Chapter 19

This encounter with VIT left Qi Su quite frustrated.

Upon returning, every member of RS had a visibly displeased expression.

“No matter what, there’s no need for us to bicker with them. Easy has already left, and even though VIT has YIN, they’ll have to start competing from Group B. They don’t qualify as our rivals yet.”

Qi Su grabbed his phone, reviewed the data once more, and issued a new command: “Xiao Yun, extend your streaming time by an hour each day. Practice Earth Mother as a support. Later, we’ll arrange a public scrim against a weaker team. Make sure to pull off some highlight-worthy plays to facilitate post-production editing and boost our popularity operations.”

Xiao Yun, nervously fidgeting with his fingers, asked uneasily, “What about training time?”

“We have plenty of training time. We’re playing in Group A’s Regular Season. Are you worried about not having enough matches?”

Qi Su calmly stated, “But if you can’t secure the Popular Star endorsement, it affects the entire team. We’re an All-Star lineup. If you can’t become a star player and make a name for yourself, you might not be able to stay with RS. Do you understand?”

Xiao Yun gritted his teeth and nodded firmly.

RS’s packaging standard is second to none. As long as your skills are decent and your looks are acceptable, coupled with their promotion and network within the League, gaining popularity is a breeze.

Currently, Xiao Yun is leading the Popular Star fan vote, though not by a significant margin.

To widen that gap, he still needs a large amount of casual player support.

Though the League has a good relationship with RS, such critical data can’t be fabricated. Endorsement sponsors require genuine data and popularity. Compared to the vast number of casual players, team fans represent a very small percentage.

On the other hand, VIT completely disregarded this Popular Star affair.

The Regular Season had already begun. In the first week, as a newly stabilized team in the League, VIT had three consecutive matches scheduled within half a month, making it a very tight schedule.

Group B only has one qualification spot for promotion. This means that they must secure the top spot in Group B early in the season, then advance to Group A, and finish at least in the top four to earn a ticket to the domestic Grand Final.

This year, VIT is the only team widely anticipated to rise from Group B all the way to Group S.

Group B, the lowest tier of the League, is humorously referred to by commentators and players as the “mutual feeding group.”

Apart from a few strong teams relegated from higher groups and newly formed teams, most of the teams struggling in Group B are old, dwindling squads.

They once basked in glory, even standing on the podium during the early days of the League. Many players and spectators still remember their names, but their present-day performances are long forgotten.

All that remains for them might be a fleeting mention in casual conversation.

“Do you remember so-and-so from that team?”

“No, I don’t.”

“Are they still playing?”

“I think they’re not playing anymore.”

In professional competitions, winning can extend a player’s career. As long as you can win, you can keep playing. No pro player can bear the constant consequences of losing, but winning and losing are the only unavoidable aspects of the game.

Seeing Rong Yi looking at the schedule, Xiao Yin pulled up a chair and sat next to him. “Any teams you’re particularly concerned about?”

“Not really. It’s just that it’s my first time in Group B, and seeing many familiar faces from the past makes me feel nostalgic.”

Rong Yi stared at the paper in front of him, then shook his head and said, “It’s okay.”

Xiao Yin nodded without pressing further. He asked, “The match is about to start. Do you have anything to say to everyone?”

In the training room, everyone else was there. They all put down their mice and keyboards, looking over attentively.

Rong Yi lowered his eyelashes slightly. “We’re playing in Group B, an easy Group B. It’s entirely normal for us to sweep all the teams, so I don’t have many demands regarding the matches.”

“But I have only one requirement: always compete with respect for the game,” Rong Yi said. “You can practice champions, you can practice mechanics, but you can’t pick ridiculous champions or use taunting strategies.”

“For example, picking Li to play AD isn’t a new strategy, but if it’s just for show, I absolutely won’t allow it.”

“On and off the field, you can talk trash, but you must never insult the opposing players.”

“If you think the opponents are too weak, then end the match as quickly as possible.”

Rong Yi raised his eyes, his peach blossom eyes glinting with a sharper, colder edge than usual, intimidating the other three so much that they didn’t dare to speak.

Xiao Yin said, “I agree. Although none of you have done this before, I agree that these rules need to be included in our team regulations. It’s not just us today; all future members of VIT must also adhere to them.”

“Agreed!”

“No problem! We’ll follow them!”

The others became serious and reliable when it came to official matters, and everyone unanimously agreed to this team rule and decision.

Their schedule was tight, with three matches packed into fifteen days, followed by nearly a month-long gap.

As the Regular Season began, the excitement for this season’s matches was unusually high.

Xiao Yin’s return to the country brought many retired players back to the game, reigniting their interest in esports. VIT starting from Group B further encouraged many to abandon Group S matches and watch from Group B instead.

Fans of the stronger teams also kept a close eye on VIT with considerable interest and vigilance鈥”VIT was likely to be this year’s dark horse, and sooner or later, their main team would face VIT!

On the first match day, VIT faced Team MIX.

Before entering the arena, Rong Yi pointed to the team regulations they had brought along. Everyone nodded knowingly and then took their respective seats.

The players from both sides briefly met backstage. Rong Yi was still wearing a hat and mask, deliberately avoiding the staff’s cameras.

The black hat and mask made his skin look even paler, giving him a sharp appearance.

In the entire team, only he and Xiao Yin wore masks. Both wore black T-shirts and cargo shorts, but Rong Yi looked fresh and clean, like a college student, while Xiao Yin looked like a stern gang leader.

Before taking his seat, Grey Cat whispered to Hydralisk, “Do you think those are couple outfits?”

“They both look like gang leaders.”

The referee’s announcement silenced them, and they all focused on the game.

During the BP phase, Rong Yi handed over the counter-pick decisions to Grey Cat.

This was something they hadn’t practiced in their scrims. Grey Cat took a deep breath and then quietly shared his thoughts.

Among the entire team, Grey Cat was the youngest and least experienced in actual matches. Hydralisk had played in the Intercontinental Tournament with Xiao Yin, and Wu Daogu had extensive experience in the pro scene both domestically and internationally. Grey Cat, however, was stepping onto the arena for the first time.

In the first round of BP, Grey Cat showed his inexperience. Due to his unfamiliarity with the domestic system, VIT ended up with a slightly disadvantageous lineup.

The opposing team immediately banned Li and Yin.

The viewers in the live stream were buzzing with discussion.

“VIT’s BP seems a bit casual. Well, maybe not casual, but definitely a bit chaotic.”

“The ideas are good… Wait a second, who’s their coach? VIT doesn’t seem to have even listed a coach. That’s so strange.”

“Right! In their weekend variety show, their coach didn’t appear either.”

After chatting for a while, the netizens’ attention quickly shifted back to the match.

The truth became evident: with absolute strength, lineup issues were minor.

VIT played far more aggressively than anyone had expected—Rong Yi secured a double kill in the mid lane within the first minute, completely suppressing the opponent despite their attempts to counter with numerous skills.

Rong Yi wasn’t even using Li this time; he was playing Meng Luoluo, another support-oriented mid laner commonly seen in the League. Even with basic maneuvers, he was able to dominate the match.

The momentum began with the mid laner, and Rong Yi showed no mercy, pushing whenever he could.

Whenever he was on the arena, he was fully focused. To him, the opponents were just part of the game; his pursuit was always the answer closest to the limit.

Even though countless people had predicted a clean sweep before the match, not even the commentators expected VIT to hold back at all. From Rong Yi’s lead, everyone played with utmost seriousness.

“VIT is playing even more seriously than MIX!”

A commentator accidentally voiced his genuine opinion.

It’s a fact that Group B had been slacking off more and more in recent years. Even when strong teams occasionally came down, they would play their way back up to Group A.

This was the first strong team to take Group B this seriously.

VIT’s style was inherently sharp and invasive. Rong Yi single-handedly orchestrated all three lanes, and the match was almost effortlessly dominated by him.

Game time: twelve and a half minutes.

This set the record for the fastest game finish in Group B of the League.

Rong Yi also broke another record—the highest damage per minute by a mid laner in the professional League.

Throughout the entire game, Rong Yi dealt 67.7% of the total damage. Xiao Yin and Hydralisk only managed a few assists, and Wu Daogu didn’t even get one.

“This isn’t a match; it’s a massacre.”

The commentator accurately stated, “Facing Easy, the opponents really had no chance to fight back. Once again, in the face of absolute strength, there is nothing to resist.”

More and more viewers flooded into the live stream.

In this game, they truly saw a brand-new team—one with a style, configuration, and tactics the League had never seen before.

At the same time, as Rong Yi, the unseen mid laner of VIT, the former captain of RS, and the current captain of VIT, his search rate and click-through rate skyrocketed.

In corners unnoticed by him, his votes steadily and quietly surged upwards.