Chapter 217: 217 easy to get along with_1
The competition ended, and the commentator Cyrus sat in his seat, unable to snap back to reality for a long time.
As he recalled the scenes from just before, there was a moment when he wanted to slap himself in the face. Deep down, he carried the arrogance of the Sanctuary People, which led him to look down upon the contestants from Yunxia. Subtly diminishing the Yunxia contestants had become second nature to him.
Before the competition began, no one thought Mount Flower would win.
Nine against seven; it should have been an unquestionable victory. Their opponents were the Temple of the Gods. Even a force like the Sanctuary would sometimes fall against them!
Yet, Mount Flower not only won, but their performance could even be described as brilliant. They didn’t drag the battle out until the end of the card fight but instead wiped out all the opposing Card Spirits.
A match for the history books.
In his commentary for this match, he had let his personal emotions creep in multiple times. Cyrus knew that if the Temple of Gods had won, it would have been fine. But since they lost, he would now face pressure from the International Association. If my commentary, biased by my personal prejudices, shows the slightest inconsistency, my career will be over, he thought, touching his sweaty forehead.
Wen Jiang shattered his biases with her strength; even without relying on new cards, even facing the Temple of the Gods, she possessed immense power. Her teammates might be criticized, but it didn’t matter; she was strong enough to lead her team to ultimate victory.
She was a true god.
Lillian, sitting beside him, was very happy. After all, the Sanctuary had already been eliminated. The outcome, whether Mount Flower or the Temple of the Gods won, wouldn’t affect her commentary. Besides, she personally favored Wen Jiang. This contestant from Yunxia had left an extremely deep impression on her.
Now, she was surely the strongest active player in the A-Rank Group. I hope I get an opportunity to interview this player personally, Lillian thought.
Many viewers watching the match sat in front of the live broadcast. As the surge of excitement from the game receded, they were confronted by reality. The once lofty Temple of the Gods had fallen spectacularly at the competition. After many years, the A-Rank Group of Yunxia was finally poised to reclaim the champion’s throne. Barring any surprises, the Broken Heart Association would not stumble, and the final showdown would be between Mount Flower and the Broken Heart Association.
Who would win seemed clear to everyone.
The online discussion boards were buzzing.
A comment from Yunxia read: "[We won! From the start of the match, I was on edge, but when I saw Jiang Shen’s divine maneuvers midway through, my heart suddenly calmed down. We really won!]"
Another Yunxia commenter posted: "[After many years, the A-Rank Group is finally going to win the championship again! I’m so moved; Yunxia has been stifled for too long!]"
And a third: "[This year’s S-Rank competition was a disaster for us in Yunxia, but thankfully the A-Rank Group stood up for us. Wen Jiang is really strong; I hope she gets promoted to S-Rank soon. I believe she will also create a golden era in S-Rank!!!]"
From the Sanctuary region, one person wrote: "[Honestly, this player from Yunxia shattered my preconceived notions. It turns out that even less-regarded cards can be played with divine finesse in her hands; she manages three cards with ease. I see the makings of the Great Emperor in her.]"
A user from Frost Moon commented: "[Mixed feelings; there’s not much to say. The Temple of the Gods’ loss wasn’t undeserved, but there were major tactical blunders. I don’t think the cards chosen by the Temple of the Gods were the optimal solution. Eros, who should have countered Hou Yi, had no impact from start to finish. They would have been better off choosing an explosive-damage card to target and eliminate Hou Yi from the outset.]"
Another Frost Moon post read: "[The Temple of the Gods is rubbish! Such a disappointment, to lose to an association from Yunxia. Last year, Mount Flower wasn’t even ranked in the top five nationally, and the Temple of the Gods still managed to crash and burn so spectacularly.]"
Someone from Beiwu added: "[For such a talent to appear in Yunxia... truly baffling.]"
In the domestic live stream, Little Goat couldn’t help but burst into laughter. He clapped vigorously, with genuine praise, "Having Wen Jiang in the A-Rank Group is truly remarkable. Jiang Shen is truly deserving of her title. I hope she gets promoted to S-Rank soon."
The domestic live stream chat exploded:
"[Jiang Shen, charge! Get promoted to S-Rank soon!!]"
"[Jiang Shen is awesome!!]"
"[Mount Flower is freaking awesome!!]"
"[Broken Heart looks like they’re in a bind now, haha! They’ll probably opt for a straightforward five-on-five.]"
"[Jiang Shen is so badass! From now on, I’m a die-hard fan!!]"
Of course, amidst these congratulations, there were also dissenting voices:
"[Winning an A-Rank competition doesn’t guarantee promotion to S-Rank. Do you really think it’s that easy to advance?]"
"[S-Rank isn’t a dime a dozen...]"
"[Just because they won the match means they’re guaranteed to advance to S-Rank?]"
"[To the buzzkills in the comments, get lost! Don’t think we don’t know whose fans you are. Seeing everyone praise Wen Jiang for having the makings of the Great Emperor got you all worked up, huh? What’s the matter? Your idol isn’t worried, so why are you?]"
At this moment, in Card City, the major associations were left speechless by the match’s outcome. For the first time, even the S-Rank matches felt somewhat lackluster. This A-Rank three-card battle was almost as exciting as current S-Rank matches, though only just.
The coach of the Broken Heart Association immediately phoned Tang Qian to congratulate her. "Congratulations, congratulations! You’ve really done Yunxia proud this year. The bonuses back home will definitely be explosive."
Tang Qian couldn’t hide her joy. "Thank you, thank you! You guys keep it up too. Let’s meet in the finals."
Broken Heart’s coach replied, "Definitely. We’ll return home triumphantly together."
Although everyone knew they couldn’t beat Mount Flower, no one spoke discouragingly. This year, with Broken Heart meeting Mount Flower in the finals, the pressure on the runner-up wouldn’t be greater than in previous years, regardless of who became champion. In the past, even being the runner-up after a defeat would lead to ridicule. This year, however, the champion would be from Yunxia no matter what. In such an atmosphere, there wouldn’t be any issues even if they only secured second place.
The Broken Heart coach suggested, "After the tournament, let’s have all the major associations get together in Card City for a meal. Will you guys have time?"
Tang Qian considered it for a moment. "That shouldn’t be a problem. I’ll ask Wen Jiang if she can come."
Broken Heart’s coach, aware of Wen Jiang’s typically forthright nature, didn’t mind. "Great, we’ll set up a time to meet then."
The other associations realized that this year’s Mount Flower had truly turned things around completely. Even the gloom from their S-Rank withdrawal had significantly lessened.
In her hotel room, Hua Zhuo finished watching the match and couldn’t help but applaud for Wen Jiang. She was genuinely happy for her.
The other four didn’t say much. Only Sheng Hongying asked, "Is she certain to advance to S-Rank before the competition starts?"
Hua Zhuo was very confident. "Yes, she promised."
When Wen Jiang made a promise, she wouldn’t go back on her word.
Sheng Hongying nodded and asked no further. With her card-making speed, it would be unreasonable if she didn’t advance, Hua Zhuo mused.
With the competition nearly over, Hua Zhuo guessed that Wen Jiang would probably return to make new A-Rank cards for Mount Flower. Since she was advancing to the S-Group, she would likely prepare a fallback plan for Mount Flower’s A-Rank team.
Sometimes she might seem aloof and superior, but in many matters, she can think from an ordinary person’s perspective.Even though she doesn’t seem to care much about the glory of the Jimo Family... Hua Zhuo had to admit. Since Wen Jiang’s return, the Jimo Family has genuinely started to improve.
The Song Family twins also felt a bit tempted. If someone as strong as Wen Jiang advances to S-Rank, next year’s S-Rank competition will be truly exciting, they thought. Our luck is definitely better than that good-for-nothing second brother of ours. They just wondered if this person was actually easy to get along with.