Chapter 214.1: Idols are meant to get...
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Holidays always went by quickly, especially when they were short.
Two days' time wasn't enough for them to recover from the excitement of winning the championship, but Chen Feng had already dragged them back to the training room one by one in preparation of going over the game replays of the national finals.
Brother Cai had gone back to his hometown and returned with a lot of local specialties. He also had spicy pork jerky cooked by Father Cai.
When Wei Xiao came in, Little Ning was in the midst of exclaiming, "It's so good! It's fragrant and spicy, and the taste lingers between the lips and teeth!"
Bai Cai was delighted. He took out his cell phone and said, "God Ning, say more since you know what to say; my dad loves to hear such things."
Little Ning immediately sat upright, just like a food anchor when they tasted food in an exaggerated manner and praised the spicy jerky as something that only existed in heaven; it was 100% delicious!
Ning Zhehan noticed Wei Xiao and immediately beckoned him over. "Brother Xiao, give it a try, this jerky is really tasty!"
Wei Xiao: "......" Of course he knew it was delicious. In the past, he could eat a whole catty of it on his own. However... he shouldn't eat spicy food right now.
Bai Cai got it. "He doesn't like eating it."
Wei Xiao sighed; Sigh, it's true that one couldn't have the best of both worlds. When one has love, then something else has to be given up.
Ning Zhehan was surprised. "Brother Xiao doesn't like to eat such delicious jerky?!"
Wei Xiao steeled himself and pushed forward. "It's..."
Unexpectedly, Father Cai's surprised voice came out from Bai Cai's cell phone, "Little Xiao? Little Xiao loves to eat the jerky that I make. Last year when he came to my house, he ate a whole catty of it and took away two more. He even put in a preorder with me for the next pig!"
Bai Cai: "!"
Damn it, he'd forgotten to turn off the video call just now so that Ning Zhehan could blow out his rainbow farts!
He could only listen as Father Cai continued, "Little Ning, don't listen to Baibai's nonsense. He's messing around and purposely not letting Little Xiao eat. Quickly give it to him, he loves to eat it the most."
Wei Xiao was the most unable to stand up for himself against this kind of loving and amiable parent. He rushed over to say hello, the words from his mouth sweet as he said a whole basket of good things, directly making Old Bai's Father's face light up with happiness.
"Try it, quickly. Last time, you said it wasn't spicy enough, so I put in more this time. I picked out these peppers myself, and it's definitely spicy enough now!"
Wei Xiao: "......"
Brother Cai, who was a straight man but knew no less than a gay: "......"
Little Ning, who knew nothing. "It's really enough! It's super spicy!"
Wei Xiao was really unable to hold up against Old Bai's Father's expectant gaze. He picked up a piece of fiery red jerky, knowing with one glance that it was a piece of spicy jerky that would cause problems as long as it was eaten.
"Cough......"
Father Cai: "Try it!"
Wei Xiao's heart leapt, and he was about to abandon himself.
"Enough." Bai Cai snatched up the jerky and said to his father, "Wei Xiao's stomach hasn't been good these past two days, he can't eat spicy stuff."
Wei Xiao: "............"
Bai Cai convinced his father with a few short sentences.
It even made Father Cai say quickly, "This child, why didn't you say so if you aren't feeling good? Don't eat it, have Caicai keep it for you. You can slowly savor it after you're better, this kind of thing keeps well!"
Wei Xiao was finally let off the hook and quickly went with the flow.
After hanging up the video call, Little Ning looked at Wei Xiao. "Brother Xiao, your stomach is uncomfortable?"
Wei Xiao wouldn't lie to Uncle Cai, but he was very good at coaxing Little Ning. It only took a few short sentences for him to convince granny gray.
Bai Cai went to find a small bag and split out a portion of the jerky to put in the refrigerator.
He came back just in time to hear Wei Xiao's nonsense, with Little Ning listening to it all in a daze.
Bai Cai secretly cursed to himself--
What was Wei Xiao doing earlier?! He couldn't even come up with an excuse about his stomach feeling uncomfortable a while ago, but now, he was using one trick after another on Little Ning.
He might curse, but Bai Cai's heart actually stung a little. Wei Xiao had such a glib tongue, but he was a person who just insisted on not lying to his silly father.
It was nominally a game replay review, but in fact, it was more about mobilizing the players' mentality while suppressing their inflated little egos.
After going through a season spanning a full half a year and finally winning the silver dragon cup, let alone the four little ones, even the experienced coaching staff had somewhat relaxed their vigilance.
And the global competition was coming up.
The silver dragon cup was just an entry ticket. If they didn't settle their hearts back down again, they would really be setting themselves up to mess up badly.
Although the core goal wasn't a replay review, these three games really had value. As it progressed, the entire training room became engrossed in the review process.
FTW had played very well, but there was also a lot that was worth learning from TPT.
Watching these three games from the god's perspective gave them a deeper feeling for the game.
Two days wasn't enough time for them to forget many of the details of the game, but looking at it again now still made them feel surprised.
They marveled at Fu Li's coordination, marveled at TPT's integrity, and they were also surprised at each TPT player's robust mindset.
Especially in the last game. It was clearly a critical moment of life and death, but they still maintained their high quality level of play. They weren't in a hurry and weren't impatient as they nibbled at FTW's resources and suppressed their room for survival.
It would be hard to say who would have won or lost if it hadn't been for Close's group fight in the dragon pit.
Chen Feng emphasized this segment of the game, "I listened to the team chat. Everyone cooperated very well here."
Lu Feng had told them all to gather, and the entire team had rallied together quickly. There hadn't been even half a second of delay, and this had been the critical point.
If Ning Zhehan had hesitated for half a second, then he would've teleported over half a second late.
If Bai Cai had hesitated for half a second and failed to give their team the speed buff, his teammates wouldn't have been able to rush over in time.
It was even more important that Wei Xiao and Yue Wenle hadn't hesitated. They were the core DPS dealers, and if they'd arrived any later, then Lu Feng would've charged up only to die in vain.
Lu Feng had given them a very limited time frame. As long as any one of them had delayed just a little bit, their victory might have gone to TPT.
However, no one had delayed, and no one had hesitated.
With one single order, he'd called over thousands of troops.
The victory in the dragon pit had been won through sheer power on FTW's side!
Chen Feng praised Ning Zhehan's snatching of the dragon.
Little Ning was shy. "It was good luck."
Chen Feng: "Luck is also a kind of strength."
Little Ning scratched his hair and was foolishly happy.
After they finished going through the games, the door to the training room opened, and Brother Liu came in, looking excited.
Chen Feng: "What's the matter?"
Xiang Liu: "Training match!"
Chen Feng frowned. "With who?"
Xiang Liu: "EVE. Their coach just called to make an appointment..." Damn it, EVE's beautiful coach had given him a call; Brother Liu's head was a little up in the clouds!
Wei Xiao's eyes brightened. "Let's do it!"
EVE was like a painkiller! This training match was worth its weight in gold!
Chen Feng nodded. "Time."
Xiang Liu: "Six o'clock in the afternoon."
Chen Feng: "Okay."
It was already four o'clock in the afternoon. After having a meal and taking a break, it would be six.
Using EVE to warm up, not bad!
Things were different after winning the championship. Little Ning no longer cowered and was even a little eager for a fight. "God Xie, my idol."
Which mid-laner didn't treat him as their idol?
Wei Xiao quipped, "Idols are meant to get f*ck-..."
Bai Cai's ears hurt. "Can you f*cking talk like a human being, or not."
Wei Xiao's expression was innocent. "How am I not talking like a human being?"
Bai Cai: "You said..."
Wei Xiao: "Idol are meant to get f*cked up, what's the problem with that?"
Bai Cai: "..............."
There was really a difference between getting f*cked and getting f*cked up, but...
Wei Xiao smiled like a fox. "Old Bai, you're so dirty, what's the matter with you? Hurry up and find a bottle of disinfectant to clean up your brain."
Brother Cai: "............" He was going to be angered to death by this dog sooner or later!
Chen Feng was very satisfied with this sudden training match. Using EVE to cool down their mental state before the competition worked out just right.
At dinner, Wei Xiao asked Lu Feng secretly, "Captain, were you the one who made an appointment with God Xie?"
Lu Feng shook his head.
Wei Xiao wondered about it. "Then why did God Xie suddenly want to play a training match with us?"
Without waiting for Lu Feng to answer, Wei Xiao had already found an answer to the question. "Could it be because he was shocked by our performance in the finals?"
Lu Feng: "......"
There was no need to provide accompaniment; Wei Xiao was very skilled at solo cross-talk. "Sigh, this is what it's like to be strong, they all want to play with us..."
Lu Feng fed him a mouthful of congee. "Eat."
Wei Xiao ate his congee delightedly.
Why did EVE want to have a training match with FTW?
The finals was one reason for it, but the other reason was selfishness on Xie He's part.
As for what that selfishness was...
They'd know after they finished playing.
Both sides were very punctual. They opened up the game room ten minutes in advance, then started on time at six.
There wasn't much to say about the training match, they just had to fight and be done with it.
Chen Feng gave them a relatively conservative line-up to start with during BP, and EVE didn't show any ambiguity at all as they locked in the immortal warlock with their first position. It was clear that they wanted to teach them a lesson.
Wei Xiao grew excited. "Laozi's going to blow him up!"
Little Ning was also arrogant. "Hammer him!"
Chen Feng: "Ha, ha."
Ning Zhehan was given a bouncing and jumping fire mage.
Ning Zhehan: "............" How was he supposed to fight with this? The immortal warlock could fly and attack the fire mage until it went into seclusion.
Chen Feng splashed cold water on him directly. "If I got you the spirit mage, you'd be beaten into seclusion even more."
At the end of the day, they were still old teammates. Chen Feng had more than just a little bit of understanding regarding Xie He.
When this fellow took out the immortal warlock, then it meant that he was going to go up against the heavens and the earth. In a conventional game, the spirit mage could hold up against the immortal warlock, but Chen Feng didn't give Ning Zhehan the spirit mage.
It wasn't that he didn't believe in Ning Zhehan, but because it was unnecessary.
Even if it was a proper game, it was always 100 times better to avoid Xie He like the wind when he took the immortal warlock.
There were differences in both strength and experience. Why gamble on luck?
Besides, Ning Zhehan's spirit mage might not be able to beat Xie He, but it could beat other mid-laners.
If it was taken out for the training match, it wouldn't be worth it if he was beaten into seclusion by Xie He and left with a psychological shadow regarding the spirit mage, affecting his performance in subsequent matches.
These things that Chen Feng thought of might seem like he was making a mountain out of a molehill to those who hadn't yet experienced it before.
How could it be so exaggerated?
It was a competitive game, and they were all professional players. How could the difference be so big?
In fact, the gap was bigger than what could be seen.
The cruelty of the competition lay in the fact that 'unfairness' always existed in fairness.
Talent, luck, confidence.
The gaps between different people would be infinitely magnified when they were in the same field.
Until they were incredibly large.
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Chapter 214.2: Is God Xie shy?
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What did it mean to have a cold basin of water poured over their head? Ning Zhehan understood it as soon as the game began.
China competition zone's champion?
The number one mage king in China?
The rookie king who won the championship in his first season?
Wake up!
In front of God Xie, you are nothing!
Ning Zhehan sucked in a breath. "I need support!"
He now realized Chen Feng's good intentions. The fire mage was famous for being fast at clearing lane soldiers. Tossing out the first skill plus a fireball would create stacked explosion damage that quickly cleared out the lane.
The immortal warlock was a 'little cripple' before level six, and even flying around with the connecting clouds wouldn't deal much damage. It might even get taken down to half health by the fire mage's ranged damage as it tried to clear the lane soldiers.
However...
Ning Zhehan, who'd taken a fire mage, wasn't even as fast at clearing lane soldiers as Xie He was!
How was he doing it?
In fact, he knew how it had been accomplished, but how could he dare to play like that?
When it came to confidence, once it had been accumulated to a certain degree, it became a very arrogant and outrageous strength!
Brother Cai: "The pressure on this side isn't small, either."
Although EVE was a team with a mid-laner core, their ADC was also famous globally, and their jungler and support were like a pair of Siamese conjoined twins, pressuring Yue Wenle so much that he could only hide beneath his tower.
Ning Zhehan: "Ouch!"
He'd been hit by the immortal warlock and lost a quarter of his health. It was clearly his character in the canyon who'd been hit, but he personally felt like he'd been cut by a knife.
Wei Xiao: "I'm coming."
Ning Zhehan's expression was bitter. "I think EVE's jungler is in the upper bushes."
Wei Xiao took a look at his field of vision. "I'll go in from the bottom."
What they hadn't expected was that EVE's jungler wasn't in the upper bushes, but in the bottom lane.
Fortunately, Wei Xiao was still careful and didn't try to check the bushes with his character. Otherwise, he would be a dead thief.
Ning Zhehan was surprised. "I just saw him clearing the bugs in the upper river zone. How come he's now..." When had he gone over there? Could the players from strong teams all move in the blink of an eye?!
Wei Xiao didn't have to speak. He and EVE's jungler exchanged a round of attacks, and seeing that the immortal warlock was coming close, he spoke urgently, "Little Ning!"
The fire mage might be scared, but the cooperation that they had trained was still present. He shot out fireballs one after another to block the immortal warlock's path.
Xie He gave up on Wei Xiao and went for Ning Zhehan instead. Ning Zhehan squeaked and squawked and narrowly made his escape by using flash.
There was a small round of fighting in the middle lane, but no casualties from either side. In the overall situation, FTW lost a little because Ning Zhehan had to use his flash.
Chen Feng let out a sigh. He could already see where this was going.
He was too familiar with Xie He's routine, and he knew what he was thinking at a glance.
The fire mage had used up its flash before level six. At the moment when the immortal warlock reached level six and could fly up with thousand layers of clouds, the fire mage would definitely die.
Ning Zhehan: "Wu!"
There was no suspense. When the thousand layers of clouds covered the middle lane, the fire mage's soul was sent back home.
The toppled Ning Zhehan cried and wailed, "Brother Xiao..."
Wei Xiao picked up the thread of the conversation. "Got f*cked over by your idol?"
Little Ning burst out into tears with a wail.
Chen Feng took in the whole situation and had an understanding of what was happening in his heart.
There was definitely a gap between FTW and EVE, and this gap wasn't small.
EVE's top-laner, Smith, was a steady veteran. He might not be able to suppress Close, but he was enough to hold him down without losing First Blood.
Their jungler CC had been a rookie in Europe last year. He was a tall and buff man who had an eye for detail, and had very much grasped the essence of playing a toolman jungler. EVE's mid-jungler linkage was one of their special features.
In the bottom lane, M and D were two good brothers. They were a famous pair of 'Siamese twins' in Glory.
It was said that the two of them had been together since their debut, and they'd also transferred together. They'd been playing Glory for five years, and had never separated during their careers.
The phrase 'feelings were stronger than gold' probably referred to this kind of good fellow brothers!
Not to mention, they had Xie He in the middle lane.
The world's number one mage king, an honored player in the Temple of Glory, and the one whose immortal warlock gave game planners headaches as big as a herd of oxen.
If they nerfed it, then what about ordinary players?
If they didn't nerf it, then this 'Xie' immortal warlock had too much of an influence on the balance of the competition system!
That FTW was able to play back and forth with them said a lot about their great progress over the past six months.
Their national championship hadn't been won for nothing, and their 3:0 score hadn't been achieved by luck.
The growth of the four little ones was visible to the naked eye, and they were only lacking experience to catch up to the world's top teams!
They played a total of six training matches, and FTW won three of them.
If these results were posted online, it would be enough for fans to boast for half a year.
However, FTW's egos weren't inflated. They, especially Chen Feng, could see the situation very clearly.
In the first two matches, FTW had been badly battered. One match had been a sudden death match, and they'd had no way to turn the tables in the second match. In the third match, EVE had let out the shadow thief, and Wei Xiao had gone on a killing spree, snatching up the rhythm and killing his way through the game.
They lost the fourth match, and from the fifth match onwards, EVE was no longer as aggressive, allowing FTW to gradually adapt to this pace. The four little ones' biggest advantage was that they had a healthy mentality and were very serious no matter how long they played for.
So, FTW won both the fifth and sixth match.
The results of the training matches should be taken with a grain of salt.
EVE certainly hadn't tried their best, and FTW hadn't tried their best either.
The difference in strength was one factor for why they'd lost the first two matches so miserably, but another reason for it was their relaxed spirits after winning the championship.
Even so, it was excellent that they'd been able to win the last two matches.
Having a good attitude, playing stably, and being serious and conscientious were all rare good qualities.
Chen Feng was very satisfied with the training matches and was already preparing to stay up late to sort out the data for the postgame reviews.
After the training match ended, neither side was in a rush to leave the game room.
Wei Xiao: "God Xie, how's my team's Little Ning?"
Brother Cai muttered in his heart: It's starting, he's f*cking starting again!
Xie He: "Ha."
Wei Xiao: "Then, what about me?"
Xie He: "......"
Wei Xiao: "You see, I killed you three times in the last game."
Xie He: "......"
Wei Xiao: "Don't you want to take revenge?!"
Xie He: "Come on."
Wei Xiao immediately left the room and sent him a new invite.
This was such a good opportunity. How could he satisfy his cravings without a few solo games ?
So, Xie He and Wei Xiao played seven or eight games while everyone watched.
Both of them were peak level opportunists who managed a one-to-one winning rate. They would attack if the opportunity could be seized, and they always fought to the death, leaving the very air charged with murderous intent.
Ning Zhehan's heart pounded as he watched from the side. "If my immortal warlock could be at this level..."
Although the win rate was even, one was a mage and the other was a jungler. Reasonably speaking, the mage should be smeared all over the ground by the thief when they soloed.
But now, it was an even win rate, which was enough to prove how powerful Xie He was.
Wei Xiao tsked, "God Xie's play style is really very special..."
His thoughts churned, and he came up with another idea. "God Xie!"
Xie He: "Hm?"
Wei Xiao: "My Little Ning wants to solo with you too!"
Little Ning: "!"
I don't, I didn't, Brother Xiao, don't say nonsense about me!
Xie He was merciless. "No time."
When Ning Zhehan saw this, he felt both a little disappointed and very relieved.
Wei Xiao wasn't about to let Xie He go like that. "The timing is something we can discuss, right."
He had a level of understanding in his heart that Xie He must have been aiming for something when he arranged for this training match. If he didn't try to probe it out now, then when?
Xie He: "......"
Wei Xiao spoke euphemistically, "How about this? We can't let you work in vain. You can ask for anything you want after soloing?"
Wei Xiao dared to say this because had a level of certainty in his heart.
Xie He wasn't Old Dog Yuan, and he wouldn't act like a chicken thief.
Xie He paused briefly. "Solo is possible."
Wei Xiao: "Then..."
Xie He: "In another location."
Wei Xiao: "Where do you want to go? Just say it. How about coming to the FTW base?" He'd only mentioned it casually and hadn't expected to have hit the heart of the matter.
Xie He typed, "Okay."
Wei Xiao blinked.
Xie He then added another sentence, "FTW's old base."
Wei Xiao got it. He tilted his head to look at Lu Feng. "Captain, is God Xie missing home?"
It was fortunate that they hadn't turned on voice chat. Otherwise, if Xie He heard these words, he might become embarrassed and angry enough to fly directly back to Europe!
Lu Feng was stunned for a brief moment, and then his lips curved up slightly. "I don't know."
Wei Xiao smiled like a fox as he replied back to Xie He, "Sure, there's a complete set of equipment over there. Let alone soloing, it wouldn't even be a problem to play training matches."
Xie He: "Oh."
Wei Xiao: "Then, I'll pick you up tomorrow?"
Xie He: "Oh."
Wei Xiao continued, "Should I call my Captain over too?"
Xie He: "......"
Wei Xiao quickly added, "Oh, my captain's not free. He has a meeting in the morning."
Xie He: "............"
Wei Xiao: "Don't worry, I'll definitely make the proper arrangements and ensure that you feel right at home."
Ding dong.
EVE.Xiehe left the room.
Wei Xiao looked at Lu Feng again, "Is this God Xie being shy?"
Lu Feng stretched out his index finger and flicked it against this little evildoer's forehead.
At this time...
God Kim, who was at FTW's old base, didn't know anything about this upcoming 'surprise inspection'.