We are tired of winning championships, and we still need youth training?

Chapter 156 He Has Me in His Heart!?

After the Demacia Cup, Xu Xinghe did not pay excessive attention to online public opinion.

It's only natural to be mocked after losing a match.

He's not some masochist who has to watch others criticize him.

Although there's a high probability I won't get criticized.

In the quiet of the night, the lights in IG's lounge were still on.

Xu Xinghe finished another ranked game, replied with a ^^ to Chovy who sent him the 【GOOD】 message, and then stretched.

He just got lined up with Da Chao again.

This is to be expected, as Da Chao has consistently ranked in the top ten of the Korean server, and Xu Xinghe has been ranked number one in the Korean server countless times, with equally high hidden MMR, so they are frequently matched together.

His coordination with DaChao was pretty good; they completely crushed the opposing mid and jungle in just over ten minutes.

Once the skill level is high enough, it's easy to cooperate because both sides' judgments are quite similar.

Da Chao is really ruthless in Rank, and having such a teammate makes things much easier for Xu Xinghe.

However, one thing is rather strange.

Xu Xinghe didn't actually sense Chovy's obsession with the minion wave.

At least when playing with him, Da Chao not only doesn't greed for lane resources, but also likes to give up resources.

This is very interesting.

but……

What's even more interesting is his current teammates.

Xu Xinghe looked up and saw that it was almost four in the morning.

But in the training room, everyone was still present.

It's been like this ever since the Demacia Cup ended.

Perhaps because they lost the game, they seem to have been spurred on, and their current training intensity is frighteningly high.

Even Xu Xinghe thought it was a bit too exaggerated.

I wake up between nine and ten in the morning, play two or three hours of training matches, have lunch and then take a one-and-a-half-hour nap, and then have dinner around seven in the afternoon.

After dinner, we'd play two or three hours of practice matches, followed by non-stop ranked games until three or four in the morning, when we didn't want to go home to rest.

At the end of the day, I can barely manage to get about eight hours of rest.

Apart from that, it was mostly training.

The daily training time has steadily exceeded fourteen hours.

What is this concept?

Even the most intense LCK teams typically only maintain a training volume of twelve hours.

Xu Xinghe wasn't surprised by Viper and Missing.

After all, they had ambitions to achieve, so it's normal for them to train hard after losing a match.

Those who want to touch the championship trophy must have the ruthlessness to push themselves.

But the fact that Zhong Shang was working so hard really surprised Xu Xinghe.

Despite his seemingly carefree demeanor, Flandre is actually very concerned about his performance and has not given up his desire for the championship.
Xu Xinghe knew this.

But Rookie... he really couldn't understand it.

Logically speaking, Rookie is already at the top of the league, so he should be more lazy like TheShy.

I don't understand.

Xu Xinghe shook his head, not thinking much of it.

As long as the final result is good, isn't that enough?

Their hard work as teammates is a good thing for IG.

However, moderation is necessary.

"That's about enough, let's go back and rest."

He stood up and spoke.

Xu Xinghe knew very well that if he didn't step forward and speak up, these guys would most likely continue fighting.

In that case, even the most basic sleep cannot be maintained, which will also affect the players' mental state.

Training will also become ineffective.

Others were also aware of this, and so it became the default rule.

They would only go to rest after Xu Xinghe spoke up.

One by one, the computers were shut down. Without Xu Xinghe saying a word, they walked out of the training room one after another, dragging their somewhat tired steps toward their dormitories.

A chilly morning breeze blew by, and Xu Xinghe's spirits lifted.
He gently turned off the lights in the training room, but was surprised to see that another screen was still lit up.

That's... Rookie's seat at the corner?
Xu Xinghe walked over, stood in front of him, and looked Rookie up and down.

Aren't you going to sleep yet?

Rookie looked visibly tired, but his eyes were still bright. He stared at the screen until he heard Xu Xinghe's voice before turning his head.

"...Wait a minute, I'll go to sleep after I finish this game."

Xu Xinghe glanced at his screen, somewhat speechless.

The screen clearly shows that the ban/pick phase just ended, meaning this game didn't even start. Why not just kill it instantly?

The few points deducted are negligible for a profession.

"Did you finish it in seconds?"

Rookie remained silent and did not reply.

I just quietly watched the screen.

Xu Xinghe was also somewhat helpless.

Judging from Rookie's expression, he seems determined to finish the game.

He moved a chair and sat down behind Rookie.

"Huh? Aren't you going to sleep?"

Rookie was somewhat surprised.

"I'm actually fine."

Xu Xinghe smiled.

He's not just okay, he's exceptionally well.

With winning the S-series championship, his first S-series title unlocked another achievement for him: his physique has soared to 80 points.

What is this concept?

It's important to know that a healthy adult male's physical fitness score is only 60, which is just passing.

A score of 70 or above already indicates a strong, muscular man who exercises daily.

As for 80 points... while it doesn't quite reach the level of a special forces king, it's a physique that only top athletes can possess.

Although Xu Xinghe's appearance hasn't changed much, he already has the abs he's been looking for.

Xu Xinghe could take on at least ten internet addicts like Ah Shui.

While staying up late still has some impact on him, it's not by much.

What does "hanging a dog" mean?

That's it.

Xu Xinghe was not ashamed but rather proud of it.
Rookie noticed his mysterious smile but didn't pay much attention and continued playing ranked games.

He finished the game, exhaled, and looked rather grim.

—He also ran into Chovy.

However, this game wasn't because he was facing Chovy and was exposed by Chovy; rather, he didn't realize at first that Chovy was in the mid lane, and then he took the initiative to ask Chovy for his position.

Superman was really good; although he didn't recognize Rookie, he still readily gave him the mid-lane position.

As a result, Rookie ran into Doinb.

Big B, who was still streaming, suddenly perked up and picked a unique mid-lane Renekton, making Rookie's Azir look rather bad.

Seeing the amazement in the comments.

Amidst the repeated "Maya" cries, Big B on the other side was already ecstatic.

Rookie, who was already feeling down, saw two messages typed by the jungler.

[saki: This is really ugly. Why did they have to overestimate themselves and try to steal Chovy's mid lane? They clearly couldn't beat them.]

[Saki: You really are someone who only thinks about yourself.]

That's why Rookie looked so unwell.

She took someone else's spot and confidently declared she could be the center, only to be slapped in the face by Big B.

Looking back, he discovered that the mid-laner whose position he had taken was actually more trusted by his teammates, and he was also a professional player.

Embarrassment, anger, shame.

A flood of emotions overwhelmed Rookie, plunging him into a deathly silence.

Xu Xinghe watched quietly, his eyes showing only indifference.

This is how Rank works.

How well you play directly determines your teammates' attitude towards you.

Occupation?

Even if you can't beat a professional, you'll still get flamed!
Everyone is a gamer first, and then a professional or amateur. It's not about whether you're a professional or not.

It would be more embarrassing if a professional player couldn't beat them.

Like now.

After a while, Rookie took a deep breath, exited the settlement screen, and clicked on [PLAY].

The next moment, a hand reached out, moved his mouse, clicked the "X", and stopped his ranked game.

"That's good enough."

Xu Xinghe's voice rang out.

Rookie stared silently at the screen, without saying a word.

There was neither anger nor irritation.

Why put so much pressure on yourself?

Xu Xinghe patted him on the shoulder and asked.

Rookie has gone a bit overboard these days.

Xu Xinghe had originally planned to talk to him, and today was a good opportunity.

"I……"

Rookie moved his lips, but still couldn't utter a word. Somewhat resigned, he slumped onto the keyboard, remaining silent.

"Because of the Demacia Cup?"

Xu Xinghe suddenly spoke up.

Rookie, who was slumped over the keyboard, paused for a moment and then sat up again.

"……Yes."

He spoke with a sigh.

"I am very dissatisfied with my performance."

Having just finished the finals, Rookie was filled with pride and excitement.
However, he barely performed at the Demacia Cup and even became a burden to the team.

He could clearly feel that his skill level had started to decline after the holiday.

Even if the training volume remains the same as before, this process is still irreversible.

Even so, he still clung to a sliver of hope.

That feeling of training hard but still not being able to change the fact that my skill level is getting worse and worse... it's awful.

But at the Demacia Cup, he was forced to face reality.

Now he has to be completely focused to deal with those top mid laners.

He was already starting to feel the pressure when facing Xiao Hu.

This is something that has never happened in S8 and S9.

This made him increasingly doubt himself.

until……

The best-of-five series, which Xu Xinghe dragged into a fifth game, has ended.

Rookie may not have much ambition left, but he still has a sense of responsibility.

He was also the former captain of IG. Seeing himself become a burden, the resentment was like a bone-deep ache, igniting all his rationality.

So after losing the Demacia Cup, his training became even more extreme.

If you can't maintain your level in eight hours, then train for ten, twelve, or fourteen hours every day!
He couldn't accept himself like this, nor could he accept this future.

If Faker is still maintaining his level, what excuse can I use?
It's simply that they haven't tried hard enough.

With this in mind, Rookie went completely insane.

"........."

Xu Xinghe did not speak immediately.

People have different perspectives and positions. Even if he advises or comforts Rookie now, it will only carry the connotation of speaking from a position of privilege.

He's just started out, and he still has a long peak period ahead of him.

As for Rookie, dusk is drawing near.

How can Xu Xinghe empathize with Rookie?

It would only seem absurd to say it out loud.

But it doesn't matter.

Xu Xinghe has always been very good at advising others.

"No matter how hard you work, you must maintain basic rest time and balance work and rest."

"You're not in good shape right now. Will you be able to fully commit to training tomorrow?"

"Don't be so willful, Rookie."

"Do you want our performance to cause us to continue losing practice matches?"

Advising Rookie at this time is useless, but we can address the root cause.

Didn't Rookie not want to be a burden?
Then tell him that playing like that is likely to negatively impact his teammates.

"this."

Rookie's head was spinning.

After all, he had already gone through seven or eight hours of intense training matches and ranked games, and he was a little dizzy.

Xu Xinghe's perspective did indeed make Rookie hesitate.

He finally stood up and turned off the computer.

As he stepped out of the training room, the chilly winter morning wind swept over him, and he, like Xu Xinghe, felt a surge of energy.

The morning breeze in winter is so refreshing.

It felt like walking out of an internet cafe after staying up all night.

A gust of wind and you'll immediately start shivering.

Xu Xinghe walked ahead because his room was next to Rookie's, but further inside.

There's nothing wrong with working hard, and I didn't mean for you to give up high-intensity training.

"But you also need to understand that it's not shameful to lose in lane. Faker changed his playstyle in S4, from a pure laner to a team-oriented mid laner. Rookie, you can do that too."

"There's nothing shameful about running away. Everyone declines. The most important thing is to figure out the right path and how to approach the future, isn't it?"

Xu Xinghe's steady voice drifted from ahead on the wind, his words unhurried and reassuring.

Rookie fell into deep thought.

Xu Xinghe's words were very insightful.

And it certainly makes a lot of sense.

Many top laners just don't know how to team fight, no matter how much you teach them.

Many junglers simply don't know how to play carry junglers, and many mid laners simply don't know how to play carry junglers.

Everyone has things they don't adapt to.

Rookie used to be able to play unpredictable assassins, but now his laning skills have started to decline, and it's become very difficult for him to forcefully crush the opposing top mid laner like he used to.

Of all his assassin heroes, only LeBlanc's level remains unaffected.

After all, these were his real underwear, nicknamed "Covering Up Girls".

At this point, the right choice is to "escape".

In other words, it's about playing to your strengths and avoiding your weaknesses.

Training is indeed useful, but if you go down the wrong path, you'll only achieve half the results with twice the effort.

Rookie nodded silently, even though Xu Xinghe couldn't see it.

"We've arrived. I'm going to sleep."

Xu Xinghe stopped and looked back at Rookie.

The motion-activated lights in the corridor weren't dim, and he could clearly see the confusion and determination on Rookie's face.

"Thanks."

Rookie exhaled and spoke solemnly.

Although Xu Xinghe appeared calm, he undoubtedly comforted himself.

Rookie was very grateful.

Even if Xu Xinghe didn't care, he still wanted to express his gratitude.

However, Rookie was somewhat surprised.

Even someone as quiet and reserved as Xu Xinghe, would he take the initiative to encourage his teammates?

—He has something in his heart... Ugh, ugh, ugh
Does he consider me a friend?

Rookie has a girlfriend, so he can't possibly be gay.

But he was indeed quite happy.

Making friends with outstanding people is something to be happy about in itself.

He went into the room and closed the door.

Next up is the New Year.

And after the New Year, the Spring Split will begin soon.

It's also... a battle for a ticket to the World Championship!
(End of this chapter)