LOL: Do I have to be a spinning top too?

When Li Hu arrived at the second team's training room, it was already full of people.

Guo Hao stood in the spectator area with his arms crossed, Zhou Xiang and Shui Jing sat side by side in the coaching position, and the starting players of the second team were already warming up in front of the camera.

He glanced around and saw that the mid laner Wangxiao, AD Jiaqi, and support Nike were all there, but the jungler wasn't Cream.

He was a tall man who looked somewhat like a foreigner, and he was looking down at adjusting the mouse DPI.

Li Hu raised an eyebrow slightly.

Xiaofang.

Surprisingly, it's Xiao Fang who's on stage today, not Cream.

Xiao Fang also made it to the LPL, even faster than Cream.

During the transfer window at the end of 2023, Xiaofang jumped directly from TES.C to OMG and became the starting jungler in the LPL.

He played for OMG for a whole year in 24, and his performance was average, occasionally carrying the team in a couple of games.

  

In 25, he transferred to LNG, played as a starter for a year, and then disappeared from the team after 26.

His entire LPL career lasted less than two years before he completely disappeared from the top league landscape.

That's what a profession is.

Countless youth training players are scrambling to climb the ranks, but only a few dozen can actually make it into the starting lineup in the LPL.

Even fewer players can consistently play two full seasons; the competition is fierce, and those who are swept away don't even leave a name behind.

However, what people talk about most about Xiao Fang is his unspeakable sweet secret with Organ Swordswoman jjking.

When JJKing got married, the groom wasn't Xiao Fang, which made many netizens exclaim with regret.

"Tiger's here." JiaQi looked up and saw him, and greeted him.

After several days of training matches, these youth teammate's attitude towards Li Hu has changed from scrutiny to respect.

As for why he's called Tiger...

It's because there's only one Xiaohu in the LPL.

That's Li Yuanhao, the three-time MSI champion, whom Faker said was summoning a god even with his eyes closed, and Xiaohu said was dead even with his eyes closed.

Li Hu didn't care much about this; people often teased him about it when he was in school.

Even he himself uses this meme, which is why his League of Legends account is called Tiger General.

"Tiger, come sit down." Wangxiao waved to him.

Li Hu smiled and nodded, then sat down at the camera station and put on his headphones.

Guo Hao cleared his throat once everyone had arrived:

"Everyone's here, let's begin."

He turned to Shui Jing: "Tell them about our opponents!"

Shuijing walked to the tactical whiteboard, her tone calm:

"The LPL team we're going to play against this time is UP."

Members: Top laner Hery, jungler Ning, mid laner Qing, ADC Doggo, support Baolan.

The training room fell silent for a few seconds after he finished speaking.

Li Hu raised an eyebrow; they were old acquaintances.

I wouldn't say they're old acquaintances, I should say...

He knows everyone, but the person opposite doesn't know him.

Hery, a mid-tier top laner in the LPL, is a mercenary hired by weaker teams; he goes wherever a top laner is needed.

In 26, they were still shining brightly in OMG and defeated EDG.

While not top-tier in skill, their strength lies in consistency; they are unlikely to make careless mistakes, making them a worthy opponent to be taken seriously.

Ning, the jungler, was the FMVP of the S8 World Championship.

The world-famous "City Wall Brother" has returned to the scene.

The core engine of the S8iG championship lineup.

Back then, that Lee Sin, that Gragas, that Camille jungler, they practically dominated the jungles all over the world.

Later, his performance fluctuated, and he was once ridiculed as the "Shoe King".

But even a fallen camel is bigger than a horse. In 2023, he was truly the tragic dean of UP, carrying the entire team on his own.

Li Hu silently calculated in his mind...

Ning's ganking instincts are ingrained in his bones; he's an S8 champion-level jungler.

Even if he retires and then makes a comeback, he won't lose his awareness.

You need to be careful.

Mid laner Qing.

Li Hu thought for a moment, and realized that this contestant's characteristic was... he always managed to get UP into trouble.

Well, no need to say more.

ADCDoggo.

The former starting ADC for BLG, the man who could keep the gods on the bench during S12.

Although the issue was largely due to God's contract, being able to secure a starting position in BLG speaks volumes about their strength.

This guy's performance is unpredictable; when he's playing well, he's like a god of war, but when he's in a daze, he can make his teammates' blood pressure skyrocket.

He performed well in the 25th World Championship, and he deserves some credit for TES becoming a top-tier team.

Support Baolan.

S8 champion support player, owner of Rakan's championship skin.

He retired for a while and just returned to work this year by joining UP.

As for his condition... to be honest, it's just so-so.

He may not be as good as he used to be, but his professional skills are still there.

With two world champions leading the team, the opposing lineup, while not top-tier in the LPL, is still formidable.

But it seems more than enough to manage a bunch of young lads from the youth training program and the second team.

Li Hu mentally reviewed the five people opposite him and didn't feel much pressure.

But his teammates around him all frowned.

"There are two world champions on the other side..." Wangxiao's voice was a little dry.

"Ning has a strong ability to dominate the jungle. I watched his game recordings when I was in LDL."

Xiaofang's tone was clearly apprehensive.

"Stay calm and don't overthink it."

Li Hu spoke, his voice steadily reaching the ears of everyone in the earphones:

"World champions are human too."

"Even if Ning is strong, he's getting old, otherwise he wouldn't have chosen to make a comeback."

"Focus on our own game, and don't panic and make mistakes."

Several teammates paused for a moment, then nodded.

"Let's go inside." Shui Jing clapped her hands.

Ten people entered the custom room one after another, and their IDs lit up on the screen in sequence.

Li Hu was using the account TES.CAspire, and he understood that this was Guo Hao's intention to protect his information.

He had no objection to this. The jungler was TES.CXiaofang, the mid laner was TES.CWangxiao, and the bot lane was TES.CJiaQi plus TES.CNiket—standard second team names.

The opposing team consisted of five official players from a single UP team, all with "UP" prefixed to their IDs, giving them an overwhelming presence.

Water Mirror begins BP.

In the first game, Hery on the opposing team picked Captain, and based on Li Hu's previous performance with various heroes, Shui Jing immediately locked Malphite for Li Hu without hesitation.

"The Stone Golem can handle the Captain. He can withstand pressure in the early game, and you'll have a chance to solo kill him after level six."

"Shui Jing said from behind Li Hu."

"The bottom lane consists of Zephyr and Lulu, while the opposing bottom lane has the current meta's strong Lucian and Nami, making the pressure on the lanes very obvious."

Li Hu responded and his gaze fell on the loading screen.

[Counter-champion detected: Gangplank, the Sea Scourge]

[The spinning top's passive ability to absorb energy has been activated.]

The lineups are locked, with the blue side up: Top lane Captain, Jungle Xin Zhao, Mid lane Azir, AD Lucian, and Support Nami.

Red team TES.C: Top lane Malphite, Jungle Lee Sin, Mid lane Sylas, AD Zarya, Support Lulu.

Game start.

In the early game, Li Hu's Malphite was incredibly stable in lane, while Hery's Gangplank kept chipping away at his health with gunfire, but he couldn't find an opportunity to get a solo kill.

Li Hu's last-hitting ability remained consistently within an acceptable range, and his health was always maintained above half.

The Captain's early game pressure on the Krugs relies on the ranged poke of his Q skill.

However, Li Hu's positioning always ensures that the Captain's Q hits the passive shield precisely, and he immediately retreats as soon as the shield breaks, never giving the Captain a chance to trigger the Fire Blade.

As soon as he reached level six, he immediately called for the jungler in voice chat:

"Little Fang, come on up, I have the big one."

Xiaofang's Lee Sin sneaked out from the river bushes, and Li Hu's Malphite flashed and used his ultimate to knock up the Captain.

Lee Sin followed up with his Sonic Wave, and the two unleashed a full combo, killing the Captain before he even had a chance to eat his orange.

FirstBlood.

But the problem is...

Aside from the top lane, all other lanes are being attacked.

In the mid lane, Wangxiao's Sylas was suppressed by Qing's Azir, falling behind by 15 CS.

The Tsar has a long reach, and every time Sylas tries to get a last hit, he gets stabbed twice by the Sand Soldiers, making his health very low.

In the bottom lane, JiaQi and Niket's Zeli Lulu were so pressured by Doggo and Baolan's Luna that they couldn't even leave the tower.

Lucian and Nami's early game pressure is too strong.

Zeli had to endure a barrage of attacks from Piercing Light and Water Bubble to finish off a melee minion; Lulu's shield simply couldn't withstand it.

Although Xiaofang secured two kills in the jungle with the help of Li Hu, he was killed once in the river by Ning's Xin Zhao and Nami.

Ning Wang's vision control was extremely insidious.

Crouching in the river bushes, Xiaofang's Lee Sin was caught by Xin Zhao's E skill as he passed by, and Nami then used her skill to catch him.

Zhao Xin's Triple Claw Strike followed by Crescent Guardian was a fluid and seamless combo, leaving Xiaofang's Lee Sin unable to even use Flash.

Li Hu kept reassuring his teammates in the voice chat:

"Don't rush, don't rush, focus on steady development."

"I'll teleport right away."

In the thirteenth minute, he teleported to the bottom lane, used his ultimate to knock up Doggo's Lucian, and secured the kill with the help of his teammates.

Lucian had just used Cleanse, and when he was knocked up by Malphite's ultimate, he couldn't even use Flash, causing his gold to fall back a bit.

But the problem is... Ning's rhythm is too good.

In the twentieth minute, Ning's Xin Zhao, along with Azir, dove the tower to gank mid, and Wangxiao's Sylas was instantly killed, resulting in the fall of the mid tower.

The Tsar's wall of guards pushed Sylas back, and Xin Zhao followed up with damage. Without Flash, Sylas had no chance to escape.

In the 22nd minute, Ning seized the opportunity when Xiaofang was recalling to base and stole a small dragon.

In the 28th minute, a crucial team fight took place in front of the Baron pit.

Li Hu's Stone Golem flashed and used his ultimate to knock up three people, creating a perfect team fight initiation.

JiaQi's Zeli unleashed a barrage of attacks from behind, using her ultimate, Overlimit Flash, to stack up movement speed, and her Electric Shot to bounce back and forth through the crowd.

Xiaofang's Lee Sin kicked Lucian back, and the youth team scored a 3-for-1 trade, with only Lulu being instantly killed by Gangplank.

But Ning and Hery didn't die. Zhao Xin was hovering at half health near Baron Nashor, managing to hold out until his teammates respawned.

TES.C's players were also in poor condition, their plan to take Baron failed, and they had no choice but to retreat.

After this team fight, the youth team won the team fight, but did not obtain any map resources.

The game dragged on for thirty-four minutes, and Li Hu's Stone Golem was fully formed.

Sunfire Aegis, Iceborn Gauntlets, Thornmail, and Abyssal Mask—standing at the very front of the team, they were like a city wall.

The captain's barrel exploded on him, and when the damage numbers popped up, even Hery himself was silent for a second.

Ning cursed in the voice message:

"How come that top laner is like a fucking wall?"