Games Could Be Played Like This?

Games Could Be Played Like This?

The moment the White Snake reared up, waves flooded the screen.

When everyone had reached this point before, their first instinct had been to retreat.

Lin Chuan did not.

He controlled his character into a forward-side roll, brushing past the snake's body by a hair.

That move made Ma Hongjun's scalp tingle.

"Why is he going forward?"

Tang San's eyes lit up instead.

"He's not going forward. He's avoiding the frontal charge while closing in during its attack opening."

Hearing that, Grandmaster's gaze fell on Tang San.

He could sense that Tang San was matching the game's rules to his own combat experience.

That was precisely what made this internet café so terrifying.

It did not simply hand out rewards. It forced players to understand combat all over again.

On the screen, the White Snake swept its tail sideways.

Lin Chuan did not keep rolling. He waited until the tail was nearly in front of him before moving.

He rolled once, rose, and struck with his staff.

Then he immediately pulled back.

The whole sequence was as brief as a blink.

The White Snake opened its mouth and lunged down. Lin Chuan suddenly raised his hand.

The next moment, the Immobilization Technique flashed with golden light, and the White Snake's massive body froze in midair.

"Only using it now?"

Hu Liena blurted out instinctively.

As Lin Chuan charged up his attack, he said, "If you use it right after it transforms, you can only get a few hits in. Wait until it misses and leans forward. Use it there, and you can land a full combo while staggering it."

As his words fell, the charged heavy staff came crashing down.

The heavy staff slammed down with a boom, making the White Snake's enormous body sink as a visible chunk vanished from its health bar.

A chorus of sharp breaths filled the internet café.

Yan's expression had completely changed.

He had always thought this game relied on reaction speed and strength. Only now did he understand that using the same spell at different moments could create such a massive difference in damage.

Tang San was shaken as well.

He suddenly recalled a saying from the Tang Sect's hidden weapons.

No matter how fine a hidden weapon was, throwing it too early merely exposed oneself; throwing it too late meant there would never be another chance.

The Immobilization Technique was the same.

It was not a spell that guaranteed victory just because one possessed it. It was a blade that had to remain sheathed until the perfect moment.

The Immobilization Technique was not a hidden weapon, yet it demanded the same principles of concealment and release.

Before it was used, it was merely a deterrent.

The instant it was unleashed, it had to change the course of battle.

Lin Chuan continued playing.

His style was not flashy. If anything, it was restrained.

He only attacked once or twice at a time.

Each time, he left himself enough stamina.

He pulled away from several of the White Snake's combos through positioning, only using rolls to evade its most critical attacks.

Beside the spectator screen, the system automatically recorded several key movements.

[Replay Point One: White Snake tail sweep wind-up]

[Replay Point Two: Post-lunge stagger]

[Replay Point Three: Optimal Immobilization Technique window]

Everyone grew quieter and quieter.

They were all genius soul masters. They might not have been able to replicate it immediately, but they could understand its value.

This was not luck.

Nor was it the owner using his higher cultivation to bully a monster.

Lin Chuan sat in his chair, fingers tapping the keyboard, his shoulders not even tense. Yet the monkey on the screen seemed to step on every safe spot in advance. The White Snake looked ferocious, but it was being led along bit by bit.

Nor was it simply memorizing attack patterns.

It was taking repeated deaths apart and finding the gaps where victory could be seized.

The White-Clothed Scholar's health continued to fall in its second phase.

When only the final sliver of health remained, Lin Chuan suddenly stopped and did not deliver the final blow.

The White Snake swept its tail at him.

He deliberately did not dodge.

The character was sent flying, its health bar emptied, and the screen immediately darkened as the words "Death" appeared.

The internet café instantly fell into stunned silence.

Ma Hongjun could not help shouting, "Boss, why didn't you kill it?"

Lin Chuan released the mouse and stood up.

"This is a demonstration, not me clearing it for you."

He looked at everyone. "Besides, demonstration mode has no rewards."

That sentence immediately extinguished the little thoughts that had just surfaced in several minds.

The disappointment on Ma Hongjun's face was almost impossible to hide.

"I thought the boss could just clear it for us while he was at it."

Lin Chuan glanced at him. "Then what are you playing for?"

Ma Hongjun thought about it and realized he really could not argue with that.

Oscar said quietly from the side, "You can stand beside him and cheer."

Ma Hongjun immediately glared at him.

Hu Liena gave a soft snort.

Though she snorted, her eyes never left the spectator screen.

Spirit Hall's training had always emphasized victory and defeat, but Lin Chuan's deliberate death had made her understand something else.

In this internet café, the process was sometimes more valuable than the result.

"The boss really knows how to calculate."

Lin Chuan smiled. "I'm running a business. I can't exactly spoon-feed you."

Just then, a system notification rang throughout the shop.

[The spectator replay function has officially been activated]

[Players may spend a small amount of playtime to review key actions from the ten breaths before their deaths]

[Notice: Replays provide perspective only and do not replace practice]

Tang San looked up at the spectator screen.

He realized that this feature might be more valuable than an ordinary reward.

Death was not frightening.

What was frightening was dying without knowing why.

With replays, every failure could be broken down into something that could be learned.

This was far too important for Shrek.

Especially when they were about to compete in the finals.

Hu Liena had clearly thought of that as well.

She looked at Tang San, and their gazes briefly collided in the air.

No hostility erupted.

Tang San knew what Hu Liena was thinking.

Hu Liena also knew Tang San would not stop.

They stood on opposite sides, separated by Spirit Hall and Shrek, even by the unspoken danger surrounding Xiao Wu. Yet as they stared at the same screen, the thoughts arising in their hearts were remarkably alike.

Yet both of them were competitive.

Xiao Wu looked from Tang San to Hu Liena and suddenly felt that this internet café made people more eager to compete than a soul-fighting arena.

After a moment of silence, Tang San walked over to Lin Chuan.

"Boss."

Lin Chuan looked at him.

Tang San rarely lowered his head before others, especially before people from Spirit Hall.

But now, he did not hesitate.

"Could you explain those timing windows again?"

That sentence made Grandmaster's eyes flicker slightly.

He had taught Tang San for many years and knew that Tang San was not soft at heart.

But Tang San had one admirable quality.

As long as he recognized that someone truly had something worthwhile to offer, he could set aside his pride and learn whatever was useful.

That was rarer than talent.

Several people in the internet café showed surprise.

Yan could not help wanting to speak, but Xie Yue gave him a look, forcing him to swallow his words.

Tang San ignored everyone's gazes.

He was indeed proud.

But he understood even more clearly that something truly valuable would not become worthless just because of pride.

Lin Chuan looked at Tang San and nodded inwardly.

This was what made Tang San truly frightening.

He pointed at the spectator screen.

"Sure."

"But I'll only explain the method. Whether you can execute it is up to you."

Tang San nodded.

"That is enough."

As Xiao Wu watched Tang San's back, the corners of her lips slowly curved upward.

She was familiar with this side of Tang San.

He was cautious in danger, calm before powerful enemies, and never stubbornly clung to his pride when he encountered something worth learning.

Lin Chuan pulled up the replay again and slowed down several key movements from the White-Clothed Scholar.

"First, don't stare at the health bar."

"Second, don't greed for the last hit."

"Third, remember the pause after its lunge."

Ning Rongrong stood nearby with her arms folded, listening. The more she listened, the more something felt off.

She had originally come just to watch the fun.

But after Lin Chuan explained things like this, she actually began recalling why she had been chased around trees by little demons the moment she entered the game.

Maybe the little demons had not been too strong.

Maybe she had panicked and run herself out of routes.

Thinking of that, she secretly glanced at Oscar.

Oscar happened to look over as well.

They both looked away at the same time, pretending nothing had crossed their minds.

The atmosphere became unusually quiet.

Even Ma Hongjun, who had loved interrupting most, was much more well-behaved now.

Tang San listened to every word.

His eyes grew brighter and brighter.

When the replay ended, he put on the helmet again.

This time, he was not simply challenging the White-Clothed Scholar.

He was testing an entirely new way of fighting.