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

Chapter 167 Is he really human?
The entire EDG team boarded the bus back to their base...

The excitement of the game had not yet completely faded, and most of the team members were wearing headphones and resting with their eyes closed.

Although Li Fan said simply in the interview that he just needed to do his best to play well.

However, winning the match was of great significance to everyone, as it directly secured them a spot in the global finals.

You can relax a lot mentally.

Unlike before, there's no need to worry about having to play in the qualifying rounds again to secure a spot in the World Championship if we lose.

This is like always getting perfect scores but ending up in a second-tier university on the college entrance exam...

Li Fan leaned against the window, habitually took out his phone, and casually scrolled through Weibo.

I mainly wanted to see how people should praise themselves.

When the somewhat absurd topic "#CanUnreal win the StarCraft championship#" came into view.

I was stunned for a moment.

"These people... they really dare to think that way," he muttered to himself, shaking his head.

StarCraft was a game he had never played before, because it was extremely difficult and he hadn't even considered it at the time.

But I still clicked on the topic and saw all sorts of photoshopped images, memes, and serious analyses of his potential, which made me both amused and gave me some food for thought.

StarCraft is hailed as a living fossil of esports. Its complex operation and extremely demanding multi-line management capabilities make it one of the most challenging esports games and a long-standing source of pain for countless Chinese esports players.

As those comments have pointed out, China's StarCraft project has indeed never truly reached the top on the world stage.

In the annual WCS World Championship series, South Korean players almost monopolize all the honors, while Chinese players don't even have the chance to participate.

This year's WCS Global Finals still didn't feature a single Chinese player.

"What if... we could actually win a championship?"

The thought popped into Li Fan's head at that moment, and he really couldn't control himself. If he could win this championship, how exaggerated would the influence be? How much benefit could he gain?
Because we clearly know how difficult this is.

This is different from fighting games. Although it also requires extremely high reaction and operation skills, it is more of a 1v1 instant battle.

StarCraft is a true strategic simulation that requires simultaneous consideration of economy, technology, military strength, reconnaissance, multi-front harassment, and so on. Its complexity increases exponentially.

This requires a huge investment of time to practice, understand, and develop muscle memory; it cannot be achieved overnight.

But I have plenty of reaction time and hand speed.

If I really put in the effort to practice, would I have a chance?

It's a real shame that China hasn't qualified for StarCraft or won a single championship in over a decade...

Six years later, Li Peinan won China's first StarCraft world championship.

It has even been described by the media as equivalent to the Chinese national football team winning the World Cup.

How incredibly valuable is this!

What if I actually achieve it?

The thought of "what if," and the idea of ​​becoming "China's StarCraft World Champion," quietly took root in his heart.

This is not just a testament to personal ability, but also a symbol—a symbol of breaking down barriers and making history.

Now that I've been reborn and have the Deep Blue skill point, I should try my best to see where the limits really are.

Do it!
I'll go back and start practicing, and then prepare for next year's WCS Global Finals.

After all, the preliminary rounds for each region have already concluded this year.

Do not……

Li Fan suddenly realized that there was still a chance.

There will be an unexpected event this year, and someone will withdraw from the competition.

This means we'll have to start selecting the participants for the competition all over again.

The replacement players are the top-ranked players from the European and North American ladders, excluding those who have already participated. They then compete in a match, and the winner then competes against the top-ranked player from the Korean league (excluding those who have already participated) for the last spot.

If I remember correctly, it started in mid-October.

Thinking about this, Li Fan became somewhat excited. If you calculate it this way, it's not like there's no chance! It's all about human effort; let's give it a shot!
The only problem is that the start time of this competition is not far removed from the start time of the World Championship...

After the match, I have to fly to Spain immediately, which will take a day longer. If the organizers allow me to come back and play again if I lose on the first day and fall into the loser's bracket, that would be fine, but I'm afraid they won't allow it.

But before that, let's think about climbing the ranks first. If we don't reach the top of the ladder, everything else is meaningless.

After thinking it all through, Li Fan closed his eyes to rest.

An hour later, the bus stopped at the base entrance. Instead of going back to the base immediately, everyone found a Chongqing hot pot restaurant nearby to celebrate and have a meal.

After all, securing a spot in the World Championship is a good thing and something to celebrate.

However, because the match ended relatively early, it was only 9:30 when we got back to the base after eating...

Back at the base, although it was still quite early, many players looked a little tired after the continuous high-intensity matches and the relaxation after the celebrations.

The coach didn't ask everyone to continue training tonight, so everyone else chose to go back to their dorms to rest.

Li Fan, of course, did not choose to do that, and went directly to the training room to start a live broadcast.

The moment the screen lit up, the live stream chat was flooded with comments.

【I'm coming! 】

[Is Brother Fan still broadcasting today? Doesn't he get a break?]

[Today's 3-0 victory was so awesome! Fan Ge is in such great form; he seems to have a very good chance of winning domestic competitions this year.]

[Hmm, that's quite interesting. Fan-ge's consistently excellent performance is something we should learn from.]

[Brother Fan, who do you think we'll face in the finals? Could you analyze which team, WE or RNG, has a better chance of winning?]

What's so fun about League of Legends? Why not play a couple more rounds of CrossFire? It's been ages since I've seen Fan Ge kiting zombies; let's do something more interesting.

"Yes, let's play CrossFire... Brother Fan, do you know what CrossFire tournament is coming up? There's a Brazilian team participating."

The live stream was instantly flooded with viewers, and the chat was filled with comments.

Li Fan did not respond to this and continued with his own actions.

What happened next stunned all the audience members.

Instead of launching games like CrossFire or PUBG, Li Fan immediately started downloading StarCraft.

【? ? ? 】

Downloading a new game to play StarCraft? Really?

What is this for?

Amidst a barrage of question marks in the comments, Li Fan clicked the download button.

When the StarCraft II: Legacy of the Void icon appeared on the screen, the entire live stream chat exploded.

Holy crap! They're really coming?!

[Did that trending topic come true? I thought back then that Brother Fan might do that?]

[Is Brother Fan going to invade the Koprulu Sector?!]

【No, are you serious?】

Looking at the screen full of amazed questions, Li Fan simply smiled and replied, "Just playing around, trying to clear my head."

You call this just playing around?

[Others change their mindset by playing a multiplayer online battle arena (ARAM) game, but you switched to a completely different game?!]

Wow, Fan is really fast at surfing the internet; he just saw this discussion on Weibo and he's already started.

[So cool! Help China win its first StarCraft world championship!]

The fact that China has not won a world championship in StarCraft is a regret for all players.

Although I say I don't care, have I really not cared after more than ten years?
nonexistent!

I just can't beat them...

The download progress bar is constantly rising, and the number of viewers in the live stream is also increasing, especially among the elderly.

They also came to see this young man, whom everyone called the all-around king.

Let's see if it's as exaggerated as they say.

During this time, Li Fan even had the leisure to glance at the live chat and replied, "I haven't played StarCraft before, but I'll give it a try. I still prefer to try new games."

This statement caused an uproar in the live stream.

A professional player who had never played StarCraft before was actually forced to try this notoriously difficult game the very night after the competition ended, all because of a joke circulating online.

At that moment, everyone realized that Li Fan was not joking.

When the game was finally installed, Li Fan entered "Unreal" as his ID without hesitation when creating his account.

The viewers in the live stream have gone from initial shock to anticipation.

Under the curious gaze of countless viewers, Li Fan clicked on the StarCraft beginner's tutorial.

The screen displayed basic information about the building and the organization, as well as operating instructions.

"Oh... we need to build supply depots to increase the population." Li Fan muttered to himself as he operated the SCV to build a base. His focused expression clearly indicated that he was a novice who had never played before.

[Haha, even Brother Fan has his day!]

[I could do that clumsy thing!]

[Even expert players have games they're not good at.]

Suddenly I feel like the gap between me and Fan Ge isn't so big anymore.

[You're overthinking it. Come back tomorrow and see if it's still the same. You can beat him up today, but tomorrow he could beat you up ten times over!]

When the tutorial level required him to command several marines to eliminate enemy units, Li Fan's skills were indeed a bit rusty.

After all, you have to look at each button and figure it out slowly, unlike League of Legends where you only need to use a few buttons.

Most of the keyboard is used, and then there's the mouse operation, which isn't simple at all.

The camera movement was not smooth enough, and it was easy for the troops to misclick when they were moving. One Marine even walked directly into the center of enemy fire due to an operational error.

[Help, this is hilarious!]

[Turns out even Fan Ge can be clumsy!]

So you've finally met your match. I really want to give you a piece of my mind...

[I suggest recording the screen; this is all embarrassing footage!]

The chat was instantly filled with a joyful atmosphere as fans watched this stern father figure who dominated in League of Legends and fighting games.

His behavior in StarCraft is such a stark contrast, it's incredibly fun.

Li Fan completely ignored the teasing comments in the live chat and started studying seriously: "The operation logic is quite different from MOBAs."

After completing the basic tutorial, I opened the ranked matchmaking without hesitation.

The system matched him with an opponent who was also in the beginner rank, based on his newbie status.

In the first game, Li Fan was randomly assigned to the Human race.

With his exceptional reaction speed, he gained a slight advantage in the initial, simple skirmishes.

However, as the battle progressed into the middle stage and required multi-front operations, they clearly began to become overwhelmed and disorganized.

"Wait, my mine hasn't even opened yet..." Before Li Fan could finish speaking, a surprise attack from his opponent broke through his defenses.

【GG!】

Welcome to StarCraft!

Have you felt the fear of being overwhelmed by multiple tasks?

【Oh my god! 】

Li Fan looked at the word "defeat" on the screen, but his mindset didn't change at all, because he had been prepared from the beginning.

If you want to improve your skill level quickly in StarCraft, it's impossible not to get crushed.

But that's what makes it interesting; otherwise, how could it be the most difficult game, with China not having a champion for over a decade?

If it were easy, there wouldn't have been a world champion for 23 years.

“Interesting,” he said softly, and then started the second match.

Over the next few hours, viewers in the live stream witnessed Li Fan's imprisonment journey in the interstellar ladder.

He loses more often than he wins, frequently suffering defeats due to operational errors or improper handling. But after each game, he quickly reviews the replay... and then starts the next one!

Isn't what Lao Pi Lao is best at just starting a game?
Although he's still not very good, I feel like he's improving.

[This learning speed is terrifying; it feels like I'll be proficient in just two days at most.]

[I bet he'll reach Diamond rank within a week. You guys who don't play StarCraft don't understand how terrifying it is that he reached that level of proficiency in a day. He's a natural at this... Maybe he should just switch to StarCraft.]

【No, you fans shouldn't be exaggerating like this, it's going too far...】

Didn't you notice? The APM in that last game was already 180, which puts him in the ranks of pretty high-level players. Tomorrow he'll definitely break 200!

The interaction in the live stream was very enthusiastic.

It wasn't until late at night that Li Fan finally ended his first interstellar experience, persuaded by his fans.

Before closing the game, he looked at the ranked points interface and smiled as he spoke to the viewers in the live stream.

"Let's continue tomorrow. StarCraft is quite interesting. I want to practice and see how far I can go."

At this moment, everyone realized that the absurd topic about the StarCraft champion might really be heading in an unexpected direction.

That night, the buzz on major gaming forums did not subside after Li Fan's broadcast ended; instead, it surged again.

On the StarCraft forum, a post titled "Rational discussion: I watched Unreal's livestream today, is this guy really a talent?" has been pushed to the front page.

This poster is very patient and has recorded Li Fan's entire learning process from scratch in detail.

"From 9:30 pm to 2 am, in four and a half hours, this person went from a newbie who didn't even know how to build a supply station to the Silver rank in the ladder."

What's most terrifying isn't his rank, but the speed at which he improves at a rate that's visible to the naked eye.

In the first game, I couldn't even figure out how to use the shortcut keys, but later I was able to use grouping and multi-line operations skillfully.

In the last few games, the APM stabilized above 180, and the operational rhythm and tactical ideas began to take shape.

Think back to how you used to play StarCraft! Compared to him, I feel like I've wasted the last few years of my career. Does anyone even think you can beat Unreal Engine these days?

It has to be said that StarCraft players are less aggressive, for a simple reason: in this game, if you say someone is bad, it's best if you're genuinely good yourself.

Moreover, over the years, they haven't achieved any good results globally. The entire Chinese region has become regionalized, and they haven't even qualified for the world championships...

Thinking about it carefully, it's really pitiful.

Under these circumstances, the discussion environment remained harmonious.

[I've played StarCraft for eight years, and I can say with certainty that this learning speed is not normal; it's exaggerated, it's insane!]

His defensive maneuvers in that final game of TVZ already showed signs of being played by a professional player; he handled the Mutalisk harassment with ease.

What's most terrifying is his mentality. He could stay focused even after being dominated for four hours, and he improved with every game. No wonder he can play any game well; it's all about his mentality.

In StarCraft, hard work only guarantees a minimum level; talent determines the maximum potential. I feel... we might really be witnessing the birth of a monster, someone who's going to help us win our first world championship.

However, there's not much of a chance this year; the spots have already been decided. I'll wait until next year... I'll definitely be there to cheer them on at next year's competition.

Such a harmonious discussion can only be found on StarCraft forums.

Discussions were even more heated on forums primarily focused on League of Legends.

Is this some kind of esports Michael Jordan switching to baseball?

To be honest, if he could truly master StarCraft, he would be unprecedented, but I don't think he can.

[Don't forget that they just won two championships in fighting games, not to mention their previous championships; their learning ability is absurd.]

Even more surprisingly, some professional players and streamers in the StarCraft community also shared their opinions on social media.

Popular StarCraft streamer Xiaose shared a clip from Li Fan's live stream on Weibo.

[@Unreal, bro, it's a shame you're not playing StarCraft. That last wave of Marines throwing Mutalisks took me three months to even barely master... If only you had been born ten years earlier.]

There were also many comments below, saying that you can't compare to a genius.

I can only envy this talent...

F91, a former StarCraft pro player and current esports commentator, put it even more directly.

[After watching the live stream recording, this person's hand speed and reaction time are top-notch. If they could receive systematic training, they might actually bring something different to Chinese StarCraft.]

[What? You're saying it's fast at only 180-something? Hehehe, he can reach 180-something on the first day, but look at him, he's already at 250 on the second day, and 300 on the third day...]

With so many professional players analyzing and agreeing with the discussion, even some casual players couldn't resist joining in.

During a break in training the next day, the factory manager was scrolling through the trending topics on his phone when he couldn't help but lean over to Li Fan and say in an exaggerated tone, "Seriously, bro? Your StarCraft hype has completely overshadowed today's RNG vs. WE semi-final?"

Li Fan was intently watching the first-person perspective replay of the interstellar game, and replied without looking up, "Really? I didn't notice."

"Stop pretending!" The factory manager grabbed Li Fan's shoulder and pointed at his phone screen. "Look, #UnrealStarCraftDebut# is all the things related to you in the top ten trending topics. The discussion about the RNG vs. WE match isn't even half as much as yours."

The other team members also gathered around.

Meiko said with a grin, "Brother Fan, you did a great job! After yesterday's match, the whole internet is talking about you playing StarCraft. People who don't know better might think you've switched careers."

Iboy looked at him with admiration: "Brother Fan, they say you can learn other people's tactics by watching a video once, is that true?"

The coach of Quick Star stood at the door of the training room, looking at Li Fan surrounded by his teammates, and shook his head helplessly.

As a coach, he naturally hopes that his players will focus on their primary responsibilities, but Li Fan's amazing talent across different fields makes it impossible to criticize him.

Because he can actually lead the team to victory, and if he can win, then he's a good player.

"Alright, alright, stop crowding around." Quick Star clapped his hands. "Let Li Fan focus on studying his StarCraft. You guys should train. We still have to review the RNG vs. WE match tomorrow."

The team members scattered in a panic. Before leaving, the factory manager winked at Li Fan and said, "Good luck! If you really win a StarCraft championship, you'll be the number one esports player in China!"

After the training room quieted down, Li Fan refocused his attention on the screen.

The next day, they studied and researched even more diligently.

Just as F91 predicted, Li Fan's progress was astonishingly rapid.

During the second day of the live stream, his APM stabilized at over 250, his operations became smoother, and his multi-tasking became increasingly proficient.

His ladder score skyrocketed like a rocket, climbing from Silver all the way to Gold, leaving all the viewers speechless.

This rate of progress is outrageous!

[Yesterday he was a newbie, today he can crush Gold players, his current strength is definitely Diamond.]

I've been playing StarCraft for thirteen years and I'm still stuck at Platinum.

What shocked veteran StarCraft players even more was that Li Fan began to demonstrate an amazing understanding of tactics.

He not only quickly mastered the mainstream tactics, but could even flexibly adjust his playstyle based on the opponent's race and opening moves...

Just as Li Fan was making great strides in the StarCraft ladder, another LPL semi-final also came to an end.

The highly anticipated match between RNG and WE was extremely intense, with both sides battling it out for five games.

Ultimately, thanks to Xiaohu's superhuman performance in the decisive game, RNG narrowly defeated WE 3-2, successfully advancing to the finals to face EDG.

In the fifth game, Xiaohu dealt a terrifying 98,000 damage with the plane, setting a new LPL record for the highest single-game damage.

This number not only astonished the commentators but also shocked all the viewers watching the game.

[Ninety-eight thousand! General Tiger!]

The plane is about to take off!

[The finals were exciting! Tiger Nine Wan versus Unreal Engine!]

After the match, hashtags such as #Xiaohu's 98,000 damage output# and #RNG advances to the finals# quickly became trending topics, but they were still overshadowed by the StarCraft-related entries about Li Fan.

Unfortunately, the popularity of the entire RNG team cannot compare to that of Li Fan. Under these circumstances, it's already a testament to the fans' efforts to get him trending on Weibo.

RNG fans are truly overjoyed and full of confidence in Xiaohu's performance.

If you maintain this form, you're sure to win the final!

General Tiger is back! This time, we must win the championship!

Miller's words are well said! Who dares to stand against me with sword drawn? Only my Tiger General!

[EDG, wait and see! We're going to get our revenge this time! We're going to take the number one seed!]

Amidst this enthusiastic atmosphere, the LPL Summer Split Finals matchup has been officially confirmed: EDG vs RNG, set to kick off on September 1st! That's next Friday, just six days away.

On one side is EDG, who have won sixteen consecutive games in the regular season and just swept IG, with mid laner Li Fan in hot form. On the other side is RNG, who advanced after a hard-fought five games, with mid laner Xiaohu delivering a historic performance.

The final match was already full of highlights even before it started.

As the final date approaches, Li Fan's livestreaming intensity has increased rather than decreased.

I spent the whole day immersed in StarCraft's ranked ladder.

He was just like a teenager addicted to the internet, obsessively grinding for points.

I've already reached the Diamond rank...

This put a lot of pressure on EDG fans watching the live stream.

Hey bro, still playing?
StarCraft can probably be put aside for now, right? The Summer Split Finals are coming up soon for the World Championship.

Shouldn't we start preparing for the upcoming World Championship?
No matter how well you played StarCraft, you're no longer qualified.

Since we can't participate in the upcoming world championships, we might as well relax. StarCraft really isn't very entertaining.

On the fifth day of the live stream, Li Fan faced a crucial match when he was matched with a Protoss player who was a Grandmaster.

The viewers in the live stream held their breath; this was Li Fan's first time facing such a high-level opponent.

The game started poorly, with the opponent's Prophet harassing him and causing him to lose many peasants.

In the mid-game, they faced fierce attacks from the Protoss during their period of strength.

But just when everyone thought they were going to lose, Li Fan displayed an astonishing performance.

Faced with the Protoss's first wave of attack, his Marines, as if each of them had gained consciousness, were in complete control of themselves.

Precise scattering, pulling, and concentrated fire allowed them to defuse this deadly attack despite being at a disadvantage.

After all, it's very easy for the Protoss to climb the ranks, which is their advantage...

At this moment, APM soared to 900, and the average APM remained stable at a high level of 547.

Holy crap! That was incredible!

Is this the kind of micro-management a human can do?

900 APM?! That's an average of over 500? Even professional gamers probably only reach this level.

In the end, Li Fan held on and took complete control of the game, winning the match.

The live stream chat exploded with excitement. Not only ordinary viewers, but even some professional StarCraft players lurking in the chat couldn't help but exclaim in amazement.

[I've been watching StarCraft for five years, and this is the most outrageous newbie I've ever seen.]

Going from zero to diamond level in five days—that's beyond talent; it's like being an alien.

Is he really an alien? "Cheat code" doesn't even begin to explain it...

September 1, Mercedes-Benz Arena, Shanghai.

The modern stadium, which can accommodate 18,000 spectators, gleamed in the afternoon sun.

Although there were still four hours before the start of the competition, the area outside the venue was already packed with people, with the queue stretching from the entrance all the way to the distant plaza.

"Go EDG! Go, Fan Ge!"

"RNG will win! Uzi, lift the trophy!"

"We're sure to see a fantastic match today!"

The cheers and shouts of encouragement from the fans rose and fell, making watching the game offline a thrilling and exciting experience.

Everywhere you look, support items gleam in the sunlight, with EDG's black and red team flags and RNG's gold team flags complementing each other.

Of course, the most attractive thing is the light sign that says "Yamato, the strict father," and you can't help but look at it whenever you pass by.

At the entrance of the venue, several fans dressed as game heroes were taking photos together.

A boy cosplaying as Yasuo excitedly told his companion, "I took a day off today and came all the way from Hangzhou just to watch Brother Fan's match!"

"Me too! I wonder if I'll come up with anything new for the competition."

"I really didn't know that Brother Fan has been practicing StarCraft all this time. What heroes from League of Legends would be suitable for the Terran race?"

"If I keep practicing through empty meditation, I feel like I'm going to develop body odor..."

"That's not the case..."

(End of this chapter)