Game ID: [Exalted Emperor]
Seeing the brand-new game name, Su Hang felt a little closer to it. His old account certainly held deep sentimental value, but a new account, like a blank sheet of paper, could create endless miracles.
After quickly completing the beginner's guide and claiming the new-player hero rewards, Su Hang rapidly raised the account to level 6.
Since it was a new Bronze account, he was short on heroes, and Bronze ranked matches had a strict requirement: he had to own five permanent heroes.
"I only have four permanent heroes. I'm one short."
Su Hang muttered to himself. Between the login rewards for the new account and the account-level rewards, he had nearly twenty thousand gold, enough to buy a hero in the shop.
And Su Hang already had someone in mind.
"Which one is the real me? Even I don't quite understand!"
Su Hang paid full price for Yuan Ge. With Yuan Ge, he had every hero in the entire Canyon. The value for money was maxed out on the spot!
"All set. Time for ranked!"
He queued up and found a match in an instant, entering the hero selection screen.
Su Hang was in the fifth slot.
His teammates in the second, third, and fourth slots locked in their heroes at lightning speed.
First slot [Skill Interprets Glory]: Is everyone but me a bot? Interesting.
Second slot: Have you ever seen a bot that can type?
Third slot: I'm playing on a Bronze smurf and still getting called a bot, 666.
Fourth slot: Bro, if a Mighty King counts as a bot, then I admit I'm a bot.
First slot: Well, well, we're all birds of a feather! Let's reveal our main accounts' ranks, then. I'll go first: I just made Glory King.
The four teammates typed back and forth, revealing their main accounts' ranks one after another. The lowest was Extraordinary King, while the first slot had the highest rank, a fifty-star Glory King.
"You smurf, I smurf, and Bronze becomes a Glory King match in seconds."
Su Hang clicked his tongue twice. Everyone said the waters in Bronze matches ran deep, and today he had finally seen it for himself.
First slot [Skill Interprets Glory]: So, does that mean the fifth slot is a bot?
Second slot: First off, we can rule out a bot. The four of us are real players, so the fifth slot must be one too. He's probably a Bronze local.
Third slot: Exalted Emperor? What a badass game name. Hehehe, let's give the newbie in the fifth slot an early taste of the pressure in a high-end match.
Fourth slot: Is the fifth slot actually a Bronze local? If you're alive, squeak. The four of us King-ranked big shots will carry you.
Before long, Su Hang, who still hadn't spoken or picked a hero, had been labeled a Bronze local by his teammates.
Su Hang said to himself, "My teammates' actual ranks are all King or above. The players matched against us should be in that range too, or maybe even stronger. I just don't know how strong they'll be."
During the final countdown,
Su Hang locked in Yuan Ge, selected the bottom farm lane, then typed a reply to his teammates.
Fifth slot [Exalted Emperor]: Yep, I'm a local.
KS, Sang Jie's livestream.
Voices clamored, and comments flew across the screen!
"Holy shit! A once-in-a-thousand-years sight! Sang Jie, Ting An, and Gu Shi are streaming together again? Holy crap, am I seeing things?"
"The King of Glory version of the three little ones, I'm tearing up! It's been so long since the three of them streamed together! My youth is back! Cry with me, brothers!"
"Are they planning something big? Starting off with a three-stack? Wait, what? Why are they playing Bronze ranked?"
At that moment, three men who looked remarkably like monkeys were chatting and laughing in the livestream. They were the three top powerhouses of the once-renowned Flower-Fruit Mountain Team in the King of Glory scene.
Monkey of the Clash Lane-Sang Jie.
Monster of the Clash Lane-Ting An.
And the number one marksman on the national server-Gu Shi.
"Play around all you want, but don't make fun of Sang Jielun. Brothers, don't get excited just yet."
Looking at the wildly popular livestream, Sang Jie cleared his throat, barely able to conceal his excitement. "I have a huge announcement: starting today, Brother Gu Shi has officially joined Monkey Media, founded by yours truly, Ke Renjie! Give him a round of applause!"
As soon as he said that, the livestream erupted.
"Holy crap! Sang Jie signed Gu Shi?"
"Fuck me! Back in the Flower-Fruit Mountain Team, Gu Shi was Sang Jie's direct superior. Now the tables have turned, and he's become Gu Shi's boss?"
"Brother Gu Shi, blink if you're being threatened."
Gu Shi shrugged and spread his hands. "What could I do, brothers? Sang Jielun offered too much. I, Gu, couldn't refuse."
At that moment, a longtime fan named Lead Four Monkeys Against Five Pigs asked a question.
"Why did Sang Jie suddenly sign Gu Shi?"
Most of the viewers in the livestream were wondering the same thing.
After all, Sang Jie's Monkey Media had only just been founded. Ordinarily, it would start by signing smaller King of Glory streamers to get things rolling, then wait six months or a year, make some money, and try signing a major streamer to build the agency's reputation.
But Sang Jie had signed Gu Shi right off the bat! It was truly jaw-dropping. After all, with Gu Shi's fan base and streaming popularity, there was no landing him without a signing fee of several million.
Ting An, who wore a black mask, gave a teasing smile and took his usual jab. "Sang Jielun never gets up early unless there's something in it for him. The reason he splashed out to sign Gu Shi is that Gu Shi has a shot at one of this year's seven Overlord titles."
His true intentions exposed, Sang Jie's old face turned red. He shot Ting An a reproachful look. "Liu Yong, nobody would think you were mute if you kept your mouth shut."
The viewers in the livestream suddenly understood.
"So that's it. It's almost August, and the Overlord selection is about to begin. With Brother Gu Shi's current skills, he really does have a shot at this year's Farm Lane Overlord."
The mention of the Overlord title instantly sent the viewers' excitement soaring.
After all, the Overlord title was currently the highest honor recognized by all players in the King of Glory scene. It was the ultimate distinction, surpassing both number one on the national server and number one in the Peak Tournament, with prestige enough to rival a professional league championship!
The selection was held anew every summer.
Apart from the two special Overlord players whose positions were unshakable,
the remaining five lane Overlord thrones were fiercely contested by top players, streamers, and professionals from across the King of Glory scene.
"I have a chance, but it's only a chance," Gu Shi said modestly. "After all, my biggest rival is Yinuo from AG Super Play."
As a top marksman in the KPL with six championships to his name, Yinuo was a true superstar player who had held the Farm Lane Overlord title for two consecutive years.
In last year's Overlord selection, Gu Shi had narrowly lost to Yinuo and missed out on the Farm Lane Overlord title.
"Oh, Brother Gu Shi, being too modest is just showing off," Sang Jie said confidently. He patted Gu Shi on the shoulder and waggled his eyebrows. "You've been in top form this season. Gods in your way, you kill gods; Buddhas in your way, you kill Buddhas. We've all seen it. Farm Lane Overlord has to be yours!"
Gu Shi nodded. "Hope your words come true."
There were only two popular contenders for Farm Lane Overlord: Gu Shi himself and Yinuo. This season, he had faced Yinuo several times in the Peak Tournament without suffering a single defeat!
At that moment, Ting An cut in. "Enough talk. Wasn't Sang Jielun trying to get an account to King with a hundred percent win rate? We're short on time, so let's start."
"Right, right, right. Let's try to get it done today." Sang Jie remembered the business at hand. His reason for bringing Gu Shi and Ting An together today was to build a King-ranked winstreak account with a hundred percent win rate as a golden calling card for Monkey Media.
Sang Jie immediately started the game.
After selecting their heroes, they entered the loading screen.
Blue side: Ting An as Sikong Zhen (Frenzy), Sang Jie as Sun Wukong (Smite), Jiang Ziya (Flash), Gu Shi as Lady Sun (Flash), Taiyi Zhenren (Flash).
Red side: Arthur (Execute), Dian Wei (Smite), Daji (Flash), Zhang Fei (Heal), Yuan Ge (Flash).
The livestream viewers were astonished to see Yuan Ge playing farm lane on the opposing team. After all, Sang Jie and Ting An were ceiling-level Yuan Ge players. Playing Yuan Ge in front of them was like brandishing a greatsword before Guan Yu.
"Holy crap! I didn't expect to see Yuan Ge in a Bronze match." Slightly surprised, Sang Jie immediately made his assessment. "Liu Yong, Brother Gu Shi, this player called Exalted Emperor is definitely smurfing."
Ting An rubbed his chin and analyzed the situation. "Bringing Yuan Ge to smurf in Bronze? One look and you can tell he lost too many matches in a row on his main and came to Bronze to patch up his confidence."
"Too bad for him, his luck's rotten. He's fished up three great white sharks."
Gu Shi narrowed his eyes and said with ill intent, "Two top players who once ranked in the Peak Tournament's top ten, and me, the number one farm laner in the Peak Tournament!"
"Sang Jie, Ting An, neither of you come gank."
"Let me help this Exalted Emperor kick his internet addiction!"