The discussion online was already boiling as the first round began.

They had never seen such a lineup and match, but they could faintly feel that both teams were going all out.

“I have a feeling that this will be an incomprehensible match for us.”

“The changes made by QILIN and VIT in crucial positions must be based on a review of the last game in the Asian regional tournament and the domestic tournament in China.”

The commentator’s insightful analysis was constantly updated, “But the subtle changes they made also determine that the decision won’t be as simple as replicating that game.”

“The CH team from China has obviously provided QILIN with some new ideas.”

The match begins!

The opposing ADC is Huo Shen, slightly weaker in damage output but highly mobile. As for Chun Shen, there’s no need to mention, they are a high-mobility hero.

At the start of the first round, neither side went to their respective lanes.

Both sides, all five members, directly converged in the mid lane!

“Contesting vision in the mid lane!” It was a surprise to everyone, even the commentators, that both teams had such equal anticipation and synchronization. “Without hesitation! Both teams are accelerating towards the mid lane to contest for the first mid-lane advantage!”

Rong Yi took the initiative, approaching the river bush with Swift Wind, and the movements of the opposing five players appeared before him as if magnified with precision.

With Silver Hook, he could fire a shot as soon as he spawned and move while shooting. It provided a 0.2-second acceleration effect and a 1-second deceleration movement effect.

He arrived at the bush first, and in his field of vision, the opposing mid-laner, a lone wanderer, appeared lonely under the tower, with support Chun Shen probing in the other bush.

Only the viewers with an omniscient perspective knew that although it seemed like there was only Rong Yi on that side, the entire five-member team was ambushing from behind.

On the other side, it seemed like there was only one Huibai Zhi Zhu and one Chun Shen, a conventional mid-laner and support opening up vision, but in reality, the other players could also strike at any moment.

The positioning of Huibai Zhi Zhu and Chun Shen was extremely cautious, almost always blocking each other’s movements. They were well aware of the control effect of Silver Hook, which meant that no matter what, they should never try to touch the mid-laner even for a moment.

In the end, Rong Yi hooked first, nailing Chun Shen with a single shot!

An intense battle broke out immediately. Rong Yi approached the enemy defense tower, and the feeling of slowing down and pulling surged after his skills hit. Without hesitation, QILIN, with Rong Yi taking the lead, started attacking directly!

But at the same time, Rong Yi flashed and canceled his skills, bypassing Chun Shen and nailing the Huibai Zhi Zhu, dragging him back!

The other four members of VIT also rushed forward. Huibai Zhi Zhu was pinned in Rong Yi’s direction, and without hesitation, he flashed directly to create distance. At the same time, Rong Yi was reduced to only one-third of his health by the remaining three members of QILIN.

Rong Yi no longer had flash in his hand; he headed straight for his own jungle without looking back.

He knew he couldn’t escape; this first blood had to be paid at a cost.

Sure enough, after taking a few steps, the enemy’s Yin player audaciously crossed over and took him down!

Hui Mao’s recall skill was of no use to Rong Yi. It had little utility.

Meanwhile, the second kill occurred: Chun Shen was pressed to death by the remaining members of VIT under the tower. At the same time, Xiao Yin’s Di safely took the enemy blue buff and retreated to her own position to farm the jungle.

“The first blood is drawn! The first team fight occurs in just seven seconds into the match.”

The commentator rewound the replay. In the domestic broadcasting team, Lin Yi was still doing the commentary.

“QILIN is being extremely cautious. Chun Shen wanted to completely trap Huibai Zhi Zhu behind him, not letting Silver Hook latch on, but Rong Yi used Flash to exchange for this opportunity to initiate a team fight and gain subsequent vision. His goal was very clear; he wanted to hit the enemy mid-laner.”

“The support can be sacrificed, but if the mid-laner gets hit, the other several players won’t be able to hide anymore. Behind Rong Yi are Ci She and Wu Dao Gu; with the initial bloodlust from Princess and Wu Dao Gu’s ability to immobilize, Huibai Zhi Zhu would die if he didn’t use Flash. That’s why we see Huibai Zhi Zhu from QILIN didn’t hesitate at all and directly flashed away.”

“Next, QILIN included Rong Yi, and VIT knew that Rong Yi wouldn’t survive, so Xiao Yin directly shifted her attention, dashing into QILIN’s jungle, taking away a blue buff. At the same time, we see Ci She and Hui Mao firmly holding their positions in the mid-lane vision.”

“In this mid-lane team fight, VIT successfully secured vision. Of course, they paid the price of the first blood bonus and Rong Yi’s death.”

“And QILIN, they lost their support, the mid-laner flashed, and also lost a blue buff.”

“It can be said that every detail on both sides was extremely precise, and both sides achieved their tactical intentions.”

“We are familiar with VIT; they rarely engage in such clear and aggressive early-game vision control. At the same time, QILIN’s playstyle is also unusual. They often choose counter-jungling this season, but today’s early game and Ci She’s aggressive pursuit can be understood as…”

Lin Yi paused, synchronizing with the foreign commentator.

“QILIN wants to focus on the mid-lane.”

No one else has achieved it this season, and no one dared to attempt it, to the point of giving up on that tactic.

Others couldn’t catch VIT’s mid-laner, but they could.

Others would abandon certain tactics and strategies, but they wouldn’t.

That’s the confidence and courage of a three-time consecutive world champion team.

“No matter what, Easy is a player we must shut down.” The foreign commentator gave an immediate analysis, “His dominance in the mid-lane is terrifying, and his reaction speed and decision-making far surpass everyone’s imagination.”

“We rarely see players with such reaction speed. When QILIN’s mid-lane support failed to react, he had already used Flash at the cost of securing a victory. This level of reaction and execution is quite terrifying.”

“So here, it’s hard to say it was a mistake on QILIN’s part, but rather that Easy’s Silver Hook was unconventional. Easy, as a player, is unexpected.”

As the battle progressed, the tactical intentions of both sides gradually became apparent.

During Rong Yi’s resurrection time, everyone returned to their respective positions. Hui Mao followed Xiao Yin and guarded their own jungle.

They didn’t choose to invade the enemy jungle because they couldn’t locate Yin. From the bird’s eye view, Yin was constantly moving and lurking around the boundaries of both jungles while denying VIT’s vision of available resources.

“The enemy Yin is going to make a move.”

Everyone on VIT saw the insane amount of gold coins jumping on the panel.

Moreover, the numbers were fluctuating in a strange manner, not consistent with normal lane farming or jungle income. It was an unpredictable pattern of numbers.

“Counter prediction.”

Rong Yi said, “During the gold calculation phase, they split the required equipment into several small items, potions, and true sight, making it impossible for us to determine their approximate location based on the amount of gold. QILIN is truly impressive.”

This statement was a genuine compliment.

In Rong Yi’s understanding, teams at the top of the world should possess this level of skill and quality, not just tactics but the best habits.

The significance of these habits lies in their ability to determine life or death in crucial moments. For example, the jungler always using Smite as the last hit, or the core AD Carry never face-checking brushes. It sounds simple but is actually difficult to achieve.

Humans and machines are different; humans have their own habits and choices.

VIT closely resembles machines, thus they can understand another team that also resembles machines.

Before QILIN, they had never faced opponents of such caliber.

“But…”

Rong Yi said, “They are in the mid lane. Time and position are uncertain.”

Xiao Yin nodded lightly.

“The mage’s gold income is slow, and the enemy jungler is constantly moving between the mid and jungle, coordinating and lurking. He is taking resources from him.”

“Help in the mid lane?” Hui Mao asked.

“No help in mid lane.” Xiao Yin answered on behalf of Rong Yi, firmly stating, “We will push the bottom lane first.”

As he finished speaking, Rong Yi arrived in the lane.

The enemy mid-laner and jungler were mysterious, but after a moment of contemplation, Rong Yi hooked towards their own blue buff without vision, pulling it out of the aggro range.

Rong Yi couldn’t see the location or health of the buff, but only the audience knew that QILIN’s jungler, Yin, was there taking the blue buff.

With this hook, Rong Yi disrupted the blue buff that was about to be secured, wasting four seconds of Yin’s time.

His plan was clear. Yin hadn’t jumped in seconds, so he was probably taking the double buffs. With four possible positions, Rong Yi randomly hooked one that could be scouted, and based on whether he shot his gun, they could judge the enemy’s movements.

The audience was on the verge of exploding.

“He knows? He knows where Yin is? What kind of perspective is this? Are they going to team fight?”

Meanwhile, Yin remained stationary.

After a few seconds, no one came, and Yin confirmed: Rong Yi didn’t have vision of him.

But he couldn’t continue like this either.

Rong Yi’s buff-stealing action was a clear warning—Silver Hook could scout him at any time. If he took the blue buff and Rong Yi revealed himself again, it would mean selling his own vision.

Yin left the blue area and lurked in the closest bush to Rong Yi’s tower.

The audience watching was covered in cold sweat.

It was too thrilling.

Both sides were absolutely rational and composed.

Rong Yi’s unpredictable hook was godlike, and Yin’s ability to guess that Rong Yi actually didn’t have vision of him was also godlike.

This was the clash of top players.

To gain vision, you have to pay a price.

Another wave of minions arrived, and Rong Yi farmed under the tower. But QILIN had already taken action.

This was a crucial moment. Everyone was level 4, but Rong Yi and Chun Shen hadn’t reached that level yet.

A small team fight erupted almost simultaneously!

In the bottom lane, Xiao Yin and Ci She directly targeted ADC Huo Shen, while in the mid lane, Huibai Zhi Zhu and Yin dove under the tower and killed Rong Yi!

As Princess bathed in blood, Huo Shen was already dead on the spot. Chun Shen didn’t level up and couldn’t save him, and he himself couldn’t escape death.

In the bottom lane, Xiao Yin scored a double kill!

Rong Yi reacted extremely quickly. Huibai Zhi Zhu had strong crowd control, and Yin could cut off his escape route. There was no way for him to survive once surrounded.

So, before dying, he did everything he could.

His Flash was already available. Rong Yi chose the tactic that would prolong the time the most. Instead of retreating to the safety of their own vision, as is usual when surrounded, he instead took the initiative, moved forward, and left the range of the mid tower. On the frontlines of the mid lane battlefield, he forced a one-on-one confrontation with Huibai Zhi Zhu!

One of Yin’s strengths was his long-range ultimate, which meant that his assassination potential was stronger than his sustained damage.

With Rong Yi’s move, he completely left Yin’s vision range—even though Rong Yi had no idea that there was a bush behind him.

Once Rong Yi took a step forward, he completely moved out of the hidden field of view, even though Rong Yi had no idea that there was someone hiding in the grass behind him.

With very low economy, Rong Yi used three Silver Hooks and one pull to engage in a mutual control with the wanderer. Xiao Yin left the bottom lane, and Ci She continued to take resources and push towers. Wu Dao Gu hid in the top lane and rushed towards the mid lane.

There was no more time. VIT forced Rong Yi to reveal himself, putting his life on the line.

As Rong Yi appeared, his first ultimate accurately hit Rong Yi, who was already under control, taking down the second kill. At the same time, Wu Dao Gu caught up, and Xiao Yin caught up too. QILIN couldn’t fight back and had to retreat as soon as possible.

Rong Yi died once again, but he also defended VIT’s vision hub.

From the audience’s perspective, this was a battle that was completely difficult to understand and comprehend. People died, yet it seemed like the outcome of the battle did not change. The team fight occurred, yet it appeared that neither side was defeated.

So far, VIT and QILIN have not determined a winner, and the overall economic difference remained within 100.

And the game had already reached the fifteenth minute.

No one was falling behind.

In this pinnacle showdown, in a way, they were competing in terms of mental strength and physical fitness. Both teams were perfect, and it could only be observed which side would lose composure or endurance first.

At the twentieth minute, Huibai Zhi Zhu and Yin once again converged on the mid lane.

“A very, very clear intent to catch Rong Yi, I don’t think anyone needs to explain it.”

Outside the game, the commentators were sweating in their palms. “They are intensely focusing on Easy and directly targeting Rong Yi with two top-tier C-tier players.”

“VIT gave up this lane, and the Key of Memories is not a protective hero. Xiao Yin and the princess pushed aggressively in the bottom lane, breaking through and pushing towers.”

In the World Championship, most teams focused on playing it safe, and such intense confrontations were rarely seen.

Rong Yi died for the third time, and at the same time, VIT’s mid-lane tower was destroyed halfway, and Ci She pushed down a tower in the bottom lane.

There were two obvious players who had become fed on both sides: one was the enemy’s Huibai Zhi Zhu, who had already killed Rong Yi three times, and the mid-lane resources were all taken by the Huibai Zhi Zhu.

The other was the princess of Ci She, whose damage was gradually becoming significant.

This was a critical point.

QILIN catching Huibai Zhi Zhu did not mean they could allow the princess of Ci She to grow rapidly. Huibai Zhi Zhu’s long-range ultimate was precisely used in this situation. At the twenty-third minute, the princess’s state was only half left. Huibai Zhi Zhu directly dashed past the tower, landing near the princess, narrowly missing the successful assassination.

With the help of the Key of Memories, Ci She survived Huibai Zhi Zhu’s first attack, but his health bar was almost depleted. Huibai Zhi Zhu’s ultimate effect had already activated, and the second attack was imminent. Everyone believed that Ci She couldn’t escape death.

A heavy gunshot, a shining silver hook came through the air, tightly entangling the enemy’s wanderer!!!

Rong Yi chuckled in the microphone.

“Come, come kill me.”

“You focus on me, and I’ll focus on you.”

Taking down Huibai Zhi Zhu in front of him and Xiao Yin was a display of confidence and also a gamble.

With a broken leg, Huibai Zhi Zhu, along with the BLD effect, was no different from being trapped in a quagmire.

“Didn’t expect that, did you?” Rong Yi whistled cheerfully.

Ci She managed to escape.

For the fourth time, Rong Yi was killed, with a score of 0-4, causing chaos in the footsteps of Huibai Zhi Zhu.

He could know the approximate location of Ci She, but he couldn’t retreat entirely—Xiao Yin had already revealed a clear line of sight from the mid-lane downwards.

This was true vision, and it was deliberately exposed to him.

It only meant two things: if he dared to dive Ci She, he had to know that he couldn’t escape alive.

If he dared to dive Ci She, all the resources radiating from the mid-lane upwards would belong to him.

The enemy’s Huibai Zhi Zhu chose to retreat.

This was another negotiation and game of wits that occurred countless times in the game.

The commentators and the analysts who were live-streaming the game were sweating.

The first game had been dragged on for so long, exceeding everyone’s expectations and breaking QILIN’s own record for game duration in the World Championship.

The game itself was extensive, and it was not uncommon for a match to last for sixty minutes. The longest match in league history lasted ninety minutes, followed by seventy minutes.

For professional teams, playing a game for sixty minutes was already very rare. Under the high-density resource exchanges and tactical collisions, from levels to map resources, it would eventually approach the enemy’s 100.

And in this game, it had already been forty minutes, and both sides were still tightly locked in combat.

Rong Yi had been continuously targeted, and the mid-lane synergy was tightly controlled. QILIN began adopting an avoidance strategy in the bottom lane, while the jungler relinquished some resources to the ADC.

The princess’s late-game power spike was approaching, and the advantageous period was about to end. Their choice to avoid fighting at this crucial moment was also to control Ci She.

Even the fans who were usually biased couldn’t help but admit while watching the entire game that Rong Yi had been fighting 1v2 from the beginning against world-class mid-lane and jungler players.

He wasn’t just passively getting beaten; he was a blade that would rather break than retreat. It was either you die or I live. When two people targeted him, he used all his strength to exchange for the enemy’s vision and secure the jungle resources. And if the enemy’s mid-lane or jungler wanted to leave, he would bite onto them tightly with relentless aggression.

At the thirty-seventh minute and the fifty-fourth minute, QILIN’s jungle and mid-lane attempted two flanking attacks on the bottom lane, but Rong Yi interrupted and exposed them.

He was like a determined and unwavering target, a ruthless and unparalleled killer.

“He’s looking for the invisible! He’s looking for the invisible!”

“Easy’s partner is currently the most formidable invisible player, and Easy knows very well how to counter invisibility! The blind effect of the invisible is disadvantageous against Silver Hooks! The flying spear can reveal the vision, while the Silver Hooks can stay outside the realm of invisibility!”

The arena erupted with screams.

As the game progressed to the sixtieth minute, QILIN finally made an obvious mistake.

At sixty minutes, when everyone’s equipment was fully formed, the importance of buffs and dragons became even more crucial than in the early game.

The invisible player was spotted in the blue area by Rong Yi, with Huibai Zhi Zhu not far away. The invisible player decisively engaged, and Rong Yi used his swift Wind to pull him back.

Unnoticed, the invisible player had ventured too deep into the blue area, and Rong Yi immediately counterattacked!

He hooked the invisible player, and Xiao Yin flashed in and took the kill!

At the same time, QILIN’s mid-laner chose to retreat, but an unstoppable event occurred—during this engagement, Xiao Yin took the blue buff from the enemy’s jungle, which couldn’t be contested. Instead, Rong Yi ended up getting it.

Both the Silver Hooks and Huibai Zhi Zhu were champions that relied on blue buffs.

At this moment, the two marksmen focusing on Rong Yi became one person. Huibai Zhi Zhu’s sustain was insufficient, and Rong Yi counterattacked decisively! At the same time, Wu Dao Gu rotated from the top lane and completed the gap in the surround strategy, forcing Huibai Zhi Zhu to flee down the jungle and right into Rong Yi’s face.

Knowing that there was no way back, Huibai Zhi Zhu used all his skills on Rong Yi, depleting Rong Yi’s health by one-third before being killed, and then Rong Yi recalled.

Everyone watching the game screamed in astonishment, and even the commentators were excited.

A full sixty minutes.

This was the first significant mistake made by either team.

And one mistake could very well determine the outcome of the game.

Rong Yi returned home to replenish his health, while the enemy’s invisible player respawned.

Both teams reestablished their vision.

The so-called vision information was constantly changing. A single recall could reset all existing information.

It was at this moment that the second astonishing synergy occurred.

Lane swap.

“Lane swap.” Rong Yi’s voice came through the microphone, and his hand muscles were trembling a bit from the high-frequency actions.

On the other side, QILIN’s mid-laner also executed a lane swap.

But they got it wrong.

The other commentator became excited.

“They guessed wrong, they guessed wrong! QILIN thought Rong Yi would switch lanes with Wu Dao Gu in the mid and top lanes, to take a break and replenish resources, so they went straight to the top lane. But the one who came to the top lane is Xiao Yin!”

“And the lane swap with Easy is in the bottom lane! Ci She went to the mid lane!”

No one expected that because both sides had lost two towers in the bottom lane, with only one high ground tower left, it was extremely dangerous.

But Rong Yi chose the most perilous path.

While Ci She made his presence known in the mid lane, Wu Dao Gu and Xiao Yin actively sought targets. A team fight broke out in the top lane, and Rong Yi, with the help of the Memory Key, ambushed the ADC in the bottom lane.

Huo Shen had high mobility, but when faced with the hard control of the Silver Hooks, there was no way to escape. He was pulled back by one spear and flashed away, but the Memory Key rewound time and brought him back to Rong Yi, where he was hit by another spear.

One wrong bet led to a chain reaction like a collapsing dam. QILIN’s mid-laner and jungler couldn’t rush back in time, and the ADC died in the bottom lane.

And in the bottom lane, only one tower stood between them and the enemy’s base.

Ci She stood firm on the mid lane, blocking QILIN’s retreat, while Rong Yi and the Memory Key began to demolish the tower.

The Memory Key allowed mages to destroy towers.

It was absurd, but it was incredibly effective.

Thanks to the time rewinding mechanism, the two of them had already destroyed one-third of the tower before the minion wave arrived. After the minion wave arrived, the high ground tower was almost instantly destroyed.

The spectators were on the verge of passing out. Everyone jumped up and roared, and even the commentators banged on the table and shouted.

“QILIN’s high ground is destroyed! QILIN’s jungler is rushing back, but it’s very likely that he won’t make it in time! The invisible player has just used up his three big moves, and Silver Hooks is evading his movement and controlling him. The Memory Key and Silver Hooks are both attacking the tower, and in an instant, Silver Hooks and the Memory Key sold their equipment and bought three ADC weapons—”

The mage and support bought AD items.

Three seconds.

The base’s health bar quickly dwindled to zero, and the battlefield fell silent.

The word “victory” appeared in front of the VIT team.

In the final battle, VIT defeated the three-time consecutive champions, QILIN, in the first game.

1:0.

A battle that crowned them as gods.