Ye Shaoyang returned backstage after the match. An accompanying reporter excitedly thrust a microphone to his lips, saying: "Congratulations to Lieyang for the 2:0 victory over the Japanese players, winning the first match of the group stage and giving our Chinese region delegation a good start!"
Ye Shaoyang politely nodded to the reporter: "Thank you."
The reporter continued: "We noticed that you played particularly smoothly today and seemed very familiar with Japan's Kiriyama Takuya, even guessing his hiding positions multiple times. Did you prepare in advance?"
Ye Shaoyang replied: "Yes, Captain Chi helped me research Kiriyama's detailed information and even served as my practice partner, simulating matches against Kiriyama. Captain Chi is also very skilled with assassin-type heroes. I learned a lot about fighting assassins from our PK sessions, such as using Shadow Warlock against Stealth Rogue—that was a strategy we verified repeatedly."
The reporter was somewhat surprised: "So Captain Chi came abroad this time and also worked as your practice partner?"
Ye Shaoyang smiled and said: "Yes, he's also helping Xiaoxing analyze opponents and sharing a lot of his personal tournament experience with us. He's like our behind-the-scenes strategist."
In the backstage preparation room, everyone turned their eyes toward Chi Shuo. Chi Shuo's expression remained composed, though the slight upward curve of his lips suggested he was in a good mood.
Chairman Qiu said with a smile: "Lieyang is praising you like crazy."
Chi Shuo replied: "I only helped him analyze his opponents. Being able to defeat Kiriyama Takuya relies mainly on his operational details and on-the-spot reactions."
Zhou Jiawen joked from the side: "You two just keep complimenting each other. Poor us, we don't have practice partners."
Xie Weiyu said quietly: "Captain Zhou, how about we be each other's practice partners?"
Zhou Jiawen responded: "Good idea!"
The interview was still playing on screen. The reporter asked Ye Shaoyang: "Do you have confidence in the upcoming matches? What do you think your chances are of advancing from the group stage?"
Ye Shaoyang answered: "Of course I have confidence. It's hard to say about advancing from the group stage, but I'll do my best."
After the interview ended, Ye Shaoyang arrived at the preparation room, and Chairman Qiu applauded him: "Excellently played!"
Zhou Jiawen, Xie Weiyu, and others also came forward to congratulate him.
Ye Shaoyang laughed and said: "It's just winning a group stage match—we can't get too excited too early."
Chairman Qiu said: "Don't be modest. I believe you'll have no problem advancing from the group stage."
Everyone returned to the hotel for dinner, then came to the venue again for the evening matches. Zhou Jiawen, Xie Weiyu, and Cheng Xing were placed in Groups E-H, with matches all scheduled for the evening. Zhou Jiawen and Xie Weiyu both had matches at 7 PM, while Cheng Xing's was in the latest time slot at 10 PM.
Only two official commentators accompanied the team to Korea. Since Zhou Jiawen and Xie Weiyu's match times overlapped and they couldn't cover both, Chairman Qiu decided to have Mumu and Dongge commentate Xie Weiyu's match on-site, while Zhou Jiawen's match would be broadcast by domestic commentators. Tomorrow, when both played at the same time again, they would switch.
Ye Shaoyang watched the matches in the preparation room. Xie Weiyu performed well, winning 2:1 against his opponent, while Zhou Jiawen cleanly took victory 2:0.
At 10 PM, Cheng Xing's first opponent in Group H was Mitchell from the North American region. Before going on stage, Xiaoxing was somewhat nervous—even his smile looked forced, and his fists were clenched tight. After all, this was his first time abroad and he was young, so nervousness was inevitable.
Chi Shuo gently patted his disciple's shoulder and said quietly: "Mitchell's playstyle is aggressive. You need to stay steady, try to wear him down and kite him—don't fight him head-on."
Ye Shaoyang also came over to encourage Xiaoxing: "Don't overthink it, and don't worry about the result. Just play to your level—that's enough. Your master and I will be cheering for you backstage."
Cheng Xing looked up into his master's and Yang-ge's encouraging eyes. He took a deep breath and said seriously: "Don't worry, I'll play well!" With these two backing him up, he had nothing to fear!
Besides, the main purpose of this overseas competition was to gain tournament experience. He hadn't expected to win the championship anyway. As Yang-ge said, playing to his level was enough.
Cheng Xing straightened his chest and walked toward the main stage.
Mitchell wasn't familiar with Xiaoxing, but he knew this rookie was from Tianhuan team. The similar ID "Starlight" easily reminded him of how his team's rookies Angus and Aaron had been bullied to tears by Sunshine and Moonlight teaming up on the international server—well, the time had come to avenge his rookies!
Mitchell certainly wouldn't hold back. In the first game, he selected his signature hero [Sun Wheel Mage]. He played mage like a warrior, extremely aggressive. Cheng Xing got caught by him in close combat and gave up first blood.
Mitchell completely controlled the match rhythm afterward. Though Cheng Xing resisted stubbornly, he was ultimately powerless and lost the first game.
In the second game, Cheng Xing chose the agile marksman [Wind Spirit], patiently maneuvering around Mitchell. Taking advantage of the [Berserk] skill, he caught an opportunity to land a combo on Mitchell and unexpectedly secured Mitchell's head!
Mitchell had played too aggressively and was caught by Cheng Xing's opportunity, allowing him to win back a game. The score became 1:1.
Mitchell realized Tianhuan's rookie was more difficult than he thought. In the third game, he became more cautious, selecting an agile assassin-mage. He showed off positioning and mechanics, ultimately taking the match in 15 minutes.
Cheng Xing wasn't upset about this result—he had expected to lose. After all, Mitchell was a world-class player with strength comparable to Yang-ge and his master.
When Cheng Xing returned backstage, he was smiling happily: "At least I won one game—not as embarrassing as losing 0:2!"
Seeing the young man so full of energy, Ye Shaoyang said with relief: "That's right. Mitchell is the most aggressive mid-laner in the North American region. Being able to take a game from him is already impressive."
Cheng Xing nodded: "Yes, yes. I gained a lot from today's match. I'll go back and review it slowly with the coach."
The first day of matches ended. Of the four Chinese region participants, three won and one lost.
Though Cheng Xing lost his final match, most domestic public opinion remained encouraging. After all, he was a rookie, and advancing from the wildcard region was already impressive—expecting him to beat Mitchell was unrealistic.
Cheng Xing's Weibo was full of fans cheering him on. Of course, some haters took the opportunity to criticize him, but Cheng Xing blocked them all. He casually opened the #Sun and Moon Together# super topic and found that, as expected, the CP fans were celebrating wildly.
[Family, did you all see today's interview? I found more sugar to enjoy]
[Captain Chi went to Korea to be Yang-yang's practice partner!]
[Captain Chi is so warm, sob sob. Can I move the civil affairs bureau to their hotel?]
[If Sun-Moon CP issued stock, I could definitely get rich!]
Cheng Xing silently liked these comments. Yang-ge was already very strong, and with Chi Shuo's accumulated experience in solo tournaments, Cheng Xing had a feeling that in this World Invitational, Yang-ge might actually win the championship!
When that happened, the Sun-Moon CP would be a divine romance between the S6 solo champion and the S10 solo champion, right? He needed to type "perfect match" on the public screen!
The next day, Ye Shaoyang faced an upper lane player from the African region named Puraka in the group stage.
In Ye Shaoyang's previous world, Africa's esports level was very poor. Most African countries had limited computer penetration, and the number of esports players was pitifully small. However, in this world, economic levels were generally higher, and the African region's team strength wasn't weak. Their God of War professional league was thriving.
Today's opponent was the top laner from the first-ranked team in the African region's regular season.
Chi Shuo stayed up all night researching his information, but unfortunately, the African region didn't have the habit of posting match recordings on their official website. What Chi Shuo gathered were only some online evaluations saying he played warriors very well.
Without opponent information for this match, Ye Shaoyang could only rely on improvisation.
Mages versus warriors were theoretically difficult to win, because assassin-mages couldn't one-shot warriors with a combo, but warriors could easily one-shot squishy mages. Only in the late game, when mages had their equipment and warriors didn't build defense, could they potentially secure kills.
Therefore, Ye Shaoyang simply didn't choose an assassin-mage this round.
In the first game, he selected [Moonlight Mage], a hero with extremely long attack range that he had used when coordinating mid-support with Qu Jiang. It could deal damage with basic attacks, and its ultimate could sweep moon blades, causing ultra-long-range linear damage.
Puraka chose the warrior [Sword Will], which had high burst damage but short attack range. By choosing this ultra-long-range poke mage hero, Ye Shaoyang could stand in a safe position and wage a war of attrition against his opponent.
In the first game, Ye Shaoyang never left his tower. He stood under the tower, clearing minions from long range and sweeping, wearing down his opponent's health. Puraka would often finish clearing a wave of minions only to be swept down to low health by Ye Shaoyang's moon blades.
Ye Shaoyang used serpentine movement, and the moon blades shot from his staff were like torrential rain—Puraka couldn't avoid them. He was frequently swept down to low health and had to return to base to heal.
After several trips home, the economic gap between them widened rapidly.
Yao Mu noticed Ye Shaoyang's strategy and said: "Yang-yang is playing very clearly against warriors today—choosing long-range heroes to wear down the opponent, forcing them to go home, then controlling the minion wave… He's playing macro!"
Dongge praised: "That's right. The victory conditions for solo matches include not only getting 3 kills but also destroying the opponent's crystal! When facing warriors who are hard to one-shot, playing macro and pushing the crystal is a good choice. Lieyang's thinking is very rational."
On screen, Lieyang's [Moonlight Mage] activated his ultimate again. Ye Shaoyang moved in serpentine patterns left and right, beating Puraka down to low health once more. Puraka had no choice but to go home.
Puraka was playing extremely uncomfortably. When he returned to lane again, he couldn't stand it anymore and simply flashed forward trying to force-kill Ye Shaoyang. But then… just as the [Moonlight Mage]'s health was beaten down to critical, Ye Shaoyang backhanded himself with a "Minor Healing" spell for a health boost.
Seeing this, Yao Mu said with a mixture of tears and laughter: "Yang-yang brought Heal this game!"
Dongge said: "Yes, he didn't bring Flash or Cleanse—he brought [Heal]. His item build also focused on spell vamp equipment with extremely strong sustain. He's going all-in on attrition and macro play!"
Yao Mu added: "If Africa's Puraka understood our Lieyang's style, he should realize by now that 'come hit me, you can't kill me, right?' is written all over his face!"
This comment triggered a string of comments in the domestic livestream.
[Lieyang's classic three-part combo: Come hit me! You can't kill me, right? You can't catch me, right?]
[Amazing, this is the first time I've seen a mage with Heal!]
[There's nothing you can imagine that Lieyang wouldn't dare to do. Him bringing Heal is nothing—even if one day he brings Smite to jungle, I wouldn't be surprised!]
Dongge said: "Tower diving to force-kill Lieyang won't end well. In the early game, warriors can theoretically one-shot squishy mages, but a mage with Heal who heals himself at the critical moment—if your damage isn't enough, you'll be counter-killed."
Yao Mu laughed: "It seems our international friends don't understand our Lieyang's style well enough."
Puraka was extremely depressed. The gaming experience was terrible.
In all his matches in the African region, he had never encountered such a troublesome mid-laner!
If you didn't try to one-shot the opponent, they would take advantage of when you were clearing minions to sweep from ultra-long range, constantly wearing down your health, beating you to low health and forcing you home.
But if you tried to one-shot them, they had Heal, and they built [Spell Vamp Book]!
The Spell Vamp Book was the strongest lifesteal equipment for mages, recovering health proportional to magic damage dealt. At low health, one ultimate sweep could nearly restore full health.
And [Moonlight Mage]'s basic attacks dealt magic damage. Building [Spell Vamp Book] didn't even require using the ultimate—continuous basic attacks could also restore health. As long as you couldn't one-shot him, he could quickly recover to full health without even going home.
As they played, Puraka's outer tower was gone. Before he knew it, the inner tower was also pushed down.
Ye Shaoyang controlled the minion wave extremely well. Puraka only missed one wave of minions, yet Ye Shaoyang snowballed like crazy. By late game, the economy formed a complete crush. Puraka's warrior had short range and couldn't clear the minion wave. Ye Shaoyang pushed down the crystal with his minions.
Puraka: "…"
This feeling of discomfort all over was like having his intelligence crushed?
In the second game, he chose [Berserker], a warrior with even stronger assassination ability. When activating berserk state, it could quickly one-shot squishy mages—even if the opponent brought Heal, it wouldn't help.
As a result, Ye Shaoyang selected [Abyss Sovereign] to face him. Then Puraka deeply experienced what a nightmare was—shadows, shadows everywhere. When you wanted to cut his main body, he rapidly swapped positions with shadows, making it impossible to hit!
Ye Shaoyang personally demonstrated on the international competition stage what the "triangular position swap method" meant.
His shadow control was very particular—it could quickly clear minions, swap positions to escape, or instantly surround and kill opponents.
When Puraka dueled the [Abyss Sovereign] who had summoned 3 shadows, the opponent essentially had 4 dashes, moving like the wind, extremely difficult to capture. Often, when Puraka charged forward with berserk active, the opponent would easily swap positions, circle behind him, have the shadows surround him instead, and the mark would instantly stack to 7 layers!
He couldn't see clearly how the marks were stacked at all.
Many players who used [Abyss Sovereign] might need to calculate combo sequences, but Ye Shaoyang was thoroughly familiar with this hero. He didn't need to think about dozens of combo methods—they came naturally to him.
Puraka was being kited and beaten by his three shadows, almost unable to touch even a corner of his main body's clothing.
Ultimately, Ye Shaoyang relied on extreme mechanics to style on Puraka to death, taking the first 3 kills!
Group C, second match—Sunshine wins!
At the competition venue, Korean audience members also noticed the broadcast screen for the Group C match. When Lieyang cleanly won 2:0, many people curiously discussed with friends nearby: "That Abyss Sovereign is too strong! Who is Sunshine?" "Seems like a rookie?"
Backstage, Park Won-seok, who was drinking tea and watching the solo tournament broadcast while resting, narrowed his eyes and said: "This Sunshine in Group C plays Abyss Sovereign quite well. He should be the Sunshine from the international server, right? I remember he has a partner called Moonlight—they're a couple name pair."
Cui He replied: "Yeah, we all know Moonlight—he's Tianhuan team's captain Chi Shuo. Sunshine is Tianhuan's new mid-laner who debuted this year, called Tianhuan Lieyang."
Park Won-seok was somewhat surprised: "He's a rookie?"
"That's right. When Mitchell posted three videos in the group chat, they were all match recordings of those two on the international server. From the recordings, Sunshine doesn't seem like a rookie, but he indeed only started playing professionally in the S10 season. I've seen his information before—currently the player with the most MVP awards in the Chinese region, and he even got a pentakill with Abyss Sovereign."
Cui He paused, turned to look at his teammates, and added with a sneer: "Chinese region reporters and fans all say he's the most talented rookie in recent years, and many people even compare him to you… In my opinion, it's only because the overall strength of the Chinese region is weak that he can stand out, right? Compared to you, he's far behind."
Park Won-seok smiled slightly and said lightly: "The Chinese region has indeed never won a world team championship—their overall strength isn't as good as ours. They have won two solo tournament championships though. However, mid-laners have a hard time in solo tournaments. I think this Lieyang will at most make it to the quarterfinals? Or semifinals at best."
Cui He agreed: "Yes, advancing from the group stage shouldn't be a problem though—he's already won two matches."
In Group C matches, Ye Shaoyang won two consecutive games, securing a spot in the Round of 16 early.
In the second night's matches, Zhou Jiawen and Xie Weiyu both won 2:1. Cheng Xing faced Vanessa from Group H. He had a good impression of this golden-haired beauty, but ended up getting crushed in the match.
Cheng Xing was somewhat depressed after losing 0:2. Ye Shaoyang comforted him: "She's the jungle player with the best performance this season in the European region. Losing to her isn't shameful."
Cheng Xing obediently nodded: "Yeah, if I meet her in future world tournaments, I'll definitely be extra careful."
On the third day of the World Invitational, Ye Shaoyang faced a weaker opponent in Group C and won even more easily than the previous two days. Zhou Jiawen also won consecutively. Xie Weiyu lost one match, while Cheng Xing surprisingly won one.
After three days of group stage matches, Ye Shaoyang advanced to the Round of 16 with an undefeated record in Group C. Zhou Jiawen and Xie Weiyu also made the Round of 16, while Cheng Xing was eliminated.
Many haters domestically mocked him: "Congratulations to Tianhuan Fanxing for his one-round tour in the solo tournament!" "Did Cheng Xing go to Korea for vacation?"
Cheng Xing calmly stated on Weibo: "I did go for vacation and to broaden my horizons!"
Being eliminated in the group stage was within his expectations. Group H was also a group of death with two world-class players, Mitchell and Vanessa. Only the top two could advance to the Round of 16—naturally, the qualification wouldn't fall to Cheng Xing.
Rational netizens also encouraged Cheng Xing. Fighting through from the wildcard region to the world solo tournament, with 3 group stage matches going 1:2, 0:2, 2:1—one win and two losses—Xiaoxing's performance was already excellent.
Starting on the fourth day, the intense and exciting elimination stage began.
Zhou Jiawen, first in Group E, faced Japanese warrior player Unekawa Ichiro from Group F. Xie Weiyu, second in Group G, faced Mitchell, who ranked first in Group H.
Ye Shaoyang, who advanced as first place in Group C, faced Group D's second-place finisher in the Round of 16 elimination—an assassin player from Thailand named Banji.
Chi Shuo was very familiar with assassins. He stayed up until 2 AM with Ye Shaoyang researching information, practicing matchups, and finding strategies. The next morning, they practiced PK operational details again.
Ye Shaoyang came to the competition venue full of confidence.
This match encountered some trouble at the start. The opponent seized an opportunity, and with the head count at 2:2, Banji suddenly ambushed and unexpectedly killed Ye Shaoyang, taking the first 3 kills for a 1:0 lead.
Clearly, while Ye Shaoyang was studying his opponent, the opponent was also studying him.
During the group stage, Ye Shaoyang had brought out many heroes, and his undefeated record made him a dark horse that delegations from various countries focused on in the solo tournament. His match recordings being repeatedly studied was normal.
In the second game, Ye Shaoyang changed strategies, bringing out [Shadow Warlock] again to face the opponent's [Stealth Rogue], stalling the opponent to death and tying the score.
In the deciding game, Ye Shaoyang unexpectedly brought out [Illusionist] with a fast-paced burst playstyle, quickly securing three kills and ending the match in 13 minutes.
Victory 2:1!
Seeing the match on the big screen, Yao Mu excitedly said: "Congratulations to Lieyang for the 2:1 victory! In the Round of 16 elimination, Lieyang wins again and advances to the quarterfinals of the world tournament solo competition!"
Dongge was also somewhat excited: "Lieyang has been in excellent form these past few days, with a very stable mentality during matches. Although he had a rough start today and lost one game, he adjusted quickly and won back two consecutive games—2:1, winning the match with some close calls!"
Yao Mu continued: "According to the schedule, in the next quarterfinal match, Lieyang's opponent will be determined from the Round of 16 winners of Groups G and H! It will be either Xie Weiyu or Mitchell."
Dongge said: "The match between Xie Weiyu and Mitchell will be broadcast live at 7 PM tonight. We look forward to the exciting showdown between them!"
That evening at 7 PM, Ye Shaoyang also came to the venue to watch Xiaoyu and Mitchell's match.
First, Xiaoyu was his best friend. Second, the winner would be his next opponent.
Although he hoped Xiaoyu could win, he also knew that Mitchell's strength as North America's number one mid-laner couldn't be underestimated. In a duel between mage and marksman, marksmen were at a disadvantage—early game marksman basic attacks had basically no damage, and late game, assassin-mages' burst could instantly one-shot marksmen. Marksmen's survival environment would be very difficult.
However, Xie Weiyu's resilience exceeded expectations. Mitchell won the first game with great difficulty, playing all the way to 18 minutes in the late game before seizing an opportunity to one-shot Xie Weiyu and meet the 3-kill victory condition.
In the second game, Xie Weiyu brought out [Sharpshooter], with continuous ultra-long-range sniping that annoyed Mitchell to no end. He ultimately won by clearing minions and pushing towers, tying the score 1:1.
Mitchell was surprised to discover that the Chinese region's marksmen seemed to have significantly improved overall. Whether it was Xiaoxing in the group stage or Xie Weiyu in the Round of 16, they were becoming harder and harder to kill.
It was probably because the Chinese region had produced the Sun-Moon mid-jungle duo BOSS—marksmen's survival environment became increasingly difficult, and these marksmen who emerged from the Chinese region, one by one, had first-class escape speeds!
Mitchell couldn't easily solo-kill Xie Weiyu. When it dragged to the deciding game, he nearly got upset. Ultimately, Mitchell relied on his rich tournament experience to seize the right moment, flashing to one-shot Xie Weiyu and take the deciding game.
Mitchell advanced to the quarterfinals. His next opponent was Tianhuan Lieyang.
Mitchell excitedly ran backstage to greet Ye Shaoyang: "In tomorrow's match with you, I'll get my revenge—mid-lane solo kill!"
Ye Shaoyang said: "Okay, I'll be waiting for you."
After he left, Xie Weiyu smiled slightly and said quietly: "Yang-yang, why do I feel like this Mitchell is a bit… simple-minded? His brain only thinks about killing."
Ye Shaoyang chuckled and nodded: "Yes, I killed him once, so he has to kill me twice to break even."
Next door, Zhou Jiawen also got upset in his Round of 16 match. The Japanese warrior player was very calm and sharp. With comparable levels, mages couldn't beat warriors—there was nothing to feel bad about.
Captain Zhou had a good mentality and smiled: "Alas, Yang-yang is the only seedling left from our Chinese region."
Although Chairman Qiu didn't want to pressure Ye Shaoyang, among the 8 quarterfinalists, only Ye Shaoyang remained from China. North America still had Mitchell and Lambert, Japan's Unekawa Ichiro, Europe's Vanessa, Korea's Kim Min-jun and Han Seung-woo, no one from the African region advanced, and Latin America's Kellogg…
These were all top-tier players. In the quarterfinals against Mitchell, as a mid-lane mirror match, Ye Shaoyang still had a chance. But what about the semifinals after? What about the finals?
Chairman Qiu didn't dare to hope for too much. He only hoped Lieyang could gain experience from this tournament, and after returning home, play well in the playoffs to improve Tianhuan's strength—that would make the trip worthwhile.
At this time, Chairman Qiu didn't yet know that Ye Shaoyang's goal had always been focused on the world championship trophy in the center of the main stage.
Mid-laners playing solo tournaments was indeed difficult—assassins and warriors, many were natural counters to mages.
But Ye Shaoyang didn't get discouraged because of this. On the contrary, he had a stubborn personality that became braver with each battle. The greater the difficulty, the more it aroused his competitive spirit.
He wanted to bring back the S10 solo tournament championship trophy and place it together with Chi Shuo's S6 championship trophy.
Jingzhe and Beimu were both double world champions. Tianhuan also needed two champions—only then would it be complete.