ARML CH100

On April 3rd, the entire Team Tianhuan arrived in Binghe City ahead of schedule.

Back then, the first match of Group B was also scheduled at the Binghe venue. It was still winter then; the entire city was filled with crystal-clear ice sculptures everywhere, and it even snowed heavily on the day of the match.

Now it was April. Spring had blossomed, and the green trees on the streets had sprouted new buds, presenting a scene of all things reviving.

Cheng Xing was always excited to film videos whenever he traveled out of town for a match. Ye Shaoyang, however, had zero interest in admiring the scenery outside the window and sat drowsily in the vehicle.

It wasn’t until the vehicle arrived at the hotel entrance that Chi Shuo whispered in his ear: “We’re here, wake up.”

Ye Shaoyang rubbed his eyes and woke up groggily. Chi Shuo casually grabbed his backpack from the luggage rack and slung it over his own shoulder. Only then did Ye Shaoyang stand up and follow Captain Chi off the vehicle.

When they traveled for away matches, they usually only stayed locally for 2-3 days, so their luggage was very streamlined, bringing only a change of clothes, pajamas, and toiletries. This time, they also brought their new keyboards and mice.

Ye Shaoyang was too lazy to carry a suitcase, so he always brought a backpack to hold his things.

Chi Shuo often took the initiative to carry his luggage bag. When Ye Shaoyang was a captain in the past, he would also help his teammates carry things, so he didn’t think much of Captain Chi’s “help.”

The group arrived at the hotel lobby. Just as they were following the team manager to check in, a hearty laugh sounded nearby: “Chi Shuo, what a coincidence, you guys just arrived too?”

It was Xu Zhuo, the captain of Team Yueying.

Chi Shuo turned his head and saw the group from Team Yueying walking over with their luggage.

Xu Zhuo walked at the forefront, quickly arriving in front of Chi Shuo, and gave him a hug.

The two captains were old friends, but the other team members weren’t very familiar and politely greeted each other.

Ye Shaoyang set his gaze on Xie Weiyu, who happened to be looking at him as well. The two made eye contact; Xie Weiyu smiled slightly at Ye Shaoyang and took the initiative to reach out his hand, saying: “Lieyang, hello.”

Ye Shaoyang shook his hand: “Hello.”

This was Ye Shaoyang’s first time seeing Xie Weiyu up close. Xie Weiyu was a Beta boy. In person, he actually looked much better than his promotional photos. His facial features were relatively gentle, giving off a very polite feeling, and his personality seemed rather introverted. After shaking hands, he didn’t say another word and consciously stepped back behind his teammates.

Did the Yaoguang Club give up on him to promote a rookie probably because they felt this kind of player wasn’t easy to make popular?

He would be nervous standing at the interview booth, and when reporters asked questions, he would only answer: “Mhm, yes, that’s right…”

But in reality, there were quite a few introverted homebodies in the esports circle who weren’t very good at socializing, just like Xie Weiyu.

Xu Zhuo asked from the side: “What composition are you guys playing tomorrow? Tell me in advance so I can ban it.”

Chi Shuo said: “You guys can continue to ban my jungler.”

Xu Zhuo laughed heartily: “Guess who our coach wants to ban the most?”

Chi Shuo was puzzled: “Who?”

Xu Zhuo glanced at Ye Shaoyang and said: “Tianhuan-Lieyang. Just putting your mid-laner on the ban list will be fine, hahaha.”

Ye Shaoyang: “…”

This Captain Xu’s nerves were somewhat thick.

But it could also be seen that his relationship with Chi Shuo was genuinely good, to be able to joke around without any scruples before a match.

The team managers on both sides quickly finished the check-in procedures. Before everyone had time to go upstairs, a few familiar figures also appeared at the hotel entrance.

It was Fang Zhengqing, Xie Yuan, and the others from Team Jingzhe.

Xu Zhuo greeted them: “Old Fang, you guys are here too!”

Fang Zhengqing was wearing sunglasses and walked with a swagger, just like a big celebrity.

Xie Yuan wore a smile, came over to greet Xu Zhuo and Chi Shuo, and said: “Our Jingzhe’s match this week is also scheduled at the Binghe Esports Center, right in the slot after yours.”

Fang Zhengqing took off his sunglasses, yawning as he said: “You guys start at 7 PM tonight, right? Finish it quickly, don’t drag it out into a bladder match.”

In the second phase of the league, 3 matches were scheduled every day on Saturday and Sunday, at 3 PM, 7 PM, and 9 PM.

The regular season used a BO3 format. If it was a 2:0, it would end in 2 games. If the first two games were tied 1:1, a third deciding game would be played. Under normal circumstances, a game took about half an hour, so 3 games would take an hour and a half. A match starting at 7 PM could finish before 9 PM. If Fang Zhengqing and his team played the next match, they would have to play until 11 PM.

However, in this kind of continuous match schedule, accidents sometimes happened. Assuming Tianhuan and Yueying fought too closely and couldn’t finish in 2 hours, then Jingzhe’s next match would have to be delayed…

Xu Zhuo lowered his voice: “If I remember correctly, Jingzhe’s opponent this week is Yaoguang?”

Fang Zhengqing raised an eyebrow: “What do you want to say?”

Xu Zhuo joked: “Then you absolutely must not lose. If you lose, you’ll be blackened onto the hot search.”

Fang Zhengqing adjusted his glasses mysteriously and said: “Do you think it’s possible for us to lose?”

Ye Shaoyang wasn’t far from the two and happened to hear their conversation.

The Yaoguang Club’s style this year was unique, playing dirty tricks behind the scenes, buying Water Armies to smear Xie Weiyu and Ye Shaoyang. Everyone was well aware of this.

Chi Shuo looked at Ye Shaoyang and said: “Let’s go.”

Xu Zhuo called out from the side: “Leaving in such a hurry? Not staying to chat a bit more?”

Chi Shuo said flatly: “We’ll chat on the battlefield.”

Xu Zhuo said: “Then go back and wash your neck clean, wait for me to take your head!”

Old Xu had a straightforward personality and always loved joking around. Chi Shuo didn’t mind either. He waved at him and led his team members to settle into the hotel first.

Ye Shaoyang’s room was arranged opposite Chi Shuo’s; it was a single room.

Chi Shuo handed him the backpack from his shoulder and said gently: “Go back and rest well.”

Ye Shaoyang took the backpack and casually asked: “The Group S match between Jingzhe and Yaoguang is scheduled right after ours. Can we stay at the venue to watch?”

Chi Shuo asked: “You want to watch?”

Ye Shaoyang: “Mhm. That new marksman from Yaoguang is pretty good. I want to see if he can withstand the pressure laning against Jingzhe’s bot lane.”

Chi Shuo thought for a moment and said: “Okay. I’ll talk to the team manager and coach. After our match, we’ll stay backstage and watch Jingzhe’s match before heading back to the hotel.”

With Chi Shuo stepping forward to ask, the coach was more likely to agree. Ye Shaoyang smiled: “Thank you, Captain Chi.”

Chi Shuo raised the corners of his lips: “No need to thank me. I also want to watch this match. Go back to your room and rest, sleep early.”

Ye Shaoyang turned and opened his room door: “Goodnight, Captain Chi.”

The next day, everyone collectively slept until noon. After getting enough rest, they went to the hotel’s conference room, plugged in their laptops, and casually played some ranked matches to maintain their mechanics and competitive state.

After dinner, they walked to the nearby Binghe Esports Center.

The venue was packed with a sea of people, with no empty seats.

Ye Shaoyang still remembered the first time he came to this venue, the audience attendance rate was only about 50%. Today it was actually full, and the banners and posters of various colors were as numerous as a celebrity concert.

The teams competing today were all highly popular, especially the two evening matches: Tianhuan, Yueying, Jingzhe, and Yaoguang were all quarter-finalists from last season. No wonder the venue was so lively.

Ye Shaoyang followed his teammates to the backstage preparation room.

Soon, the two familiar official casters appeared on the large screen.

“Good evening, viewers. This is the Binghe Esports Center. Welcome to the Gods’ War Official Professional League, Season 10 Regular Season, Round 2, Week 1 match venue! Two matches will be held here tonight: at 7 PM, Group A Tianhuan vs. Yueying; and at 9 PM, Group S Jingzhe vs. Yaoguang!”

“The players for the first match are already prepared. Let us welcome the players onto the stage with a warm round of applause!”

The 5 members of Team Yueying went on stage and entered the soundproof booth first, followed closely by the 5 members of Tianhuan.

Fans quickly noticed that the keyboards in their hands had changed. Old Qin’s was blue, the jungler and mid-laner’s were a black-and-white pair, and the bottom lane’s were bright red.

The bullet screen immediately flooded with comments—

[Flashy keyboards, couldn’t they even unify the colors?]

[They probably got a new sponsor; the keyboards are different from before.]

[Is that the Silver Dragon-77 model? I just bought Captain Chi’s black one; the feel is pretty good.]

[Top laner melancholic blue, mid-jungle black and white twin demons, bottom lane flashy and colorful?]

[Hahaha, Tianhuan’s silly family name and colorful keyboards are really cracking me up.]

While the fans in the stream were making a fuss and teasing, the 5 members of Tianhuan remained calm, connecting their newly brought peripherals to the computers. Then, the audience discovered that Qu Jiang and Cheng Xing’s keyboards lit up with colorful RGB lights.

Everyone: “…”

Blindingly bright!

To avoid affecting the teammates beside them, the two consciously turned off the lighting effects.

Equipment testing began inside the soundproof booths, and the casters quickly introduced the players from both sides.

During the second round of the regular season, when introducing each player, basic statistics similar to a “Player Info Card” would appear on the large screen, including KDA rating, kill count, MVP count, win rate, and hero pool.

When it was the turn of Tianhuan’s mid-laner, Ye Shaoyang, the data on this chart drew a wave of screams from the venue.

“Tianhuan Lieyang, a rookie making his debut in Season 10. His stat panel is truly beautiful!”

“That’s right. An average KDA rating of over 8; 68 kills; 9 MVPs, currently ranking first; 100% win rate—of course, Tianhuan hasn’t lost a single game yet, so all five players have a 100% win rate. However, Lieyang’s hero pool is very deep, featuring [Abyssal Lord], [Illusionist], [Frost Goddess], [Ocean Goddess], [Flower Fairy]…”

“He seems to change heroes every match? I wonder what hero he’ll pick today.”

After the players were introduced in turn, the equipment inside the soundproof booths was also set up.

The referee signaled the director by raising a hand, and the two casters said excitedly: “Both sides are ready, let’s enter the BP for the first game!”

In the BP phase of the first game, Tianhuan was on the Blue side, banning and picking first.

Holding a notebook, Coach Lin sketched and wrote while saying: “Ban Radiant Shield.”

Qin Yizhu, sitting at the first computer, followed suit.

When it was Yueying’s turn, everyone thought Yueying would ban a mid-laner or jungler. Surprisingly, Yueying’s first ban slot was actually given to the top lane, directly banning Old Qin’s most frequently used [Black Dragon Knight].

Sure enough, they were going to play around the top lane?

Tianhuan’s second ban slot continued to ban the strong engage support, [Hammer of Destruction]. Yueying then banned [Paladin].

Paladin could go top lane, act as a support, or be used by Chi Shuo in the jungle to act as a utility player protecting teammates. This ban broke many of Tianhuan’s systems that protected their mid-core. But in doing so…

The mid-laners and junglers were all left open!

The caster exclaimed in surprise: “Yueying is truly daring, leaving all the mid-cores and jungle cores open!”

“They probably have a special tactical arrangement? With the first phase BP only targeting the top lane, Old Qin might become their priority breakthrough point.”

“Yes. After all, Captain Xu’s top lane is truly strong. It seems Yueying is heavily focusing on the top lane this game.”

In the first phase, each side banned 2 heroes and picked 3. Which positions to pick also required gamesmanship between the coaches from both sides. Because if you didn’t pick in the first phase, you might be targeted in the second phase.

Lin Feng thought for a moment and said: “Let’s take the top and bottom lanes first, and pick mid and jungle last.”

He had great confidence in Chi Shuo and Ye Shaoyang’s hero pools. Even if the enemy continued to ban mid and jungle in the second phase, they didn’t need to worry. But if they didn’t pick for the top lane now, Old Qin might be targeted to death.

Tianhuan’s 1st pick locked in the top laner [Body of Steel].

This was also a hero Old Qin was quite familiar with. With high defense, it could tank damage and take a beating, ensuring he wouldn’t get solo killed at the very least.

When it was Yueying’s turn, they directly locked in the [Machine Gun Hunter] and [Mechanical Expert] bottom lane tower-pushing combo.

Tianhuan immediately followed by locking in the [Forest Messenger] and [Holy Spirit Archer] bottom lane farming combo. For their 3rd pick, Yueying locked in the top lane hero [Kung Fu Master].

“[Kung Fu Master]!” The caster said excitedly. “This is also one of Captain Xu’s signature heroes. It has strong split-pushing capabilities, multiple mobility skills, and its ultimate can automatically restore health—a very hard-to-kill hero.”

“Both sides left their mid-laner and jungler for the P2 phase. Let’s see how the coaches from both sides respond.”

In the first phase, both sides tacitly picked their top and bottom lanes, leaving mid and jungle unselected.

Therefore, the second phase BP would definitely frantically target the mid-laners and junglers.

Tianhuan banned [Frost Goddess] and [Holy Spirit Mage], two mid-laners that could be played as utility.

Yueying banned [Stealth Rogue] and [Abyssal Lord], one jungler and one mid-laner.

Tianhuan quickly locked in their heroes—

Their 4th pick locked in the jungler [Succubus], and their 5th pick locked in the mid-laner [Nightmare].

The two casters looked at each other in excitement: “A mid-jungle synergy combo?!”

“Exactly, this is a mid-jungle synergy combo that was popular for a time during Season 6. Double assassin mid and jungle—although a bit squishy, they fight incredibly fiercely!”

“Is this the tempo of trying to crush the opponents in the early game?”

The netizens in the stream also grew excited.

[Holy crap, Captain Chi’s assassin has appeared; he’s finally not playing a utility player! [Crying.jpg]]

[Both of these heroes were nerfed and aren’t as strong as they were in S6, but if their synergy is perfect, they can still be brought out.]

[Mid-jungle synergy! I’ve been saying all along that Tianhuan hasn’t brought out their most powerful systems in Group B, and here it is!]

Yueying considered for a moment and picked the utility jungler [Fighter] and the utility mid-laner [Storm Goddess].

The team compositions for both sides were finally finalized.

For Tianhuan: [Succubus] and [Nightmare] mid-jungle synergy controlling the tempo, bottom lane with healing + late-game marksman, and top lane absorbing pressure.

For Yueying: [Kung Fu Master] split-pushing the top lane, mid and jungle as CC utility, and bottom lane pushing towers.

One side wanted to brawl with you, while the other wanted to fast-push towers.

In this Group A match, the contest between the two teams was filled with the smell of gunpowder right from the BP phase.