LOL: Do I have to be a spinning top too?

Zhou Xiang led Li Hu out of the training room, the echoes of the training match still lingering in the corridor.

A thin man walked towards us, his steps slow but his presence commanding.

Li Hu recognized him at a glance.

Guo Hao, manager of TES team 1.

That man who, like JieQ Lawu, has tied the rest of his life to the broken ship that is Top Esports.

When TES was eliminated in the top 16 in 2022, they were criticized relentlessly online, and Guo Hao was the first to take the blame.

This person may not be the most capable, but their protectiveness and willingness to take the blame are unparalleled in the LPL management.

"Old Zhou! Are you testing out new recruits here?" Guo Hao stopped and his gaze naturally fell on Li Hu.

Zhou Xiang's eyes lit up, and he turned to Li Hu, lowering his voice to say:

"Wait a moment."

Then he pulled Guo Hao and walked to the other end of the corridor.

Li Hu leaned against the wall, watching the two walk a few steps away, a slight smile playing on his lips.

He didn't need to get close to hear what Zhou Xiang was going to say; he knew exactly what Zhou Xiang was going to say.

That last match between Doge and Gwent was absolutely amazing.

A random player on trial, using a hero that was completely countered by the current meta's top-tier champions, utterly crushed the LDL's starting top laner from start to finish.

His laning phase was rock solid, his command and coordination were impressive, and in team fights, he could take down one enemy with a single cane...

If Zhou Xiang had kept this performance a secret and hadn't reported it to his superiors, that would have been a dereliction of duty.

Sure enough, Guo Hao raised his eyebrows high after listening to Zhou Xiang's long speech.

"Is it really as exaggerated as you say?"

His tone was clearly one of disbelief:

"I've seen that Aspire from the second team before. He's pretty good. Gwen can't even handle being pressured by Nasus?"

Would I lie to you?

Zhou Xiang spoke very quickly: "The training match just finished, and the whole thing was recorded."

"If you don't believe me, go ask Shui Jing. He was watching from the other side at the time."

"Gwen was solo killed three times by Nasus, and towards the end she didn't even dare to eat the minions under the tower."

"Aspire's mentality has probably been shattered."

He paused, then added:

  

"And this person is different from Da Huang."

"Dahuang gets tilted when he gets crushed in lane."

"Li Hu was suppressed for five minutes, but he remained calm as if nothing had happened, and he could even take a break to talk to Nakano."

"Command awareness..."

"To be honest, he's better than some of the players on the team."

Guo Hao remained silent for a few seconds.

He certainly understood what Zhou Xiang meant...

The team suffered a crushing defeat this year, and they know perfectly well why.

Wayward's problem needs no further explanation.

Helping is useless, not helping will definitely lead to disaster, getting lost in team battles, and having a completely broken mentality in crucial games.

The S12 group stage was practically all about his bad luck.

TES needs a new top laner.

The kind that's young, cheap, good at fighting, has a good mentality, and can withstand pressure.

Guo Hao remained silent for a long while after hearing this.

He knew very well how much money Top Esports had wasted on their top laners over the years, with one replacement after another.

From 369 to Sunny, from Zoom to Big Yellow, they still haven't found a top laner who can withstand the pressure.

"Do you want to give him a chance?" Guo Hao asked.

Zhou Xiang nodded, the meaning of which was self-evident.

Guo Hao patted Zhou Xiang on the shoulder:

"Since you've put it that way, then let's keep him here for now."

"Don't rush to sign the contract. Let him play a few more training matches, and I'll come and watch in person."

"If it's really as you said..."

"He's good enough, I'll arrange a practice match for him with the first team."

"If he performs well, there are only nine days left until the Demacia Cup, I'll give him a chance."

"The Demacia Cup?" Zhou Xiang's eyes lit up instantly.

He is a youth training coach, but he is not considered a core member of the club's management system.

However, if he can produce a star player who directly enters the top league, then the value of his resume will be completely different.

This is his honor, and also his qualification.

"It's a deal." Zhou Xiang nodded vigorously.

When the two returned, Guo Hao glanced at Li Hu, nodded as a greeting, and then turned and quickly left.

Zhou Yi walked up to Li Hu and patted him on the shoulder:

"Come on, follow me, we can talk as we walk."

Li Hu followed his steps and walked out through the corridor.

As Zhou Xiang walked, he said, "The coaching staff saw your performance just now, and their overall evaluation was good. Your laning details and command awareness reached a professional level."

"Congratulations, you have passed the trial."

"Thank you, Coach Zhou," Li Hu said calmly.

"You can stay at the base for the next few days and play a few more practice matches so we can see your potential."

"We'll arrange training matches for you, including those for the youth training team and the reserve team."

As Zhou Xiang spoke, a hint of smugness unconsciously crept onto his lips:

"If you perform well enough, I might give you a surprise."

Looking at Zhou Yi's expression, Li Hu already knew exactly what was going on.

Zhou Xiang and Guo Hao were whispering for so long down the hallway, anyone with a brain could guess what was going on...

This youth training coach has successfully marketed himself to Guo Hao.

As for the surprise Zhou Xiang mentioned, considering the recent events, it's probably nothing more than the Demacia Cup.

We can't just sign him to a contract at lightning speed before the winter transfer window is over, and then sell him to another team by holding his contract back!

Although TES is a top-tier team, it's not a specific team, so there are basically no rumors about contract issues.

In his memory, TES withdrew from the 2022 Demacia Cup.

He couldn't quite remember the reason, but it was vaguely related to the player's physical condition.

The Demacia Cup title was ultimately won by BLG, who replaced TES in the elimination round.

What about this time?

Will his involvement bring about different changes?

Li Hu snapped out of his thoughts, noticing the golden illustration floating quietly to the side of his field of vision.

Gwen's progress bar increased by 0.46%.

Although the growth was slow, it at least proved one thing...

A professional player's whip is indeed more effective than a random player's whip.

Even though he was only hit once in the first few minutes, the passive absorption was still working.

Looks like I can't afford to get beaten up these next few days; I have to give it my all.

After all, the contract hasn't been signed yet, and the Demacia Cup spot is just a possibility. To secure this opportunity, they need to prove their strength.

However, once they enter the Demacia Cup and step onto the official stage...

The whips of those LPL starting top laners on the other side, that's what true professional level is...

Thinking of this, Li Hu couldn't help but smile.

"Let's go, I'll take you to your dorm first."

Zhou Xiang led the way, turning into the lobby of the dormitory building, and was about to walk towards the elevator.

Before the elevator door was even closed, a stocky, dark-skinned young man was walking towards them from the other end of the corridor, carrying two cases of drinks.

Li Hu stared blankly.

Isn't this my Zihan?

Yu Zihan.

Qingtian, the substitute top laner for TES, is a talented chubby boy whom TES11 acquired from YM at a high price.

She was highly anticipated when she first arrived, but Zihan's performance in the Summer Tournament was not ideal.

His online performance was mediocre, and his presence in team battles was minimal, leading to his being sidelined.

In 2022, due to the addition of Duke Zomm, he spent the entire Spring Split on the bench.

In the Summer Split, Da Huang was promoted to the starting lineup, while Qing Tian remained a substitute. After TES's northern expedition, he was almost destined to be a benchwarmer as well.

However, in the previous S13, although Da Huang was still the absolute main player in the Spring Split, Qing Tian also got more playing time.

He once delivered a brilliant performance in the Summer Split, and his heavy-armored warriors like Renekton and Darius were incredibly powerful in his hands, earning him the nickname "General Sunny Day" from fans.

However, in Season 14, Sunny will transfer to UP.

Then they drifted through the lower rungs of the LPL, eventually disappearing quietly from the stage of the top league.

However, in 25-26...

Han, the big eater, became a household name in Da Huang's live stream.

"Hey, Instructor Zhou!"

Yu Zihan looked up and saw Zhou Xiang, greeted him with a sheepish smile, then turned his gaze to Li Hu:

"Who is this?"

"Newcomer, trial top laner, Li Hu," Zhou Xiang introduced.

"Oh! Another top laner!"

Yu Zihan grinned, showing no sense of crisis whatsoever, and even reached out to pat Li Hu on the shoulder:

"Come on, come on! TES is definitely short-handed in the top lane. Play well and try to stay!"

A player who had reached the top league stage stood in front of Li Hu.

Li Hu extended his hand, a standard junior's smile on his face:

"General Qingtian, I have long admired your name."

"Hey, what's so special about me? I'm just a substitute player."

Qingtian scratched his head, his silly grin undiminished, but a barely perceptible hint of melancholy flashed in his eyes.

Li Hu caught that hint of loneliness perfectly.

No professional player who is relegated to the bench is willing to accept it.

A player who is unwilling to give up will definitely go all out in training matches.

This was practically a gift of spinning top materials to him.

A top laner at the LPL level who is in his prime.

Laning experience, hero understanding, and the game logic of professional matches...

How much of these things can one absorb during training matches?

"Brother Qingtian, please don't say that. You are the General Qingtian in the LPL arena. I hope you will give me more guidance in the future."

Li Hu said with a smile, his tone extremely sincere.

Qingtian was a little embarrassed by his attitude, and patted his chest, saying:

"no problem!"

"Want to practice any hero? Come find me, I'll lane with you and practice, I guarantee I'll beat you badly..."

"Uh, no, um, I mean, train you to be skilled!"