Shōma Senju's concerns seemed to give Xia Yan a glimpse of hope.
He had always been an ambitious man, and he would not deny that in the slightest.
Whether because of the system's missions or his own nature, he would find ways to climb higher, step by step.
Shōma Senju was concerned about Xia Yan's growing strength, concerned that Xia Yan would push back against the decision he had made back then.
Strength was a good thing. Not only could it protect him, it could also intimidate others, even when Xia Yan had done nothing at all.
Having concerns like that also shows just how weak you are now, Elder.
The Senju Clan was a legendary clan, after all. Even after declining to this extent, it still had deep reserves and a certain amount of strength.
But Xia Yan was not quite sure just how much strength that amounted to.
Still, Xia Yan remembered that Uesugi Gen, who had once taught him, had definitely been rated a Jonin by the system!
Someone with that level of strength, practically part of a village's high-end fighting force, had become Xia Yan's first teacher.
For a time, that had made Xia Yan feel that the Senju Clan must still be formidable.
Of course, that was not wrong. Even in decline, a great power still outmatched a lesser one.
The Senju were on the verge of collapse, but when they had been powerful, many people had been loyal to them, and some powerful individuals still remained within the clan.
But today's events had given Xia Yan a rough understanding of where the limits of the Senju's strength lay.
Uesugi Gen, whom Xia Yan had once thought might just be an ordinary member of the clan, was probably already its ceiling.
*Of course, Lizard Maru