Chapter 164: The Most Aggressive Domestic Mid-laner in History!

Along with the stagnation of time in the Rift.

The momentum created by tens of thousands of spectators in unison was incredibly vast, nearly blowing the roof off and shooting straight into the clouds!

"Chovy finally TP'd toward the opponent's bottom lane tier-two tower, but this kind of desperate counterattack could not stop EDG from shattering their Nexus!"

"This battle between the number one seeds of the LPL and the LCK! In the end, it is our LPL that has the last laugh!!"

The spotlights dispersed and converged, instantly gathering entirely on the EDG player stage.

The special effect of the crystal shattering appeared in the background, transforming into a golden emblem with wings of victory, and the mountain-shaking, sea-roaring cheers washed over them!

"After a lapse of four seasons, EDG has returned to the stage of the finals once again!" Miller's chest heaved violently: "As the sole remaining hope of our region, they have once again become the final glimmer of dawn!"

"With a score of three to zero, they have marched proudly into the S12 Grand Finals!" Wawa just shouted in an exciting tone.

But he suddenly realized something seemed to be missing.

"Guan-ge, why aren't you saying anything?"

A stunned Guan Zeyuan paused for a moment and hurriedly squeezed out a smile: "Oh my, congratulations to EDG! Successfully advancing to the finals with a three-zero!"

After saying this, he hurriedly added a segment of information he had collected before the match.

"It is worth mentioning that after this match, EDG will become the fourth 'championship team to reach the finals for two consecutive years' in history—and at the same time, the first team in our LPL region to achieve this feat!"

"Just like when they defeated T1 to qualify first in the group stage, every step they take in this World Championship continues to create brand-new historical records!"

The "Champion's Curse" has always been an annual topic in the League world.

And among the previous 11 championship teams, there are only three that have been able to reach the finals for two consecutive years.

SKT, SSG, DK.

Without exception, they are all LCK teams.

And the first two teams are actually ancient memories after renaming and rebuilding; the closest one is DK from last year and the year before, only one step away from the end.

Now, EDG has become the fourth!

The screen was filled with barrage comments all cheering and celebrating.

【One-shot-three immediately! The true King of Barbecue!】

【Master Ye's Bomb Kid was truly handsome in that last wave!】

【Indeed, this European step "Being oneself in the fire" is definitely a famous scene!】

【Chovy is purely throwing! Thinking about TPing to farm minions in that last wave, is he even human? Is this our legendary number one LCK genius mid-laner?】

【Congratulations to Chovy! He has achieved a historical breakthrough! He has finally written a heavy stroke on his life resume—getting his first top-four finish in his life! Successfully rewriting 8888 to 88884!】

Following the director's camera, looking at the EDG player stage.

Everyone's cheeks were flushed red, brimming with the excitement and agitation of having suppressed their opponents for three games.

Even carrying a bit of long-lost relief and satisfaction!

No matter how many times one enters the World Championship, there are only so many opportunities each year to stand on this stage, and no matter how many times you enter, it still makes one's blood boil.

And because the four EDG members did not arrive at the venue for the previous match, at this moment, it all seemed like a lifetime ago.

As if the quarter-final stage they had just passed was somewhat "unreal."

"EDG!"

"EDG!!"

"EDG!!!"

The audience had long since erupted in cheers that covered the mountains and plains, the waves of applause echoing endlessly in Atlanta!

The group stood up and walked toward the opposing player stage.

"GEN is the third LCK team to fall under EDG's hands this S-series after T1 and DK... who is next?!"

"The peak mid-jungle duo of Ye and Jiejie crushed the LCK number one seed's mid-jungle head-on! Jiejie helped his team senior Clearlove7 complete his revenge against his old rival Peanut."

"And Ye! This is already the third LCK mid-laner he has crushed head-on!"

"He is proving with facts that even the LCK number one seed's mid-laner still cannot stop his aggressive footsteps within the Rift!"

"The LPL's last hope has revealed its blade in the semi-finals to break through the LCK's encirclement and is about to step onto that final stage!"

The on-site Western official casters broadcasted with passionate voices throughout the venue.

Jiejie excitedly shook Ye Bo's shoulder hard: "Listen, listen, listen! Master Ye, they are praising us!"

"Hm? You can understand that?" Ye Bo asked curiously.

"I can't understand it! But judging by the tone and the IDs, they should be praising us; didn't you hear they even mentioned the Factory Manager's name~~"

"Hey Jiejie, that's not right. If they hadn't mentioned the Factory Manager's name, it might really be a compliment, but since they mentioned the Factory Manager's name, it's hard to say."

"O. It seems, that's true!"

When the EDG group walked to the opposite player stage with laughter and joy.

The director's camera finally deigned to switch, including the losers.

The desolation of the five dejected men was even more intense than that of DK in the quarter-finals!

After all, although DK bore the title of last year's runner-up, everyone knew that this year's DK, with a changed bottom lane and a declining top lane, was far from their own peak state; otherwise, they wouldn't have been just a third seed.

By comparison, GEN, as the pride of the LCK region that had been anticipated for a whole year, was absolutely the one everyone expected to win before the match!

And the more expectations one carries, the more backlash one will receive when facing failure.

Ruler's eyes were filled with unwillingness.

As the SVP of the losing side in this match, he resolutely chose the off-meta signature Xayah in the final game; his performance was not only commendable but could even be said to have nearly found a glimmer of opportunity for the team.

But he didn't expect that the opportunity would, in the blink of an eye, become the bayonet that completely tore open the gap for his opponent!

"Shibal."

Ruler was truly somewhat unconvinced.

This was completely inconsistent with his expectations for himself this year!

In fact, Ruler, who had stepped into his 7th year of his professional career, had only just harvested the first league championship of his life this year.

He had originally thought that with the mid-laner Chovy, the king of domestic league battles, sitting in the center, and joining forces with this mid-laner who could be considered the most powerful teammate of his career, this GEN should be able to surpass the peak of SSG!

For this, Ruler was full of confidence, wanting to show his skills in this World Championship, sprint for the second Summoner's Cup of his career, and rank among the best in his position in history!

But the result...

Outsiders might think that the most miserable one in these three games was the jungler, but those in the game knew very well—this semi-final was dragged down by the highly anticipated mid-laner!

To be honest, Ruler's mentality was a bit broken.

Don't look at how he is considered a veteran within the GEN team and has a high status among the members.

But from the previous relationship with the coach in the backstage, one could actually see that esports players have no privileges in LCK teams, and to put it bluntly, they are just "tools."

Never mind what veteran you are, and don't talk about what one-time champion AD you are.

Even if you are a two-time or three-time champion, if they tell you to get lost to the bench, you have to get lost to the bench immediately tomorrow!

Ruler had always heard that the club's second team had been raising a rookie ADC, being cultivated as his "successor."

And the "deeds" of the opposing mid-laner Ye had also become the source of Ruler's greatest sense of urgency.

Just because the opposing mid-laner had already proven with facts... rookies are terrifying!

Compared to Ruler's unwillingness and urgency.

What Chovy displayed was more of a flustered helplessness.

He was still enduring the white noise filling his headphones, not wanting to take off the noise-canceling headset—because he didn't want to hear the surging applause and screams outside.

He knew that had nothing to do with him.

The audience only cheers for the winner!

And at this moment, he was still clicking his mouse in front of the computer screen, still staring at the stat panel with a somewhat "unacceptable" gaze—the minion kill count between himself and the opposing mid-laner!

【194 minions】 and 【196 minions】.

Although he had tried his best, one could even say he had poured everything into his obsessive pursuit, and had successfully widened the minion gap during the few waves when the Bomb Kid went to push towers in the three lanes... but in the end, he still fell short!!

When everything in the Rift settled down.

Chovy naturally also knew how extremely terrible his performance in the final game was.

At this moment, he only desperately wanted to escape this stage.

This place seemed to have become his nightmare; every extra second he stayed here was an extra second of living in a nightmare!

For this reason, Chovy didn't even look up to meet the eyes of his old teammate, Viper.

When facing Ye Bo's fist bump, it was as if he had suddenly changed from a "right-handed" person to a "left-handed" one, retracting his fist into his sleeve and extending his left fist to touch it lightly...

And Doran and Lehends looked at Viper, this former old teammate, with extremely complex expressions.

Back then, they clearly started on the same path.

But now they were already on completely different life paths, and it could even be said that they were no longer people from the same world.

To put it bluntly, the three of them didn't even have the qualifications to be mentioned in the same breath anymore!

Relatively speaking, Peanut looked okay.

Maybe he was used to losing?

It's just that the jungle explosion for three consecutive games, especially the misery of the last game, made Peanut also become a "Face-Off" character, putting on the mask he once personally gifted to his dear Langxing...

Compared to the joyful team atmosphere of the entire opposing team, the GEN side was simply depressed to the extreme.

The Roaring Emperor on the LCK commentary desk, although deeply disappointed with the result of this match.

But seeing this scene, he hurriedly adjusted his emotions and shouted the closing remarks again: "Ji~ Ji~ Simida~"

"It is a pity that GEN, whom we had high hopes for, stopped at the semi-finals."

"But let's congratulate EDG; they are a strong opponent, having experienced many setbacks along the way but able to quickly adjust back to their full state. Just from this point, one can see that the many efforts and preparations the whole team made off-stage allowed them to form a precise strike against our number one seed in all aspects today!"

"Especially the mid-laner Ye"

The Roaring Emperor paused slightly, then shifted the tone of his commentary.

His tone suddenly became serious: "In my personal opinion! He is absolutely the most 'aggressive' homegrown mid laner since the LPL region was established, and he truly defeated Chovy head-on in their first-ever duel today."

"We should give this top-tier, new-generation mid laner enough respect—he is completely different from the stereotypes of previous CN mid laners!"

Although this sounded blunt, it hit the nail on the head.

Based on the performance at the World Championship over the past decade, it is easy for foreign players to develop certain "stereotypes" about LPL's homegrown mid laners.

After all, in the other four positions, there have been homegrown players who won the World Championship.

Only the mid lane!

Among the three World Championship titles, not a single one had a homegrown player; this point alone is enough to give everyone the feeling that "CN homegrown mid laners are not good enough."

The facts seem to be just that.

Until now.

The appearance of Ye Bo seems to be breaking this stereotype, punch by punch!

Ambition also nodded slightly with a serious expression, his voice low: "This Ye, not only compared to current LPL mid laners, but even compared to those legendary players from the early days, there is no template to match him. Every team must truly pay attention to him."

"If we really have to talk about a similar template..."

In Ambition's mind, he could only think of one figure from 2013.

That was the figure who, with his own hands, forced Ambition—who was still playing the mid lane position when he first debuted—to switch to the jungle.

Ye Bo did not know that his opponents were currently giving him such high praise.

The EDG members walked back to the center of the stage, bowed to the audience, packed up their peripherals, and headed backstage.

But just as they walked backstage, the interview task blocked their path.

Having reached the semifinals, every match is now truly the focus of everyone's attention.

No one can be idle after the match; they must head to their respective regional interview areas.

Generally speaking, the most sought-after interviews are the ones on the competition stage, followed by the local broadcast interviews, or otherwise, the wildcard region interviews where one can slack off.

However, Ye Bo thought about how his brothers didn't get to "personally" accept interviews during the quarterfinals last week.

So he took the initiative to take on the hardest nut to crack.

"Do you really not need me to go?" Viper asked kindly: "If you go to the LCK interview, you might be asked some strange questions."

Because the two regions have a well-known "hostile" relationship, and they had just finished such a crushing victory.

Without a doubt, the post-match interview would inevitably involve some sharp questions.

But in reality, Viper wouldn't have an easy time either.

Don't think that just because you are one of their own you will be spared; the Korean audience is currently furious, and if you, an import player, beat their home team, you might even get scolded worse!

"It's fine, it's fine~" Ye Bo said as he walked, turning his head and patting his chest boldly.

"Don't forget, your brother here has received the true teachings of Clearlove!"

"When it comes to interviews, the advantage is with me!"

Since this was Ye Bo's first World Championship, it was also his first time coming to a Korean interview room.

Listening to the surrounding gibberish of "Hagurumarashida," Ye Bo looked around like a curious baby.

Soon, a female host who clearly had been enhanced by Hextech walked toward him, clacking away in her thin high heels.

After communicating through a translator, the interview began quickly.

"Okay, LCK viewers, for today's post-match interview, we have invited EDG's mid laner, Ye, to accept an interview. Please say hello to everyone first."

"Hello everyone!"

【Damn, why isn't it Viper today? Tell him he'd better never come back in his life! Otherwise, wait for a truck to serve him!】

【God Ye! World's No. 1 mid laner! Universe's No. 1 mid laner! Killing that Chovy was well done!】

【This is our LCK, and LCK always loves to mock others for only relying on our mid laners. Now there's just one Ye, and he's beating your three generations of LCK mid laners! It's really funny.】

【Those licking Ye here are truly disgusting. How can you not support your own region's team? You are all definitely Korean traitors! You should all be sent to the North! All you dog Korean traitors get out of the Republic of Korea!】

【Look at the faces of these tadpoles. In the group stage, they were still scolding others, telling them to wait for the Bo5 to kill them, but as soon as he sent their Gen. daddy away, they immediately turned around and started recognizing a new daddy!】

【Hehehe, that's still better than being 3-0'd. T1 has never been 3-0'd by an LPL team since this game existed! It's simply a huge disgrace to the LCK!】

Ye Bo probably wouldn't have guessed that just by saying hello, he had already caused a commotion in the livestream chat.

However, in the chat... there were actually quite a few of his supporters!

No matter which region, there are obviously no shortages of fanatics and trolls, but there are also normal players who simply enjoy watching the game.

And as long as these people watched the match, they naturally became his fans!

Not only that, because of T1's failure in the group stage, fans of other teams led by Gen. had been stepping hard on T1 fans during this time.

So now that Gen. was ugly 3-0'd and sent home, many people immediately "recognized a thief as their father."

The simple routine questions were finished.

The host swallowed her saliva and officially entered the real question segment.

"Then, the next question."

"We know that EDG's performance today was quite perfect; it could be said that you suppressed Gen. with a crushing momentum. So I want to ask player Ye."

"Do you personally feel that your team faced more pressure when facing T1 in the group stage, or when facing Gen. in the semifinals?"

【Damn! Can you even ask a question like that?!】

【This host is also a damn tadpole! It's obvious she's targeting my Gen. !】

【Don't, God Ye! Don't answer! Don't answer! This is a trap!】

This question was indeed clearly biased.

No matter which one he answered, it would seem like he was saying the other team was "trash."

But if you set aside objective factors and only look at the match results.

It's very clear that today's Gen. was the one that died more miserably—after all, 3-0 is one zero more, and each game was shorter than the last!

However, Ye Bo thought about it very seriously.

Only then did he sincerely answer: "I don't think this question can be answered simply, because the situations the two teams faced were very different. T1 was in the group stage where everyone was still exploring, and the difference between Bo1 and Bo5 is huge. As for Gen. , we were actually studying potential semifinal opponents quite early..."

Ye Bo went on a long analysis like a monk chanting scriptures, making the translator beside him sweat profusely.

"If there must be a conclusion, then I think the pressure was about the same~"

The host was dumbfounded.

You gave such a long analysis, and the result is "about the same"!?

Ye Bo, at least, had given his true inner thoughts.

But the chat didn't think so.

【God Ye: Pressure? Anyway, it's all X-to-zero, so there's really no difference~】

【Arrogant! Too damn arrogant!!】

【This is the confidence given to them by the two trash teams Gen. and DK! Look at them, did they dare to talk like this before the quarterfinals? Because they all know that once they reach the Bo5 stage, T1 is invincible!】

【So invincible, how come you're already eating kimchi in Korea, duck?】

The host didn't get a satisfactory answer and was clearly unwilling to give up, continuing to pursue this question.

"Then, you just mentioned research and preparation, so does that mean the reason you were able to achieve such a huge advantage today is because you had more sufficient preparation and research?"

This time, Ye Bo nodded vigorously as if it were a matter of course.

"That's for sure!"

"Because our fan friends, whether in front of the screen or at the venue, I think they definitely want to see us, EDG, win comfortably."

"So in order to meet the expectations of the audience, we also have to work harder and spend more time preparing and researching before the match, so that we can achieve all of this on the field!"

"We have an old saying in China: 'One minute on stage, ten years of practice off stage.' Host, don't you think that's the truth!"

【Damn, he warmed me, I'm crying!】

【EDG fans who just joined heard this and are tearing up, family T. 】

【I can only say that the old EDG fans have finally made it. The fans of this current EDG are simply enjoying themselves; the matches are exciting! The teammates are reliable! Pure enjoyment!】

【To be honest, this is very real. You only see the 3-0 and think Gen. is trash? You didn't think about how much energy and thought they put in behind the scenes! Truly 'ten years of practice off stage!'】

【Master Ye is even sharing the credit; anyone with eyes can see it. He has to be the mid laner, the coach, and the brain—how many jobs is he holding down! He is truly working hard for the fans to enjoy the win!】

The translator barely managed to convey the core meaning of the words.

The Hextech host was clearly a bit stunned by what was said.

Ah, wait, brother?

Is it me interviewing you, or you interviewing me!

"Ah, yes, ah, yes, then let's move on to the next question!"

The host pulled herself together to recover some mana and attacked again.

"Just now on the commentary desk, our LCK commentator Jeon Yong-jun (Roaring Emperor) called you a unique mid laner in the LPL and also called you the 'most aggressive' mid laner."

"But Zeka, the mid laner for DRX who has already entered the finals, has also competed in both regions, and he also said in an interview that he thinks LPL mid laners are less skilled at laning and only want to push the lane quickly and then go to the side lanes to tower dive or invade the jungle... So how would you view these two statements?"

The first half sounded like it was still flattering Ye Bo.

But in the second half, the dagger was suddenly revealed!

Zeka's original remarks caused quite a climax among Korean fans.

They were convinced that what this "international student" who had just personally experienced it said must be correct.

And at the time, this interview also made LPL viewers extremely angry, yet somewhat helpless—who told them LPL's homegrown mid laners were indeed not living up to expectations!

"Aggressive? Actually, I think I quite like farming."

Ye Bo scratched the back of his head and continued with a smile: "As for that question, I didn't have the right to speak at the time because I hadn't played against players from outside regions yet, so I couldn't be sure if what he said was true."

"However, now, I think I can express some personal opinions."

"The so-called idea that the LPL prefers pushing lanes and fighting, while the LCK prefers macro and farming, should all be based on team needs. If a player only knows one playstyle, it will instead bring trouble to the team. In the end, style should not be the measure of strength."

"Anyway, from my personal experience, I feel that the players from both regions are really about the same~"

Obviously, these words were once again instantly "translated" by the live chat.

【God Ye! So domineering, simida!】

【Term Analysis "I like to farm": Once I kill all of you, I can farm across the entire map!】

【"About the same"? ———— "They're all trash"!】

【This guy really has no temper; he's almost collected the heads of mid-laners from both regions. What could be more convincing than him?】

【Don't hate blindly, Chovy is still quite strong. I can only say he is the only mid-laner in the World Championship so far who hasn't been solo-killed by Master Ye ————— the gold content is approaching that of Creme!!】

【True, 88884 is only fit to prop up a table leg. I can only say that Chovy's greatest achievement in this life is probably the "Award for Not Being Solo-Killed by Master Ye"!】

Due to the delay in the interview, the LCK broadcast channel had already begun to be flooded with a large number of LPL viewers, who started to take over the chat to show their support.

And the host, after hearing the translation, just stood there smiling awkwardly.

The already stiff apple muscles on their face looked like two heavy weights.

They had dug one pit after another, yet this person simply refused to jump into a single one. And how does it seem like they keep wanting me to jump!?

No, how are you so practiced at this!

"Alright. Then let's have the last question."

"Regarding your final opponent, DRX, what are your expectations and thoughts on this final match?"

Hearing this most routine closing question.

Ye Bo smiled mysteriously: "Well, everyone must know that DRX has our old friend of many years from EDG. Both sides can be considered to have some understanding of each other. This will be a duel that can be called destiny."

"Hey, host, let me test you! Do you know what this means?"

The host shook their head blankly.

Ye Bo raised the microphone again and coughed twice.

"This means that, in a sense ————— actually, from a long time ago, we have already been studying our opponents for the Grand Finals!"

"Still the same words, I will definitely strive to protect everything of EDG!"

"As for our team, from the moment we stepped onto this stage, regardless of which opponent we are facing or what accidents we encounter, there has always been only one goal."

"Never wavering."

The LCK post-match broadcast channel had never been so heated.

The entire chat was a tangled mess, with analysis, noise, and endless arguments.

Finally, Ye Bo faced the camera, spread his thumb and index finger, and made a confident inverted seven pose under his chin as the ending frame.

After finishing the interview, he returned to the backstage.

But what he didn't expect was.

He had clearly vastly underestimated the popularity of this best-of-five series.

The moment this crushing semifinal match concluded, the entire League community was shaken!

(End of chapter)