The finals of [God Making] Spring Split was packed to capacity. As the players took the stage, waves of cheers erupted from the audience, a clear testament to how much anticipation surrounded this event.
In the official livestream, the viewer count had already peaked at over 100k, and the bullet comments flooded the screen, making it impossible to even see the players’ faces.
[Dmn, slow down with the comments! You’re blocking Xu’s handsome face!]
[Smile looks so cute! He even waved at the audience.]
[I just saw the two coaches exchange glances. Their smiles couldn’t be any faker, haha. They’re probably scared the other side will pick up on their strategies.]
When Jiang Shi stepped onto the stage, a sea of question marks flooded the chat.
[Why is this little idiot’s face so red? I heard they put makeup on him this time. Did they overdo the blush?]
[That’s not blush. His ears are red too. He probably just got into an argument! Look at that stinky face.]
[Tsk, it’s the grand finals, and he’s still this hotheaded. Xu’s not keeping him in check?]
[If Little White Hair got too much blush, then did Xu get too much lipstick?]
[Nah, I saw ST’s coach, Yuan Yang, post on Weibo before the match. The makeup for everyone was fine.]
[What exactly were TLG’s bot lane duo doing in the break room before the match?]
It wasn’t just the audience who wanted to know. The rest of TLG’s teammates were also curious.
After settling into their seats, Jiang Lele couldn’t hold back his curiosity.
“T Bao, what were you and the captain doing in the bathroom?”
What exactly had spiked his heart rate to 170?
“Did he give you a pre-match pep talk? You seem way too hyped.”
But back in the team van, Yuan Yang had already given a motivational speech. Jiang Shi hadn’t reacted at all—he had even yawned during the closing remarks.
Jiang Lele was about to press further when Xie Xu cut in, “Lele, camera on you.”
Immediately, Jiang Lele dropped his gossip mode, lifted his chin slightly, and gave a reserved nod toward the camera.
A classic cool-guy move.
On the big screen, the faces of both mid-laners appeared. Gone were their usual grins, they both looked dead serious.
“The atmosphere between the two teams is intense!” The female commentator joked. “Seems like they’re putting a lot of mental pressure on each other.”
“Indeed,” the male commentator agreed. “ST’s mid-laner, Smile, already showed insane mechanics in the semifinals, making ST even more formidable. On the other side, TLG has Time, a genius ADC. After a full Spring split of synergy-building, their coordination is nearly flawless. This matchup is bound to be thrilling.”
At that moment, the camera zoomed in on Time’s face.
Jiang Shi wasn’t camera-conscious. He didn’t even notice. He was busy checking his computer and keyboard.
Next to him, Xie Xu leaned in slightly and softly reminded him, “Time.”
Jiang Shi snapped his head up, looking at Xie Xu. “Yes, Captain?”
Xie Xu’s lips curved up. “Not me. Look in front.”
The playful tone traveled through the headset, tickling Jiang Shi’s ears.
Damn… the headphones for the grand finals seemed higher quality than usual.
Jiang Shi instinctively tugged his hair over his ears and finally faced the camera properly.
[Your eyes are only for Xu, huh? You know your Dads are watching, right?]
[What a little idiot.]
[Stop trying to hide those red ears. Your white hair isn’t covering anything.]
Luckily, the camera soon switched to Xie Xu, and the venue erupted in screams louder than for any other player.
Even without his chaotic fangirls, Xie Xu still had the highest number of fans in the entire league. His support signs filled the venue.
After the introduction of players, the commentator briefly explained the schedule of the day and moved to the BP stage.
The finals were BO5, and in the first game, both teams held back slightly, not immediately pulling out their strongest heroes.
The commentators analyzed the team compositions.
“Ever since ST brought in Smile, their playstyle has changed significantly. They used to focus on late-game, but now they have an aggressive early game. Seems like they plan to chase TLG down for fights.”
They all knew that TLG is the least afraid of a head-on fight.
Both commentators exchanged knowing glances. “Looks like the first game is going to be explosive!”
Once the lineup was finalized, the official stream switched to Heart Rate Mode, displaying the players’ real-time heart rates.
Everyone’s heart rates hovered around 90 BPM, except for one player who stood up.
The female commentator widened her eyes in shock. “Time’s heart rate is already at 145?! Did TLG have an intense argument during the draft?”
“I don’t think so,” the male commentator replied. “Their hero picks were decided within normal time. No hesitation.”
Under normal circumstances, the first game would be more of a “testing the water” process, and heart rates wouldn’t spike this early.
The commentators couldn’t figure it out, so the female commentator chuckled and came up with a reason.
“Well, this is Time’s first grand final. It’s natural to be nervous. Let’s see how he performs!”
Jiang Shi’s heart rate had actually calmed down, until Xie Xu chuckled in his ear. Then it shot back up.
He glanced at his smartwatch. It felt like he had a traitor on his wrist.
But once the game started, Jiang Shi focused entirely on playing.
Smile was strong, but if he wanted to establish a good rhythm, he needed his support nearby. Meanwhile, Jiang Shi was alone in bot lane, 1v1, and completely unshaken.
After securing lane priority, Jiang Shi hit level 4 first and capitalized on the enemy ADC’s low HP, securing a solo kill.
[First Blood!]
A stat pop-up appeared:
[TLG-Time’s First Blood Rate — 75%]
A ridiculously high percentage. It meant three out of four times, TLG’s first kill came from Jiang Shi.
The male commentator swallowed hard.
“If I remember correctly, most of those were solo kills, too.”
Time’s individual strength was absolutely insane.
Then, the commentator noticed something.
“Wait, Time’s heart rate dropped to 115?”
The arena was shaking from fans’ screams, yet Jiang Shi’s heart rate was dropping?
The female commentator double-checked. Jiang Shi’s heart rate dropped from 115 to 110, all too visible.
She hesitated. “Maybe Time’s smartwatch is malfunctioning?”
But since the game was already on the way, even if the smartwatch was malfunctioning, nobody would disturb the player to change it.
Jiang Shi’s First Blood had fired up TLG. With their momentum, they snowballed the lead and won the first game.
But Smile wasn’t one to back down. In the second game, he turned things around, punishing Jiang Lele’s misstep and diving four-man bot to shut down Jiang Shi. With a 1-1 tie, the match was heating up.
By the third game, both teams finally slowed down—no major fights in the first 10 minutes. All the players’ heart rate went over 120 BPM.
The highest heart rate was ST’s AD. He was tense throughout the whole process, showing how big of a pressure Jiang Shi was to him.
The two games made the commentators’ palms sweat. The male commentator rubbed his palms on his pants. “Neither side was willing to give in. It was a very thrilling match to watch.”
The female commentator agreed. “That time when Time sneaked to snipe ST’s ADC before a team fight… scared me to death.”
“Ah yes, that instance. Xu ended up opening the team fights, then doubled-up to kill Smile.”
TLG won that team fight and recovered some of its economy. However, their vision was too lacking while ST killed two dragons. In the end, TLG failed to turn the tide and lost the game.
After the exciting battles in the first two games, in the third game, both sides finally decided to develop peacefully. In the first ten minutes, there was only one small team fight without any casualties.
Jiang Shi still chose a high-burst shooter with displacement skills. Xie Xu opened up vision for him, and he went to the middle lane to farm.
There, he met Smile.
In the first two games, whenever the two met, there would be a fierce battle. But this time Jiang Shi just came to steal the minions and was not prepared to fight.
It was peaceful until Smile hesitated. He took a small step forward, waving his hero’s hand at Jiang Shi.
Jiang Shi paused to retreat.
The male commentator smiled knowingly at this scene. “I heard Smile really likes Time. After those two intense games, I thought it was fake, but now… looks like it might be true? Smile is saying hello to Jiang Shi!”
The female commentator: “Time also stopped moving. Is he going to wave back?”
The two commentators just finished talking when Jiang Shi turned back — and comboed Smile until he was left with a sliver of HP.
Compared to the joyful tone of the commentators, TLG’s in-team voice chat was completely different.
Jiang Lele: “Fuck! He waved at you, what does that mean? Was that a taunt?”
Before he could finish speaking, Jiang Shi turned around and used all his skills on Smile.
That small step Smile took just now had already entered his attack range.
This was definitely a provocation.
Clearly, Jiang Shi and Jiang Lele had the same idea.
Yu Hui was in the jungle and hadn’t expected a sudden team fight to break out in mid lane. He frowned, “Jiang Lele, don’t be petty.”
“If their mage has an ambush nearby, one of you is going to die.”
Luckily, this Smile was just plain dumb.
Jiang Lele grinned. “Hehe, got caught, huh~”
Right now, they were opponents, so of course, he found Smile unbearable in every way. Moreover, this brat was even flirting with Time right in front of him, acting like he didn’t exist?
Even though Smile had no Flash and would be on cooldown for two minutes, he still put immense pressure on TLG.
Smile’s skill shots were too accurate, and he was excellent at hiding outside of the vision, constantly chipping away at TLG’s health. It was extremely annoying.
Finally, he even Flash-engaged to cut into the backline. By the time Jiang Lele’s screen went black, he hadn’t even pressed Flash. Jiang Shi’s health bar also vanished in an instant, forcing him to Flash away.
Even though he later kited in the brush and managed to kill the low-health support and ADC, he was still taken down by Smile.
This team fight ended with Smile getting a double kill. Jiang Shi even had a bounty on his head, giving Smile a huge gold lead.
In the end, TLG couldn’t defend their crystal and ST took it down.
The score was now 1-2. ST only needed one more win to end the series.
ST’s fans erupted into cheers. Their suppressed momentum returned, and they looked like they were on the verge of winning the championship.
Back in the break room, Jiang Shi kept rewatching the crucial team fight. When Xie Xu looked over, he pursed his lips. “I was too arrogant. I should’ve bought Tenacity Boots.”
He had been CC-locked by Smile for too long. If he had changed his boots, they wouldn’t have lost the fight so badly.
Yuan Yang spoke up, “It wasn’t your fault. We all underestimated their mid laner.”
After saying that, he patted Jiang Lele’s shoulder. “I’m sorry for putting you in such a difficult position.”
The enemy mid and support were sticking together the whole time, making things extremely difficult for Jiang Lele.
Jiang Lele rubbed his eyes at the comment. “I just wasn’t strong enough.”
Jiang Shi frowned when he saw his reaction. “Don’t worry, we’re not losing. Save that look for when we’re lifting the trophy.”
Jiang Shi meant what he said. In ST’s match point game, he made a completely unexpected move.
The ADC went around and assassinated both enemy carries.
Jiang Shi landed a full combo, chunking ST’s ADC and mid-laner mage to a third of their health before getting focused down. But Xie Xu and Jiang Lele followed up with crowd control, Zhao Jiu tanked the frontline, and Yu Hui charged in to clean up the fight.
A perfect 1-for-5 team wipe. The score was now tied 2-2.
The highlight replay was, without a doubt, the black screen of Jiang Shi.
Even the commentators, who were supposed to break down the play, were stunned. “Time assassinated the backline? That’s crazy!”
If ST found this out earlier and counter-killed Jiang Shi, TLG would definitely lose.
“It was a high-risk, high-reward play, and the signs were there before. It was clearly planned in advance.” Another commentator watched the screen in awe. “That Flash-engage was absolutely insane. Even at my peak, I couldn’t pull that off.”
Neither of his mental fortitude nor the mechanics were on that level.
With the score tied, the stadium and the livestream chat erupted in deafening cheers.
[Fck, I knew this wouldn’t be easy! TLG finally woke up, huh?]
[T Bao, you’re my god! Get into the World Championship for me!]
[TLG, give it your all! Win this!!!!!]
Jiang Shi’s play had not only hyped up the audience but also ignited the fighting spirit of his teammates. Just as they were ready to go all out, the enemy team’s BP phase made them freeze.
A giant question mark appeared over everyone’s heads, including Yuan Yang.
ST used three bans — two on marksmen and one on a mid laner that countered Smile.
TLG went silent for a moment.
Jiang Shi was the first to react. His eyes lit up as he looked at Xie Xu, clicking his mouse frantically in excitement.
“You’re that happy?” Xie Xu chuckled. “Don’t break your mouse.”
Jiang Shi quickly retracted his hand, grabbed a cold water bottle to cool down, and smiled without saying a word.
TLG had first pick. Without hesitation, they locked in the Snowman.
This was the first time Xie Xu had used this champion in the pro scene during the Spring Split.
[Fck, am I seeing things? Did TLG just pick Snowman?]
[Is ST getting cocky, or has TLG completely lost it? They didn’t even ban Snowman in the final game?]
[AHHHHHH! Xu’s Snowman! God knows how long I’ve been waiting for this!]
[I’m literally crying right now.]
[Huh? I think ST’s BP is fine. Smile still got his strongest mid laner. Snowman isn’t a threat to him.]
[New to pro play? Xu’s Snowman isn’t just Snowman. It’s a nuclear bomb thrown into a teamfight.]
[You’ll see soon enough.]
ST’s coach had debated for a long time, but Jiang Shi’s outstanding performance and Jiang Lele’s deep hero pool made them decide to free up a ban slot for another mage instead.
But once the game started, at the eight-minute mark, a fight broke out. Xie Xu Flash-engaged from an insane angle, freezing three enemies, including both carries. With Jiang Shi’s follow-up damage, Smile was CC-locked to death before he could even Flash.
After his screen went black, Smile checked his death recap and was confused. “Why did Snowman CC’d me for 95% of the fight?”
The fight lasted 2 seconds. He was frozen for 1.9 of them, completely unable to move.
ST’s captain sighed. “Because that’s Xu’s Snowman.”
Xu hadn’t used Snowman in so long that they had forgotten what it was like to be dominated by it.
In this game, not only did Xie Xu put on a show, but Jiang Shi also had the time of his life.
Jiang Shi reminded, “Captain, your Flash is up in ten seconds. Their ADC’s Flash is still down for about five or six more.”
The gap was small, but he believed Xie Xu could use that timing to secure a kill.
[TLG-Time has slain ST-White]
[TLG-Time is unstoppable!]
Jiang Shi’s heartbeat shot up to 183 BPM.
In ranked games, his favorite thing was to duo with Xie Xu’s Snowman. The feeling of having kills handed to him on a silver platter was simply too amazing.
In the final deciding game, Xie Xu landed nearly six perfect crowd control. The moment ST saw Snowman appear, their first instinct was to back off. Even Smile, who was usually fearless, was afraid.
But when they could see Snowman, it meant they were already dead.
Finally, after Jiang Shi secured a quadra kill, ST’s crystal was broken.
TLG won the series 3-2 and became the Spring Split Champions!
On stage, Jiang Shi’s heart was still pounding as he walked up in a daze. It wasn’t until the golden confetti rained down and he touched the trophy that he felt it was real.
If it weren’t for the need to maintain his image, Jiang Lele would have been bawling while hugging the trophy. His eyes were red. “Waahhhhh—!! All my suffering wasn’t in vain! We won! We’re champions!”
Zhao Jiu looked up at the golden rain and sighed. “I once thought I would never win a championship in my life.”
Yuan Yang’s heart clenched at those words. He gritted his teeth. “The dark times are over. TLG is unstoppable, we’re the champions!”
Even the usually expressionless Yu Hui was visibly moved, nodding firmly.
Xie Xu looked at the roaring fans below and the passionate host on stage. Then, he turned to glance at the five-player photo on the big screen.
They stood side by side, youthful and full of spirit.
He let out a quiet breath.
Jiang Shi looked up at him.
The two locked eyes for a brief second.
Xie Xu reached out and lightly brushed the back of Jiang Shi’s hand behind the podium. His dark eyes carried a faint smile. “Jiang Shi, we won.”
At that moment, Jiang Shi’s heart finally settled. His tense shoulders slowly relaxed.
Yes, they won. He, Xie Xu, and their teammates—together, they were champions.
After Xie Xu spoke, everyone turned to Jiang Shi, waiting for his victory speech.
Yuan Yang looked expectant. “Xiao Shi, this is your first championship. What do you want to say?”
Worried that Jiang Shi might not be good at expressing himself, he encouraged, “Say anything you want.”
He planned to clip this into a video and loop it forever!
Jiang Shi paused, his hand at his side, then coughed into his fist under everyone’s expectant gazes.
“Uh… how much is the championship prize money again?”
