Playmates, kindly whitelist the website to support the site or turn off adblocker!
Sharpening The Knife Doesn’t Delay The Cutting of Vegetables With The Bow[eSports]: Chapter 107
107. Chen Xingran’s Dreadful Marksmanship.
Several different weapons switched in Chen Xingran’s hands, each change flowing smoothly and naturally. Even his style and aura transformed with each weapon, sometimes fierce, sometimes elusive, sometimes sharp and deadly…
“Wow—”
When he switched to the broadsword and swung it down as if cleaving a mountain with an axe, the entire Starry Sky Arena erupted into waves of cheers and roars.
It was like a New Year’s celebration!
This moment was already a top contender for the highlight of this season’s regular matches!
The thunderous applause didn’t reach the operating pods, though. With one Collapsed Mountain Stance, Chen Xingran slashed down on three opponents. Although his broadsword was of blue quality, the power behind his strike, combined with the weapon’s characteristics, still dealt massive damage.
Two had their armor broken, and one was left at half health!
Without a moment’s hesitation, under the stunned and disbelieving gazes of the Baime team, Chen Xingran followed up with a bone-crushing horizontal sweep. His body moved as one with the motion, power rooted deep in his stance, as the wide blade swept toward the half-health assault player in front!
The others didn’t dare face it head-on, retreating as fast as possible while pulling out their ranged weapons to attack!
But the next second, Chen Xingran’s broadsword changed once again—this time, it was a purple-quality spear that appeared in his hands.
Not good!
The four Baime players’ hearts sank, alarm bells ringing in their minds.
*Half-moon Slash!*
Gripping the tail of the spear, Chen Xingran fully utilized its range advantage. A streak of lightning cut through the air like a storm rising from still waters, crashing down heavily!
-677!
A striking number floated up, and the half-health assault player’s health was instantly drained, his soul mound appearing!
However, at the same time, Chen Xingran’s health was rapidly depleted by multiple ranged attacks, dropping below the danger zone within half a second!
“Swoosh—”
A sharp whistle sliced through the air as an arrow arrived just in time, striking one of the opponents in the throat, causing stagger from a weak point hit. This gave Chen Xingran a brief moment to breathe.
Yang Yunche had finally arrived!
“Fall back first.”
A deep, magnetic voice sounded in his earpiece. Chen Xingran didn’t hesitate, flipping his wrist. The spear transformed into a whip that lashed out like a swimming dragon, wrapping around a beam above. With a strong pull—
His body was lifted, weightless, soaring through the air like a wild goose.
Ghost Blade Slash!
Using the pull from the whip, Chen Xingran leaped into the air, activating a skill mid-jump, accelerating and soaring even higher. After a few rapid leaps, he disappeared entirely from Baime Team’s view.
【Ah this】
【Four vs one, they got counter-killed and let him escape—do they even know how to play?】
【Baime Team’s eternal shame, hahahahaha】
【This is ridiculous. Who could possibly win against a crazy swordmaster like this?】
【You can always trust Chen Xingran! Ahhhhh!】
“…Should we, uh, chase?” one of Baime Team’s players asked, stuttering in disbelief, looking utterly self-doubtful.
They had been four against one, trying to hunt down a swordmaster. Three had their armor broken, and one was dead…
And this was a legitimate four-vs-one situation. Apart from a brief healing assist, the opponent had no other support and relied solely on sheer blade skills and that elusive, unpredictable movement technique.
What kind of monster was this?
“Chase my ass,” the Baime Team captain grumbled coldly, rushing to revive their fallen teammate’s soul mound as quickly as possible.
The other two players snapped out of their daze. Without further talk of chasing, they focused on the critical task of reviving their teammate. With one player down and the others at low health, reviving was their top priority.
Fortunately, the soul mound’s red progress bar was only halfway depleted. With all three teammates reviving together, it took just over two seconds to bring their fallen teammate back. The support didn’t hold back either, using an ultimate skill to restore everyone’s health.
“Whoa.”
The revived teammate glanced at his inventory and exclaimed, “My golden broadsword was stolen!”
“…”
“…”
His teammates all displayed expressions of shock and speechlessness.
How could someone steal so fast?!
They had been so close to Chen Xingran, yet none of them noticed when he raided the soul mound and made off with the golden broadsword.
This is fucking insane! Are you a professional thief or what?!
“…Forget it,” the captain said, his expression complicated as he waved his hand and gave the order to retreat. “We’re lucky to be alive. Let’s fall back.”
The four of them had been completely stalled by Chen Xingran. Meanwhile, Chen’s teammates had likely used this time to regroup and regain their strength. If the enemy team arrived to support Chen Xingran and trapped them, things would turn against them quickly.
They had revived their teammate in record time. Yang Yunche, being a long-range attacker, couldn’t close the distance fast enough. After firing a couple of arrows from afar, he saw that the soul mound had been revived and didn’t pursue any further.
What Yang Yunche didn’t expect was that after Baime Team regrouped into a full four-member squad, they didn’t try to regain their momentum or come back to cause more trouble. Instead, they decisively retreated from the scene, using the complex cover to flee outside of Huntian City.
Yang Yunche stood there, stunned for a moment, then chuckled wryly.
They were clearly scared stiff by the swordmaster in their team…
【That was so cool I lost my mind on the spot】
【Was that just gun-fu? It looked like a similar technique】
【It obviously was! Chen Xingran has learned a lot since joining ZMD】
【He’s already a fully matured pro player, but this is the first time I’ve seen this kind of style】
【It’s not exactly gun-fu, right? He’s switching between melee weapons—shouldn’t we call it blade-fu instead?】
【Hahaha, are you serious? That doesn’t sound as cool though】
Chen Xingran found a safe, elevated spot to start healing. Twelve seconds later, he was back at full health and began looking for his teammates to regroup.
Luo Baibai: “Ran Bao, I’ve run out of words to praise you. Give me a moment to reorganize my thoughts.”
Chen Xingran, slightly embarrassed, said, “Keep it simple.”
“Okay then… fucking awesome!” Luo Baibai clapped enthusiastically, his expression sincere.
Chen Xingran smiled and played along with Luo Baibai’s performance, showing a little proud smirk, “Hmm-hmm.”
The four found a quiet spot to count their loot and then resumed their rampage.
The next toxic zone had already started shrinking, and Huntian City was no longer within the safe zone. The number of players in the city had dropped significantly, and the once constant sound of fighting had quieted down. Many teams, fearing they’d get trapped by the shrinking zone, had already left the city early.
But ZMD’s four players were now fully geared up, having racked up a good number of kills. Confident in their strength, they weren’t afraid of fights. As long as they had two or more ultimate skills ready, they would immediately engage after assessing the enemy lineup. Through various skirmishes, they even managed to secure an airdrop—essentially the resources from a Geomancy Treasure Chest. With this, their equipment was further upgraded, and they also obtained rare soul jades, pushing their combat power to new heights, allowing them to snowball their advantage.
As the toxic zone shrank further, teams in the game were gradually wiped out, and there were fewer full squads left alive. The live broadcast kept cutting back to ZMD, giving them ample screen time.
He Ye: “Oh? ZMD encountered another team. They’ve got their ultimates ready—are they engaging? They’re going in without hesitation!”
Echo: “With Chen Xingran on their side, this is definitely a winnable fight.”
A while later.
Zhizi: “The enemy is targeting Luo Baibai. Two assaults are trying to invade the backline—can they succeed? Alright, Luo Baibai is going into a blade duel…”
Echo: “Chen Xingran is dealing tons of damage on his own, instantly taking out the enemy’s support! Amazing! That strike was beautiful!”
A little while later.
He Ye: “…Alright, it’s now the final circle. Chen Xingran has his eyes on a lone survivor—it’s Vent’s player Li Ao. As everyone knows, Li Ao is a formidable swordsman in the league. This is going to be interesting.”
Echo: “There’s no suspense here. If Li Ao runs right away, he might have a chance to escape, but… hmm? Li Ao is charging in? Is he trying to secure a kill? Oh boy, bad move, young man. This is just asking for trouble.”
He Ye: “…”
Teacher Echo, aren’t you being a bit too biased?
You’re a commentator right now! Can you tone it down a bit? The fanboy vibes are way too strong!
【Hahaha, I’m dying of laughter】
【Echo: I’m not pretending anymore, I’m openly a Chen Xingran fan. What of it?】
【Echo’s first fine for cursing during commentary this year was because of Chen Xingran, hahaha】
【I’m calling it—he’s locked in!】
【Congrats to the Ran Army for recruiting a new fierce general】
【Teacher Echo, maybe we should tone it down a bit, hahaha】
It’s normal for commentators to have biases. Many well-known casters express their admiration for certain teams or players during matches. As long as there’s no blatant belittling of others or saying anything offensive that angers fans, the league usually doesn’t interfere.
Although Shen Tang was in the same match as ZMD, their landing spot and entry route into the zone were different. They didn’t encounter each other along the way, and by the time they reached the final circle, there were too many teams in a chaotic battlefield. Even if they did meet, the skirmishes were brief and mainly probing attacks, as no one dared to stay in one spot for too long.
Matches in Destiny are roughly divided into three stages: early skirmishes after landing, the mid-game, and the final circle.
Early-game fights are the most unpredictable, relying on factors like team coordination, loot collection speed, and even luck.
Teams that make it to the mid-game have generally built up some strength. This phase tests a team’s tactics and operational abilities, focusing on how to secure maximum resources with minimal risk. Teams have to deal with things like securing kills, avoiding third-party ambushes, gatekeeping the toxic zone, picking off lone players, or even securing airdrops, all of which require strong combat strategies.
But the final circle is a completely different story. In professional matches, the number of teams that survive to this stage is much higher than in regular games, so everyone tends to play more cautiously. No one engages in deep fights, and abilities are used sparingly. At this point, it’s not about how many kills you can rack up, but about surviving and saving your ultimate abilities for the final closing phase.
With such a small zone and so many teams, tactics become less important. Danger is everywhere, and team members can easily get scattered. How many can survive at this stage depends entirely on their individual skills.
Stronger teams with better gear can seize advantageous terrain, not only securing better positions for dealing damage but also preventing their team from being separated.
For example, ZMD is currently in a prime spot after winning several mid-game fights, and they’re loaded with top-tier equipment. They’ve already taken control of a high ground. Yang Yunche is using his pinpoint archery to pick off enemies, while Luo Baibai and Xiao Nan are using long-range weapons to cover the battlefield, keeping enemies’ health low and preventing them from healing safely.
Chen Xingran is acting as a bodyguard, watching for any teams trying to sneak up on them. He’s also been handed a cannon, and when no one’s around, he casually fires a few shots down below. Although his aim is questionable, at this stage, with so many players around, even blind shots hit someone.
“That team on the hill is so annoying.”
Chang Zan from Shen Tang bit his lip, glaring up at ZMD on the slope with frustration. He had finally found some cover to heal when ZMD’s cannon interrupted him. Staring at the enemy wielding the cannon, he said, “Captain, why don’t we rush them? That position is too good. If we take it, we’ll have a huge advantage.”
Shen Tang’s captain considered it, finding it risky. Before he could make a decision, their position was bombarded from several directions. Meanwhile, Chen Xingran casually fired another cannon shot downhill, which arced beautifully through the air and landed directly on Chang Zan, taking out his remaining health.
Chang Zan let out a wail and collapsed as a soul mound.
Chen Xingran had fired the shot at random, and when he saw the kill registered, he was briefly stunned: “Huh? I got a kill?”
Echo: “What a beautiful shot! It hit Shen Tang’s Chang Zan dead on. ZMD secures another point! Chen Xingran really has an incredible aim!”
He Ye: “…”
Incredible aim?
Teacher Echo, you can also speak such nonsense?
If you're enjoying the story don't forget to support the author! You can also support me on KOFI for site maintenance, raws purchase or as an energy boost~
Join discord to get notified whenever a new chapter is uploaded since I'm incapable of keeping up with a schedule~