1188 Grinding Out a Win

Happy welcomed the visiting Tiny Herb. After Ye Xiu won the first round of the individual competition, the two competitors walked down from the stage.

"What do you think?" Wang Jiexi looked at Gao Yingjie, who had just been beaten by Ye Xiu and was looking a bit downcast.

"Amazing…" Gao Yingjie said. "He's even stronger than I imagined."

"But you're still young. Keep working hard, and one day you will surpass everyone," Wang Jiexi said.

"Yes!"

The Gao Yingjie of two years ago may have been named a genius and carried the hopes of countless people, but he had never dared to be so ambitious. He had always felt like having a seat in this team and playing on the competitive stage was already very, very good.

However, everyone in the club from top to bottom, his team captain, his teammates, they all had extremely high expectations of him. Just a member on the team? No, not nearly enough. Tiny Herb was expecting him to be the team's pillar, the one who would hold up Tiny Herb's banner after their captain Wang Jiexi retired.

Could he do it?

His goals were forced onto him. When he looked towards the figure of the Magician, Gao Yingjie had doubted himself more than just once. He felt like his captain was so strong. How could he ever hope to reach his level?

Everyone seemed to be more confident in Gao Yingjie than Gao Yingjie himself. While wallowing in uncertainty, Gao Yingjie grew, following what he was told blindly. Up until that day, the Season 8 All Stars Rookie Challenge, where he beat his captain under the gazes of millions of people.

At that time, Gao Yingjie had been astonished. He couldn't believe it. It was then that a seed had finally started to sprout in his heart.

So I really can do it.

Gao Yingjie began to think to himself. After that, practicing and growing, Gao Yingjie changed beyond recognition. He had found confidence in himself. He had recognized his potential. He could firmly advance towards that goal, which he had once thought as inconceivable.

That season, because he hadn't appeared in enough matches, he didn't have the qualifications for the title of Best Rookie. However, this wasn't important. In Season 9, Gao Yingjie became part of the starting lineup, directly learning, growing, battling alongside the person he would surpass and succeed. He was chosen as an All-Star and became one of the top 24 players in the competitive scene.

He had yet to reach the level of his captain, but Wang Jiexi had already given him a new target.

Surpass everyone!　　

And this time, Gao Yingjie didn't panic. He would work hard towards this goal. The road to Glory had no limit.

In the broadcast, commentator Pan Lin and guest Li Yibo hurried to give a recap of the brilliant plays that happened in this match. Pan Lin looked at the data in his hands and suddenly said, "Coach Li, I just discovered something. Happy has been the center of attention with so much to talk about, but there's a reality that everyone seems to have missed."　　

"Oh? What is it?" asked Li Yibo.

"After Samsara clean swept them in the Round 1, Ye Xiu began coming out as Happy's first player in their individual competitions. So far, he has a perfect record in these seven rounds, in seven individual matches. This is something that somehow no one noticed," Pan Lin said.　　

"Oh? Really?" Li Yibo immediately grabbed the data in his hands. Data from too far in the past might not be there, but the win records for the two teams this season should all be there.

"You're right…" Li Yibo looked at the data and confirmed it twice before continuing, "With this match, he's won seven consecutive individual matches. To think no one's reported on this yet."　　

"Even if Team Happy's win record at this point isn't too ideal, this point shouldn't be covered up!" Pan Lin said.　

"Yes… seven consecutive wins. If I remember correctly, he's tied for the most consecutive individual wins in Glory history, no?" Li Yibo said.

The two of them didn't have this information on hand, but Pan Lin quickly found someone to search and confirm it. "Correct, the current best record for consecutive individual wins is seven, which had been set by Team Blue Rain's Yu Feng in Season 8."

"It looks like Ye Xiu's name is going to have to be added to it," Li Yibo said.　　

"Or perhaps he'll be the only one?" Pan Lin said.

"Who's Happy's opponents next round?" Li Yibo asked.

"Let's see… Miracle…" After Pan Lin found it, he became silent.

Li Yibo was suddenly speechless too. Miracle. Ignoring everything else, if this was just a 1v1, it was practically giving away this point to Ye Xiu. This team's foundation consisted of former Excellent Era players, who had grown under Ye Xiu's hands. As for the others, they were new rookies that had joined along with Miracle; their skill levels were subpar. It would be embarrassing to compare them with a God.

"Uh, let's go back to the match!" Li Yibo dragged the topic back to the match. Even though he had already given Ye Xiu eight wins in his heart, since the match hadn't been played yet, it wouldn't be good to talk about it.

The second players for the individual competition walked onto the stage.

Happy. Su Mucheng. Launcher, Dancing Rain.

Tiny Herb. Xu Bin. Knight, Angelica.

Xu Bin. During his time in Team 301, he had earned the nickname "Grind King".

This nickname wasn't a pretty one, but it was quite a mighty one. It really was the best title for Xu Bin's playstyle though. After joining the championship team Tiny Herb, Xu Bin didn't lose his defining feature. Instead, because of the support from better teammates, his speciality improved a step further. Last season, he had been voted into All-Stars at 14th place.

Against Su Mucheng, Xu Bin obviously wouldn't abandon his style. After encountering his opponent and being suppressed by heavy gunfire from Dancing Rain, he didn't panic. For someone to be named "Grind King," he possessed unimaginable toughness. Xu Bin contended patiently with Su Mucheng. It was as if he was also a long-ranged class, but in reality, he had absolutely no attacks that could pose any threat to her. He fought with Su Mucheng in a situation where he couldn't fight back, dodging and defending to skillfully dissolve Dancing Rain's attacks. At the same time, Angelica tried hard to decrease the distance between the two of them.

Grind King didn't mean Xu Bin was slow and that his playing wasn't clean. It was pointing to his style, where he wore down his opponent's spirit and skills, grinding at the opponent's patience and pushing the opponent's mentality off balance, or perhaps grinding until the opponent was tired. In any case, his playstyle led to openings. And whenever an opening appeared, Xu Bin's offensive would be like a thunderstorm.

Knight's Spirit!

The instant he saw the opportunity, Xu Bin immediately had Angelica activate his awakening skill. Along with a Heroic Charge and a Justice Leap, he instantly closed the distance between himself and Dancing Rain. Su Mucheng wanted to Dancing Rain to retreat, but Angelica had used Sacrificial Roar, forcing Dancing Rain to continue attacking him. Before this, Angelica had activated an Honest Maelstrom Counterattack. Launcher attacks could also be returned by this skill...　

In the end, Xu Bin won. The margin of victory wasn't large, and he wasn't particularly dominant, but all the matches he won seemed to be like this...

"Good job," Wang Jiexi said to Xu Bin. He appreciated Xu Bin's consistency very much.

Tiny Herb's third player for the individual competition started getting ready.　

Zhou Yebai. Ghostblade, Rangoon Creeper.

Of the eight rounds this season, this was Zhou Yebai's third time appearing in the individual competition. To be sent out so many times was worthy of being excited about for a substitute player like Zhou Yebai. However, the individual competition? Zhou Yebai didn't really understand. He was a Ghostblade. It wasn't that he had no individual combat capabilities, but of the players in the team, Zhou Yebai really didn't think that he was better than any of the others in 1v1s, but their team captain didn't pick the others and picked him again and again in the individual competition. On the other hand, for the team competition, of the eight rounds, he had only appeared once, which truly confused him.

He had lost the last two times he went up. What about this time?　　

He didn't understand this arrangement, but he respected his team captain's wishes, so he upped his spirits and went onto the stage. On the way there, he lifted his head and looked up at the screen to see who his opponent would be.

Team Happy. Qiao Yifan. Ghostblade, One Inch Ash.

Qiao Yifan!

Zhou Yebai turned his head in astonishment and saw Qiao Yifan almost at Happy's player booth.　

Zhou Yebai subconsciously glanced at his teammates. He saw that everyone was looking at Qiao Yifan too.

In the pro scene, players came and went. Teammates today, opponents tomorrow. It was very common. Those who had played for a few years all experienced this, but Qiao Yifan… Zhou Yebai had never really thought of him as a teammate. Qiao Yifan had been more like a busboy?

But right now, this busboy had found his home, and he had even changed classes to be a Ghostblade just like him. Qiao Yifan's position in Team Happy was more firm than his, and he had appeared on stage this season more times than Zhou Yebai had.

Zhou Yebai hadn't been interested in this individual competition at first, but now a sliver of fighting spirit rose.

Yes, just a sliver.

Qiao Yifan was just a lowly busboy. He even changed classes. How good could he be? He's probably the same as when he had been playing with a… a what? Zhou Yebai suddenly realized that he couldn't even remember what class Qiao Yifan played before in Tiny Herb.

He was probably so bad that he didn't leave an impression on me? Zhou Yebai thought to himself.　　

Do you think that just because of you've switched classes, you're an ugly duckling that turned into a swan? Today I'll definitely teach you a good lesson!

The characters loaded into the map and the match began...

"Yifan, long time no see!" Zhou Yebai had his Rangoon Creeper advance as he greeted Qiao Yifan in the public chat. In his heart, he was wondering how he should teach this Qiao Yifan how a Phantom Demon was played.

"Senior, long time no see," Qiao Yifan replied. Apart from Gao Yingjie, everyone else in Team Tiny Herb were his seniors.

"So you've switched to a Phantom Demon. Nice job!" Zhou Yebai said.　　

"Thank you senior for your praise," Qiao Yifan said.

"Is there anything that you don't understand, that you'd like me to show you in this match?" Zhou Yebai wasn't modest at all.

"Sure… I'm behind you," Qiao Yifan said.