In the dazzling arena of the virtual world, Jamie Smith, Finn Brown, and Quincy Shawn stepped onto the live broadcast platform like heroes. May Lee, Emily Johnson, and Chase Ron, who had been waiting there, along with assistants Ben and Lucini, greeted them with boundless enthusiasm.

"Captain, I worship you more than ever now!" Chase Ron stepped forward proactively, his face filled with devout admiration, as if he were a believer facing a deity.

"I'm the one who truly worships the captain," Quincy Shawn immediately retorted, his voice brimming with competitive sparks.

"Everyone, move aside!" May Lee bellowed, her voice thunderous, commanding respect. As everyone stepped back, she strode forward, and Jamie Smith looked at his girlfriend with a smile, his eyes filled with tenderness.

"You fought beautifully," May Lee said with a beaming smile. "Out of the strongest four teams in the whole country, I'm a member of one of them now. Captain, as your backup, I've decided to give you a reward."

Jamie Smith immediately bowed his head and planted a kiss on his girlfriend's lips. May Lee's eyes widened, her face flushing as she glanced around, "There are so many people here!"

"Whoop!" Finn Brown clapped his hands in approval, and the surrounding crowd, including Emily Johnson and Lucini, burst into cheerful laughter, as if the trumpet of victory was being blown.

"Jamie Smith is so awesome, and now we've made it to the top four," Quincy Shawn's eyes sparkled with excitement, "The bonus for the top four teams is a hundred million, and as a lucky one, I get 16%, that's 16 million... Wow, I've never made such a huge sum in my life!"

"This is also the most I've ever earned," Chase Ron chimed in, his eyes gleaming with the desire for wealth.

"And this money, the virtual world will distribute directly to us, all we have to do is pay taxes," Quincy Shawn continued, his voice revealing his familiarity with the rules, "The bonus is considered a windfall, and with a 20% income tax, we'll still end up with over ten million, which is just delightful."

"The top four bonus is just the baseline, the prizes for the championship and runner-up are even higher!" Chase Ron added, his voice filled with the thirst for victory.

Jamie Smith and Finn Brown had been earning a decent income even before the advent of the virtual world, but for Chase Ron and Quincy Shawn, this was indeed an unprecedented sum. The highest earner present was Emily Johnson, who had become famous at a young age, winning three consecutive Olympic championships, a figure of legend, and had made a fortune from endorsements alone. In the era of the virtual world, she was also one of the top three broadcasters, her income was unimaginable.

She stood on the side, quietly observing, and could sense the joy of Quincy Shawn and Chase Ron. Her heart was also stirring, yearning for more victories and honors.

"The later the competition, the more it relies on the captain alone," Emily Johnson murmured to herself, a hint of concern in her voice, "The captain has also provided me with enough opportunities to hone my skills. I've been in desperate situations several times, even being killed by opponents. But under pressure, I still haven't been able to break through to the third tier."

Emily Johnson was inherently very competitive, and she couldn't tolerate this sense of helplessness. She longed for a breakthrough, eager to prove herself on the battlefield.

……

In the stands, Eugene Fong also walked over to his relatives. His eyes were filled with a desire for battle and a relentless pursuit of victory.

"Little Eugene Fong, how do you feel?" Liv Jay Windsor asked with a hint of concern.

Eugene Fong looked at the live broadcast scene, where the hosts and guests were replaying the exciting battle scenes. Watching the slow-motion replay... under Jamie Smith's gunfire, he had completely lost the initiative.

"Such a fast shot," Eugene Fong said after watching the entire replay, also seeing the final move of the Shadowless Thrust, "So fast that I didn't have time to react."

"The secret of the Shadowless Thrust is that the time to draw the gun is shorter than the limit of neural response time!" Liv Jay Windsor nodded, his voice filled with admiration for Jamie Smith, "As long as he gets the chance to draw, you won't have time to react before you've been hit! Many people know why this shot is so powerful, but they can't learn it."

If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

Eugene Fong nodded, "Any move has a preparatory momentum. The process of building up momentum is the longest part. Even extremely fast moves like jabs or inch-force strikes... they all require a preparatory start."

Eugene Fong's father added, "Jamie Smith's Shadowless Thrust also has a build-up. It's just that his build-up time is very short. He gave up on combos, all to make this move the fastest! I've played his move in slow motion many times, and I've tried to learn it, but I can't."

"What do you call a special move? It's not that easy to learn," Liv Jay Windsor said with a smile, his voice relaxed.

"This shot is too fast, and his footwork is also impressive," Eugene Fong agreed, his eyes sparkling with the desire for battle, "I do have a gap with him now, but I believe that once I break through in footwork, with my physical advantages, I can definitely win."

Liv Jay Windsor, Eugene Fong's father, and all the elders present nodded in agreement. They believed that as long as Eugene Fong's combat skills were not far behind his opponents, he could win with his physical advantages. In terms of innate qualities, he already had the upper hand.

******

On the commentary stage, the host, Shine Lewis, glanced at the prompt in front of him and looked up with a smile, "The third round of the Fire Seed Cup is officially over. The virtual world has also calculated the combat power of the winning teams, with Ray Willow's team and Ray Cloud's team fixed at number 1 and number 2 respectively, and the other teams ranked according to their combat power."

As he spoke, a huge team ranking chart appeared on the live broadcast screen.

1st: Ray Willow's Veteran Team (Captain Ray Willow)

2nd: Ray Cloud's Team (Captain Ray Cloud)

3rd: Pear Wood Team (Captain Jamie Smith), team combat power 23220

4th: Fairy Team (Captain Celia Green), team combat power 21680

"Tomorrow, we will hold the semi-finals of the Fire Seed Cup," Shine Lewis said with anticipation, his voice filled with excitement for the upcoming battles, "One match will be between the team led by the world's number one, Ray Willow, and the team led by our country's top female player, Celia Green. The other match will be between the team led by the world's number one in footwork, Ray Cloud, and the young team led by Jamie Smith."

A match schedule also appeared on the side.

September 5th, 0:00, first match, Ray Willow's Veteran Team vs. Fairy Team

September 5th, 1:00, second match, Ray Cloud's Team vs. Pear Wood Team

……

The members of the Pear Wood Team, including Jamie Smith, looked at the match schedule. Their eyes were filled with tension and anticipation for the upcoming battle.

"Our opponent is Ray Cloud's team," May Lee said nervously, but also with anticipation, her voice trembling slightly, "Ray Cloud is the world's number one in footwork."

"In his first display of strength in the virtual world, his footwork was already at the third tier," Jamie Smith nodded, his eyes sparkling with the desire for the upcoming battle, "More than a month has passed, how strong his footwork is now, it's unclear unless we face him personally."

"Those who have faced him also find it hard to say how strong he really is," Emily Johnson said, her voice filled with concern, "In our country, there are few who can force Ray Cloud to show his true strength."

All the team members agreed, feeling the pressure. They knew that the upcoming battle would be a tough challenge.

"It's easier than facing my master, Ray Willow," Jamie Smith joked, his voice relaxed, "My master Ray Willow is strong in every aspect, without any flaws."

"First, we'll defeat Ray Cloud's team, then meet Master Ray Willow in the final!" Quincy Shawn clenched his fist, his eyes filled with the desire for victory.

"Pretty confident, huh?" Finn Brown laughed, his eyes sparkling with anticipation for the upcoming battle.

Emily Johnson said, "We still need to have confidence. Compared to Ray Cloud's team, at least Ray Cloud's four teammates are relatively weak. We mainly only have Ray Cloud as an enemy."

"Yeah, just him," Jamie Smith agreed, his eyes sparkling with the desire for the upcoming battle.

"The one who can threaten Ray Cloud on our side is also only the captain," Quincy Shawn said helplessly, his eyes filled with concern.

Emily Johnson was silent. She was an archer, supposed to play a role. But Ray Cloud was too terrifying. More than ten meters away, Emily Johnson wasn't confident in hitting Ray Cloud with

her arrows. As for within ten meters? With Ray Cloud's world-class footwork, daring to get within twenty meters was suicidal.

……

"Is my next opponent Jamie Smith?" Ray Cloud, with a stern expression, stood up in the stands, "Finally, a battle that's a bit interesting."

So far in the Fire Seed Cup, Ray Cloud had not encountered any threat. The battle against Jamie Smith, Ray Cloud felt... he needed to show some real skills.

……

"Next up is that girl, Celia Green," Ray Willow also stood up, his eyes filled with anticipation for the upcoming battle, "Then in the final, who will I meet?"

******

In his personal space, the martial arts field, Jamie Smith stood there and opened his personal combat power panel—

Gene Evolution Method: "Heavenly Python Evolution Method" (Advanced 5%) (Training time 602 days, cannot be improved)

Body: 190

Skills: Gun Technique (Tier 3 43%), Footwork (Tier 3 3%), Shield Technique (Tier 3 31%)

Basic Combat Power: 4608

Actual Combat Bonus: 40%

Combat Power: 6451

"The improvement in footwork has indeed comprehensively enhanced my body's ability to exert force, and my gun and shield techniques have also improved," Jamie Smith nodded slightly as he looked at the panel, which was about what he had guessed, "But now that all three aspects have been broken through, the subsequent improvement will require slow accumulation."

"Now that my strength has increased a lot, I can try to challenge the Star Tower again," Jamie Smith thought, his eyes filled with the desire for the upcoming challenge, "To defeat Ray Cloud, I must first pass the third level of the Star Tower."

Jamie Smith immediately opened the task space and went to the Star Tower. Whoosh.

Like a meteor falling, he landed at the foot of the tower, Jamie Smith looked up at the familiar Star List with only six names on it, his eyes filled with anticipation, and then he walked into the Star Tower.——

(To be continued)