Sharpening The Knife Doesn’t Delay The Cutting of Vegetables With The Bow [eSports]: Chapter 14

“Clang, clang, clang—”

Two figures passed each other, and within a few seconds, a continuous sound of weapon clashes echoed.

Chen Xingran’s expression remained unchanged as the blade in his hand closely hugged his side. With a light step, he swiftly approached, slipping into the gap in front of the enemy. His sharp dagger extended like a nimble snake—

The opponent quickly brought up their longsword, assuming a defensive stance. The sharp tip of the sword grazed past, deflecting to the left, firmly guarding their weak point.

Chen Xingran’s dagger was forced to change its direction, skimming against the sword’s edge and emitting a piercing hum. Amidst the scattered sparks, his gaze narrowed slightly.

Concealing the blade!

In the next instant, the dagger in his hand vanished without a trace. The proximity was too close for the opponent’s gaze to discern its complete form, but the sense of crisis from being locked onto by a venomous snake had already seized their attention.

Jing Ke presents the dagger!

Compared to other weapons, the dagger was lighter in weight and wielded with greater agility. It was swift as lightning. Under Chen Xingran’s terrifying agility, the dagger seemed to be the relentless reaper appearing from unexpected directions and blind spots. Like a nimble snake, the dagger danced gracefully in Chen Xingran’s hand, sometimes held backward, sometimes thrust straight ahead, resembling a magnificent yet perilous performance.

-344!

The dagger swiftly and deftly swept across the enemy’s throat, then quickly retracted. Chen Xingran calmly adjusted his footwork, as if he had eyes on his back. The retaliatory sword blade of the enemy grazed past, with Chen Xingran’s movements minimal and graceful to the extreme. The opponent’s sword seemed to be in perfect sync with his performance. Then, with a flick of his wrist, the dagger moved again, tracing several streaks of electric light through the air.

In a very short span of time, thrust, retract, thrust—

The dagger launched rapid attacks, targeting the left kidney, lungs, heart… In the blink of an eye, multiple wounds were inflicted on the opponent’s body.

Compared to weapons like Tang swords and longswords, Chen Xingran’s dagger techniques were not extravagant. They even appeared quite ordinary. However, they were lethal, swift, and effective.

-80.

-96.

-76.

…

A high frequency of damage numbers floated above the opponent’s head, each individual number seemingly unremarkable. But when they formed a dense cluster, it sent shivers down one’s spine.

The enemy’s health dropped rapidly like a floodgate being opened, pouring down all the way. Two seconds later, their figure dissipated into white light.

“Ye Shao used a dagger to kill Galaxy Live – Ta Xue”

“F*ck.”

In another live stream room on the Galaxy platform, the streamer Taxyue couldn’t help but let out an angry curse.

Where did this professional player come from?

Xiao Nan? Lu Mingyu? Jiang Yan? Song Dongyang?

Several names of top-notch dagger experts in the domestic scene quickly flashed through his mind.

But none of them matched.

He had been mingling in high-level matches for a long time and had encountered many professional players. However, never before had he seen someone use a dagger like the person just now, so…

So…

Terrifying.

After thinking for a while, Ta Xue could only use this word to describe it.

The aggressive blade, the elusive and ever-changing trajectory, it was impossible to guess his next move. Every defense and attack he made seemed as if they were already anticipated, completely manipulated by the opponent. The suffocating feeling of being tightly entangled like a venomous snake, unable to break free, made him break out in a cold sweat. The back of his body lying in the operator’s cabin was already drenched.

It was too terrifying.

“Plain and unadorned dagger technique.”

“Plain and unadorned dagger technique.”

“Ta Xue, the old immortal, messed up, hahaha!”

“The fisherman has finally been blown up!”

“Hahaha, he’s encountered a tough opponent.”

“Who is the opponent? They’re really strong. Could it be Captain Lu from the All-Stars team?”

“Doesn’t seem like it. Lu doesn’t play with daggers.”

“They’re on a different level. Ta Xue’s every move was anticipated. After the fight, the opponent still had half of their armor left, and their health bar barely decreased.”

The bullet comments were flooding the screen, but Ta Xue didn’t have the mindset to pay attention to them. He was still immersed in the rhythm of the dagger duel from earlier.

“If I hadn’t defended just now and instead used the advantage of my longsword to pressure him from the right, could I have disrupted his rhythm? Or maybe I should have toughed it out and minimized the damage, as long as I avoided the weak points. Would that have bought me some more breathing time?”

Ta Xue contemplated for a long time, but ultimately arrived at a helpless conclusion.

No, it wouldn’t work. It’s too difficult.

The feeling of having your entire strategy seen through is hundreds of times more frustrating than being killed by a dagger ambush.

“That person who used the dagger just now…”

Ta Xue returned to the game lobby and opened the match history panel. “Ye Shao? I’ve never heard of them…”

“They must be using an alternate account.”

“Could it be someone from the international server, the Snake King from the European tournament?”

“Doesn’t seem like it. I think they’re even more impressive than the Snake King.”

“You seem to be joking with me. Please check the Snake King’s record. He’s a world-class dagger master, okay?”

“This Snake fan barging in uninvited. Please don’t spread baseless rumors, thank you.”

…

On the other side, in Chen Xingran’s livestream room.

“This dagger is really cool…”

“Streamer, please use daggers more often in the future. It’s thrilling and exhilarating. I nearly wet myself watching it.”

“Daggers can crawl away! The Tang Sword is the coolest!”

“Use the Tang Sword, use the Tang Sword!”

“Wait a minute, that ID on the opposing side looks familiar, doesn’t it?”

“Xinghe Taxyue? Could it be the Taxyue from the solo rankings?”

“I just came back from Taxyue’s livestream room. It’s really the legendary Taxyue.”

“Hahaha, I saw it too. Taxyue is starting to question life.”

“Damn, you just played against Ta Xue? The streamer is amazing! Are you sure you’re not a professional player on a smurf account?”

The bullet comments were filled with excitement.

Who is Ta Xue?

One of the top streamers on Galaxy Live, known for his strong dagger skills and constant entertainment. Currently ranked 48th in the solo rankings, with a season-high rank of 31. His skills are extremely formidable.

Although he is not a professional player, in terms of dagger skills alone, he can easily match the level of a professional. It’s just that Ta Xue comes from a wealthy family, enjoys livestreaming games, and has no intention of going pro. Otherwise, teams would have recruited them long ago.

Chen Xingran had a brief encounter with Ta Xue, ending in Chen Xingran’s complete victory. Even a newbie could see that Ta Xue was completely dominated by Chen Xingran. Ta Xue’s health was depleted to zero while Chen Xingran only lost two bars of purple armor.

There’s not much to say. It’s just awesome.

The audience in the livestream room instantly became excited.

They knew the streamer was skilled in dagger combat, but because they had always played in lower ranks, they couldn’t really gauge their true strength. Most of the audience was there just for the fun of it, without understanding the intricacies of the battles and the deeper meanings behind each move.

But now, things are different. Defeating the well-known Ta Xue was a solid achievement!

“Ta Xue?”

Chen Xingran also noticed the bullet comments, looking puzzled.

He didn’t know who they were referring to, but they seemed to be quite famous.

Chen Xingran silently evaluated in his heart. No wonder he felt that the player from earlier was stronger than most players at this rank. His moves were swift, and his gameplay involved a strategic game of countering and dismantling with his own style and level of thinking. He was indeed a skilled player.

However, he lacked composure. His swordplay leaned towards an aggressive style, lacking in defensive posture and easily falling for traps. Chen Xingran exposed a flaw just now, and the opponent eagerly attacked, completely disregarding his potential counter moves. Once this style of play is figured out, it’s easy for someone to manipulate him.

Still too young.

Chen Xingran shook his head.

In this match, he effortlessly secured 11 kills and dealt 61,000 damage, winning the chicken dinner and earning a significant number of rank points.

At this point, Chen Xingran had reached Platinum 2. With a few more matches, he would soon break through Platinum 1 and enter the Diamond Devil rank.

He aimed to reach Diamond Devil today.

With this thought in mind, Chen Xingran exited the results screen and immediately started the next game without delay.

Meanwhile, in another livestream room that steadily dominated the homepage of the streaming platform, Yang Yunche also clicked on the ranked match button.

“Match found. Entering the game.”

At the same moment, both Chen Xingran and Yang Yunche received a prompt from the system.

In the next second, both of them disappeared from the game lobby and were teleported to the spawn island.

One after another, players were being teleported to the spawn island, and with a total of 100 players, it was bustling with activity.

“You’re all noobs, got it? If you disagree, come to the Huntian City and face me in combat!”

“Did anyone from the Cangyang Temple jump? The War God of Cangyang Temple is here! Blade lovers, gather!”

“Let’s get moving, Airubadi! Raise your hands!”

“cpdd, any big brother willing to team up for squads? I’m a black stockings l*li~ Take me to victory and I’ll send you pictures of me in black stockings!”

*”CPDD” is an abbreviation commonly used in online gaming communities and stands for “车牌大佬” (chē pái dà lǎo) in Chinese. It literally translates to “license plate boss.” It is used to refer to someone who has a high rank or skill level in the game and is looking for teammates or squadmates to play with.

“Brother, you forgot to turn on your voice changer.”

“…”

As Yang Yunche listened to the chattering conversation around him, he casually opened the preparation panel. “It’s really lively.”

“Time for the chaotic dance again!”

“Thanks for the invite, I’m already getting excited!”

“What hero will God Yun play today? Will you still play Furious Tide?”

Furious Tide was a hero that Yang Yunche used in the previous Destiny Cup. He possessed excellent team support and control abilities, and his ultimate ability could alter the surrounding terrain, creating a spectacular display of skills. Players also jokingly referred to him as the “Water Daddy.”

“Furious Tide isn’t suitable for solo queue.”

Yang Yunche flipped through the character selection screen and casually chose a character. “I’ll play Chain Man.”

Chain Man, whose full name was Iron Chain Reaper, had white hair and his arms were wrapped with two iron chains. He had a very handsome appearance and was a hero suitable for solo queue, with strong pulling abilities.

“Hmm?”

Yang Yunche was in the process of selecting equipment when he noticed someone standing quietly in a corner of the plaza. He raised an eyebrow and said, “Even in Platinum rank, there are AIs?”

The person he was referring to stood motionless in the corner. It was a Shadow Dancer character wearing the default skin, giving the appearance of an AI.

In order to provide a better gaming experience for low-tier players, the system occasionally introduces AI characters into the game when there is a high concentration of novice players in the Bronze rank. The AI characters, which make up no more than 20% of the total players in a match, serve as delivery characters, giving newcomers some kills to ensure they have a decent gaming experience from the start.

Players in the Platinum rank of solo queue are not weak and have a good understanding of the game. Most of them would invest in their favorite hero by purchasing visually appealing skins. It’s rare to see someone still using the default skin.

“Hahahaha, you’re so mean.”

“Maybe it’s a pro player pretending to be an AI?”

“It could also be someone practicing the hero.”

“What’s wrong with the default skin? I just like its plain and unadorned clothing, which goes well with my plain and unadorned swordsmanship.”

“I suspect you’re mocking someone.”

“Plain and unadorned might be late, but it never fails to show up.”

Yang Yunche took a magnanimous approach and didn’t pay much attention to the chat. However, he still cast a few glances at the Shadow Dancer in the default skin.

Among the 100 players in the plaza, almost all of them had equipped skins, including some rare ones that could only be obtained through lottery. In comparison, this Shadow Dancer stood out significantly.

In Destiny, whether in the plaza or during a match, player names were not displayed. Only when someone was killed would a kill notification appear in the game. Therefore, others were unaware that the famous God Yun was in the same game as them, and Yang Yunche had no idea who the plain-looking Shadow Dancer was.

“The countdown is almost over, make a quick decision.”

“Just go straight to Huntian City.”

“There are so many people landing in Huntian City for this match. Do you want to focus on farming?”

Yang Yunche shifted his gaze to the map in front of him.

As a professional player and the captain of the ZMD team, his overall perspective was on a completely different level from that of ordinary players.

Most players choose their landing spots based on personal preference, jumping to high-resource areas for intense combat or heading to the wilderness for farming if they prefer a more cautious approach.

But Yang Yunche merely glanced at the map and instantly absorbed information such as the density of players in each location, the estimated duration of battles, the number of nearby resource points, travel time, and the likely movement of players after engagements.

In a split second, Yang Yunche analyzed all these details.

Such a comprehensive and strategic approach may seem useless to some, but in reality, under Yang Yunche’s leadership, ZMD consistently performed remarkably well in every match. They always found a stable farming spot at the start, quickly searched for supplies, and guided their teammates to the most advantageous positions, launching sneak attacks or defusing conflicts at minimal cost.

It was as if they embodied the famous saying in Destiny.

The player’s goal is Old Six, and Old SIx’s goal is God Yun.

Yang Yunche quickly scanned and selected his landing spot.

The Dark Village.

It was a resource point in the lower part of the map, with a decent supply of items. Occasionally, purple and gold-tier equipment would spawn there. It was close to Huntian City, making it convenient for both continuing the jungle route or engaging in combat in high-resource areas. Once the first circle appeared, it would be easy to enter the safe zone. There weren’t many people landing here, and Yang Yunche was one of only three.

At the same time, Chen Xingran also chose his landing spot.

As always, Huntian City.

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