In contrast, the atmosphere on the AFG side was quite harmonious.
“You all played really well, kids!” Fu Feng laughed heartily as he walked over to Jian Yao. “Especially you, Jian Yao. That last dive idea was excellent. Even without Yin Mo’s potion, as long as we followed the usual routine and took out the enemy mage underwater, we could have achieved the same result.”
“Thank you, Coach, but…” Jian Yao lowered his head, gripping the hem of his shirt tightly. “I made a mistake once…”
Fu Feng paused for a moment, then patted his shoulder with a smile. “But didn’t you make up for it?”
“That’s right.”
Before Jian Yao’s downcast gaze, someone slowly stepped in front of him and crouched down until he fully entered his line of sight.
The person in front of him smiled and gently ruffled Jian Yao’s hair. “Silly, didn’t that quick-thinking brain of yours help you make up for that tiny mistake?”
“You made up for it well and secured the victory. This turning point from the win belongs to Jian Yao, doesn’t it?”
“Wen Zhe…”
Jian Yao looked at Wen Zhe, but for a long moment, he couldn’t say anything except Wen Zhe’s name.
“Yeah, Xiao Yao,” Su Ze slung an arm over his shoulder as Wen Zhe slowly stood up, and Jian Yao’s gaze followed him. “The final result was good, so everyone’s happy!”
“I agree,” Zhong Yu walked over to Su Ze and chimed in. “The teamwork was pretty smooth.”
Hearing these words, Jian Yao finally relaxed completely.
The training room door swung open, and a hoarse, uncle-like voice rang out—
“Sorry, sorry, I’m late, guys.”
Jian Yao looked over and saw AFG’s starting assassin—Xu Xu.
“Brother Xu, you show up after we’ve already finished. Did you clog the toilet or something?”
Xu Xu grabbed Su Ze, curling his index finger as if to twist it hard against Su Ze’s temple, gritting his teeth. “You little brat, getting bold, huh? Should I be glad I didn’t fall into the toilet?”
“Ouch, ouch, I was wrong, I was wrong!” Su Ze immediately raised his hands in surrender.
“By the way, how did you guys play without me? Did you change tactics?” Xu Xu walked over behind Fu Feng and looked at the replay of the previous match. “Oh, there’s an assassin. I didn’t know my position got taken over?”
Jian Yao didn’t sense any joking tone in those words and felt a bit nervous inside. “Um…”
“This time was just a substitute. Next time might be different,” Wen Zhe replied.
“Hey, Captain, that’s not very nice,” Jian Yao saw Xu Xu’s gaze shift toward him as he walked over and extended his right hand first. “So this is the kid, right? What’s your name?”
Jian Yao met Xu Xu’s gaze and shook his hand. “Hello, I’m Jian Yao.”
“Mind having a match with me?” Xu Xu smiled brightly. “I missed the training match, so let me have some fun.”
Jian Yao agreed—
For some reason, he had an indescribable feeling inside.
The battle between the two lasted a full hour, or more accurately, it was a one-sided torment where Jian Yao was completely crushed by Xu Xu.
At first, Jian Yao could still manage to land a few hits on Xu Xu, but as the match went on, Xu Xu took full control of the field. Watching himself unable to fight back, Jian Yao felt utterly lost for the first time.
“Kid, why are your reactions getting slower?”
“Kid, you’re looking in the wrong direction. It’s over here.”
“This won’t do, kid. You can’t go pro like this.”
After Xu Xu finished saying these words, the word “Defeat” appeared on Jian Yao’s screen.
“You can’t go pro—”
These words echoed like a curse in Jian Yao’s ears. His gaze grew vacant as he rose from the gaming chair. “Sorry, I need to use the restroom.”
“Just go all the way down the hall,” Su Ze said, stepping outside to point the way.
Jian Yao nodded in thanks, his eyes unfocused as he walked out.
“Aren’t you going to check on him?” Xu Xu nudged Wen Zhe with his elbow. “Was I too harsh?”
“No need,” Wen Zhe replied, moving toward the door. “Holding back would be disrespectful to your opponent.”
“Yeah, he doesn’t seem like the fragile type…” Xu Xu walked over to Coach Fu Feng. “Coach, could you copy the match data for me? Hey, Captain…”
Xu Xu looked up, but Wen Zhe was already gone. “Strange, where’d the captain go?”
“Hmm…” Zhong Yuyi pointed toward the restroom. “He went out.”
Xu Xu blinked. “What? But he said no need.”
“I think what he meant was—you didn’t need to go easy.” Su Ze crunched on a snack and popped one into Zhong Yuyi’s mouth. “Right, Xiao Yi?”
“Yeah.” Zhong Yuyi nodded.
Xu Xu scratched the back of his head and clicked his tongue. “I really don’t get you young people these days.”
“It’s fine. You don’t have to understand—we do.”
Xu Xu couldn’t think of a comeback—
So, this is the generation gap, huh?
Jian Yao stayed in the restroom for a full ten minutes.
Throughout the match, he hadn’t been able to fully grasp the transformation process of Xu Xu’s weapon. Based on previous match analyses, it seemed like Xu Xu had revealed a weapon form he’d never shown in competition before.
What did that mean?
Why expose his trump card like that?
Moreover, during the fight, Xu Xu had read every one of his moves perfectly—not something you’d expect from a first-time opponent.
A bold guess crossed Jian Yao’s mind—
Had Xu Xu specifically studied him?
Jian Yao patted his cheeks and stared at his reflection in the mirror, trying to shake off the thought.
After splashing his face with cold water several times, he finally steadied his emotions and headed out.
As soon as he stepped out of the restroom, he saw Wen Zhe leaning against the wall in the hallway. Wen Zhe met his gaze, walked over, and bent slightly, placing his right hand on Jian Yao’s head. “Eyes aren’t red. Looks like you didn’t cry.”
“I’m not a crybaby…” Jian Yao averted his gaze as Wen Zhe withdrew his hand. He leaned back against the wall. “I just feel I still have a long way to go.”
“Brother Xu Xu is 26 and still has that level of insight and execution. It’s really impressive.”
“But I’m also glad. I learned a lot from it—it gives me more room to grow.”
“I used to think I was amazing, that I had talent. Maybe back then I was just young and arrogant, to even think about joining a pro team.”
“What made me think… I could…”
“Because you’re Jian Yao.”
Wen Zhe’s sudden words made Jian Yao turn his head. Wen Zhe leaned against the wall beside him, his gaze fixed ahead. “Maybe the literal meaning is ‘simple brilliance,’ but I don’t see it that way. To me, it’s more like a young bird trapped in darkness by bamboo shackles, yet able to find hope in a single ray of light and soar.”
Memories surged through his mind, making Jian Yao’s breathing quicken—
“Senior, can I really become a professional player?”
“Of course, you can. A bamboo cage cannot hold back an awakened fledgling. You have your own unique light to support you.”
Jian Yao’s pupils contracted slightly as he tried to suppress the tremor in his voice. “Wen Zhe… can I ask you, why did you choose to go pro…?”