He’d originally thought that after becoming a Reincarnator, even though he was a year behind Li Chang’an, he would still have a chance to catch up and develop alongside him.
He never imagined that this one-year gap was already a chasm so vast he might not be able to cross it even with eight or ten years of hard work.
At this thought, Li Jianfei couldn’t help but feel discouraged.
But on second thought, his fighting spirit couldn’t help but surge.
After all, Li Chang’an had done it. Even if he couldn’t achieve the same, he could still use it as a goal to strive toward.
As long as Li Chang’an was around, it was like a lighthouse on a pitch-black, storm-tossed sea, forever shining and guiding the way.
It would lead him ever forward, ensuring he wouldn’t lose his way.
Behind them, the emotional turmoil roiling within Deng Ankang, Ji Fulin, Qian Zhong, and the others was far more intense.
While Li Siying and Li Jianfei had barely stepped through the gates of being Reincarnators, they didn’t truly understand the reality of it all.
So, even though they felt Li Chang’an was incredibly strong, they had no real metric to gauge the true extent of his power.
But Deng Ankang, Qian Zhong, and the others were seasoned veterans among the Linjiang Reincarnators.
They understood with perfect clarity everything that had just happened and its deeper implications.
And that was precisely why they found it all the more unbelievable!
—With the Linjiang Reincarnator Association’s strength, even securing a decent rank in the regional tournament would have been considered extremely lucky.
But now, thanks to Li Chang’an’s efforts.
Linjiang had not only made a huge splash in the national tournament, but in a one-versus-three fight, had also completely vaporized several top-tier competitors from Shanghai, winning the first round.
In their simple worldview, this was an unimaginable act of Reversed Celestial Spirits. The feeling was akin to, ’Good heavens, I just woke up and the son is beating the father!’
But regardless.
Since Li Chang’an had managed to secure the victory, they were naturally thrilled.
After all, this victory didn’t belong to Li Chang’an alone, but to them and the entirety of Linjiang.
In an instant, the crowd erupted in cheers.
...
On the stage, after the referee announced their victory, Li Chang’an walked over to Su Ruobing, Zhao Xiaowan, and Caiyou. Under their three complicated gazes, he slowly spoke. "So? Was my plan flawless or what?"
Hearing this.
Su Ruobing’s expression darkened. She snorted. "That was far too reckless. It could have gone horribly wrong, and now you’re acting all smug about it..."
Zhao Xiaowan said nothing, her eyes sparkling as she gazed at Li Chang’an.
Caiyou, however, was completely unconcerned. She beamed. "Brother Chang’an, you were amazing! Can your big sister here keep slacking off for the rest of the fights?"
Before Li Chang’an could answer her.
Caiyou was already lost in a fantasy. "Just a few more wins, and I can go around bragging about how badass I was! After all, I followed Brother Chang’an, charging in and out seven times in the national tournament, and scared the piss out of a bunch of competitors from the big cities!"
Hearing this, Li Chang’an couldn’t help but laugh. "So that makes you Liu Chan, right?" he said, exasperated. "Following Uncle Zilong, charging in and out of Cao Camp seven times!"
Caiyou looked slightly baffled. "What Uncle Zilong? Kid, don’t tell me you want me to call you ’uncle,’ do you? What kind of weird fetish is that?!"
Clearly, she didn’t get his reference at all.
After all, the Three Kingdoms never existed in this world.
The group chatted for a bit. The national tournament wasn’t over yet, but it was clear that neither Li Chang’an nor Su Ruobing felt the tension from before.
After all, having defeated Shanghai’s Mountain and Sea District, which was led by Gu Ruilong, they had no major conflicts with the other teams. No one would be trying to play dirty against them.
If a team truly couldn’t win, they would simply surrender.
Li Chang’an went on to win two more rounds in the national tournament, successfully securing a spot in the nation’s top 100.
In the fourth round, however, Caiyou and Zhao Xiaowan’s combat abilities couldn’t keep up. After struggling for a bit, Li Chang’an lost the motivation to continue and simply surrendered.
It wasn’t that he couldn’t win.
He just didn’t want to reveal too much of his hand in front of so many people.
In any case, making the top 100 nationally was an achievement Linjiang wouldn’t have dared to dream of in the past. It was good to leave some room for future improvement.
The triennial tournament lasted for three days. 「Three days later」 The vast Rebirth Square slowly closed, and all the Reincarnators returned to their respective territories.
...
Due to their exceptionally brilliant performance, Li Chang’an and his group were soon granted an audience with Hu Xiuyuan, the Governor of Xiangnan Province.
Governor Hu Xiuyuan began by officially commending Linjiang for their outstanding results.
After all, with Linjiang being a prefecture under the jurisdiction of Xiangnan Province, their success in the tournament reflected very well on Governor Hu Xiuyuan.
Thus, after some simple pleasantries and a round of praise.
Hu Xiuyuan awarded all the competitors from Linjiang with varying amounts of Rebirth Points and some decryption files for Evolution Paths.
Li Chang’an received the most Rebirth Points—a full 200,000.