Fantasy Westward Journey: Return to 2005

"Too fast!"

"Sweeping through the 76th All-Time Champion Sangpu Mountain in five rounds, is this Bianliang City?"

"Actually, Sangpu Mountain is too young. They have no idea what kind of monster they are fighting..."

"I don't think so. They actually handled the Sangpu Mountain match very well, but the gap in strength is there, and it's not that their extra precautions will help."

"I thought that since Bianliang City didn't have a thousand-character defense, Sangpu Mountain could at least hold its own for a while, but I didn't expect it to be blown up in one wave."

"The main reason is that Beast Master and the others have improved their strength too quickly. Not to mention Sangpu Mountain, even we viewers were quite shocked just now, weren't we?"

"This year's Bianliang City team is too strong. We're going to be in for a lot of trouble if we run into them later..."

The All-Star opening match between Bianliang City and Sangpu Mountain ended after only five rounds.

The audience members who watched the entire match from the sidelines were all moved to tears.

As they said.

Sangpu Mountain's tactical arrangements in this opening match were flawless, starting with a double defensive buff of Holy Spirit Armor and Vajra Body.

They did not act rashly afterward, but instead took advantage of the difference in the speed of the lifting of restrictions to try to regain some initiative.

Unfortunately, Bianliang City simply wouldn't give them that chance.

Leveraging the speed advantage of a double seal.

Bianliang City completely controlled the initiative on the field from the first round until the end of the match.

The new physical and magical damage output duo of Beast Master and Snow Fairy also performed quite well in this opening match.

Let's not even talk about Beast Lord.

He was already famous a long time ago, and now he is seen by many new viewers.

He's basically a dream player, the kind with real skill.

Xuejian joined the team relatively late, and because she was from the Dragon Palace, she was also considered an outsider.

For a considerable period of time, her beauty and those incredibly long legs left a much deeper impression on everyone than Xuejian, the Dragon Palace character.

Until this All-Star Game.

The moment when Xuejian reappeared on the starting lineup and successfully used one shot, two dragons, and two tornadoes to render the 76th League champion Sangpushan helpless in the opening match.

Everyone was surprised to find that this Dragon Palace seemed a bit too fierce.
That is, at this time.

People finally admitted that, putting aside the long legs...

Based on this ability alone, Xuejian deserves her starting spot perfectly.

As for the only support player in this starting lineup, 'Sujiu'.

Most viewers didn't react much to her performance in the opening match.

It's not that the crispy wine is unpopular.

On the contrary, she plays a male character, and is the healer who has won the most championships in the entire game so far.

In addition, there is its own formidable strength.

Su Jiu's title as the number one healer in Fantasy Westward Journey remains unchallenged to this day, and at his peak, his fame even surpassed that of Beast Lord!
The reason why not many people are discussing her performance in this opening match is...

The reason is actually very simple: she performed too consistently, so consistently that there was absolutely no room for discussion.

Double-block control, double-C bombardment, plus a rock-solid Healer anchoring the midfield.

Even though none of the starting five players in this Bianliang City have a thousand-word score, they still exude a kingly aura!
However, the opening match ended in five rounds, which meant there wasn't much to discuss.

After a brief moment of marveling at Bianliang's dominance, more and more spectators were drawn to the matches in other groups.

As for the most popular group, it has to be the 2008 Battle of Baihuacun.

In fact, judging solely from popularity, the 2008 team and the Baihuacun team were the most popular in this year's All-Star opening game!
And most importantly...

Compared to the utter destruction of Bianliang City.

The showdown between Baihuacun and Baihuacun in 2008 is still going strong!
"Holy crap, it's not over yet?"

"I'm wondering the same thing. What makes Baihuacun able to last so long under 2008's leadership?"

"No... it's only been 11 rounds, and it's already considered 'long'?"

"They fielded five substitutes in the opening match of Bianliang City, and they still managed to take down Sangpu Mountain in five rounds, didn't they?"

"I think the main problem was with the starting lineup in 2008. Not only were there no fairies, rich women, or goblins, but even the fairy didn't come!"

"So who are they playing in this match?"

"One damage dealer and four supports, it's a pure four-protect-one strategy."

"Then the opposing Baihuacun team also adopted a four-protect-one strategy... Could these two teams have planned this from the beginning?"

"You're talking nonsense. Nowadays, everyone knows that these two teams are mortal enemies. I would believe you if you said that Bianliang City and Sangpu Mountain agreed to end the match in five rounds, but I would never believe that 2008 and Baihuacun had discussed things before the match!"

"Personally, I feel that the reason these two teams played like this in this match was probably to annoy the other, but they didn't expect their strategies to overlap..."

Eleven rounds have passed, and the two opponents, 2008 and Baihuacun, whose strengths should be vastly different, are still unable to determine a winner.

Many viewers were speechless and couldn't help but complain in the chat.

Just as they said.

The reason why 2008 failed to crush Baihuacun in this match was not because Baihuacun performed so well, but simply because 2008's own lineup was too abstract!
The opening match featured a four-protect-one lineup, but the one they were protecting wasn't even a key player.

With this lineup, they'd only be able to beat Hundred Flowers Village.

If the opponent is either Bianliang City or Lantingxu, this lineup in 2008 will definitely suffer a heavy blow!
But you think 2008 was the most abstract year?

NO!

As their opponent, Baihuacun's level of abstraction in this battle is no less than that of 2008.

In this match, they also chose a four-protect-one lineup, and the one they were protecting was a spellcaster named Putuo!

Heaven knows when this sorcerer Putuo refused to use Lotus Heart Sword Intent from the very first round, instead using minor special skills like lighting lamps and stacking towers like a support Putuo.

The audience watching from the sidelines was absolutely stunned!

This is a 4-to-1 ratio, isn't it?! It's practically a 5-to-0 ratio!

It can be said that the lineup of Baihuacun is the ultimate inferior version of the 'Thousand Lotus Formation'. Although it does not have the strength of the original Thousand Lotus Formation, it has good endurance and is the kind of lineup that is extremely annoying.

A highly anticipated opening match turned out to be a series of bizarre and unconventional lineups from two arch-rivals.

This is really a bit stressful.

But there's a saying that goes, "If you play too badly, I won't even watch. But if you play so badly that you're absolutely terrible, then I'll have to come and see for myself."

That's how it was with Baihuacun in 2008.

The lineups on both sides were unremarkable, but while the audience was criticizing them, they were also placing bets on which of these two abstract kings would have the last laugh!
From this perspective, 2008 and Baihuacun can be considered a success.

By this time, Beast and his group had already left their seats after finishing the opening match against Sangpu Mountain, but they did not go to Ah Bai or Pineapple to watch the excitement.

After all, all three teams are participating in this year's competition, making them potential rivals.

They should still consciously maintain a certain distance.

But sitting on the sofa in the rest area, I could hear the lewd laughter coming from Ah Bai and his friends from time to time.

Beast Master and Huang He were getting a little restless.

"No...is it really that much fun? You're just laughing all the time?"

After taking a sip of cola, Beast rolled his eyes, feeling somewhat speechless, but also a little envious.

Upon hearing this, Huang He pointed to the large screen in the center of the rest area and said, "Tell me, if you were playing with this lineup, wouldn't you be laughing even louder than them?"

Following Huang He's finger, Beast Master watched the live broadcast of the 2008 Battle of Baihuacun on the screen, and suddenly couldn't help but punch the sofa hard—

"I'll do the same thing next time!"

As a source of amusement, the entire club is sparsely populated except for Fang Yun, who is the chosen one.

Beast Master is probably the one who loves abstract art the most.

Just when he planned to stabilize his win rate in the first few rounds and then unleash his full potential later on...

But no one expected that Ah Bai would be so unsportsmanlike, daring to pull such a stunt in the opening match—

That Hundred Flowers Village is your mortal enemy! Aren't you afraid of crashing and burning?!

But that's what they say.

Beast Master was quite envious that Abai dared to use a crippled lineup to fight against Baihuacun's Iron-Blooded Five-Guard Zero in the opening match.

This is much more interesting than playing a game in the usual way!
But soon.

After carefully reviewing Bianliang City's 'mortal enemies' in his mind, intending to pick on the weakest, he suddenly discovered a fact that made him both laugh and cry—

Bianliang City is located at the Martial God Altar, where it is 'enemy of the whole world'!

Over the years since Bianliang City debuted, countless teams from the Martial God Tournament have lost to them, and many have even been disbanded.

Having committed so many sins over the years, it can be said that any team still active in the Martial God Altar today...

There have been some frictions between them and Bianliang City.

So, theoretically speaking, it's incredibly easy for Beastmaster to find a mortal enemy.

No matter who he faces in the next round, he can easily achieve this 'dream'.

But the problem is...

Bianliang City is different from 2008.

Although they were equally outstanding in 2008, winning numerous championships.

However, they debuted late and were prone to slacking off during the regular season.

This resulted in their deterrent power on the Martial God Altar not being as terrifying as that of Bianliang City.

For many teams.

If you encounter the 2008 team in the Martial God Altar, as long as it's not an annual tournament like the All-Star Game, you actually have a chance to take points from them.

After all, everyone knows that the 2008 regular season was a dead fish; you could cook him to a crisp and he wouldn't even bother to turn over.

But Bianliang City is different.

Although Bianliang City has started to slack off in the regular season in recent years.

However, the server's foundation was too strong, even though the Thousand Cities Clan had all gone into hiding.

But ever since the Suns took over, Bianliang City has almost never missed the knockout stage, whether it's the All-Star Game or the regular season!

In other words.

Even though it's the same regular season, you have a chance to score points if you face 2008.

But once you encounter Bianliang City, unless you are extremely strong, you can only sit and wait to be swept away by the opponent!
If it were you, you would encounter the same situation every time you participated in the Martial God Tournament.

Whom are you more afraid of?

So it's easy to imagine.

In 2008, he managed to cultivate Baihuacun, a mortal enemy who wanted to fight him to the death for life.

But Bianliang City couldn't do that, because although it was an enemy of the world, everyone had already accepted this set of rules, and even if it really lost to them, everyone could accept it.

"Forget it, our Bianliang city doesn't have that kind of capability."

He waved his hand, watching as Beast Master's expression shifted between excitement and frustration.

Huang He, who grew up with him since childhood, knew his thoughts all too well and said directly, "Besides, don't forget, we're here to kick things off this year. Although Lao Fang doesn't plan to play in the qualifying rounds, he'll definitely be playing in the offline finals. If you mess around and lose your spot in the offline finals, guess what that guy will do to you?"

"...Alright then."

After listening to Huang He's advice, Beast Master considered it for a moment and finally sighed and nodded.

Even though they've reached this point, the entertainment value of playing matches should outweigh the results.

But Bianliang City is Fang Yun's main force.

You can mess around, but if you go too far and lose control, you might lose your spot in the offline competition.

Not only would Fang Yun not let him off the hook, but the public opinion outside the arena would also devastate Bianliang City!
It can only be said that Bianliang City has now become a kind of 'faith', and when it collapses, no one can fully shoulder this responsibility.

While Beast Master Huang He and others were chatting and joking in the rest area.

The abstract battle between 2008 and Baihuacun finally took a turn for the better.

Although both are support-heavy lineups.

But as I said before, Baihua Village today has lost its former glory and its former depth.

The reason they were able to drag things out with 2008 for so long at the start wasn't because they were strong, but simply because neither side had a strong lineup to rely on, resulting in a high margin for error.

But as time goes by...

The weakness of Baihuacun's current team, which lacks sufficient foundation, is gradually becoming apparent.

Although Abai's lineup arrangement in this game was very abstract, he himself was anything but abstract.

To paraphrase something Fang Yun often said to him, "Play around, but don't joke about the competition."

The lineup can be abstract, but when facing Baihuacun, a mortal enemy.

Ah Bai's determination to crush his opponent's will has never changed.

After a dozen or so rounds of back-and-forth fighting at the start of the game.

Having thoroughly figured out his opponent's hand, Abai is finally starting to exert his strength!

With the sudden change of five front-row heroes in 2008, from the Dragon Turtle to the Wild Leopard.

Some astute spectators outside the venue immediately realized what was going on!
And soon.

Before more people could react...

After playing with Baihua Village for half a day, 2008 suddenly launched a massive attack. Five mad leopards unleashed a powerful attack combined with a barricade, instantly killing Baihua Village's only 'C' position spellcaster, Putuo!
And then...

Putuo, the sorcerer from Baihua Village, has just been defeated.

In 2008, without stopping, the guns were turned on their daughter village!
In the end, another wave of speed-reducing sealing and baby-focused attacks came down. Even though the daughter of Baihua Village had made a lot of preparations in advance, she was still strongly defeated by 2008!
With the sudden deaths of both the spellcaster Putuo and Yisu's daughter from Baihua Village.

Looking at the notification at the top of the screen that only two rounds have passed.

The audience members who were laughing and joking off the sidelines just a second ago, discussing whether 2008 would lose this game, were completely dumbfounded!

Clearly, the events leading up to 2008 were all an act; in today's parlance, it was all a setup to see me play the victim and outsmart him! (End of Chapter)