"Congratulations to Tianhuan for securing a 2:0 victory in this match!"
"The MVP for the second game goes to Lieyang! In several key team fights, his ultimate 'Kraken Devour' deleted the opponent's key heroes, creating opportunities for his teammates. His skill accuracy was extremely high."
"Last week, Tianhuan won 2:1 against Jingzhe, and today they won 2:0 against Huowen. Tianhuan has already secured 2 match wins in Group S, with a net score of 3 points!"
"The teams in Group S are all very strong, and the competition is fierce. With three weeks left in the regular season, let's look forward to the performance of both Tianhuan and Huowen in the upcoming matches! Let's give another round of applause to both teams!"
The two commentators quickly summarized the match.
However, inside Tianhuan's soundproof booth, the atmosphere was somewhat subtle.
Usually, after a match ended, Ye Shaoyang would turn around and hug Chi Shuo to celebrate together. Given how perfectly synchronized their Mid-Jungle synergy was in the second game today, the audience expected them to hug like before.
However, after finishing the match, Ye Shaoyang took off his headphones and stood up directly.
—He didn't hug anyone.
Chi Shuo had intended to turn around and hug Ye Shaoyang, only to find that Shaoyang had already left his seat. He smiled and patted Cheng Xing's shoulder, saying to Xiao Xing, "You performed very well in both games today. I'll add a chicken leg to your meal when we get back."
Cheng Xing was thrilled by the praise and didn't notice anything amiss between Brother Yang and his Master.
Chi Shuo looked up at Ye Shaoyang.
Was Ye Shaoyang intentionally or unintentionally avoiding his gaze?
Perhaps Shaoyang realized that it wasn't good for an Omega and an Alpha to hug frequently, so he was trying to avoid suspicion in public? That "Hug Compilation" edited by CP fans had made it to the top of the Super Topic page a few days ago. Ye Shaoyang must have seen it, hence becoming wary and worried that their temporary marking might be exposed?
Regardless, he respected Shaoyang's thoughts.
Maintaining a certain distance in public was also normal.
Chi Shuo took a step forward and said to Ye Shaoyang in a low voice, "Your shot-calling in both games today was excellent."
Hearing this, Ye Shaoyang turned back and smiled. "It's all thanks to Captain Chi's coordination."
Chi Shuo curved his lips into a smile. "Let's go, shake hands with the other side."
Although there was no hug, the tacit understanding in their shared smile still gave many CP fans a dose of "sugar."
The Tianhuan team went to the opposing soundproof booth to shake hands. Zhou Jiawen shook their hands politely, then looked at Ye Shaoyang and asked curiously, "Did you solo kill Mitchell?"
Ye Shaoyang played dumb. "Really? Did Mitchell tell you that?"
Zhou Jiawen smiled slightly. "I guessed. Before this season started, he sent me a row of candles."
Beside him, Yan Yan looked at Ye Shaoyang and said sincerely, "You guys really played well today. I feel like you two wouldn't even be afraid facing that world-class Mid-Jungle duo from Korea."
Ye Shaoyang said, "We haven't faced that Korean duo head-on, so it's unclear who would win."
Chi Shuo chimed in, "Yeah, it's too early to talk about foreign opponents."
Yan Yan didn't continue the topic. He shook Chi Shuo's hand and said, "Congratulations, Captain Chi. Taking 2 net points from our Huowen is very beneficial for your upcoming rankings."
Chi Shuo nodded at him. "Thanks, we just got lucky."
After separating in the soundproof booth, both sides went to the main stage to bow and leave in order.
The post-match interview for this game invited Tianhuan's marksman, Cheng Xing.
Inviting Ye Shaoyang every time would bore the audience. Today, Cheng Xing took the MVP in the first game and his performance in the second game was also commendable, so the reporter grabbed Xiao Xing for an interview.
Cheng Xing stood at the interview booth, facing the cameras below, looking very awkward with red ears.
The reporter smiled and said, "Congratulations to Tianhuan for winning this match 2:0! Welcome Tianhuan Starlight to our interview booth."
Cheng Xing took the microphone with a stiff smile. "Thank you."
The reporter asked, "Xiao Xing got the MVP in the first game today and played very well in the second game too. Have you been training hard recently? Do you feel that your level has improved a lot?"
Cheng Xing said earnestly, "Yes, I'm training frantically every day. Brother Yang also said I've improved."
The reporter said, "Some people online say you are the weaker link in Tianhuan. What do you think about that? Is there a lot of pressure?"
Cheng Xing scratched his head and said, "The netizens are right; I am indeed relatively weak and can't compare to the league's top-tier marksmen. But I'm a rookie, after all. Brother Yang said rookies need tempering, and pressure is also motivation!"
Reporter: "Do you have any goals you want to achieve this season?"
Cheng Xing thought for a moment and said with a blushing face, "My goal is to follow Tianhuan into the playoffs and bring back a trophy! Also, I hope to make some breakthroughs myself, so I don't waste the cultivation of Master and Brother Yang."
The reporter laughed. "You have a very good relationship with Lieyang, right? You always mention Brother Yang."
Cheng Xing said straightforwardly, "Brother Yang has a good relationship with everyone. He's like my second master; he taught me a lot, including how to adjust my state and not be influenced by the outside world. His mentality is truly super good."
[Xiao Xing really is Yangyang's number one fanboy. In an interview, every third sentence is 'My Brother Yang'.]
[Second master, highlight that point!]
[With Shuoyue and Lieyang spurring him on together, no wonder Xiao Xing is growing so fast.]
[Sun, Moon, Star… why do I have the illusion of a mom and dad raising a child? Doge.jpg]
The reporter continued, "Tianhuan has already won two matches in Group S. Do you have the confidence to continue winning the upcoming matches?"
Cheng Xing said, "Of course, we will do our absolute best!"
Reporter: "Thank you, Xiao Xing, for accepting our interview."
Cheng Xing nodded and turned to walk away.
Because he was too nervous, he tripped over his own feet while walking and nearly face-planted on the interview stage. Cheng Xing smiled awkwardly at the camera and ran off, his face flushing red.
The passersby who had mocked him before were actually charmed by this clumsy move.
This kid was silly and naive. Being double-teamed by the two Demon Kings, Shuoyue and Lieyang, every day, dying over 100 times in internal scrims to the point of being made into a compilation video—yet he could stabilize his mentality and slowly improve. It really wasn't easy!
Backstage, after watching the interview, Beimu's Zhao Xinping said indifferently, "Cheng Xing is improving very quickly. Although he can't compare to the league's first-tier marksmen, he is no longer an obvious weakness for Tianhuan."
Zhao Xin'an agreed, "This kid has quite high talent. Otherwise, Chi Shuo wouldn't have taken him as an apprentice back then. His average deaths per game have been getting lower recently. Cutting him down isn't as easy as it was at the beginning."
Zhao Xinping looked thoughtfully at the highlights replay on the big screen and said, "Huowen banned the Spirit Realm Snowbird for two consecutive games. Anyone in the know can see they were banning the Sun-Moon duo's dual-fly system."
The Beimu coach said, "Facts have proven that such BP is useless. You ban the dual-fly, but Shuoyue and Lieyang can just pick something else. These two players have deep champion pools and play many combinations."
Zhao Xinping nodded. "Yeah, you can't ban out Tianhuan's Mid and Jungle. When we face Tianhuan, I think targeting the side lanes is a better approach."
Zhao Xin'an said, "I think so too! Tianhuan's Mid-Jungle is strong, but their Top and Bot lanes aren't that strong; they can be breakthroughs. In the top lane, I can't solo kill their tank, but Sister, you can choose a carry warrior in the bot lane to force kill Cheng Xing!"
Sean said, "I'll stall Lieyang in the mid lane, preventing him from roaming to support, giving you time to break through the side lanes."
Everyone discussed for a moment, and the Beimu coach said, "There are still 2 weeks before we face Tianhuan. The coaching staff will research carefully and formulate several targeted plans." He paused, looking at the mixed-race import with blue eyes beside him. "Sean, did you get the recordings you asked for from Europe?"
Sean smiled and said, "I got them. I'll send them to the coach when we get back."
Back when Sunshine and Moonlight appeared on the international server, they changed their names within three days.
Two European teams encountered their chaotic ID codes in ranked matches and recognized them through the operations of their dual-fly combination, recording all the matches for study.
Sean was familiar with these teams and obtained the recordings of the international server ranked matches.
Tianhuan was strong in Mid-Jungle, while Beimu was strong in all three lanes.
The duel between these two teams should become the biggest highlight of Group S.
…
After returning to the hotel, Coach Lin struck while the iron was hot and gathered the team for a post-match review.
The handling of details in today's two games was excellent. The first game's variant Positional Warfare featured three-lane macro play and "Dissuasion-style" tower pushing, making it impossible for the opponent to break through. The second game's Mid-Jungle synergy involved rapid support to break the opponent's rhythm, allowing Cheng Xing to farm up, then snowballing with the economic lead.
Coach Lin was full of praise: "Shaoyang's shot-calling was outstanding, and his understanding of the macro game was also excellent."
Everyone looked at Ye Shaoyang, who said modestly, "It was everyone's good cooperation."
Coach Lin smiled and continued to praise the others: "Xiao Xing performed very well today, dealing over 40% of the damage in both games. Qu Jiang's protection and engages were very timely, and Old Qin's self-sacrifice to save others in team fights was also crucial. I don't need to say much about Chi Shuo; his performance was as stable as ever, and his coordination with Shaoyang was very synchronized."
Coach Lin took a deep breath, his gaze sweeping over the team members. "In short, in today's match, everyone's tacit understanding was obviously much better than before. I can't pick out any major faults. It seems our training has been effective."
Everyone nodded in unison.
Coach Lin continued, "Huowen made a few mistakes. I'll replay them specifically for everyone to see. In future matches, we should also try to avoid these mistakes…"
The pleasant review lasted until early morning before the coach let everyone go back to their rooms to sleep.
Ye Shaoyang had his phone on silent during the review. When he took it out afterward, he found a friend request had popped up. The verification message read "Zhou Jiawen."
Ye Shaoyang was stunned for a moment, then accepted the request.
Chi Shuo frowned. "Why is he adding you?"
Ye Shaoyang joked, "I don't know. Surely he wouldn't privately message me to curse at me for losing the match."
Zhou Jiawen sent a smiley face.
Ye Shaoyang greeted politely: "Hello, Captain Zhou."
Zhou Jiawen said: "Mitchell just woke up, watched the replay of today's match, and lit a row of candles for me."
Ye Shaoyang looked at the row of candles in the chat screenshot, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.
How come all these international friends had learned the Great Chinese meme culture?
Mitchell was there posting [Lighting Candle.jpg] every day, and Sean was there posting [Cracked open.jpg] every day.
Ye Shaoyang replied: "They are far away in the US, but they also pay attention to matches in the China region?"
Zhou Jiawen joked: "Their team, FNO, probably only pays attention to Tianhuan's matches. I guess after being solo killed by you back then, he's holding a grudge. Mitchell is particularly vengeful. I killed him once before, and he said he must kill me twice to regain face."
Ye Shaoyang: "…"
Zhou Jiawen said: "By the way, Mitchell wants to add you as a friend. Can I push your contact card to him?"
Ye Shaoyang: "Sure."
A moment later, a request popped up in the bottom right corner, with the additional message: Mitchell.
Ye Shaoyang accepted the request. The other party sent a handshake emoji, followed by a string of English, roughly meaning: "You played well, but I won't lose."
Ye Shaoyang held back a laugh and showed the message to Chi Shuo. "Is this a cross-border letter of challenge? It seems that match where my Abyssal Master wouldn't leave the tower—but took his life the moment I did—left a deep impression on him, making him hold a grudge?"
Chi Shuo said, "If he wants revenge, let's wait until FNO can make it to the World Championship first."
Ye Shaoyang had a premonition that FNO might actually secure a qualifying spot from the North American region.
This year's World Championship was surrounded by strong enemies, and many teams had roster changes. Who would ultimately break through the siege remained an unknown. Although Ye Shaoyang really wanted to go to the World Championship, he should focus on winning the domestic tournament first.
Only the Champion and Runner-up of the region were qualified to go to the World Championship.
They had already won two matches, 2:1 and 2:0. As long as they won 1 more match, they could securely enter the Winners Bracket.