Lin Yan had always had high expectations for the theme song released by Fist Music every year.
After putting on his headphones, he clicked on the video play button.
The crows circled in the air, cawing incessantly. He could vaguely hear a string of English, the voice full of passion.
"Ran's Flag of Command destroyed SKT. He's going to Staples Center, the place where Faker was once crowned God, to lift the trophy of the 2016 Global Finals!"
Lin Yan's English was not bad, but the voice was too soft. He had to replay it three times before he could understand it.
The video was fixed on a battlefield. Sand and dust were flying everywhere, and there was no sign of life.
All kinds of weapons were scattered on the ground. Kenji's Western sword, Raven's Rune Sword … and a broken flag with the Summoner's Trophy on it.
The camera blurred repeatedly, as if a person was slowly waking up. The sun was scorching in the sky, and the blazing sunlight spread before his eyes.
At that moment, the prelude of the theme song replaced the crows' joyous cawing. The excited and short melody echoed in Lin Yan's ears.
His breathing was rapid and slightly weak. In the first-person perspective, 'himself' climbed up from the ground, and the video cut to his outstretched hands.
His wrists were covered and protected by a black wristband.
Lin Yan recognized it at a glance. It was a gift from his ex-girlfriend before the S6 World Championship. It was mainly used to protect him from the effects of tenosynovitis.
The wristband had been with him for a whole year. During the S8 World Championship, it was worn out beyond recognition. Lin Yan then replaced it with a custom-made one from YM Club.
So, this year's theme song MV really had him as the main character?
In the video, 'himself' repeatedly observed his palms, and even felt his body up and down, as if he was confused.
The camera switched to a third-person perspective.
Even though Lin Yan's face was animated, it was still recognizable.
However, he did not have glasses on the bridge of his nose, and his handsome appearance was filled with confusion. The black clothes he was wearing looked a little shabby, and the sand slowly slid down from the folds of his clothes, revealing a golden five-pointed star on his chest.
After switching to a third-person perspective, more information points on the battlefield appeared in his field of vision.
The flags that fluttered in the wind behind them had the team logo that countless players were familiar with.
S1 runner-up, aAa, S2 runner-up, AzubuFrost, S3 runner-up, Royal …
The flag cloth was torn into strips, and the flagpole was stuck in the sand at an angle.
Garen's greatsword and Teleus's Black Cleaver were among the scattered weapons on the ground.
Behind the main character of the MV, Lin Yan, was a badly damaged mech.
Judging from where the flamethrower and harpoon were stored, this was clearly Rambo's equipment.
In the video, 'Lin Yan' looked around and looked at the mountain peak in the distance as if he could sense it.
His instincts told him that the answer he wanted was there.
Now that he was the only survivor on the battlefield, it was reasonable for him to bring a few weapons in the face of the unknown.
Perhaps it was because the swords and axes were too heavy for him to carry on his journey. In the end, he chose three pieces of equipment.
A Deception Orb, a Rune Magic Book, and a pair of Hex Technology Leg Blades. These were the tools that he would use to move forward.
The Deception Orb was not big and was just right for him to put in his pocket. The Rune Magic Book was about the length of his forearm and was very thick, so he could carry it on his back. The Leg Blades looked huge, but they didn't seem heavy in his hand. The edges were extremely sharp and could be used as a tool for climbing cliffs.
When Lin Yan saw this, he noticed that Jack, who was sitting next to him, was also looking over. He took off his headphones and heard Shiba Inu's mumbling.
"Brother Ran is the main character, and Tortoise …"
Although the voice wasn't loud, Lin Yan could still hear the envy in it.
To be the main character of Fist's official MV was quite impressive.
He put on his headphones again and heard a hoarse male voice in the rhythmic electronic sound. "Welcome to the wild no heroes and villains …"
The camera zoomed out. The boy carried the Rune Magic Book on his back and held the Hex Technology Leg Blades in both hands as he moved forward.
He passed through the sand dunes, inserted the Leg Blades into the gaps of the cliffs, and climbed up step by step.
In the distance, there was an incomparably tall figure, whose figure was comparable to a mountain peak. It was hidden in the clouds and looked like the skin of Callista's Champion Spear.
The boy climbed up a cliff with difficulty. Above him was an endless wheat field.
He took a few breaths and continued to move forward.
At this time, the clouds covered the overly hot sun and cast a large shadow on the wheat field.
The scene suddenly changed to another person. He had a delicate face, deep-set eyes, meticulous brown hair, and a magic puppet in his hand.
Lin Yan recognized this person at a glance.
Pearson.
In the MV, the animated Pearson quietly came behind Lin Yan.
However, 'Lin Yan' seemed to have noticed something. He went into a state of alert and held the Hex Technology Leg Blades in a reverse grip.
"Proveyour self and … RISERISE!"
The music gradually reached a climax. In the scene, Pearson's eyes flashed. Without hesitation, he waved his right hand and threw out the magic puppet in his hand!
However, 'Lin Yan' reacted very quickly. The extremely sharp Leg Blades easily hit the magic puppet and sent it flying in an instant!
The attack of the Leg Blades did not slow down. They swung in a semicircle and cut the wheat straw around him!
The wheat straw fluttered in the air and hid the position of the Leg Blades.
Pearson frowned and jumped back to avoid the attack. He waved the magic puppet in the air again and took advantage of the moment when 'Lin Yan' had not retracted the Leg Blades to sneak into his arms.
At first, Lin Ran wanted to block the attack with the leg blade in his other hand, but his movements were a tad too slow and Pearson was able to get his way.
The magic puppet in his arms spun violently. At this moment, even the surrounding space showed signs of being torn and distorted!
Command: Shockwave!
There was no doubt that if one was hit by this shockwave, they would probably lose their ability to fight on the spot.
The scene gave a close-up and focused on Pearson's face. The corners of his mouth were slightly raised and he looked quite proud.
However, soon, his eyes widened as if he could not believe what was happening in front of him.
The camera quickly zoomed in. Through Pearson's brown eyes, the camera could see 'Lin Yan' leaping high into the air. The Leg Blades tied to his hands came down heavily on him!
This attack was powerful and heavy, and its speed was extremely fast, making it impossible to dodge!
Hex's Ultimatum!
Clouds completely covered the sun. The wheat field was completely dark.
Then, a bone-piercing white light appeared from the right side of the screen. It cut across horizontally and sent chills down one's spine!
'Lin Yan' had a cold expression. The camera focused on his upper body, but Pearson was nowhere to be seen.
The wheat straw that was sent flying when he blocked the magic puppet just now fell lightly to the ground. The camera moved down a little and saw pieces of clothing hidden in the wheat straw. The TSM team logo was printed on them.
The magic puppet also lost the support of its magic power and fell to the ground, crashing into the wheat stalks.
'Lin Yan' did not even look at it. At the same time, he abandoned the Hex Technologies Leg Blades that had lost their luster.
After passing through the wheat field, they walked up the steep road and crossed the snow line. The scenery gradually turned into snow and ice. The sky was getting darker and darker. The sun sank below the horizon, leaving only the last rays of its light to illuminate the land.
The figure of Champion Arrow Eich appeared on the road. It was as tall as a mountain and looked incomparably holy in the world of ice and snow.
Finally, 'Lin Yan' saw a statue beside a bridge covered in frost.
It was a bald man with a long beard. He held a spell book in his hands and carried a scroll on his back. Various runes were printed on the surface of his body.
He was about to cross the small bridge and head to the other side of the mountain when he heard footsteps.
'Lin Yan' looked toward the source of the sound.
A black-haired boy with glasses appeared behind the statue.
He carried a scroll on his back and looked down at the ground. He was mumbling something. There were two golden five-star emblems on the chest of his shirt.
Li Xianghe.
The two seemed to have sensed something and looked at each other from a distance.
The spell books and scrolls on the backs of 'Lin Yan' and 'Li Xianghe' all lit up with a blue light.
Li Xianghe frowned and realized that something was wrong.
'Lin Ran' took out his Rune Magic Book from behind him and opened it calmly.
Faker knew that there was no time to lose. He formed a claw with his right hand and a ball of blue energy with lightning appeared. He smashed it toward his opponent!
'Lin Yan' stroked the page with his palm. A rune on it flashed with a dazzling light.
At this moment, the background music rose in pitch. "RISERISE!
MAKE ME REMEMBER YOU … "
The battle had officially begun.
A blue circular domain spread out from his body. Rune carvings appeared at the edge of the domain and collided with the lightning with the domain's power!
There was no suspense. The lightning looked insignificant at this moment and was instantly swallowed up by the surging spell!
Li Xianghe was shocked. He instinctively reached out to protect the scroll on his back.
However, he could not ignore his opponent's attack …
He raised his head and saw that the sun had already disappeared.
The sky was covered with dark clouds. A bolt of lightning pierced through the clouds and illuminated the area!
Lightning also appeared on Li Xianghe's body and collided with the lightning falling from the sky!
The current Faker was like the Lightning King descending into the world!
The energy in his hands kept accumulating. As if he did not need mana, his skills with lightning effects poured down on 'Lin Yan'!
However, 'Lin Yan' suddenly closed his book. Now, even his eyes had turned pure blue!
Rune energy swept through the entire area!
A shadow flashed. Ryze's figure appeared behind 'Lin Yan'. He was as tall as the Spear of Champions Callista when they were climbing the cliff!
The shadow that was as tall as a mountain stretched out a hand and easily covered Li Xianghe's head. Rune energy flowed from top to bottom, firmly imprisoning him in place!
The rune imprisonment forcefully interrupted Faker's unlimited skills. The lightning on his body gradually disappeared.
'Lin Yan' aimed his palm at the imprisoned Li Xianghe and shot out a ball of powerful arcane energy!
Light overflowed, and the entire screen was filled with blue!
When the blue light dissipated, Faker had already disappeared without a trace.
The glacier was full of cracks, and the Forbidden Scroll lay quietly on top of it.
'Lin Yan' took a deep look at it.
This was something that Ryze had guarded for his entire life. Once the scroll was activated, the world would face a calamity.
The Rune Magic Book that was originally glowing blue in his hand had completely lost its glow. He abandoned it and carried the fallen scroll on his back and continued forward.
When crossing the bridge, 'Lin Yan' also saw the Hidden Calamity of Champions between the two mountains.
The night was long, but it did not stop Lin Yan from climbing the mountain.
After a long time, around dawn, Lin Yan saw the statues of Kenji, Blind Monk, Draven, and Hammer Stone in the distance. They had different expressions and postures, but they were all looking at the highest point of the mountain.
It wasn't far.
But at that moment, 'Lin Yan' grunted in pain. The camera followed his gaze and saw two insects that had crawled to his feet and bit him!
His skin was also corroded by the dark purple energy. The burning pain forced 'Lin Yan' to quickly look for an opponent.
A man in a black robe slowly walked out from the side. His appearance and the shield-shaped SSG symbol on his collar proved everything.
Crown.
The male voice of the theme song was passionate. "Push through the helland … RISERISE!"
Following the beat, 'Lin Yan' took out the last piece of equipment from his pocket.
Ah Li's Orb of Deception.
In an instant, his body moved like a ghost and appeared in front of the other party. Three balls of fox fire condensed and pounced at Crown.
Crown was still accumulating power in his hands, but 'Lin Yan' didn't give him a chance to lock onto his position. He dodged and dodged, and Soul Ambush's multiple shifts made it difficult for him to track him.
After being hit by the balls of fox fire, the wounds on Crown's body slowly increased.
It wasn't until 'Lin Yan' used the last shift that Crown's eyes lit up. He put his hands together and shot a deep void energy towards his opponent's position!
'Lin Yan' was suppressed and couldn't move.
Grip of the Underworld!
But when Crown froze his opponent, he realized that the Orb of Deception was already flying towards him!
He had predicted it!
The orb passed through his body and was pulled back. It carried a new and rich life energy. When it returned to 'Lin Yan's' hand, the life energy flowed into his body through the orb and healed his injured body.
In the MV, Crown's face was pale as he looked down at his heart.
The Grip of the Underworld had been broken. Even the void insects no longer listened to his orders. They scattered and ran away from the two of them.
'Lin Yan' glanced at the orb in his hand, then turned around and continued to move towards the highest point.
When he passed by the four statues, he stopped for a moment and stared at them as if he wanted to remember all four of them in his mind.
Finally, he reached the highest point. 'Lin Yan' looked up. This place looked like an altar. The main body was built with stone and had a simple and unadorned style.
One after another, hooded Summoner statues appeared in front of him.
Six of the statues had team emblems on their chests.
The camera slowly scanned them.
FNC, TPA, SKT, SSW, SKT, YM.
'Lin Ran' placed his gaze on the seventh stone statue of a Summoner.
It was still empty.
The sound of unhurried footsteps reached his ears. 'Lin Yan' hurriedly searched for the equipment on his body.
He had already abandoned the leg blades and the Rune Spell Tome. The Orb of Deception couldn't be activated for a short period of time after the battle …
The scrolls on his back could trigger disasters. He couldn't use them yet.
He had no way of fighting back!
The footsteps disappeared.
The newcomer appeared in front of 'Lin Yan'.
He held two holy guns in his hands and had the team emblem of YM on his chest.
What was surprising was that his appearance was actually 90% similar to Lin Ran. It was just that he was slightly more immature and seemed to be even younger!
The two 'Lin Yan' stood in place and looked at each other.
Then, as if they understood something, they smiled knowingly.
'Lin Yan', who was holding two guns, stepped aside and made way. He, who was holding the Orb of Deception, jumped high and pressed it heavily on the chest of the seventh Summoner statue!
"High and high you chaseit … RISERISE!"
The theme song stopped abruptly at the climax.
At dawn, the first ray of sunlight shone on the statues.
The two black and red team emblems of YM complemented each other and shone brightly.
At this point, Lin Yan thought that the music video had ended. Just as he was about to exit the full-screen playback, he realized that there was still a part behind.
The camera changed to the mountainside.
There were still many people climbing to the peak. The sunlight shone on the altar at the highest peak, causing a change.
A huge Summoner's Trophy with the altar as the base appeared in front of these people!
Everyone stopped and looked up at the highest point.
Their team uniforms could be seen clearly in the screen.
KT, RNG, IG, G2, C9 …
The camera dimmed again and this scene disappeared completely.
When the lights came back on.
At the highest peak, the man on the altar slowly stood up.
He wore gold-rimmed glasses and his face was calm and handsome as usual.
The camera slowly moved down. Above the YM team emblem on his chest, two golden five-pointed stars shone brightly.
Then, it was discovered that behind him was a black and red throne.
The throne was magnificent, but at this moment, it started to shake slightly.
The source of the tremor came from below.
The camera moved down and found that the throne wasn't standing on the ground, but on a huge rock!
This huge rock was incomparably huge and stood beside the altar. It was estimated to be thirty to forty meters high.
The rock kept shaking.
Until it opened its eyes.
When it opened its wings, the wind was strong enough to sweep the mountain!
The muscles made of stone were knotted and full of strength. Its long tail easily threw a three-person high stone away.
The next moment, the stone statue carried the man into the air, looking disdainful, overlooking all the climbers from above.
The Chinese title of "The Peak of Perfection" appeared in the center of the screen.
This time, it was really over.
Lin Yan breathed a sigh of relief, exited the music video's playback interface, and browsed through the comments.
The theme song and music video had only been released for half an hour, but the comment section had already exploded.
[It's really amazing. Brother Ran occupied at least 23% of the scenes in the whole process. He's really the male lead.]
[Leg Blade – Qing Gang Yin, Rune Magic Book – Ryze, Deception Pearl – A 'Li. These three battle scenes represent the heroes that Brother Ran used in the S7 World Championship, right?]
[Why is it Ryze versus Ryze with Brother Li? Can't it be other characters?]
[Didn't you notice? Faker is the Ryze that can do three sets of W Imprisonment after the first rework of S5. He also added the elements of the previous Lightning King. Brother Ran is the Ryze that can jump in the current version of R, so it's different.]
[And that Ryze scroll, from Faker's hands to Brother Ran, is it hinting at the inheritance of the World No. 1 High School?]
[In the end, the throne and Brother Ran on Galio are really cool. They've really been played with by the fist.]
Lin Yan didn't think of so many things at first. He had to admit that the audience's imagination was open, and there were many details that were replayed frame by frame. They dug out all the hidden elements in the scene and treated it as an easter egg.
Many people were also praising this year's theme song. Although it wasn't as amazing as last year's "Legends Never Die" and didn't have that grand and epic feeling, it won in terms of surging passion and high morale.
In Lin Yan's YM group chat, messages kept coming in.
All the members of the competition department had watched the MV once, and they were all shocked.
Jack angrily typed: [Why is only Brother Ran in the entire YM team?
Am I not worthy?]
Phyllostachys Pubescens's sarcasm didn't diminish at all. [Don't you know in your heart whether you're worthy or not?]
Liu Qingsong immediately retorted: [Jack, you should be content. At least there's a Draven statue. I didn't get anything!]
Even Red Rice sent a few messages to express his envy.
He used to be a professional player and wanted to appear in the official MV once, but after S3 won the S3 World Championship, he gave the starting position to Looper. After that, he slowly transitioned into a coach and didn't have the chance anymore.
Lin Yan's phone was flooded with WeChat messages from classmates, friends, and relatives who had just finished watching the MV … Everyone wanted to chat with him.
It wasn't until 15 minutes before the plane landed in Busan that he finished replying to all the messages.
After taking a few group photos at Jinhai International Airport, YM boarded the bus that Fist had prepared for them.
The person in charge of the reception was still Winston.
He had already flown to Korea after the end of the LPL bubble competition to help contact the hotel and plan the itinerary.
"There's nothing for everyone to do after arriving at the hotel today." Winston was still emphasizing to the YM members on the way there. "On the 30th, the official team will be shooting a promotional video for the group matches. It'll take up the whole afternoon …"
"When can the training room be used?" Guo Hao asked.
"You're the third team to arrive in Busan. The training room will only be ready tomorrow morning," Winston answered truthfully.
A large number of Fist's staff were in Seoul. The qualifiers would begin in early October. This was considered the opening match of the S8 World Championship. The staff were on high alert, afraid that something might go wrong.
As a result, there weren't many staff members assigned to Busan. The preparation of the training room was slightly slower.
"Jin Gong and Red Rice have already checked in at the hotel. Like you guys, they're on the 15th floor." Winston glanced at the things to take note of. "Just like when you go overseas for competitions, if you want to leave the hotel alone, you must report to me and the manager in advance. Do you understand?"
This wasn't the first time this group of people had participated in an international competition. They were familiar with this aspect and nodded in agreement.
Lin Yan glanced at his phone. It was 11 o 'clock at night in Seoul, and 10 o' clock in Shanghai. His girlfriend probably hadn't gone to bed yet, so he sent Su Cheng a WeChat message to assure her that he was safe. He immediately received a reply.
Su Cheng sighed with emotion about the MV's plot and prepared to take a shower and rest. Lin Yan didn't disturb her. He turned his gaze to the street outside the bus.
Although Busan wasn't as prosperous as Seoul, it was still the second largest city in Korea. The nightlife there was very developed.
Fried chicken shops and barbeque shops could be seen everywhere. They were filled with people. There were even old Korean uncles by the roadside. They had probably drunk quite a lot, for their faces were flushed and they were swaying as they walked.
As they drove from Jinhai International Airport to the hotel, they could gradually smell the unique dampness of the sea.
"This is your first time in Korea, right?" The driver spoke in Korean. "Our Busan is very beautiful. Have you heard of Hai Yun Tai?"
Lin Yan waited for Jiang Chenglu to finish translating before replying, "I've heard of it. There's a movie with the same name."
The driver was very pleased to hear this. He was clearly proud of the cultural impact of his country's movie industry. On the way, he even introduced the nearby delicacies to them.
"There's a cheese hot dog bar that's very famous. It has a crispy crust, rich cheese, and tender hot dogs … Hey, Yigu, I have to buy two after work."
The driver talked until he was hungry. He turned the steering wheel and drove the YM members to the coast.
Through the window, they could see the rolling sea in the distance. The waves were smashed by rocks, and the white foam quickly disappeared.
"The hotel we're staying at is right in front." Winston pointed the way for Lin Yan and the others. At the same time, he gestured for them to look to the side. "Do you see this beach?"
"Huh?" Jack didn't react.
"S4OGN Summer Finals, KTA versus SSB. It was held on this beach." Speaking of this, Winston felt a little nostalgic. "It was really a grand occasion back then …"
"I think if Old Song comes over, he'll be able to reminisce about the 2014 OGN." Shiba Inu smiled.
That was the era when Korea's League of Legends was at its peak. Under the competition system of two teams, there were many dazzling new stars.
Other than the Three Stars and Ten Sons, there were also Broiler, Kakao, Ssumday, Marin, Wolf Stick Combo, Master Hou, and so on. Although these people were at their peak at different times, looking back now, it was completely a battle of gods.
The bus stopped not far from the hotel. The YM members got off one by one to get their luggage.
Red Rice and Jin Gong were still waiting for them in the hotel lobby.
They hadn't seen each other for ten days. After chatting for a while, they took the elevator to the 15th floor.
The two Korean teams, KT and AF, had arrived in Pusan earlier than them.
The remaining GEN members were still in Seoul to prepare for the qualifiers.
As it was getting late and the training room hadn't been set up yet, Red Rice directly went back to rest.
Lin Yan swiped his card and pushed open the door to enter the room.
Xiao Tian behind him let out a "wow" sound.
"A room with a sea view!"
The hotel Fist had chosen for them was at Haeundae. When they opened the curtains, they could see the boundless sea. Next to it was the China Embassy in Pusan. The location was excellent.
Lin Yan didn't have time to appreciate the beautiful scenery. He took out everything in his luggage and hurried to take a shower.
After washing away his fatigue, he dried his hair and adjusted the air conditioner to sleep mode. He then lay on the bed and fell into a deep sleep.