Countless audience members were also paying attention to the rankings and the preliminaries’ livestream.

China’s official livestream space was very wide, and 821 livestreams were displayed simultaneously. One of them was the ‘main.’

Only 33rd? Zheng Bailong, you’re an expert in the second tier for f*ck’s sake. Cheng Zihao was reeling in anxiety. The teammates I assigned you are also experts. We’ve spent so much money, so you need to show that it was worth it.

You have to be in the top 30—no, you have to be in the top 28. Cheng Zihao watched the changes in the ranking. According to the competition rules, the last two will be fighting seeded teams No. 1 and No. 2. They will definitely be eliminated if they encounter Liu Hai and Lei Yunfang’s teams.

Top 28! Cheng Zihao stared at the screen. I’ve thrown money at you, Zheng Bailong, so you have to give me results.

Meanwhile, Cheng Zihao glanced at Xu Jingming’s team.

A team that didn’t spend much is now ranked fifth? Cheng Zihao felt uncomfortable. Money didn’t seem to be that useful anymore.

…

“All the best, Sister Yi!” Li Miaomiao zoomed in on the livestream and full-screened Team Pearwood’s livestream. She could clearly see Xu Jingming and his team defending against the orc army.

“Sister Yi’s archery is amazing,” Xiaozeng praised. “She shoots out nine arrows in a blink of an eye, and they are all so accurate! When will I ever be one-tenth as good as Sister Yi?”

“Let’s talk about it when you catch up with me,” Sister Kong said with a smile. “Cheng Zihao’s Team White Dragon is now ranked 33rd. He’s probably jumping with anxiety.”

Li Miaomiao snorted softly. “In terms of spending money, he can’t compare with those large corporations. In terms of individual strength, there aren’t any experts like Liu Hai, Lei Yunfang, Zhou Yi, and Jingming—who can attract experts to join them. His Team White Dragon has no future.”

“Look, look. Xiaoqing’s Team Fairydance is amazing.” Li Miaomiao’s eyes lit up. “Ranked second now, Sister Zhang Qing’s dual sword techniques are brilliant. She actually takes the initiative to shuttle between the orc army. Those orcs are unable to utilize their numerical advantage. Wherever Sister Zhang Qing goes, a large number of orcs collapse.”

“So cool.” Sister Kong and Xiaozeng were dazzled.

The main match shown on China’s official livestream was Team Fairydance’s. The battle scene composed of five women from Team Fairydance was very beautiful.

Among them were Sharpshooter Wang Nuan’s flawless arrows, Sun Yuting’s shield and sword techniques, Yuan Yujiao’s fierce and domineering dual shields, and Dai Xiaoqing’s dual sabers dynamic maneuvers. Even more dazzling was Captain Zhang Qing; she was the perfect example of being capable of fighting a thousand single-handedly!

She didn’t need to coordinate with her teammates at all; she just charged into the orc army alone. Wherever she passed, waves of orcs collapsed and died.

…

“Teachers, what do you think of the swordsmanship of Team Fairydance’s captain, Zhang Qing?” Liu Xin asked.

“Fairylike.” Liu Hai continued smiling. “It’s no wonder the Fairydance Group sponsored Zhang Qing. This girl’s dual sword techniques are indeed filled with aesthetics. Moreover, Zhang Qing is number one in terms of sword techniques domestically.”

“Yes, her swordsmanship is quite good.” Lei Yunfang—who was used to being aloof—nodded and commented, “But she’s already past 40. Brother Liu Hai, you call her a girl?”

“She was still a junior high student participating in a junior high martial arts competition when I first got to know her,” Liu Hai said. “Is it wrong to call her a girl?”

Lei Yunfang fell silent and shot a glance at Liu Hai.

This old man was in his seventies! Professional gladiators were almost all juniors in front of him.

“A team with powerful sharpshooters now has the advantage,” Liu Hai continued his evaluation. “But the situation will change in a while. The impact of the light cavalry will be even more ferocious than that of the foot soldiers. The heavy cavalry is covered in heavy armor, and they don’t have their heads exposed. It will be very difficult for the archers to be of use. When that happens, it will be up to the other teammates.”

…

In the stands.

“Sigh, I lost.” The handsome youth, Pang Yun, returned to the stands unwillingly and walked to a middle-aged couple.

“Son, not bad.” The woman was beautiful and had an air of nobility. “Of the 821 teams, your team isn’t the first to be eliminated.”

“But my results are ranked last.” Pang Yun sat down and looked up at the ranking—821st: Team Happy (Captain Pang Yun). Number of enemies killed: 22. This was his team’s final result because all their members had died in battle.

Pang Yun looked up and felt a little helpless. “The orc army’s charge was terrifying. All kinds of spears came stabbing at us from different angles, and even concealed weapons such as axes were thrown at us. It was tough defending even with our shields working together. I think it’s not bad that we killed 22 of them. But look at Senior Zhang Qing and my master, Xu Jingming—they’re all extremely relaxed. The orc army’s charge doesn’t pose a threat to them at all.”

With that said, Pang Yun tapped gently and zoomed in on the battle scene of Xu Jingming’s team.

Indeed, Xu Jingming was very relaxed. He held two shields in his hands, and with a jolt of his two shields, two large orcs stumbled back.

Wang Yi was well-protected and could fire as many arrows as she wanted.

“Your master is very talented after all.” The middle-aged man nodded and commented, “I think highly of his spearmanship. I never expected him to be quite good at shield techniques as well.”

“Dad, you made me practice spearmanship back then and specially asked me to learn spearmanship from Xu Jingming for three years. You even said that there was no need to train my body.” Pang Yun looked at the middle-aged man and chuckled. “Dad, did you know something in advance?”

The middle-aged man and the woman looked at each other.

“This kid…” The middle-aged man looked at his son and said calmly, “You’re not young anymore. Keep things to yourself and don’t spread it.”

“Got it.” Pang Yun nodded obediently.

“China is holding the Firestarter Cup, but so is the United States of America, the EU, Russia, and other countries,” the middle-aged man said. “The countries only want to seize more hope.”

Seize more hope? Pang Yun fell into thought.

The woman beside him smiled and said, “Son, just practice your spear. Your father and I are quite satisfied that you reached Divine in one month. Continue working hard in the future.”

“Alright,” Pang Yun replied immediately.

“Also…” The middle-aged man watched Team Pearwood and the scene of Xu Jingming using his shield technique to block the charge. In his vision, the scenes of Xu Jingming’s battle slowed down by ten times. “Your master is someone worth befriending. Interact with him more if possible.”

“Oh?” Pang Yun nodded obediently and looked at his father. “Dad, what did you notice?”

The middle-aged man glanced at his son, and out of exasperation, he didn’t say a word.

…

Life Evolution Bureau.

“China’s official livestream has a viewership of 1.028 billion. It’s almost at the maximum possible number with some fluctuations,” the secretary reported.

Director Zhou sat there and watched the scene in front of him. With more than a billion viewers, the system quickly locked onto some key figures; they were all figures that China focused on.

Only one person was labeled with a purple glow.

“Huh?” Director Zhou smiled when he saw this. “How rare to have Little Pang watch the Firestarter Cup.”

“Mr. Pang now spends an average of 22 hours a day in the virtual world. He works very hard,” the secretary said, “but don’t worry about his health.”

“Even if he doesn’t have to worry about his health, he still needs to relax his mind,” Director Zhou said. He immediately tapped the screen and contacted another friend.

An elder appeared on the screen.

“Brother Fang, has Little Pang been spending 22 hours a day in the virtual world?” Director Zhou asked. “Won’t he tire out?”

“We’ve also persuaded him, but he refuses to listen,” Fang said. “He said that this is the most critical moment, and we have to seize every second.”

“Okay.” Director Zhou nodded. “In short, we have to ensure that his body is in its most healthy state.”

“Definitely.” Fang nodded and said, “Little Pang’s side is one path. The martial arts experts you’re in charge of are the more important path—an endless path! I hope that more genius experts will appear in the Firestarter Cup.”

Director Zhou nodded. “Let’s work hard together.”

“Let’s work hard together.” Fang smiled.