Chapter 63: I Believe In You

Little White Dragon in the Waves, Shen Yan, and his assistant were interacting with the audience in the livestream. Meanwhile, the chat was becoming more active. Some viewers who had originally come to watch the excitement were now genuinely captivated by the match.

In the final match, Fang Buyi took the stage and defeated Qingye High School’s second main fighter, Lu Zhen with a burst of energy. It was the cherry on top for their performance in the individual mode.

It was four to one, and Red Flag High School had achieved a decisive victory. The entire event venue turned into a sea of joy. Every student from Red Flag High School was shouting with excitement. The long league had just begun, and a resounding victory was undoubtedly the best reward.

In a corner, the main beastmaster Liu Xiao hung his head, looking dejected. He knew that his position as a main player was no longer secure. The newcomer Bai Qiqi, despite her stutter and seemingly fragile appearance, was a highly talented beastmaster and was highly regarded by the principal, dean, and class advisor. It was only a matter of time before she replaced him. Liu Xiao had been mentally prepared for this eventuality.

Originally, he had hoped to secure a few more victories for Red Flag High School in the final matches, striving for honor. But he didn’t expect that today’s only defeat would come from his own performance.

If I hadn't lost, it would have been five to zero today. It would’ve been a perfect score... It's all my fault.

Liu Xiao clenched his fists, tormented by his thoughts. At that moment, someone gently patted his shoulder. He turned his head and saw the eyes of the team soul, Yan Chiyu.

"I've lost before too," Yan Chiyu said softly.

Liu Xiao looked down and said, "But..."

"Win it back next time," Yan Chiyu interrupted.

Liu Xiao felt a wave of emotion. While everyone else was basking in victory, the captain still noticed and cared about his feelings.

"Thank you, Captain," Liu Xiao said with a soft smile.

"I believe in you." Yan Chiyu held out a small vial. "Here, take this."

It was a bottle of Starforce Reagent.

“No, I...” Liu Xiao was startled and quickly refused. He felt he had no right to share the cultivation resources prepared for the team's soul.

But Yan Chiyu forcefully placed the Starforce Reagent into his hand. “It no longer has any effect on me.”

Liu Xiao was stunned. That statement carried a lot of information. The third-generation Starforce Reagent was only ineffective for martial artists who had reached the Limit Breaking Realm.

Which meant...

His face lit up with joy. “Captain, you...”

Yan Chiyu nodded subtly, a hint of a smile on her lips as she held a finger to her lips. “Shh.”

Liu Xiao nodded repeatedly. This was undoubtedly monumental news. If the captain had indeed advanced to the Limit Breaking Realm, Red Flag High School's main fighter lineup would significantly strengthen with the Fist King Li Xiaofei, giving them a fighting chance against the upper-middle-tier teams.

Clutching the Starforce Reagent tightly, Liu Xiao suddenly thought of something and said, "Captain, our school has limited cultivation resources. Why not give this Starforce Reagent to Little Qi? She has more talent, while I—"

Yan Chiyu's stern gaze stopped him mid-sentence. She said, "To become stronger, you must first believe in yourself."

She looked into Liu Xiao's eyes and said, "I believe in you. Do you believe in yourself?"

Liu Xiao was taken aback as Yan Chiyu turned and walked away. After a few seconds of silence, the eyes of the main beastmaster of Red Flag High School shone with a new light.

"Captain, I will not let you down," he said through gritted teeth.

***

“Ladies and gentlemen, the individual mode matches have concluded. Next up, we have the team matches. Unlike individual mode, team mode relies much more on coordination among teammates. While star players play a significant role, the true determinant of victory is the entire team’s cooperation and synergy.”

“Qingye High School is eager to redeem themselves in the team mode. As the twenty-first-ranked high school last season, they have the confidence to do so.”

“However, Red Flag High School's performance today has exceeded expectations. We are just ten minutes away from the first team mode battle. Now, we’ll take a short commercial break...”

In the livestream, Little White Dragon in the Waves, Shen Yan, was in control, and his mood was excellent. The number of viewers in the livestream had grown from a few hundred at the beginning to over five thousand, and it was still slowly increasing.

What did this mean? It meant that the livestream was doing exceptionally well. Shen Yan was certain that the increase in viewers was due to Red Flag High School’s unexpected performance. Not only had they won, but they had done so in a highly unconventional manner. The arrogant and unbeatable Li Xiaofei, the mischievous Ren Dong who got under everyone’s skin, and the dazzling Bai Longfei who made viewers' heads spin with his skills... These three had the potential to become stars.

As the dedicated host for all of Red Flag High School’s matches, if these three became famous, so would he. After all, many of today's top streamers were made famous by their association with star players and teams.

Starting today, I’m going to be a Red Flag High School fanboy!

Shen Yan unconsciously positioned himself anew. Meanwhile, he was paying more attention to Li Xiaofei. There was something oddly familiar about him, as if Shen Yan had seen him somewhere before.

A moment later, the first team mode match finally began. Shen Yan got excited, launching into his commentary with fervor.

"As expected, Red Flag High School is fielding their strongest lineup. Main fighters Li Xiaofei and Fang Buyi, beastmaster Liu Xiao, medic Ren Dong, and weapons specialist Bai Longfei."

"Qingye High School hasn't changed their lineup either. Main fighters Gao Shen and Lu Zhen, beastmaster He Ye, medic Shen Qingqing, and weapons specialist Zhou Peng."

"Both teams have entered the light core mainframe pods. The system is now randomly selecting the map... and the map is the Blizzard Polar Region! Oh my, this is a high-difficulty map with a 90 percent difficulty rating. There have been instances where both teams froze to death during the survival phase before even engaging in combat..."

"The light core transmission is complete. Qingye High School's team has been transported to the southern polar region. Red Flag High School's team has been transported to the northern polar region..."

"Data shows that the temperature in this polar scene is as low as minus forty degrees. The team members, who are only wearing thin sportswear, will be risking frostbite if they're not careful! For the time being, they need to prioritize survival. Then they must craft armor and weapons, establish temporary shelters, and strategize. If they want to find the enemy, they must first defeat the surrounding star beasts!"

"Who will win? The final data from the livestream's victory prediction shows that 57 percent of viewers believe Qingye High School will win, while 43 percent think Red Flag High School will prevail..."

"Red Flag High School has earned growing support with their performance... Good luck to them."

"Oh, dear! Li Xiaofei is in trouble. His drop point is near the lair of a Polar Explosive Bear! Such bad luck. Oh no, the Grade One star beast has already spotted him."

***

In the Blizzard Polar Region.

This match was set in extreme cold weather, where the icy wind cut like a knife. Li Xiaofei was only wearing a thin tracksuit. He had to circulate his starforce qi to resist the pervasive cold.

He looked around. All he could see was a vast expanse of white. The snow around him was over a meter thick. In the distance, glaciers rose and fell like towering mountains. His teammates were not nearby.

According to team battle rules, team members were randomly transported to different parts of their own area. This area wouldn't contain enemy team members but was still fraught with various types of dangers. Most of these dangers came from star beasts or mutated plants.

Just like now...

"Rawrrrr!" A soul-shaking roar rang out.

Amidst the blinding snowstorm, a towering white bear that was six meters tall charged towards Li Xiaofei like a gust of wind. It was the Polar Explosive Bear, a Grade One star beast. A nightmare for Qi Refining Realm martial artists.

Most Qi Refining Realm martial artists without weapons would find it nearly impossible to break through the Polar Explosive Bear's fur and withstand the overwhelming force of its swipes.

It's over.

Those were the only two words that came to mind for the viewers watching the scene.

The arrogant newcomer who had performed exceptionally in individual mode seemed destined to become the first casualty in team mode.