Chapter 167.1 - List of Top Eight

Chrysanthemum Garden.

Cheng Wei nodded. “En, this is the most clear-cut summary, don’t you think? “

“Well, god Han did play very well,” Ye Chao reluctantly lengthened Cheng Wei’s extremely simplified summary. “His showing today is worthy of his status as a player who has participated in the world championships. Xu Lang’s personal strength isn’t weak, but he still cannot be compared to god Han. Coming up next will be the second match between the second place in group B and the first place in group F, Su Cheng VS Lu Boyu. The battle between the long-ranged guqin player and the long-ranged black umbrella user will also have many highlights. We’ll be right back after this advertisement!” qxWUjH

began to play on the live broadcast. Xiao Han returned to the backstage lounge, casually walking over to occupy a seat next to Qin Mo. “I’ve won, is there any reward?”

“None.” Qin Mo glanced at him, raising an eyebrow. “Was your win not a given? You still want a reward from me?”

“But you gave Shen He and Liu Hong bonuses when they entered the top sixteen,” Xiao Han whispered. “Why don’t I get anything?”

Leaning over, Qin Mo whispered back. “You’re Mojue’s boss, does giving yourself a reward even mean anything?” bjmdaw

The two sat side by side, whispering as they leaned against each other, completely ignoring the teammates next to them. Unable to watch any longer, Shen He coughed loudly. “Master, the next match is about to begin!”

After the advertisement ended, Qin Mo put on his poker face, sitting up straighter and focusing on the live broadcast screen.

The following match between Su Cheng and Lu Boyu was also very exciting. Su Cheng’s guqin sound wave attack had an extremely long range, while Lu Boyu’s black umbrella formations also had many large-scale group attack skills. The two players stood at a distance to fight, and the large-scale confrontation between the sound waves and the umbrella array gave off the feeling of the world itself being split apart.

In the end, Su Cheng triumphed over his opponent with a score of 2:1, reaching the quarterfinals. INmwvQ

The morning matches ended there. The remaining four matches were scheduled for the afternoon, which would determine the other four quarterfinalists.

***

After watching the morning matches, the four members of Mojue and Liu Xiang went to a nearby restaurant for lunch. Partway through their meal, a familiar voice spoke up from behind them. “What a coincidence, to be able to meet god Han at this restaurant!”

—— It turned out to be Xu Lang, whom Xiao Han had just defeated mere hours ago. 9765Lg

Xu Lang looked to be around eighteen years ago, with good facial features and a pair of bright eyes. In fact, his appearance alone could be regarded as above average. It was simply a shame that his EQ was too low, and he publicly mocked professional players on Weibo, pulling the hatred of the esports circle and countless fans.

After his loss today, many unsavoury messages were sent to his Weibo. “As a person, you cannot be too Xu Lang!”

“Yesterday, you said that professional players were only like that. Does your face feel good after getting slapped by god Han today?”

“Do you still have the face to come to Weibo? We have screenshots!” WMxKmi

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Story translated by Chrysanthemum Garden.

Looking at Xu Lang, Shen He wanted to laugh. Was the embarrassment of having his face slapped not enough? In order to prevent himself from laughing at the folk expert, Shen He could only cough, and stare at his bowl of rice.

Xiao Han’s expression was calm as he returned the greetings. “What a coincidence.” UK6s1d

“May I sit here?” Xu Lang asked, walking over.

Only the five people from Mojue sat at this table, and there were empty seats. Towards this sudden request from Xu Lang, Xiao Han expressed some doubt. “Do you have something to say?”

His cheeks flushed in embarrassment, Xu Lang continued to speak. “Today, facing off against god Han in a match allowed me to realise the gap between myself and professional players. I am very sorry about the contempt I previously expressed to everyone, and have already deleted the Weibo post…”

Xiao Han waved a hand. “It’s fine, you were just a little frivolous with your speech. It wasn’t extremely harmful to anyone, so there’s no need to apologise.” TY0VvS

“I have never met anyone at my level in the online game,” Xu Lang hurriedly explained. “So I always assumed that I was already the best. But today, after facing off against you, I now realise what a god truly is.”

After being praised, Xiao Han was in a very good mood. “Thank you for the compliments, I will accept them.”

Scratching the back of his head, Xu Lang refused to leave, looking as though he could continue to speak. The expression on his face was one of worship.

Seeing through his intentions, Qin Mo frowned. “Why? Do you want to recognise Xiao Han as your master?” 8WM9qU

God Mo has a sharp eye; Xu Lang’s thoughts couldn’t be concealed from him in the slightest. Since things had already come to this point, Xu Lang could only thicken his face to put forth his request. “I don’t know if I can have this honour. I would like to recognise god Han as my master, and learn some skills in combat.”

“Aren’t you unwilling to be a professional player?” Xiao Han questioned.

“I just entered university this year,” Xu Lang conscientiously explained. “I have to focus on my studies, and playing games can only be a hobby. Thus, I have never considered becoming an esports player…”

Unable to help himself, Shen He interjected. “Then why do you want to recognise god Han as a master? If you won’t join our Mojue team, then wouldn’t god Han’s teachings be wasted on you?” T5HSPu

Hearing this, Xu Lang realised that his request was really a bit outrageous. He had felt that god Han was very skilled, and watching to learn from him, never considering the matter thoroughly. Only when Shen He spoke up did he realise the complications of the matter, causing him to immediately retract his words. “I’m sorry, I didn’t consider that…”

Seeing his embarrassed expression, Xiao Han laughed. “No need to apprentice yourself, just add me as a friend. When I have time, I’ll give you some pointers.”

Xu Lang’s expression brightened immediately. “Thank you, god Han, thank you so much!”

Shen He’s eyes widened. He didn’t believe that god Han was actually so idle, and would run over to teach this guy. whTagJ

After lunch, they made their way back to the hotel, and Shen He chose this time to voice his doubts. “God Han, why do you want to teach him? He already said he was going to study, and not play esports…”

“Since he really likes this game, then casually teaching him a few things isn’t a big issue,” Xiao Han replied. “He still has plenty of room to improve.”

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Qin Mo understood Xiao Han’s choice. To Xiao Han, giving Xu Lang a few pointers was like an Olympiad athlete helping middle school students with math problems, and wouldn’t take much effort. However, to Xu Lang, Xiao Han’s help may help him break through his bottleneck, and greatly improve his awareness in battle.

The reason why Xiao Han chose to instruct this folk expert was because Xu Lang’s talent wasn’t poor, and because Xiao Han himself felt a little remorseful, so he simply agreed. OV1Cz2

After returning to the hotel, Xiao Han asked curiously, “Aren’t you going to ask me why I want to teach Xu Lang?”

“No need,” Qin Mo replied.

Xiao Han grinned. “Because you understand my thoughts, right?”

“En.” Qin Mo nodded. cJb9a0

Leaning against Qin Mo’s shoulder, Xiao Han sighed. “It’s still you who knows me best. Xu Lang is a little frivolous, but was soundly trounced by me, and was still able to ask me to mentor him! I really appreciate this sort of shamelessness.”

Qin Mo gave him a funny look. “You’ve only been with Dragon Song for a few years, but you’ve already learnt to admire shameless people?”

“Many people desperately cling to their face, even if it means suffering. If they’ve done wrong, they would rather not admit it, and continue repeating their mistakes,” Xiao Han mused. “In my opinion, being shameless is very necessary. Otherwise, how could I have managed to woo you?”

Qin Mo: “…” 7pd8sJ

Clearly they had been speaking about Xu Lang’s problems, only for the last sentence to abruptly change the conversation topic. The change occurred too fast, causing Qin Mo to be stunned.

After a few moments, Qin Mo finally responded, frowning. “Have you wooed me?”

“I ran to Nanjing to see you, and made every effort to become your vice captain, am caring and considerate. Haven’t you realised that I was silently pursuing you all this time?” Xiao Han wondered.

“You’re usually very straightforward with your words,” Qin Mo stated. “This sort of euphemistic behaviours, I cannot understand.” MyO71h

Xiao Han could only stop being indirect. Leaning over, he kissed Qin Mo on the lips, pushing his tongue into Qin Mo’s mouth, until Qin Mo’s cheeks were flushed red. Only then did Xiao Han back away, asking in a low voice, “Do you understand now?”

Qin Mo: “…”

He decided to ignore Xiao Han, and turned around for a nap. Laughing, Xiao Han squeezed into his bed, wrapping his entire body around Qin Mo. “From now on, I will be more direct. In any case, you won’t pick up on it if I am not.” Saying this, he placed a hand under Qin Mo’s shirt, trailing it gently across Qin Mo’s torso.

Qin Mo immediately grabbed this rogue hand. “Try it again, I dare you!” ScWVsZ

Xiao Han ceased all movements, obediently responding. “I don’t dare.”

Pushing away Xiao Han’s hand, the corners of Qin Mo’s lips quirked upwards. “Go back to your own bed to sleep.”

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“I want to hug you to sleep,” was Xiao Han’s shameless reply.

Qin Mo frowned. “Isn’t it crowded for two men to sleep in such a small bed? Go back.” hN6yC0

Xiao Han could only roll off the bed, and return to the adjacent single-sized bed.

Looking at Qin Mo’s thin back, he was reminded of just now, when he had hugged Qin Mo close—— Qin Mo’s waist was flexible, with no trace of extra fat. The skin was also smooth and delicate, and was very good to touch. Unfortunately, he was driven away by Qin Mo before he had his fill.

Xiao Han silently promised himself to arrange for a large double bed for the bedroom in the future. A double bed would not have crowding issues, so Qin Mo would have no excuses to chase him away. Maybe then, they could sleep together?

The more he thought, the happier Xiao Han became. His sleep was peaceful, and he dreamt of spring. adbG5r

***

Qin Mo and Xiao Han once again returned to the competition venue in the afternoon. Although both of them had finished their matches, Shen He and Liu Hong had yet to compete. Besides, the afternoon competitions featured many great gods, and the both of them wished to witness the fights in person.

Cheng Wei was still the guest commentator for this segment. Clearly, he would be explaining all the 16-to-8 knockout matches today.

The first match was Shen He VS Chen Jiang. Cheng Wei was very serious in predicting the outcome of this game. “I hear that Shen He is Qin Mo’s apprentice, and won against He Yue in the previous group battle. So, I am optimistic that Shen He will win this match.” aC16Dj

As soon as he finished speaking, the audience began to wail for Shen He. “It’s all over! Xiao He has been hit by Cheng Wei’s poisoned milk!”

“With Cheng Wei saying this, I feel like Xiao He is going to lose!”

“Little monkey, don’t be poisoned by the commentator!”

Qin Mo, who was watching from the backstage lounge, felt that Cheng Wei’s poisonous milk would once again prove to be disastrous. hpRjtT

In fact, a certain amount of luck was involved in Shen He’s victory over He Yue in the group stage. He Yue was unfamiliar with Shen He’s style of play, and was beaten by his nonsensical rhythm. However, Chen Jiang was on a different level from his junior sister He Yue. While he was also an apprentice of Seven Star Grass captain Xue Ke, Chen Jiang had been apprenticed for longer, and spent more time in the club. This time, he was the captain of the club’s new team in Peerless Jianghu. Obviously, in addition to his personal strength, his tactical literacy, overall awareness and his ability to command were also first-class. Only this sort of player could become the captain of the Frost Moon team.

As the champion of Xuanbing Palace’s long whip flow, Chen Jiang’s strength in single player battles was nothing less than outstanding.

Liu Hong had fought with him in the Wulin league previously, and was very clear about his skills. For Shen He to face off against this god-level captain, everyone had long since prepared themselves for Shen He’s inevitable loss.

Shen He’s performance today was notable. Although he lost to Chen Jiang 0:2 in the end, he managed to cause Chen Jiang quite a bit of trouble in the process, and managed to play at his own level. JHN7M3

After the match ended, captain Chen sent a word of praise on the public chat: “You are a talented newcomer. God Mo’s vision is really good.”

Shen He sent a row of smiley emojis in return. “Thanks to captain Chen for the praise, I will continue to work hard O(∩_∩)O”

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Chen Jiang felt that this little monkey was quite lovable. He took the initiative to shake hands with Shen He, and also pat him on the shoulder in encouragement.

Shen He won against junior sister He Yue in the group division, but lost to senior brother Chen Jiang in the knockout match, which was an ending that fans and audience members alike could accept. XrKQ89

Unfortunately, Chen Wei’s crow mouth could no longer be washed clean. Whomever he said would win, would definitely lose; this mouth of his could be said to be invincible.