Simulation Match

As Fang Zhen logged off to rest, the entire livestream exploded.

"Why did he log off so early today? I haven't had enough yet!"

"You workhorse streamer, open the door! I still want to watch the goddess's trembling body as she cultivates! I'll pay you—just lie there like a corpse!"

"This is simply unbearable. They've already begun formal cultivation and are even preparing to open wilderness dungeons, while we're still stuck on the test assessment. The key is that I still can't last three seconds. I'll pay—who can carry me through it? As long as I pass, I'll transfer a hundred thousand immediately."

"A hundred thousand? Brother, didn't you hear? Some time ago, a professional master was hired by a rich tycoon to play on his behalf. Guess what happened?"

"He passed?"

"Yeah, he got beaten through it. And beaten so badly he howled nonstop. The money he spent on dying and reviving that day alone exceeded a hundred thousand. The tycoon refused to accept it and directly put up a million-dollar bounty in the game power-leveling industry, swearing he would pass the test assessment. A lot of power-leveling masters are now frantically studying how to beat it."

"Not just that. I heard that Blade Saint Su Wuming of Pilgrimage took Heavenly Might's recruitment test some time ago. The test was the High Martial Descent assessment, and his final result stopped at eleven seconds. He didn't pass. Although he still joined Heavenly Might in the end, he became a laughingstock within Pilgrimage."

"I heard that too. A Saint-ranked existence from Pilgrimage couldn't even pass a new game's test assessment. A lot of people suspect Blade Saint Su Wuming has quite a bit of watered-down reputation. As a result, Su Wuming laid down harsh words: if any other Saint-ranked existence could perform much better than him, he would retire from Pilgrimage and even leave Heavenly Might."

"Exactly. Because of those words, it seems some Saint-ranked existences are interested in giving it a try. After all, it's usually hard for Saint-ranked players to cross blades in Pilgrimage. This is an opportunity, especially for the other four giant guilds. It's a perfect chance to strike at Heavenly Might. I bet quite a few Saint-ranked players will try."

"Holy crap! This is huge! There are so many Saint-ranked players in Pilgrimage. If they really come take the assessment, someone will definitely pass. Once we study that person's method of clearing it, won't we have hope of passing too?"

As the viewers in the livestream chimed in one after another, they no longer cared whether Fang Zhen had ended his stream. Instead, they were filled with anticipation for High Martial Descent's test assessment.

Pilgrimage was a legendary martial arts game. Anyone who could be called a Saint stood at the very pinnacle. A group like that tackling High Martial Descent's test assessment would be a matter of minutes, wouldn't it?

Ku Rong City, Storm Shadow Club.

The morning sunlight had only just reached the club's small building when more than a hundred people had already gathered in the first-floor hall. All of them wore matching blue-and-white high-collared jackets, with Storm Shadow's three-headed shadow wolf emblem printed on their sleeves.

"Captain, all six starting players and one hundred and twenty reserve players are present."

A crew-cut young man under twenty stepped forward. He reported loudly to Storm Shadow Team's captain, Li Ranxing, while glancing at the time on his phone.

"The coaches have gone to receive the Blue Enchantress Team. They should arrive in about five minutes."

"Good. Return to formation."

Li Ranxing swept his gaze over the six starting players present. Aside from veteran Fang Zhen, whose mental state seemed somewhat off, everyone else appeared to be in excellent condition.

"Everyone, although today is only a simulation match, it is also an exceptionally valuable match for Storm Shadow."

"Our opponent today is Blue Enchantress, a frequent semifinalist in the national tournament. Unless we make it into the national tournament's top eight, it will be difficult for us to encounter an opponent like this again."

"So I hope all of you perform well today. Based on your performance in this simulation match, the coaches will likely readjust the roster. This will also be the final confirmation of the national tournament lineup. Weigh it carefully yourselves."

Following Li Ranxing's speech, whether they were starting players or reserves, everyone's expressions became solemn. Their attitude toward this simulation match had clearly changed completely.

If they had previously intended to simply play casually, then now they had to fight with everything they had.

This exchange match between the two teams was divided into two parts. The first was an official simulation match between the two teams. The second was for Blue Enchantress to watch Storm Shadow's reserve players compete in group matches.

Originally, this exchange match meant little to the reserve players and was mainly for the starting roster. But judging from Captain Li Ranxing's words, the roster for this national tournament had not yet been fully finalized.

In Mecha Continent's national tournament, there were generally seven official players and three reserve players. Every match was a five-versus-five team battle, and the lineup was adjusted based on the map and opposing team.

Now that the roster had not been confirmed, everyone still had a chance to compete for a spot among the official players today.

"Xiao Zhen, are you all right? Why have you been trembling this whole time?"

Li Ranxing frowned as he looked at Fang Zhen, who stood in the foremost starting position and was shaking.

Today's simulation match was the one Li Ranxing valued most. It was not only to see the overall gap between Storm Shadow and Blue Enchantress, but more importantly, to settle the score with Blood Flame Spear Princess Chen Ya.

After all, Blue Enchantress had agreed to hold a simulation match with Storm Shadow primarily because Chen Ya wanted revenge. Otherwise, the two teams would never have had an opportunity to play such a match.

If Fang Zhen affected this simulation match, it would deal no small blow to the entire team's confidence.

"Me? I'm fine." Fang Zhen hurriedly stopped his limbs from trembling.

"Fang Zhen, you'll provide backline support later. If I find anything wrong with you, I'll replace you immediately!" Li Ranxing's expression darkened as he looked at Fang Zhen. He had originally thought this would be Fang Zhen's final match, but Fang Zhen's current appearance made it seem as though he did not take this simulation match seriously at all.

"Yes!" Fang Zhen promptly answered.

As Li Ranxing turned his gaze toward the seven members of Blue Enchantress walking in through the main entrance, Fang Zhen also let out a sigh of relief.

"What's wrong with me?"

Fang Zhen stared at his hands and legs in confusion.

Ever since logging off from High Martial Descent, Fang Zhen had felt that his body was strange. He vaguely felt as if his body was no longer his own.

It was not that his body was out of control. On the contrary, his control over it had become excessively fine. Not only could he curl each of his ten toes separately at will, but every muscle in his body seemed to move according to his wishes—whichever part he wanted to move, that part would move.

It was precisely because he had tried it out that Li Ranxing had seen him trembling, and trembling rather intensely at that.

Meanwhile, Li Ranxing had already taken the initiative to approach Blue Enchantress's seven members.

"Captain Chen, I didn't expect us to meet again so soon." Li Ranxing looked at the woman before him. She was nearly six feet tall, her single ponytail swaying at her waist. Even behind sunglasses, she radiated breathtaking beauty.

"Captain Li, it has indeed been a long time." Chen Ya removed her sunglasses, her gaze carrying a hint of provocation. "Three months have passed. I wonder whether Captain Li's skills have improved. If they haven't improved much, I'll be disappointed."

"They've definitely improved." Li Ranxing said with immense confidence, "Since my debut, once I've surpassed someone, no one has ever caught back up. This time, I definitely won't disappoint Captain Chen either."

"I hope so." Chen Ya no longer looked at Li Ranxing. Her gaze shifted directly toward the game pods that had long been prepared in the hall. "I'm short on time. In an hour, I still have to exchange pointers with the other four semifinalist teams. Let's begin quickly."

The other six members of Blue Enchantress had no intention of following Storm Shadow's arrangements either. They each walked toward the Virtual Game Pods nearby.

This scene made the club members who had intended to display Storm Shadow's strength look grim, especially the coaches, whose faces were so dark that water could have dripped from them. Yet they could only signal everyone to begin the simulation match immediately.

Although Blue Enchantress had proposed this exchange simulation match, everyone knew that Blue Enchantress had come for Li Ranxing. As for everyone else, they had not been taken seriously at all.

Before long, both teams selected five participants, and all of them lay down in their Virtual Game Pods.

"You four, quickly deal with those little nobodies. As for Li Ranxing, leave him to me." Chen Ya gave her instructions, then directly clicked the Mecha Continent icon and entered the game.

Blue Enchantress's other four members said nothing. A team ranked among the nation's top thirty-two was not worth their serious attention. They promptly entered Mecha Continent as well.

"Though I don't know what's going on today, my mental state is astonishingly good!"

"Mecha Continent, activate!"

Lying in the Virtual Game Pod, Fang Zhen stopped dwelling on what had happened to him and directly clicked the icon to enter Mecha Continent.

A new week has arrived—please vote with your monthly tickets! Please keep reading! Please recommend!

This week, Old Cat plans to make a push for the rankings. We're nearly at one hundred thousand words already. All you need to do is open the latest chapter within twenty-four hours. Old Cat offers his sincere thanks!