The first round of doubles lasted two and a half full days.
Among the eighteen groups representing the Big Six, two were eliminated—one from Shanghai, one from Yandu.
The reasons varied, but losing a doubles group meant the singles players would have to work even harder. Other teams advancing through the rounds earned far more points: one point for the first round, two for the second, three for the third.
This didn't even account for the Autumn Tournament. Who could keep up with that?
The rumors that Shanghai might fall out of the top three started from this very issue.
That afternoon, it was time for the second-round draw.
With the number of groups reduced to forty-one, one team would still get a bye, and the chances of drawing one of the other Big Five groups increased significantly. There was even a possibility of friendly fire.
Besides, who wouldn't prefer an easy match?
Even if they had to face a strong opponent, it would be better in the Autumn Tournament. It was still too early for that now.
So everyone was praying for good luck.
Particularly for Li Xiang and Su Qian's group. They could bully the weaker teams, but against the ace groups of the other Big Five, their chances of losing were greater than winning. Drawing their own school's team would be the worst-case scenario.
Twenty people were randomly selected to draw. Unfortunately, neither Su Qian nor Bai Xiang was chosen this time. Zhao Jie went up instead. The chances of drawing their own team shrank significantly.
Soon enough, the draw ended.
Zhao Jie walked back down with a relaxed expression, indicating she hadn't drawn a bad match. Sure enough, their opponents were Lion Island's ace group, which had reached the third round last year, earning their team three points.
Whether that was better or worse than drawing other Big Five groups depended on perspective. At least they hadn't drawn a Big Five ace group.
Meanwhile, cheers erupted from the stage. The bye had apparently gone to a very strong group, and everyone was surprised. After asking around, they learned it was the Celestial team's ace group.
Huh. It was hard to say who was truly lucky there.
After a short wait, the staff brought over the match schedule. Those who hadn't drawn would only find out their opponents after the draws were registered.
Su Qian handed the task of revealing the results to Li Xiang.
"Pick us a good team!" she said, slapping his shoulder hard.
"Got it."
Li Xiang rubbed his shoulder, took the schedule, and couldn't help feeling nervous. The Shen Island ace group was out, but others were still in. Ideally, the Big Six wouldn't clash in the early rounds.
"Here goes!"
He flipped it over and locked his gaze on his group's line.
The opponent was—[Yuzhou Team Group 2].
Li Xiang stared at those six characters, momentarily stunned. A strange feeling washed over him, and the corner of his mouth twitched.
Well. This option wasn't bad, but it certainly stirred up complicated feelings.
"Ooh, isn't this our hometown team?" Gong Xu peeked over, blinking with an expression of detached amusement.
"Yuzhou team isn't all from Yuzhou," Song Jie interjected. "And by the sound of it, you seem happy?"
"Of course I'm happy." Gong Xu waved his hand dismissively, a signature punchable smile on his face. "Once you're in the Junior World Tournament, everyone's an opponent. Isn't it worth being happy about an easy opponent that can earn us points?"
This kid was pragmatic. His goal in doubles wasn't to challenge the best—it was to win and claim the championship. He was all for starting with the softest targets.
Song Jie had no response. He glanced at Li Xiang, worried he might feel some psychological burden.
Everyone's sense of hometown meant different things. Some, like Gong Xu, didn't care at all. Others held deep attachments.
Unexpectedly—"It is pretty worth being happy about."
Li Xiang nodded. Seeing Song Jie staring at him, he raised an eyebrow. "What, you think I'm less sensible than this golden retriever?"
"What do you mean 'this golden retriever'!"
Gong Xu's smile froze. Furious at the nickname, he wrapped his arm around Li Xiang's neck.
"Hey, hey, don't rip the paper."
Li Xiang handed the sheet to Su Qian.
He didn't feel much sense of belonging to Yuzhou. Even with his predecessor's memories, his sense of home was Qingcheng. Where did Yuzhou fit in? The reason he'd felt complicated earlier was because of his senior sister.
Of course, even if he were facing his senior sister, he would never hold back. If he did, she wouldn't forgive him, let alone himself.
On the other side, Senior Bai Xiang's group had slightly worse luck, drawing Haizhou's ace group. That team's doubles strength was decent, stronger than Lion Island's ace group.
But overall, Mist City was still riding a wave of good fortune. They were facing teams that weren't weak, but certainly weren't strong either.
The news that Li Xiang would be facing his hometown team caused quite a stir.
He already had a certain level of attention, and many were curious about his next opponent. After the draw, some troublemakers were disappointed he hadn't drawn another Big Five group. But facing Yuzhou team ignited their interest again.
Especially when one member of that group claimed on social media that his battle instructor was Li Xiang's senior sister in martial arts.
It was like pouring oil on a fire. The buzz skyrocketed. Headlines like "Nephew vs. Uncle" and "Family Civil War" started popping up. The more outrageous, the better.
Some interested parties tried to dig up who his senior sister was. They only found the name Jiang Shangrong. Further searches only turned up her past battle records; personal information was nonexistent.
Private intelligence agencies sold the info, but it was quickly removed online, and the police even used Porygon to remotely invite them for tea. The scrutiny on Jiang Shangrong vanished instantly.
Everyone's attention returned to Li Xiang and that Yuzhou student claiming a connection to him.
On his end, Li Xiang was also curious—had his senior sister really taken disciples at Yuzhou University? He asked on chat and learned that as captain, she had indeed mentored many juniors.
But that was just part of her duties. She had never formally taken that person as a disciple.
At this point, what was there left to understand?
Good grief. In this day and age, there really were people who gilded themselves and leeched off others' fame?
Li Xiang was speechless.
Inside Yuzhou University, many people also despised this kind of attention-seeking behavior. Those in the know spoke out. But the moment they opened their mouths, arguments erupted, making the topic even hotter.
The guy then reappeared, claiming he respected Jiang Shangrong as a teacher because she taught him battling—saying he had described it incorrectly. He was quite skilled at adding fuel to the fire.
After a day of hype, he deleted every post on his social media. Complete, smooth retreat. Such a slick move, it was almost impressive.
Li Xiang messaged Lin Feng in the group chat, asking if he knew this person. Lin Feng did, and called him, saying the guy was a nuisance.
After Jiang Shangrong left, he had used his seniority and some skill to bully the reserve students. As a first-year reserve, Lin Feng naturally became a target, with the guy constantly picking fights. This behavior fit his character perfectly.
Li Xiang understood—this was the classic jealous student found in many stories. He'd almost encountered one himself—that school director's son.
But that guy was too weak; even before Mist Island, Li Xiang had easily beaten him. After being crushed a few times, he'd even developed Stockholm syndrome and would line up daily to battle Li Xiang.
Tragic and laughable.
Lin Feng's case was different. Given his own circumstances and facing a slightly higher-level opponent, he hadn't managed to take the guy down yet.
After all, it had only been half a year since he started school.
"You're slacking. You've let him stick around long enough to come after me. Remember that Zhu Huihui from last time?"
Li Xiang was annoyed. Lin Feng had made plenty of enemies but taken few down. So far, the only one he'd actually finished off was the one Li Xiang had handled.
What, was Li Xiang his cheat code?
Now there was another one, and he was coming after Li Xiang. Coming after him was one thing, but dragging his senior sister into it?
Unacceptable!
"Bro, you're my real brother. Bear with me, do what you gotta do, I—I'll handle it as soon as I can," Lin Feng stammered, not entirely sure what Li Xiang was talking about but instinctively feeling guilty.
He kept apologizing, lowering himself. "Wait, wait until the New Year, I'll get you a huge gift. I promise you'll love it, alright?"
A gift? Li Xiang paused, remembering the Energy Cubes Lin Feng had given him before.
"Bigger than the Energy Cubes?"
"Definitely bigger. Guaranteed big. If it's not, I'll... I'll give you Lin Lan!"
"Get lost!"
Li Xiang spat and hung up.
Having a gift or not didn't make a world of difference. Although getting caught up in this mess was annoying, receiving a gift was nice.
Still, he did know Lin Feng would have sent a gift regardless of this situation. Just as Li Xiang had always sent things to Lin Feng after leaving Mist Island.
They were far apart, but their bond couldn't be erased by distance. They were childhood friends, after all.
That guy was truly disgusting, and crossing paths with Li Xiang was purely coincidence. He'd take him down. But why wait until the New Year?
....
Second round. Match day.
Li Xiang and Su Qian stepped onto the battlefield for the second time.
One of their opponents was that insufferable guy who claimed to have been taught by his senior sister.
"Phew..."
Li Xiang took a deep breath. You can't let personal emotions affect a match. You can't tunnel-vision on someone just because you dislike them. Doing what needed to be done was the correct approach.
"Ha, you looked so angry I was thinking how to remind you," Su Qian said with a laugh. "Impressive—you adjusted on your own."
"Sorry about that."
Li Xiang gave an embarrassed smile. Emotions that could affect a match weren't just fear and nervousness.
"It's fine. I trust you, partner."
Su Qian grinned and raised her fist.
Li Xiang bumped it lightly with his.
A staff member appeared at the door to call them to the field.
"Let's go. Let's win the second round together." Su Qian strode forward, taking the lead.
"Alright!"
Li Xiang followed at a steady pace.