching the third floor. There was no choice; with his weight and the weight of his weapons and armor, some of the ancient town's building roofs couldn't support him.

Standing on the third floor of the tavern, Xu Jingming looked around and saw a green shadow moving through the light rain.

"Senior Lei, if you have the courage, dare to come and fight?" Xu Jingming shouted, his voice like rolling thunder, echoing throughout the town, making Lei Yunfang, who was on the move, stop and turn to look in Xu Jingming's direction.

"I didn't find you, but you've revealed yourself," Lei Yunfang's eyes showed excitement, and his figure moved, the green shadow quickly heading toward the tavern.