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

Ye Fei progressed from Advanced Level 0 to Advanced Level 3, and each match was played with great ease.

My luck with the cards wasn't particularly good or bad; there was nothing special about it. I basically relied on unconscious, instinctive actions to get through it all.

He was even distracted while fighting the advanced level 2 boss, thinking about what to have for dinner—and the boss in front of him had already fallen.

He didn't take it seriously when he started at level 4.

On the second level, a "Tiger Descending the Mountain" card appeared in the deck rewards.

"Wow! I've been waiting for this for so long, it's finally here!"

The moment I got this card, the entire deck's rhythm changed: Tiger's Fury activated, followed by anger, calm, anger, and then calm again...

This cycle was like a wound-up toy; the monsters' health dropped bit by bit, elite monsters couldn't last more than two rounds, and the boss didn't survive much longer either.

At 37 minutes and 14 seconds, the final boss, the "Experimental Subject," collapsed, his body burned to bones.

Ye Fei looked at the settlement screen and wiggled his fingers.

"Thirty-seven minutes and fourteen seconds"—in his original world, this time was only considered average. For the "observer's" speedrun, anything under forty minutes was only considered average.

The most skilled players can even keep the time under thirty minutes, a feat that is not surprising to the 'viewers'.

But he felt it was pretty good; after playing several rounds, this was his best result of the day.

"Well, it's a bit slower than I expected, but it's still okay."

Just as I exited the page, my stomach suddenly made a rumbling sound, followed by a wave of fatigue.

He looked down and realized that he hadn't eaten anything all day since he transmigrated.

I glanced at the time in the lower right corner of the computer screen; it was 7:30 PM, and it was already dark outside.

"Ugh~ I'm not playing anymore, I'll stop here for today."

The most urgent thing is to have a good meal first.

He opened his phone account, and the balance column clearly showed "10000 yuan".

Ten thousand?

Ye Fei stared at the number for two seconds, his mind racing.

Ten thousand yuan isn't a lot, but it's not a small amount either; it's enough for him to survive in this world for a while.

The problem is obvious: he must find a stable source of income before the money runs out.

He shut down his computer, casually threw on his coat, grabbed his phone, and went out.

Little did he know that the score he rated as "okay" had quietly climbed to the top of the "Observer" A4 Dragon Kingdom Speedrun Ranking.

……

The hallway was quiet. As you exited the apartment building and turned the corner, a restaurant sign glowed with a warm yellow light.

The restaurant was bustling with activity, and the aroma of food wafted through the glass, clearly indicating it was a popular and well-regarded establishment frequented by locals.

Pushing open the door, you enter a small restaurant with seven or eight tables fully occupied.

Almost all the customers sitting a little further out, with food in their hands, were staring at the same spot.

At the window seat, two middle-aged men each had a bowl of noodles, their chopsticks dangling in mid-air, their gazes fixed in the same direction.

It was a large television hanging on the wall, and a program was playing on it.

Ye Fei found an empty seat in a corner and sat down. Just as he picked up the menu, a stirring opening theme song came from the TV.

He looked up and glanced at it.

It was a program he had never seen before, with a gold logo and burning effects—it looked like an officially produced e-sports news program.

It turns out that in this world, Slay the Spire is the most popular game, and almost 80% of internet users around the world, regardless of age or gender, are players of this game.

"Spirit Tower Esports" has naturally become the most watched national sports competition, and its popularity is higher than that of all other sports combined.

The Dragon Kingdom is no exception. Staying informed about the latest 'Spirit Tower Esports' international tournaments and watching live streams of professional players has become a daily habit for the people of the Dragon Kingdom.

Discussions about the results of "Spirit Tower Esports" are a popular topic of conversation among countless Chinese people. Because it concerns the fate of the nation, not only non-gamers, but even middle-aged and elderly people who don't often go online will occasionally chime in.

This is a fairly normal phenomenon in China; it can even be described as a trend or a culture.

The scene has now switched from the opening credits to the studio, where the host is a well-dressed, impeccably made-up young woman smiling at the camera.

"Welcome to this episode of 'Tower World Chronicles'. Today, we are very honored to have invited the players from the 'Purple Cloud' team, a professional esports team that has just returned from the National Games of the Tower of Triumph and represented the Dragon Kingdom."

"Let's give a warm round of applause to welcome Ling Xiao, the captain of the 'Purple Clouds' team!"

The camera then shifts to a young man in his early twenties.

He was wearing a red uniform representing the Dragon Kingdom, with a golden dragon emblem embroidered on his chest, and he sat upright.

But the expression on his face was as if he were carrying a thousand-pound weight. He had heavy dark circles under his eyes, and his lips were pressed into a thin line, clearly indicating that he had been under pressure for a long time and lacked rest.

He nodded slightly at the camera, forcing a smile.

The restaurant became much quieter. Many customers put down their chopsticks, and even the middle-aged man by the window stopped chewing, his attention drawn to the television.

"Captain Ling, it's a pleasure to have you on our program 'Tower World' today!" The host's voice was gentle and professional.

"First of all, congratulations to the Dragon Kingdom team for achieving seventh place in this competition. Although it is a pity that they failed to advance to the finals, they have successfully secured a seeded position for the next competition."

The diners at the next table, who had been quiet, suddenly began to whisper among themselves:

"Sigh, seventh again. Wasn't it seventh last year too?"

"There's nothing we can do. The malfunctioning robots from the UK have already developed the third generation of their playing style, while we're still stuck in the second generation. We can't even learn from them."

"I saw online that our Dragon Country hasn't produced a single A10 player in five years. Apart from 'Wuhen,' it's just 'Wuhen,' and there's no one below that..."

Ling Xiao's lips twitched slightly. The host continued asking questions, and everyone's attention returned to the television:

"Our nation's hundreds of millions of viewers are paying close attention to the results of the national games, and we received the news of your return home as soon as possible today."

"As the team captain, what would you like to say to the national audience regarding the results of this competition?"

"Thank you." His voice was a little hoarse, and he paused for a moment.

"I am very sorry. I know that our performance this year was very poor and we failed to live up to the expectations of hundreds of millions of viewers across the country."

"As the captain, I should bear the main responsibility. Here, on behalf of the whole team, I would like to say to the audience across the country—I'm sorry."

After speaking, Ling Xiao stood up and bowed deeply to the camera with a solemn expression.

The host tilted his head slightly and softened his tone:

"Could you tell us more specifically? Before the competition, the outside world expected the Chinese team to finish in the top five, or even secure a top-four finish and a top-three finish. What do you think went wrong?"

Ling Xiao remained silent for a few seconds, his hands gripping the table, his knuckles turning slightly white.