LOL: What does it mean to torture players?

"Welcome to the 2020 LPL All-Star Weekend, everyone!"

On stage, under the spotlight, host Yu Shuang's voice was full of passion and infectious energy, instantly igniting the atmosphere of the entire audience.

"After a spectacular opening ceremony and red carpet event, we're about to witness one of the most exciting moments of this All-Star event!" Wawa raised her voice, keeping everyone in suspense, "That is—the Solo King Challenge!"

On the huge circular screen, the official photos of eight players appeared instantly. Each name represented the pinnacle of LPL gameplay.

TheShy, Knight, Bin, 369, Doinb, Rookie, Jackeylove, and finally, in the very center—Mo!

"This year's Solo King Challenge is truly a gathering of gods, each one a top LPL player chosen by our viewers!" Yu Shuang's voice was sweet yet powerful. "The competition uses a BO1 single-elimination format, the map is Howling Abyss, and the winning conditions are to get first blood, reach 100 CS, or destroy the first turret! Now, let's take a look at the matchup chart for this Solo King Challenge on the big screen!"

The avatars on the screen scrolled rapidly before finally freezing.

Upper bracket: TheShy vs Bin, Doinb vs Rookie.

Bottom half: Knight vs 369, Jackeylove vs Mo.

The moment the matchup was revealed, the entire stadium erupted in uproar, followed by even more enthusiastic cheers.

"To be honest, this group draw is going to be a huge spectacle!" Miller and Wawa were already in their seats at the commentary booth. Looking at the bracket, Miller couldn't help but exclaim, "The top bracket is a pure top-mid showdown, with TheShy facing off against Bin, a clash between two generations of aggressive top laners! Rookie and Doinb, a duel between two top mid laners! And in the bottom bracket, it's an internal battle within Top Esports, with Knight playing against 369! And finally, Mozi will face off against JackeyLove!"

Wawa laughed and said, "Ah Shui is probably numb by now. He was thinking of relaxing at the All-Star event, but he ran into the big boss as soon as he stepped out. But that's fine too, it'll give Mozi a chance to warm up. After all, everyone is looking forward to seeing that in the finals!"

Everyone knew what the doll was describing, and no one thought there was anything wrong with what he said.

Amidst much anticipation, the Solo King Challenge has officially begun.

The match progressed quickly. TheShy, with his Kalista, exerted an unreasonable dominance, dominating both CS and health, and even managed a solo kill at four minutes, easily defeating Bin's Wukong and turning Bin into a monkey.

Rookie and Doinb staged a thrilling LeBlanc mirror match, with Rookie ultimately winning by virtue of his more refined mechanics.

In the bottom bracket, Knight's Syndra textbook-perfectly defeated 369's Renekton, while Su Mo, in his duel with Jackeylove, picked Draven. The two Draven players used the purest AD laning skills, and Su Mo ultimately won the game.

In the semifinals, TheShy defeated Rookie, and SuMo defeated Knight.

The final match arrived as everyone expected and anticipated.

"It's here! It's finally here!" Miller's voice was trembling with excitement. "The final battle of the 2020 LPL All-Star Weekend Solo King Challenge! The two opponents are—TheShy from IG! And our newly crowned world champion FMVP—Mo from EDG!"

Wawa took a deep breath, his tone filled with respect: "This is no longer a simple Solo match. This is a 'battle of gods' in the hearts of all top laners in the LPL, and even the world! On one side is TheShy, a genius whose playstyle is extremely entertaining and whose 'aggression' is etched into his very bones; on the other side is Mo, a 'god' who has forged a legend with strength and honor! This duel is not about winning or losing, but about determining who is the king of kings in terms of skill!"

The atmosphere at the scene reached its peak.

"TheShy! TheShy!"

"Brother Mozi! Brother Mozi!"

The audience cheered enthusiastically, each with their own supporters.

Su Mo and TheShy sat down in the Solo battle seats on either side of the stage and put on their headphones.

The noise from the outside world vanished in an instant.

Su Mo could see TheShy's profile in the opposite cubicle. He was staring intently at the screen, a faint hint of excitement on his lips.

That is the joy of meeting a worthy opponent.

"Alright, both teams are ready and will now proceed with the draft phase!"

The BP interface appeared on the screen.

TheShy banned Aatrox, Irelia, and Sett almost without hesitation.

This is the highest tribute to Su Mo's three legendary battles in the World Championship.

On Su Mo's side, they only symbolically banned a few tank top laners.

With the ban phase over, it's TheShy's turn to pick first.

He slowly moved the mouse across the hero list, finally stopping at a hero portrait that made the entire audience gasp in amazement.

Kalista, the Spear of Vengeance!
"Skateboard Shoes! It's Skateboard Shoes again!" Miller exclaimed. "TheShy has a special fondness for this champion in the Solo tournament! He wants to use the ultimate kiting and the most unreasonable kiting to show you what top-level dominance is!"

All eyes were focused on Su Mo's screen.

Everyone is wondering how Mo will respond to TheShy's extremely confident pick.
Should you choose a long-range champion like Quinn to counter, or a tank like Malphite to withstand the pressure?
Su Mo's fingers tapped lightly on the keyboard, and soon, a hero was locked on.

Lucian, the Purifier!

"Lucian!" Wawa's voice instantly rose eight octaves. "An attack for an attack! Mozi has chosen Lucian, who is also known for his explosiveness and agility! This is destined to be a clash of titans from level one!"

Regarding runes, TheShy used Hail of Blades, while SuMo used Press the Attack.

The game officially begins!
As soon as he went live, TheShy's Kalista displayed an extremely strong sense of pressure.

He uses his passive movement ability to constantly jump along the edge of the minion wave, each jump accompanied by a precise basic attack, like the most elegant dancer dancing on the tip of a knife.

Su Mo's Lucian was equally determined.

He constantly adjusted his position to avoid Kalista's poke damage, while using his Q skill to successfully poke the enemy through minions.

On the narrow stage of the minion wave, the two probed each other's sword range.

Every basic attack, every skill release, every movement is full of subtle strategic maneuvering.

"So meticulous!" Miller watched intently. "TheShy's positioning always keeps him at a distance that makes Lucian very uncomfortable, never greedily farming. And Mozi's response was also perfect; he used minions to cast Q, hitting Lucian twice in a row!"

Upon reaching level two, TheShy seized the opportunity when Su Mo was last-hitting minions and unleashed a Q skill, Pierce, with the spear accurately hitting Lucian and refreshing the Tear effect on the minions, resulting in a small burst of damage.

Su Mo's health dropped by one bar instantly.

But he didn't panic at all. He immediately used his W skill on Kalista, took a step forward with the speed boost, and landed two basic attacks, which also took away a lot of TheShy's health.

Both players' health is decreasing. Lucian has half health left, while Kalista has slightly less.

In terms of health, Su Mo still has the advantage.

Soon, both sides were promoted to level three.

TheShy's Kalista already had the Hail of Blades passive, and he started consciously planting spears on minions to prepare for the next burst.

Su Mo saw through his intentions and began to control her own movements.

Suddenly, TheShy moved!

Just as the minion in front of him was about to die, he threw out his Q skill, stabbing it into the minion, hoping to kill the minion and then stab Lucian with the Q skill, and then go all in.

But to his surprise, Lucian, who was just about to farm minions, suddenly flashed with white light and reappeared right in front of him.

"Oops!"

TheShy immediately realized the seriousness of the problem.

The next moment, Lucian hit Kalista with an AWAA, instantly triggering the Press the Attack effect. Kalista's health was reduced to just over 80. At the same time, Su Mo pressed the Q skill to release.

However, TheShy reacted quickly, using Flash to dodge Lucian's Q the instant it was cast, and simultaneously running towards the turret.

Unfortunately, Lucian still has his E skill available.

After he flashed past, Lucian immediately used his E to land two auto-attacks, then used the speed boost from his W to continue the chase. TheShy, fearing he would be killed instantly, was forced to use his Barrier.

He had already entered the turret's range, and thought Lucian would give up, but the opponent followed him in and didn't attack him, obviously waiting for the barrier to end.

TheShy turned around decisively, knowing that if he didn't, he would surely die.

A counterattack would offer a sliver of hope.

Unfortunately, he didn't have his Q skill, and Lucian countered by using a barrier, leaving TheShy in despair.

After withstanding a turret attack, Kalista's shield finally disappeared, and Lucian simply followed up with a basic attack.

First Blood!
The Holy Gunner has slain the Spear of Vengeance!
Lucian had less than 50 health points left, and after Kalista died, he was also killed by the turret.

But in the end, Lucian won.

"Solo kill!!" Miller shouted. "In the most intense duel, Mozi had the last laugh! He seized an opening and unleashed a perfect burst of damage! TheShy's attempt to initiate with Q was indeed clever and courageous. But Mozi reacted faster and fought even more fiercely!"

After a brief silence, the audience erupted in thunderous applause and cheers.

On the battle stage, TheShy stared at his gray screen for a moment, then smiled helplessly and took off his headphones.

He was convinced of his defeat.

Su Mo also took off his headphones and gave TheShy a thumbs-up from afar.

This is not just a victory, but also a sign of mutual respect.

Su Mo rarely encountered anyone who dared to take the initiative in a fight, but TheShy was one of them.

Amidst the cheers of the audience, Yu Shuang walked onto the stage and handed the Solo King trophy, symbolizing the "King of Kings," to Su Mo.

"Congratulations, Mozi! After winning the S-series FMVP, you've once again claimed the Solo King title!" Yu Shuang's voice was filled with joy.

TheShy also stepped forward and offered his hand.

Su Mo shook hands with him.

“Your play,” TheShy looked at him and said earnestly in his signature, slightly shy tone, “is faster.”

“You are very strong too.” Su Mo replied just as sincerely.

The two men, standing at the pinnacle of their skills, smiled at each other in the center of the stage.

This scene has become the most classic moment of this year's All-Star Weekend.

The Solo King competition has come to an end, but the All-Star Weekend festivities have only just begun.

In the following legendary showdown, the legendary teams composed of the old WE and old IG brought the audience a match full of nostalgia and laughter.

It's clear that Su Mo won't be involved in this part.

As all the games of All-Star Weekend came to an end, night fell suddenly, and the lights of the entire arena were focused once again.

The highly anticipated LPL Annual Awards Ceremony has officially begun.

This is a hall of fame that looks back on the past year and honors the players, coaches, clubs and staff who have brought glory and inspiration to the LPL.

Awards such as "Rookie of the Year", "Foreign Player of the Year", "Coach of the Year", and "Club of the Year" were presented one after another.

EDG Club is undoubtedly the biggest winner tonight.

They swept multiple team awards, including "Club of the Year" and "Coaching Staff of the Year".

Meanwhile, Jiejie, Scout, and Meiko were also selected for the first team of the "All-Star Team" based on their outstanding performances at the World Championship.

The atmosphere reached a small climax when the "Most Popular Player of the Year" award was presented.

On the big screen, video clips of five candidates appeared: TheShy, Uzi, Rookie, Jackeylove, and Su Mo.

In the end, without any suspense, Su Mo won the crown with a terrifying advantage of nearly ten million votes over the second place.

When he received the trophy from the presenter, the cheers from the audience lasted for a long time.

However, everyone knows that this is just an appetizer.

Tonight, the most prestigious and least suspenseful award will be announced.

"Next, we will be presenting the most prestigious award of the 2020 League of Legends Annual Awards Ceremony!" The host's impassioned voice resounded throughout the venue. "It represents the pinnacle of individual skill and team contribution this year! It is the ultimate goal for all professional players! It is—the Player of the Year, MVP!"

As the drumbeats began, the images of three candidates appeared on the big screen—Knight, Kanavi, and Su Mo.

After a video highlighting the three individuals' outstanding performances throughout the year, the award presenter, the head of Tencent Interactive Entertainment, slowly opened the envelope in his hand.

He looked at the name in the envelope, smiled, and announced loudly:
The winner of the 2020 LPL Player of the Year award is—

He paused deliberately, whetting everyone's appetite.

The entire audience held their breath.

"—EDG, Mo!!!"

boom! ! !
The golden rain fell again, even more dazzling than during the S-series finals.

Amidst a shower of golden light and the admiring gazes of everyone, Su Mo slowly walked onto the stage.

This is the fourth time he has stood on this podium.

He accepted the heavy, pure gold MVP trophy from the presenter. His ID from the past three years was engraved on the base of the trophy.

This year, his name will be engraved again.

"Brother Mozi, your fourth annual MVP trophy." Yu Shuang's voice trembled slightly. "You have etched your name into the annals of LPL history. Standing here at this moment, what would you like to say?"

Holding the trophy, Su Mo's gaze swept over the pairs of eyes below the stage, filled with admiration and envy.

He saw his teammates, he saw TheShy, Rookie, Uzi, Clearlove...

He saw the past, present, and future of the LPL.

He was silent for a moment, then slowly spoke.

His voice wasn't loud, but it was exceptionally clear and full of power.

"Thank you all for your kind words."

Then, he raised the trophy high.

At that moment, he no longer needed to prove anything with any words.

This golden trophy, along with the four FMVP trophies he won, has said it all for him.

He is legend himself.

At least for now. (End of Chapter)