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Sharpening The Knife Doesn’t Delay The Cutting of Vegetables With The Bow[eSports]: Chapter 21.2
“What hero?”
“Demonic Blade.”
Yang Yunche analyzed, “Demonic Blade is also an assassin like Shadow Dancer, with mobility and chasing abilities. He’s well-suited for solo play as well. In a four-player squad, Demonic Blade’s ultimate provides a buff that significantly boosts his combat power, making him a crucial hero for turning the tide in a team fight.”
“Just wait a moment,” Chen Xingran said, then opened the hero selection panel and found the hero Demonic Blade.
Demonic Blade’s appearance was quite similar to Shadow Dancer’s, with a slender and lean figure. His initial skin was a tight black outfit with a hood, outlining smooth and flying muscle lines. His face was covered by the black hood, revealing only a sharp jawline. A stack of long cloths wrapped around his neck, extending backward like a fluttering cape in the air.
Demonic Blade’s other features were human-like, except for his right hand, which wasn’t flesh and blood but a steel prosthetic. Dark flames danced on the prosthetic, and the burning edges distorted the air.
Demonic Blade · Mirage.
[Character Introduction: Belongs to the same assassin clan as Witch Doctor and is his younger brother, inheriting the family’s ghostly bloodline and possessing terrifying potential. From a young age, he learned the art of assassination, naturally becoming a king hidden in the darkness.During the mission to assassinate Monk “Rosary Bead” in the Cangyang Temple, he encountered betrayal and was nearly killed. Mirage’s remaining soul was saved by Witch Doctor and sealed inside a half-puppet.
When Mirage woke up unexpectedly, Witch Doctor had already set out for “Myriad Origin Island”, a place rumored to be a land of death where nine out of ten die without a trace, seeking a glimmer of hope to save his brother…
In order to find his brother, Mirage set foot on the journey to “Myriad Origin Island” with his half-puppet body that was no longer human.]
In Destiny, every hero has their own background story, and many of their stories are interconnected. They all have different purposes for coming to “Myriad Origin Island”.
“Myriad Origin Island” is the entire map of the Battle Royale mode. According to official information, it is a miraculous island that appears only once every hundred years. The terrain is complex, and there is no distinction between the seasons – spring and winter coexist, deserts and grasslands are connected. It is extremely dangerous, full of perils everywhere. Only the last survivor on “Myriad Origin Island” can obtain the final gift from the gods and have their wish come true.
Witch Doctor and Demonic Blade, they turned out to be brothers?
Seeing the official background introduction, Chen Xingran was slightly stunned.
Speaking of which, he had slain Witch Doctor in the game dozens of times, if not a hundred…
Imagine this: Witch Doctor, who went to “Myriad Origin Island” to save his brother, encountering Demonic Blade, who came to the same deadly place to find his brother. Witch Doctor didn’t recognize the half-puppet Demonic Blade, whose appearance had changed due to experiments. Demonic Blade also didn’t recognize Witch Doctor, who was no longer fully human. Both of them were driven by the shrinking poison zone to fight each other, each wanting to bury the other, all for their most beloved person, but ending up killing each other…
The official really doesn’t treat people well.
Chen Xingran sighed and continued reading.
Skill Introduction:
Passive: Every time Demonic Blade gets a kill or assists, he absorbs the enemy’s soul, restoring a certain amount of armor and health.
Skill: Ghost Shadow Slash: Demonic Blade unleashes a thunderous strike in the designated direction, dealing 80-110 (depending on the weapon’s quality) bleeding damage to enemies along the path. This skill refreshes every time he gets a kill or assists.
Ultimate: Ghostly Bloodline: Demonic Blade activates the power of the ghost gods within his bloodline, entering the Ghost God state for 30 seconds. During this time, each of his attacks deals an additional 20% damage, and whenever he inflicts damage on an enemy, the ghostly power will erode the target, reducing their healing received by 50% for 3 seconds. Additionally, Demonic Blade’s passive recovery effect is doubled during the Ghost God state.
“Demonic Blade’s passive provides a certain survival capability in team fights, and the skill lunge also suits your playstyle. Combining your knife skills and the bleeding damage, you can quickly eliminate enemies.”
Seeing that Chen Xingran had probably finished reading the skill introduction, Yang Yunche explained, “His ultimate is a state skill that significantly boosts damage and applies a healing reduction debuff on enemies. In team fights, he is like a reaper, especially suitable for players who excel at dueling.”
Ghost Shadow Slash, which can be refreshed multiple times, has extremely strong finishing ability. If the user’s individual skills are outstanding enough, they can build the team around Demonic Blade and use a 3-protect-1 strategy.
Chen Xingran nodded and agreed with Yang Yunche’s assessment.
From the skill description, Demonic Blade indeed seemed more suitable for him than Shadow Dancer.
“Let’s try it out in four-player squad mode,” Chen Xingran suggested, now eager to see Demonic Blade’s performance in real combat.
Yang Yunche was taken aback, “Now?”
“Yes.”
“…”
Yang Yunche was a bit puzzled and after a moment, he said, “It’s already so late. Don’t you need to sleep?”
“!”
Reminded by Yang Yunche, Chen Xingran suddenly remembered that it was almost midnight. If he didn’t go back now, the school gate would probably be closed. Although he wouldn’t be locked out of the school, he would have to register his name and might be questioned by the counselor, which would be quite troublesome.
“I almost forgot, I should go back to school.”
Chen Xingran hurriedly said, “Do you have time tomorrow, senior?”
Yang Yunche was amused by his sudden realization, “I have time.”
While Chen Xingran had been composed and mature during their earlier conversation, he now appeared more like a typical seventeen-eighteen-year-old.
Chen Xingran’s eyes lit up, “I have classes tomorrow morning and I’ll be streaming in the afternoon. Let’s play ranked together then?”
“Sure.”
Yang Yunche agreed straightforwardly.
“Then, I’ll take my leave now, senior. Goodbye.”
Chen Xingran bid farewell politely to Yang Yunche, then opened the system interface and logged out of the game.
Compared to his previous attitude, he was now completely different towards Yang Yunche.
Indeed, one should not judge a book by its cover; he had some bias against Yang Yunche just because of a slight prejudice against bows and arrows. But after spending some time together, he realized that Yang Yunche was not as difficult to get along with as he initially thought. On the contrary, this senior was easy to talk to and was not at all arrogant despite being a professional player.
Despite being the captain of a top-tier team, he still took the time to accompany a relatively unknown small streamer like himself to practice in the training room and provide feedback on his gameplay. Even when Chen Xingran expressed that he currently had no intention of going pro, Yang Yunche didn’t force the matter. Instead, he recommended heroes that better suited Chen Xingran’s playstyle and even invited him to play ranked together…
Chen Xingran wasn’t naive; he knew the terrifying influence a professional player of Yang Yunche’s level represented. Playing ranked games together with Yang Yunche could bring significant benefits to his streaming career. To others, it might seem like Chen Xingran was taking advantage of Yang Yunche.
However, Chen Xingran didn’t care.
He loved the game Destiny for the thrilling battles and the challenge of facing more skilled opponents, fulfilling some regrets from his past life. Fighting against Yang Yunche not only awakened him from arrogance and complacency but also gave him a goal to strive for. In this world, there were countless top players, and the professional league was filled with formidable foes. If he could have a fierce battle with them, even standing at the pinnacle, it would be an exhilarating experience!
For this goal, Chen Xingran was willing to set aside his pride and learn from the ground up, starting as a gaming novice and constantly seeking advice from experts like Yang Yunche. In his previous life, when he stood at the peak of the ancient martial arts world, he relied on a similar approach, not just on talent alone.
Yang Yunche’s patient explanations and gentle demeanor made Chen Xingran drop his preconceptions, and his appreciation for Yang Yunche rose sharply.
He’s really a good person.
In his heart, Chen Xingran gave Yang Yunche the “Good Person” stamp and then left the operation cabin, heading towards the school.
…
Watching Chen Xingran’s name disappear from his friend list, Yang Yunche smiled and also exited the game.
He thought for a moment, then came to the computer and opened the game forum, finding Ye Shao’s battle recordings and livestream replays.
Due to Yang Yunche’s influence, the ID “Ye Shao” had gained some popularity in the gaming community. Previous livestream replays and videos showcasing his remarkable plays had been dug up and become hot topics, making them easy to find.
As Yang Yunche watched the videos, he became captivated by Ye Shao’s actions. The way Ye Shao infiltrated the Sky City, his superb knife skills, and agile movements to dodge enemy attacks were all astonishing. Yang Yunche’s eyes were filled with excitement.
Although Ye Shao spoke meekly and politely during their conversation, he showed an unexpectedly fierce and resolute playstyle when fighting with his knife. It was completely different from his personality. Every move was aimed at the enemy’s vital points, with no room for error. Moreover, his actions were so beautiful and fluid, a visual delight, and not something a young player could easily achieve.
Even some of the moves, not even Lu Mingyu could execute with such perfection, without any signs of system assistance.
Yang Yunche wondered how much Ye Shao adjusted his moves to achieve such a level of coordination between body and knife.
Yang Yunche flipped through the videos one by one, becoming increasingly fascinated, and before he knew it, he was fully absorbed.
“What are you so engrossed in?”
Suddenly, Fu Zhou’s gentle voice came from behind.
Startled, Yang Yunche turned around and gave him a disdainful look, “Are you a ghost? Can’t you make any sound while walking?”
“I knocked on the door, but you didn’t respond,” Fu Zhou defended himself, his gaze falling on the screen where Ye Shao showcased his incredible skills, “You’re watching Ye Shao’s videos? How was it? You just chatted with him, right? What did he say?”
“Call…
“Dad!”
Fu Zhou had no shame and interrupted, “I’ve already bought snacks for you. Stop messing around and tell me.”
“…”
Calling me ‘Daddy’ so quickly, it doesn’t feel fulfilling at all.
Yang Yunche sighed, “I invited him, but he didn’t agree.”
“He didn’t agree?”
Fu Zhou was taken aback.
He thought at most Yang Yunche wasn’t interested in the other person, but now it seemed that Yang Yunche had extended an olive branch, and the other party didn’t accept it?
“Hahaha!”
Fu Zhou burst into laughter, “I told you to be more modest and kind, but you didn’t listen. Now it’s like this; even when the captain of a renowned team personally invites him, he still declines. Hahaha…”
“…”
Yang Yunche’s face turned black, “Aren’t we from different teams?”
Fu Zhou’s laughter stopped abruptly, like a screaming chicken suddenly silenced, “Oh, right. Has he already signed with another team? Full Moon Star? VG? Autumn Waters?”
Yang Yunche shook his head, “No, he said he doesn’t have any plans to go pro for now. He wants to observe a bit more.”
“Then there’s still a chance.”
Fu Zhou nodded, “Tell me honestly, what level is Ye Shao at?”
Thinking for a moment, Yang Yunche replied slowly, “If we can target his weaknesses through training, he could at least become the next Lu Mingyu.”
Fu Zhou’s eyes lit up like 800-watt light bulbs.
“That’s not right.”
Fu Zhou hesitated, “Ye Shao plays the Assault position, right? We already have you and Xiao Nan as two Assault players in the team. If we really sign him…”
Oh no, Xiao Nan, danger!
“You’re really ruthless!”
Fu Zhou stared with big eyes, pretending to cry, accusing Yang Yunche of being a heartless person, “Xiao-ge has served the team for so many years, with or without merits, he has put in a lot of effort. Back when you were in the youth training camp, you two even shared a bed. Now you’re just going to abandon him like this… Yang Yunche, I really misjudged you. You’re a scumbag!”
“Sharing bunk beds counts as sharing a bed?”
Yang Yunche looked puzzled, “Then in college, we were classmates. Following your logic, even kids can get soy sauce.”
Fu Zhou bashfully agreed, “Yeah.”
Yang Yunche: “…”
What ‘yeah’?
Yang Yunche rubbed his pounding temple, “Although Xiao Nan is strong in combat, his playstyle has always been more defensive. Since the previous season, I’ve considered moving him to the Tank position. I just haven’t found a suitable Assault player yet.”
In Destiny, although there were Assault, Tank, and Support roles, the gameplay was completely different from traditional games with shields, tanks, and healers.
Destiny’s heroes had few skills, plus a passive ability, and most of the battles were focused on dueling. Even in the Support role, players often had to engage in duels and faced higher demands in team fights because Support was more likely to be targeted by the enemy.
For example, AUG team’s Fei Wei, although she’s a support player, if we exclude skill factors, her melee combat ability is stronger than most assault players. Despite her tall and gentle appearance, her playstyle is exceptionally fierce. She wields a huge broadsword taller than her and fights like a tiger, leaving opponents scrambling to find their teeth. Ordinary assault players can’t even get close to her, and everyone calls her “Sister Knife” when they meet her in competitions.
“Let Xiao Nan play as a tank?”
Fu Zhou was puzzled, “What about You Hongwei?”
Currently, the ZMD team has four starting players excluding substitutes: Assault players Yang Yunche and Xiao Nan, Support player Luo Baibai, and Tank player You Hongwei.
“He’s not focused on the game this season, you’ve noticed that too, right?”
Yang Yunche continued to watch the dominating performance of the Shadow Dancer on the screen, without shifting his gaze, “He doesn’t follow commands during matches, gets disconnected from the team, doesn’t split fire properly, and can’t keep up with the overall rhythm… Let’s not talk about these issues for now. After ZMD achieved results, his mind wasn’t here anymore; he wanted to find a broader stage. This kind of attitude… it’s bound to cause problems sooner or later.”
Fu Zhou fell silent.
As the manager of ZMD, he knew everything Yang Yunche mentioned.
ZMD team had achieved impressive results in many professional gaming leagues, and with Yang Yunche as the captain, the Black Tide division won numerous awards. However, the Destiny division had been lackluster all along, unable to achieve any significant accomplishments.
Both You Hongwei and Xiao Nan were original members of ZMD’s Destiny division. When Yang Yunche transitioned to Destiny, he took over the position of the former captain and chose Luo Baibai from the youth training camp to promote as the support player, replacing the original lineup.
With this change, ZMD’s status in the Destiny professional league improved significantly, transforming from a second-rate team to a dark horse. They directly obtained the second-place overall score in the official Destiny Cup, astonishing many spectators who used to mock them.
It was impossible to replace Xiao Nan as he was the mainstay of ZMD’s Destiny division. Although Xiao Nan was 25 years old this year, which is considered old for a professional player, Destiny was a holographic game, not as dependent on hand speed as keyboard games. Therefore, the professional career of Destiny players could be longer, and there were even veterans who continued playing in the league at the age of 29.
Melee combat was about reflexes, body movements, and extensive experience. The saying goes, “The older the wine, the better it tastes; the more sharpened the knife, the more lethal it is.” With Xiao Nan’s current condition, he could still play for another two or three years at least.
But what about You Hongwei?
He also came from the youth training camp, with decent melee combat skills, but he was impatient and often got carried away in fights. Sometimes, when the captain called for a retreat, he would continue chasing low-health enemies and eventually be killed by an ambush.
Having a missing tank player in a four-member team was extremely detrimental. It meant that in future battles, they could only avoid confrontation. Otherwise, a 3v4 situation could lead to a complete team wipe. In the later stages of the match, within the small play area, enemies would be everywhere. Without a tank to absorb damage, they wouldn’t be able to aggressively capture advantageous terrain and might even be targeted by full squads.
Yang Yunche noticed this issue when he first joined ZMD’s Destiny division. However, while there were many assault players willing to fight, good tank players were scarce. Those with both skill and awareness had long been taken by the top-tier teams, leaving only players like You Hongwei.
Under these circumstances, Yang Yunche had no choice but to give up and not change You Hongwei’s position.
After the team’s restructuring, ZMD encountered occasional setbacks in subsequent matches, but under Yang Yunche’s leadership, they didn’t suffer significant consequences. Sometimes, when You Hongwei refused to retreat, Yang Yunche would promptly sell him off, leading Xiao Nan and Luo Baibai to retreat first. Afterward, they would take a cautious approach, avoiding direct confrontations and focusing on interrupting enemy formations. This allowed them to survive until the later stages of the match, ensuring that they didn’t fall far behind in points.
However, this also led to You Hongwei harboring some resentment toward Yang Yunche.
In his view, there were games they could have won, but Yang Yunche insisted on retreating. If Yang Yunche hadn’t brought him to ZMD, the team’s points would surely be much higher, and their subsequent matches wouldn’t be so difficult.
Fu Zhou had spoken with him a few times, and although You Hongwei agreed on the surface, he still felt quite dissatisfied with Yang Yunche, who had come from outside to become the captain.
Moreover, Yang Yunche had an S-level contract from ZMD’s headquarters, which not only included a portion of the club’s shares but also provided him with the best treatment, dividends, and commercial endorsements. In contrast, You Hongwei only had a B-level contract, receiving a fixed salary and post-match bonuses, and his endorsements were just from small brands. The huge disparity naturally led to some other thoughts in his mind.
Now that ZMD has achieved results, the value of the other team members has risen.
With the rising tide, You Hongwei had discussed the issue of his treatment with Fu Zhou a few times, but the response he received was always, “We will consider it.” After that, he stopped talking to Fu Zhou about it.
Both Fu Zhou and Yang Yunche were not fools; they could tell that You Hongwei had some thoughts, and he might have even been in contact with managers from other teams in private.
However, at the moment, ZMD’s Destiny division was just starting to show promise, and there were no players in the youth training camp or the substitutes who could replace You Hongwei’s position. So, they didn’t bring it up and decided to address it after this season.
It seemed like everything was going smoothly, but there were actually many hidden dangers.
Fu Zhou sighed and didn’t say much more. He chatted with Yang Yunche for a while, asking him to get in touch with Ye Shao more and see if ZMD could have a new turning point. After that, he left the training room.
A new turning point…
Yang Yunche looked at the computer screen, but his thoughts had drifted elsewhere. It was unclear what he was thinking about.
…
The next day, Chen Xingran woke up early and walked out of his dorm room, only to find Wu Feiang waiting at the door.
“Why are you up so early…”
Chen Xingran began to speak, but he noticed the heavy bags under Wu Feiang’s eyes, which startled him, “Did you stay up all night?”
“Yeah.”
Wu Feiang spoke weakly, yawning several times within a few sentences, “It’s all that streamer called Ye Shao’s fault.”
Chen Xingran: “?”
“Ye Shao, you know him, right? He was trending on the forums yesterday. My girlfriend is his fan and insisted on recommending him to me, saying that I should learn from his techniques. She dragged me to watch his livestream and videos all night.”
Wu Feiang complained, “It ruined my sleep, and my girlfriend even said that the streamer is from our school. I don’t know if it’s true or not, but if I see that Ye Shao on campus, I might just beat him up.”
Chen Xingran cleared his throat lightly and avoided commenting.
“By the way, how’s your livestream going? Do you have many viewers?” Wu Feiang, unaware of the slight awkwardness on Chen Xingran’s face, asked, “I heard that it’s quite difficult for new streamers. How about I go to your channel later and send some gifts to boost your exposure?”
“It’s going smoothly. No need,” Chen Xingran shook his head.
“That’s good. Nowadays, face value streamers are popular, especially with your looks, you’ll surely have many fans. There’s still some time before class, shall we go to the cafeteria for breakfast?”
“Yeah.”
As they walked towards the teaching building while chatting, suddenly, Wu Feiang pulled on Chen Xingran’s sleeve and motioned towards another direction with his mouth.
Chen Xingran followed his indication and saw a familiar figure standing at the entrance of the bustling dormitory area.
Dong Qiyi stood there, as if waiting for someone, holding two breakfasts in his hands that seemed freshly bought, still emitting steam. Many passersby recognized this prominent figure in the eSports department and couldn’t help but take a curious glance as they passed.
“Look at his smug look, acting like a security guard at the entrance? He’s really asking for trouble.”
Wu Feiang scoffed.
Seeing Wu Feiang and Chen Xingran coming out, Dong Qiyi also noticed them and walked a couple of steps closer.
“Oh, isn’t this the big star of the eSports department?”
Wu Feiang’s words had a thorny tone, with a hint of a mocking smile, “Waiting for your girlfriend here? Bringing breakfast like a good exemplary man.”
Dong Qiyi ignored him and looked at Chen Xingran beside him. After hesitating for a few seconds, he spoke with a slightly nervous tone, “Good morning, have you had breakfast?”
“No, we’re going to the cafeteria now.”
Chen Xingran’s tone was calm.
“Then…”
Dong Qiyi gripped the breakfast in his hands, and the plastic bag got slightly deformed. He seemed to want to say something but was interrupted by Chen Xingran.
“Do you have something to say, Classmate Dong? If not, we’ll go now. There are quite a few people lining up at the cafeteria.”
Chen Xingran smiled at him, maintaining a polite but distant tone, showing no extra emotions.
Dong Qiyi stood there, seeming deflated under Chen Xingran’s apathetic amber gaze, and his hand dropped to his side, “Nothing.”
“Goodbye.”
Chen Xingran nodded politely to him and then left with Wu Feiang.
“Why would Dong Qiyi take the initiative to greet you? He has always disliked you, right?”
After walking a short distance, Wu Feiang whispered, “He probably doesn’t have any good intentions and is thinking of causing trouble for you. Be careful and don’t fall for his tricks.”
“En, I know.”
Chen Xingran smiled and didn’t say much more.
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