The Divine Intervention

Unlike Yu Shengshui, other spectators who witnessed Qing Zixi’s choice either scoffed in disbelief or burst into laughter, assuming this pretty face was merely there for comedic relief.

[What the hell? They actually picked a character with a 30% win rate?]

[Folks, I can’t take it anymore. Black-red is still red, I guess.]

[This last game, they’re just letting loose. It’s fine, at least they’ll be remembered. I recall she’s a streamer; remember to raid her channel later, brothers!]

Once the team composition was locked in, the opposing team looked equally puzzled. Though they hadn’t played in formal competitions, they had extensive training experience.

Moreover, even if they hadn’t eaten pork, they’d certainly seen pigs run. In all their time playing, this was the first time they’d encountered such an outlandish lineup.

“What a bizarre combination.”

“Let’s just get in there and see.”

****

Another classic fifteen minutes unfolded, leading to another familiar, comprehensive disadvantage.

[This is ridiculous. Just surrender and go to bed.]

[If they win this game, I’ll wash my hair standing on my head.]

[That’s nothing! If they win, I’ll give you all an ‘Oli-gei,’ brothers!]

Comments flooded the live stream, each wager more outrageous than the last. Everyone knew that, barring a miracle, this team was destined to lose, just like in their previous three matches.

Yes, it was that familiar feeling: a turtle shell strategy, retreating into their base, conceding objectives left and right.

[Giving up the Dragon is fine, giving up the Herald is fine, giving up towers is fine, giving up the base is fine, going home tonight is fine!]

The audience’s disappointment in the team had reached its peak.

At night, certain dark facets of human nature tend to surface, especially when confronted with something infuriating.

Pity for their misfortune, rage at their inaction – it all culminated in a torrent of curses.

Originally, it should have been a straightforward push for the opponents. However, Qing Zixi and Xiao Er’s unique character selections allowed them to frustratingly nullify every single enemy advance.

This time, the neutral objectives, revered as strategically vital battlegrounds, were indeed claimed by the enemy. Yet, they weren’t swallowed easily. With the Treant repeatedly unleashing terrifying, creeping vines, and the Prodigious Painter splitting the terrain to crack the earth and erupt with magma, both teams found themselves locked in prolonged stalemates on the battlefield.

Perhaps it was the enemy’s unfamiliarity with Qing Zixi, who was actively wielding her paintbrush, that prevented them from decisively expanding their advantage.

“Quick, quick, help block! Stand in a line!”

“Blocked, blocked!”

The twisted vines rolled horizontally, savagely ensnaring and immobilizing the first enemy they touched.

While they appeared terrifying, all it took was one person to bravely stand in front. The others, positioned safely behind them, could then effortlessly neutralize such a lethal move.

Having conceded the final epic neutral objectives – the three-headed Void Dragon and the Elder Dragon, which commanded four elements and could execute enemies – the opposing team was now imbued with the will of the Dragon Soul and the fury of a true dragon. Under the Elder Dragon’s majestic aura, even the air seemed to scorch.

“No, no, don’t joke around! How can we just lose like this? You won’t lose, you’re my… Come on, fight hard!”

Shen Wei’an’s tightly clenched hands trembled, completely engrossed in the moment.

‘I came here, I came here not to see you in such a sorry state…’

****

Meanwhile, the smile on Zi Yun’ai’s face, mid-performance, suddenly faltered.

“What’s wrong, Your Highness Ai?”

“Nothing, I just feel like… what you said about me being number one or something, it’s still too early for me~”

She pulled off her headset and turned, walking towards another fan.

****

“We lost.”

Facing the overwhelming enemy forces, Xiao Yi and Xiao Er momentarily considered abandoning their resistance.

Everyone knew it was a loss; no one believed otherwise. Some had even made their way to the front row, VIP seats, hoping to get autographs from Lan Mengyao and Yu Shengshui.

“The game isn’t over! Go back. If you disrupt the discipline again, you won’t be allowed to watch any more matches!”

Well, of all people to provoke, they had to choose Lan Mengyao.

Even with her usual composure, she was on the verge of losing her patience.

Although winning or losing wasn’t paramount – if her sister ever wished for something, she would gladly give her all the most beautiful things in the world. Her only desire was for her sister to be happy, joyful, and a carefree, beautiful little princess.

Yet, if her sister chose to strive, she would respect that decision and offer her unwavering support.

This anxious heart reached its zenith as the enemy army advanced, pressing against their city gates.

Once inside the city, it would be a flat, barren expanse devoid of any vegetation, rendering the Treant utterly useless – effectively a death sentence.

“Let’s just push through in one go!”

“Secretly cross Yinping, directly seize Shu Han!”

The enemy’s morale soared. After securing the Elder Dragon’s legacy, they marched south. Just as they emerged from the dense jungle, preparing to strike directly at the heart of the enemy, withered vines once again rolled towards them.

“Hmph.”

Instinctively, everyone formed a line, knowing exactly what to do. It was a muscle memory response, honed from countless previous encounters. One person, shield in hand, stood like a mountain, blocking the front.

“You used that trick again! What will you use to defend your city now?”

Indeed, they thought, this ‘turtle’ of an opponent would only symbolically delay them before retreating and abandoning resistance.

The instant the vines were blocked and the enemy prepared to advance once more, a clear, proud female voice rang out.

“Did this missy give you permission to pass?!”

From the shadows, a white-haired girl wielding a paintbrush flashed into existence on the right flank. Her crimson eyes gleamed with mischief and confidence, as if everything was perfectly within her grasp. With a flick of her brush, demonic claws erupted from the ground, dragging the vertical line of enemies together. The earth beneath them began to brew with the hellfire of divine retribution.

Yes, *this* was the killing blow!

“Twin Swords… Brilliant Slash!”

“So lie ei kie tong!”

A demonic spirit darted from the left, swooping down like the wind to slash at the five enemies. From the right, a ronin glided into the sky, delivering merciless strikes to the airborne foes.

As the heavenly fire descended and the cannon fire rained down, the five enemies felt a dizzying swirl before their eyes. Amidst a flurry of blades and shadows, their immense martial prowess was useless. When consciousness returned, they were greeted by a stark, grayscale screen.

“After Xiao Er’s Grasp of Nature pushed the enemies back, Qing Zixi flashed in, pulling them together with Twin Hook Bloodthirst! A perfect combination of Xiao Yi’s Dust-Sealing Severing Slash of Nirvana and Wind-Washing Severing Slash! Luoluo’s Bullet Time barrage, followed by Gathering Thunder’s finishing blow! The enemy, who had secured six dragon legacies, was wiped out in a zero-for-five!

The commentator on stage shrieked wildly, but the audience remained utterly silent.

After a long moment of stunned quiet, an astonishing roar of cheers erupted.

A miracle! No, a divine intervention!

No one had anticipated such a victory from the jaws of defeat. The opponent could have easily won by engaging one by one, like slicing melons and dicing vegetables, if only they had been a little more vigilant, a little quicker to react…

“If their win rate was ninety-nine point nine percent, your sister found the one chance in that desperate situation. This wasn’t luck; this was strategy.”

Yu Shengshui saw through it all. Even in world-class tournaments, players would instinctively fall back on muscle memory responses during a match. If those actions yielded a positive outcome, the five players in the game would perceive it as the correct decision, unaware that…

“Sister Xi was deliberately guiding them to make incorrect decisions that *felt* like positive feedback.”