National destiny: Global tower climbing skills have decreased by 10,000 times.

Ye Fei looked at the friend requests on the screen, his finger hovering over the mouse for a second.

"Cai Chu" is the person who stirred up trouble, incited fans, and accused him of being a "cheater" during the live stream; he's the source of it all.

Now he's taking the initiative to add me.

Ye Fei clicked "Agree".

A dialog box popped up, the "typing" indicator flashed twice, and a message was sent:

Hello, I'm the chef.

Ye Fei leaned back in his chair and typed out a sentence:

"Yes, I know, the number one viewer in the Dragon Kingdom, the streamer with millions of followers in the Spire area, right?"

The other party was silent for a few seconds, then sent a series of messages:

"Since you already know, I won't beat around the bush and will just ask one question:"

"Tell me, was your A4 spectator record from yesterday cheated or did you use a substitute player?"

As a top player in the spectator track, Cai Chu knows all too well that even if someone is a substitute player, which substitute player in China can achieve a higher score than him?

The reason I say this is simply to give "cheating" more options, so that what I say doesn't sound so absolute.

"Don't blame me for being suspicious, but this account of yours was newly created, and you cleared all four levels (A0 to A4) on your first try, breaking my three-year record. Anyone would be suspicious."

Ye Fei answered almost instantly, replying with only a few words:

Is that possible?

"So I typed it myself?"

Upon seeing this reply, the chef was initially startled, but then thought that if it was cheating, it would still count as him having done it. He then asked:

"Okay, since you've admitted it, then tell me honestly, which cheat software did you use? Or did you exploit some bug?"

Ye Fei's reply followed immediately:

I find it strange.

"Does achieving such results really require cheating?"

The other party paused, seemingly processing the two replies. A few seconds later, another message arrived:

"Fine, you said it."

"You need to know who I am, and what breaking that record means."

Ye Fei knew, of course—Cai Chu, the holder of the title "Number One Observer in the Dragon Kingdom," a top streamer in the Spire District with millions of followers.

Breaking his three-year reign at the top simply means his number one position has been shaken. For a professional streamer who relies on skill for a living, this is tantamount to losing his job.

Ye Fei's reply remained brief:

Okay, I understand.

What do you want?

The chef immediately replied, his words carrying a hint of negotiation:

I'll be frank with you, I'll give you two options:

"First, you delete the records, publicly admit to cheating, and never use this account again. I will then drop the matter."

"second--"

He paused for a moment.

"Don't stream yet. Let's have a private 1v1 match and see what your skill level really is."

"If you really have some talent, I can give you a way out: we can collaborate on a script, and you'll get a share of the profits."

"But if I find out you cheated, don't blame me for being ruthless."

"You've probably seen my influence, and I'm sure you don't want to get yourself into trouble, right?"

Ye Fei was well aware that the barrage of news that morning was the best proof of this.

"I'll give you a few minutes to think it over carefully, and then reply to me."

Ye Fei looked at these lines of text and a slight smile appeared on his lips.

The so-called "two options" are nothing more than a senior figure giving instructions to an ignorant newcomer.

But at least he gave the option of "one-on-one," which is the simplest and easiest option since it's a fight.

Ye Fei replied immediately:

"Alright, let's play one game then."

How do we fight?

The chef's anger flared up at the thought that the man was just playing around, but he managed to suppress it with reason.

"You know about that new 1v1 mode?"

Ye Fei replied: "I don't know."

Hearing this answer, the chef became even more convinced that he was a novice who relied on cheating to gain attention, and his tone became even more contemptuous:

"Okay, it's okay if you don't know. Just wait here, I'll pull you into the room."

The 1v1 mode is the latest online multiplayer mode in Slay the Spire International Edition. Two players are matched into the same room, using the same character and the same seed, and start the game at the same time. All the random numbers are the same, and the winner is determined by the completion time and score.

After briefly learning about the situation, Ye Fei didn't say much and clicked on the room link sent by the chef.

The game interface flashed, switching to an unfamiliar room layout. On the left was his character's slot, on the right was the chef's, and in the middle were the room settings.

Advanced difficulty A4, role: spectator, seed: random. A prominent countdown timer appears below: 'Waiting for confirmation from both parties'.

The chef typed in the chat box:

"Let me make this clear first, I won't be streaming this game, and you don't need to either. It's just the two of us, so you can just play freely."

"If you really have some skill, even if you lose, I'll give you a way out and won't make things too embarrassing for you."

"However, if you still rely on cheating to win, the consequences won't be as simple as just being exposed online. At the very least, the name 'Black Evening' will never appear in the tower defense community again."

"So, have you thought it through? If it's cheating, it's not too late to admit it now. Once you start, there's no going back!"

Ye Fei typed seven words:

"No need for further explanation, let's begin."

The room status changed from "Waiting" to "Loading".

Countdown: 3, 2, 1 —

The screen went black, and the familiar giant blue whale appeared in the center of the screen. The numbers in the upper right corner began to change rapidly—that was the millisecond timer unique to the one-on-one mode.

Same seed, same character, same progression. All card rewards, events, and monster order are exactly the same.

In this mode, luck is minimized, and it all comes down to game understanding and pure skill.

The chef's mouse clicked rapidly, drawing cards, playing cards, settling accounts, selecting cards... Three years of live streaming experience had given him an almost instinctive level of proficiency, and all his operations were smooth and seamless.

The order of which cards to play first, which to play later, which cards to take, and which cards to avoid are ingrained in his brain like muscle memory. He makes his decisions almost instantly, without needing to think.

Soon, the first two levels were cleared easily, and at 24 minutes and 21 seconds, the second level boss fell to the ground.

On the screen, a crimson divine beast—'Chimeramon King Tanks'—is baring its fangs and claws, looking majestic and imposing at the player.

Veteran players know that the rewards from the Ancient Peoples are of very high quality. Once you see this bright red background, it basically means that the next level, the third level, will be a relatively easy journey.

Looking at the three relic options presented on the screen, the chef frowned, hesitating for the first time.