You call this thing stable?

"What about now? Hasn't there been a big change already? Has the goal never changed?" Karsa suddenly asked.

"Of course not. Right now, I just have a contract, but I want an even bigger one. After all, you can only make money playing professionally for a few years. Of course, winning a World Championship would be the best, then I'd have money, fame, and honor all at once."

You can talk about dreams, everyone has them.

But the most important thing on the path to chasing your dreams is to fill your stomach. Otherwise, the internet wouldn't have suggestions about guiding rich second-generation individuals into scientific research, because they truly have no life pressure. As long as their values are cultivated correctly, they can dedicate themselves wholeheartedly to research. But I can't.

"I really want to be a rich person, but I heard rich people have a strange quirk."

"Oh? What do you say?"

"I heard it from someone else. They say there's a rich guy overseas who stays up all night, dresses up as a bat, and goes around scaring people. I don't understand why, but apparently, he's from Gotham."

The V5 members in the room: ...

The night after the matches ended, countless entertainment seekers immediately began analyzing the results of the teams that competed in the first week.

Because V5's "sniping" strategy was a huge success this year, and they also brought in 369, a player full of memes, V5's discussion heat remained high and polarized.

On one side, people were pessimistic about 369's performance and the team's high average age, believing that they would definitely run into trouble in the playoffs.

On the other side, people were optimistic about V5's new roster and Coach Homme, feeling that this new V5 might be reborn from nirvana.

But regardless of which side, the evaluation of Luo Zhen was quite good.

This is how LPL ADs are. If you only know how to play aggressively, trade lanes, and then constantly die, they'll compare you to JKL, and the more they compare, the worse you'll look because you don't have a championship.

If you play conservatively, are a team-oriented AD with few highlight moments, the conclusion will only be "promising for the future," and in reality, you won't get any attention or heat.

But Luo Zhen just happened to fit this niche.

He was steady in the early game and fierce in the late game, excelling at both. It was like mastering a melee mage who could handle both close and long range, and his performance was quite good in both.

Then came the most crucial part.

LWX accidentally let it slip during his stream, revealing that he had given Luo Zhen an intensive training session for a day and a night after losing to V5, and the public opinion exploded instantly.

[Good heavens, I'm speechless.]

[I was wondering why this new AD was playing better and better in the Demacia Cup. Turns out, a champion AD was passing down his skills overnight.]

[Everyone else picks generals from the Three Kingdoms, and you directly open up 'Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils' to pick Xu Zhu?]

[What is this, 'slaying the enemy as a young god to repay your master'? You're the top disciple under Master Xiang Zhangmen, right?]

Everyone was amused.

Initially, there was some regret during the Demacia Cup that Master Xiang Zhangmen didn't decisively defeat the FPX "traitors" for better entertainment. Now, it seems that this wasn't a lack of entertainment, but rather a much bigger show being put on quietly.

Luo Zhen, unexpectedly, became popular again.

Chapter 12: Declaring War on V5, Initiating the Rat Race!

In the early stages of his LPL career, Luo Zhen was flooded with countless new pieces of knowledge.

In terms of laning prowess, his current strength was temporarily sufficient. ADs with strong laning skills hadn't fully adjusted their state yet and couldn't break through his tower-based farming; while ADs with weaker laning skills posed no threat to him, their fundamentals were even weaker than his.

Simply put, it seemed like there were some issues, but they weren't significant in the short term.

As for stutter-stepping, he was still continuously practicing it, requiring time and constant refinement.

The good news was that his fundamentals were quite solid, he didn't have any bad habits of remapping keys, and he hadn't played games with strange keybinds. Don't underestimate this; playing too many different games can significantly impact a player's keypress operations.

For example:

CEWD, that should be for 'Qifan' (a game).

WERF, that's 'Meng San' (a game).

QWER, this is obvious.

WBVFHZCDIL, it has everything, no need to guess, it's 'Dota 1'.

Coach Homme's focus in his development was on the big picture.

How to judge ward locations based on the opponent's movements, how to decide his next action based on the minimap's trajectory, how to create advantages by coordinating with teammates in different lanes through subtle movements, and how to appear in the most suitable place at the most opportune time.

In two words: macro play.

Or rather, he was doing more to teach Luo Zhen how to watch matches.

First, understand the game, then you'll know how to win.

As for other things... it was the same as with 369, obediently accepting the brainwashing attacks from various forces within the club.

"Brother Jiu, I'm hearing countless people in my ears saying I'm the world's number one AD the moment I close my eyes. What should I do?" Luo Zhen was numb, even proactively seeking methods from 369 to avoid being hypnotized.

Hearing this, 369 sighed, waved his hand, and acted as if he were powerless. "Just endure it. I've been listening to this level of hypnosis for two years. You'll gradually become numb to it."

"But I'm having trouble falling asleep at night now."

"Nonsense. Look at what you're drinking at night. Can you mix those things together?"

The dietary regimen Luo Zhen occasionally used at night to boost his energy made even professional players like them feel uneasy: Red Bull mixed with flour, tea leaves as filling, brewed with coffee, and he wouldn't forget to drink chiaotzu soup while eating, "original soup for original food."

It's truly a testament to his powerful stomach that he hasn't been rushed to the hospital.

"There's no helping it, the coach's lectures sound like he's chanting spells, they make me want to sleep."

"Sigh, me too..."

With that, the two of them, with great understanding, picked up their Cokes and clinked glasses, both feeling a sense of shared misfortune.

This profession, why does it feel more tiring than school?

"You're doing alright, at least your future is promising. I saw you secretly browsing 'Kangba' for three days straight."

"You're not doing bad either. Following the typical novel protagonist's arc, your emotions are already in place, you've shouted 'thirty years east, thirty years west,' and now you're just waiting to be reborn in nirvana and storm the Misty Cloud Sect. If this script plays out, won't you instantly become a top star?"

Luo Zhen understood 369's situation all too well.

The fact that there were so many people criticizing him now meant he had immense popularity. The current wave of self-media entrepreneurs knew that the first thing they needed was fans. Whether they were haters, neutral fans, or passersby, the priority was to build a fan base, and then slowly manage their image.

369's current approach was a bit like this. If Coach Homme could really coach him, wouldn't he transform into the Dragon King archetype in minutes?

Nowadays, the popularity of a top lane professional player was incredibly lucrative.

"It would be great if it were that simple."

369 said with some emotion. He genuinely knew how much attention he was getting. After all, among professional players, how many could truly resist the temptation to check out 'Kangba'?

"The most glorious day of a person's life is not the day of success, but the day they bravely move towards their will from despair. Don't worry, everyone is optimistic about you." He shook the little Coke left in his hand, already feeling a bit like retreating.

"That's a good quote. Where did you copy it from?"

"Forgot. I saved it back then because it sounded pretty profound."

"No worries, send me a copy later. If I really manage to turn things around in the future, I'll use this for my social media post."

"No problem!"

The chat with 369 was a small interlude in his professional career. Back in the training room, Luo Zhen and the others continued with their classes, training, and psychological counseling as usual.

Of course, he was also training incredibly hard.

Having experienced the era of intense competition, he deeply understood that to survive in this society, one had to grasp the unwritten rules of the workplace. In his own words: "I'd rather work myself to death than let my peers outwork me. Watch me stand above thousands!"

And then... the entire V5 team was drawn into this intense competition by him.

"Alright, alright, everyone who hasn't started a game, pause for a moment. Those who have, just listen up. It's not anything too important anyway." Seeing that everyone was present and it was nearing mealtime, Coach Homme decided to take this opportunity to briefly discuss their next opponent.

In fact, after they defeated RA, they had also won against WE.

However, the current WE had already sold off their three core players, so they didn't have much real strength. It was a simple stomp, a "farming the weak" match, and didn't attract much attention.

But their next opponent was interesting.

WBG, formerly SN.

The reason they were specifically discussing them was simple: there was another old teammate of Rookie's on the team – Theshy.

It had to be said that WBG truly lived up to its reputation for chasing clout. After letting Bin go, they thought they'd only get to see Sofm's antics. But then, they managed to bring back an even bigger traffic magnet, directly elevating WBG's popularity to a level it didn't deserve.

Top lane: Shy Man, LPL's number one gambler, a creative inventor in the top lane. His strength is his aggressive playstyle, and his weakness is also his aggressive playstyle.

Jungler: Sofm, LPL's number one gambler, a creative inventor in the jungle. His strength is his farming, and his weakness is also his farming.

Mid laner: Angle, LPL's number one prisoner, an earthbound spirit in the mid lane. His strength is his immobility, and his weakness is also his immobility.

As for the bottom lane duo, Huan Feng and ON, they were completely out of sync with their top, mid, and jungle trio. Or rather, ON was the team's face, and Huan Feng was the team's... well, their function was different.

And this was the opponent they were about to face.

Chapter Thirteen: I Have a Plan, I Can Incite the Enemy

The next day.

A few hours before heading to the stadium, the V5 team was still at their base, eating.

For professional players, if there was a match in the evening, they couldn't eat their fill before the game. Being too full not only led to idle thoughts but also slightly reduced cognitive and reaction abilities. However, they couldn't skip eating entirely. If the match dragged on to a BO3, plus interviews and other miscellaneous things, it would be past ten o'clock at night by the time they finished, which wasn't good for their health.

With the bitter lessons of the old snake team as a precedent, they would always supplement the players with something to line their stomachs.

But...

"No, I'm not eating this. What is all this? I've never seen such strange things." Luo Zhen showed a look of outright refusal as the incomprehensible soup was being forced into his bowl.

Since V5's home base was Guangdong Province, the team's chef was also from Guangdong. The direct consequence was that he was forced to drink all sorts of bizarre soups every day.

The ingredients might be good – at least he was much stronger now than when he first joined the team.

But the appearance of the soup... sometimes it was a dark, murky liquid that made him feel a little scared just looking at it.

"It's good stuff. You're the only one on the whole team who gets this treatment. It's all for your own good." The V5 team leader handed the spoon to Luo Zhen, coaxing him like a child being made to drink medicine.

"But it's all black. What is this? I'm not drinking it."

"Drink up, it's Black Chicken and Abalone Soup. It's very nourishing and good for you. Be a good boy, just half a bowl."

"No, I refuse!"

Seeing Luo Zhen's wary expression, the accompanying chef couldn't stand it anymore. She had seen plenty of picky young people like him. Of course, precisely because he was young, she had a way to deal with him.

She lightly walked over to the team leader, took the fork, and plunged it into the bowl of soup on the table. Then she said, "Listen to Auntie, drink it. This is a nourishing soup that Auntie spent hours simmering. It's very good for you."

"No!"

"Fine, you don't have to drink it. It's just a shame about this delicious soup that Auntie spent all day carefully simmering. It's supposed to boost yang, replenish the kidneys, delay aging, and strengthen bones. Since you don't want it, I'll just take it back." With that, she made a move to take the bowl away.

"Wait!" Luo Zhen suddenly reached out, stopping the auntie's action. He asked in a deep voice, "Could you repeat what you just said?"

"I said if you don't drink it, I'm taking it back."

"No, the sentence before that."

"Oh, this soup can boost yang, replenish the kidneys, del—"

"Enough." After he spoke, Luo Zhen abruptly picked up the bowl of soup from the table and downed it in one gulp. His demeanor was so bold, his actions so decisive, that even his teammates who were watching the spectacle in the room couldn't react in time.

And then came...

"Auntie, another bowl! No, three bowls!"

"Uh..."

The auntie was a bit flustered. She glanced at the team leader next door with a questioning look. While the soup was excellent, the better the soup, the smaller the portion. If she gave it all to him, there wouldn't be enough for everyone else.

The team leader, however, was magnanimous. He patted his chest and said to the auntie, "Just three bowls? Who does that satisfy? If the club next door heard, they'd think we couldn't afford it! Go! Tell the logistics team to buy ingredients from the market. Auntie, please work hard. Tonight, everyone gets their own pot! Everyone gets a share!"

"Woohoo~ Hooray!"

When the group, their spirits and energy fully restored, reappeared at the stadium, they coincidentally ran into WBG, who had just arrived. The two sides exchanged greetings from a distance, a gesture of politeness.

After all, among countrymen, it's customary to offer courtesy before resorting to force when facing weaker opponents.

It was because they were old teammates that they wanted to completely crush the opposing team. It wasn't because their feelings had faded... On the contrary, it was precisely because their feelings were so deep that they would do such a thing. It was all to prove to each other that they had found better teammates.

"Rookie, what do you say? Old teammate on the other side."

Karsa teased Rookie with a grin. After all, when they played TES in the Demacia Cup, he had already felt a sense of satisfaction once. And he only needed to beat TES. But Rookie was different; he had only achieved nine-tenths of that satisfaction.