Chapter 4: Practice and Preparation

Ye Shaoyang ordered takeout to settle dinner while searching online for Star City University. The school ranked among the top ten comprehensive universities in China. To pass the entrance exam for such a high-caliber institution, his cousin Qin Rui had to be quite an academic overachiever.

Shortly after dinner, the doorbell rang. Ye Shaoyang stood up to open the door, only to see Qin Yue hauling an oversized suitcase, accompanied by a youth standing around 170 centimeters tall.

The boy had a hint of baby fat on his face, though his frame was quite lean. Wears a white short-sleeved shirt and jeans, he looked remarkably well-behaved under his neat black hair. Meeting Ye Shaoyang’s gaze, the youth let out a shy smile and said, “Brother Yang, sorry for bothering you. Our campus is only two stops away from here, so commuting from your place is much more convenient.”

Do college students not live on campus? Perhaps this world is quite accommodating toward Omegas, Ye Shaoyang thought politely. “Welcome, welcome! I’m bored staying home alone anyway, so having you around to keep me company is great.”

Qin Yue added, “Shaoyang, I’ll have to trouble you to take care of Rui-rui. He knows how to cook, and since his college course workload is light, he can come back and prepare dinner after class. Eating at home together will be healthier for both of you.”

“Sounds great!” Ye Shaoyang was just worrying about the hassle of ordering daily takeout; having a cousin who could cook was better than he could have asked for.

Qin Yue leaned close to his brother’s ear and whispered instructions: “Shaoyang hasn’t differentiated yet. If any pheromone traits show up on him, call me immediately. Leave some of your suppressants with him just in case of an emergency, got it?”

Qin Rui nodded obediently: “Got it, Brother.”

Qin Yue turned back to Ye Shaoyang: “I have a night shift at the hospital tonight, so I’ll head back now. Rui-rui brought quite a lot of clothes in his luggage. Send me a message once the two of you settle in.”

Ye Shaoyang: “No problem. Goodbye, Cousin.”

After his cousin left, Ye Shaoyang helped Qin Rui haul the suitcase inside and retrieved a pair of slippers for him. As Qin Rui leaned over to switch shoes, Ye Shaoyang stood behind him, looking curiously at the youth’s pale neck. He couldn’t spot the so-called “Omega gland” anywhere—was it hidden beneath the skin?

After changing into his slippers, Qin Rui looked up with a smile: “Brother Yang, which room is mine?”

The Omega cousin looked exceptionally adorable when he smiled. Likely due to their shared bloodline, Ye Shaoyang felt an added touch of closeness toward him. He helped carry the luggage to the guest room: “You’ll stay here. Take a left out the door and you’ll find the guest bathroom.”

Qin Rui followed Ye Shaoyang inside, unzipping the suitcase to hang a large pile of clothes in the closet. Ye Shaoyang asked out of care, “I heard from your brother that you differentiated into an Omega? Did the differentiation process feel uncomfortable?”

“My whole body felt hot and sweaty, but other than that, nothing felt off.” Qin Rui paused before continuing, “That day was quite sudden. I was shopping at a mall when I abruptly passed out with a fever. Fortunately, no unfamiliar Alphas were present when I differentiated. Otherwise, if their self-control wasn’t strong enough and they marked me, it would have been a real disaster.”

Having searched keywords at the hospital earlier, Ye Shaoyang had repeatedly encountered the word “marking.” It had been too rushed back then for him to look into details, so he wasn’t clear on the exact process. Hearing it mentioned again, he couldn’t help asking out of curiosity: “Marking? How does marking work?”

Qin Rui’s eyes widened slightly: “Brother, didn’t you take physiology class in middle school?”

Ye Shaoyang replied with full confidence, “Whatever was taught in middle school was returned to the teachers long ago.” He pointed at his head with a grin. “My brain hasn’t been working well lately, and I can’t recall many past events.”

“…” Seeing his innocent expression, Qin Rui scratched his head in confusion. Forgetting such vital knowledge… It seems Brother was right; Brother Shaoyang’s mental state might really have some issues.

“Marking is divided into temporary marking and complete marking,” Qin Rui explained seriously. “A temporary mark happens when an Alpha pierces the gland on the back of an Omega’s neck with their teeth. Pheromones are injected into the Omega’s gland via saliva, suppressing the Omega’s own pheromones and calming them down.”

Ye Shaoyang nodded in understanding: “Oh, so an Alpha just bites the back of the neck?” He carefully felt the back of his own neck, only feeling a few hard cervical vertebrae. Omegas can probably feel an actual gland there, he mused.

Withdrawing his hand, Ye Shaoyang continued, “What about complete marking?”

The tips of Qin Rui’s ears turned slightly red. Lowering his voice, he said, “For a complete mark, the Alpha needs to enter the Omega’s body, form a knot inside the reproductive cavity, and leave behind their body fluids to thoroughly possess the Omega.”

Ye Shaoyang thought about it, then reached a sudden realization: “So it basically means having sex! Right?”

“…” Qin Rui’s face flushed bright red: “Yes.”

Ye Shaoyang finally got the picture.

An Omega had a thing called a “gland” at the back of the neck, and a mysterious internal space called a “reproductive cavity.” A temporary mark was getting the gland on the neck bitten by an Alpha. A complete mark was the unification of body and soul.

He pulled out his phone and typed down the information at lightning speed.

Seeing him log a whole set of notes regarding marking, Qin Rui asked in confusion, “Do you really need to write down such common knowledge on your phone?”

Ye Shaoyang replied, “Important information must be recorded, of course. What if I forget later?”

How could anyone forget this? Qin Rui stared at him, speechless.

After finishing his notes, Ye Shaoyang continued to ask, “What’s the deal with suppressants?”

“Suppressants are a type of medicine that can suppress pheromone expression. They come in oral tablets and high-potency injectable shots, both available at pharmacies.” Seeing him taking notes again, Qin Rui didn’t know whether to laugh or cry: “Brother, why didn’t you pay attention in physiology class at all?”

Ye Shaoyang said, “Failing to pay attention in any class shows that I don’t favor one subject over another.”

Qin Rui: “…………”

After wrapping up his note-taking, Ye Shaoyang gained a deeper understanding of this world’s rules.

Initially, he had found male Omegas capable of bearing offspring to be quite a strange concept. But seeing the Qin brothers today, he realized Omegas weren’t bizarre at all—at least in appearance, they were completely indistinguishable from ordinary males.

Ye Shaoyang let out a subtle sigh of relief. The doctor had said his parents were an Alpha-Omega pair, meaning he had a 50% chance of turning into an Omega. As long as he didn’t end up looking bizarre or unnatural, he could accept it.

Even if he became an Omega, there were plenty of ways to handle pheromones. Using suppressants or letting an Alpha take a quick bite—either way was fine, as long as it didn’t interfere with his competitive matches.

While he was lost in thought, Qin Rui had already finished hanging his clothes. Pulling a laptop from the bottom of his suitcase, he opened a game and said, “Omegas don’t need to participate in college military training, and my classes don’t start for another ten days. I can play games with you to keep you company.”

Ye Shaoyang spotted the familiar UI on the screen: “Gods’ War?”

“Yeah! I was the one who dragged you into it in the first place.” Setting down his laptop, Qin Rui turned around and asked, “By the way, Brother Yang, did you lose all three of your placement matches? Looking at my friends list, you’re still in the Bronze tier.”

“Yeah, cough, I’m currently Bronze.” As a former professional player, Ye Shaoyang hadn’t touched such a low tier in years. Having spent the entire afternoon organizing data and getting familiar with a mage hero, he felt like getting some hands-on practice: “Bring your laptop to the study, let’s queue up together!”

At the exact same time, inside the Tianhuan Esports Base:

Cheng Xing stretched his arms. Looking at the prompt on his screen reading “Congratulations on advancing to the 【Grandmaster】 tier,” he turned to his nearby teammates with a grin: “After a whole afternoon of win streaks, I finally rushed all the way to Grandmaster in one breath!”

The rookies nearby showered him with praise: “Star-ge is amazing! Reaching Grandmaster in a single day without losing a single game!” “For Star-ge, the Grandmaster tier is just a piece of cake. Our Star-ge is definitely going to win the Best Rookie Award!”

A deep voice suddenly sounded from behind them: “The Best Rookie Award? Are your teammates going to award it to you with their mouths?”

Everyone: “…”

Feeling as if a lightning bolt had struck his head, Cheng Xing sat bolt upright in an instant, frozen like a statue.

The rookies beside him stood up immediately, their attitudes turning deeply respectful one by one: “Captain Chi.” “Good evening, Captain Chi.”

Chi Shuo stood with an expressionless face: “There are only 10 days left before the playoffs begin. If you have time to brag and smash noobs here, you’d better spend it reviewing match VODs and studying other teams’ playstyles.”

The rookies lowered their heads in unison. The entire training room fell dead silent.

The Alpha’s sharp gaze swept across the group of rookies, finally settling on the youth sitting in the middle whose head was lowered almost to his chest. He said in a deep voice: “Cheng Xing.”

Cheng Xing stood up abruptly, calling out on instinct: “Here!” Like a recruit called out by an instructor during military training, the youth stood straight with his legs together in a sharp, erect posture, nearly executing a military salute for his master.

Chi Shuo said coldly, “Follow me to the conference room.”

Cheng Xing acted arrogant in front of the rookies, but before his master, he was as obedient as a white rabbit. Keeping his head down the entire way, he barely dared to breathe as he followed Chi Shuo carefully into the conference room.

The main roster players of Team Tianhuan were already assembled, and the entire coaching staff was present. The lineup was quite intimidating.

Chi Shuo sat down and leaned toward Coach Lin’s ear to whisper a few words. Only then did Coach Lin look over at Cheng Xing, saying with a smile: “Xiao Xing, come sit over here.”

Cheng Xing walked over nervously, sitting obediently beside the coach in an attentive posture.

Coach Lin said, “After discussion among the coaching staff, we’ve decided to let you play officially next season. However, you’ve been training under Captain Chi for the assassin position. Our team isn’t lacking junglers—would you like to try switching to the marksman role?”

Cheng Xing looked at the coach in confusion: “Marksman? But Cheng-ge…”

Nie Cheng, who was sitting nearby, said straightforwardly: “I’m getting old, and my hand speed can no longer keep up with the fast-paced matches nowadays. I’ve decided to retire after finishing this season; my application has already been submitted.” He patted the youth’s shoulder. “Xiao Xing, you’re very talented, and everyone thinks highly of you. Taking over my spot leaves me completely at ease.”

Coach Lin added, “Having you switch to marksman was also Captain Chi’s idea. Your reaction speed is very fast, your map awareness in matches is sharp, and your survival instincts are top-tier. In fact, the marksman role suits you even better than the jungle position.”

Nie Cheng also encouraged him with a smile: “The coach is right. Start practicing hard from today. You’ve played some marksman heroes with me before; I believe you’ll adapt very quickly.”

Thinking that the veteran player Nie Cheng—who had stayed with Tianhuan for five full years—was about to retire, Cheng Xing’s eyes couldn’t help but redden. Rotations between new and old players were all too common in the esports scene, but he didn’t want to replace this senior who possessed such a good temper and had taken special care of him.

Meeting Nie Cheng’s warm gaze, Cheng Xing choked up and said, “Got it, Cheng-ge. I will practice diligently.”

Chi Shuo looked at him and said, “You don’t have much time. Master every marksman hero within a month, pick five of your best heroes to rank into the top ten on the national server, and then return to the main team to participate in scrims.”

Top players were as abundant as clouds across major domestic teams; Chi Shuo’s requirement was exceptionally demanding even for professional players. Yet Cheng Xing was long accustomed to his master’s high standards, answering without hesitation: “Understood, Master. I will definitely complete the task.”

Only then did Chi Shuo nod, gesturing for the coach to proceed.

Coach Lin opened a slide deck and said seriously, “Next, let’s talk about how to play the first round of the playoffs. I have several tactical plans here; let’s analyze them together.”

The atmosphere in the conference room was tense, and the tactical discussion lasted a full hour before concluding.

After the team members left, Coach Lin kept Chi Shuo behind, saying in a low voice, “Having Xiao Xing switch to marksman and join the main roster was your suggestion, and I agreed out of respect for your opinion. But his playstyle is aggressive, he’s prone to impulsiveness, and his mindset is highly unstable. Next season, both our marksman and support will retire. Putting him on stage will make the matches even harder to play.”

Chi Shuo’s expression remained calm: “It’s fine, we’ve pushed through even harder times. Besides, our tactics need to change. Cheng Xing has good talent; he should be sent to the stage early to be forged.”

Coach Lin smiled and said, “You act cold and strict toward him on ordinary days, but you actually care a lot about this disciple of yours. I hope Xiao Xing can perform well. If he drops the ball on stage, I won’t hold back out of respect for you.”

Chi Shuo nodded: “Of course. Let’s focus on preparing for the playoffs first. Old Nie and A’Ning are playing their last playoffs before retiring; let’s give it our all.”