Rebirth is fine, but I get eight hundred dollars right from the start?

Zhu Zhen held the microphone and waited for the cheers from the audience to subside a little before turning his head to look back at Lin Shu, who was standing in the center of the stage.

The four large screens continued to play his terrifying ladder data created at the top of the canyon, with the line "Global No.1" shining brightly against the dark background.

Zhu Zhen glanced down at the cue cards, then looked up with a mischievous grin that said, "I'm going to ask you something real," but his tone was deliberately a few degrees more serious than before:

"Emperor, to be honest—from reaching the top of the Chinese server, to dominating the Rift, and now receiving this plaque recognizing you as the world's number one Challenger at the All-Star event, these past six months have been like a rocket ride. Here's a question all the viewers want answered: In your opinion, what were the main factors that led to this success, and why did it all come about on your own?"

The question was clearly asked from a rather tricky angle, and the audience fell silent for a moment, even the comments section paused for half a second.

[Good question!]

[Oh my god, how am I supposed to answer this? Saying I have the ability seems arrogant, while saying anything else seems pretentious.]

There's nothing to hesitate about; E-God is absolutely number one, without a doubt.

[I don't understand what the official team is trying to do. They want to promote someone, yet they're asking such a potentially controversial question.]

Let's see how E-God responds.

[That's true. From the first day of the live stream until now, it's clear that E's emotional intelligence is off the charts. If things don't work out, he just gives a vague answer.]

Lin Shu took the microphone, first switching the trophy to his left hand, then holding the bottom of the microphone with his right hand, and gently tapping the microphone casing with his knuckles, making two "tap-tap" sounds, as if he was finding his rhythm.

"Cough cough~"

He coughed lightly, tilted his head slightly, and glanced at the sea of ​​people below the stage. The fans in the front row holding up his light sticks still had their arms hanging in mid-air, and some audience members in the back row who were half-standing on their chairs were still waiting for him to speak.

"Let me first correct Zhu Zhen's statement - it's not 'why me', it's 'it's me for now'."

He smiled, his voice coming through the microphone with a clear, youthful tone. He pronounced the word "temporarily" very clearly. Some fans in the front row were stunned for a moment, and their light sticks unconsciously lowered a little. The viewers in the live stream were full of question marks.

What does "temporary" mean?

What does that mean? Is it temporary first place?

While humility is a good thing, isn't this a bit too much?

Lin Shu wasn't in a hurry and continued, explaining to everyone: "The biggest difference between esports and traditional sports is the version."

"The rules of traditional sports don't change for ten or twenty years, but League of Legends releases a new version every two or three months. With each patch, even the highest-ranking player can become a Platinum player."

"I'm standing here today to receive this honor because the version of the past six months suited my playstyle, and my champion pool was right in the overpowered range. But what about the next version, or the version after that? There are hundreds of thousands, even millions, of people playing ranked games in League of Legends every day. There could be an 18-year-old or even younger genius who could emerge at any time, with a tougher laning style than me, a deeper understanding of minion waves, and a sharper sense of roaming than me—he hasn't emerged yet simply because he hasn't been seen."

He glanced at his ID on the big screen, then turned back, his gaze falling on the red dot directly in front of the camera: "So this No.1 is not the end for me, but the beginning, so it's temporary."

"The essence of competition has never been about holding onto a position, but about constantly surpassing your opponents and surpassing yourself. Today I'm on stage, tomorrow I might be off stage watching someone else take my place—that's what competitive sports should be like."

There was a few seconds of silence in the audience, then a cheer suddenly came from somewhere, followed by applause that spread rapidly throughout the venue like a lit fuse, louder and more sincere than before, carrying a sense of agreement that you are right.

[A new perspective has emerged!]

Greatness needs no words!

I'm currently in first place, and I hope new challengers will emerge.

[Holy crap, I thought E was going to show off, but he just went on with a philosophical spiel!]

[Like I said, tell me, is this something a teenager addicted to the internet would say?]

[The question is, why did Eason Chan, with such high emotional intelligence, drop out of school back then?]

[Local education official: No!!! Don't ask anymore! Go investigate immediately, and if you find out, go into the school and beat everyone you see.]

Online, countless viewers are having a blast playing with the memes.

At the scene, Zhu Zhen chimed in at the right moment, his tone carrying just the right amount of admiration: "That's very well said. Yes, the essence of competition has never been about holding onto a position, but about constantly surpassing your opponents and surpassing yourself."

"After you finish saying that, I reckon it'll be edited into hundreds of versions and flying around tonight—but Emperor, I'd like to ask you one more question on behalf of the audience: Aren't you afraid that someone stronger than you will emerge? Aren't you afraid that someone will take your place?"

Lin Shu laughed, the curve of his lips carrying a hint of youthful roguishness. "Scared? Of course I'm scared!"

"But what's the use of being afraid?"

"What I can do is make it harder to be overtaken before I am overtaken—so hard that when the newcomer catches up with me, he feels like he has won a tough battle, rather than just taking advantage of a loophole."

"Competition is like rowing against the current; if you don't move forward, you fall behind. No one can rest on their laurels forever."

"Of course, if that day really comes, I think I will wish this newcomer well, and also wish esports a new era."

"And," he glanced down at the trophy in his hand and the coat in his arms, his voice softening slightly, "I want that stronger person to appear more than anyone else."

"It's more interesting to be alone on a mountaintop in the cold wind than to have someone else fighting you for that spot. League of Legends is a game that no one can carry alone."

"If I don't have a single strong opponent in this position, then this No. 1 title is a joke."

After he finished speaking, he moved the microphone slightly away from his mouth, as if to take a breath.

In closing, I said, "I want to say to all players in the league, the honor of being the number one in the Rift is right here, come and challenge it!"

"If you want to surpass me, then prove it to me!"

【Emperor!】

【Emperor!】

【Emperor!】

These words caused an instant uproar, with countless people spontaneously calling out the young man's name on stage.

[So cool!]

[Haha, humility is followed by absolute confidence.]

Yes, that's the kind of domineering presence a man with a 100% win rate in the mid lane should have.

Want to surpass me? Prove it to me!