Chapter 8

City H was much colder than City B, but fortunately, Jiu Sheng was bundled up, so it wasn’t too bad.  

Soon, Jiu Sheng arrived at the pre-booked hotel.  

The moment he checked in, Jiang Xu Guang couldn’t resist dragging him outside.  

Jiang Xu Guang said, “Jiu Sheng, I heard the ice sculptures in City H are famous. Why don’t we go take a look?”  

“Ah, but it’s a shame we’re a bit late. If we’d come earlier, we might’ve caught the annual Ice Sculpture Festival.”  

Jiu Sheng buried his small face in his scarf, revealing only his thick lashes and slightly tired eyes.  

He yawned.  

He was exhausted. Honestly, he’d much rather sleep than go see some ice sculptures.  

Seeing him like this, Jiang Xu Guang turned his face away again.  

Jiu Sheng found it strange.  

Why had Jiang Xu Guang been blushing so much lately?  

Was it because of the cold?  

The two wandered through the streets, stopping now and then. The streets were crowded, mostly with ice skating fans drawn by the National Championship.  

They didn’t stand out much among the crowd.  

But as they walked, they stumbled upon an outdoor skating spot. Originally a river, the thick winter ice had turned it into a makeshift rink where many skating enthusiasts gathered.  

Seeing this, Jiu Sheng and Jiang Xu Guang couldn’t resist. They exchanged a glance, then went to rent a pair of ice skates.  

—  

Shi Xia was an ice skating fan and a somewhat well-known online blogger.  

She frequently posted videos and photos of domestic and international athletes, attracting hundreds of thousands of followers.  

This year, the National Championship was being held in her hometown, City H, and as a content creator, Shi Xia absolutely couldn’t miss such a grand event.  

Now, she held up her phone, livestreaming while explaining to her audience.  

“Take a look, everyone—this is the hotel where the figure skating athletes competing in the National Championship are staying. It’s not just Men’s Singles and Ladies’ Singles skaters; Pairs Dance and ice dance athletes are here too. But security’s tight, so we can’t go in.”  

Her livestream was filled with fans who couldn’t attend in person.  

**[Qin Bai already arrived in City H today. I wish I could run into him!]**  

**[But I heard his injuries have gotten worse lately. I wonder how he’s doing.]**  

Qin Bai was currently the only Men’s Singles figure skater in the country who could barely hold his own internationally. Fans pinned their hopes on him, but at his level, he fought alone, bearing the immense responsibility of his discipline.  

He endured tremendous pressure, gritting his teeth through countless injuries because he knew—if he fell, Chinese figure skating would truly hit rock bottom.  

The mood in the livestream turned somber, and even Shi Xia was momentarily at a loss for words.  

Her voice slightly hoarse, she tried to lighten the atmosphere.  

“Qin Bai’s injuries will definitely heal—they have to. And even if he can’t compete, China has successors. Jiu Li will surely surprise us all.”  

At the mention of “Jiu Li,” the fans’ spirits lifted.  

**[Right, right! How could we forget Jiu Li? I heard he’s already landed the 3A. Achieving so much at such a young age—his future is unimaginable!]**  

**[This time, I bet Jiu Li will definitely make it to the podium.]**

[“Of course! He was practically invincible in the junior division, and even now in the senior division, few can hold him down.”]

Seeing the atmosphere ease, Shi Xia let out a sigh of relief before continuing to wander around with her phone in hand.

Soon, she was drawn by waves of excited screams.

Shi Xia recognized this place—it was a popular spot for outdoor ice skating, often crowded with people after winter arrived.

But why was everyone now forming a neat circle?

Squinting, Shi Xia spotted a young boy skating at the center of the rink, surrounded by the crowd.

His movements were crisp and precise, with barely any ice shavings kicked up.

Then, he effortlessly executed a Triple Toe Loop.

Even through thick pants, his legs appeared astonishingly well-proportioned. But most importantly—

That 3T was a clean jump!

And so flawlessly executed!

In all her years, Shi Xia had never seen such a perfect clean 3T!! And now, it was happening right before her eyes!

Her livestream exploded, with viewer counts and comments skyrocketing.

[Holy shit! A clean 3T! Someone in our country can actually pull this off—am I dreaming?!]

[That 3T was perfection! His legs are insanely long—golden ratio material!]

[Shi Xia, go get a closer look! I need to see the face behind that insane clean 3T!]

Realization dawned on Shi Xia as she sprinted forward, gasping for breath. But by the time she arrived, the skater who’d performed the clean 3T had already left.

People around her were still buzzing about him.

“Damn, that kid was insane! He didn’t even need a glide and just went straight into a… what was it again? Oh right—a 3A! Yeah, a 3A!”

Shi Xia’s eyes widened. “Wait, what? A 3A?”

The bystander flinched at her intensity. “Y-yeah! In such a tight space too—that technique was unreal. No way I’d mistake it!”

Shi Xia’s mind went blank from sheer shock.

Not only had he nailed a clean 3T—he’d also pulled off a flawless 3A?! This guy was a god!!

Regret crashed over her.

Why hadn’t she gotten here sooner? She could’ve seen the legend’s face!

Damn it, what a waste!!

Shi Xia felt like she’d lost a fortune.

For the rest of the day, she wandered in a daze, too distracted to focus on anything.

Unbeknownst to her, clips from her livestream had already been shared by figure skating fans onto forums.

The Winter Sports Forum was a hub for passionate ice skating enthusiasts, where they discussed techniques and tracked rising talents.

While the forum often highlighted the world’s top-ranked skaters in Ladies’ and Men’s Singles, Qin Bai—China’s lone standout—was also a frequent topic.

But today, a blurry 10-second video took the forum by storm, sending fans into a frenzy as if it were New Year’s Eve.

【OMG! Where did this video come from? Such a clean Triple Toe Loop actually exists in our country? Is it really ours?】  

【The Clean Jump was so crisp!! And it wasn’t even on a proper rink—just some random outdoor ice!】  

【I was in the livestream when this happened. You have no idea—when that Clean 3T came out, I screamed like crazy. And what’s even crazier is that the blogger later found out from others that before doing this 3T, the guy had already landed a 3A!! But the worst part? By the time the blogger got there, he was already gone.】  

【AHHHHHHHH! Who is this beast?! But they didn’t even catch his face—damn it!】  

【A triple jump of this level? Right now, only our top skater Qin Bai could pull it off.】  

【Nah, Qin Bai’s injured lately. Forget a Clean Jump—he can barely skate normally. Plus, the guy in the video is clearly under 1.6 meters, and Qin Bai’s at least 1.7 meters. No way it’s him.】  

【Then is it Tang Xin, our second-best?】  

【Tang Xin? Pfft, don’t forget three months ago when he tried to show off on a variety show and ended up faceplanting.】  

【What about Jiu Li?】  

【Hah? Even less likely. Little Jiu Li might be called the hope of our country, but let’s not forget—his 3A isn’t even stable yet. No way he’s had time to train a Clean 3T.】  

【Then who the heck is it??】  

The forum was flooded with guesses from ice skating fans, but no one could come up with a solid answer.  

In the end, everyone concluded that this must be a foreign Figure Skating Athlete—probably Russian—sneaking into China to scout.  

How shameless! A powerhouse like Russia stooping to such sneaky tactics!  

But this only made the fans even more anxious.  

Judging by his height and silhouette, that kid couldn’t be older than 14. Russia already has monsters like Stepan, and now there’s this unknown guy pulling off Clean 3Ts? Russia is just insane.  

Shi Xia was also lurking in the forum. Seeing the final conclusion, she stayed silent.  

She didn’t think that boy was Russian—he seemed more like someone from their own country.  

But someone that skilled wouldn’t be unknown, and with the World Championship underway, he was probably a competitor.  

That night, Shi Xia combed through every notable Men’s Singles skater at the World Championship, comparing heights and builds to see who matched.  

But in the end, she found nothing.  

Shi Xia was so frustrated she could cry.  

*Ughhh, just let me see that boy one more time!!!!*  

After a day of rest in H City, the National Championship officially began.  

The Men’s Singles Short Program was scheduled for the morning of the third competition day, following the Ladies’ Singles and Pair Skating Short Programs.  

The Ladies’ Singles event had no dark horses—the top-ranked skater took first place as expected.  

Pair Skating, however, had a surprise—the second-ranked pair defeated the reigning champions.  

And after the Ladies’ Singles and Pair Skating events, it was finally time for the Men’s Singles Short Program.

Before the competition, all participants needed to draw lots to determine their groups and performance order.

Xu Zhou, Xia Xiaoxiao, and the others watched nervously as Jiu Sheng drew his lot.

Xia Xiaoxiao clasped her hands together. “Please let it be a good group and performance order.”

When Jiu Sheng revealed his result, Xia Xiaoxiao’s face lit up with joy.

He had drawn the last performance slot in Group Four.

It seemed Jiu Sheng’s luck was still quite good.

However, Xia Xiaoxiao’s expression quickly darkened, and even Xu Zhou’s face fell.

Because, according to the news Xu Zhou had just gathered, Jiu Li and Tang Xin were also in Group Four—and not just them. Qin Bai, the current top male skater in the domestic senior division, was unexpectedly placed in the same group.

A single small group had gathered three of the biggest medal favorites—something unimaginable in previous years!

But this also meant Jiu Sheng had drawn—the Group of Death!!