Individual Heroism (2-in-1)

The news was released yesterday by local media in Jiangnan Base City.

Reporter: "Hello, Qi Ruifeng, tomorrow's match is the most important one in the entire Jianghai Division qualifiers. Many people consider this match a battle for the title of new and old Master Tier in the Jianghai Division. What are your thoughts on this match?"

Qi Ruifeng: "A battle of Master Tier? (laughs) Jinghai University isn't qualified. Whether in the past, present, or future, Jiangnan University has always been the strongest. Jinghai University should be content with just securing second place. There's a fundamental difference in strength between the two teams. It's just a pity that the Jianghai Division is too weak; the first and second place rankings don't reflect the difference between us at all. When the final rankings of the National Championship are released, you'll see how ridiculous this so-called battle of the old and new Master Tier is."

Reporter: "Could you tell me about Jiangnan University's goals for this year?"

Qi Ruifeng: "Our goal is of course to win the championship. My opponent is Ouyang Heng from Yanda University Jinghai University are not within my consideration. In the future, please stop comparing Jiangnan University and Jinghai University, and stop comparing Bai Xiaowen with me."

"Bai, what are your thoughts?" Wei Xiaoxiao asked with a grin. As a reporter tasked with uncovering sensational stories, stirring up trouble was second nature to her.

"I don't really have any thoughts," Bai Xiaowen shrugged. "It just reminds me of Qi Ruifeng's pretentious manner back in the day..."

"Just that one sentence?" Wei Xiaoxiao was a little unwilling and pressed on, "Then Qi Ruifeng said at the end that you can't compare to him. What do you think? Do you think you have the ability to compete with Qi Ruifeng?"

"Hey, don't interpret other people's statements so easily," Bai Xiaowen said with a smile. "He really can't compare to me."

The guide from Jiangnan University arrived, and the group followed him toward the competition venue.

Wei Xiaoxiao pondered for a moment, then caught up with Bai Xiaowen: "I feel like your last sentence wasn't quite right. Are you saying that Qi Ruifeng isn't qualified to compete with you? This..."

"That's your understanding, not what I said," Bai Xiaowen laughed. "But my suggestion is that it would be better to release the articles together after the competition ends."

The auditorium of Jiangnan University was already packed with people.

Compared to Jinghai University's home game, the atmosphere at Jiangnan University's home game was almost terrifying. Many college students had a pair of empty Coke bottles in hand, and they were banging them down in response to the conductor's instructions.

"Jiangnan-- "

"Come on!"

"Jiangnan-- "

Victory is certain!

Banners were hung up, making the atmosphere of this qualifying tournament feel like the CUAA finals.

"Why is it so quiet at Jinghai University's home stadium? All we can hear are the cheerleaders cheering, and the whole stadium only applauds when there's a great moment," Chen Guowei, a little unhappy.

"That's normal... because Jiangnan University has a good record; they made it to the semifinals last year," Yan Xiaoxin said. "In previous years, our University Team was very popular, especially when Ling Feng was playing, and we had such a formidable home court. When we played in the CUAA playoffs, students from Jinghai University would even travel there to cheer us on... but that's not the case these past two years."

Bai Xiaowen completely understood; nobody has a habit of being tortured. He went to watch the knockout stage specifically, only to see his alma mater's team eliminated in the first round, getting utterly crushed... After two years, his spirits had been shattered.

Speaking of which, the Chinese national football team in another timeline is truly an anomaly... Perhaps the fans of Chinese football have more resilient nerves, and they've managed to develop this ability.

Li Beihai and his wife, along with Sister Zheng and Xiao Jun, all came, holding up a sign that read "Jinghai University will win" and sitting in the front row, with a huge number of Jiangnan University students behind them... Bai Xiaowen felt immense pressure for them.

Handing the two Eaglet to Li Beihai and Li's mother, Sister Zheng chuckled, "I've read several reports, and they're basically all saying Jiangnan University will win. They say Jinghai University only needs to lose in a small way to achieve their goal... Some people are even wondering how long you can last."

"You've only read reports from local media in Jiangnan Base City, so of course they all have the same story and are biased towards Jiangnan University ..." Bai Xiaowen said.

"Brother will definitely not lose!" Xiao Jun waved her fist.

Bai Xiaowen smiled and ruffled Xiao Jun's hair before walking onto the stage.

The other team members went to the entrance of the Large Psionic Training Ground of Jiangnan University to wait, leaving only the instructors, team leaders and captains of both sides on the stage.

Bai Xiaowen glanced at Qi Ruifeng, whose face remained expressionless.

"Let's have the team captains guess."

This time, Qi Ruifeng guessed correctly; Bai Xiaowen chose the disabled mode first.

"I want to disable Conquest Mode in SOLO Mode."

Everyone was used to this, because Bai Xiaowen had banned this mode for all four qualifying matches.

Qi Ruifeng followed up, saying, "I request that the Crystal Destruction Mode in Team Match be disabled."

From the players' seats, Chen Guowei exclaimed, "Old Bai guessed right!"

On the big screen, two of the six modes disappeared instantly, forming a roulette wheel divided into four identical sections. As the host turned the wheel, the pointer began to spin.

"Okay... stop, let's see which game mode the pointer has landed on..."

A burst of excited shouts erupted from the crowd, and the roulette wheel pointer suddenly stopped at... SOLO Mode, King of the Hill Mode!

The four large characters for "King of the Hill Mode" instantly filled the entire screen, and lines of rule text automatically unfolded.

It's normal to hear cheers in the auditorium, because the King of the Hill Mode is the mode with the strongest individual Hero Tier. Strong players can take on three, four, or even five opponents at once, and it's possible for one person to crush an entire opposing team.

As a viewer, I definitely prefer watching individual performances to team battles.

"Now, both sides should decide the order of their matches. According to the order in which the guessing game was played, Jiangnan University will first designate its first player to go on stage," the host said.

In the stands, Xiao Jun was a little confused. "Brother guessed wrong during the guessing game. Why did Jiangnan University have to designate their player first? Logically speaking, the side that designates their player first is more likely to be targeted by their opponent, right?"

Li Beihai explained, "When selecting the ban mode, Bai Xiaowen banned first, so when choosing the order of battle, Jiangnan University went first."

"Sometimes, missing a guess can actually be an advantage. However, this advantage should be very slight and won't affect the balance of the game." Sister Zheng also had some understanding of the game.

After discussing with his instructor for a while, Qi Ruifeng announced, "Our first player to go on stage is... Yin Jingyun."

On the big screen, Yin Jingyun's photo quickly appeared. She was a girl with long, flowing hair, and her plain face could be rated around a 7 out of 10. However, contestants' photos are usually edited in post-production, and their real appearance is usually less attractive than in the photos.

The host said, "Jiangnan University has sent their assistant, Yin Jingyun, as the first contestant to appear. It seems they've strategically forfeited the first round. Yin Jingyun can use this opportunity to probe the strength of the first competitor, laying a solid foundation for her subsequent challenge..."

After talking for a while, the host looked at Jinghai University and said, "Now, please have Jinghai University select their first contestant!"

Yan Xiaoxin and Bai Xiaowen had been discussing this for a long time.

"You... you really want to do this?" Yan Xiaoxin asked, a little worried. "How about we put you last in the queue? That would be safer."

"I'm serious," Bai Xiaowen smiled. "I'll use this match to let everyone know... who is the Master Tier of the Jianghai Division."

Yan Xiaoxin breathed a sigh of relief and nodded, "Be careful."

Bai Xiaowen nodded, stepped forward, and said, "I'm the first one to go on stage for our team."

The audience erupted in uproar.

"Are you sure?" the host asked instinctively, then realized he'd asked an unnecessary question and quickly corrected himself, "Yes, Jinghai University has sent their strongest team for the first match, with captain Bai Xiaowen. It seems Jiangnan University is putting a lot of pressure on Jinghai University. This reminds me of the pre-match reports; they said Jinghai University would have achieved their goal if they didn't lose too badly..."

And so it went on and on, with a clear bias – it's home-field commentary, so it's normal.

Qi Ruifeng frowned, looked at Bai Xiaowen, and said in a voice that echoed throughout the room, "Are you that afraid of running into me?"

Wow, the atmosphere inside the room was ignited, and whispers of discussion rose and fell.

"What exactly is the meaning behind Jinghai University's formation like this? Shouldn't they usually put their strongest general last?"

"Can't you see? Jinghai University isn't even aiming to win this match anymore; their goal is to lose in a way that isn't too embarrassing... Bai Xiaowen, as Hero Class, still has some skill and might be able to defeat one or two of our University Team's players... In the end, a score of 5:2 or 5:3 would be a respectable defeat."

"I understand now. No wonder Senior Qi Ruifeng said that. If Bai Xiaowen puts himself first, he won't run into Senior Qi Ruifeng, who's fifth in line."

"That's so scheming! I strongly suggest that Senior Qi Ruifeng go on stage immediately and teach that scheming dog a lesson."

"It's no use, we've already chosen the first person to go on stage..."

After Qi Ruifeng finished speaking and successfully ignited the atmosphere on the field, Bai Xiaowen shrugged.

"Don't get me wrong, I just want to go home for dinner early. If Senior Qi Ruifeng is so eager to compete with me, why don't you be the second one to challenge me? I'll be waiting for you in the ring."

Afterwards, Bai Xiaowen smiled at the audience and, ignoring the increasingly surging waves of doubt, walked towards the elevator under the guidance of the staff.

At the entrance to the Large Psionic Training Ground at Jiangnan University, which is also the venue for this competition, Bai Xiaowen saw his four teammates and the three opponents—the support girl Yin Jingyun had already gone in.

There was also a large screen broadcasting the event live, so everyone knew what had happened. However, time was of the essence, and there wasn't much time to say anything more. Bai Xiaowen gave everyone an OK sign and went straight in.

A flash of light, and the scene before my eyes froze instantly.

This is a retro-style square arena, about 200 meters long and wide. Near the four corners, there are four Copper Pillar, each as thick as two people can hug.

A notification from the Spirit Realm Rules appeared. "You have entered a fragmented space within the Spirit Realm Plane, whose rules are independent of the Spirit Realm Plane."

"Rule 1: Death Protection: An attack that is about to kill an Awakened will forcibly reduce the target Awakened's Life Value to 1 point and teleport them out of the Fragment Space."

"Rule 2: Passive Combat Leads to Forfeiture: If one side is deemed to be passively fighting, a yellow warning will be issued. Two yellow warnings result in an immediate forfeit."

"Rule 3: Double Defeat: Each battle shall not exceed 45 minutes. If the time limit is reached and neither side has achieved a winner, the winner shall be determined by the percentage of their remaining Life Value (accurate to the percentile). If the percentage of remaining Life Value is equal, both sides shall be considered to have lost the match."

"Battle is about to begin: 3, 2, 1..."

As the countdown began, Yin Jingyun started running, widening the distance between herself and Bai Xiaowen. A soft shield of light enveloped her as she drew her dual pistols...

"So rushed, didn't you even say anything?"

Bai Xiaowen raised his hand and summoned Rageclaw and the Stitched Monster Fatty. He did not underestimate this support.

Because forming a team often requires thousands or even tens of thousands of Psionic Points, or Team-Building Item, the cost is very high. Therefore, most awakened individuals venture into the Spirit Realm alone.

Hoping to encounter other awakened beings in the Spirit Realm and cooperate seamlessly? Unrealistic. Especially for a support character, it's good enough if they don't get betrayed.

Therefore, Yin Jingyun's combat strength as a support character is not weak.

Bang, bang! The dual pistols fired from the left and right, their attack speed 20% faster than normal.

The Rageclaw at the front took several shots, two of which hit vital points.

"This support girl's Shooting Specialty is at least level 4! Fortunately, her agility and strength are not high, so the damage per shot is very low."

Bai Xiaowen reached out and beckoned again. The Skeleton Mage appeared behind Yin Jingyun. After a brief casting time, a Lightning Throw shot out.

A burst of lightning flashed, and the shield on Yin Jingyun's body flickered with a faint light before disappearing completely.

At this moment, the Rageclaw pounced in front of her, slashing out with their claws. Yin Jingyun began to move, but with her agility, there was no way she could dodge the Rageclaw ' attack. With two hissing sounds, she was already inflicted with two bleeding effects, and her Life Value dropped rapidly.

A flash of light appeared beneath Yin Jingyun's feet; the speed-boosting skill from her equipment had taken effect, allowing her to escape the Rageclaw.

Just as Yin Jingyun continued firing, a faint shadow suddenly appeared behind her and plunged a sword into her.

It was Assassination by the Shadow Assassin!

However, the instant kill was not triggered, which puzzled Bai Xiaowen slightly. He then received a notification:

"The target's passive skill: Triggered by Tranquility, Vital Strike must exceed 1/2 of the target's total Life Value to trigger the instant kill effect."

Nevertheless, Yin Jingyun still took the double damage from the Assassination attempt, her Life Value plummeting by half. Taking advantage of the speed boost, she sprinted a few steps forward, light flashing in her palm as she prepared to cast a healing spell to raise her health.

Targeted Airdrop!

A Skeleton Sword-and-Shield Soldier appeared in front of Yin Jingyun, unleashing a Shield Bash that sent her staggering backward. Then, the Rageclaw and Shadow Assassin followed up with attacks, and a few seconds later, the support girl from Jiangnan University was dead.