LOL: My talent is top-tier, my professional skills are unparalleled.

Chapter 517 The S9 Summer Split Begins! The Last Showdown of the Rift Rivals!
"Haha, I knew this man was destined for greatness from the S7 Summer Split finals onwards."

"Waaaaah, I'm crying so hard! You guys have stripped my brother Yao completely naked (doge emoji) (doge emoji)!"

"If there has to be a god in League of Legends, it has to be my brother Yao! Dafei is too old, so please step aside."

……

This frenzy wasn't limited to domestic livestreaming rooms; after all, the audience for this MSI livestream extended far beyond China.

At this moment, the simultaneous launch of celebration events in thirteen regions around the world has caused a significant drop in viewership for countless streamers worldwide.

This also caused a massive surge in traffic to the League of Legends servers in all regions.

Fortunately, they had made preparations in advance, so there was no system crash or shutdown, but the entire region was experiencing red queues.

This has triggered a terrifying surge in traffic across the global gaming industry!

Countless casual viewers flocked to watch the League of Legends MSI tournament livestream, eager to see this invincible Demon King!

Kshine!

After two years of promotion and buzz from Riot Games and Tencent Esports, this ID has already become famous overseas.

He's someone who can be compared to Faker!
It even has the potential to surpass it!

Faker is a former three-time world champion and a representative figure of League of Legends.

However, after that decisive battle against EDG at the Bird's Nest in S7, it seemed to be the last glimmer of his professional career.

And Wang Yao, a rising great demon king!
He's a god who swept the international championships and MVPs throughout S8, and this year he's even aiming for a three-peat!
A new dynasty is being established, a dynasty that belongs solely to Wang Yao!
2017 Finals Champion FMVP!

2018 MSI Mid-Season Invitational MVP, 2018 Rift Rivals MVP, 2018 Jakarta Asian Games Gold Medalist!

2018 World Championship Finals MVP, 2019 MSI Mid-Season Invitational MVP.

In every international competition, Wang Yao has delivered some brilliant plays and memorable moments.

But this seems to be just the beginning, not the end.

The name Wang Yao and the ID Kshine are already well-known to all League of Legends players!

……

The MSI Mid-Season Invitational has come to an end, and the EDG team did not stay in Taiwan for very long.

The day after the finals, the entire EDG team flew back to China.

Fortunately, Taiwan is not far from Shanghai, only a two or three-hour journey.

Four p.m.

When the EDG team members stepped out of the airport, they were stunned by what they saw.

As soon as Wang Yao led the way out, countless enthusiastic fans swarmed around him, with many female fans reaching out their "claws".

However, Abu, the manager accompanying EDG, is also a seasoned operator and knows how to handle this situation.

Every fan who came to greet them at the airport received a small gift afterwards.

This is a great opportunity to solidify our fan base!

Then came the victory celebration banquet, which was already a familiar routine for Wang Yao.

Wang Yao has attended quite a few victory celebrations, coming every time he wins a championship, so he's used to it!

MSI has come to an end, and even with all the talking points, the hype is gradually dying down.

However, just as the MSI hype was waning, the summer seasons of League of Legends in various regions were about to begin, reigniting players' enthusiasm for discussion.

Meanwhile, EDG's S8 championship skins are also selling well.

On one hand, there's Wang Yao's championship skin; on the other hand, Wang Yao has just won yet another championship.

This has once again generated buzz for his championship skin.

In particular, Wang Yao's skins have consistently outsold other skins.

The popularity of the game LOL began to soar, and as for Wang Yao himself, he has never fallen out of the top of Weibo's trending topics.

This is not some paid troll!
It was the onlookers who spontaneously stepped forward to support this!

No matter what Wang Yao does, even the most insignificant little thing, it seems like it could make it to the trending topics.

He has already become a "big star" in the e-sports circle!
Wang Yao used to hate the fandomization of League of Legends, but now he has become the biggest superstar and the biggest beneficiary.

The biggest draw in the LPL is female fans, making up at least half of the audience whenever Wang Yao plays.

Countless Douyin bloggers or live streamers rely on this for their livelihood. Even if they just use clickbait titles and their content is completely unrelated to Wang Yao, they still get countless views and likes.

However, this also shows that Wang Yao has a good reputation.

Since Wang Yao burst onto the scene at the S7 World Championship two years ago, turning the tide and saving the day, he has actually come into the public eye.

And he really doesn't have a single black mark on his record!
He's rather handsome with a strong presence, and he has a great personality; he's very kind and friendly.

No matter what achievements they make, they have no airs whatsoever, a fact that all LPL players know.

In terms of personal lifestyle, he lives up to his identity by not drinking excessively, not going to bars, and not gambling.

Even though he has so many female fans, he doesn't contact any of them privately.

There has been no negative news in the past year!

Even within the anti-Wang Yao forum, people can't help but exclaim, "Brother Yao is awesome!"

June arrived quickly!

In the new month, the 2019 LPL Summer Split officially kicked off at the Shanghai Hongqiao Tiandi Performing Arts Center.

Less than a month after the MSI Mid-Season Invitational, LPL teams have embarked on a new journey.

According to the competition rules, the regular season of the Summer Split will last for 10 weeks, with 16 teams participating.

Similar to the Spring Split, the tournament will be a single round-robin BO3 format, with each team playing 15 matches to determine the teams that will advance to the playoffs.

The playoff rules for the Summer Split are expected to be the same as those for the Spring Split, with the top 8 teams advancing to the playoffs.

The champion of the Summer Split will qualify for the LPL's number one seed in the World Championship.

The team with the highest combined points from the Spring and Summer Splits will be the second seed.

The LPL Summer Split rankings will affect qualification for the 2019 World Championship.

Therefore, all teams will go all out and compete fiercely this summer for the highest glory!

During this year's LPL Summer Split, some teams also upgraded their branding and logos.

Among them, SDG, the rising force that recently won the NEST tournament, has officially changed its name to DMO team.

The Chongqing-based powerhouse Snake team was acquired by Li Ning for hundreds of millions of yuan and officially renamed LNG.

TOP, which performed well in the Spring Split, was renamed TES.

The three teams mentioned above, along with JDG, SN, and LGD, have also upgraded their club branding, bringing a brand new visual logo!

However, these changes had little to do with Wang Yao.

After returning from the MSI Mid-Season Invitational, Wang Yao had only one thing on his mind.

rest!

That's right, it's a vacation!
Having won the MSI Mid-Season Invitational, the EDG players have worked hard for most of the season, competing from beginning to end without taking a break.

So Abramovich simply waved his hand and took a vacation!

Moreover, the break lasted for two weeks, and the EDG players only returned to the team and got back into the swing of things a few days before the start of the competition.

However, although the EDG players are on vacation, it doesn't mean they've completely given up.

The necessary business activities should still be carried out.

Having just won the MSI Mid-Season Invitational, EDG was at the peak of its popularity, with countless fans waving their money and crowding into the gates of the club.

They specifically asked for Wang Yao.

It wasn't just external commercial activities; even the LPL league hung large posters of Wang Yao and EDG all over the venue at the start of the Summer Split.

The LPL league also understands the importance of traffic.

On the first day of the competition, EDG was scheduled to play against JDG at 7 PM, a prime time slot.

Although JDG on the other side is eager to compete, their efforts to recruit heroes from all walks of life have never stopped.

They have been working on improving their roster, aiming to make a name for themselves in the League of Legends scene.

Since S8, JD Gaming has been actively recruiting Wang Yao, as well as other top players from the LPL.

They are determined to win this match against EDG as well.

However, they seemed a bit too inexperienced when facing EDG, who were in their prime.

As for Wang Yao...

He resumed his passive play from the Spring Split, taking turns playing alongside Clearlove.

Fortunately, his teammates were very strong, and even if he just coasted along, they could still win!
As for what to use for paddling, it's Sejuani and Gragas, of course!

So when the draft phase of the match started, everyone was curious about which jungler Wang Yao would pick, including the commentators, viewers, opponents, and even his own teammates and coaches.

But when Piggy appeared on the big screen, everyone was shocked!

It's one thing for Wang Yao to pick Sejuani and Gragas, but his performance was also baffling.

He had no jungle dominance at the MSI Mid-Season Invitational, played a passive role throughout the game, and only suddenly burst out to win when the team was in dire straits.

Fortunately, his teammates were amazing, carrying Wang Yao's "Little Piglet" to victory throughout the game and easily winning most of the matches.

Before the match, JDG's coach repeatedly warned them to be wary of Wang Yao's ganks and invasions.

They studied Wang Yao's match videos again and again, and made many countermeasures during the draft phase, but...

That's it?That's it!
The viewers in the live stream and the forum users were also amused.

"Yao is really something else! He didn't play in the Spring Split, and then he started to coast and take care of himself in the Summer Split. He only started playing seriously at MSI and Worlds." "This is ridiculous! Does he really only play Sejuani and Gragas? What about Nidalee? Neeko? Xin Zhao?!"

"Hahaha, my brother Yao carried the whole of S8, so what if he got carried a couple of times?! (Just kidding!) (Just kidding!)"

"The Unsolved Mystery of the World: Kshine's Hero Pool!"

"Is my brother Yao weaker than the other team or what? He keeps getting Sejuani and Gragas every game."

"He's so good at creating a good show!"

"..."

Time flies like the wind, and time slips by in the blink of an eye!
With one to two matches a week, EDG has returned to the rhythm of the LPL league.

However, given EDG's current form, they seem to be sweeping the competition, winning all eight of their matches in a month of league play, which suggests they're poised to win the championship with an undefeated record!

However, this rhythm did not last long.

The League of Legends Intercontinental Cup is back on July 7, 2019!

Soon after, the official League of Legends esports organization released information about the 2019 Asian Intercontinental Championship.

The 2019 Asian Games will consist of three stages: group stage, semi-finals, and finals.

其中小组赛将于7月4日至7月5日两个比赛日完成，7月6日至7月7日，半决赛与决赛将相继进行。

The entire 2019 Intercontinental Games will last for four days at the Jangchung Gymnasium in Seoul, South Korea.

The Vietnamese team has been performing better and better in recent years.

This year's Intercontinental Cup has added a new VCS region, which is the Vietnam region.

Two teams from the Vietnam region will participate in the 2019 League of Legends Intercontinental Cup: DBL and EVOS.

This is because the LMS region's performance has been getting worse and worse, and there is even a risk of being relegated.

Therefore, Riot Games specifically increased the weight of the Vietnam region.

The Intercontinental Tournament consists of the top four teams from each region's spring season.

In previous years, the favorites to win the Intercontinental Cup were almost always the LPL and LCK regions, and the finals were basically a battle between teams from these two regions.

However, almost all the teams participating in both regions this year have shown varying degrees of decline in performance during the Summer Split.

For example, the performances of IG and JDG in the LPL Spring Split were completely different in the Summer Split compared to the Spring Split.

JDG has suffered three consecutive losses since the start of the Summer Split, with their only victory coming against SN in their most recent match.

IG team had previously suffered consecutive upsets against LNG and V5 teams, and the team was plagued by negative news.

Fortunately, they won their recent match against EDG, which relieved some of the pressure.

Currently, among the LPL teams, only EDG is in good form.

But there's only one Wang Yao!
There are four teams participating!

However, there is good news: the LCK region is also no match for them.

On the other hand, the LCK region seems to be almost the same as the LPL region.

Of the four teams participating in the LCK region, KZ and GRF are currently maintaining good form and results.

However, the performance of DWG and the renamed T1 team was not ideal.

Especially as the LCK Spring Split champions, T1 has now suffered three consecutive losses. It seems that after being swept by Wang Yao at the MSI Mid-Season Invitational, there is a clear problem within the team.

T1 is currently ranked third from the bottom in the LCK Summer Split standings, and the players' performance is very worrying.

Therefore, the suspense of this year's Intercontinental Cup has been brought to the extreme!

……

In early July, the third 2019 Asian Intercontinental Championship will be held in Seoul, South Korea.

Wang Yao, who had just stepped out of the terminal, stretched out a big yawn, while the guy next to him, Holy Gun, sighed in amazement:
"Wow, we're playing in the Intercontinental Cup again."

"You're always this busy every year!"

"Wang Yao! It's Wang Yao!"

A young and beautiful girl not far away seemed to recognize EDG and Wang Yao, and was waving at Wang Yao, attracting the attention of many people around.

The crowd stirred slightly.

Many young people started taking photos with their phones, and some bolder fans even came over with notebooks asking for autographs.

"Wang Yao, I like you so much!"

"Saranghaeyo".

"..."

Seeing so many fans even in a foreign land, the four LPL teams participating this time are EDG, IG, TES and JDG.

Not only the EDG players, but everyone else looked genuinely envious.

"Damn, is this the influence Yao-ge has? That's terrifying!"

Ah Shui watched as more and more people gathered around, and he was truly envious.

Wang Yao rolled his eyes at him, then turned around and continued signing autographs for fans with a smile.

These South Korean fans are crazy.

The situation here is quite different from that in China. A few years ago, esports was still considered a "monster" in China.

Although in recent years, due to the Asian Games, esports has gradually become more like traditional competitive sports.

However, the stereotype of "floods and monsters" still exists.

However, for South Korea, which is resource-poor and has a penchant for cultural theft, esports has been designated as a "national sport" since the last century when SuperSports swept the globe.

Since South Korea defines esports as a "national sport," it has naturally become a major industry in South Korea.

For China, esports is just a tiny branch of competitive sports, and sometimes it is even excluded from sports altogether.

Therefore, in China, the motivation for esports, whether for clubs or players, is mostly just to make money or other economic benefits.

Compared to South Korea, South Korean players tend to have more ideas.

Besides the motivation to earn money, there's also the incentive of exemption from military service, and the honor of receiving a presidential commendation for winning a championship.

In South Korea, esports has become a pillar industry.

After all, one is led by capital and the other by the state, so there are quite a few differences between the two.

It's worth noting that the North American region, which is also driven by capital, has basically just given up.

At the national level, the two countries have different views on League of Legends esports.

One is a "national sport", and the other is a "general competitive sport".

Even competitive sports still carry "stereotypes".

This atmosphere has led to a significant difference in style between the LPL and LCK regions.

The competitive environment in the Chinese server and the Korean server is very different.

The Korean server focuses on strategy and management, while the Chinese server focuses on PvP (player versus player) combat.

Korean players are researching strategies for the new hero.

In the Chinese server, one player can outplay two opponents on the edge of a knife every day.

At this moment, seeing all the fans swarming towards Wang Yao, Ah Shui really wanted to say:
"Little sister, come cheer for my brother Yao. I hope Geigei from LCK won't be angry if he finds out."

As one of the most sought-after players in the LPL region and even the world, Wang Yao is not only favored in the LPL.

The number of fans in the LCK region who like him is no less than that of any local team.

Moreover, as Wang Yao's professional career becomes more and more brilliant and he receives more and more honors, this situation will only intensify.

Wang Yao's current achievements will undoubtedly leave a significant mark on the history of League of Legends and even world esports.

This is a level that, apart from Faker, other League of Legends esports players will almost never reach, or even come close to, in their lifetime.

……

With the LPL team arriving in Seoul, South Korea, the Asian Intercontinental Cup has officially entered its final countdown.

The schedule for this year's Asian Games was planned very simply and quickly.

The tournament starts on July 4th, with the group stage lasting two days, featuring six best-of-one matches per day. The semifinals will be on July 6th, and the finals will be on July 7th.

In other words, this competition only lasted four days in total.

LPL viewers and even the professional players participating in the competition have complained a lot about this, feeling that the game was played too hastily.

But Wang Yao knew why.

This year's Asian Intercontinental Championship will be discontinued after this event, meaning that the 19 edition will be the last one.

Therefore, neither Riot Games nor the tournament organizers have devoted much effort to this.

Actually, it's also the fault of LPL and LCK. The two regions are too strong, making the competition a foregone conclusion.

Furthermore, the gradual decline of the LMS region has made the Asian Intercontinental Cup a stage for LPL and LCK to showcase their talents.

It's either LPL or LCK that wins; nobody cares about LMS at all.

Even the LMS commentators didn't take it seriously.

The members of the four teams gathered in a large training room to discuss strategies, and the four teams were just as harmonious as they were in 18.

It was supposed to be a joint discussion, but in reality, the three teams were asking questions of the EDG players.

After all, EDG is currently the team in the best form in the LPL region.

(End of this chapter)