Chapter 29

Rong Yi’s voice was exceptionally pleasing.

It was steady and clear, like the sound of jade, with the gentle quality of a southerner, and a tone that carried a hint of languor.

Easy had never shown his face, but he never refused to speak on voice chat either. Rong Yi himself was signed with a streaming platform, and his Veteran Fans all knew his voice well.

For most viewers, however, it was their first time hearing his voice.

“Wow, who is this? That voice is amazing.”

“Such a young voice! But so mature! Damn, I’m a voice fanatic. Can someone tell me? Is this really Easy’s real voice?”

Once it was confirmed by the Veteran Fans, a large number of voice enthusiasts instantly became his fans without hesitation.

Meanwhile, others were still debating the meaning of Rong Yi’s statement.

“Scrims?”

“Damn! That’s insane! Easy is really letting loose! This is wild!”

More and more viewers crowded into the stream.

Outside the arena, the commentators had been preparing for a while. After the backstage team clipped and broadcast Rong Yi’s statement, the commentators, trying to smooth things over, nervously offered a cautious and low-key explanation.

“Facing the first round of the Group A Regular Season, Captain Rong is maintaining a steady mindset. Despite his former team being on the opposite side, he still chooses to approach it with a scrim mentality.”

Another commentator, also sweating, added, “Exactly, actually, VIT is a new team with insufficient practical experience. With a month to go before the second round of the Group A Regular Season, it’s indeed more prudent to give them more time to practice.”

The lead commentator glanced at the messages in the live chat.

“Now, the predictions by the guests and commentators have been published.”

Guest predictions and commentator/streamer predictions have now become a trending phenomenon. On one hand, it allows everyone to gain some public favor by showing their faces; on the other, viewers indeed need a point of reference to guide their expectations.

Most predictions are for RS: VIT, either 3-2 or the reverse, 2-3.

For the top domestic team, everyone had shown enough respect. Or perhaps, having been in the domestic scene for so long, their focus remained on RS for so long that they no longer had the perspective to view the World Championship.

During the BP discussion phase, the Streamer was still listing the Commentators and Streamers joining the live stream, and the Netizens were following along, checking them out one by one.

RS’s endorsed products and partnered celebrities dominated the Arena, and even the proportion of fan light boards in the venue illustrated this, creating a scene of blazing lights for RS.

Since VIT was a new Team, there were very few Fans who had chased them to the Tournament venue.

In stark contrast to the domestic Streamers and mainstream opinions, several heavyweight Tournament Commentators predicted a victory for VIT.

Commentator Lin Yi predicted a VIT:RS score of 3:1.

Commentator Xuan Paper predicted a VIT:RS score of 3:0.

Both Lin Yi and Xuan Paper were nationally designated Grand Final-level Commentators for years and also Commentators for international Tournament broadcasts, boasting immense professionalism.

Not just them; the viewers suddenly noticed a flood of foreign low-level IDs entering the live stream. The number of online viewers far exceeded any previous session.

Soon, some sharp-eyed Esports Fans recognized them: “Isn’t that Yin’s old Team QILIN! Holy crap, there are four World Champions watching this match today!! No wonder there are so many strange IDs in the stream!”

A massive influx of Fans from around the globe tuned in to watch this match. Overseas broadcasts always required some delay, and many Fans wanted to see the match results firsthand.

Rumors had it that Xiao Yin maintained a very good relationship with his old Team QILIN, with no discord incidents. He even let them take two youth training team members, now known as Grey Cat and Hydralisk.

This was considered extremely rare.

The live stream was on fire, with many domestic viewers suddenly feeling a tension comparable to the Grand Final.

“Damn, the domestic Grand Final didn’t even have this many people! Knowing that there are World Champions watching the match with us, I’m so nervous.”

While the domestic scene was still hyping up RS, with CN’s Esports headlines and game promotions all turning into “RS’s Rising Star’s First Match of the Second Round of the Regular Season,” this couldn’t stop the live stream’s rising heat, which was mainly driven by VIT’s Fans.

Simultaneously, global Tournament followers were spontaneously joining in.

In the eyes of more international viewers, VIT was the truly renowned Team—Yin’s new Team!

As for RS, they were just an obscure Team from the Asia Server Region that had never made it out.

In terms of media hype, RS was already embarrassingly losing the upper hand.

The RS Behind the Scenes Team was desperately contacting the Tournament broadcasters: “Tell the Commentators to stop bringing up the outside buzz! Don’t let the audience focus on the external hype! Shift the topic to the BP!”

The message was received, and the Commentators quickly adjusted their focus.

BP had already begun. According to the rules, both sides had five minutes to choose their Tactics.

Rong Yi leaned back in his chair, arms crossed, his head slightly tilted as he watched Grey Cat make the BP choices from the side. His presence was calm and cool.

No outsiders were allowed in the Training Room, but referees had to be there. Each side had five referees, and most of them were already familiar with Rong Yi. They stood behind, watching VIT make their Tactic choices.

Despite the time and place being inappropriate, the angle of his jawline and the elegant figure from behind were enough to make people understand how many would go crazy for him.

One referee couldn’t help but whisper, “It’s really a pity Easy doesn’t appear on camera.”

The others nodded in agreement.

They had nothing to do with Rong Yi personally; it was just a spontaneous reaction to seeing a good-looking person, albeit somewhat inappropriately.

Grey Cat finished selecting the Lineup and a few simple counter-picks.

Rong Yi glanced at it and then asked, “Are you sure?”

Grey Cat was visibly nervous. He said, “Is it okay, Captain? I think… I still want to go all out against them. After all, they are the national champions.”

“Sure.”

Rong Yi nodded.

Nothing compares to real combat for training. Grey Cat and Hydralisk lacked high-frequency, high-quality Arena experience, and Rong Yi was completely calm about this aspect.

The match began!

RS had the first move, immediately banning Yin, ensuring they couldn’t let Yin into the game.

RS’s first pick was the Jungler Lang Bai. According to BP habits, they would typically snatch a strong Champion first, or use a “pick to ban” strategy (i.e., securing a key Champion first to prevent the opponent from getting a favorable role).

“First, BAN Yin!” the Commentators began their discussion.

Typically, in the BP phase, teams either secure their own system or counter the opponent’s system.

VIT didn’t have a rigid system but relied heavily on coordination. Currently, their strengths lay in Yin, Li, and Hydralisk’s signature three-shooter setup. Wu Daogu’s Top Laner could also unexpectedly execute lethal Tactic combinations.

The dilemma was whether to continue targeting Xiao Yin or to secure their own system.

“Lang Bai is very likely to pick Di again! It fits their system and prevents Yin from choosing it,” the audience and Commentators watched the screen countdown together.

Di, the top-tier Jungler Champion in the League, was highly versatile—fast, with both damage and tankiness, making him a stable choice for the Jungler position.

The camera panned to RS’s young rookie Jungler.

Lang Bai was the strongest of the new generation of Junglers in the domestic scene, without a doubt. At nineteen, he was wild and rebellious. He stared at the screen before him for a few seconds and then suddenly chose Li.

Li’s agile form appeared on everyone’s screen.

Even the Commentators were taken aback. “Li…?”

If the goal was to limit Li, it made sense since this Mage could also be used as a Jungler.

But the problem was that no one in RS had ever picked Li before, and Li didn’t fit RS’s typical operations style.

Rong Yi lifted his gaze and saw Li selected on the opposing panel.

“Do you know what he’s thinking?” Xiao Yin suddenly asked.

Rong Yi shook his head. “Probably just a show of intimidation; he does this often.”

Xiao Yin said calmly, “Actually, it’s chosen for you to see.”

Rong Yi was taken aback.

In the last three seconds of the countdown, in the silent tension, Lang Bai stared intently at the opposing panel. His gaze deepened, and he ultimately switched back to Di and locked in the pick.

The second pick quickly locked in mother of the earth, intending to hand it to Xiao Yun.

On VIT’s side, Grey Cat had the first pick. He banned two irrelevant positions and then, following Rong Yi’s suggestion, chose the Support Champion, Memory Key.

Memory Key, affectionately nicknamed Little Key by players, had the ability to rewind the state and position of himself and nearby Teammates by 0.8 seconds. This was exceptionally difficult to execute, and even Pro Players rarely picked it in the Arena.

The major reason was that this 0.8-second rewind meant that life and death were entirely in the hands of the Support player.

A skilled player could bring the entire team back from the brink of death, but it could also backfire and harm all Teammates—if the rewind placed them in a weaker state or a more dangerous position, it would undoubtedly make them the team’s Old Six.

Grey Cat hadn’t practiced this Champion extensively before, but his primary pick, mother of the earth, had been taken by the opposing team. Their Jungler was Di, known for high burst damage and healing reduction.

If mother of the earth was considered a top-tier difficulty Champion, then Little Key was definitely in a league of its own.

In the Arena, Little Key’s Win Rate had never surpassed 20%.

Rong Yi glanced at Grey Cat. He was tightly pressing his lips together, fully focused on the opposing Tactics panel, his fingers trembling slightly.

Rong Yi smiled. “I remember my first Starter match. We were up against RO, who were ranked first domestically at the time. That was the team Yin-Ge was on before he joined us.”

Everyone looked up at him.

Grey Cat also snapped out of his tension and sneaked a look, eagerly awaiting the rest of the story.

“I picked Little Key back then,” Rong Yi said. “I got beaten pretty badly. I was the only one on the team causing deaths. The final score was 12:6. Of the twelve times we died, eight were because I didn’t activate the skill at the right moment.”

“But that’s how matches go. The Support’s role is to elevate the team’s potential limits. Escorting the team to victory is not the Support’s only responsibility. The significance of the Support is that they are the gateway to the team’s opportunities.”

“Opportunities are rare and hard to come by, but the Support position is about turning these opportunities into certainty. This is what makes the Support role unique in esports.”

“It’s the only position that has to overcome all the unknowns. So before that happens, mistakes and bad luck are inevitable.”

Rong Yi concluded, “That’s all I wanted to say.”

The opposing team locked in a Di-mother of the earth Jungler-Support combo. Rong Yi selected Li and locked it in.

After hearing Rong Yi’s words, Grey Cat’s eyes brightened slightly.

Xiao Yin was once again forced into a utility role, likely passing the farm to Wu Daogu and focusing on roaming and vision control, coordinating with Rong Yi.

The Bullet Screen was already buzzing.

“Yin-Ge, the true Support.”

“Except for the world champion, everyone on this team is a key player.”

“Yin-Ge, the true carry.”

“Don’t forget, Easy is also a world champion! Li, the strongest pillar.”

“Hydralisk: the true Top Lane.”

Due to Grey Cat’s intentional disadvantage simulation during BP, they faced an uphill battle from the start.

RS’s skill level was indeed different. Lang Bai’s Jungler style was quite seasoned. With Earth Mother’s Hard Crowd Control, they expanded their advantage after continuous Disconnections in the bottom lane. They began to blockade and dominate the bottom lane, then shifted their focus to the mid and top lanes, aiming to exacerbate the wound.

“VIT’s Support Grey Cat is indeed not very proficient with Little Key. Mainly because Little Key is highly challenging to play. If he doesn’t use his skills, the opponents don’t make a move, very cunning,” the Commentator noted.

The Tournament live stream replayed several small Team Fights in the bottom lane, showing Grey Cat and Hydralisk facing clear disadvantages once again.

Netizens, both domestic and international, started commenting.

“It’s true that he’s a rookie, still not very proficient. In actual combat, he lacks the experience compared to RS.”

“In comparison, RS’s Support is slightly better… Ah! RS’s Support, he—”

Just as everyone was comparing the Supports, the screen suddenly changed.

After consuming the minion wave and Xiao Yin’s two Jungle resources, Rong Yi created a fake vision and then charged directly into the bottom Jungle.

With a swift move, he targeted Xiao Yun.

The blade wind swirled, Xiao Yun used all his skills decisively and cast a Q, but Rong Yi preempted this move, maneuvering behind him, bypassing him, and targeted Lang Bai, who was accumulating passive skills!

Lang Bai took two full hits from Rong Yi, and without hesitation, used all his skills on Rong Yi. Rong Yi was briefly controlled and couldn’t dodge the ultimate, getting Low Health. Grey Cat Flashed in and took the brunt of the damage for him.

Hydralisk managed to escape.

At the same time, Rong Yi returned to his position from 0.8 seconds earlier—right in front of Xiao Yun!

Li’s skills flowed seamlessly, directly killing Xiao Yun, who had exhausted his skills and hadn’t retreated!

In a flash, Li used all seven skills on his panel, his Flash went on cooldown, and his damage was explosive.

In such a short time, Rong Yi even flashed a small emote, then returned to the tower under Xiao Yin’s physical escort.

The Commentators and the audience went wild. It took several replays for them to explain what had just happened.

“First wave! First successful cooperation with the Support, Little Key sent Li back! RS’s Xiao Yun had no chance to react because no one expected him to dare to come back with Low Health!”

“Yes, Xiao Yun was waiting for his skills, still focused on RS’s ADC, not realizing he was the one being targeted!”

“Easy was so smooth! He teleported back before I even realized it, and his skill direction was aimed right at Xiao Yun!”

Rong Yi played beautifully.

Li is a high-mobility Champion. Most players use him as an Assassin, focusing on picking off targets and farming resources in a methodical manner. However, Rong Yi used him in a way that seemed effortlessly graceful, employing his mobility for both travel and escape, exuding a sense of calm confidence.

As he began his recall, he spoke into the mic, “Check the ward above the river. There’s a surprise.”

“Really?”

Hydralisk, having just left base at full health, eagerly followed Rong Yi’s suggestion, bringing Grey Cat along to investigate. They were promptly ambushed by Lang Bai, who had been lying in wait in the bush. “Damn it!”

Rong Yi’s voice was cheerful, “Surprised?”

Hydralisk’s health bar vanished in an instant and then was quickly restored, sending him back to his position from 0.8 seconds earlier, where he resumed clearing minions.

Grey Cat remained silent.

Unnoticed by the others, he had successfully executed two skill sequences.

The first sequence to protect Rong Yi during his recall, and the second to safeguard Hydralisk while scouting the bush.

A thousand training sessions couldn’t compare to one actual match. Under the Captain’s guidance, VIT’s Support was rapidly improving.

And those with a keen eye could see that Easy was orchestrating the entire rhythm of the game.

Grey Cat was being led by Rong Yi, systematically dismantling RS’s early-game advantage.

On the surface, RS still held a significant lead, with a four thousand gold advantage.

But only the referees and coaches knew that behind the scenes, the atmosphere among RS’s players was growing increasingly tense.

The most demoralizing situation isn’t starting the game on the back foot, but rather being slowly dismantled after gaining an early lead.

Especially during the match, when previously seamless operations are disrupted by the enemy’s blocks and restrictions, everything begins to slide irreversibly into an abyss.

No one voiced it, but Rong Yi’s pressure loomed over them all.

He knew them too well.

Every position, movement habit, and laning style—this sensation of being constantly restricted was like a heavy boulder, gradually suffocating them.

Each of them had been personally mentored by Rong Yi, yet now they realized how little they truly knew about him.