Three weeks passed in a flash, and the highly anticipated offline finals of the "Star Sea Cup" league of legends Invitational Tournament finally kicked off at the sub-venue of the Magic City International Sports Center!
On the opening day, the area outside the venue was packed with people; countless young players, dressed in various team jerseys and holding cheering props, had queued up early, and the air was thick with waves of excitement and anticipation.
Among the bustling crowd entering, one figure appeared particularly low-key.
He wore a plain baseball cap and black-rimmed glasses, dressed in a simple casual jacket, hiding himself among the enthusiastic audience.
He passed through security smoothly and found his seat in the middle of the spectator stands.
He was Qin Feng, the founder of Riot Games.
He did not choose a VIP box, but instead, like an ordinary player, bought a ticket to enter, disguised.
He wanted to personally experience the most authentic and raw on-site atmosphere of the tournament he had single-handedly brought into being, and he wanted to hear the most direct voices of the players.
Inside the venue, the lights were dazzling, and a huge circular screen flashed the dynamic logo of the "Star Sea Cup" and an inspiring promotional video.
The nearly five-thousand-capacity venue was packed, and deafening cheers intertwined with the shouts of various team fan clubs, forming a powerful sound wave that impacted everyone's eardrums.
Qin Feng sat among the crowd, clearly feeling the slight vibration of his seat as the audience cheered.
This feeling of being immersed in a fervent ocean was something no data report could replace.
The opening match was the focal point—the "Star Sea Team," representing new capital and boasting the prodigy ADC Wind Chaser, against the grassroots dark horse "Qiming Team," which had risen from setbacks and been reborn!
When both teams entered, the venue erupted in thunderous cheers.
Especially when the "Qiming Team" appeared, their team logo, symbolizing a grassroots comeback, drew enthusiastic applause from a large number of neutral spectators.
Qin Feng's gaze also fell on the young members of the "Qiming Team," who looked slightly nervous but had determined eyes.
The "Star Sea Team" was on the blue side, and immediately banned several tempo-oriented heroes that "Qiming's" jungler Lonely Shadow was good at, as well as the strong top lane picks of the current patch.
The "Qiming Team," in turn, specifically banned the signature assassin of "Star Sea's" mid-laner and the late-game core ADC of Wind Chaser.
Star Sea Team:
Top Lane: "Dawn" - Gangplank, the Saltwater Scourge (late-game teamfight insurance)
Jungle: "Lonely Shadow" - Lee Sin, the Blind Monk (early-game tempo engine)
Mid Lane: "Star Track" - Orianna, the Lady of Clockwork (consistent damage and control)
ADC: "Wind Chaser" - Xayah, the Rebel (strong self-preservation, late-game output core)
Support: "Rakan" - Rakan, the Charmer (engage and protection)
Qiming Team:
Top Lane: "Da Kang" - Ornn, the Fire Below the Mountain (team's sturdy frontline, forges items for teammates)
Jungle: "A Le" - Jarvan IV, the Exemplar of Demacia (strong engage and terrain manipulation)
Mid Lane: "Syndra" - Syndra, the Dark Sovereign (lane dominance, burst damage)
ADC: "Lonely Shadow" - Kai'Sa, the Daughter of the Void (flexible, extremely strong late-game carry potential)
Support: "Braum" - Braum, the Heart of the Freljord (powerful protection and counter-engage abilities)
The match began!
Both sides were full of tension from level one.
The "Star Sea" jungler Lonely Shadow's Lee Sin was extremely aggressive, frequently invading "Qiming's" jungle, attempting to suppress A Le's Jarvan IV's development.
However, "Qiming" displayed their tenacious resilience, defusing crises time and again through active vision control and timely support.
During the laning phase, "Star Sea's" mid and bot lanes gained some CS leads due to individual skill, especially Wind Chaser's Xayah, who had strong lane pressure.
But "Qiming's" top laner Da Kang's Ornn performed exceptionally steadily, not only maintaining his farm against Dawn's Gangplank but even occasionally using abilities to trade back.
The turning point of the match occurred during a mid-game skirmish at Dragon.
A Le's Jarvan IV seized a fleeting moment of disarray in "Star Sea's" formation, decisively initiating with an EQ Flash, trapping three enemies with Cataclysm!
Lonely Shadow's Kai'Sa immediately flew into the fray, combining with Syndra's burst to instantly melt "Star Sea's" support, Rakan!
"Star Sea's" formation was in chaos!
Wind Chaser's Xayah was forced to activate her Ultimate Ability, Featherstorm, to evade damage and retreat.
"Qiming" secured a 1-for-3 trade and then took the Cloud Drake (the third Dragon), reversing the gold lead!
The audience supporting "Qiming" erupted!
Qin Feng also nodded slightly; the "Qiming" team's teamwork and ability to seize opportunities were indeed impressive.
However, the "Star Sea" team, as a capital-backed powerhouse, possessed extremely strong adaptability.
They quickly stabilized their footing, using Gangplank's Ultimate Ability and Orianna's wave-clear to stubbornly drag the game into the late stage.
Both sides engaged in a prolonged struggle for vision and skirmishes around Baron and Elder Dragon.
Forty-five minutes into the game, both teams' gold remained even.
The final decisive teamfight erupted in the mid lane.
"Qiming" initiated first; Jarvan IV once again cast Cataclysm, and Lonely Shadow's Kai'Sa flew in to deal damage!
But this time, "Star Sea's" response was perfect!
Wind Chaser's Xayah perfectly evaded the initial damage and crowd control using Flash and Bladecaller, then retaliated with furious damage!
Dawn's Gangplank dropped a Cannon Barrage, severely restricting the damage environment for "Qiming's" backline!
The teamfight ended in a brutal 4-for-4!
"Qiming" was left with only a low-health top laner Ornn, while "Star Sea" only had a low-health ADC Xayah and jungler Lee Sin!
Just when everyone thought the teamfight was over and both sides would regroup for another battle, no one noticed that "Star Sea" team's top laner Dawn, before dying, had used Gangplank's passive ability, Trial by Fire, in conjunction with a newly arrived minion wave, to burn an opposing minion to critical health!
And that critically wounded minion, following the minion wave, steadily attacked "Qiming" team's nexus crystal, which had only a sliver of health left, one hit after another!
"Qiming's" Ornn realized what was happening and tried to recall to defend, but it was too late!
In the disbelieving gazes of everyone present, including the "Qiming" players, that inconspicuous minion delivered its final auto-attack!
Bang—!
The "Qiming" team's nexus crystal exploded with a roar in the midst of silence!
Winner—Star Sea Team!
The venue fell silent for a moment, then erupted in even more intense gasps and applause!
This ending was too dramatic!
A single misstep, and the nexus was stolen by a minion!
The members of the "Qiming" team stared blankly at the screen, their faces filled with unwillingness and disappointment.
They had given their all, come so close to victory, only to lose the first game in such an unexpected manner.
Qin Feng watched this scene, feeling quite emotional.
The charm of esports lies in its unpredictability.
After the match, the audience began to leave.
Qin Feng remained seated, listening to the discussions of the surrounding spectators.
Excitement, regret, anticipation for the next match... various emotions intertwined.
Just then, a few young people next to him, who looked like college students, walked out while discussing the just-concluded match with lingering enthusiasm.
One of them excitedly said:
"Holy cow, watching the match live is so awesome! It's a hundred times more exciting than watching a live stream at home! If only matches like this could be held every week, like the NBA, and we could watch them every day, that would be great!"
This casual remark, like a bolt of lightning, instantly struck Qin Feng!
He abruptly looked up, watching the backs of those young people disappear into the aisle exit, then surveyed the venue, which still echoed with the lingering warmth of enthusiasm.
An incredibly clear and firm thought exploded in his mind!
Players need it!
The market craves it!
Capital is already in place!
Clubs are taking shape!
To establish a stable, long-term, home-and-away professional league of legends league... the time is ripe!
The success of the "Star Sea Cup," the immense enthusiasm displayed by the offline audience, and that simple wish of "being A Le to watch it every day" became the final straw that broke Qin Feng's last bit of hesitation.
His esports empire had finally reached the moment when it could raise the banner of a professional league, symbolizing order and glory!