Chapter 27: For Junglers, Early-Game Tempo Is Everything!

In the first two games, Lin Hao played with Master Yu and Yuan Ge, displaying the same audacious style and fierce aggression, much to the delight of the many spectators who gathered to watch. However, these matches weren't particularly high-level, with an average peak score hovering around 2100.

The third match, however, was different from the moment the matchmaking screen appeared—a Peak Duel! In peak matches, when both teams are composed of the highest-ranked players, a special interface signals the upcoming clash of titans. This meant that this game would be the most elite of battles. In matches like these, it's rare to meet unknowns; instead, the ranks are filled with professional players, streamers, national title holders, and public legends.

Once heroes are selected and the game loads, the usual average peak score is replaced with the average peak ranking. At his current score, Lin Hao qualified for this Peak Duel, albeit as one of the underdogs—the so-called 'point booster' for the others. Yet, this was exactly the kind of challenge that made Lin Hao sit up straight, excitement coursing through him.

The previous games hadn't stoked much of his fighting spirit; most opponents were just random players, and sometimes even those who had already given up. But this time, surely there would be a big fish.

Usually, the system would notify him after the enemy had picked their heroes, revealing which of them was a famous streamer. But if Lin Hao asked at the start, the system would reveal it right away.

So, as soon as the game began, Lin Hao called out in his mind, "System, did we run into a streamer this time?"

"On the enemy team, Peak Summoner 2 is Fast Hands' Nine-Tailed Fox. While collecting his rage points, you will receive triple the reward!"

Fast Hands' Nine-Tailed Fox! Lin Hao knew this name well. In terms of subscribers, live viewers, and donations, the Nine-Tailed Fox was the top streamer in the King of Glory section of Fast Hands, arguably the number one. He was also a long-standing king of the jungle role. Back in the era when Han Xin, Li Bai, and Luna reigned supreme, Nine-Tailed Fox's assassin jungling was legendary—his Li Bai was peerless. During those peak seasons, he'd even claimed the number one spot multiple times. Even today, with new jungle kings like Lan, Jing, and Mai dominating the charts, Nine-Tailed Fox could still break into the top ten using his classic Li Bai, Han Xin, and Luna, proving his enduring skill.

Lin Hao stroked his chin thoughtfully. Knowing this in advance, he would need to make some preparations.

Both teams began selecting their heroes. Lin Hao's draft position was a bit later, and his usual picks were three side laners. Given that his repertoire included mechanically demanding warriors like Yuan Ge, Guan Yu, and Master Yu, and he hadn't revealed his lane rank, no one tried to contest his role.

The other team locked in Sun Mengxi and Liu Chan with their first two picks—a combination that exerted tremendous early pressure. On Lin Hao's side, their first three picks were Niu Mo, Jin Chan, and Yun Ying. This lineup was equally solid in the early game, especially capable of defending their jungle.

Lin Hao waited, watching the enemy's picks with interest. Nine-Tailed Fox would almost certainly play jungle, so he'd hold off on his own pick to counter him. At last, the enemy locked in Li Bai and Di Renjie for their third and fourth picks.

Li Bai—Nine-Tailed Fox's signature hero! As long as it wasn't Pei Qinhu, that was fine. When it came time for Lin Hao to pick, he locked in Guan Yu without hesitation. His newly acquired national Guan Yu skills were about to be put to good use.

For Lin Hao to pick Guan Yu came as no surprise to his longtime fans. He was known for playing side lane, and Guan Yu and Mulan were his most-played heroes. This season, his Guan Yu even bore the emblem for top 50 in the province.

By now, word was spreading quickly in the livestream chat.

"The enemy's Li Bai is Nine-Tailed Fox!"
"Haoran has matched up against Nine-Tailed Fox!"
"Haha, this is going to be interesting. Haoran tilted Xinran, Yifan, and Li Zhien the other day—let's see if he can mess with Nine-Tailed Fox's mentality."
"I actually think Haoran is going to get camped. Nine-Tailed Fox loves to hunt down the side laners."

Regardless, both teams completed their drafts and entered the game loading screen.

Lin Hao's team consisted of Guan Yu, Niu Mo, Jin Chan, Yu Ji, and Yun Ying. The opposing team—Nine-Tailed Fox's—fielded Li Bai, Sun Mengxi, Liu Chan, Di Renjie, and Bai Qi.

Knowing it was a Peak Duel, Lin Hao's teammates, aside from the fill player, also brought out their strongest heroes. Yu Ji was ranked among the nation's top 50, Jin Chan was a provincial standard, Yun Ying was ninth in the province, and Niu Mo had a red proficiency badge. In contrast, Lin Hao's most powerful hero, Guan Yu, only bore the provincial top 50 mark—nothing extraordinary.

As the game loaded, Lin Hao cleared his throat and addressed his audience, dropping a teaser.

"Everyone in the chat, I have a question for you. Which is more important: delaying the enemy jungler for thirty seconds, or securing a wave of minions?"

The viewers were caught off guard.

"Minions are definitely more important—that's real gold and experience."
"I'm a provincial standard Mi Yue, and I think minions outweigh even supporting a team fight. If the enemy rotates, I'll just push down their side tower. No matter if my team wins the fight, I’ll split push all the way."
"I'm a provincial standard Ma Chao. I always leave lane to support fights. The top lane is just for show—tempo is everything. But still, compared to disrupting the jungler for thirty seconds, minions matter more."

Some viewers genuinely responded, perhaps eager to debate after seeing differing opinions in the chat.

Lin Hao knew there were factions among side laners. Solo pushers believed that dominating their lane was everything—team fights had little to do with them, and pushing towers kept up the pressure. Heroes like Mi Yue and Master Yu embodied this style: strong in lane, less impactful in large team fights, and slower to rotate.

The "abandon lane and support" players believed tempo was king. Lane matchups weren’t as important—if they were losing, they’d roam to help the team. Sometimes losing the side tower made it easier to farm. Guan Yu and Ma Chao were typical of this: fast to support, able to help teammates outnumber the enemy elsewhere.

Watching the barrage of messages, Lin Hao merely smiled. "Everyone has their own view. Let me share mine: in the early game, disrupting the enemy jungler’s tempo is paramount."

"So, as an excellent side laner, our goal should be to harass the enemy jungler right from the start!"

The audience was still puzzled. What was Lin Hao getting at?

But then, they saw Lin Hao forgo heading to the top lane—instead, he took advantage of Guan Yu's four-legged speed and arrived first at the lower river’s dragon pit, pacing back and forth.

Was he about to...

A wild thought flashed through the viewers' minds.