After the drafting round ended, the match entered its second half.
In the thirteenth round, the casual player with only 18 health left couldn't hold on. His opponent was Dugu Yan. Her five-piece Spirit Hall synergy was active, summoning two Spirit Hall elites onto the board. Combined with the control chain from Hu Liena and Huo Wu, they melted his frontline in an instant.
When the battle ended, his health hit zero. His board dimmed and turned into the second dark-gold tombstone.
Six players remained.
In the fourteenth round, another casual player was eliminated. His opponent was Ye Lingling. The 20% damage reduction for the entire team from her seven-piece Commoner synergy, along with the effect that restored 10% of the team's maximum health whenever a Commoner died, made her lineup as tough as an iron wall. Her opponent's damage couldn't dent her, and though her pieces didn't hit very hard, they ground his health down until he died. The third tombstone lit up.
Five players remained.
In the fifteenth round, Xiao Wu's Shrek synergy finally reached seven pieces. Every five seconds, it granted 5% omnivamp, stacking without limit—which meant the longer the battle dragged on, the harder her pieces were to kill.
Her opponent was a casual player who'd gone for a hard-hitting build. He'd built up a decent economy with an early winning streak, but his transition into a new lineup hadn't gone smoothly, and he still hadn't found his four-cost carry.
With the lifesteal effect sustaining them, Xiao Wu's Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun weathered the opponent's opening burst, then turned the tables and cleaned up. The fourth tombstone lit up.
Four players remained: Ning Rongrong, Xiao Wu, Dugu Yan, and Ye Lingling. They occupied all four top spots. Under the eight-player elimination rules, the top four had already locked in their bonus victory points for the match, but their final rankings were still undecided.
In the sixteenth round, Dugu Yan faced Ye Lingling.
It was a clash between a control chain and an iron wall. Dugu Yan's five-piece Spirit Hall synergy summoned two elites. Together with Hu Liena's control skills, they tried to break through Ye Lingling's frontline early in the battle.
But Ye Lingling's seven-piece Commoner synergy made her lineup far too tanky. With 20% damage reduction for the whole team and double mana generation for Commoner pieces, Ye Lingling's healing cycle barely ever stopped. Dugu Yan's control chain was precise, but it didn't deal enough damage to secure a kill before the effects wore off.
The battle dragged into its second half. Ye Lingling's Commoner pieces began to fall one by one, but each death restored 10% of the team's maximum health. Dugu Yan's pieces were worn down little by little, until her lineup finally collapsed first.
Dugu Yan's health hit zero. She placed fourth.
In the seventeenth round, Xiao Wu faced Rongrong.
It was an internal battle between Shrek and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. Xiao Wu's seven-piece Shrek synergy had fully stacked its lifesteal effect, and Dai Mubai, Ma Hongjun, and Zhu Zhuqing had all reached three stars.
On Rongrong's side, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's five-piece synergy was active, granting the whole team a 25% attribute boost and doubling the effects of Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect pieces.
Sword Douluo and Bone Douluo stood on the frontline, while Ning Fengzhi provided continuous buffs from the back. The entire lineup was frighteningly strong.
The pieces clashed. Xiao Wu's Dai Mubai held the very front, relying on lifesteal to withstand Sword Douluo's attacks. Ma Hongjun cut in from the flank, trying to reach Rongrong's backline.
But Rongrong's positioning was impeccable. Ning Fengzhi was protected by both Sword Douluo and Bone Douluo, leaving Ma Hongjun no way through.
Sword Douluo's sweeping sword energy, combined with the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's attribute bonus, dealt absurd damage. Xiao Wu's frontline began falling one by one.
When the battle ended, Xiao Wu's health hit zero. She placed third.
In the eighteenth round, the final: Rongrong faced Ye Lingling.
It was the ultimate clash between spear and shield. Rongrong's five-piece Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect synergy granted the whole team a 25% attribute boost, and Sword Douluo and Bone Douluo had reached their full damage potential. Ye Lingling's seven-piece Commoner synergy, meanwhile, granted 20% damage reduction for the whole team and restored health whenever a piece died, giving her the toughest lineup in the match.
The pieces clashed. Rongrong's Sword Douluo launched the first attack, striking Ye Lingling's frontline Jing Ling with a single sword stroke and cutting his health bar by nearly half. But Ye Lingling's healing followed right after, restoring Jing Ling's health in just a few bursts. The two sides fell into a long war of attrition—Rongrong could damage Ye Lingling's frontline, but couldn't kill it. Ye Lingling's healing was plentiful, but she lacked the damage to threaten Rongrong's backline.
The battle went into overtime. Under the rules, overtime greatly increased every piece's damage output to prevent matches from dragging on forever. Once overtime began, Rongrong's Sword Douluo and Bone Douluo used their skills at the same time. Two sword auras crossed over Ye Lingling's board, clearing her entire frontline in an instant.
Ye Lingling's health hit zero. She placed second.
On Rongrong's board, the last piece still stood tall.
First place.
At the top of the screen, the rankings settled into place:
First place: Ning Rongrong
Second place: Ye Lingling
Third place: Xiao Wu
Fourth place: Dugu Yan
The Main Control Hall fell silent for a moment. Then Ning Rongrong was the first to leap up, nearly bumping into the chandelier on the ceiling. "I won! I really came in first!"
Xiao Wu stood up from her seat and stretched. Despite placing third, she didn't look the least bit dejected. "The Shrek synergy really is powerful once it's stacked up. It's a shame I lost so much health early on. Otherwise, there's no telling whether I'd have lost to you in the final."
Ye Lingling said nothing, quietly saving a copy of her stats. Her Commoner build had only taken second place, but her economy management and positioning adjustments had been textbook-perfect throughout the match. She'd lost to Rongrong purely because of the matchup: the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's attribute bonus happened to counter the Commoners' damage reduction, and the doubled damage output in overtime had completely nullified her healing advantage.
Dugu Yan leaned back in her chair with her arms crossed. She didn't look happy, but she wasn't disappointed either. She'd built up a huge advantage with her early winning streak, but she hadn't transitioned decisively enough in the late game, leaving her damage unable to keep up with her frontline's durability. She was already reviewing the key decisions she'd made in the match, and had found at least two places where she could have made better choices.
Yi Chen rose from the host's seat and walked over to the screen. He raised a hand and added a line beneath the rankings:
Match data entered into the S1 Season master table. Rank calculations will be completed after all matches have concluded.
He turned to face the four girls. "For your first official eight-player match, you took all four top spots. I'd say your training has paid off."
He paused, his gaze sweeping over each of their faces. "But you should've noticed that this was only a showcase match. The casual players we were matched with were all over the place in terms of skill. When the S1 Season fully launches, Spirit Masters from across the continent will flood the ranked pool. Your opponents then won't be at today's level."
Ning Rongrong clenched her fists, determination burning in her eyes. "Even better! What's the point of beating weaklings? If I'm going to win, I want to beat the best!"
Xiao Wu nodded in agreement. "I'll practice a few more lineups. Next time, I'm definitely taking first place!"
Dugu Yan said nothing, but she was already planning her lineup strategy for the next match. Ye Lingling quietly put away her saved data, ready to review the match once she got back.
The match information glowed quietly at the top of the screen:
S1-DEMO-001|Rank: Unranked|Status: Completed|Data Archived
The first showcase match had ended.
But the S1 Season had only just begun.