The King's Avatar: The Sword Immortal Returns

Chapter 167 Kidney Overdraft?! A Discussion on the Veterans' Condition—

"What???"

Huang Shaotian was smiling as he watched Ye Xiu begin his lecture, but Ye Xiu suddenly called on him, leaving Huang Shaotian completely bewildered, wondering what he had done wrong.
"I'll reiterate once again, your health is the most important thing. I don't need to say more about what you wanted to do during the ring match, Huang Shaotian. Under that extreme condition, you still wanted to unleash your hand speed again. Don't you really want to give up your professional career?"

Ye Xiu looked at Huang Shaotian very seriously. This problem absolutely needed to be addressed seriously; otherwise, more and more players would neglect their physical limits because they were too focused on winning matches.
Huang Shaotian was well aware of how far he was pushing himself at that moment, but he refused to give up easily. Huang Shaotian was the Sword Saint, the Sword Saint of the Chinese team; how could he possibly admit defeat at that time?

"If this happens again, you'll be suspended for one game. Shaotian, remember that—"

Ye Xiu knew very well that the future still depended on these young players. Ye Xiu and Mo Qian could not possibly lead them on the field forever. Only when outstanding players like Huang Shaotian and Yu Wenzhou grew up quickly could Ye Xiu and the others retire with peace of mind.
That's right, Ye Xiu has already started preparing for retirement. He can gradually feel his strength waning.

Although it's unclear how Mo Qian managed to maintain the same reaction speed as when he was eighteen, even at this age, Ye Xiu simply couldn't do it. There was a touch of envy, after all, such talent is something that only comes along once in a lifetime.

Ye Xiu felt that he would definitely retire earlier than Mo Qian, because Ye Xiu's reflexes were gradually declining, and he was feeling powerless. It wasn't that his kidneys were overdrawn, but rather that Ye Xiu's physical condition was beginning to deteriorate.
His experience was constantly improving, but Ye Xiu's skills were steadily declining. This day had finally come. Ye Xiu had played for so many years, but even a weakened camel is bigger than a horse. Even though his form was slowly slipping, and he had to do countless recovery training sessions every day...
However, this doesn't negate Ye Xiu's terrifying strength. Ye Xiu will absolutely not give up; at the very least, he will finish this World Invitational Tournament.

In the post-match interview,
Almost every member of the Japanese team wore a grim expression, thinking, "We're doomed, we're going to get beaten to death when we get back home."
However, the Chinese team seemed to be under no pressure at all; everyone was all smiles. While it was a bit of a disappointment that they didn't completely shut out the Japanese team, there was an advantage to not doing so: it gave their opponents a false impression.
That means I'm only not shaving your head completely bald out of politeness, not because I lack the ability to do so.
After the incredibly harmonious post-match interviews, everyone went home to their own families.
Mo Qian, Huang Shaotian, and the others planned to go and celebrate. After all, it was their first victory in an international competition, which was quite memorable.

Ye Xiu, however, sought out Han Wenqing and volunteered to practice with him more.

After several one-on-one matches, Ye Xiu won every single one, but Han Wenqing finally understood why Ye Xiu had sought him out. It wasn't just Han Wenqing's own performance that was declining;

When Han Wenqing was fighting Ye Xiu one-on-one, he noticed the changes in Ye Xiu's strength and condition. Ye Xiu's condition was gradually declining - at least for Han Wenqing, he no longer had the same pressure as before. However, Han Wenqing still couldn't beat him because Han Wenqing's condition had declined even more severely than Ye Xiu's.

"Old Han, are you in the same boat? Slowly, gradually, you can't pull off those amazing plays anymore—"

Ye Xiu looked at Han Wenqing. Han Wenqing's slump had started much earlier than Ye Xiu's, but Han Wenqing still refused to give up. Despite being a veteran, he remained active in the league.

It was Han Wenqing's spirit that gave Ye Xiu the hope to persevere; Ye Xiu's fighting spirit was truly ignited by Han Wenqing.
They debuted around the same time, after all. As a Battle God, Ye Xiu wouldn't believe his strength was inferior to Han Wenqing's. "Was my hand speed a little slower again? Damn it!"

Han Wenqing patted Ye Xiu's shoulder reassuringly, but when he realized that Ye Xiu's hand speed had only decreased slightly, Han Wenqing immediately lost interest in comforting him.

"No, your hand speed has only decreased a little bit, why are you so upset!"

Han Wenqing really wanted to say those words, but in the end he held back, after all, he was there to comfort Ye Xiu—

"Hmph! When did you start worrying about this kind of thing? Didn't you always say you'd keep playing Honor of Kings?"

Ye Xiu gave a wry smile:
"Yeah, Honor of Kings, I could play it for another ten years and never get tired of it, but my current state of mind isn't quite what I want—"

Ye Xiu originally planned to play professionally for another ten years, but now it seems that's a bit too risky. After this World Invitational Tournament, Ye Xiu will probably have to step down and give way.

"Hmm—you can ask Mo Qian about her beauty secrets."

Han Wenqing was well aware of Ye Xiu's troubles, but Ye Xiu's troubles were also Han Wenqing's troubles. Han Wenqing probably couldn't continue playing after the World Invitational Tournament either.

It's not that I've stopped playing Honor of Kings, but that I can no longer play professionally because my form isn't what it used to be, and I can't handle the intensity of those matches anymore. It's been over a decade; I'm no longer that naive eighteen-year-old boy I once was.
Ye Xiu and Han Wenqing are both getting old now, and their reactions can hardly keep up with the younger players. However, among the veterans, there is still one exceptionally skilled player: Lao Mo.

Heaven knows how Mo Qian managed to react so quickly. Is it because Mo Qian's mind is never filled with anything about tactics or scheming?
Han Wenqing and Ye Xiu have both played Glory for over a decade, and their tactical skills are quite high. Ye Xiu, in particular, is one of the four great tactical masters, the "Glory Textbook"—his heart is utterly black, black inside and out.

But looking at Mo Qian, who has been playing Glory for over a decade, he still can't remember all the class skills. Or rather, it's not that he can't remember them; Mo Qian simply relies on muscle memory to memorize all the class skills. Imprinting all the class skills in his brain is enough for him to successfully recall all the skills.
Perhaps this is why Mo Qian is still in such good form—his mind isn't just a tactical one.

(End of this chapter)