The Grand Finals of the Tenth Season were scheduled for November 11th at 7:00 PM at the Star City E-sports Center.
One week before the match, all members of Tianhuan arrived in Star City early. Chi Shu borrowed the training room at the Star City Youth Training Base, where Coach Xu from the youth camp personally received them.
This was the second time Ye Shaoyang had met Coach Xu.
This coach was still as disheveled and unkempt as before, with messy hair and a beard that hadn't been shaved in who knew how long, exuding a decadent style. When he saw Ye Shaoyang, he ran over excitedly to shake his hand. "Xiao Bai, hahaha! Long time no see. I knew you would definitely make something of yourself!"
Last year, Ye Shaoyang had come here with Chi Shu to take the e-sports talent test and achieved the rare score of five S-ranks.
When Chi Shu said he wanted Xiao Bai to be a starter, Coach Xu had questioned it, thinking that a rookie with insufficient tournament experience might not be able to handle the pressure of a starting position.
However, Ye Shaoyang's performance this season had thoroughly convinced Coach Xu. As Chi Shu's enlightenment coach, he was very happy that Chi Shu had found such a compatible partner.
Coach Xu enthusiastically led everyone to the training room. "I specially cleared out this 10-person training room for you guys to practice. You can also eat at the Youth Training Base for the next few days."
Lin Feng smiled and patted his shoulder. "Old Xu, thanks."
Coach Xu chuckled. "No need for formalities. Chi Shu is a student I brought up. Back then, after he took Xiao Bai for the talent test, he said he would come back to take a photo with me when he won the World Championship. I've been looking forward to that day!"
Ye Shaoyang leaned into Chi Shu's ear and asked, "You made such a big boast to Coach Xu that early on?"
Chi Shu whispered back, "Because I believed that as long as you joined Tianhuan, we would definitely have hope for the championship."
He was the person in this world who believed in Ye Shaoyang's strength the most.
Ye Shaoyang couldn't help but wonder, "We hadn't known each other for long back then, only duo-queued for a few days. How could you trust my skill level so much? Weren't you afraid I'd drop the ball during a match?"
Chi Shu curled the corners of his lips and replied, "I trust my own judgment. I wouldn't misjudge a person."
Ye Shaoyang felt warm inside and said seriously, "Me neither. I didn't misjudge you."
The reason Chi Shu trusted Ye Shaoyang was actually because, on the day they first met, sitting together in the audience watching the game, he saw the focus and light in Ye Shaoyang's eyes.
He knew that this person definitely loved e-sports deeply and would absolutely become an excellent professional player.
And the reason Ye Shaoyang trusted Chi Shu was that he saw Chi Shu's calmness and resilience during matches. He knew that with such a captain, Team Tianhuan would definitely cut through thorns and brambles to reach the peak.
Their belief in each other wasn't blind trust without cause.
It was the telepathy between experts, the soul-deep tacit understanding between Captain Ye of the past life and Captain Chi of this life.
Some people could know each other for years without any chemistry.
While for some, recognizing each other took only a single glance.
The two looked at each other and smiled.
Looking at the familiar surroundings, Chi Shu was filled with emotion. In the blink of an eye, six years had passed. He never thought that when he returned to the Youth Training Center of his youth, Ye Shaoyang would be by his side.
His best partner.
And the person he loved most.
Chi Shu leaned close to Ye Shaoyang's ear. "Are you interested in seeing my old dorm room?"
Ye Shaoyang nodded. "Sure! I also want to see the place where you lived as a kid."
Hearing their conversation, Coach Xu laughed. "The accommodation conditions at the Youth Training Center aren't very good. It's a lot like a four-person university dorm room—sleeping on the top bunk, computers on the bottom, four people sharing a bathroom. Back then, Chi Shu lived in the same room as Fang Zhengqing, Xie Yuan, and Xu Zhuo."
As he spoke, he led Chi Shu and Ye Shaoyang on a tour. Ye Shaoyang arrived at the dorm and pushed the door open to look.
This dorm room had four beds and indeed resembled the layout of a university dorm.
Chi Shu had stayed in Bed No. 1. Coach Xu walked into the room and said, "Before every player leaves the Youth Training Base, they write down their wish in the dorm's Wish Notebook." He opened the notebook and found Chi Shu's page. "Look, has your wish come true?"
Ye Shaoyang leaned over to look. In very neat handwriting, it read: [I hope that one day, I can find the best partner who understands me, supports me, and has 100% synergy with me, and then we will win the championship together!]
Ye Shaoyang asked, "Usually players write that they hope to win the championship in the future. Why did you insist on emphasizing the partner part?"
Chi Shu coughed lightly and said, "I was scared witless by Fang Zhengqing."
Ye Shaoyang couldn't help but laugh out loud.
No wonder Chi Shu made a wish to find the best partner in the future. Because his synergy with Fang Zhengqing was too terrifying—capable of single-handedly causing all three lanes to collapse. When Chi Shu left the training camp, he thought to himself that he must never encounter such a pitfall of a teammate in the future, or else playing matches would be too hard.
Coach Xu asked with a smile, "Now, Chi Shu's wish has come true, right?"
Chi Shu raised the corners of his lips, his gaze toward Ye Shaoyang full of trust and tenderness. "Half of it has come true."
Ye Shaoyang looked at him seriously. "The remaining half, we will realize together."
For the next week, all members of Tianhuan underwent devil-style training at the Star City Youth Training Base. Targeting their Grand Finals opponent, Beimu, the coaching staff formulated several different plans that required repeated training and verification. The 2nd Team served as sparring partners throughout, and Lin Feng also scheduled several scrims with foreign teams he had good relations with.
November 11th arrived quickly.
All members of Tianhuan arrived at the Star City E-sports Center. In the prep room, the players' mobile phones were temporarily confiscated by the team manager, but Ye Shaoyang spotted Little Rui's position at a glance through the big screen.
His cousin Qin Rui was sitting in the middle of the third row of the VIP audience section. Sitting next to him was a middle-aged couple. The man looked serious, wearing a casual suit, his features bearing a fifty percent resemblance to Chi Shu; the woman had a gentle smile, her black hair tied in a bun behind her head, looking very artistic in temperament.
Qu Jiang also saw the audience on the big screen and couldn't help asking, "Did Captain Chi's parents come to the venue too?"
Chi Shu nodded. "Mn."
Ye Shaoyang immediately pricked up his ears to listen.
Qu Jiang said, "I remember Captain Chi's mother used to be a singer, and later retired from the music scene to become a behind-the-scenes music producer. She looks really young."
Old Qin stared at the screen. "If you didn't tell me she was Captain Chi's mother, I would have thought she was under 30! Indeed very young. Is she a singer? No wonder Captain Chi sings so well; is it genetic inheritance?"
Cheng Xing said excitedly, "I searched it up! Is Master's mother named Ming Yue? She was my goddess when I was a kid; I used to listen to her songs on loop!"
Ye Shaoyang noted the name, planning to secretly search it up later.
Although he wasn't ready to meet Chi Shu's family yet, he still needed to understand what Chi Shu's parents did and whether they were easy to get along with.
Seeing Ye Shaoyang bow his head in thought, Chi Shu leaned over and whispered, "My mom has a very good temper. Don't overthink it, just prepare for the match first."
Ye Shaoyang withdrew his thoughts, took a deep breath to calm down, and said, "Mn, let's all play well."
Today, not only Chi Shu and Ye Shaoyang's families came to the scene, but Qu Jiang, Cheng Xing, and Old Qin's parents also arrived to cheer. For the final domestic match, although they couldn't understand e-sports, they wanted to feel the enthusiastic atmosphere of the scene and applaud and cheer for their children.
At 6:40 PM, the match was about to begin, and players from both sides came to the main stage.
Thunderous applause erupted at the venue, especially in the family viewing area. Qu Jiang's dad was holding a megaphone and shouting there: "Tianhuan, Jiayou (Add oil)!"
Other family members followed suit: "Jiayou!"
Papa Qu: "Tianhuan, Victory!"
Other family members: "Victory!"
The netizens in the live stream room were dying of laughter—
[Whose family member is that? They even brought a megaphone!]
[Brother Qu's dad. I've seen him at previous matches.]
[Qu Jiang's dad is a savage! Best Support Family Member Award, should we just give it to him?]
[No wonder Qu Jiang edits '100 Ways to Die' videos every day. This 'white cut black' (innocent outside, scheming inside) trait comes from his dad.]
The family and fan groups on Beimu's side were not to be outdone, shouting themselves hoarse: "Beimu Victory! Beimu, Victory!"
The cheering sound at the scene was deafening, and the family and fan groups of both sides looked ready to fight.
The players bowed to the audience, quickly turned around, walked into the soundproof booths, put on their headphones, and got ready.
Yao Mu and Brother Dong appeared on the live screen on time: "Hello friends in the audience, welcome to the Star City E-sports Center. This is the site of the Gods' War Season 10 Grand Finals! The opposing sides are Beimu vs. Tianhuan!"
Brother Dong said, "The pre-match betting channel is now open. Friends who guess correctly will receive limited edition merchandise, skin vouchers, and other rich rewards. Everyone is welcome to go to the major live streaming platforms to place their bets."
Yao Mu said, "Tianhuan and Beimu have faced each other several times in the past. In the S9 playoffs, Beimu beat Tianhuan 3:2; in the S10 group stage, Beimu beat Tianhuan 2:1. Beimu won both times. Brother Dong, do you think Tianhuan will successfully counterattack and defeat this strong enemy today? Or will Beimu maintain its advantage and defeat Tianhuan?"
Brother Dong smiled and said, "The strength of the two teams should be 50-50. Beimu has the 'Big and Small Zhao' side lanes and Mid-laner Sean; Tianhuan has strong Mid-Jungle synergy, and players in other positions have also improved rapidly recently. It's hard to say who will win or lose. I only know that no matter who wins or loses, today's match will definitely be exciting!"
Yao Mu nodded in agreement. "That's right. We are honored to see that many players' family members have come to the scene in person to cheer for everyone. Welcome to the family groups supporting our e-sports players!"
The camera swept across the family group, and the family members waved cooperatively to everyone.
Many people noticed Chi Shu's mother, who had a unique temperament, in the crowd. They gossiped about this family member's identity and soon dug out that Chi Shu's mother used to be a famous singer.
Since his debut, Chi Shu had never mentioned his parents and had always kept a low profile. If his parents hadn't come to the scene in person today, fans and the media wouldn't have known that he was born into a musical family.
No wonder Chi Shu sang so well in the All-Star exhibition match?
But for Chi Shu, singing was just a hobby; e-sports was the career he loved.
Inside the soundproof booths, the players began to tap their keyboards to warm up their hands. The referee raised his hand to signal that the match could begin.
Yao Mu said, "Both players are ready. Let's start the first game of Tianhuan vs. Beimu!"
Brother Dong said, "In the Grand Finals, the first place in the Winner's Bracket has priority side selection. Tianhuan can choose to go Blue or Red for the first game… Tianhuan chose Red this time, giving Blue to Beimu?"
Yao Mu said, "Giving up the first pick implies the coaching staff has a special BP (Ban/Pick) strategy."
Beimu's coach wasn't surprised either. Tianhuan had many tricky strategies anyway; they just needed to counter whatever came their way.
Beimu banned first. The first ban slot went to [Meteor Arrow], the Marksman Cheng Xing used to get a triple kill in the playoffs, which was also a T0 Marksman recently. Tianhuan banned Zhao Xinping's [Rose Blade]. Beimu's second ban continued to target Marksmen, banning [Wind Elf]. Tianhuan banned Zhao Xin'an's [Vampire Duke].
Brother Dong said, "The thinking of both coaches is very clear. Beimu targets Marksmen; Tianhuan targets the dual side lanes. In this case, the Mid and Jungle are all open. In the P1 phase, will both sides snatch Mid or Jungle heroes?"
For Beimu's first pick, Sean directly took his signature hero [Kraken]!
When it was Tianhuan's turn, slots 1 and 2 unhesitatingly selected two heroes: [Holy Archer] and [Forest Envoy.
Yao Mu said, "A scaling Marksman plus a healer. This is also a classic bot lane combination."
Beimu immediately followed by picking dual side laners [Berserker] and [Kung Fu Master], two warrior side laners with extremely strong capabilities to cut the backline, clearly intending to kill Tianhuan's Mid and Marksman.
Tianhuan's 3rd pick chose the very tanky Top laner [Black Dragon Knight].
In the P1 phase, both sides' choices were unremarkable, mostly common heroes in regular matches.
Brother Dong analyzed, "Is the first game mainly about playing it safe for both sides? First picking standard lineups to test the waters. Indeed, there's no need to bring out particularly aggressive lineups right away. If they lose, the players' mentality might collapse."
Yao Mu said, "Yes. Tianhuan's [Holy Archer] plus [Forest Envoy system appeared many times in the regular season. The healer protects Xiao Xing's growth, and Xiao Xing outputs damage in the late game. However, Xiao Xing's win rate with [Holy Archer] isn't high. The few times it was brought out in the regular season, they lost more than they won."
Brother Dong said, "But Xiao Xing during the regular season was a rookie who just debuted. His teammates made a 'Collection of Cheng Xing's 100 Ways to Die' for him. Back then, he was either being killed or on his way to being killed! Xiao Xing in the playoffs has made great progress. He is no longer the Xiao Xing who died repeatedly in different postures."
Yao Mu said, "Yes, looking forward to Xiao Xing's wonderful performance with [Holy Archer] today!"
The BP for the P2 phase began.
Tianhuan still hadn't picked their Mid and Jungle, so Beimu naturally targeted the Mid and Jungle crazily.
Beimu's coach unhesitatingly banned [Abyssal Lord] and [Stealth Rogue]. Lin Feng banned the utility Jungler [Fighter] and the protective support [Shield of Glory].
Tianhuan's 4th pick chose the Jungler [Ninja], who had relatively strong solo-kill ability.
Beimu's 4th and 5th picks chose the utility Jungler [Sword Immortal] and the speed-boost support [Time Traveler].
Tianhuan had one last position left to pick, which was the Mid laner.
Yao Mu guessed, "Yangyang should pick [World Ending Mage] or [Moonlight Mage] to fight Sean? Two long-range mages have a certain chance of winning against [Kraken]. Of course, he might also take [Sharpshooter] mid to snipe the opposing Mid laner?"
Brother Dong said, "Picking a Marksman this game is indeed viable. The long-range [Sharpshooter] and the long-range [Holy Archer]—dual Marksmen playing a kiting style, wearing down the opponent from a distance. However, the opposing dual warrior side laners have displacement skills and strong backline-cutting abilities. Dual Marksmen are too squishy and not stable enough."
Everyone looked at the big screen with anticipation.
Soon, Tianhuan locked in a hero in the 5th slot—
[Lord of the Forest]
Exclamations rang out from the audience, and Yao Mu raised her volume: "Lord of the Forest! This is a summoner mage with a control-oriented playstyle. I remember Tianhuan hasn't used this hero in the regular season or the playoffs!"
Brother Dong said, "If I recall correctly, Lieyang used [Lord of the Forest] once in the World Individual Tournament?"
Yao Mu also remembered this and chimed in, "When playing against Mitchell, he used [Lord of the Forest]'s vines to control the field and defeated Mitchell's [Sun Wheel Mage]!"
Brother Dong said, "We all know that [Lord of the Forest] is the most difficult to operate among summoner mages. After the vines are summoned, the path and direction rely on mouse dragging. Controlling several vines at the same time can easily tangle them into a twist. However, Lieyang used this hero with perfection in the World Individual Tournament. We should never doubt Lieyang's mechanical skill on Mid lane heroes!"
Yao Mu said, "Moreover, Tianhuan picked [Lord of the Forest] mid today, paired with [Forest Envoy support. Dual forest-type heroes with vine crowd control—this is the true 'Binding Strategy'!"
Beimu's coach's face stiffened slightly when he saw this: "Double Binding?"
Forest Envoy, a healer, could place vines on the ground with her W-skill, binding and rooting enemies in range.
Lord of the Forest, a summoner mage, could summon 4 vines to bind and strangle enemies.
The coordination difficulty of these two heroes was extremely high, far inferior to simple and crude seamless chain controls like taunts or freezes.
That Tianhuan dared to pick this showed the coaching staff's confidence in the tacit understanding between Ye Shaoyang and Qu Jiang.
Tianhuan's first game wasn't Mid-Jungle synergy.
It was Double-Vine Mid-Support synergy—Binding Plus gameplay!