Chapter 36: Lu Zi'ang vs. Ruler, A Decisive Edge

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Everything happening before his eyes was something Coach Abu had never anticipated. He had severely underestimated the allure that "good looks" held for a professional player.

At this moment, inside the live stream, the match remained in a tense deadlock. The top-lane Cho'Gath had already been dismantled by the opposing Fiora. Having completely lost lane priority, he was even being forced out of the experience range by Fiora, stripped of his final right to farm.

Viewers watching the Cho'Gath’s plight grew increasingly worried:

"This Cho'Gath is unplayable. He’s supposed to be a late-game hero, so what’s the point now? Coach MLXG probably won't even look at the top lane this game."

"That Fiora is a one-trick pony; absolutely terrifying. Isn't this way better than the Tryndamere from last game? Solo-killed three times in less than ten minutes."

"Just feed, go ahead and feed. Our LPL winning the championship was purely luck anyway; the streamer couldn't possibly beat Ruler. Hurry up and break the streamer’s win streak!"

"Are you guys upstairs really that spineless? So eager to lick the boots of the Koreans?"

"What a loser. Too bad his Korean daddy wouldn't even spare him a glance."

Seeing the tension rising, the channel moderator hurriedly intervened: "The person who just spoke has been muted. Everyone, please don't stir up trouble! Just enjoy watching Falcon’s stream; this isn't the first time this kind of thing has happened."

The game reached the 10-minute mark.

The laning phase in the bottom lane was becoming increasingly intense. Ruler lived up to his reputation as a championship ADC; his positioning and last-hitting were exceptionally strong. Lu Zian even felt a subtle pressure, lacking the leisurely, composed feeling he had before.

Inside the SSG Esports Club’s player training room, Ruler, wearing glasses, kept swallowing hard. He was incredibly thirsty, but even with his water bottle sitting right next to his keyboard, he didn't dare pick it up to take a sip. His entire body was wound tight to the limit.

Thin beads of sweat even appeared on his forehead. If one had to say which role in League of Legends required the most intensive mechanical input, it was undoubtedly the ADC. As one of the two carries, the marksman bore a more terrifying output pressure than the mid-laner, which is why ADC is recognized as the most mechanically demanding role. This was also why ADCs required support while mid-laners did not. In the game, the ADC played the role of the absolute primary carry!

The higher the level of the match, the more important the AD’s position became. If the ADC died prematurely in a team fight, that engagement would almost certainly end in defeat.

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Therefore, the requirements for an ADC player—in terms of farming ability, laning skills, mechanical execution, damage output, and every other aspect—were the highest.

"Jae-hyuk, are you okay? What’s wrong..." Crown, sitting nearby, glanced at Ruler and noticed the other player was covered in cold sweat—a situation he had never seen before.

Ruler swallowed again, struggling to maintain his composure as he said, "It’s nothing major, just too focused. Who exactly is this guy? His laning details are so precise, he’s too strong."

"Don't know, I’m not familiar with that ID. Maybe some Korean server Miss Fortune one-trick," Crown offered his speculation.

"No."

Ruler shook his head, his eyes fixed intently on the game screen. His hands moved at lightning speed, his face covered in sweat that was nearly dripping into his eyes. "He can’t just be a one-trick; I’m starting to struggle. Can you come gank?"

"Huh?"

Crown replied with a bitter tone, "This Zoe is too strong; I can't get away. If I go to the bottom lane to gank, Zoe will follow... and his Sleepy Trouble Bubble accuracy is too high! It’s too dangerous to go down there."

"Fine." Ruler finally reached his limit. He retreated under the defensive tower, took off his glasses, and wiped the sweat from his face.

Looking at his CS count, even with his intense focus and best efforts, he had still missed several minions. Conversely, the opposing Miss Fortune, while maintaining full health, was leading him by nearly ten minions.

This made Ruler feel an inexplicable sense of shame. He was the first ADC in league history to win an S-series championship FMVP; his strength was battle-tested. How could an unknown junior consistently suppress him in lane?

Ruler couldn't wrap his head around it. Looking at the opponent’s ID, it clearly wasn't Korean. A dark thought even crept into his mind:

"Could it be that a new ADC genius has emerged in the LPL? This person's laning ability is absolutely no less than UZI's...!"

Although Ruler had won the championship FMVP last year, he knew very well that his skill level compared to UZI was at best a 50/50 split; he had just been luckier.

"No matter who you are, I won't let you win this game."

Thinking of IG winning the championship tonight, a surge of adrenaline rushed through Ruler. Even in his eyes, a cold, sharp glint flickered.

However, just as he was contemplating, the opposing Miss Fortune used a low-health minion to land a Q-skill hit on him.

"Bang."

Lu Zian hadn't even learned his W skill; he was maxing Q first and E second.

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After the Q skill hit the opposing Kai'Sa, it was immediately followed by an E skill, "Make It Rain."

Kai'Sa’s health was dropping at a visible rate. Added to the previous harassment, this Kai'Sa was now on the verge of being low health.

Another ADC might have tried to endure the wave, but Ruler had clearly recognized the power of the opposing ADC. A true master must face reality—both his own and his opponent's. Moreover, Miss Fortune was an ADC hero who was naturally strong in the early game.

"Avoid the edge of his blade for now, and I’ll deal with you later." Ruler made a decisive choice, planning to return to the fountain to restore his status and update his equipment. Even if it meant losing a wave of minions, he was willing—it was better than dying in the lane.

Seeing this, Lu Zian knew very clearly that the strength of this Kai'Sa was definitely not below UZI’s; with equal equipment, it was very hard to secure a kill.

After clearing the minion wave, he also decisively recalled to upgrade his gear. In League of Legends, an economic advantage must be promptly converted into an equipment advantage. Otherwise, no matter how good the farm, it was useless. In previous matches, Lu Zian could stay in lane without returning because he was crushing his opponents in every aspect.

But the situation was different now; the strength of this Kai'Sa didn't seem inferior to his own.

If not for the 15 attribute points rewarded by the system, which boosted all his capabilities, Lu Zian’s previous laning skills would have at best resulted in a stalemate. He wouldn't have been able to gain the slight advantage he now held.

At this moment, in the RNG player training room, the area behind MLXG was already crowded with people who had come to watch this top-tier Korean server rank match.

Mid-laner Xiaohu’s mouth twitched slightly: "Good grief, this kid can actually consistently suppress Ruler. This is Ruler we’re talking about."

UZI, sitting to the side, didn't listen or look, continuing to play his own rank game as if immersed in his own world. But the stubbornness in his eyes betrayed his inner turmoil.

"What’s the big deal? Isn't it just suppressing Ruler? I’ve crushed Ruler before. Damn, these guys are really turning their elbows outward!"

Although UZI was wearing headphones, the in-game volume was set very low, and he heard the discussions outside clearly.

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