Li Cangyu and Ling Xuefeng returned to their seats and the other players rose to greet them. Everyone excitedly embraced each other to celebrate this rare victory. A full two hours of hard work and losing two games only to chase back three. It wasn’t easy to win and everyone tried their best, the final result satisfying everyone!

  After a simple celebration, Li Cangyu took Su Guangmo, Tan Shitian and the others over to the US team to shake hands in a polite and friendly gesture. Noah and Winfrey were very gracious and expressed their congratulations towards Li Cangyu.

  Jack obviously wasn’t very convinced and his face was unhappy. Such a fiery guy couldn’t disguise himself. The moment he saw Li Cangyu and Ling Xuefeng, he shook hands with them with a stinky expression and vowed, “One day, I will defeat you!”

  Ling Xuefeng replied quietly, “That will only happen if you find a partner with a higher understanding than us.”

  Li Cangyu added, “It is a tacit understand that requires complete trust in each other, so that we don’t hesitate to give our backs to the other person in key moments.”

  Jack saw their two smiling faces and wanted to swear. Not only did they have a tacit understanding in the game, they wanted to tacitly bully other people after the game? Was there such a good partner?

  Fire almost emerged from Jack’s eyes. Li Cangyu felt this guy’s personality was very interesting and stopped bullying him. He patted Jack’s shoulder and cheered for him. “Refuel.”

  Ling Xuefeng also reached out and patted Jack’s right shoulder. “Refuel.”

  Jack, “…”

  The world’s best blood kin summoner was about to die of anemia.

  ***

  According to international practice, the losing team must be interviewed first. The US team’s Noah and Winfrey came to the interview room. After a bombardment of flashes, an American reporter stood up and lost. “The US team won the first two games and gained a stable advantage, only to lose the match. What do you think is the main reason for losing to the Chinese team today?”

  Today, 80% of the people who came to the venue were fans of the US team. Losing at home was hard for the fans to psychologically accept.

  Noah could only force himself to be calm and replied quietly, “In today’s match, our national team played well. The first two games went very smoothly but we completely lost the third home game at Universal Studios. The outbreak of the three summoners on the Chinese team was very novel. Using Cataclysm, Demon God’s Rage and Corpse Mountain Blood Sea at the same time to force us to residual blood was unexpected and we were too late to defend.”

  Winfrey’s personality was relatively gentle. She heard this and nodded in agreement. “The loss of the third game at home really surprised us. In the fourth game, I made some mistakes in my command. The coloured area of the Chinese team’s map was too complicated and I couldn’t cope for a while. I am very sorry about losing the key fourth game.”

  After all, Winfrey was very beautiful and popular. The gentle girl sincerely apologized to the reporters and the atmosphere eased a lot.

  A reporter asked, “Captain, what do you think the difference between the US team and Chinese team is in terms of strength?”

  “The overall strength is actually similar but to my surprise, it is very difficult once the Chinese team’s Li Cangyu and Ling Xuefeng work together. They aren’t teammates but their tacit understanding is higher than fixed partners.”

  Winfrey added, “The combination of the two summoners is really strong.”

  Noah softly concluded, “We didn’t win the World Competition and many players feel sorry. After going back, we will carefully study the Chinese team’s lineup and will absolutely hold the championship trophy at next year’s World Competition.”

  Noah’s words caused resounding applause from the reporters encouraging them. However, it was still impossible to make a final conclusion about who would be next year’s world champions. Noah said this to inspire hope in the fans.

  No matter how unwilling, the fans of the US team had to admit that this world championship belonged to China!

  ***

  The full Chinese team attended the interview!

  22 players came to the interview room, causing the reporters to feel shocked. This huge lineup was unprecedented.

  Before the World Competition, only Li Cangyu and Ling Xuefeng accepted brief interviews with the media as representatives of the team. They didn’t expect for Li Cangyu to allow all team members to meet with the reporters.

  Of course, it was impossible for the reporters to interview all 22 players because there wasn’t enough time. The reason Li Cangyu brought the full lineup was to benefit the reporters. They could finally take a collective group photo.

  The photographers set up their cameras and madly pressed the buttons, flashes going off that were as bright as daytime. The first photo of the full Miracle national team soon became the headline of major portal sites.

  After the group photo, a reporter stood up excitedly. “First of all, congratulations to the national team for winning the championship in this year’s World Competition! Everyone has worked hard!”

  The audience applauded and once it ended, the reporter followed up with, “I want to interview Cat God. The lineup for today’s match, did you decide it before the match?”

  “No.” Li Cangyu answered calmly. “Every game was arranged on the spot. We drafted a few plans before the match but after all, I couldn’t guess what lineup the US team would send. I had to make some adjustments on the spot.”

  “In other words, every game was a temporary arrangement?”

  “Yes.”

  “Did you think that today’s match would be a lose two, chase back three result?”

  “I didn’t think it but before the match, we were ready to play all five games. After all, the US team is very strong and the finals would’ve definitely been a hard fight.” Li Cangyu replied.

  “Did you arrange the tactics and lineup with Captain LIng?”

  LI Cangyu smiled. “It wasn’t just the two of us. I opened several tactical discussions before the match and sought the views of many great gods.”

  “Cat God, what do you think is the reason for losing the first two games?”

  “In fact, Captain Su and Captain Tan’s commands weren’t a problem. It was just that we had bad luck and the map refresh location was very bad.” Li Cangyu intended to help out Su Guangmo and Tan Shitian but the reporter obviously wasn’t so foolish. He immediately switched to Su Guangmo. “What does Captain Su think?”

  Su Guangmo spoke quickly. “In the first death racing game, the refresh location was indeed very bad. However, I am also to blame for not preparing enough for the Doomsday map. The impact of the zombies was too big.”

  Tan Shitian followed suit. “In the second game, I didn’t expect the US team to suddenly kill the fire dragon and we lost the home game. My responsibility is the greatest.”

  The two people rushing to take responsibility wasn’t good for the reporters. After all, everyone made mistakes and no one was undefeated.

  The reporters changed the topic again. “After losing the first two games, the third game was the key to the full match. Cat God sent the relatively new lineup of three summoners in the third game. Did you practice this type of play in private?”

  Li Cangyu and Ling Xuefeng glanced at each other before smiling. “We naturally practiced it. I usually train with Qin Mo and Xuefeng will help Xiao Han when he has time. We often fight together and are familiar with each other’s rhythm. Bai Xuan was added to the training lineup a few days before the match. However, his level is first-rate and we have been partners for many years. He quickly picked up on our rhythm.”

  The praised Bai Xuan spoke modestly, “It is Cat God who played well. In fact, whenever I cooperate with them, the pressure to maintain blood isn’t great.”

  The reporter suddenly realized. “No wonder all of you have such a tacit understanding!”

  A male reporter who was excellent at analyzing the lineup stood up. “Cat God, I found that some very interesting combinations were sent in today’s finals. In the first game, you sent the Su Yu combination, Captain Liu, Meng Jie and Jiang Xu. The second game was the Time team’s Tan Shitian, Cheng Wei, Lu Xiao, the Yan Guo combination and Yang Muzi. The third game was Cat, Ling, Qin, Xiao and Bai. The fourth game was Lou Zhang, Chu Zhu and Vice-Captain Yu. Finally, the fifth game was Tan Zhuo, Su Xie and Ling Cat. In the entire match, all 22 national team members got a chance to play. Is this a coincidence or was it deliberate?”

  After hearing him say this, many people reacted. No wonder why today’s lineup was so diverse and there were so many changes in the five games. It turned out that the entire national team played!

  \r \r \r

  Ling Xuefeng glanced at Li Cangyu and voluntarily answered. “He told me before the match that he wanted to try to get everyone involved in the finals. After all, we all travelled to the US to play the game and finally reached the finals. I believe that every player wants to experience the atmosphere of the world finals and letting them sit on the bench isn’t appropriate.”

  “Yes, I told Xuefeng this and in order to allow everyone to play, the two of us privately discussed a number of programs.” Li Cangyu smiled and added. “I did this to ensure that no one has any regrets about the World Competition. I hoped that everyone could participate in the championship battle, regardless of outcome, as we work hard to come together.”

  The reporters heard this and clapped with appreciation!

  Every member of the national team was excellent and Li Cangyu would have regrets, no matter who was left on the bench. Li Cangyu’s arrangement today took care of all aspects and made this world championship complete.

  Many players of the national team only realized the captain and vice-captain’s good intentions now.

  It was no wonder why Li Cangyu took such a long time to think whenever he sent someone. It turned out he wanted to give everyone a chance to play as much as possible.

  Everyone admired Li Cangyu.

  In the case where he had to send out all players, he also needed to use lineups that restrained the US team, stabilized the situation and won. Li Cangyu had to consider a number of issues. Thanks to this rich experience and superb view of the overall situation, he calmly controlled the match, strategizing and finally killing the opponents.

  The 22 national team members all had the opportunity to play under Li Cangyu’s arrangements and won the championship together. This World Competition was finally worthwhile.

  ***

  After interviewing Ling Xuefeng and Li Cangyu, the reporters raised some questions with the players they liked.

  Chu Yan was first. “Chu Yan, our country’s illusion flow isn’t as good as some European teams. As the best auxiliary in the country, do you have any thoughts?”

  “I learnt a lot in this World Competition. After returning home, I will rebuild the Pure Cleansing team.” Chu Yan smiled. “Xiao Zhu is also very good now. I want to raise a few more disciples and slowly perfect the illusion flow style.”

  Zhu Qingyue nodded in agreement.

  The performance of the Pure Cleansing hadn’t been very good in the past two years but they believed that the popular European illusionist flow was bound to have a path in China.

  “In the arena today, Ah Shu and Captain Su’s understanding was very high. Are there any thoughts about returning to Flying Feathers and restructuring the Three Musketeers?” A reporter suddenly aimed at Xie Shurong and Xie Shurong replied honestly, “The Three Musketeers are already a thing of the past. If I go back to Flying Feathers, my brother definitely won’t accept me. In addition, I don’t want to leave Canglan.”

  He glanced at Bai Xuan who looked away with embarrassment.

  The reporter found that Xie Shurong was watching Bai Xuan and couldn’t help asking, “What is the reason you can’t leave Canglan?”

  Xie Shurong smiled. “It is because the dishes made by our Vice-Captain Bai are too delicious.”

  Li Cangyu nodded in agreement. “Really delicious.”

  Zhuo Hang raised a hand. “Super delicious!”

  Xiao Han also added, “It is unusual and very delicious.”

  Everyone, “…”

  Then in the Canglan food camp, Bai Xuan was the biggest boss? If someone was disobedient, he just had to sprinkle a handful of salt into the dish and the group of people would die!

  A fan of Tan Shitian stood up and asked, “Captain Tan, you were a commander several times in the World Competition. What are your plans after returning to China? For example, do you intend to compete for the captain’s position of the next national team?”

  Tan Shitian smiled. “I haven’t thought too much about it. As long as I can stay in the Time team and play with my teammates, I am very satisfied.”

  Here, Tan Shitian couldn’t help looking over ta Cheng Wei. The reporters followed his gaze and handed the microphone to Cheng Wei. Cheng Wei spoke with a red face, “I… cough, I will stay in the Time team to play. At this World Competition, I discovered that there are too many white magician masters and I still have a lot to learn.”

  A reporter wanted gossip. “When Captain Tan and Zhuo Hang cooperated in the arena, Kou Hongyi gave something away about your private relationship. Can you tell us… what is your relationship?”

  Zhuo Hang smiled and pretended to be collapsed. “It isn’t so complicated. My parents know Captain Tan’s parents and Captain Tan is a player I admire. Before I joined Canglan, I often asked him questions…”

  Su Guangmo coughed.

  Zhuo Hang added, “Of course, Captain Su is also a player I admire…”

  Li Cangyu looked over at him and Zhuo Hang followed up with, “Naturally, Cat God is the player I admire most.”

  The reporters were amused. It seemed that Zhuo Hang really admired many players!

  The great gods weren’t too arrogant so the atmosphere of the interview was very fast. The allocated time of 30 minutes passed quickly. The reporters were still somewhat unsatisfied but there were so many gods present that all their questions probably couldn’t be answered in three days and three nights.

  After seeing that the time was up, the reporters were surrounded by the security guards. Li Cangyu took the initiative to comfort them. “Don’t worry if there are still some unanswered questions. After returning to the country, the various teams will hold press conferences and everyone can ask questions. Or you can organize the questions and send them to the club’s mailbox. There are still many opportunities for an exchange!”

  The reporters let everyone go and Li Cangyu left the interview room with the team.

  On the way back, Cheng Wei excitedly ran to Li Cangyu. “Cat God, it was my first time seeing such a big scene. There were many foreign reporters! I sat there in front of the cameras and almost felt that I had become a star!”

  Su Guangmo smiled at him. “You really look like a star.”

  Cheng Wei was excited. “Is that so? Captain Su, do you think I’m handsome?”

  “Yes, a child star.”

  Cheng Wei, “…”

  Wasn’t this calling him naive? Cheng Wei’s face instantly reddened with anger and Zhang Shaohui spoke up, “Don’t bully Vice-Captain Cheng, how can he be a child star?” He carefully observed Cheng Wei before concluding, “Oh, he really looks like one!”

  Cheng Wei was very depressed. He was born with a round face that was still a bit fleshy. Many people described him as cute but he also wanted to be handsome! Was this gene so strange to him?

  Tan Shitian came forward and grabbed Cheng Wei’s shoulder. “Ignore them.”

  Cheng Wei’s heart jumped and he ran away like he received an electric shock. Tan Shitian retracted his hand and stared at Cheng Wei’s back.

  ***

  Everyone returned to Miracle Village while chatting and laughing and ate a simple lunch.

  The World Competition’s awards ceremony would be held tonight. Li Cangyu let everyone go back to take a nap and as a result, almost everyone slept until dinner time. It was because their nerves had been strained in the last few days and they didn’t get enough sleep. They finally relaxed and slept, just like after a university entrance examination.

  Ling Xuefeng got up first and used the internal telephone to wake everyone up.

  After eating dinner, everyone gathered in one place and returned to the main venue of the World Competition.

  The awards ceremony and closing ceremony would start at 8 p.m.

  The auditorium was already full and media from all over the world would be broadcasting this feast.

  The Chinese team’s seats were arranged in front and there were many familiar opponents next to them.

  The official closing ceremony had many things prepared, including the Miracle theme songs being performed by famous singers, a costume show for the six races, a stage drama involving a Miracle plot etc. Thunderous applause came one after another and pushed the closing ceremony to the climax.

  However, the most exciting event was the final awards stage.

  It wasn’t until 10 o’clock that the awards ceremony officially started. The president of the Miracle League personally presented the awards and started with the individual awards first.

  The World Competition wasn’t like the domestic competition where the awards including things like most popular, best newcomer, rookie with the most potential etc. It was difficult for newcomers to be selected for the World Competition and popularity awards were hard when it was a gathering of world-famous players. The award would be questioned by fans of various countries.

  Therefore, the World League simplified the individual awards and left only one behind. The MVP, most valuable player award!

  In the World Competition, there were many players with relatively high world rankings who hoped to win the MVP Award such as Noah, Winfrey, Edmund, Jack of the US team, Park Joonseo, Kim Yoonhee, Shim Yoocheol of the South Korean team, Fujita Rika of Japan, Stein of France and the Chinese team’s Ling Xuefeng, Lou Wushuang, Su Guangmo, etc.

  In the end, the name that appeared on the screen surprised many people but they didn’t oppose it.

  —Old Cat, China!

  The Chinese team’s player, Li Cangyu!

  Many people around him expressed their congratulations while Ling Xuefeng stood up and directly hugged Li Cangyu in front of the world audience.

  Li Cangyu smiled and hugged him back, patting his shoulder before turning to receive the prize.

  The world’s most valuable player, this was the highest degree of affirmation for a player by the World League.

  Li Cangyu used his strength and was finally recognized by the World Miracle League!

  This was a supreme honour that was exciting enough for tears.

  However, Li Cangyu’s expression was very calm. He took the trophy that symbolize the highest honour and smiled as he faced the camera. He spoke in a straightforward and enthusiastic manner, “The fact that I could come here today and win the MVP Award was thanks to all those who helped me. I am very glad that I didn’t give up, no matter how hard the circumstances. I am also fortunate to have met so many like-minded friends in the Miracle League.”

  He made and stared sincerely into the camera. “Thanks to the Miracle League, I gained the opportunity to become an e-sports player. The career of an e-sports player is actually very short but this short experience of a few years is the most precious wealth in my life.”

  He spoke in standard Chinese and his words were translated into the languages of various countries and spread widely around the world. Much later, whenever Li Cangyu was mentioned, many e-sports players remembered his speech at the World Competition’s awards ceremony. The career of an e-sports player was actually very short but this short period of time was the most precious treasure.

  This was what many e-sports players recognized— youth, blood, struggle and no regrets.

  The e-sports circles were deep and maybe there were only a few people who could make a difference. There were many more unknown players working hard for their dreams but as long as they didn’t forget their initial heart, this short experience would be the most dazzling scenery in their life’s journey.

  Li Cangyu walked down the stage with the trophy and the lights on the stage converged, causing his entire body to shine.

  Such a bright man had been buried for many years.

  Today, he shone on the world stage and everyone remembered his name.

  —Old Cat.

  Li Cangyu from China.

  ***

  The individual award ended and the president of the league immediately presented the group awards.

  The third place winner in the First World Competition: South Korea.

  After the 1:3 loss to China in the semi-finals and the United Kingdom losing to the US, the third-place battle was particularly fierce. Park Joonseo sent many great gods and played four games against the British team before finally winning 3:1 and gaining the bronze medal.

  All the Korean team members took to the stage under Park Joonseo’s leadership. They actually felt very reluctant and wanted to change the colour of the trophy to gold. Of course, this goal could only be achieved next year.

  Next was the runner-up: the US team.

  Since the US was the organizer of the competition this year, the applause at the venue was particularly enthusiastic as Noah led his team members to the stage. The US team accepted the silver trophy. They were sorry about not winning the championship but everyone couldn’t help smiling when they lifted the trophy.

  The last one to be awarded was the championship team of the World Competition, the Chinese team!

  Li Cangyu and Ling Xuefeng got up at the same time and the other 20 members of the national team walked neatly to the stage.

  22 people across different teams united for the same goal. Under the leadership of Li Cangyu and Ling Xuefeng, they merged into a powerful team to compete in the world battlefield, sweeping through the group stage, winning a thrilling semi-finals and finally counterattacking 3:2 in the finals to win the championship!

  At this moment, the lights were focused on one place and the flag was raised high.

  Many domestic audience members couldn’t help crying when they saw the national flag being raised.

  Amidst the deafening applause and cheers, the president of the Miracle League and the hostesses walked towards the stage. The president personally picked up the golden championship trophy and presented it to the Chinese team’s captain, Li Cangyu.

  Li Cangyu’s expression was still very calm, just like when he won the MVP Award. He bowed deeply to the president and respectfully took the trophy.

  The custom made gold trophy had the words ‘First Miracle World Competition’ in English on the base. The trophy was heavy and had great texture. The production process was quite superb.

  Ling Xuefeng stood beside him and gently raised Li Cangyu’s left hand with his right hand, the two of them looking at each other. At the same time, they raised the golden trophy above their heads!

  The overhead lights seemed to brighten, letting the golden trophy shine with a dazzling light.

  At this moment, the eyes of the audience all over the world were focused on the stage of the awards ceremony. The first Chinese Miracle national team’s captain Li Cangyu and vice-captain Ling Xuefeng jointly raised the highest glory that symbolized the strength of the Chinese team!

  They still remembered that many years ago, the 17 year old Ling Xuefeng had once said to LI Cangyu, “If you can’t be my teammate, I hope you will become my strongest opponent.”

  Many years later, the 24 year old Li Cangyu returned to Miracle. Despite the many frustrations, he was still confident and seriously told Ling Xuefeng, “The thing I’m most looking forward to is standing with you in the World Competition.”

  Seven years had passed and the teenagers in their memories had become first-rate gods who were fearless.

  They walked through a bloody road of thorns and experienced many hardships.

  Now, they finally stood side by side, standing together in the place that belonged to them— the summit of the world! -

  【 The End 】-

  TL: This is the end of the main story but there are still a bit over 40 chapters worth of extras. Every arc in the extras will focus on the side CPs before eventually ending with our main couple, Li Cangyu and Ling Xuefeng.

  I will clearly label the posts and chapters with the CP, just in case there are certain CPs that people want to skip. Be sure to keep an eye on the main page. Even if you don’t like the side CPs, be sure to check out Li Cangyu and Ling Xuefeng’s extra at the end because it is extremely sweet and ends their story well. In addition, each extra has its own sex scene for the CP involved.

  Chapter 361 – The Covenant of Time (1) – Tan Cheng’s First Encounter

  Cheng Wei walked into the training room and saw several teammates talking. He rushed to the side to listen, only to hear someone mysteriously say, “This newcomer isn’t ordinary. I passed by the training camp and he was particularly handsome!”

  “He might be handsome but he can’t rely on his face to eat!” Cheng Wei wasn’t convinced. “What about his level?”

  “It is said that his hand speed is very fast.” The man’s tone was positive.

  Cheng Wei rolled his eyes while thinking in his heart, ‘His hand speed might be faster but it can’t be faster than Cat God!’

  The Time team hadn’t absorbed any fresh blood for a long time. This time, the president of the Time Club recommended a group of qualified newcomers to interview. The captain Xu Luo and the club manager personally checked them and it was said that some people joined the team’s training camp through the interviews. This meant that Cheng Wei was no longer the youngest player on the Time team.

  Cheng Wei thought of this and was suddenly a bit happy.

  As a newcomer who debuted in the third season, he was only 16 years old this year. Many players on the team regarded him as a minor child. Since there were newcomers in the training camp, wouldn’t he be a senior?

  That evening, Cheng Wei happily sent a message to Li Cangyu. [Cat God, we have newcomers!]

  This was the playoffs stage in the third season. The FTD team hadn’t disbanded but they were facing difficulties with the team’s lack of funds and maintaining daily operations. Li Cangyu never showed any fatigue on the surface and every game was full of energy. Thus, many people in the league didn’t know the status of his team, including Cheng Wei.

  Cheng Wei sent the message and soon got a reply. [Not bad.]

  Cheng Wei replied: [I heard there is one person that is particularly handsome and his hand speed is also fast. I haven’t seen it but I think they are definitely bragging, like my age. How can boys playing the game look particularly handsome? Cat God, you said it right? Most otakua are acne-prone!]

  Li Cangyu replied: [So curious. Won’t you know if you go to see him?]

  [I don’t have time! The playoffs are so busy that I wasn’t in the mood to care about the newcomer in the training camp!]

  [Is there a good tactical layout for the next game?]

  [Hey Cat God, don’t take this opportunity to ask me. I won’t tell you!]

  [Yes, you’re become smarter. [Smile]]

  [Good night Cat God!]

  There was a match the next day so Cheng Wei went to bed after talking to Cat God. The matter regarding the newcomer in the training camp was completely thrown away by him.

  A week later, the Time team lost to Wind Colour in the semi-finals and had to compete with Ghost Spirits for third place in the season. The finals was between Wind Colour and Flying Feathers.

  The third season was the most brilliant period for the Flying Feathers team. Su Guangmo, Yu Pingsheng and Xie Shurong joined forces to bring the melee violent play of the Three Musketeers to the extreme and finally won the championship in one feel swoop, creating the myth of the Three Musketeers in the Miracle League.

  The Ghost Spirits had the best assassin Mo Quan at the time. His two apprentices Lou Wushuang and Zhang Shaohui had already debuted but their standards still needed to be honed. Thus, Time was very relaxed taking on Ghost Spirits and won third place.

  Flying Feathers, Wind and Time had each harvested the championship, second place and third place. The season’s MVP award went to Flying Feathers captain Su Guangmo. To everyone’s surprise, Cheng Wei actually won the Best Newcomer Award at the awards ceremony!

  The 16 year old Cheng Wei ran excitedly to the stage, bowing deeply to the audience as he held his trophy. The teenager who hadn’t grown up didn’t look nervous on the stage. His smile was honest and cute and his eyes were as bright as stars.

  This newcomer award made Cheng Wei the ‘genius boy’ in the eyes of many people!

  ***

  After returning to Beijing, the captain Xu Luo led the team members to a nearby KTV in celebration. The season of competition made everyone physically and mentally exhausted. Now that the awards ceremony was over, it was natural to relax well.

  \r \r \r

  There were many strange faces in the KTV room and Cheng Wei was curious about who they were. Xu Luo picked up the microphone and said, “Today is our first full gathering of the Time team. The newcomers of the training camp have also come. I will take this opportunity to introduce them to everyone.”

  The old players clapped and the enthusiastic Cheng Wei took the initiative to raise his hand. “Captain, should we have the new people sing a song? How about they give a formal self-introduction before singing?”

  This proposal immediately got Xu Luo’s approval. “Let’s do it! Who will come first?”

  “You first.”

  “Or you first.”

  Some newcomers humbly pushed each other out and passed the microphone around, but no one was willing to play first. Just then, a tall boy took the initiative to pick up the microphone. “Then I’ll go first.”

  His voice was somewhat unique. It seemed to be just after the changing period and the low voice was warm and soft through the microphone. He had handsome short hair and was wearing simple jeans and a white shirt. He had a slender figure and handsome facial features. HIs lips were slightly curved in a warm smile and he looked like a teenager who came out of the comics.

  He gracefully went to the middle and turned to face everyone. Then he smiled and said, “Hellow, my name is Tan Shitian and I”m a newcomer in the training camp. My class is an archer and I will casually sing first.”

  Cheng Wei sat in the corner and stared at Tan Shitian with wide eyes. Until this moment, he hadn’t believed it but his teammate’s words were true. There was a particularly handsome newcomer in the Time Team!

  Tan Shitian’s appearance belonged to the type that easily made people feel good. In particular, his smile gave people the feeling of a spring breeze. His smile was pure and didn’t make people feel that he was hypocritical or pretentious. His singing was also nice.

  He sang the male version of ‘I’m Willing.’ HIs singing was especially affectionate and people couldn’t help revel in his singing…

  Cheng Wei listened attentively. After listening for a while, he suddenly reacted and rubbed his eyes. He turned back to ask the vice-captain, “Vice-Captain, how old is he this year?”

  Vice-Captain Lin smiled and replied, “He seems to be the same age as you.”

  Cheng Wei, “…”

  They were obviously the same age but why was this person so much higher? It wasn’t scientific!

  Cheng Wei was still a child in his heart and mind. He loved playing the game and eating all day. Tan Shitian had a maturity and atmosphere that was beyond his age, making his ‘senior’ Cheng Wei feel a bit ashamed.

  Tan Shitian finished the song and naturally got warm applause from the audience. He politely thanked them.

  There was a vacancy next to Cheng Wei and he naturally walked to Cheng Wei’s side. He smiled and reached out, “Hello, are you Cheng Wei? I have seen your game videos. Congratulations on winning the Best Newcomer Award.”

  Cheng Wei sullenly replied, “Hello.”

  Tan Shitian asked, “I heard that I’m the same age as you?”

  Cheng Wei didn’t shake hands with him but pretended to be serious. “Age isn’t the most important thing. I debuted earlier than you and should count as your senior.”

  Tan Shitian touched his nose and coughed. “Hello, Senior.”

  Cheng Wei happily shook hands with Tan Shitian and spoke seriously, “Xiao Tan, if you don’t know anything in the future, you can ask me.”

  He clearly had a lovely bun face but was pretending to be old. Thus, he was funny. Tan Shitian resisted the urge to laugh and nodded, “Thank you, Senior.”

  Cheng Wei smiled with satisfaction and patted Tan Shitian’s shoulder in encouragement. “Refuel!”

  “…” Tan Shitian was simply dumbfounded.

  ——

  Everyone played all night and after returning to his room, Cheng Wei fell asleep until noon the next day.

  He had lunch and was informed that all members had a meeting. Cheng Wei rushed to the conference room that was filled with people, many of whom were the newcomers he met last night.

  Captain Xu Luo asked everyone to find a spot to sit down and spoke calmly, “The third season is over. Today we convened a meeting and the first step is a simple summary.”

  HE opened the PPT that was written in advance and said, ”Based on the data sheet, the Time team has performed well overall this season, especially Cheng Wei who debuted this season. He won the Best Newcomer Award, making him the pride of our team.”

  Captain Xu looked at Cheng Wei and the meeting room clapped, making Cheng Wei feel happy and a bit embarrassed. He scratched his head and replied, “It is Captain Xu who taught me well.”

  Captain Xu smiled. “The performance of the other members is also remarkable. Our Time team’s tactics have been almost the same after these seasons so next I have something to announce to you. Vice-Captain Ling has decided to retire after the third season. From now on, Cheng Wei will serve as the vice-captain of the Time team.”

  Cheng Wei’s eyes widened with surprise and he didn’t seem to understand this situation.

  Xu Luo explained, “Cheng Wei might be young and the time of his debut isn’t long, but his talent for playing the game has been recognized by everyone. Letting him serve as the vice-captain is the most appropriate thing.”

  This dispelled the doubts in their hearts. Cheng Wei might be young but his achievements were there.

  “In addition, I will leave the Time team after completing the captain handover next season.” Xu Luo spoke slowly. “I am forced to leave with Vice-Captain Lin. Due to our age, our state has started to decline and we won’t play much of a role if we stay in the team. We have thought about it and decided to hand Time over to the youngsters.”

  Many players had red eyes after hearing this news. Cheng Wei opened his mouth but Xu Luo waved his hand and decisively interrupted him. “A team handover is a normal phenomenon. For example, last season Vice-Captain Yuan of Wind Colour retired and handed over the vice-captain position to Yan Ruiwen. Su Guangmo took over as captain for Flying Feathers this year. The scores of these two teams hasn’t declined so you don’t need to worry too much. Even if I retire, everyone can still ask me questions.”

  Captain Xu was so calm that the group of young players were embarrassed to ask him to stay.

  As a veteran of the Miracle League, Xu Luo used his gorgeous white magic since the first season of the Miracle League. He wasn’t young and his status was declining. Choosing to retire next season was normal…

  Still, Cheng Wei couldn’t help being sad. His own white magician played a lot with Xu Luo. He had just won the newcomer award only for Captain Xu to retire?

  Cheng Wei didn’t listen to what was discussed in the second half of the meeting because his head was a mess. On the one hand, he was dazed at taking over the vice-captain position. He didn’t know what a vice-captain had to do. In addition, he was saddened by the news that Xu Luo was retiring next season. He always felt that he would have no idea what to do once Captain Xu left.

  However, rain poured when a house was leaky. Once he returned to his room and turned on the computer, he was stung by the first page news. The FTD team officially announced their disbandment today.

  This news was like thunder on a sunny day, making Cheng Wei freeze in place. He immediately called Li Cangyu but didn’t get through. He sent a few messages on Q and didn’t receive any replies…

  Cheng Wei was distraught and frantically typed on Q. Thus, he didn’t hear the movements in the bedroom next door.

  It wasn’t until knocking was heard on the door that Cheng Wei’s soul returned and he got up to open the door.

  ***

  Tan Shitian was unable to forget the image he saw when he went to the bedroom next door to greet Cheng Wei.

  Cheng Wei was wearing short-sleeved pyjamas that revealed white arms. His hair stuck up like weeds and his eyes were red and swollen, almost wet with tears. He looked like a kitten abandoned by his owner.

  Tan Shitian wanted to reach out and help him manage his messy hair but didn’t dare do so thanks to Cheng Wei’s red eyes. He was worried and asked, “What’s wrong?”

  Cheng Wei sniffed and choked out, “Cat God is gone.”

  “…” Tan Shitian heard that Cat God was Cheng Wei’s idol and didn’t know how to comfort him.

  Cheng Wei suddenly raised his head and stared at the other person. “Why are you here?”

  Tan Shitian smiled helplessly and explained. “Captain Xu said you lived alone in this dormitory. I haven’t been formally allocated a dormitory yet and he let me be your teammate. Didn’t you agree?”

  Cheng Wei’s eyes widened. “I agreed?”

  Tan Shitian smiled. “You seemed to be thinking about it. The moment Captain Xu spoke, you nodded…”

  Cheng Wei recalled that there was such a thing. His head had been in such a mess that he didn’t hear anything Captain Xu said and just nodded. However, he wasn’t in the mood to think about this matter. He glanced at Tan Shitian and said, “Your room is next door. You should arrange your luggage.”

  Tan Shitian was going to say, “My luggage has been moved and I wanted to come over to say hello to my roommate.” Then he saw the dejected vice-captain and took this sentence back.

  He suddenly discovered that Cheng Wei, who won the Best Newcomer Award this year, was only radiant in the game. He was like a little tiger with powerful claws in the game. In real life, Cheng Wei was actually a simple and confused teenager, a kitten who hadn’t yet grown up.

  He had long heard of Cheng Wei’s worship of Li Cangyu. Tan Shitian saw Cheng Wei’s eyes that were red from crying about Cat God’s departure and actually felt a bit distressed.

  Chapter 362 – The Covenant of Time (2): Tan Cheng’s Memories

  The end of the third season was undoubtedly the most turbulent period for the Miracle League. The FTD team disbanded, Li Cangyu led his team to transfer games, Xie Shurong suddenly left the Flying Feathers team and his whereabouts were unknown, Ghost Spirits’ captain Mo Quan retired and Lou Wushuang took over as captain, Time’s vice-captain retired and the newcomer Cheng Wei took over as captain…

  Every team went through personnel changes and the official website of the professional league was almost constantly refreshed by fans. However, a person who left would still go. Cheng Wei was very clear that Li Cangyu wouldn’t change his mind because of his fans. Since Li Cangyu had made up his mind to leave Miracle, there was no room for persuasion.

  Nevertheless, Cheng Wei didn’t give up.

  He sent a message to Cat God every day until he finally received a reply three days later. [Don’t worry about me. I’m currently in the United States and after coming home, I will take my teammates to play another game. I heard that you took over as vice-captain. Continue to refuel and I’ll wait for you to win the MVP award.”

  Cheng Wei saw the calm reply and was speechless as his eyes turned red.

  These days, he had been watching the forum posts and knew how difficult it was for Li Cangyu’s team. He was angry that Li Cangyu didn’t tell him anything but on the other hand, he couldn’t help Li Cangyu with his ability. He didn’t understand anything or take care of himself. How could he help Li Cangyu?

  A person who cared about was in trouble but he couldn’t do anything. The deep sense of powerlessness made Cheng Wei frustrated.

  Cheng Wei made a long-distance call and choked back tears. “Cat God, after you return home, why don’t you consider coming to the Time team? Captain Xu said he will retire next year. Once he is gone, you can become captain!”

  Li Cangyu smiled at the phone and replied, “I won’t go to the Time team.” He could feel Cheng Wei’s concern for him but Cheng Wei hadn’t grown up and his understanding of things wasn’t comprehensive. He naively thought that Li Cangyu could switch to being captain of Time and didn’t understand why Li Cangyu was leaving.

  Of course, Li Cangyu didn’t want to explain these complicated things to Cheng Wei. He wanted to see this young boy grow up happily under the protection of his teammates and seniors.

  “Why don’t you want to come to Time?” Cheng Wei refused to give up and anxiously tried to persuade the other person. “If you don’t like Time, you can also go to Flying Feathers or Wind Colour!”

  “This is something you don’t need to worry about.” Li Cangyu softly interrupted him. “I have made the arrangements so don’t worry. Even if I don’t play Miracle, we can stay in touch… I have something to do here and have to hang up.”

  “Oh… take care.”

  After the call, Cheng Wei was still depressed and upset. His ability was too limited and even if he was as anxious as an ant in a hot pot, he couldn’t think of a way to help the other person.

  ***

  That night, Cheng Wei couldn’t sleep and woke up the next morning with dark circles.

  He stumbled and pushed open the bathroom door, only to see a tall person shaving in front of the mirror. Cheng Wei froze for a moment before remembering he had a new roommate, the newcomer Tan Shitian.

  He lowered his head around Tan Shitian and walked to the side to squeeze out toothpaste. As result, he became dizzy and squeezed toothpaste onto his hand. Tan Shitian glanced at him and took the initiative to help him with the toothpaste. He handed the toothbrush to Cheng Wei and asked softly, “You didn’t sleep well last night?”

  Cheng Wei whispered an agreement and took the toothbrush to brush his teeth.

  Tan Shitian stood next to him and watched. Cheng Wei’s brushing action was child-like. As he cleaned each tooth, he was obviously worried about something. His dull eyes stared at the mirror like he was sleepwalking.

  Did he have insomnia because he was reluctant about his idol leaving?

  Tan Shitian didn’t expect the fierce competition of the professional league to have such simply feelings. Only people like Cheng Wei would like a senior player so seriously. This type of liking didn’t have any purpose and made people feel moved.

  Before seeing Cheng Wei, Tan Shitian always heard that the Time team had a very talented teenager. He had been radiant from the beginning of his debut. Tan Shitian thought that Cheng Wei was a proud and capricious young player.

  In this era, there were many children accustomed to being unruly at him. What’s more, Cheng Wei was a talented player and the darling of the club. It was normal to be a bit arrogant.

  Unexpected, Cheng Wei was such a simple person, simple enough to be a bit stupid.

  However, the idiot standing in front of the mirror and brushing his teeth in a daze made Tan Shitian’s heart soften. They might be the same age but this person was a whole head shorter than Tan Shitian and was still so simple and pure, like clean white paper. His character would definitely suffer a big loss in the league where dragons were mixed with fish.

  At this moment, Cheng Wei was busy thinking and his right hand slipped. He suddenly poked his chin with his toothbrush and his chin was covered in white foam. Tan Shitian wanted to laugh but he forcibly resisted and helped bring over a towel. Cheng Wei accepted it and wiped himself up. Unfortunately, it wasn’t clean and there were still many traces of foam left at the corner of his mouth. He looked especially funny.

  Tan Shitian smiled and reached out, using his thumb to help wipe the foam at the corner of his mouth.

  The skin that his fingers touched was warm and soft, just like touching a little animal.

  Cheng Wei’s head was a mess and he didn’t notice the movement. He just felt the warmth of his lips and looked up at Tan Shitian with a puzzled expression. Then he lowered his head and used cold water to wash his face. After a while, he found that Tan Shitian was still standing next to him. Cheng Wei couldn’t help looking over and asking, “Why are you still standing here? Do you need the toilet?”

  Tan Shitian discovered that he was standing in the same place and watching Cheng Wei brush his teeth and wash his face…

  \r \r \r

  Realizing that something was wrong, Tan Shitian touched his nose and turned away.

  ***

  Cheng Wei finished washing his face and found breakfast already prepared on the table. Tan Shitian smiled at him and explained, “I heard the captain say that you like to eat the dumplings from the store across the street. I was going to buy breakfast anyway and bought it for you.”

  Cheng Wei’s spirit lifted slightly after seeing the savoury buns and he sat down. “Thank you!” Then he smiled, picked up a bun and stuffed it into his mouth.

  Cheng Wei had been very depressed these days and Tan Shitian rarely saw a smile on his face.

  He had a chubby face and when he smiled, there were two dimples. The soft hair that curled over his ears was particularly cute. Was this what a 16 year old boy should look like?

  This was unlike Tan Shitian. From an early age, he had been trained by his parents to be independent. He started cooking at seven years old and by the age of 10, he could go shopping alone. This made him develop a personality that was calm and unsettled.

  After seeing Cheng Wei burying himself in the buns with dark eyes, Tan Shitian couldn’t help comforting him. “You don’t have to worry too much. Cat God definitely has his own ideas and at his level, he won’t suffer.”

  Cheng Wei’s mouth was stuffed with buns and he couldn’t speak. He just nodded in agreement with the second part of Tan Shitian’s words.

  They finished eating breakfast and headed to the training room. Cheng Wei only saw Captain Xu and several new recruits. Xu Luo was clearly very surprised by the sight of Cheng Wei. He came over and asked, “Didn’t you go home?”

  Cheng Wei replied, “I have nothing to do when going back. I want to stay in the team and see if I can help.”

  Xu Luo smiled and patted Cheng Wei’s shoulder. “This is the awareness of a vice-captain!”

  Cheng Wei scratched his head and looked serious. “What does a vice-captain do? Captain Xu, direct me to do some tasks.”

  Xu Luo thought carefully. “Well, Tan Shitian is a newcomer being trained by the team. Since you live in the same dormitory and usually have to communicate, I will leave the task of training him to you. Play with him every day and let him adapt to the rhythm of the game as soon as possible. I want to take him to play next season.”

  “Understood.” Since it was a task assigned by the captain, Cheng Wei didn’t shirk away from it. He turned around to Tan Shitian and opened an arena room with him.

  At this time, Tan Shitian had just entered the training camp while Cheng Wei already had a whole season of competition experience. The two people played three games and Cheng Wei won three consecutive victories. Tan Shitian didn’t have the power to fight back.

  In order to encourage the newcomer, Cheng Wei seriously typed on the public channel: [In a real game, the rhythm will be must faster than it is now. You have to adapt as soon as possible since Captain Xu said you will play next season.”

  Tan Shitian sent a smiling expression. [I know. Thank you, Vice-Captain Cheng.”

  ***

  During the season’s holiday, Cheng Wei dutifully trained tan Shitian. He wasn’t like Li Cangyu who developed a separate training program based on the characteristics of the players. He only transferred what he learnt to Tan Shitian, forgetting that the tactics for a white magician would be different from an archer. In fact, his experience wasn’t necessarily useful for Tan Shitian. Fortunately, Tan Shitian was savvy and very talented so he didn’t take a crooked path because of Cheng Wei.

  The days passed quietly and Tan Shitian’s level leapt forward. By the time of the last training session before the Spring Festival, he was able to tie with Cheng Wei in the arena.

  Xu Luo was very satisfied with this. He smiled and patted Cheng Wei’s shoulder. “After seeing you and Xiao Tan, I really have confidence in the future of the Time team!”

  Cheng Wei didn’t understand Xu Luo’s meaning at the time. He didn’t expect that Xu Luo would actually hand over the captain’s position to Tan Shitian.

  ***

  The Spring Festival ended and the fourth season started. Cheng Wei still missed Cat God but the increasingly heavy pressure of the matches meant he had to fully engross himself in playing.

  In the fourth season, many teams changed and there was a big shuffle in the rankings of the league. Thanks to Xie Shurong leaving and Yu Pingsheng changing to a berserker, the third season’s champion, Flying Feathers’ decline was particularly severe. Wind Colour was stable and Ling Xuefeng was still one of the hardest opponents. The Lou Zhang combination of the Ghost Spirits team weren’t as honed and weren’t too much of a threat…

  The most optimistic one turned out to be the Time team.

  Tan Shitian had received media attention since he debuted. HIs handsome appearance was eye-catching. Combined with his good temper and smile on his face when answering questions, his popularity rose quickly. He became the darling of the Time team fans, even more than Cheng Wei in the third season.

  More importantly, this handsome person wasn’t a vase. He played an archer very calmly and could often hit a key player’s chest from a long-distance. His accuracy and attack rate were terrible. His reaction speed might not be very fast but he was a newcomer who just debuted. It wasn’t easy for a newcomer to do this.

  It was due to Tan Shitian’s presence that the Time team had a very high winning percentage in the regular season and consistently topped the scoreboard.

  At the end of the first round of the fourth regular season, Xu Luo made the bold and amazing decision to hand over the captain’s position to Tan Shitian.

  Tan Shitian was only 17 years old. It was his debut yet Xu Luo made him the captain?

  Many people questioned this decision and Xu Luo’s explanation was, “I will definitely retire at the end of the fourth season. I selected the Time team’s next captain in advance to facilitate a smooth transition. I think Xiao Tan’s personal standards are obvious to everyone. The thing he lacks now is commanding experience. In the second half of the regular season, I will let him command the matches as captain.”

  No matter how surprised the reporters were or how fans opposed it, Xu Luo was very firm about his decision.

  Tan Shitian became the youngest captain of the Miracle Professional League.

  ***

  Cheng Wei wasn’t convinced when he heard about it.

  In his view, Tan Shitian was a slightly gifted newcomer. Captain Xu handing him the position in the middle of the season was too exaggerated and impulsive.

  Besides, Tan Shitian debuted later than him. Wasn’t it more reasonable to let the vice-captain take over as captain? Why was a newcomer selected over Cheng Wei to be captain?

  Cheng Wei didn’t want to be the captain. He just thought that Tan Shitian wasn’t qualified for the position and Captain Xu’s decision was likely to ruin the Time team. Thus, he was full of resistance to Tan Shitian’s takeover as captain.

  Sure enough, after Tan Shitian took over as captain, he lost several consecutive matches and the Time team slipped from first place to fifth.

  Cheng Wei was distraught and as a straightforward person, he ran to Xu Luo and proposed, “Captain Xu, I think your decision is a bit impulsive! How long has it been since Tan Shitian debuted? Only half a year! He is too junior and inexperienced. He isn’t qualified enough to be the captain!”

  Xu Luo faced the helpless Cheng Wei and helplessly said, “But Xiao Wei, apart from him, what other player do you think can be the captain?”

  Cheng Wei thought about it and replied, “How about Ah Jun? He debuted even earlier than me!”

  Xu Luo smiled and shook his head. “He is a healer and has to take care of his teammates on the field. It is too difficult to command the game while adding blood. Ah Jun doesn’t have the ability to look at six roads and listen to every direction.”

  Cheng Wei suggested, “Then what about Brother Kai? He is an output!”

  Xu Luo shook his head again. “His personal level is excellent but he doesn’t have a good idea about the bigger picture. He is a good soldier who obeys orders but he isn’t a good general.”

  “There is still…” Cheng Wei wanted to continue but Xu Luo interrupted. “Xiao Wei, I can understand why you aren’t convinced about Tan Shitian being the captain. After all, you looked after him when he first came to the team. He debuted later than you and his qualifications are lighter than you. You consider him as a junior, right?”

  Cheng Wei frowned. “Isn’t this the case?”

  Xu Luo smiled and patted Cheng Wei’s shoulder. “You are misjudging Tan Shitian. Age and experience aren’t a problem. The reason I took a great risk by giving him the captain’s position is because I like his calm personality. In addition, he is the player with the strongest idea of the big picture and the most sensitive tactical thinking among the new batch of players. Believe me, you and Xiao Tan will be the pillars of the Time team. As long as the two of you work together, the Time team can stand up in the storm and won’t fall.”

  Cheng Wei, “…”

  Captain Xu was so certain that Cheng Wei had nothing more to say. He could only go back to his dormitory.

  ***

  Cheng Wei didn’t know that before he knocked on the door, Tan Shitian was discussing the tactics for the next match with Xu Luo. After he came in, Tan Shitian actively avoided him and heard all his words.

  Tan Shitian knew Cheng Wei’s dissatisfaction and therefore became more motivated. He was eager to prove his strength in front of Cheng Wei and let Cheng Wei know that Tan Shitian was actually qualified to be the captain of the Time team.

  Perhaps this was the mentality of young people who were more aggressive with their peers. Cheng Wei’s doubts caused Tan Shitian’s pride to be hurt. From that day on, Tan Shitian was more diligent than before. He went every night to discuss things with Xu Luo and stayed up late in his dormitory. He often watched matches all night and studied the tactical characteristics of every team, not wasting any minute. He was staying in a room with Cheng Wei but because Tan Shitian went out early and came back late, the two of them were rarely able to meet.

  It was this type of effort that made Tan Shitian’s tactical ideas improve rapidly. In addition, there was Xu Luo’s guidance and analysis. After the first few failures, the Time team’s performance gradually improved.

  The thing that stunned everyone was that in the fourth season, Tan Shitian actually led the Time team to win the championship!

  ***

  At the celebration party afterwards, Xu Luo officially announced his retirement. The Time team opened a brand new chapter with Tan Shitian as the captain and Cheng Wei as the vice-captain.

  Originally, it was a happy thing to be able to prove his strength in front of Cheng Wei who looked down on him. If it was an ordinary person, he would taunt and laugh at Cheng Wei.

  However, Tan Shitian saw Cheng Wei’s red eyes and depressed expression at Xu Luo’s departure and forgot all his previous unhappiness. Instead, his heart was soft and confused.

  As Xu Luo disappeared down the corridor, he couldn’t help extending his arm and placing it around Cheng Wei’s shoulder. He spoke softly like he was coaxing a little child. “Don’t be sad. Captain Xu is gone but there is still me. We will work together in the future, okay?”

  Cheng Wei didn’t speak and just looked up at Tan Shitian. It seemed he wasn’t very happy to be bound to this person.

  Tan Shitian smiled at his expression and gently touched his soft here. “There is no way, unless your leave Time or I pack up and leave… otherwise, we will be the new generation of leaders and will accompany the Time team until we retire.”

  At the time, they were still young and didn’t expect this simple agreement to accompany them for so many years.

  Tan Shitian didn’t think that one day, he would like this person around him and didn’t want to separate from him.

  Later, every time he remembered these past events, he thought it was very fortunate that he came to the Time team and became the captain.

  Over the years, he met many reliable teammates and experienced the glory of winning the championship, gaining an enviable popularity… but the rarest thing was that he met a person who he wanted to cherish all his life. This person was called Cheng Wei.