Volume One, Chapter Seventeen: Then Let's Seize the World Championship!

Wang Yaozu felt completely confident. As a "Challenger" rank player from Earth and a dedicated viewer of the professional leagues, his mind held the tactical wisdom of fourteen full seasons.

Given that his opponents on Blue Star were, at best, at a Gold or Silver skill level, none of them would be able to withstand the strategies he had in store. Of course, Wang Yaozu could not reveal the secret of being a "transmigrator," as that would sound entirely too absurd. Thus, he had to settle for the explanation of a "sudden epiphany"—a reason that, while still sounding outlandish, was at least somewhat more palatable to Coach Chang Guangming.

"An epiphany?"
"And you have many unconventional strategies?"

As expected, upon hearing Wang Yaozu’s explanation, not only Chang Guangming but the players from the other nine teams were stunned into silence. For them, any "strategy" in the National Destiny League of Legends competition required extensive research by the coaching staff and countless hours of practice by the players to be perfected. Yet, for Wang Yaozu, he had simply had a "sudden epiphany" and gained results that everyone else had to toil for... This was simply too unbelievable.

"Wang Yaozu, I know you don’t want to let us down, nor do you want to disappoint the people of China. But this business of an epiphany... isn't it a bit too..." Chang Guangming struggled for a long time, but failed to find an appropriate adjective to finish his sentence.

"Coach Chang, I know you must find it hard to believe. Honestly, even I found it hard to believe when I had the epiphany. But you saw the results—the first time I pulled out the 'Inting Sion' strategy, I led the Qilin team to victory. You haven't seen me play mid-lane Sion before today, have you?" Wang Yaozu asked with a smile, leaving Chang Guangming momentarily speechless.

It was true. In their usual training, Chang had required all ten teams' mid-laners to follow his specific training regimen, focusing on traditional picks like Orianna, Ahri, and LeBlanc. As for other mid-lane champions, let alone Sion, even traditional physical mid-laners like Yasuo or Zed were outside his plan. This was exactly why Chang Guangming had been so shocked, and why the Chinese audience had assumed he was "practicing a new champion" or even committing treason when he locked in mid-lane Sion during the match.

"Did you really have an epiphany?" Chang Guangming asked again, ignoring the question.

"I did. I can prove it to you!" Wang Yaozu insisted, feeling a mix of amusement and frustration. At that moment, several unfamiliar voices chimed in from nearby.

"Coach Chang, why not just test whether Captain Wang’s epiphany is real or not?" Liu Jinyang, the mid-laner for the national champion Zhuzhao team, said with a solemn expression. Facing Wang Yaozu—a former defeated rival who had now become China’s last hope—his feelings were complicated.

"That's right, Coach. We’re going to be the practice partners for the Qilin team anyway. If Captain Wang’s strategies are truly effective, he should be able to defeat us easily," added Su Weiqiang, the mid-laner for the runner-up Youying team, his tone equally conflicted.

"If Captain Wang’s strategies are strong, we’ll have peace of mind. If they aren't, we can help him optimize them," said Song Zhengyi, captain of the third-place Qinglong team, smiling. It was clear he was eager to help the Qilin team grow stronger in the short time they had.

Despite the consensus among the players, Chang Guangming remained grim. "Captain Wang, while I have faith in your ability, unconventional strategies seem unreliable to me. This win might have been a stroke of luck, but if your luck runs out next time, we could lose."

"You and the Qilin team carry the final hope of China. I cannot let you gamble with the nation's destiny! However, don't rush. We have a few days before the fifth round. We will dedicate one day to testing the effectiveness of your strategies. If they are strong enough, we will continue practicing them. If not... we will play it safe and stick to the standard meta!"

"No problem. When do we start the practice matches?" Wang Yaozu agreed readily. He knew he was just the captain of the Qilin team, not the ultimate authority; to earn absolute trust, he had to demonstrate his power.

"Tomorrow. You just finished a match and must be exhausted. After such a roller coaster of emotions, the other teams need time to rest and adjust their mental states, too. That way, they can perform at their best in tomorrow's scrims," Chang Guangming decided.

With that, the day's operations for the ten national teams concluded. As Chang dismissed them, players and staff filed out of the National Operations Center.

"Captain Wang, that was a beautiful win! If it weren't for your 'Inting Sion,' China would have been in dire straits!"
"Captain Wang, your 'Inting Sion' is incredible. Using Demolish and Zombie Ward to destroy towers—how did you even think of that?"
"I put myself in the shoes of the Korean team's Galio; if I saw you suiciding into my towers like that, I think I would've cried on the spot!"

As they exited, Wang Yaozu, the man who had saved China from the brink of despair, became the center of attention. They crowded around him, offering praise in tones of shock and admiration, which filled him with joy. Being able to fight for his country and be seen as a "hero" was a fantastic feeling.

"If that's the case, I certainly can't let everyone down!" Wang thought. "A championship? On Earth, the LPL region didn't secure its first championship until Season 8. Now, the God's Arena on Blue Star has reached its eighth season... Why not replicate the history of Earth and take home the eighth Global Championship of the God's Arena?"