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

5. 123

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Chapter 123: It's A Small World

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

"Hongyu Xu, 6.21 meters!"

"Shiliang Lin, 5.95 meters!"

"Guolong He, 6.42 meters!"

"Chengyu Dai, 6.64 meters!"

"Yuchi Zhang, 6.81 meters!"

The long jumpers finished their first attempts one by one. Just as Dai Li had expected, their performances were not as good as Haiquan Fang's. The best performers only jumped a distance of about 6.7 meters. Some athletes fell directly into the sandpit due to their mistakes, while others were too eager to get a good score and unfortunately stepped on the takeoff line, thus receiving a zero.

"Huh, seems like the others are only average! I thought I would meet some strong competitors in the Provincial Youth Games!" said Haiquan Fang. He was no longer nervous. There was no need to be anxious when fighting against a group of weak people.

By the end of the first trial for Group A, only two people had jumped over 7 meters in their first attempt. One was Haiquan Fang, who had gotten 7.33 meters, while the other had gotten 7.04 meters. There was a big gap between the two.

Haiquan Fang was much more relaxed on his second attempt. He realized that he would surely make it to the final, so he calmed down and achieved a better performance than his first time.

"7.38 meters!" The surveyor reported Haiquan Fang's score. He had made some progress since the last time.

It was definitely no a coincidence if someone had two good performances in a row. Haiquan Fang had successfully gotten everyone's attention.

"That boy is good. His scores are all above 7.30 meters! I think he has the potential to win a medal."

"I heard that he is only 16-years-old. He has such great ability at such a young age. Who will be able to defeat him once he reaches 18?"

"He might already be on the national team!"

While the crowds were busy discussing, the surveyor reported another grade. "7.39 meters!"

"7.39 meters, it's Chenglong Hong from the Provincial Sports Team!"

Not far away, Dai Li also noticed the grade.

"So that guy is Chenglong Hong from the provincial team. Last year he only stayed with our team for a year before he got picked up by the provincial team. He failed the first time because he stepped on the takeoff line. But his second jump is amazing! Such a strong competitor," Dai Li thought secretly. But he did not worry at all. As long as Haiquan Fang can stay calm and perform normally, 7.39 meters was not a threat.

Soon, another long jumper named Haonan Su achieved a score of 7.09 meters. He was from a a district within the city.

For his last attempt, Dai Li set a simple goal for Haiquan Fang, which was to get more familiar with the environment.

However, Haiquan Fang did not agree with Dai Li. Because Chenglong Hong was 0.01 meter clear of him, Haiquan really wanted to exceed his score on his last attempt.

It was the third time he stepped up to the run-up zone. He felt much different than his previous approaches.

The first time he had stood here, he was quite nervous. His mind had wandered, and he could only rely on his instincts to jump. The second time he had stood here, he was more relaxed. His soul had come back to his body, but he was still not in his zone.

It was now his third attempt. Haiquan Fang suddenly realized that this was a formal contest, which was different from all his other experiences. He gradually got into the atmosphere and excitement.

"7.39 meters? I will do better than that!" Haiquan Fang took a deep breath. His mind automatically displayed the essentials that he needed to perform well.

The next second, he ran up, gradually gaining speed until right before he arrived at the takeoff board. By that time he had reached his top speed.

Haiquan Fang stepped on the board, and with a slam of his feet he jumped high into the air. His movement looked graceful.

"Nice jump!" Dai Li praised him silently. According to Haiquan Fang's movements, he could tell that it would be a respectable score.

"Hey!" Haiquan Fang caused a gust of wind. He fell into the sandpit steadily, then stood up.

"7.54 meters!" The surveyor shouted out the mark, trying to control his astonished look.

"What? Did he said 7.54 meters?"

"That must be true! See, the mark is over 7.50 meters!"

"How can he be that good? An athlete with such ability could represent the national team in the Asian Youth Games! Even an 18-year-old athlete is not capable of making it, let alone a 16-year-old boy! Considering what he has already done so far, he might jump over eight meters in the future!"

"8 meters is close to the standard for the Olympics! Perhaps we will have an Olympian in the long jump?"

"This boy is a genius. He might be selected to the national team within the two years."

The audience was all amazed by Haiquan Fang's performance. He was such a high-flyer. Few people got such good marks at his age.

Dai Li was delighted. He sensed that Haiquan Fang had overcome his stress and was getting into his zone.

...

As group A's contest came to an end, all the athletes left. Group B began to enter.

The rules stated that after the two groups completed the qualifying games, the top 12 would enter the final. Because of this, the latter group had more advantages. By the time group B had shown up to the arena, their coaches had already received group A's grade report. They were able to estimate what kind of performance their athletes had to have to get into the final.

Yuzhou City's long jumper was in Group B. The team's coach, Shouliang Zhao, was taking his athlete to the arena.

"Coach Zhao! How are you? I heard you were transferred to the Youth Team." Somebody was greeting him from afar.

"Coach Sun! It has been a while. How are you doing? I'm now in charge of the Yuzhou Youth Team's long jump." Coach Zhao welcomed him. The man was a long jump coach in a neighboring city. They had known each other for a long time.

After greeting one another, Shouliang Zhao asked, "How was group A?"

"Three of them jumped over 7 meters. The best one jumped 7.54 meters! There are two other athletes who jumped more than 6.9 meters. S\It seems like at least five of them will be in the final."

"7.54 meters? This should be the National Youth Team's competitor! Who is it?" Shouliang Zhao asked surprisingly.

"He is from the Provincial Youth Team. I heard that he is only sixteen! I say this year's championship will belong to that little boy!" said Coach Sun.

"Sixteen? He is a high-flyer!" Shouliang Zhao said. But his eyes showed hostility and fear.

"I brought my trump card here aiming for the championship. How is there already a 7.54 meter performance? This boy should not be underestimated!" Thinking about this, Shouliang Zhao looked around and asked, "Which one is the best?"

"Over there. That boy in the white track jacket and blue pants." Coach Sun pointed at Haiquan Fang, who was walking with the other Group A participants.

Shouliang Zhao looked in his direction and found Haiquan Fang. However, he also saw a familiar figure besides Haiquan Fang. It was Dai Li.

"Dai Li! Why is he here!" Shouliang Zhao was showing hostility again. "What a small world!"

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Chapter 124: A Strong Opponent

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

Although they had not seen each other for two years, Shouliang Zhao still recognized Dai Li right away. He had not expected to see Dai Li here. His mind suddenly returned to the events of two years ago.

Two years ago, Shouliang Zhao had held a training class for the high school PE entrance exam. Shouliang Zhao had since labeled that period of time as a permanent stain on his life. At the time, Zhao was a coach for the City Sport Team, but had been defeated by Dai Li, who had not even graduated from college. This had directly led to Zhao's infamy.

The training class had been willing to pay Shouliang Zhao a large amount of money because of his status. But once word had gotten around that Zhao was not as capable as a college student, no training class was stupid enough to waste money on an incapable coach. They could easily spend that same money employing two middle school PE teachers.

Unfortunately, that was not the only bad luck Dai Li had brought Shouliang Zhao. His brother, Shouren Zhao, who had worked in a sports school as a director, had fired Dai Li as revenge for his brother. However, none of the athletes in the sports school passed the second-level athlete qualification exam. Because of this, Shouren Zhao lost the president's trust. Shouren Zhao would later mess up several more times; he was unable to even maintain his director's position. Shouren Zhao was then transferred to the security department as a director. It seemed as if Zhao had moved sideways, but how much power did a director of the security department really have? Shouren Zhao's original power had been completely taken away.

One could argue that the destinies of the Zhao brothers had been negatively altered because of Dai Li.

Shouliang Zhao was no longer able to continue teaching training classes. Without the extra income, he could do nothing but coach on the sport team. Shouliang Zhao concentrated on training until he finally got some achievements. At the beginning of this year, Shouliang Zhao was transferred to Yuzhou City Youth Team, and was in charge of the long jump team.

This time, for the Provincial Youth Games, Yuzhou City had decided to send a group to compete. Shouliang Zhao was the leader of long jump team. That was why he was on the field.

What a small world! It has been two years; why can't Dai Li disappear forever! I asked about him before, they said he was coaching in Qingcheng City, but later went to the Provincial Youth Team. It looks like he is the chief coach of the long jump now! Shouliang Zhao was jealous of Dai Li's fame.

Zhao knew that only chief coaches were allowed to lead athletes onto the field. Because Dai Li was here, it meant that he was a chief coach.

Shxt! Shouliang Zhao swore secretly.

It took Zhao dozens of years to become a chief coach; Dai Li was only in his twenties, yet he was able to lead an entire team by himself. How could Zhao not envy Dai Li's success?

To make matters worse, Shouliang Zhao was only a coach for the City Youth Team. Dai Li was already working for the provincial team. Dai Li held a higher position than Zhao, which made Zhao even more upset.

The next second, however, Shouliang Zhao burst out in laughter. He looked over at his athlete, his eyes shining with coldness.

This is a good time for you to taste failure, Dai Li! Today's championship belongs to me! Your 7.54 meters is nothing! My trump card Gang Yang can do way more than this! Get ready to be my stepping stone! Shouliang Zhao thought arrogantly. He turned to his athlete with a confident look.

Shouliang Zhao told Gang Yang, "Gang, group A's best score is 7.54 meters. You must exceed it!"

"Coach, this is just a qualification contest. Seven meters is enough to be promoted, is it necessary to jump that hard?" asked Gang Yang.

"What do you know! Do as I say. I have other matters to attend to." Shouliang Zhao's had a sly look on his face.

...

Dai Li did not see Shouliang Zhao. He took Haiquan Fang away from the arena and went directly to the lounge. Haiquan Fang would surely qualify for the final.

Long jump was a solo event; it was every man for themself. Therefore, even if an athlete knew all their opponents' tricks, it did not help them in the slightest. It was unnecessary to watch group B's performance.

As for the athletes, knowing nothing about the opponents meant fearing nothing. Dai Li hoped that by taking Haiquan Fang away from the testing area, he could maintain his positive attitude and stay calm.

7.54 meters. Such a mark is competitive even for the National Youth Team. He might be able to win the championship! To others, 7.54 meters would be an outstanding performance, but for Haiquan Fang it is ordinary. After all, this is Haiquan Fang's first competition. He is still too nervous to do his best. Dai Li looked at Haiquan Fang with hope. He felt that not that the qualification period has passed, Haiquan Fang had grown up.

Dai Li leaned back in his chair playing with his phone. Not far away, a young coach in his thirties looked anxious.

Last year when I was in the Weightlifting Championships with Aiguo Jiang, I may have looked the same; nervous for no reason, like a headless chicken. But now look at me—I'm pretty calm. I'm grown up! Now that I think about it, Jiang can apply for retirement at the end of this year. It is August now. In four months he will leave the team. Time has passed by so quickly! Dai Li continued reminiscing on everything he had done in the last two years.

Suddenly, someone shouted outside, "Somebody in group B got 7.63 meters!"

"What? 7.63 meters?!" This got everyone's attention.

Dai Li also stood up with surprise. Even for a national level youth game, Haiquan Fang's 7.54 meters was outstanding, and would probably have won a medal. But a 7.6-meter score was at the top level among adult long jumpers.

Dai Li vaguely remembered that in the last Olympics, the long jumper who had represented the country was disqualified for his 7.71-meter score. 7.63 meters was quite close to that mark.

However strong you are, there's always someone stronger. I thought Haiquan Fang would be the best, but there is someone better, Dai Li thought as he walked out from the lounge with the others. He wanted to get a look at the amazing long jumper.

"That guy over there, he is the one who jumped 7.63 meters! He is Gang Yang, from the Yuzhou City Team."

From Yuzhou? He is from my hometown! Dai Li looked across the field and found Gang Yang.

He looks older than Haiquan. He must be an 18-year-old. To obtain such a grade, he must have B or B talent! Dai Li approached Gang Yang until he was 20 meters away from him, then detected his characteristics.

Impressive! He has 374 ability points! But why is his talent only a C, and not even a B-? An 18-year-old athlete with C-level talent, but 374 ability points. How did he make it? Who is his coach? They must be amazing!"

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Chapter 125: An Overage Athlete

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

Dai Li was astonished. He knew the detector was correct, and Gang Yang's performance did match his 374-point ability. But what Dai Li could not understand was if Gang Yang only had C-level talent, how did he acquire 374 ability points at only 18-years-old?

Under Dai Li's guidance, Haiquan Fang's ability had grown to 350 points. But Haiquan Fang had A-level talent, which indicated that he had the potential to become a world champion. C-level talent could only make a good athlete; it could not make a national champion, let alone a world champion. There was a huge gap between the best world athletes and the top national athletes.

Haiquan Fang and his A-level talent made for a gifted long jumper; Gang Yang and his C-level talent should only make for a skillful long jumper. There was a huge gap between the two—a skillful long jumper could never keep up with a gifted one, even if he had begun training two years prior.

This does not make any sense. Even as a senior-rate coach in my senior phase I could not help an 18-year-old C-level athlete obtain 374 ability points. Who is Gang Yang's coach? He is so good! Dai Li stared at Gang Yang, waiting to see who his coach was.

Gang Yang left the arena and began walking towards to athletes lounge. A middle-aged coach immediately walked up to him.

So that guy is Gang Yang's coach. He looks familiar. Have I met him somewhere before? Dai Li was terrible at remembering faces. He searched in his mind carefully for a long time until he finally recognized the man.

Shouliang Zhao! That is Shouliang Zhao! Why is he here? Dai Li was in shock. Soon, however, he remembered that Shouliang Zhao was the long jump coach for the Yuzhou City Sport Team. It was understandable why he was the coach of the Youth Team.

Wait a minute. When did Shouliang Zhao reach such a high training level? If his training ability was that good, he would have already been above coaching at this level. He would not need to earn extra money in training schools either, because he would have plenty of money from his fame. But if Shouliang Zhao does not have this much talent, why is Gang Yang so impressive? Zhao cannot possibly have the Coaching System, can he?

Thinking about this, Dai Li called on the System. "Hey, tell me, do you have any siblings?"

"I understand what you mean," the System immediately replied. "I can honestly tell you that I'm the one and only. There is not a second me."

"Then how do you explain Shouliang Zhao's behavior? How could he have improved his training ability this quickly?" Dai Li was deep in thought.

In the distance, Shoulinag Zhao was enjoying everyone's admiration.

Envy me! Admire me! Haha, I see your faces. I know, I know, my outstanding student is a great surprise to you!

Shouliang Zhao looked out into the crowd. He soon found Dai Li.

Dai Li, there you are. I must have shocked you! You will never figure out why Gang Yang can jump 7.63 meters. Take your whole lifetime to think about that. I will never tell you that Gang Yang is older than 18... Shouliang Zhao chuckled to himself.

Gang Yang's actual age was not 18, but 22. Shouliang Zhao had secretly changed his age so that they could make a big splash in the Youth Games.

This was not the first time athletes had "changed" ages. Some athletes had two ID cards—one for their own use, with their true age on it, and the other for entering competitions. There were several special cases where athletes had already thoroughly prepared by the age of only seven or eight-years-old just to ensure themselves a better future. They would not only change their age, but renamed themselves as well, so that once they were examined for qualifying rounds, they could avoid getting into trouble. Even in the national team training camp, many athletes changed their ages. There was a saying that said "the longer one has trained, the younger that person will be."

During the 1990s, it was quite easy to change ages. A few cartons of cigarettes, several bottles of wine, and a red packet with thousands of yuan in it could get you a fake age. Once the registration system became a network, however, it was much more difficult to falsify the information. But there were still holes in the system; if one had a big network, he or she would probably have a chance to do it.

Gang Yang was one of those athletes. He was 22-years-old, and was ineligible to compete in U20 Competitions. By changing his age, however, he was able to participate in U18-level Youth Games. Twenty-two and eighteen were two very different age levels, which meant that there were many physical distinctions between the two. Moreover, Gang Yang had a four-year training advantage on the other 18-year-olds, which ensured he would undoubtedly outperform the others.

Dai Li would not have been surprised if he knew about Gang Yang's true age. The age difference explained the wide disparity between the two talent levels. Gang Yang's ability points were slightly higher than Haiquan Fang's, but he was also six years older. Gang Yang definitely had a stronger figure, and had received more training than Haiquan Fang, yet he only had a very slight advantage in ability. What Dai Li had hypothesized originally was true—the gap between A-level and C talents was too large to overcome!

...

Continental Corporation, President's Office.

Dalu Fang stretched his arms, then stood up from his chair to overlook the view from a window in his office.

The Continental Corporation Tower stood beside the sea. Dalu Fang's office was on the top floor, facing the sea. The view was gorgeous. The weather was nice, with bright sunshine visible everywhere. The sun cast its golden rays on the calm sea, and the blue water glistened in the sunlight. However, Dalu Fang was in no mood to appreciate the beautiful nature. His mind was already thinking about the Youth Game arena.

Haiquan Fang's contest is not finished yet, is it? Mixed feelings welled up inside him.

From a business standpoint, he did not want Haiquan Fang to get a good score. On the contrary, he hoped his son would come in last place, so that he would most likely give up the long jump after a confidence-breaking event, and study in the UK just as he had planned.

Emotionally, however, Dalu Fang hoped Haiquan Fang would finish in first place, and even win a medal. As a father, he definitely wished his son all the best. Even though he did not agree with Haiquan Fang's choice at all, he still wanted to see his boy succeed.

"Haiquan Fang would look forward to seeing you there cheering for him!"

Dai Li's words flashed across Dalu Fang's mind, which made Fang fidget. He hesitated, then finally walked back to the table and pressed a button on the phone in his office.

"Get me a car. I'm going to the Civilian Sports Center," said Dalu Fang.

"Yes, Manager Fang," the assistant replied on the phone. Then he said, "Manager Fang, may I remind you that you have a meeting with the sales department?"

"Cancel the meeting! Change it to another time."

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Chapter 126: Competing for Glory

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

In the Youth Games arena, the final competition for the long jump was about to begin.

There were twelve athletes participating in the final. They would all be judged under different rules than for the qualifying game. In the qualifying game, each athlete only had three attempts; in the final, athletes began with three attempts. From there, the four with the lowest scores would be eliminated. Then, the remaining eight long jumpers would have another three attempts to compete for medals. These were the rules generally adhered to in the Olympics.

For those with true ability, six attempts was more than enough to prove how good they were.

"I assume that once you jump over 7 meters, you will be in the top eight. Calm down and take your time; your goal is to play it safe. Go get a guaranteed score in your first attempt. That's it," Dai Li instructed.

Haiquan Fang nodded. He was still anxious, but he felt much better than yesterday. This time Haiquan Fang had drawn number seven, meaning he would be the seventh athlete to perform. It was a lucky number.

Before he went, six other athletes made their attempts one by one, including Chenglong Hong, who achieved a 7.39-meter performance. Chenglong Hong had done pretty well on his first attempt, jumping 7.28 meters easily. It indicated that he would be one of the top eight, thus earning an additional three attempts. With his spot secured, he could challenge himself to get a better score. Besides Chenglong Hong, the others' scores were all within seven meters. They would have to try harder, otherwise all they would be able to do is pray for good luck.

After a while, it was finally Haiquan Fang's turn. He calmed himself down, then stood up in the run-up area.

"Look, that is the 16-year-old long jumper, the genius from the Provincial Youth Team."

"Was he the one who jumped 7.54 meters? I wonder if he will have a similar performance in the final."

"Generally speaking, athletes save some energy during the qualifying session. I think he will perform better in the final."

While people were whispering about Haiquan Fang, on the field, Haiquan Fang began to run up. His acceleration was still impressive; in the blink of an eye, he had reached his top speed.His takeoff, however, was conservative, similar to what he had done this morning. He did not take full advantage of the jumping board. Haiquan Fang jumped high into the air, then fell into the sandpit. He had still jumped over seven meters.

"7.26 meters!" the proctor reported.

"Nice try!" Dai Li clapped for Haiquan Fang. Now that Haiquan Fang had secured himself a place in the finals, his next five attempts could be spent trying more challenging styles.

Later, Gang Yang from the Yuzhou City Team entered the playing ground. His first attempt was 7.43 meters, which cemented his place in the first round.

...

"We have a guaranteed grade, so in the next attempts you can be more daring. Try to make good use of the jumping board when you take off. Your last takeoff was too far from the takeoff line," said Dai Li.

"I was worried about stepping on it," Haiquan Fang explained.

"Don't worry, go for it. We have another five attempts, so as long as you utilize one of them you will make it," Dai Li instructed. "In addition, when you land, pay attention to your waist. Suck your stomach in and kick your legs out harder..."

Haiquan Fang did as he was told on his second attempt. He chose a more difficult takeoff technique, but unfortunately broke the rules by stepping on the takeoff line. Then, on his third attempt, he did an excellent job. He had jumped 7.57 meters, which was further than he had jumped in the qualifying session.

The other athletes had similar performances, either performing very well or very poorly. Gang Yang was one of them. He was too eager to try and outdo himself, and ended up failing twice.

After everyone had used their three attempts, four athletes were eliminated. The remaining eight were re-ordered by their marks, with the best of the group jumping last.

Haiquan Fang was performed the best with his 7.57-meter score, so he would be the last to jump. Gang Yang's second and third attempts had been wasted.

...

Gang Yang's failures had made Shouliang Zhao look bad. To make matters worse, Haiquan Fang was performing the best. Even Gang Yang was being outperformed by him.

I can deal with everyone out-performing us, but not Dai Li! Shouliang Zhao gnashed his teeth in anger. He called Gang Yang over, then lowered his voice and said, "You should work harder. You have an advantage, so you must remain number one. How can you be OK with the others doing better than you? Besides, the one who is beating you is only sixteen. You are much older than him!"

Gang Yang's face suddenly tightened. Obviously he did not want to talk about his age. It was his soft spot.

"This is going to be your fourth jump! Take it seriously and do your best! Do not forget that our goal is the championship!" Shouliang Zhao said. His eyes were shining with a burning desire to win. If Gang Yang could win gold, Shouliang Zhao would earn first-class meritas his coach. If he was lucky enough, he could even be promoted.

The competition paused for a while in order to re-order the athletes. After that, the fourth attempts began. Now all the athletes would go all-out; they would not save any energy for later. They would do everything they could to get the best grade grade possible in each attempt. This had its consequences, however, as there was a greatly increased rate of failure.

Once the fourth round began, the first two athletes to jump failed by stepping on the takeoff line.

The third athlete succeeded. He jumped 7.31 meters, which reached the 7.30-meter first-class athlete qualifying standard.

This athlete walked out from the sandpit in satisfaction. He would not be able to win a medal, but he had attained his goal of reaching the qualifying standard.

...

Chenglong Hong stepped up to the run-up area with a grim facial expression.

He had been chosen by the Provincial Youth Team when he was sixteen, and after less than a year he was chosen by the Provincial Sport Team. Now he had become the best long jumper under the age of eighteen. Because of this, Chenglong Hong had been sure that he would win the gold medal prior to the competition. What he had not expected, however, was that someone would be better than him, let alone two people.

That Gang Yang from Yuzhou City, why have I not heard about him before? I have no idea where he came from. And that Haiquan Fang from the Provincial Youth Team, he is unhuman! He is only sixteen. I think he will be the King of Long Jump once he grows up. This has to be the worst day of my life...

Chenglong Hong continued thinking to himself with a long sigh. He saw the gold medal drifting away from him, but as an athlete, he could not give up. He wanted to fight one more time.

"7.51 meters, Chenglong Hong has also broken the 7.50-meter barrier!"

7.51 meters was a wonderful result for Chenglong Hong. Normally he would celebrate such an accomplishment, but his face remained gloomy. He had not outperformed Haiquan Fang's 7.57-meter score.

The athlete going after Chenglong Hong was Gang Yang. Because he had jumped 7.63 meters in the qualifying session, many people were waiting to see how he would do.

Gang Yang prepared himself a bit, then accelerated and took off. He rose and glided through the air, then landed on the ground. The entire movement was accomplished in one breath.

"Above 7.60 meters again!"

The crowds all looked at the mark Gang Yang had left in the sandpit. It indeed exceeded the 7.60-meter marking on the ground.

"7.64 meters!" said the surveyor.

"He jumped 7.63 meters in the qualifying session, it must not have been a coincidence!"

"He jumped even further than before. The Yuzhou Team has a good chance of winning the gold!"

"Performances over 7.60 meters are rarely seen in the Youth Games."

"You are right. Even in U20 level contests, 7.60 meters is a good score."

Shouliang Zhao was pleased by everyone's praise. He glanced at the crowd in confidence.

While people were discussing Gang Yang's score, Haiquan Fang approached the run-up area.

"That 16-year-old genius is about to jump!"

People immediately shifted their attention to Haiquan Fang.

Dai Li clapped his hands for Haiquan Fang. "Come on! Go for it!" Dai Li cheered loudly.

"That guy who is clapping and cheering must be the boy's coach. It looks like he is only in his early twenties. He is younger than many athletes!"

"This young man must have some special talent to have trained such an amazing athlete. He must be quite responsible as well. Look at how energetic he is!"

Nobody knew that Dai Li was using the Morale-Boosting Book. All they saw was Dai Li cheering for Haiquan Fang.

Shouliang Zhao gave a snort. Well then, keep shouting until you lose your voice! It is useless! Your trainee will not improve immediately, no matter how hard you cheer for him. Time is the only thing that will help him!

While Shouliang Zhao was thinking this to himself, Haiquan Fang began his attempt. Now that his morale had been boosted, he acted more energetically.

"Ha!" He shouted as his body rose in the air. Right after his takeoff, he made a beautiful three-step movement in the air, then stretched his legs out in front of him and hit the sandpit.

"Awesome!" Dai Li shouted first. His view was obscured by the flying sand, so he could not see Haiquan Fang's mark. But based on his movements, Dai Li predicted that it would be a nice score.

The flying sand fell to the ground. Haiquan Fang ran out from the sandpit, leaving a mark that exceeded the 7.60-meter marking line.

"Another jump over 7.60 meters. What is it?"

"It looks even further than that 7.64 meters."

Everyone stretched their heads out to look at the surveyor.

"7.66 meters!" the surveyor shouted loudly.

"What!" Shouliang Zhao's face suddenly tightened up!

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Chapter 127: The Last Jump

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

"7.66 meters! The genius from the provincial team is two centimeters clear of Gang Yang!"

"I remember that he only got around 7.5 meters in the qualifying session. I guess he was not trying his best."

"He is inhuman. Few people could attain such an achievement at 16-years-old. I wonder if he will be selected to the national team."

"How could it be possible for him to be recruited in the national team at sixteen? I remember Feixiang Lin went to the national team at sixteen. Do you think that this boy will be another Feixiang Lin?"

Haiquan Fang was being widely discussed. Almost everyone was admiring and envying him. As for Gang Yang's 7.64-meter score, it was already being neglected.

Shouliang Zhao's face was flushed pink. He had already experienced something similar before. The painful memory of the event arose in his mind.

Two years ago in the Yuzhou City Adolescent Activity Center, he and Dai Li's students had competed in the standing long jump. He had sent his best student, who had jumped 2.17 meters. Dai Li, on the other hand, had sent his fattest student, who had jumped 2.25 meters. It was an embarrassment. Shouliang Zhao would never forget it.

Today, history had repeated itself. His student had jumped 7.64 meters. Then, while he had been proud of himself, Dai Li's trainee paid him back with a 7.66-meter score. He had immediately gotten humiliated. It was exactly the same as the events that had occurred two years ago.

Damn it! Shouliang Zhao was filled with anger, but he had nowhere to vent to vent his frustrations.

"Gang Yang, listen: you must win!" Shouliang Zhao told Gang Yang with a angry stare. Gang Yang was scared.

There were two performances that followed that were above 7.60 meters, which indicated that the others would be excluded from championship contention. Even Chenglong Hong, who was in third place, knew that he would not able to exceed the top two. He sighed helplessly, accepting the cruel fact.

Haiquan Fang and Gang Yang were playing each other for the championship. After the fourth round, Haiquan Fang was winning the competition.

The fifth round had arrived. Gang Yang walked onto the stage.

Gang Yang was actually 22-years-old, and was in his prime. Fighting against a group of younger people, he was unwilling to be defeated. Even getting second place was unacceptable in his eyes, let alone getting second pace to a 16-year-old.

Gang Yang held his breath and concentrated. He immediately sped up.

His years of training were on full display in that moment. Gang Yang rushed to the jumping board, then took off into the sky.

"That is really high!" someone exclaimed, astonished.

In the long jump, height decided the final distance. When in the air, the higher the athlete rose, the longer he could stay above ground. They could glide further as a result, giving them a better score.

The next second, Gang Yang landed. All the attention was on the sandpit.

"My God, it is over 7.7 meters!" someone shouted.

The next second, the surveyor reported Gang Yang's mark. "7.72 meters!"

"7.72 meters! Is this still the Youth Game? This is definitely an adult game!"

"Oh-o-ooh!"Gang Yang roared, letting out his emotions.

Shouliang Zhao cheered up, staring at Dai Li sinisterly.

The pressure was now on Dai Li and Haiquan Fang.

...

In the front row of the auditorium, Dalu Fang sat down.

That athlete jumped 7.72 meters. Does that mean that Haiquan Fang is falling behind? Dalu Fang was unhappy. Although he did not support his son being an athlete, he did not want to see his son be defeated by someone else.

Haiquan Fang showed up for his fifth attempt. Dalu Fang focused on the field. At that time, he suddenly realized that he was a little nervous, but still hoped for good things to happen.

What is going on? Why do I feel nervous? Why am I hoping to see Haiquan Fang win? Dalu Fang was surprised. With his life experience, he had already equipped himself with composure. Even if he had been dealing with a billion yuan business, he would not have been like this.

As he regained his composure, Haiquan Fang began accelerating. When Haiquan Fang took off and rose into the air, Dalu Fang suddenly felt his heart jump. But it was also in that moment, however, that the judge sitting beside the jumping board raised a red flag!

This meant that Haiquan Fang had broken the rules by stepping on the takeoff line. If he had not done anything wrong, the judge would have raised a white flag instead.

"Ah!" Dalu Fang sighed involuntarily. He felt very upset.

Wait a minute, why do I feel disappointed? I am the one who is against Haiquan Fang! I should feel happy when he fails! Dalu Fang was confused. Apparently he had underestimated the fascination of sport!

...

Haiquan Fang's failure on his fifth attempt got Shouliang Zhao fired up.

"Gang Yang, 7.72 meters is not your best performance! You can do better! There is only one attempt left. Do not mess up, keep working hard and give that boy a hard hit!"

"Roger that, Coach!" Now that he was back in the lead, Gang Yang had become motivated again. He could not wait to defeat his opponent.

Haiquan Fang's face was red. He was falling behind, and with his recent failure, he would only have one last attempt to get a higher score than Gang Yang. He was now anxious again, and began doubting himself.

Dai Li noticed Haiquan Fang's change in mood. Haiquan Fang is new to competitions. He is too young with too little experience to perform steadily. He must relax. If he keeps doing so, he will not be able to use even 70% of his ability, let alone outdo himself. What should I do?

Dai Li was lost. He had no idea what to do. In this condition, he could only pray that Haiquan Fang outdo himself. Unfortunately, it was only a good thought. Haiquan Fang was too disheartened.

This was what young athletes had to go through. They had to learn from it.

...

It was Gang Yang's last attempt. He stood in the run-up area, staring at the sandpit in the front like an angry lion.

He then ran up, took off, rose into the air, and fell down. Gang Yang's last performance was perfect!

"Is it 7.8 meters? His footprint is on the 7.8-meter mark, which is definitely a good adult athlete's performance. If this was a national championship, he would be capable of winning a medal!"

"Gang Yang is so good! His last jump was better than his fifth. He is definitely going to attend national competitions!"

"Here comes the grade, it is 7.79 meters. Within a hair's breadth of 7.8 meters!"

"Ha, looks like the champion is decided! It does not matter how hard that 16-year-old genius tries. He cannot reach 7.8 meters, can he?"

Surrounded by people's discussion, Gang Yang raised his arms above his head, seemingly celebrating his success in advance. Shouliang Zhao smiled widely.

Dai Li, how can you defeat me now?! I will win for sure! I will let you know what it feels like to be trampled!

...

In the auditorium, Dalu Fang gritted his teeth. Obviously he did not like to witness his son's failure. But Haiquan Fang's face looked paler. The opponent's great success had put a lot of pressure on him!

Dai Li could not do anything besides bite his nails. When an athlete had psychological problems, he could not solve it right away. It was something that young athletes had to overcome themselves. Once they gained more experience, the issue would not occur again.

What should I do? I am going to lose the game! Dai Li pressed against his temples. He was brainstorming.

Shouliang Zhao stood across from Dai Li, laughing with a snort. Dai Li gave him a condescending look in return. When he looked away, he suddenly recognized a person sitting in the front row of the auditorium. The man looked familiar.

Dai Li turned around. It is Dalu Fang. He has come to watch Haiquan Fang's game!

At that second, it occurred to Dai Li that his savior had arrived!

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Chapter 128: My Pride Forever

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

Dai Li walked up to Haiquan Fang and said, "Nervous?"

"What? No, no, I'm not nervous!" Haiquan Fang squeezed out a smile. But his tone revealed his anxiety.

"Haiquan Fang, look who is here!" Dai Li pointed at the crowd in the auditorium, where Dalu Fang was sitting.

"Dad! Why is he here?" Haiquan Fang was surprised.

"I invited him." Dai Li changed his facial expression to a serious look. He said, "You always want to improve yourself in front of him, don't you? Well, here is your chance. Your father is here watching your game. See his facial expression? He also wants you to win. Would you miss this opportunity?"

Haiquan Fang's face showed mixed feelings of surprise, hope and anxiety all at once.

But Dai Li continued, "Your father never supported you. He hopes that you will study in the UK instead. You must fight for your future! You must let your father know that you are gifted in the long jump, and that you will be an outstanding long jumper! You should win the game not only for a gold medal, but also for your years of hard work, as well as your mother's love! Now is the time to receive rewards for what you've been working for!

"Win the game and prove yourself. Say 'No' to your father confidently and proudly. Show him your power. Persuade him with your performance so that you can stay. Grasp the chance for a future you always dreamed of having!" Dai Li took a deep breath, then took hold Haiquan Fang's shoulders.

"Haiquan Fang, look at me. You are the best long jumper I have ever seen. I believe you can do this! Do not think about anything else. Do not think about scores. Just remember one thing: put all of your strength into this jump! You are not fighting against someone—you are fighting for your own future!"

Dai Li clapped his hands hard on Haiquan Fang's shoulders to energize him.

Haiquan Fang stepped up to the run-up area. Dai Li's words were still ringing in his head. He remembered how much he loved the long jump. He also recalled mother's support, his father's opposition, and the fierce quarrel they had had about him.

He was once confused, doubting himself to the point where he was almost ready to give up. Luckily, rebellion and stubbornness in adolescence had carried him all the way here. Now, Dai Li's words had enlightened him, and straightened out his thinking.

Fight for my future! Coach Li is right. This is my future, I should live on my own terms! Haiquan Fang turned around and found his father in the auditorium.

Dad, right here, right now, I will prove myself to you. I will be a good long jumper! I will show you that my choice is right!

At this moment, Haiquan Fang's eyes were filled with firmness. He was no longer nervous, hesitating, wavering, or confused. He had already forgotten about Gang Yang; his eyes only saw the track. In that moment, he transformed into a new person.

...

Haiquan Fang...

In the auditorium, Dalu Fang silently said his son's name. Although he was far from his boy, he sensitively recognized Haiquan Fang's changes. He saw a completely different Haiquan Fang, one that he was unfamiliar with.

Haiquan Fang's firm eyes and unshakable look were exactly the same as what Dalu Fang had had in past years!

Years ago, Dalu Fang had been in the start-up period. He looked like Haiquan Fang did now. Even though he had run into snags and had been foiled everywhere, he never shook his conviction. Because of this, he was able to keep moving on until he had attained the glory he had today, and eventually constructed a business empire worth hundreds of billions of yuan in property.

Dalu Fang suddenly realized that his son was grown up. He was no longer the little boy with a runny nose. When he stood on the field, it was an entirely different Haiquan Fang.

My son has grown up! Dalu Fang sighed quietly. A sense of unspeakable soreness grew inside him. He felt like an old bird, witnessing his baby flying away in the sky.

Such a stubborn boy! Just like I was when I was his age! He is indeed my son!

The next second, Dalu Fang burst out laughter. His eyes shined with encouragement.

My son will never give up easily!

You are my pride! I will always be proud of you!

...

Gathering around the scene, nobody was confident about Haiquan Fang's ability. Had it been a U20 game, he might still have a chance at surpassing Gang Yang. But 7.79 meters was invincible in U18 level competitions. It would take a miracle to beat.

"Second place in the Provincial Youth Games should be great for this boy!"

"He can jump 7.66 meters at 16-years-old. The Provincial Youth Team will think highly of him, and he will soon be recruited to the national team. He should be satisfied."

The crowds were conversing in subdued voices, which made Shouliang Zhao fidget in his seat.

Shouliang Zhao knew that he was one step away from success. But deep down in his heart, he did not feel any satisfaction. Gang Yang was 22-years-old, while his opponent was only sixteen. It was an unfair game. Gang Yang should undoubtedly win the game, but the whole process had been full of ups and downs. He had not won easily. As his coach, how could Shouliang Zhao be happy?

Dai Li! Shouliang Zhao gave Dai Li another angry stare. He knew so well that Dai Li was way better at training than he was. But considering Dai Li was able to lead an entire team at such a young age, his future was completely beyond Shouliang Zhao's imagination.

I have gotten revenge on Dai Li today. This is probably my last chance. The only chance that I can step over him! I have to seize this moment... Shouliang Zhao thought to himself with hatred. He had been waiting for two years, and now he could not wait to shame Dai Li in an effort to vent all his depression and anger.

...

Dai Li was unsure whether his words had worked or not.

At this point, Haiquan Fang had no choice but to stand and fight. Dai Li could only hope that Haiquan Fang understood this key point, and that he would try his best for the last attempt without being influenced by external factors.

When under stress, one might give up while another may face the difficulties head-on. Haiquan Fang, do not let me down. I hope you can fight instead of just waiting to fail. You are a gifted athlete. You will come across similar situations in the future. But no matter how bad the situation will be, you have to learn to overcome it yourself. This is the only way you will pass!

Dai Li had done all he could do for Haiquan Fang, so he clapped and cheered for him. Anything that happened next would all depend on Haiquan Fang.

Dai Li wanted to close his eyes and pray. He did not want to witness Haiquan Fang's last jump. He was too anxious to bear it. Despite this, he opened his eyes widely and focused on Haiquan Fang. He had to observe Haiquan Fang's every individual movement.

This last jump would be a big challenge for Haiquan Fang and Dai Li. As a coach, he had to learn to bear the pressure with his athlete. This was a lesson they had to learn. In a situation like this, the coach was the toughest shield for an athlete. Even though the situation would be difficult to overcome, the coach could never shrink, even if just a bit. If the coach could not stand the fight, how could the athlete?

Dai Li tried really hard to calm down. Finally, he managed to gather himself!

Dai Li appreciated Aiguo Jiang's help. At the last weightlifting championships, Aiguo Jiang had also gotten stuck in a bad situation. Dai Li had acted like a duck in a thunderstorm, and it was Aiguo Jiang who had comforted him. Dai Li grew from that experience. He learned to calm down when he felt trapped.

Jiang is about to retire, isn't he?

The idea flashed across Dai Li's mind. As he was thinking about this, Haiquan Fang dashed to the jumping board.

Whoosh!

Haiquan Fang jumped high into the sky. He looked like an agile monkey ion mid-leap. His movements were perfect, and were as beautiful as a ballet dancer.

His brain had shut down. The only thing that was functioning was his instinct.

But Dai Li's attention was on the judge's hand.

The judge had two flags in his hands. One hand held a white flag, while the other held a red flag. The judge showed his professionalism. He did not hesitate, and after Haiquan Fang took off, he immediately raised a flag.

Yeah! White flag! Dai Li took a long breath. He focused back on Haiquan Fang right away.

Haiquan began falling to the ground. He maintained good balance, and his legs were stretched as forward as possible, hoping to reach a further marking line.

In an instant, Haiquan Fang tried his best to lean forward while raising his legs to increase his gliding distance and delay his landing.

At last, Haiquan Fang landed in the sandpit.

But it was not the end yet. He gritted his teeth and pulled in his stomach to straighten his body while protecting the mark from being destroyed.

"Awesome!" Dai Li cheered.

Awful! Shouliang Zhao felt he was done.

The crowds all concentrated on the edge of the sandpit, where the parallel measuring line marked Haiquan Fang's result.

"It must be over 7.80 meters! Without a doubt!"

"He wins! The little genius wins! How could it be possible?"

"Impressive, a 16-year-old can jump over 7.80 meters. I have never seen such an amazing long jumper before!"

"Extraordinary! He is jaw-droppingly good! That is a deadly strike! "

Shouliang Zhao opened his mouth in surprise. How could I lose the game? It cannot be true!

Along with people's exclamations, the surveyor reported Haiquan Fang's final mark.

"7.84 meters!"

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Chapter 129: Two Records

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

Haiquan Fang left the sandpit, immediately looking back at the mark he had left. When he realized the mark was past the 7.80-meter mark, he knew he had won.

Gang Yang's mark was 7.79 meters. Even if Haiquan Fang had only jumped 7.80 meters, he still would have defeated Gang Yang. Anything over 7.80 meters was just icing on the cake.

Haiquan Fang did not care about the surveyor, nor his actual grade. He raised his arms in the air, cheering excitingly, "I won! I won! I did it!"

The delight of victory engulfed him. It was his first time participating in such a big competition, as well as his first time facing such a difficult situation. He had finally won, which made him realize that the victory did not come easily.

"Here come the results... 7.84 meters! He is only 16-years-old! What a genius! He is truly a gifted long jumper!"

"He will surely be recruited to the national team with this outstanding performance. Few people can join the national team at sixteen. He might be the next Feixiang Lin."

"If I'm right, the Hanbei's provincial record for the U18 level was 7.81 meters. He just broke the provincial record!"

"He has done a lot more than that. The U16 national record was 7.80 meters. He broke the national record. This means that among 16-year-olds he is the best in the country."

"A provincial U18 record and a national U16 record. He has broken two records at once."

The crowd was full of youth team coaches. They knew well about the existing records, which was why they were speaking with great familiarity.

"It is a pity that he was not in a national competition, otherwise he could have directly applied to be a National Sports Master!" someone said with sympathy.

The standard score for a National Sports Master in the long jump was 7.80 meters. Haiquan Fang had reached the grade. But the requirement for a National Sports Master was that the athlete must reach the standard in a national Grand Prix, championship, or nationally integrated game. Provincial integrated games did not meet those criteria, so it could only grant a National First Class Athlete evaluation.

"I did not expect to have such a genius in the Hanbei Province. I thought that guy from the Yuzhou team was going to win! But he was beaten at the last second," a man said, turning to Shouliang Zhao.

Shouliang Zhao was in shock. He looked like he was on the verge of breaking down.

I lost the competition! How did I fail! We jumped 7.79 meters! That is impossible!

Shouliang Zhao's mind replayed the scene he had experienced two years ago. He had been a professional athletic coach looking to cause trouble for a college student, but was defeated in the end. He had fled in disgrace. That year, he had made himself open to ridicule.

Two years later, the same scene had happened again. Shouliang Zhao had just sent a 22-year-old athlete, who was defeated by a 16-year-old. It was identical to what had happened with his sports training class two years ago; His best standing long-jumper had been defeated by Dai Li's fattest student.

Again, he had had the game in his hands, yet once again he had failed one step short of success. On top of that, his opponent had broken two records at once, which was a dominant victory. Zhao was not able to find any excuses to comfort himself. Such fierce ups and downs had destroyed Shouliang Zhao's pride instantly.

However, the other coaches did not know that Shouliang Zhao had once been defeated by the same person. They simply thought that he could not bear to witness today's failure.

"Yuzhou's coach does not look right. Why is he so disappointed?"

"It is just a game, no need to take it that seriously. He looks like he has just seen a ghost."

"This Coach Zhao from the Yuzhou Team is in his forties, he should be an experienced coach. How can he not bear a tiny blow like this?"

"At least he has a silver medal. If the second place finished looks like this, then what about those of us who did not win anything? Should we kill ourselves?"

"Hey, at least your athlete was in the final! Mine was eliminated early in the qualifying session. If you have to commit suicide, what about me? My dead body would be whipped for days!"

"Well, it is no big deal. That is how sports are. There can only be one champion; someone wins, the others lose. Besides, we lost to a genius. It is nothing to be ashamed of."

...

7.79 meters is my best performance, how could I have lost! Gang Yang could not believe what he had experienced. A minute ago, he had been celebrating his upcoming victory; one minute later, someone had taken it from him. He had fallen from heaven to hell in such a short period of time. It was unbearable. The worst thing about it was that the person who had defeated him was only 16-years-old!

7.84 meters, even for adult competitions, was a score only national first class athletes could achieve. By the youth game's standard, it was an extraordinary achievement, which shocked Gang Yang greatly.

Although his "age" for this competition was eighteen, he was actually twenty-two. The difference between twenty-two and sixteen was similar to the difference between a senior in college and a freshman in high school. Consider this: how bad would a senior college student feel if he was outperformed in his major by a freshman in high school? His confidence would be destroyed.

"He is a genius!"

"He is a natural long jumper!"

"A 16-year-old gifted boy!"

Unwilling to hear all the praise for the champion, Gang Yang was terribly upset.

He recalled that when he was a little boy, he, too, had been regarded as a gifted long jumper. Every time in PE class, when kids were assessed in the long jump, nobody could jump better than him. Because of this, he had gained much admiration.

Later, he began practicing the long jump formally. Once he joined the Juvenile Team, he met many similar children, as well as some better ones. On the Juvenile Team, although he had lost his "genius" title, he still remained at the top.

From there he went to the Youth Team. It was during that period of time that he found there were many outstanding athletes, and that he was only on the first tier. It was also on the Youth Team that he said goodbye to his "genius" title.

Gradually, Gang Yang learned the importance of talent. On the team, everyone was hard-working and focused on training, but due to the difference in talent, the gaps among the athletes were made more apparent.

Gang Yang also knew the importance of age. Two athletes with the same score, but one was eighteen while the other was twenty. Which one would a coach pay more attention to? Apparently, the answer was the younger one.

As he grew older, Gang Yang got less chances. Younger athletes emerged like mushrooms after rain; they took many opportunities and resources from seniors like him.

Then, Gang Yang met Shouliang Zhao, who changed his age and made him four years younger. Zhao had also worked with him to become the "No. 1 long-jumper" on the Yuzhou Youth Team. Using his 20-year-old figure, he easily came out on top against the group of teenagers.

He had regained his "genius" title, but this time he hated it with a passion. He knew everything was fake, and that he was not a genius at all; he was a loser who had had to trick his way to success. From then on, he had always worried that one day his secret would be revealed, and that he would be thrown out from heaven by a real genius.

Today, that worry had finally come to full fruition. He had met a real genius, who had turned him back into an ordinary person, all while he was enjoying a victory!

A 22-year-old athlete with a 7.79 meter performance did not have much potential left. Even if he kept covering up his real age and went to the adult team, he would not be able to make much progress.

Should I keep burying my head in the sand? Gang Yang took a look at Haiquan Fang, who was celebrating his success. He knew that the boy was the real genius, and that he should be the one to continue walking on this path to become a good long jumper, not Gang Yang.

Maybe it's time to wake up and face the reality... sighed Gang Yang.

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Chapter 130: Digressive Plot

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

Watching Haiquan Fang celebrating his victory delightfully in the auditorium, Dalu Fang was struggling with his son's future.

As a father, he could feel that his son was very happy. His son's big smile and body language all came from the bottom of his heart. Haiquan Fang was not only celebrating for his achievement, but also his devotion to the long jump.

Haiquan really loves the long jump! Dalu Fang sighed. It was the first time he had doubted himself. Would it be a right thing to do if he sent Haiquan Fang to study in the UK?

Should he take up the long jump as a career? Dalu Fang shook his head in silence. But Haiquan Fang's behavior clearly conveyed his thoughts on the matter. He really wanted to make it his career.

Dalu Fang was stuck in a dilemma. As a parent, he hoped that his son could grow up happily; but his responsibility warned him that it would be better for Haiquan Fang to follow the original plans he had set up for his son.

We need to talk. Dalu Fang came to a decision.

...

This was the third time Dai Li had met Dalu Fang. As opposed to the previous two meetings, today's Dalu Fang looked more like a father rather than the chairman of the business empire, Continental Corporation.

Seeing his father, Haiquan Fang remained silent for a few seconds. Finally, he built up courage to say, "Dad, I won!"

"I saw." Dalu Fang maintained his dignity without showing any delight, but his eyes were shining with pride, which revealed his true feelings.

"Dad, I want to keep practicing long jump!" Haiquan Fang said in a louder voice.

Dalu Fang did not respond. He stared at his son, seemingly considering the idea, or trying to put pressure on his boy. The brooding silence descended on them. Haiquan Fang wanted to speak at times, but said nothing.

Dai Li broke the ice, saying, "Manager Fang, I know that a championship in the Provincial Youth Games means nothing to you, and that even a national champion may not be worth mentioning in your eyes. However, to Haiquan, this victory is a testament to his ability, as well as a reward for his hard work. Perhaps you have not heard yet, but Haiquan's last jump broke two records at once. One is our provincial U18 long jump record, and the other is the national U16 record."

"Oh?" Finally, Dalu Fang's facial expression changed visibly. He was happily surprised. He did not know much about the long jump. He only knew that his son had won the championship. He never would have thought that Haiquan could break two records at once.

Dai Li continued, "Manager Fang, being an athlete is a young person's profession. An athlete can only remain at their best for a handful of years. Haiquan Fang is 16-years-old. His peak might end at twenty-six, then around thirty he would retire. To him, there are only ten years left for him to chase his dreams. Why don't you give him ten years and let him do whatever he wants? I know that you want him to take your position, but based on your current condition, there will not be any problem if you keep working for another ten, or even twenty years!"

Dalu Fang was in his late forties. In twenty years, he would be just under seventy-years-old. For billionaires like him, it was quite common to retire after seventy.

Dalu Fang said nothing. It seemed that he approved, or that he was at least considering whether he should give Haiquan Fang the ten years or not.

Seconds later, Dalu Fang said, "I will consider your suggestions. But he is my only son, and he will take charge of the Continental Corporation. It is not only about running a company, but also shouldering the responsibility. He should take on this responsibility as soon as possible."

"Manager Fang, I have a bold vision." Dai Li thought for a while, then said, "How about you develop Haiquan as the spokesperson for the Continental Corporation? If one day he becomes the best long jumper in the nation, and goes to the international stage, he would be a good spokesperson. He can make contributions to the company in his own way."

Dalu Fang was a little moved. He had never thought of this before. He had been so focused on sending Haiquan Fang to study abroad that he had not considered any possible alternatives.

It was not easy to get to the international stage. In athletics, many players from more talented countries lacked opportunities to go abroad. For Asians, it would only be more challenging. People who succeeded were one in a million. Because of this, Dalu Fang did not expect that to happen.

But now that Dalu Fang knew that Haiquan had broken the national U16 record, it indicated that he was the best among his peers in the country. Going to the international stage was something that was just around the corner.

He was moved.

If I send Haiquan to the UK, I can develop him into a qualified successor. If he joins the company as a spokesperson, and takes time to gradually learn the operation pattern, this could be a devious path to my goal, thought Dalu Fang silently.

Dalu Fang did not realize that he was making an excuse for his compromise. In fact, as soon as he had sensed Haiquan Fang's true love of the long jump, he had decided to let his son continue doing this. It was not a wise decision, but the love from a father to his child. It was the result of emotional fermentation.

Dai Li's advice had given Dalu Fang an excuse to persuade himself, so that he could label his decision as "reasonable."

...

Meanwhile, in another arena, the shot put final was taking place.

The Provincial Youth Team had only sent three athletes. Jiankang Chen and Bin Wang had advanced to the final, but Lei Qin had not made it due to his bad performance. In fact, none of them had performed normally in the qualifying session.

This was a lesson that young athletes had to learn. None of them had attended formal competitions before, so it was understandable that they were being overcautious and indecisive during the Youth Games, which was the reason not performing well was a sure thing.

Unfortunately, in the final, neither Jiankang Chen nor Bin Wang obtained a satisfying result. Although both of them had gotten on the top-eight list and obtained six attempts, they did not throw over 18 meters.

The Youth Games used a 5kg shot instead of 16-pound standardized shot. If one could not make the 18-meter mark using a 5kg shot, he would never be able to touch a medal.

Jiankang Chen finished his last attempt. The shot dropped right on the 18-meter marking line, which put him in fourth place.

Only 18 meters! Only fourth place! He is one spot away from getting a medal! Xuexi Zhuang, the shot put team coach, looked embarrassed.

Jiankang Chen had once thrown 17.11 meters using a 16-pound shot, and had defeated the national third place of the Youth Games! What was wrong with him today? Xuexi Zhuang's face was filled with shock, confusion, and unwillingness.

In Xuexi Zhuang's eyes, Jiankang Chen had had a great chance of winning a gold medal. Even if he had messed up, he still should have had a silver medal. As for Bin Wang, he also had the potential to be in the top-three. Before the competition had begun, Xuexi Zhuang had already dreamed about the glory of having two of his athletes on the podium!

But the cruel reality hit him hard without mercy. Even Jiankang Chen, the strongest on the team, had only gotten fourth place, saying goodbye to the podium.

Xuexi Zhuang had taken the shot put team from Dai Li, aiming to make some achievements in the Youth Games stepping stones for a future promotion. But he had gotten nothing in the end. Even though fourth place could also promote him to a higher place with the help of his vice-director uncle, fourth place could only help him a bit.

Why have things turned out like this? This is not what I planned! Xuexi Zhuang said to himself. Obviously it was not what he wanted. Losing had not been in the script.

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Chapter 131: Trading the Gift for the Gift Wrap

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

Training athletes was like rowing a boat against the current. If they could not advance, they would surely slide back.

The better the athlete became, the more that was required of the training conditions in order to maintain their physical condition. Low-intensity training could hold the athletes back and make them underperform. When Zhongyi Xu had first met Dai Li, and saw him training Feifei Yu, he had become furious for this very reason.

Take basketball, for example: the popular NBA stars were usually not willing to play in low-level foreign league games against mediocre players, even if they were offered higher salary. The main reason for this was that the low-intensity training in the low-level league games could only make their skills worse, not better. In order to prolong their careers, NBA stars were not willing to join inferior leagues or play in easier games for a short-term profit. The only time they would join for money was when their best years were behind them, and the end of their career was approaching.

With the help of the Coaching System, athletes were able to improve rapidly under Dai Li's training. But Xuexi Zhuang did not have such an almighty advantage; his training ability was nothing more than mediocre. If it had been, he would have been promoted with the help of his uncle.

After the shot put team had been taken over by Xuexi Zhuang, the athletes like Jiankang Chen had begun regressing. Luckily it had not been long since the takeover, and the regression was not blatantly obvious yet.

In crucial moments, the athletes lost the help of the explosive force halo.

Shot put was a sport that was highly reliant on individual explosive power. Athletes such as Jiankang Chen only had C-level talent. Without the explosive force halo, they could still be considered excellent shot put athletes. But when it came to the Provincial Youth Games, they were simply not top players.

Xuexi Zhuang's plan had failed. He stared at Jiankang Chen, who had just stepped off the field, with an angry face. Jiankang Chen ignored him.

Compared to Dai Li, Xuexi Zhuang's training skills could not impress the athletes. Especially after having compared him to Dai Li, the athletes ignored him even more. They all knew that Xuexi Zhuang's uncle was a deputy chief, and that he had given him the position instead of making him earn it.

Suddenly, a lady's voice rose from the loudspeaker. "The award ceremony for men's long jump will begin shortly. We would like to remind the winners to get ready for the podium." Upon hearing the voice, everybody in the stadium focused on the podium.

"Is the long jump game finished? Did Chenglong Hong win? I did not know he had so much potential when I was training him. How did he become so good after joining the sports team?" Xuexi Zhuang also turned his head towards the podium.

Chenglong Hong had been an athlete on the youth team, and had received training under Xuexi Zhuang for a while. Yet Xuexi Zhuang's training skills were insufficient, which covered up much of his potential. Later on, Chenglong Hong was chosen by the sports team and left the youth team. Since then, he had improved rapidly, and soon became the best young athlete on the sports team.

This was like a punch in Xuexi Zhuang's face. Chenglong Hong was a nobody when he trained with Zhuang, but had gained a reputation instantly after switching to the sports team. This only proved how poor Xuexi Zhuang's training skills were. As a result, Zhuang was not fond of his former apprentice, and even held some disdain towards him.

On the podium, Chenglong Hong stood on the right side. This was the position for the third place winner. Second place would stand on the left, while the champion would stand in the middle. Xuexi Zhuang glanced at Chenglong Hong's position on the podium and realized that he had won the third place.

"It is only a third place finish! I thought he was going to be the champion." Xuexi Zhuang spoke as if he didn't care, but he was jealous in his heart. He was unable to achieve even a third place finish. But he tried to act as if he could not care less.

"The other two must be the first and second place winner. The second place winner seems to be an athlete from a city team. The champion looks so young; his game uniform looks like our youth team uniform in both color and style. Which city team is this? Did they not realize that their uniform is the same as ours? Maybe they used the same supplier."

The next moment, Xuexi Zhuang suddenly realized that this was the game uniform of the youth team!

"No, this is our game uniform. He is a member of our youth team!" Xuexi Zhuang was astonished. He looked around immediately, and soon found Dai Li.

Dai Li! He is here! He was the main coach of the long jump team, which means the champion is from our youth team. Right, I remember it now. It was mentioned in a meeting a few days ago that the team had assigned a long jump quota to the heir of the Continental Corporation. I remember there being only one participant from the long jump team. It must be him. He is the heir of the Continental Corporation!

Xuexi Zhuang took a deep breath. His heart was stirring rigorously.

"The heir of the Continental Corporation won the championship? Can a second generation rich kid be this good?"

Xuexi Zhuang's mindset was the same as many people. He thought that all second generation rich children ever did was date pretty girls in sports cars, squander their parents' money, and fool around everywhere, never working hard on anything. He could not believe that Haiquan Fang was able to win the championship.

A tang of jealousy rose in Xuexi Zhuang's heart. He was jealous of the champion, as well as Haiquan Fang's wealth and status. Haiquan Fang had everything that he did not. He had never won a championship. His deputy chief uncle had such little power compared to the Continental Corporation.

"He bought it. He definitely bought it! It is not hard for the Continental Corporation to bribe all the athletes with its assets. As long as they pay the other athletes to cheat in the game and underperform intentionally, they can ensure that their heir will surely be the champion! Despicable! Shameless! No sportsmanship at all!" Xuexi Zhuang was extremely upset. His attitude grew more and more negative. While he was making himself more and more upset, other coaches began discussing what had taken place.

"Did you hear? The long jump champion jumped 7.84 meters!"

"7.84 meters? That is amazing. 7.84 meters is an excellent record in formal games of adults!"

"It broke the U18 provincial long jump record! It also broke the national record for U16."

"Wait a minute, what did you say? U16? You mean the athlete is only 16-years-old? Jumping 7.84 meters at the age of 16. He is a genius!"

"This record can secure him a position on the national team."

"More than that. He will get special attention even on the national team."

Xuexi Zhuang heard these discussions. He now looked more upset than ever.

A minute ago, Xuexi Zhuang had been making himself feel better by assuming the championship had been "bought." A minute later, the news had come that two records had been broken. It was a heavy blow to his self-esteem.

"How could Dai Li have such good luck!? He came across a genius athlete. If I can get this genius...wait a minute, this genius was my athlete! I was the main coach of the long jump team!"

Regret was filling up Xuexi Zhuang's heart. He realized that he made a stupid deal of trading the gift for the gift wrap. There was a genius athlete in the long jump team all along. But he flipped everything around, and traded it for Dai Li's shot put team.

"Dai Li, the despicable Dai Li!" Xuexi Zhuang made a stupid choice. But he was a blamer. He would never attribute the failure to his own choice, but blamed Dai Li instead with hatred.

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Chapter 132: Recruitment

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

With the Youth Game over, Haiquan Fang had gained his fame. It was not only because of his 7.84-meter record, but also because of his status as a second generation rich kid. These days, saying someone was a "second generation" was not a compliment. However, the fact that someone like Haiquan Fang had this status was even more attention-grabbing.

The day following the game, the sports team made a phone call to recruit Haiquan Fang. He could begin any time he wanted. There was no news from the national team yet. The news most likely had not reached them yet, otherwise they would have definitely done something already.

As news got around about Haiquan Fang, Dai Li's reputation grew accordingly. An athlete's success was not solely due to individual effort and talent; the coach's ability was the most important factor. A gem could not shine without proper cutting and polishing; an athlete was only ever a raw gem, no matter how gifted they were. How the gem turned out in the end largely depended on what the coach could do with them.

Raising one world champion in one's career was enough to put a coach on top of the world. A coach capable of developing a world champion was surely impeccable when it came to training and instructing. The process of making a world champion was precious as well. A general who had fought on the battlefield was surely far greater than one who had only made commands from an armchair.

Talented people were abundant in the world, but talent scouts were few and far between. If a talent scout was present, talented people would surely surround him. Similarly, for a training team of any level, excellent coaches were more important than excellent athletes.

Dai Li had proven his abilities earlier in the shot put friendly match. During the Youth Game, Dai Li had proven himself once again, and achieved even more success. Haiquan Fang, the Provincial Youth Game champion, had been noticed by the sports team right away; as his coach, Dai Li had become famous as well. Recruiters from the provincial sports team took notice of him.

If the sports team intended to recruit people from the youth team, the youth team could not stop their staff from leaving. It was natural for an employee to seek better opportunities. Moreover, coaches always wanted to instruct better athletes, not only to give themselves a better future, but also to feel a stronger sense of achievement.

...

Two people walked towards the training field. On the left was Bin Lu, the head coach of the youth track and field team. Next to him was a middle-aged man in his 50s. This was Weidong Chu, head coach of the track and field team for the provincial sport team.

Track and field had always been a major sport, as well as the most popular. Therefore, Weidong Chu was a coach with real power on the provincial sports team. Although he was not as powerful as Zhongyi Xu, he was not far behind him.

Weidong Chu was here to recruit someone. A genius athlete had been uncovered on the youth team, and Weidong Xu intended to be the first one to recruit him. After all, the youth team was a talent base for the sports team. It was inevitable that Weidong Chu would want to take Haiquan Fang with him.

In addition to Haiquan Fang, Weidong Chu planned to get to know Dai Li and test his abilities. He could always use one more talented person. However, compared to athletes, recruiting a coach was more complicated due to bureaucratic paperwork, which would take a longer time to process.

Coach Bin Lu certainly did not want Dai Li to be transferred. It was rare to have such a talented person. But Bin Lu could not stop him from leaving. In addition to good athletes, the youth team also provided good coaches to the sports team. Bin Lu was already used to seeing excellent coaches move on from the youth team to higher places.

"That one is Dai Li," Bin Lu said, pointing at the long jump bunker.

"Wow, he's young indeed!" Weidong Chu smiled and continued, "That's a good thing. Young people have greater potential and deserve more attention to foster. That applies to both athletes and coaches. Older people are already stuck in their ways, and are rarely open to changes."

Bin Lu waved at Dai Li to summon him. Seeing this, Dai Li came running towards Bin Lu and Weidong Chu.

"Dai Li, let me introduce you. This is Weidong Chu, head coach of the provincial track and field team," said Bin Lu.

"Hello, Mr. Chu." Dai Li stretched out his right hand immediately.

"Hello." Weidong Chu smiled with kindness and shook hands with Dai Li. He praised him, saying, "You are such a young and accomplished lad!"

Weidong Chu was here to recruit him, so he could not present himself too much as an official. He had to act amicable and approachable; nobody wanted to work with a poker face official all day.

They exchanged a few more words, with Weidong Chu asking a few casual questions about training. Eventually they began discussing what Weidong Chu was really there for.

"Dai Li, we need capable young people like you on our team. Would you like to join the adult team?" Weidong Chu asked.

Dai Li looked at Bin Lu. He wanted to say "yes," but it would be awkward to say so in front of his current boss.

Bin Lu was open and transparent. He said, "Dai Li, do not feel like you owe us. On our youth team, it is very normal for an excellent coach to be transferred to the adult team. You will have a better future there, and I will be happy for you. If one day you can become a coach for the national team, then I can brag that a top national coach came from our Hanbei youth track and field team!"

Dai Li could feel the sincerity in Bin Lu's words. He was not just being polite.

"Thank you, Coach," Dai Li said, expressing his gratitude towards Bin Lu. He then replied to Weidong Chu, "Mr. Chu, it would be my honor to join your team."

"Great, I look forward to working with you then." Weidong Chu looked satisfied. He continued, "Dai Li, bring us this genius athlete. I heard he is the heir to the Continental Corporation! I'm really curious as to why such a wealthy family is willing to send their child to long jump training."

Dai Li finally realized that Weidong Chu's real intention was to look into Haiquan Fang. Maybe Haiquan Fang would leave the youth team soon as well.

Weidong Chu watched Haiquan Fang train on the side, asking him to jump a few times. After several attempts, Weidong Chu's smile grew wider.

"What an excellent young man, a real genius! I have never seen someone better in all my years of coaching! It looks like the first national champion is about come from our Hanbei track and field team!" Weidong Chu said to himself.

As he was thinking this to himself, Weidong Chu's cell phone rang. After answering the phone, his smile disappeared, and his facial expression grew sour.

Bin Lu also noticed the change in Weidong Chu's facial expression. He wanted to ask what had happened, but was worried that it might be private business. He hesitated, and decided not to ask. After the phone call, however, Weidong Chu told Bin Lu about the loss himself.

"It would appear that I cannot take this genius with me!" Weidong Chu shook his head with a bitter smile.

"What is it? What happened?" Bin Lu asked.

"I was just notified by the provincial bureau that the coach of the national team is coming to Qingcheng for a visit. He is arriving tomorrow afternoon. He is coming for our genius here!" Weidong Chu looked helpless, but he could not do anything about it.

Compared to the provincial youth team, the Hanbei provincial track and field team lead by Weidong Chu was much better. Compared to the national team, however, a provincial team was inferior on many levels, both in training skills and facilities. Between the two, every athlete knew which was better.

Unlike Weidong Chu, Bin Lu was forcing himself not to show the happiness in his heart. A youth team athlete had caught the attention of the national team. This not only showcased Bin Lu's leadership, but also contributed a great deal to his legacy.

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Chapter 133: National Team Experience

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

Jinrong Hu was the head coach of the long jump group for the national track and field team. He had been an outstanding athlete himself when he was young. He broke the national record for long jump, won gold medals in the Asian Games and Asian Championship, and was once regarded as the No. 1 long jumper in Asia.

After retiring, Jinrong Hu transitioned into a coaching career. He trained a few outstanding athletes, and more than one of them achieved a level A ranking for the Olympics. For an Asian athlete, qualifying for Olympic level A was a rare and commendable achievement.

This time, it was indeed Jinrong Hu who had come to Qingcheng. He had heard about a genius athlete who had jumped 7.84 meters at the age of 16, and broken the national U16 record. Without hesitation, he had decided to come for a visit himself.

A grand reception was held upon Jinrong Hu's arrival to Qingcheng. These days, even a low-ranking official from a national ministry would have been received as a high official at local branches. Jinrong Hu was a renowned head coach for the national team. When he visited a provincial youth team, he would receive more attention than a chief of a provincial sports bureau.

"Warm Welcome to National Team Coach Group for Visiting and Instructing Us"

Bin Lu stared at the scrolling red banner hung up high in the air, determined to send Haiquan Fang to the national team.

I have been the head coach of the youth team for so many years, but this is the first time I will be able to send an athlete to the national team! Thinking about this, Bin Lu shouted to the newly assembled welcome team at the top of his voice, "Cheer up guys! The national team crew is arriving soon!"

Once Bin Lu said this, a minibus drove by slowly. It was a bus from the provincial sports bureau. Although the national team coach had come for Haiquan Fang, the provincial sports bureau was the first organization to be welcomed.

"Here they are!" Bin Lu was the first to greet everyone. The minibus stopped, and the door opened. The provincial sports bureau officials got out of the bus first. Then came Jinrong Hu.

"That is Coach Hu. He has gained weight since his younger days," an elder coach said.

"You know Coach Hu?" a younger coach asked.

"I know him, but he does not know me. I remember twenty years ago when Coach Hu won the long jump championship in the Asian Games. The newspaper used three pages to cover his story," the elder coach replied.

"Look, a national team coach is full of swagger. Look at his radiance. I'm such a dinosaur compared to him!" someone else muttered.

"Of course, he is a renowned coach for the national team. I do not think I have a chance to coach on a national team for the rest of my life!"

"You guys are too old to join the national team. They will not take old birds like us. I think Dai Li is the only one on our team who may have a chance!"

The topic of conversation automatically shifted to Dai Li. When Xuexi Zhuang heard the conversation, he became furious again.

The long jump team was mine! It should have been my glory! Xuexi Zhuang was still upset about his history with the long jump team. Not far from him, Bin Lu and Jinrong Hu exchanged a few kind words. Bin Lu introduced Jinrong Hu to his two deputies, then summoned Dai Li upfront.

"This is Dai Li, coach of our long jump team. Haiquan Fang has always been trained under Dai Li," Bin Lu introduced.

The national team was here to check Haiquan Fang out. As Haiquan Fang's coach, Dai Li garnered attention as well. During the inspection of the national team, they would surely be presented with the training, and observe the daily training of Haiquan Fang. Dai Li played a major role in both events.

"Isn't this Dai Li?" Jinrong Hu recognized Dai Li right away.

Jinrong Hu already knew Dai Li, as Dai Li had temporarily transferred to the Beikou Training Center for a while last year. Jinrong Hu had happened to be at the Beikou base during the same time.

For most temporarily transferred personnel, Jinrong Hu may not have paid attention, or would have forgotten about them already. But Dai Li was different. On his first day after transferring, he was personally appointed by Feixiang Lin. From that moment on, Jinrong Hu had paid special attention to Dai Li.

Towards the end of the three-month transfer period, the other transferred personnel had already left. But Dai Li had been requested to stay an additional month. Because of this, Jinrong Hu was impressed with Dai Li, and remembered him. This "remembrance," however, was no more than a shallow impression. All he remembered was the temporarily transferred staff who had stayed one more month was named "Li" by the others, and nothing more.

"Mr. Hu, we have met again." Dai Li shook Jinrong Hu's hand with a smile.

"They know each other! Dai Li knows Coach Hu from the national team!"

The others had a surprised expression on their faces. Jinrong Hu was a reputable coach on the national team, while Dai Li was a mere provincial youth team coach. There were too many gaps between them, and yet their paths had crossed once before.

Even Bin Lu was struck with surprise. He stared at Dai Li secretly, thinking, You know Coach Hu already. Why didn't you tell me? It is always easier to get things done if you have a common acquaintance.

Jinrong Hu felt the surprise of the people surrounding him, and explained, "Dai Li once worked for the national team for a while. He did a good job, and did not waste his time during the few months with the national team. Now it seems that he has only been away from the national team for less than a year, and has already trained a genius athlete! A genius athlete who broke the U16 national record in long jump, no less."

As Jinrong Hu spoke, his eyes were glistening with pride, as if he was telling everybody "Do you see how good our national team is? When an ordinary coach gets a temporary transfer and serves a few months on the national team, then goes back to his old position, he can train someone to break the national record!"

"Dai Li once stayed with the national team?"

"Impressive! I have been coaching for over a decade and have never seen the front door of the national team!"

"No wonder this Dai Li is so good at training. When he was with the shot put team, the shot put team was great. Now he is with the long jump team, and the long jump team rocks. Turns out he received further education from the national team!"

"No wonder Dai Li is capable of putting everything together at such a young age. He served on the national team."

The other coaches of the youth team did not know about Dai Li's transfer to the national team. So naturally, after Jinrong Hu told his story, they gave Dai Li more respect. Right now, the national team experience was making Dai Li shine.

They certainly did not know that the temporary transfer that Dai Li had done was for odd-jobs. Jinrong Hu knew that Dai Li was only an odd-job worker, but had chosen not to reveal it to anyone. Instead, by making Dai Li look good, he made the national team look good too.

Bin Lu suddenly remembered that Dai Li's resume had mentioned his temporary transfer to the national team. But Bin Lu had not paid attention back then. Most people would give a resume a second look in most cases. But the actual ability was reflected in daily training anyway. Because of this, Bin Lu had forgotten about this matter shortly after.

But now it appeared that during Dai Li's transfer he had done a great job. Jinrong Hu was able to recognize him right away. After pondering this, Bin Lu was suddenly more impressed by Dai Li.

Nonetheless, someone did not think that it was a big deal, however.

Odd-job worker at the national team, is it even worth boasting? Xuexi Zhuang showed even more contempt on his face, yet jealousy was burning in his heart.

Let's wait and see. If I get a chance, I will join the national team too! Xuexi Zhuang thought secretly.

When the official from the sports bureau, who was accompanying Jinrong Hu, heard that Dai Li had once stayed with the national team, he looked amazed too, and uttered to Bin Lu, "Coach Lu, your team is full of hidden talents! Coach Li is able to train a genius athlete at such a young age. It turns out that he studied with the national team. I believe Dai Li learned a great deal from Coach Hu on the national team. He is the student of a renowned teacher!"

The official looked at Jinrong Hu while speaking, hinting to everyone that Jinrong Hu was that "renowned teacher." It was clearly a move to try and flatter Jinrong Hu in an attempt to make him look greater.

Jinrong Hu chuckled, "I'm not capable of that. Dai Li was not with me on the national team."

When Xuexi Zhuang heard this, he laughed. He had a sneer on his face.

"I knew this a long time ago. Dai Li was only an odd-job worker on the national team. What makes him qualified to follow Coach Hu?" Xuexi Zhuang spoke in a low voice. Although it did not travel far, the people around him heard every word.

But the next second, Jinrong Hu continued, "When Dai Li was on the national team, he was following Coach Ding!"

Jinrong Hu was concerned that they did not know who "Coach Ding" was, so he added, "Coach Jihai Ding, that is!"

Xuexi Zhuang's laugh vanished. He suddenly felt as if his face had been slapped again!

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Chapter 134: Hit Twice

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

Everyone had heard the name Jihai Ding. Jihai Ding was the coach of Feixiang Lin, and as Feixiang Lin had become more popular, Jihai Ding's name had begun to spread widely as well.

In the hierarchy of the national track and field team, Jihai Ding was probably the most well known after the head coach, Shuren Zhao and the assistant head coach, Li Xue. Coaches like Jinrong Hu were famous, but he could not be compared to Jihai Ding.

All the domestic athletes worshipped Jihai Ding, and treated him as their idol. They all wanted to be the next Feixiang Lin. As for domestic coaches, they wanted to become the next Jihai Ding. Apparently, being trained by Jihai Ding was much better than training under Jinrong Hu.

"When Dai Li was on the national team, he was under Coach Ding!"

"Coach Ding, the one who teaches the 110-meter hurdles. You can learn a lot from him in a short period of time."

"I'm so jealous of Dai Li. If I got chance to be train under Coach Ding for just a second, I would be so happy and satisfied."

"Coach Ding is a professional. You can become a top coach even if you just learn a little from him!"

The other coaches were conversing quietly. Everyone was looking at Dai Li in admiration except for Xuexi Zhuang. He felt as if he had just been hit twice.

Why? Why is he the one? Why would Jihai Ding take him?

After a deep breath, Xuexi Zhuang comforted himself. Although Dai Li is under Jihai Ding, he was just a helper, running errands for others and training some freshmen. He is not qualified enough to be involved in Teng Dong's training, let alone Feixiang Lin's!

In Xuexi Zhuang's eyes, it was already a privilege to have been trained under Jihai Ding. He could not understand why a young coach like Dai Li had been permitted to join the training sessions for the best athletes in the world.

At that moment, the head of the provincial sport bureau asked, "Are you saying that Jihai Ding was the head coach of Feixiang Lin?"

The head of the sport bureau had began his career as organized personnel in the system, and had never worked as a coach or an athlete. Therefore, he could not see why other people admired Jihai Ding, or understand the special place Jihai Ding had in the coaches' hearts.

"Right, Coach Ding is the head coach of Feixiang Lin," Jinrong Hu siad, "By the way, when Dai Li was on the national team, he was involved in Feixiang Lin's training."

The head of the bureau nodded his head, smiling. It was obvious that he did not realize how big a deal this was, while all the professional coaches were completely shocked.

"Did you hear that? Coach Hu just said Dai Li was involved in Feixiang Lin's training!"

"I know Dai Li is a great coach, but I did not expect him to be so excellent that he could be part of Feixiang Lin's training."

"The reason Jihai Ding did this was because he saw the ability in Dai Li! It seems that our team is not good enough for Dai Li. The national team is where he belongs!"

All professional athletes knew what it meant to be a part of Feixiang Lin's training. Feixiang Lin was regarded as the greatest track and field athlete in the world. The training he took part in was the best in every aspect, from the intensity to the theory. It was a unique learning experience to be part of his training.

For athletes like Feixiang Lin, not just anyone was capable of becoming his coach. Only a superb coach, who was qualified enough and had great training results, could have the chance to be Feixiang Lin's coach. Almost everyone looked at Dai Li in admiration upon hearing that he had helped Feixiang Lin train.

Pa pa pa pa pa! Xuexi Zhuang felt like someone had smacked him in his face. He was so embarrassed that he wanted to hide under the floor.

In his eyes, even though Dai Li had been under Jihai Ding, he should not have had the chance to meet excellent athletes. Xuexi Zhuang was already unhappy thinking about the fact that Dai Li was involved in Teng Dong's training. Now that he knew that Dai Li had been part of Feixiang Lin's training, Xuexi Zhuang was really upset.

This cannot be true. This is impossible! Xuexi Zhuang tried to convince himself that all of this was a lie, and tried to forget about it. But the words had come straight from Jinrong Hu's mouth. How could it be a lie?

Dai Li smiled shyly. He could feel the eyes of the crowd on him. He felt embarrassed.

All the coaches here did not really know what had happened, and thought Dai Li was liked by Jihai Ding only because of his ability. In actuality, he had joined Feixiang Lin's training coincidentally.

If Dai Li had not accidentally met Feixiang Lin during a meal with Feifei Yu, he would have probably been on another coach's team by now. If Dai Li had not helped Feixiang Lin return to a decent ability level, Jihai Ding would not have come back to Feixiang Lin, and things would not be the way they were today.

…

Afterwards, they had to evaluate Haiquan Fang's performance. Usually there would be an introduction of his basic background first, like his date of birth, hometown, family members, education, when and where he had been trained previously, who his previous coaches were, etc. These things could all be found in Haiquan Fang's document, but they still had to go through the procedure.

More specifically, when they introduced Haiquan Fang's training background, they introduced the school as well; and when they introduced Haiquan Fang's former coach, they would go through both the coach's profile and his career information.

"So Haiquan Fang is the son of the head of the Continental Corporation? That is why I found his name familiar. About two years ago, they invited me to come to Qing to teach young athletes. I was too busy to do so, so I asked one of my colleagues to help out. Haiquan Fang was the one he was tutoring!"

Jinrong Hu laughed. "I would have come and seen it for myself if I had known earlier that Haiquan Fang was such a talented young man."

"Coach Hu, if you had come in person, Haiquan Fang would have been taken from us, and it would have had nothing to do with our team!" Bin Lu said. People were amused by what he had said.

Next, Dai Li introduced some basic training information about Haiquan Fang, such as whether he had a positive attitude when being trained, if he was diligent on a daily basis, what his advantages and disadvantages were; everything about his long jumping performance, basically. After Dai Li's introduction, Jinrong Hu knew more about Haiquan Fang.

After that, there was a field study waiting for them, which included a practice session and a long jumping test.

During the probation period, Jinrong Hu had begun to like Haiquan Fang, and had even coached him in person.

For coaches, the best thing that could happen to them was meeting a genius young athlete. Before the probation ended, Jinrong Hu had decided to have Haiquan Fang on the national team and take him as his trainee.

Bin Lu was over the moon. One was considered lucky if they could send one of their athletes from the provincial team to the national youth team; in this case, the athlete had been sent straight to the national team, and to the most famous coach in Jinrong Hu, no less. Bin Lu could imagine their team being nominated to the list of excellent track and field youth groups at the end of the year.

…

In the evening, the youth team welcomed Jinrong Hu with a meal.

After a while, as Dai Li went to make a toast, Jinrong Hu talked with him.

"Dai Li, our national team borrows a lot of coaches every year, but there are not many who can achieve something once they go back. You are a decent man, and I have faith in you!" said Jinrong Hu. Obviously he had been drinking a lot. Dai Li could tell from his breath.

"Thank you, Coach Hu. I still have much to learn. I will keep working on it." Dai Li hadn't been drinking much, so he was still sober.

Jinrong Hu continued speaking, saying, "Dai Li, I have news for you. The new National Youth Training Program is about to begin, and there is limited space. The sport bureau you are in will soon be notified. Go sign up if you can, and attend the training we hold. We need talented young men like you to join our national team!"

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Chapter 135: The Youth Training Program

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

The next day, Jinrong Lu left, and Dai Li began paying attention to the National Track and Field "Youth Training Program" Jinrong Lu had told him about.

Dai Li searched online, but he could not find anything relevant to the program. There was nothing on the official website of the track and field administration center, either. Because of this, Dai Li decided to ask Bin Lu. As a coach for the provincial youth track and field team, it was possible that Bin Lu might know something about it.

In the Youth Track and Field Head Coaches' office.

"The National Track and Field Youth Training Program?" Bin Lu repeated. "I think I have heard of it before, let me think about it…"

Bin Lu frowned as he thought for a while, then finally raised his head. "I remember! There is such a thing. The last one was five years ago before I was the head coach of the youth team. This is a great opportunity! If you get selected by the national team and your name gets on the program list, it means you are ready to join the national team. In addition, when the national team selects excellent coaches, they usually start from that list. This is actually a shortcut to getting on the national team!"

Bin Lu sat up straight, then continued asking, "What made you ask me this? It was five years ago. According to the name, however, I reckon this plan is about to start up again."

Dai Li did not hide anything. He said, "Coach Jinrong Lu told me that. He said the new training program is about to begin, and that soon our bureau will notify us. He asked to me sign up."

"This is good!" Bin Lu smiled and said, "I remember that this is specifically for excellent coaches under 30-years-old. You will be twenty-four or twenty-five this year, right? Age is not a problem for you. If you really want to get in, I will keep an eye on the notification for you. I will let you know immediately once the sign-up starts."

"Thank you, Coach!" Dai Li said delightfully.

Dai Li had been worried that their friendship would end if he left the team soon and joined the adult sports team, but now he knew that he did not have to worry about it. Bin Lu was still going to treat him as "one of them".

"No one is better than you when it comes to sports performance, and it is a sure thing that we will sign you up. I will help you as well. Call the head coach of the track and field team, Weidong Chu, and ask him to give you a hand, too," Bin Lu continued.

"Coach Chu and I are only acquaintances, so I doubt that…" Obviously Dai Li was uncertain about whether Weidong Chu would help him or not, as they did not know each other very well.

"You will be part of Chu's team soon and you are worried that he will not give you a hand? Besides, if you make it on the list of the Youth Training Program, you will be a good resource. Weidong Chu is not an idiot. How could he not support you?"

…

It took a little over half a month before the news of the National Track and Field Youth Training Program arrived at the provincial sport bureau. The provincial sport bureau promptly posted it on their website to notify all the coaches to download the signing sheet if they were interested in joining, and to then deliver it to the provincial sport bureau. The provincial sport bureau would choose only one coach out of all the candidates, which meant there would only be one person eligible to join the national team. Just as Jinrong Lu had said, there was "limited space".

Everyone knew what a wonderful opportunity this was. You had the privilege of being trained by the national team. This was like young doctors getting the chance to be trained in a top hospital like Xiehe Hospital, Huaxi Hospital, or Ruijin Hospital. Young doctors would die for an opportunity like that.

Unfortunately, however, there were not many people that qualified for it. The "under thirty" age restriction would rule out 90% of the coaches.

The higher the level of the team, the older the coaches usually were. Coach was the kind of job that valued experience, again similar to a medical profession—the older, the better. One was usually considered to be in their prime once they were in their mid-40s or 50s.

At that age, people were already experienced in leadership, and had the energy to work in the training space. If they were younger than this, they would lack experience; if they were older than this, they would physically not be able to spend much time on the training base.

Many coaches started out as professional athletes. For them, it was normal to retire when at the age of thirty, at which point they would become an assistant coach and work their way up from from there. When they gained some experience and won some awards, they would usually be over 40-years-old, which would rule them out from taking part in the national Youth Training Program.

There were not many coaches who qualified for the Youth Training Program, which meant Dai Li did not have a lot of competition.

Of course there were still some athletes who had retired earlier, at around the age of twenty, and began their coaching careers. However, being young usually meant being inexperienced, or at least that you would not be given many opportunities on the provincial team. Young coaches normally had to work here for at least seven or eight years before they were able to train on the team independently.

Dai Li had an advantage, as he was already a training coach who had led the youth long jump team.

Other coaches who met both qualifications of being under 30-years-old and leading a team independently were not as good as Dai Li. The athlete that had trained under Dai Li had just broken the U16 jumping record, while the other coaches' students were probably still fighting over the opportunity to sign up for the competition.

…

Peng Wang was 27-years-old this year. Two years earlier, he had signed up to take the organized personnel examination after he had gotten his master degree. He then signed up for the physical fitness coach position on the provincial team, and came out on top amongst all the hundreds of candidates, successfully becoming the physical fitness coach in the end.

Peng Wang was a goal-oriented person. He did not want to be a fitness coach his entire life. He downloaded the entry form as soon as he saw the news, and planned to sign up for the National Youth Training Program.

Peng Wang was walking through the administrative area with confidence, his entry form in-hand.

I have a masters degree in training theory, while most candidates only have a diploma from junior college. I think I can get into the training program! Thinking of this, Peng Wang smiled to himself confidently.

He went to the office and knocked on the door, then walked in and said, "Hi, I am here to drop off my entry form."

"Is it for the Youth Training Program?" Someone who had been in the office for years smiled upon receiving the entry form from Peng Wang.

"Excuse me, how many people have signed for this so far?" Peng Wang asked.

"Not many, just four, including you," the person answered.

"Only four? That is not a lot." Peng Wang was surprised. He knew there would not be many coaches qualified for the program, but there were so many coaches on the provincial team. Why were there only four people who had signed up?

"This is an opportunity to train with the national team. It is such a great opportunity, yet they are not coming?" Peng Wang murmured.

"It is not that they are not coming, but that they are not confident enough in their ability. They do not think they will be selected!" the person laughed and said. "I bet you do not know this yet, but Dai Li from the youth track and field team also signed up for this. I'm pretty sure he will be selected to the national team to train!"

"Dai Li? I think I have heard his name before." Peng Wang then asked, "Was he the coach who broke the national record in the last National Youth Games?"

"Yeah, who else would he be? The genius who broke the national record was picked by the national team. Dai Li had such a great performance. He should be the one to join the national team training without a doubt!" the person said.

Peng Wang was upset. He wanted to take back his entry form.

Training valued sports performance. Peng Wang's master degree certificate was useless compared to a real record.

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Chapter 136: Resource is Better than Ability

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

Haiquan Fang had left the youth team and gone to the national team. Dai Li did not pay much attention to it. As the son of a rich family, he would be taken good care of wherever he went.

As for Haiquan Fang's future, Dai Li would not worry. Haiquan Fang had a gift in broad jumping. If he worked harder, he would become a world-level athlete without a doubt. The training conditions and resources on the national team were much better than that of the provincial team. It was a great opportunity for Haiquan Fang, as he would get much better training there.

Other athletes in the broad jump team were of a D level. The best ones were a D, while the worst were a D-. In Dai Li's eyes, they would have to work harder than others if they wanted to become professional athletes. But even if did become professionals, they would not make much progress. They may even leave after a short period due to a lack of progress being made.

Dai Li did not give up on these athletes, however, as they had come here with dreams. Dai Li felt it was his responsibility to offer them the opportunity to give it their best shot. Although their dreams may not come true, at least they would be given the chance to try.

The fact that Haiquan Fang was selected by the national team was great news for the other athletes on the broad jump team, as well as all the other athletes on the youth team. Someone who had set a good example had boundless power, especially when others witnessed their hard work.

Many young athletes were inspired by Haiquan Fang, and practiced harder than ever as a result. As a result, the track and field team had a better performance.

The lead coach of the provincial track and field team, Weidong Chu, had kept in touch with Dai Li. They had saved a position for him on their team and were finishing all the paperwork. Dai Li could have began the enrollment in advance, but when Weidong Chu heard that Dai Li had signed up for the Youth Training Program, he told Dai Li not to worry about the enrollment, but instead prepare for the program first. They would adjust Dai Li's position later. Apparently, they had attached great importance to Dai Li.

Dai Li understood Weidong Chu. Consistency was highly valued in sport training. If one had just arrived to the provincial team and would soon be sent to the national team, the consistency would be broken, which would be detrimental to the athletes. Therefore, Dai Li stayed on the youth team temporarily to train the young D-level athletes.

…

The phone rang. It was Bin Lu calling.

"Hi Coach Lu. Is this about the training program? Am I on the list?" Dai Li asked anxiously.

Bin Lu's voice was low. "They have chosen someone, but it is not you!"

Dai Li was shocked. He had thought he had advantages in age, degree, and especially in performance. He had thought that he would be the one selected to the Youth Training Program; he had not expected someone else to be chosen.

"Who did they choose?" Dai Li asked. He had proven himself by making Haiquan Fang a great athlete, so he wondered who had been deemed better than him.

"Xuexi Zhuang. He is twenty-nine this year, and is qualified in every condition they have," Bin Lu continued, "It is the hierarchy, you know. His uncle is the vice director of the provincial sport bureau. Weidong Chu and I tried to give you a hand, but we could not really help much. There is nothing else we can do. Do not feel bad. You are still young; you will get plenty of chances ahead."

Xuexi Zhuang again! Dai Li was furious.

Before that, Xuexi Zhuang had taken the opportunity to join the shot put team from Dai Li, leaving the broad jump situation for him. Luckily Dai Li had met Haiquan Fang, a talented straight-A athlete, and had managed to win the competition in the end.

This time, Xuexi Zhuang had taken the chance of training on the national team from Dai Li!

If the reason Xuexi Zhuang had gotten this opportunity was because Xuexi Zhuang was better than him, Dai Li would have accepted it, and would have even admired Xuexi Zhuang. However, Xuexi Zhuang had gotten the opportunity with his family's influence, and Dai Li could not bear it.

Bin Lu could feel Dai Li was upset, so he said, "Calm down, Dai Li. The reason why Xuexi Zhuang got the opportunity was because of his father, Director Xuexi Zhuang. You have to keep calm. Do not do anything irrational. We are in the system, we have to do what the system asks us to do…"

"I understand, these are the rules of the game. Do not worry, Coach, I will not do anything irrational." Dai Li took a deep breath and continued, "Coach, if there isn't anything else, I would like to be alone for a while if you don't mind."

"No problem! Feel free to call me whenever you want." Bin Lu understood that it might be better to leave Dai Li alone.

Dai Li put down his phone. Being disturbed by others was the last thing he wanted to worry about right now, so he turned off his phone and sat by himself silently.

The rules of the system? Dai Li laughed to himself, beginning to accept what he had just been told. It was the first time he felt disgusted with the system.

When he had graduated, it had been Dai Li's dream to become organized personnel and get regular pay. But now he felt he should give up this job to pursue justice!

What were the rules of the game? If you had a solid background and had better resources, you could steal the fruits of other people's labor? Those seemed to be the rules of the game!

People who did not have solid networks or backgrounds either had to find one themselves or work much harder for a small chance of being noticed by the top. This was also a rule of the game. But the latter road was much harder than the first one!

Dai Li inhaled deeply again. He did not have the courage to leave the system. He did not consider it for more than a second. He felt that he was being a coward, despite his mind telling him it was OK to compromise. He had to stay in the system if he wanted to have a stable income. He also would not give up this job because he needed the connections and networks on the team for the future.

Dai Li felt like crying all of a sudden, not only because he was unhappy with the result, but because he felt he was being weak, and did not know how to fight back!

He was only a normal person. He was not the leading character in a novel who lifted tables and beat his opponents with various tricks whenever he felt upset; he did not have a magic relative in his ring that could solve his problems, nor the courage to tell the world that he was strong and promising; he was not gifted in kung-fu, and could not climb the highest mountain in the world to look down at all the creatures on the earth.

He was an average person, and was used to living an average life, just going with the flow…

He was actually someone, though, as he had a strong network of coaches behind him, and was given the opportunity to train excellent athletes. Still, he could not do anything to prevent Xuexi Zhang from taking the chance to go to the national team from him.

Dai Li wanted nothing more than to get drunk and forget everything. He wanted someone to listen and share his feelings.

Suddenly, he thought of Zhongyi Xu. Even though there was a big age and hierarchy gap between them, Zhongyi Xu could be a good listener for him. More importantly, Zhongyi Xu was a good drinker to accompany him.

Dai Li picked up his phone, turned it on, and dialed Zhongyi Xu's number.

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Chapter 137: Background Battle

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

In the north coastal city, the month of October was pretty cool. The theme of the city this time of year was not barbecuing or drinking beer, but having fresh, real seafood.

"Real" seafood for local Qing people meant wild seafood that was caught in the sea, rather than artificially bred fish and crabs. The average person may not be able to tell the difference, but for those who had been born and raised here—those whose families had lived near the sea for many generations—they believed that wild seafood tasted better.

The five month long offseason for fishing had ended. There were now plenty of people around the pier everyday, buying the freshest seafood on the market. It was the busiest season for seafood dealers.

This would not last long. Every year, when the fishing offseason ended, there would be several boats out fishing. After two or three months, however, there would not be enough fish left to catch, even if they spent most of their time at sea. Over the last few decades, overfishing had caused the extinction of many sea creatures. If the trend continued, the descendants of those who had lived here for generations would have no more seafood left to eat.

"Enjoy it while you can! If you do not eat them now, we will not be able to eat them later," Zhongyi Xu said, saying what everyone in the area had been thinking.

Dai Li, on the other hand, did not pay much attention to the delicious cuisine. Instead, had himself a beer and began to express his displeasure with the situation he was in.

By the time Dai Li had finished speaking, almost all the dishes had been cleared by Zhongyi Xu. Zhongyi Xu still seemed hungry, but upon seeing that there was not much food left on their plates, he put down his chopsticks and suppressed his appetite.

Zhongyi Xu looked at Dai Li. Dai Li was now a little drunk. He looked dreadful.

"You have great resources at your disposal, why don't you use them? Zhang Xuexi took advantage of his solid connections and snatched the opportunity from you, but you could do the same!" Zhongyi Xu held up his cup and drank. It tasted spicy, and smelled nice.

"I am only an average person. I do not have any connections!" Dai Li raised up his head and looked at Zhongyi Xu in confusion.

Zhongyi Xu said, "I know about the national track and field youth program. We used to have similar programs for swimming. For the national track and field team, what matters most is not the people—it is the money!"

"Why does it come down to money again?" Dai Li answered.

"Whether it was the national team, provincial team, or a city-level team, they live off the financial allocation provided to them by the government. They can never give them the amount of money they want, but they still have to go through lots of files and evaluations before they get any funding. Every year, they have a detailed list of every dollar spent; food costs, medical costs, competition expenses, daily clerical costs, etc. Every expense has to be written on the list explicitly, then must be reported to the top. The financial department will give you the funding based on your expenses, but usually for less than you ask for. For example, if you apply for 100,000 yuan, they will probably give you 50 or 60,000 yuan."

"The Youth Training Program is a money-oriented program, and is very easy to get funding for. With this program, the track and field team can get more funding. Because training coaches is quite a long process, an excellent coach needs three to five years to train, which is why the Youth Training Program takes five years to complete, and happens once every five years. You get five years of funding every time you hold this program. Worth it, isn't it?"

Zhongyi Xu had illustrated the Youth Training Program to Dai Li from another angle. It was much clearer than Bin Lu's explanation had been. Dai Li sighed, realizing how different the information he had known about was.

Zhongyi Xu was one of the top domestic coaches, after all, and obviously knew more about what went on behind the scenes. Bin Lu, as a head coach on the youth track and field team, did not know much.

Zhongyi Xu continued speaking, saying, "The national track and field team has the right to vote for the Youth Training Program. Even though our team has chosen the nephew of Director Zhuang, if the national team decides they want you, then they have to let you go. The provincial team only has the right to suggest people for the position, not the right to make the decision."

Dai Li was still confused. Zhongyi Xu grabbed his chopsticks again and reached for the food as he said, "Don't you get along well with Jihai Ding? Why don't you use him as a resource? Call him and ask him to do you a favor—put your name on the list for the national team. You are not asking too much of him, you know; that is a piece of cake for him. Jihai Ding is your connection for this!"

"Is it really as simple as that?" Dai Li asked, suddenly sobering up.

"It is as simple as that. That is why I said you do not know how to use your resources," Zhongyi Xu continued, "Do not think for one second that Jihai Ding cannot help you out. He has a lot more to offer than fame. If you want to be a track and field coach in the future, you must be good friends with Jihai Ding.

"There are many coaches on the national track and field team, but the situation is not that complicated. The head coach, Shuren Zhao, knows a lot about theories, but he was not an experienced athlete. Because of the cultural revolution, he did not have the chance to get proper training. When the college entrance examination resumed, he passed it and became one of the first few people to attend college. There, he obtained a master's degree. He wrote many papers on the track and field exercise, which are still treated as must-reads in the academic world. Coaches like him, who have a great diploma and real insight, will not stay here for the rest of their lives. Sooner or later they will be sent to the sport bureau to become an official. It is only a matter of time.

"The second big name on the national team, the assistant head coach, Li Xue, was originally a sprinter, and held the 200-meter record. He is very experienced and professional. But he is almost sixty, and will soon retire. Although there is a way he can be hired after retirement, he will only be in charge of practicing. He will not be able to vote anymore at that point.

"Shuren Zhao will be promoted when Li Xue retires, and the members of the head group for the track and field team will change. When that happens, the sport bureau will either send us a new leader and we will select a vice leader, or we will choose a leader from our group, and they will find us a vice leader. But no matter what is decided upon, Jihai Ding will be selected from our team. Everyone knows it. That is why Jihai Ding is so influential within the track and field team."

Dai Li suddenly understood everything once he heard Zhongyi Xu's explanation.

There was a hidden social code in the organized personnel system. In order to avoid corruption or any other negative situations, the leader and the vice leader were usually in charge of two separate sectors. Meanwhile, in order to stabilize the group and avoid a situation where the new leader does something stupid due to their unfamiliarity with the team, usually teams will choose one of their own to take on the position and someone from another team.

For instance, if a new leader joined from another team, the vice leader had to be selected from the original team, and vice versa. If both were promoted and brought from other teams, they would surely know nothing about their new team, which was not good for work. It was the idea of mutual supervision or mutual restriction.

According to the hidden rules and connections, Jihai Ding would at least get the position of the vice head coach. He could even get the head coach position of the track and field team if he was lucky.

Because of this, everyone on the track and field team thought highly of Jihai Ding, or simply wanted to flatter him. If Jihai Ding was willing to give a hand to Dai Li, it would really only take a word from him to make things happen.

Thinking of this, Dai Li could not help but laugh. His bad mood had disappeared.

I see myself as a nobody. I'm surprised I actually have some connections.

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Chapter 138: The Final Candidate

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

The next day, Dai Li texted Jihai Ding to make sure that he was not busy, then dialed his phone after receiving confirmation.

"Dai Li, what a surprise. What made you call? You can just say it." Jihai Ding seemed to be in a good mood.

"Coach Ding, there is something I need you to help with. I want to join the National Youth Training Program!" Dai Li replied.

"Sign up for it, then. I will be the first one from our national team to welcome you!" Jihai Ding suddenly changed his tone and said, "Did you miss the sign up period?"

"I did not miss the date. It was not that my name was not on the list. They chose someone else," Dai Li said.

"You did not get picked?" Jihai Ding sounded surprised. "Jinrong Hu told me that you have trained a guy who was born rich. He has been practicing inside our training base. He is so talented that even I want to get him in my group. You have made such great progress and you still were not chosen? Is there anyone better than you on your team? Who is it? Tell me."

"He is the nephew of our assistant head leader in our sport bureau." Dai Li did not want to say the name.

Jihai Ding had worked inside the organized personnel system for years, so he understood immediately what "nephew of the assistant head leader" meant without Dai Li explaining it further.

"Alright, I see." Jihai Ding did not say anything else, or show sympathy to Dai Li. He said, "Start packing and get ready to come to the national team. Just wait for the good news!"

"Thank you, Coach Ding," Dai Li said with gratitude. He knew this meant that Jihai Ding was willing to help him.

"Just saying thank you is not enough. Come and give me a massage when you come to Qing. It has rained a lot recently. My lumbar disc aches whenever the temperature drops down…"

…

Xuexi Zhuang walked into the dining hall humming songs.

"Chef Wang, give me another fried fish. Yes, that one on the left!" Xuexi Zhuang said, pointing at the big golden fish in the vacuum plate.

"You look happy today, Coach Zhuang. You got good news?" Chef Wang smiled at him and put the big fish on Xuexi Zhuang's plate.

"Of course I do! Soon I will miss the food you cook," Xuexi Zhuang said, delighted.

"You get promoted, Coach Zhuang?" Chef Wang asked.

"Not really, it is just an opportunity to get trained by the national team!" Xuexi Zhuang answered loudly on purpose. He was bragging, and wanted all his colleagues to hear it.

Xuexi Zhuang continued showing off, saying, "There is a youth training program for the track and field administration center. I already signed up. I will be there in a few days."

A coach in line behind Xuexi Zhuang interrupted, "Coach Zhuang, you have been selected to the National Youth Training Program? That is wonderful news. You have to buy us a drink!"

"Yeah, Coach, you have to buy us a drink to celebrate!"

"Coach Zhuang, being trained by the national team is the best thing ever. You really have to buy us drinks and have a party!"

The other coaches began to go at him immediately. They did not truly want to congratulate Xuexi Zhuang, but to embarrass him.

"Well…" Xuexi Zhuang had only wanted to show off. When it came to spending money, he became stingy. So he tried to clarify what he had said, saying, "The national team has not sent me a formal notice, but because the provincial bureau has chosen me, it is on the schedule."

Xuexi Zhuang stopped talking and quickly found a place to sit down. He was worried that they may bring up buying drinks again. When he walked past Dai Li, Xuexi Zhuang did not forget to glare at him.

Join the national team, huh? You think you are the only one who is able to join? I can go too! Dai Li, you are going to stay in Qing for the rest of your life, while I will be going to the national team in two days! Thinking of this, Xuexi Zhuang was so happy that he raised up his head and tried to make a proud face. Everyone else saw it as an example of every dog having its day.

After Xuexi Zhuang finished his meal and left the dining hall, someone began gossiping.

"He is depending on his deputy chief uncle! Without him, he is nothing!"

"I have heard that at first they planned to let Dai Li attend the program. You know that he is good in both performance and schooling. But Director Zhuang changed the name to Xuexi Zhuang."

"I feel so sorry for Dai Li. He is such a talented coach, and has great results, but he has missed his opportunity."

"What can we do about it? No matter how excellent you are, someone with better connections will beat you. On the bright side, Dai Li will soon be sent to the adult team, so he will not have to see Xuexi Zhuang on a daily basis!"

Dai Li looked calm despite the feeling of anger he had inside him.

Xuexi Zhuang, the higher you go, the more pain you will suffer. You are laughing now, but I will make sure you know that I am the one who laughs last when the national team posts the list!

…

In the sport bureau office, a young clerk opened up the business transfer system. He wanted to check if there was anything new.

This is a notice of government ability in the ping-pong association. It's not that important, but I will print that out first.

This is a notification about the championship for the shooting team. I will forward it to the shooting team!

The weight-lifting team selection test notification. I'll forward this to the weight-lifting team.

This is the finalists for the Youth Training Program for the track and field administration center. Let me see who is on the list. I don't know anyone on the list except the one in our province, and we picked Dai Li. I will forward this to the track and field team.

Right as the clerk clicked forward, he paused.

Wait a second, Dai Li? This can't be possible. How could it be Dai Li? I remember it was Director Zhuang's nephew who had been chosen, and Director Zhuang even came here in person to make sure. I wrote the name of his nephew on the list myself, and sent it to the track and field administration center. Why is it now Dai Li?"

The clerk began sweating a lot, worried he had made a mistake. If he had, Director Zhuang would surely be hard on him!

The clerk opened the sent box as fast as he could and found the email he had sent out before.

Xuexi Zhuang, the nephew of Director Zhuang—I did write his name! Xuexi Zhuang's CV, check. That's right, I'm not mistaken. The clerk took a deep breath and took a picture of the email with his phone.

The clerk began to worry the next minute, as he didn't know how to tell Director Zhuang.

Director Zhuang is on a business trip to the south. He will probably be back in two days. I have to think about how to tell him about this! Forget it, I will just report it to our director first. The clerk used his phone to call the office director.

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Chapter 139: I Am Not On The List?

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

The phone on the office table rang. It was an intercom call.

Bin Lu picked up the phone. Someone on the phone said immediately, "Coach Lu, I am Weidong Chu. I have just received a file. It is the winner for the Youth Training Program."

"Forward it to me. I will let Xuexi Zhuang know later," Bin Lu said.

"The national team did not choose Xuexi Zhuang, they chose Dai Li!" Weidong Chu said delightfully.

"What? Say that again?" Bin Lu thought he had misheard him.

"Xuexi Zhuang is not the winner. The only candidate we've got in our province is Dai Li," Weidong Chu repeated.

Bin Lu was surprised. "This is strange. They had put Xuexi Zhuang's name on the list. How could Dai Li be the winner? Did we make a mistake or did the national team?"

"Don't be silly, Coach Lu. How could they have made a mistake? When we sent them the files, we did not only give them the name, but other personal information, as well as their CV. This can't be wrong. The national team has to run through all these files during the evaluation. They could not have mixed up Dai Li and Xuexi Zhuang! It is obvious that they did this on purpose!"

Saying this, Weidong Chu suddenly lowered his voice and said, "I didn't expect Dai Li to have connections on the national team."

Bin Lu realized now that the provincial team had reported Xuexi Zhuang's name, yet the national team had picked Dai Li. It was obvious that Dai Li had found somebody on the national team to fight for him. Remembering that Jinrong Hu had recognized Dai Li immediately the last time they had met, Bin Lu was sure he was correct.

I'm surprised that Dai Li has such a solid network when he acts so low-key every day.

Thinking of this, Bin Lu said quickly, "Forward me the file. I'm about to have a regular coach's meeting now, I will tell them about this."

…

In the youth track and field conference room.

"I've finished touching on some of the highlights. When you go back to your group, make a detailed plan based on the situation of your teams. Next, I have another thing to announce."

Bin Lu grabbed the file folder and took a piece of paper from it, then continued his speech. "I just received the notice from our provincial bureau today. They have released the final list of the Youth Training Program."

A smile suddenly appeared on Xuexi Zhuang's face when he heard this. He stood up, ready to get the notice from Bin Lu.

However, Bin Lu delivered the announcement in the direction of Dai Li and said, "Dai Li, there is some information below the list, such as the enrollment time, the location, and some other requirements. Read them carefully and prepare as it says to. Start packing when you get back and try to be there in advance. And don't forget to fill out the application for leave."

Dai Li stood up happily and handed in the file. On the other side of the room, Xuexi Zhuang stopped in his tracks. He was midway through standing, so he looked very weird.

Xuexi Zhuang did not feel embarrassed at all, and instead questioned Bin Lu, asking, "Coach, are you making a mistake? Why Dai Li? The provincial bureau chose me for the Youth Training Program!"

Bin Lu shook his head. "I don't know. The provincial sport bureau sent the file to the track and field team, and the track and field team sent it to our team. I just printed out what I was sent. Your name is not on the list, but Dai Li's is. Our team has to do what we are asked to. Why is your name not on the list? I have no clue. You can ask the provincial sport bureau for confirmation."

"This is impossible! How could I not be on the list?" Xuexi Zhuang looked at Dai Li.

Dai Li coughed briefly, then said, "Coach Zhuang, I didn't see your name either. Why don't you take a look at this file and find it yourself?"

Dai Li passed the notice to Xuexi Zhuang. Xuexi Zhuang grabbed it immediately.

There were about 30 names in total on the list. Xuexi Zhuang went through the list quickly and did not find his name, but he did not give up. He kept searching, again, and again…

Xuexi Zhuang's name was not on the list. No matter how many times he went through it, or even if he got so familiar with it that he could recite it, he would not find his name on it.

"What is going on? I was the one chosen by the provincial bureau! Why is my name not on the list?" Xuexi Zhuang doubted the authenticity of this file.

Although this paper was printed in black and white, and there was no red heading on it showing it was an important file, the stamp of the track and field administration center was clearly on it, which shattered Xuexi Zhuang's hope.

All the coaches around him looked at him with perplexed looks. Xuexi Zhuang could feel it was a look of mocking and teasing. He was now the object of ridicule and scorn.

It suddenly occurred to Xuexi Zhuang that recently he had been constantly bragging about the news that he would soon go to the national team to everyone on the staff of the team. Even the cleaners knew about it. But now, he was not the winner. Everyone saw him as a joke. It was humiliating!

…

In the youth team dining hall, the coaches were talking about the scene that had just taken place in the conference.

"That was such an enthralling show today! Xuexi Zhuang had already stood up when he heard the words 'final list', but his name was not even on it! How embarrassing for him!"

"It was so humiliating. If I were him, I would hide underground."

"He had been bragging so much, saying he would go to the national team and be trained there. Now he can't. I wonder how he is putting up with it."

"Shhh, stop talking. Xuexi Zhuang is near. Don't let him hear that."

They immediately stopped talking when Xuexi Zhuang walked into the dining hall.

Meanwhile, Chef Wang came out from the kitchen with a bamboo made basket, yelling, "Anyone fancy some steamed bread? I just made it, it smells good!"

Chef Wang put the basket with steamed bread down and raised his head. He saw Xuexi Zhuang walking towards him, holding his plate.

"Coach Zhuang, when are you leaving for the national team? Any news?" Chef Wang asked curiously.

Obviously Chef Wang hadn't heard the news that the list had been released, nor that Xuexi Zhuang had not been on the list. He asked only because the appearance of Xuexi Zhuang had reminded him of the news, as Xuexi Zhuang had kept saying that he would be joining the national team. However, this greeting sounded like mocking to Xuexi Zhuang.

Even a lame cook like you is making fun of me! Xuexi Zhuang cursed Chef Wang secretly and stared at him angrily. He threw his plate away.

"I'm done!" Xuexi Zhuang was furious. He turned around and went back to where he had came from.

Chef Wang was completely confused. He stood there, blinking his eyes.

"What happened? He hasn't finished his meal, why did he leave? Does the steamed bread taste awful?" Chef Wang looked at the steamed bread in the basket, confused.

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Chapter 140: Police Training Base

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

In Director Zhang's office in the provincial sport bureau, Xuexi Zhuang looked at his uncle desperately.

"Uncle, you have to help me! I already told others that I would be joining the national team and almost everyone knows about it. Now it looks like I have failed, and it is so embarrassing. I cannot stay on our team!"

Director Zhuang was speechless. He stared at Xuexi Zhuang unhappily.

"Can you give me a break? Grow up, will you? How many times have I helped you the past few years? And you, what did you do? You loser!"

Still angry, Director Zhuang continued, "Just take a few days ago as an example: you asked me to move you to the shot put team, saying it was better for your career development. And what was the result? Where is the medal? The long jump team you were on developed a genius who was picked up by the national team at the age of sixteen! You are the one who has good connections, yet you are the one at a disadvantage! What is wrong with you?

"You said you wanted to go to the national team to get trained, so I recommended you to them, but what happened? They don't even know you! I have asked others about this Dai Li that is on the list. He was the one you stole the shot put team from, right? And he was the one who trained that long jump genius, right? He has worked in the Beikou Training Center before, under Jihai Ding, and has also been part of Feixiang Lin's training…"

For a deputy chief in the provincial sport bureau, it was not hard to get all this information.

"Dai Li has just been lucky!" Xuexi Zhuang mumbled. He got angry when he heard Dai Li's name.

"Crap!" Director Zhuang shouted, "Lucky? Are you saying Jihai Ding is a fool? If Dai Li was a loser like you, do you think Jihai Ding would welcome him to join Feixiang Lin's training? That was Feixiang Lin! Only the best coaches can get involved in his training. Speaking of being lucky, how many chances have I given you? Why can't you 'be lucky' just one damn time? Just one time! Not even once!"

Xuexi Zhuang could feel his uncle's anger. He put his head down and stayed silent.

"That Dai Li, he is something—at least, he is way better than you. That is why the national team wants him. When can you grow up? Your name is Xuexi Zhuang, why can't you study harder and get some better results? I may be your uncle, but I can't take care of you forever! Once I am retired, what will you do if you are still like this!" Director Zhuang looked very upset.

"Uncle, I understand what you're saying. That's why I wanted to be trained by the national team. I want to learn under a higher-level coach. Even if they only teach me a little, I can learn a lot, and you won't have to worry about me," Xuexi Zhuang said, trying to sound sincere.

Of course Director Zhuang could tell that Xuexi Zhuang did not mean it. The reason he wanted to go to the national team was only to brag about it.

However, giving it some more thought, Director Zhuang began thinking that it would be really nice if Xuexi Zhuang got an opportunity to study on the national team. Even f he only learned a little, he could be ahead of everyone else when he returned to the provincial team.

"You are my only nephew, what can I say?" Director Zhuang shook his head. "I've got some resources in the national sport bureau. Let me see what I can do. But listen—if you get in, you have to study hard as hell. You are not causing me trouble anymore!"

…

Director Zhuang had some power, so he could probably use it to get an extra spot on the list for Xuexi Zhuang.

Once Dai Li heard about this, he was not surprised. While a freshman in this field like him could only seek help from Jihai Ding, it was much easier for Director Zhuang to pull a few strings and get Xuexi Zhuang an extra spot, as he had been working for the government for decades.

Dai Li felt it was wrong to do this, though, as more people meant a higher cost. Even though it was the national team, it did not mean that they had endless resources. They had to bring up coaches who were really talented and promising. Dai Li knew Xuexi Zhuang well, so he thought it would really be a waste to bring up Xuexi Zhuang.

Dai Li arrived at the national track and field team three days in advance.

It was the first time Dai Li had gone to the capital city. The reason why he had come early was because he wanted to get a tour of the area.

There was enough space on the national team for people to stay. Here, where every inch was a lot of money, the head sport bureau had a massive area for temporary dormitories, or rest houses. This area was big enough to house over 500 or 600 people during the Olympics, so it was easy to arrange the living space for only a few dozen people, including Dai Li.

Three days later, everyone arrived. The national team sent two buses to pick them up and bring them to the training base.

Dai Li roughly counted the number of people present. The capacity of one bus was around thirty people, so the total number of the people had to be over sixty.

We've got a lot of people here, over sixty I think. They must be the most talented ones from all over the country! Dai Li suddenly thought of Xuexi Zhuang. They had not come here together.

Maybe there are some people like Xuexi Zhuang who pulled some strings to be here. Then Dai Li laughed to himself as he remembered he had also utilized a connection in Jihai Ding.

It took about two hours before the buses arrived at the destination. Dai Li did not know if they were in Huajin or in another city. The bus drove into a compound.

Huajin police training base? Dai Li read the words on the black and white billboard, feeling confused. The bus was already inside.

"This is a police training base, why are we here?" someone next to him asked.

"Is it the so-called 'development training' stuff? I heard this is the new trend that they just started doing," another one said.

"Anyone here break the law? Put your hands up and confess to your crime! Otherwise the policemen will be here to catch you," someone said jokingly.

"Silly, this is the training base. If someone makes a mistake, they will surely be sent to prison."

The bus stopped while they were still talking.

"Here we are, let's get off the bus!" The leader of the national team got off the bus and walked to the dormitory building while the others followed. He then arranged the place for everyone.

Compared to the rest house in the head sport bureau, this was much worse. Eight people would be sharing one room with four bunk beds, as well as the shower room and toilet. The living conditions were worse than the dormitories in college.

This was a police training base, after all. They did not come here to enjoy life, so it was understandable.

Once everyone was settled, they were all called to the conference room. After all sixty of them sat down, the leader of the national track and field team walked into the middle with a middle-aged guy in camouflage.

"That guy is wearing camouflage, is he the coach here? Is he going to train us?"

"No way, this is the police training base. Are we really going to have professional police training? With fighting and gun shooting? I haven't touched a real gun my entire life!"

Suddenly, someone said delightfully, "It would be great if we could touch a real gun. I would die to just touch it and take two or three shots!"

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Chapter 141: Eliminate Half First

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

In the meeting room, the coaches were busy talking. The national team leader waved his hand, signaling for the crowd to be quiet.

After everyone stopped talking, the leader said, "So, this is the police training base. You may be wondering why you are here, instead of in the national team training center."

The leader paused deliberately to observe everyone's facial expressions. Seeing that everyone was looking at him waiting for his explanation, he continued, "According to our national team's original plan, this Youth Training Program was supposed to recruit thirty to thirty-five people, but due to various reasons, we have more than sixty people here."

Hearing this, Dai Li involuntarily glanced at Xuexi Zhuang, thinking, The leader seems to be implying that about half of us are here because of our connections.

The leader continued, "You are all coaches, so I do not need to tell you that no matter which level you are at, the resources are limited. Our Youth Training Program doesn't have enough resources to train more than sixty young coaches, so we will have to eliminate half of the group first. Based on our plans, only thirty of you can stay, which means more than half of you must leave!"

Pausing, the leader's eyes were stern. Some people looked embarrassed, especially people like Xuexi Zhuang, who had gotten here through his relationships with others. They had a higher possibility of being eliminated.

I thought that I would be directly sent to the national team. Why did nobody tell me that there would be an elimination round! Xuexi Zhuang was in agony.

Others, on the other hand, were very calm. They feared nothing because they had a strong backing. Some even grinned coldly.

Elimination? This is nothing serious. My third uncle is in the General Administration of Sports; he is in charge of this program's funds. They wouldn't dare eliminate me!

My brother-in-law is a national team coach. I'm a relative of the team. They won't clean me out, will they?

My backing is the vice-director of the General Administration of Sports. If not for the monk's sake, but the Buddha's, they would never eliminate me!

There were many people who had similar thoughts. No matter how much ability they had, their backing was stronger than Xuexi Zhuang's for sure! Some of them even felt that they were guaranteed a spot.

"As for how the eliminations would be conducted, the political instructor, Chen, from the police training base, will tell you the details." The leader pointed at a man standing nearby dressed in camouflage and said, "I will leave this afternoon. You will be under Instructor Chen's guidance. He will assess your abilities and make the final decision!"

Those who had feared nothing were now anxious. They had been fearless because of their connections, and thought that the national athletics team wouldn't dare eliminate them. But all of a sudden, the judge had suddenly become the political instructor of the police training base. The disciplined services had strict rules; having a connection would mean nothing now.

Dai Li was secretly happy that the national team had wised up. If the national team had held the evaluation itself, the team could not handle it well. Once those "connections" put pressure on the team, the team leaders would not be able to come to a fair decision because they would have no choice but to keep those people happy, which meant keeping the people they had recommended. Networking was so powerful that even the national team could do nothing.

But the national team had given the power to kick incompetent people out through disciplined service to the police. People who would be disqualified would have no leg to stand on, since it would assessed by the police training base instead of the national team.

The disciplined services always had very strict elimination systems. It might not have been zero omissions, but one would be hard-pressed to find a connection that would help them pass the evaluation. At the very least, the final judgement would be more reliable and fair than the national team's would have been. And if someone had a connection strong enough to interfere with a disciplined service's decisions, he definitely did not need to be a poor athletics coach.

The man in camouflage took one step forward, raised his hand in a salute, and then said, "Nice to meet you, coaches. I'm Chen, the political instructor. For the next two weeks, you will live here. I will take care of your living arrangements. Our accommodations are basic, and not as cozy as what you have at home. But I hope that you will obey our administrations. Of course, if you cannot bear it, feel free to tell me at any time, I can send you back downtown to the airport or train station."

Instructor Chen was clearly implying that if anyone felt that the training conditions were too hard to bear that they could quit at whenever they wanted, but that it would cost them their spot if they did.

Anyone who had chosen to be a professional coach was not a pleasure-seeker. Training was hard work for athletes and coaches alike. They were both exposed to the weather all the time; and while athletes continued exercising, so did their coaches, just with a lower workload.

Because of this, poor accommodations were nothing to the coaches. Years ago, when coaches would accompany athletes on their trips to other places, coaches would bring cots for the athletes while they sat on hard seats for the entire night as a way to save money. One time, when Coach Jihai Ding had taken Feixiang Lin to Europe for competitions, the host had only arranged dorms for the athletes. Jihai Ding did not want to waste money, so he spent the entire night sleeping on the floor.

Instructor Chen continued, "As for dining, we offer good food. We don't have a lot of fish and meat, but we do offer a well-balanced diet. Because you are from different parts of the country with different eating habits, it is hard to please all of you. So, if you can't stand the food at all, you can buy instant noodles in the convenience store, which is near the canteen."

"In our police training base, because the logistics department distributes towels, soap, toothbrushes, toothpaste, etc., the convenience store does not offer everything. Unfortunately, it is not a supermarket. Please excuse us.

"As for the rules, there are some key points I would like you to remember. We have totally-enclosed training, meaning the gate is closed Monday through Friday with a 24-hour standing sentry. Outsiders who want to come in must present IDs, and insiders who want to leave must ask for permission. After all, this is a disciplined service; I don't want to see that you go out that often. It is a long way to downtown, and the transportation is not very convenient. If any of you have something urgent you must tend to, come to me and ask for leave.

"Friday afternoon, after 5PM, you can leave our base freely. You have two consecutive days off in Saturday and Sunday. We offer shuttles to take you to the bus station, but remember to return before 8PM on Sunday. If you arrive late, the gate will be closed, and you will be in some trouble.

"Later I will show you around to make you familiar with the premises." Instructor Chen then changed the topic and said, "Now I would like to give you some detailed information about how we are going to assess you!"

This was directly related to everyone's future, so upon hearing this, the coaches all pricked up their ears and listened carefully.

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Chapter 142: Training Policemen

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

Although more than sixty people would be evaluated, over half of them would have to leave. How and what they would be evaluated on was still the biggest question, however. When Instructor Chen referred to this topic, everyone listened very carefully.

Instructor Chen said slowly, "Recently, we held a fitness test for the city's first-class policemen, but had unsatisfactory results. A small number of policemen did not pass the test. We have picked out around sixty policemen with the worst performances. Your job is to train them one-on-one. This is your task for the evaluation."

The coaches all sighed in relief.

"Ah, so it's training policemen. He scared me, I thought we were the trainees!"

"Policemen's fitness test, I wonder what programs we will have? Will the test be like what we see on TV, like a weight-bearing cross-country race, climbing over a high wall, and crawling under an iron net?"

"Stop bullshxtting! Those are for training special soliders! Did you hear what Instructor Chen said? It's a fitness test. How could a normal fitness test include so many cruel events? I say we have to work on the 1000m run at most!"

Instructor Chen took out a pile of documents and said, "You may be wondering what kind of events we have on the policemen's fitness test, so let me explain. We have four events for the men: the 4x10m shuttle run, the standing long jump, pull-ups, and the 1000m race. For the women, we have one minute of sit-ups and the 800m race. However, on our team, most of the females are in administration and logistics departments; few of them are first-class policemen. This means that all your trainees will be men."

The standing long jump, pull-ups, and the 1000m race are all on the high school entrance physical exam. The only difference is the 4x10m shuttle run. Dai Li relaxed. He had once held a training class for the physical exam, so he had already had some experience on coaching these events. He could do this with ease.

Instructor Chen handed the files to the front row and said, "This is the evaluation standard of our fitness test. Sixty points is passing, and 100 points is a full score. Everyone take one copy, then pass it on to the people behind you."

The files were passed around. Dai Li took a copy and gave it a look. Scorn flashed across his eyes: Isn't this too simple?

Dai Li was not the only one who reacted this way. The other coaches looked relaxed as well, including the ones who had gotten here through their connections.

For the 4x10m shuttle run, the minimum requirement is 12.20 seconds; for the standing long jump, the minimum requirement 2.20 meters; for the pull-up, trainees must get at least ten repetitions; for the 1000m race, it cannot be longer than 4.05 minutes. This is so easy! Even middle school students could do this. With two weeks of one-of-one training, this will be a piece of cake. I could train twenty or even thirty people at once and have them all pass! Xuexi Zhuang thought confidently.

Although Xuexi Zhuang did not have much ability, he was still a Provincial Youth Team coach. On such a team, even a loser would be influenced by what they consistently saw and heard. Although he was nothing comparing to Dai Li, he was still capable of helping an ordinary policemen pass the test without a doubt.

But then, the national team leader cleared his throat and said, "You are all professional coaches. Your goal is to be on the national team. You will have the best athletes in the country, including national champions, national record holders, and even world-level athletes. Are you satisfied with passing with the minimum requirement? Do you think passing will help you stay here?"

Instructor Chen continued, "This evaluation table is divided into several levels. From 5 to 100, every five points is a level. You can find a detailed rubric in the file. We will evaluate your performance by your total score. Passing is the minimum requirement; if you all pass, you will be judged by your scores. The thirty people with the highest scores will be allowed to stay. To guarantee your place, a full score gives you the best chance. If your trainee gets a full score, you will surely stay."

Hearing about this, the coaches turned to their evaluation standard.

"Pull-ups: 10 reps is 60 points, 11 times is 65 points, 12 times is 70 points. Every pull-up is five points. To get a full score of 100 points, one would need to do twenty pull-ups!"

"For the 1000m race, the minimum requirement is 4.05 minutes, but a full score is 3.25 minutes!"

"The full score for the standing long jump 2.52 meters! To get just 85 points, one needs to jump at least 2.40 meters."

"For the 410 meter shuttle run, one must finish within 10.60 seconds to get a full score."

Reading this, a lot of people frowned. These standards were easy to reach for professional athletes, but for ordinary people who lacked years of training, it would take much more time and effort to finally achieve the goal.

The most important thing was a trainee's physical condition. If the trainee was in poor physical condition, he would only be able to do three or four pull-ups, jump two meters, and finish the 1000m race in five minutes. It would be impossible to obtain a full score with only two weeks of training. In addition, weekends did not count towards the two weeks. They really only had ten days in total to prepare.

All the coaches began to realize this. Someone immediately asked, "Instructor Chen, could you tell us what scores these policemen got on the fitness test?"

"Below 100 points," Instructor Chen smiled, "And I mean 100 points in total. The full score for all four events adds up to 400 points."

"100 points in total means they averaged 25 points per event. Let's see what 25 is equal to on the rubric."

Everybody, including Dai Li, focused on the standard table again.

"For the 4x10 meter shuttle run, 25 points is 13.60 seconds. The full score is 10.60 seconds. That's a three second gap!"

"For the standing long jump, 1.92 meters is 25 points. 2.52 meters is the full score. That is a sixty centimeter difference!"

"Three pull-ups is 25 points. Eighteen is 100 points. They would have to be able to do fifteen more pull-ups in just ten days!"

"For the 1000m race, 25 points is equivalent to 4.40 minutes, which is 1.15 minutes shorter away from the full score!"

"If you subtract the weekends, we only have ten days of training. In this period of time we have to help them improve by three seconds in the 4x10m shuttle run, sixty centimeters in the standing long jump, help them do fifteen more pull-ups, and shave off 1.15 minutes from their 1000m race!"

"How can we do it? Ten days is too short a time for them to improve. Based on their current condition, they can definitely pass the exam after ten days, but there is no way they can get full score."

"In athletics, the higher one's ability is, the more challenging it is to improve. Nobody can improve that quickly and get a full score."

Dai Li frowned. He finally had an idea of what the evaluation would be.

All of the policemen's scores are below 100 points, which means they are in poor physical condition. Normally, it would be impossible for them to get a full score with only ten days of training. An average of eighty points in each event would be ideal. The distinction appears exactly here! This evaluation is not as easy as I thought.

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Chapter 143: TV Dramas are Deceiving

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

The next morning, Dai Li met his partner, who would also be his trainee.

"Hi, I'm Chong Lin," the trainee said, introducing himself. "It is the same as 'Panther Head' Chong Lin in All Men are Brothers."

"I'm Dai Li. Nice to meet you." Dai Li stretched out his right hand for a shake as he maintained eye contact.

The man was around thirty-five. He looked ordinary and slightly fat. He was wearing an army green compression shirt, camouflage pants, and sneakers. At first glance, he was definitely not someone you would notice in a crowd. He looked like he was easygoing.

Men in their mid-thirties put on fat easily. Even the slightest bit of inattention to one's lifestyle would lead to a potbelly.

"You are young, Coach Li." Chong Lin eyed Dai Li, too. He had heard before that these coaches were all young men, but now that they were actually face-to-face, he was surprised.

Dai Li replied, "Chong Lin, if we subtract the weekends, we only have ten days to train. Time is limited. To save time, how about we start now? What do you think?"

"No problem. Let's do this," Chong Lin nodded.

"Because today is the first day, we won't do any high-intensity exercises. But let me make something clear now: you should pay attention to your diet, especially your dinner. I think you'd be better off watching your weight," Dai Li said straightforwardly, "Your current weight will affect your make-up exam score."

Chong Lin nodded with embarrassment. He knew he was overweight.

"Today's task is aerobic training. Aerobic exercise is a good way to lose weight. Moreover, if you keep doing this after today, your weight should stay off much easier," explained Dai Li.

"Coach Li, you are a professional. I will do as you wish," Chong Lin replied without hesitation.

"Before that, let's do some warm-ups first. Usually we warm up before formal athletic training. By doing so we can avoid hurting ourselves while quickly preparing our body for formal exercises, which will help us obtain better results," Dai Li explained further.

Chong Lin showed a stiff expression, then nodded agreement.

Dai Li felt sympathetic. Because Chong Lin was not an athlete, neither the slimming exercise nor the fat loss exercise would have an effect on Chong Lin. Otherwise, Chong Lin could quickly lose weight doing the slimming exercise.

But as a professional athletics coach, Dai Li did have something he could do. The slimming exercise was not the only thing he had. Dai LI was quite familiar with various kinds of warm-up exercises.

After a brief warm-up, they got into the formal training. As Dai Li had mentioned previously, their first exercises would only be of a low training intensity. As opposed to doing high-intensity work immediately, Dai Li hoped that this method could help Chong Lin get into groove quickly. It was only when the body gradually became familiar with training that the increase in intensity would be effective.

Aerobic training contained jogging, swimming, and bike-riding. The latter two activities lacked equipment support at the police training base, so jogging was the main task for Chong Lin's first-day training.

Chong Lin did well in the beginning, but as time went by he often had to pause to take a break, stooping down to rub his legs.

At first Dai Li thought the reason Chong Lin had soreness was because he had not practiced for a long time, so his body was unable to stand it, and lactic acid had accumulated on his legs. But after some observation, Dai Li found that there was something wrong.

Chong Lin's running posture looks different than the others. One hard step followed by one light step. It seems like he loses his balance. He is acting like a cripple. What is wrong? Did he twist his ankle?

Thinking about this, Dai Li shouted, "Stop, stop please!"

"Coach Li, what happened?" asked Chong Lin.

"Did you twist your ankle?" asked Dai Li.

"What? No! I'm good." Chong Lin looked fine. He deliberately twisted his ankle in front of Dai Li to prove that he was OK.

"It looks like your running posture is different than before," said Dai Li.

"Well, it must be because sand got in my shoe! Nothing serious," Chong Lin said. He took off his shoe and shook it.

"I'm a coach. I don't want to see my athlete hurt himself during training." Dai Li paused, then said, "In addition, athletic rehabilitation is my strong point. If you feel like something is wrong, tell me."

Now it was Chong Lin's turn to hesitate.

Chong Lin lowered his head and remained silent for a few seconds, then said, "Coach Li, to tell you the truth, I have a wound on my leg! But I want you to keep it a secret if you can."

"What kind of wound? May I take a look?" asked Dai Li.

Chong Lin cautiously looked around to make sure that nobody was watching them, then pulled Dai Li to a corner and sat down. He rolled up his pant leg, showing his right leg to Dai Li.

Dai Li lowered his head and took a closer look. There was a long scar with stitches on Chong Lin's leg. The skin had changed color in the middle of the scar, which made it look like the area was burned. The whole scar was ten centimeters long. It was horrifying.

"What's this?" Dai Li asked confusedly. He had never seen such a scar before. It was definitely not a knife wound, but it looked like a serious injury caused by a crash or burn.

Chong Lin put his pant leg down and answered, "It's a gunshot wound."

Gunshot! Dai Li nodded to himself. This gunshot wound was completely different from what he had seen on TV. In the TV dramas, gunshot wounds were small circles. But what he was seeing in front of him was a huge wound, not a small circle.

In fact, real gunshot wounds never looked like small circles. Modern weapons were grisly. A little circle would be caused by bullet shot by a small caliber weapon. If one were to receive a frontal hit, the wound would be worse.

If one was to be directly shot by a larger caliber weapon, the situation would be pretty bad. If an individual was hit in the left side of their chest, they would die for sure. If the right side of their chest or belly was hit, the person would have a 70% possibility of death. If any of the limbs were shot, there would be a 70% chance that the person would face an amputation. Suppose a 7.62mm-caliber rifle bullet was fired into a human body at a velocity of 850 meters per second:. It would cause at least a twelve centimeter-long wound. If it entered the head, one-third of the skull would gone.

If the same bullet hit someone in their bulletproof vest, the pressure would be the same as being hit by an eight pound hammer. A rib fracture would be expected; if the bullet hit a soldier's helmet, it would fracture the skull.

So this is a real gunshot wound. TV dramas are deceiving! I learned something today. This is what a gunshot wound really looks like, Dai Li thought to himself.

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Chapter 144: Conceal the Injury

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

After Chong Lin showed his wound to Dai Li, he immediately rolled his pant leg down to cover it again, worried that someone else would notice his horrifying scar.

He took a deep breath and remained silent for a few seconds, then said, "I was working in narcotics. I worked in a southwestern border city, and was a undercover investigator among drug dealers."

Dai Li immediately recalled the tough men on TV that would hold machine pistols and dart to the drug lord's lair. An undercover investigator usually looked intense and scheming, like Chaowei Liang in Infernal Affairs, the famous spy movie. But seeing Chong Lin, Dai Li was shaking his head on the inside. Regardless of his appearance or temperament, Chong Lin was too ordinary; he wasn't powerful or bold at all, like the dramas had portrayed.

What Dai Li didn't know was that when selecting undercover investigators, police would usually choose ordinary faces purposefully. Handsome muscle men were too attractive and would easily draw attention, which would keep them from completing their tasks.

Chong Lin continued, "I was an undercover investigator for five years, then finally completed the job successfully. My wound is from my last arrest. The injury was quite serious, and the rehabilitation process was not optimistic. My doctor's diagnosis was a permanent unrecoverable disability. My injured leg can't take too much force, otherwise I will feel a violent pain in it, making me weak. I can't do any activities for too long, even jogging. That is why I have been out of practice for years, and why I didn't pass the fitness test."

"Is the test aiming at first-class policemen? If you have a wound, why would the bureau of public security insist that you work here? You could be a civil servant in the administrative or logistics department," asked Dai Li.

"I concealed my injury," said Chong Lin, "After that job, the organization transferred me to Huajing, a city thousands of miles away from my original city, in an attempt to protect me from from the drug dealers' backlash. When I registered, I concealed my leg injury from the leaders of the Huajing Bureau of Public Security so that I could continue working in first-class narcotics."

"You don't want to be a civil servant?" Dai Li immediately asked.

Chong Lin nodded seriously, "Right, I don't want to be a civil servant! I'm a policeman. I still remember my vow under the national flag on the first day I became a policeman. My duty is to get rid of the cruelty in the world, keep the peace among the people, stop crimes, and protect everyone! If I became a civil servant who stayed in the office all day long, I'd feel like the walking dead! I'd rather be killed by drug dealers than hide in an office room all day!

"That's why I didn't say anything about my injury. I want to stay on the frontline and catch criminals myself!" Chong Lin was speaking in an agitated tone. He took a deep breath to calm down, but his face showed how exhausted he was. "But I may not be able to cover it up anymore. The fitness test revealed my secret; I didn't pass it because of my injury. A policeman who can't chase after thieves is useless. I won't be able to stay on the frontline any longer."

Hearing Chong Lin's words, Dai Li was touched. To uphold his responsibilities, Chong Lin had concealed his injury so he could stay on the frontline. He didn't know how many policemen were like Chong Lin, but one thing was certain—Chong Lin was great!

"Coach Li, could you please help me pass the test? Only then will I be able to stay here fighting criminals!" Chong Lin said. He had finally told Dai Li his ultimate goal.

Chong Lin had been an undercover investigator, which meant that hiding a leg injury was not a difficult thing for him. Because Dai Li had not suspected anything, Chong Lin had chosen not to hide his secret on purpose. That was why Dai Li had noticed his abnormality. If Chong Lin had wanted to hide his injury, even Dai Li would not have been able to discern it.

Chong Lin knew that he might not be able to hide his secret much longer. If he could not pass the make-up fitness test, he would be transferred and become a civil servant. Because of this, there was no need to pretend he was fine in front of Dai Li. Instead, he had chosen to tell Dai Li everything, hoping that Dai Li could help him.

"Sure!" Dai Li nodded without hesitation. He had a special feeling that helping Chong Lin was his new mission.

Even though it is a gunshot wound, my massage rehabilitation should work. Even if I cannot bring Chong Lin's leg back to its original condition, I have to help him pass the fitness test. Moreover, this test matters for my future, and whether I can stay or not. If Chong Lin does not get a good score, I will be eliminated!

Thinking about this, Dai Li suddenly felt like he was unlucky. There were more than sixty policemen who had not passed the test, yet he had gotten the one injured person who had concealed their condition. When training a person with injuries that was not completely recovered, normal training methods could cause negative effects.

The other coaches don't need to deal with these difficulties, do they? Their trainees, even though they had poor performances, are at least normal people. I'm the only one who has to work with this challenge!

On second thought, Dai Li felt that he was lucky. Because there were more than sixty people who had not passed the test, he was the one who had partnered Chong Lin.

Chong Lin's leg was hurt when he took the test the first time. Only my massage rehabilitation can help him recover. If it was some other coach, he would probably have to become a civil servant, and we would have lost an outstanding policeman. It is my honor to help him, and he is lucky to have met me!

Dai Li took a deep breath to calm himself down, then told Chong Lin, "May I take another look at your wound? I've been studying athletic rehabilitation, so perhaps I can help you."

"I have seen a lot of famous doctors. After seeing my CT slice, they all said there was no way to cure it. Permanent disability was assured to me," said Chong Lin.

"Don't worry. Let me give you a massage first," Dai Li said, beginning to use the massage rehabilitation.

"It's useless. I have also seen some masseuses, but none of their massages have worked. My wound doesn't hurt normally, and I don't even feel any discomfort when i'm resting; but once I put pressure on it or run for a long time, it hurts," said Chong Lin.

"It doesn't hurt usually? You don't feel any pain?" asked Dai Li.

Chong Lin shook his head and said, "No."

Dai Li looked serious.

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Chapter 145: Another Physical Examination

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

From Dai Li's experience, when injured people received the massage rehabilitation, they felt an explosive, excruciating pain. But once the pain disappeared, patients would feel comfortable. Yet today, after dozens of minutes of the technique, Chong Lin had not reacted at all.

That's weird. Why doesn't he feel any pain? There shouldn't be anything wrong with my method. massage rehabilitation works on non-athletes, so why isn't it working on him? What's wrong with his leg?

Thinking about this, Dai Li was unable to restrain himself. He pinched Chong Lin.

"Ow! Why did you pinch me? That hurts!" said Chong Lin.

He can feel the pain. So is there anything wrong with my massage rehabilitation? Dai Li shook his head silently. It shouldn't be. I have been practicing it for a while now. Plus, the System has never failed me before!

Noticing that Dai Li's facial expression had changed, Chong Lin asked, "What's wrong? Is it because my leg is indeed hopeless? Don't worry, it's been years since I received that news. I have already accepted the reality. Don't feel sorry for me."

Dai Li suddenly accessed the System. He was worried that the System was down. But after speaking to the System's golden avatar, it told Dai Li that the System was still functioning normally.

"I know you don't understand it. I suggest you check your experience points," said the System.

It has not changed! said Dai Li casually. But he immediately recognized the key problem.

My experience points have not increased at all. I have been massaging for more than ten minutes. How come it hasn't changed? As long as the massage rehabilitation works, I earn experience points. Does this mean that the massage rehabilitation is not effective on Chong Lin?

Dai Li involuntarily recalled the conditions of the massage rehabilitation. Suddenly, a thought popped into his head.

"Your leg is recovered!" said Dai Li.

Massage rehabilitation fit patients whose body had used to function, but had later partially or completely lost function due to external factors such as illness, injury, disability, etc. Massage rehabilitation could promote recovery and help patients heal in a shorter period of time.

Meanwhile, if the patient was not ill, or had recovered, the massage rehabilitation would have no effect at all. If Dai Li gave a person who had fully recovered the massage rehabilitation, he would not gain any experience points.

When Dai Li had given Chong Lin a massage, he had not gained any experience points, which could only mean that Chong Lin was fully healed.

"You mean my leg is recovered? Are you kidding?" Chong Lin shook his head. "I know that you are encouraging and comforting me, thank you, but my leg is disabled. There is no way to heal it."

"Did the doctor say so? Were you misdiagnosed?" asked Dai Li.

"The doctor said so. I met several doctors, including professors from famous hospitals in Huajing. After checking my CT slice, they all gave me the same opinion, which was that this disability is permanent and incurable," Chong Lin said, helplessness flashing across his eyes.

But Dai Li was inclined to trust the System. "I'm not comforting you, I mean what I say. According to my experience in massage rehabilitation, your leg is OK now. You said that you went to the doctor. How long ago was that? It it possible that you were not recovered at the time, but that now you are good?"

"I don't think so. The doctors had said that my injury was irreversible and permanent," Chong Lin said as he shook his head again, "Besides, whenever I put pressure on my leg, I feel discomfort."

"Could it be due to some other reason? I think you'd better go examine your leg again. Because modern medicine has been developing so fast the last few years, some problems that had been difficult to treat years ago have since been solved. Maybe your leg is curable now!" said Dai Li.

"Is that really necessary?" Chong Lin shook his head. Obviously he did not believe what Dai Li was saying.

Chong Lin has to get another examination to double-check his leg. But if I say it straightforwardly, will it make him feel like I don't trust him? Dai Li thought secretly.

Trust was very important between people, especially in the athletic world. If the trainee did not trust the coach, then the training effect would decrease greatly.

I have to find a good reason that will persuade him to get another physical examination. Dai Li brainstormed for a few seconds, then got an idea.

Dai Li said, "The situation you are facing is more complicated than the others. They don't have any leg injuries, so their problems are easy to address. But you are different; your leg is not cooperating, which means that I must give you a special training plan, and that I should be careful with your training intensity."

Chong Lin nodded. Dai Li continued, "But these are all based on the detailed understanding I have on your leg. Otherwise, I cannot design a fitted plan for you, let alone adjust your training intensity. How about this: you ask for leave and get another physical examination, and I can go with you so that I can fully understand your condition."

"I'm afraid that isn't a good plan. If I ask for leave, everyone will know that my leg is injured, won't they?" asked Chong Lin. Apparently he didn't want to make the issue known to anyone.

"We can find an excuse. Say you twisted your ankle. I can help you convince them," said Dai Li, "You are a good policeman. I will try my best to help you. But before that, I have to fully understand your condition. This is the basis of our training. Otherwise we can't move forward."

"Alright then, I will do as you want," Chong Lin finally agreed.

...

Chong Lin and Dai Li spent the entire afternoon in the hospital.

It was very difficult to register in hospitals in Huajing. Even if one made an appointment six months beforehand, seeing a specialist was not guaranteed. Ticket scalpers made a great amount of money selling registration tickets.

Luckily, Chong Lin had been a policeman for years, so he had some relationships in Huajing. In addition, it was common to see doctors through connections. Chong Lin had asked a familiar doctor for help, and was able to be examined without having to wait.

Dai Li and Chong Lin then had to wait for the results. Usually when people had CT examinations, it would take an entire day to get back the results, or maybe even two days depending on the number of patients. In actuality, however, the beginning of the examination to the diagnosis only took about ten minutes. In Tertiary Hospitals, emergency CTs were required to be diagnosed within half an hour.

"I feel like my injury is worse than before," Chong Lin said sadly.

"Or the opposite?" Dai Li took out his phone to check the time, then said, "The doctor you know said that he had informed the Imaging Department to deal with your CT first, and that we could have the results in half an hour. Time is up; let's go get your CT slice!"

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Chapter 146: Your Leg is Cured

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

Police Training Base.

Although it was only the first day of training, every coach had already begun doing everything they could to help their trainees. There were only ten days total that had been allotted to training, so every minute was precious. Even people who had gotten here through their connections were treating this seriously. Nobody wanted to be eliminated.

All the trainees were policemen. As part of the disciplined services, policemen had more executive ability than athletes. Plus, the training location was in the police training base, which made the atmosphere serious as well.

Xuexi Zhuang did not like the atmosphere. It was too depressing here for him. But he had to bear it, as he was now in Huajing, and not the Hanbei Provincial Youth Team. His vice-director uncle could not help him here. He would have to put in the work himself.

No matter how much he disliked it here, he had to continue coaching. Xuexi Zhuang did not want to be kicked out by the national team. He put more effort then ever into his training. He had never worked this hard before. Meanwhile, Xuexi Zhuang was also paying close attention to Dai Li.

Xuexi Zhuang had seen Dai Li's coaching. Although he had always been looking to cause Dai Li trouble, he had to admitt that Dai Li was an outstanding trainer, and was much better than he was. Xuexi Zhuang also felt that based on Dai Li's ability, he would definitely be on the Top 30 list.

Where is Dai LI? I saw him this morning, but why has he disappeared this afternoon? Xuexi Zhuang looked around, but he could not find Dai Li.

When the first day of training had come to an end, Xuexi Zhuang had still not seen Dai Li.

Dinner time. Xuexi Zhuang and the other coaches gathered in the canteen. They had all come from all over the country, and spoke with various dialects, which created a lively atmosphere in the canteen.

"Have you heard about this? This morning a policeman twisted his ankle during training and had to go to the hospital at noon."

"That means he must have been badly hurt. If it was ordinary sprain, we coaches could handle it. After a massage, relaxing the muscle and joints, it would be fine. If that poor guy is in hospital his injury must be serious!"

"Which coach is the unlucky one? Being in the hospital costs a whole day. Now his first day has been wasted. We only have ten days to work with our trainees, and he has already lost a tenth of it!"

"Moreover, if the trainee's injury is terrible, he might have to rest for a few days. That would delay the entire training process."

"I thought we would see the gaps between us after a week. But someone has already fallen behind on the first day!"

"We can't rush for quick results, either. We have to do it step by step. Our time may be limited, but we can't give too much work to our trainees. Otherwise, once our trainees hurt themselves, the loss will outweigh the gain."

Everyone nodded. Many people seemed to take what had happened as a warning.

Xuexi Zhuang listened carefully. He knew Dai Li had been missing all afternoon, so he asked, "Do you know where that coach is from?"

"Not sure. But he is young, I heard that he is only twenty-four or twenty-five," someone said.

"Some people called him 'Coach Li,' which would mean that his family name should be Li, shouldn't it?" another one added.

Twenty-four or twenty-five, and the family name is Li! Xuexi Zhuang was pretty sure that they were talking about Dai Li. He was immediately overcome with joy.

Aha, Dai Li! Never thought you would have a day like this, huh? Time, pass by quicker, please. I can't wait to see your face when you are kicked out!

...

In the clinic, a young specialist around the age of forty adjusted his glasses, taking a closer look at a CT slice in his hand.

Usually a forty-year-old person was a specialist in their area; marketing, finance, electronics, etc. A forty-year-old was usually a manager with high positions. In the government, someone who was lucky enough could become a vice-director around forty-years-old.

But for doctors, a forty-year-old doctor was considered a "young specialist." Developing a doctor took such a long time that a doctor at thirty was only a resident who wrote medical records for patients; to be an attending doctor, one had to be at least thirty-two. In big hospitals, doctors who were younger than thirty-five were not even qualified to sit in the clinic.

The young specialist put down the CT slice and said, "The CT slice tells me that there is nothing wrong with your leg!"

"Nothing wrong?" Chong Lin was completely confused. But Dai Li showed a "right enough" smile.

"That's impossible. I have visited many specialists, and they all told me that my disability was incurable."

"Disability?" The young specialist shook his head. "Your leg is not disabled at all! Your CT clearly shows that your leg is pretty good! To be more accurate, your leg is completely recovered. There are no lingering effects," the young specialist said resolutely and undoubtedly.

"Could...Could there be a mistake?" Chong Lin said quietly.

The specialist seemed to be used to the doubt of his patients. He was not annoyed by Chong Lin's question, but said, "My diagnosis is based on this CT slice; I say what I see. If you doubt the accuracy of my diagnosis, you can check with some other doctors."

"No, we trust you! Thank you!" Dai Li immediately thanked the doctor, pulling Chong Lin out.

After walking out of the clinic, Dai Li asked, "Would you like to see another doctor to double-check?"

"Sure. Let's change the hospital and change the doctor, and see what they says!" Chong Lin nodded. He had been believing that his leg was disabled for years, yet suddenly a doctor had just told him that he was alright. He couldn't accept the news that easily.

As with the first time, they found a familiar doctor for convenience, then looked for a new specialist to check the CT slice. However, the new doctor had the same opinion as the young specialist. From what he saw on the CT, Chong Lin's leg was fine.

"How could this even be possible! A few years ago when I was being examined, every doctor had told me that I would be permanently disabled. Why is everyone today saying that my leg is OK? I didn't receive any treatment these last few years. How could it have cured itself?" Chong Lin was astonished.

Dai Li proposed a question to Chong Lin, asking, "Could it be possible that you were given the wrong CT slice? Years ago, when you were being examined, could you have taken the wrong CT slice, that belonged to some other patient?"

Chong Lin's eyes suddenly shined brightly. He felt like what Dai Li was saying made a lot of sense.

"Coach Li, I have to go back home to get my original CT slice," said Chong Lin.

"No problem. I will go with you." Dai Li walked with Chong Lin back to his house.

Chong Lin found the original CT, then took the two CT slices back to the hospital. The doctors were off duty and the all the clinics were closed, but because of his relationships, Chong Lin was able to go directly to the surgical ward and meet the vice-director doctor who was on duty.

"These are two different people's CTs," the doctor said decisively, pointing to a place on the CT. "You see, the two bones at the same place have different shapes and sizes. Here, also, the bones are different. And there, and that ... These CTs belong to two different people for sure!"

"Then which CT is mine and which is not?" Chong Lin asked.

The doctor stared at Chong Lin, giving him a look that said, "How could I tell which CT belongs to you!" However, the doctor explained, "According to national rules, clinic medical records should be kept for at least fifteen years, while in-patients' records should be saved for thirty years. You can go back to the hospital where you got your original CT from, and go to the archives center to check your records."

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Chapter 147: Mental Disorder

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

Chong Lin's CT slice had been made several years ago in the Public Security Hospital. He had asked someone to check it, and it had turned out that there was a big mistake. The CT showing a "permanent disability" actually belonged to another injured policeman, not Chong Lin.

Taking someone else's CT by mistake was seemingly impossible, as hospitals usually had electronic medical record systems nowadays, including imaging systems. Before, if a patient moved to a different hospital, every examination, all their medications, and all their treatments would be on a personal database that was recorded on a computer until the medical records department officially put it on file.

Now, however, electronic medical record systems were required in all hospitals. Prior to this, many tertiary hospitals did not have backwards compatibility available for the transfer of information, so manual operation was the main method. For example, when patients are prescribed medicine today, they only need to bring their insurance card with them. Years ago, it was mandatory for patients to have hand-written prescriptions from the doctor.

Everybody made mistakes; such things were unavoidable. Almost every medical incident is caused by human error. Unfortunately for Chong Lin, he was one of the few who had had to experience one of them.

The doctor could only give a diagnosis based on examination results. A wrong CT slice could mislead him or her to make the wrong decision.

To continue actively serving as a policeman, Chong Lin had concealed his injury on purpose. He did not want anyone to know about his wound, and was afraid that he would be transferred and be forced to become a civil servant. Because of this, he had avoided getting himself a second examination.

This was understandable. To many patients, one examination was good enough to tell a lot of things. Sometimes, even if a doctor asked the patient to do something simple like take a routine blood test twice in two days, the patient might think the doctor was just trying to overcharge them. Getting a new CT slice would cause even more suspicion.

Chong Lin had gone to different specialists to double check his CT. To keep his injury a secret, when he would meet with the specialists, he would always say that the CT belonged to a friend of his, who had authorized him to find possible treatments.

Even the most famous specialists would not dare diagnose anything without examination results. Because of this, every specialist had given Chong Lin the same answer: "permanent disability." This, however, was not Chong Lin's actual condition.

The mistake had convinced Chong Lin that he would be disabled for the rest of his life, and would never be cured. So, whenever he was on duty, he would worry whether his leg could bear the pressure or not. After a while, he had given himself a physical burden. Even after his leg had recovered, he still felt pain, and lacked strength. This was a mental disorder, similar to posttraumatic stress disorder; although he was healthy physically, he could not move past his injury mentally.

Chong Lin had been telling himself for years that his right leg was no longer useful, so even though his leg was fine, he still felt uncomfortable. Gradually, his subconsciousness began to sense pain in his leg, and he was unable to use any of the strength in his right leg. While doing certain exercises, he also felt like his leg could not bear the pressure.

Luckily, Chong Lin had met Dai Li. Being encouraged by Dai Li, Chong Lin had finally gotten another examination after years of avoiding one. Now he realized that he had actually received the wrong CT slice, and that his leg was already cured.

...

By the time Chong Lin returned to the training base, it was already afternoon. He had received confirmation that the mistake had been the Public Security Hospital's fault, and that they had given him the wrong CT slice, which had caused his misunderstanding. Because of this, he felt embarrassed and distressed; embarrassed because he had been convinced that he was disabled had created his mental disorder himself, and distressed because the hospital had made a mistake.

Had it been a different hospital, Chong Lin would probably have asked for medical dispute compensation. But it was Public Security Hospital, which belonged to the public security system itself. The hospital had cured so many injured policemen, that as a policeman himself, Chong Lin did not want to ask for compensation. Besides, if he did, the leaders would get involved, and make this big mistake seem insignificant.

Chong Lin felt his situation was unfair. Because of this CT, he had wasted years of his life. Every time he had been on duty, he had not charged forward like he had once done, and had missed opportunities to earn his honor. Now that he knew the truth, he could not change what had already been done. He had no choice but to bury his bitterness deep down in his heart.

"I think you should cheer up," Dai Li said, comforting him, "There is nothing wrong with your leg, which means that you can return to being the brave inspector you once were!"

"I was not a "'brave inspector,'" Chong Lin said. He didn't look happy at all. His words sounded like a complaint.

Dai Li remained silent for a few seconds, then said, "I understand. You lost a lot of time that you could have spent being a policeman. But now your main task is not dwelling on your past—it's getting your time back!"

Chong Lin glanced at Dai Li with surprise. He never thought that Dai Li, someone so young, could sound like such an experienced old gentleman.

Chong Lin suddenly burst out in laughter. "You are right. I should not stay here sulking. It won't change anything. I should work hard and make up for what I missed while I was gone!"

"That's what I have been waiting for," Dai Li said. He took out a piece of paper from his pocket and handed to Chong Lin. He said, "Here is my detailed training plan for you. I'm going to gradually add to the training intensity. You can take a look first so you can prepare for it."

Chong Lin took the paper. Dai Li had organized the training plan as a table with detailed information. Even non-athletes like Chong Lin would have a clear understanding of the plan.

"Coach Li, let's do as you planned!" said Chong Lin.

...

Dai Li's training plan contained a high training intensity, which was a big challenge for Chong Lin.

Luckily for Dai Li, he had a good assistant—the massage and muscle relaxation. Whenever Chong Lin felt like he could not bear the intensity, the massage and muscle relaxation would rapidly help Chong Lin's muscles, which would help him return to training as soon as possible.

In the very beginning, when Dai Li had first received the massage and muscle relaxation technique, he had felt that the skill was useless. But as time had gone by, he realized that this skill was amazing. It could immediately alleviate muscle fatigue caused by high intensity training, which allowed him to increase the workload for better results.

Because Chong Lin had once been an undercover investigator, he had strong endurance both physically and mentally. He had gone through dangerous tasks, so high intensity training was nothing serious to him.

In the blink of an eye, the first week had passed. The training had moved on to the second week. It was exactly at this time that almost all the coaches were in trouble.

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Chapter 148: I Just Need to Pass

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

Police training base.

Xuexi Zhuang was unhappy. His trainee was absent-minded. Because of this, his training for the day had been quite ineffective.

It was Tuesday. Yesterday, the trainee had not been himself, and was not as serious as he had been last week. Xuexi Zhuang thought it was because he was coming off of the weekend, but now that excuse looked unlikely.

This problem was not only affecting Xuexi Zhuang, but the other coaches as well. The trainees were no longer taking the training seriously, and although they were still determined to pass their exams, the effort they were giving was much lower than it had been last week.

All the coaches realized that it was their trainees' attitudes that were the problem. As a coach, having some "bad" students was unavoidable. Even if it was the same person being coached, the trainee might have a different attitude towards training depending on when it was taking place.

If the trainee was an athlete, the coach had many methods of punishing an athlete's immature attitude, such as suspending the athlete from competitions, or sending the athlete back to his or her original team. As for the athlete, there were only two options; quit, or acknowledge the mistake and correct it.

Few athletes dared to quit. In domestic amateur athletic systems, athletes only stayed on training teams. If they quit, they would effectively end their career.

In this case, however, the coaches were dealing with a group of policemen. Even though the policemen were not training seriously, the coaches had no idea what a proper punishment would be.

...

Back with the national athletics team, Chief Coach Shuren Zhao fiddled with his Kungfu tea set and said, "It's about time those young coaches face some difficulties."

Opposite Shuren Zhao sat an old man in his sixties. He had a bald head and round face, and had a fiendish look. He was Li Xue, the assistant chief coach of the national team. H had the highest seniority among all the coaches with administrative duties.

"I heard about it. The policemen are slacking." Li Xue stretched out his hand to receive a cup of tea from Shuren Zhao, then drank it quickly.

"Hey dude, slow down! This is Kungfu tea! You should take time to sip and taste it!" said Shuren Zhao. He made another cup for Li Xue.

Xue took the second cup and asked, "Shuren Zhao, is this all part of your plan?"

Shuren Zhao nodded in confirmation, "After a week of training, the policemen should have reached the qualifying standard already. Their attitudes were bound to change once they hit that milestone. For these young coaches, the upcoming week will be their real challenge!"

"You are right. People have various attitudes towards work. Say the full score is 100 points; somebody might try to get a 120-point performance, while someone might be fine with a 100-point score. Others, on the other hand, might feel satisfied with an 80-point score is pretty good, while someone else might believe reaching the qualifying standard is good enough.

"These trainees must belong to the last group. If they were the kind of people who constantly strived for perfection, they would have passed the fitness examination already. But they didn't, therefore they are not. Passing the exam is the goal for them. Now that they have reached the passing mark, they won't be going out of their way to try for a better result," Li Xue analyzed.

"That's it. So for these young coaches, what they are going to have to try and deal with now is how to inspire their trainees to keep working hard." Shuren Zhao paused, then continued, "Our national team's selection criteria for young talent is not just based off of their training abilities, but their outstanding comprehensive competence. For a coach, getting athletes highly involved in training is the foundation for success!"

...

Xuexi Zhuang said to his trainee in earnest, "Officer Wang, our training today was not very satisfying. In fact, we have taken steps backwards compared to last week. I can feel that you are not giving your all during training anymore. Do you have any concerns? Are you facing any difficulties?"

"No, I'm good. I just don't really want to practice!" Officer Wang smiled. Then he said, "Coach Zhuang, I think the current training load is enough. There is no need to add more to it."

Xuexi Zhuang suddenly felt depressed. Officer Wang had just reached the passing line. If he continued with his current workload and did not do any additional exercises, he would improve very slowly. By the time he takes the fitness exam, he will not get a good grade.

Xuexi Zhuang kept trying to persuade him, saying, "Officer Wang, having been through a week of training, you are now capable of doing higher-intensity work. Let's work this out together. There are only a few days left; by the time you take the fitness test, you will get a good grade."

"But I can pass the test now," Officer Wang said with an adorable look, "As long as I reach the qualifying standard, I will pass the make-up test. That means I only need to stay at the passing level."

"Um..." Xuexi Zhuang was at a loss for words. He had no rebuttal for Officer Wang.

Xuexi Zhuang was unsure how to persuade Officer Wang. Had he been an athlete, he could talk about honor, dreams, and a bright future, having him imagine a scenario where he was standing on the prize-winning platform singing the national anthem, with a gold medal around his neck. But it was a police officer standing in front of him, not an athlete. Glory did not mean much to him.

What should I do? Xuexi Zhuang felt like a chicken with its head cut off.

The other coaches received similar replies from their trainees. "My goal is to pass the exam. Now that I have reached the passing standard, why bother working harder?" This became a common response amongst the trainees.

Every profession had people with a strong sense of responsibility, as well as workers who muddled along. This was especially true in governmental organizations where officers held certainty in their hands. Because people in these organizations had guaranteed futures, quite a few got lazy as time went on. After all, their salary came from financial appropriations; as long as they completed their tasks, no matter how poorly they performed, they would receive the same amount of money. Why bother going the extra mile?

Those who wanted to be promoted would definitely not mess around. Instead, they seized every possible opportunity to present themselves in the best light possible in front of their leaders.

As for these policemen, they had not passed the basic fitness examination, which indicated that they were not type of people who were responsible or would pursue excellence. They wished for nothing more than to ride the waves; as long as they completed tasks, there was nothing they needed to worry about in their eyes. These were the people that only cared about passing the make-up test.

For the coaches, however, simply passing the make-up test was terrible!

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Chapter 149: Faith

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

Chong Lin was better than the other policemen. He was not the kind of person who was satisfied with simply passing the test. He didn't object to Dai Li's increasing workload, but like the other trainees, he was not as serious as he had been last week.

Once a goal was attained, people tended to relax a bit. Chong Lin fell into this category, as he had also reached the passing standard. To him, he had completed an important task, so it was no wonder he had begun to slack off.

"Even if you took the make-up test now, you would pass for sure. But is that all you want?" Dai Li looked at Chong Lin seriously.

Chong Lin nodded with embarrassment, "Sorry Coach Li, I know I was absent-minded during today's and yesterday's training. Don't get me wrong, I'm not objecting to training, I just relaxed a bit. I shouldn't be like that."

Dai Li smiled with satisfaction. He believed that if Chong Lin had the desire to improve, things would be easy.

"I changed our plans for the next three days. Would you like to take a look?" Dai Li handed a form to Chong Lin.

Chong Lin took the form, quickly looked through it, then asked, "Did you add more training tasks?"

"Yes. I not only added events, but I increased your workload as well. You have to train efficiently, otherwise you won't be able to finish daily tasks on time."

It was easy for Dai Li to say, but tough for Chong Lin to do. Chong Lin's face tightened up.

Increasing the quantity to make up for inadequate quality was Dai Li's plan. Chong Lin's lack of effort was mainly due to his psychological relaxation. If Chong Lin had not reached the passing standard yet, he would have been trying his hardest, and would definitely not be at ease now.

Dai Li's wanted to make Chong Lin feel nervous and pressured. That was why he had scheduled more tasks for Chong Lin.

Once a person realized that they had a lot of work left to do, they would naturally feel anxious. Such anxiety was the opposite of relaxation; anxiety could gradually reduce relaxation and push the person forward.

This method was exactly what Dai Li believed in. In fact, when coaches dealt with an athlete's lack of effort, many of them used this method. By increasing the workload, the athletes would be stimulated.

Increasing the workload was a science. Simply adding more workouts couldn't solve the problem. If a coach set a goal that was too high for the trainee to reach, the athlete wouldn't struggle for it, and it would have a negative effect.

The ideal execution was to make the athlete feel like they could finish the tasks on time, while in actuality the workload was just beyond the athlete's ability. This way, the trainee would have hope that as long as they worked harder the next day, they would complete the tasks. The athlete would have a practical goal worth fighting for, thus the training quality would improve.

Dai Li had the Coaching System, but he also had some true ability. When he was in college, he had been a good student who teachers liked. Although the System had brought him some benefits, during training Dai Li depended on his own ability.

Dai Li's new training plan was just above Chong Lin's limit, so Chong Lin could not complete all the tasks in time. Meanwhile, Chong Lin was not discouraged; instead, he felt he was just one step closer to his goal.

...

"Alright, it's about time to finish," Dai Li looked at his watch and said.

"One more task! Just one more task and I can complete today's plan!" Chong Lin was upset.

"Yeah, you are very close. Keep working hard, and you will make it tomorrow," smiled Dai Li.

On the training plan, Chong Lin's tasks for the next day were rearranged by sequence and amount. Some things had been added while others had been reduced. It seemed at first glance as if the total quantity was similar to the previous day, but in fact it was a little more than before.

Because of this tiny increase, Chong Lin was close to completing all the tasks, but failed again. The small gap had created enough separation to inspire him. He was no longer slacking off, but became more active, in hopes of completing his tasks on time.

While the other coaches were still seeking ways to encourage their trainees to work harder, Dai Li had gotten Chong Lin back to high-intensity training successfully. Dai Li felt that he was lucky to have Chong Lin as his trainee, as he always kept pushing to be better.

Seeing the other coaches stuck, Dai Li rejoiced. He knew that the gap between Chong Lin and the other policemen would soon be widened. After all, Chong Lin had once been an undercover investigator. Police officers who were qualified to be undercover agents, especially to detect drug lords, had to be outstanding. Those selected must be the best in terms of physical fitness, combat, marksmanship, etc, let alone IQ and psychological quality. Therefore, physically, Chong Lin was way better than the others.

To Chong Lin, even though he had only gotten back half of his previous ability, he was guaranteed to get a full score on the make-up test.

...

Chong Lin's leg injury had been caused by his own overthinking. Now that he knew there was nothing wrong with his leg, and had erased the mental blocks from his head, he immediately devoted himself to crazy training.

On the training field, sweat poured down from Chong Lin's face.

"15, 16, 17, 18..." Chong Lin forgot how many sets of eighteen pull-ups he had done today. According to the qualifying standard for the fitness test, eighteen was equivalent to a full score. Chong Lin was exhausted, but he still insisted in practicing.

"Officer Lin, you have been practicing for two hours. That is enough. Let's take a break," said Dai Li.

"No, I can do it!" Chong Lin refused.

Dai Li was about to say something, but stopped himself. He saw tenacity and persistence in Chong Lin's eyes. Chong Lin could hardly bear it.

So tired! No, I can't give up, I have to keep working! I must make up the time I missed...

At this moment, Chong Lin remembered that he was a policeman, and recalled the responsibilities he had.

...Loyalty to the motherland, loyalty to the people, and loyalty to the law... Chong Lin contemplated the vow he had made under the national flag on the first day he wore his police uniform.

...Obey orders, obey command; keep disciplined, keep secret... Chong Lin finally said to himself. Only strong belief was left in his mind!

...Be impartial and honest; observe duty, do not be afraid of sacrifice... He repeated the vow. Only one goal remained in his mind: holding on.

To Chong Lin, it was not only a hundred-word vow, but a career, a mission, and a responsibility; a faith to which he was willing to dedicate his life!

He was eager to return to his original status. He was eager to be the original version of himself!

...

The two-week training period came to an end. The police officers had their big test, then went to take the make-up fitness examination.

The test was not only for them, however; it was also for the coaches. Only the coaches who ranked in the top thirty would qualify to stay, and be formally enrolled in the national team's Youth Training Program.

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Chapter 150: Bad Example

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

All the trainees went to take the fitness test, while all the coaches gathered in the meeting room waiting for the results.

"I feel so nervous. I have never felt so nervous before, even when I led my team for big contests," somebody said.

"Only thirty people can stay. I will probably be kicked out! My trainee didn't work hard once he reached the passing standard," another person complained.

"Ah, same. My trainee, Officer Wang, was really casual the last five days. Whenever I wasn't paying attention, he got lazy."

"These police officers are not athletes, we can neither blame nor punish them. They didn't treat it seriously enough. We can't do anything to correct them."

This voice had hardly faded away, yet a few people immediately showed sympathy.

There were several coaches who smiled with confidence. Apparently they had figured out how to stimulate their trainees after they had reached the passing standard. Their trainees' performances must have been above the passing line.

"Coach Deng, I say you are definitely going to win! With 400 points in total, your trainee must be able to get 320 points at least, right?"

"You must be joking, Coach Qiao. I would be satisfied if my trainee got 300 points. But your student will have 320 points for sure, won't he?" Coach Deng asked in response.

"320 points, when divided by four, is an average of eighty points per event. I hope he can do it, but it's too difficult. We only had ten days, after all."

The two had known each other for a long time ago, and had been opponents in many big contests. Therefore, their exchange was not very friendly, but it was still respectful.

Hearing the conversation, Xuexi Zhuang was filled with anxiety. He had not been capable of helping his trainee acquire 300 points in ten days. He felt that the two coaches were showing off.

You showoffs! Xuexi Zhuang said to himself.

He couldn't keep himself from turning to Dai Li. But he was surprised to find that Dai Li looked so calm. He couldn't sense any nervousness from him.

Xuexi Zhuang immediately felt shocked. He was not as good as Dai Li in training. Now that Dai Li showed such a peaceful look, he felt that he was also not as mentally strong as him, either.

Xuexi Zhuang decided to give Dai Li some trouble. He turned to Dai Li and deliberately asked out loud, "Hey Coach Li, I heard that your trainee twisted his ankle on the first day?"

Dai Li sensed the nastiness in Xuexi Zhuang's words, so he nodded with a smile, "It's unavoidable to get hurt during training. Luckily, Officer Chong Lin was not badly injured. He recovered after one night of sleep."

"But you still wasted a whole day! Your trainee must be in bad shape. We only had ten days to train, and you wasted a tenth of it." Xuexi Zhuang took pleasure in Dai Li's misfortune.

Xuexi Zhuang's words garnered the other coaches' attention. Everyone shifted their focus to them, many coaches began to comment about Dai Li in a low tone.

"So he is the one who hurt his trainee on the first day. He looks younger than us!"

"Right, he is around twenty-four or twenty-five. He must be younger than us. You know, young people don't know how to control themselves; they only rush forward. It should have been expected that he would hurt his trainee."

"Physical training is a science. As a coach, he shouldn't be so careless. He should consider the trainee's ability. Let's say the day he missed was his lesson."

"What a costly lesson! He lost a day of training. How can he be in the top thirty? He will be kicked out. I hope he can learn something from this."

"I would imagine he has a strong backing, otherwise he wouldn't be in this program at such a young age. How much ability do those people have? Even if he had one more day to make it up, he would still be kicked out."

In everyone's eyes, Dai Li was a bad example.

In coaching, age was not strong proof for ability. But if a coach was too young, like Dai Li, and was younger than many athletes, sometimes the coach lacked authority in front of older athletes, let alone a team!

Therefore, quite a few coaches who did not know Dai Li thought that he had gotten here through some connection. Now that people with relationships would soon be eliminated, those who had true ability despised Dai Li, while coaches with connections pitied him.

Dai Li didn't argue back, nor did he care about their gazes. In athletics, people spoke with their actions; a victory on the field was more convincing than thousands of disputes. When they received the final results, it would be time to repair Dai Li's reputation.

It didn't take long. After a minute, Instructor Zhao came inside with a form in his hand.

"The final results for fitness test are in my hand. Now, I'd like to announce the grades." Instructor Zhao raised his head and looked around, then said, "The top thirty of you can stay on the national team, while the rest will be eliminated. So I will directly read the scores of the top thirty. If your trainee's name is not announced, it means that you have been eliminated."

In the meeting room, all the coaches became serious. They pricked up their ears and stared at Instructor Zhao with expectation, hoping that the next second their trainees' names would be announced.

"Number thirty: Feng Li, 270 points!" Instuctor Zhao read the first name. A coach waved his fist excitedly, he was ready to jump up to celebrate. Feng Li was his trainee, which meant he had just met the qualifying standard.

But many coaches' faces were stern. Their trainees had only wanted to pass the exam. Because the passing score for the four events was 240 points, according to the level division rule, every five points was a level. This meant that 240 points was six levels behind 270 points.

"270 points over four events. That means Feng Li averaged seventy points for two events, and sixty-five for the other two."

"If 30th place has 270 points, then the other twenty-nine people must have higher grades! Oh my, I will be kicked out..."

Xuexi Zhuang' heart began beating faster. He sensed that he would probably be eliminated too.

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Chapter 151: 1st Place, Chong Lin!

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

The score for the 30th place finished was 270 points, which was the lowest a player could score if they did not want to be knocked out.

However, this score was disappointing for those who were taking a lot of chances. With the lowest standard being 270 points, it was thirty points higher than the passing score. This difference was an impossible obstacle to overcome for the coaches who were content with just a passing score.

Of course, there were some people who were still unwilling to give up, such as Xuexi Zhuang.

There must be more than one player who scored 270 points, and there must be players who scored the same number of points. Maybe 29th and 28th place also got 270 points. If Officer Wang scored 270 points with his extraordinary performance, I stand a chance. Xuexi Zhuang comforted himself, then began to pray for his trainee, Officer Wang, and wished that his performance be better.

On the stage, Political Instructor Zhao continued to read off the names. "29th place, Qi Liu, 270 points; 28th place, Shan Li, 270 points; 27th place, Tao Chen, 270 points…"

Political Instructor Zhao shouted out six names who had all scored 270 points, just as Xuexi Zhuang had expected. However, Officer Wang had not yet been mentioned by Political Instructor Zhao.

"24th place, Xiaowei Song, 275 points." A different score had finally been announced by Political Instructor Zhao. He went on to announce the scores of another three police officers, who had also gotten 275 points.

"20th place, Bin Zhang, 280 points."

"18th place, Baoyu Wang, 285 points."

...

The names were being shouted out one by one. Every announcement of a name triggered an excited look on the face of a coach.

Announcing the names one by one was quite torturous for the coaches. If the scores of all the players had been directly announced on a notice-board, the coaches of the players who had been knocked out (not included in the top thirty) would have been disappointed for a while after reading the announcement, but that's about it; afterwards, they would have gotten over it after coming to terms with the outcome. After all, failure was quite common for coaches.

But because the names were being announced one by one, it gave hope to the coaches, and filled their hearts with expectation. However, defeat after expectations was a harder pill to swallow psychologically.

Especially in the later stages, when there were only a few remaining spots, the atmosphere became more and more stressful; at the same time, the expectations in the hearts of the coaches were growing conversely. Therefore, the closer it got to the end of the announcements, the worse the atmosphere got. The expression of the coaches whose trainees had not yet been called was no longer solemn. Some were already red-faced, about to burst.

Although it was quite torturous, it seemed quite enjoyable for Political Instructor Zhao. Just like an anchorman, he slowed down the announcement and his pace of speech to build suspense.

Political Instructor Zhao was not psychopathic; he was only doing this out of professional habit. Psychological endurance was also a training aspect for the police. A police officer had to face life-threatening risks all the time, so their psychological qualities were quite important. Therefore, Political Instructor Zhao began using the training skills for psychological endurance unknowingly in his announcement, even though he was not aware that he was speaking to a bunch of sports coaches.

As the rankings got closer and closer to the top, the scores of the officers got better and better. There were now very few players who had gotten the same number of points. Among the top-ten players, each score was different. It was almost as if something as small as five points meant getting a place higher.

...

"Say Qingshan Li, come on, say Qingshan Li!" Coach Deng kept muttering silently.

It was time to announce the top three. The scores had reached 305 points. According to Coach Deng's estimation, the score of the officer that had been trained by him should be within this range.

"In 3rd place: Qingshan Li, 310 points," Political Instructor Zhao finally said aloud.

"Whew!" Coach Deng sighed in relief. The score had matched his estimation exactly.

Coach Deng looked at Coach Qiao, who was standing beside him. The name of the officer that had been trained by Coach Qiao had not been said yet.

"Officer Kong, don't let me down!" Coach Qiao also looked every nervous. There were only two places left, which meant only two more chances to place.

"2nd place, Kong Qingjun, 320 points!"

"Yes!" Coach Qiao released a sigh of relief immediately. He felt that this had been even more suspenseful and exciting than the national contests the team he coached had participated in. His chest had been filled with the pleasure of winning in the last minute.

Coach Deng was a little surprised. He had confronted Coach Qiao in the contest many times, with mixed results. But today, Coach Qiao was obviously better than him. The officer that had been trained by Coach Qiao had scored 10 points more than his own trainee.

"The total score for 2nd place is 320 points, which means the average score for each person is 80 points!"

"Awesome. This Coach Qiao is really something. In just ten days, he managed to help his trainee improve the average score of each subject to eighty points. "

"Stop your superfluous words! Coach Qiao is from a coaching family. He began taking part in the National Track and Field Grand Prix by coaching a team independently three years ago. He is the diamond of the Jiangdong Sports Team. He will definitely join the National Team in future. "

Although some people were praising Coach Qiao, a look of joy could not be found on his face.

320 points, yet only 2nd place? Besides Coach Deng, who else could be more capable than me in training? Coach Qiao looked around. There were still over 30 coaches whose trainees had not been called, so Coach Qiao could not figure out which coach had trained the champion.

Maybe the 1st place score is the same as mine, 320 points! Coach Qiao said silently to himself.

...

Only first place had yet to be announced. Among the over thirty coaches whose trainees had not been called, many people were hoping they could be the last one.

With their necks stretched out, and teeth and fists clenched, they were all looking at Political Instructor Zhao with eager eyes. Even the smallest motion of Political Instructor Zhao would put more pressure to them. It was similar to those that played the lottery; even if they knew they probably did not win, they could not help but hope that they had gotten lucky.

Of course, many coaches had already given up completely. The score of 320 points meant that the average score of each subject was eighty points, which was beyond their capabilities. They knew the police officers they had trained would never get such a good score.

Xuexi Zhuang was one of them. He was in a terrible mood, but seeing Dai Li cheered him up.

I was knocked out, but Dai Li was knocked out, too! A sense of relief overcame Xuexi Zhuang.

At that moment, Political Instructor Zhao read out the last name.

"In 1st place: Chong Lin, 400 points!"

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Chapter 152: The Bad Example's Counterattack

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

"In 1st place: Chong Lin, 400 points!" The voice of Political Instructor Zhao was clear and resonant.

All the coaches were completely silent. Almost everyone's face was filled with great surprise. Disbelief was in the eyes of many people.

Four hundred points is the full score, did I just hear that correctly? Is Political Instructor Zhao joking? one coach said silently to himself. When he saw the solemn face of Political Instructor Zhao, however, he instantly knew that what Political Instructor Zhao had said was true.

"Wow!" The next second, the meeting room was in an uproar.

"400 points, the full score! How could that be possible!"

"We only got ten days of training time, how could a full score be possible?! For the total score to be even over 300 points is a remarkable achievement. It is really incredible that someone could get the full score!"

Coach Qiao and Coach Deng looked at each other, exchanging looks of amazement.

Who is that? What coach could be so capable? Coach Qiao thought that 320 points would be the top score; even if someone was better than him, he thought the score would only be five or ten points higher at most.

However, to his surprise, the 1st place finisher had gotten 400 points, which was 80 points higher than his trainee's score. According to the criteria that equated five points to one level, this was a giant difference of sixteen levels.

Moreover, with the growth of the trainees' level, the training would be more and more difficult as a result, and the progress would be harder and harder to see. In this case, during an examination of physical performance, a score increase from 90 points to 100 points was much more difficult than an increase from 70 points to 80 points.

Coach Qiao had always believed that he, the coach who had come in 2nd, and the other coaches, who had gotten 30th, were on two different levels; after all, the score difference between 2nd and 30th place was 50 points. But right now, there was a world of difference between him and the coach of 1st place.

The noisy discussion of the coaches made Political Instructor Zhao frown in discontent. However, he could expect too much from some coaches. If police officers had been in such a chaotic condition, punishments would have been inevitable.

The coaches kept conversing, ignoring Political Instructor Zhao's expression.

"Who is it? Who could be so awesome?"

"Only a man of God could get a full score within ten days. Just come forth and receive my worship!"

"Political Instructor Zhao just said the name of the police officer who got the full score is Chong Lin. Who is the coach of Chong Lin?"

"Chong Lin? It sounds so familiar. I feel like I have heard this name somewhere."

"No need to tell me. Of course you are familiar with the name. Haven't you read the The Water Margin (a Chinese novel written by Shi Nai'an; this novel is considered one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. The story, set in the Song dynasty, tells of how a group of 108 outlaws gather at Mount Liang (or Liangshan Marsh) to form a sizable army before they are eventually granted amnesty by the government and sent on campaigns to resist foreign invaders and suppress rebel forces. It introduced to readers many of the most well-known characters in Chinese literature, such as Wu Song, Chong Lin, and Lu Zhishen.)? The 'Panther Head' Chong Lin!"

"I am not talking about the Chong Lin from The Water Margin. It seems like his name was just mentioned by someone here!"

"Yes, now that you mention it, I also remember that someone said this name just moments ago!"

The speaker looked around in the meeting room, then rested his eyes on Xuexi Zhuang.

"It was him, he just said that! He mentioned Chong Lin's name!" The guy said, pointing at Xuexi Zhuang.

Xuexi Zhuang was immediately baffled. The next second, he suddenly remembered that it was him who had just said, "It is really bad luck for Officer Chong Lin," when he had been speaking with Dai Li. The name of Chong Lin had been mentioned by Dai Li in the very beginning.

"Dai Li! The coach of Chong Lin is Dai Li!" Xuexi Zhuang turned his head and looked at Dai Li in surprise. A few minutes ago, he had been making fun of Dai Li for hurting his trainee on the first day. But now, that same police officer had gotten the full score on the physical performance examination, and was the only one to have done so.

"Is Chong Lin your trainee?" Xuexi Zhuang asked, almost clenching his teeth. He could not accept what was happening right before his eyes.

Dai Li smiled and said, "Officer Chong Lin has always worked hard in training. The full score should be attributed to his diligence and hard work." Dai Li had humbly admitted that he was the coach of Chong Lin through his words.

"It is him! It is the young man. He is the coach of Chong Lin. His training got Chong Lin the full score!"

"Huh? Is he the coach whose trainee sprained his foot during the first day of training?"

"It really is him! I was told that the police officer went to the hospital for a diagnosis and wasted a day. How could he have gotten the full score?"

"How could he have gotten the full score with 1/10 of his training time wasted? What training method did he use?"

Almost all of the coaches were looking at Dai Li in great surprise. These coaches had spent ten days in training, yet their scores were just over 300 points, at most. Most of them had gotten even less than 300 points. Dai Li had managed to help his trainee obtain the full score in nine days. The stark contrast was eye-catching, to say the least.

The coaches who had made comments like "this young man knows nothing of systematic training," or "only this young man could act this recklessly" blushed immediately. In spite of their criticism, Dai Li had still managed to help his trainee get a full score, which easily crushed their pathetic scores.

Just a few minutes ago, Dai Li had been a bad example for everyone to take notice of; but now, this "bad example" had completed the perfect counterattack by not only coming in first, but also getting an amazing full score!

The coaches who had considered Dai Li a bad example were completely embarrassed. Many people felt ashamed that they were not a "bad example" like him.

Results were always the cornerstone of athletic training. A better result meant a higher training level, and a more capable coach. Ever since the ancient times, it had been impossible to find the "best" person in a writing contest, or the "second best" in a fight. Some readers may speak highly of a novel, but others might think it is terrible. No dish suited all tastes, for different people had different judging criteria.

But in competitive sports, a winner was always clear. In the racing games, one would fail even if he was 0.01 second slower than the winner; a difference of 0.05 points could result in failure. In competitive sports, everybody stood at the same starting line, and was evaluated by the same standard. By defeating everyone else, the winner deserved respect.

Dai Li became the focal point of everyone instantly, while Xuexi Zhuang became more and more flustered.

The name of the police officer who had been trained by Xuexi Zhuang had not been mentioned by Political Instructor Zhao, which meant that he had failed to make the top 30, knocking him out. Xuexi Zhuang would now have to return to the Hanbei Province in dismay.

If Dai Li had also been knocked out, Xuexi Zhuang would have definitely felt better. Both of them would have went to Huajing together. If they had come back together, nobody could have said anything about it.

But now, Dai Li could stay, while Xuexi Zhuang would have to go back by himself. He was unsure how to answer a question like "why did you come back alone?" This is what his colleagues, friends, uncle, the cook in the canteen, and even the cleaning lady would ask him. It would be very embarrassing for him to say, "I was rejected by the National Team."

Xuexi Zhuang also knew that the gap between him and Dai Li would be widened because of this. Before, Xuexi Zhuang could still acquire more resources and even take opportunities from Dai Li using his uncle, who was the Director of the Provincial Sport Bureau. Now, Dai Li had reached the level of the National Team, where even Xuexi Zhuang's uncle could not stop Dai Li from further development.

I never would have stepped into this muddy water had I known what I was getting into. Xuexi Zhuang began to regret his decisions.

Xuexi Zhuang had been too ostentatious lately. Now, this high-profile would turn out to be the heaviest psychological burden for him.

At that instant, Xuexi Zhuang realized the true meaning of the saying "don't bite off more than you can chew."

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Chapter 153: The Real Competition

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

The Head Coach Office of the National Track and Field Team.

In front of a computer, Shuren Zhao was typing on the keyboard. The typing was fast, which meant he was busy. With a document in hand, Li Xue, the Deputy Head Coach of the National Team, knocked on the door and entered anxiously.

Shuren Zhao knew Li Xue was a quick-tempered person, so he asked, "Xue Li, why are you in such a hurry?"

"The police training base has sent us the results. They were just printed out in the office, so when I passed by I took a copy for you." Li Xue paused, then continued and said, "Guess what? There is a full score!"

With a look of disbelief, Shuren Zhao looked up. This physical training was for the police officers whose physical performance was subpar. The average score of the selected officers was lower than 100 points; these officers were not the best. Moreover, the training time was very short. According to Shuren Zhao's previous prediction, those who could score over 300 points should be considered top-notch talents.

Furthermore, the higher the score was, the more difficult the training would be. With a limited amount of time, it was almost impossible to get full score. Shuren Zhao thought that even with him as the coach, it would still be impossible to help a police officer get a full score in such a short time period.

"Who is it? This is really a remarkable achievement!" Shuren Zhao took the results from Li Xue.

"He's from Hanbei Province. His name is Dai Li," Li Xue said.

"Dai Li?" Shuren Zhao repeated. He felt like the name was familiar.

Dai Li had stayed in the Beikou Training Center for an additional month. To make this happen, Jihai Ding had made a special trip to ask Shuren Zhao for help. This was why the name was familiar to him. However, as time had passed by, coupled with being tied down with duties, Shuren Zhao had already forgotten about it.

"Has this Dai Li accomplished anything else before?" Shuren Zhao asked.

"I have already checked his records. He was the coach of Haiquan Fang in the Hanbei Province. When Haiquan Fang broke the U16 national record, Dai Li was his head coach," Li Xue replied.

"The head coach of Haiquan Fang! To be able to develop a talent like Haiquan Fang must mean that this Dai Li is really somebody. Now he has gotten a full score again. Let's focus our attention on him. If he is promising and worth working on, just have him stay here," Shuren Zhao said.

"That's what I was thinking," Li Xue nodded. He then said to himself, Wow, a full score. He was able to get a full score in such a short time! This young guy is more skilled than an old bird like me.

...

The bus was parked outside the police training base. The coaches brought their luggage and got on the bus. More than half of them would be leaving tomorrow.

Dai Li had only just gotten on the bus when someone said to him, "Coach Li, why don't you sit with me?"

A full score had put Dai Li in the spotlight. All the coaches who had participated in the training knew Dai Li, whether they had been knocked out or were still ableto stay.

Dai Li's capability was also recognized by everyone. Coach Qiao, who had come in 2nd place, and Coach Deng, who had come in 3rd place, were completely convinced of Dai Li's ability. Results were always the cornerstone of the sports world, and the strong were always admired.

As Dai Li sat down, somebody immediately said to him, "Coach Li, in a short period of time, you managed to help a police officer get a full score. Did you use some magic code? Could you please tell us?"

"Yeah, Coach Li, please give us some tips. I really want to learn from you," another person beside him said.

Dai Li smiled and said, "Those are very basic training subjects. I was very lucky that the police officer I trained had been an anti-drugs policeman before. His physical ability was already better than the others."

The 4x10m shuttle run, the standing long jump, the pull up, and the 1000m race were the most fundamental training subjects for professional sports coaches, who knew the training techniques very well. Dai Li really had nothing to offer to the other coaches that wasn't already common knowledge. As for the good luck, Dai Li did not lie.

Unlike other officers who had failed the examination because of their poor conditioning, Chong Lin's failure on the physical examination had been caused by some psychological problems.

For example, Chong Lin had been worried about his leg injury, and did not exert all his energy during the 4x10m shuttle run, which was why his performance had been unsatisfactory. When he was finally told that his leg had never been injured, he was able to make full use of his power without worrying about his legs, so his results improved remarkably. In terms of physicality, Chong Lin was far better than the other officers, which was the root of why Dai Li had mentioned his "good luck."

Chong Lin had also worked earnestly and assiduously during training. To Dai Li, it seemed like Chong Lin was the most hard-working one among all the trainees. He truly deserved the full score on the examination.

The next day, the coaches who had been knocked out would leave and return to their training teams. The coaches who could stay would go to the training base of the National Track and Field Team.

...

In the meeting room of the National Track and Field Team, all of the top management for the National Track and Field Team, including the Head Coach, Shuren Zhao, attended the meeting.

"Hello, everyone. Welcome to the National Track and Field Team, and welcome to the Youth Training Program of the National Track and Field Team." Standing centerstage with a piece of manuscript paper in hand, Shuren Zhao began introducing the program.

As Dai Li began to get drowsy, the microphone was finally handed to the Deputy Head Coach, Li Xue.

"This Youth Training Program we hold is mainly composed of 3 stages. The first stage is selection; the second stage focuses on development; and the third stage is examination." As Li Xue spoke, he looked at the participating coaches, then held up his index finger and continued, "So, we will start the first stage of selection today."

"What? A selection stage?" All thirty coaches were surprised, including Dai Li.

"Did I hear that right? Did Coach Xue just say 'selection?'"

"We have just returned from the police training base. We originally had over sixty people, and now more than thirty have been knocked out. Isn't that a selection?"

"What the hell is going on? Does that mean some of us might still be knocked out?"

Everyone was looking at Li Xue with a terrified look.

Li Xue said calmly, "I know you are dubious about our arrangement. You have just finished staying in the police training base for two weeks. More than half of you have been knocked out. What I'm trying to say is that what you experienced was not the selection of our Youth Training Program. Those who were knocked out over the last two weeks will not even have the opportunity to join our program.

"The original intention of the Youth Training Program was to find the top-notch talents from the best programs for further development. What we need are excellent coaches. The four training subjects used in the police training base can easily be handled by a PE teacher in middle school. How could those same subjects be used for the selection of coaches for the national team?"

The coaches were speechless. The four events used in the physical examination of the police were indeed the most elementary ones. They would not have baffled even middle school PE teachers. These training subjects were a piece of cake for professional coaches. Therefore, these subjects were not really the best standard to use as the talent selection criteria for the national team.

Everyone suddenly began to realize that the police training had only been the appetizer before the main dish. The real competition was just beginning.

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Chapter 154: Observation and Learning

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

The news of the second stage of selection immediately made the meeting room tense. Everyone was sitting solemnly and listening carefully in an effort to avoid any missing content.

Li Xue was very satisfied with the coaches' reaction. He really wanted to be encouraging, but because of his grisly look and his bald head, the coaches did not dare look at him directly.

Li Xue continued, "The track and field training of the national team is divided into the following groups: sprinting, middle-distance running, long-distance running, hurdles, steeplechase, race walking, long jump, high jump, throwing, and all-around. The relay training will be organized before the race by establishing a temporary training group."

"The sprinting group will be divided into two teams: the 100m and 200m race are on team 1, and the 400m race is on team 2. The middle-distance running group will not be re-distributed. The long-distance group will be divided into two teams: the 5000m and 10000m race are on team 1, and the marathon is team 2. The hurdle, steeplechase, race walking, and the all-around groups will not be re-distributed. The long jump group will be divided into two teams as well: the running broad jump team and the triple jump team. The high jump group will also be divided into two teams, the high jump team and the pole-vault team. Finally, the throwing group will be divided into four teams: the shot put team, the discus team, the hammer throw team, and the javelin team."

Once he finished, Li Xue glanced at the coaches, then continued, "Along with my introduction, I want to tell you that in the next two months you will be allocated to different teams to assist in training with the coaches of the national team by participating in the workouts. You may treat the next two months as a period of observation and learning. I hope you listen, watch, and learn earnestly, and think carefully during this period. If you do not understand something, think it over and ask questions! After the two months, the national team will hold a selection examination."

Dai Li realized immediately that the selection examination that would be held must have a strong correlation with the learning and observation that would take place in these next two months.

This reminded Dai Li of his high school years. Before his examination, the teachers would always mark the contents of the textbook that would definitely be on the examination for the students, so that the students could know to review those contents carefully. This training observation, learning, and participation over the next two months would be equivalent to the marking of important knowledge to be tested on the examination.

All the coaches in the meeting room were elites from across the country. None of them were stupid, and everyone there knew that. Although nobody knew the detailed content of the selection examination, everyone had realized that the answers to whatever would be on the examination would be found in whatever they observed and learned in the next two months.

...

The sport event training had always been one of Dai Li's shortcomings. Even though Dai Li was a college graduate who had majored in athletic training, his knowledge was basically only from textbooks. For the training for different sports, Dai Li only knew the training methods for the most simple events like sprinting, shot put, and the long jump.

However, even for these elementary sports, Dai Li's professional knowledge was still inadequate compared to that of the national team. The training content and concepts of the national team had been far beyond Dai Li's understanding. For instance, Dai Li's knowledge of 100m sprint training that he had learned in university was archaic compared to the training methods of the national team.

The coaches who had once been professional athletes were definitely better than Dai Li in certain sports. For example, the coaches who had been sprinters may have had limited knowledge about training in other events, but they were certainly better than Dai Li when it came to sprint training.

"Better" did not mean better results; it meant better scheduling, better understanding, better pertinence, and better methods. As for results, Dai Li was definitely just as good as most coaches, if not better. This was the advantage the Coaching System gave him.

When Dai Li had been with the Youth Team of the Hanbei Province, he had mainly been engaged in the technique and physical training of the shot put and long-jump team. He had been responsible for basic training.

Young athletes were like unpolished jade. The most important thing in the beginning stages was to lay a solid foundation. The never-ending basic training that was repeated everyday was routine for young athletes.

All basic training was the same for all sports. Any coach with adequate professional knowledge could instruct athletes in basic training. Therefore, Dai Li was able to handle the training tasks easily and freely. Moreover, the assistance of the Coaching System helped Dai Li stand out among many coaches. Now, he was on the national team and was really participating in the training of various sports. Dai Li realized that he still had a lot to learn.

Dai Li's first impression of the national team's training was how meaningful it was. The coaches of the national team were really good at finding problems in athletes. Then, they would organize the training schedule of the athletes around their problems.

In addition, the national team's training put more emphasis on details. To Dai Li, small details were totally harmless, and might not influence the result at all. These same small details that were negligible for ordinary coaches had to be corrected on the national team. It was true that a harmless detail could not influence the overall result; however, the accumulation of many small details could result in more significant effects. Sometimes the details could affect each other and cause a chain reaction. Similar to the butterfly effect, the smallest thing could ultimately change the outcome in a big way.

Two years ago, when Dai Li was still in the Beikou Training Center, he had only participated in the training of Feixiang Lin. Dai Li had not realized this fact at the time. Now, his understanding of training was even more profound, along with his participation in different training programs.

Dai Li was like a dry sponge that had suddenly been thrown into the sea. He began to absorb everything in his environment. He could feel himself learning new skills and practical knowledge, and had a novel experience during each day's observation, learning, and training participation.

Practice and experience, which had to be accumulated over time in all industries, were Dai Li's biggest deficits. For sports coaches, practice and experience were even more important. Unlike some industries that could have the sudden emergence of blockbusters, the growth of an excellent coach required long-term development.

The observation and learning on the national team gave Dai Li a higher starting point. Training on the national team was like a diamond that had already been transformed from coal. The training methods and concepts were state-of-the-art, at least in the country, and could be used right away. Dai Li's first experience on the national team had saved him many twists and turns.

Meanwhile, the national team also had the best athletes from across the country. Dai Li's participation in their daily training helped him gain a lot of experience and familiarity with the training system. In addition, because of his widely-recognized skill of relaxation massaging, tasks could always be assigned to Dai Li, which took up most of his free time. His first-person experience was skyrocketing again.

When the two month observation and learning period was halfway done, Dai Li's system was upgraded again. He had finally managed to get past the threshold of a second-rate coach and make himself a top-level coach.

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