Chapter Thirty-Five: Guan Yu Among the World's Top Ten

“???”
“What is Hao doing?”
“Is he going for the flank, trying to sneak into their base?”
“The bottom lane is pretty far from the center and does have some advantage, but if Guan Yu actually shows up in the bottom lane, the opponents will be eager to force a direct assault on the high ground.”
“And besides, I don’t think a lone Guan Yu can even take down the tower—let alone with a wave of enemy minions in the bottom lane!”
The comments on Lin Hao's stream watched as he moved in a direction completely opposite from the main battlefield, and couldn't help but speculate.
But Lin Hao remained silent, his mind racing, eyes fixed tightly on the minimap.
“The enemy's bottom lane only has the high ground tower left, and the minion wave is at their tier-one tower. If this were Elder Master instead of Guan Yu, he could have pushed all the way through!”
“I think the fight has to happen at the front. If the defense gets shredded, aren’t we done for in one push?”
“Wait, what is Hao doing?”
Suddenly, Lin Hao made a sharp turn, charging from below the red jungle, past the little bird camp, and into the river, then turning again toward the mid lane.
Is he… planning to flank?
The viewers seemed to realize what Lin Hao was up to.
Yet this flank seemed overly elaborate, and perhaps a bit too late.
On the main battlefield, teammates sensibly focused on clearing the minions.
The enemy’s Shen Mengxi, after a brief charge-up, unleashed a powerful cat bomb, enhanced with the slowing effect of the Ice Scepter!
This was the trendy Smite Cat playstyle—using the Red Blade and Ice Scepter’s dual slows to amplify the ultimate’s impact, and overall, it could even out-damage the pure burst Flash Cat builds!
Just one hit, and the backline—Yu Ji and Jin Chan—were left with dangerously low health!
Liu Chan raised his mechanical claws and clamped down on the tower!
Liu Chan’s abilities work against towers too!
At this moment, the top lane’s high ground tower was already stunned!
Outside the tower, Di Renjie was frantically pushing!
Both Jin Chan and Yu Ji, with their health so low, didn’t dare come forward to clear the wave.
If they got caught by Bai Qi, Li Bai, or even a flash clamp from Liu Chan, it wouldn’t just be a question of holding the tower—it would mean getting wiped out in one push!

So Jin Chan could only cast his second skill from afar, while Yu Ji, after charging up, fired a long-range arrow.
Niu Mo had to use his ultimate on the minion wave, simultaneously knocking up Liu Chan as he tirelessly pushed the tower.
There was no other choice—they’d been poked down first, and their limited ranged abilities couldn’t just be thrown at the enemy: not only would they deal almost no damage, it would also be tantamount to handing over their defenses.
Meanwhile, Lin Hao had already passed mid, circling the river and slipping into his own blue jungle.
“The enemy has used their skills—hit the mid lane!” commanded Nine-Tailed Fox.
“Where’s Guan Yu? Guan Yu hasn’t shown up!” cried the Di Renjie player, sensing danger.
“Liu Chan, Bai Qi, don’t stray—our focus is on pushing towers!” Nine-Tailed Fox frowned.
He’d just positioned to block Guan Yu’s path!
Could it be that Guan Yu is flanking again?
No way, since I haven’t shown myself, Guan Yu will likely think Li Bai is camping deep in red jungle—if he tries to flank, he’ll get caught and poked down first.
But then, why hasn’t Guan Yu appeared at the high ground?
Nine-Tailed Fox shook his head; none of that mattered now. The enemy had already used most of their skills, so even if Guan Yu charged in from behind, they could eliminate him immediately.
A skilled Guan Yu must choose the right timing for a flank.
It’s not just about making it to the enemy’s rear and blindly charging in.
First, you have to watch for enemy abilities. If they still have a lot of skills—especially crowd control—a first strike from Guan Yu might get instantly killed or interrupted!
Second, Guan Yu is best played as a mid-fight finisher, joining the fray after teammates initiate, attacking from the rear. If Guan Yu starts the fight and becomes the focus, the teamfight is nearly impossible.
After all, Guan Yu’s initiation with his ultimate or second skill doesn’t deal much damage; his real threat is in following up with quick energy recovery and continuous pushes, plus his first skill.
Right now, Niu Mo has already used his ult, the enemy backline is critically low and will have to recall for heals.
In this situation, if Guan Yu initiates, it’s suicide!
But to their surprise, Lin Hao, with three fingers on the screen, surveyed the mid lane’s situation, then spun around and headed to the small bush between his tier-one and tier-two towers, circling inside!
Lin Hao’s fundamentals were solid—he maintained his position flawlessly!
On the front lines, as the enemy shifted to push mid tower, the defense was essentially lost.
Both carries were too low on health—if Li Bai dove in, he wouldn’t even need his ultimate, just a couple of auto-attacks would finish them. So Yu Ji and Jin Chan had to recall for healing.

Yun Ying was equally cautious; as an assassin, even with her tankier build, she didn’t dare recklessly clear the wave, waiting instead for a chance to counter-attack after the enemy initiates.
Niu Mo was out of skills as well, so the mid lane tower was essentially a gift to the enemy.
“Your turret has been destroyed!”
The game echoed this announcement, but Lin Hao remained unmoved, continuing to circle in that bush!
“No one will walk into that spot, will they?”
“Why is the streamer so timid? If it were my Guan Yu, I’d have flanked by now and pushed the tower straight away!”
“That’s why your ranked score is so low—didn’t you see both carries recalled on low health?”
“Have you noticed how solid Hao’s fundamentals are on provincial-level Guan Yu?”
“That’s right—he’s spinning in the bush with three fingers!”
Lin Hao spun with three fingers, shifting the camera to monitor the defense at the mid lane high ground.
His left thumb kept moving, keeping Guan Yu spinning in the bush.
Whether he was visible or not, the viewers couldn’t tell—Lin Hao wasn’t showing his own vision.
But the second wave of top lane minions arrived, just moving in front of Guan Yu!
If spinning in the bush revealed his position, the minion wave would instantly notice him, which would mean the enemy players could spot him immediately!
But—nothing happened!
The minions weren’t attracted to him at all!
So Lin Hao was spinning in the bush, maintaining three-finger control, without vision of himself!
On Guan Yu alone, this level of skill could rank among the global top ten!
“There’s another minion wave top—keep pushing the top tower!”
Nine-Tailed Fox continued.
Where Guan Yu is doesn’t matter anymore; the point is they’ve taken mid lane, and should be able to push top next!
Most importantly, their health bars are still healthy!