Su Hang's Jing vanished without warning.
A Z-shaped trail of blue light flashed into view.
In an instant, she appeared before the low-health Di Renjie.
Her blade rose and fell, finishing him off in spectacular fashion!
An exhilarating multikill announcement rang out across the canyon.
"Jing has defeated Di Renjie!"
"Triple kill!"
Su Hang's teammates were dumbstruck. From the mid lane to the top lane, then from the top lane to the bottom lane, Jing had slain three enemies in just twenty seconds. Most importantly, the multikill streak had never been interrupted!
Mulan: Holy crap, Jing's on a killing spree.
Marco Polo: Invincible Exalted Emperor! You must be Jing herself.
Angela: So cool, so cool, so cool! Big shot Exalted Emperor, this little brother bows down to you!
The livestream audience erupted in cheers!
"Freaking incredible! God Exalted Emperor pulled off the Z-Shaped Jitter again. Say something, haters!"
"What happened to that one-in-a-thousand chance? He's pulled off the Z-Shaped Jitter three times in a row. In Exalted Emperor's hands, it's a hundred percent! Can you find a second player like him in the whole Honor of Kings scene?"
"His mechanics are maxed out! Let's see who still dares say Exalted Emperor only has game sense and no mechanics!"
"So good! So damn good! This is the dominance the number one Jing in the country should have. It's a completely one-sided slaughter! Aah, I'm going to explode from how good this feels!"
"Watching Exalted Emperor play Jing cured my ten years of depression. Can you believe it?"
"If any of you brothers are feeling hopeless, take a look at Exalted Emperor's opponents. It might make you feel a little better."
In Zongshi's livestream.
Zongshi's scalp tingled. He too had been stunned by Exalted Emperor's Jing pulling off the Z-Shaped Jitter over and over. His opponent killed wherever he went, like a walking cheat program.
"We don't have a chance."
Liu Wei gave a bitter smile. Having been killed twice in a row, he had already lost all desire to live. "Against a Jing who can pull off the Strangulation Technique and Z-Shaped Jitter with ease, with Dolia backing her up, he can kill whoever he wants!"
"Brother Wei, don't be so pessimistic."
Zongshi had nerves of steel. Once he had calmed down, he rallied their spirits. "As long as we haven't reached the end of the road, we still have a chance to turn things around. Besides, my Luna hasn't even started to show what she can do."
Liu Wei had lost all his fighting spirit and was utterly dispirited.
"Little brother Zongshi, I don't mean to discourage you, but Jing has four kills now. He has the most gold in the entire match, a full thousand ahead of your Luna. What are you going to do with that?"
Although Luna could use the Infinite Moonlight Combo to accomplish a lot on a shoestring budget, she had no way to fight back against a well-fed Jing who could pull off the Z-Shaped Jitter every time.
"We absolutely can't give up!"
Zongshi's gaze hardened. As the number one player on the peak jungle rankings, he knew his side had no chance of turning this match around. But if it had been his own account, he would have accepted the loss.
But this was the account of Sister Ning, the wealthy woman who was the top donor in his livestream. It had maintained a perfect win record for multiple seasons and was ranked ninth on the national VIP rankings. Losing this match would be tantamount to ruining an account worth nearly 500,000 yuan!
Moreover,
his own pride would never allow him to lose to a "nobody"!
He was going to become the first super expert in Honor of Kings to claim two Overlord titles! How could he "crash and burn" in front of the hundred thousand viewers in his livestream?
"I can only use the simplest, most heavy-handed provocation."
Zongshi steeled himself. To protect wealthy Sister Ning's undefeated account and maintain his image as a technical overlord, he typed a message to Exalted Emperor in the opposing team in the text chat.
[All] (Luna): Exalted Emperor, do you dare let me farm until we have equal gold, then settle the match with a one-on-one duel in the dragon pit?
It was an extremely childish provocation, but a highly practical one.
If Exalted Emperor refused, Zongshi could seize the chance to mock him for chickening out and pin the entire loss on his teammates. That would both soothe wealthy Sister Ning and preserve his image as a technical overlord. He would be killing two birds with one stone.
If Exalted Emperor accepted, it would be even easier. With equal gold, even if Exalted Emperor's Jing had mastered the Strangulation Technique and Z-Shaped Jitter to a miraculous degree, she still couldn't beat his Luna's Infinite Moonlight Combo!
"Clever, little brother Zongshi."
Liu Wei's spirits lifted and his eyes lit up. He saw Zongshi in a whole new light. The sharpest provocations often came in the most childish forms. This one could not only protect their reputations, but also put Exalted Emperor on the spot!
"As expected of the top player on the peak jungle rankings. You sure think fast!"
Moments later,
Exalted Emperor replied.
[All] (Jing): Are you dreaming?
Zongshi froze, his heart stopping.
A powerful sense of humiliation rushed into his head.
Given the choice between accepting and refusing, Exalted Emperor had chosen "Are you dreaming?"
It was no different from naked, condescending ridicule!
"Damn you!"
Zongshi's face darkened like a raincloud. Forcing down his anger, he continued trying to provoke him.
[All] (Luna): Hmph, I think you're too scared. If you're afraid, just say so. I won't laugh at you.
[All] (Jing): Even if I gave you a chance, you'd still be useless.
[All] (Luna): Stop talking big. It's a simple question. Do you dare solo me in the dragon pit or not?
[All] (Jing): You're not qualified to negotiate with me.
"That hateful bastard."
In an instant, Zongshi's eyes turned blood-red, and his body trembled violently from the insult. What gave Exalted Emperor the right to say he wasn't qualified? Whether in game mechanics, streaming popularity, or influence, he was eighteen streets ahead of Exalted Emperor.
He had just gotten lucky and carried one match.
What right did he have to say Zongshi wasn't qualified?
[All] Homebody Moe Meow (Dolia): Exalted Emperor is right. Zongshi, you really aren't qualified.
Zongshi's blood pressure soared. He flushed red, lost his composure, and furiously typed back.
[All] (Luna): Since when does a bug get to butt in?
[All] Homebody Moe Meow (Dolia): If Huahai, the jungler who retired from eStar Team just last year, counts as a bug, then I have nothing to say.
"Huahai?"
Zongshi's pupils contracted.
Huahai was a seven-time KPL League champion. At his peak, he had led eStar Team to dominate an entire era of the KPL, pressing Wolves and AG so hard they could barely breathe! Lam's Dream-Chasing Huahai skin was his exclusive FMVP skin!
Most importantly, Huahai was the King of the Jungle and had been named a King-Titled Player twice in a row!
Not long ago, Zongshi had contacted Huahai through an intermediary and sparred with him, only to end in defeat.
Just then, the fans in the chat hurried to alert him.
"Baby Zongshi, I just went to Exalted Emperor's livestream. Dolia on the other side turned on his mic, and it's definitely Huahai's voice!"
With confirmation,
Zongshi could only swallow his broken teeth.
He gritted his teeth and apologized to the enemy Dolia.
[All] (Luna): Sorry, God Huahai. I lost my composure just now. I apologize.
[All] (Dolia): I know you're not convinced, but I'm helping you here. Zongshi, you're no match for Exalted Emperor. There's no need to humiliate yourself.
Zongshi burned with rage. He could swallow his anger and apologize to Dolia because the man was Huahai, a seven-time champion and a King-Titled Player. But he would never forgive Exalted Emperor for humiliating him!
Who the hell was he?
[All] (Luna): Exalted Emperor, if you agree to a one-on-one duel with me in the dragon pit with equal gold, I'm willing to withdraw from August's Overlord Feast, free up my challenger slot, and recommend you as a challenger for the jungle Overlord title! How about it?
Those words struck like a thunderclap.
After all, a slot to challenge for an Overlord title was incredibly precious.
Yet Exalted Emperor's reply was even more jaw-dropping.
"No need."