The next day at noon, on the short-video platform Douyin.
Exalted Emperor of Honor of Kings was trending in gaming once again.
A marketing account's video title read: [Shocking! After reaching 100 stars with an all-win, all-MVP record, Exalted Emperor challenges the impossible again: from zero experience to a Major National Badge for Gan & Mo in three days!]
Many players browsing online dismissed it as clickbait hype and paid it no attention, but as the video grew more popular, curiosity drew them in.
They had no idea until they looked, and the sight scared them silly!
[No Normal Teammates]: How many?! In 10 hours, Exalted Emperor went from 105 stars to 218 stars in Legend? What kind of international joke is this?! Screw this unscrupulous marketing account! Even if you Photoshop it, you can't make it this ridiculous!
[Grandpa Niu cosplays as an apricot-dried catgirl to seduce Zhuangzhuang's Mom next door]: Holy shit! Bro upstairs, I just checked Honor of Kings Camp. Damn it, the marketing account really wasn't lying. Exalted Emperor is already number one on the rank leaderboard for "Glory Gives Rise to Insignia," Android QQ server 526.
[Found Love After a Vasectomy]: His rank isn't the point, hey! Look at Exalted Emperor's ranked performance score on Gan: a full 8,600, overflowing the cap! Holy mother, if ranked performance points didn't count for only 6,100, that 8,600 alone would be enough to earn Exalted Emperor a provincial Gan badge!
[Can drawing a blade stop the falling cherry blossoms]: My passionate steed! At first I thought he was a clown and that getting a Major National Badge for Gan in three days was impossible, but at this explosively overpowered speed of farming hero power, he really might get a Major National Badge!
[You're strong, you can match with me]: Climbing over a hundred stars in 10 hours looks terrifying, but a professional five-stack pig-raising team can actually do it too. Ranked matches don't mean much these days; we still have to see how he performs in the Peak Tournament!
[96-Year-Old Elderly Bot]: Leaving a ward under this video. I'll sit and wait to see Exalted Emperor's Peak Tournament score before midnight tonight!
The gaming news about Exalted Emperor speedrunning to 200 stars in Legend and pushing Gan's performance score past the cap spread like wildfire.
Not only were ordinary players stunned, but many renowned experts and pros were shaken too!
Wuhan eStar training base.
Wanmo looked through Exalted Emperor's match history on Honor of Kings Camp. Every Gan match was an MVP performance, most with top-tier ratings, and even the worst had a gold rating!
"Brother Hai, you really did predict it like a god. Exalted Emperor's main role isn't jungle or clash lane at all-it's mid!"
Wanmo's scalp tingled and her heart trembled. As eStar's starting mid laner, she knew full well what Exalted Emperor's outrageous Gan record meant: he was essentially at the level of a top KPL mid laner!
In other words, even without systematic professional training, Exalted Emperor could be thrown straight into the KPL and still suppress Group S mid laners in lane!
"Looking at all of Exalted Emperor's match data, his ranked performance in mid is slightly better than in jungle and farm lane." Huahai rested a hand under his chin as he studied Exalted Emperor's radar chart. "If you insist on calling mid his main role, you wouldn't be wrong."
"It's just that-"
Wanmo pressed him. "Just what, Brother Hai?"
Huahai was about to answer when a knock suddenly sounded at the door.
He turned and called, "Come in!"
The training room door opened, and a slender young man with an elegant air walked in. He wore a Nanjing Hero uniform, and every movement he made could be summed up in one word: handsome!
"Qing, Qing, Qing..."
Wanmo hurried to her feet, stammering with excitement. "Senior Qingrong!!!"
The visitor was none other than Qingrong, the legendary mid laner of the Honor of Kings Pro League, recipient of Shi's FMVP skin Wandering Dragon and Clear Shadow, the youngest KPL Grand Slam player, holder of seven tournament championships, and a current King-Titled Player!
"Qingrong?"
Huahai rose in surprise. "What brings you here?"
"The team came to Wuhan for a commercial appearance. I was passing by, so I came to see you." As casual as if he were visiting his old home, Qingrong picked up a banana from the fruit plate and peeled it as he asked Huahai, "And this is-"
"Senior Qingrong, I-I-I'm Wanmo." Wanmo was so excited she could barely speak. "I was just promoted from eSatr's second team to starting mid!"
"Wanmo."
Qingrong ate his banana, his brows knitting slightly. "That rings a bell. I remember you're pretty good at utility mages."
"Yes, yes!" Flowers bloomed in Wanmo's heart, and she was nearly moved to tears. She never imagined the famous mid-lane mage king would remember a nobody like her!
He grabbed a marker from the table and rushed up to Qingrong, his face red as he said, "Could I have your autograph, Senior Qingrong? I really admire you!"
"Sure."
How could Qingrong refuse a request from a junior at his old home? He readily signed Wanmo's T-shirt.
"Thank you, Great God Qingrong."
Having successfully met her idol, Wanmo was so happy she nearly fainted.
"One doesn't visit the temple without a reason!" Huahai sat back in his gaming chair, propped up his chin with one hand, and narrowed his eyes. "Qingrong, I'm afraid coming to see me is just an excuse. You really need my help with something, don't you?"
Having built eStar's dominant dynasty alongside Qingrong from 2021 to 2022, he knew this mid-lane mage king all too well-the man who had ruled the KPL stage and made opponents tremble at the mere mention of his name.
"Haizi, that's why I love teaming up with you as mid and jungle," Qingrong said with a smile. "You can always guess what I'm thinking."
"There is something I need your help with." Qingrong glanced at Wanmo. "How about we talk somewhere else?"
Huahai waved a hand. "Go ahead and say it. Wanmo is one of us!"
Qingrong nodded, his reservations gone.
"Haizi, have you seen that gaming news about the Imperial Crown Team?"
"The Imperial Crown Team?"
Huahai froze. If there was one grassroots team in Honor of Kings that had been founded before all others, it was undoubtedly the Imperial Crown Team from the Android QQ servers.
Its very birth was steeped in legend, and its founder was someone revered by the game's hundreds of millions of players!
The Imperial Crown Team had so many illustrious players that when the KPL later compiled its chronicle, the preface on the first page read:
"On November 26, 2015, the Imperial Crown Team was born."
Huahai spread his hands and smiled wryly. "I've been busy following Exalted Emperor these past few days and haven't paid much attention to grassroots team news. Did something happen to the Imperial Crown Team?"
Qingrong said gravely, "At noon today, the Imperial Crown Team became the first grassroots team in Honor of Kings history to break three million team power!"
"Three million?" Huahai's jaw dropped. Three million power was an astronomical number.
After all, ordinary grassroots teams in the game only needed their members to reach thirty thousand power through team matches to make their server's "National Tournament Teams" leaderboard.
Yet Imperial Crown, another national tournament team, had a hundred times the power of teams at the same level! It was simply defying the heavens!
"Wait-"
Huahai suddenly remembered something. "Wasn't the Phoenix Crown and Rosy Robes team on your Apple QQ servers closer to three million power? How did the Imperial Crown Team beat you to it?"
Qingrong said coldly, "The problem came down to one person."
"Who?"
"Exalted Emperor!"
"Exalted Emperor?"