Chapter 1: The Exiled Master
"Click clack, tap tap..."
A pair of nimble hands danced across the keyboard and mouse, the rhythmic tapping sounding like a lively melody. On the screen, a flash of light exploded, and the opponent collapsed in a shower of blood.
"Heh." Ye Xiu chuckled, lifting his hand to take the cigarette butt from his lips. The ash had grown into a long, unbroken strand, but throughout Ye Xiu's vigorous movements—waving the mouse and tapping the keyboard to execute his operations—it hadn't fallen at all. The removed cigarette was quickly stubbed out in an oddly shaped ashtray on the desk. Ye Xiu's hands flew back to the keyboard, and he was about to say something to his opponent when the door was suddenly flung open with a loud bang.
Ye Xiu didn't turn around, as if he'd been waiting for this moment. He simply asked, "You're here?"
"I'm here," Su Mucheng replied just as succinctly.
"Then let's go!" Ye Xiu declined the opponent's challenge once more, gently removing a card from the login device for the online game Glory. As he stood up and walked toward the door, he casually grabbed his coat from the nearby rack.
The night had grown quite deep, yet the Jiashi Club remained brightly lit. Ye Xiu and Su Mucheng exited the room and walked all the way to the end of the corridor. There, a spacious conference room opened up, and upon entering, one's gaze was immediately drawn to an electronic display that covered nearly the entire wall. It showcased the standings and various technical statistics of the "Glory Professional League."
Standings: The Jiashi team ranked 19th overall—second from last.
For a team that had once achieved three consecutive league championships, this result was glaringly obvious. Now, it hung on the wall in plain sight, as if mercilessly mocking everyone in the room.
Yet the atmosphere in the room wasn't the least bit somber; on the contrary, it was rather lively. The Jiashi team members were clustered around one person like stars orbiting the moon. They paid no mind to Ye Xiu's entrance, and those who did glance over did so with nothing but coldness and ridicule in their eyes.
"Ye Xiu, the club has decided that Sun Xiang, who recently transferred over, will take over your position as captain. From now on, the account 'One Autumn Leaf' will also be operated by Sun Xiang," the club manager said immediately upon seeing Ye Xiu enter. There was no prior discussion, no tactful phrasing—just a blunt, ice-cold notification, as heartless as tossing away a used tissue.
Su Mucheng opened her mouth to speak, but Ye Xiu gently stopped her, smiling and shaking his head to indicate he didn't mind.
"Brother Ye, sorry about this—taking your spot as soon as I arrive." At the first seat to the left of the conference table—the captain's seat, which should have been Ye Xiu's—Sun Xiang sat sprawled out, uttering these words without even glancing at Ye Xiu. This wasn't mere indifference; it was outright disregard. His gaze lingered more on Su Mucheng, who had entered alongside Ye Xiu.
To be fair, Su Mucheng was indeed more eye-catching than Ye Xiu. She was known as the top beauty of the Glory Professional League. Even outside this circle, tossed into the entertainment industry where beautiful women were a dime a dozen, she would still stand out as a stunningly attractive young woman.
Even Jiashi team members, who saw Su Mucheng daily, couldn't help but be momentarily stunned by her entrance. However, they quickly snapped back to attention, believing there was a more important focal point worthy of their focus.
"Haha, what Brother Xiang said—this seat is perfect for you," they hurriedly chimed in, eager to continue the conversation.
"Exactly, some people are just old and outdated!"
"One Autumn Leaf should definitely be operated by you, Brother Xiang. Only then can the true strength of the 'Battle God' be showcased."
This was the focal point of everyone's attention. Sun Xiang, a genius-level player in the new generation of the Glory Professional League. Last year, in his debut season, he easily secured the Rookie of the Year title, and his personal stats rivaled those of that season's MVP (Most Valuable Player). This season, Sun Xiang led the mediocre Yue Yun team to eighth place in the league, with hopes of making the playoffs, yet he transferred mid-season to the poorly performing Jiashi Club. All because Jiashi, despite its terrible record, possessed the account character revered as the Battle God in the online game Glory: the Battle Mage, One Autumn Leaf.
Despite being less than two years into the league, this young man was addressed as "Brother" by Jiashi's team members, who clearly recognized that Sun Xiang would be their future leader. Sun Xiang comfortably accepted the flattery and finally deigned to glance at Ye Xiu, his eyes full of contempt.
"Ye Xiu, hand over the account card for One Autumn Leaf to Sun Xiang," the club manager said.
Even with Ye Xiu's usual composure, a pang of pain inevitably struck his heart at this moment. Ye Xiu, One Autumn Leaf—the name alone revealed the account's connection to him. This was the account he had created when he first entered the world of Glory. For ten years, this account had accompanied Ye Xiu throughout his journey. What had once been a novice had become a master hailed as a textbook-level expert in Glory; the small Battle Mage of the past had risen to become the widely feared "Battle God." However, seven years ago, when he entered the professional scene and signed a contract with the club, ownership of One Autumn Leaf had been transferred to the club. Ye Xiu had long known that parting would come one day, and that day had finally arrived.
Ye Xiu's fingers trembled slightly. For a professional player, steady hands were a necessity. Yet now, this trembling was happening to Ye Xiu—a veteran whose mental fortitude had been tested to its limits. Su Mucheng turned her head away. She didn't want to see this, yet she was powerless to change it.
Under the watchful, gloating eyes of the crowd, the silver account card of One Autumn Leaf was placed before Sun Xiang.
Excitement and greed flickered in Sun Xiang's eyes. He had willingly transferred to the Jiashi Club, which had been declining in recent years, all for the sake of owning the top-tier account, One Autumn Leaf. The original operator of One Autumn Leaf, Ye Xiu, had seen poor results in recent years and had clashed repeatedly with the club. Sun Xiang was a hundred percent confident that he could take his place.
"It's mine!" In the moment he took the card, Sun Xiang felt a surge of excitement, only to sense a slight resistance from it.
Sun Xiang perceived Ye Xiu's reluctance and sneered arrogantly. "Let go, Brother Ye. Look at your hands—they're shaking so badly. How can hands like those possibly bring out the Battle God's strength? Let me take over! I'll make the Battle God's name resound throughout Glory once more. You? Time to retire!"
Just as the words left his lips, Sun Xiang noticed a sharp glint flash through Ye Xiu’s eyes—eyes that had always remained indifferent, only showing reluctance when he handed over the One Autumn Leaf account card. To his shock, Ye Xiu’s hands, which had been trembling slightly, suddenly steadied.
"Do you love this game?" Ye Xiu suddenly asked, looking directly at Sun Xiang.
"What?" Sun Xiang was taken aback.
"If you do, then treat all of this as glory, not a show."
"What are you even talking about? How is this any of your business?" Sun Xiang suddenly lost his composure. In that moment, for reasons unknown, he felt as if he had shrunk in stature compared to Ye Xiu. He didn’t want to be overshadowed like this. He had come to replace Ye Xiu, to claim the God of Fighting title and One Autumn Leaf.
"Take care of it." Just as Sun Xiang was trying to regain his confidence, Ye Xiu had already let go of the account card, said these words lightly, and turned to leave.
"Ye Xiu!" At that moment, the manager suddenly called out to him.
Ye Xiu stopped, tilting his head slightly as he heard the manager’s voice from behind: "The club doesn’t have a suitable competitive account for you at the moment, so you’ll serve as a sparring partner for now."
A sparring partner… A player who had once built a dynasty in the league and swept all individual honors was now reduced to being a sparring partner.
This arrangement greatly interested Sun Xiang, who immediately chimed in with a laugh: "With your skill, being a sparring partner should be no problem. You’ll easily be the top sparring partner in the Glory Professional League!"
"Heh." Insulted as he was, Ye Xiu still managed a laugh. He turned back to face the manager: "A sparring partner? I don’t think that’s necessary. Let’s terminate the contract."
"Terminate the contract? Are you proposing to end it voluntarily?" The manager’s expression was unreadable, almost mocking.
"That’s right. I’m requesting to terminate the contract."
"Don’t be impulsive!" Su Muqiao rushed over to stop him. The league had its rules—during a contract period, unless under special circumstances, the party requesting termination had to pay a penalty. Ye Xiu still had a year and a half left on his contract with Excellent Era. If he insisted on terminating it, the losses would be substantial. But for Su Muqiao, what she feared more was Ye Xiu’s departure.
"The boss hasn’t arrived yet. Let’s wait until he’s here to discuss this!" Su Muqiao hoped Ye Xiu would calm down.
Ye Xiu had already caught the sneer at the corner of the manager’s lips. He smiled bitterly and shook his head at Su Muqiao: "Muqiao, don’t you understand? Making me leave was the boss’s intention all along. My existence holds no value for the club anymore. I’m just a burden on the payroll."
"That’s not true. How could you be a burden? Your strength is unmatched," Su Muqiao argued.
"This isn’t just about strength. It’s business. And I’ve never had much commercial value," Ye Xiu said.
"You could have had it. You chose to give it up yourself," the manager cut in coldly.
"That’s right. That was my choice," Ye Xiu replied. The Glory Professional League was thriving, with sponsors emerging endlessly. Star players in the league were hot commodities for ads and endorsements. But Ye Xiu, as one of the top players, had always refused all advertisements and endorsements, even turning down interviews and press conferences. He was like an old-school internet user, carefully hiding his real identity in the virtual world.
This had long been a point of dissatisfaction for the club. They saw a gold mine sitting right beside them but couldn’t extract any profit from it. Only Ye Xiu’s exceptional skill had allowed the club to gain fame and accumulate honors in the league, which kept them tolerant. But now, with their recent poor performance, all of that had faded.
"The commercialization of the league allowed us to survive, but now…" Ye Xiu couldn’t finish. He didn’t know whether this development was good or bad. Today’s league was steeped in commercialism, with every club owner’s primary concern being how to profit from their team. Ye Xiu missed the early days of the league, when it was driven by a love for the game and a relentless pursuit of glory. Now, even the pursuit of honor was merely a means to greater profit.
Su Muqiao fell silent. She had walked the same path as Ye Xiu from the beginning and was also a seasoned expert who had witnessed everything. Her eyes glistened with tears. She knew Ye Xiu was truly leaving. Stopping him would only bring him more pain.
"In that case, I…"
"No need." Ye Xiu smiled, cutting Su Muqiao off. He knew what she was about to say. "Don’t worry. I haven’t reached the point of despair. I’ll be back."
"Well said. As expected of the Ye Xiu I know—full of ambition. Now, let’s discuss the penalty for contract termination. Honestly, after all your years of hard work at Excellent Era, we won’t be too harsh. Since you want to leave, let’s sit down and talk it out. How about a mutually agreed termination?"
"Get to the point. What are your conditions?" Ye Xiu asked.
"Straightforward. The condition is simple: just announce your retirement," the manager said.
"Retirement! And you call that not harsh?" Su Muqiao was furious. Ye Xiu was 25 this year—considered advanced age for professional esports players. Retiring at this age wasn’t unusual. But Ye Xiu had just made it clear he wasn’t ready to give up, and Excellent Era’s immediate counteroffer was retirement. It was clearly targeted.
A retired player was naturally ineligible to compete professionally. While retirements and comebacks were possible, the Glory Professional League stipulated that retired players had to wait a year before returning. This prevented people from retiring one day and rejoining another team the next. Ye Xiu was already in the twilight of his career; every day counted. Now they wanted him to waste an entire year. Even if he returned after that, with his age, a year without high-level competition to maintain his form, and only past fame to rely on, it was questionable whether any team would take him. Moreover, Ye Xiu had a critical drawback: he refused to engage in commercial activities.
This seemed like a condition impossible to accept, yet Ye Xiu nodded without hesitation: "I agree."
"Have you lost your mind?" Su Muqiao was shocked.
"I’ve been exhausted all these years. What’s wrong with taking a year off?" Ye Xiu smiled.
"You… What exactly are you thinking?" Su Muqiao couldn’t comprehend it at all.
"It's nothing." Ye Qiu turned his head. The manager had already handed over several documents. Ye Qiu took them, glanced at them, and smiled. They were really well-prepared, he thought, as he quickly signed his name.
Time to leave...
Ye Qiu took one last look at the place where he had spent seven years. Without any polite farewells, he silently turned around, ready to leave.
"I'll walk you out." Su Mucheng was the only one who followed him.