The contestant is too old, sister Zhou is crazy

Chen Lie's words were like a bucket of cold water poured over Rita and Sister Zhou's heads.

The shock in their eyes slowly turned into disbelief, and finally into a trace of shame that they themselves were unwilling to admit.

To see him, I flew to Seoul alone.

He faced the threat alone for his sake.

He almost got into trouble in Shanghai because of him.

These words, put together, paint a picture of IU that they had never imagined—a woman so brave as to be almost insane. Their so-called "concern" seems so pale, selfish, and even laughable in the face of such selfless love.

"I...we understand, Brother Lie." Rita's lips moved, but she could only manage to squeeze out these words. She grabbed the distraught Sister Zhou and fled the office as if they were escaping.

Chen Lie watched their retreating figures, shook his head, and turned his gaze back to the window. He knew that from the moment Xu Mo decided to reciprocate that girl's feelings, this king of the e-sports world was no longer just RNG's King. His life had been illuminated by a ray of light, and thus, he carried a heavier burden of armor.

"You brat, you absolutely mustn't... lose!"

Two weeks later, the LPL Summer Split Finals will be held at the Mercedes-Benz Arena in Shanghai.

The arena was packed, with tens of thousands of spectators forming a sea of ​​light sticks and glow sticks. RNG's gold and their rival TOP's red stood in stark contrast on either side of the arena. The deafening cheers and battle anthems nearly lifted the dome of the entire stadium.

In the commentary booth, Wawa and Miller were already in place, warming up the audience for this crucial match with their passionate voices.

"Welcome everyone to the LPL Summer Split Finals! Today's matchup is between our veteran powerhouse RNG and this year's unstoppable newcomer TOP!" Wawa's voice was high-pitched.

“Exactly!” Miller chimed in. “There are just so many highlights in this match! The duel between the sword masters in the top lane, the conflict between Uzi and Jack in the bottom lane, but I think what all the viewers are most looking forward to is the ‘Kings vs. Kings’ showdown in the mid lane!”

"Speaking of King, he's been the center of attention lately," Wawa smiled knowingly. "Although neither the club nor the player himself has responded, we can see that King's recent form can only be described in four words—unstoppable! In the semifinals against IG, he went three games with zero deaths! What does that mean? It's telling everyone that the man is back, and stronger than ever!"

The director's camera cut to RNG's preparation room at the opportune moment. Xu Mo was sitting in his seat, resting with his eyes closed. Unlike his teammates, he wasn't encouraging each other or making final equipment adjustments; he was just sitting quietly, as if isolated from the noise of the outside world.

But only he knew that his headphones weren't playing battle anthems or the analyst's voice; there was only a soothing piano piece. It was an IU song.

He could feel that the power that had once fueled his rage and destructive desires was now controlled by a stronger will within him. It was no longer endless darkness, but a blade tamed by light. He wanted to win, not to prove himself, but to tell the girl watching his match from the base—

Your sun stands tall and unyielding.

The game officially begins.

In the first game, RNG chose a late-game focused lineup, while TOP opted for their signature fast-paced offensive system.

The match was intense from the very beginning. TOP's mid-jungle synergy was extremely frequent, with their jungler Karsa seemingly living in the mid lane, launching attack after attack on Xu Mo.

"Karsa is here again! Knight's LeBlanc chain was used, but King dodged it very carefully! However, the minion wave was pushed into the tower, which is really frustrating!"

"King handled this wave very calmly, managing to avoid the opponent's tower dive with a stopwatch, but the cost was that his development was greatly affected."

Xu Mo played with exceptional composure, even to the point of being overly cautious. He gave up all risky solo kill opportunities and roaming to provide support, remaining firmly rooted in the mid lane like a nail, sacrificing his own development to ensure peace on the side lanes.

However, TOP's offensive came wave after wave. Twenty minutes later, they secured Baron Nashor, extending their gold lead to 7,000.

In the rest area of ​​the RNG base.

IU sat nervously on the sofa, her hands tightly gripping an RNG light stick. She didn't quite understand the complex skills and data on the screen, but she could understand the economic comparison in the upper right corner and sense the seriousness in the commentators' tone.

"Manager Chen... Xu Mo... did he not have a good time?" she asked Chen Lie, who was standing next to her with a serious expression.

Chen Lie stared at the screen and said in a deep voice, "It's not that things aren't going well, it's that he's playing too conservatively. He wants to win, so he's using the safest approach. But... Knight on the other side won't give him that chance."

The words had barely left his lips when the final team fight erupted on the screen. RNG fought desperately on their high ground, but the massive equipment gap rendered them powerless to turn the tide. Xu Mo's Azir managed to push away several enemies with his ultimate, but he was still instantly killed by TOP's assassin.

On the screen, the gray "DEFEAT" slowly appeared.

“We lost…” IU’s heart sank.

Chen Lie breathed a sigh of relief and murmured, "It's better that he lost. You can't build something new without breaking down the old. He needs to let go of his burdens."

During the break in the second game, RNG's coaches were having a heated discussion about tactics.

Xu Mo took off his headphones and said to the coach, "Next game, give me the counter pick."

The coach was taken aback, but seeing the rekindled, sharp light in Xu Mo's eyes, he nodded heavily: "Good!"

The draft phase began. TOP team clearly noticed King's change in mentality and targeted them aggressively, banning three of King's signature champions: LeBlanc, Akali, and Irelia.

"Wow! TOP is really showing King a lot of respect! They've given all three bans to the mid laner! This will put King's champion pool to a huge test!"

It was RNG's turn to make their final pick. All eyes were on the big screen.

Everyone thought Xu Mo would choose a scaling mage, such as Clockwerk or Viktor, to stabilize the situation.

However, the hero's image that had made the entire audience scream lit up.

Syndra, the Dark Sovereign!

"Syndra! My God! King picked Syndra!" Miller's voice changed. "This is a champion that is extremely dominant in lane, but also extremely demanding in terms of mechanics and positioning! Picking Syndra against Knight's signature Zoe means he's going to fight to the death in lane!"

IU didn't understand what Syndra was, but she heard the cheers from the entire audience and saw the light shining in Chen Lie's eyes. She knew that Xu Mo was going to be himself again.

Game loading.

Xu Mo in this game was a completely different person from the one in the previous game.

He stopped passively defending and, starting from level one, used his Q skill "Dark Orb" to precisely whittle down Zoe's health. Every move he made seemed meticulously calculated; he could always manage to dodge Zoe's Sleepy Trouble Bubble with a tiny step the instant she threw it, simultaneously unleashing his own skill in her face.

"Suppression! Complete lane domination! Knight's health is already very low! He's afraid to last-hit minions!"

Three minutes later, Karsa's jungler Lee Sin came to the mid lane again.

"Here we go again! The classic mid-jungle combo! Lee Sin uses his ward hop and W, followed by Sonic Wave! That kick is a guaranteed kill!"

Just as the golden beam of light was about to hit Syndra, Xu Mo reacted in almost a fraction of a second and flashed away!
Instead of dodging backward, he moved to the side and forward at an extreme angle, dodging the sonic wave while closing the distance with Zoe!

"My God! That flash!" the doll exclaimed!
Then came a second round of quantitative easing!

"Weaklings, get out!"
The black orb was shoved out by a tremendous force, precisely stunning Zoe who had just used her movement ability!
W skill: Grab another orb from the ground and slam it down! Ignite it! Basic attack!

The whole process was so smooth and fast that it was dazzling!
Knight's screen instantly turned gray.

"First Blood!"

Solo kill! Despite the enemy jungler being present, he managed to take on two opponents and secure a kill!
The whole place was excited!

"KING!! KING!! KING!!"

The deafening roar of shouts made the entire stadium tremble.

In the dressing room, IU stood up excitedly, covering her mouth, her eyes welling up with tears. She could almost see through the screen the man sitting in front of the computer, focused, his fingers moving like phantoms on the keyboard.

He wasn't playing a game; he was fighting. In his own way, for her and for himself, he was clearing away all obstacles in his path.

The following matches truly entered "King Time".

His Syndra became a mobile artillery platform and absolute ruler on the battlefield.

He roamed to the bottom lane, stunned two people with a long-range QE combo, and secured a double kill with Uzi's help.

He ventured deep into the enemy jungle, executed a series of skill combos with fluid grace, and instantly killed Karsa, who was attacking the red buff, before escaping unscathed.

The most crucial team fight around Baron Nashor.

The two sides were locked in a stalemate near the dragon pit. TOP seized upon a positioning mistake by RNG's support and decisively initiated a team fight. Zoe's Sleepy Bubble accurately put Uzi to sleep.

"Danger! Uzi's been slept with! TOP is going to take him down!"

Just as everyone in TOP was focusing their attacks on Uzi, Xu Mo made a move.

His Syndra, like a queen reigning supreme, stepped forward and pressed the golden R key!
Energy is pouring out!

The six dark orbs that had been surrounding him all poured into the ADC in the very center of the TOP crowd with a devastating aura!

Health bar evaporated instantly!

Instant kill!

Immediately afterwards, a W was used to grab the magic orb on the ground and smash it into the crowd, followed by a Flash-positioned QE!

"My God!!! What kind of move is that! A shower of flowers! He used the magic orb after his ultimate to unleash a massive AOE stun that covered the entire field! Four of them were stunned! The TOP formation collapsed instantly!"

Miller practically yelled out the commentary.

As if receiving the clarion call for a general offensive, the other RNG members swarmed forward and reaped the rewards with overwhelming force.

"ACE!"

Destroy the group!

With the Baron buff, RNG pushed down TOP's Nexus in one fell swoop.

The golden light of victory shone on the screen.

Xu Mo slowly took off his headphones, and only then did the deafening cheers from outside reach his ears. Unlike his teammates, he didn't jump up and hug them excitedly; instead, he leaned back in his gaming chair and let out a soft breath.

He looked up, his gaze precisely finding the main camera pointing directly at him, and a very subtle yet incredibly gentle smile appeared on his face.

In the dressing room, IU looked at the enlarged, smiling handsome face on the screen, and tears welled up in her eyes.

She knew that smile was for her.

It passed through the clamor of tens of thousands of people, through the cold screens and signals, and accurately reached the depths of her heart.

The victory scene of the second game is frozen in time, with the golden word "VICTORY" shining brightly on the screens of the five RNG team members, echoing the golden ocean of support behind them.

Inside the stadium, after several seconds of silence, came a volcanic eruption of cheers.

"KING—!!!"

"KING—!!!"

"KING—!!!"

Tens of thousands of viewers spontaneously and in unison chanted this ID. This was no longer just simple encouragement, but an almost reverential pilgrimage. What they witnessed was not just a spectacular comeback, but the return of a king. The man who once dominated the Rift with his skill and awareness, after a period of silence and composure, finally tore off all his pretenses and revealed his sharpest and most chilling fangs.

"My God... I... I really don't know what words to use to describe what I just saw!" Wawa was so excited that his face turned red. He took off his headphones, as if only in this way could he calm his heart down. "That 'Fairy Scattering Flowers' after the ultimate move, that Flash QE, that's not a game, that's art! It belongs to King alone, violent aesthetics!"

Miller took a deep breath, trying to make his voice sound more professional, but the trembling at the end betrayed his inner excitement. "Yes, we all saw it. In the first game, King was like a warrior burdened with heavy shackles, proceeding cautiously step by step; but in the second game, King broke free of all constraints! He told everyone, 'I don't need to be steady, because I am the rule-maker!' Knight played very well, but today's King is a god!"

The director repeatedly played Syndra's devastating team fight play, and each slow-motion replay elicited a new gasp from the audience. The live chat was already flooded with comments like "King is back," "My youth is back," and "Is this even humanly possible?"

Unlike the clamor outside, RNG's preparation room was filled with an excitement mixed with ecstasy and awe.

"Holy crap! Mo-ge is awesome—!" Support Xiaoming was the first to jump up, grabbing Xu Mo's neck. "What were you thinking that time? Flashing in and stunning four people? Weren't you afraid of getting instantly killed?"

Uzi walked over and patted Xu Mo on the shoulder, his eyes filled with admiration for a worthy opponent and pride as a teammate: "Well played! That's the kind of player you should be! Play like this! Make them tremble!"

Surrounded by his teammates, Xu Mo's face remained expressionless, but the coldness in his eyes had completely melted away, replaced by a calm yet powerful confidence. He simply gave a soft "hmm," then picked up the water bottle beside him, unscrewed it, and took a sip.

The coach rushed in, holding a tactical board, but instead of immediately outlining the tactics for the next round, he walked up to Xu Mo and said solemnly, "Xu Mo, well done. What do you want to play in the next round? The whole team will cooperate with you."

This is the highest level of trust a top LPL coach can place in a player. (End of Chapter)