Chalice stated the reason for retiring from the professional Dota 2 scene after TI12

The former member of Azure Ray, Yang Chalice Shenyi, departed from the professional scene following The International 2023 due to the challenges of balancing a professional esports career with streaming and the pressure from the esports organization. Chalice also stated that he didn't want to continue playing without his teammate Lu Somnus Yao.

Chalice expressed his views during a broadcast for the Chinese audience, and the statement was adapted by dota2.ru.

"If Somnus`M is not playing, then I won't either. Firstly, if you play, you want to get a salary, right? Secondly, if you get a salary, you can't stream often, right? Thirdly, playing professionally and streaming at the same time is too abstract, you know? Fourthly, others will criticize you. They will say, 'This idiot is playing professionally and streaming at the same time. He is spreading himself too thin.'"

He also mentioned other players in the team, Lou and Tianming, who do not do direct broadcasts. During the Azure Ray boot camp, there were five players: two played seriously, while the other three streamed and barked like dogs. It's like at work, where three people are working part-time simultaneously. How can they endure that pressure, man? This makes the pressure even greater.", - stated Yang Chalice Shenyi.

It's worth noting that there were previous speculations about the possible transition of three members of the Azure Ray team to Xtreme Gaming.