Chapter 80

With the third place decided, next up is the real deal: the Championship Match!

Time is tight. It’s happening the very next day, leaving almost no room for special preparations. In fact, the Grand Final had already been hyped for more than half a month during the match between VIT and RS.

The night before the match, preparations and promotions were in full swing from all sides. Now that the results of the Loser’s Bracket match were out, all the publicity had bold slogans plastered everywhere.

VIT vs CH: Championship Battle

The hype around this match was spreading like wildfire, trending non-stop. The media was chasing interviews, and every bit of information was being scrutinized and analyzed by the audience and fans. The number of people placing bets was countless.

In this atmosphere, even the team emblems of VIT and CH were becoming popular.

This excitement was continually attracting new audiences and fans, curious to learn more about the esports pro scene.

On the day of the match, the streets and alleys near the league building were filled with people. Everyone had the free stickers and team flags distributed by the organizers on their faces, wandering around excitedly and discussing the upcoming match. Many were even trying their luck to get their hands on Grand Final tickets, asking anyone and everyone if they were selling.

“Are you nervous?”

In the car heading to the venue, everyone was unusually squeezed in together.

Rong Yi smiled and asked the younger players.

Hydralisk and Grey Cat didn’t say anything, but they were clearly a bit nervous.

To be honest, they were rookies, new to the scene. While they might not have much international reputation, the scale of domestic matches was bigger than the Intercontinental Tournament.

This was their first exposure to a top-tier tournament.

Potato Chip was so nervous he couldn’t even speak.

He had never experienced anything like this before, and his whole body was trembling.

“Why are you shaking? You’re unlikely to even play,” Wu Daogu calmly reassured him.

“I know, but I’m still nervous,” Potato Chip said. “If the captain and the seniors win, I’ll be the first person to get a championship medal without even playing a single match.”

Potato Chip’s voice was trembling too. “The biggest match I’ve played in was the National League… and we came in second… I’ve never seen anything like this…”

Hydralisk and Grey Cat tried to comfort him, “We’re nervous too. We haven’t played in any matches before this; we’ve only been in youth training abroad.”

Potato Chip: “…”

That already sounds pretty impressive!

Potato Chip asked, “Where did you do your Youth Training? Was it with Gu-Ge’s Intercontinental Tournament team?”

“In QILIN,” Rong Yi said casually.

Potato Chip: “…”

They didn’t travel with the League Organizer’s vehicle to avoid being photographed. Even if they arrived early, they would still get mobbed.

Xiao Yin had the idea to switch cars, but Rong Yi vetoed his suggestion to swap their van for a “more low-key” Bentley. Instead, Rong Yi borrowed a third-hand car from Lin Yi, supposedly bought cheaply from a driving school.

The car windows were tinted, completely blocking any view inside. The back of the car had a large “Driving School Car, Please Avoid” sign.

While passersby were puzzled about why a driving school car was there, they still gave it a wide berth.

Someone knocked on the front window. It was a worker selling merchandise on the street.

“Hi, do you want any VIT or CH team merchandise?”

They didn’t recognize Potato Chip sitting in the front seat. In the back, the four of them were squeezed together, Xiao Yin holding Rong Yi in his arms. Everyone wore baseball caps and masks, looking like they were on the run.

Potato Chip had never done this before. He loudly asked the back, “Bosses, do we want some?”

“Yes, yes, we don’t seem to have these yet.”

Hydralisk said in a low voice, “The League’s merchandise is stingy. They say they’ll give us the leftovers if there’s any after the arena sales, but it’s been selling well.”

“How much for one?” Potato Chip asked.

“Badges are 35 each, tattoo stickers are five each.”

“That’s daylight robbery!”

Potato Chip grumbled as he paid and got one for each team member.

Rong Yi reached out to take one and looked at it.

The VIT badge was a silver wolf, with silver and blue as the main colors. It was actually quite beautiful.

He opened a tattoo sticker and looked at Xiao Yin, who was dressed formally in a shirt. “Yin-Ge, want one?”

Xiao Yin took off his baseball cap, lifted his bangs slightly, and tilted his face towards Rong Yi, his eyes narrowing slightly with silent indulgence.

Rong Yi swiftly applied the sticker to his face with a “pop” and then pinned the badge on him.

“And you?”

Xiao Yin looked up at him, so Rong Yi obediently leaned over.

Xiao Yin applied the sticker on him too.

The others also helped each other put on the stickers, and soon the whole team was sporting their team’s emblems.

This scene brought a lot of joy.

Everyone looked at each other’s faces, all decorated like a colorful mess. Somehow, it evoked a nostalgic sense of childhood excitement and happiness.

This happiness diluted the tension that had been permeating the car just moments ago.

Riding in their third-hand driving school car, they smoothly entered the Arena.

After standing here countless times over the past five years, even though it was the Champion match, Rong Yi felt as calm as ever. Standing backstage, he watched the flickering lights and the countless spectators under the big screen, feeling more composed than usual.

It was still his team; the people behind him had changed, and so had the opponents.

The Tournament was ever-changing, but what no one knew was that the most silent part of Rong Yi’s heart was the most steadfast and certain.

The domestic Championship was his battlefield, his alone. From beginning to end, he had always been preparing for the highest level of the Arena.

A faint glimmer flickered in Rong Yi’s eyes.

Xiao Yin turned his head to look at him.

It was rare; he could clearly sense the emotions radiating from Rong Yi. It wasn’t nervousness or seasoned calmness.

It was excitement. A composed, calm excitement.

The kind of excitement that comes from waiting a long time and finally arriving at the promised land.

The pre-match draw began, and the BP phase officially started!

The opponents had the first BP and banned the highest DPS Champion, Empress, leaving VIT with the first pick.

“Who wants to go first?”

Hydralisk asked. His Empress had already been banned; the opponents had clearly taken note of his performance against RS yesterday.

If they couldn’t control the ADC, they would limit the ADC’s output.

The Bloodlust mechanism of Empress made her the highest DPS ADC in the current patch. Even though Hydralisk could still switch to other favorite ADCs, the output efficiency was bound to be reduced.

Usually, the team would prioritize picking Champions for the bottom lane duo, but this time Rong Yi spoke first.

“Give me Li.”

Without another word, Hydralisk selected Li and handed it over to Rong Yi.

VIT’s first pick was Li. Li’s figure appeared on both big screens, flashing for three seconds. With the holographic projection, Li descended above the heads of all the spectators, the blade’s light sweeping across the entire arena, making the surrounding air chill for a moment.

Li’s voice echoed throughout the venue.

“Have you ever seen the winter of the northern sky?”

The audience didn’t expect such a segment in the finals and erupted in screams, nearly fainting.

So cool!!!

Choosing Li in the first round, on the other side in the Training Room, Lu Feng could already sense the killing intent akin to winter.

Lu Feng smiled.

“Indeed, it’s the Grand Final, a bit fierce.”

The team members behind him had never seen such a spectacle. They exchanged glances and tried to remain calm.

CH had undergone a content rotation this year, the team was reset, and young players like Silver Wing had just been promoted from Youth Training and the Substitute bench.

Reaching the Grand Final had already far exceeded their expectations.

Although they knew facing VIT would be tough, this was still an invaluable opportunity.

The BP phase ended, and all Champions were selected!

As Hydralisk entered the stage, he heard Xiao Yin say.

“Little snake.”

Hydralisk looked up, “Hmm?”

“Keep an eye on your Captain Rong this game.”

Hydralisk didn’t understand but replied, “Got it.”

The core of VIT had always been the Mid Lane, though it wasn’t obvious to outsiders because most of the time, Rong Yi was the one actively coordinating with the other three lanes, rather than the other way around.

But this game was different.

Just like last time, CH reinforced their defenses and aggressively attacked the bottom lane. Hydralisk and Grey Cat maneuvered and responded, both sides exchanging turret damage. Meanwhile, CH upgraded their defenses round after round, with each turret upgrade focusing on defense and recovery effects.

No matter how much damage was dealt, it was healed. Neither side had made any mistakes, and neither had found a significant breakthrough.

CH’s defensive tactics were indeed a tough nut to crack.

However—

At 3:50, Rong Yi cut into the bot lane!

Everyone was converging on Hydralisk. Hydralisk recalled to base to replenish, Lu Feng retreated, and the ADC and Support, whose health had been halved, tried to return to the turret to farm and restore the turret’s health.

No one expected Rong Yi to appear at that moment, especially since the enemy in the Mid Lane hadn’t left yet. Just one more minion and they could have taken the turret.

Xiao Yin had shown up in the Top Lane, leaving the Mid Lane truly deserted!

Rong Yi’s sudden move to gank the bottom lane was a surprise to everyone. As soon as Rong Yi appeared, Lu Feng decisively shifted to the Mid Lane, coordinating with his mid-laner to take down VIT’s Mid Lane turret.

At the same time, Rong Yi bypassed CH’s Support, Silver Wing, and killed the opposing ADC under the turret!

One kill wasn’t enough. Rong Yi dove deeper, catching the Support who was trying to escape, completing a Double Kill just before being taken down by the turret.

The system announced: “[destructive power!]”

This was an exchange, a trade of resources.

CH knew that the Mid Lane and bottom lane were in a bad state and would definitely be picked off. Rong Yi sacrificed the Mid Lane, creating a potential opening or perhaps having a deeper strategy.

But this was their optimal choice. The battlefield was ever-changing, and resource exchange was crucial.

Rong Yi gave up the Mid Lane turret, trading it for two kills on CH’s side. CH had to fully capitalize on what Rong Yi left behind, or they would gain nothing.

The commentators were shouting into their mics.

“That’s the Mid Lane turret! What is Easy planning? That’s the Mid Lane turret! What is VIT doing?”

“CH has taken down VIT’s Mid Lane turret—”

Everyone familiar with defensive operations knew what this meant. It signified a significant advantage in the minion wave, shrinking the enemy’s defensive map, and reducing the depth at which their minion waves could push.

In front of the screens, everyone’s faces were solemn.

“If they go back now, they might be able to defend and perhaps even counter-kill one—” Even Lin Yi, who had never seen such a situation, was shouting alongside his partner, “He didn’t go back—Grey Cat followed Easy! The two of them are still in the bottom lane!”

“Hydralisk has replenished his health and is now heading to the Mid Lane. Hydralisk sold all his equipment and bought defensive items—”

“Incredible, at five and a half minutes into the game, the Mid Lane turret is down, and the Mid Lane and bottom lane have swapped!”

Now everyone could see it. VIT was using an incredible strategy to take down CH’s bottom lane.

Hydralisk was stationed in the Mid Lane. As an ADC, he naturally had high output and sustained damage. After building defensive equipment, his task became that of a wave-clear machine.

He firmly held his position at the second Mid Lane turret, no matter how much the enemy mid-laner harassed him. He neither advanced nor retreated a single step.

Xiao Yin had already arrived at the bottom lane, standing in the open vision of the river, blocking the path between Rong Yi and the others.

Rong Yi was chipping away at the turret.

Without a minion wave, Grey Cat, with mother of the earth’s 14,000 health, tanked the turret, resetting turret aggro with each hit. Seven times the turret attacked, and seven times Rong Yi retreated and re-engaged, his double blades stacking dual auto-attacks, chipping away at the turret right before everyone’s eyes.

Lu Feng rushed back, but Xiao Yin used a control ability to drag him back. CH’s mid-laner and the respawned bottom lane duo sped towards the fight, but it was too late.

As Silver Wing entered the turret’s range, Grey Cat used Flash to control him, smashing the ground with a hammer. The ADC managed to dodge, but Silver Wing was controlled and killed on the spot.

Simultaneously, Grey Cat completed his final turret-tanking duty and died under the enemy turret.

Rong Yi also fell under the turret.

The system announced: “[VIT.EASY] has been killed by [Red Team Turret].”

But at the same time—

The system announced: “[Red Team Turret] has been destroyed by [VIT.EASY]!”

VIT instantly lost two members, the bottom lane turret was taken down, and Xiao Yin completed his blocking mission. He sprinted around the side, using Flash to dive into his own bottom lane turret, but his health was critically low. Lu Feng turret-dived and executed a strong kill, taking Xiao Yin’s head.

VIT instantly lost three members!

Outside the game, Lin Yi was commentating rapidly and intensely, almost passing out.

Less than ten minutes into the game, losing three members instantly—what kind of hellish situation was this?

“Easy, Yin, and Grey Cat are all dead! The enemy team is still fully alive!” The arena was boiling over, everyone was shouting and screaming, “They really sacrificed everything to take down the enemy’s bottom turret! What kind of strategy is this!”

“This is such a huge loss, such a huge loss! I’m about to faint!”

“But VIT is clearly well-trained; they planned this.”

“The wave was cleared by Hydralisk in advance! Hydralisk knew Lu Feng and the Support weren’t there, so he cleared the mid wave first! The enemy mid-laner didn’t dare to face him head-on!”

No one knew that despite CH’s seemingly advantageous situation, their training room was in a tense deadlock.

Sweat appeared on Lu Feng’s forehead.

Only he understood VIT’s tactic.

The shift occurred when Rong Yi moved to the bottom lane, willing to sacrifice everything to chip away at the bottom turret.

VIT trading the Mid Lane turret was not about resource exchange or bait; it was a strategic objective.

“We never planned on keeping the Mid Lane turret.”

“We can control the early minion wave.”

Ten minutes earlier, Rong Yi’s calm voice resonated in the training room, “But the enemy’s defensive setup heavily relies on the shape of their formation.”

“The Top Lane, Mid Lane, and bottom lane resource points form a solid wall.”

“But once they gain Mid Lane advantage and push forward, their defensive line protrudes in the Mid Lane. Their vision and resource coverage area shift from a flat plane to two triangular areas, effectively increasing their defensive burden.”

“There are no protruding defensive walls in the world, no protruding phalanxes. Those protruding formations are meant for offense.”

Rong Yi continued, “The vision risk and human resources they need to invest have increased.”

In a MOBA game, the essence is to push turrets.

Going further.

Strategic thinking involves both card play and terrain consideration, akin to a battle flag.

A battle flag relies on understanding the terrain.

“Keep attacking, don’t stop for a moment.”

“I’ll be the blade.”

“I’ll pry open their wall.”

Everyone was surprised to find that despite VIT losing three members, CH almost failed to make any effective push.

Wu Daogu held the Top Lane firmly, Hydralisk cleared the Mid Lane minion wave, and the bottom lane, having been pushed by Rong Yi, had minions yet to arrive.

Before Xiao Yin came down, he had already cleared the jungle on that side.

VIT lost three members, yet hardly lost any resources.

On the contrary, because CH tried to push further, they increased their vision exposure time. Both the mid-laner and Lu Feng were spotted by Hydralisk, and VIT’s shared map awareness was constantly updated.

In other words, with full map vision, all five members of VIT had a clear picture of the game.

Rong Yi had truly become an extremely thin, incredibly sharp blade. He pried out that single brick, and what followed was the complete collapse of the solid defense.

He gently pulled out that brick.

The remaining cracks gradually widened until, finally, everything fell apart.

“Li, Li has gone for full attack equipment!”

“Easy’s damage output is now higher than the ADC’s! EASY can die with just two hits! But he has rotated to the Top Lane again! He’s dead set on taking down turrets!”

Rong Yi threw CH into complete disarray.

At the twelfth minute, Rong Yi took down CH’s top turret.

He died once again. So far, Rong Yi’s score was not impressive: 2-2. But everyone could see that he had become an unstoppable force.

“This is the fastest CH has ever lost turrets with this lineup this season!”

“How could this be? VIT was the one to lose their Mid turret, so why is CH crumbling so fast?”

“I heard VIT’s Competition Training Team uses AI computing power. Could this tactic have been calculated by AI too? This is unbelievable!”

Xiao Yin played the utility role this game, guarding his entire Jungle to let Rong Yi and Hydralisk take the resources.

“Come get the blue buff,” Xiao Yin said briefly into the mic.

“On my way~”

Rong Yi, with low health, sprinted over. Li, in a silver-white outfit, looked like moonlight turned into a blade. Cold, dazzling, and unstoppable.

The system announced: “Unstoppable,” and Rong Yi casually repeated the word.

“I’m already unstoppable~”

“You are already unstoppable,” Xiao Yin glanced at him, a smile on his lips. The soundproofing of the training room and their headsets couldn’t block the roaring cheers outside, “You are already unbeatable.”