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

"LPL Doesn't Want Me? I Joined SKT Instead!": The article has received rave reviews and overwhelming praise!

When Xiao Yan's words, "Polish the trophy a little brighter, and wait for me at the Bird's Nest," crossed the Yellow Sea and were transmitted back to mainland China via live broadcast, the entire online world felt as if it had experienced a nuclear explosion.

Those haters who had prepared their keyboards, intending to hurl insults at the "traitor" in the comments, found their fingers frozen in mid-air.

Because they discovered that their insults were instantly swallowed up by a larger, more fervent barrage of comments.

That was a celebration for SKT's Chinese fans.

As a three-time world champion, SKT has an unimaginably large fan base in China.

They worship the strong, they worship Faker, and now, SKT not only has Faker, but also an AD from China who is outrageously strong—Xiao Yan.

In the live stream, the previously chaotic atmosphere was instantly filled with golden comments:

[Awesome! That's what you call awesome! Those slackers in the LPL really need to wake up!]

[Holy crap, this is getting my blood pumping! Even though he's with SKT, his tenacity is a real source of pride for Chinese people!]

Three-peat! Three-peat! The SKT dynasty will never end!

[To be honest, this is the attitude esports should have! If you're bad, practice; if you lose, accept it; if you win, be awesome!]

See you at the Bird's Nest! Xiao Yan, bring Faker back another championship!

[Those trolls, give it a rest. He speaks with his abilities, while you speak with your keyboards?]

At this moment, Xiao Yan was no longer just a player who "left". In the eyes of countless fans who admired strength, he became the newest and most dazzling jewel in SKT's crown.

……

A highly private, upscale Korean beef restaurant in Gangnam District, Seoul.

This venue has been booked by SKT club.

The air was filled with the aroma of top-quality Korean beef grilling over charcoal, accompanied by the crisp sound of soju glasses clinking together, and the entire restaurant was filled with a joy and celebration of surviving a disaster.

"Cheers! To the championship! To SKT!"

With a shout from Supervisor Cui, everyone raised their glasses and drank heartily.

At the very center of the main table sat not Faker, nor the legendary coach KkOma, but the protagonist of the night—Xiao Yan.

SKT's senior management were taking turns toasting Xiao Yan.

Director Jin Shanzhong, who once slammed his fist on the table in the office and tried to put Xiao Yan on the sidelines, was now grinning from ear to ear, his face crinkling with smiles.

He personally used tongs to place a perfectly grilled, sizzling piece of top-quality Wagyu beef onto Xiao Yan's plate.

"Xiao Yan, eat more, eat more! You've worked hard these past few days!" Kim Sun-jung's tone was so warm and familiar, as if Xiao Yan were his own nephew. "Ah, I knew from the beginning that you had extraordinary talent and were destined for greatness! It seems my judgment was right!"

KkOma's lips twitched slightly as he refrained from exposing the fact that Director Jin had almost terminated Xiao Yan's contract.

Xiao Yan looked at the meat on the plate, a playful smile playing on his lips. He raised his wine glass and took a sip: "Director Jin, you're too kind. It's mainly because you 'dared to gamble'."

"Hahahaha! Yes, yes, yes! I'd bet!" Kim Sun-joong laughed to cover his embarrassment, then his eyes turned fiery. "Xiao Yan, about next year's contract... although it's a bit early to talk about this now, the club has already drafted a new proposal. Don't worry about the salary, it'll definitely be the top salary in the LCK! We can even... give you a share of the players' image rights!"

Upon hearing this, the surrounding managers nodded in agreement.

They're not stupid.

In esports, skill is the only true currency.

Xiao Yan is not only a master of manipulation, but his unique leadership qualities and huge potential in the Chinese market make him a veritable money tree.

More importantly, he saved SKT from a precarious summer split. Letting such a talent slip away to another team, or even return to the LPL, would be a disaster SKT couldn't afford.

In their hearts, Xiao Yan's status is almost on par with Faker's. Faker is a totem, a faith; while Xiao Yan is the sharp sword that protects the totem and expands the territory.

"Let's talk about the contract after the S-series tournament." Xiao Yan neither agreed nor refused directly; he was very good at this kind of back-and-forth.

Kim Sun-joong nodded repeatedly: "Okay, okay, the World Championship is important! The World Championship is important!"

After several rounds of drinks, the atmosphere became increasingly lively.

Fueled by alcohol, Kim Sun-jung leaned close to Xiao Yan's ear and whispered suggestively, "By the way, Xiao Yan, just now on stage... I noticed that the way that host, Lee Hyun-kyung, looked at you was quite unusual."

Xiao Yan raised an eyebrow, neither confirming nor denying.

"Hehe, SKT and OGN have a pretty good relationship," Kim Sun-joong said with a wink. "If you're interested, I can arrange it for you. Like tomorrow afternoon, how about a private coffee shop, afternoon tea, a chat about life...? If you agree, I'll have someone take care of it right away!"

In the South Korean esports scene, it's not uncommon for team management to "matchmake" for key players in order to retain them. Kim Sun-joong believes that even heroes can't resist the charms of a beautiful woman; if he can use Lee Hyun-kyung to win Xiao Yan's heart, then the contract renewal is halfway secured.

However, Xiao Yan put down his chopsticks.

He picked up a napkin and wiped his mouth, his eyes instantly becoming clear and sharp, as if the alcohol had never existed.

Xiao Yan's voice wasn't loud, but it still stunned Jin Shanzhong.

"You can drink coffee anytime, and you can fall in love anytime." Xiao Yan twirled the liquor glass in his hand, looking at the clear liquid inside, and said calmly, "But the S7 World Championship is being held in my hometown. That's where my dream began, and it's also the place I must conquer."

"I wasn't in the mood for coffee until I lifted that Summoner's Cup."

"I want to dedicate all my energy to the LPL."

After saying that, Xiao Yan drank the wine in his cup in one gulp.

Kim Sun-jung looked at the young man in front of him and his heart suddenly trembled.

He had assumed that Xiao Yan, being young and impetuous, would be preoccupied with beauty and flattery. He never expected the young man's ambition and self-discipline to reach such heights.

To win the championship, he rejected the invitations of beautiful women?

What is this? This is professionalism! This is the look of a champion!

"Good! Well said!" Jin Shanzhong patted Xiao Yan's shoulder excitedly, his eyes filled with even more admiration. "With your words of encouragement, I'm relieved! Just go ahead and fight. The club will take care of all the logistical support and public relations! I'll be the first to object to anyone who dares to interfere with your preparations!"

……

The celebration lasted until late at night.

It was already 2 a.m. when I got back to the base dormitory.

Xiao Yan took a shower, washing away the smell of barbecue and alcohol. He lay on the bed in loose pajamas, the Seoul night view outside the window still dazzling.

He picked up his phone from the bedside table.

An unread message was displayed on the screen, from an unnamed number, but the profile picture was an adorable Ragdoll cat.

That was the number he secretly slipped to Lee Hyun-kyung on a small note during the handshake and microphone exchange on stage.

Are you asleep? Congratulations on today's match, Mr. FMVP! ^_^

A simple sentence, followed by a cute emoticon.

Xiao Yan's lips curled up slightly as his fingers flew across the screen.

Not yet. The celebration party just ended. What's wrong? The LCK's goddess host isn't asleep either?

The other party replied almost instantly.

[I'm still removing my makeup. I wore heavy makeup today for the finals, it's such a hassle. By the way, what did you mean by "keeping your promises" on stage? ( )]

Xiao Yan smiled and replied:

[This refers to someone who promised to treat me to a meal but hasn't done so yet.]

"Oh dear! I never broke my promise! It's just... the schedule's been so hectic lately! Well... when you get back from China? If you win the championship, I'll treat you to the most expensive meal!"

[It's a deal. However, if I win the championship, just eating won't be enough.]

"So... what else do you want?"

We'll talk about it later. Go to bed early; staying up late is bad for your skin.

[Hmph, I know! Goodnight, Great Demon King!]

【Good night.】

Xiao Yan put down his phone and closed his eyes.

Although he rejected the management's "arrangement," it did not prevent him from maintaining contact with Lee Hyun-kyung.

……

Two days later.

SKT's official YouTube channel and various social media platforms released a video titled "The Voice of Victory: LCK Summer Finals Mic Check".

This is a tradition; after each final, the team's in-game voice chat is released so that fans can learn about the story behind the match.

Originally, everyone thought this was just a regular voice chat program. The content everyone expected was nothing more than: Faker calmly giving commands, Wolf loudly calling out positions, Huni yelling randomly, and the newcomer Xiao Yan following orders and unleashing a barrage of attacks.

After all, in the public's perception, Faker will always be the brains of SKT.

However, when the video reached the decisive team fight of the third game, the entire LCK, and even the League of Legends community worldwide, went wild.

In the video footage, SKT is facing a strong counterattack from LZ, and the situation was once very tense.

At that moment, Faker's voice came through the audio, carrying a hint of inquiry:

"Sang-hyeok (Faker): What do you say to this? Should we kite a bit? I can't see Kennen's position."

Logically, at this point, it should be the support Wolf or the jungler Peanut who makes the decision.

But the next second, a calm, decisive, and even commanding voice dominated the entire channel.

That was Xiao Yan's voice.

Xiao Yan: Stop pulling! Engage! Kennen is flanking, but I have Flash, he can't get in!

Xiao Yan: Huni, unleash your ultimate on the backline, ignore the front! Wolf, give me your shield, only give me your shield!

Xiao Yan: Sang-hyeok hyung, give us a little trick! Take a step forward and lure Keenan into the game!

In the voice chat, Faker didn't hesitate at all and immediately replied, "Okay."

Immediately afterwards, Faker's Cassiopeia deliberately made a positioning mistake in the video.

Xiao Yan: Here he comes! Kennen has entered the fray! Wolf transforms into a sheep! He's dead in seconds!

Xiao Yan: Nice! Kennen is dead! Forget Baron, let's go for the win! Trust me, we have enough damage! Let's go for the win!

Then came that stunning pentakill that shocked the entire audience.

Throughout the entire process, Xiao Yan spoke at an extremely fast pace, but his pronunciation was clear, and his logic was outrageously rigorous. He not only calculated his own damage but also the opponent's skill cooldowns, and even directed Faker to "initiate the team fight with his own body."

And Faker, the number one player in League of Legends, actually followed the newcomer's orders completely and willingly acted as bait!

At the end of the video, Xiao Yan makes a casual summary as he flattens the base:

Xiao Yan: See? I told you we could do it in one go. Time to go home, guys.

……

The release of this audio recording instantly sparked a public outcry.

The servers of the Korean Inven forum were almost overwhelmed by the traffic; posts were refreshing so fast they were barely visible.

[Holy crap! What did I just hear?! The commander is Xiao Yan?!]

[Holy crap! What did I just hear?! The commander is Xiao Yan?!]

[Oh my god! I always thought he was a mechanical genius, but it turns out he's a brainiac?!]

Even Faker listens to his commands? And he's even being sent to sell out? Just how high is this kid's status?

[This is insane! This is absolutely insane! A complete rookie is leading three world champions and a top-tier top laner? And he's leading them so perfectly?!]

"Kill them all in one go..." That line is so cool!

SKT has struck gold! This isn't just a rookie, he's a tactical mastermind in rookie's skin!

No wonder Faker has been playing so comfortably lately; it turns out he doesn't need to think about commands anymore, he can just focus on the mechanics!

[Terrifying... Absolutely terrifying. Skilled, intelligent, and incredibly arrogant... What kind of monster did the LPL just let slip away?!]

The coaching staff of each team held an emergency meeting overnight.

After watching the video, LZ's coach slumped into his chair, closed his laptop with a wry smile, and said, "We didn't lose unjustly... We thought we just needed to target Faker's commands, but we didn't expect SKT to have an even more ruthless strategist."

KT's coach looked grave: "This Xiao Yan is ten times more dangerous than we imagined. His overall game sense is top-notch, and he's even more aggressive and volatile than Faker."

At the SKT base.

Coach KkOma smiled with satisfaction as he watched the overwhelming waves of shock and praise online.

This is the effect he wanted.

Releasing this audio message is not only to showcase Xiao Yan's strength, but also to declare to the world:

The current SKT has evolved.

It is no longer Faker's team alone, but the ultimate battleship with "dual core drive".

Xiao Yan is like that newly installed, fully powered nuclear engine.

…………

Just as SKT was holding a celebration party and releasing voice messages.

The analysis rooms of various teams across the country were brightly lit.

EDG base.

Abu stared at Wolf's Rakan with Ardent Censer on the screen, and Xayah with explosive damage and insane healing, his face turning ashen.

"Have you figured it out yet?" Abu asked the data analyst next to him.

The analyst pushed up his glasses, his voice trembling: "I...I've figured it out. As long as the support builds this, the AD carry doesn't even need lifesteal items. They can just rush Infinity Edge and Statikk Shiv. The damage is incomprehensible!"

"This is practically a bug!"

Abu took a deep breath and slammed his laptop on the table: "Practice! Make Meiko start practicing right now! Lulu, Janna, Karma, Rakan! All the enchanter supports who can build Ardent Censer, practice them until you're sick of them! If you don't want SKT to treat you like a bot at Worlds, you'd better master this system!"

Every team received the same message: they had to build Ardent Censer and play enchanter supports.