You've only been playing for half a year, and you've already reached the finals?

Mingjing sat on the bus, unusually not going to the anti-racism forum, but instead leaning against the window, watching the Datong Center, which he had only ever seen on screen before, slowly come into view.

By this time, the parking lot of the Grand Central Center was already packed with spectators, making the buses move very slowly.

As soon as Ming Jing got out of the car, he was greeted with a warm welcome from the North American audience. Countless people even began to shout his ID in unison, the three English letters in an orderly fashion.

As I said before, countless people are eagerly awaiting the birth of a legend.

Ming Jing took a deep breath, waved to the supporters on both sides, and then walked into the venue through the backstage passage.

As you walk through the backstage corridor, Ming Jing can see many photos that record the glorious moments of the Warriors.

Chamberlain's 100% of the night.

He lifted the Larry O'Brien Trophy in 2015.

And this year's addition is the image of Curry lifting the trophy a few months ago when he won his first Finals MVP award.

Mingjing isn't exactly a die-hard NBA fan, but he occasionally gets information about the league from the internet and his classmates.

These are legendary moments.

As Mingjing walked among these photos, his heart began to race.

Today's match is so important, Mingjing is naturally nervous.

But tension never had any negative impact on Ming Jing; it only made him play better.

He has never hidden his ambition. He participated in this S-series with only one goal: to win a three-peat and become a legend.

He is ready.

As the match draws near, countless spectators have begun to enter the stadium.

To avoid infection from queuing, Song Xuan and his mother entered the venue early and went into a private box on the top floor of the Datong Center.

The Chase Center is a new home stadium built in 19, with all its facilities being brand new. It also has private boxes that isolate the viewing areas, which can effectively prevent the spread of infection.

Of course, today is the final, and this VIP box is not cheap. It definitely costs more than five figures. It just goes to show that the Song family is indeed very wealthy.

Looking at the sea of ​​people through the glass of the private box, Song Xuan felt a pang of regret.

In contrast, she actually prefers to sit in the center of the crowd and feel the cheers from all directions.

At this moment, four different images are displayed on the huge ceiling screen at the top of the venue.

On one side were three North American commentators, talking eloquently about the upcoming final.

Song Xuan could understand this level of English, but she wasn't interested in it. She just took out her camera and took pictures of the side view.

The two sides are the backstage dressing rooms for both teams.

EDG is making final preparations for the final match. Mingjing is standing in front, having a long talk with Maokai, probably refining the draft for the first game of the finals.

With the conclusion of the semi-finals, Ming Jing's status within the team has been further elevated, and he has begun to assume coaching responsibilities.

In particular, the team lost the pre-match coin toss, and was placed on the red side in the first game, which undoubtedly put more pressure on the draft picks.

"Should we ban Aatrox?" Maokai asked, frowning. "Actually, they don't pick Aatrox often, and their proficiency with Zeus isn't high. If we let him go, we might be able to get him."

Among the top four teams, T1 prioritizes Aatrox the least, often letting the opponent have Aatrox and then using heroes like Jayce and Gwent to deal with him.

“But that’s the problem.” Ming Jing’s idea was unwavering. “Zeus may not necessarily play against Aatrox, but he will definitely fight Aatrox.”

T1's new top laner is indeed a highly talented one, a fact that even Mingjing has to admit.

Even though the two sides have never faced each other, or even had a training match, Ming Jing could still glean clues from some match videos.

The playing styles of talented players and ordinary experts are fundamentally different.

T1 has been deliberately letting Aatrox through, and Mingjing has every reason to believe that, besides Gwendolph, this person has other ways to deal with Aatrox.

Let alone Zeus, even Ming Jing would have a thousand ways to deal with the Sword Demon.

"But if we ban Aatrox," Maokai thought for a moment, "then we'll have to let Luna go."

DK and RNG have already provided the answers regarding the bans for T1.

This version of Caitlyn and Yuumi is a fixed ban for the red team, which goes without saying, especially against T1 teams.

The third ban slot will roughly be one of Lucian, Aatrox, or Azir.

“It’s okay, we can give it to them.” Mingjing said, “Even if we ban Luna, they can still use Varus or Karlie to lane against us, so we might as well let them have it and then we can use Karlie to fight.”

The Luna duo is certainly not weak in lane. After reaching level three, they possess considerable combat power, and once they acquire Mythic items, they become a dominant force in the mid lane, invincible.

However, there is also the possibility that the first three levels could be snowballed and destroyed.

And the combination that possesses this ability is Calle.

“Okay.” Maokai nodded. “Then I’ll do as you say.”

When facing T1, Maokai's biggest concern is the laning phase on both sides, so the draft will naturally focus on this aspect.

However, this pressure may fall on Ming Jing's shoulders again.

"bang bang bang"

The door to the lounge opened, and a staff member announced that it was time to go on stage.

The EDG members looked at each other, their eyes filled with determination, and then stepped onto the stage in unison.

At this time, the 20,000 spectators below the stage had gradually taken their seats. As the competition officially entered the 8 o'clock period, the lights in the entire venue suddenly went out, and even the giant screen hanging on the ceiling temporarily went dark.

But what followed was a thunderous roar from 20,000 spectators!
The countdown that followed made the call instantly more unified!

"TEN!"

"TINE!"

"."

"THREE!"

"TWO!"

"ONE!"

As the countdown reached its final moment, it seamlessly transitioned into the high-energy visuals of this year's theme song music video.

This year's music video was a hodgepodge, featuring key players from various teams. The general plot was that Mingjing, wielding dual pistols, fought his way through powerful enemies to the summit, only to encounter Faker, who was carrying a scroll and a magic book. The two engaged in an epic battle, the outcome of which remained unknown.

This music video implies that Mingjing, who has won two world championships, has officially threatened Faker's historical status, and this year's World Championship is very likely to be a year of throne change.

But Riot Games obviously didn't expect that Mingjing and Faker would actually meet in the finals. This fateful duel adds a bit of a prophetic feel to this music video.

As Lucian's fist and Ryze's fist flashed by one after the other, the screen finally froze on the Riot Games logo.

Then came a series of opening ceremony performances. There were symphony orchestra performances, Jackson Wang's rendition of the theme song "Fire to the Fuse" from the game, and the theme song for this year's S-series, "STAR WALKIN" by Li Nacha.

After three songs, the opening ceremony performance came to an end. A spotlight shone on a dark corner of the stage, where the bearded North American host finally strode onto the stage.

"Twenty-four teams have fought over the past six weeks, and now only two have survived!"

"T-1, the three-time world champions, who have returned to the finals after a five-year hiatus!"

"And the 2021 World Championship winner, the reigning champion, E-D-G!"

The player tunnels on both sides of the Chase Center were simultaneously cooled, drawing the attention of the entire audience.

"Let's welcome both players to the stage!"

The bearded host drew out his words, stirring up the audience's emotions.

"TOP—Zeus, and Flandre!"

Zeus and Flandre appeared simultaneously in the player tunnels on both sides, stepping onto the stage amidst cheers.

The way they appeared on stage was very similar to the scene during the NBA Finals.

Only basketball courts can have such a fateful player tunnel.

"JUGGLE—Oner, and Jiejie!"

Both junglers are the most physically imposing players on their respective teams, and their steps onto the stage were full of imposing presence.

“BOTTOM—Gumayusi, and Viper!”

Both ADs also walked out of the player tunnel.

Today's match was a fierce battle between the two AD carries, and neither of them was willing to make any concessions in order to win.

"SUPPORT—Keria, and Meiko!"

Due to their personalities, the tension between the two support players wasn't as intense as in the previous groups. They simply exchanged a polite glance before taking their designated positions.

At this moment, the top, jungle, bottom, and support players from both sides have already taken the stage. The host deliberately skipped the mid laners from both sides, and it was not difficult for countless viewers to guess the purpose of this arrangement.

In today's finals, the mid laners on both sides were undoubtedly the main characters!

At this moment, the cheers from the audience began to surge, and countless people were ready to welcome the two onto the stage!
"Finally, it's the mid laners on both sides!"

The bearded host's tone and volume had noticeably improved, and he also dragged out his voice for a long time.

"Faker! and Phi!"

In that instant, the spotlights that had previously been distributed among the various players all moved to the player tunnels on both sides.

Lee Sang-hyeok and Myung Kyung finally appeared on screen.

At this moment, the cheers from the audience reached their first peak since the opening ceremony, with countless spectators sitting on the edge of the players' tunnel stretching their arms as if trying to touch the players.

The two, who are already ranked first and second in history, stretched out their arms, allowing countless spectators to reach out and give them high-fives.

Inside the private room at the top, Song Xuan had practically worn out the shutter button on his camera by pressing it repeatedly.

The two walked through the players' tunnel, onto the stage, exchanged a knowing glance, and then headed in different directions, standing in the center of their respective teams.

"Please welcome both players to their seats. The match is about to begin!"

Ming Jing waved gently to the audience below the stage, and then he sat down in his seat with the team.

Interestingly, this is EDG's third BO5 in this World Championship, but this is the first time that all five members of EDG have appeared on stage.

Ming Jing had just put on his headphones when he heard Holy Gun's voice.

"Mingjing, are you nervous?" Saint Gun asked with a smile.

Before Mingjing could speak, Meiko answered for him: "Mingjing, what are you so nervous about? You're the one who should be nervous. Be careful not to get punched through by Zeus."

Last year, even against Nuguri, Flandre struggled, let alone this year against the younger and more energetic Zeus.

"Heh, even if I can't beat him, I can still make a living. Don't worry about it at all!"

With the referee confirming the status of both sides, the draft phase of the first game of the finals quickly began.

Both coaching teams had prepared ample contingency plans for the first game, but the final was of utmost importance, and both sides still carefully considered their options, confirming each move twice.

On the blue side, T1's choice was quite straightforward, banning Galio and Akali, two mid-lane champions. However, their third pick was slightly unexpected, as they banned Lucian.

This instantly ruined all the preparations Ming Jing had made for Lucian.

Clearly, T1 anticipated that EDG would let Luna go and then try to take control of the lane. They didn't even want to give up the lane control of the first three levels, so they simply banned Lucian to solve the problem once and for all!
Of course, this wasn't a bad thing for EDG either, as the team still banned Caitlyn, Yuumi, and Aatrox as discussed before the match.

At this moment, in the LPL commentary booth, the three legendary commentators, Guan Daxiao, Miller, and Wawa, had already begun analyzing the bans for both sides.

"It's actually quite obvious that the red and blue teams are still somewhat unbalanced in this version."

Guan Daxiao, sitting in the center position, spoke up: "In comparison, T1 targeted EDG's signature heroes, while EDG banned all the meta heroes!"

“Yes!” Miller nodded emphatically. “T1’s winning the right to choose sides has given them a huge advantage!”

Colonel Guan sighed inwardly and steered the conversation back on track: "Judging from the current situation, both sides will likely continue to fight over the two Cs and see what they choose!"

As soon as the words were spoken, the selection screen lit up on the first floor of T1.

The Desert Emperor, locked on!
Azir was a champion that once kept Faker on the bench, but as time went on, Faker gradually mastered this difficult champion and made it his signature move.

Meanwhile, the EDG members began to chatter incessantly.

"So what's next?" Maokai asked. "Should we still choose Kalecgos?"

"Either is fine, let's see about the bot lane." Ming Jing looked at T1's picks and narrowed his eyes slightly. "I feel like they were prepared."

T1 advanced quite easily all the way through the tournament. If you say they didn't prepare anything, Ming Jing would never believe it; it's just a matter of how much.

T1's decision to ban Luna but then first-pick Azir is a dangerous sign, indicating that their bot lane must have a strong backup plan.

But Mingjing is not a god, and he cannot make predictions out of thin air. He can only respond to all changes by remaining unchanged.

In today's match, the bottom lane priority is the highest priority, and picking Kareem is the right move.

Kalista and Lena were quickly locked in by EDG in the first and second rounds.

The camera then cut to the T1 players' bench, where the T1 players were discussing something amongst themselves.

However, smiles appeared on the faces of all of them.

While laughing, T1 finally revealed their first trump card.

Ice and Seraphine were locked in one after the other.

These two choices sent chills down the spines of the three LPL commentators! (End of Chapter)