In the next few days, Xie Mingzhe went out to play with everyone during the day, and after returning to the villa at night, Tang Muzhou would patiently teach him how to swim. Xie Mingzhe made rapid progress and actually learned how to swim freestyle. Although his speed was not fast, he was already very satisfied that he could swim in the swimming pool for more than ten minutes without drowning. At least he was no longer a landlubber.
Time passed extremely quickly, and Xie Mingzhe knew that this was the last relaxing moment before the start of the playoffs, so he especially cherished the opportunity to be with Tang Muzhou. He stuck to his senior brother every day and even slept in the same quilt with him... Of course, he still had to have some dignity, and apart from the occasional stolen kiss, he did not do anything more intimate.
On the afternoon of the last day, Xue Linxiang suddenly sent a message in the group: "The one-week trip will soon be over. Everyone has been traveling separately these days, and some people have rarely seen each other. We have prepared a beach party in the evening and invite everyone to join us. I hope everyone can get together and have fun before leaving!"
This call naturally received a response from everyone, so that night, all the people who were on the trip came to show their respect.
A row of pavilions were built on the beach, with abundant fruits, snacks and dishes of various flavors prepared. People ate and chatted, and after the chat, they gathered together for an entertainment party. Everyone urged Tang Muzhou to give a speech, and Tang Muzhou had no choice but to stand up and speak a few words in the middle.
"I invited everyone out this time just to give everyone some time to rest and relax and get back in shape. The playoffs are getting closer, and I know everyone is eager to get back and prepare. We will return together tomorrow, and the next time we meet, it may be at the game."
Tang Muzhou smiled and continued, "In the playoffs, everyone will definitely not show mercy to each other. Unfortunately, there is only one champion. No matter what the final result is, I hope we can still be friends in the future."
As soon as he finished speaking, there was warm applause all around.
Old Zheng said generously: "I just like Xiao Tang's demeanor. On and off the court, we are all friends after the game! We can organize such gatherings in the future. Come, let me toast you first. It's really expensive to invite everyone to come out and play with food and accommodation."
The others raised their glasses in unison, and Tang Muzhou drank it all in one gulp: "It's no big deal to invite everyone to play. After all, I have done something wrong to everyone."
Ling Jingtang said in surprise: "Since we are inviting guests, we should act like the host. Why not invite Tang Muzhou, his master, fellow apprentices, and several other disciples from the master's school to perform a show together?"
Ling Shen was very good at stirring up trouble. When he made this suggestion, the people around him immediately started to make noises: "Great!" "It's a good idea for all the disciples to perform together." "Applause!"
Chen Qianlin had a blank expression on his face: "Don't drag me into this."
Ling Jingtang blinked his eyes: "Without you as a master, how could I have trained two outstanding disciples, Tang Muzhou and Xie Mingzhe?"
Chen Qianlin: “…” It seems like there is no way to refute it?
Shen An was confused: "Do I have to perform too? I don't know anything!"
As the only innocent little white rabbit in the sect, he is really innocent.
Finally, Tang Muzhou took the initiative to help: "How about this, everyone knows Master's character. It would be more satisfying to let him jump into the sea instead of letting him perform in public... How about Ah Zhe and I sing a song as representatives?"
Xie Mingzhe didn't know much about the songs in this world and was a little confused: "What should I sing?"
Tang Muzhou said: "The theme song for the opening of the professional league."
Everyone: "………………"
That's enough! Singing the opening theme song during the holiday, is this pushing everyone into the fire pit?
Xie Mingzhe knew how to sing this song, and it was played on the stage during the preparations for each match during the regular season. The melody and lyrics were quite passionate. The two smiled at each other and sang in unison. Later, the others also sang along, and two middle school boys, Ye Zhu and Bai Xu, even ran out to dance. The atmosphere on the beach was particularly lively, and everyone went crazy until midnight before dispersing.
Xie Mingzhe really likes this lively and noisy alliance from the bottom of his heart. Perhaps as Lao Zheng said, he can organize such gatherings again in the future. Although senior Su Yang has retired, isn’t he very considerate of himself to come along this time?
Maybe when I retire in the future, there will be new people who will call me “senior”.
Competition may only last for a few years, but friends can last a lifetime.
***
The next day, everyone returned to the imperial capital and dispersed at the space station.
Before leaving, Tang Muzhou hugged Xie Mingzhe in a friendly manner and whispered in his ear: "I won't bother you during this time, just concentrate on preparing for the playoffs."
Xie Mingzhe nodded vigorously: "Well, I will not leave Nirvana from now on. If you have anything, please call me by voice or video."
Tang Muzhou smiled and said, "Okay, see you at the game."
The playoffs of the 11th season will officially begin in August. There is still one and a half months before the start of the playoffs. Clubs like Judge, Fenghua, and Guiji have given their players a month's annual leave and will not gather until mid-August, but the players and coaches of Nirvana voluntarily returned to the club to gather early.
Compared to the rich card pools of other clubs, Nirvana's cards have to face the embarrassment that the "endless mode" is not enough.
Moreover, Xie Mingzhe's character deck has been figured out by other clubs. In the playoffs, he cannot use unexpected tactics to win like he did in the regular season. He must continue to enrich his deck and add more tactical plans.
On June 20, the Professional League group posted an announcement: "The internal registration channel for the doubles competition has been opened. The first event in the second half of the year is the doubles competition. I hope everyone will actively sign up."
Since the top 32 of the individual competition has been determined, and the eight teams that will enter the playoffs in the team competition have also been determined, but there was no competition in the doubles event in the first half of the year and it is the highlight of the second half of the year, there is an additional "pre-registration" step. Before July 15th, it is only a pre-registration, and you can cancel or modify your partner at any time. After the 15th, no changes are allowed.
Since the number of participating teams is limited, there is no distinction between the regular season and the playoffs in the doubles competition. The players will be directly divided into groups according to the registered persons to play in the group stage until the final champion is eliminated.
After Chen Qianlin learned the news, he immediately gathered the four players of Nirvana together for a meeting.
"If you don't sign up for the doubles competition, then you'll have free time in August and September to focus on making cards. October is the final round of the individual competition, and November and December are the playoffs of the team competition, so you'll have more time. If you sign up, the competition schedule in August and September will be very tight, and you'll be under more pressure." Chen Qianlin pulled out the schedule and explained in detail.
"Master, is it difficult to win a place in the doubles competition?" Xie Mingzhe asked.
"Nie Yuandao and Shan Lan will sign up for this season. This pair is considered a boss-level pair in the doubles competition. Once they appear, the top players from other clubs will definitely sign up to compete against them. It will be very difficult for us to win a prize." Chen Qianlin explained calmly.
Yu Ke asked curiously, "In the doubles competition, Pei Jingshan and Ye Zhu, Gui Sirui and his apprentice, Tang Muzhou and Xu Changfeng, Fang Yu and Qiao Xi, and Ling Jingtang and Xu Xingtu, these combinations are all very strong! How come Nie Lan is the boss?"
Xiao Ke has only recently started paying attention to the Star Card League. Nie Lan won the award before the eighth season, so it's no wonder he didn't know.
Chen Qianlin said patiently: "The first is tacit understanding. Nie Yuandao and Shan Lan have known each other for twenty years. They are not ordinary partners. They know what the other will do even with their eyes closed. The second is the combat mode. Nie Yuandao's land combat and Shan Lan's air attack are a dual-directional land and air attack. It is difficult to defeat them one by one. So in a two-person battle, the Nie Lan combination is the absolute king."
Yu Ke was shocked: "Fuck, we've known each other for twenty years? How old is Shan Lan?"
Chen Xiao said: "When he was three years old, he moved and happened to live next door to Nie Yuandao's house. This is what he said during the interview."
Yu Ke: “…”
This means that Shanlan grew up under the care of Nie Shen, and later became Nie Shen's apprentice. Naturally, the tacit understanding between them is not something that ordinary people can compare to.
Xie Mingzhe thought about it carefully and said, "Double competition is indeed the event that requires the most tacit cooperation between two people. The pace is also faster than team battles. It is difficult for us to win the prize, but I think we should still sign up and give it a try. We can use it as a stepping stone to practice tacit understanding and cooperation between two people. In the process, we can also try out some new cards. What do you think, Master?"
Chen Qianlin looked at Chen Xiao, who also agreed: "If we sign up for the doubles competition, we will indeed be under more pressure and have a tighter schedule, but this is also a chance for us to hone our skills. The opportunity to compete with a great player is rare, and I don't want to miss it."
Yu Ke said excitedly: "Yes, with a boss combination like Nie Lan, there will definitely be many great players from other teams participating. Let's go and try it. Maybe we can learn a lot of coordination skills."
Qin Xuan was a man of few words and only nodded in agreement.
Seeing that no one had any objections, Chen Qianlin said, "Okay. Then Azhe and Yu Ke will form a team, while Chen Xiao and Qin Xuan will form another team. They will sign up for the doubles competition and use the next half month to improve their decks as quickly as possible. Xiao Ke still has too few joker cards."
Yu Ke looked at Xie Mingzhe eagerly.
Xie Mingzhe patted his shoulder generously: "Don't worry, I promised to make joker cards for you before, and I will definitely help you improve the card pool. In the next few days, I will make more new cards and add them to the doubles deck. They can also be used in the endless mode of the playoff team battle."
Yu Ke was so excited that he gave Xie Mingzhe a big hug and said, "Great job, Azhe!"
Xie Mingzhe's mood remained unchanged.
He found that his heartbeat would only speed up when his senior brother hugged him. When Xiao Ke hugged him, it was just like being hugged by a teddy bear, he felt nothing at all...
In the evening, Xie Mingzhe sent a message to Tang Muzhou, asking, "Will you sign up for the doubles competition?"
Tang Muzhou said, "I'm in a group with Changfeng, Shen An and Manman are in a group, and there are two newcomers from the second team. Fenghua has signed up for three groups."
Xie Mingzhe: “………………So many?!”
Tang Muzhou: "The alliance is updating the registration list in real time, you can go and take a look."
Xie Mingzhe clicked on it and was immediately shocked——
Almost all the players he knew of in the professional league had signed up for this year's doubles competition. On the Ghost Hell side, the joker player Gui Sirui and the monster player Liu Jingxu were in one team, while Lao Zheng and his assistant newcomer Wei Xiaotian were in one team, and they also signed up for two teams - Lao Zheng was obviously training with the newcomers, while the Gui and Liu team was going for the trophy.
The name at the top is particularly eye-catching, followed by two glittering golden championship trophies.
Nie Yuan Road and mountain mist.
It seems that the boss combination of this two-person project has killed quite a few people!
This season is really exciting. The small events such as the doubles and individual events have shocked the entire league. This will also be the season with the most participants in the small events in history. It is rare for the senior players to come out together.
Xie Mingzhe feels that he has caught up with the best era, and the star-studded competition will definitely be more exciting.
No matter what the project is, no matter what the result is, he will give it his all!
The author has something to say:
The playoffs are about to begin, and new cards will appear.
However, I will not write about the card making process of the playoffs in detail one by one. I will just write about the entire deck as a whole, otherwise the pace will be too slow.