Sharpening The Knife Doesn’t Delay The Cutting of Vegetables With The Bow[eSports]: Chapter 58

58. A Familiar Scene

Canyang Temple is rich in resources. The ZMD team vigorously looted the area, and their equipment was refreshed, with everyone wearing purple armor.

At the same time, their Soul Jades had also taken shape. Xiao Nan had a gold close resistance and a purple ranged resistance, coupled with three blue health Soul Jades. Together with the Dragon Soul’s ability to provide two extra lives, they were exceptionally resilient.

However, they did not find any useful special Soul Jades.

As they left Canyang Temple, the second circle had just begun to shrink, and three countdown markers appeared on the map, signaling the imminent respawn of the Earth Vein Treasure Chests.

The trio turned their gaze to Yang Yunche, waiting for his decision.

After pondering for a moment, Yang Yunche decided to check out the Earth Vein Treasure Chests. Although ZMD already had a five-kill lead, they were not the current battle gods. The current battle god team was the AUG team, holding a seven-kill lead, indicating that they had been racking up kills.

On the way to the Earth Vein Treasure Chests, ZMD encountered another team. Both sides exchanged ranged probes, but the terrifying accuracy of Yang Yunche’s arrows, each hitting with a headshot, scared off the opponents. Before the fight even began, two members of the enemy team had their armor broken and had to retreat.

There was no intention from Yang Yunche to pursue further. He had already caught sight of another team approaching from a distance.

“It’s the AUG team.”

Yang Yunche glanced at the fully equipped team not far away and said, “How do you know?” Chen Xingran asked curiously.

“Zhu Jiuyin in addition to Furious Tide is their usual lineup; I recognized it at a glance,” explained Yang Yunche. “They’re here to contest the treasure chest.”

Chen Xingran looked towards the AUG team. Indeed, AUG had already occupied the respawn point of the Earth Vein Treasure Chest. They had favorable terrain, firing from a higher position to the lower one, easily driving away the other team that wanted to contest.

AUG has excellent equipment on their side, and Fei Wei has already obtained the Divine Blessing Soul Jade, transforming into a mobile blood pool. She uses her armor fragments and blood packs to provide the team with a continuous source of recovery. Moreover, her own blade skills are formidable. Wielding a golden broadsword, she effortlessly swings it open and close, directly breaking the armor of the approaching Lunar Wolf who came to support, making it difficult to find a breakthrough from the support side.

“What should we do, Captain? Should we give up on the treasure chest?” 

Looking at AUG’s position, which is easy to defend and difficult to attack, Luo Baibai questioned. Attempting to snatch the treasure chest from them wouldn’t be an easy task.

“No, we can’t.”

Yang Yunche’s response was decisive. “AUG already has an advantage in the early game. If we let them get the treasure chest, the final circle will be tricky. We can’t let them gain points so easily. Xiao Nan, how much longer until your ultimate is ready?”

“80%, it’ll be ready soon,” Xiao Nan replied.

Chen Xingran and Yang Yunche were the assault positions, dealing high damage with fast charging ultimates. Coupled with Luo Baibai’s ultimate, they still had the power to fight.

The Earth Vein Treasure Chest was about to spawn in ten seconds. AUG had driven away nearby teams, and unless something unexpected happened, this chest would be theirs.

However, Yang Yunche had quietly led ZMD around the front, flanking from the side and rear of AUG. Their movement path was discreet, and they hadn’t been noticed by AUG’s players.

“I hope this wave of treasure chest provides a Perfect Jade. We’ll be invincible if it does.”

AUG’s Assault, Huai Yuxing, remarked.

The Perfect Soul Jade had the effect of increasing the recovery amount of armor and blood packs, which perfectly offset the reduced recovery from the Divine Blessing Soul Jade. The combination of these two Soul Jades was perfect.

“Don’t be careless; be cautious.”

AUG’s captain, Song Dongyang, did not take it lightly. “Fei Wei, how is it on your end?”

“No one here.”

A cold female voice echoed in the voice chat, belonging to the top support player, Fei Wei.

“Alright, I can’t see the eastern hill from my view. Be careful; there might be someone there.”

As the countdown ended, the Earth Vein Treasure Chest arrived as scheduled. The ground in the wilderness suddenly split apart, and amid a thunderous roar, a splendid golden chest appeared on the ground.

“Swoosh!”

Just as Song Dongyang finished speaking, a flaming arrow, accompanied by a whistling sound, flew in. Song Dongyang reacted extremely quickly, raising the Hanyue Shield instantly to block the arrow’s damage. However, the attached flames still ignited him, causing burning damage.

Sure enough, there’s someone!

Fei Wei raised her hand and cast Yin-Yang Readings on Song Dongyang’s head. AUG didn’t rush to grab the treasure chest but immediately aimed at the direction from which the arrow came.

“Boom!”

“Bang!”

The artillery and bird rifles were raised simultaneously, booming towards ZMD’s hill!

“Xiao Nan!”

In the voice chat, Yang Yunche shouted, “Go!”

The next moment, Xiao Nan’s figure appeared behind AUG. In the instant when AUG’s attention was drawn by Yang Yunche’s feathered arrow, Xiao Nan had stealthily reached their side. As Yang Yunche’s voice fell, he immediately emerged from concealment, holding a massive shield-sword and leaping into the crowd!

“Swoosh!”

AUG’s four members immediately focused on Xiao Nan, attacking him with their weapons, emanating a sharp and chilly aura.

Dragon Spine Force!

Xiao Nan wasn’t as bold as Chen Xingran; being alone, he didn’t dare to challenge the entire AUG team’s swordsmanship. Upon entering the scene, he immediately activated Dragon Spine Force, entering a blocking state.

In the moment he activated the skill, without the need for commands or words, AUG’s four members immediately stopped, not giving him the chance to accumulate his ultimate.

“Xingran!”

With Yang Yunche’s voice, Chen Xingran’s demonic blade shot out like an arrow, swiftly reaching Fei Wei. The Ghost Shadow Slash opened, instantly flying to the front of Fei Wei, not giving her the opportunity to use Divine Blessing for her teammates’ healing.

Yang Yunche abandoned his bow and arrow attack and entered the scene. Following the call of his ultimate, the Furious Tide surged down in the next second, directly covering the battlefield with a Water Formation!

“Feel the wrath of the overwhelming tide!”

The Furious Tide team from AUG also simultaneously activated their ultimate. As the voice prompt sounded, another Water Formation emerged in the battlefield, overlapping with Yang Yunche’s Water Formation.

The ultimate of Furious Tide could summon a Water Formation, inflicting a brief control effect on enemies passing through the formation’s edge. However, if another Furious Tide also activated the skill, it could negate the control effect on their teammates. The AUG Furious Tide summoned the Water Formation at the same moment as Yang Yunche activated his ultimate, less than half a second apart, neutralizing Yang Yunche’s control effect.

This was the reaction speed of professional players, not even needing the captain’s order to communicate, using skills to protect teammates as quickly as possible.

“Swoosh!”

Chen Xingran’s blade flashed, the golden Tang sword clashed with Fei Wei’s massive blade. His blade light, as agile as a snake, with a turn of his wrist, the Tang sword’s edge separated upon contact, piercing through Fei Wei’s defense at a tricky angle, aiming directly at her throat!

Fei Wei’s expression remained unchanged. Gripping the handle of the broadsword tightly with both hands, she exerted force, and the heavy broadsword surged upward, carrying an earth-shattering momentum as it descended towards Chen Xingran’s head!

Chen Xingran swiftly sidestepped with agility. Leveraging his waist’s force, he spun seamlessly, and the blade light rose again!

“Clang!”

Fei Wei swung her broadsword around, her slender figure concealed behind the blade’s edge. After intercepting the Tang sword’s attack, she kicked towards Chen Xingran’s midsection!

The two figures continuously intertwined, passing several moves in just a second. Fei Wei, as one of the top players in domestic swordsmanship, was only a step away from the level of Lu Mingyu. Chen Xingran found it quite challenging to deal with her.

Their swordplay didn’t last long, and neither gained an advantage. However, the battlefield with eight people wouldn’t provide them with many opportunities for one-on-one combat.

“Watch out behind!”

Luo Baibai shouted.

Ultimate – Mountain Breaker Strike!

AUG’s Song Dongyang was the tank, and seeing Chen Xingran and Fei Wei engaging in combat, he didn’t hesitate to use his ultimate. The enormous shield in Shatter Mountain’s hands slammed into the ground with great force, causing an instant shockwave. The ground cracked open with several tortoise-shell patterns, spreading forward like lightning in the earth!

Chen Xingran turned to leave but was detected by Fei Wei, who was quick-witted. She swung her broadsword, directly blocking Chen Xingran’s steps.

Bang!

Chen Xingran was directly hit by Shatter Mountain’s ultimate, Mountain Breaker Strike, and knocked to the ground!

At the same time, the positions of Luo Baibai and Yang Yunche were also targeted by AUG’s two assault players.

Dragon Soul True Form!

Seeing Chen Xingran being detained and controlled by Song Dongyang, Xiao Nan decisively activated his ultimate, transforming into a dragon and soaring into the sky. The dragon breath continuously spewed out without stopping. Fei Wei agilely dodged the dragon breath, avoiding the intimidation effect but had no time to deal damage.

Xiao Nan’s timely disruption allowed Chen Xingran to recover one life.

“Huai Yuxing, use your ultimate!”

Song Dongyang shouted in the voice chat. Currently entangled in a skirmish with Yang Yunche, feeling annoyed by Yang Yunche’s gunplay, Huai Yu Xing immediately gave up the pursuit and activated Zhu Jiuyin’s ultimate.

Candle Illuminating All That Exists!

*Zhu – candle

A dark purple field suddenly bloomed from Huai Yu Xing, continuously applying a deceleration effect to the surrounding enemies. After stacking five layers of deceleration, the enemies would fall into a stun.

This Illuminating All That Exists was executed beautifully. Yang Yunche and Luo Baibai were immediately chased away, hiding behind cover to evade Zhu Jiuyin’s deceleration effect. However, Chen Xingran and Xiao Nan on the front lines weren’t as fortunate.

Xiao Nan was still in the Dragon Soul True Form state, significantly reducing his movement speed. Illuminated by Zhu Jiuyin’s ultimate, he immediately found himself in a dilemma. Chen Xingran, also affected by the stacked deceleration, wanted to turn around and save Xiao Nan but was stopped by Yang Yunche’s voice.

“Xingran, go first!”

“But Xiao Nan…”

“Save him later; if you’re stunned, you won’t be able to fight back.”

The two quickly communicated, and Chen Xingran’s figure came to a halt. He gritted his teeth, swiftly using Ghost Shadow Slash to move out of the battlefield, evading Zhu Jiuyin’s deceleration effect.

Just like a death countdown, as Illuminating All That Exists ended, Xiao Nan immediately fell into a stun in midair.

“Focus fire on Dragon Soul!”

At the same time, AUG’s four members simultaneously took out their ranged weapons. Arrows, bullets, and artillery all rushed towards the stunned Dragon Soul. Being suspended in midair, Xiao Nan had become a living target. Even with Xiao Nan’s luxurious Soul Jade and robust health, he couldn’t withstand the simultaneous focused fire from so many ranged weapons. His health plummeted rapidly, and even Luo Baibai’s ultimate did little to help.

As Illuminating All That Exists ended, Chen Xingran and the others rushed back into the battlefield. However, Xiao Nan had already separated from them. Even with Luo Baibai’s ultimate, it was challenging to secure his survival.

AUG was, after all, a top-tier powerhouse in the domestic esports scene. Their execution, timing of skill exchanges, and ability to focus fire and disrupt were impeccable. Song Dongyang’s perfect decision-making resolved Yang Yunche’s ambush, putting ZMD in a difficult situation.

Luo Baibai’s tone was anxious, “What should we do, Captain?”

Xiao Nan: “I can’t be saved here; you guys go first!”

However, Yang Yunche did not give the order to retreat as they had expected.

He and Chen Xingran exchanged a distant glance, and both saw the same emotion in each other’s eyes.

The scene before them was remarkably similar to the training match Chen Xingran had witnessed in the classroom.

It was also a situation where the tank was being focused by four people, with Luo Baibai holding a powerful ability, and Fei Wei positioned a bit farther away…

Except for the different heroes and map locations, the current scene was almost a replica of that training match.

Chen Xingran and Yang Yunche exchanged a glance, with no verbal communication between them, but they both understood each other’s intentions.

“Luo Baibai, use your ultimate to protect Xiao Nan.”

Chen Xingran was the first to speak in the voice chat.

“What?”

Though Luo Baibai felt somewhat puzzled, in the current situation, even if he handed over his ultimate to reduce damage for Xiao Nan, given Xiao Nan’s position, it could only buy them an extra five or six seconds.

Nevertheless, he obediently followed the order.

Ultimate – Formless Body.

The Rosary Bead summoned the Formless Buddha to possess a teammate, immediately granting them 90% damage reduction.

This damage reduction effect would gradually decrease over time, disappearing after five seconds. It was an instant lifesaving skill, and considering Xiao Nan’s current status, it could buy them a little more time.

That would be enough.

Chen Xingran’s gaze narrowed, and his entire person leaped like lightning, rushing towards Fei Wei’s position!

“That Demonic Blade guy is back again!”

Huai Yuxing keenly noticed Chen Xingran’s figure. “Fei Wei Jie, he’s coming for you!”

“Let him come.” Fei Wei swung her broadsword, assuming an attacking posture. Her cold female voice slightly deepened, carrying a hint of a murderous intent.

In the eyes of the entire AUG team, Chen Xingran’s move undoubtedly seemed like a death wish.

However, without team support, even if Xiao Nan activates the Dragon Soul True Form, he can’t withstand such intense damage. In the presence of skilled opponents, it’s challenging for the Dragon Breath of the Dragon Soul True Form to hit enemies. Typically, it requires teammates to help with control, holding the enemy’s movements to ensure the hit rate of the Dragon Breath.

With Luo Baibai’s ultimate support, Xiao Nan’s plummeting health was barely stabilized.

Chen Xingran’s figure was like lightning. Dragging his sword, he swiftly approached Fei Wei!

Tang Sword in action!

A refined lightning bolt traversed the air, fiercely slashing towards Fei Wei.

Fei Wei sneered, undaunted. With a firm grip on the sword handle in her right hand, she forcefully pulled it, meeting the broadsword head-on!

AUG had the victory in hand. There was no need to kill Chen Xingran. They only needed to delay for a few seconds. After AUG’s three members focused down Xiao Nan, freeing up their hands, ZMD’s ultimate would be exhausted, and the remaining three wouldn’t be able to escape, even if they wanted to.

Five seconds might seem like a long time, but in reality, it was just a short moment. Trying to kill Fei Wei within five seconds was something no one in the professional league dared to think about. If someone knew Chen Xingran’s true thoughts at this moment, they would undoubtedly think he had gone mad.

Chen Xingran was not crazy.

On the contrary, he was exceptionally calm at this moment.

Under the cold gaze beneath the Demonic Blade’s hood, his eyes slightly narrowed. In an instant, everything around him became extremely slow, and Fei Wei’s golden broadsword, with its fierce arc, froze in Chen Xingran’s line of sight.

In Chen Xingran’s eyes, Fei Wei’s sword could be considered flawless. The angle, strength, and the reserve of power for subsequent variations were all just right. The trajectory of the golden broadsword unfolded in his mind in an instant—the angle of descent, possible changes in techniques, and every point where Fei Wei exerted force. These thoughts flashed simultaneously.

As he expected, Fei Wei didn’t have much offensive intent. This slash was just to hold Chen Xingran back, not giving it his all, with more defense than offense and insufficient killing intent.

She emphasized the power on her right waist, using the waist’s strength to wield the sword. This move focused on twisting the waist while turning the horse. The right hand aligned with the shoulder, the blade was stable and fierce, but…

There was a flaw!

Chen Xingran’s gaze focused, and the Tang Sword fiercely struck!

—Void Step, Raised Sword!

The golden cyan luster of the Tang Sword, accompanied by subtle dark glimmers, pointed the way as Chen Xingran executed the starting posture. Stepping up with a circular motion of his right foot, he firmly gripped the sword handle, lowered his center of gravity, and like lightning, the blade swung—

“Clang!”

“Swish—”

A piercing and crisp sound of metal scraping echoed. Chen Xingran’s blade grazed against the broadsword, creating a series of sparks, illuminating the eyes beneath the hood!

The left middle part of the blade was the weak point, and Fei Wei, aiming right towards the enemy, this move, the cutting blade crosscut, like a snake leaving its hole, had already entered her vulnerable point!

Chen Xingran exerted force with his right hand, muscles all over his body tensing in an instant. Wrist with an inch of strength suddenly twisted, and then the blade lifted. Advancing with a step, the blade horizontally leaned, followed by a snake-burrowing-into-a-hole movement, a sudden onslaught!

Laughing Spring Blade – Tiger Pressing Sword Stance!

“Clang—!!”

A clear and sharp metallic sound rang out. Fei Wei’s health plummeted significantly, and simultaneously, the golden broadsword in her hand leaped high into the air, already thrown out of her grasp.

Explosive Blade!

With the sound of the explosive blade, time seemed to freeze. The look of disbelief on Fei Wei’s face, Luo Baibai’s widened eyes in an instant, as well as Song Dongyang and the two assaults turning their heads after hearing the noise—these scenes intersected, pausing for a moment in Chen Xingran’s eyes.

In an instant, the Tang Sword in his hand had made a full circle, decisively sheathed. His left foot retreated, creating a smooth arc on the ground, while his right palm held the hilt with a virtual grip.

At this moment, the delicate dark golden vines on the Azure Radiant Blade’s hilt seemed to come alive. A momentum like a volcanic eruption surged from bottom to top. It was like a calm sea brewing a catastrophic storm, swallowing dangerous dark glimmers.

The next moment, the storm suddenly erupted, and a golden lightning bolt lingered in everyone’s sight.

—Thunderclap!

-1277!

“Swoosh!”

Yang Yunche’s arrows followed closely. Feathered arrows burning with raging flames shot into this intense storm, intertwining with the flashing golden lightning, drilling into Fei Wei’s throat.

The thunder roared, and the wind and electric dragons rose!

In Fei Wei’s terrified gaze as if facing a ghost, her health was instantly emptied, and her body collapsed to the ground.

“ZMD-Xingran used the Tang Sword to kill AUG-Fei Wei”

In the sky was the colossal body of a divine dragon, winding through the clouds like a mythical scroll. On the ground were cracks like shattered lines, as if it had experienced a terrifying earthquake. The AUG team’s voice chat was silent at this moment. Song Dongyang looked at this scene in disbelief, almost speechless.

The situation had reversed!

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