Chapter 657
Prestige
“Since the Asian Games ended, Zeus has played no fewer than 20 ranked games a day.” Mingkai looked at Su Mo with a hint of admiration and a hint of warning in his eyes. “Mozi, after you shattered this young man’s spirit in Hangzhou, he didn’t become depressed. Instead, he seems to have become possessed. KkOma has been trying to give him some heroes that push his limits recently. He will definitely target you like crazy tonight.”
Su Mo leaned back in his gaming chair, his slender fingers gently twirling a black pen. Hearing this, he simply nodded and said, "That's a good thing. If he doesn't even have the courage to challenge me, then this region is really too boring."
Mingkai looked at Su Mo's calm demeanor and couldn't help but laugh: "You, even after winning six championships, are still so arrogant. But with you up there, my draft picks are as easy as ever."
At this moment, an invitation to a custom room popped up on the computer screen.
"Let's go inside, guys," Meiko reminded them.
The five members of EDG entered the room one after another.
On the other side, all five of T1's starting lineups are also in place.
The chat window was silent for about three seconds, then a string of slightly awkward pinyin suddenly appeared:
T1 Zeus (All): Senior Su Mo, I will definitely get my revenge for the regrets of the Asian Games this time.
Upon seeing the pinyin, the EDG players in the training room were stunned for a moment. Then Meiko couldn't help but burst out laughing: "Holy crap, this kid's got some interesting stuff. After the Asian Games, did he go back and practice his top lane skills intensively, and also sign up for a crash course in Chinese to issue a challenge?"
Ah Chen chimed in, "Brother Mo, what a show of respect! That Korean prodigy top laner is holding his breath and declaring war on you in Chinese!"
Su Mo stared at the screen, the image of the young player with trembling hands on the Hangzhou stage flashing through his mind. He knew that in less than a month, Zeus must have been desperately reviewing his performance and searching for a way to defeat him. This pure competitive spirit deserved all respect.
Su Mo stopped twirling her pen, placed both hands on the keyboard, and typed out an extremely brief but incredibly authoritative English reply:
EDG SuMo (Everyone): Show me.
Meanwhile, in T1's training room, Faker looked at Su Mo's reply on the public chat, adjusted his black-rimmed glasses, and with a slight smile, typed a message on the public chat:
T1 Faker (All): Mo, give it your all. 0
EDG Mo (Everyone): OK.
This is the simplest yet most profound tribute between two regions and two legendary figures.
"Alright, enough with the reminiscing." Mingkai stood behind everyone and clapped his hands. "Loading, draft begins! Today we'll try out a lineup that focuses on mid-jungle radiating to the side lanes. Chen, Yue, you two rookies better watch out, the opponents are Oner and Faker!"
The BP interface expands.
As Mingkai predicted, T1's first three bans were all for top laners without hesitation—Aatrox, Renekton, and Jax. These three champions, who had utterly crushed Zeus at the Asian Games, were immediately banned.
"Wow, Mo-ge, the treatment is top-notch!" Ah Chen exclaimed in surprise. "Three bans on top laners, that's T1!"
“What they’re wary of is Mozi’s lane dominance,” Mingkai calmly directed. “We’ll ban Orianna, Azir, and Riven. Since they’re targeting the top lane, Xiaoyue, this time you’ll pick Neeko or Syndra to take lane control.”
After a round of play, T1 decisively secured the highly aggressive Yone for Zeus on the first floor.
"Yone?" Mingkai stroked his chin. "Looks like Zeus is determined to go toe-to-toe with you in terms of skill today. Mozi, there's Jax outside, or maybe you could pick Quesangi for a safer pick?"
Su Mo looked at the Demon-Sealing Sword Soul wielding two swords on the screen, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes.
"No need to play it safe." Su Mo's voice was frighteningly calm. "If he wants to rely on his skills, then I'll shatter his confidence completely."
"Get me Fiora."
Fiora, the Grand Duelist.
This hero, which Su Mo used to achieve legendary status in the S7 World Championship finals at the Bird's Nest, once locked in, means a fight to the death.
"Good lad, still got the same feel for it!" Mingkai's eyes lit up, and he waved his hand, "Tianye, lock it up!"
After the BP (Ban/Pick) phase ends, the game enters the loading screen.
The previously relaxed atmosphere in the training room had been replaced by an absolute chill. The crisp clicking of the keyboard and mouse was like the rapid drumbeats before a storm.
Welcome to Summoner's Rift!
The moment the system's female voice sounded, Su Mo bought a Doran's Blade and controlled Fiora to head straight for the top lane.
"Chen, you start with red buff, just farm normally down the lane." Su Mo directed the lanes methodically while moving around. "Oner's Lee Sin will most likely start with blue buff and farm up the lane. There will be a top and jungle tower dive attempt around three minutes. Don't worry about me, go secure the river crab and help the bot lane duo push the lane."
"Understood!" Ah Chen took a deep breath and began planning his jungle route.
In the mid lane, Xiao Yue's Syndra faced off against Faker's Ahri. Although Ming Kai and Su Mo had given him a lot of mental preparation before the match, the invisible pressure he felt when he actually faced Faker still made him feel a little breathless.
"That old Li's positioning is disgusting..." Xiao Yue gritted his teeth, as Faker dodged another Q skill with an extremely precise twist of his waist. "His distance control is like a robot!"
"Don't worry, Xiao Yue." Ming Kai stood behind him, unable to speak, but with a hand on his shoulder, he offered great comfort. "Just relax and push the lane."
The time has reached 3 minutes and 15 seconds.
Just as Su Mo had predicted, Oner's Lee Sin had already silently reached the top lane tri-bush, while Zeus' Yone was leading a wave of cannon minions, pushing powerfully towards Su Mo's tower.
"Two-man gank, classic tower dive." Meiko glanced at the top lane, "Brother Mo, should I roam?"
"No need, let them come."
Su Mo's eyes sharpened like a hawk's at that moment. He glanced at the attack interval of the defensive tower and the location where his vulnerability had spawned.
Oner's Lee Sin initiated the attack, his Sonic Wave (Q) accurately hitting Fiora under the tower, followed by a second Q kick! At the same time, Zeus' Yone accumulated wind, activated his E skill [Blade of Despair], his main body remained outside the tower, and his soul left his body, transforming into a red afterimage as he rushed under the tower, attempting to follow up with a control combo!
This was a doomed situation, but in Su Mo's eyes, it was full of flaws.
In the minus tenths of a second, just as Lee Sin's second Q was about to land and Yone was about to unleash his Wind Slash!
"Whoosh!" Su Mo's fingers left a blur on the keyboard as Fiora unleashed her W [Laurent's Eye Blade]!
But this W wasn't aimed at the Lee Sin flying in from the front, but at Yone who was using crowd control from the side!
Parry! Stun!
Golden sword energy pierced Yone's soul, stunning Zeus within the turret's attack range! Although Lee Sin kicked Fiora, he instantly took two hits from the turret due to the turret's aggro shift.
"So fast!" Mingkai exclaimed, his eyes wide with amazement.
Su Mo gave T1's top and jungle no time to react. A precise Q [Sky Piercer] broke through Yone's weakness, granting him speed boost and health regeneration. A basic attack followed by E [Deadly Thrust] reset the basic attack, and combined with the turret's laser, instantly melted the still-stunned Yone!
"First Blood!"
Zeus didn't even get to use his ultimate ability before his soul dissipated under the tower.
At this moment, Oner's Lee Sin, sensing danger, tried to escape by ward-hopping, but was relentlessly pursued by Fiora in her speed boost. Su Mo calmly delivered a pre-emptive auto-attack, simultaneously flashing at the same moment Lee Sin ward-hopped, piercing the final opening with his sword and securing a double kill!
"Double Kill!!"
The training room erupted in gasps of surprise from Ah Chen and Xiao Yue.
"Holy crap!! What kind of godlike play is that?!" Ah Chen yelled in the voice chat, "A double kill against two?! Mo Ge, are you using an 8x scope? That W wind-blocking stun is just too outrageous!"
"Basic stuff, don't be ridiculous." Meiko joked with a smile, but her eyes were also full of amazement. "I told you, Zeus is still too young to show off his skills in front of Brother Mozi."
Su Mo pushed the minion wave expressionlessly, then pressed the B key to recall to base.
"Don't get excited, this is just the beginning." He picked up his water glass and took a sip. "T1 won't collapse because of one mistake. Faker has already gone to roam. Xiao Yue, signal him. Chen, watch out for the jungle."
Sure enough, in the next twenty minutes, T1 displayed an incredibly terrifying ability to manage their game and seize opportunities. Faker's Ahri roamed the entire map like a ghost, managing to help Gumayusi in the bottom lane recover from their disadvantage and even briefly take the lead in gold.
But no matter how T1 targeted them, no matter how they tried to disrupt EDG's formation, the Fiora in the top lane was like a stabilizing force, always bringing the most unstoppable split-pushing pressure at the most crucial moments, stubbornly holding back T1's rhythm.
Thirty-five minutes later, the Elder Dragon team fight begins.
When Faker's Ahri attempted to R-Flash-E into the fray to charm EDG's AD, Su Mo's Fiora appeared out of the blind spot like a ghost, breaking four targets in a second!
"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!"
The sounds of four openings shattering almost overlapped, and a massive healing array bloomed in the center of T1's formation. Faker didn't even have time to use his Zhonya's Hourglass before he was instantly killed.
Without their core player, T1 collapsed instantly, and EDG took advantage of the situation to push down the red crystal in one fell swoop.
"Victory!"
As the word "victory" popped up, a long sigh of relief echoed in the training room.
Ah Chen slumped in his chair, his back soaked with sweat: "My god... is this T1? A practice match felt like a final, the pressure was incredible."
Mingkai closed his tactics notebook, walked up to the group, his face showing approval, but his tone remained stern.
“Winning is a good thing, but don’t get too excited.” Mingkai tapped the whiteboard. “Look at the stats yourselves. Apart from the top lane, our mid and bot lanes were completely led by the nose by T1’s rhythm for the first twenty minutes. Xiaoyue, you were clearly not confident enough against Faker today. You backed out of several opportunities to coordinate with Chen to counterattack.”
Xiao Yue lowered his head somewhat ashamed: "I'm sorry, Mingjiao, Faker's positioning really put a lot of pressure on me."
"Pressure?" Su Mo took off his headphones, turned around and looked at him, his tone calm but full of strength. "When I first started playing professionally seven years ago, I was facing these legends. You think I wasn't afraid? But you have to remember, when you sit in that position, you no longer represent just yourself, but the entire LPL."
Su Mo patted Xiao Yue on the shoulder: "Tomorrow is the first match of the Swiss round. I don't care if the opponent is Chovy or ShowMaker, or even Faker, you have to stand up straight and trade blows with him. EDG doesn't have a soft mid laner, understand?"
Xiao Yue suddenly raised his head, met Su Mo's deep and determined eyes, and nodded heavily: "Understood, Brother Mo!"
Mingkai watched this scene from the side and smiled with satisfaction.
He knew that as long as this man was still alive, the spirit of EDG would never dissipate.
"Alright, guys, pack up your peripherals and get some rest tonight." Mingkai clapped his hands. "Starting tomorrow, let the world see how we, a bunch of guys who fought our way out of the LPL, will build our seventh dynasty in Seoul!"
After the training match review ended, it was already 2 a.m. The newcomers were sent back to sleep by Mingkai, leaving only Su Mo and Mingkai in the training room.
Su Mo shut down his computer, habitually winding up the keyboard cable neatly, and meticulously packing his peripherals into his backpack. His movements were unhurried, revealing a level of rigor cultivated over many years of professional experience.
"How's your wrist?" Mingkai leaned against the table and handed over a can of room-temperature oolong tea.
"Thanks." Su Mo took the tea, gently twisted the cap and took a sip. Then he moved his right wrist, and his knuckles made two soft cracking sounds. "Not bad. The relaxation exercises taught by the physiotherapist at the base are quite effective. This intensity is far from the limit."
Looking at the man in front of him, who had grown from a greenhorn in S7 to the absolute icon of the LPL, Mingkai's eyes flashed with emotion: "When we were reviewing the game just now, I thought you would scold Xiaoyue and Achen like before. You've become much milder."
“Times have changed, Ming Cult.” Su Mo smiled gently, his eyes devoid of any of the sharpness he displayed on the field, like a friendly older brother next door. “Young players these days are sensitive and under immense pressure from public opinion. Constantly putting pressure on them will only crush them. They have talent, they just need someone to shield them from the storms and let them grow their own backbone.”
“You…” Mingkai smiled and shook his head, patting Su Mo’s shoulder, “Go back and get some rest. Tomorrow afternoon’s opening match is against Gen.G, and that’s a tough nut to crack.”
"Okay, goodnight." Su Mo picked up his backpack, turned around, and walked out of the training room.
The dim light in the corridor lengthened his shadow. Su Mo returned to his room, washed up, leaned against the headboard, and set his alarm on his phone.
The screen lit up, and there was an unread message lying quietly in WeChat, sent half an hour ago.
Shen Yiyin: "Su Mo, tomorrow is your first match in the Swiss round, right? I saw online that your opponent is the number one seed from South Korea, who seems really strong. But I believe you'll definitely be fine! [Cat pumping fist.gif]"
Seeing that familiar cartoon emoji, Su Mo's nerves, which had been hardened all day, relaxed slightly. His long, slender fingers tapped lightly on the screen:
"Thank you. Our opponents are very strong, but we will do our best. Get some rest, goodnight."
The reply remained in that meticulously crafted, "old-fashioned" style. After sending the message, Su Mo locked the screen, closed his eyes, and drifted off to sleep in the quiet.
...(End of this chapter)