As soon as the Human Emperor Banner came out, I became the Lord of the Old Ones

Chapter 160 Xiong Tieshan's Worries
The small but absolutely hardcore supporters of the no-card stream and the believers of the Absolute God Path experienced a rollercoaster of emotions.

The frustration and anxiety of the past two weeks seemed to be released all at once with Xiong Rulong's earth-shattering dive and slam.

They couldn't help but raise their arms high with Xiong Rulong, letting out a blood-pumping shout.

The exceptionally loud shouts made the commentary booth seem quite silent in comparison.

After a long pause, Senior Card Maker Gu Xingzhou hesitated before saying, "Zhao Lian seems to have made a basic mistake, allowing his opponent to seize the opportunity and execute a diving takedown that is rarely seen in actual combat."

"I don't understand why this experienced seeded player doesn't create enough distance between himself and his opponent before activating the sealed card."

"The medical team has now entered the game. Judging from Zhao Lian's condition, we will probably have to wait until all the matches today are over before we can get an answer from him."

The narrator's hesitation did not dampen the spirits of Wang Dali, Song Sixi, and others watching on television.

Cheers erupted in the ward.

However, while cheering, Wang Dali secretly observed Xiong Tieshan's expression, which looked uneasy.

Of course, none of this escaped Xiong Tieshan's notice.

He glanced at his cheering buddies, seemed to realize something, and pulled Wang Dali, who was clearly hiding something, aside.

"Was it A-Yue who sent you?"

Xiong Tieshan asked with a stern face, "What, are you afraid I'll disapprove of their use of the sealing card, so you deliberately sent you here to keep me company and prevent me from retaliating?"

"That's not true at all. Watching a game is more fun when there are more people!"

Wang Dali observed Xiong Tieshan's expression and saw that he was not furious or had a relapse of his heart condition. He breathed a sigh of relief and continued, "Director Xiong, please don't blame Manager Xiong. She had no choice. You don't know how much she has suffered in the past two weeks in order to save the Kuangtie Club."

"Honestly, although we are just customers, we have been training at Kuangtie Club for so many years and have long regarded this place as our home. We all hope that Kuangtie can persevere and grow stronger!"

Xiong Tieshan gave a soft hum.

"So, she came up with this crooked scheme entirely for the sake of the Kuangtie Club?"

"That's not it."

Wang Dali honestly said, "Actually, in the past half month, Manager Xiong has been running around outside most of the time, while the Kuangtie team has been training behind closed doors and figuring out new tactics on their own."

"This is impossible."

Xiong Tieshan shook his head vigorously, "I know exactly what my disciples and nephews are capable of. They simply don't have the brains to come up with a way to confuse the opponent by wearing a card reader."

At this point, Xiong Tieshan himself was taken aback.

He realized that even his own daughter was unlikely to break with convention and come up with such a tactic.

"Or perhaps it's Xu Yan?"

Wang Dali thought for a moment and said, "Xu Yan has provided the Kuangtie team with a lot of training cards lately, and he's also acted as the temporary team doctor, often giving them massages and helping them recover. Besides, coming from the wilderness, his mind is naturally quite active, and he often comes up with ideas we could never even dream of."

"Xu Yan?"

Xiong Tieshan was slightly taken aback.

Then he thought of the technique Xu Yan used to stimulate Hou Zhijian's acupoints earlier.

"That's right. In the past two weeks, when Manager Xiong was not at the club, Xu Yan has been the one taking the lead. He not only helped the Kuang Tie team with training, but he was also the one who was busy with the 're-employment training class'. He helped Uncle Song and the others to clear blocked meridians, twist deformed bones, and adjust overly swollen muscles. He also taught them a set of exercises. Uncle Song and the others said that in just a few days, they felt much better, and the pain caused by their occupational diseases was greatly reduced."

Wang Dali asked cautiously, "Director Xiong, if Xu Yan really came up with this solution for the Kuangtie Team, you wouldn't be angry with him, and you certainly wouldn't fire him, would you?"

"What, in your hearts, am I such an incorrigible, stubborn old man who can't tell right from wrong?"

Xiong Tieshan chuckled, looking at his withered arms, and shook his head and sighed, "If it weren't for my lack of skill, which ruined my health, and my blind faith in ingrates, how could the Kuangtie Club have ended up like this, to the point where they have to resort to crooked methods as a last resort?"

"Don't worry, I'm not senile yet. As for A-Yue, Xu Yan is not related to us. With his abilities, where can't he find a place to eat? He's willing to stay and share our joys and sorrows during this turbulent time. I'm already very grateful. How could I possibly blame him?"

"However, they are being naive if they think they can solve the problems of the Crazy Iron Club with such trivial tricks."

Xiong Tieshan said that over the past few hundred years, it's not that no one has noticed the flaws of cardless data transfer.

Many top players of the no-card-playing game, including himself, want to innovate their theories and techniques to keep up with the times.

Wearing a card reader to confuse the enemy—such a simple method, surely no one has thought of it before?

Unfortunately, this approach does not address the root of the problem.

"Taking the Dawn Cup as an example, to stand out from hundreds of players and at least make it to the quarterfinals, you need to play six matches."

"In the first match, it is certainly possible to use opportunistic methods to divert the opponent's attention and succeed in a surprise attack by chance."

"In the upcoming matches, the opponents will be on guard. Can they still fall for the same tricks again and again?"
"Moreover, people are inherently lazy and prone to wishful thinking. Once they get used to using so-called 'tactics' and relying on unorthodox methods to defeat the enemy, they are more likely to slack off in their daily training and neglect the most important thing for the cardless style - our flesh and blood that will never betray us."

"Whether it's A Yue, Xu Yan, or all of you old friends who have supported us all the way, everyone is doing their best to help the Kuang Tie Club survive. No matter what methods they use, I won't be angry."

"But I really dare not hope that all the opponents in the future will be as careless as Zhao Lian and be deceived by the same tricks time and time again!"

It seemed to be to confirm his words.

Soon, on another arena, the last contestant of the Kuangtie team, the fifteen-year-old Xiong Chenghu, also appeared wearing a shiny card reader.

His opponent was not as powerful as Zhao Lian.

He clearly learned from Zhao Lian's lesson. As soon as the match started, he distanced himself and did not rush to activate his sealing card. Instead, he raised his arms to protect his face and shot out cautious eyes through the gaps between his arms, keeping a close eye on Xiong Chenghu's every move and not giving him any chance to take advantage.

(End of this chapter)