Chapter Ninety-Two: Appraisal and Praise

However, as everyone watched the passive mark of "Ink Soul"—the 'Purple Zenith String Path'—now fully saturated with color and flashing with brilliance, they all seemed to sense something in the air. Clear patterns began to appear on Ink Soul's form, radiating a rich violet-golden light, as though they were explosive fuses ready to ignite, though no explosion occurred.

Next, the indistinct shadow behind Ye Yu unleashed two swift sword beams, each slicing through Ink Soul's figure in succession. The passive mark of the 'Purple Zenith String Path' on Ink Soul now displayed a '3' in its lower right corner. Ye Yu retreated rapidly, his hands forming seals as violet light surged from within him.

The burly phantom wielded a sword of violet-gold, swirling it before him and conjuring a ring of sword-light in the air. As the sword ring appeared, a graceful melody flowed forth, as if a celestial zither were being played.

"Purple Zenith String Path: Purple Zenith Melody Slash!"

Sword beams shot out from within the ring, six in quick succession, each striking precise, predetermined spots on Ink Soul. When the seventh sword beam struck, Ye Yu's voice sounded again, this time carrying the weight of judgment.

"Purple Zenith String Path: Seven Sword Severing Heaven and Earth!"

A spectacular surge of damage followed. Seven times in an instant, Ink Soul’s life was slashed away, and with the seventh strike, everyone saw Ink Soul’s health bar drop instantly to zero. The figure dissolved into dust and vanished from their sight. That seemingly invincible presence before Ye Yu had lasted only moments before being felled by a single, ultimate skill.

"Phew..."

Ye Yu exhaled, and the stern expression on his face gave way to a hint of fatigue. The phantom behind him faded, and the cloak he wore likewise dissolved, scattering as starlight into the air.

...

"The skills designed by this player are flawless, without a single imperfection."

At the Mythic Technology Department of Huaxia, every staff member was reviewing the detailed data from Ye Yu’s battle against Ink Soul. Guo Yuan was stunned by the figures, then deeply impressed by Ye Yu’s genius. The skill design had reached the absolute peak of the string-type skill category; even a surplus of 0.1 would have resulted in failure.

"Interesting," Feng Ling mused, raising his right hand to stroke his chin, his eyes narrowing and lips curling with intrigue.

"Seven-fold skill damage, combined with three passive marks, yields maximum damage each time. Such a skill design shows that this 'Liang Ye' has thoroughly mastered the game’s mechanics. I’m quite curious about the person behind this player. His gaming history surely marks him as someone noteworthy."

Feng Ling’s words were clearly addressed to Guo Yuan, who nodded. On the table beside him was a folder, which he handed to Feng Ling, replying, "The player 'Liang Ye' is located at Qingcheng University, but we cannot pinpoint who exactly he is."

"Very well, keep close watch on the overall dynamics of the 'Xuan Tian' server. When I’m available, focus on that fixed team. No need to deliberately check player chat logs. The Imperial-type player is likely no ordinary gamer either; their skill rivals yours when you first joined the company’s gaming assessment."

With that, Feng Ling turned and left the technical department. Guo Yuan pondered Feng Ling’s last remark, his eyes flashing with a hint of battle spirit as he glanced at Old Hu standing at the edge of the screen.

...

In the game, Old Hu’s expression was a mix of shock and gravity, though astonishment prevailed.

"I never expected the ultimate skill set in Liang Ye’s custom skill tree to reach such heights. It’s beyond my imagination—no wonder he can face a boss of this level alone. Even I might not be able to handle Ink Soul solo."

Old Hu spoke, and Huang Hong rested his left hand on Old Hu’s shoulder. "What do you think of our Third Brother? Impressive, isn’t he?"

"The synergy between his skills is extraordinary, and his play style is innovative, unique, and varied. It’s clear that even the highest AI, Ink Soul, in this new server can’t predict Ye Yu’s actions. In such circumstances, Liang Ye’s damage, control, and stamina are all perfectly balanced, reaching the pinnacle of string-type skills. Truly flawless."

Old Hu’s praise surprised everyone—the seasoned veteran rated Ye Yu so highly.

"It’s hard to imagine such a perfect custom skill set. Only the god-tier players from the old servers could possibly compare with Ye Yu’s talent," Luo Feng said, calming his nerves and shaking his head. "Third Brother enjoys provoking others, but to push the string-type to this level is truly impressive."

"What you find impressive and what I find impressive are different," Old Hu grumbled. "You may be dazzled by the flashiness of the skill, but I see more than that."

"To instantly wipe out nearly two-thirds of Ink Soul’s health—isn’t this damage a bit unbalanced?" Luo Wei crossed his arms and frowned. He realized the skill’s damage was high, possibly exceeding what should be expected at this level, which could lead to imbalances in the game’s future.

"Not at all. Every skill has a comprehensive evaluation mechanism—that’s the special system introduced with the custom skill tree in 'Divine Ruin.' It prevents such imbalances. The skill’s area, damage, number of hits, control time, and casting time—all aspects of skill creation are subjected to rigorous data analysis."

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