Chapter 128: Gua Sha and Bone Scraping

"This Luna is a master," Xiao Jin said, sounding a bit frustrated. "I was way too careless with my positioning."

In truth, he had been a bit too confident in his own mechanical skills, believing that at his level, it was impossible to be burst down in a single combo, even if he were being camped. If it had been a Jing on the opposing side, perhaps, but this was a Luna. Luna’s burst damage wasn't particularly high, and against a hero like Li Bai, she would likely break her ultimate chain.

Yet, the opposing Luna had shown him what seamless, fluid play looked like—movements without a shred of wasted motion.

"Who is that Luna on the other team?"

"It’s 'Shared Heartbeat,' it's Shared Heartbeat! Don't you guys know the big name 'Shared Heartbeat'?"

"It's Haoran, the one making a huge splash on Shark platform lately. But I went to his stream just a moment ago—I recall him being a top-laner. Why is he playing jungle now?"

Haoran?

A flash of surprise crossed Xiao Jin’s eyes. He had heard the name, but this was his first time encountering him. It seemed he would have to give this his full attention; he couldn't afford to slack off just because his team had the top-ranked player on the server.

***

After solo-killing Xiao Jin, Lin Hao continued to the mid-lane to clear the minion wave. Although the opposing Ying Zheng had arrived in the middle, he could only yield the lane to Luna. Once the wave was cleared, Lin Hao returned to the jungle to farm another rotation.

The next phase was a period of standard development for both sides. The two marksmen in the bottom lane kept poking and trading damage, but they remained in a state of equilibrium, with no kills breaking out.

The top lane, however, was playing extremely aggressively. Yi Fan was suppressing the enemy tower, appearing to stack his passive as if preparing for a tower dive. Lin Hao was still clearing his blue jungle quadrant; he had intended to tell Yi Fan to retreat and wait for the next wave to coordinate a dive together.

But Yi Fan had already committed to the tower dive, attempting a forced kill on Ma Chao. The damage was just a fraction short, however, and Yi Fan ended up being counter-killed by Ma Chao under the tower.

"Brother Yi Fan is truly fierce."

Lin Hao shook his head. The chat was flooded with messages: "That’s just typical Yi Fan."

The opposing Ma Chao then pushed the second wave of minions out. Lin Hao had no choice but to finish his blue jungle and head out to help clear the lane.

"One aspect of Luna’s lack of raw strength is that she actually lacks the ability to burst-dash over medium-to-long distances. That is why she is primarily classified as a fighter rather than an assassin," Lin Hao explained to his viewers, as there was nothing else to do during this tedious farming phase.

"T0 or T1 tier jungle assassins must have strong medium-to-long distance burst and mobility, because this poses a direct threat to the opponent’s backline. The higher the burst or crowd control among them, the higher the hero's overall strength."

"For example, Jing, Lan, and Fei—once you master them, they can all instantly dash into the enemy backline and unleash devastating damage in a fraction of a second. Jing can initiate with her first and third skills; Lan hits and controls instantly with his first and third; Fei uses walls for rapid movement and can knock up the backline with her third segment for a one-shot kill. Even though they are restricted by terrain, their strength remains very high."

"Then there is Nakoruru. Her high burst from her ultimate and her long-distance mobility for support allow her to rank alongside the other three."

"As for Luna, once an enemy is beyond the range of her second skill, she needs a 'stepping stone' to close the distance, or she must initiate with her first skill followed by her third. This makes her slower, giving the enemy time to react."

"Therefore, Luna’s greatest strength lies in her multi-stage displacement and the various possibilities that open up once she marks a target."

Chatting with his audience, Lin Hao didn't proactively force the tempo. Luna’s key was to enter fights as a follow-up; if she initiated, she was likely to be focused down and killed.

At the five-minute mark, after clearing his blue jungle, Lin Hao prepared to go mid to grab another wave and look for an opening. On his team, Sun Bin, Sun Shangxiang, and Zhou Yu were walking openly through the river.

"They are likely in ambush; a team fight might break out here," Lin Hao analyzed as he watched the mini-map, hurrying toward the mid-lane. The enemy’s vision was almost entirely absent on the mini-map, and when Sun Shangxiang was laning, only Marco Polo had been visible.

Sure enough, just as the trio accelerated past the bush near the dragon pit, a roar erupted from the foliage.

Zhang Fei had initiated with his ultimate!

Ying Zheng appeared in the middle-right, and after a short charge-up, unleashed his ultimate. A rain of arrows swept across the river. Despite Sun Bin’s healing, the trio of Lin Hao’s mid-lane, marksman, and support took significant damage. From behind, the enemy Marco Polo also unleashed a volley.

His teammates reacted quickly: Zhou Yu spread fire to apply pressure, Sun Bin stood in front and silenced the enemy with his ultimate, and Sun Shangxiang tumbled into the dragon pit.

Lin Hao arrived near the mid-lane minion intersection, stored up five stacks of his passive, and flew in. One could see that Luna’s dash capability was lackluster without a stepping stone or with only a single target. Seeing Luna using skills on the minions, Ying Zheng immediately pressed forward, attempting to dominate the frontline.

A moment later, Lin Hao’s Luna flew over and charged forward, marking Ying Zheng with her third skill. Instantly, the Emperor was terrified and flashed upward, attempting to escape. Although the opposition had surrounded them, they were few in number; a three-on-three was still difficult.

Lin Hao’s immediate reaction was to engage, choosing to strike the front-line combination of Ying Zheng and Zhang Fei. With Luna flying in from the middle to assist, it suddenly felt as if Ying Zheng and Zhang Fei were the ones being pinched.

"I was just waiting for you to flash."

Lin Hao aimed his third skill, and in the next heartbeat, Luna was directly on top of the enemy Ying Zheng!

The Assassin strikes the King!

Zhang Fei immediately retreated to protect his lord, but for Luna, an ultimate-active Zhang Fei was nothing more than a stepping stone. Lin Hao continued his rhythm, using his first skill to initiate, weaving in basic attacks, and chaining his third skill. Ying Zheng’s health bar plummeted.

Just then, a soft hum echoed. From the enemy’s blue jungle, a swordsman emerged. Two dashes instantly brought him to Lin Hao’s side, stunning Luna before trapping her within a circle of sword energy and unleashing his ultimate.

Blue Lotus Sword Song!

It was Li Bai!

Sword aura clashed against Luna, ringing out like metal. Lin Hao stopped his actions, his right hand hovering over his second skill. Under the barrage of Li Bai’s combo, it was best not to move, but to wait quietly for the Sword Song to finish.

Otherwise, blindly trying to escape and touching the edge of Li Bai’s circle would trigger the armor-shredding effect. At that point, Li Bai’s sword aura wouldn't just be a scratch—it would cut to the bone.