You've only been playing for half a year, and you've already reached the finals?

Chapter 153 I dare not accept this honor, but my greatness is truly deserved!

This breakthrough was like casting a powerful silence spell on FPX's voice channel, plunging all five members into a long silence.

Doinb, Xiaotian, and Liu Qingsong had nothing to say because their plan had failed.

They ganked the mid lane three times in seven minutes, but still couldn't kill the opponent even once!
Has their execution ability really deteriorated to this extent?

Khan, however, had no time to speak.

Although Mingjing was targeted badly in the mid lane, he even lost a lot of tower minions in this wave.

But his dedication was not without meaning.

JieJie's ability to react on the spot is quite excellent. Seeing that FPX's playstyle was so abstract, he did not try to fight against them, but instead chose the optimal way to break the deadlock.

His choice was to go to the top lane and engage Khan's Jayce.

Khan originally had an advantage in the lane, but Tian went to the mid lane after clearing the jungle and didn't even glance at him, which made it quite difficult for Khan to lane.

Now, JieJie's Hecarim charged into the tower with his speed boost and kicked him unconscious. Then, Flandre's Kennen entered the fray and used his ultimate, instantly electrocuting Khan under the tower!
Lin Weixiang, however, did not want to speak.

On the bottom lane, Lin Weixiang is experienced in withstanding pressure. Although he won't be killed, he will face a huge loss of minions, and his losses are no less than Ming Jing's!
What's going on? Dude, we lost so much in the bot lane, and in the end, we didn't even get anything in the mid lane? Did I sacrifice myself for nothing?

At this point, it can be seen that FPX's bottom lane tower is down to half health due to Liu Qingsong's roaming and is about to fall.

Eight minutes passed quickly, and FPX coordinated again. This time, instead of staring at Mingjing like a madman, they turned their attention to the upper river and secured the newly spawned Rift Herald.

Since Flandre's Kennen had no ultimate ability left, and Mingjing without Flash was indeed unable to engage in this Rift Herald team fight, EDG did not intend to take this Rift Herald.

But with such a significant advantage in the bottom lane, they no longer need the Herald.

When the camera then cuts to the bottom lane, we see that FPX's bottom lane tower is now low on health.

Nine minutes into the game, Viper's Kai'Sa landed two auto-attacks and secured the first turret kill in the bottom lane.

When she went out again, Kai'Sa already had the Siren and Serrated Dagger in her hands, Mythic items and evolved Q. At this point, Kai'Sa was in an absolute power spike!
At this moment, FPX also released the Herald in the mid lane.

However, Mingjing's mid-lane laning was flawless. Apart from losing a layer of plating during the three-man gank, the turret hadn't lost any health. So the mid-turret's health was still relatively healthy, and the Rift Herald couldn't be pushed down in a short time!
Taking advantage of this opportunity, Viper quickly moved to the mid lane and defended the mid tower.

The rest of the game's storyline has little to do with Ming Jing; it's a game where his teammates carry the team.

Mingjing was targeted terribly this game, but Holy Gun and Viper both took off. Mingjing just needed to follow the team, casually deal damage, and pick up a few kills.

That's the meaning of having teammates.

This reminded Mingjing of the feeling he had when he first joined JDG last year. Before facing DWG, JDG's top, mid, and jungle were actually quite good, after all, they were at the level of the LPL Spring Championship. Back then, Mingjing had just joined the team and was not yet the core of the team, but he played a similar role to him now.

Pressure resistance and output.

It just so happens that he's playing AD this game.

As the game progressed into the mid-game, Flandre generously allowed Mingjing to farm the jungle and support to establish a safe ward line, while he himself went to farm the danger zone to draw fire.

However, FPX's obsessive behavior continued. They ignored Flandre and even tried to take action against Mingjing. But EDG's jungler and support were not to be trifled with. Through vision control and physical intimidation, they gave Mingjing enough room to develop and allowed him to catch up in equipment quickly!
Once the two carries are equipped, team fights naturally become easier.

At 25 minutes, in the Fire Dragon Soul team fight, FPX launched a desperate attack on Mingjing, but Mingjing played incredibly steadily, even crafting Gale Force specifically to prevent the opponent from initiating an attack.

Use E to create distance, not giving Udyr a chance to stun you, then turn around and fire your dual pistols wildly.

Flash dodged Rakan's Flash-Up, then used Whirlwind to teleport, cooperating with Viper's Kai'Sa to kill Lin Weixiang's Tristana.

Then refresh E to dodge Jayce's fatal blow!
Mingjing's output was still stable and efficient. Lucian used various dashes in team fights, showing that he was completely untouchable. He cooperated with his teammates to wipe out all the opponents, achieving a perfect two-for-five exchange and securing the Fire Dragon Soul!

At 32 minutes, the final team fight broke out in front of FPX's inhibitor turret.

The defensive pressure from the inhibitor turret forced FPX to push forward. Flandre's Kennen flashed in with his ultimate, creating a great team fight!

Taking this opportunity, Viper used Kai'Sa's ultimate to fly into the fray and coordinate with Kennen to deal with the backline!
With near-god-tier gear, Kai'Sa's damage output was explosive, and Lin Weixiang's Tristana couldn't keep up at all, her health dropping rapidly!
Doinb's Galio flashed in to instantly taunt with W, but Viper was prepared. He used Cleanse to instantly remove the taunt, and a critical hit triggered Plasma to kill Tristana. Then he used E to become invisible and dodge Galio's punch, and then turned around to unleash a barrage of attacks on Galio, playing extremely aggressively!

Meanwhile, Mingjing was not idle either. While Viper was taking down the two carries, he set his sights on the jungler and support!
You two seem to enjoy catching me, don't you!
Lucian uses his E skill to engage, unleashing a barrage of fire from his dual pistols at Udyr!
Xiao Tian had nothing more to say. Udyr activated his bear form and charged towards Lucian!
Ming Jing was not afraid at all, and he used W to connect with Q!

At this moment, Rakan used W to lift him up, and he used Gale Force to dodge again, then followed up with an auto-attack followed by a refreshed E followed by a few hits, and then unleashed his ultimate!

steal steal steal
Countless bullets from [The Holy Lance] crashed down, and Udyr's health plummeted. Lucian then canceled his ultimate early, fired two shots with his dual pistols, and delivered a satisfying blow to Udyr with two basic attacks!

After killing Udyr, Mingjing set his sights on Rakan, who had come to him. Mingjing chased Rakan with basic attacks, then used a QAEA combo. Lucian used his short E to reset his basic attack and fired four shots, killing Rakan as well!

"Double kill!"

Lucian's double kill echoed throughout the arena. At the same time, Flandre also finished off Khan, ending a crushing team fight with a zero-for-five exchange.

"ACE!"

The sound of a team wipe echoed throughout the stadium, and EDG's five players pushed forward and easily won the game!
Congratulations to EDG! They swept FPX 3-0 and advanced to the Spring Split Finals!

Inside the Hongqiao Tiandi Performing Arts Center, the lights shone brightly, eventually focusing on the EDG players' seats.

GuGu then chimed in: "As a highly anticipated match, we have to say that EDG gave us a big surprise today!"

At this moment, the live chat was filled with celebration, and the EDG players all stood up amidst the barrage of comments.

Mingjing stood up, laughing and high-fiving his teammates in celebration, "Awesome, awesome, brothers. We're done for this game."

Ming Jing doesn't actually mind being carried to victory. As long as his teammates are strong enough, he can be a pure support player who only deals damage.

“That’s not quite right.” Meiko and Mingjing gave each other a light high five. “We definitely won this round because you drew all the fire.”

"Indeed." Flandre also came over and gave a thumbs up. "Great performance under pressure this game!"

Everyone witnessed FPX's crazy moves in this game.

These people clearly came with hatred in their hearts. In the early game, they grouped up and ganked the mid lane endlessly. Even in the mid-game, despite being at a disadvantage in the bottom half of the map, they forced their way to the bottom half to gank.

But so what.

At the end of the game, Lucian had a score of 4-0-6, without dying once, and even had the second-highest damage output on the team, only slightly lower than Viper.

Lucian didn't deliver any particularly impressive damage output, nor did he get any solo or multi-kills, but it's clear to everyone how much he contributed to the victory.

I dare not accept this honor; your greatness is truly deserved!

The EDG players, amidst laughter and chatter, walked together to the FPX players' bench.

What comes into view are the demoralized FPX players.

This time, the FPX team was truly dumbfounded.

They've targeted him so thoroughly this whole time, yet they still can't even kill him once?

Ming Jing was also in a good mood at this moment. After exchanging fist bumps with Liu Qingsong and Lin Weixiang, the bottom lane duo, he finally stood in front of Doinb.

"Well played." Ming Jing raised his right hand. "Keep it up in the Summer Split."

Ming Jing's words were purely polite; after all, he had eliminated his opponent, so he had to offer some consolation.

However, these words might not have been meant as comforting to Doinb.

What? You want to beat me again in the Summer Split?
Doinb looked up and bumped fists with Mingjing, his eyes full of seriousness. "Just wait and see in the Summer Split."

"OK." Ming Jing didn't say much, but walked straight to the next person.

This scene delighted the JDG guys.

I told you to practice monkey boxing, why didn't you do it this time!
I knew you couldn't beat Ming Jing!
After exchanging fist bumps with the dejected Xiao Tian and the sullen Khan, Ming Jing packed up his equipment and turned to leave.

The host, Yu Shuang, had been waiting at the entrance of the dressing room for a long time, indicating that Ming Jing would be interviewed on the main stage later.

Ming Jing nodded, set up his peripherals first, and then returned to the stage with Yu Shuang.

Wearing a cheongsam, Yu Shuang glanced at Ming Jing and smiled brightly, "Long time no see, Phi! Say hello to everyone~"

Ming Jing nodded and gave a brief self-introduction.

However, the absence of spectators in the stands below the tower made Ming Jing feel slightly uneasy.

Yu Shuang then asked the first question: "Congratulations to EDG for defeating FPX 3-0 and advancing to the finals! Phi, how are you feeling right now?"

"Of course I'm very happy."

Ming Jing honestly replied, "After all, this is my first match in the LPL, and it's in the loser's bracket, so I didn't want to lose. I heard that FPX beat my former teammates a while ago, so of course I wanted to avenge them. Fortunately, it was a relatively easy win."

These words amused countless viewers in the live stream.

Did you really win so easily?
As always, Xiao Fei's interview was straightforward and honest.

Many JD.com champion fans were moved to tears.

When JD Gaming was eliminated by FPX a while ago, countless fans thought that if Phi were still there, JD Gaming would definitely not have lost.

Now, this result proves everything.

Several of JDG's former teammates showed touched smiles.

Yu Shuang didn't dare to take the lead, but instead continued to ask, "Today is not only your first match in the LPL, but also your first match in the mid lane, right? How was your experience in the mid lane position?"

“Not bad.” Ming Jing nodded. “Personally, I think the mid lane is a very fair position. Compared to the bottom lane, there are fewer variables, and it has a greater impact on the game. I can only say that this position may be more suitable for me.”

"Then we hope Phi can continue to deliver outstanding performances in the mid lane!" Yu Shuang chimed in, before asking the final question:
"After winning the match, EDG will advance to the Spring Finals! What are your expectations for the finals?"

Without hesitation, Ming Jing said directly, "Without a doubt, we have always been the champions. This year, EDG is here aiming for the championship. RNG has always been a formidable opponent for us, after all, we have lost to them in both the regular season and the winners' bracket finals. But I believe that when I arrive, this result will definitely change."

[Holy crap, let's fly!]

[Tears welling up after ten years of eating pork offal!]

I came, therefore I won!

Oh no, I'm going to become a fan too, Xiao Fei is really handsome!

[Starting to become a fan now? I'm starting to question your credentials]

[I should have become a fan a long time ago. Supporting Xiaofei is so reassuring; he's just too amazing!]

Yu Shuang smiled brightly: "Then, I wish EDG continued success in the upcoming matches!"

The interview ended there. Ming Jing returned the microphone, bowed to the audience, and went backstage.

Backstage, my teammates were already getting ready to go eat. Fortunately, the match ended quickly. The BO5 started at 5 p.m. and finished just after 7 p.m., which was just the right time to have dinner.

Mingjing followed with his backpack, and only took out his phone after boarding the bus. Messages from relatives and friends poured in on WeChat.

Several of JDG's former teammates sent their congratulations in the WeChat group, all praising Mingjing for his excellent performance, saying it was a way of avenging them.

Wang Hao missed the game because he was in evening self-study, but he now knew that Ming Jing had won and sent a "bragging" message.

In addition, Wang Hao asked Ming Jing if he had any tickets to the finals.

The spring finals were held in Wuhan, giving Wang Hao the opportunity to watch the matches live. However, tickets for the finals were extremely hard to get and sold out instantly.

Fortunately, Ming Jing was well-prepared. He was confident that he could make it to the finals, so he had communicated with the club early on.

He reassured his good friend that the tickets were not a problem.

Song Xuan sent a meme of a kitten looking up at someone, followed by "Awesome!" and a long string of exclamation marks.

Ming Jing replied with a Doraemon emoji standing with his arms crossed, clearly pleased with himself.

After replying to messages from everyone, Ming Jing couldn't wait to enter the anti-racism forum.

The match had ended less than twenty minutes ago, and it was at its most heated moment, with countless discussion posts.

[Just arrived, whose fault is it today?]

How would you evaluate Doinb being solo-killed four times by Xiaofei today?

These guys at JDG are hilarious, they were kicking me when I was down the whole time.

[2021 LPL Spring Playoffs Losers' Bracket Final: EDG 3:0 FPX (Other rating posts deleted)]

Ming Jing looked at the dazzling array of posts and immediately found the rating post from the official account of the cultural troupe.

Clicking in and sorting by popularity immediately revealed my own post.

[God among gods! One percent!]

【No, you're really going to kill me?】

[A combined KDA of 25-0-16 across three games, with fifty stacks of Mejai's Soulstealer—that's insane!]

Seeing your junior's performance, I thought your starting position was in danger, but you were even more amazing!

[They really didn't know their own strength and didn't know how to show any respect to their seniors!]

[It seems like they're suppressing Doinb, but actually they're suppressing both Doinb and Scout.]

[The starting mid laner deserves it!]

[He played AD for five months and won the FMVP, then spent another five months switching to mid lane and dominating. Is talent really so irresistible?]

[This genius is truly a genius.]

[Go for it! Win the Spring Championship and head to MSI! I can't wait to see you face off against Xu Xiu!]

Ming Jing couldn't help but curl the corners of his mouth as he looked at the various ways the netizens were praising him.

Beside him, Saint Gun Bro also turned his head over, looked at Ming Jing's phone screen, and couldn't help but click his tongue in amazement.

They really have all changed their tune?

These attacks are so intense, it's really satisfying! Nobody on the forum is criticizing them, everyone's praising them!

Ming Jing smiled and continued scrolling down until he saw Doinb's floor.

【maggot】

[Mid Lane Disparity]

Before the match, he made some bold statements, but once the match started, he was beaten like an idiot by Xiao Fei.

[This proves that FPX's championship title is indeed the least prestigious!]

Will Doinb be able to stream tonight?

[The guy who bought the package said a few things about me in the livestream, then made sarcastic remarks about his teammates. Isn't that just a bunch of monkeys and their offspring making popcorn?]

You understand big B.

Ming Jing continued to swipe down with a smile.

As for the other players, the netizens were unanimously praising them when they won and criticizing them when they lost. They didn't come up with anything interesting, since the focus of this BO5 was on the mid-laners on both sides, and the others didn't have much of a role.

On the contrary, there were more replies below Scout's rating.
[I was standing up for you just a few days ago, and it turns out I'm an ingrate!]

The road has turned black.

[You ungrateful wretch, better watch the water dispenser, hehe]

Go pour some water for Xiaofei, make him feel good, and I'll let you get a skin in the S-series.

Looking at the replies below Scout's post, Ming Jing was a little confused, wondering why the tone was like this.

With his doubts, Ming Jing exited the rating thread and casually browsed the homepage, where he quickly found the answer.

[Big news, guys! Hanyi has dropped a bombshell on EDG's transfer window!]

Mingjing clicked in and took a look.

The post contained a screenshot showing Hanyi taking advantage of the buzz surrounding EDG's victory over FPX to post on Weibo and ride the wave of popularity.

[Xiaofei was originally going to play AD, but Scout kept dragging the team down and even offered contracts from other clubs, which made things difficult for EDG. So Xiaofei decided to switch to the mid lane to fill in.]

In the comments section of a long Weibo post, Hanyi shared the information he knew.

Upon seeing the message, Ming Jing frowned slightly, then got up and found Abu.

"what happened?"

"check it out."

Abu looked down at the screenshot on Ming Jing's phone, his brows furrowing immediately, his tone full of doubt, "What is he doing?"

EDG has kept Scout's messy dealings during the transfer period a secret and has never told the public. Although Scout's actions in messing with the club were unethical, he ultimately paid the price, with his contract value being nearly halved.

From the perspective of cooperation alone, EDG did not lose out at all, and even saved a lot of money.

So even though Scout's fans had many complaints about the club because of the substitute incident, the club ignored them and firmly believed that these opinions would be quelled after Mingjing returned.

Now, Hanyi is making this public in order to gain attention, which is clearly not what EDG wants to see.

After all, making this public would be quite damaging to Scout. Since they're teammates, it's best to protect him as much as possible.

Upon seeing this, Abu immediately took out his phone and called his boss, Ed Zhu, to ask how to handle the matter—whether to let it go or contact him to delete the post.

However, this Weibo post has been out for a while, and the content is indeed quite explosive, so it's not something that can be solved by simply deleting the post.

Mingjing clicked into Weibo and took a look.

This Weibo post has been deleted by Hanyi and replaced by a new one.

Just pretend I didn't say anything, guys. I was just making things up, don't believe me.

Abu was even more speechless.

Are you using this tactic of retreating to advance?
Mingjing scratched his head and sat back down in his seat.

At this moment, Flandre turned to the side and asked what had happened.

Mingjing showed the other party the comments below the post.

Is this for real? I don't really believe anything Hanyi says.

[I checked, and the Weibo post has been deleted. It seemed pretty real.]

【Huh? EDG is putting pressure on Hanyi?】

What an ingrate! I'm speechless.

[Incredible! He single-handedly carried the team from substitute to top mid laner, and then when the team needed him, he played the role of a liability?]

[Thinking you're irreplaceable and demanding exorbitant prices, huh? You've ended up relegated to the bench?]

Scout definitely didn't expect Xiaofei to switch to mid lane. His position was taken, and he had to scurry back himself, all smiles.

They really deserved it.

[Hehehe, I used to say that Xiaofei was being unfair by stealing his junior's starting spot, but I didn't expect him to be on the side of justice!]

[Let's all apologize to Brother Fei!]

Looking at the cacophony of comments before him, Flandre scratched his head, unsure of what to say.

He's a newcomer to EDG this season, so of course he has no feelings for Scout.

From a neutral perspective, he also couldn't understand Scout's actions in pulling the club aside.

He debuted with Snake in 14 and stayed with the team for seven years until he transferred to EDG this year.

He wouldn't have left his old company if he hadn't really wanted to go to the big stage.

Even when he eventually transferred, it was an amicable parting. His former team even personally escorted him to the EDG club—of course, both clubs are located on Lingshi Road, which isn't far from each other.

It's hard to understand why Scout, who was so valued by the team and not forgotten even when they were vying for the championship, would turn around and pull away from them.

Now, being relegated to the bench is a result he deserves.

Ming Jing then turned his head and glanced at Scout, who was sitting in the last row.

Scout was also looking at his phone, seemingly paying attention to the public opinion surrounding the incident, and his face showed obvious panic.

At this moment, the bus slowly stopped at the entrance of the base. Ming Jing didn't think too much about it, stepped off the bus, and prepared to go eat.

This public opinion incident did not affect EDG's actions. Regardless of the outside discussion, their primary goal will always be the upcoming finals.

(End of this chapter)