ARML CH72

At the end of November, the Gods’ War “Silver Dragon Cup” tournament officially commenced.

This year’s “Silver Dragon Cup” was the largest in recent years, with a total of over 200 participating teams. Playing out the entire tournament within a week made for an incredibly grueling schedule.

The tournament took place in a large arena at the Rong City Esports Base. The first round featured random draws, with the losing teams eliminated. Half of the teams were directly eliminated in a single day. The second round continued with random draws, eliminating another half.

This “elimination format” continued until 16 teams remained. Only then would they be seeded into groups based on their previous points to determine the top eight, top four, and the final top three.

Making it into the top 16 guaranteed a 200,000 yuan prize, top 8 secured a minimum of 500,000, and the champion could take home 2 million.

The prize money was cumulative, meaning the champion team of the Silver Dragon Cup would receive 20+50+200, totaling 2.7 million yuan in cash rewards. The winning team would also secure the annual endorsement deal for the Silver Dragon Group. For tier-one teams, this amount of prize money was nothing, but for many tier-two teams, this was a massive sum of money!

The elimination schedule for this year’s “Silver Dragon Cup” was extremely brutal.

It was said that Jingzhe Team 2 ran into Beimu Team 2 in the first round and was directly sent home. Tianhuan Team 2 was luckier, drawing an unheard-of Happy team, sending their opponents home 2:0.

Although Ye Shaoyang and Chi Shuo weren’t at the venue, the teenagers of Team 2 were, to some extent, their “students.” Ye Shaoyang and Chi Shuo were also keeping an eye on their match situations.

In the second round, they still drew a tier-three team, and Tianhuan sent their opponents home 2:0.

In the internal Tianhuan group chat, Xie Xiaotian excitedly said: “Yang-ge, I got a triple kill today, hahaha!”

Ye Shaoyang sent an applauding emoji: “Not bad, not bad.”

Xie Xiaotian said: “After being forcefully tower-dived by BOSS every day, playing against other mid-laners feels so relaxing!”

Ye Shaoyang: “Looks like I didn’t abuse you in vain, come back for more later ^_^”

Xie Xiaotian: “Shy.jpg”

Qin Sui also chimed in: “I get abused by Captain Chi every day. I only realized when playing the Silver Dragon Cup that those tier-two and tier-three junglers are just little brothers.”

Yan Bin sighed emotionally: “You only realize how strong Tianhuan Team 1 really is now when you go outside to play matches.”

Coach Lin popped up: “This Silver Dragon Cup is an elimination format. Didn’t Jingzhe Team 2 and Beimu Team 2 crash into each other yesterday? Some tier-two teams are also quite formidable, don’t be too careless.”

Yan Bin immediately replied: “Got it, Coach Lin. I will carefully draft BP and select compositions according to your instructions.”

On the fourth day of the Silver Dragon Cup, the participating teams had been whittled down to just over 30.

In the round of 32 elimination match, Beimu Team 2 drew a team called “Miracle Team.”

Zhao Xin’an happened to be bored recently, so he opened the streaming platform to watch the live broadcast of this match.

For amateur tournaments like the “Silver Dragon Cup,” the officials wouldn’t arrange professional casters, but they would stream the matches on partnered platforms for netizens to watch. Of course, the audience for such tournaments was very small, and the popularity was pitifully low.

Zhao Xin’an clicked into the Silver Dragon Cup B16 stream to watch his own Team 2 kids play against the Miracle Team.

Then, he unexpectedly saw that the opposing mid-laner’s ID was “Miracle-Zhong Xiaobai.”

Zhao Xin’an’s eyes lit up, and he immediately turned to call out to the coach: “Coach, coach, I found Xiao Bai! He actually signed with this team!”

Zhao Xinping took a look at the computer screen and couldn’t help frowning: “Miracle Team? Never heard of them.”

Beimu’s coach walked over and sat down. These types of tournaments wouldn’t sequentially introduce the participating players like the formal professional leagues, so they couldn’t see what the opposing players looked like either; they could only see the IDs.

The BP phase began, and the opponent Zhong Xiaobai picked an Illusionist.

Zhao Xin’an rubbed his hands in anticipation: “Xiao Bai’s Illusionist is National Rank One, he should be pretty formidable. Can our Team 2 mid-laner beat him?”

The coach said: “Not necessarily. Our Team 2 rookie at least has some tournament experience. Xiao Bai is strong in ranked, but he lacks major tournament experience. His psychological fortitude might not match up to our Team 2 rookie.”

Zhao Xin’an nodded: “That’s true.”

The match began.

At the 6-minute mark, a fight suddenly broke out in the mid-lane. The Beimu Team 2 teenager actually solo-killed the opposing mid-laner.

Zhao Xin’an evaluated: “This Xiao Bai is a bit impatient. He didn’t calculate the opponent’s skill cooldowns well and tried to get a kill, but ended up being counter-killed.”

A moment later, the Beimu Team 2 jungler ganked the mid-lane, sending Zhong Xiaobai back to base once again.

Zhao Xin’an sighed lightly: “Sigh, he should have signed with our Beimu back then. Even just practicing with the Team 2 players would have been good. Signing with this kind of tier-two team is really delaying his own future.”

The coach also expressed regret: “Perhaps the tier-two team offered him better treatment, letting him play as a starter directly, and even making him the captain. What a pity, he only saw the immediate benefits. Actually, being a substitute in a powerhouse team is better than playing as a starter in a tier-two team. The improvement in tactical awareness is simply not on the same level.”

Zhao Xin’an and the coach looked at each other as they finished watching the match.

The result, of course, was Beimu Team 2 winning.

After the match, in the Beimu group chat, the Team 2 teenagers sent a message: “@Reporter Zhao, we ran into Xiao Bai in the Silver Dragon Cup today! His skill level is just so-so, not as formidable as Brother Zhao said?”

Zhao Xinping said calmly: “Either you guys recognized the wrong person, or he signed with a tier-two team and was too nervous for his first match, failing to perform at his usual level.”

Zhao Xin’an said: “I looked at the participant list for this Silver Dragon Cup, and there’s only this one Xiao Bai. It shouldn’t be a case of mistaken identity, right? He was probably just too nervous and underperformed.”

The discussion about Xiao Bai ended there, leaving Zhao Xin’an only feeling regretful.

The next day, in the Silver Dragon Cup round of 16, Beimu Team 2 drew Tianhuan Team 2.

When the two main teams clashed in the playoffs, Beimu defeated Tianhuan 3:2. In this Silver Dragon Cup, with the two Team 2s facing off, the Beimu teenagers also thought they could win.

As a result…

Xie Xiaotian, are you fucking crazy! Tower-diving for a kill and still managing to escape with a sliver of health?

Qin Sui has gone crazy too, ganking frantically like Captain Chi, driving the tempo into overdrive?

Support Yan Bin has improved even more than before, using Flash and his ultimate to stun the backline Double Carries during team fights?

The Beimu kids were beaten a little senseless.

Tianhuan won the match 2:1, advancing to the top eight. Beimu Team 2 was sent home.

That night, in the Tianhuan group chat.

Xie Xiaotian excitedly said: “I solo-killed Beimu’s mid-laner, hahaha!”

Ye Shaoyang sent a thumbs-up: “Good job.”

Xie Xiaotian added: “Oh right, Beimu ran into a Miracle Team in the previous round. That team happened to have a mid-laner named Zhong Xiaobai. It seems they mistook that person for the streamer Xiao Bai.”

Yan Bin said: “Yes, I heard them chatting privately, saying the streamer Xiao Bai is very formidable in ranked, but playing matches is just so-so. Sure enough, lacking tournament experience, he was too nervous.”

Seeing the message, Chi Shuo couldn’t help but look back at Ye Shaoyang.

It wasn’t Beimu’s fault for the misidentification. A streamer becoming a professional player without any major tournament experience—playing ranked and playing matches are completely different things. Making mistakes under pressure is perfectly normal.

—The streamer Xiao Bai signed with a tier-two team, went to play the Silver Dragon Cup, made mistakes during the match, and was solo-killed by a professional player.

—This was the most logical storyline.

Who could have expected that the streamer Xiao Bai would sign with Tianhuan to play as a starter? And that despite lacking major tournament experience, he wouldn’t be nervous playing matches at all, even solo-killing the world-class mid-laner Mitchell?

After returning to the dorm, Chi Shuo hesitated for a moment and asked in a low voice: “Shaoyang, have you really never played matches before? I didn’t see you nervous when we played the scrimmage against FNO either.”

Ye Shaoyang’s heart skipped a beat, but he maintained his composure on the surface, explaining with a smile: “Of course I haven’t played matches before, doesn’t Captain Chi know? I only started playing the game this year. Maybe I’m naturally big-hearted; I don’t get very nervous no matter what I encounter.”

Chi Shuo: “…”

That was true.

Ye Shaoyang was indeed the most “big-hearted” Omega Chi Shuo had ever seen. When he marked him back then, he wasn’t nervous at all, looking completely calm… It was Chi Shuo who was a bit nervous instead.

Chi Shuo didn’t press further, looking away and saying: “Go to sleep early.”

After returning to his bedroom, Ye Shaoyang let out a guilty breath, hugged Xiao Bai, and stroked it to calm his nerves.

He possessed memories from his past life. He used to be a world-class esports player who had played matches for four years. Stating this out loud was too bizarre, and he couldn’t possibly tell anyone this secret. Chi Shuo clearly noticed some clues but wasn’t certain, which was why he asked. He didn’t know if his answer just now had successfully glossed over it?

A week later, the Silver Dragon Cup tournament concluded.

Tianhuan Team 2 continuously cleared hurdles and defeated formidable opponents, actually claiming the Silver Dragon Cup championship!

Xie Xiaotian and the others were thrilled, hugging the silver trophy as they bowed to the reporters.

A reporter asked: “Captain Yan, Tianhuan Team 2’s performance in this year’s Silver Dragon Cup was unexpected. You guys have improved tremendously during this period. What exactly is the reason?”

Yan Bin spoke with feigned maturity: “After losing in the playoffs, Coach Lin put us through devil-style training. Perhaps the training pressure was too high, so when we came out to play matches, we performed exceptionally well.”

Everyone: “…”

Just how much pressure were you under?

Looking at the dark circles under every single one of their eyes, was Coach Lin acting inhuman again?

The news of Tianhuan Team 2 winning the Silver Dragon Cup trended briefly, but was quickly overshadowed by the group stage information for the World Championship. After all, the number of people following the World Championship far exceeded those following this type of small-scale amateur tournament.

Yan Bin and the others returned to the club carrying the trophy and a 2.7 million cash check.

Another trophy was added to Tianhuan’s trophy display cabinet. The club was also very generous, distributing more than half of the tournament’s prize money to the players. The 5 teenagers each received a cash reward of 300,000!

The rookies in Team 2 usually only received a club salary, which couldn’t compare to tier-one players. It was also very difficult for them to get a share of club endorsements and advertising fees. Once they reached the professional league, they would sit on the bench and get a small share of the profits based on their appearance count.

300,000 was simply a massive sum of money for these kids!

The five members of Team 2 were extremely excited. The very day they returned to the team, they stealthily knocked on the door of Dorm 301.

Chi Shuo came out in his pajamas to open the door. Seeing a group of little guys sneaking around outside, he couldn’t help but feel puzzled: “Why aren’t you guys asleep in the middle of the night? Is something up?”

Xie Xiaotian peeked inside the room: “Is Yang-ge asleep?”

Ye Shaoyang walked out holding the kitten, leaning against the doorframe with a smile: “Not yet. What, coming to share good news in the middle of the night? I know you won the championship, congratulations.”

Xie Xiaotian brought out two exquisite gift boxes from behind his back and handed them nervously to Ye Shaoyang and Chi Shuo: “This is a little token of our appreciation for Captain Chi and Yang-ge.”

Qin Sui added from the side: “Thank you Captain Chi and Yang-ge for your guidance during this time!”

Yan Bin also said: “Exactly, exactly! We all received the prize money and didn’t know what to buy, so we brought a small gift for you guys. Hehe, please don’t disdain it!”

Ye Shaoyang took it and took a look.

—It was a limited edition figurine of the Black and White Wolf and Fox.

The human-form Wolf King had a sharp gaze, maintaining the cold appearance of a ruthless killer.

The Fox King smiled lazily, eyes slightly narrowed.

Both of them had fluffy ears and large tails, one black and one white. They seemed to be made from a special animal fur, feeling great to the touch.

A collector’s edition figurine around 30cm tall, a 1:1 recreation of the Black and White Wolf and Fox imagery from the game.

Ye Shaoyang accepted the Fox King, smiled, and said, “Thank you, I really like this figurine.”

Chi Shuo took the Wolf King and said softly, “You guys are very thoughtful. Winning the Silver Dragon Cup is a validation of your training results over this period. Next season, you will still be sitting on the bench; watch more and learn more then.”

The 5 replied in unison, “Got it, Captain Chi!”

The corners of Chi Shuo’s lips curled up slightly: “Go to sleep.”

The 5 little guys swiftly turned and ran away.

Watching their energetic retreating figures, Ye Shaoyang couldn’t help but feel a trace of warmth welling up in his heart—when he was young, the senior players in the team had also guided him like this. Therefore, after joining Tianhuan, he consciously helped Chi Shuo guide the Team 2 rookies. Perhaps it was an occupational hazard from being a captain for too long?

The two returned to their bedrooms carrying the figurines.

Chi Shuo’s gaze swept across the room. Pointing at the TV cabinet, he said: “Put them there?”

Ye Shaoyang smiled: “Sure, let’s put them together.”

The two placed the Black and White Wolf and Fox figurines together, treating it as adding some decoration to the dorm. The originally empty TV cabinet felt much fuller with the addition of the two figurines.

Receiving “filial” gifts from the Team 2 kids for the first time put Ye Shaoyang in a very good mood, and Chi Shuo was also in high spirits. That night, Ye Shaoyang even had a good dream.

His dream was entirely filled with him and Chi Shuo’s Black and White Wolf and Fox chasing the Team 2 rookies all over the canyon.

After waking up in the morning, Ye Shaoyang didn’t know whether to laugh or cry as he rubbed his temples. After washing up, he went downstairs to the cafeteria.

Chi Shuo also followed him to the cafeteria. Just as the two were eating, Sister Tang Can ran in excitedly and said, “Today is December 1st, the first phase of the transfer window has finally opened!”

The transfer period is divided into two phases. The first phase opens in early December, allowing teams that didn’t make it to the World Championship to scout new players and prepare for the next season in advance. The second phase opens after the World Championship concludes, allowing the teams that participated in the world stage to also make roster changes.

Tang Can said mysteriously: “Guess who was the first to be listed for transfer?!”

Chi Shuo asked directly: “Who?”

Tang Can took out her phone and opened the official league website. A name was prominently displayed on the transfer window—

YG-Rain.

Captain of the Yaoguang team, Xie Weiyu.

A top-three marksman in the China Gods’ War League, a top-tier ADC on par with Jingzhe’s Xie Yuan and Beimu’s Zhao Xinping.

Chi Shuo frowned: “The captain transferring? Did Yaoguang have an internal falling out?”

Tang Can said: “Not sure. Anyway, as soon as this transfer information was posted, it’s already trending! Yaoguang’s fans rushed the club, leaving tens of thousands of cursing comments directly under the club’s official Weibo.”

Chi Shuo and Ye Shaoyang exchanged a glance.

The transfer period is also known as the “league upheaval period.” It seemed there would be a good show to watch next.