League: I really didn't tank!

Chapter 391: Why is it considered a good omen?

This victory means Chen Dongqing has advanced to the knockout stage!

Chen Dongqing first defeated Stats, then soO, and advanced by defeating two Korean players in a row, achieving an outstanding and impressive record!

Most importantly, and this is something we've all talked about before, this is a League of Legends player, and he is a random race!

Before the competition started, everyone thought he was there for a vacation, for an experience.

No one ever thought he could achieve such a remarkable result!

Even StarCraft viewers who don't play League of Legends were completely won over by Chen Dongqing.

As for the StarCraft fans who play League of Legends, they were already stirring things up offstage, chanting "ilex's" name and creating wave after wave of cheers!

Chen Dongqing could sense that the audience was more enthusiastic today than the day before yesterday. He was naturally happy to see this, so he stretched out his arms and interacted passionately with the audience!

Soon, he walked to the other side of the stage and shook hands with soO.

Just like Baben the day before, Shuben now showed the standard expression of a Korean after losing a match.

These two are about to engage in a brutal internal battle for the second qualifying spot.

In other words, this expression will appear again between the two of them!

The reason this happened is because Chen Dongqing was ruthless and sent both of them into the loser's bracket one after the other.

Chen Dongqing, the instigator, looked at the losing capital before him and smiled without saying a word.

It's said that South Koreans are dominant in the game StarCraft.

But it just felt so-so, wasn't it? This was easy to take one away?

After Chen Dongqing finished shaking hands and stepped back off the stage, he was immediately surrounded by a large crowd.

Neeb and Serral came up and punched Chen Dongqing in celebration, Lin Yuanhua gave them a thumbs up, while Coach Park stood behind and nodded slightly.

Chen Dongqing smiled and interacted with everyone in front of her, then cheered on Neeb who was about to take the stage before turning her attention to the Korean contestants' side.

As you can see, the eight-member Korean team, having suffered another setback, now had rather gloomy expressions. Lu Bu Innovation was staring intently at Chen Dongqing, not flinching even when he felt Chen Dongqing's gaze.

Chen Dongqing's display of combat prowess with his two ships in the final round was truly astonishing. His scattered spearmen, like scattering flowers, were something even Lu Bu had to admire, calling it incredibly powerful.

This person didn't come here just for sightseeing; he wanted to win!

In the past two days of matches, Ilex has demonstrated almost terrifying micro-management skills against both Protoss and Zerg. If it weren't for his lack of tactical experience, Lu Bu wouldn't know how to win!

Fortunately, as long as there are tactical flaws, there is still a chance.

At this moment, Lu Bu's mind was racing, and he had even begun to think about his operational strategy after facing Ilex.

But as he was thinking, the voices of others pulled him back to reality.

The Group B winners' bracket match between Dark and Neeb is about to begin; it's time for them to take the stage.

"Go for it!" Lu Bu cheered for his teammates, then watched them walk onto the stage.

Meanwhile, Chen Dongqing also said words of encouragement to Neeb, watching as both contestants went on stage, took their seats, and then the competition began.

As for the outcome of this match, Chen Dongqing dared not make any guarantees, saying that only time would tell.

As the top-ranked non-Korean player, Neeb's skill is undeniable. He battled Dark for three rounds, but unfortunately, he fell short in the third round due to a misjudgment that led to the annihilation of his entire fleet, squandering a promising opportunity.

With a score of 2 to 1, Dark became the second player to advance, while Neeb fell into the loser's bracket.

Neeb seemed to be in a good mood after returning, even smiling and fist bumping with Chen Dongqing, indicating that he would definitely win the next match.

Next up is the winners' bracket match between Group C and Group D.

Ultimately, HerO from Group C and INnovation from Group D proved to be stronger, defeating their compatriots one after another to secure their spots in the next round.

Lu Bu's performance in this round of the World Championship was quite outstanding, with two 2-0 victories in the winners' bracket, making him the only player to advance with a perfect record.

At that time, the final qualifying spots were finally determined.

Group A: Stats vs. soO

Group B Neeb vs Rogue

Group C TY vs Elazer

Group D: GuMiho vs. Serral.

The suspense of this round of competition lies in how many of the three non-Korean teams from groups B, C, and D will advance.

Chen Dongqing rubbed his chin.

It's hard to say

After a short break, the game resumed.

First up is a showdown between two of Chen Dongqing's defeated opponents from Group A.

Stats came with the intention of getting revenge on Ilex, so of course he wouldn't fall halfway there.

In this Korean civil war, Stats took it more seriously than ever, and after a hard-fought three-game series, they narrowly won 2-1 to advance!

Our loss was a very unfortunate one, as we were eliminated in the round of 16 and couldn't even get the runner-up position.

Next up is Group B.

As fate would have it, Neeb and Rogue meet again.

In the match two days ago, it was Neeb who sent Rogue into the loser's bracket, and now the two are facing off again!

Just when everyone thought Neeb, who had won once before, had a better chance of winning, a mysterious force came from the distant East.

"Who will win this round?" Xu Dong Lao Xian asked casually, looking at the questions in the chat. "Neeb will definitely win. He won once the day before yesterday!"

Upon hearing this, Neeb seemed to have contracted a serious illness, and in one fell swoop, he was defeated 0-2 and eliminated!

The North American audience fell silent.

They only had one player from North America in the WCS, and they even beat a Korean in the first round to advance to the winners' bracket. They thought they had secured a spot in the top eight, but then they lost two games in the second round and were eliminated.

The difference is simply too great.

Are South Korean players really that strong?

Chen Dongqing stood backstage, watching Neeb walk off the stage.

Faced with the reality of failure, even Mei Ye could no longer remain optimistic, and his melancholy was quite evident.

Chen Dongqing watched as Neeb walked over and offered a few polite words of comfort.

Neeb sighed and said "Good luck" to Chen Dongqing.

Next up is Group C.

Elazer, a non-Korean player, encountered TY.

This group match was still pretty predictable, with TY winning both games in a straight line and advancing 2-0!

Next is Group D.

All eyes were on Serral, eager to see if this young Finnish man could create a miracle.

Unfortunately, they still couldn't do it.

The young Serral was entering WCS for the first time, and his skills had not yet reached their peak. Facing the experienced Zaben, he managed to win the first game with difficulty, but was then chased down in the next two games and was unfortunately eliminated.

Chen Dongqing could only sigh helplessly as he watched this scene from behind the stage.

After a day of competition among the four non-Korean players, he was immediately the only one left.

It seems that in the end, he will still have to shoulder the main responsibility.

After Serral stepped off the stage, Chen Dongqing politely went up to greet him.

At this moment, it can be seen that Serral's expression is quite normal. Although there is a hint of regret, his mood is obviously not bad.

For him, making it to the top 16 was already a success, considering it was only his second year as a professional player.

The South Korean players sitting opposite him were all seasoned veterans who had been famous for many years and were renowned throughout the world.

Therefore, he believes that losing is not shameful.

After he trains for another two years, it's still uncertain who will emerge victorious!

Of course, this idea was only for himself. And the world is never short of geniuses who reach their peak right from the start.

Serral looked at Ilex across from him and said in English, "You should be able to go much further, right?"

Based on Serral's experience of being humiliated so many times, the pressure from ilex is no less than that from Korean players, and may even be greater!

He believes that Ilex is seriously underestimated by the world!

Across from him, Ilex said with a smile, "You should be asking me whether I can win this time."

Serral asked with a smile, "Then can you win the championship?"

Chen Dongqing confidently replied, "Yes!"

After their conversation ended, it was time for the draw for the quarterfinals. Chen Dongqing went on stage and stood in the designated position, just as they had rehearsed.

Apart from him, all the other contestants who advanced to the quarterfinals also took to the stage.

ilex, STATS, Dark, Rogue, herO, TY, INnoVation, GuMiho.

Except for the first one, they were all Koreans!

Korean players have had a resounding success at this year's WCS, with seven out of eight players making it to the quarterfinals!

Fortunately, Chen Dongqing suddenly appeared and forcibly took one of the positions.

Otherwise, wouldn't this year-end finals just become a game of awarding championships to the Koreans themselves?

Of course, how long Chen Dongqing can persevere is also a question that needs to be considered.

"Now it all depends on the draw!" Sun Yifeng said with a hint of anticipation. "If we get a good draw, we might be able to advance a few more rounds! Let's draw Zerg, Ilex is really good at playing Zerg."

Blizzard's lottery rules are relatively simple: the first-place team in each group is in one pool, the second-place team in another pool, and the first and second place teams are matched one by one, and that's it.

The only thing to note is that the first and second place winners from the same group will not be drawn together; the next group will be drawn next.

Soon, a guest drawer came on stage and drew the balls from pool number one by one, distributing them in order.

The first ball drawn was Lü Bu, who was placed in the first group of the upper half of the draw.

Chen Dongqing was the third one to be drawn, so he was placed in the lower half of the draw.

As for his opponent, we'll have to wait until the second round.

The spheres in the second pool were also unveiled one by one.

With TY and GuMihi drawn into the upper half of the draw, Chen Dongqing's opponents have finally emerged.

This time it's a very familiar ID—Rogue.

Upon seeing this sign, both of the viewers in the StarCraft Old Boys livestream applauded and cheered!

"Great!" Huang Xudong couldn't help but exclaim loudly, "What a wonderful draw!"

"Why is it considered a good draw? Isn't Rogue the world's number one Zerg player?" Sun Yifeng read a comment and immediately replied, "Rogue is indeed the world's number one Zerg player, but he can't beat Ilex!"

Everyone knows that Rogue was completely dominated by ilex in the year-end ranked matches. In this matchup, both of them favored ilex!

On stage, Chen Dongqing immediately smiled when he saw the ID.

Isn't that a coincidence?

He raised his head and looked at the other side of the stage.

When Rogue saw that he had been drawn into ilex's group, he couldn't help but feel a sense of despair.

He achieved an unprecedented 7,000 points in qualifying this year, but still only managed to finish second, all thanks to this ilex.

His experience of working hard for a week to reach the top, only to be defeated by Ilex, almost broke his Dao heart!

He would rather encounter Lü Bu than this monster!

Rogue reluctantly went to the center of the stage and shook hands with Chen Dongqing.

Chen Dongqing looked at the somber expression on the other side and couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.

Other Koreans only show this expression when they lose, why are you showing it before the game even starts?

After the handshake, Chen Dongqing and Rogue stood at a designated spot on the stage, watching the guest draw the last option.

With all the other players already drawn, the final pick was obviously no surprise.

STATS was drawn out and placed in the lower half of the bracket, entering the herO group.

STATS walked to the center of the stage, shook hands with his opponent herO, and then glanced at Chen Dongqing beside him.

Both players are in the lower half of the bracket, and if they both advance to the semifinals, they will meet in the semifinals.

The chances are very high!

STATS couldn't help but clench his fists.

Please don't fall in the quarterfinals, Ilex.

With the last group of players taking their places, the draw ceremony finally came to an end, and the pairings for the quarterfinals were displayed on the big screen.

Upper bracket: INnoVation vs. TY, Dark vs. GuMihi.

Bottom half: ilex vs. Rogue, herO vs. STATS.

The host then shouted, "Alright, the top eight teams for the 2017 StarCraft II WCS Year-End Finals are officially confirmed! See you at BlizzCon in three days!"

After the group stage ends, there will be a three-day break, and BlizzCon will officially begin on November 17th.

At that time, the entire Blizzard game suite will be engaged in exciting game battles over these three days, filling the entire three days to the brim!

As a major esports title for Blizzard games, StarCraft's matches are all scheduled for prime time in the afternoons of these three days: one day for the quarterfinals, one day for the semifinals, and one day for the finals.

Chen Dongqing smiled and waved goodbye to the audience before going backstage and leaving with his girlfriend, coach, and others.

After confirming his advancement today, he has three days of free time. However, Chen Dongqing is not in the mood for entertainment today. He first ate to fill his stomach, and then took a walk around the hotel to clear his mind.

It wasn't until nightfall that Chen Dongqing and his girlfriend leisurely returned to the hotel.

At midnight, Chen Dongqing went to sleep on time.

Meditation Training Officially Launched!

The importance of today's meditation training goes without saying; it is the key piece of the puzzle to make up for Chen Dongqing's last shortcoming!

Chen Dongqing wasted no time and immediately threw himself into the tedious training!

One game after another unfolds rapidly!

Perhaps due to racial differences, even though Chen Dongqing had never played as a Zerg player, the strength he displayed seemed to be significantly stronger than that of the Protoss.

This shows that the Zerg race doesn't actually require very high operational capabilities.

Therefore, Chen Dongqing's task tonight is relatively easier. He naturally has a 60% win rate in the Zerg duel against soO.

Following that, Chen Dongqing continued to absorb experience, improving himself while learning the opposing team's game strategies.

Soon, his winning percentage increased, and in the end, he was hard to beat.

Chen Dongqing knew that today's training should be over.

He pushed down the enemy base in one fell swoop, ending his meditation training for the day.

Back in reality, Chen Dongqing opened his eyes and glanced at the time.

It's only 5 a.m.

Chen Dongqing turned around, closed his eyes, and continued to sleep.

At 10:00 AM, Chen Dongqing's powerful biological clock kicked in, and he woke up on time.

He woke up his girlfriend, and after they washed up, they went out for breakfast together.

In the three days leading up to the quarterfinals, Chen Dongqing should have seized every opportunity to train.

Unfortunately, the Korean players wouldn't practice with him at all, and Chen Dongqing's rank in the North American server was too low, so practicing in ranked matches was pointless.

Unfortunately, there was nowhere to train, so he could only take advantage of these three days to have some fun in neighboring Los Angeles.

On the very first afternoon of the weekend, Chen Dongqing was spotted sunbathing on a beach in Los Angeles.

The next day, Chen Dongqing even returned to Staples Center, the place where his dream came true, to watch the Lakers' game.

This year is arguably the Lakers' worst season yet. The team lacks superstar players, and rookie Ingram doesn't seem like he can carry the team. But that doesn't stop Chen Dongqing from just looking for something new and casually taking a look.

After the game ended, Chen Dongqing even saw Kobe Bryant, who had come to watch the game.

Chen Dongqing went up to Kobe and asked for a photo, but unexpectedly, Kobe recognized him and knew that he was the handsome Chinese guy who won the FMVP trophy at Staples Center last year.

Chen Dongqing was quite surprised and stayed to chat with Kobe for a bit.

As he left, he told Kobe to be careful of helicopters, but it's unclear whether Kobe understood him.

After leaving Staples Center, Chen Dongqing sat in his car and posted the group photo on his Twitter account, which once again sparked heated discussions among many viewers.

No, you have a game coming up in a few days, what's the point of you going to watch the Lakers play?

The audience of StarCraft felt a strong sense of disappointment and frustration with Chen Dongqing.

To StarCraft players, Ilex's talent in StarCraft is simply terrifying.

With such a carefree attitude, they still managed to make it to the quarterfinals!

If this person specializes in StarCraft, he could easily become the greatest of all time, just like he is in League of Legends!

Unfortunately, this person is just too careless!

At this point, Neeb appeared in the comments section of Chen Dongqing's tweet and offered a brief explanation.

The gist is: [Ilex doesn't not want to train, but Koreans don't train with non-Korean players, and Chen Dongqing, as the only non-Korean player, simply can't find any practice matches!]

Behind Neeb, other non-Korean players also came out to confirm this.

These words sparked outrage among countless StarCraft fans, who condemned the South Koreans for lacking sportsmanship.

With the shift in public opinion, whether Chen Dongqing sunbathes or not seems less important.

But the Koreans didn't say anything; they just pretended to be dead.

Time passed quickly, and Chen Dongqing returned to Anaheim on time on the last day of his rest to begin his preparations for the competition.

On November 17th, the grand BlizzCon and WCS playoffs finally began.

After the Overwatch quarterfinals finished in the morning, the venue was gradually cleared out.

In the afternoon, all eight StarCraft finalists arrived at the venue.

The StarCraft quarterfinals have officially begun!

Still 5000 words today, a small bonus chapter!

(End of this chapter)