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Sharpening The Knife Doesn’t Delay The Cutting of Vegetables With The Bow[eSports]: Chapter 19
19. Aloof Streamer.
Upon returning to the game lobby, Chen Xingran’s emotions were quite complicated.
He believed that in the previous battle, he had showcased his swordsmanship to the utmost. As long as the archer dared to stand within five steps of him, it would be an inevitable and fatal outcome.
But he still lost.
Yang Yunche, as the world’s top professional player and the unquestionable champion Gunslinger of the Black Tide, didn’t rely solely on his long-range marksmanship for his true advantage.
It was his comprehensive awareness of the overall situation, his cautious approach of thinking ten steps ahead, his accurate grasp of the enemy’s psychology, his precise anticipation of each character’s skill effects and distances, and his ability to gather information on terrain even amidst intense battles…
He was truly a formidable opponent.
Chen Xingran thought to himself.
Although he had just started playing Destiny, throughout his journey, he had hardly encountered many decent opponents. His skills and experience from his past life had propelled him far ahead in the path of swordsmanship compared to others.
His dominance in close combat had made his climb in the rankings smooth and effortless, to the point where he couldn’t help but become somewhat complacent and arrogant. However, for a warrior, regardless of how powerful their strength might be, once this mentality emerges, it becomes the most fatal vulnerability.
Fortunately, Yang Yunche taught him a lesson that fully awakened him.
The gaming industry in this world was highly developed, and professional players were exceptionally talented. Underestimating them would inevitably lead to even greater losses.
Yes, his swordsmanship could provide him with a certain advantage in the game.
However, victory in the game wasn’t solely determined by swordsmanship. The application of skills, control of the terrain, and mastery of the right timing were all crucial in determining the outcome.
Just like the archer who used the Iron Chain Sickle earlier, despite having fragile swordsmanship that shattered with a single strike, he was able to manipulate Chen Xingran in the palm of his hand. That meticulous calculation, the feeling of knowing his every move and even his thoughts… It was truly astonishing.
It seems there’s still a lot to learn.
Chen Xingran sighed.
“What a pity, lost.”
“It felt like we were so close.”
“You were already amazing, precious. The opponent was Captain Yang! Losing doesn’t make you any less respectable.”
“That’s right, you’re already very strong. Just relying on close combat to go toe-to-toe with Captain Yang is probably something not even Xiao Nan from ZMD’s team can achieve, right?”
“No need to downplay Xiao Nan. He’s also a top-notch assault player, okay?”
“I came from God Yun’s live stream. The streamer’s close combat skills were truly impressive. Followed!”
“Came from God Yun’s live stream +1”
“+10086”
“*Lao po, cheer up. Don’t be unhappy.”
“老婆”(lao po) is a term in Chinese that is commonly used to refer to one’s wife or spouse. It is an affectionate term used to address one’s partner. It literally translates to wife.
After exiting the match, Chen Xingran finally regained his focus and noticed the barrage of comments scrolling on the transparent panel in the corner.
He chuckled, “I’m not unhappy.”
Rather than being unhappy, it was more like reflecting on his previous arrogant attitude.
However, the name mentioned in the barrage made him have a moment of realization.
Yang Yunche?
Chen Xingran recalled searching for information about Yang Yunche due to the silhouette printed on his ID card back in the dormitory. He had a deep impression of this ZMD team captain who specialized in long-range weapons and had a unique style in professional tournaments.
So it was him.
No wonder.
No wonder his footwork was as agile as a swimming dragon, making it difficult to approach him. No wonder his archery skills were so exquisite, leaving others struggling to keep up. And it’s no wonder he had such precise control over the situation, even accurately guessing his every thought in the final moments.
However, this battle with Yang Yunche also made him realize his own shortcomings.
In terms of close combat, he truly feared no one, but his knowledge of the game was too shallow. He couldn’t even name all the heroes in the game or their respective abilities, let alone the game maps. He practically played every match in the Huntian City and had only a basic understanding of its terrain, rarely venturing elsewhere except when running through the toxic zone.
“Streamer, look at the bottom left corner!”
“Oh my god, is it really God Yun?”
“Stop daydreaming, darling. Look at the messages!”
The barrage of comments continued to flood in, catching Chen Xingran’s attention.
“The bottom left corner?”
His gaze followed along, and on the corner of the screen, a friend request quietly hung there.
“ZMD-Yunche” has requested to add you as a friend. Do you agree?”
Chen Xingran: “?”
They didn’t seem to know each other, right?
Although he knew he lost the game due to his inferior skills, there was still a slight dissatisfaction in Chen Xingran’s heart. This dissatisfaction was not directed at Yang Yunche, but rather at the bow and arrow as a weapon.
In a battle of blades, it was all about swordsmanship, continuously exploring the utmost essence of martial arts through constant clashes.
But bows and arrows, as weapons, excelled at ambushes and evading direct combat, relying on deceitful tactics. Chen Xingran didn’t say it out loud, but he harbored some reservations about this weapon.
So he pursed his lips and clicked on “Reject.”
He wasn’t going to be friends with him.
“???”
“Did you click the wrong button?”
“Streamer, look carefully. That’s the real God Yun’s ID, not an imposter!”
“Oh my god, such a decisive rejection!”
After two seconds, another friend request from ZMD-Yunche’s ID appeared in the bottom left corner.
Chen Xingran rejected it once again.
The request popped up again, and he clicked on “reject” once more. It popped up again, and he rejected it…
After a few back-and-forths, the friend request in the bottom left corner finally stopped appearing.
“Hahaha, hahaha, for some reason, I find God Yun a bit pitiful.”
“Seems like a simp who can’t get what they want, hahaha.”
“God Yun: Very well? By rejecting me, you have successfully caught my attention.”
Chen Xingran was a livestreamer after all. Even though Yang Yunche didn’t livestream frequently, he had a solid fan base on the Galaxy Livestream platform. Their intense battle would have prompted other livestreamers to eagerly add him as a friend to benefit from the popularity of a renowned professional player. However, Chen Xingran resolutely refused multiple times, without any mercy.
Afterwards, Chen Xingran clicked directly on the ranked mode and entered the matchmaking interface.
On the other side, in God Yun’s livestream room.
As he saw the consecutive messages saying “This player has rejected your friend request,” God Yun fell into contemplation.
“Don’t be a simp anymore, darling. It pains me to see.”
“Heh, man, you also have your days.”
“Do you understand now? This is how it feels when we chase after you during your livestreams, and you heartlessly reject us! It’s karma in action, the heavens have eyes!”
“No sympathy at all, and I even feel like laughing.”
“A streamer who doesn’t ride on this popularity? A pure and genuine streamer? I’m quickly going to follow!”
Yang Yunche: “…”
He couldn’t help but have some doubts in his mind.
His reputation in the professional scene wasn’t that bad, right?
Could it be that he angered them?
It’s possible.
Professional players skilled in close combat tend to have a temper. Take Yu Hongwei from his team, for example. Not to mention his easily agitated personality, even Lu Mingyu from All Stars and Li Haoyuan from VG, as well as Zhuang Jianwen from Autumn Water Team—these famous assault players in the Chinese server, one after another, were not easy to deal with.
Yang Yunche sighed and decided not to push for adding friends anymore.
With his insightful judgment, he could tell whether someone was suitable for a professional career with just one glance.
That Shadow Dancer from earlier appeared quite inexperienced in skill usage and lacked anticipation for their own Iron Chain Scythe. Most likely, they had just come out of the practice room.
There are many players like this, and ZMD’s training camp has quite a few of them. They have aggressive playstyles and quick reactions, but their shortcomings are also evident—they are easy to target and need more matches to hone their skills.
However, that Shadow Dancer from earlier was different.
This was a player who relied solely on close combat, and that alone was enough for Yang Yunche to overlook their other flaws.
There are many top assault players in China, but only two have truly impressed Yang Yunche so far: Lu Mingyu, the captain of All Stars, and Li Haoyuan, the core assault player of VG Team.
Now, Ye Shao became the third.
Having such skill in close combat, it didn’t matter if they lacked in other areas. With targeted training to compensate for those weaknesses, a player like this could become a nightmare for others in the professional gaming scene!
Since they were a new streamer, it should mean they haven’t signed with a team yet, right?
Yang Yunche made a mental note to have a chat with Fu Zhou later.
Afterward, just like Chen Xingran, Yang Yunche opened the matchmaking interface and continued his livestream.
In the subsequent matches, they didn’t get matched up with each other again.
While the two of them were livestreaming, on the other side, the recorded footage of Yang Yunche and Chen Xingran’s battle quickly made its way to the front page of the forum, adorned with the “HOT” tag within just five minutes.
Yang Yunche already had his own following and generated a lot of discussion. His livestream not only had numerous fans but also managers and professional players from various teams lurking in the background. After all, Yang Yunche, being the cunning fox he was, always liked to keep his strategies and collaborations hidden. Whenever he discovered a new tactic or coordination, he never used it in practice matches. Just when others thought they had figured out his playstyle, he would suddenly change his approach in official matches, catching other players off guard and leaving them bewildered.
Now that he finally livestreamed, it was only natural for them to lurk in his stream and see if they could catch any hints or clues while he was in action.
Thus, it was only fitting that they witnessed this visually stunning showdown.
More than just Yang Yunche had a discerning eye. After watching the full recording, both the captains of other top-tier teams and talent scouts from gaming clubs had the same thought at the same time.
—This is a treasure!
Even if they couldn’t sign them to their own team, they couldn’t let others take advantage!
Every professional player entering the eSports scene had to go through multiple tests and assessments: talent evaluations, internal assessments, monthly ratings, and so on. They had to undergo these trials and tribulations to shine in the professional arena.
But was there a better touchstone than Yang Yunche, the captain of ZMD Team?
The incredible agility displayed in the livestream, the close combat skills that could rival Yang Yunche’s marksmanship, and that stunning one-hit kill against a sniper—these were the best answers one could give!
…
The battle video on the forum spread like wildfire, even attracting the attention of several domestic gaming media outlets. They eagerly shared the video, accompanied by titles such as [Peak Showdown] [Who is the Mysterious Master?] and [God Yun’s First Livestream in Months Ends in Defeat.] This generated a substantial amount of traffic.
Chen Xingran’s once peaceful livestream room suddenly flooded with a large number of viewers. The concurrent viewership skyrocketed past 400,000, and with the tremendous influx of traffic, his livestream room quickly climbed the rankings. He surpassed many well-established streamers and soared to eighth place on the popular rankings and first place on the new streamer rankings, leaving people astonished.
The official Star River Livestream platform naturally took notice of this unusual situation. Platform administrators swiftly investigated the traffic situation. After confirming that Chen Xingran wasn’t involved in any traffic manipulation and understanding the background of the situation, they promptly reported it to higher-ups.
After a brief discussion, the Star River Livestream executives unanimously decided: this was a new streamer with enormous potential and should be given special attention!
…
Night fell.
Looking at the flashing words “Victory or Defeat, It’s Destiny!” representing chicken dinners, Chen Xingran let out a sigh of relief and then exited the results screen.
With 9 kills and 57,000 damage dealt in a solo game, he gained a whopping 67 points.
Chen Xingran’s solo rank progressed faster than expected, and he had already reached the Earth Fiend Tier 3 rank.
Opening the historical records panel, the overwhelming “Destinyd One” emblem almost dazzled the eyes. Apart from occasional mishaps at the start, such as failing to pick up a weapon or falling victim to ambushes, Chen Xingran rarely dropped out of the top three in each game.
“Another chicken dinner, amazing!”
“He’s already Tier 3? Damn, that was fast! Meanwhile, I’m still struggling in Silver and trembling…”
“Lao po, you’re doing a great job at killing, love you~”
[Lonely as Snow sent Galaxy Battleship x99] [Lonely as Snow sent Galaxy Battleship x99] [Lonely as Snow sent Galaxy Treasure x5]“Thank you Lonely as Snow for the gifts,” Chen Xingran expressed his gratitude.
Lonely as Snow had been in the livestream room all day. After Chen Xingran’s match with Yang Yunche, Lonely as Snow stayed in the room and sent gifts every few minutes. The amounts were astonishingly large, securing the top spot on the fan ranking board with an insurmountable lead over the second place.
From the beginning until now, they had already spent over four hundred thousand on gifts.
Initially, Chen Xingran thought that maybe this person was an inexperienced child who recklessly spent their family’s money. He even tried to advise them for a while. However, Lonely as Snow replied, “It’s fine, money is not an issue. Keep up the good work, streamer!” They also revealed their prestigious title as the Supreme Star Master, which made Chen Xingran obediently keep his mouth shut.
This was someone who wasn’t short on money.
The viewers on Galaxy Livestream had different levels, and the more one spent on the platform, the higher their level. The Supreme Star Master was the highest level, requiring at least five million Star Coins to obtain.
Carrying the prestigious Supreme Star Master badge, wherever he went in any livestream room, the streamers would flock to him, showering the Supreme Star Master with attention. Even a small gift from him would be equivalent to a month’s worth of effort for most people.
Lying halfway reclined on the plush luxury gaming chair, Ta Xue rubbed his slightly sore eyes.
He had been watching livestreams all day, but the more he watched, the more fascinated he became, and he didn’t feel tired at all. He himself was a high-ranking solo player on the leaderboards, having his own insights and style when it came to intense combat.
He had never seen a playstyle like Ye Shao’s before, where danger and elegance coexisted without any unnecessary actions. It was fierce and visually pleasing to the extreme. It made Ta Xue, as a high-ranking player, feel somewhat inferior. In addition to Chen Xingran’s patient explanations and composed attitude during the livestream, Ta Xue had completely transformed from a skeptic to a fan without realizing it, unintentionally showering Ye Shao with expensive gifts.
Doesn’t this make me seem a bit too much like a simp?
But I am the esteemed Supreme Star Master… Why isn’t there any enthusiasm in their attitude towards me?
No, I need to hold back a bit.
“Thank you for the gift, Lonely as Snow.”
In the livestream, Chen Xingran once again mentioned his name, causing Ta Xue to feel elated.
Oh my, Ye Shao-sama is mentioning my name, he’s so gentle…
Ta Xue’s heart was fluttering, and he unknowingly became a hardcore fan. When he snapped out of it, he realized that he had already gifted several Galaxy Treasures, and the barrage was flooded with comments like “We worship the great one,” “Damn, he’s such a wealthy guy,” “Great one, is my butt tender enough for you?” flooding the screen.
Speaking of which, what was I originally here for in this livestream room?
Ta Xue fell into contemplation…
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