Huahai froze in his seat and asked suspiciously, "Your Phoenix Crown and Rosy Robes Team failed to reach three million combat power, so what does that have to do with Exalted Emperor?"
Qingrong's voice was icy. "Recently, the rookie streamer Exalted Emperor has been grinding ranks nonstop. He's run into quite a few members of our Phoenix Crown and Rosy Robes Team and beaten them until their dao hearts collapsed."
"Take one of our high-combat-power experts, the popular Jungle Overlord streamer [Zongshi]. Exalted Emperor strung him up and pounded him. The blow left him unable to recover, and he still hasn't bounced back."
"I know about that." Huahai sighed.
He had been Exalted Emperor's random teammate in the ranked match where he ran into Zongshi, so he had witnessed the whole thing. He had tried to persuade Zongshi, but Zongshi had been determined to compete with Exalted Emperor and had ended up taking a savage beating!
"Wait, that's not right." Huahai's brows knitted into a knot. "Your Phoenix Crown and Rosy Robes Team is based in the iOS Q Zone. Even if a handful of high-combat-power experts went to the Android Q Zone to hone their skills and happened to run into Exalted Emperor, that shouldn't have caused your team to fail to reach three million combat power in the team matches."
As the Champion Emperor team of the iOS Q Zone, Phoenix Crown and Rosy Robes had weathered nine years of wind and frost since its founding in 2016, always ranking first among the iOS Q Zone's million-combat-power teams.
Its 170 official members were, without exception, national-server solo-queue kings, expert streamers, and KPL professional players.
Qingrong, for instance, had been a member of Phoenix Crown and Rosy Robes before he officially entered the KPL League. He later displayed his might on the KPL stage, earning the Overlord and Honor of Kings titles one after another, and was exceptionally promoted to vice-captain!
Qingrong lowered his voice. "Actually, our Phoenix Crown and Rosy Robes Team plans to move to the Android Q Zone as a whole. The vast majority of our high-combat-power members have already gone ahead, starting new accounts on the Android Q Zone to climb the ranks, compete on the leaderboards, and earn badges!"
Realization dawned on Huahai.
Recently, Exalted Emperor had burst onto the scene, using a fresh Little White account to climb the ranks and earn badges.
With his heaven-defying winning streak and top-rated results, the Honor of Kings matchmaking system naturally matched him against equally formidable opponents. That made it highly likely that the high-combat-power Phoenix Crown and Rosy Robes players who had come to the Android Q Zone would run into him.
Even Nuanyang, a former Strongest Overlord, could do nothing against Exalted Emperor, let alone the high-combat-power Phoenix Crown and Rosy Robes players who could barely compare to Overlord players.
Anyone who ran into him was bound to suffer a crushing defeat and end up in despair!
That explained why Phoenix Crown and Rosy Robes had failed to claim the honor of three million combat power as it had hoped when the team matches began this Friday!
"Huh?" Huahai realized something and asked in surprise, "Qingrong, your Phoenix Crown and Rosy Robes Team was doing fine in the iOS Q Zone. Why move back to the Android Q Zone?"
Qingrong clenched his fists and said, enunciating every word, "To drag the Imperial Crown Team down from its pedestal and wash away our captain's disgrace!"
Huahai's pupils contracted.
Because so much time had passed, many Honor of Kings players on the iOS Q Zone did not know the history of Phoenix Crown and Rosy Robes' founding!
But as one of the game's first players, he knew it well.
The Champion Emperor player the iOS Q Zone took pride in—the current captain of Phoenix Crown and Rosy Robes, [Phoenix]—had actually been banished to the iOS Q Zone by the Imperial Crown Team nine years ago!
Huahai analyzed the situation calmly. "I'm afraid it'll be very hard for your Phoenix Crown and Rosy Robes Team to drag the Imperial Crown Team down from its pedestal."
Qingrong's eyes burned. "That's why we need to recruit top experts, especially unaffiliated King-Titled Players like you!"
At that, Huahai understood. Qingrong had come to recruit him into Phoenix Crown and Rosy Robes in preparation for dragging the Imperial Crown Team down from its pedestal.
"Haizi, you should know very well that a good grassroots team is no worse than a KPL team, especially our Phoenix Crown and Rosy Robes Team."
Qingrong spoke gently. "Fight alongside me again. Money isn't a problem. As long as you're willing to come, I can make you vice-captain right away!"
"This is a major matter. Give me some more time to think it over." Huahai weighed the pros and cons. Given their friendship, there was nothing wrong with helping Qingrong, but once he joined Phoenix Crown and Rosy Robes, he would inevitably become an enemy of the Imperial Crown Team!
In the Honor of Kings grassroots team circle, the Imperial Crown Team's connections, influence, and ability to rally support were in a league of their own!
Its standing was like that of AG Super Play in the KPL League circle, if not higher!
"The risk is too great." After thinking it over again and again, Huahai said helplessly, "Qingrong, I can't help you with this!"
"I know what you're worried about." Qingrong smiled. "Haizi, I can tell you that Phoenix Crown and Rosy Robes isn't the only team with designs on the Imperial Crown Team. Two other teams do too."
Huahai's mouth fell open. "You're not joking?"
"Of course not."
Qingrong narrowed his eyes. "After all, the other two Champion Emperor players and our Captain Feng are fellow sufferers cast adrift at the ends of the earth."
Late at night, at RW Xia's training base in Jinan.
"Holy moly, Brother Niu, this Exalted Emperor is going to run himself into the ground." In the training room, Xiaopang watched Exalted Emperor's livestream in shock. "He's been playing from midnight last night until eleven tonight, a full twenty-three hours! There's no sign he's about to end the stream!"
"His energy is far beyond that of an ordinary person. He was born with the sacred physique of a rank-boosting player!" Even Fly was moved. Looking at his phone, he clicked his tongue. "His results are as outrageous as ever!"
"Since Peak Tournament opened at noon, he's climbed 750 points and reached the 1,950-point mark. He has a great chance! No! He's sure to break the Champion Emperor player's record for points gained in a single day of Peak Tournament."
Yaodao checked the national Gan & Mo leaderboard. Sure enough, Exalted Emperor's Gan & Mo had already reached the national top 100.
"Exalted Emperor is now the number one Gan & Mo player in Jiangsu Province and ninety-eighth on the national leaderboard."
Yaodao clicked his tongue. "A Minor National Badge in one day—even a gold-medal rank-boosting studio couldn't manage that."
"Judging by the positional mastery Exalted Emperor has shown, Little Fat Pig, you can relax a little about August's Overlord Feast."
An angry symbol appeared over Xiaopang's head, and his face turned the color of pig liver. "Don't call me Little Fat Pig!"
Yaodao took a sip of Mixue Ice Cream & Tea lemonade, crossed his legs, and grinned wickedly. "Okay, Little Fat Pig."
"Brother Niu, grab my arm." Xiaopang held his left arm out for Fly to grab, then shook his fist and lunged forward furiously. "Yaodao, I'm telling you, this isn't the Wolves, and you haven't been a Wolves player for a long time."
"I put up with you calling me Little Fat Pig before, but if you call me that again, I'll really fight you to the death!"
"How about we have a little match?" Yaodao flexed his finger joints, stood up, and rolled his neck. "Brother Niu can be the referee!"
"I didn't eat enough today, so I'm not in form." Xiaopang's face and neck flushed red. "Another day, when I've eaten my fill, we'll settle both who's stronger and who lives or dies!"
"Don't be like that." Yaodao picked up his phone and ordered delivery. "Why wait for another day? I've ordered you ten portions of grilled meat over rice on . You'll definitely get your fill tonight."
Xiaopang panicked and shot Fly a pleading look.
"All right, Daozi, stop scaring Xiaopang." Fly stepped in to smooth things over. He knew Yaodao's behavior very well: it looked like he was bullying Xiaopang, but he was actually showing concern. Just like with this special training, as soon as he heard it was Xiaopang,
he had immediately put aside team training and commercial activities and rushed over from Suzhou.
"I'll let you off for Brother Niu's sake." Yaodao put down his phone. "But you have to finish all ten portions of grilled meat over rice."
Xiaopang snorted like a little pig. "I'll eat them. Who's afraid of whom?"
"Daozi was right about one thing." Fly looked at Xiaopang. "At August's Overlord Feast, you can put everything else out of your mind and face your junior fellow disciple Zhongyi with all your strength!"
Xiaopang asked, puzzled, "What about Exalted Emperor?"