Under the blazing Blazing Sun, amidst a sea of yellow sand, two teams faced off across the dunes. The scorching sand caused both teams to break out in a sweat, entering a state of [stamina depletion]. Even without moving, their stamina was slowly decreasing.
"The desert terrain is too open, which is very disadvantageous for us. We might lose." Xing Duhe was very discouraged.
This is Frenzied Saber's Jiangcheng Club team. They've been very lucky, not encountering any strong teams along the way. They've had a tough journey, and now it's the final round of the qualifiers. If they win, they'll advance.
But Jiangcheng's good luck seemed to have run out this time. The random terrain was an open desert that was not conducive to their close combat tactics, while their opponents were good at ranged attacks.
Xing Duhe was in a very depressed state of mind, and his influence caused the team members' morale to plummet.
Frenzied Saber frowned, disapproving, and said, "Don't be discouraged. The fight hasn't even started yet; the outcome is still uncertain."
Xing Duhe shook his head, "Our chances of winning are too slim."
"You're the team leader, don't say things like that!" Frenzied Saber was increasingly dissatisfied with Xing Duhe's leadership of the team. He had no leadership skills whatsoever, not only did he fail to provide any outstanding command, but he also brought negative energy to the entire team.
"Oh? What brilliant idea do you have?" Xing Duhe glanced at him sideways.
"The enemy has strong ranged attacks, so we can only close the distance. But rushing in recklessly will just get us kited. So I think luring them in and ambushing them is a good idea. I can hide in the sand, and you guys can pretend to run away to lure them to where I'm hiding. Then I'll jump out and hold off their backline, and you can launch a counterattack. That way, we'll have a chance."
"Perfect timing, I have two masks. Who wants to ambush me with me?" Frenzied Saber took out two oxygen masks, which were his standard equipment and came in handy at this moment.
The team members looked at each other in bewilderment. At this moment Xing Duhe snorted, "Since you came up with the tactic, if we lose, it's your responsibility."
Xing Duhe were an attempt to shift blame, a way to shirk responsibility after losing. Frenzied Saber was disgusted by this behavior and ignored him. He glanced at his other teammates, and a Pugilist Class stepped forward to be his ally.
After quickly choosing a location, Frenzied Saber and his Pugilist Class teammates put on masks and hid in the sand. Outside, Xing Duhe and his three companions made some disguises and began to lure the enemy, walking up the sand dune and exposing themselves to the enemy's line of sight.
"Heh, they couldn't hold back any longer." The other six-person team discovered Xing Duhe and his group's whereabouts, Ilex in the team gave a cold laugh.
Ilex is in this team. It looks like a team made up of random experts, but in reality, all six players are "spies" from different foreign clubs in the Planet Aquamarine region. They secretly formed a team to "challenge" the competition. There are such teams in every region.
"Our opponents are a small club. I've watched their matches; they excel in close combat but lack teamwork. The terrain is advantageous for us. As long as we maintain our distance, they're doomed to lose," Ilex said.
They approached the Jiangcheng Team, maintaining a distance, and began ranged attacks. These players primarily used superpowers. Ilex could generate wind seeds in his palm, which gradually grew into a small sand tornado. Some of his teammates could fire destructive beams with their fingers, while others could knead the air into a white ball and throw it out, causing an impact explosion.
Xing Duhe and his three companions hurriedly fled, with the Ilex team in hot pursuit. Soon, they discovered that the Jiangcheng Team consisted of only four people.
"Where did the other two go?" Ilex became wary and suddenly raised his hand, saying, "Stop, everyone. They might be trying to lure us."
Ilex believed that if Jiangcheng Team was trying to lure them in, Jiangcheng would have stopped when he stopped, or at least slowed down to lure them in. However, Jiangcheng did not slow down, leaving a long trail of dust, as if they wanted to run as far away as possible.
Xing Duhe focused on running away, showing no interest in carrying out Frenzied Saber's tactics and slacking off. Xing Duhe was secretly plotting. Frenzied Saber had said he wanted to ambush him; he'd let him stay underground. He'd meet the enemy himself, pretending to lure them in, at least that would count as engaging the enemy. He'd let Frenzied Saber be a mere bystander, making it seem like Frenzied Saber's plan had failed, allowing him to shift the blame, marginalize Frenzied Saber, and make the higher-ups disappointed in Frenzied Saber.
However, he couldn't deliberately avoid the ambush location of Frenzied Saber, as his other teammates also knew the location. He couldn't make it that obvious, so he focused on luring the enemy. Regardless of whether the enemy followed or not, he simply ran away.
Xing Duhe is a seasoned veteran in the professional scene, a marginal figure with little to show for his efforts. He was recruited by Jiangcheng with a higher salary than before, but he doesn't care about the team's performance. He only wants to keep his position as team leader and continue to enjoy the generous salary. There are all kinds of people in the industry, and a seasoned veteran like him is a typical example.
However, Ilex misunderstood and pondered, "Their hasty escape doesn't seem like a trap, and the desert is open terrain, so the possibility of an ambush is relatively low. Let's give chase!"
By a twist of fate, Ilex fell into the trap. After chasing for a while, he stepped into an ambush location. Suddenly, a cloud of sand exploded in the middle of the team, and Frenzied Saber and his Pugilist Class teammates rushed out from underground and charged straight at the back row!
The incident happened so suddenly that Ilex and the others' expressions changed drastically!
Frenzied Saber went all out and tore apart the opponent's formation. Seeing this, Xing Duhe was far away, looked dejected and had no choice but to lead his teammates back to fight.
The scene was chaotic. Ilex and his group were extremely strong. Even though the ambush was successful, Jiangcheng was caught in a fierce battle. Fortunately, Frenzied Saber performed exceptionally well, taking down two fragile ability users and achieving a double kill, which laid the foundation for the victory.
As Ilex collapsed, looking utterly defeated, silence finally fell, broken only by the sound of the wind whipping up sand.
Jiangcheng, victory!
"We won!" Frenzied Saber excitedly pumped his fist.
"They actually qualified..."
Xing Duhe opened his mouth, looking incredulous. He had made it so obvious, yet the enemy still fell for it. Were they really that cheeky?
With the final round of the lengthy qualifiers concluded and the list of advancing teams announced, players in all regions were greatly encouraged, and the league's popularity surged once again.
The qualifiers are just the appetizer; the real show begins when the regular season starts, as players battle for qualification!
From here on, the competition enters its formal phase, no longer as rushed as the qualifiers, and every match is highly anticipated.
The top 38 teams and top 62 individuals selected from thousands of teams and hundreds of thousands of players are undoubtedly attracting a lot of attention. Han Xiao looked through the list and saw that the four major powerhouses had all made it through. Most of the rest were well-known club teams, such as Madman, Nine Gates, and Rainstorm, as well as some clubs from other countries. There were only three random teams.
Jiangcheng was surprisingly on the list of qualified teams. Han Xiao recalled that in his previous life, the Jiangcheng Team did not qualify for the regular season, and it seemed that a foreign team took their place.
In the individual competition, Frenzied Saber made it into the regular season just like in his previous life, and he received even more attention than in his previous life. There were only four Mechanic Class who qualified for the individual competition, all of whom were gunners. Frenzied Saber was the only mechanical warrior among them. As a rare commodity, he attracted a lot of attention.
Furthermore, with the resurfacing of Jiangcheng's match footage, Frenzied Saber's performance was nothing short of pivotal, turning the tide and leading Jiangcheng to victory, gaining him a huge following. In contrast, the real team leader Xing Duhe, was completely ignored and was seen as just a background character by the audience. In their eyes, Kuangdao and _Tu_Shudao were the core of Jiangcheng, a god carrying five mediocre players.
Xing Duhe was very jealous, but he couldn't replicate Frenzied Saber's performance, so he could only watch helplessly as Frenzied Saber received all sorts of praise, feeling frustrated.
Frenzied Saber is indeed very talented in close combat, and his skills are becoming increasingly outstanding. Mechanic Class players watch his one-on-one replays repeatedly to learn his techniques.
Some players dug up old posts and discovered that Frenzied Saber was one of the four people who triggered the hidden storyline of Black Phantom. His equipment was of high quality and had many effects, undoubtedly from Black Phantom. Players were extremely envious and longed for it. Han Xiao also shared in the hype.
"The first step's result is even better than in my previous life." Han Xiao was very satisfied; it was indeed worth the effort he put into Frenzied Saber.
A few days later, the secondary league also concluded smoothly, with the champion and runner-up qualifying to fill the remaining 40 team slots and 64 individual slots for the regular season.
The official results of the group draw for the regular season have been released. All players have been divided into four groups: A, B, C, and D. Each group will have 10 teams for the team competition and 16 players for the individual competition.
The regular season uses a points system, with teams competing in round-robin within their groups. The top two teams from each group advance to the next round, while the top four teams from each group advance to the individual competition.
The team group rosters for the regular season of the Planet Aquamarine region have caused an uproar among players.
Fish-Fragrant Eggplant, Dynasty, Long Sky —three powerhouse teams—have been surprisingly assigned to Group A!
Moreover, the other teams in Group A include two top-tier teams, Dragon Tiger Club and Heavenly Palace Club, as well as a foreign club team, making it a true group of death!
With so many strong teams, only two can advance, meaning at least one powerhouse will be eliminated in this round, immediately gripping the hearts of fans of all the top teams.
The atmosphere was already tense and fraught with tension even before the regular season started!