My capital is quite large.

Chapter 144 Little Horse and Smile

A nationwide battle surrounding "esports" has ignited fiercely amid the clash between the two giants.

This storm has not only penetrated the ivory tower of universities, but has also reached the most widespread and deeply rooted gaming community in China – internet cafes.

Bengbu City, Anhui Province.

In a corner of an internet cafe filled with the smells of cheap cigarettes and instant noodles, the clicking of keyboards and mice sounded like a dense downpour.

In the center of this row of machines sat a thin young boy.

His eyes were extremely focused, his slender fingers danced across the keyboard, leaving afterimages, and the light and shadow on the screen flickered intensely in his clear eyes.

On the computer screen, running was the once-famous domestic online battle game, "Qifan Three Kingdoms Domination".

The hero the boy was playing was named "Ma Dai," a typical ranged marksman.

On the screen, Ma Dai moved like a ghost through the enemy's encirclement, his every move precisely staying out of their attack range. His arrows never missed, and he pulled off an incredible 1v4 comeback in a disadvantageous team fight!

As the victory logo popped up on the screen, several young men dressed in unconventional styles sitting next to him excitedly took off their headphones.

"Holy crap! That's awesome, Little Ma! That kiting maneuver is incredible!"

"No wonder you're the star player of our internet cafe! Your Ma Dai skills are definitely among the top three in the entire Qifan server, right?!"

"Top three?! In our Anhui region, Xiao Ma is undoubtedly the 'Number One Ma Dai in the National Server'! It's only because Qifan doesn't have many big tournaments, otherwise Xiao Ma would have been famous long ago!"

Faced with his friends' praise, Gao Xuecheng, nicknamed "Little Ma," just smiled shyly, reached for the iced tea on the table, and took a sip.

He certainly has reason to be proud; in this game, his skills have reached a pinnacle that is difficult for ordinary people to achieve.

However, behind this pride lies a deep sense of bewilderment and emptiness.

"Hey Ma, it seems like Tencent recently acquired some of Qifan's competition licenses, and they're supposedly going to launch some kind of 'Hundred Cities League,' with prize money of tens of thousands of yuan! Should we form a team and give it a try?" one of the guys suggested excitedly.

A penguin competition?

Gao Xuecheng was slightly taken aback, and his gaze subconsciously went past the screen in front of him to the huge projection screen hanging in the center of the internet cafe lobby, which was used to show movies.

Instead of a movie, the screen was broadcasting a live provincial final of the League of Legends City Heroes Championship, hosted by Haofeng Network.

That was the competition venue in the neighboring province; even through the screen, you could feel the professionalism and enthusiasm.

Spotlights, professional red and blue battle stands, the deafening shouts of thousands of spectators, and the commentator's heart-wrenching battle reports!

What stung Gao Xuecheng the most was the large scrolling text at the bottom of the screen:

The national champion team of this year's City Heroes Championship will enjoy a cash prize of 100 million RMB! They will also be promoted to the LPL top-tier professional league and receive a million-RMB annual player salary guarantee from Haofeng Esports!

Million-dollar prize money! Top-tier professional league! Guaranteed annual salary!

These glaring words were like heavy hammer blows to Gao Xuecheng's heart.

He glanced down at the rough interface of "Qifan Three Kingdoms" on his screen, then looked at the cheap mouse in his hand that had been worn smooth by countless hands.

A strong sense of disparity arose spontaneously.

What's so great about being the number one Ma Dai in the Chinese server in "Qifan"?

The hastily put-together competition organized by Tencent had a prize of only tens of thousands of yuan, and there wasn't even a decent professional stage. Even if you won, you would just go back to the internet cafe to eat instant noodles and be scolded by your parents and relatives as a "good-for-nothing internet addict."

But what about over there?

Haofeng Networks has created a true temple of sports competition!

There, playing video games is no longer considered a waste of time, but rather a chance to wear a uniform, stand under the spotlight, enjoy flowers and applause, and even earn a million-dollar annual salary that can change one's entire life, becoming a true professional athlete!

"Boss Li of Haofeng has turned the dreams of us internet cafe youths into reality..." Gao Xuecheng murmured to himself, recalling the documentary about SKY that he had watched online before, and his blood began to boil.

A good bird chooses a good tree to perch on, and a good general chooses a good master to serve.

As a top gaming genius, he knew that the times had changed.

Outdated pay-to-win online games like Qifan are destined to be nothing more than relics of a bygone era compared to League of Legends.

"Little Ma? What are you spacing out for? Shall we line up? Those noobs from the internet cafe next door are online again, let's go crush them!" The guy next to him gave him a push.

Gao Xuecheng came to his senses.

He glanced at his brothers, who were still amusing themselves in the small pond, and took a deep breath.

Amidst the astonished gazes of the crowd, Gao Xuecheng moved the mouse and clicked the red "X" in the upper right corner of the screen.

With a "snap".

The account that ranked high on the Chinese server leaderboard of "Qifan" and struck fear into the hearts of countless opponents was cleanly and decisively logged out of the login screen.

"I'm not queuing anymore."

Gao Xuecheng's voice wasn't loud, but it carried a resolute air of desperation.

"Huh? Not playing anymore? You're on fire today, let's go for a run!" The brothers looked bewildered.

"I'm not playing Qifan anymore, I'll never play it again."

Gao Xuecheng turned his head and looked at the "L"-shaped icon that was flashing with golden light in the corner of the internet cafe desktop. His eyes became brighter than ever before.

He double-clicked the mouse and opened the Chinese version client of "League of Legends".

The ancient, fateful sound of a door opening suddenly rang out in his headphones.

"You guys play, I'm going to go play professionally."

As Gao Xuecheng registered a brand new Haofeng Network account, he calmly announced the turning point in his fate.

Amidst the horrified stares of his friends, who looked at him like he was crazy, Gao Xuecheng entered the new player creation screen of League of Legends.

Now that we've said goodbye to the past, and are going to fight in the vast ocean, to pursue the e-sports altar that Li Feng himself created, we need a new name.

Gao Xuecheng placed his hands on the keyboard.

My mind is filled with memories of being misunderstood and looked down upon in the past, as well as boundless aspirations for the future.

The crisp sound of the keyboard clicking faded as he typed a few very simple words into the input box, words that would become the faith of every League of Legends ADC player in the world for years to come:

You are beautiful when you smile.

Welcome to Summoner's Rift.

As the system's female voice announced, a legendary ADC, the Great Demon King, who was the first generation of anti-Korean vanguard in the LPL and added a "C" to the AD marksman position, embarked on a journey paved with capital and passion.

And in countless similar internet cafes across the country.

PDD, Factory Manager, Ruofeng, Shenchao... These talented young people with their own online gaming backgrounds are like stars swept by this wave, abandoning their old ponds and flocking to this new world called "e-sports".

Although the penguin's fierce counterattack was intense, it ultimately proved to be utterly insignificant in the face of the magnificent, mature, and promising professional esports ecosystem built by Haofeng Networks.

A true esports era belonging to Haofeng has begun.