City Terrain (2-in-1)

The CUAA finals were not held at Yanda University, but at the Seven Trees Stadium. The organizers even specially invited the famous host Xia Ke, which was quite a prestigious event.

Eighty percent of those watching the game were university students, mostly from Beijing's university circles. This match pitted a dark horse team from out of town against a long-established powerhouse from Beijing. For the students in Beijing's university circles, who to support? They had a subtle bias in their minds.

Of course, this bias is not obvious, except for those students who are purely from Yanda University.

The remaining 20% of the audience, besides media reporters, consisted of observers from various guilds. They were responsible for observing and discovering promising talents in the College Students League and signing them into their guild teams, much like scouts in another timeline.

For the Jinghai University Team, it was practically a semi-away game. However, Bai Xiaowen was mentally prepared for this, as they had played away games all the way here.

"Bai Xiaowen, Jinghai University is ranked 30+ nationally. As a team that finished at the bottom of the National Championship, you have defeated many opponents along the way and finally stood on the stage of the finals. At this moment, what would you like to say to the audience?"

There was a brief interview session before the match. This was not an interview with the media reporters, but rather a Q&A session where the host Xia Ke, asked a few questions to build up the atmosphere for the final.

Xia Ke asked the first question in a relatively gentle manner; it wouldn't be good to start too sharply. She had already silently prepared several sensitive questions in her mind to spark interaction between the two teams. That would make the match more exciting.

Bai Xiaowen, who was being interviewed on stage, caught a glimpse of Ouyang Heng through Xia Ke.

The way Ouyang Heng looked at Bai Xiaowen was anything but friendly; it burned with... fierce hostility.

That's right, it was hostility, not so-called "fighting spirit"—there's a difference between the two. Bai Xiaowen's mental perception was very sharp, and he clearly grasped Ouyang Heng's mindset. His eyes swept across the audience and spotted Qiao Rui among the remaining four members of the Yanda University team.

"I've heard Qiao Qi mention... that Ouyang Heng is also from a prominent family in the Beijing, on par with the Qiao Faction. It seems the two families intend to form a marriage alliance, bringing Ouyang Heng and Qiao Rui together. And since Senior Qiao Rui has been very kind to me, it's inevitable that she'll incur Ouyang Heng's jealousy."

For some reason, the thought of Ouyang Heng and Qiao Rui's impending marriage made Bai Xiaowen feel uneasy.

"There's really no need to think so much. I feel that Senior Qiao Rui Rui's feelings for me are more like an older sister's care for a younger brother, and it's not really romantic love yet. Besides, most of the Qiao Faction probably wouldn't want Senior Qiao Rui and me to be together. Opening Gate, I already have Shu Yi by my side."

Although it's common for awakened powerful individuals to have one king and multiple queens in the Psychic Energy Era, if the Fang Family is dominant, they certainly wouldn't want to see their daughter sharing a husband with other women.

This thought lingered in Bai Xiaowen's mind for less than 0.1 seconds before being forcibly dispelled.

Xia Ke asked Bai Xiaowen a question, and the latter immediately became the focus of everyone's attention.

"Jinghai University Team is indeed currently ranked at the bottom of the League of Nations. It's understandable that people call us a dark horse. However, after today's match, no one will mention the word 'dark horse' anymore; we..."

Bai Xiaowen slowed her speech, her eyes scanning her teammates Yi-Yi.

Li Shuyi, Xiang Hui, Han Xu, Feng Zi'ang...

"... will be crowned king."

There was a moment of silence in the stadium, followed by sporadic applause, which then spread like wildfire, instantly engulfing the entire audience.

"Hey, the captain's lines are a bit cringey, but they seem to have a really strong appeal! Does that mean being handsome is justice, and good-looking people can say anything that makes sense?" Feng Zi'ang muttered.

"... What do you mean by being a chuunibyou? This is the kind of aura you should have," Xiang Hui said.

"I think... the captain seems to have changed a bit after the Alchemist competition. Look, before he went on stage, he took out a scroll and started muttering poetry. He's probably gotten a bit of a literary freak," Chen Guowei muttered.

Li Shuyi placed her hand on her forehead.

On stage, Xia Ke pleasantly surprised; she had been worried that Bai Xiaowen would keep a low profile.

"Bai Xiaowen, do you mean you're confident you can defeat the defending champion Yanda University?"

Bai Xiaowen nodded.

Xia Ke said with a smile, "I've looked into it. You and Ouyang Heng, the captain of Yanda University, are currently ranked first and second on the Virtual Battle Platform's newest best-selling list, respectively. Regarding your two characters, the Spirit Channeling Prince and the Navy Marshal, the players on the Virtual Battle Platform are divided into two factions, arguing about who is stronger... Is that true?"

This ad placement is pretty clever.

Bai Xiaowen smiled in agreement, "That's true. However, it's not possible to definitively say who is stronger between our characters based on just this one match, since the competition is about teamwork... Awakened individuals don't have an absolute distinction of strength or weakness due to their different roles."

"Okay, thank you for your answer, Bai Xiaowen..."

Xia Ke turned to Ouyang Heng and asked a similar question.

Ouyang Heng said coldly, "I disagree with what Bai Xiaowen just said. Of course, there are different levels of strength among Awakened Ones, and competitions are the best test. On the Player Platform, the Spirit Channeling Prince character is priced at 99 yuan, which is more than a third of the price of the Navy Marshal. As the highest-priced top-tier template among Intermediate Awakened, you have to make your fans feel that it's worth the money, right?"

After a pause, Ouyang Heng revealed a provocative smile, "If your team can't beat me, then your character's price is a bit too high."

Bai Xiaowen was not angered by Ouyang Heng's provocation, but smiled slightly:

"Since Senior Ouyang is so confident, how about we just choose the King of the Hill Mode and have a match?"

Cheers erupted from the stands. The atmosphere was tense, with the two captains immediately going to fight one-on-one – it was incredibly exciting.

Ouyang Heng snorted, "Fine, then ask the rules if it's allowed?"

Xia Ke quickly said, "Boys, the format for the final round is randomly selected; it cannot be specified directly."

Ouyang Heng shrugged. "The rules are like this, so I won't go into detail. Besides, one-on-one battles are the kind of competition mode I look down on the most; there's absolutely no teamwork involved. The future trend of Awakened combat is team-based cooperation, and winning a team battle is the greatest affirmation of a captain's ability."

Bai Xiaowen smiled but did not expose Ouyang Heng's pretense.

After defeating five opponents in two consecutive matches against Jiangnan University and Tsinghua University, Bai Xiaowen had already proven his strength in the King of the Hill Mode, surpassing his peers and becoming unmatched. If Ouyang Heng were willing to have a one-on-one King of the Hill Mode, Bai Xiaowen would have to question his intelligence.

"Alright, it seems both captains are very confident in their teams. Let's look forward to their amazing performance later!"

Xia Ke first said some polite words, but she was actually a little confused. She didn't expect Ouyang Heng to be so hostile towards Bai Xiaowen. There was already a hint of tension on the stage without her prompting, which was quite rare. Let's get to the point quickly.

"The first round, the guessing game, begins..."

The guessing game resulted in Ouyang Heng winning. Bai Xiaowen, as always, disabled the SOLO Mode Conquest Mode, so it was Ouyang Heng's turn next.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Ouyang Heng hesitated for a second. "I choose to disable the King of the Hill Mode... A truly exciting match is one where the battle for victory is decided in team fights."

A low "tsk" sound rang out. The audience wasn't stupid; they knew exactly what Ouyang Heng was afraid of.

However, Ouyang Heng remained unmoved, keeping his eyes down. He had long been prepared to endure the boos; the KOF Mode had to be banned no matter what.

In competitive sports, being bad at something is a cardinal sin. As long as you can win, everything is fine. If you force yourself to go against your opponent's strengths and end up losing, no one will say that Ouyang Heng lost with honor; they will just call him a stubborn fool.

The two players banned both modes of the SOLO Mode; the next draw will be based on four team battle modes.

With the sound of a gong, the mode was finally locked on the big screen.

Xia Ke smiled and said, "The first match will use the True Kill Mode. Now, please have Ouyang Heng disable the terrain..."

"Disable Pingyuan." Ouyang Heng made his choice quickly this time.

Bai Xiaowen then disabled naval combat. Ouyang Heng's class characteristics would provide a strong boost in naval combat environments.

Xia Ke pressed the button, disabling two terrain types, and then began drawing the terrain for the game. Finally, the icon on the big screen displayed a scene of tall buildings.

"The final terrain for the competition is: a city. Both players, please enter the arena in turn and await the start of the match..."

During the waiting time, commercials were broadcast, and viewers waiting in front of the live stream and television flocked to the comment sections of the Virtual Community and the message boards of the Virtual Battle Platform, starting a heated discussion.

"Ouyang Heng is such a disappointment. He actually banned the KOF Mode. Does he admit he can't beat Bai Xiaowen in a one-on-one fight?"

"It seems there's a reason why the Spirit Channeling Prince character is so expensive."

Amidst a barrage of "cowardly" comments, some offered a more level-headed analysis. "Those calling them cowards should save their breath. Yanda University two Hero Class, invincible in team battles, why should they challenge Jinghai University one-on-one?"

"Yes, Ouyang Heng's decision to ban KOF Mode was a very wise one."

"Even so, Ouyang Heng can't win. Our Xiao Wen is the strongest."

"Waiting to see Ouyang Heng get thoroughly humiliated by my writing."

"Are you all still asleep? Yanda University is invincible in team battles, they have the advantage in all five positions."

"They're just Bai Xiaowen's die-hard fans, ignore them."

Bai Xiaowen has many supporters, a large portion of whom are women who are initially attracted to her looks and remain loyal to her because of them. Only a small number of men are impressed by Bai Xiaowen's talent and abilities.

Bai Xiaowen's charm isn't universally appealing; just as some girls like him, others dislike him. His haters aren't a unified group and haven't yet gained significant influence. However, as time goes on, they've begun to consciously band together, attacking and discrediting Bai Xiaowen from various angles.

It's not easy to find fault with Bai Xiaowen himself. He is a powerful Hero Class, undefeated in the College Students League, handsome, tall, and has just won the International Alchemist Conference. He is practically perfect in every way.

So the haters took a different approach, digging up Bai Xiaowen's dark past: beating underage girls, bullying classmates, and even murdering a fellow countryman (Zhao Zhixiong)...

Haters don't care about the cause and effect; taking a clip and making a big deal out of it is their forte.

Sister Zheng has noticed this trend, but she doesn't have any good solutions. If she tries to refute or clarify this so-called dark history, she will only be accused of being a whitewasher and a paid troll; there's no point in arguing with her.

Right now, Sister Zheng can only help Bai Xiaowen with positive publicity. As for the anti-fans who don't have much influence yet, the best approach is to ignore them.

Soon, a city-like terrain appeared in the Psionic Training Ground, and the two teams entered one after the other.

Bai Xiaowen and four others appeared on the rooftop of a tall building.

Bai Xiaowen immediately activated his Psychic Sensing.

"Have you found their location?" Li Shuyi asked.

Bai Xiaowen shook her head.

"That means they are at least a kilometer away from us in a straight line," Feng Zi'ang analyzed.

"No, we also need to consider the factor of Psychic Shielding," Bai Xiaowen said calmly. "Qiao Rui's mental attributes are similar to mine, so she can shield herself from detection to a certain extent."

Those with Mental Specialist are like the radar of a warship, capable of searching for traces of enemies within a certain range. On the other hand, those with Mental Specialist can also envelop the entire team with their Divine Might, making them undetectable by enemy Mental Specialist similar abilities.

Although they couldn't detect the location of the Yanda team, Bai Xiaowen was confident that they wouldn't let the other side detect their position.

Those with Mental Specialist are the eyes and ears of a team. A complete five-person team must have Mental Specialist; it's a standard requirement.

"Let's go down first. It's not safe up there." Bai Xiaowen waved his hand, and the group quickly went downstairs along the building's corridor.

The city battlefield is deserted. Apart from the unique terrain, the victory conditions are exactly the same as in other terrains: kill all five opponents. This is the simplicity of the CUAA league.

If this were Professional League, the city's terrain would Transformation, with many virtual citizens spawned. Secondly, the victory conditions would be different; for example, both sides would have to minimize friendly fire incidents against civilians, or protect and destroy a building, etc.

The CUAA league adopts Professional League rules, but its difficulty level is simpler and more straightforward than that of Professional League.

A few minutes later, the Jinghai University Team stepped onto the city streets. The streets were littered with abandoned vehicles, looking chaotic and disorganized.

"We don't know where the enemy is, so how do we get there?" Li Shuyi asked.

"Let's find the city planning map first. According to pre-match information, the map generated for this Psionic Training Ground is 3 kilometers in diameter," Bai Xiaowen said. "That's not large for Awakened Ones; we might encounter them around the next corner. Stay alert."

Han Xu stepped forward without hesitation.

At a bus stop, the five found a city map. Based on the landmarks, Bai Xiaowen quickly determined their current location: in the southwestern part of the city.

Bang! The glass frame of the bus stop sign shattered with a loud crash.