It was already afternoon when the flight arrived at Dalian Zhou Shuizi International Airport.
The moment Lin Yan got off the plane, he could feel the difference between the weather here and in Shanghai. It was obviously drier, and the tip of his nose was slightly itchy.
The advantage was that his skin wouldn't have the sticky feeling of being covered by water vapor when he was outdoors.
The players, coaches, and Teng Jing's staff from the four teams — a total of over forty people — took a group photo at the airport and got the various clubs to post it on their official Weibo accounts to appease their fans. They then took a bus to the Crowne Plaza Hotel in the Dalian Sports Center.
"I thought we'd be staying at Wanda." Mongoose looked as if he had not woken up yet. He felt weak from the cold air on the bus. "Isn't Dalian Principal Wang's hometown?"
Wanda, which was one of the top enterprises in the country, started in Dalian. Back then, the team from the IG City Hero Tournament was also in the Liaoning division, which Dalian belonged to. It was obvious how much Wang Sicong loved this place.
IG manager Su Xiaoluo sat at the side and looked out of the window. This place was both familiar and unfamiliar to him.
Dalian was also his hometown. However, after he got into Fudan University, the number of times he came back had decreased. He only stayed for two more years because he resigned from his position in the system and came back to open a law firm.
Bobby, who was sitting in the front row of the bus, was still explaining, "Wanda has a hotel in the center of Dalian, but it's a good 20 kilometers away from the Intercontinental League venue. There's no need to stay there. It's too inconvenient to go back and forth."
The team members nodded in understanding.
Even though the Intercontinental Tournament wasn't long and couldn't be compared to the Mid-Season Tournament or the World Tournament, there were still quite a number of teams participating.
There were three divisions in the Asian League, and each division had four teams. In total, there were twelve teams. There were more than a hundred people in total, even more than in the MSI competition.
How to settle these people was the problem that the hosts, Teng Jing and Fist China, had to consider.
It was not easy to manage if they stayed too far away from the venue, and things might go wrong easily. Winston and Bobby discussed for a while, and after taking into account the price, location, and other factors, they decided to arrange for them to stay at the Crowne Plaza Hotel.
"Each room is for two people." Fist China's staff had already arranged everything and assigned the room cards. "The east side of the corridor is for LPL and Fist. The west side is for Korea, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan. Be careful, don't go the wrong way."
Winston took over the topic. "The hotel will take care of all three meals a day. We took a look at the menu in advance. There's quite a variety of dishes. There are all sorts of Chinese and Korean dishes …"
Dalian was very close to South Korea, and many South Korean companies had taken root here. Naturally, the food provided by the hotel was biased.
Lin Yan took the room card and dragged his suitcase inside. Phyllostachys Pubescens followed him.
The room was quite good in all aspects. It was the standard configuration of the Crowne Plaza Hotel. Through the floor-to-ceiling windows, he could see the Dalian Sports Center in the park. Further away, he could see the endless coastline. Lin Yan looked into the distance. This touch of blue made him feel relaxed and happy.
Suddenly, his phone vibrated. After Lin Yan unlocked it, he saw that it was a reply from his girlfriend to the message he had sent earlier.
They chatted for a while. Su Cheng still had classes in the afternoon. Lin Yan reminded her to be careful when she went home at night. He closed the chat window and carefully read the documents Guo Hao had sent earlier.
The first joint training was scheduled for six o 'clock in the evening. It was probably because the training room was not ready yet. Lin Yan also had a promotional video and two e-sports media interviews tomorrow. He estimated that it would take the whole afternoon.
He set an automatic reminder on his phone. After that, he took a shower and lay down on the big, soft bed. He skillfully placed a pillow behind his back and turned on the live streaming platform on his tablet.
Four LPL teams were participating in the continental tournament. However, the summer tournament was not suspended. Now that the tournament was in the middle of the tournament, the remaining ten teams wanted to quickly climb up the rankings.
This was especially true for the four teams in the middle of the tournament — Top, EDG, WE, and Snake. They were fighting very fiercely. Their points were very close. If nothing unexpected happened, these four teams, plus the four teams in the continental tournament, would basically occupy the entire playoff ranking.
Under such circumstances, the regular season ranking was very important. No one wanted to meet YM too early. It was like a mantis trying to stop a chariot. Whoever bumped into it would die.
Lin Yan was watching the battle between Top and WE.
"What are you doing?"
Phyllostachys Pubescens ran out of the bathroom in his short-sleeved pajamas after taking a shower. He was a little curious when he saw Lin Yan lying on the bed.
Lin Yan waved the tablet in his hand. "There's a match with Zhuo Ding."
Xiao Yu and Knight had a good personal relationship. When he heard this, he immediately perked up and flew to the bed to watch the live stream.
"… Is WE so bad these days?"
Phyllostachys Pubescens looked at the data board above the spectator system and couldn't help but sigh. "They're being crushed like this by Top?"
Since WE's home ground was in Xi 'an this year, they were naturally placed in the western division by Teng Jing. YM had also met this ancient powerhouse in the intra-group cycle before the continental tournament.
At that time, Mongoose didn't think much of it. YM easily crushed them and won.
In his opinion, a mid-upper echelon team like EDG was no different from Planetside OMG, who had been struggling for a few years. They were both squashed by him in 20 minutes, let alone WE.
Now that he saw this veteran e-sports team struggling at death's door under the assault of the new TOP team, he only wanted to drag out a chance of survival so that they wouldn't lose so badly. Only then did Bastard realize that times had changed.
The WE 2.0 that dominated the LPL back in the day was like a dying mountain. Their collapse was just a matter of time.
Lin Yan continued Mongoose's topic. "The aging of the team members is too serious. I think this is also the reason why Red Rice left."
WE's youngest player, Xi Ye, was 21 years old. Other than him, the other players were on the verge of retirement.
In an esports game like League of Legends, every change in version was a form of torture for the veterans. A seventeen or eighteen year old rookie would train a hero in 20 ranked games. A twenty-two or twenty-three year old player might not even be able to catch up with them due to the limitations of their style.
The most important problem was that in today's flourishing league, the slow training of heroes would cause a chain reaction. It could be said that one step slower would always be slower.
The first to bear the brunt of this would be the team's league results.
When the veterans finally managed to train a strong hero in this version, they would suddenly find that the version had changed again!
The heroes that they had worked so hard to train had all been whittled down. New strong characters and systems were on the stage of the league, and the veterans had to start all over again.
It was a vicious cycle. If they didn't perform well in the league, they wouldn't be able to enter the international tournament. There was no need for such a team to raise veterans.
Wasn't it better to pick rookies?
The players that were about to retire were each more expensive than the last, but each one was worse than the last. The experience that they were so proud of was basically useless before they faced the decisive BO5.
WE was now facing such a predicament.
The entire team was being dragged along by the version.
His fist came down with the intention of weakening YM. He wanted to use the revival mechanism of Canyon Vanguard to force the team to focus more on the top half of the map.
But before YM could show any signs of weakness, WE was the first to be affected.
WE had never been a team that focused on the top half of the map since 1.0. 957 was also a team that didn't rely on junglers. This had nothing to do with skill, it was purely a matter of style.
WE, who couldn't adapt to the new version, was now in a difficult situation. Not to mention, after Red Rice left, the team's coaching staff couldn't keep up.
With so many factors stacked together, WE's decline was inevitable.
"Zhuo Ding's solo crocodile is not bad," Mongoose said happily as he watched the livestream. "724, he's going to be the MVP."
Lin Yan was still looking at the comments.
He and the other members of YM were all signed to Shark Fight. The platform had recently added a new feature. When signed pro players entered the livestream, there would be an eye-catching pop-up notification.
When he and Phyllostachys Pubescens entered the LPL's official livestream, they were clearly seen by the viewers. The chat was filled with ridicule.
[YM's Nakano isn't training. Instead, he's here to watch the match?]
[Did the plane land in Dalian?]
[Good luck in the Intercontinental Tournament!]
[Let's not talk about anything else. Just kill the LMS. Is that okay?]
Xi Ye's Swordmeister couldn't handle Zhuo Ding's pressure at all. After Crocodile made the Blue Sucking Blade, he became unstoppable.
WE used their familiar operating rhythm to drag the match to 28 minutes after much effort.
"Top has finally dealt with the three lanes of minions. They're preparing to focus on Dragon!
However, WE still have time to defend! "
The commentator Hao Kai began to torture the audience with his familiar long sentences. Lin Yan wanted to pass him an oxygen tank, but after thinking about it, he turned on silent mode.
The two sides engaged in a desperate struggle in the Dragon Pit.
Xi Ye used Vanguard Blade to sweep the three Top players. Together with Two Winged Blades, they dealt considerable damage. They also relied on the shield provided by Blood Hand to withstand TOP's first burst.
Mystic's Kesha then flew into the battlefield.
Lin Yan saw it clearly. His brother-in-law's big move was clearly a mistake.
Originally, Kesha was supposed to fly to the edge of the Dragon Pit and block the entrance. Then, she would slowly deal damage to TOP with Xi Ye and 957.
If she did it properly, Kesha would be able to finish off the battle at this point. She might even be able to help WE turn the tide.
However, Mystic's flying position was off. She actually flew straight into the Dragon Pit!
One must know that there were still three Top players in the Dragon Pit!
"She dares to fly?!" Phyllostachys Pubescens, who was lying on the side, was dumbfounded.
The live audience was in an uproar!
Kesha was like a moth flying into a flame. She was committing a crime!
One must know that she had used Flash before. Now, she had nowhere to run!
Zhuo Ding had already activated his big move. After his body expanded, Crocodile used Horizontal Charge to close in on Kesha. Void's Daughter looked at the huge monster in front of her and could only tremble.
From Lin Yan's point of view, Swordmeister's team fighting ability was mediocre. Xi Ye was only relying on Blood Hand and the Disarm effect of Vanguard Blade to withstand a burst. WE's core damage output still depended on Kesha.
However, Mystic's mistake could completely ruin the match.
He immediately said, "WE's done for …"
However, before he could finish, Crocodile swung his weapon and slashed down with Red Fury's W, Grim Hunt. It didn't even hurt Kesha!
Brother-in-law even used Acacia's Rainstorm mixed with a normal attack to kill PPGOD.
"What's going on?" Lin Yan and Phyllostachys Pubescens were dumbfounded.
The bullet screen was also filled with question marks!
The two immediately saw that Zhuo Ding's True Eye, which was originally full of health, was now left with only one bar of health!
"This b * stard is committing a crime!" Mongoose couldn't help but yell. "Is this something a human can do?"
Lin Yan immediately typed in the chat.
YMRan: [Crocodile Red Fury W Eye]
The SharkDouble-Shark platform gave him additional special effects. The cool black and red frame made Lin Yan's bullet screen extremely eye-catching. The response was just as enthusiastic.
[Hahaha, I'm dying of laughter.]
[Red Fury W Eye, I really didn't expect Brother Ran to be so disgusting.]
[Knight is really unlucky. After showing off for the whole match, he embarrassed himself in this team battle.]
[I think this is obviously sent by Jack. Hurry up and return the account to Brother Ran!]
YMTian: [I can testify that it was sent by him.]
However, this team battle was still won by TOP in the end. Black Cutter + new Blue Saber Crocodile already had a 40% cooldown reduction. With the addition of Brilliant Radiance, W Grim Hunt's cooldown was very fast. Brother-in-law's position was too ridiculous. There was no way he could survive.
Lin Yan saw that the match was over and then the commentator's voice came out.
"Congratulations to TOP. While defeating WE 2: 0, they have also risen to second place in the Western Division. They are only second to YM!"
The caster also showed the points of the Eastern and Western Divisions. Lin Yan saw that TOP had rushed to 4 wins and 2 losses with a strong three-game winning streak. They had successfully completed the group round robin.
It had to be said that TOP's players were quite good. Xiong Xiong had gradually lost his naivety and was now able to keep up with the team's rhythm. They were working together to get a ticket to the S Tournament.
After watching the match, Lin Yan wanted to indulge himself by ordering a cup of milk tea.
However, when he opened the take-out app, there was no milk tea shop nearby.
"Isn't this a bit too far away?"
He muttered. Through the floor-to-ceiling window of his room on the seventh floor, he could see the Dalian Youth Soccer Training Base outside sweating on the green field.
They really had nothing to do. Fortunately, the two of them were not the only ones who had the same idea. Lin Ran casually shouted in the group, and a few of his teammates from the next room ran over to play cards with snacks in hand. Jack even pulled Rotisserie and The Shy over.
"Fight the Landlord!"
Shiba Inu rubbed his hands excitedly. He had long lost control of his card addiction. "Today, I'll show you what it means to be a Youcheng Ten Generations!"
Liu Qingsong scolded him without hesitation. He remembered clearly that Jack had once said that he wanted to kick him out of the game.
The Shy gave an awkward but polite smile and turned his head to ask his midlaner in a low voice, "What are they talking about?"
In fact, he could understand some of the China's profanities. He even compared them with his hometown's Siba, Siba, and Siba (Idiot, get out of my way) to prevent himself from being scolded without knowing what was going on.
Due to King Ning's influence, he also marked down words such as crotch pulling.
However, Liu Qingsong's words were undoubtedly beyond The Shy's comprehension of Chinese.
"It's just …" Broiler did not know how to explain it. "It's just a bunch of profanities. Just don't learn it."
"Don't worry, I'm a good kid. I definitely won't scold anyone." The Shy was serious. He even hid his cute big front teeth.
Broiler wanted to say something but stopped.
In a sense, The Shy was right.
He basically did not scold anyone.
He just liked to be sarcastic and his typing speed was insanely fast.
This might have something to do with The Shy's piano learning experience. Others were nicknamed the Pianist of the Canyon, but this person really knew how to play the piano. He even earned himself the title of one of the top three trolls in the Korean server.
Broiler could only silently hope that his little brother would not learn bad things. Once he learned how to scold people, with his ridiculous typing speed, he might become the Invincible East in the Korean server.
"What's this called … How do you play Daejeon?" Broiler had seen Filial Child, Wandering God, and King Ning like to play this game before, but it was his first time participating in it.
"I'll teach you!" Jack volunteered.
"The order of the big and small cards is like this …" He taught the two Koreans step by step. "You have to follow my method and line them up from small to big."
"And then?" The Shy rested his head in Broiler's collarbone and asked curiously.
Jack continued, "Then you have to line up from big to small!"
When he said that, he had a natural expression on his face.
Lin Yan lay on the bed with his back against them. He did not even dare to make a sound as he was afraid that he would be stuck.
"Huh?" Broiler still had the instinctive skepticism of a human. "Are you kidding me?"
"Why would I lie to you?" Jack did not even blush. "Of course it's real!"
After explaining the basic rules, there were a total of six people in the room, which happened to be divided into two tables.
Lin Yan was so focused on whether Broiler and The Shy would make a fool of themselves at their table that he did not pay attention to his own cards at all.
This drove Shiba Inu Shark crazy.
He was proud of himself. "I'm the reincarnation of a gambling monster!"
"Back then, Chen Daozai could win 37 million with 20 yuan. Today, I, Jack Love …"
Before he could finish his sentence, Shiba Inu Shark was grabbed by the back of his neck.
"Are you teaching Lei Feng?"
Broiler was furious. He grabbed Shiba Inu Shark's neck and shouted in exasperation, "Look at the two cards I have left in my hand!"
Lin Yan and Mongoose looked at each other.
This time, they were really in trouble.
One against three, they could not afford it.
…
At 5: 30 in the evening, a group of people ran downstairs to the restaurant.
At this time, the number of people playing Dou Dizhu had increased to 21. Other than a few players who were sleeping in their rooms, the rest were basically all there.
A few Korean players were still discussing the techniques of Dou Dizhu. The theoretical Red Rice even wanted to write a report to analyze this card game.
"There's Quanzhou Mixed Rice here!" Jimukong's eyes lit up when he saw the food from his hometown.
He insisted on dragging Lin Yan to try it. Then, Lin Yan brought along Little Tortoise. Before Little Tortoise left, he dragged Jack along.
In the end, everyone in YM was dragged to eat Quanzhou Mixed Rice.
However, Lin Yan felt that it was quite ordinary. He could not eat the bean sprouts inside.
At 6: 00 sharp, the four LPL teams participating in the continental tournament gathered in the spacious training room prepared by Fist China.
More than 30 computers were arranged clearly. The computer cases emitted colorful lights and the gaming chairs were arranged neatly.
Tengjing's CEO, Bobby, stood in the middle of the training room. "This is Fist's second continental tournament. Last year, we were the champions."
"This year, WE didn't come. Instead, it was replaced by Chivalry, which was formed half a year ago. I hope you guys can add to the glory of the LPL …" Bobby looked at RW, who was also wearing a black and red team uniform. This group of players who had never participated in a tournament of this level were all in high spirits. He was very satisfied. "The other three teams also have to be good leaders. Our biggest enemy this time is still LCK."
He also knew that strength spoke louder than words, so he said a few words and left.
Red Rice tapped on the microphone, cleared his throat and continued, "Let's not talk too much. I'll talk about the version issue."
For a tournament of this level, the coaches of the major teams naturally did not hide anything. They explained everything they understood.
"This continental tournament is using version 8.13. Compared to the LPL Summer Tournament's version 8.11, there are two minor updates. There are a lot of things we need to pay attention to." He spoke very quickly, but Jiang Chenglu was already used to it. His words were like bullets from a Gatling gun. "First, let's talk about version 8.12. The two junglers, Blind Monk and Qian Jue, have been buffed."
Red Rice even made a slideshow and placed it on the screen for everyone to see. Blind Monk's W [Golden Bell Cover]'s cooldown was shortened, E [Thunder Break]'s damage was increased, and Qian Jue's Q [Chaotic Arrow Dance]'s attack speed was increased, and E [Horizontal Fear]'s damage was increased.
"However, there's a huge advantage. Rambo has been buffed."
At this point, Lin Yan was no longer sleepy.
Back in the day, he had single-handedly used Rambo to destroy everything. His opponents did not even dare to come out of the high ground.
Red Rice also showed the slideshow to the Yodells. "W [Shattered Shield]'s base and AP bonus have been increased. R [Constant Temperature Burn]'s damage has also increased.
"Since the top laner is now very popular, I think Rambo won't appear in the top laner after this buff. It should be the mainstream choice to use him as a mid laner."
Lin Yan nodded. Especially now that Little Temptress was popular, Rambo, who was relatively less afraid of Lefran, would have a lot of chances to appear.
"There's another important piece of information. Karma's soft support nerf …"
All the players looked at the screen. Karma, Lulu, Zephyr, and even Clockwork's shield duration had been cut.
Other than that, the [Healing and Shield Strength] attribute of essential soft support equipment such as Censer and Redemption had also been weakened.
After these two nerfs, the soft support's position, which was already declining, had become even worse.
"YM is being targeted so badly …" RW coach Hanyi did not want to laugh, but when he saw this nerf, the corners of his mouth could not help but curl up.
Bursts of laughter rang out in the huge training room.
After the S7 World Championship, soft supports were basically unable to enter the professional scene. Fist did not need to do this, but the designers still did it.
It was very purposeful.
It was obvious that they were targeting Karma's top laner, who Jin Gong had been using since the mid-season competition.
Fist did not want this kind of hero, who had no difficulty in laning, to appear in the top lane, which was all about bloodshed.
Every time they met Karma, the top laner could only buy a house under the tower, without any gaming experience.
The YM players could only smile bitterly. A tall tree attracts the wind.
"But these are just appetizers. Version 8.12 is just a minor update. Version 8.13 is the most important."
Red Rice paused. When he saw that everyone's eyes were focused on his face, he continued.
"This is probably the biggest change that will affect the Intercontinental Tournament …"
"Sword Demon has been redone."
He clicked the mouse.
The redone Dark-Kin Sword Demon Yatokus appeared on the huge screen.
His scarlet eyes revealed an endless murderous aura, and the Godslayer in his hand emitted a thick bloody light.
A threatening aura rushed out.