The fact that Ye Xiu still ranks second in the All-Star voting even after 10 years and a year and a half of retirement goes to show just how much influence he can still gather. This is Lord Grim's first appearance on the All-Star stage, and I can already say how memorable it is. Ye Xiu being the only one challenged by all the rookies registered for this event is hilarious. His shameless interactions with the other veteran pro players, the rookies, and even the audience are such a source of entertainment.
After Tang Rou's controversy and Fang Rui's gradual adjustment to his new class in the last volume, this time, the volume addresses the issue of having their Cleric as the weakest link on the team. I just loved how, even after everyone doubted An Wenyi because of his unsatisfactory technical skills, Team Happy still saw him as the only suitable Cleric for the team. That's actually rich coming from Ye Xiu, who's almost always blunt when it comes to his criticism. An Wenyi is rational and self-aware, so his self-doubt is more apparent, but Team Happy didn't and wouldn't abandon him. When asked what was special about An Wenyi that made the team want to keep him, Ye Xiu said that what was special about him was that he was a member of Team Happy. That actually moved me.
Team Happy's win rate in the second half of the regular season is getting unstable again after their consecutive wins from Round 9 to Round 18, but it's still much better than their first nine rounds. Ye Xiu isn't even concerned, so I'm not going to worry.