Heroes' Prison

Chapter 307 - 302: The World Is Heartbroken, Dao Feng Retires

"I don’t know either, maybe he just wanted to have a spar with you!" Dao Feng shook his head, "Actually, his arch-rival should be me, because my broken sword hilt was the weapon of the Sword Emperor back in the day. I understand the Sword Emperor very well, and simultaneously, I am familiar with his arch-rival, the Blade Emperor. I have a faint feeling that Sharp Sword seems to have inherited the Blade Emperor’s legacy; some of his skills vaguely resemble those of the Blade Emperor back then."

"The Blade Emperor’s successor?" Huang Yi whispered to himself, feeling an invisible pressure. Sharp Sword, in a way, was even more terrifying than Dao Feng; outsiders had no idea what abilities he possessed. The words Dao Feng had said might well be the first-hand information about Sharp Sword up to now.

"Alright, Instakill, I have to go now. I don’t know if there will be a day to meet again, but your deeds will definitely spread to every corner of the continent, and I’m sure to hear of them. I’ll be in some corner of this continent, applauding for you!" Dao Feng said, patting Huang Yi’s shoulder, and then leaped into the air in front of him, sprouting a pair of wings on his back, flying towards the distant Bright Moon. His silhouette grew smaller and smaller, as if he were flying to the moon itself.

"You’ll come back." Huang Yi watched Dao Feng’s silhouette and muttered to himself in the wind.

In a blink, a week passed.

That day, a major event occurred worldwide.

Dao Feng, who was the world’s number one in the level rankings, had been surpassed by the Japanese player Miyamoto Musashi, marking the first time the throne of number one on the level rankings had changed hands since the opening of The Second World over two years ago.

Subsequently, TV stations, websites, newspapers, and forums were all discussing the matter, singing the decline in Dao Feng’s strength. Some Chinese players even vehemently questioned why Dao Feng had become so negligent as to let someone else take the number one spot.

For a moment, Dao Feng became the target of scathing criticism by a small minority, especially some patriots, whose tone was so sharp that they practically treated Dao Feng as if he were a traitor. It was the first time Dao Feng’s near-perfect image suffered a blow.

But in response to all this, Dao Feng himself did not make any comment, nor did any journalist manage to interview him, which made the matter even more mysterious and confusing.

Then, something even more shocking happened — Dao Feng didn’t manage to hold onto the second place either and was overtaken by his arch-rival Dragon Spike!

It didn’t end there; following this, Dao Feng’s ranking continued to fall until he dropped out of the top 10, and during this period, his level remained unchanged, consistently at level 75.

This prompted media speculation worldwide, with many people associating the situation with Dao Feng’s health, thinking he was temporarily resting and would soon make a comeback to reclaim the top position once he had recovered. Especially his loyal fans, who had blind faith in him.

However, ultimately, the current president of the Xuanyuan Clan, Yun Sihai, released a message stating that Dao Feng had chosen to retire due to personal reasons and had refused all interviews.

This news, like a heavy bomb, instantly exploded the world’s public opinion.

Dao Feng had almost become a symbol, an emblem of The Second World, but now, this figure had retired silently!

This announcement caught everyone off guard and became the biggest topic of public discourse for a time, with almost everyone discussing it.

That day, after logging in at noon, Huang Yi routinely checked the forums.

"The world is heartbroken; Dao Feng has retired."

"The mystery of Dao Feng’s retirement: Is it due to health reasons, or did he see through fame and fortune?"

"Papal interview: Regretfully, I never got the chance to battle Dao Feng."

...

The hot topics on the forum’s homepage were mostly about Dao Feng. Huang Yi clicked into the top-ranked post to take a look.

"The world is heartbroken; Dao Feng has retired. Since Dao Feng’s retirement, the entire Second World seems to have been cast in shadow. The rapid changes in the world are too abrupt for people to accept. Dao Feng’s peerless figure seems to still be present as if only yesterday. Among ten billion people, he maintained his rank as the world’s number one for two consecutive years, a feat that may never be broken by anyone in the future. Dao Feng was upright and full of sunshine; he was open and aboveboard, not resorting to underhanded tactics. Even foreign masters like the Pope and Heavenly Dao were full of admiration for him. Dao Feng’s retirement is not just China’s loss, but a loss for all people worldwide. We have lost a great leader, and his spirit will live on in our memories. Perhaps many years from now, even if our strength has far surpassed Dao Feng’s, we will still respect him. History won’t forget him. His spirit will continue to inspire generations to come, and his legend will be passed down forever..."

This post was a summary of Dao Feng’s life and resonated with many people around the world, with the number of replies exceeding five hundred million.

Of course, there are always two sides to every story, and amidst the numerous voices, some were filled with rage. Some people lashed out at Dao Feng, calling him a traitor or a coward. These individuals might be living listlessly in The Second World, but at this moment, they had come forward, discussing patriotism as if they had the moral high ground.

Huang Yi had seen many such faces before. They held others to high standards but forgot that they had never contributed anything themselves. In their eyes, Dao Feng should always be number one, no matter what. He should keep the number one spot even if it brought ruin to his family, or he would be seen as lazy or shirking responsibility and deserving of execution. Yet from beginning to end, they themselves had done nothing; in a real war, they would likely be the first to surrender.

However, such people were in the minority. Most were understanding of Dao Feng’s decision.

Huang Yi logged out and continued to look through other posts. Soon, he came across a post by a famous forum figure, Wen Tao— "Sharp Sword, Dragon Spike, Instakill, Thunder God, who will take Dao Feng’s place?"

This post mentioned him, and Huang Yi couldn’t help but click to read.

"Welcome to this issue of Military Strategy and Tactics; I am Wen Tao. Since the announcement of Dao Feng’s retirement, the world’s public opinion has exploded. There are those who praise him, those who criticize him, and those who just enjoy the drama, but none of this matters anymore. Dao Feng’s retirement is a fact, and no amount of discussion can change his mind. Now, let’s talk about something practical. Among Chinese players, who could take Dao Feng’s place? Upon hearing this question, perhaps four names immediately come to mind for many of you—Sharp Sword, Dragon Spike, Instakill, and Thunder God. Of course, some might also mention figures like Unbeaten, Desire Arises from the Heart, and Second Brother Who Studies Medicine, whose strengths are indeed formidable and barely comparable to the previous four, but they still lack something, especially in terms of reputation. To take Dao Feng’s place, one needs both strength and reputation. Let’s analyze who among these four is the most suitable to replace Dao Feng."

"First up is Sharp Sword. He and Dao Feng are the only two winners of the Best Individual Award, so it should be his turn to replace Dao Feng. But he’s also the first to be eliminated because he’s too mysterious, always lurking in the background. The world still knows little about him—at least, to this day, I can’t articulate what skills Sharp Sword has or what specific things he has done. It’s unlikely for such a person to become the leader of Chinese players."

"Next up is Dragon Spike, the person with the deepest connection to Dao Feng since he has always been Dao Feng’s arch-enemy. With Dao Feng gone, Dragon Spike naturally remains. However, Dragon Spike is inherently reserved and not keen on public appearances, so he’s also not well-suited to be a leader. Of course, he is the only player in the world with the Imperial Jade Seal. If he were to establish a country and evolve from Dragon Spike to Dragon Emperor, then he could definitely become a leader—he would have the status of an Emperor."

"The third is Instakill. We have seen Instakill’s rapid progress, skyrocketing to fame in just half a year and ultimately winning the Best Newcomer Award. Moreover, he has a name bestowed upon him that not even Dao Feng had— the name ’God of Slaughter’ is known to all NPCs in The Second World. In terms of reputation, he surpasses Dao Feng. Compared to Sharp Sword and Dragon Spike, he also has the Hero Guild as a backbone. Overall, he is the most suitable to take over Dao Feng’s position. However, Instakill is too brutal and lacks Dao Feng’s approachable leadership quality. He once destroyed the Wind Forest Stronghold Respawn Point in a fit of rage, affecting some innocents. Later in Dragon City, he also killed three hundred thousand innocents. Although he gave those people a chance to live at the time, killing three hundred thousand is an act that offends both humans and gods. If he could be more peaceful, he would be like a second Dao Feng."

"Lastly, Thunder God. Thunder God and Instakill are considered equals, but just as Dao Feng had overshadowed Dragon Spike, Thunder God has always been overpowered by Instakill. However, Thunder God’s strength is even greater than Instakill’s. In the past week’s power rankings, Thunder God was ranked fifth in the China Region, while Instakill was ranked eighth. Although these rankings aren’t official and are just personal rankings of forum players, they are somewhat founded. Additionally, compared to Instakill, Thunder God has a better reputation, and his Sun Guild is full of potential. He is also a strong candidate to take over as the leader of Chinese players."

"Overall, among these four, Instakill is the most suitable to become the new leader of Chinese players, with Thunder God following close behind, then Dragon Spike, and lastly Sharp Sword. A leader is not merely a symbolic virtual identity but carries significant responsibilities. He will become a face card representing all the players of a country. We all know that Japan’s leader is Heavenly Dao, the United States’ leader is the Pope, and Egypt’s leader is the Pharaoh; these individuals represent the image of their respective countries. More importantly, in future national wars, the leader will lead the country’s players in battle. Disunity cannot achieve anything in national wars; there must be a leader who can bring people together..." (To be continued. If you like this work, please visit Starting Point (qidian.com) to cast your Recommendation Tickets and Monthly Tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please read at m.qidian.com.)