Global Demon Transformation.

Chapter 282 Rookie Challenge Begins

The appearance of all thirteen teams and the emergence of various rare monsters caused cheers to sweep across the Glory Sports Center like a tsunami.

After that, the thirteen teams did not leave the field, but stood quietly in place, still in the state of being possessed by demonic spirits.

Showing off is only part of it; more importantly, it's to repay the audience for their hard work in waiting.

"Thank you to all thirteen teams for their outstanding performances. Tonight is truly a night of stars."

Amid cheers, host Zhang Yu exclaimed in admiration, and before he could finish speaking, his partner Chen Xiaodi continued:
"Indeed, this year's new stars are amazing. They have all reverted to their ancestral forms and become god-level demon spirits. It is truly the most brilliant generation in history."

As he spoke, the exciting scene of Yun Kai and the others transforming into demons reappeared on the screen, and the cheers that had just disappeared rang out again.

After praising all thirteen teams, the two hosts announced in a high-pitched voice:
"Now, please welcome Ms. Zhang Ying, Vice President of the Glory Association, Chen Guohui, Guardian of Beijing, Xie Tian, ​​Guardian, and thirty Glory players to the stage."

Amidst applause and cheers from the fans, one important figure after another ascended the platform.

As the thirty Glory players took the stage one by one, the fans could not contain their excitement, and their screams merged into a wave that seemed to overturn the sports center.

The cheers at this moment show that the popularity of the Glory players far exceeds that of the rising stars from universities.

"Please welcome Ms. Zhang Ying, Vice President of the Glory Association, to deliver the opening speech."

Zhang Ying, who is around forty years old, walked to the center of the stage. Looking at the enthusiastic audience, she smiled and said:
"It is a great pleasure to give the opening speech for the National College Glory League. Today marks the 67th anniversary of the Glory Association, during which time it has cultivated many Glory players who have made great contributions to the country. Even after retiring, these players are still active in the world."

Listening to this pointless rambling, Lin Feng simply closed his eyes to rest.

Zhang Ying's words were essentially describing the Glory Association's role in cultivating professional players and its contributions to the Glory Battle.

The development of the professional league has indeed greatly benefited the Glory of Kings, but self-praise is already somewhat embarrassing, and to claim it as something great and selfless is simply laughable.

And they say the same thing every year; it's so unoriginal.

"Now, please welcome Mr. Chen Guohui, the guardian of Beijing, to give a speech."

Zhang Ying spoke for a full seven or eight minutes before finally finishing. As the host's voice faded, a middle-aged man in a gray military uniform walked to the center of the stage. Compared to the enthusiastic audience, his expression was serious and cold, devoid of any smile. Looking at the excited audience below, the man slowly said:

"The Glory Alliance has achieved considerable success since its inception, but this is not a simple competition, nor is it a commercial game, and you..."

At this point, his slightly sharp gaze swept over the thirteen teams and thirty professional players:

"You are not celebrities, so don't get caught up in this commercial atmosphere. You have a more important mission. You are not celebrities, and I hope you can remember that. Thank you."

From the moment Chen Guohui walked out to the moment he finished speaking, it took less than a minute, which seemed somewhat rushed compared to Zhang Ying's lengthy speech.

His words caused Zhang Ying's expression to change slightly, but she quickly recovered.

The members of the thirteen teams and the thirty professional players, some were indifferent, some were touched, their eyes revealing a bit of complexity, and they clenched their fists slightly.

These words might have affected the atmosphere, but for many, they served as a profound warning.

This is especially true for professional players.

"well said!"

Ye Xing clapped as he watched Chen Guohui's retreating figure.

Joining a professional league has both advantages and disadvantages.

As long as a professional player has value, the club can provide the soul skills that the professional player wants. There will be a professional team of up to 100 people to design and plan the most suitable development direction and soul skill combination for the professional player.

The professional league is developing very well now. A good professional player not only has a considerable salary, but also advertising endorsements and commercial activities.

However, at the same time, an overly commercial environment can cause some people to lose their fighting spirit and become addicted to the comfort zone of being surrounded by fans.

Some of them, as a result, fall into depravity and are unable to break through to the King Realm; such examples are not uncommon.

Seeing that the atmosphere was a bit off, Chen Xiaodi quickly said, "Now please welcome Ye Xing, the Berserker, a professional player representative from Juxing Club and one of the top ten all-stars, to the stage to give a speech."

Amid cheers, Ye Xing composed himself, walked to the center of the stage, and slowly said:

"What Chen Shouhu said earlier is very good. No matter how good the business environment is, our goal is still to participate in the Glory Battle and win glory for the country. After retiring, we will have an even more important mission. I hope everyone will not waste their talents."

Ye Xing's speech was also brief and ended quickly. Next up was the rookie challenge segment that the audience was most looking forward to.

Each of the thirteen teams has a key player who is qualified to challenge a professional player.

Excluding those who were unable to attend due to elimination in the preliminary rounds or injuries, there are a total of 58 rookies who will challenge professional players one-on-one.

"The Rookie Challenge has officially begun."

As the host's voice rang out, the first to appear was a member of the Shuanghui team, a young man named Xia Simiao. Xia Simiao had refined a ninth-tier demon spirit, Hundred Fireflies, and his profession was fire mage. He was challenging professional player Zhang Yunxing.

Zhang Yunxing's profession is also fire mage.

"Zhang Yunxing is my favorite Glory player. I hope to become a fire mage as powerful as him in the future."

Xia Simiao spoke to Zhang Yunxing, who was walking slowly towards her, her tone revealing a hint of respect.

Zhang Yunxing isn't one of the top ten all-stars, but he's very strong and is the main fire mage for the Neon team.

Rookies are naturally no match for professional players. This challenge is more of a tribute and a way to showcase their strength to the professional league.

Of course, because the skill gap is too large, professional players will also suppress their strength and soul skills.

For example, if a rising star absorbs five soul skills, a professional player generally won't use the sixth soul skill. Of course, this isn't absolute; if the rising star is strong enough, the professional player won't insist on using it in order to win.

This is a rare occurrence and a very embarrassing thing for professional players.

"Young man, I don't know about your abilities, but you have good judgment and a promising future. I have high hopes for you."

Zhang Yunxing is very tall, standing at 1.9 meters, but his appearance is average. He looked at Xia Simiao, who seemed a little nervous, and chuckled as he cracked a joke.

For rising stars who haven't yet entered the professional league, there's generally no competition due to differences in skill and age. As long as the rising star is humble, seniors usually won't deliberately make things difficult for them. Even if they're strong enough to easily defeat their opponent, they'll still play a few rounds to give the rising star a chance to shine.

This challenge is mainly to showcase the strength of rising stars, not professional players.

The battle lasted for three minutes, and the outcome was predictable. Xia Simiao absorbed five soul skills, and although her opponent suppressed her strength and soul skills, the difference in combat experience was too great, and she was directly crushed and defeated without any surprise.

Although he was completely overwhelmed, the battle was thrilling for the audience, with various fire-based soul skills clashing and creating a visually stunning spectacle.

After the battle, the two shook hands politely, and Zhang Yunxing patted Xia Simiao on the shoulder to encourage him.

The subsequent rookie challenge was a real treat for the audience, with both sides exchanging blows and unleashing a variety of soul skills in a fierce battle.

People from various clubs and some professional talent scouts watched with great interest, mainly because they were there for the rising stars.

For some king-level powerhouses, however, this kind of battle is somewhat boring.

It wasn't until Ye Qiu appeared that they regained their interest.

"Isn't Ye Qiu a substitute? How can he be allowed to challenge?"

The audience was surprised but also somewhat astonished, though they soon learned the answer.

It was Yang Ningbing who gave the challenge qualification to Ye Qiu.

Although some viewers were surprised by Yang Ningbing's generosity, they didn't press for details.

Compared to Yang Ningbing, they naturally had higher expectations for Ye Qiu's performance.

"I want to challenge Ye Xing," Ye Qiu said, eliciting a burst of screams.

Ye Qiu, a fifth-grade beginner, refined the 17th ranked Thorn Demon Dragon on the Earth Ranking.

Ye Xing, a peak seventh-grade cultivator, refined a berserk beast ranked 46th on the Earth Ranking.

Both of them refined battle-type demon spirits. Among them, Ye Qiu's Thorn Demon Dragon was of such a high level that he was the number one among teenagers in the country.

The clash between the Thorn Dragon and the Rampage Beast, two demon spirits ranked among the top fifty on the Earth Ranking, instantly ignited the atmosphere at the scene.

(End of this chapter)