By evening, Canglan City had chosen its heroes.
News outlets replayed the ranking board repeatedly.
Two names dominated every headline.
Han Tianyu. Rank One. Wind affinity. S Plus potential.
Lin Xuanye. Rank Three. Unknown affinity. S potential.
Speculation spread everywhere.
Clans began making inquiries.
Corporate factions reached out through intermediaries.
The Cultivator Registration Bureau sent formal messages requesting future cooperation.
Lin Xuanye ignored them all.
He stood on a pedestrian overpass overlooking the river district.
According to his memory, a mid grade spirit deposit would form beneath the old shipping warehouse here within forty eight hours.
That resource had allowed Han Tianyu to widen the gap in their previous life.
This time it would not.
Footsteps approached from behind.
Steady.
Unhurried.
Lin Xuanye did not turn.
The air shifted slightly.
Wind gathered, subtle but controlled.
"Number three," a familiar voice said lightly. "You did not tell me you were hiding this much strength."
Lin Xuanye turned slowly.
Han Tianyu stood a few steps away.
Same face.
Same sharp brows.
Same confident smile.
But his aura was different.
Sharper.
Denser.
Wind circled faintly around him like a living thing responding to its master.
Spiritual Density forty two.
Officially.
Unofficially, it felt even higher.
"You did not ask," Lin Xuanye replied calmly.
Han Tianyu laughed softly.
"In the past we would have celebrated together."
Past.
Interesting word choice again.
Lin Xuanye watched him carefully.
In his previous life, Han Tianyu's control over wind was strong but crude at the beginning.
Now the air around him moved with unnatural precision.
Too precise for someone awakened three days ago.
"You improved quickly," Lin Xuanye said.
"As did you."
For a brief moment, their eyes locked.
Neither blinked.
Neither looked away.
Pedestrians passed behind them, unaware that the two highest ranked young cultivators in the city were standing face to face.
Han Tianyu leaned casually against the railing.
"The Bureau wants us to join a special response unit," he said. "Direct resource allocation. Priority training. Exclusive missions."
"And you agreed," Lin Xuanye said.
"Of course. Power requires structure."
Lin Xuanye remained silent.
In the previous timeline, Han Tianyu joined the Bureau after two weeks, not three days.
Things are accelerating.
"Come with me," Han Tianyu continued. "We can move faster together."
There it is.
The same invitation.
The same tone.
Lin Xuanye remembered standing in a similar place years ago, feeling fortunate to walk beside someone talented.
This time he felt nothing.
"I prefer to cultivate independently," Lin Xuanye said.
Han Tianyu studied him.
Wind shifted slightly stronger around his body.
"You do not trust institutions."
"I trust results."
A faint smile appeared on Han Tianyu's lips.
"That sounds colder than I remember."
Lin Xuanye did not respond.
Silence stretched between them.
Below, the river flowed steadily beneath the bridge.
Spiritual energy density in the area was slightly higher than average.
The deposit beneath the warehouse was beginning to condense.
Han Tianyu's gaze flicked briefly toward the river.
A subtle movement.
Almost unnoticeable.
But Lin Xuanye saw it.
You feel it too.
Interesting.
In the previous life, Han Tianyu did not discover this deposit until later.
Now he seemed aware.
Either instinct.
Or memory.
"Be careful," Han Tianyu said suddenly. "The rankings will change soon. Stronger awakeners are emerging outside the city. Competition will become brutal."
Lin Xuanye nodded once.
"I am counting on it."
Wind surged briefly around Han Tianyu as he stepped back.
"For old times' sake, I hope we do not become enemies."
Lin Xuanye's gaze did not soften.
"That depends."
"On what."
"On your choices."
For a fraction of a second, something unreadable flickered in Han Tianyu's eyes.
Then it was gone.
He turned and walked away.
The wind dispersed gradually as he moved down the overpass and disappeared into the evening crowd.
Lin Xuanye remained standing alone.
The river below shimmered faintly.
He closed his eyes and extended his senses.
There.
Deep beneath the old warehouse foundation.
Spiritual crystals were forming.
But now he was certain of something else.
Han Tianyu's growth rate was wrong.
Too efficient.
Too composed.
Too aware.
In his previous life, only one person cultivated at that speed.
Himself.
Lin Xuanye opened his eyes slowly.
If you also came back.
The thought lingered.
The Nine Nether Samsara mark on his chest pulsed faintly beneath his shirt.
Very well.
If fate sent two regressors into this era.
Then this time there would be no misunderstandings.
Only outcome.
He stepped off the overpass and headed toward the warehouse district.
Tonight he would secure the deposit early.
And tomorrow, the rankings would change again.
The race was no longer hidden.
It had become direct.
And Canglan City was no longer big enough for two future sovereigns.