Starting with Zaozi Ge, a dream lineup

Chapter 387 MSI Begins, Arrival in Iceland
"Huh? This is really unexpected news. Are you sure the 'puppy' here refers to Liu Shiyu, the player who retired after S8?" Aunt Yu Shuang paused for a moment before replying.

The director had already reacted quickly and was shouting into the headset.

We must seize this opportunity!

This was the director's only thought at that moment.

This is the first time Edg has ever treated a post-match interview like a press conference.

Who is Mala Xiangguo? Although his live streaming style did not become popular after he retired, it is still a hit.

But after all, he was the super jungler who developed the starvation jungler back then, and was highly anticipated by all LPL players.

Now? He's actually going back to the competitive scene, and with Edg no less?

"Yes, Xiangguo has considered it for a long time. This is his own choice. So once his application is approved, Xiangguo will officially join Edg to cooperate with the training." Zaozi nodded with a smile, his face calm and composed.

Seeing the strong reaction from the crowd, Mei Kou paused for a moment, and only continued speaking after the noise subsided a bit:
"Then, because we're going to play in MSI, the two substitutes we'll be bringing have been decided: Xiye and Xiangguo. After playing for so many years, it's time for all the veterans to gather together and try to achieve their dreams."

Upon hearing Meiko's words, some fans from other teams who had not yet left the scene or the live stream were stunned.

What kind of word is "dream" for professional gamers?
After the match-fixing and betting scandals, the word "dream" has been trampled underfoot by most players.

At that moment, these two words suddenly came out of Mei Kou's mouth.
At this point, some of the longtime fans in the audience were already tearing up.

Regardless of any scandals these contestants have, or their personalities.

Standing on the stage, they are exactly what everyone wants to see.

The scene began to stir, and Xiangguo, who was sitting in the lounge, also lost control of his emotions.

From the side, Li Luo could see the glistening tears in Xiang Guo's eyes, but he chose not to comfort him.

Xi Ye, who was standing next to him, wanted to go over and say a few words, but Li Luo stopped her.

At such moments, tears are not tears of sorrow, but tears of excitement.

Let Xiangguo swallow this alone; it will become the driving force for his career advancement.

At the same moment, as the interviews on stage ended, the S10 LPL Spring Finals awards ceremony also came to a close.

The audience began to disperse in an orderly manner.

Since this wasn't the first time Edg had won the Spring Finals, the team was already very familiar with the procedures after the finals. With Uzi and Meiko returning, it didn't take long for them to get everything sorted out and board the bus back to the club.

At the same time, after Edg decisively defeated JD Gaming to win the Spring Finals championship, the outside world was already in an uproar.

The highly anticipated war of words between Edg and JD Gaming had already ignited the viewing atmosphere even before the match officially started.

Now that Edg has defeated JD.com with an absolute 3-0 victory, the buzz surrounding the game has only grown stronger.

Edg's performance this season is even better than their performance in S5 and RNG in S8.

Especially after it was announced that Xiangguo would rejoin the competition and join Edg to pursue the championship, everyone in the industry spontaneously sent their blessings.

At the match, commentator Miller first publicly stated on Weibo: "Edg has really scared me this season. They haven't lost a single game, and every lane they play is incredibly strong. This record will probably continue until MSI!"

Yan Zijing GwAwa: "Edg has created a new record in the LPL, especially now that Xiangguo is joining Edg. This team is truly a team that pursues its dreams!"

YSCandice: "To be honest, I was really stunned when Uzi said that Xiangguo was going to return to the competition. Who would have thought that another player who had been retired for more than a year would come back to join Edg to pursue his dream? I sincerely wish them all the best this season."

Many esports professionals, well-known commentators, and players sent their blessings after the Spring Split champions were decided.

The two trending topics, #EdgWinsTheChampionship# and #XiangguoReturns#, surged to the top and fourth spots on Weibo's trending topics list at an alarming speed.

Edg's strength is not limited to China.

After the match, it topped the trending topics on Twitter abroad, frequently catching everyone's attention.

For the first time, foreign players have discovered that Edg's strength is showing signs of breaking out of their niche.

It's no wonder, given such a terrifying record and the star-studded team roster, it's normal for it to generate such heated discussion.

The intense competition of the LPL finals has sparked a frenzy of online discussion, with many netizens expressing concern that LPL players are becoming too strong. After all, with two championships already under their belt, and now facing a team like Edg, are other regions still in contention?

This question, of course, remains unknown.

Because it's not just the viewers who want to know, but even the MSI participants who are professional players want to know.

Now, apart from the LPL region, the slots for other regions to participate in MSI have been determined, and the Spring Split champion is a sure thing.

Leaving aside the wildcard teams and the play-in stage, the four teams from each region that directly entered the group stage are:

LPL: Edg!

Lck：Skt
LEC: G2
Na：C9
It's worth mentioning that G2 from the LEC region pulled off a trick in the Spring Split, swapping Caps and Perkz's positions for the entire season, and still managed to secure first place in the regular season.

G2 was knocked into the loser's bracket by MAD in the first round of the playoffs, but then successfully avenged their defeat by defeating MAD to enter the finals, and easily defeated FNC 3-0 in the finals to win the Spring Split championship.

As for C9 in the North American region, they replaced AdSneaky, who had been with them for 7 years, in the Spring Split. Then, it was like a completely different team in the Spring Split, leading the LCS with a record of 17-1 in the regular season.

Keep in mind that the second-place team only had a 10-8 record, and then easily made it to the finals in the playoffs, where they won the Spring Split championship 3-0.

Faker, who has since renamed T1 from Skt, led his team to a 14-4 record in the Spring Split regular season, the same as GenG. However, T1, with a lower net score, could only finish second.

The other team with a 14-4 record is DRX, which also has the same net score as T1. However, because DRX lost both of their matches against T1, they are ranked third.

Then in the playoffs, DRX lost to T1 again, allowing T1 to advance to the finals, where they defeated GenG 3-0 and easily won the title of nine-time champion.

The three teams currently ahead of Edg—SKT, G2, and C9—all swept their opponents 3-0 in the Spring Finals.
Therefore, at this moment, everyone's viewing emotions have been completely aroused.

Compared to previous years' MSI, this year's competition is undoubtedly more intense and more exciting!

Seemingly sensing the fear that the outside world had towards the LPL region, SKT posted a Weibo message on their official Weibo account the day after Edg's victory:
"The collapse and rise of a legendary dynasty requires a solid foundation. Simply gathering all the legendary players together does not guarantee a past and a future. Team T1 believes that with nine championships already under their belt, MSI will not be the next mountain to climb!"

These words were incredibly arrogant. They didn't mention the team name or the players, but everyone knew that they were spoken directly to the faces of the Edg players.

Nowadays, looking at the whole world, only T1 can boldly say this word: haul!

Of course, after Stk made his declaration, the other two regions weren't to be outdone. G2 and C9 both spoke out, determined to defeat Edg. Everyone wants to be the warrior who defeats the dragon. Now that the LPL region has won the S-series championship for two consecutive seasons, whoever can defeat the LPL region in this battle will get the key to popularity first and become the strongest team in S10!
Amidst the outside noise, the Edg team, having won the Spring Split Finals, were all busy training.

The black and white Edg base was now filled with the bitter smell of medicine.

However, the people sitting in the training room did not complain at all. Instead, they kept looking towards the kitchen, their eyes filled with anticipation.

"Come on, everyone, it's time to take your medicine!"

As soon as Li Luo finished speaking, Xiangguo took the lead and rushed out, becoming the first among everyone.

At this moment, the kitchen table was filled with medicine bowls of all sizes, each labeled with the name of the person who prepared the medicine.

When I first arrived in Edg.

Having suddenly come into contact with the culture of taking medicine, Xiangguo (a popular hot pot restaurant) was reluctant to participate.

I'm a normal person, what medicine should I take?
But he couldn't resist, and after being persuaded by Brother Zaozi to try it once, he discovered a big difference in his body the next day.

First of all, my mental state is getting better and better!
This kind of benefit isn't the kind that comes from the direct stimulation of strong tonics, but rather from a sense of clarity that I can feel in my mind. Because of my cervical spondylosis, I've been suffering from migraines, and this has also relieved them considerably.

Secondly, my appetite has improved!

He used to be able to eat a full bowl of rice per meal, but after taking the medicine for two days, his appetite increased dramatically, and he could eat almost two bowls per meal.

This intuitive feeling, coupled with the visible Chinese medicinal herbs and recipes, naturally made Xiangguo (a type of hot pot) irresistible!
"Remember to pay your medical bills this month. I've already advanced you tens of thousands of yuan!"

Sitting on the upper edge with a smile, looking at the smiling faces of the Edg team, Li Luo's mood couldn't help but improve.

The prescriptions in the Codex of Wanderers strictly adhere to the principles of health treatment.

These players have been competing for so many years, and most of them have some hidden ailments. Since they are unwilling to train, they can only rely on medication to solve these problems.

The unique Chinese medicine culture not only integrates medicinal materials, but also unites the thoughts and feelings of everyone at Edg.

The noise from the outside world did not affect the Edg team's rest at this moment.

But these peaceful days are about to end, because MSI will begin on May 3rd.

There are no direct flights to Iceland.

However, since the LPL region is one of the four major regions and has won the S9 championship, it is eligible to directly advance to the group stage.

So by the time the group stage started, it was already May 11th.

However, the Edg team members are destined to miss out on a holiday.

Iceland's climate is quite different from that in China. If you go there expecting to play a match the next day, you're bound to be in poor form.

Therefore, after resting for two days, everyone boarded a flight ahead of schedule and headed to Iceland.

Accompanying them were staff members from the LPL region.

Edg team members know what's going on. As a team with private jets, Edg Zhu made a grand gesture this time, sending everyone to Iceland on a private plane to participate in the competition, which really made people from other regions envious.

The weather in Iceland in May is still a bit unsettling.

During the day, the temperature is only around 4 degrees Celsius, and it only rises to around 8 or 9 degrees Celsius when the sun comes out occasionally.

Of course, we'll have to wait until the 11th.

This day is destined to be the focus of everyone's attention.

Edg has two matches today. One is against the weak team Pvb, which goes without saying, but the other match is against T1, a team that is currently highly regarded by the LCK!

As the two teams currently recognized as the strongest in the world, it was something no one expected that they would meet on the first day.

That day, everyone from Edg got up early and embarked on their journey to MSI with excitement and trepidation.

As the strongest team at present, Edg's match was scheduled as the first game, their debut against PVB.

Today, they will step in and show the world just how strong Edg is right now.

Of course, no one thought Edg would be defeated by PVB. Even PVB themselves knew that they had a very low chance of winning against Edg.

When the tournament was held in Iceland, Edg expected it to be different from tournaments in major regions, with few people coming to watch.

But when they arrived at the entrance of the Icelandic sports center, they realized they were completely wrong.

People! They were all people!
Too much!
Iceland has a population of only a few tens of thousands, yet there are several thousand people standing at the entrance of the sports center.

These people are not native Icelanders; most of them are players from other countries who flew in from elsewhere to watch the competition while traveling.

Among these people, there are naturally many Chinese with yellow skin and black hair.

As the Edg team approached, all the Chinese fans shouted Edg's team name loudly.

In Iceland's enchanting weather, this passion seems capable of soaring through the clouds.

"Wow, there are so many people in Iceland this year!" Flandre, who came with the group, was dumbfounded.

As the two players who have been in the industry the longest, Flandre and Ma have both achieved good results, but unfortunately, they have never participated in the World Championship or the MSI.

This is the first time Flandre has come to MSI after playing for so many years.

I originally thought there wouldn't be many spectators in Iceland, which was a regret in my professional career.

Now he realized he had been overthinking things. The audience was just as large as at major domestic competitions, and because of the diverse ethnic backgrounds, it gave the impression of a major event in the future.

"Play well. The hype surrounding MSI isn't just limited to the people at the venue; there are at least tens of millions of eyes watching in the live streams," said Zaozi Ge, walking ahead with a simple, honest smile on his face.

As the Chinese player with the most appearances in international competitions, Zaozi's experience in major tournaments goes without saying.

Faced with such a scene, he was not at all uneasy; on the contrary, a surge of heroic spirit welled up in his heart!

(End of this chapter)