Holloway let out a long sigh.
His head buzzed.
Being a head coach was hard.
Why was he still so stressed out, even though the team was riding high on momentum?
But once he calmed down, Holloway understood.
He realized—
No matter what—
There was no way he could keep Kai in the future.
"I'll never stop him from reaching a bigger stage. He's a genius—and a good kid. Holding him back would be selfish."
"Let's enjoy every match we still have with Kai."
"When the day comes that we have to part ways, I'll help him plan it out and find the perfect next club."
The 13th round of the Championship kicked off quickly.
Crystal Palace were away against Sheffield United.
Compared to their previous opponents, Norwich and Leeds,
Sheffield United were in a much worse state.
Until Palace escaped the relegation zone,
they and Sheffield were both bottom-feeders.
One above the other, nestled in the drop zone.
There wasn't much suspense in this match.
By halftime, Kai had already delivered two assists.
Vaughn netted both goals.
In the 65th minute of the second half, during a set-piece corner routine,
Kai whipped in a cross from the flank, assisting the center-back with a headed goal.
A hat-trick of assists!
Just five minutes later,
Kai scored a stunning long-range strike!
4–0!
One goal, three assists for Kai!
In the 75th minute,
Kai was subbed off.
Thunderous applause erupted from the stands!
With the match result beyond doubt, Holloway naturally chose to preserve Kai's fitness.
Even though this genius tearing up the Championship looked unstoppable,
he was still only 16 years old!
Sixteen was still a growing age.
After this game,
Crystal Palace had notched a three-match winning streak!
A desperate comeback run.
Not only had it pulled them away from relegation danger,
they were now pressing toward mid-table!
Kai's assist tally for the season had shot up to 7!
Leaping past the previous leader,
he now stood first on the Championship assist leaderboard!
He had only played three matches, yet already overtaken everyone!
That night, Kai returned to the villa.
Elena arrived as promised.
On the rooftop under the night sky,
the girl danced with grace and a radiant smile.
The two of them spent a wonderful evening together.
Late into the night, Kai lay in bed.
After the victory, he had earned 5 custom attribute points again.
Without hesitation,
he put them all into Stamina.
His stamina stat now exceeded 75!
More than enough to handle the intensity of the Championship.
Even more surprising,
thanks to recent matches and training,
his ball control, dribbling, physical strength, and speed
had all increased by 1–2 points!
This meant that—
aside from the 80+ threshold that required star player modules to surpass,
his individual stats could be improved gradually through match play and training!
[Ding! Match Performance Rating: SSS! Hidden Reward Unlocked!]
[Hidden Reward: Unlimited Distance Guaranteed Goal Card! (One-time use, auto-destroy after)]
The voice in his mind startled Kai!
An unlimited distance guaranteed goal card?!
It was like the 10-second unlimited dribbling card—
utterly broken!
Unlimited distance.
Meaning even a long punt from the back could score?!
That was outrageous!
But of course, such OP rewards had limitations.
They were destroyed after use.
And it was unknown when he'd get another one.
These experience cards had to be used sparingly!
Still, there was one great thing about them—
using a card could also boost the relevant stat!
Even if only by one or two points, it was still a gain.
As long as he kept getting high match ratings,
he would continue to earn all sorts of experience card rewards!
And with better stats,
his performances would keep improving.
Looking at it this way,
maintaining high-performance participation was key!
A healthy body and stamina were crucial.
If he didn't play, he wouldn't earn rewards.
"Matches against weak teams only give attribute points or low-tier loot boxes."
"Other rewards depend on post-match rating—god-tier experience cards."
"Only by facing strong teams will I get decent loot boxes."
"And this is just the Championship."
"If I ever get to face Premier League clubs—United, Arsenal, Chelsea—"
"The rewards would definitely be even better!"
Thinking this far,
Kai suddenly realized—
Championship clubs can get a shot at Premier League opposition!
Through cup competitions!
England had two major domestic cups—
the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup.
Championship teams were eligible too.
After checking the calendar,
he noted that the FA Cup would start in about half a month.
Ring ring ring—
His phone buzzed.
It was a call from Uncle Fan.
"Kai! These recent matches…"
After a few pleasantries,
Fan Zhiyi praised Kai's performances.
"I have a few top-tier European agents to recommend. I'll send their info to you—take a look."
"Some of them may come to watch your matches and decide if they want to sign you."
"Also, one more thing."
"My daughter, Fan Sijing—you remember her, right? You two met when you were little!"
"She's going to study abroad in London soon. Since you're there too, I'll have her get in touch with you."
"She loves football. You two can chat, and when you have time, help me look after her!"
After hanging up,
Kai chuckled in surprise.
"Uncle Fan really trusts me, huh?"
"Just sending his daughter straight to me like that?"
Soon after,
his screen lit up—
several agent profiles had been sent over.
Kai skimmed through and instantly passed on a few,
including Mino Raiola.
Known as a blood-sucking leech of the agent world,
Kai wanted nothing to do with him.
He carefully reviewed the others.
Combining his memories from his previous life,
a few stood out as decent candidates.
You had to go with a big-name agent—
but even among them, there were tiers.
Someone like Raiola was infamous for a reason.
A few minutes later,
a contact was sent his way.
Kai added them on WhatsApp, the go-to app in the UK.
Soon after, he received a video call—
It was Fan Sijing.
The moment the camera turned on, Kai was stunned!
"Wow… she's changed a lot!"
"Brother Kai! Do you remember me?"
"You haven't changed at all! Still so handsome!"
Fan Sijing greeted him cheerfully,
and the two quickly started chatting.
An hour later—
"Alright, just let me know when you arrive in London, I'll come pick you up."
After ending the call,
Kai yawned and lay back in bed.
It was late,
and he quickly fell asleep.
That night, Kai made a shocking discovery!
In his dream,
he found himself on a football pitch!
Everything felt incredibly real—
and he could even train there!
What was even crazier:
Training in this dream stadium actually increased his stats,
just like in real life!
That meant—
he now had an extra full night to improve himself,
on top of his regular day!
Could this be a hidden system feature?
Letting him train while sleeping,
without affecting rest,
but boosting his growth as much as possible?
This was an unexpected windfall!
At the same time,
after the match against Sheffield United,
London's media was once again set ablaze!
A series of red-hot headlines dominated the front pages:
"Tops Championship Assist Chart in Three Games! 16-Year-Old Eagle King is Unstoppable!"
"Crystal Palace's Three-Game Win Streak! Breaking into Mid-Table!"
"Who Can Stop Crystal Palace? Burnley, Swansea, QPR on High Alert!"
Crystal Palace's sudden rise
was shaking up London—
and even the entire English football scene.