Believe me, I really am a professional League of Legends player.

Chapter 161 The Fighting Cup Begins! The Spying on the Sidelines! (1 views)

Amid the cheers that had not yet completely subsided from the audience, the stage lights once again focused on the center position.

This time, standing next to the host Ren Dong is the still somewhat green iboy.

"Congratulations again to EDG for winning this crucial match today, and for tying their sixteen-game winning streak! We've invited EDG's ADC player iboy to the interview booth. Let him say hello to everyone!" Ren Dong handed over the microphone.

iboy took the microphone. Although he tried to appear calm, the slight upturn of his lips betrayed his excitement: "Hello everyone, I'm iboy, the ADC of EDG."

"Ahhhh——!"

"Hu Xianzhao! Awesome!"

"Well done, Xiao Zhao!"

The audience erupted in enthusiastic applause and cheers, giving tremendous support to this exceptionally talented newcomer.

After all, the super rookies who stood out after iboy's selection process last year still attract a lot of attention.

It's just that I wasn't old enough, which is why everyone has had to wait so long...

Moreover, they suddenly realized that EDG's roster had unknowingly become an all-Chinese team.

Holy crap, nobody really noticed this before.

This has led to a significant increase in fans.

After all, other clubs hire Korean players to be starters, while EDG's Korean players are all substitutes.

Ren Dong smiled and asked, "First of all, congratulations on your clean and decisive victory over WE today, achieving a remarkable sixteen-game winning streak. How do you feel right now? Is there anything you'd like to say to your fans who have always supported you?"

iboy's smile faded, and his expression turned serious: "We are really happy and excited to have achieved a sixteen-game winning streak. This is a very important milestone for our entire team."

After a pause, iboy continued, "But I think I owe my success today to my teammates, especially my support Meiko, and... Fan-ge."

When Li Fan was mentioned, his tone was filled with admiration: "To be honest, as a newcomer, I still have a lot to learn. In the game, as long as I follow the team's rhythm and do what I'm supposed to do, it feels easy to win."

Especially Fan Ge, who always manages to create a huge advantage in the mid lane, relieving a tremendous amount of pressure on our side lanes. I still have a lot to learn from him.

Xiao Zhao is so modest!

[Being arrogant is unacceptable. Unreal's mid laner is so amazing, he's always very humble in interviews. How can you, a bot laner who wins because of your mid lane, be arrogant?]

Indeed, with a mid laner like Unreal, the ADC's output environment is too good. If I were in that position, I'd be a champion.

[iboy played well too, dominating the bot lane in both games.]

[Hilarious! You all love taking on a championship, huh? Let's see if you can win the World Championship first.]

The chat room was flooded with comments from viewers.

Ren Dong nodded: "iboy is still very humble. But we also saw that in the two games today, whether it was the perfect performance of Yasuo in the first game or the roaming of Taliyah in the second game, Unreal played a crucial role. As his teammate, what is it like to play with him on the field?"

When asked about this, iboy said very seriously, "My feeling is... very reassuring, but also quite stressful."

"Oh? What do you mean?" Ren Dong asked cooperatively.

"I feel at ease because you know he can always find opportunities to carry the game, whether it's laning or team fights. As for the pressure..." iboy smiled, "It's that you have to play well and not drag the team down! Otherwise, it feels like you're letting down the mid laner who created this advantage."

"And look at him, he's doing so well in League of Legends, and then he goes on to participate in that Douyu fighting cup. He's so good at two games. If we, who only play one game, don't work harder, won't the gap between us be even bigger?"

The audience couldn't help but laugh when they heard this.

From this perspective, it makes perfect sense. Unreal Engine is so good at playing so many games, yet it's not good at playing just one game.

Haha, so true!

[But you're right, Unreal Engine is indeed insane.]

Ren Dong was also amused: "It seems that the Unreal players have also brought motivation to their teammates to work hard."

So, one last question: The regular season ended perfectly with one win and a sixteen-game winning streak. Now, with the playoffs approaching, what are the team's goals?

When asked about his goal, iboy took a deep breath.

"As for our goals, we'll definitely take it one step at a time. First, we'll focus on the playoffs. We'll prepare carefully for every opponent and strive for the best possible result. Our ultimate goal, without a doubt, is the same as what Clearlove and Fan said: the World Championship title! This year... we're very confident!"

Her clear voice carried the fearless spirit of a newborn calf, which elicited an even more enthusiastic response from the fans in the audience.

"Okay, thank you very much iboy for accepting our interview! And congratulations again to EDG! I hope they can continue their hot streak in the playoffs and steadily move towards their ultimate goal."

Amid applause, iboy waved and stepped down from the interview area.

Meanwhile, in the EDG lounge backstage, the team members had already begun packing up their peripherals in preparation for returning to the base.

As many predicted, when EDG cleanly defeated WE 2-0, achieving a sixteen-game winning streak and tying the league record, the news dominated the headlines of major esports media outlets.

Aside from the jubilation of EDG fans and the disappointment of WE fans, the overall esports community did not react that strongly.

The most popular posts on major forums were titled "No doubt about it! EDG easily defeats WE, ending their 16-game winning streak!"

EDG are the gods of the regular season! They've tied the record, who can stop them in the playoffs?

"On EDG's Dominance: From Spring Split to Summer Split, Have They Ever Lost?"

Clicking into the post, all the discussions there expressed the same viewpoint.

To be honest, I knew before the match that WE would have a hard time winning, but I didn't expect them to lose so decisively, not even making it to a third game.

WE is no match for LGD; LGD can even steal a game...

Watching EDG's matches now, it feels like they haven't even exerted their full strength before the opposing team falls.

The main problem is that Unreal Engine is simply too difficult to counter; their champion pool is bottomless. How can you possibly counter them? Even Faker can't beat them.

The question now isn't whether EDG can win, but rather who, besides LGD, can take a single point from them.

[Unless EDG makes a major mistake in the playoffs, I feel like the championship will still be theirs.]

This reaction precisely confirms the terrifying dominance that EDG has established this season.

Their strength has become a consensus among all viewers and opponents, so achieving a sixteen-game winning streak was not surprising at all, it was just a natural outcome.

However, another trending topic swept across the internet with even greater force.

Five days later, on August 21st, the Douyu Fighting Cup will officially begin!
Especially on the night EDG set a record, Li Fan, as the team's absolute core, brought together the popularity of these two different competitions.

On Weibo's trending topics, under the hashtag #EDGSixteenSixteenWins#, followed closely by #DouyuFightingCup# and #UnrealQualifyingMatch#.

The number of discussion posts about the Douyu Fighting Cup has increased dramatically across major gaming communities, forums, and online communities, with the core of the discussion revolving around Li Fan.

[The Douyu Fighting Cup starts tomorrow! Is Fan Ge really going to participate? With these five days plus the playoffs, he should have a week to prepare. Can't he just easily win the Summer Championship?]

[Rational discussion: How far can Unreal Engine go in Street Fighter V and Tekken 7?]

Looking at the participant list, Street Fighter V has Daigo Umehara, Tokido, and Kid, while Tekken 7 has Knee and JDCR. This lineup is amazing!

[I feel that in the Street Fighter V event, Fan has the foundation of a Brazilian regional champion, so he has a chance to reach the semi-finals. As for Tekken 7... getting out of the group stage would be considered a success?]

Don't forget Fan Ge's learning ability! How long has he been practicing these games?

Fighting games are different; they require a lot of practical experience and muscle memory, not just quick reflexes.

[I don't care, I just want to see Fan beat up those Japanese and Korean bastards! Make LPL players proud!]

The atmosphere in Douyu's operations office was completely different from the tension they felt while waiting for Li Fan to register. Instead, it was filled with an exhilarating excitement.

"The data is still rising! We've taken a huge chunk of the League of Legends playoff buzz!!" The employee in charge of data monitoring said, his voice trembling.

In the past, after such crucial regular season games, the focus would shift to discussing the upcoming playoffs and anticipating the performance of the playoff teams. However, this has now successfully diverted some of that attention.

The operations manager, beaming with delight as he watched the ever-increasing search volume and discussion on the backend, exclaimed: "Quick, tell the marketing team to step up their efforts! Push it across all channels like crazy, with the core keywords being Unreal, crossover challenge, and dual projects!"

These keywords are sure to generate buzz.

"understand!"

At the command, Douyu's staff began to get to work.

Major gaming portals and apps quickly replaced their splash screen ads and homepage banners with the latest promotional image for the Douyu Fighting Cup.

On this meticulously designed poster, Li Fan's official portrait is placed in the most prominent center position, flanked by promotional images for Overlord 5 and Tekken 7 on his left and right sides, respectively.

The background features silhouettes of top international fighters such as Daigo Umehara, Tokido, and Knee, creating a powerful visual impact of one person facing off against a group of heroes.

Many people who saw this promotional image immediately thought of Li Fan's identity as a League of Legends player.

In this way, Douyu's promotional image is flawless and perfectly accurate.

On short video platforms, countless short videos tagged with Unreal Fighting Cup began to spread.

The video was edited together from footage of Li Fan practicing diligently during a live stream.

Shocking! LPL's top mid-laner is going to challenge the world fighting game champion?!

In-depth analysis: How strong are Unreal Engine's fighting games?

Below these videos, the online trolls hired by Douyu and the spontaneously attracted viewers argued fiercely, and the popularity continued to soar.

At the same time, a large number of analysis posts and discussion posts suddenly appeared on major e-sports forums and online communities.

These posts are skillfully written, seemingly offering objective analysis, but in reality, they subtly guide the conversation toward Li Fan.

Because everyone knows that Li Fan is the only one who gets attention; as for others... even if you mention them, nobody will recognize them.

[Rational discussion: Will Unreal's participation in the Douyu Fighting Cup affect his professional League of Legends performance?]

From the Brazilian regional championship to the Douyu Cup, a brief analysis of Unreal Engine's Street Fighter V performance level.

If Unreal Engine manages to pull off an upset in the Tekken 7 event, would that be considered a complete talent advantage?

Putting aside fan bias, how far do you think Unreal Engine can go with its dual-pronged approach?

These articles often receive over a thousand replies quickly.

Supporters believe that Li Fan is exceptionally talented and that creating miracles is not impossible.

Skeptics argue that fighting games require years of accumulation and cannot be achieved in a short period.

The two sides argued endlessly, and the comments under each post easily exceeded ten thousand...

Douyu even thoughtfully created detailed viewing guides and match schedules, which were distributed across various channels.

The guide not only indicates the match time for Li Fan, but also introduces the historical records and strengths of fighting legends such as Daigo, Tokido, Xiaohai Zeng Zhuojun, and Knee, highlighting the enormous difficulties Li Fan faces as a challenger.

This combination of tactics had an immediate and noticeable effect.

Many players who originally only followed League of Legends became interested in this fighting game because of Li Fan.

While some core players in the fighting game community feel uncomfortable with this intrusion of traffic, they have to admit that the Douyu Fighting Cup has gained unprecedented attention outside its core community due to Li Fan's participation.

Douyu's overwhelming publicity has created ripples that have spread to the hearts of every contestant.

For most professional fighters, such a high level of attention is something they never imagined before.

The generous prize money, coupled with the massive traffic, made everyone realize that this was not just a competition, but a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to break out of the mainstream!

If we can win the championship, we will definitely gain both fame and fortune!

Everyone must consider whether this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Once you miss it, will you ever have another chance?
Zeng Zhuojun, a prominent figure in the domestic fighting scene, was equally excited as he watched the explosive popularity online.

He rubbed his hands together, his eyes gleaming with fighting spirit: "This is a fantastic opportunity! I have to seize it! I want to let more people see the charm of our fighting games and take my career to the next level!"

He knew very well that to reap the greatest benefits from the traffic boom, he had to go further in the competition, and if he could defeat Unreal, the core player in terms of traffic, the best outcome would undoubtedly be...

However, he doesn't have the same dominance in Street Fighter-style games as King of Fighters; he can only do his best to see how far he can go.

However, a small number of people do not share this mindset.

On a promotional poster in the corner, a contestant's official photo with the ID "Ding Chunqiu" was placed in an inconspicuous position.

Looking at the promotional image where Li Fan was in the center and he was marginalized, he felt as if a huge stone was lodged in his chest, and a surge of jealousy and resentment was about to burst through his chest.

I am a former League of Legends pro player who transitioned into a fighting game streamer.

He believes he has put in tremendous effort for fighting games, giving up his professional career in League of Legends to focus on honing his skills. Now he is quite well-known in the fighting game community and has become a top-tier fighting game streamer.

Even so, the attention and resources he received were worlds apart from those of Li Fan, who was still playing League of Legends professionally and only participating in fighting games as a hobby!

"Why?!" he roared silently in his heart, his fists clenching involuntarily. "I've trained so hard for so long and played so many matches to get this much of a result! Why does Li Fan deserve this? Just because he's good at League of Legends? A newcomer to the fighting game scene, winning a regional championship in a place like Brazil, what right does he have to be in the center position? Why is all the attention and hype focused on him?!"

I disagree! I absolutely disagree!
In his view, Li Fan is a greedy person who uses his own traffic to constantly devour the traffic of other streamers.

Fighting games require years of hard work and combat experience; you can't easily reach the top just by relying on a little reaction speed and gaming talent.

Li Fan's participation in two events was seen by him as nothing more than an act of arrogance and ignorance.

"Just you wait..." Ding Chunqiu stared at Li Fan's calm face on the poster with a sinister look in his eyes. "We'll see who's truly worth paying attention to on the field. I'll prove with my strength who's the real deal! I'll expose your true colors on the ring!"

He channeled all his jealousy and resentment into motivation for training.

He not only wants to win, but also wants to defeat Li Fan decisively in any possible showdown, so that everyone can see who is the more worthy fighting star to support!
So... you'd better make it to the next round properly, or you'll be eliminated before you even get to meet me.

Then I would be truly disappointed! Your traffic can only be lost to me.

At that moment, Ding Chunqiu's eyes glowed red.

Li Fan sat in the training room at the EDG base and opened the Street Fighter V group and first round match schedule released by Douyu.

His gaze quickly locked onto his ID, Unreal.

And next to his name was Jiewa.

“The first round is Jeva…” Li Fan murmured softly, but the corners of his mouth turned up slightly.

At this moment, the chat in his live stream room had already exploded with excitement because of this matchup list.

[Holy crap! They're facing Jeva in the first round? That's a really bad draw!]

[Jeva is really strong! She's one of the top Karin envoys in the country, and Fan-ge is facing a tough battle right from the start!]

Although it's a double-elimination format, being placed in the loser's bracket in the first round will put a lot of pressure on them later on.

Oh no, am I going to be eliminated in the first round? That would be terrible...

Was there really no shady dealing involved in Douyu's lottery draw? It feels like they were specifically targeting Fan Ge.

[Actually, it's not so bad. Look at the other groups: Daigo Umehara, Tokido, Kid...aren't they all monsters? Jeva is considered strong domestically, but in the context of the entire competition, it's not really the toughest draw.]

Daigo Umehara... is a legendary figure hailed as a god in the world of fighting games.

His career spanned decades, and his influence has long surpassed that of the Street Fighter game itself.

He's the man who created the 17-hit combo of blocking Chun-Li's Phoenix Wing Fan back in 04. He still won the CEO championship in 16, and he's still among the top players now.

Fighting a player like that is definitely not as good as fighting Jeva.

So far, only one person from China has been able to gain a foothold on the world stage, and that is Xiaohai. However, even Xiaohai can only rank around tenth in various competitions, while others are still far behind.

That's why everyone thinks Li Fan is a lucky sign.

In comparison, although Jeva is a top player in China, she is indeed one of the easier opponents to deal with in this lineup.

Even if Douyu wanted to promote Li Fan, it couldn't make it too obvious in front of everyone.

Indeed, none of the thirty-two contestants were easy targets; drawing Jeva was already considered quite lucky.

However, Li Fan's focus was not on whether the fortune was good or bad.

If you want to win the championship, you can't just beat the weak; you have to defeat all the opponents in front of you!
Even a legendary champion with over a decade of experience can still have a chance if they believe that it's not over until the very last moment.

Li Fan's gaze swept over one after another of the resounding IDs... Tokido, Daigo Umehara, Punk, Fuudo... His heart pounded uncontrollably, not from nervousness, but from excitement!

"Tokido...the number one Street Fighter?" Li Fan stared at the ID with burning eyes. "Interesting, very interesting!"

In a completely new realm, facing another group of powerful individuals standing at the pinnacle of the world...

What he needs right now is a high-level opponent like this to test his results and force him to push his limits!

Earn more learning points and free attribute points.

"Jeva, this is a good start, a significant test." He turned off the match schedule, ignoring the worried or pessimistic comments in the live stream, and went straight into Street Fighter V training mode.

On the screen, he chose Long and assumed the starting stance.

“Come on.” Li Fan gripped the controller tightly. “Let me see just how strong the top Street Fighter players in this world really are.”

Time flew by amidst everyone's anticipation, and August 21st arrived in the blink of an eye.

In these five days, all the remaining matches of the LPL Summer Split regular season have concluded, and the eight teams for the playoffs have all been determined.

Group A: EDG, RNG, IG, Snake
Group B: WE, OMG, NB, SNG
The e-commerce team SNG made it to the playoffs in their first promotion to the LPL, making them a dark horse and sparking some discussion.

But this level of buzz pales in comparison to the upcoming Douyu Fighting Cup.

All eyes were on the Shanghai Hongqiao Tiandi Performing Arts Center!
This venue, formerly a League of Legends competition venue, is now hosting a fighting game that is not League of Legends, but Street Fighter V, a brutal and psychologically intense fighting match!

The group stage officially started at 9:00 AM.

The venue, which can accommodate nearly a thousand people, was packed to capacity, and the atmosphere was lively!
However, the deafening cheers contained content that was completely different from traditional combat sports events.

"Go Unreal!

"Brother Fan! You're awesome!"

"EDG is awesome!" Some people even shouted the name of the League of Legends club.

When Li Fan appeared at the entrance to the players' passage, the entire venue instantly erupted in cheers!

The screams and shouts were so loud they almost lifted the roof off the stadium.

Many audience members held up signs that read "Unreal," their faces beaming with excitement at seeing their idols.

This contrasts sharply with the polite and restrained applause from fans when previous fighting legends entered the arena.

Holy crap! This scene! Anyone who didn't know better would think it was the LPL World Championship finals!

[They're all here to see Brother Fan! What a spectacle!]

[When has the fighting game community ever seen this kind of popularity? Unreal Engine is awesome!]

Haha, look how dumbfounded those foreign players are!

[Tokido: Who is this person? So popular? Rookie of the Year?]

The live stream was incredibly popular.

The number of viewers in Douyu's official esports live stream skyrocketed, easily surpassing 150,000 and showing no signs of stopping, heading straight for 200,000!

At Douyu's back-end operations center, staff members were so excited watching the numbers keep increasing that they were practically dancing with joy.

"Two hundred thousand! It's broken two hundred thousand! And it's still rising!"

"This number of online players in a fighting game competition is unprecedented! Absolutely unprecedented!"

"All the advertising investment was worth it! Unreal is our god of traffic!"

The live stream chat was completely flooded with comments; without filtering them, it was impossible to see any of the match content.

[It's here! A great start!]

[Charge, Fan! Beat up Jiewa!]

[Jeva is one of the top players in China, he's tough to beat, Fan Ge, stay strong!]

[Just wondering, who's that handsome guy? He's so good-looking! Does anyone know?]

This terrifying traffic left the other contestants in the preparation area with mixed feelings.

Seeing this, the young Zeng Zhuojun gave a wry smile, feeling even more pressure: "I have to do well! I can't let so many new viewers down!"

As Ding Chunqiu watched Li Fan being chased by countless cameras and eyes, and listened to the crowd chanting "Unreal," his hands clenched tightly, his nails almost digging into his flesh.

The piercing cheers felt like needles pricking his heart.

"Just wait... wait until you lose, then let's see if these cheers will still be there!" He could only think viciously to himself.

Despite the overwhelming support, Li Fan, the person involved, remained remarkably calm.

He simply waved towards the stands and walked straight to his camera position.

The commentators also heightened the atmosphere: "Wow! We can see that Unreal's popularity is really high! He is definitely the most popular player today. So how will he perform in the first round against the strong domestic opponent, Jeva? Let's wait and see!"

The matchups for Group A in the first round were displayed on the big screen:

Unreal (隆) VS Jiewa (卡琳)
Perhaps due to it being the first game, both players were unusually cautious in the early stages.

Jeva, controlling Karin, primarily utilizes her long arms and legs and swift dashes, constantly probing and harassing Kaguya from mid-range using her mid-range stance and special moves.

The purpose was to find out Li Fan's habits.

Li Fan opted for a steady and methodical approach, primarily using the Hadouken (Wave Punch) to control the opponent, combined with precise parries and occasional powerful front punches, resulting in flawless reactions.

For the first thirty seconds, the health of both sides remained almost unchanged, making the scene somewhat dull.

Both sides are so evenly matched!

[It feels like they're all testing the waters, hesitant to make a move.]

[Jeva's Karin is so agile, and Fan's Hadouken is also very well executed.]

[I'm so anxious! Let's fight!]

"We can see that both sides were very cautious at the start. Unreal's Ryu didn't rush and handled it very skillfully. Java's Karin was also patiently looking for opportunities. Once Karin finds a breakthrough, her burst potential is very high..."

Before the words were even finished, the situation on the field suddenly changed!
Seizing the slight opening in Li Fan's Hadouken recovery, Karin instantly used a forward dash followed by the special move Hades Fist to close the distance. At the same time, she delivered a center punch to the center of the dragon. After confirming the hit, her fingers danced rapidly across the joystick and buttons!
Light punch start → Special move: No-foot kick → V trigger cancel → Dash → Crimson Lotus Fist - Strong!

A flashy and powerful combo was unleashed in an instant, and Ryu's health visibly dropped!
"Oh!!! Jeva struck first! Activating V to trigger a combo, a beautiful combination punch gave her the advantage!"

The longtime MMA fans who supported Jeva at the scene erupted in cheers.

After succeeding, Jeva's offensive intensified. Karin, like a butterfly flitting among flowers, used her agile movements and a variety of mid-range techniques and command throws to exert pressure and try to expand her gains.

Li Fan's Long was forced into a corner, his health was down by nearly a third, and the situation looked precarious.

See? I told you there's a difference between being a professional and just dabbling.

[Jeva is still amazing; his mastery of this combo is off the charts.]

[Oh no, are we going to be wiped out in one fell swoop?]

[Don't worry, Brother Fan is still blocking!!!]

Just when everyone thought Li Fan was about to be defeated, he remained unusually calm in the corner.

Watch for the moment when Jeva Karin unleashes a normal attack that involves a forward movement.

"Block!"

Karin's attack was firmly blocked.

Almost the same frame as the successful parry.

Long's body erupted with powerful energy, and he unleashed a domineering whirlwind kick!
"Guluye—!"

Jeva clearly hadn't expected that, in such a passive situation, her opponent could block so precisely and immediately counterattack with a whirlwind kick that granted invincibility. Karin was hit solidly, and her offensive was instantly interrupted.

However, this was only the beginning of the counterattack!
After the whirlwind kick landed, Ryu quickly closed in.

Start with a heavy punch → cancel EX Hadouken → V triggers the Electric Blade effect → dash forward → heavy Shoryuken!

"Yo-gei!"

Long roared and leaped into the air, his scorching fist slamming Karin into the air before she crashed back down!
A standard and high-damage combo at the edge of the screen instantly turned the tide of the battle, even giving them a slight lead!
"Wow!! A counterattack! The Unreal player pulled off a spectacular counterattack with his health at rock bottom! That block was crucial! Activating V to trigger the enhanced combo followed by a merciless attack! The situation was instantly reversed!"

"boom!!!"

The entire venue erupted in cheers!
The previously suppressed cheers erupted like a volcanic eruption!
Holy crap! Awesome!

[That block! I cried!]

[That was a lightning-fast reaction! After blocking, he immediately followed up with a spinning kick to confirm the combo?]

[Fan Ge is awesome!!]

[Hatemakers, speak up! Who says my brother Fan isn't good enough?]

This brilliant counter-attack disrupted Jeva's rhythm.

Both sides are low on health, and any mistake could ruin the entire game.

Jeva's Karin twitched slightly on the other side of the screen, searching for one last chance.

Suddenly, he charged forward again, combining his charge with the Hades Fist!
But this time, Li Fan seemed to have anticipated his actions, and almost the instant Karin charged forward, he delivered a powerful, preemptive punch!

boom!
Karin's charge was abruptly halted halfway by this precise, powerful punch!

Jeva was startled!
The moment the powerful punch landed, Li Fan's movements were lightning fast.

Heavy punch → Cancel EX Hadouken!
Long thrust out with both palms, and a huge, spinning energy wave tore through the air and engulfed the stunned Karin!
"Won!"

On the screen, Karin's health bar was instantly emptied by the massive damage of the EX Hadouken, and the scene froze as the character screamed in defeat.

"KO—!"

A huge victory sign appeared at the top of Li Fan's screen!
"We won! Unreal has secured the victory in the first game!" the commentator announced loudly. "Despite a poor start, he turned the tide with a classic parry and counter-attack, and finished the game off with a precise confirmation at the last moment!"

The entire audience erupted in applause, interspersed with the excited screams of countless fans.

Li Fan let out a soft breath and put down the handle.

We won the first game.

But this is just the beginning.

Jeva's strength should not be underestimated, and he will definitely make adjustments in the next game.

Jeva stared blankly at the screen of the defeated character for a second.

I... I actually lost the first game?

Before the match, although he knew that Li Fan had a certain level of skill, he still believed deep down that he was the more experienced and professional one.

His early advantage made him feel like he had the rhythm completely under control.

But the block in the corner was like a bucket of cold water, instantly extinguishing his offensive and disrupting his composure.

"Hoo...inhale..." Jeva took a deep breath, then slowly exhaled, took off her headphones, rubbed her throbbing temples, and forced herself to calm down.

"We can't rush, we can't panic. Although his Long is very decisive in defense and counterattack, he must still have weaknesses. We need to change our strategy in the next game."

Jeva decided to reduce his long-range dashes that were easily blocked and countered, and instead strengthen his close-range pressure, especially by using Karin's instructions to throw "Shiranui" to disrupt Li Fan's defensive rhythm.

The second round begins.

This time, Jeva's Karin changed her tentative style from the first game and showed a strong aggressiveness from the start.

No longer giving Li Fan space to restrain her with his wave punches, Karin used her agile footwork to press forward and look for opportunities to get close.

Once they entered close to mid-range, Jeva immediately unleashed a storm of suppression.

His stance, combined with punches and light kicks, created a continuous frame advantage, while he began to frequently mix Karin's command throw "Shiranui" with striking techniques.

This kind of blow put Li Fan under tremendous pressure.

The guess is that the strike might be thrown, and the defense might be hit by a mid-range technique.

This is a very upsetting point.

In a short time, Long's blood volume was being gradually eroded.

[Jeva recovered so quickly! The situation seems to be getting worse.]

[This oppressive force is almost suffocating!]

[Commands are so annoying, Fan-ge, stay calm!]

[It wasn't that simple after all; Jewa is still Jewa, he's got the skills.]

[You didn't actually think Unreal Engine was that good just because I gave them a handicap in the first game, did you? It was all because of Li Fan's popularity. Now it's time to get serious.]

[Hilarious! Every time you lose, you say "let's let each other win"? Are you haters that much? This isn't a League of Legends tournament.]

It doesn't matter anymore. This isn't League of Legends. Even if we don't win, it's okay. We just need to focus on the playoffs.

[So you don't care anymore?]

"Jeva clearly changed his tactics in the second game, increasing his close-range pressure and use of command throws, which made Unreal's Ryu very uncomfortable. He had to be highly vigilant at all times and make two-choice decisions, which put him under a lot of pressure!"

Faced with Jeva's sudden increase in suppression intensity, Li Fan frowned.

However, my mindset hasn't changed much.

He noted that Jeva tended to use command throws when he had an advantage in certain distances and frame rates.

Jeva's Karin once again closed in, and after landing a light kick, she instinctively lunged forward to execute the command throw "Shiranui".

The moment Karin lunged forward, Li Fan anticipated her intention and unhesitatingly unleashed the EX Rising Dragon Fist, which was invincible against throws!
"Yo-gei—!"

Enveloped in scorching energy, Long soared into the sky, not only completely evading Jeva's command throw but also sending Karin flying!
Taking advantage of the situation, Li Fan accumulated energy, and his EX gauge quickly returned to full.

"Beautiful! EX Shoryuken! The Unreal player precisely countered Jeva's command throw and even replenished his energy!" the commentator shouted excitedly.

The entire audience erupted in enthusiastic cheers!

This successful response greatly dampened Jeva's offensive momentum.

The match has once again entered a critical stage, with both sides' health remaining very close.

With time running out, Jeva became somewhat impatient and made a small mistake when trying to cancel his V skill to apply pressure.

Ryuichi landed a precise, powerful punch on Karin as she finished her move!
Hit confirmed!

Li Fan did not hesitate at all.

Stand with a heavy punch → cancel the heavy rising dragon punch → CA's super special move "Vacuum Wave Fist"!
Jeva's Karin had nowhere to hide and was completely engulfed by the devastating energy wave!
"KO—!!"

"They won! Two to zero! Unreal's player swept the formidable Jeva in straight sets, advancing to the next round!"

"From the parry and counter-attack in the first game, to withstanding the pressure in the second game, accurately cracking the command throw, and finally ending the game with a gorgeous CA combo!"

"The Unreal player showed us that he not only has top-notch reaction and skills, but also a strong mentality and the ability to adapt to changing situations!"

"Unreal! Unreal! Unreal!"

The scene completely transformed into a sea of ​​joy, filled with applause, cheers, and shouts...

Li Fan put down the controller, waved to the audience who supported him, then stood up, walked to the center of the stage, and shook hands with Jeva, who had also stood up.

Although Jeva couldn't hide his disappointment, he maintained his composure and whispered, "Well done," as he shook hands with Li Fan.

"Thank you," Li Fan replied politely, avoiding any comments like "You're very strong too" which would sound sarcastic to someone he didn't know well.

Especially considering his own identity, he is a professional League of Legends player, not a Street Fighter player.

So it's best to say less...

Watching Li Fan receive cheers from the audience under the spotlight, Ding Chunqiu's face was extremely gloomy in the contestant area.

"Useless!" he cursed inwardly.

Originally, everyone was hoping that Jeva would defeat Li Fan and let him taste the bitterness of defeat, but unexpectedly, Li Fan won cleanly and decisively with a score of 2-0, winning even more applause.

However, this is for the best... Ding Chunqiu stared at Li Fan's figure, a ruthless glint in his eyes.

Let your cheers be even louder.

That way, it will feel even better when I trample you under my feet!

Your traffic and your attention will ultimately become my stepping stones!

(End of this chapter)