Chapter 1: The Expelled Expert

"Clack, clack, clack..."

A pair of nimble hands danced over the keyboard and mouse, the rhythmic tapping like a lively melody. On the screen, a burst of light flashed, and the opponent, splattered with blood, fell to the ground.

"Hehe." Ye Qiu smiled, lifting his hand to remove the cigarette from the corner of his mouth. The silver ash had formed a long chain, but it didn't fall even as Ye Qiu manipulated the mouse and keyboard. He quickly extinguished the cigarette in a strangely shaped ashtray on the table and returned his hand to the keyboard, ready to say something to his opponent. However, the door was suddenly pushed open with a bang.

Ye Qiu didn't turn around, as if he had been waiting for this moment all along. He simply asked, "You're here?"

"I'm here." Su Mucheng's response was equally simple.

"Then let's go!" Ye Qiu declined his opponent's request for another match, gently removing a card from the dedicated login device for the online game Glory. As he stood up and walked to the door, he casually took his coat from a nearby rack.

It was already quite late, but the Jia Shi Club was still brightly lit. Ye Qiu and Su Mucheng walked out of the room and made their way to the end of the hallway. There, a spacious meeting room awaited them. Upon entering, they saw a large electronic display screen that almost covered the entire wall, showing the rankings and technical statistics of the Glory Professional League.

Ranking: The Jia Shi team was ranked nineteenth, second to last.

For a team that had once achieved a three-peat in the league, this result was particularly glaring, hanging on the wall like a harsh mockery.

However, the atmosphere in the room was not somber but rather lively. The Jia Shi team members were gathered around someone, completely ignoring Ye Qiu's entrance. Those who glanced at him did so with cold and mocking eyes.

"Ye Qiu, the club has decided that the new transfer, Sun Xiang, will take over your position as team captain, and he will control the character 'One Autumn Leaf' from now on." The club manager, upon seeing Ye Qiu enter, immediately turned around and said this. There was no prior communication, no tactful expression—just a cold, direct announcement, as ruthless as discarding a used tissue.

Su Mucheng opened her mouth to speak but was gently held back by Ye Qiu, who smiled at her and shook his head, indicating that he didn't care.

"Brother Ye, I'm sorry, but I'm taking your spot right away." At the first seat on the left side of the conference table—traditionally the captain's seat, which should have belonged to Ye Qiu—Sun Xiang sat casually and said this, not even glancing at Ye Qiu. This was not just ignoring him but outright dismissing him. His gaze was more focused on Su Mucheng, who had entered with Ye Qiu.

To be fair, Su Mucheng was indeed more eye-catching than Ye Qiu. She was known as the top beauty in the Glory Professional League. Even outside this circle, in the entertainment industry filled with beautiful women, she would still stand out as a rare beauty.

Even the Jia Shi team members, who saw Su Mucheng every day, couldn't help but be momentarily stunned when she entered. However, they quickly regained their composure, as they felt there was a more important figure to focus on.

"Haha, Brother Xiang, you're right, this seat is perfect for you," the team members quickly chimed in, eager to flatter him.

"Right, some people are just getting old and outdated!"

"One Autumn Leaf should be controlled by you, Brother Xiang, to truly unleash the power of the Battle God."

This was the focus of everyone's attention. Sun Xiang, a new generation of genius in the Glory Professional League, had won the Rookie of the Year award in his first year and had personal statistics that rivaled the MVP. This season, he had led the mediocre Yueyun team to an eighth-place ranking, with a good chance of making the playoffs, but he had transferred to the struggling Jia Shi Club. The reason was that Jia Shi, despite its poor performance, owned the account of the character known as the Battle God in Glory: the Battle Mage One Autumn Leaf.

This young man, who had been in the league for less than two years, was already being called "Brother" by the Jia Shi team members, clearly seeing him as their future leader. Sun Xiang comfortably accepted the flattery and finally turned to glance at Ye Qiu, his eyes full of disdain.

"Ye Qiu, hand over the account card for One Autumn Leaf to Sun Xiang," the club manager said.

Despite his usual nonchalance, Ye Qiu felt a sharp pain in his heart. "Ye Qiu" and "One Autumn Leaf" were closely linked, as the account was created when he first entered the world of Glory. For ten years, this account had been his companion, and the rookie had grown into a master known as the Glory textbook. The small Battle Mage had become the renowned "Battle God" in Glory. However, after entering the professional scene seven years ago and signing a contract with the club, the ownership of One Autumn Leaf had transferred to the club. Ye Qiu had long known that the day of separation would come, and now it had finally arrived.

Ye Qiu's fingers trembled slightly. For a professional player, steady hands were essential, but now, even the seasoned veteran Ye Qiu's hands were trembling. Su Mucheng turned her head away; she didn't want to see this, yet she felt helpless.

Amid the gleeful gazes of the others, the silver-white account card for One Autumn Leaf was handed to Sun Xiang.

Sun Xiang's eyes sparkled with excitement and greed. He had willingly transferred to the declining Jia Shi Club in the past two years to gain control of this top-tier account. Ye Qiu, the original controller of One Autumn Leaf, had performed poorly in recent years and had frequent conflicts with the club. Sun Xiang was confident he could replace him.

"It's mine now!" As he caught the account card, Sun Xiang felt a sudden surge of excitement, but then he sensed a slight resistance.

Sun Xiang felt Ye Qiu's reluctance and smirked, saying, "Let go, Brother Ye. Look at your hands, they're shaking. How can such hands unleash the power of the Battle God? Let me do it! I'll make the name of the Battle God resound throughout Glory. You? Retire!"

As he finished speaking, Sun Xiang saw a sharp look flash in Ye Qiu's eyes, which had been indifferent but showed a hint of reluctance when handing over One Autumn Leaf. To his shock, Ye Qiu's trembling hands suddenly steadied.

"Do you like this game?" Ye Qiu suddenly looked directly at Sun Xiang and asked.

"What?" Sun Xiang was taken aback.

"If you like it, treat it as an honor, not a show."

"What are you talking about? What does it have to do with you?" Sun Xiang suddenly lost his composure. For a moment, he felt as if he was looking up to Ye Qiu, and he didn't want to lose the upper hand. He had come to replace Ye Qiu and to take control of the Battle God One Autumn Leaf.

"Take care of it." Just as Sun Xiang was about to regain his composure, Ye Qiu released the account card and said calmly, turning to leave.

"Ye Qiu!" At that moment, the manager suddenly called out to him.

Ye Qiu stopped, slightly turning his head, and heard the manager say, "The club currently doesn't have a suitable match account for you, so you'll serve as a practice partner for now."

A practice partner... A player who had once created a dynasty in the league and won all personal honors was now reduced to being a practice partner.

Sun Xiang found this arrangement highly amusing and immediately chimed in, "With your skills, Brother Ye, being a practice partner will be no problem. You'll be the best practice partner in the Glory Professional League!"

"Ha ha." Despite the insult, Ye Qiu still managed to laugh and turned to the manager, "Practice partner? I don't think so. Let's terminate the contract."

"Terminate? Are you proposing to terminate the contract?" The manager's expression was intriguing.

"Yes, I request a termination."

"Don't be impulsive!" Su Mucheng rushed over to stop him. The league had its rules, and during the contract period, any party proposing a termination had to pay a penalty. Ye Qiu still had one and a half years left on his contract with Jia Shi, and a forced termination would be costly. But for Su Mucheng, she was more afraid of Ye Qiu leaving.

"The boss isn't here yet, let's wait for him to arrive," Su Mucheng hoped Ye Qiu would calm down.

But Ye Qiu had already noticed the manager's mocking smile and bitterly shook his head at Su Mucheng, "Mucheng, don't you see? Making me leave is the boss's goal. My presence is no longer valuable to the club; I'm just a salary burden."

"That's not true, how can you be a burden? Your skills are unmatched by anyone," Su Mucheng said.

"It's not just about skills; it's business, and I've never had any commercial value," Ye Qiu said.

"You should have, but you chose to give it up," the manager suddenly interjected coldly.

"That's true, it was my choice," Ye Qiu said. The Glory Professional League was thriving, with sponsors pouring in. The league's star players were in high demand for endorsements and interviews. But Ye Qiu, as one of the top players, had always refused any endorsements or interviews, even avoiding press conferences. He was like an old internet user, carefully hiding his real identity in the virtual world.

The club was very dissatisfied with this. They saw a gold mine right in front of them but couldn't extract any benefit. They tolerated Ye Qiu because of his strong performance, which brought the club fame and honor. But with the recent poor results, everything had changed.

"The commercialization of the league has kept us alive, but now..." Ye Qiu couldn't continue. He didn't know if this development was good or bad. The league was now filled with the smell of money, and every club owner's first priority was to use their team to make a profit. Ye Qiu missed the early days of the league, when players were driven by their love for the game and the pursuit of honor. Now, the pursuit of honor was just a means to gain more profit.

Su Mucheng fell silent. She had walked the same path as Ye Qiu and was a veteran player who had witnessed all this. Her eyes were filled with tears. She knew Ye Qiu was really leaving, and trying to stop him would only cause him more pain.

"Since that's the case, I..."

"No need." Ye Qiu smiled and interrupted Su Mucheng, knowing what she was about to say, "Don't worry, I'm not giving up. I'll be back."

"True to form, Ye Qiu. You're full of spirit. So, let's talk about the penalty for termination. To be honest, you've worked hard for Jia Shi for so many years, and we won't be too harsh. Since you want to leave, let's sit down and negotiate a termination."

"Fine, what are your terms?" Ye Qiu asked.

"Simple, just announce your retirement," the manager said.

"Retirement? Is that not too harsh?" Su Mucheng was furious. Ye Qiu was 25, considered old for an e-sports player. Retiring at this age wasn't unusual, but Ye Qiu had just said he wasn't ready to give up. The manager's immediate condition for negotiation was retirement, clearly targeting him.

A retired player couldn't participate in professional matches. While there was always the possibility of a comeback, the league required a retired player to wait a year before rejoining. This prevented players from retiring and immediately rejoining another team. For Ye Qiu, who was already in the twilight of his career, every day was precious. Forcing him to waste a year would be a significant setback. Even if he returned after a year, his age and lack of high-level competition to maintain his form would make it difficult for any team to accept him, especially given his refusal to engage in commercial activities.

This seemed like an unacceptable condition, but Ye Qiu nodded without hesitation, "I agree."

"Are you crazy?" Su Mucheng was shocked.

"Years of hard work, what's wrong with taking a year off?" Ye Qiu smiled.

"You... What are you thinking?" Su Mucheng was baffled.

"Nothing." Ye Qiu turned his head, and the manager had already handed him several documents. Ye Qiu glanced at them, smiled, and quickly signed his name. The manager was clearly well-prepared.

It was time to leave... Ye Qiu took one last look at the place where he had spent seven years. He didn't say any polite goodbyes but silently turned to leave.

"I'll see you out." Su Mucheng was the only one who followed him.