Almighty Coach

by Stayrr

How could a poor graduate student without any background or connections become successful? With a coaching system? An upgrade? This is not a computer game, but real life we’re talking about! This will be a fantasy based on reality. Dai Li will fight back against all those who would mock and humiliate him with his astonishing and awe-inspiring training skills. From a nobody he’ll t

3. 65 - 90

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Chapter 65: Curtain Call Competitions

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Using the fat loss exercises, Dai Li really began helping Aiguo Jiang lose weight. Because Li didn't want Jiang to lose too much muscle, the best course of action was to get rid of the fat while maintaining as much as they could. This way, Jiang could keep as much of his formal strength and explosive power as possible.

Jiang had traditionally trained for the 69kg weight class, but he was not among the best on the team because of his age. However, if he trained for the 62kg weight class, he would have clear advantages. The difference between the two weight classes were completely different. In the 69kg weight class, the top athlete's record for the snatch and the clean and jerk would be over 350kg in total. However, an athlete in the 62kg weight class could only lift 320kg, which was a difference of 30kg. Even average athletes of the 69kg weight class could easily beat the athletes of the 62kg weight class.

If Jiang could take part in the competition for the 62kg weight class as an athlete who had the ability of someone in the 69kg, there was no doubt that he would get a good result.

It was impossible to lose weight while maintaining all the muscle. There was a limit to how low a body fat percentage could be. It was quite hard to lower that percentage once it reached a certain number.

For normal adults, the average percentage was 15% to 18% for men, and 25% to 28% for women. In today's society, only people who worked out consistently could reach the standard. Appearance-wise, the pectorals were visible when a man's body fat percentage was under 20%. When it was below 15%, one could vaguely see the six or eight abdominal muscles on the stomach. When the number was below 12%, the muscles would be not only visible, but very attractive to other people. However, if it was under 10%, the muscles would seem too dry, which could make others find the person not so beautiful.

Weightlifting was a sport that required strength, skill, and balance. Strength only helped athletes lift weights. Besides that, all that mattered was balance. That was why weightlifting athletes didn't have to pursue a perfect body fat percentage. Many top athletes were actually considered fat by most.

As for Jiang, his body rate percentage was a little higher than that of the young men on the team because he was older than them. The fat loss exercises would work quite well for him. Generally speaking, however, the efficiency of the fat loss exercises were much lower than the weight loss exercises.

Losing weight became daily training for Dai Li and Aiguo Jiang. During the process, more and more people on the weightlifting team found Li and Jiang doing the same broadcast exercises for most of their training time. They all found it weird because they knew that broadcast exercises couldn't help professional athletes with significant physical ability.

Although they found it odd, no one disturbed them. Jiang was an athlete with more than 10 years of experience after all. They knew the weightlifting team would begin expelling athletes and that Jiang was one of the names on the list. There was no need to be strict with someone who was likely leaving. He should be able to do whatever he wanted!

…

"I'm finally under 66kg!" Jiang stepped off the scale looking very relieved.

After being weighed in his clothes, he found that his weight was below 66kg, which meant Jiang qualified for the 62kg weight class. Even though there was still a 4kg difference, he could definitely reach the mark before the weigh-in by taking off his clothes, as well as not eating or drinking before the competition.

Li gave a sigh of relief and said, "We're lucky to have made it. There are only two weeks left. The sign-ups are about to begin. My big bro, you should go to Coach Song immediately, since you have to sign up and take part in the competition this time."

"I'm going right now," Jiang nodded. However, he still seemed very disturbed and asked, "I still feel indecisive. What if he rejects me? Could you please come with me?"

"I think he will agree seeing as there are no athletes in the 62kg weight class. The games will be held in Qing City also, which means we will be competing on our home field. The team will take full advantage of this opportunity and send as many athletes as possible," Li said.

"I guess that makes sense. I hope Coach Song will think the same way," Jiang said.

…

Guangyi Ma walked into Guangming Song's office in a hurry.

"Coach, I heard that you agreed to let Jiang take part in the national weightlifting championship in Qing City?" Guangyi Ma asked.

Guangming Song nodded, "Yes, I did. What is the problem?"

"Coach, Jiang is too old for that. He has no longer has potential. I think we would be better off saving this chance for younger athletes like Liang Peng and Dongshan Cao," Guangyi Ma said.

"They will join too," Guangming Song agreed.

Ma hesitated a bit, then asked cautiously, "Even though it's on our home field this time, wouldn't it break the rules if we send three athletes for the same weight class? The other teams might gossip about us."

"Haha, Ma, you misunderstood me." Song waved his hand and continued, "Liang Peng and Dongshan Cao will take part in the games for the 69kg weight class, while Aiguo Jiang will go for the 62kg."

"Aiguo Jiang? 62kg weight class?" Ma was lost. The day Jiang joined, he was an athlete of the 69kg weight class. It had been more than ten years. How could he have become part of the 62kg weight class all of a sudden when he was about to retire?

Guangming Song continued, "Jiang worked very hard to lose a few kilos these last few days. His weight is already under 66kg, which means he is qualified to take part in the competition."

"What about his strength? He must have lost so much muscle since he dropped a few kilos. He will not be able to adjust himself to the 62kg weight class in such a short time," Ma added.

"I understand your concerns. But because there is no athlete in 62kg weight class on our team, why don't we send him and try? The game is in our city also, so there will not be any extra cost to send one more athlete." He sighed and said, "Besides, you must know about what happened with his family. There will be a few more surgeries for his daughter because she has a cleft lip. That is going to be a lot of money, which will torture him. This veteran has worked for more than ten years. Let's see this national championship as his curtain call!"

"Curtain call…" Ma repeated the words. All that popped up into his mind was the gossip about him being expelled from before. He finally understood that Jiang would be asked to leave after this championship.

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Chapter 66: The Championship Starts

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

The news that Jiang would be competing in the 62kg weight class spread all over the team. It was much harder to drop weight than it was to gain weight in weightlifting, especially when Jiang had been in the 69kg weight class for almost 14 years. It surprised a lot of people when they heard that he was going to the 62kg.

No one had positive opinions about Jiang's decision besides Li. Jiang was 32-years-old, after all. Most domestic athletes' physical abilities began to deteriorate when they got to this age, and most of them were simply counting down to retirement.

Xiang Huang began gossiping again in the cafeteria.

"Jiang is really hard-working. In order to stay on the team, he dropped down to the 62kg weight class. You know he is in his 30s. Normally athletes his age are retired," Xiang Huang said.

"All he wants to do is to extend his career to 15 years so he can get a higher pension. I heard that his daughter's second surgery is soon," Coach Tao Liu said next to them.

"But I think that even if he decides to go down to the 62kg weight class it will still be difficult for him. There are only two weeks left before the championship. He does not have much time; he might fail before the game even begins because he is overweight.

…

Weightlifting was divided by weight class. You couldn't take part in the game if you were even 0.01kg overweight the day the weighing took place.

It took two hours to weigh the athletes right before the competition. The pre-weighing room was opened one hour prior so the athletes could prepare for it. The actual weighing room opened one hour later. Athletes could weigh themselves as many times as they wanted. They could go to the restroom or do some strenuous exercises if they found that their weight was not where it needed to be, then weigh themselves again until they were satisfied with the number.

According to the rules of weightlifting, if two athletes lifted the same weight, lighter of the two would win. Every athlete would try everything to bring their weight down. During the 1980s, there was a top-level athlete who lost the Olympic games to his rival because he was 0.05kg heavier than him. It was because he had drank a cup of milk for lunch. That game was named the "milk medal" because of the incident.

Normally, the athletes started to restrict their diet a few days before the game, only eating some vegetables while limiting the consumption of carbohydrates. 48 hours before the games began, the athletes would restrict their consumption of water. Some even stopped drinking water entirely, to the point where they were slightly dehydrated.

The athletes also had saunas before the competition began. Those who were in a high weight class could lose 2-3kg in the sauna after 30 minutes. If they could not find a sauna, they usually wrapped themselves in down coats and quilts just to make themselves sweat and become lighter. Some considered this procedure torture. There was also an extreme method, which was to cut one's hair, beard, and fine hair, getting rid of keratin, and even cutting one's nails if it meant a lighter weigh-in.

To weigh less, the athletes wore nothing whilst being weighed, not even their underwear; they were naked when they stood on the scale. In national competitions, normally they would ask a male judge to be in charge of male athletes and a female judge to be in charge of female athletes to make the athletes less uncomfortable. However, in international competitions, foreigners did not care about it. There were usually five to six judges, both male and female, which made it a little embarrassing for the naked athletes to stand on the scale.

It was quite normal for some athletes to not pass the weigh-in before the games. There had been an athlete from west Asia who could not reach the standard for the Asian championship, and had to give up before the game even began. Even in national competitions, there were a bunch of people who forfeited due to their weight.

…

Two weeks passed very quickly. The day had come for the national weightlifting championship in Qing City.

The 62kg weight class was the second-lightest group for men's weightlifting. Because of this, the 62kg weight class happened earlier than the other weight classes. Jiang arrived very early in the morning to prepare.

"All athletes taking part in the 62kg weight class competition, please come here and prepare to weigh-in before the games," a gentle female voice echoed from a speaker on the wall. The athletes who were preparing to compete in the competition all stood up and walked to the pre-weighing room.

"My big bro, Jiang, let's go get ready!" Dai Li said.

"Sure." Jiang walked to the pre-weighing room with an oppressive look.

Somebody near called his name at that moment.

"Aiguo Jiang!"

Li turned around and saw the person who had spoken was a coach from another team. He felt like he had seen that face before.

"He looks so familiar to me. I must have met him before. Where was it?" Aiguo Jiang called out his name while Li was still trying to remember.

"Gang Shi, why are you here?" Aiguo Jiang patted his head right after he finished his sentence. "Sorry, that must be my bad memory. You are the main coach for the weightlifting team of Jianglin City now!"

Dai Li stood next to them and realized who this guy was when he heard his name.

"Gang Shi, the champion of the Olympic games. No wonder he looks so familiar to me. He looks much bigger than before. I didn't recognize him at first glance. He became a coach after his retirement!" Dai Li suddenly remembered what happened between Gang Shi and Aiguo Jiang.

Jiang had beaten Shi in the competition prior to the Olympics, and had qualified to take part in the Olympic games. However, he had to give the spot up because he had gotten injured. Shi replaced Jiang, and won the gold medal in that Olympic games. From then on, their fates had been completely changed. Jiang had left no remarkable records after that, and was gradually forgotten by other people. Even the provincial weightlifting team was preparing to kick him out.

Shi had not achieved any good records after that either, but thanks to the title "champion" that the Olympic games had given him, he enjoyed countless compliments and was worshipped. Both the country and the government provided him with a high bonus. All the commercials also brought him income, so he didn't have to worry about food or clothes. Even after he retired, his former champion identity still helped him become a well-known coach for weightlifting without any suspense. Now he was the main coach for a provincial weightlifting team.

"It seems like fate likes to play jokes on people!" Dai Li sighed to himself.

Shi walked over to them and said, "Aiguo, we haven't seen each other for a year, yet you seem healthier than before! Let's catch up since we have nothing better to do anyway. Let's go over there and find a seat."

"Shi, I will go find you and talk to you after the game. I need to get ready for the competition right now," Aiguo Jiang said.

"Competition?" Shi was lost. "Aiguo, are you confused? This is for the the 62kg weight class. Your game begins in the afternoon according to the agenda."

"I'm an athlete in the 62kg weight class," Jiang explained.

"What? You transferred to the 62kg weight class? Since when? I remember that you were still in the 69kg weight class when I came here last year." Shi looked astonished.

"Two months ago," Jiang said.

"Two months ago? Are you out of you mind? Do you have any idea how old you are…" Shi suddenly stopped because he remembered Jiang's daughter, who had a special condition.

Shi breathed deeply and said, "Aiguo, we have been friends for more than 10 years. If your family is in trouble, tell me. I'm not rich, but I can help you at least a little bit."

"Thanks, Shi! I'm already satisfied with your words." Jiang nodded at Shi and walked into the pre-weighing room.

Shi opened his mouth, but said nothing. He knew that he would hurt Jiang's pride if he continued. Jiang walked into the pre-weighing room and looked at the young athletes standing around. You could see the differences between him and the others.

He was not a successful athlete, nor did he know how to make a big fortune. His family was a heavy burden on him. His daughter was waiting for the money for the surgery. But he did not need other people's pity or sympathy, let alone someone else's charity. He believed that he could bare the burden of his family and make his family live better with his hands and effort!

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Chapter 67: Snatch

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

"Isn't that Aiguo Jiang? Why is he here? I thought he was in the 69kg weight class. Why is he in the 62kg pre-weighing room? Is he lost?"

"The scheduled date and time for the competitions was sent to the athletes in advance. The competition for the 69kg weight class is later. How could he not know?"

"Does that mean he transferred to the 62kg?"

"How is that possible? I think he is over 30-years-old. Athletes that age are close to retirement. How could he transfer to another weight class, especially a lighter one?"

"Who knows. There is no athlete in the 62kg weight class for the Hanbei Provincial team. Their strengths are the 77kg and 85kg weight classes. I think they want to add more athletes because it is their home field this time. That is why they put him here."

"Let's go and see. It is difficult for a 69kg weight class athlete to transfer to the 62kg weight class. Maybe he will be knocked out right after the weighing takes place."

A couple experienced athletes discussed amongst themselves in low voices. Some young athletes were looked at Jiang curiously because they did not even know him.

For other weightlifting athletes, it was very exhausting to control their weight. However, Dai Li had solved this problem for Jiang, so he no longer needed to worry about that. He was qualified to take part in the game because he weigh in at 61.88kg.

There were only 25 athletes in the competition for the 62kg weight class. This was because the competition was being held by Qing City, which was located in the north coastal area. The provinces next to Qing City were not famous for weightlifting in the lighter weight classes. If the game had been held by a southwestern city, there might be more athletes in the 62kg competition.

According to international rules, organizers divided the athletes into groups A and B based on their abilities when there were too many participants. The athletes who were superior would be put in group A, while the rest were put in group B. Normally, the champion was in group A, but there were exceptions. For example, one time in the Olympic games, the Korean athlete who broke the Olympic game's record was actually from group B. He defeated the athletes in group A successfully and won the gold medal.

This time around, there were 12 people in group A. They were all top-level athletes. Those in group B were inferior compared to group A. This was Jiang's first time to taking part in the 62kg weight class competition. He had no record on this level, so he was put in group B without a second thought.

Weightlifting was divided into two categories: the snatch and the clean and jerk. The athletes were asked to snatch first. Everybody got three attempts. Then they would be asked to complete the clean and jerk. Everyone got three attempts for this activity as well.

Once the game had begun, all the athletes would write their trial record on the paper and give it to the judge. From there, one could only increase the weight. With the increase in weight, athletes would lift weights in the order they had chosen.

For the first trial lift, the athlete would choose a weight that they could definitely lift. Because the weight could only be increased after it was given to the referee, the athletes preferred to leave a basic guaranteed record. If the record given to the referee was too high, the athlete might fail to lift it all three trial times, which would eliminate them without even obtaining a record.

The referee would keep the records handed in by the athletes a secret to prevent competitors from drawing up a strategy against each other. The athletes had no idea who was the next until it was their turn.

The athletes in group B obviously underachieved compared to group A. The first athlete was a complete newbie. He only chose 115kg for his first trial lift. It was so light that everyday guys who attended the gym regularly could lift it.

The first athlete lifted his weight successfully. The second athlete raised the weight to 117kg, while the following athlete did the same.

With the increase in weight, there were more and more new faces appearing on the field, meaning more and more people failed. Once the weight was raised to 130kg, 12 athletes from group B had finished their trial lift. However, Jiang had not gone yet.

"It is 130kg already! Jiang still has not shown up! Which number did he write for his trial lift?" Some people began to feel confused. Some of the athletes had already finished three trial lifts, while Jiang had not even begun his very first trial lift.

Finally, once the weight increased to 135kg, Jiang came out.

"He chose 135kg as his first trial. Even if he was in group A, it would be above average, right?"

"The trial lift in group A is 130kg. Now it has been increased to 138kg. There were three athletes who chose this weight for their first trial lift. Two of them succeeded the first time, and one of them succeeded the second."

"It seems that there is still a big difference between groups A and B. But considering Jiang lifted 135kg for his first trial, he should be qualified enough to be put into group A."

Jiang was ready while the others talked to each other. 135kg was very easy for him. He lifted it easily, wasting no time.

"He made it! Not bad. I wonder what his next weight will be. 136kg?"

"He lifted it effortlessly. I think he could make it 137kg or 138kg. But not more than that. Even athletes from group A might fail 138kg."

Dai Li had a satisfied smile on his face. The fat loss exercises had helped Jiang maintain most of his muscles. This weight was very easy for him because he was a former 69kg weight class athlete. Although he was in the 62kg weight class now, he still possessed superior ability.

When the weight was increased to 136kg, Jiang did not show up. The same happened for 137kg. When the weight rose to 138kg, there was only one athlete remaining besides Jiang.

Another athlete's third trial lift was 138kg, which seemed to be beyond his abilities. In the end, he did not complete his attempt.

"Now there is only Jiang left. It is time for him to go. He has only lifted once!"

Right after the person spoke, somebody walked on the field. It was not Jiang, but a member of the staff. They ran out and raised the weight to 140kg.

"Jiang chose 140kg as his second trial lift?"

"Even if he was in group A, there would not be more than three or four athletes who could lift 140kg. He raised it 5kg. It is too difficult to do in one shot."

"Look, he did it! He lifted 140kg!"

Jiang held the 140kg of weight steadily on the field. He put it on the floor once he heard the notification sound. With three white lights showing, Jiang had successfully completed his trial lifts.

There was a shocked expression on Gang Shi's eyes, who was standing far from the field.

"He successfully dropped down to the 62kg weight class. If he were in his 20s it would make sense. But he is 32-years-old already. How did he manage to do it?"

Jiang was the only one from group B who had not finished the competition. He did not have much time to rest, and began his third trial immediately. The weight was 141kg.

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Chapter 68: The Last Shot

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Group A had one less person than group B did, so their game went faster. The snatch competition ended quickly.

The athlete who had ranked No.1 in group A was Dashan Fang. He was the top weightlifting athlete in the country. He pouted his lips and smiled smugly. His snatch record was 141kg. He felt like it would be easy to win the entire competition.

"Snatch has actually always been my weakest lift. I did not expect my performance to be this good. Clean and jerk is my specialty. This championship is mine!" Dashan Fang thought the clean and jerk would only require him going through the motions. After his performance today, the championship would be his without a doubt.

As he was thinking this, the sound of applause suddenly echoed from group B.

"There is one more person in group B. The competition has not ended yet." Dashan Fang leaned back in his chair, not caring about the competition in group B at all. To him, people in group B were losers that had no chance at all.

Dashan Fang's coach suddenly ran up to him hurriedly and said, "Dashan, someone in group B lifted 141kg also."

"What?" Dashan Fang stood up straight and asked cautiously, "How could group B have such an overqualified athlete? Who is it? Is it someone new?"

There were many talented weightlifting athletes in the nation. No one could predict when a dark horse would show up, which worried Dashan Fang a lot.

"I guess you could say he is a new face, but he isn't, really. It was Aiguo Jiang who lifted 141kg," the coach said.

"I have heard that name before. Oh, I remember. He is an athlete who is quite old right? I think he should be over 30 years old. I remember he used to be in the 69kg weight class. How come he is in the 62kg weight class? Did he drop to a lighter weight? But how is that possible? How could an athlete in their 30s drop to a lighter weight class yet retain so much strength?"

"I know, right? I was surprised when I saw him. I'm also wondering how he made it into the 62kg weight class. I did not expect to drop to a lower weight class. You need to be careful. He is an experienced veteran. He knows all the tricks, and he is good at the clean and jerk!" The coach looked at the list of names in his hand and continued, "You are lucky that you were 0.04kg lighter than him in the pre-weighing. We have the upper hand now."

…

Clean and jerk was easier for athletes to use their strength than the snatch. This was why the records were always higher in the clean and jerk competition. It also required more technique. The ability of national weightlifting athletes was generally quite good, so they normally performed better in the clean and jerk.

The first athlete in group B to make an attempt chose 145kg, which was 30kg heavier than their snatch had been.

The weight increased gradually until it reached 160kg, at which point Aiguo Jiang finally stepped on the field.

At the sound of the starting ring, Aiguo Jiang successfully completed the movement, then dropped the barbell on the ground. It bounced a once it landed, even though even it weighed 160kg. The people near the field could feel that the ground shake when it fell.

As this was happening, applause could be heard from the people spectating group A. It sounded like thunder.

Dashan Fang raised his hands and began to celebrate his victory. The pace was a little bit slower in group A. Dashan Fang had just finished his second trial lift of 169kg.

The news of his lift was passed on to group B. Dai Li walked over to Aiguo Jiang and said, "My bro, Dashan Fang from group A just lifted 169kg. Your snatch records were from before were identical. He is now ahead of you by 9kg, and he is lighter than you. I think we should try 170kg for now. You've lifted it before during training.

"Okay, let's go to 170kg!" Aiguo Jiang said firmly.

The weight had been raised to 163kg in group B. The other two athletes had already failed at this weight. The only person remaining in group B was Aiguo Jiang. The staff came out and raised the weight to 170kg.

"Look, the weight was raised to 170kg. Aiguo Jiang is going to lift 170kg!"

"Dashan Fang from group A just lifted 169kg. It seems like Aiguo Jiang wants to lead the competition!"

"I saw that their records for the snatch were both 141kg. If Aiguo Jiang can lift 170kg, he can beat Dashan Fang. Just imagine, an athlete from group B beating an athlete from group A. What a good counterattack!"

"Do not jump to conclusions. Aiguo Jiang's first trial lift was 160kg. He might not be able to lift it at all after raising the weight by 10kg. He might just be rolling the dice."

Everyone in the audience had different opinions. Aiguo Jiang smeared his hands with chalk and got ready for the competition on the field.

When the bell rang, Aiguo Jiang held his breath and lifted the barbell. He crouched and continued to use his strength to push the barbell up to the height of his chest. Once he got the weight there, he used his strength and balance to crouch to the ground.

Once he was crouched, he used his power to stand up and lift the barbell above his head until his arms were fully stretched out. Aiguo Jiang then adjusted his leg position, putting his feet in line with one another. Finally, he stood still with the barbell above his head.

"Beeee…" Aiguo Jiang put the barbell back on the ground with the sound. He exhaled when he saw the three white lights glowing to the side of him.

"He did it! 170kg. Aiguo Jiang did it! He beat Dashan Fang by 1kg! He is going to be in the championship!"

The audience was shouting and applauding all over the competition field.

People always had a tendency to root for the underdog. Stories of people turning from losers to rock stars were always popular in literature. To the audience, if an athlete from group B could beat an athlete from group A and won the championship, it would be exciting and worth their applause.

Because it was Aiguo Jiang's home field, the audience mostly consisted of local people from Qing City. As a provincial athlete, he would definitely have the support of the audience. People would prefer Aiguo Jiang win the championship rather than someone else.

…

In group A, Dashan Fang was already targeting the No.1 spot. A different athlete had already failed to lift 170kg

"I already won the competition here. Maybe I should give up on the last trial lift to avoid being injured." As Dashan Fang was thinking about it, the sound of shouting and applause surprised him.

"What is going on? The noise is coming from group B." Dashan Fang raised his head and looked around, only to find that even the the people that had been spectating group A were looking in the direction of group B.

The coach ran to him in a hurry looking very serious. He said, "We are in trouble. Aiguo Jiang from group B just lifted 170kg. He is now leading you by 1kg."

"170kg? I was beat by an athlete from group B?" Dashan Fang was shocked. His eyes were wide open in disbelief. He had thought that he would win easily. He had never expected that a low-level athlete from group B would beat him.

The coach continued, "Aiguo Jiang's pre-weighing lifts are higher than yours. As long as you can lift 170kg, you can beat him. But this is only his second trial lift, which means you both get one more chance. It would be quite dangerous to choose 170kg!"

Dashan Fang frowned and said, "You are right. I will lose the game if he can lift 170kg."

The coach nodded and said, "Let's wait and see if we can hold off and let Aiguo Jiang choose the weight first. Then we can follow him and win back the upper hand."

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Chapter 69: Adding Weight

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Men's 62 kilograms Group B.

"Aiguo Jiang, this is our last attempt. How much should we add?" asked Dai Li.

"How is Dashan Fang's third attempt?" Aiguo Jiang answered with a question.

"Don't know. They have not decided yet. Dashan Fang's coach is talking to the judge," said Dai Li.

"They are trying to buy themselves more time! They want us to choose first." Aiguo Jiang was an experienced weightlifter, so he immediately sniffed out Dashan Fang's intentions.

If the two had been in the same group, they would not have done this. Normally, the one who had had the weaker performance would choose first. But now that the two were in separate groups, they had time to delay.

"What should we do?" asked Dai Li.

Dai Li was too young. He lacked sufficient experience, and besides, it was his first time in a formal contest at the national level. He had no idea what to do. He could only ask Aiguo Jiang for help.

"Now we do the same thing. Come on, let's go to the judge's table and tell them that my barbell is unbalanced, and that I request a barbell change."

The formal competition required the use of international standardized barbells, both male and female. The differences were in the bar; all the plates were the same. The men's barbell was 2.20 meters long, and weighed 20 kilograms; the women's barbell was 2.15 meters long and weighed 15 kilograms.

When being used in a formal contest, the length and weight had to be exactly the same, all while maintaining good balance. Once the barbell lost its balance, it would strongly affected the weightlifter's performance.

It was hard to change the barbell during the competition. The new barbell could not be put to use right away; it had to be measured for balance, which took a great deal of time. As an experienced athlete, Aiguo Jiang knew the trick well. He chose to use it now to his advantage.

But the judges were not idiots. They knew that both athletes were using excuses to put off choosing their weights. Each wanted the other to choose first.

The game was delayed, and because there were another competition taking place afterwards, they could not simply wait here. After a discussion, the judges made a final decision.

"Choose your weight within two minutes or you will be disqualified," said the judge.

"What about them?" Aiguo Jiang pointed at group A. "What about Dashan Fang?"

"The same goes for them," said the judge.

Aiguo Jiang nodded. "Roger that."

"We must decide within two minutes. Which weight should we choose?" Dai Li was anxious. It was his first time going through a situation like this. He felt even more nervous as time passed by.

We are 1 kilogram clear of them, which is to our advantage. But Aiguo Jiang weighs more than Dashan Fang, which is a disadvantage. How much should we have? 171 kilograms? 172 kilograms? That should be a safe choice, since Aiguo Jiang can make it. But what if Dashan Fang chooses the same weight? Then we will lose!

Dai Li knew it was a physical game. If they chose less weight than Dashan Fang, he would end with more weight; if they chose to add more weight, they could still fail if Aiguo Jiang could not lift it. For Dai Li, a newbie coach, it was difficult to know how to make the right decision. Right now, fortune and experience were more important.

But Aiguo Jiang was fairly calm. As an experienced athlete, the best thing he had was experience. He remained level-headed in this critical moment.

After a while, Aiguo Jiang took a deep breath, his eyes shining with firmness. "Give me 175 kilograms!"

"175 kilograms? We have never tried that before." Dai Li was shocked. "I remember that the last Olympic 62 kilogram weight class champion's cleanjerk was 176 kilograms, and he won gold. Are you sure about this? Our place is guaranteed, we will either win first or the second. We will have a medal. We also have a one kilogram advantage. Is it necessary to take a risk?"

Aiguo Jiang did not reply. His facial expression showed Dai Li that he insisted on doing so.

A 175 kilogram clean and jerk would not be a problem if this was the Aiguo Jiang of years ago. He had once been in the 69 kilogram weight class. 175 kilograms was the minimum requirement for a national top-level weightlifter.

But for 62 kilogram weightlifters, 175 kilograms was a peak that was impossible to conquer. As Dai Li had said, in the last Olympic games, 176 kilograms had been enough to win a gold medal, while the world record for the 62 kilogram weight class cleanjerk was 177.5 kilograms. Therefore, lifting 175 kilograms in a national weightlifting championships substation contest was a dream.

Hearing the number "175," Dai Li knew Aiguo Jiang was taking a risk, or gambling, so to speak. Since Aiguo Jiang had dropped weight, he had not lifted 175 kilograms. To try a weight he had never tried in a formal contest, Dai Li could only cross his fingers for Aiguo Jiang.

Dai Li wrote down "175" on a piece of paper, then walked over to the judges. But he did not hand in the note.

Seconds later, Dashan Fang's coach also came over to the judges. He stopped in front of the table and looked at Dai Li, not handing in his note either.

The two both planned to wait until the very last second, this way the other would not change the weight.

The two were staring at each other. The judges could do nothing. They had already said that the two athletes had two minutes each. They could not grab the note beforehand.

Finally, at the last possible second, the two handed in their notes together.

...

On the bleachers, the audience had been waiting for a long time. They knew that it would be the last attempt that decided the winner. Because of this, they waited in patience.

"I wonder how much Dashan Fang added. Maybe one kilogram? I remember that the minimum increase is one kilogram."

"Dashan Fang is one kilogram behind Aiguo Jiang, so he must add more than one kilogram. Because Aiguo Jiang will also increase weight, and has a one kilogram advantage, Dashan Fang must add at least two kilograms if he wants to win first place."

"It would be safe for Dashan Fang to lift 172 kilograms. He should at least exceed Aiguo Jiang's weight."

"Plates are categorized by color. Let's wait and see which colors they have."

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Chapter 70: Individual Effort

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Before the contest started, an experienced audience member rattled off their background knowledge of weightlifting.

"According to the sizes, plates can be divided into three categories: large, medium, and small. Among large ones, red represents 25kg, blue is 20 kg, yellow is 15kg, and green is 10kg; among medium plates, white is 5kg and red is 2.5kg; and among small plates, blue is 2kg, yellow is 1.5kg, green is 1kg, and white is 0.5kg. The minimum weight addition is 1kg, which means putting a small white plate on both sides of the bar. So that's it." the others all nodded with appreciation, even though nobody had managed to remember all the colors and their respective weights.

"Look! There goes a staff member. He is holding a red plate, how much does that weigh again?"

The experienced audience member glanced at the plate and suddenly became serious. "That is a medium red plate, weighing 2.5kg. 2.5kg multiplied by two. That means Dashan Fang is going to add 5kg of weight to the bar!"

"5kg? That's a lot! Is he going to lift 174kg this time?"

"I wonder whether or not he can make it."

"Don't you remember that Fang is 1kg behind Jiang? If he wants to win, his last attempt must be good. But if he dares to try and lift 174kg, he must be confident that he'll lift it."

"Let's take a look at Jiang's. If he adds less than 5kg, then it would be impossible for him to win."

On the other side of the competition area, a member of the staff was walking to the stage with the same red plate in his hands.

"5kg! Jiang is also adding 5kg! He is going to lift 175kg."

"Interesting. Jiang is going to try and outperform Fang by 1kg again. Let's see what happens."

...

In the athletes lounge, Dai Li looked at Jiang with admiration. He had to admit that Jiang's experience had helped make the wisest decision in such a crucial moment.

Simply based off the strategies, Jiang was the winner. A 5kg weight raise was just the right amount to suppress Fang. However, Li was worrying about Jiang's performance and whether he could succeed in lifting it or not.

On the other side, Fang looked serious. He had thought that adding 5kg would surely secure a win, but he didn't expect his competitor to also add the same weight. This had put him at 1kg less than Jiang. Because of this, even if he successfully lifted 174kg, Jiang still had a chance to win.

174kg was a big challenge for Dashan Fang. He was almost at his limit, and couldn't go any further. Even the top level 62kg weightlifters couldn't guarantee a lift of 174kg on the first attempt.

Once Fang knew that Jiang had also added 5kg, he went on the stage without hesitation. He hoped to achieve a good attempt before Jiang. Because there was no way to change weight, neither of them could do anything about it. The competition had turned into a psychological war. Fang wanted to put pressure on Jiang by getting a good lift.

He grasped some chalk and clapped his hands. Powder rose in the air, floating around like mist. Fang walked through the mist, faced the bar, and bowed to prepare for his last attempt.

Underneath the stage, Fang's coach was shouting some words of advice, but Fang couldn't hear a word. As a professional weightlifter, he had already practiced the skills thousands of times. When he touched the bar, he reacted by instinct. He didn't need to review the skills in his mind at all.

Although he had lifted 174kg during his training, he had never tried that weight in a formal competition. But today he had to go beyond himself. He broke out with a sudden force, and lifted the bar to his chest.

"Go!" With the coach's roar, Fang raised the bar above his head. His stretched arms began to shake as his feet moved around in an attempt to maintain his balance. Eventually, he stood still. People could see that his cheeks were flushed red, his teeth were clenched together, and that his face looked ferocious. His whole body was tense, and the veins in his arms were protruding from the pressure.

When the finishing beep rang, Fang dropped the bar to the ground, then jumped high with excitement. Fang had just achieved a good lift—174kg. It was his best performance. And his total was 315kg, which was 4kg more than Jiang. Now the pressure was on Jiang.

...

"Jiang, Fang just succeeded in lifting 174kg," Li said. He looked upset and worried.

"Relax, don't be so nervous." Jiang comforted Li, but he was the one who needed to cheer up.

As a coach, Li was not a good one. In this moment he should have been encouraging the athlete as opposed to making him worry; but as a new coach, Jiang thought Li was pretty calm considering it was his first national competition.

Jiang patted Li's shoulder, then adjusted his wrist strap, tightened his rubber belt, and stepped on the stage. Everyone was concentrated on Jiang. If he succeeded in this attempt, he would have outperformed Fang and won the championship.

The audience were becoming energized. Jiang was a local, just like most of the audience. Everyone hoped that a local athlete could win this game.

Li was quite nervous now. He knew Jiang well, and knew that he had never tried lifting 175kg before.

Jiang stopped in front of the barbell and stood still. He took a deep breath, then took hold of the bar tightly with both hands. He didn't try to lift it immediately. He was trying to adjust himself to get in the perfect position.

Finally, he began to lift the bar. The first step was not very easy, but in the end he got it done. He raised the bar to his chest, then prepared for the jerk. But he was stuck. He took another deep breath, seemingly trying to gain enough energy for the next step.

It's so heavy. Too heavy. Can I make it? Jiang was beginning to doubt himself. The bar was so heavy that he could barely hold it.

Come on! He clenched his teeth and used all his energy for the jerk, but the weight was overwhelming. He felt exhausted.

No, no, I can't do that...

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Chapter 71: Father's Honor

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Jiang felt that he couldn't make it. 175kg was too much for him.

His arms were beginning to fail him, and his body was losing control. Everything he was doing was all by instinct. His arms, torso, and legs were shaking. Every inch of skin, every piece of muscle, every drop of blood, and every little cell was struggling to hold the weight.

Give it up. You can't do that, a voice said in Jiang's mind.

It's 175kg. You have never tried that before. You have already done a nice job. Even if you can't lift it, you are good, another voice rang.

Give it up. You already got the silver, you have gained something. That's enough, the first voice said again, seeking reasons to persuade Jiang.

Jiang's eyes darkened. He was not sure how long he could manage to stand here. Once he had raised the barbell above his head, he had used up all his strength. He couldn't hold it anymore. He decided that that was enough. He had gone through so much. The end was here. He could no longer stand it.

As he came to his decision, he suddenly found a woman sitting in the stands with a two-year old girl in her arms. The baby girl was staring at him.

Why are they here? Jiang immediately recognized the women as his wife, and the little girl as his daughter.

My baby girl is looking at me! Jiang was shocked.

My girl is looking at me! She must see me win! How can I give up like this? I can't disappoint my daughter! Hold on! I have to win! I must be strong in front of my baby! Come on...Come on!

Jiang suddenly felt all his power come back to his body. It was the power of hope, strong enough to fight against the 175kg barbell.

"Ahhhhhh..." Jiang roared like a lion. He stretched out his arms to hold the barbell tight, and used every fiber in his body to maintain his balance. His body was still shaking, but it was shaking with excitement. His face looked ferocious, but he didn't care. He saw nobody but his daughter. At this moment, he was not only fighting for himself, but also for his family, and especially for his daughter!

See, baby? Daddy doesn't give up! Daddy will win! Jiang felt that he had done something great. He was a successful athlete, but even more than that, he was an awesome father.

As the bell rang, Jiang dropped the barbell to the ground, making the stage shake. But the deafening cheering from the audience covered the noise.

"We win! You did it! We win!" Li rushed out on stage roaring at Jiang, jumping with joy like a kid.

In the Group A competition arena, Fang lowered his head, upset with the result. The cheering from the Group B audience had given him the result.

"How could Group A have defeated Group B? Besides, it was Jiang's first time in the 62kg competition. A newcomer won the game! If people hear about this they are going to make fun of me!"

As Fang was murmuring to himself, his coach came to his side and comforted him. "Don't worry, you have done a good job! Your competitor was just very ambitious. Few 62kg weightlifters could lift 175kg."

Among the Group B audience, a little girl was busy clapping her hands. Even though she had no idea why everyone was clapping and cheering, she just followed the others. But what she did know was that the man standing on the stage was her father, and her father looked euphoric.

She also had no clue why daddy was so happy, but because he was happy, she was as well, and so she laughed in delight.

...

Coach Song was not there that morning.

The lowest weight class was 56kg, and the Hanbei Provincial Weightlifting Team didn't have any participants for that level. The second lowest was 62kg, and the team only had one participant, the forcefully downgraded Jiang. To Coach Song, Jiang was there as a bystander. T him there was no need to show up for that contest.

The Provincial Team was famous for its 77kg and 85kg weight class participants, but they also had competitive lifters for the 69kg divison. The 69kg and 77kg contests were held in the afternoon, while the 85kg contest was the next morning. Because of this scheduling, Coach Song concentrated on those three games.

Coach Song looked at his watch. It was only eleven in the morning, but he decided to have an early lunch and head to the arena. Since the weighing period began two hours ahead of the formal competition, lifters started preparing around noon to get ready for the later contest. As the chief coach, Song also presented in the afternoon.

Song packed everything up and was ready to leave. He was already one step out of the door when the phone on his office desk suddenly rang. Song hesitated for two seconds, then finally turned around and answered it.

"Coach Song, I'm Liu. Here is some good news: JIang won the gold!" a joyful voice reported with excitement.

"Say that again?" Song thought he might have heard something wrong.

"Jiang won the 62kg championship!" the speaker repeated.

"No way!" Coach Song could not believe the result. To him, an old lifter who was downgraded on such short notice was lucky enough to make the proper weight. As for getting a gold medal, you could forget it!

"It's all true. Jiang won the game. 141kg for snatch and 175kg for clean jerk. His total result was 316kg," Liu said, giving a series of numbers.

"316kg? For Jiang? How could that be possible! Stop bullshxtting Liu, are you crazy?" Coach Song thought Liu was making fun of him, which annoyed him.

If it was 69kg Jiang, Song would not doubt that he had lifted 316kg. But Jiang was only 62kg now. How could he have managed to lift 316kg? Song would rather die than believe this.

As a professional coach, he knew what that number meant. For lifters in the 62kg weight class, only top-level athletes could lift 316kg. Jiang was 32 years old, which meant he was already past his prime. Furthermore, he had forced himself to move down to the 62kg level, so he shouldn't have had much energy left. Song never would have believed that a man in such bad condition could reach the top level with a surprising performance.

"I'm not lying, coach, how could I..." Liu was anxious about the misunderstanding. "There is going to be an Award Ceremony, let me take some pictures and send them to you!"

Several minutes later, Coach Song received Liu's pictures. In the picture, Jiang was standing in the middle holding a championship cup and flowers. Song expanded the picture, and the word "Champion" was vaguely visible.

"Oh my god, Jiang did win!"

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Chapter 72: Extra Reward

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

While he stood in the middle of the winners podium, Jiang realized that everybody was looking at him. He sighed emotionally. The last time he had stood on the platform more than ten years ago.

There were plenty of athletes, but only one champion. Only a few athletes had the opportunity to become champions, but the majority stayed unnoticed throughout their lives. Nobody spoke about or remembered them.

Jiang used to think that his career would end the normal way—retired and forgotten. But today, as his career was coming to an end, he was given another chance to hold the cup, receiving flowers and applause as champion.

Jiang knew that this was all because of Dai Li. Without him, he could have already received a forced retirement notice, or gotten injured while training. He turned to Li with appreciation, only to find that Li was staring at the stage with a sluggish face, as if he was daydreaming.

What is that boy thinking of?! Jiang felt confused.

...

Dai Li was staring at the stage in a daze. He was feeling a sense of satisfaction. He felt so proud to be a coach! He had been useless the whole competition, but when he saw Jiang standing on stage with the champion's cup in his arms, Li felt extremely joyful.

He had taken part in the entire training process, meaning he was in charge of Jiang's training. He had put a lot of effort in it. Seeing Jiang's success, Li realized that everything he had done in the last several months had all been worth it. Even though he was not the guy standing up there, he was feeling the same honor.

Such satisfaction was delightful. Li thought of himself as a gardener—he had spent months cultivating fruit trees, and now he was enjoying the fruits of his labor. How wonderful!

I've decided to be a coach. I want to be the best coach in the world! Li told himself.

"You can gain extra empirical value as well," the system's voice suddenly said in Li's mind.

"What do you mean? What extra value?" Li immediately accessed the system. He noticed that his empirical value had increased by 1,000 points.

The system explained, "When your trainee wins an award, the system will offer you extra empirical value based on the effort you've put forth. This is your reward. Depending on your trainee's award level, you will obtain different rewards. For example, Jiang just won gold in the National Weightlifting Championship, so you gain 1,000 points for that. If he had only won a silver, you would not have gotten this much empirical value."

"Does that mean that the higher the competition level is, the more I can receive? Say, the Olympics, World Championships—if my trainee wins any of the contests in those big competitions, I will be rewarded more than 1,000 points, right?" Li asked with excitement.

"Yes. The same goes for the Professional League, the Cup, etc. Those are also included," the system replied.

"Let me see when Feifei Yu has a contest. She is a world champion, and attends world-level games. Those must be of a higher level than this national competition!" Li took out his phone to call Yu for more information.

"Hey, stop dreaming. There is a minimum requirement to get extra empirical value, which is that the athlete must be on your training list. Feifei Yu has been off your list for months, she can't be the one," the system said, bursting Li's bubble.

There was a rule in the system that stated that even though Li could delete trainees by himself, once an athlete had not received Li's training for a certain period of time, that person would be automatically removed from the list. Feifei Yu had returned to the national team months ago, so she had already been deleted. Therefore, even though Yu had won another world championship, Li would not get anything from it.

...

In the afternoon 69kg competition, Dongshan Cao won bronze. Li was rewarded 50 points for the achievement.

"How come there are only 50 points? I got 1,000 points this morning! Is there a huge gap between first and third?" Li asked. He was pissed off.

"I told you the reason before. There is not a big gap between first and third, but the distinctions exists in the effort you put forth during training. The harder you work, the more you gain, and vice versa," the system explained.

Li now understood what the system was saying. During previous training, Li had not only helped Jiang lose weight, but had arranged some other facilitative training as well. He contributed a lot towards today's success. He deserved the 1,000 points that had been rewarded to him.

As for Dongshan Cao, Li had only given him a massage each day, so the 50 points reflected his contribution to Cao's success.

...

The news that Jiang had won the championship had spread throughout the whole team. Everyone was astonished.

"Really? I would have believed Cao had won gold before I believed Jiang would reach the top!"

"It should be true. Liu send the pictures, let me take a look! Hey, the one in the middle of platform really is Jiang!"

"Didn't he cut down to 62kg? How could he have won the championship?"

"He is 32 years old now, and still received a gold medal. If I were him, I wonder whether I would be allowed to participate in any contest?"

"That's amazing! It has been ten years since he got his last gold medal, right?"

"Fabulous! I wonder how he made it?"

Of course some people were jealous of the winner, so they began to try and discredit Jiang for his achievement.

"I say that Jiang won the game by chance. You know that low weight class weightlifting is not our northern lifters' dominant event. Southern lifters are better in this. This time the southwestern lifters didn't come, so the game was not as competitive as the previous ones. That's how Jiang won so easily."

But soon the others argued back with evidence.

"Here is data about Jiang's performance. His snatch was 141kg, his cleanjerk was 175kg, making his total 316kg. This should be the best performance in the country without a doubt. I remember in the last Olympics the champion's total weight was 319kg. Jiang's performance was good enough to earn a medal in the Olympics!"

People were busy discussing when Coach Song walked in.

"Everybody stop your work and go clean the training room. Later I will ask a cleaner to do a thorough cleanup! Xiang Huang, get some air fresheners," Coach Song instructed.

"Coach, are there any leaders coming to instruct us?" asked Huang.

"Did you all hear the news that Jiang won the championship? This time Qingcheng City is the host of the whole competition. Because a local athlete won, the superiors are satisfied. They will come here tomorrow for further instruction, and reporters will follow." Song paused, then continued, "Remember to be energetic tomorrow! The people with long hair—you, you, and you—get a haircut today! And your beards, shave them! Don't look like beggars! You must look your best for the leaders!"

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Chapter 73: Rehabilitative Massage

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Jiang had really amazed everyone at the national weightlifting championships. First of all, he had outperformed Group A participants as a group B member; secondly, he was 32 years old. Usually athletes at his age hardly had a chance to attend those big events. All these factors made his championship legendary.

As for Jiang, he had been looked down upon for so many years that this time he had finally brought about an upswing. The most important thing was that he had proved himself, and was able to stay on the team for another year.

The national championships contained 15 level competitions, which meant there would be 15 champions. If one allocated all the champions into every province, every other province would have a champion. Those who were able to win gold medals were the trump cards in their provinces. Nobody would be stupid enough to kick out the best lifter and keep the weak ones.

Jiang had finally achieved his dream of working 15 years before retirement. In addition, his title had brought him many opportunities for future jobs.

...

After another day had come to an end, the athletes lined up again in the training center, waiting for Li's muscle relaxation. Li looked at the long line, happy.

After I finish massaging all these people, I can gain 10,000 points! I'm going to upgrade again!

According to Li's calculations, he was going to upgrade next month. Fortunately, because his trainee, Jiang, had won the championship several days ago, he had received an extra 1,000 points as a reward. Because of this, he was able to upgrade beforehand.

After he finished massaging the last athlete, Li smiled. Now he had enough empirical value.

Senior Coach medium level, I'm coming! Li accessed the system and checked his status.

Name: Dai Li;

Coach Level: Senior Coach, medium level (0/30,000);

Others: Explosive force halo.

Abilities: Slimming Exercise, Fat Loss Exercise, Massage and Muscle Relaxation.

Training List: Aiguo Jiang, Dongshan Cao, Liang Peng...

I need 30,000 points to upgrade? I thought it would only be 20,000 points. Li felt stressed out. It costed more points than he had expected.

Whatever. Where is my reward? That was what he cared about most.

A level upgrade only offered a normal gift pack with only one gift, but Li was still eager to get it. After a flash of golden light, there was a book lying in the pack.

No way, not another skill book. I have the Slimming Exercise, Fat Loss Exercise and Muscle Relaxation. I wonder what would it be this time. Li looked at the cover and saw two words.

Rehabilitative Massage? The previous one was Muscle Relaxation, this time it is another massage book. Why is "buy one get one free" so popular? Li complained. Li already had several books with similar skills. This Rehabilitative Massage and Muscle Relaxation looked like they were the same thing.

The system explained, "Slimming Exercise and Fat Loss Exercise do have something in common with weight loss. But Muscle Relaxation and Rehabilitative Massage are two different things. The first one is used to relax the body and reduce muscle pressure. The latter is used to recover injured body tissues back to health."

"You mean...to help someone who has been ill for a while get back to a normal life?" Li asked, trying to understand.

"Yes. But it can't cure direct injury. For example, if you cut yourself with a knife and then rehabilitate yourself, that's not going to work. Your wound will become worse, or you may die by excessive loss of blood," the system joked, making fun of Li.

"Hey, I'm not that stupid!" Li complained. He continued his question, asking, "If you say so. With this book will I become a babysitter?"

"Well technically, you could be a rehabilitative coach, but not a real doctor. You should remember this," said the system.

"Understood. Rehabilitation is the treatment of physical disabilities by massage, electrotherapy, and exercises. If one breaks an arm or leg, this Rehabilitative Massage can't put the arm back, but can facilitate the recovery," Li said, recalling his previous knowledge.

"Right. This means there is a prerequisite: the patient's body must be functioning, but due to some circumstance the individual's body loses some of its original function. In this instance you can use this massage to help the person return to his or her good condition," the system explained.

"So you mean there will be a maximum effect, in that the person can only return to their best condition, but can't exceed themself? Does that make sense?" asked Li.

"You are correct. To strengthen their physical functions, athletes must work hard. A simple massage can't help them," said the system. "There are two more things I'd like to remind you of. The first is that this skill is different from Muscle Relaxation. If your patient doesn't have an injury, or is already recovered, you will achieve nothing. What is similar to muscle relaxation, however, is that this massage works on ordinary people. If you come across an old man doubled over in the street, you can give him a massage."

"No, thank you. I would not to do that. What if he accused me of hurting him? I would be charged millions of dollars! I need to save money so I can marry a beautiful wife! But now that I think about it, if this massage is effective, maybe I can open up a massage hall to make a living."

Li really wanted to examine the massage's effectiveness. However, everybody on the team looked healthy. No one was injured, nor did they need help with recovery. Li had no opportunity to use his ability.

...

"I'm going to participate in some other competitions, and then I need to go to the National Weightlifting Championships Final. I can't miss that. Li, please come with me," Jiang told Li while he was practicing.

Li nodded. He knew that to attend the final, one must obtain enough credits to meet the criteria. Each sub-contest offered a certain amount of credits, and the one who got a medal in each sub-contest would receive the related credits. Jiang's gold medal had already given him a sufficient amount of credits for the final competition.

Suddenly, Li's phone rang. Li took out his phone and took a look at it. It was Coach Xu.

Why is Coach Xu calling me? Li thought to himself. He answered the phone.

"Li, I need you to go to Donggang City. There is something I would like you to help me with." Coach Xu was being very straightforward.

Li was confused. "Why do I need to go to Donggang City? Is there something wrong? Could you give me more details?"

"How about we speak in person. Let's have dinner together, I will tell you everything later. I will come pick you up." As he finished, he hung up the phone.

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Chapter 74: Secondment

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Although Qingcheng City was a coastal city, it was pretty hot in the summer, especially during the daytime. It was the beginning of June, so the daytime temperature was generally in the 30 degree celsius range. After sunset, the sea breeze cooled down the city, and it became most comfortable during this time of the day. Later, closer to midnight, the water rising from the sea brought wet and cold air with it.

In an eatery by the sea, the owner set down plastic tables and chairs. It was during this time that a blowing sea breeze was accompanied by a freshly-caught seafood barbecue, complimented with a bubbling beer. This was the most popular pastime for the people of Qingcheng City.

"Here are your roasted oysters. Enjoy!" A waiter put down a huge iron plate on the table filled with oysters.

"Oyster" was the shellfishs' scientific name. In different dialects people called it various things. Southerners called it "hao"; Cantonese called it "shenghao"; Minnan people called it "kezai"; and Qingcheng people called it "Hailizi." Oysters were a nutritious seafood that contained a large amount of protein, calcium carbonate, taurine, and some other trace elements, including nucleic acid and zinc. Moreover, it facilitated male psychological functions. For this reason it was regarded as a male tonic. In general, whether it was northerners or southerners, people living along the coast were fond of oyster.

Dai Li was staring at the oysters, his mouth watering. The oysters were already open with fresh white meat exposed, sending forth a tantalizing smell. Their juice was still bubbling and sizzling on the overheated shell, and the black edge of the meat was trembling with the bubbling juice as the inner white shell was glistening under the light.

"Shall we?" Coach Xu picked up a shell and popped the meat into his mouth. "Ah...so hot...but it's cooked just right!" Coach Xu was satisfied with the oyster.

There were all kinds of ways to cook oysters. Some people liked to add ground garlic, scallions, and Chinese vermicelli onto the shell; some preferred to dip the shellfish into soy sauce; some liked to steam it first and then dip it into a mixed sauce, like vinegar or wasabi. As for Qingcheng locals, they loved the original flavor. They cooked it and ate it plain.

Li was used to eating oysters with vinegar. In his hometown of Yuzhou, people ate freshwater fish quite often. Because freshwater fish had an earthy smell, even after cooking, people added vinegar to get rid of it. Gradually, Li had formed a habit: dip the seafood into vinegar. But because he had moved to a new place, he went with the classic saying: "When in Rome, do as the Romans do." He mirrored Coach Xu's behavior, putting the oyster into his mouth without adding any seasoning.

"This is so good!" Li was savoring an oyster as he spoke ambiguously. "If I recall correctly, fishing has been banned. How come we have such big oysters?"

"You are right, fishing has already been banned. There is going to be a three month "no-take" season. But these are bred oysters. Aha, there comes the halfbeak!" As they were chatting, a waiter came with roasted halfbeaks.

Roasted halfbeak was a standard of all barbecue eateries in Qingcheng City. Due to its short growth period and sufficient resources, the fish was cheap and always available. Chefs would slice it up and roast it. Once cooked, the fish would glisten, looking deliciously chewy.

Coach Xu filled his mouth with roasted halfbeak, then drank a glass of beer. He took a break from eating and said, "Feifei came back from Australia a couple days ago. She is now in a good condition,so it seems that the training is effective. However, she gained weight again, about 1kg. She is now in Donggang National Swimming Center. I want you to go help her lose weight."

"No problem! When?" Li agreed without hesitation. Coach Xu had found a formal job for him. Li would never refuse his request.

"Cool! But you are a fitness coach for the weightlifting team, the swimming team can't give you orders." Coach Xu paused to have another bite of oyster, then continued. "Even if your team is willing to lend you to us, we are not able to pay for your traveling expenses."

"It is 300 yuan for a single trip by high-speed rail. If I live in a cheap hotel, it's going to cost around 100 yuan per day. Your swimming team is big, you can pay for that small expense, can't you?" Li joked.

"Of course we can afford that, but for what reason? Feifei has particular coaches on the national team. No need to send her one more coach from our team, right? In addition, ever since the new regulations came out, every budget has been strictly examined. It is a pity that even a chief coach like me has no way to get extra funds." Coach Xu shrugged and spread his hands.

"You want me to pay for that?" Li laughed.

"No, I won't let you pay by yourself. I have an idea." Coach Xu took a mouthful of water, then continued, "Have you ever heard of the Beikou Athletic Training Center?"

"You mean the training center in Donggang City? That place is super famous, how could I not? But does it have anything to do with me? It is an athletic training center, not a swimming center." Li didn't understand what Coach Xu was saying.

The Beikou Athletic Training Center was located in the Beikou District of Donggang City. It fell under the national team, and was the best training center in the country. Only athletes with some achievements in international competitions had access to train in this place.

"Here are new dishes! Come on, Let's drink it up!" Coach Xu stopped the conversation to toast a glass with Li, then continued, "Although the Beikou Training Center is directly under the national team, they lack resident coaches. Many coaches live in Huajing City, and are not willing to travel far to Donggang. Therefore, every year the training center asks for secondment from other provincial sport teams."

It was common for superiors to ask for secondment from subordinate departments, especially in administrative departments. For subordinate departments, sending people to upper departments meant easier access to the newest instructions and requirements; for higher-ups, loaning an individual meant having one more person to share assignments with, as well as having a new liaison. In ministries and commissions, excluding top-level secrets, other tasks were all allocated to the people from lower levels.

"You want me to go there on secondment?" asked Li.

"Right. This is the compliance approach, in which you can go to the training center as a person on loan, and you can help Feifei in passing. This way your traveling expenses can be waived. Even though you are on loan, I can try to wave your fees based off an official business standard," Coach Xu said as he handed Li a skewer.

"According to our rules, being on official business is eligible to receive refund. To first tier cities like Donggang, one could receive 350 yuan per day for hotel subsidy, 100 yuan per day for dining, and a full waiver of any transportation fee. One can even have an extra 50 yuan transportation subsidy. When you are in that center, the national team is in charge of your living, which means you will have zero living and dining cost. So, you can earn 500 yuan per day there, meanwhile your salary would remain the same."

"How long would I be there?" Li asked, accepting the skewer.

"About three months. But Feifei would only stay in Donggang for a month. The rest of your time there you could stay in the training center to do your own work." Coach Xu picked up a skewer for himself.

"500 yuan per day. If I stay there for 100 days, I can earn 50,000 yuan subsidy! That's a good deal!" Li said, taking a bite of the skewer. The mutton was carefully selected and well cooked. It had a wonderful taste. Li was happy.

"Of course it's a good deal! Only you, my little brother, can have such benefits, I would not give this good an opportunity to the others!" Coach Xu said. He was a little drunk now, and began calling Li his "little brother" again.

Li smiled at Coach Xu with appreciation, then said, "You must treat me again after I come back!"

"Sure! I will treat you soon after you come back!" Coach Xu drank his beer, then called the waiter. "Give me another refill!"

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Chapter 75: Beikou Training Center

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Qingcheng City was a big city in comparison to other second-tier cities, but compared to Donggang City it was only a small one.

Donggang was an international metropolis. It was the national finance and trade center. The turnover capacity of Donggang Harbour had been first place in the world for seven years. Almost all of the world's Top 500 enterprises had an office in this city. Some had even set up an Asian headquarters in the city.

Donggang had a better sport industry than the other cities. Every year it had hundreds of competitions, including international sports events, such as the IAAF Diamond League, FIA Formula 1 World Championship, ATP 1000 Masters, World Snooker Masters, etc. Even the Donggang Football Club was willing to spend a large amount of money to employ world-famous football players and coaches.

The Beikou Athletic Training Center was located in the Beikou District of Donggang City. It used to be called Beikou Village dozens of years ago, with a boundless stretch of farmland. But as rapid economic growth and urban expansion came about, it had turned into a new town. In the last few years especially, housing prices had been skyrocketing. Now it costed at least 50,000 yuan per square meter.

The Beikou Athletic Training Center occupied a large area of land, wide enough for a nice estate. Because every inch of land was worth a lot of money, this place lured many people. However, this training center was the national sports team's, and belonged to General Administration of Sports, which meant that it was a state-owned property. Because of this, most developers stayed away from the difficulty. The Beikou Athletic Training Center was famous for cultivating several world champions, and was regarded as the "Cradle of Athletic Champions." Developers who were powerful enough to buy this place had to think twice about its influence. Therefore, due to all kinds of reasons, this training center stood alone among the skyscrapers, a land of idyllic beauty.

After Dai Li arrived at Donggang Train Station, he transferred trains several times, and finally arrived at the Beikou Athletic Training Center. He saw several reporters waiting beneath a leafy shade, and some fans were looking through the fence with gifts in their hands.

"The Cradle of Athletic Champions!" Dai Li stepped forward to the gatekeeper.

The old gatekeeper glanced at Li, feeling he was too young, and directly refused him entrance. "The training hasn't ended yet. If you are a reporter, go to the leafy shade on the opposite side of the street. If you are a fan of somebody, go to the left."

"Sir, I'm on secondment from the Hanbei Sport Team," said Li.

"Any Invitation letter?" asked the gatekeeper.

"Yes." Li took out the invitation letter.

"Give it to me." The gatekeeper grabbed the letter and read it, then said, "Reporters have all kinds of tricks. Just several days ago somebody used a fake letter to enter the training center with an undercover camera. I see your letter has an official seal, it should be real. Come in!"

The gatekeeper gave the letter back to Li, then let him in.

"Wait here first. Let me call someone to ask." The gatekeeper made a phone call, then told Li to find Director Zhang in the office.

...

Later, Li met Director Zhang.

"You have arrived early. We require people on loan to come to register next Wednesday, you are here this week," said Director Zhang.

Li smiled with embarrassment.He knew that the registration was on Wednesday, but Coach Xu had asked him to arrive early so that Li could help Feifei lose weight.

Director Zhang continued. "Well, there are lot of things that can't be settled right now due to your early arrival. It is easy to find you a place to live, there are a lot of empty dorms. You can choose a room to move in to. But it will be a little difficult dining-wise. We plan to hand out meal cards together once you all arrive next Wednesday. Even though you are alone here, it's difficult to get your card ready beforehand."

Li understood what Zhang was saying. Zhang was trying to make things easier for everyone. Li didn't really care about the dining fee. He said, "Director Zhang, don't worry, I can handle it myself. Thank you for offering me a place to live."

"OK." Zhang felt a sense of relief. He said straightforwardly, "Go to dormitory complex #2 in the backyard. I will call the dorm keeper, he will arrange everything."

...

As the best training center in the country, the Beikou Athletic Training Center offered the best facilities, so at least they had nice dorms. As for famous athletes, they would live in a single room with a private bathroom. For outsides like Li, they could only live in a double room with two beds, two combinatorial cabinets and tables, and no private bathroom, but there was a small balcony for hanging clothes.

Once Li finished settling down, it was dusk. He texted Feifei Yu to meet. After half an hour later, Feifei texted back.

"Seven O'clock, Champion's Home second floor, when you come, tell them my name. The address is..."

Restaurant? Aren't athletes allowed to eat outside? Li murmured while searching for the restaurant on the online map. Looks pretty far from here. Three transfers by train. Well, they have a bus. I will take that.

Li didn't want to take the subway again. He chose ground traffic instead. Although it would take longer for him to get there, he could have a look at the city. If he had chosen subway, he could only read window advertisements.

Although Donggang had a well-developed transportation system, the roads were overloaded. That, coupled with the fact that it was rush hour, meant that there were more and more people gathering on the street. Every time the bus stopped, a lot of people got on, while some got off. Li had left early, but when he arrived it was already 6:45 pm.

"Luckily I'm not late." Li walked in the restaurant. A waitress welcomed him.

"Good evening, sir. How many people do you have?" The waitress asked with a professional smile.

"My friend is waiting on the second floor." Li thought to himself for a second. He didn't want to give out Feifei Yu's name. She was a famous person. He didn't want to show off.

"My friend's family name is Yu," said Li.

"Are you Feifei's guest?" Apparently the waitress already knew about Feifei Yu. She smiled, gave Li a "please" gesture, and said, "Please come with me."

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Chapter 76: Feixiang Lin

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Li walked to the second floor. There were booths with fencing in between, and each booth had a curtain in front of the entrance. The booths were private rooms to protect guests' privacy.

Li was taken to a booth, and the waitress opened the curtain. Feifei Yu was sitting there.

"Sorry to keep you waiting," said Li.

"Don't worry, you are fine. I just arrived myself," answered Feifei.

Even though they hadn't met for months, they sometimes messaged each other through WeChat, which was the reason they were both acting so calmly despite not having seen one another for a while.

"Here is the menu. Choose whatever you want, it's my treat." Feifei handed a menu to Li with a smile.

Li looked through the menu and asked, "How about we have some vegetarian food? You have to be very careful with meat in outside restaurants, but I think vegetables should be fine."

"Don't you worry about that. Pick whatever you want, I can eat any dish in this restaurant." Feifei leaned forward and said, "Do you know who the owner of this place is?"

"No idea. But 'Champion's Home' is a special name," said Li.

"Yong Chen is the owner!" Feifei revealed.

"Yong Chen? Yong Chen from Yong Chen Bloc?" Li was surprised.

"Yes, that's him!" Feifei nodded.

Everybody knew who Yong Chen was. He was a legend in World Gymnastics. He won the grand slam and numerous honors in his career, the most classic one being a clean sweep of all seven gold medals in a Gymnastics World Championship. That was unprecedented.

Chen was also a successful businessman. After he retired, he created a new brand for sporting goods. As time went by, "Yong Chen" became the best domestic sporting goods brand in the country, and the brand had gone public in overseas countries. It was common for big companies to open up branches and have diversification, but Li would never have expected that someone who started a sporting goods brand would also have a restaurant. As he was thinking about it, Feifei continued introducing him.

"Chen is an athlete himself, so he knows the importance of food safety. His restaurant is famous for its good quality. There are no preservatives or pollution. This restaurant exists mainly to serve athletes. That is why it is called 'Champion's Home.' Professional athletes in Donggang City always come here to eat.

"This is so expensive! A fillet steak costs 188 yuan! It only costs 50 yuan in ordinary restaurants." Li continued staring at the menu and found that the fillet steak was only the beginning. If the two of them ordered four dishes, it would cost 1,000 yuan.

"I don't care about the prices. The key point is I have to fill you up so that you have enough energy to help me lose weight tomorrow," Feifei said as she smiled.

As a world record holder, Feifei had earned tens of millions of yuan through all kinds of endorsements. In addition, because the entertainment industry was flourishing, Feifei could take part in some live shows as a celebrity for money after she retired. To her, a 3,000 yuan meal was affordable.

The two began eating and chatting. Li told Feifei some stories about the weightlifting team, while Feifei shared her experience in Australia.

All of a sudden, the curtain was opened again. Both Li and Feifei sat in a daze. If it was a waiter, he would definitely have said "excuse me" before opening the curtain. There would be no reason for a waited to show up, however, as all dishes had already been served.

"Haha, I hear you! I know it's you! Feifei!" The stranger was a young man. He was around 1.9 meters high with dark skin, bright eyes, and a high nose. He looked cool at first glance, but looking closer, his face was rough with acne.

Li had to take another look with astonishment. He knew this guy, but he had never expected to meet him here in a restaurant.

"You are Feixiang Lin!" Li said involuntarily.

The young man smiled, seemingly used of this reaction. Feifei was surprised.

"Lin, why are you here?"

"I just finished my dinner. I passed by your booth, then heard someone speaking that sounded like you, so I came and check. It's really you!" Feixiang Lin looked happy to see an old friend. He turned to Li, then said, "I don't know you. Who are you? Are you Feifei's teammate?"

"Lin, this is coach Dai Li," Feifei said, introducing Li. Feifei didn't bother introducing Feixiang Lin, as everyone in the country knew Lin.

"A coach? You are young—younger than me." Lin began making fun of them. "Is he actually your boyfriend?"

"That's bullshxt!" Feifei gave Lin a glare, then explained, "Coach Li is a fitness coach for the Hanbei Provincal Team. He is here for my training."

"Your team is so good to you! They even sent a coach with you to Donggang. I really feel jealous. I have never had that treat," Lin laughed.

Feifei immediately explained, "Coach Li just helps me in passing. He is here on secondment. Speaking of this...Lin, coach Li is working in your Beikou Athletic Training Center now. Please take care of him!"

"To our training center? Then you are not very lucky," Lin sighed.

"Why? Because of the high training intensity?" asked Feifei.

"That's one reason. Apparently the training intensity is higher on the national team than the other teams, but it depends. But basically, coaches from provincial teams work as handymen. They can't get involved in actual training," explained Lin.

"A handyman? Is Coach Li going to be 'Linderella?'" Feifei laughed.

"Close to it," Lin continued. "Things like picking up shots, picking up discuses, picking up javelins, and picking up everything they throw away. They even clean the sandpit, or lead long-distance running. In my program, handymen get hurdles ready before we run. In addition, those poor guys have to wave towels, hand out water, get training clothes, etc. It's just tedious."

"Coach Li is not a butler!" Feifei said. She felt like it was unfair. To her, Li should at least be a training coach here, not just some waterboy.

"Don't worry, Feifei. Since he is your friend, I will tell the team leaders to let him work with me. I will take care of him." Lin looked at Li, "Your name is Dai Li, right? Just wait for the good news!"

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Chapter 77: Train Himself

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Dai Li was still in disbelief up until Feixiang Lin left. He had never expected to meet Feixiang Lin during a meal. Everybody knew who he was. He could be considered the best athlete in a decade.

Lin was a long jumper when he was a kid. At the age of sixteen, he had turned his attention to the men's 110m hurdles, and was recruited to the national team in the same year. Two years later, Lin won a gold medal at the International Universities' Games in men's 110m hurdles. It was the first gold the country had received in the International Universities' Games.

By the time he was twenty he had reached to the top. He broke the world record in the Olympics, and became the first male Olympics Champion in the country. One year later, he broke the world record again at the IAAF Super Grand Prix. The following year, he won another medal at the World Championships, which meant that he had achieved a Grand Slam.

Judging off his past success, Lin was expected to have a bright future, flying high in the sky like an eagle. However, an unexpected injury had bore him down. Most people had positive attitudes about him, saying he was only 25 and that it wouldn't take him long to recover.

The next two or three years there were news stories shared on social media revealing "secrets" about Lin, like saying he had recovered or that his injury had gotten worse, although the public was doubtful about its reliability. At the same time, there were also some rumors going around about Lin, such as a rumor that he had dated a starlet, or that he had met an online celebrity in a hotel. Somebody had even said that Lin had had an illegitimate boy.

...

Over the course of the next few days, Li's main objective was to help Feifei Yu lose weight. The training time was not on a fixed schedule due to the fact that Feifei was still training with the national team. They had to put formal training before anything else. Because of this, Li had to wait until Feifei finished her formal training before they could begin their private training.

The swimming team only knew that Coach Xu had sent Feifei a young coach, but they had no idea what they were actually doing, and surely not that they were only performing the Slimming Exercise.

The Slimming Exercise had immediate results that were not scientific at all. So far there were only three people who knew this: Coach Xu, Feifei Yu, and Aiguo Jiang. The weightlifters knew that Dai Li was good at helping athletes lose weight, but they didn't know how. This was why they ony thought of him as a normal fitness coach.

Several days later, coaches from other provinces gradually arrived at the Beikou Training Center. There were dozens of people, and after they had all registered, they received new meal cards. From then on, Li would not have to eat out.

The incoming coaches introduced themselves to each other, and that night they arranged a dinner party so they could all develop relationships. Normally the dinner table was a nice place to get to know new friends, with a few drinks to help break the ice. After a delicious meal, the new coaches were familiar with one another, and they began chatting.

"I asked about our tasks when I got here. We will work as assistant coaches and be paired up with the coaches on the national team. They must be experienced and professional."

"Yeah, I heard that, too. Coach Jihai Ding and coach Jun Fang are with the team right now, recently they have not received any new tasks. One would be lucky if they were paired up with either of those two coaches. They are worth learning from."

Coach Ding and coach Fang were famous coaches on the track team. Coach Ding was in charge of hurdles, and had helped develop several famous 110m hurdlers, including Feixiang Lin; Coach Fang was famous for middle and long distance running, and had trained some of the world champions in women's 5,000m and 10,000m running.

"Do you think it's a good thing that we are here? Let me tell you the truth, we are here to be handymen!" a voice rang. It was from a local coach.

Donggang was a municipality, which meant that it was directly under the central government's control. Moreover, the training center was located in Donggang, which meant that whenever the national team needed a helping hand, they would give priority to the Donggang sport team. The local coaches knew exactly what it meant to be on loan in the Beikou Training Center.

"We are here to be servants. The coaches on the national team, and even the athletes, can order us around like we are butlers." He was speaking the truth, which left the others discouraged.

"But if you are with a famous coach you will see some benefit. Once the coach leads a team for contests, you will have it easy for a while."

...

The next day, early in the morning, the new coaches gathered in the training hall to be put into groups.

"Guanglin Zhao, you go with coach Jihai Ding; Feibai Meng, you are with coach Jun Fang; Tianzan Qiu, you are with coach Jinrong Hu..." Director Zhang continued as he read the list.

Everybody had a place to go to except for Dai Li. At the end, Director Zhang called his name.

"Dai Li, you go find Feixiang Lin. You will be in charge of his training." Zhang then explicitly told Li, "Do whatever Lin tells you to do. Don't ask questions."

Everyone looked at Li. The others had all been allocated to a professional coach. Only Li would be following an athlete who was super famous.

Li remembered that a couple days ago when he had met Lin that Lin had promised to have Li as an assistant. It appeared that Lin had kept his promise. However, when Li looked around, Lin was not present.

It's half past eight now, the athletes should be at their positions. Where is Lin? Li was confused. He trotted over to Director Zhang and asked, "Director Zhang, where can I find Feixiang Lin?"

"He is not here yet?" Director Zhang did not seem surprised. He looked outside, then told Li, "He hasn't come yet. How about you wait near the gate?"

Dai Li kept waiting. Lin finally appeared after 9AM. He yawned again and again, visibly sleepy. Li immediately walked up to him.

He had no idea how to address Lin, but he decided it would not be a good idea to call Lin by his last name. In the end, he decided to just call him "Lin."

"Good morning, Lin!"

Lin was three years older than Li, so LI mimicked Feifei and addressed him the same way Feifei had.

"Dai Li, there you are. You are working with me then!" Lin waved to greet him, then said, "Come on, let's do some warm-ups first."

"Lin, who is your coach?" asked Li.

"Coach? I don't have a coach. I train myself. But now I guess I have you," Lin said straightforwardly.

No coach? He trains himself?

Li was surprised. It didn't make any sense. Lin was the trump card for the national team, how could he train by himself?

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Chapter 78: Come Late, Leave Early

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

When Li had first gone to the weightlifting team, he had met Aiguo Jiang, who was also training alone. It was due, however, to Jiang's bad temper and pride; nobody was willing to work with him. Besides, Jiang was about to retire with little hope of getting a good performance. No coach wanted to waste time on him, nor did they want to waste resources.

After he had arrived, Li visited Feifei several times, and had a general idea about her training. Feifei had her own coach, training assistant, fitness coach, dietitian, and a videographer who would record Feifei's entire training process and show it to professionals in order to improve her training effectiveness.

Feifei was a world champion, and had broken world records several times. Feixiang Lin was also a world champion and world record-holder, and had a better place in sport enthusiasts' hearts than Feifei. Why didn't Lin have a coach? It didn't make any sense.

That's incredible. Lin shouldn't have just have me with him for his daily training. Where is everybody? Why does nobody take care of him? What is the national team doing? Are they out of their minds? What about coach Jihai Ding, he used to be Lin's professional coach. Why doesn't he care about Lin? That's weird! Li was baffled.

After a short warm-up, Lin ran hurdles several times, and then stopped.

"OK, let's take a break," Lin said as he sat down.

Li took a look at the watch. It had only been a half an hour. That was far from enough for training. Last year, when Li was training high school students, they took a break once per hour.

Lin sat there for another half an hour, then began another set of exercises lazily. Again, Lin ran hurdles for a while, then tried a continuous 10 hurdle circuit.

In men's 110m hurdles, there were 10 hurdles on the track, with each hurdle having a 9.14m distance between them. A 10 hurdle circuit was the basic training for this event. However, in Li's eyes, Lin's training almost seemed as if he was acting. Lin didn't treat it seriously at all, and didn't give any effort whatsoever! At the speed he was practicing at, it would take him at least fifteen seconds to finish the the process.

"Aright, time to rest," Lin said, sitting back on the ground as he began to play on his phone.

No way, another break? Li looked at his watch again. This time the exercise had only lasted 40 minutes. Lin sat there for another half an hour, then stood up.

"Shall we continue, Lin?" asked Li.

"No, do you see what time is it? Pack things up, it's lunch time," said Lin.

What? Lunch time? Is this the end of morning training? Li was confused. It was only 11AM. The canteen wasn't even ready to serve food.

What are all these? Lin came to the training center at 9 am, trained for about an hour in the morning, and his break time lasted longer than his actual training. On top of that, he didn't even train seriously. Those little fatties I trained before were more conscientious than him! The intensity is far from good enough, too. He might as well have been taking a walk along the track. He calls that training?

Li looked around to check the other athletes' status. Everybody else was busy practicing. They had all been working extremely hard.

The national team does have strict training requirements, but I guess Lin doesn't... Li shook his head, then packed up his things and left for the dining hall.

Later in the afternoon, around 2PM, the other athletes were ready to practice again. Everyone except Lin. He didn't show up until 3PM, and after a few reps of run-ups, he sat down and began another round of online chatting.

"10pm tonight?"

"Same bar?"

"No problem. I might arrive late."

Lin sent several audio messages. Not far away from him, Li wrinkled his brows in consideration.

Professional athletes had strict schedules. Usually they were required to go to bed before 10pm, so that they could have 8 hours of sufficient sleep and recover enough energy for the next day. However, judging from Lin's message, Li now knew that Lin's nightlife began at 10PM, and that he would be heading a pub.

A metropolis like Donggang had an eventful nightlife. Even at 2AM there were still places to have fun. But sucha life should never be the one of an athlete.

Lin was ignoring the rules. If he was going to a pub at 10AM, he wouldn't leave before midnight. Now it was beginning to make sense why Lin had been an hour late this morning, and had been yawning over and over—Lin had stayed up late last night!

How could Lin act like this? Can the national team tolerate him? Li felt that there was something wrong.

...

The next day, Lin was still doing the same thing. He arrived late, left early, trained lazily with low intensity, and relaxed quite often. Meanwhile, the coaches of the national team ignored everything.

Does Lin always train in this way? How has he gotten gold medals in this way? Did he really break world records? Li was in disbelief. He decided to use the detector to examine Lin.

Detect! Li used the detector on Lin.

Target: Professional Athlete;

Professional events: Men's 110m hurdles;

Ability: 458;

Talent: S

Well, he has S-level talent, which means he does have the ability to break world records. But what the hell is his ability? An athlete with such ability is no good in this country, let alone the world. An athlete's ability should be above 900 in order for them to be capable of breaking a world record. Lin's current ability is only half of what it once was. Why doesn't he work hard? And what's wrong with the coaches? Are they out of their minds? Especially coach Jihai Ding, he used to be Lin's coach. Why doesn't he control Lin? Why everything is so wrong?

Li was completely confused. His mind was a mess. As Li was thinking to himself, Lin stopped training and turned to him.

"Hey Li, you don't need to come tomorrow morning. I have an endorsement project I need to go to, my guess is that it will take the entire morning. Maybe even the afternoon, too. If I don't show up by 4PM, then you are free to leave!"

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Chapter 79: A Degenerate Champion

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

The next day, Dai Li got to sleep in. He got up right before lunch time and went to the canteen. As the afternoon training was beginning, Lin was still not there. Li had to sit down in a corner and play with his phone. Because he had nothing to do, Li searched about Lin online.

There were no highlights, just ordinary reports about Lin's recent endorsements and gossip. As for training reports, Li could only find an article saying, "Lin has recovered and is now working hard to get back in good condition".

Working hard? That's bullshxt! Li laughed disdainfully. Based off what he had witnessed, Lin wasn't even working as hard as amateurs were, let alone "getting back in good condition."

Why does nobody take care of Lin? Did they give up on this guy? But then why is the news saying this? Why didn't the news tell the public that Lin is still struggling? It it controversial? Li thought about it for a long time, but still couldn't figure it out. He was eager to get to the bottom of it.

Lin didn't show up at 4PM. Li knew that he would not be here today.

Li looked around and saw that coach Jihai Ding was also resting. Li hesitated for a second, then finally walked over to him.

"Hello coach Ding, I'm Dai Li," Li introduced himself.

Coach Ding looked up at Li. "So you are the newcomer, Lin's assistant coach. Anything I can help with?"

"Coach Ding, I've noticed that the other athletes all have training coaches except for Lin—" Li wasn't able to finish because Ding interrupted him.

"Did Lin tell you to talk to me?" asked Ding.

"No, no. I'm asking myself. He doesn't know about this. It just felt a little strange," said Li.

"You are only on secondment. Take care of yourself. This is none of your business, don't look for trouble." Coach Ding became serious. He asked, "Where is Lin? He is not here today."

"Lin said that he had to work with an endorsement today," Li said, telling the truth.

"Huh, spending a whole day on an endorsement, eh? He is abandoning himself! No one can save him!" Coach Ding stood up and walked away, leaving Li alone there.

Abandoning himself? Sounds like coach Ding is disappointed with Lin. Li wrinkled his brows again. Things seemed to be more complicated than he had originally thought.

...

Dinners at the Beikou Training Center were always hearty. It was not a feast of expensive food every time, but all the food was well prepared and carefully cooked.

A healthy dinner was not too oily nor too fatty, but still tasted as good as it would with those things. For athletes, light food was nice. Today it was a plate of fried shrimp coupled with asparagus, thickened with starch to make the dish glisten, plus a cup of sweet tremella soup. It was a wonderful meal.

The chef for the national team is so good! He is way better than the chef for the provincial team. Chef Cai only knew certain kinds of dishes, and he cooked them all the time. I'm so done with that! Compared to the canteen here, this one is much better! Li thought.

As Li was thinking to himself, a person suddenly appeared. The guy pointed at the seat opposite Li and asked, "Is this seat taken?"

"What? No, go ahead," said Li. He raised his head to see who it was and immediately recognized him.

"You are Haitao Xie, aren't you?" Li introduced himself. "I'm Dai Li. I'm on secondment here."

Haitao Xie was also an athlete in the men's 110m hurdles. He was pretty young, and was regarded as a high-flyer. Xie had only been on the team for two years, and used to attend national competitions, but he hadn't got the chance to go to the international games yet.

"I know you. Lin asked for you himself. Do you guys know each other from somewhere?" asked Xie.

"We met once," Li said, not giving any more details. He didn't want to divulge how they had me, let alone name-drop Feifei's name.

Xie didn't pursue the issue further. Coaches and athletes were colleagues, after all. It was nothing special for a coach to know some famous athletes.

"I saw you going to coach Ding. Were you there for Lin?" asked Xie.

Li didn't want to cover it up, so he told him the truth. "I see that the other athletes all have a training coach except for Lin. That was why I asked coach Ding. But he did not seem willing to talk about Lin. I wonder why."

"Coach Ding didn't try be mean to you on purpose. That was his tough love for Lin. To tell the truth, seeing Lin in such bad condition has made coach Ding the more distressed one. Because of Lin, coach Ding went out drinking alone quite often. He never drank in the past," said Xie.

"Is there some hidden secret?" asked Li.

Xie sighed, then lowered his voice. "Have you ever heard about Lin's injury? He stopped at the first hurdle, and had to be lifted off of the field."

"I know. I watched the live telecast," said Li. If he was correct, that contest had been Lin's last. After that the only news that had come out concerning him was about his recovery.

"Well, Lin had surgery on his Achilles tendon," said Xie.

"The news said the surgery was successful," said Li.

"Well the surgery was successful, that was true. But Lin really wanted to get back on the field, so he returned to high-intensity training before he was fully recovered. He did make some progress, but unfortunately God seemed to want to make fun of him. During an internal test, he hurt himself again in the same place, but worse," Xie said, slowly told the story.

"Exercise rehabilitation is worth learning, especially for athletes. Some injuries can stay with them forever," said Li.

Xie continued, "Lin had to receive a second operation."

"How did the second one go?" asked Li.

Xie shook his head. "I don't know. I got here late, so the others told me the story, but nobody told me about that part. Some people said the operation was not successful. They said Lin returned to the team, but began to lose himself. He was no longer himself. He was always late for training, he also went to pubs at night, and now he has turned into a completely different person."

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Chapter 80: Taste of Victory

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

To Li, Haitao Xie's words conveyed much information.

According to Haitao Xie, Feixiang Lin is like this because of his injury. To professional athletes, recurring injuries are the last thing they want to have. Many athletes cannot bear the pressure, and have negative feelings, which can lead to a lack of confidence. In terms of physiology, recurring injuries can be complicated. Because it is hard to recover, athletes are not able to return to what they once were, and their performance declines rapidly, sometimes to the point that they decide to retire.

Dai Li was not sure which category Feixiang Lin belonged to—psychological, physiological, or worse, both. But when Dai Li thought the problem over in his mind, he realized what the issue was. Feixiang Lin was the best athlete in this country, and the Beikou Training Center had the best therapists and consultants a facility could offer. They would never leave Feixiang Lin alone if there was any problem.

"Did the national team think of ways to help Feixiang Lin?" asked Li.

"They did. Rehabilitative training, psychological consultants; they did everything they could think of. But none of those methods worked. Coach Ding was the one who worried most. He even had a fierce argument with Feixiang Lin...I should not be talking about this." Haitao Xie did not want to spread gossip.

"But the recent news is all about Feixiang Lin's recovery. They say that Feixiang Lin is working hard to get back to his previous status. Even Coach Ding said so during an exclusive interview," said Li. He was confused.

"They did that for money," Haitao Xie smiled, then said, "If I trained poorly, I would have already been kicked out. But Feixiang Lin is different. He has the highest commercial value among all national athletes. At his best, he earned two or three hundred million yuan per year. Even though he does not participate in any contests now, he still gets forty or fifty million yuan per year from advertising endorsements. How could the national team kick out a goose that lays golden eggs? They just leave Feixiang Lin alone. To the outside world, the team says the same thing over and over. They say that Feixiang Lin is recovering so that the public still has hope, and in turn the sponsors are willing to put more money into him."

"I see. I never would have thought that a world champion—a national idol— would one day lose so much of their ability." Dai Li had finally gotten the full story, and understood what had happened to cause what was going on today.

...

Over the next few days, Feixiang Lin was still enjoying himself. He pretended to train hard, arriving late and leaving early, and sometimes was even absent deliberately.

Dai Li's work was simple. The other coaches on loan had all turned into handymen except for him. He always brought an extra charger to work, otherwise his phone would run out of battery.

Just as Feixiang Lin had promised, Dai Li did not have a hard time following him. Even though he was playing on his phone during work, nobody blamed him. This life was indeed relaxing.

Dai Li had helped Feifei Yu lose weight successfully. Feifei had lost 2 kilograms, and returned to her original weight.

Feifei Yu was planning to lose one more kilogram, but time was limited. She had to fly to Tokyo for the Asian Championships.

...

During a break in the training center, Li took out his phone and searched for a live broadcast.

Feifei Yu arrived in Tokyo three days ago, yet she is still on my training list. Does that mean that if she wins the championship, I will receive extra rewards? Li thought secretly.

The deletion process for Dai Li's training list had a delay, which meant that even if the trainee was no longer under his guidance, his or her name would still exist on the list for a period of time. But Dai Li had not figured out all the rules yet.

The signal was quite strong, so Dai Li soon received the live broadcast. The swimmers were ready at their positions. Dai Li stared at the screen anxiously, waiting for the competition to begin.

"What are you doing?" asked Feixiang Lin from a distance.

"Watching the Asian Swimming Championships live broadcast, women's 200-meter individual medley. Feifei Yu is about to compete," said Dai Li.

"Wait for me." Feixiang Lin immediately walked over and sat down near Dai Li.

The competition was not that exciting. It was not difficult for Feifei Yu to win, and in the end she won gold with a 2'10''66 performance.

The last time Feifei Yu had won gold in the Olympics, her performance had been within 2'08, which was two seconds quicker than this time. But considering it was an Asian Championship, Feifei did not struggle too much. A 2'10''66 performance was acceptable.

Great! That is awesome! Dai Li clenched his fist with excitement. Meanwhile he noticed that he had just gained 1,000 experience points as an extra experiential reward, the same as what he had gotten when Aiguo Jiang had won his competition.

Asian Championships was several levels higher than a substation contest, so Dai Li's reward should have been higher than this. However, Dai Li had been completely Aiguo Jiang's training, while he had only helped Feifei Yu lose weight. This was less of a contribution that what he had done for Aiguo Jiang, hence the rewards were decreased.

But Dai Li was quite satisfied with 1,000 points as a reward.

Beside him, Feixiang Lin stood up. Envy and unwillingness shined in his eyes. Dai Li noticed Feixiang Lin's change in emotion.

Dai Li had not expected to see Feixiang Lin express such emotions. He used to see similar things in Aiguo Jiang's eyes, but he had not found envy; only firmness and unwillingness.

Aiguo Jiang did not want to leave the field; he wanted to fight for his daughter's future. Will Feixiang Lin have the same feelings? Dai Li looked at Feixiang Lin's back. He was walking back to his original seat.

Maybe I can try to save him! Thinking this to himself, Dai Li asked straightforwardly, "Would you like to taste victory?"

Feixiang Lin suddenly paused.

"It's been a long time since you have won the championship. Do you still remember how it felt?" Dai Li's voice rang again.

Feixiang Lin turned around, staring at Dai Li surprisingly.

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Chapter 81: Injury

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Both of them did not speak as they continued looking at each other.

Feixiang Lin was feeling rather complicated as he stared at Dai Li. Dai Li did not look away, watching him, expecting him to say something. It was as if time was frozen, yet the atmosphere was not an awkward one.

Gradually, Feixiang Lin's facial expression began to change, as if he had been in a difficult emotional struggle. After a long while, he sighed and said, "I think you have probably realized that my legs are almost wasted, and that I am a useless man now, haven't you?"

Dai Li did not reply. He thought the "wasted" and "useless" sounded a bit too harsh. He could not believe that Feixiang Lin would even use them to describe himself.

"Champion? I cannot be a champion anymore. I can never be a champion in this life. How could a cripple like me compete for a championship?" Feixiang Lin looked very indifferent and numb, as if he had already gotten used to being a slave who was incapable of accomplishing anything.

Dai Li pointed to the spot next to him and asked him to sit down. He said, "What on earth is happening? Would you mind telling me about it in detail?"

"There is nothing else to say. You already know everything!" Feixiang Lin said.

"Others are just spreading fake rumors. What I have heard from them may not be completely true. I think the only truth lies with you. You must have something that has been troubling you!" Dai Li asked.

Dai Li sat next to Feixiang Lin. Feixiang Lin sighed and said, "Well, I am not troubled by anything, and things are not that complicated either. I was injured and had a torn Achilles tendon surgery, but I have not recovered yet, which means I can never be as good as I was."

"So you want to give up? You are still young! You are in the prime of your athletic career. Even if you have been badly injured, you can still recover and have the ability to break the world record."

According to the statistics, an athlete of a S-rank had the potential and ability to break world records. Because Feixiang Lin was a S-rank athlete, he would definitely be able to achieve that again.

"I have already heard what you are saying hundreds of time. Yes, I am still young. I should have fun while I am still young! What can I get out of working hard in my training? Getting injured again, falling down again, lying on the bed in the cold surgery room and feeling terrified of the unforeseeable future? I think it would be better if I shot more commercials and made more money before I get old. I will not need to worry about the rest of my life anymore!" Feixiang Lin got a bit excited.

The next second calmed down again. His hands drooped sadly as,he said: "Besides, I can never be as good as I was before."

Dai Li waited a few seconds so Feixiang Lin could gather himself, then said, "Are we talking about the difficulty of your surgery or your recovery?"

"I do not know. I really do not know." Feixiang Lin shook his head. "Even the doctor cannot give me an answer. They just say that the surgery has been successful, but I do not feel like it has been. I am sure that I am not as agile as before. My legs react slowly now, and more importantly, my legs always hurt. It is as if I am constantly being stung or burned, especially when I land on the ground. I have a strange feeling that these legs are not even mine."

Feixiang Lin patted his right leg and said, "You do not understand. Every time I even make the motion of jumping a hurdle, I feel pain. I make a move, and I feel pain. The larger my movement range and the quicker I move, the more pain I feel, and it makes me worry all the time. I keep wondering if I will get injured again, and even begin to fear doing hurdles!"

"Have you told all this to the doctor?" Dai Li asked.

"Yes, I have, but they do not listen. They only check my body with a cold medical instrument and do the NMR (nuclear magnetic resonance) over and over. They look at the data on the screen of the instrument and tell me the operation was successful! And yes, the operation may have been successful, but my legs are aching too! Ah..." Obviously Feixiang Lin felt that what the doctors had been telling him was ridiculous, and completely disagreed with what he was being told.

"How about the coach of the National Team? Coach Ding Jihai, have you told him yet?" Dai Li asked.

"What can he do? He is not even a doctor. I have been so badly injured, how can I possibly recover? Coach Ding has been comforting me, but what is the point? My right leg has been wasted! I am a cripple now. I can never be as good as I was," Feixiang Lin said for the third time.

"So you had a big quarrel with Coach Ding?" Dai Li began getting curious about the situation.

"Although Coach Ding has been very strict, he has always been a father to me. He has been with me for more than ten years. He has spent ten years on me, but I know that if he left me behind, he could still cultivate the second or the third World Champion. But honestly, how many decades does someone have in them? He is already in his fifties, I really do not want him to waste his time and energy on me anymore," Feixiang Lin said. From his tone, one could tell that he was feeling rather guilty and sad leaving Coach Ding.

Suddenly, Dai Li said, "Stop saying you are a cripple. Even if your leg has been injured, has your heart been as well? Do you not want to be a champion?"

"Of course I do, but so what? I cannot be a champion. If I was as good as I was before, I could easily win a gold medal in the Olympics. But can I do it now? Your Achilles tendon has never been injured, and you have never experienced that pain. You could never understand. Unless there is a miracle, I can never be as good as I was before!"

Feixiang Lin changed his tone and said, "You are probably thinking that I am just making excuses so I can get away from training and continue living the casual life I am living now. I know you must be thinking like this. You are not the only one who has thought this."

Dai Li was a bit astonished. He had indeed thought about this. He thought Feixiang Lin was just making excuses so he could get out of training.

The training of an athlete was very tiring and boring. Those who were not determined could never become professional athletes. Who would want to go back to a life filled with tiring and boring training when they had an opportunity to enjoy a life of feasting and fun, and become so careless that they could even forget about life and death? There were too many athletes who lost sight of their dreams and began enjoying themselves too much when they became famous.

Few could still be as determined when they were facing the temptations of the prosperous and bustling world. Surely some people would say they could, but it was much different when you were actually facing the temptation every single day. Those who said they would not so much as blink their eyes if faced with a mountain of gold only said so because the mountain was not right in front of them.

The two sat in silence again. This time, the silence lingered.

"There are too many things that cannot be explained scientifically with the current stage of modern medicine. For example, some people can suffer from ENS (Empty Nose Syndrome) after receiving an operation for the removal of their turbinate. ENS is not even discussed in medical textbook. One can feel so much pain that they will want to die, yet the doctor can believe the patient is perfectly normal after referring to the clinical criteria. Some even categorize the problem as a psychological one." Thinking this, Dai Li looked at Feixiang Lin's legs.

"Maybe Feixiang Lin is telling the truth about his legs not recovering completely," Dai Li thought to himself. "After all, a ruptured Achilles tendon is a really big deal, and is very difficult to fully recover from. But I am not a doctor myself, so I cannot assess how bad his injury really is...wait, I have an idea!"

Dai Li thought of the rehabilitation massage.

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Chapter 82: Rehabilitative Massage

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

"The manipulation rehabilitation only works for people who are injured. If Feixiang Lin has already recovered, and it is a waste of time to do the Manipulation Rehabilitation for him, and my empirical value will not increase. However, if he has not fully recovered yet, my empirical value will increase by performing the Manipulation Rehabilitation. Besides, this way I can know whether he really has not recovered or if he is just trying to get out of training."

Thinking of this, Dai Li directly asked Feixiang Lin, "Which leg and which area is injured?"

"The Achilles tendon on my right leg. Why are you even asking? You do not believe what I have just said? How about I show you the scar?" Feixiang Lin said ironically.

"Good. Take off your right shoe, and give me your right leg," Dai Li said.

"What are you going to do?" Feixiang Lin began feeling suspicious.

"Manipulation!" Dai Li replied.

"You can do Manipulation?" Feixiang Lin looked at Dai Li and teased him. Clearly he was not buying it.

"Stop talking nonsense!" Dai Li said. He immediately pulled his right leg over and took off his right shoe.

"Ah, you really mean it! Do not do the manipulation carelessly or you will make it even worse!" Feixiang Lin was rather anxious.

"You have already said that your right leg is wasted. If that is the case, what are you afraid of?!" Dai Li asked. He began to perform the Manipulation Rehabilitation.

The manipulation of traditional Chinese medicine was based on the Meridian-Collateral Theory. Modern manipulation was actually a very complex subject that was based off the anatomy and pathology of western medicine. Many medical masseuses in the hospital, especially those who had been doing the manipulation for over a decade or two, were almost as good as the heads of the department. In fact, the manipulation and massage belonged in the same category, The skills were quite similar: pressing, massaging, pushing, taking, kneading, pinching, trembling, and hitting.

Dai Li had massaged every member of the weightlifting team everyday, so he was extremely skilled in this regard. He was doing the manipulation rehabilitation for Feixiang Lin like a professional.

Feixiang Lin was also someone who knew what was what. As soon as Dai Li began to massage him, he realized that Dai Li had not been joking with him earlier. He was doing everything very well.

"It never occurred to me that you would be able to do the manipulation. Ouch, be gentle, it hurts!" Feixiang Lin shouted.

However, after feeling pain for only a few seconds, Feixiang Lin felt his whole leg relax.

"Relax, do not be tense. Relax your muscles," Dai Li said as he did the manipulation rehabilitation.

"Ouch!" Feixiang Lin shouted again. Clearly Dai Li had touched his sore spot. Feixiang Lin had figured this would happen again, but he realized that the pain he was feeling now was completely different from the pain he usually felt. The pain he felt now did not last long. It always started out sharp, like a release of pressure, and later felt eased and relaxed.

Feixiang Lin stopped talking. He completely relaxed his body just as Dai Li had told him to. The pain started again, but this time Feixiang Lin clenched his teeth and did not make a sound. He closed his eyes and began to feel the changes in his leg.

Feixiang Lin felt as if his injured Achilles tendon was being given new life. He began to move actively, and the feeling of stabbing pain and burning disappeared. There was also a picture gradually forming in his mind: a flower began growing on the branch of a withered tree. Then, more and more flowers began to grow, and soon spread all over the withered tree. The tree was now revived, and began to absorb the nutrition and water from the ground.

Feixiang Lin suddenly had a strange idea: the vision in his mind exactly reflected the situation he was in. His injured leg was being revived again, just as the withered tree was.

Gradually, Feixiang Lin began to realize he was addicted to this feeling, and even began to hope for the pain to begin sooner. Every time he felt pain, he would feel quite relaxed soon after, as if he had been freed from a prison.

Dai Li was doing the manipulation rehabilitation while keeping an eye on his empirical value.

"My empirical value has increased!" Dai Li finally saw his empirical value increase, which meant that Feixiang Lin was telling the truth. Maybe his operation had been successful, but he had not completely recovered, and could not be explain it with medical theories. Dai Li stopped massaging Feixiang Lin.

"Why did you stop?" Feixiang Lin asked.

"You are telling the truth. Your leg has not totally recovered." Dai Li said.

"So you believe me?" Feixiang Lin pulled his leg back and asked, "You have only massaged me once and you already believe me?"

"I could feel that you have not recovered while I was massaging you," Dai Li nodded earnestly.

"You are just playing around. I have been checked by tons of advanced medical instruments, and the doctor still cannot come to a conclusion. Yet you are sure that I have not recovered yet simply by massaging me?" Obviously Feixiang Lin did not believe Dai Li.

"Feel it for yourself, then. Are you feeling better now?" Dai Li asked.

Earlier, both the slimming workout and the massage had produced an immediate effect. Because of this, Dai Li believed that the manipulation rehabilitation would have an immediate effect as well.

Feixiang Lin did not reply. When Dai Li was massaging him, he could already tell that his right leg felt much better, especially his Achilles tendon. More importantly, he realized that he had regained control of his leg.

"It does work! And it works immediately! The pain I have been suffering from for two years has been greatly relieved!" Feixiang Lin took a deep breathe. He had not felt like this in a long time. He was completely stunned and speechless.

"I remember that you said earlier that you could only be as good as you were before if there was a miracle. Do you still feel it like it is impossible for a miracle to happen?" Dai Li shook his head. "I do not think it is that difficult for you to create a miracle. You are Asian. It is already a miracle that you broke the world record! You have already created a miracle, why not try to create another one?!"

Feixiang Lin did not speak, but his eyes gave away that he was worried and struggling.

"You are an athlete. An athlete belongs on the field. You should fight and work hard to achieve your goal instead of giving up easily like you have been doing! You are like a man lost in a desert who clearly has the energy to walk, but chooses to lie on the ground and wait to die!" Dai Li said. His words struck Feixiang Lin like a hammer.

Feixiang Lin was silent for a minute, then finally said, "Can you help me?"

"It is not important whether I am going to help you or not. The important part is that you save yourself." While pointing at his chest, Dai Li said, "if your leg is injured, I may be able to help you. But if you have lost faith in yourself, no one will be able to help you. Not even God!"

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Chapter 83: The Heart Is Still Alive

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

That night, Feixiang Lin tossed and turned restlessly on his bed. Dai Li's words kept popping into his mind, and kept striking his heart like a needle. All his years of experience were flashing back in his mind.

He had met Coach Ding Jihai for the first time when he was a member of the long jump team of a sports school. This encounter had changed his entire life. It was at that moment that he began training for the 110m hurdles.

When he was sixteen, he took part in the 110m hurdles in the National Track and Field Competition for the first time. He came in fourth place.

When he was seventeen, he took part in an international competition for the first time, and won third place. He stood on the prize-winning platform. This was the best finish a Chinese athlete had ever gotten in a short-distance dash competition.

When he was eighteen-years-old, he won first prize in the University. Later, he would always win the championship in every competition he took part in. At the time, he thought he had been born to be a champion.

Finally, he recalled the time taken part in the Olympics, and gotten the gold medal. When interviewed by the journalists, he had said proudly, "they said that an Asian man could never win a gold medal in the short-distance dash. Well, I did it! I have proved them wrong!" In that moment, he had become a hero in every Chinese person's heart.

But winning the Olympic gold medal was only the beginning of his climax of his sports career. Soon after, he managed to climb to the highest mountain in the world of the short-distance dash; he broke the world record.

Feixiang Lin turned over. All these glorious episodes of his life kept replaying before his eyes, and he became more and more nostalgic.

He remembered how it felt to be a champion, even though he had not tasted the feeling in such a long time. It did not matter, because he was born a champion.

"You are an athlete, and an athlete belongs on the field."

"You have already created a miracle, why not try and create another one!?"

"If you have lost faith, no one can help you, not even God!"

Dai Li's words kept popping into Feixiang Lin's mind.

"Champion!" Feixiang Lin knew he had been longing for the title of champion. Although he was benumbing himself by leading a befuddled life, he was still missing the feeling he had once had when he would jump over hurdles on the field and stand on top on the prize-winning platform.

"What on earth have I been doing the last two years! I am such an idiot, I have wasted an entire two years!" Feixiang Lin suddenly stood up and touched his right leg, pressing his injured Achilles tendon.

"It does not hurt anymore." Feixiang Lin calmed down. He did not seem confused anymore, and suddenly became quite determined.

"I cannot give up. I have to put up a fight!"

...

It was 7:50AM. Dai Li had arrived at the training center ten minutes early.

He was neither the first one nor the last one to arrive to the training center. Most coaches and athletes would arrive around this time, except for Feixiang Lin, who always came after 9 o'clock.

Dai Li looked at the gate. He was not sure if what he had said yesterday had worked or not, but there was one thing he was sure of: the manipulation rehabilitation worked.

The manipulation rehabilitation was like a stepping stone. It could help Feixiang Lin be as good as he once was, but the most important thing was for him to take the first step to get back to where he once was. If he continued behaving like he had been before their conversation, like showing up late for training or leaving early to go out and enjoy the nightlife, then even the manipulation rehabilitation would not help him.

Dai Li was waiting nervously. It was almost 8 o'clock. As time passed, he became more and more anxious.

"Maybe Feixiang Lin is reluctant to give up his befuddled life. Maybe he had second thoughts and felt that it was to not give up his current lifestyle. He had already made hundreds of millions of yuan, and was already a billionaire. How could he possibly come back to the tough and competitive field! What was the point of curing his leg if he was someone who was indulging in his luxury and easy life? Am I supposed to help an athlete who has no desire to do better?"

Dai Li sighed as he thought about this. Just as he was about to turn around, he saw a familiar figure approaching in the distance.

"Feixiang Lin!" Dai Li finally smiled. He had gotten the answer he had wanted.

...

"Look, it is Feixiang Lin!"

"You must be wrong. It is not even 9 o'clock, how could he be here already?"

"The training has not begun yet. How could he possibly be on time for the training today?"

"I think he will be on time when pigs fly! Is this really the Feixiang Lin I know?"

Everyone began to talk about this in a low voice. Everyone looked at Feixiang Lin together. At the same time, Coach Ding Jihai looked much kinder than before.

Feixiang Lin walked over to Dai Li and was going to speak to him, but Dai Li asked him before he could say a word, "Have you thought things through?"

Feixiang Lin nodded earnestly and said, "Dai Li—no. Coach Li, please help me!"

"Are you sure? Once you have made your decision, you can never go back to a befuddled and comfortable life. You have to be strict with yourself, which means you have to eat and rest regularly. As long as you are awake, you must be training. The same endless and boring training, again and again, and cannot go to the Champion Restaurant." Dai Li wanted to make sure Feixiang Lin knew what he was getting himself into.

"I know how it is. I have lived this kind of life before. The training is tough and tiring, but fulfilling. That is the life I am used to. I can see my value in that life, and that is my real life! Right now I am like the walking dead, who knows nothing besides eating, drinking, playing, and having fun. This is not the life I want," Feixiang Lin said. "So please help me!"

Looking at Feixiang Lin's serious face, Dai Li smiled and said, "Take off your shoes. I will do the manipulation for you!"

...

Once again, Feixiang Lin experienced the magic of the manipulation rehabilitation.

"I feel like my leg has not felt this relaxed for almost a year. If you keep doing this, I think there is a great chance that I can be as good as I was before. How marvelous this is! I have been massaged by so many masseuses. The heads of the top three hospitals and the professor of the Medical University have all tried, but compared to you they are so much worse!" Feixiang Lin said.

Dai Li laughed. The manipulation rehabilitation itself went against science, so the heads of the hospitals and university professors could never be as good as he was, even if they spent their entire lives practicing.

Feixiang Lin tried to take a few steps and jump a few times. He felt much better. He said, "Let's start the training now. I cannot wait to be as good as I was before!"

"I do not think it is the best time to start training. I understand your feelings, but haven't you realized that you have become a bit too fat to be an effective athlete?" Dai Li pointed his belly.

Feixiang Lin used to have a six-pack of abdominal muscles. As an athlete of the short-distance dash, his body fat percentage had to be below 10%. However, after two years of laziness, he had become too fat, and was not that slim or strong anymore.

Feixiang Lin was a bit embarrassed and touched his belly. He probably knew that he would have to lose weight.

Dai Li said, "You are the world champion of the hurdles. As for the training technique for the hurdles, you know better than I do. But I am the expert in losing weight. You should do a set of slimming exercises first. I will try to make you lose two pounds today."

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Chapter 84: The Return Of A Prodigal Son

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

The heavier an athlete was, the more of a burden his body had to bear. For an athlete who did hurdles, if he was heavy, he would consume more energy every time he hurdled, meaning his ankle would have to withstand more pressure every time he landed.

Therefore, an athlete of the 110m hurdles was much lighter than a 100m dash athlete. Feixiang Lin's height was around 190 centimeters, and his weight had reached its peak at 160 pounds. For an athlete of the 100m dash, who was the same height as Feixiang Lin, their weight was probably closer to 180 pounds, or even more in some cases.

Because Feixiang Lin had not taken his training seriously in the last two years or control his diet, he was already over 180 pounds. It was only due to his height that he did not look fat.

Obviously, 180 pounds was not an ideal weight for an athlete who did hurdles. Feixiang Lin knew that his main task was to lose weight, but he laughed with disdain when he heard the words "slimming exercises."

Feixiang Lin was indeed much fatter than he was before, but because he was still a professional athlete, he could not lose weight simply by doing slimming exercises. Besides, anyone who had even a bit of common sense would know that doing slimming exercises would have no effect on an athlete.

"Come, let's do the slimming exercises," Dai Li said seriously.

"You are kidding me," Feixiang Lin said, waving his hands.

"I am not joking with you." Dai Li became more serious.

Feixiang Lin shook his head and said, "I admit that your massage was very effective, but as for these slimming exercises, why don't you go do it yourself in the gym!"

"Do you see that scale? Go and weigh yourself, then do the slimming exercises with me. If you do not lose weight it will not do you any harm, and you can just consider it a warm-up," Dai Li said.

Feixiang Lin still did not believe him, but when he remembered that Dai Li would help him do the manipulation rehabilitation, he stood on the scale, weighed himself, and did the slimming exercises with Dai Li.

"These are just warm-up exercises for radio music! It cannot even be considered as a warm-up," Feixiang Lin thought.

"Stand on the scale and weigh yourself." Dai Li kept egging him on once they finished a set of slimming exercises.

Dai Li was full of expectation. Seeing his face, Feixiang Lin did not want hurt Dai Li's feelings, so he stepped on the scale unwillingly.

"Ah? The number has dropped? I have already lost 0.3 pounds in just twenty minutes. Seriously, what is going on?" Feixiang Lin turned around and looked at Dai Li, who was feeling very confident.

"Is this really because of the slimming exercises? No way! I cannot believe it!" Feixiang Lin stepped off the scale, looked at Dai Li, and felt very suspicious about this. He then said, "Let's do it again!"

"No problem!" Dai Li nodded.

Twenty minutes later, Feixiang Lin weighed himself a third time.

"I have lost another 0.22 pounds! Is this scale broken?" Feixiang Lin thought for a while, then stepped off the scale and put his shoes on it to see if the scale was broken or not.

"The weight of the shoes has not changed, which means the scale works fine. Is it possible that these slimming exercises really work? But isn't it strange that these slimming exercises, which are just like warm-up exercises, can really help me lose weight?"

Feixiang Lin looked at Dai Li.

"He has only massaged me once, yet I felt much better instantly; for these slimming exercises, I have only done one set, abut nd it works immediately. This is incredible, I think no one would ever believe me if I told them this, but is it possible that Dai Li is an alien?!"

...

Feixiang Lin was a very intelligent person, but he was completely stunned by Dai Li. However, he cared more about whether he could get back on the field, and whether he could be as good as he had been before.

Dai Li could help Feixiang Lin recover and lose weight, which already made him qualified enough for Feixiang Lin to follow his every order.

Feixiang Lin was like someone drowning in the middle of an ocean, while Dai Li was like an island. Even if it was an uninhabited island where there were many beasts, and the food was not edible unless it had been cooked, Feixiang Lin would try his best to swim to the island because it was his only chance at survival.

After earning Feixiang Lin's trust, Dai Li began to lead Feixiang Lin through the slimming exercises. For an athlete of the hurdle, the lower his BFP (body fat percentage) was, the better. The slimming exercises could help Feixiang Lin achieve just that, and lose any excess fat.

Inside the training hall, Dai Li began to count numbers everyone was familiar with.

"One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight; Two, two, three, four..."

...

"My eyes are not deceiving me today. Feixiang Lin is not late for training! He came before 8 o'clock."

"It seems as if the prodigal son has returned! With his talent, he will probably win another world championship if he works hard on his training."

"Come look, what is Feixiang Lin doing? Is he doing slimming exercises to radio music?"

"Probably not. Why would he come here an hour earlier just to do slimming exercises to radio music?! Is it possible that he is warming up?"

"For us, that amount of slimming exercise is everything but a warm-up! I do not think we would even sweat!"

"I have heard that Feixiang Lin is going to take part in an activity at the Hope Primary School. Maybe doing the slimming exercises to radio music is part of the activity, and he is preparing for it beforehand."

"I think you are probably right, but since when did slimming exercises to radio music look like this? Which set is this? Anyway, it is completely different from the one I did when I was in school."

The athletes in the training hall were speaking in low voices. Meanwhile, Coach Ding Jihai's face was turning rather gloomy.

"I thought you were the prodigal son that had returned and planned to come back to training. I never thought the reason you would come here is just to do some slimming exercises! Feixiang Lin, you have truly disappointed me. Maybe you really are beyond helping now!" Coach Ding Jihai let out a long sigh. He felt quite sad.

...

"I have lost four pounds today! If I keep doing this for ten more days, I can be as slim and strong as I was before," Feixiang Lin said confidently.

As he was speaking, Dai Li was dong the manipulation rehabilitation for him. He said, "Do not be too optimistic. The reason you have lost four pounds in one day is because that you have a lot of fat. Once the fat begins to decrease, you cannot lose it as quickly as you did today."

"How long will it take for me to be 160 pounds again?" Feixiang Lin asked.

"About a month!" Dai Li thought for a while, then said, "I hope that you can be fully recovered within the next month. I will help you be as good as your old self by the third month."

"Why are you in such a hurry?" Feixiang Lin asked.

"Do not forget, I was only transferred here temporarily. I can only stay here for three months, and it is almost the end of the first month." Dai Li became very serious. "I hope that before I leave, the old, invincible Feixiang Lin can come back!"

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Chapter 85: Rehabilitation

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Since his return, Feixiang Lin had not been late for training, and he never left early. He went to the training hall regularly, and ate the nutritious food in the canteen instead of eating in a restaurant everyday. He also did not go out at night anymore. He went to bed and woke up on time. Everyone had seen the changes in his behavior. Many believed that Feixiang Lin was really the prodigal son that had returned.

However, when people saw Feixiang Lin doing the slimming exercises to radio music, they would think the opposite. To them, he should have been doing something that had to do with the training rather than the slimming exercises .

No one understood what Feixiang Lin had been doing, but Feixiang Lin himself knew that he was making progress. He was losing weight everyday, and the number on the scale would not lie to him.

What made Feixiang Lin happy was that his strength and explosive force had not degenerated much while he was losing weight. His competitive spirit, on the other hand, had been increasing.

The process had made Feixiang Lin admire Dai Li very much. Although he had no idea how short amount slimming exercises had made him lose weight so quickly, he was still receiving the benefits. He chose not to think too hard about it. He was an athlete, after all, not a scientist. His aim was to return to the field, not figure out the scientific theory behind Dai Li's slimming exercises.

Soon another month passed. Feixiang Lin's weight was back to 160 pounds, and his weight would not change too much if he continued doing his daily training and living a regular life.

He had lost twenty pounds in the last month, and felt very satisfied. If he spent the entire day in the physical training room doing slimming exercises, he could lose about twenty pounds at most. Compared to that, doing the slimming exercises was so much easier than lifting the heavy fitness equipment.

...

The training hall was a bit empty because there was a competition for the National Track and Field Competition, as well as the field training of the National Team on the plateau. The well-known Coach Ding Jihai and Coach Fang Jun had taken their famous athletes to take part in the competition. The people who had stayed were young athletes whose abilities were not that great.

Feixiang Lin had been training regularly, but because he had only been doing the slimming exercises, many people thought he had not done any proper training. It was only natural that he had been excluded from joining the field trip to the plateau. However, Feixiang Lin knew that he had not completely recovered. Even if he had joined the field trip, it would do him no good. Because of this, he preferred to stay in the North Pass Center and regain his strength.

"I think my right leg has recovered. I did not feel any pain when you massaged me yesterday." Feixiang Lin did some moves showing off his agility.

"You have not recovered yet," Dai Li said without any hesitation.

Dai Li came to this conclusion by relying on the Empirical Value of the System. When he would perform the manipulation rehabilitation for Feixiang Lin, the empirical value of the Coaching System would still increase, indicating Feixiang Lin had not completely recovered. If Feixiang Lin had completely recovered, his empirical value would not increase by doing the manipulation rehabilitation.

Dai Li had gotten a lot of empirical value by helping Feixiang Lin recover. After all, Feixiang Lin was a talented S-rank athlete who had been always been the best in the men's 110m hurdles. The manipulation rehabilitation and the effect of the slimming exercises was actually equal to the training, so the empirical value Dai Li got from Feixiang Lin was even higher than what he had gotten for helping Feifei Yu.

Because Feixiang Lin trusted Dai Li very much, he continued to let Dai Li perform the manipulation rehabilitation for him. He did not need to do the slimming exercises anymore, so he began spending most of his time training for the 110m hurdles.

When it came to training for the 110m hurdles, Dai Li had learned of it when he was in college. He had even hurdled on the playground when he was younger. When it came to training techniques and experience, however, Feixiang Lin knew far more than him.

Even though Feixiang Lin was an athlete, a few years ago he had constantly traveled to the United States to train. In the U.S., there were many professional training theories, the most advanced equipment, and the most famous trainer in the world. Feixiang Lin had received the best training in the world there. As for training techniques for the 110m hurdles, Feixiang Lin knew far more than most of the coaches of the National Team. What Dai Li had learned in a second-rate university was nothing compared to what Feixiang Lin knew in this regard.

Sports training was far more than just theories. Dai Li began to learn from Feixiang Lin, and thought that having the opportunity to be involved in Feixiang Lin's training was definitely a unforgettable experience. Not only were the methods of training and training techniques new to him, but the training concepts would benefit Dai Li a lot. They the most advanced in the world, and were at least ten years ahead of what Dai Li had learned from his university textbook.

To reach Feixiang Lin's level in the field of hurdling, techniques had to be close to perfect. If there were any flaws in Feixiang Lin's techniques, he would never be able to break the world record.

Therefore, the routine training that applied to many athletes of the 110m hurdles was of no use to Feixiang Lin. His level was too high and he had too much experience in this area. He also had a very strong understanding of the sport. He had reached the ceiling of the sport; he had already been the best in the world. There were no improvements to be made.

As for his techniques, focusing on the details was the only way he could make improvements. Because of this, the National Team simply filmed his training. They normally filmed an athlete's training process, then rewound the tape so they could clearly see which detail or movement had not been done perfectly. Later in the training, the athlete could focus on these details and work hard to improve them.

After all, the 110m hurdles and the 100m dash were rather different. For the training of the 100m dash, there was no need to film because it had more to do with an athlete's body and training over and over again. This was all much more useful than filming a training session and watching it over again. Because the 110m hurdles were a combination of speed and techniques, as well as body flexibility and sense of rhythm in the movement of an athlete, watching the tape was the best way to find out what an athlete's disadvantages were.

Feixiang Lin did not have a trainer, so Dai Li was the one filming. The camera for the National Team was never a cheap one; it was a professional sports camera that filmed in high definition, one that was worth tens of thousands of yuan. After staying with Feixiang Lin for a while, Dai Li had not learned anything about hurdling. His photography techniques had improved quite a lot, though.

...

In the open training hall, Feixiang Lin was lying on the ground, feeling exhausted and panting heavily.

As time went on, the intensity of training began to increase. He had now completely recovered, and began doing the highest limitation training a human's body could possibly stand.

"Feixiang Lin has been recovering rather quickly. As the world-class athlete he is, it only takes less than a month for him to be able to do training of this intensity. I wonder how long I should wait before he becomes as good as he was before."

Thinking of this, Dai Li detected him.

Target: professional athlete

Professional sports: 110m hurdles

Professional capacity: 765

Talent: S

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Chapter 86: Qatar Money Grabbing Game

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

"I have not been this tired in a long time!" Feixiang Lin said while staring at the ceiling. He sounded rather weak.

"Let me massage your legs," Dai Li said as walked over to him. His massage was the best way to relieve the muscle fatigue of an athlete.

"Thanks!" Feixiang Lin was just lying there. He did not move at all.

"What do you think? How much have you recovered?" Dai Li asked.

"Around eighty percent!" Feixiang Lin said.

"His professional capacity is 765, if this is only eighty percent of his professional capacity, that means he would reach over 950 when he has fully recovered!" Dai Li calculated and asked surprisingly, "You are already this good when your professional capacity is 765 at 80%?"

"My professional capacity? Already so good? What do you mean?" Feixiang Lin said. He had no idea what Dai Li was talking about.

Dai Li realized he had had a slip of tongue, so he immediately changed the topic. "I read some of the news put out by the paparazzi that you had an affair with Sister Feng Feng, an online celebrity. Is that true?"

"Of course not! She is not beautiful at all. One day I met her by accident, and she leaned on me on purpose. I could not even stop her!" Feixiang Lin said.

"How about the famous female star Li Mimi? People on the internet are saying that you two are in a relationship," Dai Li said.

"Bullshxt, that is impossible. We happened to be in the same restaurant. It is only because of the drama show she plays a leading role in is on air that they put that story out. They want to attract more viewers!" Feixiang Lin said without any hesitation.

"What about your son? There are photos of him on the internet!" Dai Li laughed.

"He is my cousin's son. Whenever I would take part in a competition in Dong Gang, my nephew would come to see me live and cheer for me. Besides, think sensibly: the kid in that photo is almost ten-years-old, and my nephew is already twelve years old. I was still very young twelve years ago. How could I have had a son of that age at that time?" Feixiang Lin said.

They began to talk about everything, even some deeper topics. Because there were only young athletes in the training hall, all the top players had gone to join the field trip on the plateau. The atmosphere here was much more relaxed.

"If Coach Ding and others were here, we could never talk like this. But anyway, it is really good that I can take part in a competition soon!" Feixiang Lin had a long sigh.

"What's wrong? Are you feeling nostalgic?" Dai Li asked.

"Yes, I have not been on the field in two years," Feixiang Lin said, suddenly standing up.

"Am I pressing too hard?" Dai Li asked.

"No, I just remembered that the Qatar Money Grabbing game is going to be held next month. This time I have to be there!" Feixiang Lin said earnestly.

Dai Li suddenly stopped speaking, looking at Feixiang Lin in a daze.

"I'm talking about the IAAF Diamond League in Doha. You know Doha, right? The capital of Qatar, a country full of millionaires. The host of the competition in Doha has always been very generous. I have been to Doha two times, and every time I went we lived in a five-star hotel. The reward is always a bit more generous, also."

Feixiang Lin thought a few seconds, then said, "For example, the winner of the IAAF Diamond League in Doha will not only receive the reward, but also the extra bonus given by the host, which is more than what is given by the IAAF Diamond League. The host will also give an appearance fee to famous athletes. That is why the IAAF Diamond League is jokingly called the 'money grabbing game.'"

"Are you going to join that competition? Can you really do that in your condition?" Dai Li asked.

"I still have a month! I still have time to improve myself. The key is getting the National Team to allow me to take part in the competition," Feixiang Lin said.

"Well, we have to wait until Coach Ding and the others come back before they can make the decision, right?" Dai Li asked.

Feixiang Lin contemplated this, then said, "I am going to fill out a competition application form. I have not seen one for almost two years. I have almost forgotten what it looks like."

...

In the conference room of the North Pass Training Center, people were deciding who should attend the IAAF Diamond League.

The host of the conference was Zhao Shuren, the head coach of the National Track and Field Team. He was holding a manuscript and said, "The bonus for the money grabbing game in Qatar is quite a lot. We all know that the athletes in our country cannot take part in a competition like the IAAF Diamond League. But this time it is being held in Asia, and I have a few ideas about who should attend. In today's conference, I intend to talk about who should be sent to the competition. As usual, let's start with the 100m dash. I have a suggestion for this..."

Soon, they began to whittle down who should be sent for the 110m hurdles.

"Next, let's decide who should be the one to take part in the 110m hurdles. I only have one opening for this slot," the host of the conference said.

A coach said immediately, "We should definitely choose Dong Teng. He is the most suitable person for the 110m hurdles. Besides, he has made great progress in the last two years. At the beginning of this year, he won the bronze medal in the 60m hurdles competition. Judging from his ability and status, he is the perfect one for this competition."

Zhao Shuren, the head coach, looked at Ding Jihai and said, "Coach Ding, you are the head coach of the hurdles team. Who do you think should be sent to Qatar?"

Ding Jihai sat up straight and said, "Currently, Dong Teng is the strongest in the 110m hurdles in all of Asia, and he can probably work himself into being one of the best in the world. But because the bonus of the IAAF Diamond League is so much, and famous athletes can receive an extra appearance fee, there will be a lot of world-class athletes taking part in this competition. Compared with them, Dong Teng's advantages may not matter. I think it is impossible for him to win a medal with his current performance."

"So you think Dong Teng is the most suitable person, right?" Zhao Shuren asked.

Ding Jihai nodded. "In fact, I hope there can be more outstanding young people joining our team soon. We want to see some new faces." He then turned around and asked Director Zhang, "Director Zhang, apart from Dong Teng, is there anyone else who has handed in their application form for the IAAF Diamond League?"

The Director hesitated for two seconds, then said, "Yes, there is, but..."

"Tell us, who this inspirational young man is?" someone immediately asked.

"It's Feixiang Lin!" Director Zhang said. "It is Feixiang Lin who handed in his application form!"

"Feixiang Lin!"

Ding Jihai's eyes were shining. The conference room was silent.

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Chapter 87: Intimidation

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

After a long, embarrassing silence, everyone began speaking confusedly, as if they were in the stock market.

"Feixiang Lin? How could he submit application? Is he not clear about his status?"

"Is he making fun of us? How can he compete in such a big game? I bet he cannot even stand straight on the field."

"How dare he ignore the bigger issue! We have been tolerating him this entire time, not asking anything of him, yet now look what he has done! Is he doing this for fun?"

"To tell the truth, I remember that Feixiang Lin had gone to training on time right before we went to the highland."

"Well he did, but did you ever notice what he was doing? He was practicing broadcasting gymnastics, and his coach was with him! What were they doing, having a kindergarten party?"

Hearing the mean-spirited gossip, Coach Ding was uncomfortable.

As the chief coach of the national athletics team, Coach Zhao had spent most of his time in Huajing. He had only heard about Feixiang Lin from the others. The other coaches in the room, including Coach Ding, had just gotten back from highland. None of them knew how hard Feixiang Lin had been practicing the last month; they only remembered the irresponsible Feixiang Lin who had been busy practicing the fat loss exercise.

Coach Zhao waved his hand, signaling to the crowd to calm down. He then looked at Coach Ding and asked, "Coach Ding, both Feixiang Lin and Teng Dong are your students. Who do you think would be better for the competition?"

All the other coaches looked at Coach Ding. Because he was the chief coach for hurdles, his opinion was valued very highly.

Coach Ding lowered his head a bit, as if he was considering the decision. What was really taking place, however, was that he was struggling to decide.

Feixiang Lin submitted an application. Did he just have a sudden impulse to compete or has he really turned over a new leaf? Coach Ding was hesitating to make the decision.

Deep in his heart, Coach Ding still hoped that Feixiang Lin could make up for everything he had put everyone through. He wanted to see Feixiang Lin on the field again.

Coach Jun Fang took note of Coach Ding's struggle. They had been friends for years, and were both top-level coaches. Coach Fang had also developed world-champions, just like Coach Ding. Therefore, he understood what Coach Ding was going through.

"I suggest we move on to the next participant. Let's give Coach Ding some time to consider it," Coach Fang said. He was trying to give Coach Ding some time to figure out his predicament.

Unfortunately, Chief Coach Zhao did not share the same sentiments. He said, "I have heard a few things about Feixiang Lin. We had made an internal agreement that whenever journalists ask about Lin, we would say that he has recovered pretty well. But now, if we send him out, his actual status will be revealed. As Coach Ding previously mentioned, we will face strong competitors. If we send Feixiang Lin and he loses, we will lose a lot of fame."

Coach Zhao looked around the room, then continued, "I suggest we send Teng Dong to the competition!"

His words were the final deciding factor for the participant.

...

"My application did not pass. They decided to send Teng Dong to the competition," Feixiang Lin said with disappointment.

"Then what is your plan? Talk to Coach Ding again?" asked Dai Li.

"I heard that it was Chief Coach Zhao's decision. If that is the case, it will be a waste of time to talk to Coach Ding. He cannot change Zhao's decision. Moreover, Coach Ding must still be disappointed with me." Lin sighed again, then said, "I guess I can only wait for the next opportunity. I plan to start in the low-level national competitions first."

"Well, if you really want to go to Qatar, there is a way," Dai Li suddenly said.

"You have an idea? Tell me!" Feixiang Lin requested hurriedly. He completely trusted Li. He had blind faith in Li's power.

"To be honest, it is not a good idea." Dai Li then leaned forward with a sense of embarrassment, lowered his voice, and said, "I say you intimidate them!"

"Intimidate? What do you mean?" asked Feixiang Lin with confusion.

"Thank about this. There are journalists eagerly waiting for the results, what if you tell them that you will be in Qatar?" Dai Li said, trying to show his profoundness.

But in Feixiang Lin's eyes, Dai Li looked crafty, and was filled with bad ideas.

...

At the gate of the Beikou Training Center, many journalists were waiting for the latest news.

"I hear that Chief Coach Shuren Zhao is in the training center. I wonder if I will have the chance to interview him!"

"I do not think so. You know the training center takes care of everything. Coach Zhao lives there with no worries. He would not come out even if he had nothing better to do."

As they were talking to one another, someone walked out from the gate.

"Wait, that guy looks like Feixiang Lin!" The photographer zoomed in to get a better look.

"It's really him! Feixiang Lin!"

The next second, all the journalists got excited. They rushed to the gate to mob Feixiang Lin.

"Mr. Lin, there is news saying that you have recovered and begun training again, is it true?" a journalist shouted from afar.

Feixiang Lin nodded. "I'm completely recovered. I have been training for a long period of time. I would say that I have gained about 90% of my original ability back."

"90%? Then when do you plan to return?" someone else asked.

"I'm always ready. But it depends on the national team." Feixiang Lin paused, then continued, "Next month, in Qatar, the IAAF Diamond League Great Prix will be taking place. I hope I can be there. I have submitted my application, I'm just waiting for the team's final decision."

Feixiang Lin's application had been rejected, but he covered it up in front of the journalists.

The next day, Feixiang Lin's comeback became headline news in traditional newspapers, online media, and news apps.

Feixiang Lin was a national idol. His fans had been waiting for his comeback for two years, and now they were all going crazy over the news. Every sports media outlet was covering the news about Feixiang Lin. Some groups of fans had even flown to Qatar, waiting to witness his return.

After hearing the news, CCTV had immediately contacted the Qatar TV broadcaster, hoping to send a special team to Qatar for a live broadcast.

Although Qatar was more active, they began to make advertising posters for Feixiang Lin in order to broadcast their game. On the Doha Competition official website, Feixiang Lin's picture was displayed along with the other superstars.

Qatar was a very rich country; they did not lack money. The original purpose of Qatar hosting the competition was to obtain some fame for the city, which was why they had welcomed athletes from around the world to join the competition. As the only Asian world-record holder in sprinting events, if Feixiang Lin could visit Qatar, there was no reason to reject it.

But the national team had been caught by surprise. They were now stuck in a sticky situation.

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Chapter 88: Team Pickup Game

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

In the Beikou Training Center, the meeting room was bustling again.

The meeting had been called by Coach Zhao, the chief coach of the national team. Compared to just days ago, however, he did not look well.

"What is he doing, does he have any idea what is going on? How dare he brag in front of the crowds about how he wants to go to Qatar! Doesn't he know that if he fails we are going to lose?!" Filled with anger, Coach Zhao slammed on the table.

"Coach Zhao, please calm down. I guess Feixiang Lin was unhappy because he did not get the selection." Coach Fang was trying to comfort Coach Zhao.

"Unhappy? He thinks he can say anything he wants simply because he is unhappy?He must have done it on purpose! He went to the media to put pressure on me, so that we have to let him go! He is trying to intimidate me! This afternoon I received a phone call from Qatar asking about Feixiang Lin's appearance fee requirement! Even the leader from the general department asked me for detailed information. What am I supposed to say?!" Coach Zhao exclaimed, pointing at his phone with anger.

"The media had already spread the news, it is too late. Moreover, the entire nation is anxiously awaiting Feixiang Lin's comeback. We will be in great trouble if we reject him now. Once the nation knows that we refused his application, they will blame on us. They do not care about how and why it is happening," said a respectful coach.

"Then what do you think? Should we really send Lin to Qatar?" asked Coach Zhao. He turned to Coach Ding. He looked at him seriously and said, "Coach Ding, Feixiang Lin is your student. This opportunity belongs to your hurdles team. What do you think we should do?"

Coach Ding knew that if he could not offer a reasonable solution that satisfied them he would be in trouble. He cleared his throat and said, "How about this: we follow our tradition and have a team pickup game that the young athletes can participate in. We select the final participant through this fair competition. Whoever has the best performance will go. This way, we can give the public an answer they can be satisfied with."

In athletics, people were judged by their abilities. It was common to have a team selection before a big competition. Take American Athletics Teams, for example: they sometimes had news that the last American world champion had been rejected from participating in the next Olympics simply because the champion had not passed the team selection.

If Feixiang Lin failed in the selection game, then the national team would have a convincing reason as to why they had not chosen him.

Coach Zhao's eyes had suddenly brightened. He was too anxious to think about this. He scratched his head and said, "A team selection game is a good idea. Let's do it!"

...

Feixiang Lin was the brightest star on the team; his every action attracted a lot of attention. Because of this, his application was soon widespread.

The person who had been affected most was Teng Dong.

Teng Dong was one year younger than Feixiang Lin, and was right behind him. He was the second-best competitive hurdler in the country. But to tell the truth, there was still a gap between Feixiang Lin and Teng Dong. Feixiang Lin had won the world championship several times, and was also a world record holder. Teng Dong's greatest achievement was bronze in the International Athletics Championships. He had only entered the final competition in the Athletics World Champions, and had not even taken part in the final competition in the Olympics.

But undeniably, Teng Dong was the second best Asian 110m hurdler after Feixiang Lin. Especially since Feixiang Lin's decline, Teng Dong had taken the number one spot, and the national team had been concentrating on his training. He was hard-working, and in two years he had made a lot of progress. He still might not be as good as Feixiang Lin, but he was capable of putting up a fight against some of the world's best hurdlers.

By this point, Teng Dong had already heard about Feixiang Lin's application. He was also aware of the team selection that would be taking place.

...

"Teng Dong, you must win. Feixiang Lin has been declining for years. He did not even go to our highland training. Even I could defeat him easily."

"Does Feixiang Lin really feel like he is just as good as he was years ago? Why doesn't he keep dreaming? The team will not take anything away from him due to the advertising endorsements."

"He hurt himself so badly that even if he has recovered, he will not be able to be as good as he once was."

"I think a team selection is a good chance to burst Feixiang Lin's bubble and tell the public the truth. The public knows nothing about his status. They think he is still the same person who amazed the world. Once we tell the public that he has failed the selection, few people will continue supporting him."

All the athletes around Teng Dong supported him, and showed their disdain for Feixiang Lin through their words.

It was common that in this field, the stronger person had the power. Years ago, when Lin had been competitive, he had a group of followers. But later, as he had begun to give up on himself, he was looked down upon by his teammates.

If Feixiang Lin could still work hard, even if he could not maintain his previous ability, he would still be worth respecting. They had been training together everyday, so who worked hard and who was killing time was very clear. Similar to being in school, straight-A students were popular, while dumb people were neglected. Those who had been studying hard but had not gotten good grades yet still received the admiration of their classmates.

But Feixiang Lin had abandoned himself. This, coupled with his special privileges, had caused him to lose support. Many hard-working athletes saw Feixiang Lin that way, and although they may not have verbally complained, they disliked him secretly. Some people had even been praying that Teng Dong would soon take Feixiang Lin's place so that the useless, depressing guy could get kicked out immediately!

However, in the center of the crowd, Teng Dong said nothing.

Teng Dong's path to the national team was similar to Feixiang Lin's. He had been a triple jumper, who later transferred to the 110m hurdles. He became famous in the Youth Games, and once won a silver medal in the World Youth Athletics Championships. He had been ranked number one in the world among youth athletes.

The same year, Feixiang Lin won the championship in the World Competition. It looked like they were similar at first glance, but in fact, Teng Dong had never defeated Feixiang Lin on the field.

The following year, Lin broke the world record, which completely separated the two of them. From then on, Feixiang Lin was developed every step of the way. He won gold in the Olympics, broke the world record, achieved a Grand Slam, and was the person to beat in 110m hurdles.

Although Teng Dong had also gotten himself some achievements, compared to Feixiang Lin, he had no advantages. When talking about 110m hurdles, people only focused on Feixiang Lin, while Teng Dong was simply a forgotten co-star.

Over the last Feixiang Lin had let himself fall, but Teng Dong had also been struggling. He knew he was not as talented as Feixiang Lin, so he could only make up the difference between them through hard work. He had given over 100% in that time, and had gained acclaim for it.

But Teng Dong was not satisfied. His ultimate goal was to defeat Feixiang Lin.

They had always been alike, but Feixiang Lin had been the barrier blocking Teng Dong's way for a while. Outperforming Feixiang Lin had almost drove Teng Dong crazy. He was dreaming of doing so.

He knew he would never be able to grow as an athlete if he could not defeat Feixiang Lin. He had challenged Feixiang Lin again and again, but had failed repeatedly—until Feixiang Lin had gotten injured, that is.

Then, when Feixiang Lin had been upset, even Teng Dong had realized that he was wrecked. Feixiang Lin would never be able to return, and Teng Dong would never have another chance to challenge Feixiang Lin on the field. Teng Dong was disappointed by this. He felt that he had been a soldier rushing forward bravely, when all of a sudden his enemy had disappeared.

But now, after two years of waiting, he had finally gotten another opportunity to challenge Feixiang Lin, in a team selection game!

Recalling what he had gone through the past two years, Teng Dong could not wait for the challenge.

Feixiang Lin, this time I will defeat you!

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Chapter 89: Back to the Field

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

The men's 110m hurdles team selection game immediately became the focus of the Beikou Training Center.

A lot of people felt that Feixiang Lin was asking for trouble. After all, he had not been training seriously for two years. How could he compete against other professionals?

Nobody thought that Feixiang Lin would win. The public had no idea about Feixiang Lin's condition, but the national team knew everything. An Achilles tendon rupture was a disaster for a hurdler. It signaled the end of the hurdler's career. There was no getting around it.

Moreover, everyone had witnessed Feixiang Lin's performance. He was so against training that there was no doubt that he would not have a good time. Teng Dong, on the other hand, had been training hard every day, and was always the first person to arrive and the last one to leave.

Last month, the main hurdlers had all gone to highland for training. They had no idea that Lin had increased his training intensity. Because of this, people thought Feixiang Lin was still nowhere close to what he had once been.

Even recently, when they had seen Feixiang Lin working hard, they had felt that he was simply grinding a spear before a battle.

"Isn't Feixiang Lin's workload quite high?"

"I say it is useless. Tomorrow will be our team selection. I have never seen an athlete perform well with only last-minute preparation."

"He has not trained seriously for two years. Even though he has broken the world record before, he does not have much left. If I were him, I would ask for a waiver, otherwise I would feel ashamed if I lost the game."

"Hey, look, Feixiang Lin is coming!"

"Huh, he really is! I admire his bravery."

The audience gossiped in a low voice.

There were very few requirements for a team selection. Seven athletes were in the game. After they warmed up, they stood at the starting line. The Beikou Training Center owned the best equipment, and their electronic timing system was undoubtedly accurate. There would be no mistakes made today.

Standing on the blocks, facing the track he had missed so much, Feixiang Lin felt something different.

Two years later, I am finally back! Lin sighed with emotion. He closed his eyes, reliving past competitions.

At that moment, Feixiang Lin noticed that his body was shaking with excitement. Every cell in his body was ready to go, as if they were having a celebration.

This is what it feels like to come back to the field. Feixiang Lin took a deep breath, hoping to inhale the atmosphere into his body. He suddenly felt that everything around him—the red track, the white hurdles, the blocks—were were welcoming him back home.

I belong here! Feixiang Lin bent down to touch the track. Recognizing the familiar smell, he had to try his best not to cry.

He raised his head and looked into the distance. The finish line was right there, waiting for him, like a lighthouse in the dark, showing him the way.

That is where I'm heading! Feixiang Lin's hands were holding the ground steadily. He was ready.

...

Dai Li was anxious.

Feixiang Lin's current ability is 783, which is at the top amongst national athletes. It should be enough to get a national championship. But Teng Dong's ability is above 800!

Dai Li had detected all seven athletes. None of them were as good as Lin except for Teng Dong.

Teng Dong had 813 ability points, which was 30 points higher than Feixiang Lin. However, his talent was only an A-, much lower than Feixiang Lin's S-level talent.

Generally speaking, once an athlete's ability was above 800, the person had the potential to win a world championship. But it did not apply to every sporting event. Athletic events always had fierce competitions, especially in the men's 110m hurdles. Teng Dong's ability was just above 800; it was impossible for him to win gold. Unless he were to compete in a competition where the other top hurdlers were all absent, he would not have a chance.

Unfortunately, however, it was a cruel truth that Teng Dong had a higher ability than Feixiang Lin.

It will be difficult for Feixiang Lin to make up the 30-point gap. I should use the explosive force halo to help him. But when I was training high school students, the halo's force weakened as the speed rose. How much power can the halo provide to Feixiang Lin, a world-class athlete? The so-called 10% explosive force increase is a lie! Li took a deep breath to calm down, but he was still worried about the effect of the halo.

"There must be some misunderstanding. A 10% explosive force increase is not equal to a 10% speed increase," the System suddenly said, showing up out of nowhere. "The effect increases explosive force by 10%, but such an increase cannot exceed the body's limits. You are a coach; you are training humans, not Superman. The System cannot offer any promotions that are above one's body limit."

"What do you mean?" asked Dai Li confusedly.

"It is simple. Let me explain it this way: let's say that a man has 900 experience points in explosive force, and his extreme limit is 1,000 points. After his ability increases by 10%, his explosive force increases to 990, and he can enjoy the complete power of the halo. However, had his explosive force been 950, then the halo could only increase his ability to 1,000 points, because it is his body's limit. Because of this, the halo can only utilize half of its power. Does that make more sense?"

"I see now. The quicker the athlete is, the closer they are to their body's limit, which means they will improve less. That weakens the halo's power. Say, if one's explosive force has already reached its peak, then the halo is useless, right?" asked Dai Li.

"Yes, that is correct. No matter how magical the Coaching System may be, it cannot overpower the human body's extreme limit. The System cannot turn an athlete into Superman," said the System, "But although the System cannot exceed physical limits, the limits can increase through training."

"I know that. I used to not be able to do more than twenty push-ups, but after training I could do 40. But I'm not talking about that. I wonder what will happen if I use it on Feixiang Lin." Dai Li paused, then said, "I want to know how much if an effect the halo will have on him."

"You still don't get it. I told you before. Extreme limits, remember? What is Feixiang Lin's extreme limit? Is it really that poor?" the System taunted.

Dai Li suddenly understood. Obviously, Feixiang Lin's limit was far higher than this—he was the record-holder! This meant that he had a high limit. Currently, there was a huge gap between his ability and that limit. The explosive force halo could offer the maximum increase.

"So the halo can be extremely effective! The 30-point gap will no longer be a problem." Dai Li finally relaxed. As he began to calm down, the proctor of the race called everyone's attention.

"On your mark. Get set..."

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Chapter 90: You Are Finally Back

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

The proctor raised the starting pistol above his head and said, "On your mark. Set..."

The seven participants were ready to begin. As soon as they heard the shot of the starting pistol, the athletes darted off .

"They are look the same!" somebody shouted out with surprise. All the athletes jumped the first hurdle at the same time.

In men's 110m hurdles there were 10 hurdles. The first hurdle was 13.72 meters away from the starting line. Because it was such a short distance, it was difficult for athletes to widen the gap. To the audience, the hurdlers' movements were synchronous.

"Lin didn't fall behind after the first hurdle? Impressive! But it's just the beginning, he won't last long." A lot of people were thinking the same thing. It was easy to jump over the first hurdle with a 13.72-meters running start.

The crucial moment came at the following nine hurdles. There was a 9.14 meter gap between each one, which was only two steps from the next hurdle.

From the second hurdle on, it was time for the athletes to show their running rhythm. 110m hurdles required a very consistent rhythm. Once athletes reached the second hurdle they had to find their own rhythm. If an athlete did not have his rhythm by the third hurdle, he would probably lose the competition.

On the field, Lin was bravely running forward. He jumped over four hurdles and was still in good shape. He had found his running rhythm, and now he just needed to adjust himself to a better condition.

"Lin is good! He has proved himself to be a world champion. Even though he missed two years of training, he is still doing well!"

The audience was comprised of all professionals. They knew what they were looking at.

After four hurdles had passed there were gaps between the competitors, and by the fifth the gaps were getting bigger and bigger. Teng Dong, who had the best ability, was leading the race without a doubt, but to everyone's surprise Lin was holding his own against Dong.

"How could it be possible, Lin hasn't trained for years, how can he keep up?"

"Lin is as good as Dong in every aspect, no matter speed or rhythm. He has good control of over his body. I thought he would fall behind at the very beginning. I never expected him to be in the lead!"

"What if Lin was pretending to be lazy? Dong is serious today, but he still can't outperform Lin." Many people were busy thinking about what was going on.

As they reached the sixth hurdle, Lin and Dong were still in the lead. They had an apparent advantage.

No way, Lin is still a strong competitor! Dong was a little bit surprised. In his mind, Lin was already a loser, and should not be able to fight against him. Dong thought he could beat Lin easily.

You are a loser, I will beat you! I'm the best! Dong used all his energy and jumped over the seventh hurdle successfully.

I'm ahead! I will win! Dong was happy.

He forgot, however, that Lin was at his best during the last three hurdles!

The last three hurdles were Lin's strongest leg of the competition. Even compared to the rest of the world, no one could defeat Lin in the last three hurdles.

As he was jumping over the seventh hurdle, Lin noticed he was falling behind. At that moment, Lin was back at that Olympics where he had won gold. He could clearly recall that during that competition he had also been behind by the seventh hurdle. But it was at the last three hurdles that he had managed to catch up and surpass his competitor for first place. That was how he had gotten his gold medal.

As he was coming back to reality, he finally had the same feeling he had during that Olympics. He returned to what he had once been. His heart started to beat loudly, and his blood was boiling. He only had one thing on his mind: to surpass his competitor!

Run faster! Faster! I can do this!

As he thought this to himself, nothing could stop him. He focused on the finish line. It was the only thing he saw. He was eager to win.

There was a fire burning inside his heart. He belonged to the field. In this moment he had returned to the fearless Feixiang Lin. He was the world champion again. On this field, he was the only king! He was the king of 110 meters hurdles!

As they reached the eighth hurdle, Lin began catching up. By the ninth, Lin was next to Dong. Finally, by the tenth hurdle, Lin had surpassed Dong! There was nothing more but the last 14 meters! Nothing could stop Lin now!

...

Yeah! He got it! Dai Li was the first one to cheer. He knew that Lin would finally win.

Lin had finished all ten hurdles and still held a safe lead. As for the final sprint, it was impossible for Lin to lose the game with the explosive force halo.

What? Why am I the one falling behind? As Dong jumped over the last hurdle, he realized he was going to lose.

Why me? Did I make a mistake? No, no I didn't! What's wrong here?

But Dong didn't give up. Although he was astonished, he was still struggling to get back in first place. This was his last chance. However, the gap between Dong and Lin had grown even wider.

Lin is like a flash! Is he back to his peak performance? The thought entered Dong's mind for a moment, but quickly left him. Lin had just hit the finishing line.

...

"Yes!" Li cheered again, but it was loud in the quiet crowd. Around the track, no one except for Dai Li said anything. Nobody had expected the result to be so surprising. Feixiang Lin, who had been abandoning himself for years, had suddenly become the winner. A few seconds later, someone finally got their voice back.

"Did I watch the wrong game? How could this be possible!"

"Lin is a loser! Everybody knows that! How did a loser win the game?"

"I remember a few days ago Lin was complaining about his tendon aching so much that he could not do any high-intensity training. How did he recover so quickly?"

"Does everybody see his attitude? This lazy bone just defeated Dong, our best hurdler. I can't believe it! There must be something wrong! Did Dong lose the game on purpose?"

"Are you crazy? Even if Dong did that on purpose, how about the others? Did they also lose on purpose? What for?"

"Here comes the results! 13.29 seconds! Lin's performance is 13.29 seconds! No one lost on purpose, Lin made it himself!"

13.29 seconds was still not as good as Lin's best performance, but it was good enough to outperform 99.99% of Asian hurdlers.

...

coach Ding looked at Lin from afar with a complex expression in his eyes. Shock, surprise, excitement, and gratification had overcome him. His eyes were wet. He closed his eyes, trying his best not to let the tears fall.

For two years he had been waiting, hoping, and praying that Lin could snap out of his negative attitude and get back to being himself again. But seeing Lin come late and leave early everyday, his soul was gone with the wind. coach Ding's good intentions were dashed.

coach Ding had been disappointed thousands of times, and wanted to give up on Lin, but later regretted. He even dreamed about Lin's return to the fold. Today, his dream had come true.

Two years of waiting and expectations were what made up Ding's tears. He could no longer control himself. Lin's success reduced him to tears.

Finally, you are back!

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