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Although it was Samsara's home turf, a wave of sustained applause erupted as the arena match concluded. The Elementalist and Sniper were like two melee fighters engaged in a fast-paced duel, keeping everyone on edge; no one could say either player wasn't giving it their all.

"Yunxiu's resource management seems a bit off," said the man sitting to Zhong Qing's left in a low voice.

Just as he finished speaking, the giant screen displayed the team match map—Setting Sun Ridge.

It looked like a flat expanse dotted with scattered dirt mounds and boulders.

"What's up with Samsara today, constantly picking maps with a dominating style?"

"Are they looking to execute a fast attack?"

"Let's hope not. Losing the arena match is fine, but if we lose the team match, we'll have to go into tiebreakers, and then it'll be Smoke Rain choosing the map."

Zhong Qing clearly heard the murmurs around her.

"No." She thought she was speaking quietly, but her overly confident tone and sudden straightening up caught the attention of the man next to her, who wore a hat and mask similar to Sun Xiang's.

This was a visual illusion map.

Why had they chosen a map that seemed so straightforward in the arena match? It suddenly made sense. Her gaze fixed on the screen, recalling Chu Yunxiu's stunning performance in the arena match, she was inexplicably reminded of the moments during the second week when they had competed together. It felt like a voice kept pounding away at her, asking if she was truly content being just an ordinary player, whether her engagement with Glory was merely for game reviews or if she had unconsciously come to genuinely love it.

She couldn't provide an answer right now, but at least she was willing to take a step forward to see.

And the more her emotions shifted, the more she felt it was a pity.

At this moment, no one suspected that there was a hidden strategy in Samsara's map selection. This was a map with little presence, yet it could easily lead to unexpected losses. Besides, in the arena match, Zhou Zekai and Jiang Botao had perfectly executed the task of depleting Smoke Rain's captain and vice-captain, which had surely lowered their judgment.

They had also led others to believe that Samsara, who had yet to reveal any tactical arrangements in the team match, was attempting to win with the strength of just their captain, backed by a team willing to support.

Smoke Rain's starting lineup: Elementalist, Ninja, Martial Artist, Sniper, Priest.

Samsara's starting lineup: Sniper, Magic Swordsman, Judo, Assassin, Priest.

On such a team match map, stealth and splitting the team seemed to hold little significance. The land, covered by the sunset, still radiated warmth, causing the ground to shimmer in a way that appeared almost distorted. Amidst the jagged, chaotic rocks, the two teams approached each other head-on.

Direct confrontation!

"From the current positions, Smoke Rain is moving slightly faster than Samsara."

"To be precise, this encounter point isn't actually on the line connecting the two spawn points," the commentator's voice quickly filled the air as both sides began an intense exchange.

Having been torn apart by One Shot Through Clouds in the previous team match, Smoke Rain opted for the BOX-1 tactic, attempting to isolate their core player, the Sniper.

Meanwhile, Samsara targeted Smoke Rain's vice-captain, the Ninja, Lin An Cao Jing.

[Team][Wu Lang]: "Press Chu, attack Li."

[Team][Wu Lang]: "Watch your coordinates."

One Shot Through Clouds unleashed a barrage of firepower towards Windy Rain. Compared to the arena match, his attacks were quicker, reflecting his intention to breach the opponent's defenses single-handedly.

Using the momentum of his flying shot, he dodged the opposing Martial Artist's Crushing Punch, landing a perfectly aimed Floating Bomb on the enemy Sniper.

The spread of the ice line formed a restraining space, yet it seemed to have little effect on his extremely agile movement.

Stray Bullets!

The wild flurry of bullets, under the Sniper's control, didn't spread too widely. These incoming bullets targeted the enemy Sniper and Ninja for suppression.

But Chu Yunxiu wasn't just standing by; her rapid electric strikes, followed by fire, wreaked havoc, effectively splitting One Shot Through Clouds from his teammates.

[Team][Wu Lang]: "Zhou retreat, focus on Feng."

It looked like One Shot Through Clouds was forced to disengage from the encirclement after Smoke Rain's counterattack, but he aimed to regroup with his team.

With the setting sun as a backdrop, pursuing would undoubtedly become more challenging. However, Chu Yunxiu's Firestorm had already been set up, successfully spreading beneath One Shot Through Clouds as he stood against the light.

"Things are looking a bit unfavorable for Samsara. Wait, is Smoke Rain's Priest out of position? At this distance…"

Double Control, Floating Bomb.

Without hesitation, One Shot Through Clouds deployed the Floating Bomb, targeting the Priest of Smoke Rain. From Chu Yunxiu's perspective, the bullet shouldn't have been able to reach the Priest's attack range, but sometimes, the eye's perception can be misleading.

The Cloud Catching Hand followed swiftly.

As another fighting-type profession, the skill could hit the weapon, and the Judo of Samsara landed a strike with this skill, forcefully capturing the floating Priest into their team. Meanwhile, Wu Lang unleashed the Lightning Wave Pulse Array, stunning the nearest Ninja.

One Shot Through Clouds, with his instinct, released the Barter Sniper, leaving a blood-red bullet hole on the Smoke Rain Priest's head.

The Priest was taken down.

In this open terrain, even if the sixth player entered the fray swiftly to support teammates, it also meant that injured players couldn't avoid battle to wait for cooldowns. They could only brace themselves and accept the storm that awaited as Samsara's captain returned to formation.

The outcome of the team match was set.

"What did you just mean by 'no'?"

The sound of celebration began to resonate in the Samsara venue, marking the first time they'd advanced past the first round of playoffs in three seasons. Sun Xiang raised his voice slightly, thinking no one would notice.

"There are some map designs that create an illusion of distance due to lighting effects. Most illusions relate to long-distance perception, but this map isn't one of them. The map designer probably intended to include an Easter egg," she explained.

After all, architects always aim to create a sense of spatial depth within limited ranges.

Yet, implementing such psychological tricks on a map required many preconditions, resembling something theoretically feasible.

Zhong Qing had studied this once but failed to find any practical method for setting traps. However, Samsara managed to achieve this, and while this strategy would probably only work this one time, at least this team had finally shaken off their previous first-round elimination status in the playoffs.

Samsara's Vice-Captain Jiang was indeed a formidable figure, executing his strategy with subtlety.