New challenges in the new season

The tranquility of the offseason was shattered by the drumbeat of the new season, and the tense atmosphere of the AY team's training base returned to normal. The electronic screens played a loop of information about the league's new teams, with LK Team's name standing out in particular. Led by former world champion jungler Lao Wu, this team had swept their opponents with a ten-game winning streak in the preseason, becoming the favorite to win the championship this season and the biggest obstacle to AY Team's title defense.

In the season opener, Team AY faced Team LK. In the pre-match practice room, the coach slammed a thick stack of tactical analysis reports onto the table and poked Lao Wu's camera image on the screen. "Lao Wu's late-game teamfighting prowess is top-tier in the league, especially in finding opportunities to cut into the backline during Storm Dragon King fights. Their mid laner, Xiao Yuan, may be a rookie, but he has a deep mage hero pool, skilled at Zhang Liang, Mai Shiranui, and Wu Zetian. You must be prepared accordingly."

Lin Yu and Su Ran huddled in front of the screen, carefully studying the LK team's game recording. Lin Yu pointed to the vision layout near the dragon pit and said, "Old Wu's jungle route is very fixed. Before each dragon attack, he always sends Guiguzi to clear the vision ahead of time and also sends Xiang Yu to ambush from behind. We can take advantage of this by setting up vision in the bushes on both sides of the dragon pit and then setting up an ambush when they attack."

Su Ran nodded and added, "Xiao Yuan's mage has a habit of clearing the middle lane and then going around to support the side lanes. Especially when he's playing as Zhang Liang, he always wants to use his ultimate to force our marksman away. I'll place a ward in the bushes by the middle river, and as soon as he leaves the middle lane, I'll immediately signal to alert the side lanes."

On the day of the competition, the esports center was packed. Team AY's orange cheering signs and Team LK's blue signs intertwined in the audience. Chants of "AY defend the title" and "LK go for the championship" echoed back and forth, the air thick with the smell of gunpowder. When Lin Yu and Su Ran, wearing their new season uniforms, walked onto the stage side by side, the cheers from the audience reached a crescendo. The two exchanged a smile, their eyes filled with determination—this was the first battle on their road to defending their title, and they had to win.

During the banpick phase, LK took the lead, first banning Pei Qinhu and then banning Wu Zetian, directly targeting AY's core mid and jungle. AY then countered by banning Lao Wu's signature Nakroth and Xiao Yuan's Mai Shiranui, limiting their hero options. The final lineups for AY were: Lin Yu (Lan), Su Ran (Wang Zhaojun), Lü Bu (Swing), Gongsun Li (Marksman), and Taiyi Zhenren (Support); while LK's lineup consisted of Lao Wu (Jing), Xiao Yuan (Zhang Liang), Xiang Yu (Swing), Yu Ji (Marksman), and Guiguzi (Support).

"Match Begin!" As the referee's call came, Lin Yu piloted Lan and headed straight for his own red zone. Taiyi Zhenren followed closely beside him, charging his first skill, "Time and Space Bomb," in advance, ready to counter the jungle. According to pre-match analysis, LK's Guiguzi was likely to counter the blue zone, so they had to prepare in advance.

Sure enough, just as Lan finished defeating the red buff and reached level 2, Guiguzi suddenly appeared on the minimap—he was moving towards AY's blue zone with a mirror! "Central left support!" Lin Yu's voice had just fallen as Su Ran's Wang Zhaojun had cleared the first wave of soldiers and released her second skill, "Imprisoning Frost," towards the blue zone entrance, simultaneously activating her first skill, "Withered Ice Crystal," accelerating her charge.

Guiguzi wasn't expecting Wang Zhaojun's support to arrive so quickly, and he was frozen in place just as he approached the blue buff. Lan seized the opportunity to circumvent the red zone and used his first skill, "Breaking Waves," to push Guiguzi against the wall. Using Taiyi Zhenren's stun, he used a basic attack followed by his second skill, "Severing the Sky," to instantly secure Guiguzi's first blood. "Beautiful!" cheers echoed from Team AY's voice chat, and the orange signboards in the audience instantly lit up.

For the rest of the match, AY leveraged their early-game advantage to consistently suppress LK. Lin Yu's Lan frequently invaded Jing's jungle, always stealing small monsters before Jing could reach them, disrupting his development. Su Ran's Wang Zhaojun used her ultimate, "Winter Has Arrived," to support the side lanes. Several times, she used ice walls to block Xiang Yu's charges as he flanked, helping Gongsun Li escape danger. By the 15-minute mark, AY was two thousand gold ahead of LK and had successfully secured their first Overlord.

But LK didn't give up. As the game progressed, Lao Wu's Jing gradually gained strength. With his equipment in place, he became exceptionally agile, frequently flanking in teamfights and collaborating with Zhang Liang's ultimate, "Word Spirit: Manipulation," to instantly kill Gongsun Li. Xiao Yuan's Zhang Liang also targeted Wang Zhaojun, using his first ability, "Word Spirit: Barrier," to block her path and limit her damage output.

At the 25-minute mark, the Storm Dragon King became the decisive factor. Team LK assembled at the Dragon King's pit, Guiguzi lurking in the brush, ready to engage at any moment. Team AY didn't dare rush forward and could only hover outside the pit. Just then, Guiguzi suddenly appeared, using his second ability, "All Things Have Spirits," to precisely target Lan. Xiaoyuan's Zhang Liang immediately followed up with his ultimate, pinning Lan to the ground. Lao Wu's Jing activated his ultimate, "Heavenly Craftsmanship," and combined with Yu Ji's basic attacks, instantly killed Lan.

"Retreat!" Su Ran decisively ordered, and Wang Zhaojun's ultimate, "Winter Has Arrived," was unleashed towards the Dragon King pit, attempting to prevent LK from taking the dragon. However, LK had already established a crushing momentum, quickly taking down the Storm Dragon King and heading straight for AY's high ground with the Dragon King buff.

At this critical moment, Su Ran suddenly changed his strategy. Wang Zhaojun's second skill, "Imprisoning Frost," accurately froze LK's Xiang Yu, Guiguzi, Zhang Liang, and Yu Ji. Lü Bu seized the opportunity and unleashed his ultimate, "Demon God's Advent," trapping the four beneath the highland tower. Taiyi Zhenren's "Time and Space Bomb" stunned Yu Ji, while Gongsun Li's ultimate, "Lonely Bird Severing Clouds," combined with damage, instantly killed her. Without their marksman, LK fell into disarray. AY pressed on, slaying all four and destroying LK's crystal in one swoop.

At the end of the match, Lin Yu and Su Ran celebrated with a high-five, their eyes filled with excitement. The fans in the audience were in an uproar, their shouts of "AY must win!" deafening. In the post-match interview, the host asked with a smile, "The Storm Dragon King team was at a disadvantage just now. Did Lin Yu ever think they would lose?"

Lin Yu took the microphone and turned to look at Su Ran beside him, with a gentle smile on his face: "No. As long as Su Ran is here, I have the confidence to win. He always finds an opportunity to counterattack at the most critical moment. With him around, I will never panic."

Su Ran also added: "Lin Yu's jungle play always creates advantages for us. Even when we are occasionally in trouble, he will patiently look for opportunities. We are the best teammates and the people we trust the most. No matter what difficulties we encounter, we will face them together."

The AY team's morale was boosted by their first victory of the new season. In the following matches, Lin Yu and Su Ran led the team through the toughest challenges, continuing their winning streak. They knew the challenges of the new season would be far greater, and that many formidable opponents awaited them in the league. However, as long as they stood together and trusted each other, there would be no difficulties they could not overcome, and no championships they could not win. Under the lights of the training room, the two once again plunged into intense training, preparing for the next match—their road to defending their title had just begun.