Chapter 44: Traffic Transfer!

Days passed one by one, and NXG’s preparations before entering the LPL steadily advanced.

First, in the server qualifiers, NXG maintained its undefeated record, and even when facing Huayi Spider—the team that had once qualified for the LPL finals in the original timeline—they still crushed them decisively.

Huayi Spider was not a top-tier team; in the original timeline, they barely lasted through one spring season before disbanding, leaving behind only one notable figure: Bai Se Yue Ya, who transitioned from jungler to coach.

Yet NXG, composed of players who had previously ranked only around 2200 points in S2 and lacked exceptional innate talent, had reached such a level.

It could only be said that in the wild, early days of esports in 2013, players eager to prove themselves still possessed tremendous ambition.

After Jiang Ming provided them with a sufficiently standardized and stable platform, all five members of NXG unleashed astonishing self-discipline and latent potential.

To overcome innate talent through hard work, NXG’s league-leading training regimen was crucial, but it also required these young players to pour in enough sweat.

…

Jiang Ming naturally noticed the players’ efforts; even before their official entry into the LPL, he had already hired a cook to prepare meals for them. Although the new club still needed time before they could move in, compared to other internet cafe teams surviving on instant noodles, NXG’s daily meals with meat and unlimited food made them the top-tier setup in the entire scene.

The team itself didn’t consume much of his energy; rather, the myriad miscellaneous tasks of club establishment wore Jiang Ming down—he was experiencing this for the first time.

Lin Jingyi was also busy with her online store, forcing him to handle many things personally.

After finalizing the base location, renovation, and internal equipment purchases, the next steps involved registering the esports club as a company, clarifying equity structure, and drafting contract templates to prepare the necessary documents for Tencent Sports and the LPL alliance after securing entry following the preseason.

As for the seemingly complex paperwork—team registration, qualification proofs, player contracts, base certifications—thanks to help from college professors, these took surprisingly little time.

The subsequent alliance deposit was also no issue; thanks to the success of livestream traffic generation, YY not only promptly transferred the prize money and sponsorship fees but also added substantial extra funding on top.

Additionally, whether due to Jiang Ming’s online store becoming a major wholesale client for Youchen’s pork floss cakes or because he had objectively served as a promotional ambassador, Youchen’s management personally approached Jiang Ming, hoping to become NXG’s second sponsor.

By the way, shortly after successfully registering the club, Jiang Ming’s first major move was renaming his JM online store and placing it under the NXG Esports Club banner, making it the first extended product in his esports ecosystem.

Not just the store—even social platforms like Weibo, his YY account, and his entire year’s accumulated QQ fan groups—all now carried the NXG prefix.

He was redirecting his established, high-traffic personal IP to feed a brand-new esports club.

To outsiders, this YY livestreamer, the rising business prodigy from Jinling University, seemed to be suicidally digging his own grave.

But he had no choice; before the team achieved results or attention, Jiang Ming could only help it grow this way.

…

Weekend!

The still-under-construction NXG Club welcomed its first visitors—the Dean of Jinling University’s School of Economics and Management, along with several professors from the department.

“Not bad. Though small, it’s fully equipped. Your commitment to standardization and professionalism isn’t just talk.”

The three-story building wasn’t large; the group toured the entire place in just over ten minutes.

Satisfied, the professors smiled. One professor specializing in management beat Yu Qun to speak, giving Jiang Ming a thumbs-up.

“Esports… this tiny club has truly opened our eyes.”

“Professional training, disciplined time management, even a pre-established coaching and support staff—this is well done.”

The professors studied the posted club management rules and the players’ daily schedule, occasionally pausing in thought.

“Esports, competition—in a sense, traditional sports also evolved from human games.”

“We simply added competitiveness step by step.”

“With the spread of the internet and technological advancement, interactions within virtual gaming worlds among the young will far exceed real-world interactions.”

Jiang Ming and Lin Jingyi followed the group of bigwigs, occasionally answering questions.

“Xiao Jiang, how do you plan to solve the biggest problem: connecting esports with commercialization?”

Unlike the other professors who only offered praise, Yu Qun looked concerned and directly asked Jiang Ming.

His own student still needed his attention—he knew better than anyone how limited the school’s support was.

Under China’s current uncertain environment, running a club of this scale wasn’t something you could fix by simply copying foreign success stories.

Jiang Ming replied gratefully: “Thank you for your concern, Professor. Although NXG still requires heavy investment, the capital I’ve saved from before can sustain us for now.”

Since those present weren’t outsiders—and he still needed the professors’ approval—Jiang Ming immediately outlined the progress NXG had made during its preparation phase.

Aside from sponsorship from YY and Youchen Foods, Jiang Ming emphasized his plan to integrate the NXG Esports Club with his online store brand.

After all, he couldn’t let the school shoulder the entire burden.

“At this stage, students are using their personal online traffic to drive brand awareness for the club, artificially linking my previously built ‘JM’ livestream and tutorial video fanbase with NXG.”

“Won’t it be a waste to weaken the ‘JM’ brand you’ve worked so hard to build?”

“It’s true this will inevitably mean losing some value, but these are necessary early sacrifices. Compared to other clubs starting from zero, I’m already far ahead.”

“Once NXG achieves results in the professional league, my previous cycle of gaming livestreaming and e-commerce will close again—and add a new, stable fourth layer.”

“Compared to the future of NXG Esports Club, a livestreamer or video creator who merely rode the wave of the times is insignificant.”

“Moreover, shifting from JM to NXG isn’t just changing a brand name—in the internet age, audiences recognize collectives far more than individuals.”