After the match ended, the five people inside Tianhuan's soundproof booth all stood up. They hugged each other, celebrating this hard-won victory.
From 1:1 to 2:2, and finally deciding the outcome in the fifth game, this match had been a tough fight.
But what made everyone happy was that, whether in individual performance or team coordination, all members of Tianhuan had performed to their level and hadn't dropped the ball at critical moments. That was the most important thing.
After a simple celebration, Chi Shu led everyone to FNO's soundproof booth to shake hands.
Mitchell's expression was obviously not very good. Being solo-killed by [Abyssal Lord] in the scrims back then, and killed by the combined efforts of Ye Shaoyang and Chi Shu in today's match—he truly had a beef with the Sun-Moon duo!
Kleiman generously hugged Chi Shu and said, "Congratulations on advancing to the finals."
Mitchell stared at Ye Shaoyang and said indignantly, "Let's play again after the tournament. I don't believe I can't kill you!"
Ye Shaoyang smiled and said, "Sure, I'll be waiting for you to kill me."
Angus looked at Cheng Xing seriously and said, "I heard you are the Best Rookie of the China Region? We'll have chances to play against each other in the future. I'll definitely beat you."
Cheng Xing didn't understand English, scratched his head, and replied, "Thank you."
Angus: "???"
Ye Shaoyang laughed and cried at the same time, leaning over to translate: "Angus is challenging you, saying he'll definitely beat you next time. Why are you thanking him?"
Cheng Xing said innocently, "I didn't understand. I thought he was congratulating us."
Ye Shaoyang looked back at Angus. The teenager's eyes were clear and blue, holding back tears, his face full of defiance. He looked very serious when speaking to Cheng Xing, even though Cheng Xing didn't understand.
Ye Shaoyang knew that Angus was the future of Team FNO.
And Xiao Xing was the future of Tianhuan.
One day in the future, when he and Chi Shu left the arena, and veteran players like Kleiman and Mitchell also retired, Tianhuan's Cheng Xing and FNO's Angus might become the strongest rivals on the World Tournament stage.
They were similar in age and improved rapidly, debuting in S10 and winning the Best Rookie Award of the season.
The future e-sports stage would belong to these newcomers. The growth of rookies was also something veteran players were happy to see.
Angus and Cheng Xing shook hands, considering it an advance greeting to a future rival.
Mitchell adjusted his mindset, gently hugged Ye Shaoyang, and said seriously, "You beat me, so you have to keep winning in the finals. That way, I lost to the champion team, which isn't so shameful!"
Ye Shaoyang was defeated by his logic and smiled, agreeing, "Alright, I'll do my best."
Tianhuan's 5 members bowed and exited. They didn't accept post-match interviews, letting Coach Lin deal with the media.
Coach Lin was very good at diplomatic speech. He praised Team FNO's performance and also praised his own players, keeping things balanced so no one could find fault.
After returning to the hotel, Coach Lin organized everyone to review today's 5 games.
From the post-match replay, it could be seen that the 2 games Tianhuan lost were because the early game rhythm was interrupted, causing the Mid-Jungle synergy to fail. Lin Feng said seriously, " Although we won against FNO today, our rhythm still has some problems, especially in the early game. Once we can't stabilize, it's easy for the opponent to end the game quickly."
He looked at the players and said earnestly, "The early game rhythm issue still needs to be strengthened. Also, Xiao Xing's data today wasn't very good. You died instantly in team fights several times and didn't deal the damage you should have. In the World Tournament, a group of people will be staring at the Marksman to delete him. We have to be more careful."
Coach Lin changed the subject and smiled. "What gratifies me about today's match is that everyone trusts each other very much. Whether in favorable or unfavorable situations, you are all trying hard to find opportunities. This team spirit must be maintained. Go to sleep first. After tomorrow's semi-final results come out, we will prepare the tactical arrangement for the finals."
Everyone returned to their rooms to sleep.
The domestic official Weibo released the news congratulating Tianhuan on advancing to the finals, and fans were very happy. Having entered the finals, the worst result would be runner-up. In the three years from S7 to S9, Tianhuan had gained nothing. This year's results had already achieved a breakthrough.
However, having come this far, everyone hoped their favorite team could win the championship.
The next evening, the second semi-final between Beimu and ATB began.
The venue was packed. With the Korean team's home advantage, fans cheering for ATB gathered into a sea of people; posters and glow signs of ATB players were everywhere.
Beimu's 5 members withstood the home pressure and took the first game thanks to the cooperation of Big and Xiao Zhao and Sean. But ATB quickly adjusted their rhythm, pulling back the score relying on detailed macro play.
In the next two games, ATB's Mid-Jungle synergy targeted the jungle crazily, blowing up Beimu's jungle directly. Zhao Xinping's Marksman didn't have time to farm up at all, and the game ended in the mid-game.
3:1, ATB defeated Beimu.
The cheers at the venue were deafening. Watching this scene at the hotel, Cheng Xing couldn't help but say, "ATB has so many fans. When we play ATB next, will the scene be like this too?"
Chi Shu said, "Yes. At that time, countless fans will cheer for them. The waves of sound will come one after another. Even wearing headphones inside the soundproof booth, you can experience the enthusiasm of the live audience."
Ye Shaoyang smiled and said, "Just treat the audience as cheering for Tianhuan, imagining everyone off-stage is our fan."
Cheng Xing froze for a moment, looking back at Ye Shaoyang. "Can you do that?"
Ye Shaoyang said, "Mn. The more you think the scene is full of ATB fans, the greater the psychological pressure will be. But as long as you treat those people as our fans, the away game becomes a home game."
Everyone: "…"
Your mentality is also awesome; you can even treat enemy troops as friendly forces?
Coach Lin teased, "Yangyang, you seem very experienced?"
Ye Shaoyang touched his nose guiltily and explained, "I just said it casually. I think there's no need to take the audience's cheers to heart. Wear the headphones tighter and just play the match. E-sports competitions are much better than basketball or volleyball; at least there are noise-canceling headphones to block most of the sound. When basketball and volleyball players play away games, aren't the audience's cheers even louder? Keep a good mindset, and you can still win."
Coach Lin smiled and nodded. "That logic is correct. In the finals against ATB, 99% of the scene will be their fans. There's no need to pay attention to this; we aren't playing a match against the fans."
He opened his laptop, displayed ATB's information, and said, "The coaching staff has been studying this team for a long time. Everyone is familiar with the players."
Top Han Seung-woo, Jungle Choi Hyuk, Mid Park Won-seok, Marksman Kim Chang-ho, Support Jung Jae-min.
Chi Shu and Ye Shaoyang looked at each other and simultaneously locked their eyes on Choi Hyuk and Park Won-seok.
How could they not be familiar?
After all, they were last year's World Champions, the champions of this Duo Tournament, and the "World's No. 1 Mid-Jungle Duo" touted by media reporters.
There were many anti-fans in the country who often compared Tianhuan's Sun-Moon duo with ATB's Choi-Park duo.
Saying every day that the Sun-Moon duo was simply inferior to Korea's Choi-Park.
ATB playing Beimu followed the same logic as Tianhuan playing Beimu—snowballing crazily in the jungle. Therefore, Beimu couldn't hold on and lost 1:3.
ATB and Tianhuan were actually teams with very similar tactical styles; both relied on Mid-Jungle synergy for rhythm. So, the head-on confrontation between these two teams would depend on the coordination of the Mid-Jungle.
Coach Lin looked at Chi Shu and Ye Shaoyang and asked, "Are you two under a lot of pressure?"
Chi Shu said, "No pressure really."
Ye Shaoyang spoke at the same time: "What is pressure?"
Teammates facepalmed one after another. Do you two have to be so tacit even when answering questions?
The two looked at each other and smiled. Ye Shaoyang said, "Choi Hyuk and Park Won-seok are indeed a very strong pair of players, but Chi Shu and I have nothing to fear. In a head-on PK, our 2v2 win rate is probably 50-50. It depends on who performs better and whose mentality is more stable."
Chi Shu agreed, "Mn, I believe my tacit understanding with Yangyang is slightly stronger than theirs."
Coach Lin breathed a sigh of relief in his heart and said, "However, playing ATB isn't necessarily about contesting Mid-Jungle synergy. Their Top laner Han Seung-woo is also very strong. Yangyang should have a deep understanding of this."
Han Seung-woo. Ye Shaoyang had played against him in the individual stage of the S10 Invitational Tournament. Although Ye Shaoyang won, he had to admit that this was a Top laner with very strong game sense, especially skilled with warriors.
Ye Shaoyang said, "Han Seung-woo lost to me in the World Individual Tournament, and he was very unconvinced at the time. Meeting in the finals this time, I estimate he will pick a warrior and specifically cut me in team fights. My survival environment will be very difficult."
Coach Lin said, "That's what I'm worried about too. When playing FNO, 5 of them camped you at the start to forcefully kill you. Everyone knows how important Tianhuan's Mid laner is. Once Yangyang's rhythm is broken, Chi Shu's rhythm won't be easy to carry either. ATB has strong macro ability and won't let us drag to the ultra-late game."
Cheng Xing scratched his head worriedly, not knowing what to say.
Actually, Ye Shaoyang was not only Tianhuan's rhythm point but also Tianhuan's stabilizing force (Magic Needle used to calm the sea).
As long as he was alive, everyone had hope. But once Ye Shaoyang was killed too many times, Top and Bot actually didn't have the ability to proactively drive the rhythm.
Every team had such a backbone.
Unknowingly, Ye Shaoyang had actually become the teammates' confidence.
Ye Shaoyang said with a smile, "What if I pick some heroes that the opponent can't kill?"
Coach Lin looked at him. "You mean?"
The Mid lane didn't only have Mages and Marksmen to choose from; there were also Warriors.
Warrior Mid could also drive the rhythm.
Ye Shaoyang would personally tell everyone that an all-around Mid laner could take heroes from any position to lane mid. Mid lane laning relied on operational skills, macro view, and grasping timing.
As long as teammates supplemented AP (Magic) damage, the Mid laner could also pick physical heroes like Warriors or Marksmen.
Or even pick a Tank.
If ATB really targeted his Mid lane crazily, he could only resort to this strategy.
Looking at Ye Shaoyang's confident appearance, Chi Shu raised the corners of his lips and said, "There's a hero sealed for a long time that I also want to bring out in the World Tournament."
Ye Shaoyang looked at him, meeting Chi Shu's determined gaze.
Chi Shu whispered, "With you here, I have nothing to fear."
Teammates: "…"
Why do you have to force-feed us dog food during a pre-match meeting?
Cheng Xing scratched his head and whispered to Qu Jiang, "I always feel like my Master and Brother Yang are going to get married after the match." Qu Jiang laughed. "Captain Chi indeed trusts Yangyang very much. I know what hero he wants to take. That's his heart knot… but now, the knot has been untied, right?"
In the S6 season, the young Chi Shu, with a belly full of solitary courage, once became famous with a penta kill using that hero.
However, in the World Tournament, he was targeted by opponents into a tragic 0-6 record.
After the World Tournament, his master Ming Sheng retired. Chi Shu returned to China and hurriedly took over the captain's position. In the matches of the following years, because Tianhuan's Wild Core was targeted too miserably, Chi Shu never picked that hero again.
——[Bloodstained Assassin].
The hero Chi Shu became famous with in his youth. The assassin who needed to self-harm to 1 HP to deal the highest damage, with the strongest burst power. An "orphan hero" who needed teammates' full cooperation to complete the harvest.
Young Chi Shu's [Bloodstained Assassin] once made the entire canyon tremble with fear at the news. Later, Chi Shu made adjustments and sacrifices for Team Tianhuan, and the blood-colored light slowly dimmed in the canyon.
Now, Chi Shu finally had the courage to bring out this very unstable squishy assassin again, only because Ye Shaoyang was by his side.
He believed Yangyang could perfectly cooperate with his ideas.
He wanted to complete the dream he didn't finish in his youth with Yangyang.
Coach Lin looked at the two smiling at each other, his eyes heating up—[Bloodstained Assassin] was Chi Shu's knot, and also Tianhuan's knot.
The silence of this Wild Core represented Tianhuan starting to go downhill.
But now, Ye Shaoyang's joining and Cheng Xing's rapid progress finally gave Tianhuan the courage and confidence to bring out the sharpest Mid-Jungle synergy lineup again…
Chi Shu wanted to bring out Bloodstained Assassin in the World Tournament Grand Finals.
As a coach, Lin Feng had no reason to refuse.
Lin Feng took a deep breath and decisively made the decision: "I agree with your ideas. Whether it's Wild Core or Warrior Mid, practice well for the next 2 days. In the finals, bring out the heroes you want to play most and fight with all your might! Win or lose, as a coach, I will support everyone!"
This meant that if they won, it was the players' credit; if they lost, the Tianhuan coaching staff would stand up to take the blame and scolding. Lin Feng's words were also intended to let the players completely let go of their psychological burden.
Chi Shu stood up and gently hugged Lin Feng. "Thank you, Coach."
Whether it was letting Ye Shaoyang start, letting Qu Jiang switch to support, or withstanding online pressure when they fell into Group B and were scolded bloody early in the season, or letting them participate in tactical discussions and adopting their opinions in critical matches…
Tianhuan's Coach Lin seemed gentle but had an inclusive heart that thought for the players.
He was like the patriarch of Tianhuan, shielding the team members from wind and rain outside.
Ye Shaoyang said seriously, "Coach, rest assured, we won't let you down."
Coach Lin smiled and patted their shoulders. "It hasn't been easy for anyone to get to this day. Enjoy the last match well. I believe you can do it!"