The S10 All-Star event set the highest viewership record in the history of the league.
In the past, the All-Stars were randomly grouped for 5v5 tower-pushing games, content very similar to regular matches, which easily led to viewer fatigue. This year, however, whether it was the existing entertainment modes like "Clone Wars" and "Border Breakout," or the newly launched "Treasure Chest Scramble," the audience watched with great relish.
Everyone discovered that entertainment modes were actually more fun than ranked matches; encountering bad teammates and losing didn't make them angry. During the All-Star event, the number of players in the game's entertainment modes increased significantly, and the officials even held some entertainment mode events because of this.
At 10 PM, after having a farewell dinner at the hotel, the players returned to their respective team bases.
Chi Shuo drove Ye Shaoyang and Qu Jiang back to the base.
As soon as the three entered the door, Cheng Xing, Old Qin, and the second-team members ran to the first floor to welcome them. Old Qin laughed, "We got three All-Star trophies this year. Not bad! In previous years, Tianhuan only got two."
Cheng Xing asked curiously, "Master, can I see your 'Winner in Life' trophy?"
Chi Shuo handed the trophy to him. Cheng Xing looked at the golden words "Winner in Life" on the base and couldn't help but say, "The meaning of this trophy is really good."
Ye Shaoyang handed his own trophy to Cheng Xing. "Do you want to see mine?"
Cheng Xing took it and saw the small words "Starlight Shining Bright" and "S10 All-Star Souvenir" on the base. The shape was exactly the same as Chi Shuo's trophy, but it was silver.
Cheng Xing held a trophy in each hand and asked happily, "Are you going to put the trophies in the display cabinet? Or take them back to the dorm?"
Chi Shuo said, "Put them in the display cabinet."
Ye Shaoyang agreed, "There's a cat in the dorm. My Xiao Bai is very naughty; it might knock the trophy over and break it. It's safer to keep it in the display cabinet."
Chi Shuo, Ye Shaoyang, and Qu Jiang went to the display cabinet on the first floor of the Tianhuan base together and placed the All-Star trophies on the second shelf. Ye Shaoyang's gaze swept across the cabinet; there were many All-Star trophies. Chi Shuo had participated in five sessions, and Qu Jiang in three.
Qu Jiang smiled and introduced, "This row of trophies is all Captain Chi's. Since his debut in S6, he hasn't missed a single All-Star event. His popularity has always been very high."
Each All-Star commemorative trophy had a different design. S6 was a deer, S7 was a flying bird, and this S10 was a goddess figure. The commemorative trophies designed specifically for the All-Stars were quite beautiful. Chi Shuo had already collected five, and they looked magnificent lined up side by side.
But Ye Shaoyang knew that Chi Shuo didn't care about popularity at all, nor did he care about participating in the All-Stars. The greatest regret in his heart would always be that empty spot on the topmost shelf of the display cabinet.
—That was the spot reserved for the World Championship trophy.
Noticing Ye Shaoyang looking up at the top shelf, Chi Shuo said in a low voice, "The top shelf is only temporarily empty. I believe that one day, a trophy will be placed there."
Ye Shaoyang nodded. "I believe it too."
The two exchanged a glance. Ye Shaoyang looked away and smiled, "Let's put this year's commemorative trophies in. Maybe collecting five will summon the dragon."
Chi Shuo took the trophies, placed the three S10 All-Star trophies side by side in the display cabinet, locked the glass case, and then turned to go upstairs. Cheng Xing watched his master's back, wondering when he too could contribute to Tianhuan's display cabinet and win a trophy.
The second team had participated in the folk Silver Dragon Cup and brought back a championship; Old Qin, Brother Qu, and the others had all won awards. He was the only one currently with nothing to show.
Cheng Xing scratched his head and silently turned to go upstairs.
The team hadn't scheduled any training for the next few days, so Chi Shuo and Ye Shaoyang returned to their bedrooms on the 3rd floor. As soon as the door opened, Xiao Bai immediately ran over with its tail straight up, sniffing around their feet. After confirming the familiar scent, it meowed and pounced on Ye Shaoyang.
Ye Shaoyang caught an armful of cat, smiling as he bent down to pick it up and scratch its head. "Haven't seen you for a few days, did you cause any trouble?" Xiao Bai let out a long meow: "Meow~!"
Ye Shaoyang held it and inspected the room, only to find…
This little rascal had actually scratched Chi Shuo's curtains into strips of tassels!
The two stood at the bedroom door, looking at each other in dismay.
Seeing his curtains ravaged by the kitten's claws, the corner of Chi Shuo's mouth twitched slightly. He patted Xiao Bai's head and said, "Taking advantage of our absence to start demolishing the house?"
Ye Shaoyang frowned. "Climbing up the curtains, do you want to fly?"
The kitten widened its eyes at its owner and rubbed its head against Ye Shaoyang's palm, looking completely innocent.
If it were anyone else, let alone scratching the bedroom curtains, just barging into Chi Shuo's room would have annoyed him greatly.
But Xiao Bai was Ye Shaoyang's cat, and it was cute and soft.
Watching the heartwarming scene of Shaoyang holding the kitten, Chi Shuo couldn't get angry at all. He reached out, gently scratched the kitten's chin, and whispered, "I'll forgive you this time, but don't let it happen again."
Ye Shaoyang said awkwardly, "Sorry, I'll buy you a new curtain."
Chi Shuo said, "It doesn't matter. I've used this curtain for 5 years; it's quite old and should be replaced anyway. I happen to be going out tomorrow, so I'll just buy a new one."
Ye Shaoyang was puzzled. "Going out? Do you have something to do tomorrow?"
Chi Shuo coughed lightly and said, "I have an appointment with a doctor to go to the hospital."
Ye Shaoyang thought he was sick and asked with concern, "What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell somewhere?"
Chi Shuo was silent for a moment before looking away, the tips of his ears turning slightly red, his voice a bit hoarse. "I have an appointment with a pheromone specialist. I want to get a suppressant injection."
Ye Shaoyang was stunned for a moment, but quickly realized the reason Chi Shuo was getting a suppressant.
He had read the "Safe Marking Manual" given to him by the hospital carefully from beginning to end several times. This time, he read it word by word with the attitude of studying scientific literature, afraid that his lack of understanding of ABO physiological knowledge would cause another misunderstanding.
The manual mentioned that when an Alpha falls for an Omega, they develop a strong possessiveness towards the Omega and want to mark them thoroughly. The physiological desire is hard to control and may lead to pheromones going out of control, entering a susceptible period (rut). At such times, if the Alpha doesn't want to mark the partner directly, the best method is to inject a potent suppressant to suppress the physiological impulse.
Why was Chi Shuo getting a suppressant?
Naturally, because he had developed a physiological possessiveness towards a certain Omega.
Which Omega was it?
Did he even need to ask?
Thinking of the scene in his dream where he was thoroughly marked by Chi Shuo, Ye Shaoyang instantly blushed crimson, wishing he could find a crack in the ground to bury himself in. Idiot, if Chi Shuo is going to the hospital, let him go. Why did you have to ask him what he was going for? So awkward.
Ye Shaoyang picked up the cat, stroking its head over and over again, using petting the cat to mask his embarrassment. He pretended to be calm and said, "Um, I'll feed Xiao Bai first. Captain Chi, you should rest early."
With that, he quickly ran back to his bedroom and closed the door.
Leaning against the back of the door, Ye Shaoyang's heartbeat lost control once again.
Chi Shuo was going to get a suppressant tomorrow. Was he already so out of control that he had to suppress it with medication?
Ye Shaoyang couldn't help but be curious. He dreamed of being intimate with Chi Shuo, which he temporarily explained as being led astray by netizens in forums and super topics. So, would Chi Shuo dream of him too?
What kind of plot would appear in an Alpha's dream?
Thinking that he might appear in Chi Shuo's dream, Ye Shaoyang's face burned. Please don't let there be a tacit understanding in dreaming too, right? Otherwise, if both of them are being intimate with each other in their dreams…
Rounding it up, didn't they just hook up in their dreams?
Cough cough, as a pure and innocent straight man, isn't this scale a bit too large?
Ye Shaoyang put the cat down and ran to the bathroom to take a shower.
The frequency of taking cold showers has been increasing recently. Could this be the legendary restlessness of puberty?
Having no matches to play was too boring, which was why he kept thinking about these things. Hurry up and have a match! As long as his brain was filled with matches, he wouldn't let his imagination run wild like this.
The next morning, Ye Shaoyang heard the sound of a car engine starting outside the window. Chi Shuo's black sedan soon drove out of the parking lot. Ye Shaoyang knew that Chi Shuo had an appointment with the doctor and was going to the hospital for the suppressant injection.
Feeling uneasy, Ye Shaoyang had no choice but to pet the cat to divert his attention.
Xiao Bai was petted very comfortably, lying in Ye Shaoyang's arms with its eyes closed, purring.
Chi Shuo drove to a pet store and bought a scratching post for Xiao Bai.
He had searched for guides last night, which said cats like to sharpen their claws. If there are no trees at home, they will scratch curtains and sofas to sharpen their claws. Giving it a scratching post can prevent furniture from suffering.
There was a 50cm diameter oval scratching board in Ye Shaoyang's bedroom, where Xiao Bai could usually curl up and sleep. But as Xiao Bai grew up, that small scratching board could no longer satisfy it. Chi Shuo simply bought a large one that it could climb on.
Love me, love my dog (cat). He knew Ye Shaoyang's parents were dead, and this cat was very important to him, so he was willing to treat Xiao Bai as family.
After getting the suppressant injection in the afternoon, Chi Shuo drove back to the team base.
He carried a box upstairs from the trunk. Cheng Xing met him at the door and couldn't help but wonder, "Master, what did you buy? Such a big box."
Chi Shuo said casually, "A toy for Xiao Bai."
Cheng Xing was dumbfounded. Didn't Master dislike small animals before? He even said Fang Zhengqing raising a cat was too much trouble. Why is he proactively buying toys for the cat now? It must be for Brother Yang's sake!
After returning to the dorm, Chi Shuo took a screwdriver and started assembling the scratching post.
Hearing the noise, Ye Shaoyang came out to look and saw the Alpha squatting on the ground, quickly assembling "furniture" according to the diagram. There were many cylindrical objects, and at first, it wasn't clear what they were, but as he assembled the first layer, Ye Shaoyang quickly understood: "Is this… a cat tree?"
Chi Shuo said, "Mn, bought it for our Xiao Bai."
The cat tree had three levels in total, with two small villas on the second level. It was tall enough to almost reach the ceiling. The kitten could climb up and down to play to its heart's content. The pillars were all wrapped in hemp rope for the cat to sharpen its claws.
This was the model Old Fang recommended after Chi Shuo consulted Fang Zhengqing.
Looking at Chi Shuo, who was bowing his head and seriously assembling the cat tree, Ye Shaoyang suddenly felt touched. Many people disliked small animals, thinking that raising cats and dogs was too troublesome and they would shed hair everywhere.
When he brought Xiao Bai to the team, he was worried that his roommate wouldn't accept pets. However, Chi Shuo gave him enough freedom. Not only did he accept him raising it, but he also accepted letting Xiao Bai run around in the living room. Even when Xiao Bai mischievously ran into Chi Shuo's bedroom, messing up the sheets and tearing the curtains…
Chi Shuo didn't get angry and even proactively bought toys for Xiao Bai.
This Alpha seemed cold, but actually had a gentle and tolerant heart.
Being liked by him must be a very lucky thing, right? But how should he accept being with a man? Ye Shaoyang sighed lightly in his heart, put Xiao Bai aside, squatted down, and said, "Let me help you."
Chi Shuo chuckled and handed him the diagram, saying, "I've already assembled up to the second level. You help me get the screws."
So, Ye Shaoyang checked the diagram and handed screws to Chi Shuo, while Chi Shuo used the electric screwdriver to quickly assemble the wooden boards and cylinders. Working together, their efficiency improved significantly. Within half an hour, the cat tree, tall enough to reach the ceiling, was assembled.
Looking up at the huge cat tree, Ye Shaoyang couldn't help but sigh, "Xiao Bai, you're simply a winner in cat life. You even have a villa to live in!"
Chi Shuo suggested, "Let's put the climbing frame in the living room; it's more spacious."
Together, they moved the cat tree to the living room. Xiao Bai seemed to sense that this was for its use and ran over quickly, climbing up the cylinder very agilely. It sniffed here and rubbed there curiously, even poking its head out to look down at the two of them, letting out meows.
Ye Shaoyang laughed, "It seems to like this cat tree very much. In the future, it has a place to play. I hope it won't torment our furniture anymore."
Chi Shuo glanced at the kitten poking its head out of the cat nest, a smile rising on his lips. "I also bought a few new cat teasers for it. Usually, our training ends late. We can play with it for a while when we come back; otherwise, it gets bored alone."
Ye Shaoyang said, "Mn, as long as you don't mind it being noisy. It's not an adult yet, so it's at a playful age. It'll be better in two years. Adult cats are quieter."
Speaking of this, a very strange feeling suddenly rose in Ye Shaoyang's heart.
Why did this conversation sound so much like an old married couple raising a child?
He raised Xiao Bai as a son, but Chi Shuo… also treated Xiao Bai as family?
Ye Shaoyang coughed lightly and quickly changed the subject. "By the way, you weren't here this afternoon. Coach Lin came back and informed everyone that team training is postponed to August 5th because I'm going to participate in the World Invitational Tournament. While I'm away, everyone will practice on their own to maintain their feel."
Chi Shuo nodded. "Mn. The playoffs start in September. Training for one month should be about right."
Ye Shaoyang looked down and noticed a bruise on the back of Chi Shuo's hand, obviously left by an injection. He moved his gaze away with mixed feelings. "There's no training scheduled for now, plus with the All-Star entertainment activities, I haven't played ranked in a long time. My hands feel rusty. Want to play a few rounds on the international server?"
Naturally, Chi Shuo wouldn't refuse. "Okay. Training room or dorm?"
Ye Shaoyang didn't hesitate. "Let's go to the training room. It's easy to get sleepy in the dorm; the training room has a better atmosphere."
The two settled the cat and then went to the training room together.
The Tianhuan Mid-Jungle duo started a stream while duo-queueing, quickly attracting a large number of fans and viewers into the broadcast room. They used their smurf accounts to stomp noobs on the international server again, using the classic combination they had used before.
They hadn't played ranked for a while, but their tacit understanding remained, winning 3 games in a row.
Ye Shaoyang used the break to drink water. Just then, a large number of bullet comments suddenly appeared in his stream: "Congrats Yangyang!" "Lieyang is too pro; the streamer we follow is indeed a potential stock!"
Ye Shaoyang was stunned. "Congrats on what?"
Netizens said: "Look at the official Weibo announcement!"
Ye Shaoyang quickly opened the official Weibo of the Gods' War Professional League and indeed saw good news—
After comprehensive consideration and evaluation by the League Tournament Committee, for the S10 season, the China Division will recommend three players to participate in the individual competition of the World Invitational Tournament. They are Xie Weiyu of the Moon Shadow Team @YY-Xiaoyu, Zhou Jiawen of the Fire Pattern Team @HW-zhou, and Ye Shaoyang of the Tianhuan Team @TianhuanLieyang. We look forward to the outstanding performance of all players in the world individual competition [Flower.jpg]
Once this news was released, it immediately caused a huge uproar.
Most netizens in the comments section expressed support, but there were also many voices of doubt. Ye Shaoyang clicked on the comments and saw that many of the highly-liked comments were talking about him.
[Lieyang is just a rookie, on what basis?]
[Based on him being an Omega, recommend him to go abroad and embarrass us?]
[Upstairs, go look at his stats. In the regular season of the first half of the year, his MVP count was number one in the league, average kills number one. If he's not qualified for the World Invitational, are you qualified?]
[No duo pairs this year? Not pushing combinations, just pushing singles?]
[Recommending 2 Mid Laners and 1 Marksman for the individual competition, is this a joke?]
[Recap of China Division individual awards: S6, Chi Shuo individual champion; S7, Old Xu individual champion, Fang Fang & Yuan Yuan duo champions; S8, the Zhao siblings duo champions; S9 was the worst year, zero trophies in team or individual events; S10 looks pretty dicey too.]
[S10 might as well give up. Pushing three squishies to the individual competition, the league has abandoned treatment, right?]
[If we can get an individual award this year, I'll eat a keyboard while doing a handstand on stream! Squishy mages, squishy marksmen, can they beat warriors and assassins? Probably won't even make the top four!]
[By the way, if pushing mid laners, why not push Sean? Look down on him for being Chinese-American?]
[For these three recommended names, except for Zhou Zhou, who deserves it, I don't accept Xie Weiyu and Ye Shaoyang!]
[If the S10 China Division still gets zero trophies, can the official tournament committee disband?]
Ye Shaoyang had long expected that when the recommendation list was announced, it would be questioned by netizens.
Actually, everyone's doubts were reasonable. In 1v1 duels, warriors who could tank and fight, and assassins with explosive power, indeed had an advantage over mages and marksmen.
Firstly, mages and marksmen were late-game heroes who needed to farm. Their early-game damage was mostly low, making it hard to beat warriors and assassins of the same level. Secondly, mages and marksmen lacked escape abilities. Once a warrior/assassin got close, they could easily be taken out by a combo.
But don't forget, Ye Shaoyang specialized in mage-assassins. Zhou Jiawen's artillery mage skills had high accuracy and could also insta-kill with a combo; and with Xie Weiyu's Wind Elf, you might not be able to get close to him.
The league recommending the three of them was actually well-founded.
The World Invitational rules stated that "players who have won an individual championship cannot participate again," obviously to give more opportunities to newcomers. Creating a new god every session was far better than the same person winning for several consecutive years. The league also needed fresh blood. Therefore, players skilled in dueling like Chi Shuo, Old Xu, and the Zhao siblings couldn't go this year.
Sean had participated in the individual competition in the European division and won a bronze medal. He could go again since he didn't win gold, but he explicitly rejected the league's recommendation, stating he wasn't interested. Ye Shaoyang could guess his considerations. After all, he was only Chinese-American and temporarily signed with Beimu. His nationality was European, so he probably didn't want to take up a spot for a China Division player.
Without these players, the China Division really didn't have many people left.
[Many of those still active in the arena are veterans who debuted in S6. Zhou Zhou and Xie Weiyu are S8 players. Lieyang debuted in S10 and is the only rookie worth showing off. I think the league's recommendation is very reasonable; there really isn't anyone more suitable.]
[Hope the major teams pay attention to cultivating newcomers. Otherwise, after this batch of players retires, won't e-sports in the China Division meet its Waterloo?]
Comments from rational netizens also attracted many likes and support from fans.
Cultivating newcomers was indeed imminent. Ye Shaoyang was a rookie who debuted in S10, but he was already 22 years old and couldn't play for many more years. Therefore, during his time at Tianhuan, he would also try his best to help Chi Shuo cultivate newcomers like Cheng Xing and Xie Xiaotian. These newcomers carried the future hope of e-sports.
Ye Shaoyang reposted the official Weibo and left a comment: "Thanks to the league for the recommendation. Honored to participate in the S10 World Invitational individual competition. I will definitely do my best ^_^"
Seeing the message he posted, fans left comments to cheer him on.
[Yangyang, I believe in you! Fighting!]
[Who says a Mid Laner can't win an award? You just go bring a trophy back to slap their faces.]
[Performing excellently in domestic competitions doesn't mean getting results in the world competition. Winning an award in the world competition where experts are as common as clouds isn't that easy. Yangyang, just play to your level, don't put too much pressure on yourself.]
Looking at the encouragement from fans, Ye Shaoyang's heart warmed slightly.
Whether he could win an award or not, he couldn't say for sure, but he would try his best.
He just wanted to go out of the country to see the level of world-class players.
Professional leagues in Europe, America, Japan, Korea, and other regions would definitely recommend their best-performing players of the season to the World Invitational. Otherwise, recommending a noob to go out and be embarrassed would get them scolded to death by domestic netizens.
Experts from various countries gathering together—sparring with them could increase match experience and improve tactical awareness.
Regardless of the outcome, this would be a very precious experience.
After posting on Weibo, Ye Shaoyang said to the netizens in the live stream, "Thank you, everyone. It's too early for congratulations. I'm going to participate in the world individual competition, but I'm not sure if I can win an award. Let's just consider it as gaining experience."
A fan asked: "Is Yangyang the only one from Tianhuan going? Is the coach going?"
Ye Shaoyang said, "The coach isn't going. Our Coach Lin is busy with affairs; he will stay in the country to prepare for the playoffs. I'm going to the individual competition, which depends entirely on my own performance, and there's no BP (Ban/Pick) phase, so there's no need for the coach to follow me and waste a whole week. The league has professional team leaders to lead the team."
A fan expressed concern: "Be careful and protect yourself when you're out!"
Ye Shaoyang smiled. "Thank you, I will. I'll go offline for today first to discuss the World Invitational with my teammates."
Ye Shaoyang closed the stream. The two were sitting together duo-queueing, so Chi Shuo could hear his voice the entire time.
After the stream was closed, Chi Shuo turned to look at Ye Shaoyang and said, "For this World Invitational, you, Xie Weiyu, and Zhou Jiawen have all obtained the league's recommendation qualification. There's also the Wild Card division; other players who didn't get the recommendation qualification can also sign up."
Ye Shaoyang knew this rule. Each division's league had 3 recommended spots, individual/duo optional. For fairness, players who didn't get recommended could also play in the Wild Card matches. In the end (including recommended spots), a total of 32 top players would be invited to compete in the World Invitational individual event.
Ye Shaoyang said, "Are you thinking of letting Cheng Xing sign up too?"
Sure enough, Ye Shaoyang could understand his meaning instantly.
Chi Shuo nodded. "Xie Weiyu is a marksman; he can participate, and so can Cheng Xing. Although marksmen are squishy, there are a few agile marksmen with multiple displacements who can duel. It's a good opportunity for Xiao Xing to witness the level of international experts. Signing up to participate, regardless of whether he can make the top 32 in the end, will be a kind of tempering for him."
Ye Shaoyang nodded in agreement. "Mn, Old Qin and Qu Jiang have rich competition experience, so their mentality definitely won't be an issue. Xiao Xing is a newcomer after all; the psychological pressure of the playoffs will be huge, plus the Global BP. Taking this opportunity to let him temper himself is a good thing. I also think we can let him sign up for the Wild Card division to try."
Chi Shuo looked at Ye Shaoyang.
Did you forget that you are also a newcomer?
This tone of voice sounds more like an experienced veteran player.
Chi Shuo suppressed the doubt in his heart and said, "Coach Lin isn't going to the World Invitational. I'm not at ease with you going abroad with them. I'll go with you."
Ye Shaoyang was stunned for a moment. "But if you leave…"
Chi Shuo said, "It's only for a week; it won't have much impact. Besides, if you aren't here, team training can't proceed anyway. It's the same whether I'm here or not. Coach Lin is watching over the internal training."
He paused and looked at Ye Shaoyang seriously. "And I said before, I have some experience in individual competitions. I can be your sparring partner."
Ye Shaoyang: "But the coach's side…"
Chi Shuo said, "Don't worry, I've already greeted Coach Lin. He also agrees with me accompanying you. Maybe you can bring back an award."
Chi Shuo was indeed decisive and swift; he had already cleared it with the coach.
If Captain Chi were his sparring partner, Ye Shaoyang would indeed be more confident. After all, Chi Shuo was once a world champion too; he knew some tricks and thought processes for dueling, and his hero pool was deep.
PK-ing with Chi Shuo every day and accumulating dueling experience would give Ye Shaoyang a higher chance of winning against other experts.
Thinking of this, Ye Shaoyang nodded. "Alright, let's go together." He looked at Chi Shuo with a firm gaze. "I won't say too many thanks. In this competition, I will do my best not to lose face for the China Division!"