Chapter 563: The Curtain Drops on the King Tournament and Arena Interviews

"What on earth are you muttering about?!" Jessica glared over with pure malice, only to find this ordinary mortal still calmly munching on his potato chips.

"!!!" She was practically about to burst with rage. How could this native remain so utterly unfazed?!

Did he not know exactly who was standing before him?!

Actually... he really didn't. Boss Fang had all along assumed these people were merely from the Western Ultimate Region.

Jessica was furious, so much so that she briefly considered revealing her true identity to strike terror into this wretched native.

But, quite clearly, she held herself back.

"What exactly were you muttering just now?" The group stared suspiciously at Boss Fang, briefly wondering if he was playing some sort of trick. How was it possible to lose every single match?!

Most importantly, the analysis provided by those two commentators made perfect sense, backed by solid logic and facts. Furthermore, she had personally gauged the strength of these competitors in the previous matches; they were undeniably, overwhelmingly powerful. Otherwise, she wouldn't have made such selections.

It almost felt as though a mysterious force were at work behind the scenes. Could this boy have tampered with something?!

But one look told them otherwise; after all, he was just an ordinary human.

"Well..." Boss Fang explained, "I say, ladies and gentlemen, surely you aren't unfamiliar with esports toxic jinxes? Then I suppose the Great Immortal Xudong is completely beyond your knowledge?"

"What esports toxic jinx?! What Great Immortal Xudong?!" The group looked at Boss Fang, entirely mystified.

"Uh..." Boss Fang said, "How about I explain it to you?"

With that, he began to recount the tale of a mysterious force originating from the distant East.

At that moment, the tournament happened to be broadcasting the group stages of StarCraft.

When the group heard Boss Fang reach the part about "how can a mutalisk face-ride lose," the outworlders' eyes widened. They stared at Fang Qi in absolute disbelief: "Are you saying that the powerful 'Emperor Ming,' leading a massive armada of mutalisks straight into the enemy's heart, vanished into ash and smoke just because of a few casual words from this Immortal?!"

"Of course..." Boss Fang took the opportunity to mimic the exact tone of that fateful moment to recreate the scene. "Damn it, I'm a professional commentator, okay? How could a professional commentator misread a situation like this...

Eh? ...Wait, don't do that?! Ai~! Ya~! I can't keep commentating this, oh gosh, this!! Uh-ah~~"

"Hahaha..." Jessica laughed so hard she was practically pounding the floor, while the others were straining so hard to suppress their amusement that they looked constipated, nearly bursting into laughter. "So the Immortal actually has such hilarious moments?"

The group eagerly inquired about the "Secret Lore of the Immortal" while keeping their eyes fixed on the StarCraft tournament.

"Is this happening above the void?!"

"Incredible... these people can actually mass-produce battleships and carriers of such immense power?!"

"This is called a dropped Psi Storm matrix?!" Watching the screen, where a terrifying grid of electricity swept across the battlefield like a storm alongside perfectly arrayed armies of every kind, the various races existing within the vast expanse of the cosmos were locked in total warfare under the multi-tasking commands of the players.

Since the spiritual energy of cultivators and warriors was beyond that of ordinary humans, the system-version of the game naturally lacked the population limits of the original. What everyone witnessed now was a true, gargantuan sea of Zerg, a mechanized Terran army, and the fleet of Protoss warships.

Such epic warfare made every single match breathtakingly shocking.

With the lesson learned from Dungeon & Fighter, Mr. Mu's commentary during StarCraft was remarkably disciplined, managing to avoid any further disasters.

Even though his reputation as a toxic jinx had already been firmly established, the tournament proceeded in an orderly fashion.

It was worth mentioning that the two players who had previously defeated Nalan Hongwu and Ning Bi happened to be placed in the same group, meaning only one could advance. Emerging from the first group was the Sword Saint Zhu Yanxiao, from the fourth group was Jiang Xiaoyuan, and the final fourth player, quite unexpectedly, turned out to be...

Over at the Half City shop, a cloud of black mist pulled off the virtual reality headset and roared with laughter: "Hahaha! This deity truly is the greatest! This deity is going to take the championship this time!"

Displayed on the screen was a Berserker wielding a long, slender blade.

"This deity's Blood Evil Demon God is invincible under the heavens!"

"Good grief, even a comical sphere wants to win the championship!" Ning Bi, who had inexplicably lost her match to an unknown Female Priest from God knows where, wore a look of utter disdain.

The twitches on the faces of the players nearby were palpable.

"Shoo, shoo, shoo! Sprite the little witch, you couldn't even beat a random passerby. Just watch how this great master seizes the crown!"

Over on the StarCraft side, those who advanced were the old academy master of Haotian Academy, Gu Tingyun, Daoist Master Xi Chi of the Nanhua Sect, and Tang Huan, the head of the Tang Clan from Lingzhou. The younger generation was sparse; the only one was perhaps Li Haoran, who had barely managed to squeeze through by the skin of his teeth. This was likely because certain grandmasters didn't have much time to spend in the internet cafe, or perhaps because they were trying to balance both Dungeon & Fighter and StarCraft.

The underlying reason was that in StarCraft, players assumed the role of an ordinary human commander, where strategy and planning relied almost entirely on the player's own experience, brainpower, and adaptability. In this regard, these grandmasters held a distinct advantage.

Conversely, because the character strengths in Dungeon & Fighter already surpassed those of most players themselves, that game appeared slightly more balanced.

Backstage in the players' area.

Two figures draped in black cloaks were still whispering to one another, appearing distinctly unsociable.

"Thank you for fulfilling this."

"You must win the championship!"

"I will!" The figure hidden within the black robe clenched a fist tightly.

"Contestant Rain of Sanara, the match has begun! If you don't take the stage right now, it will be treated as a forfeiture!"

"Ah...! Coming, coming!" A frantic dash ensued.

"..."

...

On the tournament stage this time, the Female Priest, Rain of Sanara, could truly be described as a massive dark horse. In her very first match after advancing, she engaged in an earth-shattering battle against the Grand Deity Comical Sphere. The duo's control over the combat and mastery over details practically blinded the eyes of the gathered audience.

In the end, Rain of Sanara won by a hair's breadth, ushering in the final championship showdown against the Black Light Sword Saint, who had narrowly defeated Jiang Xiaoyuan.

Soon, the tournament entered its second phase, the decider for third place.

"We can see that the state of the Demon God Grand Deity is also quite poor, though compared to Xiaoyuan, he still maintains a certain advantage."

"Ah! Is this still Xiaoyuan?! How can she be so treacherous and cunning! Ah, so underhanded, starting off with Magic Missiles, and her play is incredibly targeted. Xiaoyuan is playing with immense targeting this match!"

"This targeted style of play, why does it feel so much like Chuxue's style! And she has researched it thoroughly!"

"In the last match, the Demon God Grand Deity exposed all of his hidden trump cards! Combined with his poor condition this match, it's over! Although the Demon God Grand Deity has realized it and quickly made a decision, it's already too late!"

"Xiaoyuan wins!"

"Ah——!" In the Half City shop, a cloud of black mist pounded the table frantically.

And at this moment, the grand final finally arrived.

"We can see that both sides are completely different in their styles of play. The swordsmanship used by the Black Light Sword Saint is clearly much closer to the profession itself."

"Yes, this contestant's improvement is immense!" Mu Donglai observed, "I can feel that this contestant has grown a great deal throughout the entire tournament."

"But Contestant Rain of Sanara's grasp of details is simply too magnificent! Although the Black Light Sword Saint has absolutely no intention of competing in details with Rain of Sanara, choosing instead to approach from the grand scheme, he is still being pressed hard at every step by the opponent!"

"Even though Contestant Rain of Sanara truly consumed a massive amount of energy in her match against the Demon God Grand Deity just now, we can see that she is still steadily suppressing the Black Light Sword Saint!"

"The Black Light Sword Saint is still using his unique underhanded style to wear down the opponent, but..." Xiao Yulv cried out in surprise, "He can't beat her! Rain of Sanara has clearly seen through the opponent's intentions, and her mindset is incredibly stable, wearing down the opposite side bit by bit. Truly extremely steady!"

"The Black Light Sword Saint is being very thorough, but at this moment he must do something..."

"Ultimate Ghost Swordsmanship, Tempest! My goodness, the Black Light Sword Saint very decisively seized an opening from the opponent and went straight into Tempest!"

"Ah——! Furious Charge, Slaughter Sickle, we see that Contestant Rain of Sanara has already transformed into a demon, she is actually relying on her own powerful magical energy to forcibly withstand the Tempest!" Xiao Yulv let out a loud shout, "My goodness! She blocked it! But her health status is very poor, can the Black Light Sword Saint follow up with one more sword strike?! Guillotine, it's over! Caught by Rain of Sanara's Guillotine! He still lost after all...!"

"Then let us congratulate Contestant Rain of Sanara! Who is also the biggest dark horse of our tournament this time! Congratulations!"

On and off the stage, a massive wave instantly erupted, turning into an ocean of cheers.

On and off the stage, the eyes hidden beneath the cloak gazed upon this incomparably spectacular scene, thinking silently in her heart: "Just how long has it been since I last witnessed such a prosperous and bustling sight..."

Having experienced so much along the way, encountering the Demon God Grand Deity who was a match for her, the unyielding Black Light Sword Saint, and various other diverse contestants, she even felt as though what she had seen along this journey was more than she had witnessed in her entire past life.

Her heart could not help but be touched.

"At the same time, let us also congratulate our runner-up contestant, the Black Light Sword Saint Zhu Yanxiao! Third place, Jiang Xiaoyuan! Now, please step onto the stage to receive your awards, contestants! Let our two hosts present the awards to today's Heavenly Kings!"

"Ahhhhh—!" Next to Boss Fang, another sharp scream pierced the air. "I'm so excited! I'm finally seeing the champion!"

"Now, let us first ask our champion," Mu Donglai said, stepping forward before the awards ceremony could begin. "If I may be so bold, and also as commissioned by the boss to conduct this interview, I wonder what thoughts are running through the mind of our player, Rain of the Endless Woods, at this very moment?"

"Uh... I suppose I'm quite thrilled too. I didn't expect to encounter so many powerful opponents; there were a few matches where I nearly lost."

"So, is this the first time that player Rain of the Endless Woods has participated in a tournament like this?"

"I've taken part in similar ones before... though back then they seemed to be held by the Sect." A faint trace of self-satisfaction hovered at the corner of his lips. "I took first place back then as well, though the scale wasn't this grand."

"Do you feel a sense of nostalgia?"

"Perhaps... it was quite a long time ago."

"Very well, now let us hand the microphone over to player Joyous Vermilion Face."

Mu Donglai spoke again, "May I ask, Black Light Sword Saint, did you ever foresee yourself making it this far?"

This young martial artist appeared somewhat dull-witted and slow, entirely different from the spiritual agility he displayed within the game. "I never thought about it. Before I came, I just figured I'd hack down whoever I could, one by one, and it turns out I just hacked my way all the way to this spot."

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