Chapter 116: Tianhuan VS Yaoguang

On the afternoon of Saturday, May 8th, after dinner, the members of Tianhuan headed to the Star City E-sports Center together.

Ye Shaoyang had been here twice before. Once was when Boss Chi tricked him into coming as a “coach” to watch the match between Huowen and Jingzhe, and the other was to watch the playoff showdown between Tianhuan and Beimu.

This time, however, he was walking directly through the backstage passage as a player.

As soon as they entered the backstage area, they bumped into an acquaintance—Yao Mu, a streamer from the Whale Streaming platform.

Yao Mu met Ye Shaoyang’s eyes in the crowd and immediately walked up to him with a smile. “Xiao Bai? What a coincidence.”

The two of them often teamed up for livestreams, but this was their first time meeting in person.

Ye Shaoyang greeted her politely, “Hello, Sister Mu. Are you commentating today?”

Yao Mu replied with a beaming smile, “Yes, I guessed I might run into you backstage.” She immediately introduced the gentleman beside her. “Brother Dong, the two of us will be commentating the match today.”

The male commentator, dressed in a crisp white shirt with a dashing demeanor, shook hands with Lin Feng and Chi Shu respectively. “Good luck with the match later. Xiao Mu and I are heading to the front desk to prepare.”

Lin Feng nodded. “Alright, go ahead.”

Brother Dong, ID Dongyu, was a veteran commentator who had been active in the professional league scene since Season 3. He was from the same generation as Chi Shu’s master. Generally, he was only invited to preside over heavyweight matches like the semifinals or finals. He also frequently commentated for the World Championship and was fluent in English.

Chi Shu was quite surprised to see him backstage.

It seemed the Alliance attached great importance to today’s match.

Ye Shaoyang joked, “Sister Mu, go easy on us with your commentary later. Don’t scold us too hard.”

Yao Mu gave a gentle smile and made a “fighting” gesture towards Ye Shaoyang. Ye Shaoyang nodded, and the two commentators turned and walked towards the commentary booth on the second floor with a large stack of documents, getting ready in advance.

The Tianhuan team arrived at the backstage lounge.

The large screen in the lounge was broadcasting the scene in the arena in real-time. There were more fans present today than during the regular season matches, with the attendance rate of the entire venue exceeding 70%. In the back row, someone had unfurled a massive support banner featuring Q-version avatars of the five Tianhuan members. Even Ye Shaoyang’s Ragdoll cat had been drawn as an avatar; the fans were certainly dedicated.

The camera panned to the VIP seats in the front row.

Chi Shu spotted a familiar face and whispered, “Look over there, your brother is here too.”

Ye Shaoyang followed his gaze and sure enough, he found Qin Rui sitting in the third row of the audience, holding a fluorescent sign that read “Go Lieyang” and wearing a small sun-shaped headband.

Ye Shaoyang felt a warmth in his heart and said, “I haven’t seen him in a long time. After the seeding match, I want to go home and bring some gifts for Xiao Rui.”

Chi Shu said, “Okay. Your home is nearby, just ask the coach for leave when the time comes.”

The match was about to begin. Coach Lin stood up and gave everyone a final reminder, “Relax, don’t be influenced by outside voices. In the arena, we let our skills do the talking. There’s no need to waste breath on them.”

Everyone nodded in understanding.

At 6:40 PM, the big screen cut to the commentary booth.

Yao Mu was wearing a pure white dress with her long hair draped over her shoulders, her smile gentle. “Friends in the audience, welcome to the Star City E-sports Center. This is the site of the S/A Card Seeding Match for the second round of the God’s War Official Professional League Regular Season!”

“The S/A Seeding Match remains a BO3 (Best of 3) format. However, unlike the group stage, today will adopt the Global BP mode, meaning heroes that have been used cannot be used again. This will test the players’ hero pools significantly.”

“That’s right. Such an arrangement is fairer, ensuring that the teams eventually entering Group S are truly the stronger ones. After all, making it into Group S in the second stage is equivalent to a guaranteed spot in the playoffs’ top eight!”

“Next, with warm applause, let us invite the players from both sides to the main stage.”

The main stage of the Star City E-sports Center was like the stamen in the center of a flower, with a suspended stage design that felt very high-tech. When the players entered, they took a transparent elevator down from the second floor. Dazzling lights would light up in the center of the main stage, and light would also flow along the edges of audience sections A through H, looking like a flower slowly blooming.

The elevator stopped in the middle of the stage. The five members of Tianhuan, dressed in neat team uniforms, walked out side by side and bowed to the audience. Following closely, the five members of Yaoguang also arrived on the main stage. The screams from below the stage were equally deafening; this team was very good at marketing and hype, so their popularity was indeed quite high.

The on-site host warmed up the crowd. “International custom, it’s a seeding match, so we have the pre-match trash talk segment. Who wants to go first? Any ruthless words for the opposition?”

The microphone was handed to the Yaoguang side.

Yu’mao took it and said with a smile, “We won’t be polite in today’s match—we’ll crush you and let you know the gap between Group S and Group A!”

Deafening screams and applause rang out in the venue.

This Yu’mao, seen up close, was indeed handsome and tall—the type who could make a living on his looks alone. Coupled with the club’s heavy promotion and the fact that he did have some skill, it was no wonder he was so cocky.

In this kind of pre-match trash talk segment, it was common for both sides to mock each other; it was all for the broadcast effect.

However, Chi Shu couldn’t be bothered to give Yaoguang the time of day and glanced at Yu’mao expressionlessly.

Seeing that no one on the Tianhuan side was picking up the conversation and an awkward silence was looming, cold sweat broke out on the host’s forehead. He laughed dryly and asked, “Does Tianhuan have anything to say?”

Ye Shaoyang took the microphone with a smile and said, “Good game.”

Audience: “??”

Yaoguang players: “???”

The bullet comments in the livestream room went crazy.

[Xiao Bai’s “Good game” is back!]

[Hahaha, just two words instantly killed Yu’mao’s whole paragraph of nonsense.]

[The last person Xiao Bai said “Good game ^_^” to was Brother A-Yu, and he has already become a dead fish.]

[Xiao Bai said “Good game” with a smile… quick, light a candle for Yaoguang!]

Yaoguang’s fans were also sneering sarcastically.

[Lieyang is indeed as arrogant as the rumors say. The match hasn’t even been played, and he’s already saying “Good game”?]

[Waiting for Tianhuan to get slapped in the face!]

[The rhythm of Group S is worlds apart from Group A. You guys should just honestly stay in Group A.]

Seeing that the smell of gunpowder was about to get out of control, the host hurriedly said, “Well then, players from both sides, please enter the soundproof booths. We look forward to everyone’s wonderful performance!”

The screen cut back to the commentary booth.

Yao Mu said, “Let’s introduce the participating players from both teams today.”

As the commentators introduced them, each player’s data panel would appear on the big screen, and the cameras inside the soundproof booths would simultaneously take close-up shots of the players’ faces.

“Tianhuan’s Zhuohuo (Candle). As Tianhuan’s frontliner this season, he often chooses tank heroes to withstand pressure or acts as a utility player to start team fights. His record isn’t very flashy, but for many of Tianhuan’s team fight victories, the Top laner’s initiation and damage absorption were crucial. His contribution to the team cannot be ignored.”

“Tianhuan’s Shuoyue (Moon). The very popular Captain Chi. Currently, his MVP count is 2. His kill count isn’t high, but his team fight participation rate is 95%, with 89 assists, ranking in the top three of the entire league. A jungler with more assists than many support players… we can only say, he plays the ‘tool man’ role too well.”

The camera happened to focus on Chi Shu.

Chi Shu was expressionless, maintaining a cold attitude that said, Film all you want, it’s none of my business.

The fans in the livestream room were dying of laughter.
[Captain Chi, confirmed tool man. Giving up buffs every day, giving up kills.]

[Shuoyue: Should I switch careers to Support?]

[Just look at Lieyang’s stats and you’ll understand. Yueyue has given almost all the kills to Yang Yang!]

Sure enough, when Ye Shaoyang’s panel was displayed…

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say it was blinding.

“Tianhuan’s Lieyang (Sun). The new Mid-laner who debuted in Season 10 for Tianhuan! A player who has given us many surprises. Currently, his total kill count ranks first in the entire alliance. Tianhuan has played 10 matches consisting of 20 games; he has secured 96 kills, with an average of 4.8 kills per game. Truly worthy of being called the Mid-lane Demon King, the Head Harvester!”

Seeing the camera in front of him light up, Ye Shaoyang cooperated by waving at it.

His smiling face was magnified on the screen, and the scene erupted in excited screams once again.

“He really is on a rampage every single game.” A sense of pride rose in Yao Mu’s heart, and the decibel level of her voice increased a few notches as she spoke. “A pentakill on debut, and frequent MVPs in subsequent matches. So far, Lieyang has taken 16 MVPs, placing him first on the Alliance MVP leaderboard.”

“A large part of the reason for Tianhuan Lieyang’s high MVP count is that they crushed their way through Group B, winning all the way. If they had been in Group S from the start, it would have been impossible to have such a smooth run.”

“That’s true. Lieyang is temporarily ranked first, but whether he can hold onto it is the question. We hope Lieyang keeps up the good work!”

“Tianhuan’s Jiangshui (River). He adapted well after switching from Mid to Support. His assist count is also very high, in the top five of the Alliance assist leaderboard. Qu Jiang’s performance in previous matches was also remarkable, with several excellent team fight initiations.”

“Tianhuan’s Fanxing (Star). A rookie debuting this season. Currently, he has only taken 2 MVPs, and his kill count isn’t high. However, Tianhuan’s resource distribution clearly favors the Mid-laner, so these stats are understandable,” Yao Mu said. “I’ve watched the previous matches; Xiao Xing has been consistently improving. Looking forward to his performance today.”

Thunderous applause filled the venue.

Although many anti-fans and paid trolls online scolded Cheng Xing, Tianhuan’s fans liked Xiao Xing very much. Besides, he hadn’t made any major mistakes in previous matches and had been outputting damage conscientiously.

He was a rookie; surely he needed some space to grow.

After all, rookies who immediately turn into Demon Kings like Lieyang are the minority!

The two commentators immediately followed up by introducing the participating players from Yaoguang.

“Yaoguang’s Yu’mao (Feather). A pentakill on debut this season, and frequently taking MVP in subsequent matches. He’s currently third on the MVP leaderboard. This rookie is very talented and has a very deep hero pool.”

“Yes, his average damage output per game is as high as 44%. He is the core damage dealer for Yaoguang.”

“We can see that players from both sides are ready. The BP (Ban/Pick) for the first game is about to begin!”

The BP interface appeared on the large screen.

Global BP was a test of the coach’s strategic planning. A hero used in the first game could not be used in the second, so one couldn’t just consider the immediate game but also the subsequent strategies.

In this game, Yaoguang was randomly assigned the Blue side, giving them first Ban and first Pick.

They banned Marksmen straight away, clearly intending to let Yu’mao crush the bot lane.

[Wind Spirit] and [Archer], which Cheng Xing had played relatively well recently, were both banned. Coach Lin, in turn, banned [Shield of Glory] and [Light of Blessing], two supports with strong protective capabilities.

As expected, Yaoguang immediately snatched the Marksman [Sharpshooter]. This was Yu’mao’s signature hero, the one he got a pentakill with on his debut—long-range aiming and sniping, one shot for one low-health enemy.

It was Tianhuan’s turn. For the 1st and 2nd picks, they selected the Marksman [Blood Kin Princess] and the Support [Forest Envoy].

Yao Mu’s eyes lit up. “Tianhuan’s strategy is good. The [Sharpshooter] can’t snipe someone to death in one shot in the early game. The [Blood Kin Princess] can lifesteal after activating her ultimate, and the [Forest Envoy] can heal. Even if they get sniped a few times by the opponent, as long as they recover their health, they can farm safely.”

Brother Dong nodded. “That’s right. However, the [Blood Kin Princess] relies on her ultimate for damage output and has a medium attack range. Laning against the long-ranged [Sharpshooter] will be a disadvantage.”

One had long reach, the other short. Yu’mao could hit Cheng Xing, but Cheng Xing couldn’t reach him.

Laning would indeed be a struggle.

But as long as Cheng Xing didn’t die and withstood the pressure, he could join team fights in the late game after farming up.

Yaoguang’s 2nd and 3rd picks decisively locked in their Mid and Jungle.

Jungle: [Demon Hunter]. Mid: [World-Ending Mage]. Both were heroes with very long range.

Brother Dong said, “Is this a POKE strategy?”

The so-called POKE strategy involves using long-range advantages to wear down the opponents from a distance where they can’t retaliate. By whittling down the enemy’s health, team fights would start with the opponent at low health while your side is at full health, making it easy to cause a collapse.

Yao Mu said, “To deal with a POKE comp, you need to flank and cut down the opponent’s damage dealers. Otherwise, team fights become very uncomfortable, being kited from a distance constantly. Will Captain Chi pick a Carry Jungler? Or will Tianhuan’s 3rd pick continue to protect the Top lane?”

Tianhuan’s 3rd pick selected [Body of Steel], an extremely tanky frontliner.

You snipe me once, you only take off a sliver of my skin. He could stand in front and block damage.

Brother Dong said, “It seems Tianhuan is still prioritizing the Top and Bot lanes in the first phase, saving Mid and Jungle for last.”

Yaoguang’s coach was delighted and immediately banned [Stealth Rogue], a huge threat to the backline, as well as [Abyss Ruler], an assassin mage who could blink in with shadows to instakill the backline.

Tianhuan, meanwhile, banned two Top laners: [Paladin] and [Vampire Duke].

Yaoguang quickly locked in Top lane [Dark Angel] and Support [Six-Winged Angel].

Yao Mu: “They are committing to the POKE strategy to the end. The Dark Angel can also control opponents from a long distance.”

Inside the soundproof booth, Coach Lin said, “Yaoguang chose this lineup well; it looks like they’ve practiced it seriously. Top lane roots from afar, Jungle stuns from medium range, Mid and Marksman POKE to drain health. Before the team fight even starts, several of us will be crippled by them.” He looked at Ye Shaoyang. “Shaoyang, you’re sticking with the Goddess. No problem?”

Ye Shaoyang wore a smile. “No problem.”

Chi Shu said calmly, “Before they can whittle us down, we can just instakill one of them first.”

Coach Lin nodded decisively. “Alright, picks for slots 4 and 5.”

Tianhuan quickly locked in their heroes for the 4th and 5th slots.

Jungle: Ninja.
Mid: Goddess of Destiny.

A burst of screams erupted from the audience, and the bullet comments in the livestream room flooded the screen densely.

[Damn, the Fortune-telling Goddess is out.]

[Whether the Goddess of Destiny wins or not depends entirely on fortune-telling?]

[The Ninja’s ability to cut the backline isn’t as good as the Stealth Rogue, but the clones can dodge the opponent’s snipes. That’s a good pick.]

[Coming from Xiao Bai’s stream. Xiao Bai’s Goddess of Destiny… I’m lighting a candle for the other team in advance.]

Seeing this, the smile on the Yaoguang coach’s face stiffened slightly.

Why did he have the feeling that his BP had been anticipated by the opponent?

Yaoguang’s coach took a deep breath, ignoring the uneasiness rising in his heart, and said, “They picked a burst-style Mid-laner like the Goddess of Destiny, so they definitely want to instantly delete our backline. Support, pay attention to protection and keep a close eye on their Mid and Jungle!”