Chapter Forty-Nine: The King’s Level

“That’s the vampire from earlier—Vladimir. Just kidding. But he really is an excellent vampire player, and he’s the highest-ranked among us.”

“Just call me Xiao Zhuang,” the vampire player said, extending a hand in greeting.

He was well aware of Feng Yisheng’s impressive skills and wanted to get acquainted.

“Xiao Zhuang? The Siberian Wolf?” Feng Yisheng laughed.

“Haha! That works too,” Xiao Zhuang responded with a chuckle.

Zhou Chuyi asked, “Feng Yisheng, what’s your best position? Don’t tell me you’re a jungler; if so, I might not join the tournament.”

“No, my main is AD. But you’re all platinum, right? The April tournament should mostly be platinum players too. Don’t tell me the enemy team is full of diamonds?”

“Not quite, but they do have two Diamond Ones. The other three are only platinum level.”

“How do they compare to you guys?” Feng Yisheng inquired.

“They can’t match Xiao Zhuang, but they’re definitely better than the rest of us,” Zhou Chuyi admitted.

“Hmm, that’s going to be tough,” Feng Yisheng frowned. It seemed winning the match wouldn’t be so simple.

“No way, you’re the King of Ionia. Is it really that hard to play against diamonds and platinums?” Zhou Chuyi was puzzled.

“I want to win, of course, but with two Diamonds on the other side, no matter what roles they play, they might just dominate you all,” Feng Yisheng analyzed. “Unless those two Diamonds are both bot lane. That way, if the rest of you hold your own, I can carry once I get ahead.”

“Feng Yisheng, are you Zhuge Liang reincarnated? The two Diamonds are indeed the bot lane duo.”

“Well, then we’ve got a fifty-fifty shot. Enough talk, it’s already three o’clock. Let’s play a few rounds,” Feng Yisheng said, checking the time on his phone.

No sooner said than done, and Wan Shui, ever tactful, let Feng Yisheng take the AD role. It was Saturday, so there were plenty of players online, and the five of them didn’t have to wait long—less than two minutes before they were matched.

During champion select, Feng Yisheng banned Zed. Zed was the bane of all ADs—not just a matter of rank. In the hands of a capable player with Youmuu’s, Duskblade, and Black Cleaver, Zed turned the AD carry into a lamb for the slaughter. If Zed wanted to force a trade, the AD was powerless to resist.

The final team compositions were set. Feng Yisheng’s side was on purple:

Malphite, Jarvan, Vladimir, Vayne, and Janna.

The enemy team, blue side:

Illaoi, Amumu, Syndra, Draven, and Thresh.

While loading, Feng Yisheng felt their laning phase would be tough.

Other than the bot lane swaps, his team’s champions were unchanged from the last game. The enemy lineup was full of strong early-game laners, but the course of a match is decided not only by champions, but by the summoners who wield them.

Once in game, Feng Yisheng played Vayne and immediately pressured the enemy. Thresh’s hooks never landed on Vayne in the early game. He simply told Janna to focus on protecting him; as a result, Thresh missed every single attempt.

Eventually, Thresh gave up trying to hook altogether.

This left Draven at the mercy of Vayne.

Feng Yisheng displayed the full might of a King-tier AD carry. He had Janna shield him every time it was available. With Janna’s shield on, Feng Yisheng ignored last-hitting minions and went straight for Draven.

Poor Draven couldn’t outtrade Vayne once, and his starting health potions were soon depleted.

By the five-minute mark, there hadn’t been any explosive plays in bot lane, but Draven was already suffering, trailing by ten CS.

The jungler, Jarvan, had been watching Feng Yisheng’s play and decided to follow his lead this game. At five minutes, he ganked top, but neither was six yet, so Illaoi survived.

Mid lane, however, had already seen a solo kill—Vladimir taking down Syndra. This feat impressed Feng Yisheng; Vladimir hadn’t even reached level six, yet managed to solo kill a notoriously strong early-game Syndra. Clearly, this player had deep mastery of Vladimir.

Seeing the game slipping away, the enemy Amumu began to roam, looking for opportunities. But at the dragon fight, Feng Yisheng’s team won a three-for-five trade.

After that, Feng Yisheng’s team took full control. Before fifteen minutes had passed, the enemy surrendered, and Feng Yisheng’s Vayne had secured five kills.

They played another match and won again with ease, much to Zhou Chuyi’s delight.

After the third game, Feng Yisheng checked his phone—it was almost five o’clock. He said to Zhou Chuyi, “I’m off, I’m off.”

After dinner, Feng Yisheng returned home and began cultivating the Pure Yang Technique.

The night passed quietly.

—

Sunday.

A light rain had fallen the previous night, making the morning air crisp and refreshing.

Feng Yisheng jogged to Nanshui Park. He hadn’t planned on going, but then decided to test his sprinting speed again.

After running a lap as he’d done yesterday, he felt no improvement.

Having been transformed by the Pure Yang Patriarch, Feng Yisheng not only possessed an indomitable golden body, but every fiber of his flesh and bone had been honed to the limits of humanity. Yet, he was still at the first level of Qi Refining, with no sign of a breakthrough.

As he walked and pondered, he suddenly heard cries for help ahead.

Listening closely, the voice sounded familiar. After a moment’s thought, he realized it was the same woman he’d seen practicing martial arts the day before.

Concerned, Feng Yisheng hurried over. Sure enough, the elderly man named Yang Zhenwu was lying on the ground, while the young woman, Xiaoyun, looked anxious. Spotting Feng Yisheng, she called out desperately,

“Please save my grandfather! I’ll pay you whatever you want!”

In her panic, Xiaoyun grasped at any hope, asking for Feng Yisheng’s help without even knowing who he was.

She could hardly be blamed; the old man meant everything to her and held an exalted position in her heart.

Feng Yisheng said nothing, merely casting a cold glance at Xiaoyun. He was speechless—did she think everything could be solved with money?

Reaching out with his spiritual senses, he examined the old man’s body thoroughly. Feng Yisheng’s current diagnostic abilities surpassed all modern medical equipment.

The elder’s internal organs were gravely damaged. With no other option, Feng Yisheng channeled a small amount of spiritual energy into his body.

In less than ten breaths, the old man opened his eyes, looked around, and asked, “Xiaoyun, what happened to me?”