Chapter 352: Praise
“Let’s congratulate Lian City Academy for holding onto first place in this intra-city match!”
“Today’s finals have been unexpectedly exciting. Looking at everything so far—did anyone actually predict this outcome?”
[Who the hell could’ve predicted this?!]
[I seriously can’t take it anymore—what’s going on with this league? Just handing out surprises to the audience?]
[Honestly though, from the start to the middle and now near the end, this season has been anything but predictable.]
[And the level this year feels higher than before, right? The fights are still this intense. In past seasons, any of the top teams earlier could’ve just taken the championship.]
[So this is a breakout year for geniuses?]
[It does feel like that—but what’s even scarier is that the most talented one right now is a freshman. And that means it’s not just this year—she might dominate the next one too.]
[That’s only if she even competes next time. With her talent, the Academy will definitely focus on cultivating her. The next league is two years away—by then, she might not even be a student anymore.]
[Honestly, kind of envy her.]
In truth, just as the comments said, Xu Zhi had no intention of participating in the next league. She joined this one purely for resources. As for two years from now—if she were still just a student, she’d have to question what she’d been doing with her life.
After that, a few more rounds of challenges took place, but no team chose to challenge Lian City Academy again.
Exactly as Xu Zhi had anticipated.
The reason she pushed for a crushing victory was to intimidate.
Others didn’t know about her high resistance to [Moth]. All they saw was overwhelming domination. Anyone thinking of challenging now would have to think twice.
And once Lingzhou secured second place, LianTu City’s position at first became even more stable.
No one was foolish enough to waste a challenge on something unwinnable.
“Are there any teams left who wish to challenge?”
The host stood at the center of the stage and asked.
All ten teams remained silent.
The finals had reached their end.
The expressions of the players were varied—clearly, this outcome was far from what they had expected at the beginning. Only LianTu City’s team appeared relaxed. Xu Zhi was even half-lying on a sofa in the preparation area, looking like she might fall asleep.
As the ten-minute countdown neared its end, the host reminded them once more:
“Time is almost up. Last chance—does any team wish to challenge?”
[Probably not. The situation is already clear—everyone who needed to fight has fought.]
[What an unexpected ranking.]
[No helping it. Once Lingzhou took second and LianTu City City Academy beat Yingtian for fourth, everything was basically decided.]
[LianTu City really exceeded expectations this year. I thought they weren’t that strong after City Academy got crushed earlier—but then they turned around and beat Yingtian!]
[Feels like last year’s champions couldn’t keep up with everyone else’s improvement.]
[Xu Zhi is so young, and now she’s taken first. After receiving the league rewards, plus internal rewards from the Academy… if all those resources get poured into her, I don’t even want to imagine how fast she’ll grow.]
At this moment, Xu Zhi wasn’t actually asleep. She was quietly calculating how far the league rewards and the Academy’s support could push her.
First, [Moth] needed to break through to longevity—that wasn’t difficult.
Second, she wanted [Lamp] to get as close as possible to the “Named” level.
The rewards alone couldn’t directly produce a Named being—after all, that required more than just resources.
But Xu Zhi lacked nothing except resources.
By her estimation, it should be enough.
The league’s Lost Lands reward was a personal qualification—one chance to enter, usable at any time.
Xu Zhi already had a plan.
Once she raised her level, she would take her small aberrant creature into the Lost Lands and devour the [Cup] she had marked before.
After that, the creature should be close to becoming Named. With some luck, it might even break through directly.
At that point, with both herself and the creature reaching that level, many of the real-world restrictions would no longer apply. She would finally have the freedom to act as she pleased.
As she thought through all this, the ten-minute countdown ended.
“The countdown—has ended!”
“This league’s champion has been decided!”
“They are—the team from Lian City Academy!!!”
Amid the host’s near-hoarse announcement, Xu Zhi stood up with her teammates and walked toward the center of the stage.
Golden “rain” fell from above, landing on their shoulders—a symbol of the league’s highest honor, celebrating the rise of young champions.
Only they, as champions, could stand there to receive this glory.
As the trophy came within reach, Xu Zhi could hear her teammates’ pounding heartbeats, their excited breathing, the envious gazes from other players below, and the roaring cheers from the audience.
It was a grand celebration.
A celebration that belonged to her and her team.
And yet—
Surrounded by cheers and praise, Xu Zhi didn’t feel particularly happy.
Aside from satisfaction at the resources she had gained and the rational plans for the future, what remained was a sense of detachment.
On the surface, she smiled, no different from her teammates.
But she didn’t feel like she belonged here.
This moment.
This atmosphere.
She could clearly sense her own distance from it.
Winning the championship, for her, marked an ending.
A stage of her life had concluded.
This journey had been like a brief utopia—her gentle sister waiting at home, like-minded teammates, caring teachers.
She had experienced all of it. She understood its beauty.
But she didn’t cling to it.
She didn’t believe it was a life meant for her to live forever.
She carried too much.
For now, she had no intention of betraying her past.
There were still many things she had to do.
She was an unrestrained [Moth].
And also a [Lamp] of the Remnant Lands.
She had already grown up.
At a moment that should have been filled with joy, golden rain still falling over her shoulders, Xu Zhi instead felt something deep and undeniable—
Loneliness.
Her pale, slender fingers tightened around the trophy. She smiled in response to her teammates crowding around her, sharing their excitement—but she wasn’t sharing her true feelings.
The one she wanted to share them with—
Wasn’t here.
So she said nothing.
She simply smiled, letting these teammates—who would soon part ways—draw close to her.
She would store these memories away.
And someday, when the time was right—perhaps on a quiet afternoon after everything was done—
She would tell that person all the stories she was eager to share.
Xu Zhi thought—
There would be someone who would be proud of her.
She deserved to be praised.
