Gao Wu: If this BOSS isn't nerfed, is it even playable?

Chapter 118 The Attention of the Fire of the Martial Hall

【The battle is over! 】

[Winner: Goblin Minion!]

The cold system notification pulled Ye Qingxuan back from the endless feeling of suffocation and the experience of death.

Everything went black, and when it lit up again, she was back in the individual battle hall of "Martial Arts Peak".

But Ye Qingxuan's heart could no longer find peace.

She was breathing heavily, her hair soaked with cold sweat and clinging tightly to her smooth forehead.

The suffocation and fear I felt just now, on the verge of death, were so real that they seemed to be branded into the depths of my soul.

Those indifferent, cold eyes, that demon-like figure, lingered in her mind.

Ye Qingxuan forced herself to calm down and regulated her disordered breathing.

As a top influencer, losing composure in front of millions of fans is definitely not a wise move.

She forced a slightly stiff smile and said to the live stream camera, "I lost, and I accept it wholeheartedly."

"He's really strong, incredibly strong."

"I haven't encountered such a capable newcomer in a long time. I've learned a lesson from them."

The live stream room was now flooded with a massive amount of comments.

Most of them were meant to comfort her.

"Don't be sad, little sister! You've already done a great job!"

"It's alright, it's alright. It must be some hidden genius from a super family coming out for training. Losing to him isn't shameful!"

"Yeah, you were assigned to the placement matches. The system is clearly punishing him, and you just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time."

Ye Qingxuan felt a little comforted by the comments and interacted with her fans for a few more minutes.

But at this moment, she really wasn't in the mood to continue chatting, let alone start another virtual battle.

The impact of that battle on her was far greater than it appeared on the surface.

Not long after, she made an excuse and hurriedly ended the broadcast.

The moment the live stream went dark, Ye Qingxuan could no longer maintain her smile. She collapsed onto the sofa, her eyes filled with complexity and confusion.

……

Ye Qingxuan's departure from the live stream served as a signal.

In an instant, tens of thousands of viewers flooded back into Dong Dongchen's live stream.

Dong Dongchen was incredibly excited as he watched the number in the upper right corner of his live stream steadily rise.

Two hundred thousand!
The number of viewers has exceeded 200,000!
This is the peak he has never reached in his live streaming career!
He skillfully downloaded and saved the video of the thrilling match he had just played, placing it in the same folder as the video of his previous match against Cheng Shanhe.

Then, he subconsciously glanced at Lin Ye's condition.

Goblin Minions: Online

However, the words "matching" did not appear after the ID.

As is Dong Dongchen's usual practice, he would immediately take advantage of this unparalleled popularity.

The replay was shown on the spot, and every detail of the two battles was broken down and explained to the audience.

But today, an even bolder idea rose in his mind!

You can review anytime.

But this opportunity that could propel him to new heights may be fleeting!
Among Ye Qingxuan's millions of viewers.

There are definitely many video bloggers who will edit together videos of this battle as quickly as possible.

Although Ye Qingxuan lost miserably, it didn't stop her haters and gossips from spreading the news widely.

He had to get ahead of these people!

What he needs to do is not a simple combat slice.

It's a high-quality, in-depth analysis video that truly showcases the entire process of a "rising star"!
The main character in the video can only be this goblin minion!

He has firsthand material from the entire observation process.

It offers the most intuitive spectator feedback and the most professional commentary!
The idea became clearer, and Dong Dongchen's eyes grew brighter.

After confirming that Lin Ye did not continue playing ranked matches, and that his ID turned gray and he went offline shortly afterward.

He promptly apologized to the 200,000 viewers in the live stream.

"Brothers, that's enough for today!"

"Don't rush, I know what you want to see. Give me some time, and I promise you, tonight, you will witness my masterpiece!"

After saying that, he ignored the numerous question marks and pleas for him to stay and ended the broadcast immediately.

……

Congratulations! Your placement matches in the Martial Arts Rising Star Series have concluded, and you achieved an excellent record of 2 wins and 2 losses!

[The system will conduct a comprehensive evaluation based on your combat performance... Evaluation complete!]

Your ranking in this sequence has been updated. Current ranking: 6122!

A newcomer who had just entered the ranks was directly placed in the top six thousand.

This ranking is enough to shock anyone who understands the ranking mechanism of "Martial Arts Peak".

This means that the system has determined that Lin Ye's strength has firmly surpassed that of nearly two thousand genius martial artists in the sequence.

Lin Ye glanced at the rankings, showing little emotional reaction.

He quit the game.

The intense virtual battles of the past few days have made him feel a bit tired of this mode.

What's more, tomorrow is the citywide mock exam.

This afternoon, the school will hold a school-wide mobilization meeting for this matter.

It is now the undisputed number one school in Dongjiang No.1 Middle School.

He was even given a short speech.

He still needs to make some preparations.

Just as Lin Ye was about to log off completely, a system notification popped up.

[Notice: Your personal mailbox is full. Please clean it up promptly to avoid affecting your ability to receive future emails.]

Lin Ye opened her email.

The next second, his brows furrowed slightly.

Unlike last time, this time it wasn't recruitment emails from the various martial arts halls.

What came into view was a bunch of private emails from IDs he didn't recognize at all.

The emails were all very similar, consisting of various vulgarities.

They hurled insults at him, calling him a scoundrel and a jerk, even including friendly greetings to his family.

Lin Ye only then belatedly realized what was happening.

His opponent in the final match seems to be a celebrity with a huge fan base.

These must be what are called die-hard fans.

Lin Ye wasn't even bothered to get angry about this kind of cyberbullying.

With a blank expression, he chose to delete all emails with one click, and then decisively checked the "Do not receive emails from unknown numbers" option in the system settings.

The world became quiet in an instant.

After doing all this, he logged out of the virtual battle.

……

As night falls, the lights are on.

In Yanjing City, there is a high-end restaurant called Jing Shui Ge.

The restaurant is located deep in a quiet alley in the city center, with a quaint courtyard design that isolates it from the hustle and bustle of the city.

Inside a private room, several exquisite dishes, resembling works of art, were laid out on a round table made of rosewood.

The service staff, dressed in modified cheongsams, moved gently.

After quietly serving the guests tea, she bowed and withdrew, leaving the guests with complete privacy.

Dong Dongchen was dressed in a casual suit, his face showing an undisguised excitement and pride.

He personally picked up a bottle of expensive liquor and poured it for the young man sitting opposite him.

"Come, come, Deacon Long, do me the honor of trying the Azure Tide I specially ordered for you."

The young man sitting opposite him was named Long Bohan.

He was handsome and composed, yet without the slightest air of arrogance. Upon hearing this, he simply smiled and waved his hand.

"Alright, Dongchen, we're like brothers."

"Why did you call me out in such a hurry today? You know I've been incredibly busy lately."

Dong Dongchen chuckled, pushed the wine glass towards him, and said in a teasing tone:

"Yes, yes, yes, our Steward Long is very busy and will soon be promoted to the head of the Yanjing branch of the Fire of the Gods. I have to curry favor with him in advance, right?"

Long Bohan picked up his wine glass, took a sip, and said with a laugh, "Speak your mind, or shut up. If you keep giving me this crap, I'm really leaving."

The two were childhood friends who grew up together, and their families were also very close and intertwined.

Long Bohan's father was an imperial envoy at the headquarters of the Fire and Fire Martial Hall.

He followed in his father's footsteps and, at a young age, rose to the position of steward in the Yanjing branch hall, with a promising future ahead of him.

Seeing that his friend was losing patience, Dong Dongchen stopped beating around the bush. He leaned forward slightly and his expression became serious.

"Enough joking, let's get down to business."

"Bohan, as a deacon, isn't one of your duties to find and sign promising newcomers for the Martial Hall?"

"Let me tell you, I've discovered a real dragon these past few days!"

Upon hearing this, Long Bohan raised an eyebrow slightly.

He knows his childhood friend too well, even though he's usually a carefree and irresponsible person.

But when it comes to discovering new talent, he has a very sharp eye.

He put down his teacup, a playful smile playing on his lips: "Alright, show me the data. If it's really as impressive as you say, this meal is on me."

"That's what you said!"

Dong Dongchen immediately opened his personal terminal and sent a video link to Long Bohan.

This is the commentary video he spent the entire afternoon producing, pouring countless hours of effort into it.

Long Bohan clicked on the link, looked at the video page that had just loaded, and couldn't help but chuckle.

"How come your view count hasn't even reached 10,000? Are all your hundreds of thousands of followers bots?"

Dong Dongchen was taken aback upon hearing this.

The smug look on his face instantly vanished.

He also checked the backend and the data was indeed dismal, which made him feel a little disheartened.

This is probably because the video is a full forty-five minutes long.

In this era of short videos, platforms simply won't give such long videos any traffic recommendations.

"Damn it, all my hard work this afternoon has been wasted..."

Dong Dongchen cursed in frustration.

He himself has watched the finished product no less than ten times. Whether it is the script, the voice-over, or the editing rhythm, it is perfect. It is his most satisfying work ever.

He thought he could become an overnight sensation and gain a huge following, but reality turned out to be quite different.

Long Bohan did not continue to tease his friend.

He projected the video onto the huge high-definition screen on the wall of the private room.

The two ate while watching the show.

The video begins.

Long Bohan had just picked up a piece of meat and was about to put it in his mouth.

The next second, his hand froze in mid-air.

Upon seeing this, Dong Dongchen revealed a wicked smile of triumph.

It was as if to say: I knew you would be surprised.

Long Bohan slowly put down his chopsticks, picked up the remote control, and pressed the pause button.

The image froze on the giant light screen.

Dong Dongchen is well-versed in the essence of "taking the initiative".

At the beginning of the video, he did not show any battle scenes, but instead directly presented Lin Ye's exaggerated battle record to the audience in the most impactful way.

[ID: Goblin Minion]

Total matches: 124

[Win rate: 98.38%]

[Maximum winning streak: 122]

At the same time, page after page of densely packed battle records, almost endless, filled the entire screen.

Long Bohan's gaze sharpened.

His gaze immediately locked onto the top two lines of the battle record list.

[VS Cheng Shanhe (rank 6776) - Victory!]

【VS Thousand Feathers Illusion (rank 5978) - Victory!】

"He just joined the Rising Stars roster... These are his two placement matches?"

Long Bohan's voice carried a hint of barely perceptible excitement.

Dong Dongchen nodded smugly: "That's right! I personally recommended him to join. After the official review of Martial Arts Peak was approved, he fought this afternoon, and I broadcast the whole thing live."

Long Bohan nodded, said nothing more, and simply pressed the play button.

For the first time, a genuine and intense interest arose in his heart. The video continued playing; the first match was against Cheng Shanhe.

When they saw Lin Ye's standard-issue spear clashing repeatedly with Cheng Shanhe's specially made black iron heavy shield.

When the spearhead was finally broken off, Long Bohan shook his head slightly.

"He has a solid foundation, top-notch combat intelligence and martial arts skills, but his equipment is too poor. He must be from a small place and has no background."

He gave a very insightful assessment.

Dong Dongchen nodded emphatically, his eyes shining: "Yes! That's what makes it so precious!"

"All his strength comes from within himself, not from external sources!"

As he spoke, he glanced at Long Bohan and said, half-jokingly:
"It's fortunate that you're working for Xin Huo now. If you were working for those arrogant guys at Kunlun, you'd probably turn off the video right after seeing this."

Upon hearing this, Long Bohan's lips curled into a disdainful smirk.

Everyone in the Great Xia Alliance knows that the Kunlun Martial Hall follows an absolutely elite path.

The standards for recruiting new people are so strict as to be almost pathological, not unlike the political vetting in ancient times.

Your family background is not illustrious enough, your lineage is not deep enough, and your heritage is not long enough.

No matter how talented one is, they will basically have no chance of entering Kunlun.

But the torch is different.

Jiang Wuyai, the legendary master and founder of the Fire of Martial Arts Hall.

He came from humble beginnings and rose from nothing to his current heights.

The Hall of Fire and Martial Arts, which he established, also inherited his will.

The torch of knowledge attracts the best talents from all over the world, regardless of their background or origin.

As long as you have enough talent, enough potential, and a strong enough will to fight.

The door to the torch will always be open for you!

The video continued playing.

Long Bohan was completely captivated by it.

The video played for forty-five minutes.

The two people in the private room remained silent for a full forty-five minutes.

The dishes on the table had long since lost their warmth.

Without saying a word, he stood up.

Dong Dongchen was taken aback by his sudden action.

"Why are you going?"

Long Bohan didn't look at him; his gaze remained fixed on the shock of Lin Ye's one-shot kill of his opponent at the end of the video.

"I will report it. This matter must be reported to the palace immediately."

"Dongchen, I owe you a favor."

"We, the Fire of Life, want this person."

"I bet my dad thinks the same thing!"

After saying that, Long Bohan turned and left without any hesitation.

"Next time, I'll treat you to a nice meal!"

Dong Dongchen looked at the empty doorway, then at the untouched cold dishes on the table, and smiled helplessly.

He had only taken a couple of steps when Long Bohan's figure peeked back in from outside the door.

He seemed to suddenly remember something, looked at his friend, and said seriously:

"Your video is very well made."

"very good."

"It will definitely be a hit, believe me."

Seeing that Dong Dongchen still looked unconvinced, Long Bohan reminded him.

"Let's check the trending topics."

Dong Dongchen was taken aback.

He opened his personal terminal with some skepticism and clicked on the list of trending topics across the internet.

Scroll down.

[#Ye Qingxuan suffers a crushing defeat in a virtual battle against a newbie#]

[#GoblinGruntStabsYourGoddess#]

[#MyHeartacheForQingxuan#]

Three related terms appeared in a row, with the most popular one prominently displayed at number ten on the trending search list, followed by a bright red "hot" label.

Dong Dongchen's eyes lit up instantly.

Black and red are also red!

Now that this matter has become a hot topic, he is the only one on the entire internet who has recorded the entire rise of the "Goblin Minions".

Videos that have undergone in-depth professional analysis will absolutely not be buried!

Countless curious passersby, and countless fans or haters of Ye Qingxuan.

They would frantically search for all information about this "goblin minion" like sharks smelling blood.

It's going to become popular...

It's really just a matter of time!
……

at the same time.

Dongjiang City, First Martial Arts Middle School.

The campus was exceptionally quiet under the cover of night, with only the light still on in one combat training room.

boom!
The dull, rhythmic clanging of weapons echoed continuously.

Inside the training room, two figures clashed repeatedly, their wooden spears leaving afterimages in the air as they fiercely attacked each other.

Neither Lin Ye nor Chen Meng spoke.

At their level, words become superfluous with each clash of spears.

Every movement of the body, whether advancing or retreating, is the most direct form of communication.

Chen Meng's marksmanship was expansive and powerful, full of the iron will and fierceness of a veteran. Every move was heavy and aimed directly at vital points.

But Lin Ye's gun has also developed its own style, being both accurate and deadly, yet also possessing a unique spirit.

The back-and-forth continued for a full twenty minutes.

Both of them seemed to have inexhaustible stamina.

The offensive became increasingly fierce, and the gunshots flew faster and faster.

when!
Another fierce collision.

Using the force of the recoil, Chen Meng leaped backward, creating a distance of several meters.

He stood there with his gun, looking at the boy opposite him whose breathing was perfectly steady, his eyes filled with undisguised admiration.

"Your progress over these three months has completely exceeded my expectations."

“You struggled to survive three moves against me before.”

“Now, you can hold your own against me for twenty minutes, and... you clearly still have energy left.”

Chen Meng shook his head and gave a self-deprecating smile.

"When I was your age, you could probably beat three or four of me now."

Lin Ye holstered his gun and stood up, calmly saying, "Teacher Chen, you are too modest. If you hadn't held back at every turn, I would have lost long ago."

This is not a compliment.

If Chen Meng truly unleashes his full potential...

He definitely won't last long before he loses.

"Good is good, bad is bad."

"I never judge a student's ability based on my personal likes or dislikes."

"Lin Ye, tomorrow is the citywide mock exam."

"I have no worries about your martial arts foundation, including practical tests."

"My only concern is your stress test."

Chen Meng sat down and gestured for Lin Ye to sit down as well.

"Several years ago, the alliance reformed the assessment criteria for martial arts students, adding a test of mental strength and stress resistance, which accounts for a significant portion of the score."

"During the test, special instruments will be used to simulate the mental pressure and pollution that high-level alien races of the Heavenly Abyss exert on human martial artists on the battlefield."

"Relying solely on the basic concepts uniformly distributed by the alliance, it's difficult to score points in this kind of test. I've seen too many promising talents get low or even zero points in this section, thus dragging down their overall performance."

“I know you have amazing perseverance, but if you lose too many points in this area, you’ll have to make up for it in other areas, which will put a lot of pressure on you.”

Chen Meng laid out all his concerns.

He sincerely hoped that his student, whom he had carefully nurtured, would soar to great heights.

Lin Ye listened to his teacher's analysis, but his heart remained unmoved.

Mental strength...

That was no longer his weakness.

Ding dong~!

Just then, a message popped up on Lin Ye's CR personal terminal.

Lin Ye raised his hand and saw that it was sent by the official assistant of "Martial Arts Peak".

You have a new important email. Please check it promptly.

Lin Ye was somewhat surprised.

He remembers clearly that after being bombarded with spam by those brainless fans, he had already set up a block on all emails from strangers.

How come someone can still send him emails?
"What's wrong? Did your mother send a message?"

"It's getting late. You have an exam tomorrow morning, so you should go home and get some rest."

Lin Ye shook his head.

"No, someone from 'Martial Arts Peak' sent me an email."

Upon hearing this, Chen Meng pursed his lips.

"It's probably just recruitment information from those second- or third-rate martial arts halls again."

"You should have set up filtering and rejection a long time ago. You're wasting your time."

Lin Ye opened his email interface, and soon, an email with a special mark appeared at the top of the list.

The postmark was designed as a burning torch, imprinted with the simple and elegant characters for "fire and flame".

A subtle change appeared in Lin Ye's eyes.

"Teacher, this email seems to be from...Xinhuo."

"The torch?"

Chen Meng was taken aback for a moment.

Then, as if he had heard a joke, he shook his head slightly.

"impossible."

His tone was very determined.

"The two top martial halls, Xinhuo and Kunlun, almost never rely on virtual battle results to recruit people."

"Their selection criteria are ridiculously strict, and every spot is incredibly precious. How could they possibly send you an email?"

"Most of them are fake IDs used to create scam emails, trying to fool naive young people like you. Don't pay any attention to them."

Lin Ye did not refute.

He simply projected the contents of the email directly into the air.

A pale blue light curtain unfolds.

【Respected Fighter:】

【Hello.】

【I am Long Bohan, a steward of the Yanjing branch of the Hall of Renewal and Martial Arts.】

[I apologize for this abrupt letter. Since I was unable to obtain your real-world contact information through regular channels, I am sending this email through the official verified channel of "Martial Arts Peak".]

We've only recently come to notice you. Your exceptional talent and formidable strength displayed in virtual battles perfectly align with our Martial Hall's spirit of "passing on the torch and striving for continuous improvement."

On behalf of the Hall of Martial Arts, I hereby formally extend an invitation to you.

We are willing to discuss signing a contract with you regarding the Fire of Martial Arts Hall.

If you are interested, please reply with your real-world contact information, and we will have someone contact you as soon as possible.

Looking forward to your reply.

The signature bears the official seal of the Hall of Martial Arts.

And the personal identification number of the butler, Long Bohan.

This is absolutely impossible to fake.

Chen Meng gasped.

The hissing sound was exceptionally clear in the quiet training room.

This was the first time Lin Ye had ever seen such a strong look of shock on his teacher's face.

　Today's update is 13,000 words.

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(End of this chapter)