After Sui Ning opened “Start accepting orders,” the three slots for the first match instantly disappeared. Even many viewers using script-based auto-grab tools didn’t manage to react in time.
[?????? It’s gone already??]
[Damn, that was instant. I literally just clicked in and it already said the user wasn’t accepting orders anymore…]
[ One second? You’re dreaming. My high-tech sniping bot didn’t even get it]
[Help, people are already selling “Order Sniper Bot 2.0” online for 3 yuan each—beats version 1.0 easily!]
[2.0 is already outdated, I just saw 3.0 pop up]
[???? Please don’t compete in weird places like this?!]
In just a few minutes after the stream began, yet another mysterious industry quietly emerged. Sui Ning had no idea that order-sniping bots were already evolving toward version 5.0. He pulled Ji Yunyu into his party and invited three lucky viewers.
System: [Feng Lan], [Cloudzz], [PNG mid-laner’s husband], [Feng-bao come play with me **], [Feng-bao’s dog passing by] have joined the party.
Sui Ning: …
You people really never stop coming up with new tricks!
Ji Yunyu was also speechless when he saw it. Could these fans please have some sense of boundaries? But he also had to admit—seeing more and more of these kinds of IDs actually gave him a subtle, satisfying smugness inside. Go ahead and worship. He’s already mine. Worship all you want—you still can’t take him. Heh.
System: Player [Feng-bao come play with me **] contains sensitive language. Please change your name within 24 hours via the system.
[Feng-bao come play with me **] (Team): I changed my name yesterday and there was no warning! Now the moment I go on stream I get told to change it?! How is ** even a sensitive word?! I’m still going to **!!
[Feng-bao come play with me **] (Team): ?? What’s wrong with this game, sob
[Feng Lan] (Team): …
[Feng-bao come play with me **] (Team): Feng-bao feel so wronged!!
[……?? This one’s on another level]
[Good lord, I’m just gonna say it—good lord! I enter the stream and immediately get tripped over by a bunch of fangirls/boys’ “pants”]
[Do none of you have anyone you care about anymore? The stream’s popularity is already over a hundred million—everyone appearing on-screen, the Party and the people are watching you!!]
[LMAO I think the official mods are watching this stream. The moment they see those IDs they instantly censor them in the backend]
[Wait now I’m curious—what exactly is **? Is there something even I, a noble paying user, can’t see??]
[face turning yellow (blushing)]
The chat was very in sync with itself—half turning yellow, half turning pink. Sui Ning barely glanced at it before almost losing his composure.
He calmly looked away, forcing himself into the same composure he had during the finals, and clicked “Start Match.”
[? Bao, you look so flustered ignoring the chat like that but I love it hehe]
[HAHAHA what are the chats even doing?! Pants are flying straight into Feng-bao’s face!]
[Feng-bao being so calm in matches is definitely partly your fault, lol]
Luckily, late night was peak activity time for War of Glory players, so high-rank queue times weren’t too bad.
Sui Ning’s account was at Master tier, Ji Yunyu’s smurf was Grandmaster, and the three viewers were low-ranked King players. Overall, they would likely match into opponents around Grandmaster level.
Soon, matchmaking succeeded. As the party leader, Sui Ning was placed in slot 1.
His teammates all said they were flexible with picks, so he casually banned a few champions from the top of the list. Fortunately, unlike previous streams where he had five mid-laners fighting over roles, this time everyone could play different positions, so there was no role conflict.
“What do you want to play?” Sui Ning asked Ji Yunyu, pre-selecting Aeria on the champion screen. “This one?”
“You pick. I’ll play around you,” Ji Yunyu shrugged.
Sui Ning then asked the viewers, “Is this okay? …Alright, I’ll lock it in?”
[Pick it pick it pick it!! This one!!]
[My Empress Aeria, absolute domination!]
[Only saw Aeeria twice all season—do you know how much I missed her??]
[Uh… isn’t this kind of bullying the enemy team a bit too much? Even Navic would struggle, and this is just random Grandmaster players… (cry)]
[Technically speaking, everything they pick is bullying. Feng-bao’s main account rank is already low for him]
[Wait, Master rank is already considered low now??]
[ It’s just relative!! Pro players barely play ranked during playoffs, so their accounts all decayed…]
That much was true. Not only playoffs—throughout the entire Summer Split, PNG’s schedule and training were extremely packed, so many of their main accounts had decayed due to inactivity.
Earlier that day, Chen Chen had also given them a task: push their ranks back up quickly. Otherwise, when Worlds promotion began and other first seeds were all showing peak Challenger accounts, while theirs were Diamond and Master…
Chen Chen: HPL can’t afford that embarrassment!!
Sui Ning locked in his champion, and the ranked game quickly began.
According to matchmaking rules, the opponents were also a five-stack. In the loading screen, they indeed saw four King-rank players (top, jungle, marksman, support) and one Diamond mid-laner—an average of Grandmaster level.
…It was just that diamond mid-laner’s ID: [Shark-Stabbing Useless Younger Brother]?
Sui Ning raised an eyebrow and said thoughtfully, “That mid-laner… why do I feel like I’ve seen this ID somewhere before?”
“Hm?” Ji Yunyu paused, furrowing his brows as he tried to recall. “Diamond rank? You know someone in Diamond?”
[……????]
[Honestly, I feel like this ID looks familiar too]
[Familiar? Of course it is. That guy’s “shark-stabbed” younger brother is literally sitting right next to Feng-bao]
[…Damn, isn’t this Amor’s smurf?? I remember Feng-bao even played with this account before! How is it Diamond now??]
[I’m dying, Feng-bao, this is TL_Amor!! Go warn Erllit—his brother is trying to shark-stab him!!]
[?? Why did God Amour change his name to something so unhinged LOL]
[ I think his old smurf name was [Throwing My Brother Into the Trash Can], he changed it to this after the regular season ended vs PNG]
[This is just public revenge LMAO]
“…? This is Cheng Wensheng?”
Sui Ning read the chat and widened his eyes in surprise. “Amor?”
“Yeah, it’s him!” Ji Yunyu was barely holding back laughter. “People in my stream said Amor was carrying fans. Right after the game started, their marksman somehow messed up the connection and crashed his stream. Everyone else’s stream is just laughing—”
[I can confirm, I’m there LOL]
[TL brotherhood moment—captain’s stream crashed and the rest of them are dying laughing, even the coach is laughing]
[Jae-Hee was actually nervous after messing up, but everyone was laughing so he started laughing too (.)]
[Brother Cheng: ? So this is how teammates are??]
[The funniest part is TL’s base network is down, so even the streaming platform can’t help. The supermod is literally teaching them remotely how to replug cables. I’m losing it, what is this HPL comedy troupe]
[And then he 1v4’d while queueing into Wind+Cloud… Brother Cheng, I’m crying for you!!]
The chat was flooded with “hahahaha,” filling the entire screen. Even Sui Ning was struggling not to laugh. No wonder he didn’t see Cheng Wensheng on the homepage earlier—this whole situation was absurdly chaotic.
Ji Yunyu, on the other hand, acted immediately. He pulled Cheng Su—who was still waiting in queue—over and pointed at Cheng Wensheng’s ID while laughing: “Look. Your brother really never stops thinking about you. Even his ID is full of blessings for you!”
Cheng Su rolled his eyes straight into the camera.
He clicked his tongue in disgust, then went back, opened the shop, bought a name-change card, and changed his ID in one smooth motion.
System: Congratulations, you have successfully changed your name to [Shadow Shark Useless Older Brother]!
[????]
[66666——]
[Mutual shark assassination… is this not just true love?? I’m crying, wuwuwu]
Ji Yunyu nearly collapsed laughing.
[Cloudzz] (All): hahahahaha, 6
[Shark-Stabbing Useless Younger Brother] (All): is that you?
[Shark-Stabbing Useless Younger Brother] (All): Is Wind also here?
[Feng Lan] (All): haha
[Cloudzz] (All): your brother changed his ID
[Shark-Stabbing Useless Younger Brother] (All): ?
Cheng Wensheng seemed to go verify it.
[Shark-Stabbing Useless Younger Brother] (All): boring. I can solo him with one hand
[????]
[I’m dying, this is the funniest comedy stream ever]
[Amor, wake up—you’re one of the strongest mid laners in the region, why are you 1v1 trash-talking your support brother LOL]
[LOL Cheng Su: I’m speechless]
Ji Yunyu tried to stir the pot: “What’s your evaluation of your brother’s statement?”
Cheng Su glanced at his Grandmaster rank badge on his main account and said coldly, “Diamond mid-laner shouldn’t be here clout-chasing.”
As soon as he said that, TL’s players watching the stream burst into another wave of earth-shaking laughter.
——
As it turned out, the “Diamond mid-laner” 1v4 couldn’t beat a double-pro 2v3 setup. Cheng Wensheng lost the game very peacefully.
At the end, he still dropped a parting line:
[Shark-Stabbing Useless Younger Brother] (All): Tell Erllit to 1v1 me. Loser buys KFC.
Before Cheng Su could react, Lin Zhaoxu suddenly stood up from the side and stared down at their support. “Isn’t it just a 1v1? You must win! First of all, I’m not doing it for KFC—but this is about PNG’s dignity. 1v1. We must win.”
Cheng Su: ?
[??? okay what is going on]
[Cheng Su: small head, big confusion]
[Son Xuxu’s little abacus can be heard even from Paris!!]
[This kid only has this level of ambition, please forgive him lololol]
[Erllit can’t even reliably last-hit cannon minions, why are you making him start with hell difficulty??]
[It’s fine, just let Erllit and Feng-bao do high-intensity training every day, he’ll improve eventually (funny face)]
Amid the chat’s laughter, Cheng Su confiscated the last can of cola from Lin Zhaoxu’s table as punishment.
The night’s viewer matches were extremely entertaining. Sui Ning played until nearly 3 a.m., encountering all kinds of on-stream confessions, fans wishing PNG good luck for Worlds, and even people shipping the mid-jungle duo up close…
The chat summed it up: tonight, we are truly tired of saying the word “absurd.”
Late at night, under the viewers’ reluctant goodbyes, Sui Ning finally ended his stream and checked his WeChat messages.
Everyone on his friend list had sent congratulations—pro players, coaches, even random rank monsters he met during trial sessions like AeriaKing and Ecas. The list went on and on.
His working-class agent Xu Hexuan was especially excited, sending nearly 500 messages during the finals alone, clearly showing how intense his emotional rollercoaster during the BO5 had been.
After the match ended, Xu Hexuan spammed “aaaaah” and “f*cking awesome,” congratulating Sui Ning on the championship while also lamenting missing the live event.
But this time, he had learned his lesson. He planned the Worlds trip in advance and bought bundled tickets early.
Flight prices to Paris in mid-October doubled within just 48 hours after the HPL finals. Xu Hexuan sighed dramatically, clearly showing off how he had “won” by buying early.
[Xu Hexuan]: I knew my Feng-bao was born strong! Of course, he’d make Worlds!
[Xu Hexuan]: [flight booking screenshot], [Worlds tickets]
[Xu Hexuan]: Luckily, I bought early, prices are doubled now, and you might not even get tickets anymore!!
[Go With the Flow and Be at Peace]: …my fault.
[Go With the Flow and Be at Peace]: Actually… players get reserved tickets. I forgot to tell you.
[Go With the Flow and Be at Peace]: [rabbit begging gif]
[Xu Hexuan]: ……
Xu Hexuan trembled with rage and very honorably decided to “cut ties” for five minutes.
But then he thought about it again. At current market prices, reselling the tickets would actually make him a profit…
So within five seconds, Xu Hexuan changed his mind, unblocked Sui Ning, and brought him back from the blacklist.
——
September 15th: HPL Play-In Stage begins.
The “play-ins” originally referred to a system when HPL only had three Worlds slots. Aside from the first and second seeds, the third seed had to be decided through a BO5 round-robin style battle among at least four teams, with the winner “bubbling up” from a dangerous whirlpool.
As the league grew and gained a fourth Worlds slot, the selection system changed, but players and officials still kept the old name.
Today’s play-ins are essentially post-season qualifiers, determining HPL’s final two Worlds representatives.
According to the rules, the first match of play-ins will be held between the team with the highest annual points (excluding seeds 1–2) and the team with the highest Summer Split placement (excluding seeds 1–2), to decide the third seed.
Fans once again opened the standings and rankings.
[Annual Points]
1. Navic 100 (60+40)
2. HTG 70 (40+30)
3. PNG 60 (0+60)
4. TL 40 (30+10)
5. GEN 40 (20+20)
6. Star.L 20 (10+10)
[Summer Split Final Ranking]
After both lists came out, HTG fans were confused: by this logic, if you remove PNG and Navic from the standings, HTG becomes the top team in both categories and should directly qualify as the third seed.
“So are we supposed to fight ourselves?” the fans were very confused.
Luckily, the officials quickly clarified with a bold, highlighted rule: if the same team satisfies both conditions, the second slot is passed down to the next highest team in seasonal points.
Therefore—
[…did these teams plan this together??]
[The second-highest is also a tie—GEN and TL have the same points, I’m dying laughing]
[The official basically said: what on earth are you all doing LOL]
Official: I’m breaking down.
Fortunately, the well-prepared officials had more contingency plans. After continuous refinement, the selection rules now covered 99% of possible scenarios.
In the case of GEN and TL having equal points, the rules stated: the team with the higher Summer Split ranking would take priority.
In other words, although both teams had the same annual points, GEN placed 4th in the Summer Split—higher than TL’s 5th place—so the third seed would be decided between HTG and GEN.
As for the fourth seed, TL would first play Star.L in an elimination match; the loser would be eliminated, and the winner would then face the loser of the third-seed match.
This layered, multi-stage system might look complicated and troublesome, but it greatly reduced the chance of strong teams being eliminated due to upsets, and ensured that the final HPL representatives would 100% reflect the region’s strongest competitive level.
——
Out of the three play-in matches in total, two were scheduled on September 15th: HTG vs GEN at noon, and TL vs Star.L in the afternoon.
After a full season of exhaustion, PNG could finally sit back and watch the matches like spectators.
Sui Ning and the others each opened their own livestreams, moved their cameras to the center of the practice room, and watched the matches together on a large TV requisitioned from their coach.
The camera captured their side profiles while the stream directly broadcast the official match feed.
Seeing the players slouching, leaning on each other, and lounging comfortably together, the chat immediately started crying again.
[?? sob, at least give us a front view??]
[CP fans spent their whole life doing good deeds just for this moment, and you only give us side profiles—I’m crying!!]
Before the message was even finished, Sui Ning leaned casually against Ji Yunyu like a human pillow, still hugging an actual pillow in his arms.
[????]
[So we got lured in just to be slaughtered??]
[Too real, you guys are too real, so please at least control Yun’s hands!!]
[Everyone behave! The supermods are still here!!]
[If this stream gets taken down because of hugging, I will laugh at you forever—]
The distance was too far for Sui Ning to see the chat, so his attention stayed entirely on the match.
“Want to guess who wins?” Lin Zhaoxu suggested. “Loser treats KFC.”
Cheng Su: You’re really persistent.
Wei Ye thought it over. “Sure. Who goes first?”
Ji Yunyu answered without hesitation: “HTG.”
GEN’s performance over the past two years had been extremely unstable—sometimes finishing top three, sometimes failing to even make playoffs. Their results were like rolling dice; no one could predict the outcome.
Their ceiling wasn’t high, but their floor was extremely low, making fans constantly anxious.
Teams like this weren’t uncommon in pro play, but very few ever made it to Worlds—and even fewer ever reached the top.
HTG, on the other hand, was the region’s perennial runner-up: stable, solid, and the complete opposite of GEN’s volatility.
From Sui Ning’s perspective, he naturally leaned toward the more stable team.
So he silently apologized to GEN and said, “HTG.”
Wei Ye immediately followed: “Then I’m also HTG.”
Cheng Su: “HTG.”
Lin Zhaoxu: ?
“HTG is giving you money or what? I’ll have GEN pay double!”
Wei Ye rolled his eyes. “There’s a clear gap in strength. Can’t you see it? Who are you voting for?”
“…I really want to say GEN, but,” Lin Zhaoxu paused, “HTG.”
Clearly, even he supported HTG—after all, the strength gap was obvious.
“Exactly!”
“Then KFC—forget it, I have dignity. I’ll rely on my own skills next time!”
——
The two-day, three-round play-in stage ended quickly, and the results were exactly as expected.
On the first day, HTG defeated GEN 3:0 to advance as the third seed. TL then defeated Star.L 3:1 and prepared to face GEN in a decider match.
On the next morning, TL defeated GEN 3:1 and secured the final ticket to Worlds.
Thus, all four representatives of the HPL region were officially decided.
----------
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