Chapter 1171: The New Season’s Tyranny
Translator: Nomyummi Editor: Nomyummi
The reporters couldn't even keep count of how many times Happy managed to cause such a commotion.
1v3 within five rounds!
It seemed like Ye Xiu was making things hard for her on purpose, yet Tang Rou seemed ever so satisfied. Could it be that they had some way ensuring their victory?
The reporters hurriedly checked for Happy's scheduled matches, but after they checked, they were dumbstruck once more.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call Happy's match schedule a journey to death.
Round 4, Happy would play their home game against Team Tyranny.
Round 6, they'd be welcoming Blue Rain in a home game.
Round 8, still on their home turf, Tiny Herb would come knocking.
The three teams at the top of the Alliance were all congregated in the next five matches. Happy might have the home advantage all three matches, but if you wanted to complete a 1v3 at the hands of these three teams, that was a senseless dream.
Ye Xiu, you really do have a grudge against Tang Rou! Right? Right?
Several reporters had their heads raised to observe Ye Xiu's expression, while the others checked the other two teams.
Round 5, Happy would challenge Team Parade in their away game, a below average team like Radiant.
In their away game in Round 7, however, their opponent was Team Heavenly Swords.
Team Heavenly Swords?!
The quick thinkers immediately let their imaginations take flight.
From what info they had gleaned from the situation in the Heavenly Domain as well as what Ye Xiu let leak during a certain press conference, it was clear that Team Heavenly Swords and Team Happy had good personal relations.
If they had the confidence that they'd be able to achieve a 1v3 within the next five rounds… Was Heavenly Swords their ace up the sleeve?
Heavenly Swords would let them win?
The Glory Alliance had never had any match-fixing issues in the past. At most, all they had were teams whose morale had depleted with their hope for their goals lost. This sort of situation would usually appear at the end of the season, when the conclusion to the regular season had been set. No team would lose their fighting spirit at the beginning of the season.
Though there might have never been such a case in history, that didn't stop people from making these malicious guesses. Almost all the reporters believed that there must be something fishy going on what with such an absurd promise. Even Chang Xian. Although he wouldn't suspect Happy of faking a match, there must be something going on.
The press conference came to an end before the reporters could figure things out. In the end, all the questions were about if Tang Rou could achieve her 1v3 or not, and no one else cared about anything else regarding this match. Even when the victorious Team Radiant came to the stage, the reporters were still discussing Happy among themselves. After it was announced that they could start asking questions, someone stood and asked a very courteous "congratulations to Radiant for winning the match, how did you feel about it" before the reporters went silent.
The reporters were all absent minded and Team Radiant's players, having come over delighted about their victory, were dumbstruck.
Before the match began, the cheers for Happy wer ever so loud. It was clear that no one was treating them like a new team to the Alliance anymore, but a team far above Radiant.
Radiant hadn't been at all angry about this. Three All-Stars, just the player lineup seemed much grander than anything Radiant could offer. But so what? It wasn't as if Radiant had never seen team with three, or even more, All-Stars. It wasn't as if they had never fought these teams before. When had they ever given up in the face of these odds?
Compared to those powerhouse teams, Happy was nothing, no?
Radiant valiantly received Happy's challenge. Radiant had never expected to find any breakthrough point in the three All-Stars, but the others, the rookies, became Radiant's focus.
They had chosen Tang Rou. She was someone who already held an important position in the team, even being placed as the last defender in the group arena. It was clear how much the team trusted and depended upon her.
Against Tang Rou, Radiant had made ample preparations. Thus, from the group arena to the team competition, Tang Rou had been completely within their grasp, burying the 7 points Happy might've gotten.
Compared to many other teams, Radiant really wasn't very strong, but they hadn't gotten to the point where they could be bullied so easily. This time, using their home advantage, and ample pre-match preparations, they had won a match that many thought hopeless. They were excited and delighted, prepared to discuss their victory at the press conference. Yet, why did they end up ignored like this?
Why would this happen?
The three members of Radiant that attended didn't understand. They weren't that famous, and their team wasn't that powerful, but that didn't mean they should be ignored like this.
At the same time, at another, slightly later, press conference, things were heated.
The most eye catching match of the round, Samsara's away game against Tyranny, had just ended.
Countless players, moved by the persistence of Tyranny's veterans, were wishing them well, hoping that they would be able to get good results in this season, hoping that they would end their pro careers satisfactorily, hoping that they could strike a fierce blow at the Samsara that had shattered their dreams last season.
The result was disappointing.
Team Samsara, challenging Tyranny on Tyranny's home turf, ended up winning by a significant margin of 8:2. They had only lost two points in the individual competitions, and managed to successively overwhelm Tyranny in the group arena and team competition.
And to think, this was their away game. Samsara was truly terrifying this season. With three rounds over, they had won flawless victories in two rounds, and in the third round, against a strong team like Tyranny, they had managed to win with an 8:2. With a total score of 28 after a mere three rounds, Samsara was still far in the lead.
As for Tyranny, at the end of three rounds, they had a total of 19 points, sliding them right back to number eight, the last position for the playoffs.
This opening no longer had an iota of the momentum they had displayed last season. Everyone's worries for Tyranny seemed to have become reality. With another season over, how much had the state of Tyranny's veterans slipped? After last season's close call, had these veterans' morale truly been unaffected? It seemed, with the loss they suffered against Samsara on their home turf, that the things that people were unwilling to see were really occurring.
Was Tyranny truly no longer capable of recreating its past strength? Many fans had already begun crying in the audience after seeing the result of the home game against Samsara.
In the post-match press conference, the air was heavy. Tyranny was comprised mostly of veterans. Many of the reporters offstage had accompanied them for years. Even for those who hadn't, after these weeks of appearing in one another's sight, asking questions, they had manage to grind out some form of acquaintanceship.
Tyranny's upset represented the decline of the era they pursued. Each veteran reporter sympathized with this sorrow. At a time like this, it was mostly newer reporters that would tactlessly touch upon sensitive questions for Tyranny to answer.
"In the new season, Tyranny has already fallen behind Samsara's immense lead by 9 points in three rounds. When faced with them directly, Samsara managed to claim 8 points in their away game. What will Tyranny do next? Will there be any changes made?" A reporter asked.
Make changes?
What changes?
Switch out the old for a newer generation and let that era truly become buried in the past?
"Tyranny will, indeed, make some adjustments." Onstage, Vice Captain Zhang Xinjie answered this question.
"Oh? Could you give us some idea of the specifics?" The reporter asked.
"We will probably introduce some rotation, in order to make the team operate more efficiently," Zhang Xinjie replied.
Rotation! Did that mean that Tyranny was preparing to switch in newer players? Did that mean that the players of that era would be truly leaving the stage?
The reporters gazed at the stage. When Zhang Xinjie spoke, Han Wenqing's and Lin Jingyan's expressions were as calm as ever.
"Then, what is Tyranny's goal this season?" someone asked. Usually, in this sort of adjustment period, the team wouldn't set their goals too high.
"Tyranny only ever has one goal: to be the champions," Han Wenqing answered.
Was this the stubbornness of veterans? The reporters sighed.
"In the next round, Tyranny will face Happy. Is there anything you want to say?" Someone suddenly thought of such a question. Happy, Ye Xiu, this was a person from the same era as Tyranny's veterans. Though Happy had another old player, Wei Chen, his pro career was short; most people saw him to be a substitute or switch, rather than a core member of Team Happy.
"We hope to give everyone a spectacular match." A very standard answer.
"Happy's player, Tang Rou, said that she would achieve a 1v3 within the next five rounds or else leave the pro circle. As their next opponents, what are your thoughts on this?" Tyranny's match had ended late so the press conference was naturally later as well. The information regarding Happy's press conference had already travelled here, and this sort of interview style was something reporters were good at.
"Good resolve. If you want to try to accomplish that against Tyranny, then give us all you've got!" Han Wenqing said.
"Will Tyranny make any arrangements against this?" a reporter asked.
"No." Zhang Xinjie answered with one simple word, but the reporters believed him wholeheartedly. Tyranny's strategist was Zhang Xinjie. Why would this strict and careful Cleric change the rhythm of the team just because of a bet?
"I give my early wishes that Tyranny earns a good result next round." After saying that, the reporter ended his questioning. The other reporters soon followed up, most asking about the switching Tyranny would do.
After Tyranny and Samsara's match, the third round came to a close.
In this round, apart from Happy versus Radiant and Tyranny versus Samsara, two other unexpected conclusions cropped up.
Team Parade had taken down Tean Royal Style, who seemed a little stronger than them, by 7-3 in an away game.
Team Hundred Blossoms, on the other hand, was defeated on their home turf by 301 Degrees with a 3-7.
Apart from that, the strong teams all won as expected, with scores above 7-3. After three rounds, the situations of the various teams were much clearer than they'd been after two rounds.
Chapter 1172: Happy’s Problem of Coordination
Translator: Nomyummi Editor: Nomyummi
The third round of Season 10 finished.
Samsara stood at the top of the point rankings with 28 points. Blue Rain and Tiny Herb were second and third respectively with 27 points. Wind Howl was fourth with 26 points. From the point rankings, these four teams made up the first tier. After them was the fifth place team Misty Rain with 22 points. Thunderclap was sixth with 21 points; their start was looking quite good. In seventh was Void. After a mediocre first and second round, they finally pulled off a dominating performance in the third round, winning against Seaside with a perfect 10 points, placing them at seventh. At eighth place was Tyranny with 19 points. Compared to last season, Tyranny had taken the largest step back.
Outside of the currently qualified playoff teams, the points dropped. Team 301 was at ninth with 14 points, Royal Style at tenth with 13 points. Parade, Happy, and Hundred Blossoms were eleventh, twelfth, and thirteenth respectively with 12 points each. Speaking of which, the ranking for these three teams was quite complicated. Usually, if two or more teams had the same number of points, the teams were temporarily arranged in alphabetical order, by pinyin. If two teams had records against each other that season, they would be ranked according to who had the better record. For these three teams, Hundred Blossoms (Baihua) was first alphabetically. However, Happy had won a match against Hundred Blossoms, so Happy should be ahead of them. But in terms of alphabetical order, Happy (Xingxin) should be behind Parade (Hewu).
It was impossible to reach a consensus just from these three conditions. In the end, Hundred Blossoms' alphabetical advantage was removed and they became the bottom of those three teams. Of course, it was just the start of the season, so it didn't matter too much. But at the end of the season, when accurate rankings mattered, this type of impossibly muddled situation would usually be decided by an additional match. Using something like alphabetical order shouldn't decide a team's final ranking.
After Hundred Blossoms were the lower tier teams, who were all grouped up together. In last place in the relegation zone was Seaside, who had eaten two zeros in two consecutive matches, and currently had a heroic 2 points. Heavenly Swords was in second to last place with 5 points, but the team ahead of them, Miracle (Shenqi), was also at 5 points, only beating out Heavenly Swords (Yizhan) through their alphabetical advantage.
The point rankings as well as the performances of each team in the third round were reported and analyzed.
Happy! Happy again!
In the third round, Samsara and Tyranny was clearly the highlight match. Happy faced a mediocre Radiant, but how come they still made it to the headlines?
The mighty Tang Rou had achieved a 1v2 in the previous round. Why did she lose so badly this round?
Right after this crushing defeat, she claimed that she would achieve a 1v3 within five rounds? And if she didn't she would leave the pro scene?
Damn, this sister's so domineering!
Damn, this sister's so arrogant!
Damn, this sister's so bold!
Damn, this sister's so egotistical!
She had a brilliant victory in the second round, but an embarrassing loss in the third round. Yet even so, Tang Rou was still the most followed player in these two rounds. It was just like Wei Chen said. Whether the attention was good or bad, the attention towards Tang Rou was sky-high right now. After the 1v2 in the second round, quite a few reporters had wanted to interview Tang Rou. After the crushing defeat in the third round, even more reporters wanted to interview Tang Rou.
Seeing how popular Tang Rou was, quite a few people started asserting: promotion. This was definitely the media promoting her.
And the Esports Time reporter Ruan Cheng, who had challenged Tang Rou in the press conference and had Tang Rou make such an arrogant claim, had written a long, flowing article in a magazine calling this all a farce. So what if Tang Rou made such a promise? No one could force her to leave the pro scene. As long as her skin was thick enough, she could endure the pressure of public opinion, and she could give herself a classic excuse like "I can't give up my passion for Glory" or "I'm willing to endure anything for my fans" and so on… As a girl with indisputably good looks, she could definitely win quite some support.
Ruan Cheng's article generated a huge response. In terms of print media influence, the Esports Time was only slightly inferior to the Esports Home's weekly issue.
Those familiar with the Esports Time immediately understood after seeing that it was Ruan Cheng's article. This guy had set his targets on Tang Rou. His article had been written with for a purpose. It was to seal off Tang Rou's retreat path. Having given predictions for her retreat path, if Tang Rou still went along it, she would undoubtedly be viewed as someone with skin so thick that it couldn't be saved. She would receive a huge amount of criticism for it. Under this kind of public pressure, it would be hard to imagine what type of person could continue to survive.
After this article, many reporters tried all sorts of ways to reach Happy, hoping that Tang Rou could say a few words about it. However, Happy blocked them all. Tang Rou seemed to have disappeared. She gave no response to the criticism or the support towards her.
These days, Tang Rou was practicing like crazy.
In Tang Rou's loss against Radiant, the problems showed by Tang Rou were actually Ye Xiu's two biggest worries for her.
The first problem was that if the match wasn't enough of a challenge, she was unable to feel enthusiastic about playing and couldn't bring out her full potential. This sort of mental problem couldn't be described with numbers. It was an issue borne from Tang Rou's personality. In the game, she could still win those non-challenging battles because of the huge disparity in skill between the two sides. But in the pro scene, that huge disparity didn't exist. Facing Radiant's half-health player, Tang Rou still had to concentrate. However, the situation was very different from when she faced Yu Feng and Zhu Xiaoping. In addition, Radiant studied Tang Rou's battle against Xiao Shiqin in the Challenger League and developed a strategy specifically to target her. In the end, the half-health Radiant player beat the full-health Tang Rou.
In the team competition, because Tang Rou felt guilty and ashamed for losing in the group arena, she really wanted to win. This sort of mentality ignited her fighting spirit, thus leading to Ye Xiu's second worry: if her fighting spirit burns too hot, she is unable to exercise restraint.
Both of these two points were issues stemming from her personality. Trying to reconstruct someone's personality was harder than climbing the heavens. These were something that she couldn't control. They came and went subconsciously.
The only way to resolve these issues was to improve her skill level.
It was just like in the game. Even if she couldn't display her full capabilities, she could still win. What she relied on was superior skill.
Understanding this point, Tang Rou focused on being aware of her mentality, while also increasing her practice.
Morning, afternoon, night. Apart from eating, sleeping, and the appropriate amount of exercise, Tang Rou practiced crazily day and night.
"Is this okay?" Chen Guo was a bit worried and asked Ye Xiu.
"It's always good for young people to practice more. The problem is only whether you have the motivation to persevere," Ye Xiu said.
"So you intentionally gave her the goal of completing 1v3 within 5 rounds, so she has enough motivation to persist with this high-intensity practice?" Chen Guo said.
"No… I'm afraid that her eagerness to win will go over her head and she'll win next round. That would be troublesome." Ye Xiu laughed bitterly.
"Even so, why didn't you give her more room? Even ten rounds would have been better!" Chen Guo said.
"If I say more, with her personality, what do you think she would do?" Ye Xiu said.
"Cut it down until she felt like it was right…" Chen Guo said.
"So if I say too much, she'll say she won't need so many rounds and she'll do it in just one. What then?" Ye Xiu asked.
"Fine..." Chen Guo surrendered.
"But what if, I'm saying what if, she can't do it. What then?" Chen Guo looked towards Tang Rou, who was hard at work, and whispered the question to Ye Xiu.
"Yes…" Ye Xiu said.
"What does that 'yes' mean?" Chen Guo was puzzled. Ye Xiu didn't explain, though. He looked at Tang Rou as well. This guy was pretending like he was being profound again. Chen Guo thought to herself angrily.
While Tang Rou was solving her individual problems, Happy also had other problems to fix. Their loss against Radiant in the group arena could be considered as Tang Rou's fault, but their loss in the team competition couldn't be blamed on any one individual. The team competition was fought as a whole. If any one part wasn't working properly, the other parts needed to take on some of that responsibility. And in the team competition against Radiant, Happy had done a very poor job here, even if there was Ye Xiu, Su Mucheng, and Fang Rui playing. When Tang Rou came apart, these three All-Stars failed to properly adjust the team's rhythm. In the end, Radiant seized an opening and beat them fiercely.
These three All-Stars were unable to adapt to the situation when facing Team Radiant. It sounded hard to believe, but in reality, there was a serious issue between these three All-Stars - they were still getting used to playing and coordinating with each other.
Fang Rui obviously required time for him to grow accustomed to his new Qi Master class. Apart from that, it was his first time playing with Ye Xiu and Su Mucheng. He needed time to get used to their rhythm and their habits. Even Ye Xiu and Su Mucheng, these two Best Partners, needed time to synergize with each other in a high-level competition.
It wasn't because the two were suddenly unfamiliar with each other after a year of not playing together. It was because Ye Xiu had changed classes.
The unspecialized, the Myriad Manifestations Umbrella, and the unpredictable skill combinations gave headaches to everyone in the Alliance. None of them were able to keep up with such rapid complex variations.
And "everyone in the Alliance" included his teammates Su Mucheng and Fang Rui.
They weren't all-class experts. They had never partnered with an unspecialized before. Their situation was actually the same as their opponents. The only difference was that because they couldn't grasp the unspecialized's rhythm, they couldn't properly coordinate with Ye Xiu.
In the first round, facing Samsara's powerful sweep, there wasn't enough time for this issue to come up.
In the second round, through the map Broken River, they never really had any direct confrontations facing Hundred Blossoms.
In the third round, facing the proactive Team Radiant and Tang Rou falling apart, the three All-Stars ran into a serious problem, where none of them were able to coordinate well with one another.
Before even killing any enemies, Lord Grim had dealt a fierce blow to Happy's teamwork.
"It looks like we need to practice harder too," Ye Xiu said after carefully reviewing their match against Radiant.
"Yeah!" Su Mucheng's expression was exceptionally resolute. Failing to coordinate with Ye Xiu, how could that be acceptable?
"Damn, I have to keep up with the pace of 120 short cooldown skills. I can already feel my golden right hand crying," Fang Rui said.
Chapter end
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