With the start of the new season, this was the hottest topic in the Glory sphere. An unknown rookie obtaining such status, what kind of mythic origin did he have? Everyone was looking forward to seeing his performance onstage.

"Eh, isn't this that guy?!"

As it turns out, there was indeed someone who directly recognized w.a.n.g Jiexi in the televised press conference.

When he saw the news, Huang Shaotian's jaw dropped. He had already forgotten about this guy who had claimed to be from Tiny Herb, but with the press conference he immediately remembered meeting him during last season's finals, Excellent Era versus Hundred Blossoms. After all, w.a.n.g Jiexi's mismatched eyes were quite memorable.

"Captain? Controlling the core character? This guy is that impressive?" Huang Shaotian's outburst continued. After spending so much time in Blue Rain, he knew what these two positions truly meant. The fact that this guy managed to rise to the top just like that…

"If I recall correctly, when we met him, you told him that you'd meet him on the stage this season." Yu Wenzhou had walked up behind Huang Shaotian at some point.

"Uh, it sucks, but I guess I have to break that promise." After seeing Blue Rain's terrible defeat in the playoffs, Huang Shaotian had realized that he still wasn't good enough, and decided to devote himself to intense training for another year before making his debut. Season 3 would see neither Huang Shaotian nor Yu Wenzhou onstage, though the latter had recognized early on that he wasn't yet ready.

"In that case, he'll already have a year's head start on you. Shouldn't you be training now?" Yu Wenzhou said. 

"I'm coming. Captain's training regimen this time is so complicated," he complained as he walked to Yu Wenzhou's side. The captain in question was no longer Wei Chen, but Fang s.h.i.+jing, who had taken control of Swoksaar and would be leading Blue Rain this season. But everyone knew that Fang s.h.i.+jing was only a placeholder for these two youths. This summer, hardly a day had gone by without the club asking how they were doing.

At the door, Huang Shaotian paused and looked back at the television, which was still replaying scenes from Tiny Herb's press conference. He raised a finger and pointed at the face of Tiny Herb's new captain.

"Season 4. We'll meet on the stage."

A few days later, Glory's third season officially began.

This summer, the various major teams were adjusting and strengthening themselves as they became more and more professional. But from the outside, the overall situation of the Alliance didn't see any major changes. Even though there were more transfers and more new players than there were last season, the famous top-tier players still remained where they were. These were the G.o.ds who truly influenced the strength of a team.

Two-time champion Team Excellent Era was still led by Ye Qiu and his One Autumn Leaf.

Team Tyranny was still headed by Han Wenqing and his Desert Dust.

Hundred Blossoms would continue their dual-core style.

Royal Style, Wind Howl, these teams who had made it to playoffs last season didn't change their core rosters either.

The playoffs teams that had seen the most change were Blue Rain and Tiny Herb.

After Blue Rain's Wei Chen retired, his spot was replaced by a mere free player in the team, Fang s.h.i.+jing. In people's eyes, this was a decline in strength. Not many people had high hopes for Blue Rain this season.

As for Tiny Herb, they'd announced a rookie with much fanfare, someone who would be both the core and the captain. The whole team felt like it had been refreshed. Everyone now had rather high hopes for Tiny Herb, and they were especially curious to see what kind of performance that rookie would give them. These days, this was the hottest topic of Glory. 

Amidst all this noise, the first round of Season 3 finally arrived. Tiny Herb would be facing the famed Team Royal Style. As the runner-ups of Season 1, even though they lost in the first round of Season 2, in everyone's eyes, Royal Style was still very much a strong team.

Because their captain and core player Lu Liang was still here. Because they had the Exorcist Peaceful Hermit, a top-tier character with a rare Silver weapon.

How good was Tiny Herb's w.a.n.g Jiexi? Let Royal Style and Lu Liang put him to the test! This was what everyone was thinking. Because of this, Royal Style had also earned a lot of attention, but Royal Style was a bit irritated at this. 

"Rookie, Captain, core player? Is he really all that amazing, or is Tiny Herb just doing this as a gimmick?" In the prep room for the match, Royal Style's captain Lu Liang was holding a newspaper report that a.n.a.lyzed this match-up.

Someone in the team chuckled. "With their old captain Lin Jie's skill level, it's about time they switched things up for a gimmick!"

Everyone laughed. The joke was mean, but the truth was that Lin Jie was one of the rare captains with mediocre skill.

"Lin Jie is truly a good person, but his skill…" Lu Liang didn't need to continue. "Anyway, we'll see what this match holds in store for us!"

"It's just a rookie, aren't you being a little dramatic?" someone asked, laughing.

"Don't make the opponent cry!"

"Hahahaha."

Another round of laughter, and Lu Liang didn't stop them. After all, no matter how skilled this person was, he was still a rookie! It wasn't cool to take this too seriously.

At the same time, the atmosphere in the Tiny Herb waiting room was much colder.

This was their first match of the season, one that was attracting much attention. The team members all knew that Lin Jie held w.a.n.g Jiexi in high regard, and they did want to trust in the decision Lin Jie made. But now, about to take on this high-profile match, even the veterans of the team who had already played for two seasons couldn't relax. The amount of pressure on w.a.n.g Jiexi was unfathomable. And since he was a captain, he had the responsibility to stay strong under pressure and direct the team members. In a situation like this, were the team members supposed to comfort or encourage the captain? Everyone felt that this wasn't proper, but they didn't know what they could do in this situation.

"Hey, this is our first match, are you ready?" In the end, it was Fang s.h.i.+qian spoke up, with no comfort, with no encouragement, in fact with something like belligerence in his tone.

"Is everyone ready?" w.a.n.g Jiexi looked at everyone.

"Huh?" This threw some people off. We're worried about you, new captain!

"Let's work hard together," said w.a.n.g Jiexi.

"Yes!" Everyone nodded.

"You better work even harder,'" Fang s.h.i.+qian added. "You have to prove that Captain's decision was correct!" The "Captain" in question referred, of course, to Lin Jie. As of now, Fang s.h.i.+qian had yet to address w.a.n.g Jiexi as "Captain." 

Lin Jie had left Tiny Herb shortly after the press conference. When people had asked him about his plans, he'd replied with a carefree, "What do you care?" It was the first time Lin Jie had so impolitely ignored everyone's worry and curiosity. Just like that, he'd said farewell to everyone. 

And now, hearing Fang s.h.i.+qian act like this, the other Tiny Herb players felt like they wanted to cry. Refusing to offer comfort or encouragement is one thing, but you're actually adding to the pressure on w.a.n.g Jiexi? Are you even his teammate?

"Okay." w.a.n.g Jiexi only nodded and made a noise of acknowledgement. There was no point in saying more. Everything had to be said through their performance onstage.

"It's about time, let's go!"

The teams in the prep rooms received this heads-up at around the same time, and they filed into the pa.s.sageway leading to the stage. It was here that the two teams met.

"You're w.a.n.g Jiexi?" Lu Liang spoke to the player next to him, the new player who was leading Team Tiny Herb.

"I am," w.a.n.g Jiexi confirmed. He was keenly aware of the curiosity everyone held regarding him, and noticed how the members of Royal Style were craning their necks to get a look at him, some even on their tiptoes.

"Are you nervous?" Lu Liang asked. This was a question that a senior would ask a rookie, and definitely wasn't something commonly said between team captains. With this question, there was faint snickering from the Royal Style crowd.

"I'm alright," w.a.n.g Jiexi replied neutrally. 

"Looking forward to seeing your performance onstage," Lu Liang said, in a similarly detached tone.

"Likewise."

"We won't disappoint," said Lu Liang, smiling. He didn't really like this new player.

Soon, the two teams appeared onstage. Starting from this season, the Glory Pro League matches were broadcast live on television, but this didn't decrease the number of people who came to watch live. The atmosphere of the stadium simply couldn't be replaced by online or televised broadcasts.

But whether from the live stadium or the commentators in the broadcast, the excitement toward this match was clear to see. It was just a shame that the outside world still knew little about w.a.n.g Jiexi, so there wasn't much to a.n.a.lyze about him. Because of this, the major opponent he would have to face, the G.o.d-level player Lu Liang, ended up becoming the bulk of what was discussed.

"w.a.n.g Jiexi is facing a big challenge in his very first match, just like all of the responsibilities he's currently bearing!" the commentator concluded.

And then, everyone began to pay attention to the line-ups for this match, wondering when w.a.n.g Jiexi would go onstage. Normally, the core players would be placed third in the group arena, anchoring the two points of that round, but they could also go to the individual round to guarantee one point there. 

Royal Style's Lu Liang was a G.o.d-level player, and so of course he would be anchoring for his team to try and win those two group arena points. He hoped that he could face w.a.n.g Jiexi in a 1v1 match, but first, w.a.n.g Jiexi would have to be in the group compet.i.tion, and second, Tiny Herb would have to defeat Royal Style's first two members.

The individual round began, and everyone stared at Tiny Herb's roster display. 

The first… not w.a.n.g Jiexi.

The second… not w.a.n.g Jiexi. 

The third… still not w.a.n.g Jiexi. 

Everyone was simply waiting for w.a.n.g Jiexi to appear onstage. The individual round ended 2-1, but as for who was 2 and who was 1, a large portion of the audience had completely missed.

Group arena, then?

When Lu Liang saw that none of the three individual round Tiny Herb players were w.a.n.g Jiexi, he guessed this was the case. If so, then he would have a chance to meet him. But… 

Soon enough, the group compet.i.tion began. First up – not w.a.n.g Jiexi. A few minutes later, that player fell in defeat. Number two entered, but it still wasn't w.a.n.g Jiexi.

It looked like w.a.n.g Jiexi would indeed be anchoring, as befit a core player. But if things continued the way they were, it would be an almost-dead Vaccaria that would appear in front of Lu Liang. What was the meaning in that! Lu Liang had been concerned about this outcome earlier when he realized that w.a.n.g Jiexi was playing in the group arena, and after Royal Style won the first match-up, such a possibility became much more likely. But Lu Liang couldn't go about hoping that his own player would lose, right? 

However, Royal Style's first player lost this next match-up, and up came their second player, Zhang Lin, controlling a Spitfire, Flash Save. After dropping to half health, he was able to defeat Tiny Herb's second player. It was finally time to see Tiny Herb's anchoring general.

Who would it be?

Everyone waited with bated breath. If this wasn't w.a.n.g Jiexi, not only would everyone would be very disappointed, they would also begin to doubt his supposed position as the core player.

At last, they saw the name flash on the screen.

w.a.n.g Jiexi.

The third player in the group arena, the most common position for the core player of a team. As the captain, w.a.n.g Jiexi arranged this himself.

The task facing him now was quite difficult. 

Royal Style's Zhang Lin still had half his health left, and after him, there was the G.o.d-level player Lu Liang and his Peaceful Hermit at full health. 

"This…" Even those who had high hopes for w.a.n.g Jiexi doubted that he could pull off this victory. If it were Ye Qiu, then maybe there'd be a chance. But for a rookie player?

"Hey…" As Cleric, Fang s.h.i.+qian didn't partic.i.p.ate in the individual or group compet.i.tions, but he opened his mouth now. Everyone on Tiny Herb gave him a look. This guy wasn't seriously thinking of adding to the pressure on w.a.n.g Jiexi right now, was he? No one would blame w.a.n.g Jiexi if he failed to win these two points. 

In the end, Fang s.h.i.+qian simply said this: "Don't embarra.s.s yourself." He didn't force any irrational expectations upon him, but he was still going to add a bit of pressure.

w.a.n.g Jiexi only smiled and entered the stage. 

This would be his very first battle as a pro player.

He could hear the audience in the stadium getting louder now that he entered the stage. Before, he had only been able to feel and partic.i.p.ate in the audience's excitement. Now, he was its director.

So be it!

The surroundings were noisy, but his heart was calm. Right now, what w.a.n.g Jiexi cared more about was whether or not Lin Jie was watching this match from somewhere. 

He hoped that Lin Jie was watching. He hoped that Lin Jie would see, with his own two eyes, that he had made a correct decision.

Fourth battle of the group arena, begin!

"Rookie captain, I'm coming! To serve as your first opponent, I'm truly honored." Royal Style's Zhang Lin began trashtalking in the match channel as soon as the battle began.

"Coming." w.a.n.g Jiexi didn't ignore him completely, instead replying calmly as Vaccaria rushed outward.

Zhang Lin didn't control his Flash Save to meet him directly, instead choosing to circle around.

A face-to-face battle wouldn't allow the rookie to truly taste the cruelty of the Pro League. Of course, he had to let him experience pro-level trickery and strategy!

After calculating Vaccaria's approximate movement speed, he selected a good position and began to lie hidden in wait. Through a narrow gap, he could see Vaccaria already rus.h.i.+ng straight along the center road.

In the end, he's still just a rookie, isn't he?

Zhang Lin couldn't help but think this after seeing Vaccaria sweep past Flash Save's hiding place just like that. Flash Save was already prepared to jump out and ambush Vaccaria from behind.

But in the stadium, in front of televisions and computers, everywhere where there were people watching the match, there were already sounds of exclamation.

Because just as Vaccaria had pa.s.sed the point where Flash Save lay hidden, he had changed direction, riding his broom up into the air. Zhang Lin controlled Flash Save to jump out and ambush, gun at the ready, only to find in shock that there was no one in front of him.

Crack!

The next thing he heard was the sound of a breaking gla.s.s bottle, and flickering tongues of flame danced before his eyes. Vaccaria had broken a Lava Flask right over Flash Save's head.

Zhang Lin already knew where his opponent had vanished, and as he jumped to the side he was already lifting his camera view and pointing his gun at the sky. But – nothing!

He wasn't in the air?

Had he seen a ghost? Had the Lava Flask not been dropped from this direction?

Zhang Lin was once again dumbstruck. But the audience members had seen clearly that long before he'd raised his view, Vaccaria had already flown over Flash Save's head. Now, he was behind him.

Pa!

Stardust Extermination was a cool and flashy name, but it was still a broom in the end. This back attack swept Flash Save from head to toe, very thoroughly, and then back up in the other direction – Sweep!

A Witch's knockup skill.

Not only had Flash Save been attacked from behind, he was now sent flying up into the air.

And then there was Disperse Powder, Frost Powder… all sorts of magic powder swirled through the air, and Stardust Extermination continually danced around as though trying to sweep them up. With an endless stream of thwacking sounds, the broom landed again and again upon Flash Save's body, hit after hit until all his health was gone.

"f.u.c.k!" Zhang Lin, still shocked, couldn't help but swear aloud.

He lost?

He lost just like that?

He was also a pro player who had played two years in the Pro League. But now, without even seeing the shadow of his opponent, he was killed just like that?

Zhang Lin was so shocked that he was no longer thinking clearly. He had seen Vaccaria, after all, when he had been gleefully lying in wait as Vaccaria rushed pa.s.sed him.

"What happened?" Zhang Lin asked his teammates as he returned to the player area. He almost suspected w.a.n.g Jiexi of cheating somehow.

His teammates didn't explain much, merely pointing to the large display screen in the stadium so that Zhang Lin could watch for himself. The display was currently replaying how Flash Save had been thrashed to death by Vaccaria in one go. The Spitfire had been at half health and had been at a disadvantage at close range, but to be directly combo-hit to death was still somewhat embarra.s.sing and pitiful.

"That guy, how did he know where I was?" After watching the replay, Zhang Lin still didn't understand how w.a.n.g Jiexi had detected his ambush.

"He didn't know your exact position, but after he charged forward directly and didn't see you, he guessed that you were waiting to ambush him. So he immediately took to the air, and then you yourself jumped out, and then, it was what you saw…" a teammate answered. This was the conclusion they had drawn after watching the match.

"This… a coincidence?" Zhang Lin didn't know what to say. It just happened that he jumped out at the same time that his opponent jumped up, and then the opponent was faster in discovering and attacking him?

"Not really," said his teammate. "Even if you hadn't jumped out, he had flown up high enough to spot you…"

"The opponent was a Witch, and the position you chose…" Everyone shook their heads. But in reality, back when Zhang Lin had initially chosen his position, no one had thought that it was a poor choice.

"He's just a rookie… How could I have known…" Zhang Lin tried to justify himself. He had underestimated the opponent somewhat. Maybe that was why he had chosen a position without 100% care? That was what he thought.

The discussion ended there, as the next battle of the group arena was about to begin. Royal Style's main general Lu Liang was coming forward, to face w.a.n.g Jiexi's full health Vaccaria. In his victory just now, he hadn't lost a single bit of health.

Normally Lu Liang would have been glad to face this situation, but seeing w.a.n.g Jiexi so easily kill off Royal Style's half-health character, he was a bit irritated.

"Little brat, looks like you have some skill!" As soon as he entered the match, Lu Liang sent a message in the chat. He was prepared to use his status as senior to give w.a.n.g Jiexi a good lesson, and so he didn't do what Zhang Lin had done with setting up an ambush. Lu Liang controlled Peaceful Hermit to head straight forward on the center road, and he saw Vaccaria riding his broom and flying forward in the same manner.

"Come on, show me what you got." Lu Liang's Peaceful Hermit stood still without attacking, waiting for Vaccaria to advance so that he could react and take control.

"Coming." w.a.n.g Jiexi didn't turn down the invitation. When Vaccaria was within five units of Peaceful Hermit, he suddenly let loose a Magic Missile.

"That's it?" As Lu Liang typed the message, he easily dodged to the side, already ready to counterattack. But just as his camera view wavered as he dodged, w.a.n.g Jiexi suddenly pulled into the air, out of Lu Liang's field of view.

"This again?" Lu Liang tapped on the keyboard, along with a smirking emoji. There was still no effect on his control of his character.

Rising Emblem!

Peaceful Hermit drew an arc with his scythe Death Savvy, and a ring of blue light instantly rose upward. He didn't even raise his view to look, simply relying on this Rising Emblem to s.n.a.t.c.h Vaccaria down.

But in this moment.

Again, in the stadium, in front of televisions and computers, everywhere where there were people watching the match, there was a collective gasp.

Vaccaria, Vaccaria riding on his broom in the air. Just as the blue light of the Rising Emblem rose upward, he suddenly swung his broom and swerved his body to the side. Another sweep of the broom, and Vaccaria dropped rapidly through the air.

With that, the light of Rising Emblem brushed right past Vaccaria. It looked as though he had glided down upon that light.

It was at this time that Lu Liang's Peaceful Hermit finally looked up. He was already prepared for the next step of the attack, and Vaccaria of course should currently be lifted into the air by the Rising Emblem.

Crack!

Pa!

Two consecutive sounds.

The 'crack' was a Lava Flask, slamming right into Peaceful Hermit's upturned face.

The 'pa' was Stardust Extermination, sweeping onto his face right after the Lava Flask

Lu Liang's vision instantly went dark – how could it not, with a broom in his face? He immediately tried to control his character to back away, but then his body was swept once again.

Sweep!

It was this knockup skill again. And so, Peaceful Hermit was also lifted into the air.

The entire process had been different – changing direction midair, sliding down the light of Rising Emblem, it had been much more exciting than the back attack against Zhang Lin's Flash Save, but the end result was the same. Lava Flask to the head, sweep from head to toe, and then a Sweep into the air.

And after that?

And after that, magic powder swirled in the air, and the broom's endless thwacking rang out once again.

No way?

The audience was stunned. Was Lu Liang also about to be beaten to death like this?

No, of course not.

Lu Liang wasn't Zhang Lin.

And an Exorcist wasn't a Spitfire.

He was currently suffering a midair combo, but Lu Liang still found an opportunity very quickly.

Star Fall!

Since Peaceful Hermit was already in the air, he was saved the time of having to throw up his weapon. As soon as the skill activated, Death Savvy shot down like a falling star straight toward Vaccaria.

But Vaccaria swung his broom once again, and the falling star went just past his body. He swung twice more, changing his direction and movement path twice, and Lu Liang's mouse almost flew out of his hand as he twisted his view to follow.

Couldn't keep up, his view couldn't keep up with Vaccaria's movements. Because Peaceful Hermit as still in the air, his body didn't have full freedom of movement. He could only twist his neck a bit to look around, and so of course he couldn't find the desired angle. Glory was just that realistic.

And w.a.n.g Jiexi was someone who had accurate judgment of this realism. After dodging the Star Fall, Vaccaria changed directions twice and in the blink of an eye had flashed to Lu Liang's blind spot.

"This guy… is he doing magic?" In the live audience, someone couldn't help but exclaim.

"Magic?" Former Tiny Herb Captain Lin Jie, sitting not too far away, heard this sentiment and agreed. "That's right, that's a very good comparison. How come I never thought of it?"

On the battlefield, the slapping sound of the broom resumed. The Witch's specialty was the ability to use all sorts of magic tools. But in this current confrontation, what everyone saw more of was Vaccaria's unbelievable yet incredibly accurate positioning. At first, everyone simply thought that the varied moves were enjoyable to watch, but after the broadcast showed some shots from Lu Liang's point of view, everyone finally realized how miserable this sort of positioning was for w.a.n.g Jiexi's opponent. Lu Liang, this fairly experienced G.o.d-level player, was being driven crazy by w.a.n.g Jiexi. Eighty percent of the time, his view didn't contain a shadow of Vaccaria's presence. His counter moves were steadily becoming more and more chaotic, but they still didn't create any noticeable threat.

No. To be accurate, it wasn't that they were completely ineffective.

The Rising Emblem at the start of the match, and the Star Fall he'd used right after the first time he'd been knocked up…

These sorts of responses, for most people, were effective counters. When hit with a Rising Emblem, they would likely be sent right into the air; when hit with a Star Fall, they would likely be struck to the ground.

But w.a.n.g Jiexi wasn't.

Relying on his pinpoint accuracy in positioning, no matter if it was Rising Emblem or Star Fall, he'd evaded them all. In fact, it seemed like these attacks only served to further display his weapons, weapons that allowed his magic-like movement to become even more dazzlingly beautiful.

Just like that, Lu Liang lost. His only accomplishment was that w.a.n.g Jiexi hadn't killed him with full health remaining. In the end, Vaccaria had still lost some health as a result of his counters.

Deafening silence.

Lu Liang, the G.o.d-level player, had lost so pathetically?

w.a.n.g Jiexi, what was up with his Witch playstyle?

For a long time, there was silence in the stadium, with only the commentator shouting with pa.s.sion.

"Magic!" The comparison had come to his mind out of nowhere, but he thought it quite fitting, and he immediately latched onto it. "This was truly a show of magic!" 

"Right, that really was like magic…" The crowd began to murmur, agreeing with this description. When w.a.n.g Jiexi walked out and faced the crowd, the applause finally began, as well as cheering, and chanting –"Magic! Magic!"

In that moment, w.a.n.g Jiexi's playstyle became known as magic.

On that day, w.a.n.g Jiexi earned his nickname, "the Magician."

"This is nothing." Hidden in the cheering audience, Lin Jie sat grinning from ear to ear. "This upcoming season – now that'll be the real time for witnessing miracles!"

T/N: h.e.l.lo! This is the final prequel chapter that has been released on Qidian thus far, and so this is the final translated chapter that we are releasing here for now. There are three more "parts" to the prequel - "Inheritance,""The Beginning of Legend," and "Dynasty and Youth," and we will update here if the corresponding raw chapters are officially posted on Qidian. Until then, thank you so much for reading! - Syncogon