Chapter 46: This Newcomer Is Impressive

“Let us congratulate EDG!” Wang Duoduo exclaimed crisply. “A commanding 2-0 victory, unstoppable—they have once again avenged their defeat from the Spring Split!”

“Player YE truly surprised us again today, especially with that Akshan pick. It’s incredible how deeply he understands such an unconventional champion!”

Gugu, smiling, noticed a peculiar point of focus. “But it seems like the EDG players still weren’t quite satisfied with just winning. They almost charged into the fountain to finish off the enemy. It was the rookie YE who kept pinging the base, haha…”

The broadcast cut to the player benches.

Having just secured the win, the seasoned Saint Gunner was the first to leap up excitedly.

Though in the second match he did give some openings early on and suffered heavy pressure in lane, bearing the immense burden of a counter-pick, plus the enemy’s desperate and relentless ganks from support and jungler on the top lane, he remarkably did not die again even once.

It was as if he’d rediscovered some of the slick confidence he had last year.

Of course, Saint Gunner understood exactly why this was possible.

“Brother Jiang’s research play was truly impressive. Luckily, we now have a research doctor in our ranks!”

Jiejie, equally exhilarated, stood and teased, “Absolutely! Honestly, Master Ye’s research feels no less intense than Shy’s. Shy’s research often involves torturing nine opponents…”

“If it weren’t for Master Ye acting as the sacrificial pawn, I think we might have even pushed into the fountain just now!”

Though Jiejie’s words were lighthearted banter, he wasn’t wrong.

To unlock the full potential of an unconventional champion, the key lies in maximizing the hero’s strengths while carefully avoiding its weaknesses.

Take Theshy’s renowned top lane Skarner, for example—he took full advantage of Skarner’s exceptional laning prowess to dominate the top lane, even pioneering a strategy centered around single-point breakthroughs.

Clearly, though, Theshy’s proficiency with Anivia wasn’t quite on the same level; he never quite captured the essence of the champion.

In this match, he even repeatedly blocked teammates with his wall, resulting in several awkward and frustrating moments alongside the support Titan.

That kind of research truly was torture for the team.

Well, this time only eight people suffered, not nine.

Thanks to the unique mechanics of Anivia’s wall, Akshan played with remarkable ease!

“Really well played!” Mekio praised with a cheerful grin. “Your champion pool has expanded so quickly. I remember when you first arrived, you joked about only knowing three champions. Now, counting Zoe, Taliyah, Akshan…”

Jiejie quickly chimed in, “Six champions now, hey! That’s our Axe King Ye!”

Hearing his teammates’ compliments, Ye Bo felt nothing but satisfaction and joy.

Clearly, Ye Bo was rapidly integrating into the team, and his teammates were gradually placing deeper trust and genuine recognition in him.

Victory in the match, recognition from the team—these all proved the fruit of daily training and rekindled Ye Bo’s drive.

When you truly put in the effort, good results are what you deserve.

Ye Bo had always believed this.

As for the other four members of EDG, though unaware of Ye Bo’s grueling forty-plus hours of daily practice that led to his current form, each had witnessed his relentless daily efforts firsthand—and that alone was no small feat.

“Playing with you feels really comfortable,” even the usually reserved Viper said as he stood and patted Ye Bo on the shoulder while heading toward the opposing players’ bench.

There was a time when their bottom lane couldn’t have hoped for such treatment from the mid lane.

The most direct example was Ye Bo’s quick thinking with that invisible teleport on Akshan.

Without that play, the bottom lane would have been crushed by level six, given the early weaknesses in that lane.

Regardless of laning strength, no one would ever turn down more support from their teammates.

And support comes in many forms.

There’s the kind of support that wants to carry the team, and the kind that simply wants to win.

Like those players who, despite their base being destroyed, stubbornly keep farming minions.

No matter what, they prioritize their own economy first.

The warm and joyful atmosphere, broadcast live, was seen by many viewers.

EDG fans felt a rare sense of comfort and reflection.

People often talk about some kind of “immunity from criticism,” but everyone knows that’s a joke.

Unless you keep winning nonstop, a single loss will bring a flood of criticism.

EDG’s performance in the first half of the year was difficult to evaluate; losses made for a grim atmosphere, so EDG fans hadn’t seen such a relaxed scene for half a year.

After all, it was originally the veteran who kept the atmosphere light, but he had been underperforming in the first half.

Consolation usually only comes from the team’s elder brother in that match.

As for the others, the two bottom laners rarely spoke, and Jiejie would only chime in occasionally.

The mid laner? If he didn’t say something like “That’s kind of ridiculous, stop the nonsense,” it was already considered a win.

[Spot on, this rookie is spot on!]

[The junior’s voice sounds like a pressure cooker; Master Ye’s voice is like the pressure valve releasing steam.]

[The rest don’t matter much. The main thing is, he really is good. It’s rare for a rookie to perform like this. EDG’s luck is unbelievable to get a player like Ka!]

[Mainly, the fact that he can even pull off something like Akshan—I’m too scared to imagine how deep his champion pool really is! What about that supposed ‘hero spoon’?]

From the harmonious chat atmosphere in the live comments, many EDG fans already believed this rookie was genuinely impressive.

Before this, fans had been skeptical or held unrealistically high expectations for Ye Bo, barely even looking forward to him.

But the truth was, up to now, Ye Bo had fully lived up to those expectations.

He had even raised them.

Most importantly, as things stand now,

Ye Bo wasn’t just a mid laner who could coordinate his teammates in-game; he seemed to be someone who could connect them in real life as well.

Many had begun to look forward to the future of this new mid laner.

...

Jiang Chenglu, waiting for the handshake, showed no visible distress—only a serious, contemplative expression.

Even though his research-style play had often been criticized, the audience had rarely seen him lose his composure.

His mindset genuinely seemed solid.

As one comment put it, he was simply playing the game.

“Wow! I’m your fan!” Ye Bo said excitedly as he shook hands, gripping even more firmly than when he met the coach or the legendary Coin.

“Ho ho, you’re great on Akshan!” Jiang Chenglu, seemingly unaffected by the loss and having forgotten the first game’s Zoe fountain bubble mishap, gave Ye Bo his signature long-faced smile.

“If you have the chance, let’s exchange some ideas, alright?”

Ye Bo was amazed to discover that the video camera had a face-detection feature!

And Jiang Chenglu casually voiced what he had been pondering: how Akshan could be played so well. It seemed that his own 0-7-0 game earlier was purely an unexpected misunderstanding…

“Sure thing!”

Hearing the invitation for a solo exchange, Ye Bo was naturally delighted.

After all, Theshy was unmatched in lane detail and skill.

Besides, the current intensity of the training grounds no longer posed much of a challenge to Ye Bo.

He didn’t want to miss any opportunity to hone and improve his skills.

Mainly because,

Coin Brother had played so many games that Ye Bo was already bored of the Monkey tricks and starting to feel sleepy...