LPL didn't want me? I joined SKT instead!

"That incense burner... there's something wrong with it." GorillA looked at the dense array of extra magic damage in the death replay, his face pale. "We miscalculated the damage, and we miscalculated his healing ability."

"Don't panic! It's just one kill!" Khan shouted in the voice chat. "My Renekton is doing really well; I can one-shot him in team fights!"

However, Khan was wrong.

Big mistakes.

Having gained the advantage, Xiao Yan displayed a completely different level of dominance compared to the previous game.

If he was an unbreakable shield in the last round, then in this round, he is an indestructible spear with a self-healing function.

Eight minutes later, the Rift Herald team fight.

LZ doesn't want to give up, so he's gathered five people to take over the group.

"Wolf, give me a shield."

Xiao Yan said calmly.

Wolf understood immediately and used his E skill on Xayah.

In an instant, that terrifying machine gun returned.

Khan's Renekton activated his ultimate, attempting to engage and assassinate Xayah.

If it were the previous round, Xiao Yan would have had no choice but to run.

But this time, he stood still, without taking a single step back.

A, A, Q, A, E!

Feathers pierced the crocodile's body, and barbs bound it!

Khan was horrified to discover that his prized tankiness was as thin as paper against Xayah. And what frustrated him most was that the few health he managed to whittle down Xayah's, she could easily heal back to full after a couple of auto-attacks on minions or jungle monsters!

"How am I supposed to play this?! This guy is impossible to kill!" Khan roared in despair.

SKT's formation has completely changed.

Faker's Galio is no longer the main damage dealer, but has become Xayah's bodyguard.

Peanut's Gragas stopped thinking about team fights and instead stayed close to Xayah, blowing up anyone who dared to get close.

Huni's Shen is always ready to unleash his ultimate ability.

Four to protect one!

And it's the ultimate evolved version of the four-protect-one strategy!

That "one," wielding the Infinity Blade, the Hurricane, and holding the Incense Burner buff, is like the Grim Reaper descending.

20 minutes.

SKT grouped up and pushed down the middle lane.

The five members of LZ were trembling under the tower.

"Clear the enemy troops! Don't let them attack the tower!" Pray shouted.

Xiao Yan looked at the LZ group below the tower, a cold smile appearing on his lips.

"Peanut, use your ultimate to shatter the formation. Faker, use your ultimate to engage."

"Wolf, charge with me!"

With a perfectly executed ultimate from Peanut's Gragas, LZ's formation was instantly disrupted.

Faker's Galio hero makes his debut, knocking two opponents into the air.

And then the real protagonist appeared.

Wolf's Rakan R-Flash-W enters the fray, charming three people!

Xiao Yan activated his W skill, gained the Incense Burner buff, and teleported directly to LZ's high ground!

Flash forward!

What arrogance!

But in the face of absolute strength and equipment superiority, this is not arrogance, but slaughter.

Feathers flew everywhere!

Countless purple feathers enveloped LZ's high ground.

Each feather is like the Grim Reaper's scythe.

Pray's Varus was about to fight back when he was instantly killed by two critical hits from Xayah.

Cuzz's Prince attempted to use his ultimate, but was caught by the hook in mid-air and instantly melted.

Quadra Kill!

Quadra kill!

Only one rockbird remained, trembling and hiding in the spring, too afraid to come out.

21 minutes.

LZ's mid-lane high ground has been destroyed.

The economic gap has widened to 10,000.

"This is a massacre... no, this is a dimensional attack." In the commentary booth, CT looked at the unstoppable Xayah on the screen and muttered to himself, "Xiao Yan's skill isn't just good, the tactical system he brought is... too advanced. Ardent Censer monster... I dare predict that from today onwards, Korean ranked games will be full of supports with Ardent Censers built without any items."

LZ completely broke down.

Their prized tactics seemed utterly pale and powerless before that small purple incense burner.

No matter how they try to catch her or initiate team fights, as long as Xayah has her shield, she's an invincible war goddess.

23 minutes.

SKT secured Baron Nashor.

With the Baron buff, the five members of SKT gathered at the bottom lane high ground.

LZ made a final, desperate attempt.

Khan's Renekton flanked and teleported behind the enemy lines, while Jarvan IV initiated a direct attack from the front.

But all of this was in vain under SKT's tight protection network.

Huni's Shen's taunt, Peanut's Gragas's knockback, Faker's Galio's knock-up, and Wolf's Rakan's charm.

Quadruple protection!

Xiao Yan was like a Gatling gunner sitting in an armored vehicle; all he had to do was press the attack button and watch the enemy's health bar disappear.

Penta Kill!

Pentakill!

In the final moments of this final match, Xiao Yan achieved a pentakill!

"Pentakill! A pentakill in the finals! Xiao Yan has become a legend!" The roaring emperor's voice was hoarse. "SKT! They are the champions! They swept LZ 3-0! They have established a new dynasty!"

The game ended as LZ's Nexus exploded in a dazzling display of light.

Xiao Yan took off his headphones, listened to the deafening chants of "SKT! SKT!" from the crowd, and turned to look at his teammates beside him.

Faker looked at him with a smile, his eyes full of admiration.

Wolf excitedly hugged him tightly: "Wow! That thing is really useful!"

Peanut and Huni rushed over, and the five of them hugged each other tightly.

Meanwhile, on the opposite side, in the LZ player's seat...

Khan stared blankly at the glaring word "failure" on the screen, unable to come to his senses for a long time.

He turned his head and looked at the boy who was surrounded by his teammates not far away.

"Incense burner..." Khan murmured bitterly.

Golden rain fell from the sky.

The Jamsil Indoor Stadium in Seoul has now been transformed into a sea of ​​red.

On the big screen, the word "MVP," representing the best player of the game, crashed heavily onto everyone's retinas, accompanied by rousing music.

In the scene, Xiao Yan stands with his arms crossed, his gaze arrogant, with rosy wings behind him. It seemed to pierce the sky.

Finals MVP: SKT T1. Xiao Yan!

No doubt about it.

In the three matches, Xiao Yan played the role of the tank in the second game and also played an extremely important role. Later on, Xiao Yan also started to fight, especially in the last game when he finished with a pentakill using the Xia Luo Incense Burner system.

Congratulations SKT! Congratulations Xiao Yan!

Amid cheers, Lee Hyun-kyung, the LCK's goddess host, walked gracefully onto the stage in a stunning white off-shoulder dress.

She looked at the tall young man walking towards her, a strange light flashing in her beautiful eyes.

This time, instead of looking at the cards first as usual, she looked up and gave Xiao Yan a sweet smile that could melt ice and snow.

"Congratulations, Xiao Yan, on winning the Summer Split championship and being unanimously selected as the FMVP." Lee Hyun-kyung's gentle voice carried throughout the arena via the microphone. "How do you feel now?"

Xiao Yan took the microphone, blew on it lightly to confirm there was sound, and then casually said:

"How did it feel? It was alright. It ended a little faster than I expected. I thought LZ could last until the fourth game. I even had a hero in mind for the next game, but unfortunately I didn't get to use it."

"Whoosh—"

The entire audience erupted in uproar.

mad! So crazy!

Saying that the opponent was too weak right after winning the championship is like a nuclear bomb in the Korean e-sports circle, which values ​​humility and etiquette.

Lee Hyun-kyung was also slightly taken aback, then covered her mouth and chuckled, her admiration growing even stronger.

She likes men who are wild and confident, completely different from those contestants who only spout official platitudes.

"It seems that Xiao Yan is very confident in his abilities."

Lee Hyun-kyung skillfully picked up the conversation, then asked the question everyone was most concerned about, "Regarding the third game, your and Wolf's item build strategy... that support rushing Ardent Censer shocked everyone. Was this a secret weapon you prepared specifically for the finals?"

Xiao Yan raised an eyebrow, glanced at Wolf beside him who was clutching the trophy and grinning foolishly, and said calmly:

"It's not exactly a game-changing move, just a slightly ahead-of-the-time understanding of the game. The Ardent Censer has always been underrated. The attack speed and lifesteal it provides are more cost-effective than any other major item for AD carries who rely on auto-attacks. I just forced a late-game power spike to fifteen minutes."

At this point, Xiao Yan paused, his gaze sweeping across the entire room, his tone becoming meaningful:

"Furthermore, I can make a prediction here. Starting today, the bot lanes of the entire world will become 'Ardent Censer Monsters'. If any team's support is still thinking of playing a tanky support to initiate team fights, they're not far from going home."

Upon hearing this, analysts and coaches from various teams frantically took notes in front of their screens.

Lee Hyun-kyung's beautiful eyes lingered on Xiao Yan's angular face for a moment, then suddenly she seemed to remember something, and a faint blush rose to her cheeks.

Her fingers tightened around the microphone, and she asked, seemingly casually:

"Um... Xiao Yan, today's match was fantastic. Do you have any special plans for your upcoming holiday?"

This was a very routine interview question, but when Li Xianjing asked it, his eyes held a deeper meaning that only Xiao Yan could understand.

Those watery eyes blinked gently, as if conveying some kind of encrypted signal.

The audience did not notice anything unusual and took it as a routine question.

However, Xiao Yan keenly caught this signal.

He looked at the host with a face as beautiful as a peach blossom, and a meaningful smile appeared on his lips.

"Shall we make arrangements?"

Xiao Yan did not answer directly, but turned slightly to the side, his gaze passing over the camera and falling directly into Li Xianjing's eyes.

In that instant, their eyes met, and it was as if an invisible current was crackling in the air.

Xiao Yan raised his hand, seemingly to straighten his collar, but in reality, his slender fingers lightly tapped his collar twice—a small gesture that Li Xianjing had inadvertently mentioned when they exchanged contact information privately last time.

Then, he spoke into the microphone, his voice deep and magnetic, with a hint of playfulness in his tone that only he could understand:

"Of course. After all... my greatest strength is keeping my word."

When he said the words "keeping one's word," Xiao Yan emphasized them, a mischievous smile flashing in his eyes.

Lee Hyun-kyung's heart skipped a beat.

She understood.

He was responding to that agreement.

A tingling sensation shot up from her spine to the top of her head. Lee Hyun-kyung felt her cheeks burning. She suppressed her shyness and panic, trying her best to maintain the dignified demeanor of a professional host.

"Ahem... It seems Xiao Yan already has a well-thought-out plan." Lee Hyun-kyung awkwardly brushed a stray hair behind her ear to hide her slightly reddened ears. "Then let's wish Xiao Yan a pleasant holiday."

Although the conversation between the two seemed perfectly normal, some astute "Leeuwenhoek" viewers at the scene, as well as seasoned viewers in the live stream, sensed something unusual.

Wait a minute, why do I feel like there's something off about the way these two are looking at each other?

[What's with that drooling look in his eyes? Is this really a serious interview?]

"Keeping promises"? What promises? Is there some secret agreement between them?

[Oh my god! My goddess is blushing! She actually blushed!]

[This kid...could he have already secretly...]

Although there's no evidence, I feel like I've been fed a mouthful of dog food (a Chinese slang term for witnessing public displays of affection)!

Lee Hyun-kyung didn't give the audience a chance to brainstorm, and immediately asked the last and most important question:

"As the LCK's number one seed, SKT is about to compete in the S7 World Championship held in China. This is also Xiao Yan's first time playing in his hometown. Facing equally strong LPL teams, such as RNG and EDG... What do you want to say to the LPL teams? Or, what are your goals for this World Championship?"

The moment this question was asked, the atmosphere became somewhat awkward.

After all, Xiao Yan's identity is too special.

He is Chinese, yet he wears the SKT jersey and dominates the LCK, even personally defeating countless Korean teams.

Now, he will represent the Korean region in the World Championship in China to compete against Chinese teams.

Moreover, he was an AD carry that the LPL didn't want.

Everyone held their breath, waiting for his answer.

Xiao Yan's smile gradually faded.

He held the microphone, his gaze seemingly piercing through the lens, looking towards the distant East, towards the LPL region that had once shut him out and treated him as an abandoned pawn.

"Target?"

Xiao Yan chuckled lightly, his tone casual, as if he were stating something perfectly natural:

"Apart from winning the championship, all other rankings are failures for me."

"As for the LPL teams..."

Xiao Yan paused, a cold glint flashing in his eyes, and said, word by word:

"I know many people are criticizing me, calling me a traitor, saying I came to South Korea to act as 'Chinese aid.' It's okay, you can keep criticizing me."

"But I want to tell all the LPL teams, and all the haters: polish the trophy and wait for me at the Bird's Nest."

"Because I will personally lift that trophy away at the Bird's Nest."

"Since LPL didn't want me in the first place, they should be prepared to be dominated by me."

As soon as he finished speaking, Xiao Yan shoved the microphone back into the stunned Li Xianjing's hands, turned around and waved, leaving the camera with a resolute and domineering back view, before striding towards his waiting teammates.

……

at the same time.

China, major domestic live streaming platforms.

When Xiao Yan uttered the words "Take the trophy away" and "Be under my rule," the entire live stream crashed.

The barrage of comments was like a terrifying black tsunami, instantly engulfing the entire screen, so dense that the image was completely obscured.