Chapter 1 Hotel Room

The hotel room was high up, and from the window, you could even see the Samsara stadium, already brightly lit in the night, bustling to welcome the final day.

The All-Star Weekend was a three-day event, with tickets available for individual days or the entire weekend. Chen Guo had managed to get three weekend passes. But just looking at the individual ticket prices, it was clear that each day was more expensive than the last, especially the third day.

On the third day, there was only one event: the All-Star Game. Twenty-four professional players, chosen entirely by Glory fans in a vote, would be the most popular players in the league. They would be divided into two teams and compete in individual matches, team elimination matches, and team battles, just like in the professional league.

It was impossible to see such a star-studded match on any other day. So, even though it was still mostly an exhibition, the All-Star Game was an event that could rival even the finals in terms of attendance and viewership.

So, Chen Guo was very conflicted about not being able to go to the All-Star Game in person, while Ye Xiu and Tang Rou were much less concerned. Tang Rou was still in the game, and Ye Xiu was still sitting next to her, giving her pointers, just like before. Only when they heard Chen Guo talking would they turn around and pretend to be conflicted.

"Actually, your family knows you're a professional player now, right?" Chen Guo suddenly asked Ye Xiu.

"Yeah," Ye Xiu said, without turning around this time.

"Then why are you still afraid to show your face?" Chen Guo saw an opportunity and started gossiping again.

"At first, I didn't want them to find me. As for later... I just didn't want to embarrass them. In their eyes, I'm just a failure, no matter what," Ye Xiu said.

Chen Guo was silent. She realized that she shouldn't pry so deeply into Ye Xiu's background because it was a painful topic for him. He probably avoided thinking about these things on a regular basis, and she kept reminding him, which was very inconsiderate.

Feeling apologetic, Chen Guo boldly slapped the TV and said, "Forget it, let's not go tonight. We'll just watch it on TV."

"Actually, it's fine if I don't go. There's no reason for you two to miss it," Ye Xiu said.

"Hmm, you're right! When the interviews come, I can advertise the internet café," Chen Guo said, stroking her chin in thought.

Tang Rou turned around and said, "The customers who come then probably won't be here to surf the internet, but to gawk at us, right?"

"Oh..." Chen Guo sighed regretfully. "I forgot about that."

"Go, go, you guys go!" Ye Xiu stood up behind Tang Rou, looking eager.

"What are you going to do?" Tang Rou turned to look at him.

"You're going to watch the game, so I'll play!" Ye Xiu said.

"Isn't that the real reason you're not going! You actually want to play games here!" Chen Guo said.

"How could that be? Didn't I tell you my troubles?" Ye Xiu said. But his tone was so casual that it didn't sound like he was talking about any troubles at all. Yet, the facts were so convincing that people couldn't help but believe that he really did have troubles. Chen Guo hesitated for a moment, finally deciding not to say anything more, and looked at Tang Rou.

Of course, Tang Rou knew that Chen Guo really wanted to go. Getting these three tickets wasn't easy, and missing the biggest climax would be a regret for any fan. So, she immediately stood up and gave her seat to Ye Xiu. "Then we're going."

"Go, go!" Ye Xiu waved his hand and quickly logged Tang Rou's Soft Mist out, switching to his Lord Grim.

"Aren't you going to watch the All-Star Game?" Chen Guo asked.

"I am, but it's still early. I'll watch while I play," Ye Xiu said.

So, the two women left, leaving Ye Xiu alone in the room.

The All-Star Game deserved to be compared to the grand finals. It even affected the online player rate in the game. The leveling areas that were bustling in the afternoon became less and less crowded as the evening approached, even though it was supposed to be peak time. Playing the game while watching? It wasn't easy to multitask. Glory was a game that required intricate actions, and during intense battles, there wasn't much time to look away.

So, Ye Xiu seized the time to play for a while. As the time approached, he exited the game and turned on the television.

The broadcast of the final day's event had already started early. The twenty-four All-Star players hadn't officially entered the arena yet, but reporters were already searching for them to conduct interviews.

The first person the reporter found was Zhang Xinjie, the vice-captain of Team Tyranny, who had arrived early and was sitting upright in the professional player seating area.

"Vice-Captain Zhang, hello," the reporter quickly approached.

"Hello," Zhang Xinjie nodded.

"Even for the All-Star Game, you've maintained your habit of arriving half an hour early!" the reporter began to butter him up.

"Yes," Zhang Xinjie nodded again.

"The audience must be very curious about this year's groups. Can you give us a little hint beforehand?" the reporter asked.

Zhang Xinjie gave the reporter a strange look. "Not giving hints beforehand is the broadcasting station’s requirement, isn't it?"

"Haha, it's starting in half an hour, so it's okay to say a little bit!" the reporter said.

Zhang Xinjie shook his head. "No comment."

The atmosphere became slightly awkward, and the reporter had to change the question. "Vice-Captain Zhang's profession means that you'll be participating in the team competition. As a tactical master, I wonder if you've prepared any elaborate tactics?"

"You'll know when the time comes," Zhang Xinjie said politely, still not revealing anything.

"Thank you, Vice-Captain Zhang..." The reporter was helpless and had to end the fruitless interview.

Then, his gaze shifted to the Jia Dynasty team's seating area, where he saw Su Mucheng, one of the twenty-four All-Star players, sitting alone.

Su Mucheng's relationship with Ye Qiu was no secret in the Glory scene, and she was undoubtedly a super hot topic at the moment. The reporter wasn't going to miss this, so he immediately charged forward with the cameraman.

"Mucheng, say hello to the audience!" the reporter greeted.

"Hi!" Su Mucheng waved at the camera. "Are you watching TV?"

Ye Xiu was speechless in front of the television. This greeting was a little too personal, wasn't it?

The reporter, as expected, caught on to it immediately and said with a smile, "This greeting is a little special. Does it have any special meaning?"

Su Mucheng smiled. "You know."

"Are you saying hello to Ye Qiu?" The reporter understood.

"Yes!" Su Mucheng admitted generously.

"So... Ye Qiu won't be coming to the venue today?" The reporter immediately realized something.

"I don't know!" Su Mucheng said.

"But you just said hello to him in front of the TV!" the reporter said.

"It's the same thing! If he's watching TV, he'll see it. If he comes to the venue... he'll see it on the big screen too," Su Mucheng pointed to the big screen hanging from the top of the stadium, which was showing the reporter's live broadcast.

"I see. Thank you, Mucheng." Another interview came to an end, and the interview footage temporarily cut away as the reporter searched for the next person to interview.

The broadcast screen turned to the audience. Ye Xiu saw that it was Chen Guo and Tang Rou. Clearly, the broadcast was prepared and began to show close-ups of their location. These two beauties were very photogenic, and even without yesterday's scene, the close-up was pleasing enough. However, the focus of the close-up was not on them. The camera turned and gave a meaningful long shot of the empty seat next to them, letting everything speak for itself.

When the reporters found another All-Star player, the camera immediately turned to the interview. The half hour before the official start was spent like this. Facing such an event, the players were mostly relaxed. Few were as serious as Zhang Xinjie. They joked with the reporters and made fun of familiar players. The half hour passed quickly.

When the event officially began, the lights in the stadium went out. The roster of the twenty-four All-Star players had been given to every audience member on the first day, but on the final day, after the All-Star Game began, the twenty-four players' performances officially began.

The lights shone down, and the first person to appear was Zhou Zekai, the ace player of the host team, Samsara. As he slowly walked onto the stage in the beam of light, the holographic projection appeared, showing Zhou Zekai's character, One Autumn Leaf, beside him. The crowd screamed, giving their ace player plenty of face. Zhou Zekai was also skilled at performing the arranged acts. Plus, he had good looks and a good figure. Although he was a little awkward, he had the aura of a god.

Then, the second person to appear was also a player from Samsara: Jiang Botao. His character was Wulang, a Spellblade, the second most important person in Team Samsara after Zhou Zekai.

The appearance was organized by team. It was just the registration and introduction of the characters, so the pace was fast. After the two players from Samsara, Team Blue Rain appeared, and three of their players were selected for this year's All-Star Game:

Yu Wenzhou, character Swoksaar, class Warlock.

Huang Shaotian, character Troubling Rain, class Swordsman.

Yu Feng, character Brilliant Edge, class Berserker.

Afterward, the two players from Team Misty Rain:

Chu Yunxiu, character Windy Rain, class Elementalist.

Li Hua, character Forest Darkens, class Ninja.

The two players from Team Hundred Blossoms:

Tang Hao, character Dereliction, class Brawler.

Zou Yuan, character Dazzling Hundred Blossoms, class Launcher.

The two players from Team Hundred Blossoms were a bit special. Tang Hao was only a second-year rookie, and his Brawler account, Dereliction, wasn't a particularly impressive character in the professional scene. However, he had earned a lot of popularity with his excellent performance in the past six months, and he became one of the All-Stars.

As for Zou Yuan, he was the opposite of Tang Hao. If personal performance was the only criterion, this player, who had been hastily brought in to replace the original captain Zhang Jiale and use Dazzling Hundred Blossoms, was not convincing at all. The vast majority of his selection as one of the twenty-four was due to the fame of the character Dazzling Hundred Blossoms. Too many Glory fans didn't want to see the All-Star stage without this god-level character.

Zou Yuan was clearly aware of this. Standing on the stage, he seemed to stand a step behind the holographic projection of Dazzling Hundred Blossoms.