Ci She has begun special training.

He is a person who follows through on his words.

The reason VIT has not implemented internal militarization training thus far is because everyone understands their limits and prioritizes doing the right thing; there is no room for compromise.

If a mistake is made, it is acknowledged; if there is a challenge, it is confronted directly. Both Rong Yi and Xiao Yin hold high expectations for themselves, making it impossible for others to relax.

This is actually a rather rare talent.

Before 7 a.m., when everyone usually gathers for breakfast, Ci She has already spent a full hour in the silent training room adjacent to the main training area.

Inside the silent training room, all noise is isolated, and the data software is running. The coordinates of five simulated opponents on the screen are rapidly changing. With complete blind vision, Ci She deduces the data of both enemy and friendly forces, assessing their attack power based on the fluctuations in the panel data.

It is challenging. After practicing ten thousand times, it might become a reflex, but before reaching that ten thousandth repetition, it is the result of the brain operating under extreme strain.

The soundproof walls in the silent room were just installed a few days ago, and the air conditioning has yet to be turned on. The room is excessively hot. They look through the glass door of the training room and see the Ci She’s back drenched in sweat.

Even the auntie feels a bit sorry for him. “He ate fifteen small buns before entering. I told him it’s hot in there and he should find somewhere else, but he refused.”

Hui Mao silently grumbles, “He can really eat… I wonder why the buns are missing half at the beginning…”

Rong Yi and Xiao Yin exchange a glance.

Rong Yi says, “Yesterday, Xiao She mentioned that this training mode somewhat limits his talent.”

Xiao Yin understands and chuckles.

“His true talent lies right here.”

Go all out or die trying, either fully master it or perish—this is Ci She’s innate character.

They have not started yet today, so Rong Yi takes the opportunity to chat.

“How were they selected back then? Was it based solely on this aspect?”

“It was based solely on this aspect,” Xiao Yin’s tone is indifferent. “I really dislike the attitude of some e-sports players, always playing it safe, never pushing themselves. They seem to believe that by doing so, the championship will magically fall into their laps. ‘Avoiding mistakes’ and ‘staying stable’ are the most meaningless evaluations.”

Rong Yi nods, instantly recalling numerous players she knows.

“Some people choose this path for their livelihood and to prolong their professional careers,” Xiao Yin casually adds, “but if they choose that way, it’s only natural for them to lose.”

“So,” Hui Mao spoke up with a hint of sadness, “You didn’t choose us because of our talent. We know now.”

Wu Dao Gu sighed. “We know.”

Xiao Yin remained silent.

“So, in the boss’s eyes, we’re nothing,” Hui Mao mockingly raised a hand to his heart. “Spread the word: Yin says the other four members of the team have no talent.”

Rong Yi burst into laughter, joining in on the fun. He squinted his eyes and feigned innocence. “I got it.”

The morning light shone through the glass window, softly captivating as golden rays separated the cold and hot on the floor.

Rong Yi’s face, partially illuminated, had a playful and lively sparkle in his eyes, along with a gentleness and radiance that unintentionally appeared when someone looked at him.

Xiao Yin didn’t say a word. He simply gazed into his eyes, and his body leaned forward involuntarily.

Caught off guard, Rong Yi planted a kiss on his lips.

Everyone around watched, even the auntie watched. Rong Yi pushed Xiaoy Yin away, feeling somewhat flustered and shy. “What’s gotten into you?”

What’s wrong with this person? Clearly, he was just joking, but unexpectedly, he went in for a kiss.

Hui Mao and Wu Dao Gu averted their eyes, whistling casually.

“It wasn’t me who chose you,” Xiao Yin whispered, gently embracing Rong Yi’s shoulder. “It was you who chose me.”

In the national championship showdown, VIT:CH lost in the first round and entered the loser’s bracket, becoming the first team among the top three to do so.

However, CH continued to perform consistently and achieved a 2-1 victory against RS in their match.

After RS made substitutions in their lineup, their margin for error noticeably increased, and they truly demonstrated a back-and-forth battle against CH in terms of strength. They remained strong in the finals as well.

In terms of team composition, RS introduced four new players, all of whom seamlessly rotated.

Their new strategies proved to be highly effective. When CH encountered their coordinated gameplay for the first time, they were unable to counter with their initial tactics and ultimately relied on their high-defense strategy to secure victory.

The most intriguing part was that RS also employed their trademark high-defense strategy in the final game, resulting in a match duration of nearly seventy minutes, nearly breaking the record for the longest match in the league.

However, RS ultimately lost. This kind of match accumulated its outcome through numerous small mistakes.

The audience was quite practical. The immediate victory was the most exciting, and CH’s two consecutive wins had already been declared by some media and commentators as the path to the championship.

No one expected that CH would reveal their full strength in the top three matches.

As for RS, after the substitutions, their previously faded hopes gradually gained momentum.

The main shot-caller changed, team members changed, coaching staff changed, and the system changed!

No one didn’t want to win.

Perhaps their motives were impure, but no one didn’t want to win.

The original RS quartet had already given up everything they could.

RS lost a game and entered the loser’s bracket, which meant that the next game would be the final showdown between RS and VIT.

Meanwhile, CH stood in the winner’s bracket, waiting for the victorious team to rise from the abyss and challenge them.

The schedule was tight, and VIT had only one week to prepare.

Countless people were waiting to see the drama unfold. Fans were heartbroken, accusing, and hurling insults. Passersby were setting the rhythm, desperately mocking. Moreover, there were personal attacks against Ci She himself. The online frenzy had already begun, and the rhythm that used to target Rong Yi was slowly resurrecting.

[Easy can’t carry his teammates. He talked so big before, but Ci She still became a target, didn’t he?]

[If he could really lead his teammates well, VIT wouldn’t have lost that game. What’s all this talk about new players taking more risks? He’s the mid-laner, can’t he cover the bot lane?]

The members of VIT saw these comments but ignored them all.

Ci She was known to argue with netizens using alternate accounts, but this time he chose silence. Silence wasn’t a retreat or avoidance; it was his new way of challenging himself and engaging in sober self-reflection.

This was a competition where achievements spoke the loudest.

For five days straight, Ci She practiced tirelessly, day and night, while Rong Yi accompanied him in training, also day and night.

The soundproof room had its air conditioning rushed and installed, and the voices of Rong Yi and Ci She overlapped and repeated incessantly, echoing in this quiet space.

“Red 1 just finished clearing the jungle at position 270.260, and Red 2 might directly switch lanes or invade the jungle,” Ci She’s voice was steady. “Red 3 hasn’t moved for a long time, possibly lurking in one of the three bushes. Support, go ward.”

As soon as his voice fell, Rong Yi’s voice echoed simultaneously.

“Red 1 in position, Red 2, I’ll go scout their movements. No blue buff, so Yin and I will clear and eliminate the possibilities,” Rong Yi said. “No need to ward at Red 3. Red 3 is waiting in the dragon pit bush to meet the jungler. Dragon will respawn in 3 seconds.”

“Understood.”

Ci She continued to report, almost every second. The entire game paused for a moment as they repeated and predicted, with Rong Yi providing corrections and guidance.

Both of their voices gradually became hoarse. For three days, they worked tirelessly, without experiencing the outside world’s day and night.

But as Rong Yi watched Ci She’s reporting and predictions become smoother, his coordinated analysis, he felt his own confidence solidifying.

They were right.

Ci She had gained a third pair of eyes. Eyes that couldn’t be deceived by false vision, couldn’t be swayed by misdirection, couldn’t be shaken by unknown dangers and the void of doubt.

This was true global vision.

On the third day, Rong Yi took off his headphones and stood up.

“Your special training is over. Now, let’s rejoin the team.”

Ci She stood up. In such a short time, he had undergone an intense intermediate-level training, and he answered loudly, “Yes, captain!”

“Now you can play the invisibility game well,” Rong Yi patted his shoulder. “I’m waiting for you to knock Brother Yin off the position of the world’s number one-ranked player.”

“Definitely!”Ci She clenched his fist, his eyes shining.

On the day of the match against RS, the weather was clear and refreshing.

This match would determine who would be the third-place team of the season, but the media didn’t refer to it as the “third-place match” because securing the third place also meant that the team would be stopped at third place.

The media called this match the “One Step Away from Championship” match. The loser’s bracket would be the final decisive match of the year.

Before entering, the media and audience had already crowded around the league building. The two-level platform surrounding the arena was filled to capacity, with a sea of people. Countless media cameras were focused on the stage.

Outside the camera’s view, when VIT and RS entered, the members of both teams exchanged glances backstage.

The VIT members were backstage purely because the process had slightly changed. The training room was no longer open before the match, so they had to wait backstage, while the RS members needed to get their makeup done.

Both teams ignored each other as usual.

After experiencing repeated defeats, the RS members couldn’t display a superior attitude in front of Rong Yi anymore, but they couldn’t help but pay attention to him.

RS would be playing their first match today.

During a tea break, Rong Yi’s gaze swept over the four new faces in the team one by one. His gaze briefly landed on the former RS players but quickly moved on.

However, the people he saw deeply lowered their heads.

They could only lower their heads and feel their fingertips pressing into their palms.

Neng Li had been substituted for three consecutive matches.

It was no different from being a substitute.

In the past, stability was his advantage. As long as he listened to Rong Yi’s instructions, he could adapt to any situation. But this characteristic became his disadvantage.

Because of being stable, because he lacked independent thinking, and because there was no longer targeted training guided by Rong Yi’s hands-on approach, his style became styleless. He, as a person, became replaceable.

On the other side, Qing Yan’s expression was also extremely poor.

He had been substituted twice, slightly better than Neng Li, but he couldn’t avoid daily self-doubt and anxiety, even though he didn’t express it openly, he had already been replaced.

The longer the time passed, the more they felt the cruelty of this profession.

And surprisingly, this was something they had never felt when Rong Yi was with them. He had paved the way for their future, planned everything for them, and all they had to do was follow him.

Now Rong Yi wasn’t with them anymore.

It was their own choice not to have him.

Yao Cao’s expression was gloomy as he stared at Ci She.

The match hadn’t even started yet, but their basic tactics were already in place. To counter Ci She, they would try new combinations and substitutions. This also meant that the ADC facing Ci She would be under great pressure.

In their previous matchup against Ci She, it was quite torturous.

Both were talented ADCs, explosive high-damage players, but the memory of him breaking through their defenses still lingered in his mind.

“What kind of expressions are they making?”

The jungler, Lang Bai, spoke calmly, “Raise your heads. Are you already planning how to go home with those expressions?”

Everyone remained silent but lifted their heads, trying to maintain a positive mindset.

The newly joined members chatted and told jokes, some even approached VIT to greet them. These newcomers didn’t know much about the previous conflicts.

Only Lang Bai remained motionless, staring intently at Rong Yi.

When Rong Yi stood up to get some water, Lang Bai suddenly stood up and walked towards him.

The people who had been still suddenly understood the situation. Both sides became tense, and the entire VIT team became alert. Wu Dao Gu had already moved to block the path, staring at Lang Bai.

“What are you doing?” Wu Dao Gu asked.

Lang Bai showed no expression. “Getting water.”

Wu Dao Gu let him pass.

“I have something to say to the captain,” Lang Bai took a few steps closer, and Rong Yi turned to look at him as he lifted his cup.

“We will win, Captain,” Lang Bai said. “We can still make it to the championship without you. You’ve seen the rotations in our team.”

Rong Yi tilted his head slightly, not saying a word, but he listened attentively.

Surprisingly, his attitude was gentle.

At least there was no emotional change, like when a stranger asks for directions and strikes up a conversation on the side of the road.

“What does it prove?” Rong Yi asked.

His clear voice fell lightly, like a jade stone.

Lang Bai was taken aback.

“Prove that we’re stronger than you? Prove that we don’t need you?”

Rong Yi shrugged. “That’s meaningless.”

This was also his first direct response to the RS members in a public setting.

Lang Bai suddenly felt confused.

Yes.

What’s the point of proving…?

It was just that when they played in the past, he watched the people beside him calmly commanding, protecting them under their wings. The deep-seated inferiority and uneasiness of never being able to raise their heads remained within him.

They could grow even without him. They could become champions even without him. He could become his own commander, and they could all be stronger than him. They could get used to his efforts, or even disregard them, fueled by a strong sense of discontent that gradually turned into envy.

But what did it all mean?

“At least that way, you can acknowledge us,” Lang Bai said. “I’m sorry, Captain. No one in our team actually wanted you to leave.”

Saying this now seemed a bit too false.

Rong Yi looked at him strangely.

“In the past, I acknowledged all of you,” Rong Yi turned his head slightly and calmly looked at him.

Lang Bai’s fingertips tightened.

“The players I chose, I definitely acknowledged them.”

“There’s no distinction between good and just ‘okay.’ The players I chose are always the best.”

“When I chose Brother Yin back then and chose each one of you, it was the same feeling.”

Rong Yi glanced at the time, speeding up his speech. He didn’t have to say these words, but his confusion was genuine.

“Don’t you feel it?”

“In my eyes, all of you are members capable of becoming top players. That was the case originally.”

“A stable mid-laner, strong learning ability, an experienced player. Isn’t QILIN’s mid-laner the same type?”

No one could have predicted that he would take advantage of the situation and become self-satisfied.

“An AD with high talent, quick reactions, and aggressive playstyle, a good breakthrough player.”

Who could have known that he would be consumed by surface glamour and overlook progress?

Xiao Yun, how could he not be like that? Qing Yan, how could he not be like that?

Only Lang Bai had grown after Rong Yi left, but it was already too late.

“There’s just one thing I want to correct,” Rong Yi didn’t bother mentioning the past one by one. He put down his water cup and spoke in a calm tone. “Get the address right. Personally, I don’t like being called ‘captain’ by anyone other than the players.”

He pointed to VIT on the other side.

“Now, I’m their captain.”

Lang Bai and the teammates behind him were stunned, as if struck by lightning.