Chapter 29: The Number One Tryndamere on the Korean Server: "My skills were inferior; I concede the loss."

The master-tier promotion series was completed without a hitch. As the match concluded, the bright red "Victory" banner popped up on the game screen.

Lu Zi'ang’s livestream had already reached 15 million in popularity. When he won, the chat exploded with congratulatory messages, flowers, and a sudden surge of various donations.

"Congratulations to Brother Sun for successfully promoting to Master tier on the Korean server! The miracle continues!!"
"Undefeated! Zero deaths! Sun-man, you’re a beast!"
"6666, too strong. The prestige of Korean Challenger is truly high! I bet your jungler and top laner are both stunned."
"Mordekaiser: How did we win just by farming?"
"Sion: How did we win just by feeding?"
"Soraka: This match was way too chill. I just followed the Caitlyn and healed her the whole time, and then—boom—we won."
"The blue side actually had the better odds, but they underestimated Brother Sun’s build and scaling. Their hesitation on the Baron call ultimately led to their defeat."
"I bet the Tryndamere is about to die of anger."
"The weight of a Korean Challenger match speaks for itself. The fact that Sun-man and Jelly could win while carrying two dead weights and a small accessory shows their true skill!"
"I must reiterate: EDG has found a gem. RNG must be regretting this to their bones."

The screen briefly transitioned to the post-game lobby. As the viewers expected, the Tryndamere was cursing out his four teammates as trash in the chat box. Finally, as a dedicated Tryndamere specialist on the Korean server, he typed eight characters in Pinyin, which served as a form of recognition for Lu Zi'ang’s skill: "Ji bu ru ren, gan bai xia feng" (My skills are inferior; I concede defeat).

Lu Zi'ang glanced at it and exited the lobby. As expected, all five players on the blue side, along with his three teammates, sent him friend requests. Lu Zi'ang ignored them all; he had no intention of adding any friends on this alternate account, with the exception of Jelly.

"Achoo!"

Suddenly, Lu Zi'ang let out an inexplicably loud sneeze.

"What’s going on lately? Why do I keep sneezing?" Lu Zi'ang frowned. Just then, Jelly sent him a message: "Continue?"
"Yeah, I'll invite you."

The matches continued. With the successful promotion and their win rates steadily climbing, their matchmaking rating increased, which meant longer wait times. Taking advantage of the lull, Lu Zi'ang began interacting with the viewers.

"Hello, welcome to all the new family members, and to the bosses who spent their hard-earned money to tip the streamer! Thank you all for the follows and gifts~ Thank you!"

Lu Zi'ang radiated a natural sense of approachability. A faint smile graced his handsome, almost unreal face. He was better looking than most celebrities, yet he carried himself without a hint of arrogance.

He was perhaps the most unique existence among all streamers in the League of Legends section. Many newcomers were shocked:
"Holy crap, IG just won the championship, and now an idol star is here streaming?"
"He's way too handsome. I suggest the streamer switch to the beauty section; there are more wealthy women there—it's more profitable."
"Ahem, may I ask, is the streamer wearing makeup? Why is your skin so good?"
"I want to know what skincare products the streamer uses. I’m a girl, by the way."

If Lu Zi'ang saw questions like these, he would reply, as his fame was far from household status.

"I am not a celebrity, nor will I ever be an idol star. No beauty filters, no makeup. If facial cleanser counts, then sure, but I am an ADC for EDG, a bona fide professional esports player..."

Just then, a massive donation notification appeared in the stream: "User 'Star Shine Entertainment' has gifted 10 Super Rockets!!"

The user then sent a message in the chat: "Our company is currently scouting idol trainees, and we plan to debut a group within two years. You fit our requirements perfectly and could be the designated face of the group! Would you be interested?"

"Thank you for the Super Rockets, 'Star Shine Entertainment.' I am truly sorry, but I have already signed a contract with EDG, and I have no interest in becoming an idol star at this time."
"Very well. I wish you a bright future and hope you blossom and achieve great results on the path of esports!"

This wasn't the first time this had happened. Lu Zi'ang had only been streaming for a week, and many entertainment companies had already reached out via private messages or even contacted EDG directly, willing to pay a premium to poach him and groom him as a star artist.

Lu Zi'ang wasn't interested in the entertainment industry, especially the idol culture. Besides, he couldn't sing, dance, rap, or play basketball. There were countless ways to make money in this world, and many industries were far more lucrative than esports.

Given his top-tier academic performance in school, even if he had followed the conventional path, he would have easily gained admission to one of the top 10 universities in the country and likely would have found success in any career. He didn't need esports to find his way; his choice to pursue it—even at the cost of his formal education—was born of pure passion.

That year, S6.
The entire League of Legends scene was dominated by the Koreans. All other regions were being crushed by the LCK, whose player development system was terrifyingly efficient.

Later, in the S7 season, the finals were finally held on home soil, only for it to be an all-Korean affair at the Bird's Nest. That year, ticket scalpers were devastated. They had assumed RNG or WE would make the finals and had hoarded tickets, dreaming of buying property in Beijing, only to find their final profits barely enough to afford a meal at McDonald's.

LPL teams failed to reach the finals in their own backyard. The humiliation was something only LPL fans could truly understand. Although IG had finally won the title, the "all-Chinese" roster had yet to claim victory. Lu Zi'ang always believed that since the regions were divided, winning with the help of LCK imports wasn't "pure."

"What a pity, the entertainment industry lost a top-tier talent. Brother Sun has his heart set on esports. Even though he hasn't debuted yet, I’m already looking forward to him wrecking the LPL."
"Sun-man's 78-match winning streak on the Korean server has already shown us his champion pool, game sense, mechanics, awareness, laning, and farming ability! Once he debuts, he will be unstoppable."

"Next year is all about EDG. Word is that after tonight's finals, EDG is already making big moves and has locked onto targets—all domestic players."
"Next year, for S9, EDG will assemble a brand-new galaxy battleship. Aside from the support Meiko and Brother Sun, everyone else is getting replaced."
"Is that source reliable?"
"It has to be! I heard it from the brother of the sister of the brother of the cousin of Ah Bu's brother-in-law."

As Lu Zi'ang watched the viewers chatter, a new wave of Super Rockets rained down on the stream!! A barrage of flashy, extravagant special effects filled the screen, far more elaborate than the ones from "Star Shine Entertainment":

"User [Bai Chuxia] has gifted 222 Super Rockets!"
"User [Bai Chuxia] has gifted 222 Super Rockets!"
"User [Bai Chuxia] has gifted 222 Super Rockets!"
...

Lu Zi'ang was stunned. The viewers in the chat were completely dumbfounded.

When PDD gifted 333 Super Rockets, everyone understood. PDD was a phenomenal streamer who wasn't short on cash, and Lu Zi'ang had gifted 33 Super Rockets first, so it was a return gift. But this?

What the hell?
A Super Rocket on the Shark platform wasn't cheap—it cost 5,000 RMB. Gifting 666 of them in a row? That was over 3 million RMB.

Brother Sun had only been streaming for a week and didn't have a massive fan base. And he was a male streamer, for heaven's sake! What was the point?

Many viewers felt as sour as if they’d bitten into a lemon. It was incredibly, painfully envious.