Chapter 1: The Expert Who Was Exiled
"Click, click, click, tap, tap..."
A pair of dexterous hands fluttered, manipulating the keyboard and mouse, the rhythmic click echoing like a sprightly musical piece. As the screen lit up with brilliant rays of light, the opponent spilled blood and fell.
"Heh." Ye Kai chuckled, removing the cigarette stub from the corner of his mouth. The silver ash had formed a long chain, yet not a speck was shaken off as Ye Kai maneuvered with swift strokes of the mouse and keyboard. The discarded cigarette was quickly snuffed out in an oddly shaped ashtray on the table, and Ye Kai's hands swiftly returned to the keyboard, preparing to say something to his opponent, when the door was suddenly thrust open.
Ye Kai didn't look back, as though he had been expecting this moment, and simply asked, "You're here?"
"I am." Su Mucheng's reply was just as succinct.
"Then let's go!" Ye Kai rejected another invitation for a duel from his opponent and gently lifted a card from the Glory game's specialized login device, putting on his coat as he walked to the door.
The night was deep, yet the Jiashi Clubhouse was still brightly lit. Ye Kai and Su Mucheng walked out of the room, down to the end of the corridor. There was a large meeting room where, upon entering, one could see an electronic display screen almost filling the entire wall, showing the "Glory Professional League" rankings and some technical statistics.
Team Rankings: Jiashi team is ranked nineteenth, second from the bottom.
For a team that had once created a three-time championship legacy, this ranking was particularly glaring. Yet, here it was, shining brightly on the wall, like mercilessly mocking everyone.
However, the atmosphere in the room was anything but somber; on the contrary, it was rather lively. Jiashi's team members were currently surrounding a person, ignoring Ye Kai as he entered. Those who did glance his way did so with coldness and mockery in their eyes.
"Ye Kai, the club has decided to have Sun Xiang, the new transfer, replace you as the captain. One Autumn Leaf will also be controlled by Sun Xiang from now on," the club manager announced as soon as he saw Ye Kai enter. There were no prior discussions, no gentle articulations, just a blunt and ice-cold notification, dismissive like throwing away a used tissue.
Su Mucheng opened her mouth to speak but was gently pulled back by Ye Kai, who smiled and shook his head at her, indicating he didn't mind.
"Sorry, Ye bro, taking your place as soon as I arrived," Sun Xiang said nonchalantly from the first seat on the left side of the meeting table—the captain's seat that should have belonged to Ye Kai. He didn't even glance at Ye Kai, not just neglect but outright disregard. His gaze, instead, lingered on Su Mucheng, who had entered with Ye Kai.
Fair to say, Su Mucheng indeed stole more attention than Ye Kai. She was known as the number one beauty of the Glory League. Even outside this circle, in a realm filled with beauties like the entertainment industry, she remained an exceptional beauty.
Even Jiashi's teammates, who saw Su Mucheng every day, couldn't help but be momentarily dazed seeing her enter. However, they quickly regained their composure, believing they had more important focal points to concentrate on.
"Ha haha, Brother Xiang, you truly belong to this position," the team members quickly followed up, seizing the opportunity to flatter him.
"Indeed, some people are just too old, outdated!"
"One Autumn Leaf should indeed be controlled by Brother Xiang, only then can its true strength as a Fighting God shine."
This was the focal point of everyone's attention at the moment. Sun Xiang, a genius player of the new generation in the Glory Professional League. He won the title of Rookie King shortly after joining the league and his personal statistics weren't much different from the MVP (Most Valuable Player) of the same year. This season, Sun Xiang led the relatively mediocre Yeyun team to the eighth position in the league and aimed for the playoffs before transferring to the struggling Jiashi Club. The reason was Jiashi, despite its poor performance, had in its possession One Autumn Leaf, a character in the game Glory known as the Fighting God.
This newcomer, not even two years into the league, was shamelessly called "brother" by the older members of Jiashi. It was clear they saw Sun Xiang as the future leader of the Jiashi team. Sun Xiang comfortably accepted the flattery, finally deigning to give Ye Kai a glance, filled with disdain.
"Give the One Autumn Leaf account card to Sun Xiang," the club manager said.
Despite his easygoing nature, Ye Kai couldn't help but feel a sting in his heart. Ye Kai and One Autumn Leaf—the account name already indicated its connection with Ye Kai, an avatar he created when he first entered the world of Glory. For ten years, this account had accompanied Ye Kai. From a rookie to being hailed as a master tactician in Glory, and from a little Battle Mage to a renowned "Fighting God," in Glory. Yet, seven years into his professional career, after signing a contract with the club, the ownership of One Autumn Leaf had transferred to the club. Ye Kai knew a separation would come, and that day had finally arrived.
Ye Kai's fingers trembled slightly. For a professional player, steady hands were a necessity, but now, the trembling happened to Ye Kai, a seasoned player known for his mental fortitude. Su Mucheng turned her head away; she didn't want to witness this moment but felt powerless to stop it.
Under the gleeful eyes of others, the silver account card of One Autumn Leaf was handed to Sun Xiang.
Sun Xiang's eyes sparkled with excitement and greed. He was willing to transfer to the significantly less successful Jiashi Club of the past two years just for the possession of One Autumn Leaf. As the original operator of One Autumn Leaf, Ye Kai's recent performance had been lacking, and conflicts with the club were frequent. Sun Xiang was confident he could replace him.
"Got it!" As he caught the account card, a thrill went through Sun Xiang, yet he felt a resistance from the card.
Sun Xiang sensed Ye Kai's reluctance and arrogantly said, "Let go, Ye Bro. Look at your hands, shaking like that. How could such hands exhibit the strength of a Fighting God? Let me do it! I'll make the title of the Fighting God resound throughout Glory once more. You? Retire!"
At these words, Sun Xiang saw a sharp glint flash through Ye Kai's normally indifferent eyes, shocked to find that Ye Kai's trembling hands had suddenly stilled.
"Do you like this game?" Ye Kai suddenly stared at Sun Xiang and asked.
"What?" Sun Xiang was startled.
"If you do, treat all this as honor, not just for showing off."
"What are you talking about? What does this have to do with you?" Sun Xiang lost his composure for a moment, feeling inexplicably belittled by Ye Kai. He was here to replace Ye Kai, to take over the renowned Fighting God, One Autumn Leaf.
"Take good care of it." As Sun Xiang tried to gather his composure, Ye Kai had already released the account card, saying lightly before turning to leave.
"Ye Kai!" At that moment, the manager suddenly called out to him.
Ye Kai stopped, slightly turning his head to hear the manager, who was already speaking behind him, say, "Currently, the club doesn't have a suitable competition account for you. Just stay in the team as a sparring partner for now."
Sparring partner... A veteran who had created a dynasty in the league and achieved all personal honors was now reduced to a sparring partner.
Sun Xiang found this arrangement interesting and immediately laughed, "With your level, Ye Bro, being a sparring partner should be no problem. The number one sparring partner of the Glory Professional League is none other than you!"
"Haha." Facing such insult, Ye Kai could still afford to laugh, turning to the manager, "Sparring partner? I think not, let's terminate the contract."
"Terminating the contract? You mean to say you're initiating the termination?" The manager's expression seemed quite amused.
"That's right, I request to terminate the contract."
"Don't be impulsive!" Su Mucheng quickly came to dissuade him. The league had its rules: during the contract period, barring special circumstances, any party initiating termination had to pay a penalty fee. Ye Kai still had a year and a half left on his contract with Jiashi. If he insisted on terminating the contract, the financial loss would be significant. But what Su Mucheng feared more was Ye Kai's departure.
"The boss hasn't arrived yet. Let's wait for the boss to discuss it," Su Mucheng hoped Ye Kai could calm down.
But Ye Kai had already noticed the mockery in the manager's smile and shook his head at Su Mucheng, "Mucheng, don't you understand? They want me gone. My presence is of no value to the club now, just a salary burden."
"That's not true, how can you be a burden? Your strength is unmatched by anyone," Su Mucheng said.
"It's not just about strength; it's business. And me, I've never had any commercial value," Ye Kai said.
"You were supposed to have it, but you chose to give it up," the manager suddenly interjected coldly.
"That's my choice," Ye Kai said. The Glory League was thriving, attracting endless sponsors. Star players naturally became sought-after for advertisements and endorsements. However, Ye Kai, as a top player, always refused any ads and endorsements, even avoiding interviews and press conferences. He was like an old-school netizen, carefully hiding his real identity in the virtual world.
The club was dissatisfied with this. They saw a gold mine right beside them but couldn't extract any profit from him. Only because Ye Kai's strength had brought the club fame and honors in the league could they tolerate it. But with the current slump in performance, things had changed.
"The league's commercialization kept us alive, but now..." Ye Kai didn't finish his sentence; he wasn't sure if this development was good or bad. The current league was filled with commercial intent, with every club owner first considering how to use their team for profit. Yearning for the game's honor, they tirelessly strived, and Ye Kai missed the league's early development days. Now, the pursuit of honor was merely for greater benefits.
Su Mucheng didn't speak. She had walked the same path as Ye Kai and witnessed everything. Tears filled her eyes, knowing Ye Kai truly intended to leave. Stopping him would only cause him more pain.
"So, I..."
"It's unnecessary." Ye Kai interrupted Su Mucheng with a smile, knowing what she wanted to say, "Don't worry, I'm not yet desperate. I'll return."
"That's right, that's the Ye Kai I know. So ambitious. Now, let's talk about this termination fee! Honestly, after so many years of hard work in Jiashi, we won't be too harsh. Since you want to leave, let's sit down and discuss a mutual agreement for termination, shall we?"
"Let's hear it, what are your conditions?" Ye Kai asked.
"Straightforward. The condition is simply, you announce your retirement," the manager said.
"Retire! And you say that's not harsh?" Su Mucheng was furious. Ye Kai, at 25, was considered old for an esports player, so retiring at this age wasn't unusual. But Ye Kai had just expressed his unwillingness to give up, and the club's negotiation condition was immediate retirement, clearly targeting him.
Retired players naturally aren't eligible to participate in professional competitions. Although players can return from retirement, the Glory Professional League rules state that retired players must wait a year before they can return to avoid players switching teams routinely. Ye Kai was already at an advanced stage of his career; every day was precious, yet the club wanted him to waste a year. After this year, even if he returned, his advanced age and lack of high-level competition for a year, relying solely on his past fame, it would be uncertain whether any team would accept him. Additionally, Ye Kai had one fatal flaw: he refused to engage in commercial activities.
This seemed an unacceptable negotiation condition, but Ye Kai nodded in agreement: "I agree."
"Are you crazy?" Su Mucheng was shocked.
"Tired after so many years, what's wrong with resting for a year?" Ye Kai smiled.
"What... what are you thinking?" Su Mucheng was utterly puzzled.
"Nothing." Ye Kai turned his head, and the manager had already presented several documents. Ye Kai took a look, smiled, and saw that they were well-prepared. Thinking it over, Ye Kai quickly signed his name.
He was leaving...
Ye Kai took one last look at the place he had been for seven years, didn't say any polite farewell words, and silently turned to leave.
"I'll see you off," Su Mucheng was the only one who followed him.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone