Time flew! The ban was lifted!

Time passed slowly, and in the blink of an eye, more than a month had gone by.

The LPL Summer Split heated up as the summer wore on, with competition fiercer than ever.

Meanwhile, Lu Chen was tearing through both the Chinese and Korean servers!

Eventually, quite a few high-ranked players made a conscious decision to stop playing.

As a result, Lu Chen could barely find a match.

"Nothing I can do, guys. There really is nobody left." Looking at the Korean Server client on his screen, Lu Chen spread his hands helplessly.

He had been in the queue for a full two and a half hours!

And he still couldn't get into a game!

"Holy crap, dude, you're at 2,900 points! Who's even left to play against?"

"He's broken Faker's record. I hereby dub C God the Demon King of Ranked!"

"2,900? Good lord, I haven't watched for a few days, and he's already gotten this ridiculous?"

"C God's gone on a rampage. Yesterday, he couldn't find a match on the Chinese server either!"

"Seriously, if the Summer Split weren't going on, C God would definitely be trending over this. This is insane."

"Can a human being even reach that score?"

"Obviously, 2,900 points is the limit of the League of Legends servers, not C God's limit!"

"LOL, a high-ranked Korean Server streamer I used to watch said he'd been traumatized by the beatdowns. He's decided to play a different game for a while."

"It's pretty much the same on the Chinese server. Lots of high-ranked streamers are streaming other games."

"All I can say is, since C God can't play competitively and terrorize the pros, these high-ranked players are taking the punishment instead~"

Only a handful of players in the Korean Server's history had ever broken two thousand points.

The highest record had been Faker's, at over 2,500.

But now Lu Chen had set a new record.

It would probably be impossible to beat it in the future. After all, this was the limit of the server's matchmaking system, unless League of Legends underwent a major overhaul.

"Then how about we call it a day?"

Lu Chen stretched. "Come to think of it, I've already streamed way more than my required hours this month."

"No! C God, I'd watch even if you just sat here playing Fight the Landlord!"

"You can end the stream, just don't turn off the camera. I want to watch you sleep."

"Could the creep above stop being so scary?"

"Seriously, is C God really this relaxed? Aren't you worried IG won't make the World Championship? They've already lost several matches."

"Oh, right, I almost forgot. When does C God's ban end?"

"Can we not bring that up? It ruins the mood. Damn RNG is disgusting."

Reading those messages, Lu Chen's expression briefly shifted. "I don't know, but it should be soon."

The promised month had long since passed, yet the officials still hadn't said anything.

Forget the Regular Season-even the playoffs were almost over!

"Let's stop here for today. I probably won't be streaming much for a while, so thanks for understanding."

With that, Lu Chen waved and ended the stream.

Over the following days, the LPL entered the fiercely contested playoffs.

Without Lu Chen, IG had lost several matches in a row, making their path through the playoffs a difficult one.

But Rookie and the others still showed plenty of strength, battling past SNG and OMG in succession to reach the playoff semifinals.

The Three Royal Houses lived up to their name, advancing with ease as well.

Then RNG beat WE 3-2, while EDG defeated IG by the same score, sending both teams into the final.

In a slightly unexpected result, IG took down WE in the third-place match, finishing third in the Summer Split.

At last, the Summer Split final arrived: RNG vs. EDG.

The pig-versus-dog showdown!

In the end, EDG defeated RNG 3-2, claiming the first ticket to the World Championship as the first seed!

It was also EDG's fourth LPL title!

The legend of their domestic dominance continued!

Meanwhile, RNG secured the second ticket to the World Championship as the second seed, thanks to their total championship points for the year.

That meant the LPL now had only one World Championship spot left!

The teams eligible to fight for that spot were OMG, IG, and WE.

They still had to finish the regional qualifier before they could claim that ticket!

The people in charge of all three teams were practically seeing red!

Meanwhile...

Lu Chen flew to the capital with the team.

Wukesong Arena.

This was the venue for the LPL's final qualifier.

The moment they arrived, they could see the sea of people outside. The feverish atmosphere was almost suffocating!

Before long, the first match began: IG against OMG.

Lu Chen sat in the lounge with Su Xiaoluo, JackeyLove, and the others to watch the match.

The result came as no surprise. IG effortlessly crushed OMG 3-0, advancing to the final round of the qualifier.

"Nice!" Watching the victory on the screen, JackeyLove was so excited he almost jumped to his feet.

"Don't get too excited, JackeyLove." Lu Chen calmly patted his shoulder. "There's still another match tomorrow."

JackeyLove's expression froze, and he gave Lu Chen a helpless look. "Chen, could you stop calling me that?"

"Got it, JackeyLove," Lu Chen replied without even turning his head.

"Anyway..." No longer worrying about the nickname, JackeyLove leaned closer. "Chen, aren't you excited? I heard there are tens of thousands of people here."

"This is nothing," Lu Chen said with a chuckle. "Wait until you see the World Championship final. Now that's a spectacle like no other."

"Of course I know that," JackeyLove muttered, scratching his head.

Just then, Su Xiaoluo received a call and stepped outside.

When he returned, his face was bright with barely contained excitement. The moment he came through the door, he called out, "Lu Chen, good news!"

"What is it?" Seeing his expression, Lu Chen already had a vague guess.

Sure enough.

Su Xiaoluo's next words came with a hearty laugh. "The ban's been lifted! The officials just posted the announcement!"

"I see." Lu Chen's gaze sharpened slightly, and his languid air abruptly turned fierce.

He was like a blade that had remained sheathed for ages, finally ready to reveal its edge!

"And another thing," Su Xiaoluo continued. "That manager at RNG has been demoted and had his pay suspended. Apparently, the whole club is getting fined too."

"None of that matters." Lu Chen shook his head, his gaze unfathomable. "To them, that punishment is just a few drops

"of rain."

If they were talking about real punishment...

What could hurt more than forcing RNG to watch him lift the very trophy they had always dreamed of winning?

"Now I can finally relax." Su Xiaoluo couldn't stop smiling, as though a huge weight had been lifted from his heart.

And that was exactly how he felt.

Although IG had performed reasonably well in the playoffs, and had even just swept OMG...

The thought of facing WE, one of the Three Royal Houses, still made Su Xiaoluo nervous.

There was no helping it. The Three Royal Houses had been far too dominant this year!

Besides, this match was far too important!

The last ticket to the S7 World Championship-the final spot!

Whichever team claimed it wouldn't even have to wait for the World Championship to start. Their popularity would instantly soar, exploding through the roof!

As long as they could secure that ticket...

Su Xiaoluo's eyes gleamed as he began imagining just how generous his future pay and bonuses would be.

The next day.

Once again, Wukesong Arena.

The venue welcomed the LPL's last match before the World Championship!

WE vs. IG!

Whichever side won would head to the World Championship as the third seed!

As expected, interest in the match reached a staggering level!

The streets were deserted as everyone flocked to watch!

Countless fans held up support signs, packing the enormous Wukesong Arena.

"WE! WE!"

"WE! WE!"

"IG! IG!"

Deafening cheers echoed above the arena.