Chapter Summaries

Wu Li outlasted Ma Angxing in a grueling final match, winning 4:3 and becoming a star for Spade Q after his professional debut. Jiang Tiansheng reconsidered his judgment of Wu Li as Spade Q celebrated its derby victory over Jiangcheng University Team.

• Wu Li defended against Ma Angxing’s attacks and won the opening game 3:0 after Ma Angxing missed a high ball following a full-power loop.
• Wu Li’s short backspin serve led to a long exchange, but Ma Angxing eventually smashed past him to make the score 3:1.
• Ma Angxing found ways to attack Wu Li more effectively as the match continued, but Wu Li endured and won 4:3 after forty-five minutes.
• Wang Chao recognized Ma Angxing’s resilience, while Wu Li’s victory made him Spade Q’s third star player.
• Jiang Tiansheng left the arena reconsidering whether he and Luo Zhihong had held Wu Li back, as Spade Q claimed its first derby win after promotion to the top division.

After Spade Q’s victory over Jiangcheng University, Wang Chao joined Wang Bo in filming a table tennis variety show and visited the university’s cherry blossoms. There, he unexpectedly reunited with Liu Bei, who persuaded him to visit the campus table tennis club.

• Wang Bo and the Jiangcheng University players congratulated Wang Chao and the Spade Q team after the match, and reporter Wei Ming invited Wang Chao and Wang Bo to film a variety program.
• Wang Chao and Wang Bo demonstrated table tennis tricks and completed several skill challenges for the TV program.
• Wang Bo invited Wang Chao to see Jiangcheng University’s cherry blossoms, where he spoke about retiring and becoming a student there.
• Wang Chao reflected on his dedication to table tennis as he walked beneath the cherry blossoms with Wang Bo.
• Wang Chao ran into his former class monitor Liu Bei, who invited him to the university table tennis club, and Wang Bo urged him to go.

Wang Chao visited Jiangcheng University's table tennis club with Wang Bo and Liu Bei, where his expertise impressed the students and drew Liu Bei closer to him. He rejected her tentative invitation to keep in touch, deciding that romance would distract him from table tennis.

• Wang Chao declined Liu Bei's invitation to play but awkwardly explained the rumor that national-team players could choose girlfriends from other sports teams.
• Coach Zhao Ge recognized Wang Bo and Wang Chao, then asked Wang Chao to guide the club members.
• Wang Chao gave the players precise advice, impressing them and making Liu Bei admire him.
• Liu Bei asked to exchange phone numbers and later asked whether she could call Wang Chao, but he said it would not be convenient.
• Wang Bo criticized Wang Chao for turning Liu Bei down, while Wang Chao privately concluded that he had to keep his focus on table tennis.

Wang Chao’s punishing training helped Wu Li improve with astonishing speed, and Wu Li’s victory over Power Club revealed that his touch could develop through pressure and competition. The discovery left Jiang Tiansheng questioning whether his cautious training had held Wu Li back, while Fan Xiaofan celebrated his decision to trust Wang Chao.

• Wang Chao pushed Wu Li through exhausting practice sessions, improving his own stamina as Wu Li’s defense and shot reading grew stronger.
• During practice, Wu Li unexpectedly produced a precise long-distance slice, and Wang Chao realized his touch had improved.
• Wu Li won the deciding match against Power Club 4-3 and repeated the remarkable slice, convincing the team that his earlier shot was no fluke.
• Jiang Tiansheng called Wang Chao to ask about Wu Li’s newfound ability and wondered whether he and Luo Zhihong had stifled Wu Li by keeping him in a protected training environment.
• Wang Chao said Wu Li needed high-quality practice partners, and Fan Xiaofan celebrated the payoff from signing and supporting him.

Spade Q lost to Laobaigan Club, leaving the team near the bottom of the Super League and facing another wave of criticism. As Spade Q prepared to meet Zhonggang, Sun Tianlong studied Wang Chao’s recent play and decided he would challenge him despite the cost to his own injury.

• Wang Chao misread Laobaigan’s lineup and took second singles, while Lin Li played first singles and beat Geng Shuai.
• Wang Chao defeated Laobaigan’s second singles player, then partnered with Wu Li to win their doubles match, but Wu Li later lost the deciding match to Lin Li.
• Spade Q fell to two wins and three losses, and Ye Hongye predicted the team would lose its next match against Zhonggang and drop further in the standings.
• Wang Chao told Fan Xiaoxian that Zhonggang was not certain to beat Spade Q, despite Sun Tianlong’s strength.
• Sun Tianlong analyzed Wang Chao’s recent matches and told Qin Huachang that he would suppress Wang Chao, accepting that he might pay a price because of his injury.

As the China Open drew the world’s top players to Tianfu City, China Table Tennis placed its hopes on Luo Jiu while Sun Tianlong and Wang Chao prepared for a Super League showdown. After the Open draw, Sun and Wang went to separate packed rooms to meet with their respective advisers and teammates before the qualifiers began.

• Top players from around the world arrived in Tianfu City for the China Open, while China Table Tennis sent Luo Jiu and a roster of teammates instead of its full main force.
• Cai Guodong’s staff included Qi Hao in the roster despite his bizarre record of failing to qualify for international main draws.
• Liaoning Province Zhonggang arrived in Jiangcheng City, where Fan Xiaofan and Black Spade Q warmly welcomed the team because Sun Tianlong was with them.
• Wang Chao was surprised to see Qin Huachang accompanying Liaoning Province Zhonggang, and Sun Tianlong later invited Wang to watch the China Open draw with him.
• The draw placed the seeded players into eight sections, and Sun Tianlong and Wang Chao claimed they would play first and second singles respectively in their upcoming team match.
• After the draw, Sun Tianlong went to Qin Huachang’s crowded room, while Wang Chao went to Fan Xiaofan’s equally crowded room as both sides prepared for the showdown.

Qin Huachang realized Wang Chao intended to challenge Sun Tianlong to prove he belonged in a class above the other Olympic contenders and earn selection for the Games. As Sun Tianlong prepared to face him out of concern for his development, Qin Huachang unexpectedly urged his disciple to reconsider and avoid the match.

• Sun Tianlong reported his conversation with Wang Chao, and Qin Huachang explained that Wang Chao’s words revealed little about his lineup but showed whether he respected Sun Tianlong.
• Tang Jiuzhou argued that Wang Chao would willingly face Sun Tianlong because he prioritized team results and had previously sought a clash with Luo Jiu.
• Qin Huachang concluded that Wang Chao wanted to defeat a national-team main player to establish himself as an Olympic contender and become impossible for Cai Guodong to overlook.
• Qin Huachang recalled Wang Chao’s earlier efforts to challenge Lin Li and Xiao Fei, then realized he had underestimated Wang Chao’s ambition for weeks.
• Sun Tianlong asked which position he would play, and Qin Huachang, troubled by his disciple’s willingness to risk his health for Wang Chao’s sake, suggested that he avoid the match.

Wang Chao and Spade Q devised a lineup intended to make Sun Tianlong face Wang Chao twice, while Zhonggang settled on a different arrangement. After Chinese qualifiers ended in a total wipeout, the chapter left the national team facing widespread criticism over its future.

• Wang Chao and Spade Q debated which singles slots Sun Tianlong would choose, then reversed Coach He Jingping’s suggested lineup to set Wang Chao for first and final matches.
• Qin Huachang concluded that Sun Tianlong would play first singles and chose the fifth match, completing Zhonggang’s lineup with Qi Hao and Xue Hui in the other singles slots.
• Qi Hao failed to qualify for the China Open main draw, finalizing Zhonggang’s roster for the upcoming match.
• Players from both teams reviewed the main-draw roster and saw that no Chinese qualifier had advanced, including Sun Zhongwen and Lu Feiyang.
• Rohlskov and Mizutori Hato publicly questioned China’s table tennis prospects as young players from other countries filled the main draw.

Wang Chao faced Sun Tianlong in Spade Q’s most anticipated Super League match and found himself unsettled by Sun’s repeated all-out attacks. The chapter left Wang suspecting Qin Huachang was secretly coaching Sun through Tang Jiuzhou, though he could not understand why he had become the target.

• Spade Q and Liaoning Province Zhonggang submitted their lineups, and Wang Chao was announced to face Sun Tianlong in the opening match.
• Wang Chao chose to challenge Sun Tianlong with short pushes, expecting Sun to avoid risky attacks and hoping to wear him down.
• After eight short exchanges, Sun Tianlong launched a full-power forehand flick and won the first point.
• Sun Tianlong attacked again after another series of short pushes, scoring a second point with a fast step-around power flick.
• Wang Chao noticed Qin Huachang speaking quietly with Tang Jiuzhou and concluded Qin might be relaying coaching instructions to Sun through Tang.
• Wang Chao struggled to explain Sun’s relentless approach and wondered whether he had offended Qin Huachang.

Wang Chao adjusted to Sun Tianlong’s aggressive approach and fought back with a long attacking rally to tie the score at 2:2. Sun Tianlong then exploited his stronger play to win four straight points, leaving Wang Chao trailing 2:6.

• Sun Tianlong served short, and Wang Chao won a lengthy point by flicking, smashing Sun Tianlong’s lifts, then dropping the ball short to make the score 2:1.
• After a short-game exchange, Wang Chao used a heavy, spin-laden backhand twist to set up a power-loop attack against Sun Tianlong.
• Wang Chao kept attacking through a seventeen-shot looping rally and broke Sun Tianlong’s defense to tie the score at 2:2.
• Sun Tianlong flicked first to win the fifth point, while Wang Chao’s flick failed in the sixth.
• Sun Tianlong read Wang Chao’s backhand twist in the seventh point, then attacked past his defense; Sun Tianlong also flicked successfully in the eighth point, taking a 6:2 lead.

Wang Chao realized that Sun Tianlong's defense and control left him few ways to score, so he began targeting the veteran's backhand with a strategy built on his own comprehensive technique. The chapter ended with the two trading cautious backhand shots as Wang Chao's attempt to expose Sun Tianlong's weakness began.

• Wang Chao and Sun Tianlong exchanged points, and the score reached 4:8 after Wang Chao won one point with a net-cord ball and another by breaking through in a rally.
• Wang Chao switched to a hook serve aimed at Sun Tianlong's deep, wide backhand corner, frustrated that he had to reveal his sole discovered weakness so early.
• Wang Chao recognized that Sun Tianlong's backhand lacked a powerful finishing attack but remained versatile and difficult to break through.
• Wang Chao served to Sun Tianlong's backhand, then held his position and counter-twisted Sun Tianlong's deep return into the same corner.
• Sun Tianlong and Wang Chao began a cautious backhand-to-backhand exchange, each returning the ball deep and wide to the other's backhand.

Wang Chao unveiled a powerful backhand counter-topspin against Sun Tianlong, but Sun Tianlong had prepared for it and won the point through superior judgment. Wang Chao continued targeting Sun Tianlong’s backhand with varied techniques, and Qin Huachang began to see him as a player with exceptional technical capacity.

• Brother Da Ma explained that Wang Chao lacked the power to beat Sun Tianlong in a backhand rally, just before Wang Chao unleashed an unfamiliar backhand topspin.
• Sun Tianlong neutralized Wang Chao’s spin, and the two exchanged attacks until Sun Tianlong changed the ball’s direction and won the point, making the score 9:4.
• Wang Chao suspected Sun Tianlong had studied his match recordings and prepared specifically for his new backhand technique, but he continued challenging Sun Tianlong’s backhand.
• Wang Chao and Sun Tianlong traded a wide variety of shots, while Wang Chao repeatedly kept the ball in Sun Tianlong’s wide backhand corner.
• Qin Huachang watched Wang Chao’s control and began to see the possibility that he possessed the vast technical capacity Sun Tianlong had shown.

Wang Chao kept Sun Tianlong pinned to his backhand through a prolonged technical rally, but Sun Tianlong broke the stalemate with a powerful mid-distance backhand counter-loop and won the point. Wang Chao realized his match instincts were still inferior to Sun Tianlong’s, leaving the score at 10:4.

• Wang Chao repeatedly targeted Sun Tianlong’s wide backhand, matching his varied techniques and refusing to take the bait of exposed openings.
• Sun Tianlong grew agitated as Wang Chao maintained control of the rally and forced him into a prolonged strategic deadlock.
• Sun Tianlong retreated and unleashed a powerful backhand lift from below the table, then followed Wang Chao’s return with a forehand power loop to win the point.
• Wang Chao recognized that Sun Tianlong’s backhand could produce overwhelming power when he gave up control, and that Sun Tianlong’s strength and explosiveness surpassed his own.
• Wang Chao reflected on losing two endgame exchanges through inferior instincts, as the score reached 10:4.

Wang Chao lost the first two games to Sun Tianlong, but Geng Shuai’s rough attempt to provoke him helped him regain his resolve. As the players prepared to continue, Qin Huachang urged Sun Tianlong to stop before the strain worsened, but Sun Tianlong returned to the table, insisting he knew his limits.

• Sun Tianlong beat Wang Chao 11:4 in the first game, leaving Wang Chao shaken and despairing.
• Fan Xiaoxian suggested Wang Chao conserve his strength, but Geng Shuai startled him into shedding his despair and challenged him to beat Sun Tianlong.
• Wang Chao tried to pin Sun Tianlong to his wide backhand, but Sun Tianlong exploited the smallest openings and won the second game 11:6.
• During the break, Qin Huachang urged Sun Tianlong to withdraw because his intense play could further injure his body.
• Sun Tianlong told Qin Huachang that he knew his limits, then returned to the table when the referee called the players back.

Sun Tianlong swept Wang Chao 4:0, while the team event remained undecided. After Geng Shuai won and the doubles pair lost, the teams stood 1:1, and Wu Li’s match against Xue Hui would determine whether Wang Chao and Sun Tianlong met again in the fifth match.

• Sun Tianlong won the third and fourth games to sweep Wang Chao 4:0, though Wang Chao noticed signs that Sun Tianlong’s injuries had flared up.
• Sun Tianlong praised Wang Chao and said he would be waiting for Wang Chao to defeat him, while Wang Chao noticed Sun Tianlong walking unsteadily.
• Geng Shuai defeated an out-of-form Qi Hao 4:2, tying the teams at 1:1.
• Qi Hao and Xue Hui lost the doubles match 4:0 to Geng Shuai and Wu Li.
• The host announced Xue Hui versus Wu Li as the fourth match, leaving the crowd hoping Wu Li would win to set up Wang Chao against Sun Tianlong in the fifth.

Wu Li overcame a heavy deficit to defeat Xue Hui, prompting Cai Guodong to decide to recruit him for the national team and cross Xue Hui off his list. Elsewhere, forum heavyweight Ye Hongye was revealed as a minor official whose stubborn prediction against Spade Q had turned him into one of its harshest critics.

• Cai Guodong watched Wu Li’s match against Xue Hui and decided Wu Li had the potential to join the national team.
• Xue Hui dominated the opening games, but Fan Xiaoxian called a timeout at Wang Chao’s prompting after Wu Li fell behind 4:0 in the fourth game.
• Wu Li adapted to Xue Hui’s play, fought back through exhausting rallies, and won the deciding game 11:2.
• Cai Guodong wrote Wu Li’s name in his notebook and crossed out Xue Hui’s, as the two players’ prospects reversed.
• Ye Buqun returned to his government-office desk and checked the forum under his online identity, Ye Hongye.
• Ye Hongye recalled that he began attacking Spade Q after publicly insisting Jiangcheng University would win its derby, even after Luo Jiu withdrew.

As Wang Chao faced Sun Tianlong in the deciding match, he concluded that Sun Tianlong and Qin Huachang were trying to ruin his prospects and resolved to defeat the veteran. Wang Chao then exploited Sun Tianlong’s backhand weakness, and their technical duel began with Wang pressing that side repeatedly.

• Ye Hongye realized his predictions had failed because Wang Chao and Wu Li had improved, then ordered a realistic chocolate chair to honor his promise to eat one on livestream if he was wrong.
• Wang Chao returned to the table against Sun Tianlong and believed Sun could not continue playing without enduring his injury.
• Wang Chao convinced himself that Qin Huachang wanted to crush him to clear the way for Fan Xiaodong, and he resolved to defeat Sun Tianlong.
• Sun Tianlong won the right to serve as the final match began.
• Wang Chao repeatedly targeted Sun Tianlong’s backhand, using controlled placement and height to keep him trapped in a technical stalemate.

Wang Chao exploited Sun Tianlong’s old injuries to overturn their match, winning the first three games after Sun Tianlong took the opener. Sun Tianlong refused Qin Huachang’s request to concede, leaving the match unresolved as his physical condition worsened.

• Sun Tianlong opened the match with an 11:9 win despite his injuries, while Wang Chao remained confident he could win by targeting Sun Tianlong’s backhand.
• Wang Chao’s teammates grew troubled as they recognized Sun Tianlong was overloading his injured body, but Wang Chao argued that Sun Tianlong had chosen to play and that withdrawing would not help either of them.
• Sun Tianlong realized Wang Chao’s technique had disrupted his usual tactics and that pain was preventing him from exploiting openings or attacking with full strength.
• Wang Chao won the second game 11:7, then took the third 11:5 and fourth 11:4 to lead the match 3:1.
• Qin Huachang urged Sun Tianlong to concede because he could barely move, but Sun Tianlong silently refused.

Wang Chao defeated Sun Tianlong in the fifth game and realized Sun had tested him and passed on the burden of Chinese table tennis to him. Wang Chao vowed never to compete against Sun again as a gesture of respect.

• Sun Tianlong recalled how Wang Wendong had once fought through injury to face him and understood that a successor was ready when the old generation could no longer suppress the new.
• Wang Chao beat Sun Tianlong 11:3 in the fifth game, ending Sun’s seven-year invincible streak and securing a historic victory for He Jingping’s school.
• Sun Tianlong congratulated Wang Chao and urged him to achieve the Grand Slam before Qin Huachang helped him off the court.
• Wang Chao realized Sun Tianlong had deliberately tested and suppressed him as a handover of responsibility, just as Wang Wendong had once done for Sun Tianlong.
• Wang Chao vowed to avoid competing against Sun Tianlong again, saying it was the only way he could show his respect.

The China Open Round of 32 ended with several notable victories by Germany and Sweden, including Qiu Shang’s upset of Yan Ping'an and Sissifield’s breakthrough win over Ochomirov. In the Round of 16, Sissifield eliminated Lin Li, while the day’s other results left Chinese table tennis facing a wave of upsets.

• Qiu Shang defeated Yan Ping'an 4-3, and reporters uncovered that he was the son of former coach Qiu Zexing, who had trained players overseas under the Wolf Raising Plan.
• Sissifield crushed Ochomirov 4-1 with relentless backhand attacks and realized he should rely on his natural power-based style.
• Morad defeated Li Zhengzhi 4-0, prompting Old Wa to congratulate him and urge him to bring home a medal.
• Sissifield beat Lin Li 4-2 in the Round of 16 by overpowering him in backhand exchanges, leaving Lin Li shaken after the loss.