As Lu Chen stepped onto the stage, the energy in the arena instantly surged.
As the key player who had led Haizhou Academy to the finals, all eyes were fixed on him.
Facing him on the other side was Capital Academy's ace.
Just like Normal University had done, they'd chosen to have their strongest player go last in an attempt to suppress Lu Chen's momentum.
Although the opponent wore a mask, Lu Chen's sharp senses picked up on his tension and unease just from his breathing.
It couldn't be helped—Lu Chen had nearly shut out professional athletes before. Any opponent standing across from him would naturally be on high alert.
The two saluted. At the referee's signal, the match began.
Perhaps learning from Li's earlier mistake, the opponent launched an aggressive strike right away, aiming for Lu Chen's flank at a sharp angle.
Lu Chen dodged backward, but the blade suddenly shifted direction, slicing toward his arm.
That confirmed it—this guy had studied footage of Lu Chen's previous matches extensively.
Lu Chen was known for his defensive prowess and favored head strikes, but arms were also scoring zones. That blow had come dangerously close.
Down below, the coach was sweating bullets.
"Watch the side! Cover your side!!"
Lu Chen stayed calm, gaze steady.
Interesting...
But that's all it was.
Instead of staying on the defensive, he seized the moment and countered at an equally sharp angle, parrying his opponent's blade and striking straight toward the torso.
The blow was so forceful, it nearly knocked the sword out of his opponent's hand. The clash echoed repeatedly through the air.
Regaining his grip, the opponent stood stunned.
The scoreboard flashed—26:39.
A cheer erupted from the crowd. Lu Chen's dominance electrified the Haizhou team.
This match was practically won!
Lu Chen calmly returned to position. He could already sense his opponent's growing panic.
It was probably due to the increased force he had used.
If he had really gone all out, he could've snapped the blade.
But he wouldn't do that.
Even so, that raw power alone was enough to shake his opponent's confidence.
The other player returned to his position, troubled.
With that kind of strength and speed, even basic attacks were nearly impossible to stop...
They clashed again.
Another deep metallic boom.
The scoreboard lit up.
27:39.
The cheers grew louder.
Teammates and coaches could already see the trophy coming into view.
28:39.
29:39.
35:39.
...
Time flew by, and Haizhou had overtaken the score.
40:39.
Lu Chen stood calm and unmoving in the center of the court.
The opponent's composure had clearly cracked. During the timeout, he rubbed his arm, still numb from the repeated impacts.
Then he looked forward—toward the figure before him, not particularly tall or imposing, yet as immovable as a mountain peak.
There was no beating someone like this.
Feeling the opponent's will start to crumble, Lu Chen's gaze drifted to the awards podium, already prepared.
This match was over.
...
Under the cheers of the crowd and a rain of streamers, Lu Chen, Ei, and the rest of the Haizhou team walked toward the podium.
As the lights flashed, the system prompt appeared:
["Coach, I want to compete!": Assist Raiden Ei in winning the national championship (including individual and team events)]
[Mission complete. Reward: 3,200 Primogems, 3.2 million yuan in real-world currency]
[New real-world skill acquired. Please choose one from the skill pool]
It had been a while since Lu Chen had seen the reward screen.
Holding the heavy silver trophy alongside Ei, he glanced at his teammates—howling with joy—and couldn't help but smile sincerely.
Even though he hadn't trained much with them, and half his reason for entering the tournament was to fulfill a mission—and skip class—he genuinely liked the team's atmosphere.
He liked this spirit of striving to improve.
Ei glanced at him. Maybe it was the moment, but she smiled too.
"Like the feeling of victory?" Lu Chen asked.
"As long as it's a win, I'll enjoy it. But..."
Her violet eyes sparkled. "The once number-one warrior of Inazuma... getting excited over a win like this?"
She was teasing herself—an immortal who once drew her blade against Celestia, now getting worked up over a youth competition.
Maybe it was a little undignified.
Then again, Ei had never truly taken this kind of event seriously.
Even if she performed with full focus, she never really saw the other competitors as rivals.
Lu Chen laughed out loud. "Of course I do! A win's a win—don't be so stiff, Ei."
As they stepped off the podium, Ei looked at him seriously.
"You seem... different today."
Lu Chen dodged the nearby reporters and quietly led Ei to the back exit of the gym.
The motorhome was already waiting.
After the tournament, it was time to leave this city.
"Maybe I've had a new revelation," Lu Chen said.
"Revelation?" Ei pondered. "Is it about the dreams? Or... your obsession?"
After days of nightmares, they both looked a little worn down—dark circles under their eyes told the story.
But Lu Chen was visibly more energetic. He'd been fired up all day during the match.
"Maybe I've figured something out." He pulled open the vehicle door—everyone was already inside waiting.
"Let's talk in the car."
As they stepped in, a gentle aroma filled the space.
"Is that... agarwood?" Lu Chen looked toward Zhongli.
On the table before him sat a classic incense burner—Lu Chen remembered it from the temple fair, an antique Zhongli had picked up.
He'd considered reselling it, but ended up using it himself.
Zhongli nodded slightly. "Agarwood calms the spirit and helps sleep. I saw how exhausted everyone's been lately and thought it might help."
Venti sat nearby reading a driver's manual, mumbling, "I still think alcohol works better..."
Miko, half-asleep at the wheel, squinted at them as they returned.
"I'm not technically driving while drowsy, right?"
"You absolutely are," Lu Chen said, eyeing her weary face with concern.
"Want me to drive?"
"Better not." Miko yawned. "You don't even have a license. You'd get pulled over in five minutes."
"Yeah..." Lu Chen sighed and glanced over at Venti—then gave him a pointed glare.
If this guy had just gotten his license already, Miko wouldn't be the one stuck doing all the long drives.
"Huh?" Venti looked up blankly. "What?"
"Nothing." Lu Chen shook his head and led Ei toward the back seats.
They'd be up again tonight—better get some sleep during the day.
"All set! The Teyvat Express is departing once again!"
And with that, veteran driver Miko stepped on the gas.
The vehicle rolled off... headed for home.