LPL didn't want me? I joined SKT instead!

Meanwhile, in the bottom lane, a psychological and skillful battle was unfolding, even more suffocating than in the top lane, without the smoke of gunpowder.

After showing a replay of the first blood in the top lane, the director quickly switched the camera back to the bottom lane.

The game had only been going on for seven minutes, but the situation in the bottom lane made everyone who knew the game gasp in shock.

On the scoreboard, Xiao Yan's cannon had an astonishing 68 last hits, while Varus only had a pitiful 42 last hits!

In seven minutes, I put down a full 26 chips!

"My God... I wouldn't have known what happened in the bot lane if the director hadn't switched to it!" In the commentary booth, Guan Zeyuan stared wide-eyed at the CS comparison between the two AD carries at the bottom of the screen, his voice filled with disbelief. "Varus, a champion who dominates the early game, was almost 30 CS behind by a Tristana in seven minutes? How is that possible?"

"Let's take a look at the laning phase." Miller pushed up his glasses, his eyes glued to the big screen. "Xiao Yan's laning details... are terrifying. Look at his positioning!"

On the big screen, Xiao Yan's cannon was positioned about 800 yards in front of the blue team's bottom lane tower.

This is an extremely delicate distance, neither within Varus's basic attack range nor too far from the boundary between the SSG melee and ranged units.

If Ruler's Varus wants to finish off an enemy, he has to move forward. But as soon as he moves forward, Xiao Yan's Tristana will immediately use its range advantage to press forward a step.

"He's like a precision machine." Wawa gasped. "Xiao Yan's control over distance is abnormal. Look, Ruler was about to finish off that sports car, and Xiao Yan immediately pushed forward. Ruler's Varus raised his hand to auto-attack the sports car, and Xiao Yan's Tristana landed a basic attack on Varus, then immediately retreated."

"Freebie! This is the purest form of freebie!" Guan Zeyuan chimed in. "The moment Varus's basic attack animation finishes, the cannon's damage has already been dealt. If Ruler chooses to counterattack, he'll miss that car; if he chooses to finish it off, he'll get hit for nothing. This is the choice Xiao Yan is giving him: two poisons, you have to choose one!"

On the court, Ruler's forehead was already covered in a fine layer of sweat.

Varus's Q skill, Piercing Arrow, was originally meant to harass Tristana, but knowing how monstrous Xiao Yan's positioning was, he used the skill to clear minions instead. Even so, he was still down by so many CS.

Positioning is only one aspect; what's even more terrifying is Xiao Yan's understanding of minion waves.

Xiao Yan used the splash damage from the passive effect of the Cannon's E skill [Explosive Spark] to perfectly control the movement of the minion wave.

He wasn't mindlessly pushing the lane; he was "healing" his health.

He calculated the health of each minion perfectly. When Ruler approached the minion wave to gain experience, Xiao Yan would kill the low-health minion and use the splash damage from the explosion to deplete Varus's health.

"Damn it..." Ruler gritted his teeth, watching helplessly as a melee soldier died before his eyes, but he dared not go forward to finish him off. His health had been reduced to about two-thirds, and he had long since used up all his health potions.

"Stay calm, Jaehyuk," CoreJJ reassured him in the voice chat. "CuVee got first blood in the top lane, our strategy has worked. As long as we don't get killed in the bottom lane, and we drag this out to the mid-game team fight, with my ultimate protecting you, you'll definitely be able to deal damage. For now, just hold on and wait for Jarvan IV to arrive."

"I know, but I feel so bad." Ruler took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down.

He glanced at the minimap; Ambition's prince had just shown up in the top lane and was definitely still in the upper half of the map. This meant that for the next two or three minutes, the bottom lane would be an isolated 2v2 situation, with no one coming to help him.

"Wolf, get ready to make your move."

Just as SSG's bot lane duo was trying to hold on under the tower, Xiao Yan's voice came through SKT's team voice chat.

"Received." A glint of light flashed in Wolf's eyes.

The game time has reached 7 minutes and 45 seconds.

Both teams' bot lane duos reached level six simultaneously.

This is an extremely crucial juncture.

Level 6 means powerful control and invincible protection for Varus and Taric, but for Tristana and Lulu, it also means a qualitative change in burst damage.

At this moment, Xiao Yan firmly controlled the minion wave, keeping it in the river bushes on the side facing the SKT turret.

This is a classic "pushing lane". A large wave of blue team (SSG) minions is slowly advancing towards the red team (SKT).

Ruler stared at the massive wave of minions, his eyes practically burning with rage. If he couldn't get that wave, his gold and experience would fall far behind, and he might as well just quit the game.

"I have to take this wave," Ruler said in voice chat. "CoreJJ, move forward a bit and use your E skill to intimidate them, covering me as I push this wave to the tower."

"Alright." CoreJJ controlled the Gem Knight, raised the warhammer in his hand, and placed it in front of Varus.

SSG's bot lane duo began to cautiously advance.

The three commentators in the commentary booth instantly tensed up.

"SSG's bot lane is about to push the lane! If Ruler doesn't take this wave, it'll be a complete disaster, but his positioning is so far forward, it's very dangerous!" Miller analyzed the situation at lightning speed.

"Xiao Yan hasn't retreated! He's still controlling the lane! He doesn't want Ruler to easily push the lane forward!" Guan Zeyuan shouted. "The distance between them is constantly closing! Are they about to fight?!"

On the screen, Xiao Yan's little cannon, like a patient hunter, paced back and forth behind the minion wave. His gaze was fixed on Varus, who was holding a bow and arrow in front of him.

"Closer...closer..." Xiao Yan silently calculated the distance in his mind.

800 yards... 750 yards... 700 yards!

The moment Ruler's Varus stepped into the 700-yard range of the cannon, Xiao Yan moved!

Without any warning, without the slightest hesitation.

"Wolf!" Xiao Yan shouted in the voice chat.

Wolf, understanding perfectly, cast Lulu's W skill, "Whimsical Idea," on Tristana the instant Xiao Yan spoke.

Run faster!

As Lulu delivered her crisp lines, Tristana's size instantly increased, and her movement and attack speed were greatly enhanced.

Immediately afterwards, Lulu's E skill, "Help, Pix!", was also applied to Tristana, providing a thick shield.

"SKT has made their move! Lulu has given us double buffs! Tristana is about to go in!" Wawa roared.

Ruler reacted extremely quickly; the moment he saw Lulu raise her hand, he knew SKT was about to launch an attack.

"CoreJJ! Knock him out!" Ruler shouted, while simultaneously maneuvering Varus to pull him backward quickly.

CoreJJ's Taric unhesitatingly activated his E skill, "Dazzling Glow." A beam of starlight connected Taric and Varus, and after a brief delay, two dazzling rays of starlight shot forward, attempting to block Tristana's dash.

This is an absolutely perfect defensive position.