Sharpening The Knife Doesn’t Delay The Cutting of Vegetables With The Bow[eSports]: Chapter 24

This was an astonishing scene that left people stunned beyond words.

The barrage of bullets seemed to have lost its capacity for expression. It could only muster a series of question marks and exclamation points to describe the feelings surging within them at this moment. The screen was nearly inundated with emoticons and punctuation marks!

And as the person directly facing this spear, Yun Yin’s emotions ran even deeper. He could even sense his own body lying within the control chamber, his back drenched in cold sweat, soaking through his clothes.

Truly… so powerful.

Incredibly despair-inducing power.

Chen Xingran looked at him, “Are you going to continue?”

Yun Yin remained silent for a brief moment, then lifted his head, “I will!”

Even in the face of such pressure, the resolve in his eyes remained unextinguished. It was as if he knew he would be reduced to ashes, yet he resolutely threw himself into the flames like a moth.

Chen Xingran nodded in approval, very satisfied with his attitude.

This was a genuine warrior’s attitude, truly commendable.

They both understood that from this moment onwards, the assessment room had lost its meaning.

Yun Yin didn’t see himself as an examiner.

Instead, his attitude towards Chen Xingran was akin to how one would treat a master guiding them in blade practice. It carried a hint of reverence and humility, coupled with the desire to learn every technique, vowing to climb to endless heights without stopping.

Such a person, even if their blade techniques were still immature in Chen Xingran’s eyes, was worth his full efforts.

Chen Xingran didn’t pay attention to the barrage filling the screen. He smiled at Yun Yin and said, “Let’s continue.”

The third match, Chen Xingran wins.

The fourth match, Chen Xingran wins.

The fifth match, the sixth match…

Although the rules of the assessment room dictated five rounds with three victories needed, both of them tacitly disregarded this. They were truly sparring, genuinely enjoying a battle, continuously clashing and strategizing. The intertwining of blade and sword, for them, was the best reward in itself.

The audience who once looked down on Chen Xingran in the practice room now also understood without speaking. They behaved as if they simultaneously experienced amnesia, nobody said “it’s time for the next one,” nor did anyone ask “how’s the assessment going.” Like school children in a classroom, they sat up straight, hands folded neatly, fixated on the duel before them.

For enthusiasts of the practice room, this was their visual feast, more exhilarating than any World Finals.

…

“Two consecutive days of broadcasting, am I not awake yet? Am I dreaming?”

“The ZMD team’s model worker, I’m inclined to award you the Labor Medal.”

“Is God Yun not playing solo queue today?”

“Why did you go to watch? Aren’t you playing the game?”

“What’s so interesting about the practice room? Solo queue, solo queue!”

“Solo queue +1!”

In Yang Yunche’s livestream room, the barrage rolled on with denser intensity.

Yang Yunche maintained his leisurely demeanor, paying no attention to the myriad messages flooding the chat. Instead, he was situated in a certain practice room, observing a figure that seemed to blend seamlessly with the weapon in hand.

Because he had been called to a small shareholders’ meeting by ZMD headquarters at the last minute, Yang Yunche logged in later than usual.

The name lying within his short list of friends had already lit up.

Yang Yunche initially thought the person was playing ranked matches. However, upon closer inspection of the game status listed after their name, it read “Custom Game In Progress”, indicating they were likely in a practice room.

Without disturbing the other player with a friend message, Yang Yunche clicked on “Follow Room” and quietly infiltrated the audience seating of the practice room.

Then, he witnessed that shot.

A shot that caused his breath to catch, an astonishment that words couldn’t aptly describe.

The audience in the practice room hadn’t noticed the inconspicuous addition of the ID “ZMD-Yunche” to the viewers’ list. They remained fixated on the confrontation between the two players within the game, afraid to divert their attention even slightly. Every second offered a new lesson; every movement of that mystical blade enthralled them, making them exclaim internally: So this game can be played like this!

Yang Yunche watched two matches and found himself growing increasingly amazed by the figure before him.

He thought Chen Xingran’s blade skills were already formidable, even comparable to Lu Mingyu’s.

To be mentioned in the same breath as Lu Mingyu was currently the highest praise in the domestic gaming community.

However, now Yang Yunche realized he had underestimated the other player.

This youth named “Ye Shao,” as if born for the blade, his blade techniques were even more exquisite than when Yang Yunche first sparred with him. He appeared to have gradually adapted to the rules of the game, shedding the imperceptible traces of unfamiliarity and awkwardness. Like a frost-covered edge gradually unsheathing, he was gradually revealing an unparalleled sharpness to the world.

Yang Yunche had initially thought he had stumbled upon a treasure.

But now, he suddenly realized this wasn’t a treasure.

It was a veritable gold mine.

He even discarded the notion of “the early bird catches the worm” and started a live broadcast.

Greedily guarding over a gold mine, even for the sake of ZMD team’s future and interests, he wanted to hide this extraordinary potential. Yang Yunche couldn’t help but feel a tinge of embarrassment for having such thoughts just yesterday.

This kind of skill should be seen by everyone.

By every person who could comprehend it.

His true stage, not necessarily ZMD, not necessarily All Stars. It could be anyone. He should go to a place that would take him to the global stage, stand on the arena representing the pinnacle of honor, and showcase this shot to the world.

Yang Yunche paid no heed to the audience’s requests for him to play ranked matches. Facing the barrage of his livestream viewers, he merely extended a finger to his lips, gesturing for silence.

Just like when he first stepped onto the stage of the Destiny Cup, calmly occupying his operation cabin amidst the barrage of questions from gaming journalists and skeptical gazes, uttering a single word.

He said, “Shh, watch closely.”

…

He had lost count of how many rounds had passed.

Yun Yin panted heavily. The intense and continuous dueling, combined with his constant vigilance on his opponent’s movements, had worn him down physically.

He hadn’t won a single round.

The closest he came to victory was when he seized a fleeting opening from Chen Xingran and brought his opponent down to half health, but it still couldn’t change the outcome of his defeat.

Yun Yin wasn’t frustrated. On the contrary, he was filled with excitement.

If his body’s exhaustion wasn’t warning him, Yun Yin would have wished to spar with this “Ye Shao” figure for another three days and nights.

This was real blade dueling, this was how you dueled!

No need for the vast and boundless maps of Myriad Origin Island, no need to resort to every means to be the last one standing among a hundred people.

Just duel, duel incessantly!

Since the game’s launch, Yun Yin had been immersed in practice rooms. Even his highest ranked match was only Silver.

For the sake of his passion, he sought out powerful mentors, watched live streams, practiced tedious moves against AI in the dead of night, and even joined the Divine Blade Sect. He had eagerly volunteered to be an examiner, all for moments like this, where he could immerse himself wholeheartedly and leave no regrets.

Yun Yin said, “One more round.”

Chen Xingran put down his Tang Sword, “No more.”

“Huh?”

“We’ll have another chance next time.”

Chen Xingran saw that Yun Yin was almost at his limits, and continuing the match wouldn’t serve much purpose.

Upon hearing him mention “next time,” Yun Yin’s eyes brightened, “You’ll still spar with me next time?”

“I’d be glad to.”

Chen Xingran smiled and replied.

It had been a long time since he’d enjoyed a match this much.

Although Yun Yin had been losing continuously, he improved with every bout.

His talent was impressive, and he learned quickly. He rarely repeated the same mistake twice. When Chen Xingran pointed out certain details in his blade techniques, he quickly rectified them.

If it were in the previous world, Chen Xingran would have been happy to accept him as a disciple.

“Alright!”

Yun Yin readily agreed, concluding the afternoon of practice, “Can we become friends?”

“Of course.”

“When I make a bit more progress, I’ll challenge you again next time.” Yun Yin held Chen Xingran’s blade skills in high regard and suddenly thought of something else, “And about the Divine Blade Sect, will you still accept me?”

Chen Xingran nodded, “Sure.”

“I’ll invite you later,” Yun Yin happily said, “I’m going to take a break for now. Are you going to continue practicing in the practice room? If you want, I can give you room owner privileges.”

“No need, I’ll be playing ranked matches in a bit…”

Chen Xingran paused mid-sentence, suddenly taken aback.

He seemed to have… forgotten something?

!!!

Chen Xingran abruptly remembered that he had a ranked match appointment with someone.

Oh no, he got so engrossed in the dueling that he completely forgot about the other person…

Chen Xingran hastily exchanged greetings with Yun Yin, then promptly exited the practice room and returned to the game lobby. As expected, Yang Yunche’s name was glowing, indicating that he was online.

He wondered how long Yang Yunche had been online…

Chen Xingran, with a sense of trepidation, opened Yang Yunche’s private chat message.

Ye Shao: …Are you still there?

Yang Yunche replied instantly.

ZMD-Yang Yunche: Yes.

Ye Shao: I’m really sorry, I completely forgot about the 4-man team match. I had something going on at school just now.

Because he got so engrossed playing games with someone else, he inadvertently set aside the pre-arranged plans. Revealing such a situation was too awkward. Chen Xingran hesitated for a moment, then came up with a somewhat decent reason.

Suppressing a chuckle, Yang Yunche replied.

ZMD-Yang Yunche: Fighting and breaking school rules by getting into fights all afternoon, right?

Ye Shao: …Huh?

Chen Xingran didn’t immediately understand his meaning, hesitating for a moment.

“’School Matter’”

“Hahahaha, I’m really laughing, sorry”

“God Yun: You’re quite the storyteller”

“Caught lying on the spot, my toes are starting to move already”

“I’ve got that embarrassing habit of covering for others again, hahaha”

“God Yun has been watching in the spectator seats all afternoon!!”

“Lao po, can you please check the barrage when you’re fighting next time? Pretty please”

“We’ve been reminding you in the live chat for ages, and you still wouldn’t take a look”

“Even if you just glanced at the barrage for a second, you wouldn’t have come up with such a clumsy excuse”

Chen Xingran: “…”

Yang Yunche seized the opportunity to continue.

ZMD-Yang Yunche: Exactly, by the way, is there a club called “Divine Blade Sect” at Shoudian?

Chen Xingran: “…”

I don’t know if it’s godly or not, but how about you just take my place?

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