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On the evening of July 8, 2018, the Mercedes-Benz Arena in Shanghai was bustling with people.Honor of KingsThe spring finals of the professional league came to an end here. Among the nearly 20,000 spectators, there was a boy named Zhong Letian. It was his first time to watch a KPL match offline, but he was so sleepy that he kept dozing off. He would never have thought that one year later, he would become one of the ten on the stage.

The transfer of the six-time champion striker is undoubtedly one of the most watched transactions in the KPL market this summer. From Chongqing Wolf Team. Yao Dao to Suzhou KSG. Yao Dao, this change has brought changes to Zhong Letian himself, the two teams and the overall structure of the league. With the idea of ​​going out to try his luck, Zhong Letian boldly embarked on a new journey in his career.

Zhong Letian chose to transfer after winning the 2024 KPL Spring Championship. Photo/Zhong Letian's social media

“I’m still in my prime”

In 2019, Zhong Letian entered QGhappy, now the Wolves, through the draft. After joining the team, he experienced the growth from youth training to starting, the bitterness of being demoted to the second team, and the joy of winning the championship many times.

Overall, his days at Wolves can be considered glorious, from winning the Winter Champions Cup in early 2020 to winning the Silver Dragon Cup for the third time before the transfer. During his nearly five years with Wolves, Zhong Letian won a championship every year.

In the days that seemed smooth sailing to the outside world, Zhong Letian actually went through many difficult or self-blaming moments. One of them was the 2023 KPL Summer Finals, when he lost to Guangzhou TTG. After the game, Zhong Letian reflected a lot. "They (TTG players) often rank until two or three in the morning. Compared to them, we are more lazy." Zhong Letian's tone still carried some emotion. Not being able to try his best was a bigger blow than the defeat. "(At that time) I thought about picking cups later and the World Championship, so I tried harder."

As promised, Zhong Letian and his teammates won another championship in the Challenger Cup. However, they failed to advance to the finals of the World Championship Cup at the end of the year. It was also in that Phoenix Mountain final that Chengdu AG Super Play Club player Xu Bicheng (ID: Yinuo) became the first KPL shooter to win the FMVP.

"I'm envious for sure." Zhong Letian admitted that he was not obsessed with the FMVP, but he really wanted it in his heart. "I didn't get it in the past few years. I hope I can have a chance to get it in the next few years."

In this year's KPL Spring Finals, the Wolves won the tenth championship in team history, and the six-time shooter became Zhong Letian's new label. The number of championships tied Liu Tianhao (ID: Yi Zheng), and Zhong Letian became one of the development road players with the most championships in the league. However, less than 20 days after this achievement, Zhong Letian chose to leave and joined the Suzhou KSG team.

The idea of ​​transfer did not suddenly appear in his mind in one or two days. If he was in another team, with other teammates, how would he perform? Zhong Letian thought about this question many times. He believed that he was still in his prime, and he thought he could go out and try his luck.

The atmosphere is very good and pure, this is Zhong Letian's impression of KSG. Photo/KSG social media

"Almighty Helper, make me some grilled sausages"

After moving from Shanghai to Suzhou, Zhong Letian moved into KSG's base in Wuzhong District. After arriving in Suzhou, Zhong Letian's frequency of ordering takeout has significantly decreased, and the canteen's fried eggs with tomatoes, boiled pork slices, and braised pork intestines have become his favorites. Moreover, the drive from the new base to the team's home court does not exceed 10 minutes, which greatly saves time and energy.

The atmosphere is very good and pure, this is Zhong Letian's impression of KSG. Speaking of everyone in the team, from players to coaches, Zhong Letian has something to talk about: Xie Xinzhen (ID: Qingyu) and Zhang Heng (ID: Liulang) are newcomers with great momentum; old teammate Xu Xiangyu (ID: Jinyu) "is still the same boy as before, without any change"; Wang Tao (ID: Jiuku), who was born as a shooter, has a "sharp" position and is an all-around support...

"My support will grill sausages for me at night, which is something other supports don't have. Secondly, Jiuku and I are older than the duo of shooters and support in the bottom lane, so we are more mature and experienced. Moreover, we have won the most championships (among the current bottom lane combinations), which is also our advantage." Zhong Letian said that under the instructions of head coach Wu Liang, he would deliberately urge Wang Tao during the competition and training, "As long as I tell him, he will work hard to do it."

Speaking of Wu Liang (ID: Diandian), Zhong Letian said: "Our head coach needs to give him more encouragement and confidence, and believe in him more." Most of the time, we often hear management or training team members express this, to gain more support for the players. When such words come out of the mouths of the players, it feels a bit out of order. Zhong Letian explained that in his opinion, Wu Liang is not a strong coach, he cares a lot about the players' thoughts and mental state. If you always question it, it will disrupt his thinking, "Dian's coaching is quite pure, he loves King of Glory and wants to get better results."

Although he has only been in the team for a few months, Zhong Letian has integrated well. With rich experience and a cheerful personality, he has become an important bridge in the communication between the training team and the players. He helps the coach adjust the mentality of his teammates and reminds everyone to pay attention to their emotions during the review meeting... Compared to when he first joined the industry, he has become more mature and stable.

After Zhong Letian was introduced to the team in the summer season this year, KSG performed well in the regular season and received more positive comments from the outside world, which more or less put pressure on Zhong Letian. "To be realistic, I spent a lot of money on the transfer, so I definitely want to achieve results and prove myself."

But then he changed the subject and said that he would still treat it with a normal attitude and not put too much pressure on himself. "(Otherwise) you will think about increasing the in-game economy and carrying more, which is unhealthy. Because as a team, there needs to be a balance point, and everyone just needs to do their own thing well."

Zhong Letian wants to create a tough image. Photo/KSG social media

“I hope I can bring strength to everyone.”

In the story line of growth, in front of and behind the scenes, Zhong Letian tries his best to play every role, to become an excellent contestant, a role model, a filial child and a better self.

He will never forget the first time he sat in the audience as a player, the feeling of blood boiling. At that time, he was full of hope and longing, imagining showing off his skills on the same stage. Time flies, and in just over a month, he will soon celebrate the fifth anniversary of his debut in KPL.

To this day, the championship is still what he wants most. Ao Yin, a hero in King of Glory, has a line: They are watching me, waiting for a chance to eat my flesh and blood. Zhong Letian was deeply touched by this sentence, "I think this sentence is very inspiring to me, I will not give others the opportunity (to attack me with my performance on the field)."

From a boy who would doze off while watching games to a top professional player, Zhong Letian’s growth trajectory has changed because of KPL, but his life is not only about Honor of Kings and games.

Growing up in a single-parent family, Zhong Letian experienced his mother's difficulties at a very young age. When he was a child, his family ran a barbecue stall. It was common to open the stall at 4 or 5 pm every day and open until 2 or 3 in the morning. At that time, Zhong Letian was still in junior high school. After school every day, he had to help carry out the tables, chairs and benches and set them up. Day after day, he even trained his chest muscles. "Sometimes, I want to finish school later or go home later. I don't want to set up the stall because it's too tiring."

"I became a professional player just to give my mother a good life." Zhong Letian said this in the playoff documentary. This is a goal he once set and a promise he has now fulfilled. After becoming famous in the professional arena, the family's conditions have improved a lot.

In a place where no one is around, he digests his suffering and walks the night road of life boldly. Zhong Letian always shows an "optimist" state in front of others: he likes to read novels, watch football, and feel very happy when he goes out to eat coconut chicken on the operation day. After arriving in Suzhou, he also insists on running and exercising, feeling the pleasure brought by self-discipline in exhaustion.

Zhong Letian said that he wanted to create a tough image. "I hope that when people encounter difficulties, for example, when someone is secretly wiping tears in bed, if they think of me, they can feel the strength."

Beijing News reporter Zhao Xue

Editor Wu Zhengyang

Proofread by Zhao Lin