League: I really didn't tank!

Chapter 390 Advancement!

Chen Dongqing was quite patient this time; he waited until the end of today's competition before leaving the venue.

He was also quite curious to know whether Stats would actually be phased out.

Unfortunately, that didn't happen.

Baben, who fell into the loser's bracket, fought especially hard in the do-or-die match, and with his excellent skills, it was indeed difficult for him to lose.

Stats easily defeated Snute 2-0, successfully keeping their lives in the game.

As Chen Dongqing was leaving the venue, he also saw Neeb, who had won the game as well.

Today, the two can be described as an anti-Korean duo, having fulfilled their pre-match promises and are riding high.

"Hey, Bro!" Neeb greeted Chen Dongqing with a smile, giving him a fist bump. "Well done!"

Neeb believes that Chen Dongqing's victory over Stats in the opening match was groundbreaking, and that he himself was merely a follower.

Amazing! Can random races really win?

Chen Dongqing smiled and nodded, then said with a smile, "See you the day after tomorrow? I hope we can both get into BlizzCon."

"Yes, we'll definitely make it!" With his team advancing to the winners' bracket, Neeb was brimming with confidence!

BlizzCon hasn't even started yet. It won't really begin until the StarCraft group stage is over and the knockout stage begins.

At that time, Blizzard's various games will engage in a year-end showdown at this BlizzCon.

This is a week of revelry for the "Bai Bai" (a popular online personality).

It can only be said that there are still quite a few rioters in China at this time.

After the competition ended today, Chen Dongqing went to have dinner first, and then he and Lin Yuanhua strolled around Anaheim.

Anaheim is a small city after all. Although it has Disneyland and beaches, these things are not very exciting.

If it weren't for the lack of time, Chen Dongqing would have even considered taking a trip to neighboring Los Angeles.

I remember Riot Games' headquarters is in Los Angeles, right? Chen Dongqing could take this opportunity to visit the headquarters and chat with the designers about the details of the championship skins.

The two strolled around until nightfall. Since it was still a bit dangerous for Amei at night, they didn't linger and obediently took a taxi back to the hotel.

That night, Chen Dongqing wanted to play some more exciting games, but Lin Yuanhua didn't give him a chance and almost kicked him off the bed.

"Save your energy during the match!"

Hearing this, Chen Dongqing had no choice but to give up.

However, the two had been dating for a year, and their passion had definitely diminished compared to before.

Chen Dongqing lay in bed and fell into a deep sleep.

Similar to the League of Legends competition, there is also meditation training on the night after the StarCraft competition.

Just as he was falling asleep, the scene before his eyes suddenly brightened again, and Chen Dongqing was back on the competition field.

Sitting opposite him was Stats.

Chen Dongqing flexed his fingers and immediately got into training mode!

This is why Chen Dongqing dared to choose a random race.

Because he has a trump card, he can train endlessly in his dreams!

Free time management + STATS, the top-tier training partner = high-density, high-intensity problem finding and problem solving!

Even if your proficiency with Protoss or Zerg is low, it doesn't matter. Just practice like this for one night, and your proficiency will skyrocket!

Chen Dongqing chose the second game they lost, a Protoss mirror match.

Stats' Protoss proficiency is undeniable. Even if Chen Dongqing had maxed-out Protoss proficiency, he could win a head-on fight against Bobo. However, on a tactical level, he would indeed be held back by his lack of game experience, making mistakes in judgment in many areas.

In the final wave, Stats used his extensive gaming experience to create a highly intuitive force field.

Stance is a key skill for Protoss in direct combat; it acts like a wall, preventing units from passing through.

This battlefield separated Chen Dongqing's troops, preventing follow-up firepower and allowing them to turn the tide of the battle.

This time, Chen Dongqing naturally had to be on guard.

Of course, Stats' gaming experience isn't limited to just this position.

There are still many things Chen Dongqing needs to be wary of.

Chen Dongqing reset the game again and again, and the outcome of each game began to emerge.

At the beginning, Chen Dongqing's winning percentage was barely 50%.

This is clearly a terrifying achievement, after all, it's about using one's own weaknesses to attack the opponent's strengths!

But Chen Dongqing's progress continues.

After playing countless matches, Chen Dongqing could clearly feel his win rate starting to rise, with more wins than losses.

But Chen Dongqing felt that this was not enough.

Whenever he needs to improve himself through meditation training, he always starts with at least one night of practice and continues until he is satisfied!

These repeated restarts are actually very energy-consuming, but Chen Dongqing doesn't find them tedious at all; on the contrary, he finds them incredibly exciting!

That's just how this system is; it never makes anyone stronger out of thin air. All the points and honor points have to be earned through winning ranked matches and games.

It's called a cheat code, but it's actually a power-up that lets you get stronger just by working hard!

Since the system gave him this cheat code, he certainly couldn't waste it.

The competition continued, and Chen Dongqing continued to learn from his victories and analyze the reasons for his defeats.

Gradually, his win rate also increased.

Finally, Chen Dongqing successfully concluded this meditation training session with a six-game winning streak.

This meditation training session ended without any improvement in any of my attribute panels.

Because his improvement this time was entirely at the level of game experience, which the system couldn't show.

But Chen Dongqing knew that his divine race had completely entered the inner sanctum.

When Chen Dongqing opened his eyes, he saw that his girlfriend had woken up and was lying next to him with her eyes wide open, staring intently at him.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Chen Dongqing asked with a smile.

"When are you going to wake up?!" Lin Yuanhua glared and said, "It's eleven o'clock!"

Chen Dongqing glanced at the time, slightly surprised.

This time the practice seems to have gone on for an unusually long time?

"Oh dear, I overslept," Chen Dongqing said with a grin. "Wait for me, I'll brush my teeth and wash my face before eating!"

Today is the second day of the group stage. When Chen Dongqing and his girlfriend returned to the hotel after dinner, they could see that the match had already started.

Lin Yuanhua obviously couldn't understand StarCraft, but that didn't stop her from sitting next to Chen Dongqing with a bag of snacks, listening to Chen Dongqing's general explanation.

Today is the first round of matches for Groups C and D. Chen Dongqing looked around and didn't recognize anyone.

However, there is one match worth noting today: South Korea's number two player, nicknamed "Lu Bu," INnoVation, will face Serral in the first match of Group D.

Chen Dongqing patiently watched the Group C matches, and then quickly moved on to Group D.

Chen Dongqing hasn't been playing for very long, and he hasn't really faced off against top human players much.

He was well aware of Serral's strength, and perhaps he could get a glimpse of Lu Bu's level from today's match.

Both contestants quickly went on stage, and Chen Dongqing looked at Lü Bu's face.

As expected of Lu Bu's older brother, this guy does indeed look somewhat similar to Gumayusi.

As for the result of this match...

Both matches ended in a draw.

People say that Lu Bu is the best Terran player in the world and the best user of two ships.

The results proved that he deserved this title.

Serral was almost completely unable to fight back in both matches and was easily defeated.

Chen Dongqing couldn't help but squint slightly.

Lu Bu wasn't just boasting; he really was quite strong!

To be able to beat Serral like this, that's pretty much all he can do.

Now the suspense is in the air.

Will Serral be eliminated in the round of 16?

With this in mind, Chen Dongqing continued watching the game.

After the Group D matches conclude, the next matches will be the losers' bracket matches for Groups C and D, where the losers will be eliminated.

First up is Group C, consisting of non-Korean player number 2 Elazer and non-Korean player number 6 Kelazhur.

It can only be said that the dominance of South Korean players remains strong.

Apart from Chen Dongqing and Neeb winning two matches, the other six matches were all won by South Korean players.

Therefore, today's two matches in the loser's bracket became a painful tragedy of non-Korean players fighting each other.

First, in Group C, Elazer ultimately prevailed, winning 2-0 and narrowly escaping elimination.

Following Group D, Serral seemed unaffected by the defeat and performed steadily against SpeCial, securing another easy 2-0 victory.

At this point, the basic structure of the four groups has been established!

ilex and soO, Dark and Neeb, HerO and TY, INnoVation and GuMiho have been placed in the winners' bracket, and the winners among them will directly secure the first qualifying spot for their respective groups.

The loser among them will fall into the loser's bracket, where they will face off against STATS, Rogue, Elazer, and Serral to determine the second qualifying spot for each group.

Now, let's see what happens on the third day.

11 month 13 number.

Chen Dongqing woke up at a normal time this time and had breakfast early with his coach and girlfriend.

Eating breakfast at 10 a.m. allows you to be in a state of being fast but not hungry during the competition, which is when your competitive state is at its best.

Of course, Chen Dongqing has a cheat code, so he doesn't actually need to play like this. He's just following the crowd. He shouldn't be too unconventional in this regard.

As Chen Dongqing walked into the venue with his coach, he immediately attracted a lot of attention.

As a winner in Group A, Chen Dongqing will be playing in the first match today.

At this moment, Neeb and Serral, who often played training matches with Chen Dongqing, also came over.

"Go for it!" Neeb gave Chen Dongqing a high-five right away, and Serral also came up to express his goodwill.

Not only these two, but Elazer, the last non-Korean player, also came over and expressed goodwill to Chen Dongqing.

These eight South Korean players are sticking together too tightly; we haven't had a single practice match with them yet, and they've been developing their skills internally.

And as it turns out, their approach was not wrong.

Four players were eliminated in the past two days of competition, all of whom were non-Korean. The Korean players remained intact, proving their dominance.

The remaining four non-Korean players definitely need to stick together even tighter!

Chen Dongqing looked at the three people in front of him, smiled, and said, "Good luck!"

On the other side of the venue, the eight South Korean athletes, while not exactly hugging each other, were indeed all standing in the same half of the bracket.

Looking at the four people on Chen Dongqing's side, a feeling of disdain welled up in their hearts.

You guys don't really think a non-Korean player can win the championship, do you?

In other games, it's one thing, but in StarCraft, the only possible champion is from South Korea!

Everyone turned their attention to Chen Dongqing's opponent today, soO.

soO comes from SKT, a powerhouse in South Korean esports.

Along with him are other Korean players from SKT, and Dark is standing next to him.

Dark chuckled and joked with his teammates, "You're not going to lose today either, are you?"

"Who knows?" soO waved his hand, not daring to make a bold statement. But he didn't back down either: "But I'm very confident!"

Lu Bu glanced at Chen Dongqing for a moment, then said, "Don't be careless, the other side is very strong."

"I know." soO nodded seriously and began the final preparations.

At this point, the two players who came from SKT couldn't help but glance at Park Unyong, who was talking to Ilex on the other side of the hall.

Park Un-yong was their former coach. Back then, Coach Park's ruthless methods had instilled considerable fear in them.

But now, this person is on the opposite side of them, yet this time, Coach Park has a kind and benevolent expression.

What's going on?

Soon, it was time for the match.

At the host's urging, Chen Dongqing and soO took to the stage.

Chen Dongqing glanced at his opponent.

The player on the other side also has a comedic nickname: "Loser".

This title has a double meaning. First, the pronunciation of the other party's ID sounds like "lose".

Secondly, the opposing team has really lost a lot of crucial matches. Throughout their careers, they have won the runner-up title in more than a dozen tournaments, big and small, and they always lose in the finals.

He never won a single title throughout his entire career, truly embodying the term "uncrowned king," making him a StarCraft version of Peanut Plus.

Someone who can't even win a championship means that's his limit. Plus, this guy is a Zerg player, so Chen Dongqing isn't really that afraid.

He sat back down in his seat, quickly adjusted the equipment, and then, at the request of others, entered the room and selected a random race.

The first game has officially begun!

As soon as Chen Dongqing entered, he saw the race he was assigned to in his first match.

Different insects.

Chen Dongqing was very satisfied.

Joining the Zerg faction means he can quickly gain Zerg game experience through nighttime meditation training!

Of course, that's for tonight; the game is more important right now.

For this version of Zerg, the mirror match will test a player's attention to detail.

Chen Dongqing continued to slow down the pace of the game. Apart from necessary harassment, he did not make any additional moves and focused on farming.

At 5 minutes and 20 seconds into the game, Chen Dongqing sent out a dog to harass the enemy. Although he failed to enter the enemy base, he still sensed something was amiss.

With his fully charged consciousness activated, he immediately launched an Overlord drop towards the enemy's third base!

This preemptive attack perfectly anticipated the opponent's movements, and a single airdrop wiped out 17 of their workers!

After gaining an advantage, Chen Dongqing played steadily, opening three mines and then producing Mutalisk Rangers. He then used Banelings to fight on multiple fronts against the opponent soO!

On the other side, soO, which suffered a setback at the start, did not back down and decisively sent troops to meet the attack!

Both sides were very engaged in the fight, and the back-and-forth battle was quite fierce!

Without F2A, the focus is on meticulous attention to detail, making it just as exciting as any race.

Even in the later stages, Chen Dongqing's advantage was not enough for him to end the match!

Seeing this, many audience members exclaimed that it was really exciting!

Following the Protoss match between ilex and Stats the day before yesterday, today they faced off against soO against Zerg!

That's absolutely incredible!

However, Chen Dongqing's weaknesses remain obvious. His limited experience with the Zerg game makes it difficult for him to end the game, despite his advantages.

On the contrary, soO, with a perfect tactical operation, not only caught up with the enemy's forces but also completed the counter-encirclement of Chen Dongqing, launching an attack on multiple fronts at the same time!

Despite the multi-front battle situation, Chen Dongqing was surprisingly adept at handling it!

Despite being at a temporary disadvantage in troop strength, Chen Dongqing remained calm and used his skillful maneuvers to forcefully stalemate the situation. Then, a wave of flying dragon troops swept across the sky, breaking through the enemy lines and wiping out SOO's front-line forces!

Chen Dongqing's lips curled up.

Now is the time to counterattack!

"It's here! Ilex has launched a counterattack!" In the StarCraft Old Boys livestream, Huang Xudong stood up and shouted excitedly, "With a fifty-population lead and Mutalisks charging in, tell me how we can lose!"

Across the ocean, Chen Dongqing inexplicably felt like his keyboard was oozing milk, but luckily he had a cheat code, so this toxic milk couldn't affect him. Feilong steadily advanced and easily won the game!

1: 0!

The cheers from the audience were excited and jubilant, and Huang Xudong and Sun Yifeng, two middle-aged men, also shouted out excitedly!

"Ilex is going to advance!"

Amidst great anticipation, both players took a five-minute break before returning to the stage!

Chen Dongqing smiled as soon as he entered the competition this time.

The Terran base and SCV peasant units in front of him seemed so familiar.

Terran vs. Zerg? He's an expert! He's never lost!

Skillfully build barracks and gas mines, produce riflemen, and construct transport ships.

At 4 minutes and 35 seconds, the two ships took off from Wuhu and headed straight for the Zerg base!

When soO realized this information, it was too late. In a panic, he could only use Banelings to try and force a trade!

When Lu Bu saw soO's move, his brows furrowed deeply.

Are you stupid? Banelings are useless against Ilex!

The moment the Baneling appeared on screen, Chen Dongqing's APM instantly jumped to over 800, meaning he had to perform more than 13 actions per second!

The fourteen spearmen split into two groups and dispersed, forming a large circle!

The Baneling rolled forward headfirst, but before it even reached the center of the circle and touched any Marines, it was riddled with bullets by the stimulant-laced Marines!

After dealing with the Banelings, the Zerg base was no longer an obstacle. Chen Dongqing continued to maintain an extremely high APM, clearing creeps and dismantling buildings in multiple directions, while also using the Medic Ship to heal his comrades.

At the same time, he did not forget to continue building soldiers at home!

After a devastating and overwhelming push, ssO, who was at a huge disadvantage, could only sigh and type GG.

"Congratulations!" The North American announcer's booming voice resonated deeply. "Let's congratulate ilex! He defeated soO 2-0, becoming the first StarCraft player to enter BlizzCon!"

"We won! Two to zero!" Brother Sun slammed his fist on the table, incredibly excited. "We've advanced! We've advanced!"

Sorry for the slight delay, only 5,000 words updated today.

(End of this chapter)