Chapter 116: The Recall Effect of Guan Yu, the Saint of Martial Arts

This was the pinnacle of Han Han’s gaming career.

Holding the top three spots on the Peak Tournament leaderboard simultaneously, and keeping them in sequence, was truly impressive. However, his audience was mercilessly teasing him.

"You're just clinging to past glories."
"Watching Yao Yang every day, how could you not get rusty?"
"Niu Wei, stop shouting; the guy at rank one is already at 2,600 points."

It had to be said, Han Han had recently shown signs of transitioning into an entertainment streamer.

"Alright, we're in," Han Han said, rubbing his palms together, full of confidence. "I’m definitely going to carry this match!"

Once inside, Han Han communicated with his teammates: "Give me the jungle, I’ll carry, guaranteed win!" As he spoke, he pre-selected Pei Qinhu. After both sides finished banning, Han Han locked in Pei Qinhu first.

Pei Qinhu was an excellent early pick. As a dominant jungler with access to his ultimate from the start, he set the pace for the early game. Unless the opponent picked Ju Youjing, everyone was on equal footing against a Tiger, even Jing or Lan.

As both teams continued their selections, Han Han noticed a name suddenly flooding his chat.

"You’re matched against Hao Ran!"
"Hao Ran? The one who’s been tearing up the Peak Tournament lately? He’s crushed so many famous pro-tech streamers!"
"I just checked, it really is him. We’re in for a show."
"Rumor has it that streamers matched against Hao Ran never end well. Liu Wei is doomed this match."
"Hao Ran: Niu Wei, prepare to lose your life!"

Han Han naturally remembered the name Hao Ran; they had played in a five-stack together once. Even as a support, Hao Ran’s Yuange had been unstoppable, leaving a deep impression on him. It seemed he had seen him in the top ten of the leaderboard just yesterday. Han Han knew Hao Ran’s ID was "Shared Heartbeat," and by the time the rankings locked at midnight, he was indeed in the top ten.

He looked at his own ranking—he was now well outside the top one hundred.

*Fine, let's clash!*

Looking at his signature hero, Pei Qinhu, and reflecting on his past glory, Han Han felt his confidence surge.

***

Over on Lin Hao’s side, he also learned from his chat that the opposing Tiger was Han Han.

"Detected that the opposing Pei Qinhu is Huya’s Han Han. Host will receive a triple bonus to rage points collected!"

Lin Hao was picking fifth, and since they were on the red side, he had the last word. By the time it was his turn, the opponent’s lineup was set: Pei Qinhu, Yuange, Mozi, Li Yuanfang, and Niu Mo.

He had originally planned to play Meng Tian to disrupt the enemy jungle, but seeing their lineup, Lin Hao shook his head. Meng Tian wouldn’t work here; the opponents had too much crowd control and mobility. While they lacked counters like Zhu Bajie or Lu Bu, Meng Tian would struggle to find a rhythm early on. Most importantly, trying to invade against a Pei Qinhu with Meng Tian would likely end in failure.

In that case... Lin Hao’s gaze settled on Guan Yu. *You’re the one!*

Lin Hao locked in Guan Yu. In the chat, rational high-level players began to analyze: "Guan Yu is hard to play here. The enemy's small CC is disgusting; it’s so easy to break his horse's legs!" "I feel like Ma Chao would be slightly better; he’s the natural predator of Yuange." "Honestly, with that lineup, why not pick Lao Fuzi? He gets tanky in the late game and no one can handle him!"

Lin Hao shook his head. "While I could easily handle this lineup with other heroes, Guan Yu is objectively the better pick here. Plus, I’ve recently developed a new strategy for Guan Yu, and this is the perfect chance to demonstrate it."

The fans grew curious. They had seen Lin Hao play Guan Yu many times. In their memory, he always abandoned his lane early to invade the enemy jungle, claiming that minion waves weren’t as important as the enemy jungler’s rhythm. Many Guan Yu streamers scoffed at this—abandoning a lane was fine, but there had to be a limit. Guan Yu needed to deal damage and stay leveled up, too. You couldn't just have fifth-position gold and still ignore your lane.

Lin Hao then switched to Guan Yu’s "Saint of War" skin. It was a skin long-awaited by players but ultimately disappointing upon release, mostly because the horse looked too fat. It was often compared unfavorably to the first-anniversary limited "Icebound Warrior," which was truly absurd.

The lineups were finalized:
Lin Hao’s side: Nakoruru, Guan Yu, Shiranui Mai, Di Renjie, Su Lie.
Opponent’s side: Pei Qinhu, Yuange, Mozi, Li Yuanfang, Niu Mo.

***

Looking at the lineups, the early-game tempo was going to be crucial. Han Han didn’t waste any time, turning on his microphone to command his team.

"Invade the red buff early. Mozi, fight for the middle lane or poke them down."

As he spoke, he jumped into the middle bush. The moment he stepped in, he bumped straight into Guan Yu. Guan Yu and the Tiger had run from their bases to the middle bush at roughly the same speed.

"Huh?"

Han Han hadn't expected Guan Yu to be there so early. But after a split-second hesitation, he decided to commit. *Fight!*

Guan Yu’s strike dealt decent damage, but Han Han saw an opportunity to trade. If he could slow him down and keep him there, he could leave Guan Yu near-death and invade the jungle with impunity.

Lin Hao, however, immediately turned and retreated. Pei Qinhu could only land one basic attack before Guan Yu pulled away. Since Han Han had used his second ability to jump over the wall into the bush, he had no follow-up skills and had to let Guan Yu go.

"I’ll give everyone a lesson today on how to handle an enemy jungle invasion," Lin Hao said calmly, his sharp instincts having correctly anticipated the Tiger’s attempt to invade. "You have to be careful when deciding to strike with Guan Yu. It’s not a cost-free poke; once you swing, your charge state resets, and your status drops to its lowest. You might enjoy the hit, but you’ll end up being poked back even harder, or even killed."

As he spoke, Lin Hao began to tap the recall button while still near Pei Qinhu. Everyone could clearly see the animation: in the recall effect of the Saint of War skin, a bamboo forest appeared, and Guan Yu sat within it, looking perfectly relaxed.