Kyoto, top floor of the Yugong Tower.
"S-senpai!"
Startled, Yugong Liuli stood up abruptly, covering her mouth with one hand, her face flushed red, her crimson eyes brimming with joy and excitement. "It really is... senpai!"
"Am I... am I dreaming?"
Yugong Liuli quickly pinched her cheek, and a sharp pain shot through her. "Ouch! I'm not dreaming, I ran into a senior in ranked matches."
What you keep in mind will eventually come to pass. She was really looking forward to running into her senior, and tonight her wish came true.
but!
"But you'll run into the opposite side of your seniors."
Yugong Liuli lowered her eyelids, pursed her lips, and couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. In the past, she had encountered her seniors in more than forty matches, all of which were on the same team. This was the first time in her life that she had encountered their opponents.
"Hey? The game avatar on the fourth floor across the street is Exalted Emperor!"
After her initial surprise, Yugong Liuli breathed a sigh of relief. " The Exalted Emperor and Senior are teammates? I guess I was overthinking it. Of course, how could the Exalted Emperor be a senior?"
In fact, since meeting the Exalted Emperor, many of the Exalted Emperor's behaviors have been highly similar to those of the Imperial Emperor she admires.
The first time I became suspicious was during the first match of the Sovereign Dominion Team, when Sun Quan Exalted Emperor, made a last-minute rescue of her Zhang Fei. Afterwards, when I asked why he came to her rescue, he replied, "Isn't it only natural for the captain to protect the vice-captain?"
It instantly evoked memories of being protected by a senior.
The second time I became suspicious was during a high-level match, when Chonghuang Ma Chao chased Nezha who had activated her ultimate, and Sun Bin came to her rescue. The opponent said something similar to what the veteran had said, "If Nezha locks onto you again, just run, leave the rest to me!"
After the match, she was in a daze for a long time. Both her emotions and reason told her that Exalted Emperor could not be her senior, but why were many of Exalted Emperor's words and actions so similar to her senior's?
That night, I couldn't sleep. I was remotely controlling Little Liuli, the stand-in for Exalted Emperor, on the balcony. I was looking at the stars when I ran into Exalted Emperor. We chatted and confided our feelings to each other.
During their chat, she tried to test Exalted Emperor, for example, by telling him that she was getting married, or that her crush was from Jiangcheng, etc., but Exalted Emperor was like a machine, showing no reaction whatsoever.
It was only when she was about to give him the Imperial Emperor Steed co-branded motorcycle that she was overjoyed and deeply moved.
All signs indicate that Exalted Emperor and the senior are two different people. Furthermore, the fact that they were both ranked in the Thousand Star Ranking Tournament tonight further confirms that they are not the same person impersonating each other!
"If I win this ranked match, I'll delete my Exalted Emperor and quit the internet. If I lose, my seniors will definitely be annoyed that my skills haven't improved."
Yugong Liuli frowned, muttering to herself. Meeting a senior should be a multiple-choice question, so why did she hesitate and become indecisive after adding the option of Exalted Emperor to her list?
"My senior's biggest dream is to taste defeat. In this ranked match, I will do my best to impress him. I am no longer the little Cai Ji who dragged the team down, but a top-tier support standing at the pinnacle of the Rift!"
Wuhan eStar Training Base.
"Holy crap! This is unimaginable! The Imperial Emperor and the Exalted Emperor are in the same team!" Wanmo stared at the live stream, her face filled with utter horror. "Are they going to team up to reach the Thousand Stars realm?"
"Holy crap! We didn't run into the opposing side?"
The Huahai was filled with shock, and the tongues were stuck in the air. The much-anticipated Imperial Emperor vs. Exalted Emperor did not happen. Instead, an unexpected Imperial Emperor & Exalted Emperor occurred!
" Imperial Emperor and Exalted Emperor have very high hidden MMRs," Qingrong said, staring at the official Imperial Crown livestream with millions of viewers. "Since they were matched together, it means the enemy team is also full of high-ranking players with high hidden MMRs!"
" Wanmo, redirect to Sovereign Dominion's official live stream."
"Okay, Qingrong, great master."
Wanmo clicked the mouse and was immediately redirected to the Sovereign Dominion official account's live stream room, which had millions of viewers online.
"Holy crap!"
Seeing the screen filled with rapidly scrolling comments, Huahai was shocked. "The four vice-captains of Sovereign Dominion have been placed on the opposite side of Imperial Emperor Exalted Emperor?"
"The hype surrounding Exalted Emperor's triumphant ascension to the top of the Thousand Stars ranking is so high that it's overshadowing the news that Sovereign Dominion's four vice-captains are also aiming for the Thousand Stars," Qingrong said in a deep voice. "These four are no pushovers; they all possess skill levels comparable to King-Titled Player, especially this guy named [Phoenix]."
Huahai asked in confusion, "What happened to Feng?"
"I ran into her in solo queue before, and she beat me so badly I questioned my existence," Qingrong said warily. "I even think her mid-lane skill level rivals that of Champion Emperor!"
"Comparable to the Champion Emperor? Are you crazy?!" Huahai exclaimed in horror, "Do you think Champion Emperor players are like cabbages on the roadside, that you can just pick any random one and call them Champion Emperor?!"
"I've faced off against Mother Huang many times in private, and I know very well the mid-lane Champion Emperor's skill level." Qingrong's eyes showed a hint of apprehension. "The feeling I get from Vice Captain of Sovereign Dominion Feng and Mother Huang isn't that they're completely unrelated, but rather that they're highly similar!"
Huahai stood there, stunned.
"I've also run into Feng," Wanmo her hand. "Although I don't know how good the Champion Emperor player is, she's definitely the strongest mid-lane player I've ever encountered!"
The statements of Qingrong and Wanmo corroborate each other.
Huahai suddenly had a bold guess: Liuli was able to become Vice Captain of Sovereign Dominion because he was Whale Overlord and could provide financial support to Sovereign Dominion, while Long Feng Hu and the other two did not bring their own financial backing to the team.
They were unknown casual players, so the fact that their good friend Exalted Emperor appointed them as vice-captains of the team must mean he valued their skill level.
Phoenix now rivals the level of the Champion Emperor.
Are Longhu, also a vice-captain, really at a level comparable to the Champion Emperor?
Huahai was startled by her own guess.
"I wonder how Exalted Emperor's mental state is? Teaming up with outsiders to fight against his own four vice-captains," Wanmo, unable to suppress a laugh. "If they can win, that's to be expected; if they can't..."
"The most terrifying thing is that we can't beat them!" Qingrong said, narrowing his eyes. "The Emperor is at the level of an uncrowned emperor, and the Supreme Emperor is at the level of a crown emperor. If they can't beat them even when they join forces, or even fall into a disadvantageous position, it can only prove that all three vice-captains of Junyu are at the level of a crown emperor!"
Wanmo's heart skipped a beat.
Qingrong stared at the live stream and said, "Compared to everyone's previous speculation that the Imperial Emperor would face off against the Exalted Emperor, I think this time the two of them fighting together is more interesting, and the tension is much higher!"
Wanmo asked, puzzled, "What do you mean?"
Qingrong glanced sideways and said, "Assuming they both win this ranked match and advance to the Thousand-Star Rank, who do you think is stronger?"
Wanmo was completely bewildered. "They're teammates who fight side by side, not rivals. It's impossible to tell who's stronger."
"How can you tell who's stronger?" Huahai said, her eyes gleaming. "They'll compete to see who gets the higher score and who gets the extra star!"
"Rating board?"
Wanmo suddenly woke up. According to the King of Glory game rating system, four types of badges could be awarded: bronze, silver, gold, and the highest-level top badge!
Bronze and silver medals do not receive any stars, gold medals receive two extra stars, and top-tier medals receive three extra stars!
Qingrong looked at the floating comments and said, "The identities of Imperial Emperor Exalted Emperor's three teammates have all been revealed. The first two are old-school streetball kings who once won the title of Overlord, and the last one is... him?"
Qingrong was filled with surprise and doubt, and suddenly raised her voice!
Who is it?
Huahai and Wanmo looked at each other together.
They froze on the spot.