IMO Xi "challenges" were the SCS, Trade War, Covid-19, and now the Tech war and breaking through the hostile US actions.To be sure, every Chinese leader since Deng had faced their own 'COVID 19' moment. For Jiang Zemin it was the Asian Financial Crisis, the 1998 Floods which, coincidentally, also almost completely destroyed Wuhan (this is one of the reasons why Dr Zhong Nanshan said early in the pandemic that Wuhan is a city of heroes), the 1999 US boming of Chinese embassy in Belgrade, the 2001 collision with US EP3 plane over the SCS.
For Hu Jintao, there was the SARS outbreak of 2003, the 2008 GFC and Sichuan Earthquake and the 2009 Xinjiang Riots.
It is not a coincidence that Chinese leaders can rise to the challenge when the time comes, and lead the country out of crises more resilient than before and stronger than before.
IMO if Xi manages to pass the US geopolitical issue then he would have the same status as Mao, and if he also get Taiwan he might even surpass him