LPL History

Chapter 167 Baboon Enters Tiger's Den to Spread Ritual and Music; Twin Flowers Bloom to Prove Zen Mind

SKT's base was reduced to dust amidst the cheers of the audience.

As the screen locked, Lee Sang-hyeok stared at the gray screen, a feeling of loss and confusion instantly filling his heart.

He sat there for a long time, then looked up at EDG, who were celebrating their victory.

The man named Zhou Li was surrounded by the entire EDG team, enjoying the joy of winning the championship.

The live stream was filled with "666" and "Congratulations EDG," witnessing the birth of LPL's first world championship.

"3-0! EDG has secured a resounding victory! They crushed SKT, defeated the invincible Korean region, and lifted the 2013 League of Legends World Championship trophy with absolute dominance!!"

Amidst the host's enthusiastic congratulations, the entire EDG team walked to the center of the stage.

"Brother Zhou! Let's raise a glass!"

"Brother Zhou! You take it first!"

Hearing what everyone was saying, Zhou Li didn't intend to be polite and was about to raise the trophy when he was suddenly shocked.

"Holy shit! Where the hell is the trophy?!"

The viewers in the live stream were also shocked.

Until the director suddenly turned the camera around!
Someone was spotted standing on the perimeter.

It's UZI!

Holy crap! UZI won the trophy!

[This is hilarious! Everyone was being modest and letting Zhou Chu accept the trophy, but the little dog stole it and ran away!]

[Haha, Zhou Chu, you've finally met your match!]

This is our champion hunter, Mad Dog!

UZI is the champion!!

[It seems like EDG won't have Mad Dog next year.]

The host stepped forward to conduct an interview.

"Lion, you've won the World Championship. Can you tell us how you feel right now?"

Zhou Li tugged at his team uniform.

"Although EDG wasn't initially favored, thank you to Taobao for the discount they gave us when our club was facing financial difficulties. Thank you to Yili for helping every player build strong bones and improve their physique. Thank you to Li-Ning for the 'Anything is Possible' spirit that has provided our players with this invaluable support! Thank you Taobao, thank you Yili, thank you Li-Ning. Without them, there would be no EDG today!!!"

As Zhou Li finished his acceptance speech, the live stream chat exploded.

【? ? ? 】

[Dude, did you win the championship just to do some advertising?]

【Zhou Chu, you're really a virgin! Give me back the pure world of esports!】

To be honest, with Zhou Chu as a walking advertising machine, I bet all the major brands would be scrambling to throw money at EDG.

See that? That's the professionalism of a successful boss and a mature employee.

Okay, okay, I'll go buy Yili and Li-Ning on Taobao now.

How much did Li Ning give you? Hongxing Erke will give you double!

[Mengniu seconded this!]
-
Following EDG's victory in the S3 World Championship in Amerika, Tencent in China also began a major promotional campaign.

The video of Zhou Li holding the cup was featured on the homepage of the League of Legends client.

League of Legends has also started a week-long event with double gold and double experience in games.

And as long as you log in, you will receive an EDG team logo icon as a gift.

This caused the daily active users of League of Legends to increase several times over. In the top-ranked regions for both China Telecom and China Unicom, even during the daytime, the queue time was at least half an hour. During the peak hours after 6 pm, there were even absurd situations in Ionia where people had to queue until 3 am the next day to be able to enter the game.

Zhou Li's name was repeatedly circulated among the players.

EDG, which was once infamous for offending WE, has now transformed into a national-level esports club after winning the championship, truly deserving the title of "National Esports Club".

EDG Esports Club.

More than a month has passed since they won the championship.

The players also ended their long vacation a week ago and returned to the club to start training in preparation for the upcoming LPL Summer Split Finals.

Zhou Li was quite speechless about putting the Summer Finals after the World Championship, but this year is the first year of the LPL's establishment, so it's understandable that there are some loopholes in the event arrangement.

Zhou Li has been idle for the past month and has begun to enjoy life.

He had two friends from South Korea who accompanied him on his travels through China's beautiful landscapes.

One of them is Lee Hyun-kyung, a spider spirit skilled in drawing silk.

The other one is Zhao Enjing.

Speaking of Zhao Enjing, Zhou Li was somewhat speechless.

In fact, he didn't have many feelings for Zhao Enjing at first.

Most people remember Zhao Enjing because she was once Faker's goddess.

However, given Zhou Li's current abilities, he doesn't have much of a soft spot for Faker, and naturally, Faker's goddess doesn't hold any special appeal for him either.

In his eyes, Zhao Enjing was just a slightly prettier Korean woman.

Forget about goddesses.

That was his girlfriend, Zhou Li.

But was Zhou Li lustful?
Obviously not. He had long since transcended such lowbrow interests. In Zhou Li's heart, all he wanted was to unlock the Records of the Grand Historian and save the LPL.

Look at what our Eun-jung has provided for him.
Zhou Lang, holding the ceremonial robes, crossed the vast ocean and gathered two jade ornaments from Han Shang.

Snow-white sleeves tug at the clouds, a serene shadow; starry eyes hold the moon, a virtuous countenance.

Adorned in white cherry blossoms, she walks through the spring palace, her dance echoing through the night with the drums of the red lotus.

If you wish to ask what Qi Xiang intends to do, [the flowers bloom in pairs, their fragrance fading in the desolate air.]

[You conquered the two beauties of Goryeo, causing the flowers to bloom in pairs, and you gained the ability: Twin Blossoms.]

[Twin Blossoms: One more ability can be inherited next season.]

Have a look.

What is a good wife?
That's what you call a virtuous wife!

While others are still basking in their current glory, Eun-jung has already begun to consider her future.

Two days ago, Lee Hyun-kyung returned to South Korea.

She also needs to host StarCraft 2 tournaments.

Zhao Enjing refused to leave his side, so Zhou Li simply took her to the club.

Upon entering the training room, the entire EDG team was already present.

Chris, the Iron Lock Gatekeeper.

Tabe-chan, it really hits home.

Champion Hunter bathing dog.

A heartwarming postpartum nanny named Curly Hair.

Dream Chaser Mingkai Pig.

The eccentric little god in a suit.

And Lu Benwei, a lifelong carrier of Helicobacter pylori.

Upon seeing Zhou Li arrive, everyone greeted him warmly, especially calling Zhao Enjing "Sister-in-law."

Zhou Li clapped his hands and said:

"Alright, brothers, I have something important to announce today."

Upon hearing Zhou Li's words, everyone perked up their ears.

Zhou Li paused for a moment and looked at Lu Benwei.

"Let's congratulate Lu Benwei on becoming the first LPL player to be exported to South Korea!!"

The EDG players were all stunned.

Lu Benwei had naturally known the news for a long time and chuckled.

"Brothers, I, Lu Benwei, am going to South Korea to help Brother Zhou spread etiquette and knowledge."

Tabe picked up his phone and glanced at it.

"It's not April Fool's Day today, so why would South Korea want Lu Benwei?"

"Tabe, what the hell do you mean?!" Lu Benwei instantly flew into a rage. "You look down on me, don't you?!"

Shen Chao then spoke up:

Which team will Lu Benwei join?

Zhou Li smiled and said, "Awei is going to SKT."

He patted Lu Benwei on the shoulder and instructed him:

"When you get there, remember to make the most of your strengths. It doesn't matter if you achieve good results or not. EDG will always be your home. But you must remember to create some cultural pollution for them... I mean cultural export. This is a great deed."

Lu Benwei was moved to tears and nodded:
"Don't worry, Brother Zhou, there's absolutely no problem."

Mingkai looked at Zhou Li and asked curiously:

"Brother Zhou, Lu Benwei is gone, who's going to play mid lane for our team? Are you going to play?"

Zhou Li's performance in the mid-lane during the finals remains unforgettable.

If Zhou Li were to switch to the mid-lane position, and UZI were already in the AD carry position, it would actually be considered a strengthening move for the club.

Upon hearing Mingkai's words, Zhou Li waved his hand.

"I'm not playing. Brothers, I'm too old to play anymore. I probably won't be playing in the future. Just think of me as a good-for-nothing boss who's just loafing around and waiting to die."

Tabe looked at Zhou Li and said, "Brother Zhou, you haven't even turned nineteen yet, have you?"

“What can age represent? My heart has already weathered countless storms,” Zhou Li sighed, then continued, “But don’t worry, the club has already made personnel adjustments. Today, I’d like to introduce you to our EDG team’s new mid laner.”

Zhou Li turned around and called out towards the door.

"Sang-hyeok, come in."

Amidst the shocked gazes of the EDG members, Lee Sang-hyeok walked in from outside the door, looking somewhat shy.

He spotted Zhao Enjing standing next to Zhou Li at a glance, but then quickly looked away.

He deserves to die!
He dares to look at even the boss's women!
"what?!"

An unbelievable shout came from the EDG training room.

Lee Sang-hyeok's arrival was clearly a complete surprise to everyone.

Lu Benwei went to STK, and Lee Sang-hyeok came to EDG. Is this the right thing to do?

So you two are playing the exchange student game here?
"Hello."

Lee Sang-hyeok greeted them in broken Chinese, which he had just learned.

Lee Sang-hyeok's life has undoubtedly been miserable over the past month.

SKT was swept 3-0 by EDG at the World Championship and suffered massive online harassment in China.

The team even considered disbanding at one point.

Lee Sang-hyeok is considered by netizens to be the main culprit for SKT's loss.

He was solo killed by Zhou Li in the first game.

In the second game, Zhou Li went to fight one-on-one and was killed again, which directly led to SKT losing the game again.

This is also the issue that has been most criticized by South Korean netizens.

Lee Sang-hyeok's actions have led South Korean netizens to label him a traitor.

Because the impact was so severe, SKT's owner was furious and made it clear that he didn't want to see Lee Sang-hyeok in SKT anymore.

Behind SKT is the South Korean telecommunications company.

The higher-ups were furious. Even if Koma admired Lee Sang-hyeok, he couldn't protect him.

With two years remaining on his contract with SKT, Lee Sang-hyeok's fate is already clear.

He will be completely isolated and marginalized in SKT, losing any chance to play and being benched until his contract expires.

Because Lee Sang-hyeok had such a terrible reputation in South Korea, other teams were naturally unwilling to accept him.

Just as Lee Sang-hyeok stood at a crossroads in his life, hesitating whether to go back to school or go straight into the workforce, Joo-rye extended an olive branch to him.

Zhou Li paid SKT the penalty for the forced termination of the contract, and after friendly negotiations, he used Lu Benwei to offset part of the penalty.

SKT originally did not want Lu Benwei.

After all, esports is a pillar industry in South Korea, and the presence of a Chinese player in their SKT team is bound to cause controversy and arguments among netizens.

However, Zhou Li kept complaining about being broke, saying that the club had given all the prize money it won in the finals to the players, and they really couldn't afford to spend any more money.

What SKT didn't know was that Zhou Li had tens of millions of dollars in his several accounts, money from sponsors.

After Zhou Li's persuasive persuasion, SKT finally agreed to the deal.

After all, aside from being criticized by netizens, they've profited no matter how you look at it.

Lee Sang-hyeok has lost all value to SKT.

You can still make money from the penalty for breach of contract.

Meanwhile, because Lee Sang-hyeok is unable to play, SKT will have to either buy or train a new mid laner.

By bringing Lu Benwei directly from EDG, they've essentially made a profit.

Moreover, judging from his performance in the World Championship, Lu Benwei is absolutely capable of going toe-to-toe with Faker.

If the team achieves some success next season, it's not impossible for them to make another run for the championship.

And so, this somewhat unorthodox deal was struck.

However, Lu Benwei was unaware that Zhou Li had used the money as part of the breach of contract penalty to pay to SKT.

Zhou Li didn't say anything, and SKT naturally wouldn't either, since no one would be stupid enough to tell a new player, "Haha, you're someone your old team sent here to pay off a debt."

Therefore, throughout his future career, Lu Benwei always felt that he bore the heavy responsibility of promoting culture to South Korea.

Zhou Li pointed to his previous spot and said in Korean:

"Sang-hyeok, you can sit in my seat. From now on, you'll have a dedicated Chinese teacher to give you lessons every day. You can put other things aside for now, but you absolutely must study Chinese well. I'll check your Chinese level every month, and if you don't pass, you'll have to go back to the military."

EDG naturally cannot exempt Lee Sang-hyeok from South Korea's military service.

Even if Lee Sang-hyeok wins the championship for EDG, it won't work.

However, Lee Sang-hyeok could have spent a few years honing his skills at EDG, and then return to Korea once he achieved some success and was no longer boycotted by Korean netizens.

Zhou Li had discussed this matter openly with Li Xianghe on their very first meeting.

With his current experience, Lee Sang-hyeok obviously did not understand the meaning behind Zhou Li's actions. He simply assumed that Zhou Li truly appreciated him and had met a mentor, and was grateful to Zhou Li.

But in reality, Zhou Li was the one who profited the most from this deal.

He was well aware of Lee Sang-hyeok's abilities; it was only a matter of time before this man grew into a dazzling figure in the League of Legends community.

When the time comes, they'll just sell Lee Sang-hyeok to the LCK, and the small amount of breach of contract compensation they're paying for him now will be worthless.
He is not worried that letting Lee Sang-hyeok return to LCK would be like releasing a tiger back into the mountains.

If there were no tigers in the mountains, where would the classic story of Wu Song fighting the tiger come from?

To save the LPL, we don't need to let it dominate the market.

It also needs a strong competitor.

If LPL always wins, it won't just destroy LPL, but the entire League of Legends scene.

Competition generates buzz.

People in China are constantly chanting "Resist South Korea, resist South Korea!" The person who came up with this concept must be a great man.

If it weren't for the concept of "resisting South Korea," which consistently ignites public enthusiasm and attention, the LPL, in its current state, would have been completely finished long ago.

After settling the club's internal affairs, Zhou Li led all the club members to a villa in Shanghai that afternoon.

To celebrate EDG's championship victory and to better develop the LPL and the League of Legends project, Tencent organized a conference.

This meeting not only invited personnel from most of the LPL clubs, but also many League of Legends video creators with huge followings.

Only Zhou Li knew that 13 was practically the last glimmer of glory and the afterglow for League of Legends video creators.

Starting in 14, with the establishment of live streaming platforms such as Douyu TV and Zhanqi TV, YY Live was no longer the only dominant player.

As live streaming platforms begin vying for market share and dumping massive amounts of traffic, live streaming will become a new form of entertainment and a primary source of revenue for League of Legends, replacing traditional video production.

On his way to the event, Zhou Li also looked at the list of invited video creators.

I have to say, seeing these familiar names seems to evoke my earliest memories.

For most League of Legends players, in the early days before live streaming became so popular, the way they became familiar with and practiced a champion was through videos made by these video creators.

Ximen Swordswoman, founder of QAEA Nine-Headed QA One-Second Five-Slash.

Zhou Li clicked on his video and saw several large, bright characters.

Two hundred apprentices were accepted.

Zhou Li couldn't help but laugh while watching.

Although it seems ridiculous now, quite a few people actually went to Ximen to become his apprentices and learn his skills back then.

Legend has it that Ximen Jianji has three thousand disciples and is also known as the Confucius of e-sports.

After Fiora was reworked, Westgate disappeared from the scene.

Leng Xiaomo.

He was widely recognized online as the founder of Lightspeed Riven. Later, he became embroiled in a cheating scandal and eventually resorted to taking on apprentices, harvesting one last wave of followers before his career completely collapsed.

Xiao Mo.

The creator of the first series of videos for the Chinese server.

They select the top players of each hero in the national server to record videos. Compared to Ximen Leng and Xiao Mo, they are considered to be game streamers who have been around for a relatively long time.

Besides these, there are also Miss, Evefeya, 7M...

However, what Zhou Li cared about most was that man from Huludao.

You should know that until Zhou Li traveled through time, no one knew what that man looked like.

Although I don't know what the other person looks like, just thinking of his name makes me imagine a lewd voice.

"Hello everyone, I'm the handsome commentator who's loved by everyone, admired by flowers, and whose tires get blown out whenever he sees me..."

"Who else can get a piece of my shit on me!"

"Nothing tastes better than dumplings, nothing's more fun than your sister-in-law..."

"Miss! Miss!"

Upon arriving at the event, everyone present greeted Zhou Li with greetings of "President Zhou."

But Zhou Li was only thinking about resolving his long-standing doubts; he wanted to see just how much the other person resembled Nicky Wu.

"Where is Yang Fengzhi's competition?"

Miss pointed to the direction to the side and said:

"Oh, you mean Ash? He's over there!"

Zhou Li looked in the direction Miss was pointing.

[November 2, 2013. Met Xiaozhi today, hard to describe. Here are the photos, see for yourself.]

[Image, JPG.]

(End of this chapter)