Although the phrase “an apartment without power or water” sounds like something out of the last century, the technological level of this parallel world’s Blue Star was actually quite advanced. Machines had already replaced many traditional manual jobs, and countless people had flocked to entertainment-related industries.
Naturally, video games rode this wave to unprecedented heights.
<War of Glory>, the current hottest 5v5 competitive game, had over 700 million concurrent players at its peak globally. Its professional leagues spanned all continents, making it an undisputed “dominator-level” e-sports title.
Game streaming, films, literature, and secondary creations became the keys to traffic. Even on Weibo’s trending search, multiple e-sports-related TV shows and movies appeared.
“Wait, what’s Weibo?” Sui Ning chuckled bitterly. “Even in a parallel world, it’s still here. Impressive, Big Eyes.”
He glanced at this world’s Weibo trending searches. As expected, his own scandals weren’t trending first, not even in the top ten. Makes sense — an 18th-tier nobody wouldn’t even qualify for top trending, whether he embarrassed himself on a show or did something as ridiculous as eating feces upside-down.
[Shocking Revelation! Actor Xi and Actor Pei Reunite After Years, the Truth Is—]
[Comment]: Damn it, just an interview collaboration, and the clickbait headline kills the whole family.
[Comment]: Some fans are disgusting. Don’t you know your “Emperor” celebrity’s true weight? Everyone’s waiting for the joke.
[Comment]: Upstairs, clean your mouth. Xi Xiujin didn’t even speak, and you guys are cheering?
[Comment]: Where’s Pei Siyuan’s loyal fan claiming this? You talk tough but where’s your master’s new work?
[Comment]: That’s definitely stronger than some no-name awards in some backwater.
…Unsurprisingly, the top trending comment section was full of arguments.
Scrolling further down, the content became normal.
[E-sports drama #ChampionForYou# begins filming, starring three rising actresses]
[#SupportAndIAreBornForEachOther#, the heroine is so beautiful!]
[#GovernmentAffairs# Blue Nation’s No.1 document emphasizes holding firmly to two bottom lines]
[......]
Scrolling down a dozen more items, almost all the trending topics were related to games or e-sports. Sui Ning couldn’t help but be speechless — this level of traffic was ridiculously high.
But that also gave him confidence. Although he didn’t yet know this body’s talents and had never played <War of Glory>, he had done livestreaming before!
If he couldn’t go pro, selling snacks on the side would still be a way forward.
With that in mind, Sui Ning wasted no time and quickly registered a game account.
On the computer desktop, the most prominent game icon was <War of Glory>, accompanied by a huge cybercafé advertisement:
[Glory With Me: Tiantian Internet Café War of Glory Event, Come Join!]
[Silver rank and above, pentakill rewards 30 yuan of net time]
[Platinum rank and above, quadra kill rewards 40 yuan, pentakill rewards 50 yuan, and a drink]
……
[Glory King free internet, plus a drink and snack every four hours]
Sui Ning was taken aback.
This War of Glory game must have a very “healthy” player base. Competitive games need a deep “fish pond” — a large number of low-rank players — so that the entire player base forms a pyramid structure, creating a harmonious competitive environment.
Judging by the café rewards, the fish pond was very deep. High-rank players were rare, which explained the “free internet” and even subsidized food — a strategy to attract celebrity customers.
LOL had never had such treatment.
War of Glory had ten ranks: [Stubborn Bronze], [Unyielding Silver], [Glorious Gold], [Noble Platinum], [Brilliant Diamond], [Supreme Star], [Extraordinary Master], [Proud Grandmaster], [Strongest King], [Glory King].
From Bronze to King, each rank had five sub-levels (V–I), and each sub-level required winning five Glory Stars to advance.
Above King, rankings were based on the number of Glory Stars. The top 1,000 players in each sub-region could reach Glory King, updated every 24 hours.
Glory Stars functioned as points — wins added, losses subtracted. Sub-regions were determined by player placement.
Jinling, where Sui Ning was located, was a populous metropolis in Huaguo. Competition for Glory King was fierce.
Beyond ranks, there was another measure of skill: [Hero Power], similar to Honor of Kings.
In his previous life, Sui Ning had often played Honor of Kings and even competed at several national levels.
In <War of Glory>, power tiers were more detailed. National-level recognition was stricter — only the number one player nationwide could earn the unique “Strongest in National Server” prefix. Second to fifth, sixth to tenth, each had different markers, and provincial, city, and district tiers were further subdivided.
“Competition is fierce, but for skilled players, the path is clear. Reach the national server, and you’re set,” Sui Ning thought.
He launched the game while opening the Little Shark Streaming Platform in the background — which he had noticed while glancing at other players’ computers earlier.
As expected, War of Glory dominated the streaming platform’s rankings.
He clicked into a live game room casually. At first sight, a smile tugged at Sui Ning’s lips.
Familiar top, mid, and bottom lanes; familiar large and small dragon pits; familiar river paths… just like the League of Legends and Honor of Kings he’d played in his previous life. It seemed that MOBA game design fundamentals hadn’t changed much across worlds.
Returning to the game, the large title War of Glory filled the top of the screen, followed by the almost full-screen newbie tutorial:
[Dear Summoner, welcome to War of Glory!]
[Please choose a name for yourself.]
Sui Ning’s lips curved slightly as he typed his familiar ID:
[Feng Lan, welcome.]
This had been his initial ID, later changed to Wind for professional play. But now, there was no doubt that such a short, common ID had long been taken.
Still, he believed that in the future, the official would rename his account to the four-letter Wind and —
Reserve it for him forever.
——
Sui Ning then learned more about War of Glory.
The game wasn’t old; this year was only the sixth season of professional leagues. Accordingly, there were only about a hundred heroes, but the leagues were extremely popular.
In the country alone, there were forty-eight top-tier clubs — several times the number in the LPL region of League of Legends in his previous life — leading to more regular-season rounds and even fiercer competition, especially because promotion and relegation still existed.
The intermediate and lower leagues were even more numerous.
The glow of the monitor reflected on Sui Ning’s face as he scanned the list of the forty-eight HPL top-tier clubs. His expression was deep, his mind racing.
He also studied the resumes of many star players.
After a long while, Sui Ning tapped the mouse wheel — a subconscious gesture when thinking.
He mentally mapped out his next steps.
Though heroes didn’t care about origin, league rules dictated that if he couldn’t debut in a top-tier league, it would take 2–3 years to fight his way up from lower leagues to qualify, unless he got scouted multiple levels up.
2–3 years was too long. Time was the most precious resource for an e-sports player.
Thus, Sui Ning had to find a way to debut directly in a top-tier league.
Top-tier teams only paid attention to the top-ranked players. For someone like him — a blank slate and, at 19, already “older” — achieving professional status required three things: Glory King, the strongest national server rank, and fame. None could be missing.
“First things first: get famous…” Sui Ning licked his lips.
He had to make a name for himself before any club would notice him.
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