Whose Luck Was Really Bad?

Inside the competitors' tunnel.

Kang Tianchen and Huang Xuan stood at the exit, watching Li Changqing approach from afar.

"You brat..." Kang Tianchen's eyes flickered. For a moment, it felt as though he had a thousand things to say.

But as he watched Li Changqing walk over, all his questions turned into a gratified smile.

In the end, he simply raised a thumb and offered heartfelt praise.

"That was a beautiful win!"

Seeing the long-lost smile on Coach Kang's face, the gloom he had carried over the massive gap between Jixing Martial Hall and the others finally faded somewhat.

Li Changqing smiled as well. "Coach, today is only the first day. There'll be even better performances later."

"Good kid." Kang Tianchen reached out and patted Li Changqing on the shoulder.

"That's the spirit."

"You need to keep winning!"

Huang Xuan also looked at Li Changqing, his tone full of emotion.

"Junior Brother Li, why do I feel like your strength might be about the same as mine now? If I'd known, I should've brought you into our martial hall's official team."

"Changqing is still young. He'll have plenty of chances in future Youth Cups, so there's nothing to regret. I believe in him."

Kang Tianchen waved a hand, cutting off Huang Xuan's regretful words.

The three of them left the competitors' tunnel side by side.

After the Three Consecutive Arena Defenses, Li Changqing would have no matches for the rest of today or tomorrow.

He would directly participate in the placement battles on the third day, competing for the sole spot to advance into Group A.

Kang Tianchen walked with a light step, all the gloom from before completely swept away. Li Changqing was a little curious.

"Coach, why didn't you ask when I broke through to the Transformation Stage?"

Kang Tianchen turned back and replied with a smile.

"Why would I ask?"

Seeing Li Changqing freeze, he turned around with a laugh.

"Haha, what's the point of questions like that? All I need to know is that Kang Tianchen's eye for talent isn't bad, that the student I chose is a genuine genius. And he won beautifully today!"

"That alone is enough."

The three left the venue. Looking up at the gentle sunlight overhead, Kang Tianchen waved grandly.

"Come on, my treat today. We're having a feast!"

Hibiscus Restaurant.

This was a century-old establishment in Rong City.

After moving locations several times, it had now relocated to the top floor of Rong City's tallest building, the Hibiscus Rotating Tower.

While dining, guests could overlook the entire city.

Sliced Hibiscus Chicken, White-Oil Pork Tripe Strips, Steamed River Catfish, Eight-Treasure Gourd Duck...

Li Changqing had never seen a single dish laid out before him.

He picked up a spoon and scooped a piece of snow-white tofu pudding from the ceramic pot in front of him into his mouth.

The tofu pudding melted as soon as it entered his mouth, and the rich aroma of chicken instantly burst across his palate.

The clear broth was like tea, while the chicken had been pounded into a paste and simmered into a tofu-pudding-like texture, creating a truly unique mouthfeel.

In Rong City's traditional cuisine, famous for its numbing spice and heat, there was hardly a trace of chili to be seen.

Li Changqing glanced at the bill beside him and felt a pang in his heart. A small pot of chicken tofu pudding was gone in just a few bites, so he lifted the pot and drained the remaining broth in one gulp.

"Coach, this place is way too expensive, isn't it?"

Kang Tianchen glanced at him.

"For an ordinary Lower-Rank Martial Artist, one month's normal supply of medicine would be enough to treat this place as your cafeteria."

"After this competition is over, hurry up and register as a martial artist. Then you'll understand."

At that point, Kang Tianchen's tone turned teasing.

"What, regretting not registering sooner now?"

Li Changqing nodded hard. It seemed the stipend for registered martial artists was quite substantial!

He had miscalculated.

"Heh, you brat." Kang Tianchen shook his head and picked up the phone on the table.

"Didn't you say last time that you wanted to see the Psionic Stone Tablet again? Since you've finished today's preliminaries, I'll call the hall master right now. A genius like you ought to have privileges."

Li Changqing's eyes lit up. The Psionic Stone Tablet was definitely a good thing.

"Hello, Hall Master. It's me, Kang Tianchen. I'd like to apply to use the Psionic Stone Tablet."

"Yes, it's for my student."

Kang Tianchen looked relaxed. Now that Li Changqing had proven himself, he naturally felt confident about borrowing the stone tablet from the hall master and wasn't nervous in the slightest.

"You mean Liu Yi and the others need it?" Kang Tianchen raised his brows and hurriedly told him about what Li Changqing had done today.

"Hall Master, to be honest, my student signed up for the Group B preliminaries. Today, he defeated a Group B martial artist in a single move and cleared the Three Consecutive Arena Defenses, allowing him to advance directly into the rankings battle."

"Even Huang Xuan might not be stronger than him."

Huang Xuan was busily gnawing on a chicken leg. Hearing this, he helplessly looked up. Praise Junior Brother Li all you want—why drag me into it?

"And, Hall Master, my student is a true genius. He's only been practicing the old arts for a month, yet he's already become a martial artist. Tell me, isn't that genius?"

Kang Tianchen's mouth went on and on, making Huang Xuan feel as though he had swallowed a lemon. He quietly leaned closer to Li Changqing.

"Junior Brother Li, look at how happy Coach is. He's never praised me like that before. You've got to keep it up."

Kang Tianchen was giving full play to his silver tongue.

Seeing that the hall master was beginning to relent, he gritted his teeth and decided to add more fuel to the fire.

"Also, Hall Master, Group B has one spot for the final contention battle as well. If you can spare some time to personally train my student, perhaps we might have one more top sixteen contender this year!"

Huang Xuan's eyes bulged. Damn, just to help Junior Brother Li secure the Psionic Stone Tablet, you really dared to say anything.

But at that moment, Kang Tianchen's expression suddenly changed drastically.

"Has it been confirmed?"

"Alright, alright, I'll take a look right away..."

"Fine."

The favorable situation took a sharp turn for the worse, and Kang Tianchen hastily hung up.

Huang Xuan quickly set down the chicken bone in his hand. Looking at Kang Tianchen, whose face had darkened again, he cautiously asked:

"Coach, what happened? Did the Hall Master refuse?"

Kang Tianchen leaned back and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"The Hall Master said we can discuss it after Changqing wins his next match. Right now, his priority is using the Psionic Stone Tablet to help Liu Yi raise his strength as much as possible."

There was nothing wrong with that reasoning, but Huang Xuan was somewhat confused.

"Then, Coach, can't we just borrow it after Junior Brother Li wins his next match? Why do you look so upset?"

Kang Tianchen flung his phone onto the table, then opened his eyes and looked at Li Changqing.

"Changqing, your opponent for the first rankings battle has been announced."

"Who is it?" Li Changqing was curious.

Whose luck was that bad?

"Changqing, your luck is really terrible. Why did it have to be like this?" Kang Tianchen irritably clawed at his hair.

"Those people handling the draw are definitely pulling strings again. It's got to be for ticket sales and ratings. In the very first match, they actually put you against Jiang He."

"Who is Jiang He? He's from the Academy Faction, a genius no worse than those from Jixing Martial Hall. Having Jiang He fight you in the first match—isn't that just using you as a stepping stone?"

"Once he graduates, he'll have government and Research Institute resources supporting him. Those associations organizing the competition know Group B isn't part of the main event, so they keep pulling this shady nonsense to make money!"

The more Kang Tianchen spoke, the angrier he became. He picked up the porcelain cup from the table, but the last of his reason made him take three deep breaths before setting it down.

Then he punched Huang Xuan, whose skin was thick and flesh was tough.

"J-Junior Brother... your luck really is awful. Zhang Wei in the first match, then Jiang He in the second."

Huang Xuan bared his teeth in pain.

But when he thought about Li Changqing's schedule, pity filled his eyes again.

This junior brother of his was good in every way.

Strong, talented, and low-key.

It was just that his luck was a little too bad.

Seeing that Coach Kang was about to sink into depression again, Li Changqing smiled and consoled him.

"Coach, what's the big deal? Didn't you say I'm a genius? Jiang He is a genius too. Who wins and who loses—how can we know that already?"

"It's different, Changqing." Kang Tianchen repeatedly shook his head.

"The testing equipment at your school must have been faulty. In my eyes, you're a genius, but geniuses aren't all the same."

Kang Tianchen thought for a moment, then said tactfully, "As for whether you or Jiang He has greater talent, I can't tell for now. But when you had only just begun practicing the old arts, he had already entered the Transformation Stage.

"Not to mention that he's from the Academy Faction and has government support. Whether it's trainers, cultivation resources, or cultivation time, he has more than you."

"You've been cultivating for too short a time, and your resources aren't enough. Meeting him in the Youth Cup... it'll be too difficult!"

Kang Tianchen only felt a tightness in his chest. He had finally seen a chance for his student to shine and make a name for himself in the Youth Cup.

Yet in the blink of an eye, he was being made into someone else's stepping stone. Who was Jiang He? He was the Psionic Academy's outstanding graduate this year!

A genius no less talented than those of Jixing Martial Hall, with government resources supporting his training.

How were they supposed to fight that?

Other than spectators who only cared about titles and loved a spectacle, anyone knowledgeable knew this was a match with no suspense.

Watching Kang Tianchen, who looked too worried to eat or drink, Li Changqing began spinning the lazy Susan and picking up food.

"Coach, luck is something we can't control. Besides, they haven't even fought yet—who knows if we can't win?"

Li Changqing gazed out at the surging waters of the Tuo River beyond the window.

Saying their luck was bad wasn't exactly wrong.

But whose luck was bad, that was hard to say.