Believe me, I really am a professional League of Legends player.

Chapter 166 Interstellar Challenges? What if I actually win the championship?
The Douyu Cup, with its generous prize money and partnership with the game's official organizers that allows for the calculation of competition points, has already attracted a host of top players from across Asia.

When Li Fan announced his participation, there was some attention in the industry, but most people were just watching for the spectacle.

How much of a stir can a League of Legends player make in the fighting game world?
You didn't think this was a match in Brazil, did you? That's a huge difference!

Compared to the level of these contestants, the difference is like heaven and earth!
Participating in this is definitely asking for trouble... Actually, it's quite good to avoid all this mess and just focus on playing well in the playoffs.

However, when Li Fanzhen crushed Tokido, Daigo, and Nemo in Street Fighter V, he defeated Kid in the finals.

Then, in Tekken 7, they swept aside established players like Nobi and JDCR, becoming champions in two events...

Everyone in the industry, whether players, commentators, or seasoned fans, reacted with disbelief and disbelief.

"No... this... is it real?"

"Am I still dreaming? Unreal just single-handedly defeated all the strongest teams in this Douyu Cup?"

"Street Fighter sent the three Japanese giants away in one fell swoop, and Tekken didn't let them off the hook either... How can they win two championships with this lineup?! Unreal is too ruthless, isn't it? I admit my previous comments were a bit too loud."

The shock born from disbelief spread wildly through the hearts of everyone who knew the prestige of this tournament's lineup.

This can no longer be described as a "dark horse"; it is enough to overturn the entire fighting game industry's perception. From this moment on, they truly recognized Li Fan's personal strength!

It is absolutely not something that can only bully small regions like Brazil.

They could even try to snatch competition slots from other regions...

That's outrageous!
Street Fighter V, in particular, sent Tokido, who is currently considered the strongest Japanese fighting game player and was riding high after winning the EAO championship, to the round of 16.

Meanwhile, Daigo, who had been firmly established as a god, and the spiritual Nemo were both eliminated in the quarterfinals and semifinals.

This is no simple victory... After all, in the fighting game world, Japanese Street Fighter is the most dominant force.

Such a formidable record earned him the nickname "Empire Killer" from the Japanese commentators.

It made domestic audiences very proud, but the names the Japanese chose were really not good.

However, this is their consistent style. For example, "Empire Destroyer Dragon" is used to describe Ma Long, and "Empire Fierce Tiger" is a nickname for Zhang Jike...

But we are not an empire, and people need a name that is closer to local culture and more imposing.

then……

A strict father, Yamato! popped up on the forum.

This nickname highlights his brilliant achievements in the Douyu Cup, where he single-handedly defeated half of the Japanese fighting scene.

[Yamato's strict father, Unreal! This nickname... I can't take it, I'm dying of laughter, but it's kind of fitting!]

[I understood immediately; it's definitely more exciting than The Imperial Assassin!]

[Fan-ge is like the strictest father figure, specializing in playing Yamato...]

From today onwards, please call him Yamato, the strict father, Unreal!

[It's just a Douyu Cup, nothing special. It's like they've snagged all the spots for the Japanese World Championship.]

[The nickname given by Japan is probably more of a joke. Although the Douyu Cup has a generous prize pool, it's not considered a top-tier (T0) championship. For Unreal to truly deserve that nickname, they need to defeat the Japanese fighting game scene in a top-tier (T0) competition.]

[Um...we're really good at entertaining ourselves. If this counts as a strict father, then Faker, with three World Championship titles and dominating the LPL every year, isn't he the strictest father in the LPL?]

The event's popularity only increased as the nickname "Yamato the Strict Father" spread, with memes frequently appearing on the forums.

Some people added captions like "Father's love is as solid as a mountain" to Li Fan's match footage, while others created a series of three-part "I'm getting beaten up" images of the defeated expressions of several famous Japanese players.

For a time, the atmosphere of joy filled the major games in China.

Many short video marketing accounts have even specifically brought up this issue to discuss.

Numerous comments and likes appeared below.

This kind of opponent is a Japanese person who is living a comfortable life, which naturally generates discussion in their own country.

It's also a hot topic with huge traffic...

However, as a few sober commentators have pointed out, the Douyu Cup is ultimately not a recognized Tier 0 tournament like the EVO or Capcom Cup.

Its high prize money and official partnerships attract top players, but the tight schedule and relatively high degree of randomness make upsets quite normal.

It's a bit unreasonable to say that the Chinese MMA scene has stood up because of this one match.

The Japanese commentators' wailing in the live broadcast and the Empire Killer's banter did contain elements of shock, but it was mostly for the sake of creating a dramatic effect and stirring up the audience's emotions.

After all, if you lose the game, you can't lose the topic of conversation; you still need to find something for everyone to talk about after the game.

So, on the first day after the Douyu Cup ended, a well-known Japanese fighting game streamer, while reviewing the event, half-jokingly spoke the truth: "Empire Killer? We were indeed very surprised. The Unreal players' skills are absolutely world-class. However, the 'strictest father' in the Japanese fighting game world is a bit of an exaggeration. We lost this time without any repercussions. But next time, in a real Budokan, we will definitely be better prepared!" His tone was relaxed, acknowledging the defeat without much pressure.

In Japan, they acknowledge the strong, which is a straightforward acceptance; but if you're no longer capable, they'll immediately take advantage of you.

As long as you consistently outperform him, it's still relatively easy to win them over...

Some veteran MMA fans in China have also begun to calm down, after all, this nickname is a bit too exaggerated.

Their fighting scene is tough every year, and this year, the Douyu Cup isn't a very important competition, yet they produced a Yamato Strict Father... which is a bit inappropriate.

Unless Unreal can continue to crush all these people in the next few years.

[Unreal's victory this time is undoubtedly impressive; Tokido and Daigo are both highly accomplished figures. However, to say that his status as a strict father figure is now firmly established is indeed a bit premature and inappropriate.]

The Douyu Cup is more like a declaration that a new talent has emerged in the Chinese fighting game scene, showing everyone that Unreal Engine has the ability to compete on the highest stage of fighting games. However, the real proof will have to wait until the Capcom Cup in the second half of the year.

[It's like if you upset the defending champion in the qualifiers, everyone will be amazed, but they won't immediately declare you the best in the world. The principle is the same; simply put, it's like Westdoor saying Fizz solo-killed Faker.]

These discussions truly shifted public opinion from meme-filled revelry to higher expectations for Li Fan's future fighting career.

Whether you're a League of Legends pro or not, you're now the Street Fighter super rookie Unreal!

There weren't many newcomers in the Street Fighter scene before.

Now, someone has emerged who can punch and kick all kinds of masters in North America and Japan, and forcefully win such a high-value match. Now we can really acknowledge Li Fan's status in Street Fighter. He is a super rookie!
However, this super rookie, who is considered a street fighter by everyone, is now sitting in the backstage dressing room of Zhengda Plaza. Today, there is EDG's semi-final match, and their opponent is IG, who fought their way up from the first round.

It has to be said that IG's lineup has shown some pretty strong performance.

The top and middle lanes are rock solid, extremely stable!
Duke in the top lane is both tanky and powerful, while Rookie in the mid lane seems to have found his form in the playoffs, and his incredible dominance in the mid lane is the reason he's been able to climb all the way up!
This situation has certainly increased the anticipation for the competition.

At the scene, a huge electronic screen above the stage was playing promotional videos for the two teams and highlights of the players.

Whenever the camera showed Li Fan's outstanding performance in the regular season, the audience would scream and shout, creating quite a stir!

Unlike before, when Li Fan returned from other competitions, the cheers didn't diminish as much. After all, it had been so long, and people had gotten used to it.

If the results are good, then the adaptive learning has been completed.

"Welcome everyone to the LPL Summer Split semifinals! I'm your commentator, Wawa."

"I'm Miller."

"I'm Rita."

The three commentators also switched to entertainment mode at this point.

Looking at the lively atmosphere, Wawa couldn't help but exclaim, "Today's scene is truly...steaming hot! It feels like the fans' enthusiasm is going to blow the roof off our Zhengda Plaza."

Miller laughed and added, "That's right, EDG vs. IG is a highly anticipated match in itself."

"And today, I believe that a lot of viewers came for one person, and that is Unreal, who just created a miracle in another field and returned with the championship... I recently read some popular science articles and I know how crazy it is. Unreal is someone who surprises us every day."

Rita nodded and said, "Yes, the news of Unreal winning the championship has been circulating online for several days now. I was a little surprised when I saw it, since the playoffs haven't even finished yet... But when I clicked in, I was shocked to find out that they had participated in the Douyu Fighting Cup."

"Many people who may not usually pay much attention to LPL professional matches have come to know Li Fan because of his amazing performance this time, and they have come to the venue or watched the live broadcast today to see if he can play with the dominance of a professional player on the League of Legends stage."

"However, we also need to calm down a bit here," Wawa said, although he felt that EDG had a higher chance of winning, he still chose to manage the audience's expectations.

"The honor of the Douyu Cup is real, proving Li Fan's unparalleled personal talent and competitive state. But League of Legends is a five-player game, and he needs to readjust his mindset and teamwork rhythm. IG is not an easy opponent to deal with."

"Yes, we all know that the IG team is known for its individual skills and unconventional fighting style."

"Today is a huge test for EDG's mid and jungle players, especially for Li Fan..."

After Miller said that, the live stream chat was flooded with question marks.

Everyone knows what Miller wanted to say: to generate buzz.

But are you wrong?

Unreal Engine is facing a huge challenge? Don't be ridiculous, isn't the pressure on Rookie's side?
They got thrashed in four consecutive games during the regular season...

He performed slightly better in the playoffs, but he still felt like someone who could be easily kicked to death on the street.

That's not praising IG, that's definitely discrediting them!
When the host, Ren Dong, appeared on the scene, he picked up the microphone and began to introduce the team members who were entering the venue.

"EDG's top laner Mouse!"

The applause was enthusiastic, and Mouse waved shyly at the camera.

"Jungler, Clearlove!"

Instantly, the cheers rose to a new level, with countless shouts from Clearlove coming together. He is a legendary figure in the LPL arena... Although he has no championship, he still has a large number of fans, especially after winning the Mid-Season Invitational this year, his popularity has returned somewhat.

However, some people did criticize him for relying on powerful figures, but for professional players, especially older ones, having powerful figures to rely on is a good thing. The worst thing is not having powerful figures to rely on and having to rely on their parents, which would be very difficult.

Ren Dong paused slightly, then raised his voice several octaves: "Mid lane...Unreal!!"

"boom--!"

Almost the instant the ID was read out, the entire Zhengda Plaza seemed to have been hit by a depth charge.

All the energy that had been stored up before exploded at this moment!
The screams, shouts, and applause were like a tsunami, sweeping across every corner of the venue and completely drowning out the background music playing in the venue!

This is currently the most popular esports player in China.

The combined fanbase of the other famous contestants doesn't even reach that of Li Fan.

The spotlight shone on Li Fan, who waved to everyone with a smile.

At this point, the live stream chat was already flooded with comments.

【Yamato Yanfu! Yamato Yanfu! 】

[Brother Fan! Increase Rookie's strength! Let him know that I still call the shots in the mid lane!]

Welcome back to your home battlefield! Unreal!

[Nonsense. Any competition Unreal participates in is their home turf, regardless of whether it's League of Legends or not.]

[This popularity...it's outrageous! I could hear the cheers from the live audience right in my chat room.]

Ren Dong continued his introduction: "ADC iboy! Support Meiko!"

The subsequent introductions of the team members also received enthusiastic applause.

But compared to Li Fan, he's far inferior...

This is normal, since the two bot laners are supports and not many people play them, and it's also normal that iboy, being a rookie player, isn't very popular.

People are cheering and shouting here because of the EDG team name.

If it were Lao Gan Di (a popular Chinese mobile game company)... who is this iboy? Why would I cheer for you?

It turned into a roadside stall.

This is also one of the benefits of joining a top-tier team; you receive a lot of attention.

It's easy to become famous if you play well.

If you join a team that isn't doing very well, you'll have to fight your way up and defeat the top teams to get noticed.

Ren Dong continued his introduction, his voice undiminished, drawing the audience's enthusiasm to the other side of the stage.

"Next, let's welcome the IG team!"

"Top laner Duke!"

Duke appeared on stage and bowed slightly to the audience, who immediately cheered.

His reputation as the reigning world champion from last year has earned him a following wherever he goes, recognizing his talent.

"Jungler, Kid!"

Amid some good-natured laughter and cheers, veteran Kid waved.

As a veteran of IG, his move from the bot lane to the jungle position was met with great respect from the audience, who were giving face to the old powerhouse team, IG, even though he hasn't achieved any significant results yet...

He even achieved a top-tier output of 443.

Ren Dong's voice rose again: "Mid laner... Rookie!"

"oh--!!!"

Another burst of extremely enthusiastic cheers and applause erupted!
As IG's absolute carry and one of the top mid laners in the league, Rookie has won the love of a large number of fans with his strong individual skills and hard-working professional attitude.

Of course, the funniest thing is watching him sing.

As long as they can learn Chinese, the fans will still have a very positive impression.

Because this reveals an attitude.

Although the screams and shouts weren't as overwhelming as when Li Fan appeared, it was still quite impressive for a Korean player to reach this level.

[Go, Rookie! Kick this fake mid laner who's messing with League of Legends matches!]

[Hilarious! Are they worried Xiye won't be able to beat RNG in the finals? Is that why they're in such a rush? If so, don't rush into taking out loans, WE might not even be able to beat RNG...]

"ADC, Marge!"

"Support, Baolan!"

The debut of IG's bot lane duo also garnered cheers from supporters.

As IG fought their way up from the first round of the playoffs, the resilience and fighting spirit they displayed attracted more and more attention.

"Alright, all the players have been introduced! The 2017 LPL Summer Playoffs semi-final between EDG and IG is about to begin! Let's hand the time back to the commentators!"

At this moment, the players from both sides took their seats in the battle area.

The camera cuts back to the three people in front of Doll, Miller, and Rita.

"Wow, just from this player introduction segment, I can already feel the tension today." Wawa's tone was excited, after all, EDG, who were first in the group, hadn't played a match for a long time after resting.

"Both players are very popular, especially the mid-jungle matchup, which is definitely the biggest highlight of the day."

Miller nodded in agreement: "That's right. On one side is Unreal, who has achieved the best results among domestic mid laners, and on the other side is Rookie, who is in red-hot form and almost single-handedly carried IG into the semifinals. The confrontation between these two will definitely be very exciting."

Rita added, "And you can also see some clues from the hero selection."

"While waiting for the match to start, we received a message from the back office that IG chose the red side despite having the priority to select a side. This usually means that they have some tactical plans in mind and may be working on something around the top, mid, and jungle."

In this version, the blue side still has a higher win rate, so in this situation, those with the priority to choose sides will not actively choose the blue side...

Since they actively chose the red side, it means that IG definitely has something up their sleeve.

Let's see what effect they can achieve by using these techniques in this match.

“Yes,” Miller continued, “the draft phase in the first game will be crucial. Will IG target Unreal’s champion pool?”

The ten players in the competition area had already set up their equipment and entered the room to wait.

The referee asked if there were any problems, and the first game officially began!
On the big screen, the familiar BP interface appeared!

The audience spontaneously began chanting the names of their respective teams, creating a wave of cheers.

"EDG! Come on!"

"IG! Go!"

The 2017 LPL Summer Playoffs semifinals have officially begun!
After much negotiation, the lineups for both sides were quickly finalized.

The lineup chosen by the red team surprised everyone; no wonder IG chose the red side!

So they really were prepared... Wawa looked at the big screen: "EDG (blue side): Top lane Cho'Gath, Jungle Ivern, Mid lane Lucian, Bot duo Ashe and Karma. IG (red side): Top lane Rumble, Jungle Gragas, Mid lane Corki, Bot duo Varus and Taric!"

Miller adjusted his glasses and analyzed, "IG's lineup... to be honest, it's a bit unexpected."

"They chose to reserve the counter pick for the support and then selected a three-core development system: Rumble, Corki, and Varus. These three carries all need time and equipment support, and they rely heavily on Gragas's tempo and Taric's protection in the early game."

Rita nodded and added, "Yes, IG's lineup's power spike is clearly later in the game. They need to get through the laning phase smoothly, especially in the mid and top lanes. Rumble against Cho'Gath and Corki against Lucian will put a lot of pressure on them."

"They're betting on mid-to-late game team fights. If Taric's ultimate, Cosmic Radiance, can perfectly cover three carries, his team fight ability will be terrifying..."

This is to be expected; when the ultimate skill lands, the three carries will unleash a barrage of attacks.

EDG's formation is easily broken.

They abandoned the laning phase and gambled everything on team fights.

"On the other hand, EDG's lineup is very solid and proactive. Their top, mid, and jungle are very strong in the early game. The Lucian and Ivern mid-jungle combination can put tremendous pressure on Corki before level six."

"The bot lane Ashe and Karma have strong laning strength and kiting ability. EDG's lineup is designed to put constant pressure on IG from the laning phase onwards... to prevent them from having a comfortable team fight in the mid-to-late game and to end the game quickly."

However, the current version is heavily biased towards achieving this in the later stages, which makes it very difficult.

IG has really made thorough preparations here.

Miller also agreed with what Wawa said: "That's right, the pressure is now on IG, especially Rookie in the mid lane. He's playing Corki against Unreal's Lucian, so this is destined to be a tough journey."

"Whether he can withstand the pressure and develop steadily will be the key to whether IG can steer the game into their own rhythm."

With the analysis from the three commentators, the match officially began loading.

The audience erupted in cheers again, instantly creating a tense atmosphere.

The camera zooms in on the contestant.

On the IG player bench, Rookie had a serious expression and stared intently at the screen. He was well aware of the strengths and weaknesses of their lineup, and he had to withstand the pressure from Li Fan online.

Lucian is a top-tier laning champion, so taking down enemy planes is quite easy for him!
Meanwhile, Li Fan remained as calm as ever on the EDG player bench... This lineup was indeed somewhat unexpected, but it didn't make much sense. It was better to fight against himself online than to endure the pressure.

[Here it comes! The middle lane teaching area!]

[Lucian is shooting like crazy, Fan is practically going to smash Rookie's head! How did IG manage to pick this lineup? It's definitely strong in team fights, but what about before?]

[The good news is that Unreal is played by Yamato, the strict father figure; the bad news is that Rookie is Korean.]

But I still maintain that if IG finishes all three games by 5:30, they've won!

Amidst the chatter in the live chat, ten heroes have already been spawned at the fountain!
EDG clearly had a well-thought-out strategy for IG's farming-oriented lineup, which involved a highly aggressive playstyle.

At level one, EDG's five players grouped up and aggressively invaded IG's lower jungle.

IG didn't dare to engage and simply ran away...

Ivern's invasion playstyle is quite rare, but he did it this game.

"EDG wants Clearlove's Ivern to start from IG's bottom side of the map, which will put huge pressure on IG's bot lane!"

"But how should we plan the subsequent vegetable planting route? I'm a bit confused..."

If Ivern is farming in his own jungle, he can just activate his passive ability, then farm in the other half of the jungle, and then go back to collect his loot.

It's not that we can't fight back if someone invades...

I'm still very curious about how the factory manager plans to operate it!

Kid's Gragas had no choice but to swap jungle camps with Clearlove...

The factory manager's choice was also seen by everyone. First, he used Smite to take the buff, then went to plant vegetables at the three wolves and the toad and left.

They're really not afraid the kids will turn back.

However, this decision directly led to IG's bot lane duo being put on the defensive from the laning phase onwards.

Faced with Ashe and Karma's long-range poke, Varus and Taric could only cower under their tower, their last-hitting being steadily suppressed, and their health being constantly whittled down.

"The bot lane is having a tough time. We're afraid to trade blows because we're worried about Ivern diving the tower," said Wawa, observing the bot lane situation.

Meanwhile, Li Fan's Lucian in the mid lane exerted maximum pressure.

Level 1 Transparent Holy Light passes through minions and reduces the aircraft's health.

Rookie played very cautiously with his plane, using his Q Phosphorus Bomb to finish off minions from a distance, but even so, his health was constantly being reduced.

"Unreal's pressure in the mid lane is too strong. Rookie can only snatch experience points, and his CS is already behind." Rita was paying attention to the mid lane situation... This is something that everyone has been paying attention to.

However, for IG fans, it's already quite good that they were able to withstand the pressure. If they don't feed kills and develop into a mid-to-late game champion, Corki is much stronger than Lucian.

However, in the first ten minutes of the match, although no kills occurred, EDG completely controlled the rhythm of the game.

After clearing the bottom half of the map, Factory Director Ivern secured the first Water Dragon, further enhancing EDG's early game fighting ability.

He then used his lane priority in the mid lane to easily secure the Rift Herald.

"Perfect rhythm! The factory manager's Ivern this game was like he had full map vision, sweeping away all the map resources in one fell swoop," Miller exclaimed.

At the 15-minute mark, the kill score remained 0-0, but EDG had extended their economic advantage to 3,000 gold through strategic maneuvering.

Li Fan's Lucian is developing very quickly through last-hitting minions and taking the first tower kill, already having Essence Reaver and a small portion of Rapid Firecannon.

"Lucian is doing very well. EDG's mid and jungle are very strong right now. IG must avoid fights," Wawa reminded him.

However, IG's lineup's weaknesses were exposed by EDG's offensive onslaught.

Around twenty minutes in, EDG took advantage of their vision control and decisively started attacking Baron.

IG was forced to engage in a team fight, and Taric attempted to activate his ultimate, Cosmic Radiance, to protect his teammates as they entered the fray.

But EDG's handling of the situation was perfect!
Meiko's Karma used a crucial RE combo to accelerate the entire EDG team, allowing them to instantly create space and completely avoid the strong point of IG's ultimate.

Then they came back to fight, and Li Fan's Lucian glided forward, and the silver bullets of the Holy Gun R rained down on the IG front line like a storm!

"Gem's ultimate was wasted! Lucian's damage output was perfect! My god, that damage!"

With Lucian's terrifying burst damage and EDG's full-team control, IG's formation collapsed instantly.

Despite Rookie's best efforts in dealing damage to his plane and Duke's Rumble, the equipment gap was too large, and they were powerless to turn the tide.

Li Fan secured a triple kill in this exchange.

The system's kill notifications sounded one after another. EDG executed a perfect team fight, exchanging one for four, and then easily secured the Baron.

With the Baron buff, EDG's advance was unstoppable.

The economic gap has widened rapidly to over 8,000.

IG's three-core system was not yet in place when their base was destroyed by EDG at the 27th minute!

"Congratulations to EDG! They've taken the first game of this semifinal!"

"Yes, EDG demonstrated exceptional macro play and early-game dominance, from their jungle early game strategy to their mid-game resource control and perfect team fight execution, giving IG virtually no chance," Miller concluded.

Rita glanced at the stats panel: "Unreal's Lucian dealt the highest damage of the game, and has a nearly 4,000 gold lead over his lane opponent..."

The comments section started scrolling wildly at this moment.

[Holy crap! Brother Fan!]

[I knew IG was doomed the moment they picked this lineup. Did they really think they could drag the game into the late game? Did they even consult their mid laner? They were being a bit too optimistic.]

[Oh no, could it be that all three games are finished before 5:30?]

[IG should stop analyzing this nonsense. If it were possible to play on the red side, EDG would definitely have gone to the red side...]

The crushing defeat in the first game has shaken IG's core tactics...

In the second game, IG returned to the blue side and tried to regain some initiative.

They picked Galio, a strong champion in the current meta, and seem to be trying to make plays around the mid and jungle.

However, EDG responded more shrewdly, locking in the mid-jungle duo of Jarvan IV and Azir, intending to firmly grasp the initiative in team fights.

In this game, Rookie attempted to create opportunities for the side lanes by pushing lanes and roaming.

The turning point of the match occurred during the team fight for the second Rift Herald.

IG took the lead and Azir found an excellent angle. The Imperial Wall launched a perfect ultimate, instantly pushing IG's two carries back and completely isolating them from their front line!
"The Tsar drifts in! Ultimate move! He pushed back two! My god! This wall of Imperial Guards!"

EDG players swarmed in and instantly melted IG's unprotected backline.

After this team fight collapse, EDG quickly widened the economic gap.

Li Fan's Azir was like a mobile turret in team fights, dealing explosive damage, and ultimately led EDG to another victory with a godlike performance.

[A clean sheet! They're about to shut out!]

At this point, nobody truly believed that IG could pull off a miracle...

After being completely outmaneuvered in both tactics and execution in two consecutive games, the IG players looked rather somber.

In the third game, IG went all out, letting Li Fan play his Corki, while choosing a team composition that was extremely strong in the early game and focused on fighting.

I don't plan to drag it out any longer, because there's simply no chance to do so.

However, they were facing Li Fan... who was least afraid of fighting.

In the early stages, IG did manage to win several small-scale team fights thanks to their strong lineup, gaining a lead in kills.

However, EDG's defense and resource exchange were impeccable. Li Fan's plane, in particular, used the intimidating power of the explosive pack to neutralize IG's strong push and forcefully dragged the game into their own power-up phase.

When the plane entered the team fight with Trinity Force, Sorcerer's Shoes, Infinity Edge, and Rapid Firecannon, IG's lineup was already unstoppable.

In the crucial dragon fight, Li Fan's Valkyrie dived in with her W ability, and under the cover of her teammates, missiles carrying critical hits rained down on IG's formation, instantly destroying IG's backline hopes.

EDG.Unreal is unstoppable!

The system notification sound signaled the end of IG's summer season journey.

Finally, at the 36-minute mark, EDG, with the Baron buff, won a devastating team fight and ended the game.

"Three to zero! Congratulations to EDG for their clean and decisive victory over IG, advancing to the finals of the 2017 LPL Summer Split!" Wawa announced loudly, his tone filled with admiration for the strong team.

"Yes, it was a complete and utter stomp. From the macro-management dominance in the first game, to the perfect team fight initiation by Azir in the second game, and then to the late-game carry by Corki in the third game, Unreal showed us his true form!"

"As expected, the pressure is now on the winner of the other semi-final, RNG vs. WE. They will face an EDG team in such terrifying form and an Unreal team that seems to be invincible."

Sigh... it really is 5:30.

IG didn't disappoint us.

In the center of the stage, Li Fan, who had just finished the competition, and the host Yu Shuang stood together in the interview area.

The audience immediately responded with the loudest applause and cheers.

"Welcome to the interview booth from Unreal! First of all, congratulations to EDG for defeating IG 3-0 and advancing to the finals! How are you feeling now?"

Li Fan took the microphone, a relaxed smile on his lips: "Yeah, I'm pretty happy. Everyone was in good form and won smoothly."

“We saw that you used three different heroes in the three games today: Lucian, Azir, and Corki, and you all delivered very impressive performances. Was this a tactic prepared by the team before the game, or was it a choice made based on the situation on the day?”

"I guess so," Li Fan replied. "The coaching staff and my teammates have given me a lot of support. We are quite flexible in our lineup selection. We mainly focus on how to play in a way that is most comfortable for us, as long as we can win."

Yu Shuang then asked, "So, the finals are coming up next. What are your goals, whether you face RNG or WE?"

"Our goal is still the championship," Li Fan replied crisply. "We had a sixteen-game winning streak in the regular season, and everyone hopes for a perfect ending."

Then Li Fan changed the subject: "As I said before, we don't actually have much pressure, because entering the finals has already secured our spot in the global finals. Next, we will do our best and focus on playing each game well."

"One last question, is there anything you'd like to say to your fans who have always supported you?"

Li Fan faced the audience and held the microphone slightly closer: "Thank you for your support. We will try our best to win the final."

The crowd erupted in deafening cheers once again.

"Okay, thank you very much Unreal for accepting our interview, and congratulations again to EDG for advancing to the finals. Let's look forward to their performance in the finals!"

As the interview ended, Li Fan waved goodbye and left amidst the cheers of his fans…

As soon as the match ended, online discussions about EDG and Li Fan exploded.

On Weibo's trending topics list, hashtags such as #EDGAdvancesToFinals#, #UnrealThreeTimeMVP#, and #UnrealReturnsToLPL# quickly climbed the ranks.

The comment section was filled with EDG fans' ecstasy and praise for Li Fan.

[Fan-ge! My Superman! How can you be so strong! With you around, I feel no pressure at all.]

[From dominating in fighting games to dominating in League of Legends, is this guy cheating?]

Is this what a naturally gifted player is like? I struggle even with a simple match-3 game.

[A urine test is recommended! You really should prepare for a urine test!]

In a sea of ​​jubilation, there are always some discordant voices.

One comment that reached the top of the trending comments section, brimming with the air of a troll, stood out particularly jarringly:

[You brainless fans just blindly praise! What's so great about beating the Japanese in a fighting game? China hasn't even had a StarCraft world championship in all these years. If you're so capable, let your Yamato father win a StarCraft championship! Then I'll truly be impressed!]

This comment instantly ignited a war.

[Where did this troll come from?]

[A variation of the classic "If you can do it, then you do it" argument.]

[StarCraft players feel offended, but we're really bad, sob sob... We can't beat Korea at all!]

However, many fans and casual observers were misled by this comment, truly showing a willingness to watch the drama unfold.

Wait a minute...you know what, you really should know, maybe you should practice Unreal Engine; you never know, you might have a chance.

[Fan Ge: Received, I'll go register for the next StarCraft tournament right away!]

[Holy crap, with this guy's superhuman learning ability, he might actually succeed?]

[Li Fan: I heard StarCraft is difficult? Let me try my hand at it.]

StarCraft can be said to be at the very top of the entire gaming hierarchy.

The difficulty was beyond imagination...

StarCraft II is now much less difficult than StarCraft I.

However, it's still quite difficult for the average player to get the hang of it, so be prepared to get brutally beaten.

Moreover, there's no way to shift the blame; if you lose, it's simply because you're bad.

Some esports media outlets quickly followed suit, purely wanting to grab some traffic.

[Breaking News! Unreal Engine's Next Conquest Target Revealed, Possibly Crossing Over to StarCraft!]

From King of Fighters to Rift, and now to Protoss and Terran? On Unreal Engine's esports universe expansion plan.

This trend of teasing has grown stronger and stronger, and has actually made the topic "#CanUnreal win the StarCraft championship#" quite popular.

Although most people know this is purely for entertainment and discussion, Li Fan, as a top active professional player in League of Legends, simply does not have the time and energy to study the extremely complex StarCraft from scratch, which requires a lot of practice.

But fans are happy to see this movement of creating idols where everything can be Unreal.

What if we actually end up going there while we're chatting? Wouldn't that be interesting?

The troll who initially started the trouble never expected that his sarcastic remark would have such a dramatic effect.

Some people are starting to think that it's not entirely impossible for him to win an interstellar championship.

Through these competitions, big and small, it's clear that Li Fan is extremely talented; he has both fast hands and excellent reflexes...

(End of this chapter)