Xu Jingming, Heng Fang, and Yang Qingshuo arrived at the livestream stage, where Li Miaomiao, Wang Yi, and Liu Chongyuan, who had been waiting, along with assistants Xiao Zeng and Kong Jie, greeted them warmly.

"Captain, I admire you so much!" Liu Chongyuan took the initiative to step forward, his face reverent.

"I admire the captain the most," Yang Qingshuo said immediately.

"Everyone, step aside!"

Li Miaomiao shouted, and everyone immediately made way. Li Miaomiao walked forward, and Xu Jingming smiled at his girlfriend.

"You fought beautifully." Li Miaomiao smiled happily. "I'm also a member of one of the four strongest teams in Xia country. Captain, this substitute member has decided to give you a reward."

Xu Jingming immediately lowered his head and kissed his girlfriend on the lips.

Li Miaomiao's eyes widened, and she blushed as she glanced around. "There are so many people here!"

"Ooh," Heng Fang clapped and cheered, and Wang Yi, Kong Jie, and the others around them laughed happily.

"Brother Xu is awesome. We've made it to the final four." Yang Qingshuo's eyes lit up. "The prize money for the final four teams is one hundred million. As someone who was carried, I get 16%, which is 16 million… Wow, I've never earned so much money in my life!"

"This is the most I've ever earned too," Liu Chongyuan said excitedly.

"Moreover, the virtual world will directly distribute the money to us. We just need to pay taxes," Yang Qingshuo said happily. "The prize money is considered incidental income, so we only need to pay 20% income tax. In the end, we'll still get more than ten million. It's wonderful."

"The prize money for the final four is just the minimum. The prize money for the champion and runner-up is even higher!" Liu Chongyuan said.

Xu Jingming and Heng Fang had already earned a good income before the virtual world appeared, but Liu Chongyuan and Yang Qingshuo had indeed never earned so much.

The highest earner present was Wang Yi. Wang Yi rose to fame at a young age and was a three-time Olympic champion, a Demon King-level figure. Her advertising fees alone were staggering. In the virtual world era, she was also a top-three streamer, so her income was considerable.

She watched silently from the side, sensing Yang Qingshuo and Liu Chongyuan's happiness.

"The later stages of the competition rely more and more on the captain alone," Wang Yi thought silently. "The captain has also given me enough opportunities to hone my skills. I've been in desperate situations several times, even assassinated by opponents. But under pressure, I still haven't broken through to the third level."

Wang Yi was strong-willed at heart, and she couldn't tolerate this sense of powerlessness. She longed to break through.

…

On the platform, Fang Yu also walked to his elders and relatives.

"Little Fang Yu, how do you feel?" Liu Jianfeng asked.

Fang Yu looked at the livestream scene. The hosts and guests were replaying the exciting battle scenes, watching himself completely lose the initiative under Xu Jingming's spearmanship in slow motion.

"What fast spear," Fang Yu said after watching the entire replay, also seeing the final move, Shadowless Thrust. "It was so fast that I didn't even react."

"The secret of the Shadowless Thrust is that the time it takes to launch the spear is shorter than the limit of neural reaction time!" Liu Jianfeng nodded. "As long as he seizes the opportunity to launch the spear, you won't have time to react before you're hit! Many people know why this spear technique is so powerful, but they can't learn it."

Fang Yu nodded. "Any move has a starting stance to build momentum. The process of building momentum and unleashing force takes the longest time. Even with moves like jab punches or inch punches… you still have to build momentum."

Fang's father said, "Xu Jingming's Shadowless Thrust also has a build-up. It's just that his build-up time is very short. He gave up on combos and focused everything on making this one move as fast as possible! I've watched slow-motion replays of this move many times, and I've tried to learn it, but I can't."

"What's called a special move? Special moves aren't that easy to learn," Liu Jianfeng said with a smile.

"This spear is too fast, and his footwork is also amazing," Fang Yu nodded. "I do have a gap with him now, but I believe that once I break through in footwork, with my physical advantages, I can definitely win."

Liu Jianfeng, Fang's father, and the other elders all nodded.

As long as Fang Yu's combat skills aren't too far behind his opponent's, he can win with his physical advantages. He has a head start in innate talent.

******

On the commentary platform, host Liu Xin glanced at the prompt in front of him and said with a smile, "The third round of the Fire Seed Cup is officially over. The virtual world has also calculated the combat power of the winning teams. In addition to Liu Hai's team and Lei Yunfang's team being fixed as numbers 1 and 2, the other teams are ranked according to their combat power."

As he spoke, a huge team ranking chart appeared on the livestream screen.

No. 1: Liu Hai's Oldies Team (Captain Liu Hai)

No. 2: Lei Yunfang Team (Captain Lei Yunfang)

No. 3: Li Mu Team (Captain Xu Jingming), team combat power 23220

No. 4: Xianzi Team (Captain Zhang Qing), team combat power 21680

"Tomorrow, we will hold the semifinals of the Fire Seed Cup," Liu Xin said with anticipation. "One match is between the team led by Global Number One Teacher Liu Hai and the team led by Xia country's Number One female player, Zhang Qing. The other is between the team led by World Footwork Number One Teacher Lei Yunfang and the team led by the young Xu Jingming."

A battle chart also appeared on the screen.

September 5th, 0:00, First Match: Liu Hai's Oldies Team vs. Xianzi Team

September 5th, 1:00, Second Match: Lei Yunfang Team vs. Li Mu Team

…

The six members of the Li Mu team, including Xu Jingming, looked at the match schedule.

"Our opponent is Lei Yunfang's team." Li Miaomiao was a little nervous and a little expectant. "Senior Lei Yunfang is the world's number one in footwork."

"When he first showed his strength in the virtual world, his footwork was at the third level," Xu Jingming nodded. "More than a month has passed. Unless we fight him personally, it's hard to say how strong his footwork really is."

"It's also difficult for those who have fought him to say how strong he really is," Wang Yi said. "In Xia country, there aren't many people who can force Senior Lei Yunfang to show his true strength."

The team members all agreed and felt the pressure.

"It's easier than fighting my teacher, Liu Hai," Xu Jingming said with a smile. "My teacher, Liu Hai, is strong in all aspects and has no flaws."

"First defeat Senior Lei Yunfang's team, and then meet Master Liu Hai in the finals!" Yang Qingshuo clenched his fist.

"You're full of confidence," Heng Fang said with a smile.

Wang Yi said, "We still need to have confidence. Compared to Lei Yunfang's team, at least Senior Lei Yunfang's four teammates are relatively weak. Our main enemy is only Senior Lei Yunfang."

"Yes, it's just him," Xu Jingming nodded.

"On our side, the only one who can threaten Senior Lei Yunfang is also just the captain," Yang Qingshuo said helplessly.

Wang Yi was silent.

She was a sharpshooter and should be able to play a role.

But Lei Yunfang was too terrifying. Beyond ten meters, Wang Yi wasn't confident that she could hit Lei Yunfang with her arrows. As for within ten meters? With Lei Yunfang's world-class footwork, daring to get within twenty meters was suicide.

…

"My next opponent is Xu Jingming?" Lei Yunfang, with a stern face, stood up on the platform. "Finally, a battle that's a little interesting."

Since the start of the Fire Seed Cup, Lei Yunfang hadn't encountered any threats. He felt that this battle with Xu Jingming… would require him to show some real skill.

…

"Next up is that girl Zhang Qing," Liu Hai also stood up. "So, who will I meet in the finals?"

******

Personal space, training ground.

Xu Jingming stood there and opened his personal combat power panel—

Gene Evolution Method: *Tianmang* Evolution Method (Advanced Level 5%) (Practice Time 602 days, cannot be improved)

Body: 190

Skills: Spearmanship (Third Level 43%), Footwork (Third Level 3%), Shield Technique (Third Level 31%)

Base Combat Power: 4608

Actual Combat Bonus: 40%

Combat Power: 6451

"The improvement in footwork has indeed comprehensively improved my body's power-generating techniques. Spearmanship and shield techniques have also improved." Xu Jingming nodded slightly as he looked at the panel, which was similar to what he had guessed. "But now that all three aspects have broken through, further improvement will require slow accumulation."

"My strength has improved a lot now. I can try to break through the Star Tower again." Xu Jingming thought, "If I want to defeat Senior Lei Yunfang, I must first pass the third level of the Star Tower."

Xu Jingming immediately opened the mission space and headed to the Star Tower.

Whoosh.

Like a shooting star falling, he landed under the empty tower. Xu Jingming looked up at the familiar six names on the Starry Sky Rankings, his eyes filled with anticipation. Then, he walked into the Star Tower.

——

This is an extra chapter for 15,000 monthly tickets.