Chapter 4 – Agreeing to the Trial

“Hello, who’s this?”

The call connected, and a man’s voice came through, rough with a smoker’s rasp.

Luo Yuchen said: “Hello, my ID is Time Traveler. I saw your streamer invitation letter in my private messages.”

“Hello, I’m Wang Jun, a talent manager for LSTV. Since you received our letter, I wonder what you think about it?”

Luo Yuchen replied: “I can stream on LSTV.”

“You’ve made the right choice. Our company offers the best benefits in the industry for new streamers.” Wang Jun began introducing LSTV, but before he could finish, Luo Yuchen cut him off.

“I can start streaming on your platform, but I won’t sign a streamer contract.”

“Hm?” Wang Jun’s enthusiasm came to an abrupt halt. “Are you serious?”

Luo Yuchen asked: “LSTV is under the Luo family’s entertainment company, right?”

“Yes.” Wang Jun’s tone grew noticeably colder. “Is there a problem?”

“My surname is Luo — Luo Yuchen.”

On the other end of the line, there was sudden silence. After a moment, Wang Jun’s cautious voice came through: “Young Master Luo?”

Luo Yuchen said: “That’s me.”

“Apologies, Young Master Luo, I didn’t realize it was you.” Wang Jun gave an awkward laugh. “In that case, once you open your streaming channel, I’ll immediately arrange the best recommendation slot for you.”

“No need for special treatment. Just follow the standard procedure. And don’t tell my cousin.”

“Understood, Young Master Luo. I’ll arrange it right away.”

Luo Yuchen hung up the phone and tossed it onto the desk.

In the setting of All‑Round Captain, because Luo Yuchen disliked finance, his parents groomed his cousin Luo Yutian as the successor. As for why he eventually inherited the company himself?

Luo Yuchen recalled the novel: apparently, when he was twenty‑seven, his parents died in a plane crash, and his cousin was killed in a car accident!

So that’s what the black‑fan author had planned all along!

Luo Yuchen resolved that, for the sake of a good future, he must make sure his parents and cousin live long, healthy lives.

But since all that was still nine years away, worrying now wouldn’t change anything.

After letting his thoughts wander for a while, Luo Yuchen opened the second private message.

It was a solo challenge letter, listing the room number and password for a one‑on‑one duel. The opponent was SB.

Luo Yuchen frowned at those two letters, wondering what kind of mindset would make someone choose “SB” as their alias.

Grumbling to himself, he typed the room number into the game interface, then entered the password.

Once inside, Luo Yuchen saw that SB had already been waiting.

“One kill, one tower, one hundred CS,” SB said.

“Fine,” Luo Yuchen replied.

“No bans,” SB added.

Luo Yuchen flexed his fingers. “You set the rules, I’ll play by them.”

In the first solo match, SB picked a heavy‑sword girl champion. Luo Yuchen raised his brows and locked in Figo.

The duel ended quickly. Luo Yuchen used Flash to dodge SB’s key ability, then counterattacked — the outcome was sealed.

“Let’s start the second game,” SB said, unfazed by the first loss. “What other champions can you play?”

“That depends on what you can play,” Luo Yuchen answered.

SB paused, then selected a glamorous woman with a rose headpiece.

“The courtyard covered in rose petals is the grave I’ve prepared for you.”

The Rose Duchess? Luo Yuchen, just like in the first game, chose the same champion again.

The match began. This time SB didn’t rush in like before. Instead, he stood behind the minions, calmly last‑hitting.

Luo Yuchen didn’t hurry forward either. He observed SB’s farming rhythm, and when SB went for the last ranged minion, Luo Yuchen poked him with a basic attack.

SB tried to retaliate, but found his auto‑attack wouldn’t go off.

After that, Luo Yuchen kept repeating the same trick, chipping away at the Rose Duchess’s health until SB was forced to use a potion at level 2.

It was important to note: the Rose Duchess was one of the highest burst‑damage mid‑lane mages in the Alliance. Once she hit level 3 and unlocked her dash plus passive, she had solo‑kill potential.

If SB didn’t use a potion, it meant certain death.

Luo Yuchen didn’t care that his opponent’s health was slowly regenerating. He reached level 3 first, and when SB tried to retreat, Luo Yuchen immediately engaged with his E skill.

The Rose Duchess’s E skill was called Thorned Path, her core ability.

This skill had both active and passive states. The active effect was a dash that left thorn seeds along the path. The passive effect triggered when the Duchess touched a target — the seeds would sprout into vines, binding the target for 0.75 seconds.

This skill could also interact with her other two abilities to create chain reactions.

SB noticed Luo Yuchen’s move and used Flash, but found himself blocked by a sudden wall of roses.

Luo Yuchen had predicted SB’s Flash. He cast the Duchess’s W skill, Sea of Flowers, along the path covered with thorn seeds.

When W and E were combined, they triggered the Rose Cliff effect: the flower field transformed into a movable wall of roses, capable of blocking terrain and stopping dashes.

Before level 3, the Rose Duchess was just a common mage, easily bullied. Luo Yuchen wasn’t about to let this chance slip.

He ignited SB, followed with basic attacks, and added Q skill damage. SB’s Duchess was torn apart, scattering into drifting rose petals.

The match ended, and Luo Yuchen returned to the room. SB’s voice came through again: “Did your Duchess take the Migrator talent?”

“Yes,” Luo Yuchen replied.

Sacred Alliance had a talent system. Before each match, players had to adjust their talent points according to the champion’s characteristics.

Luo Yuchen’s Duchess carried Migrator, which gave her a 5% movement speed bonus. That was why, during the duel, he could poke with basic attacks while SB couldn’t retaliate.

Both Duchesses had the same attack range, but the faster one could strike and retreat instantly, leaving the slower one helpless.

“Let’s keep going,” SB said, picking another champion.

“Alright,” Luo Yuchen followed suit.

The two of them soloed for nearly two hours, cycling through almost every mid‑lane champion. In the end, Luo Yuchen only lost three games, while SB was left mentally exhausted.

After SB logged off, Luo Yuchen reopened Xiao You’s private message and accepted the trial invitation.

At TYG’s team base, in the players’ dormitory, Shao Bei pulled a USB drive from the main computer, kicked his gaming chair aside, and rushed out.

He first went to Xiao You’s dorm, but found the door locked, so he ran downstairs.

“Brother Shao,” Geng Xiaolei greeted him at the water dispenser.

“It’s Xiaolei. Do you know where Brother You is?” Shao Bei asked.

Geng Xiaolei shook his head. Just then Xu Minyu walked by, and Geng Xiaolei quickly called out: “Brother Xu, Brother Shao is looking for Manager You.”

Xu Minyu came over and asked Shao Bei, “What do you need him for?”

“It’s something very important,” Shao Bei replied.

Xu Minyu pointed upstairs. “Brother Hua was discharged early and just arrived at the base. Manager You took him to tour the newly renovated training center.”

Hearing this, Shao Bei hurried upstairs.

At the glass doors of the training center, Xiao You was happily chatting with You Hua — until Shao Bei suddenly rushed in.

“Sha… Shao Bei?” Xiao You saw Shao Bei’s bloodshot eyes and pale face, and quickly asked: “What happened? What’s wrong?”

“Nothing!” Shao Bei waved his hand. “I just ran too fast, let me catch my breath.” After a moment, he steadied himself, then grabbed Xiao You’s shoulders. “He — Time Traveler — we must secure him!”

“Huh?” Xiao You was stunned.

You Hua stepped forward, pried Shao Bei’s hand away, and patted his shoulder. “Calm down. Speak slowly.”

Shao Bei pulled out a USB drive. “This is the video of my solo matches with Time Traveler. Thirty‑five games in total, all with different champions. His champion pool is so deep, you could call it an ocean!”

Xiao You was dumbfounded. “You spent the whole afternoon doing this?”

“That’s not important. What matters is — he’s truly incredible! Laning against him put me under immense pressure.” Shao Bei took a deep breath. “The most direct feeling he gave me was… Demon King!”

Wasn’t that too exaggerated? Xiao You accepted the USB drive, then turned to You Hua: “Let’s watch it together.”

You Hua nodded. He was also very curious about this Time Traveler. “Contact Captain Yu, have him come too.”

“Why not call the whole team?” Xiao You pulled out his phone.

“No, don’t.” Shao Bei’s expression turned uneasy. “Too many people isn’t good, really!”

You Hua studied Shao Bei’s face for a moment, then suddenly smiled. “Xiao Bei, how many games did you win?”

Shao Bei hesitated, then muttered, “Three.”

“How many?” Xiao You raised his voice.

Shao Bei looked embarrassed. “Three games.”

You Hua’s expression grew serious. “Then we really need to watch.” Although solo wins don’t prove everything, winning almost all of them was enough to show that Time Traveler was not to be underestimated.