Chapter Summaries

Wang Chao adapted to Xiao Fei’s Great Python Turn and returned it successfully, then exploited Xiao Fei’s weak backhand to narrow the score. The experts concluded Xiao Fei’s defeat was inevitable, leaving his Opening Three Axe Slashes poised to become a final, historic display.

• Xiao Fei repeatedly attacked until Wang Chao finally read the spin on Great Python Turn and returned it for his first point, making the score 7:1.
• Sun Tianlong and He Jingping realized Wang Chao had adapted to Xiao Fei’s signature attack with astonishing speed, and Sun called his talent Unparalleled.
• Wang Chao returned another Great Python Turn, pinned Xiao Fei to his backhand, and finished him with short placements to score again, making it 7:2.
• Zhu Zeshi and Qin Huachang judged that Xiao Fei’s flaws made his defeat inevitable, while Qin lamented that this might be Xiao Fei’s last international match.

Wang Chao swept Xiao Fei, exposing the weakness in Xiao Fei’s style as the veteran approached retirement. Lin Li then defeated Fan Xiaodong to reach Wang Chao, while Sun Tianlong explained why he had trained Lin Li against Wang Chao and wanted Fan Xiaodong to suffer losses and learn from them.

• Wang Chao defeated Xiao Fei 4:0, and Xiao Fei’s inability to adapt after his Three Axe Blows were countered revealed his weaknesses to the table tennis world.
• Lin Li and Fan Xiaodong began their semifinal as Wang Chao, He Jingping, and Sun Tianlong watched from the stands.
• Sun Tianlong told He Jingping that he hoped Lin Li would win and explained that he had designed Lin Li’s special training against Wang Chao to help both players improve under pressure.
• Lin Li defeated Fan Xiaodong 4:2 after a seventy-five-minute match filled with powerful rallies.
• Sun Tianlong explained that he wanted Fan Xiaodong to lose and recognize the flaws in his slow starts and reliance on brute force, and admitted he had discussed ways to beat Fan with Lin Li.

Lin Li faced Wang Chao in the Brazil Open final after publicly challenging him and feeding on the ridicule surrounding his chances. Their opening point became a prolonged pushing rally, and Lin Li finally attacked with a backhand twist.

• Lin Li recalled making his bold post-match challenge to Wang Chao, then used online mockery to fuel his resolve before entering the arena trembling with excitement.
• A Brazilian commentator mocked Lin Li's nerves and praised Wang Chao as the final began; Wang Chao won the serve toss and opened with a short backspin serve.
• Lin Li flicked the serve wide, but Wang Chao pushed deep to Lin Li's backhand instead of taking a low-powered attack, and they exchanged pushes repeatedly.
• Qin Huachang explained to viewers that Lin Li would have to attack first, while his son Qin Zhenyu watched over him during the livestream.
• After eight pushing exchanges, Lin Li stepped forward and viciously twisted Wang Chao's slightly short, deep push with his backhand.

Wang Chao tested Lin Zijun’s extreme-speed block and Xiao Fei’s Great Python Turn during the Brazil Open final against Lin Li, revealing how his Unrivaled talent let him learn other players’ signature techniques. The match continued with Lin Li leading 2:1, while Lin Zijun and the spectators realized how formidable Wang Chao had become.

• Wang Chao attempted Lin Zijun’s proactive block against Lin Li’s over-the-table twist, missing the return before successfully using the technique to win the next point and tie the score 1:1.
• Lin Li served a heavy topspin ball to force Wang Chao away from the table, but Wang Chao answered with Xiao Fei’s Great Python Turn.
• Lin Li managed to return the unusual shot and won the point, taking a 2:1 lead as the crowd erupted for Wang Chao.
• Lin Zijun recognized Wang Chao’s copied techniques and called Jiang Peirong in alarm, questioning whether he could still compete with Wang Chao.
• Zhu Zeshi concluded that Wang Chao’s ability to learn his opponents’ techniques made him nearly unbeatable and could secure him an Olympic spot even if he lost.

Wang Chao adapted to Lin Li’s improved attack during the Brazil Open final and turned the first game around with his super push-block and Great Python Turn. He swept Lin Li 4:0, leaving Lin Li convinced that his Olympic singles hopes were over.

• Lin Li used his backhand flicks and heavy forehand attacks to build a 10:1 lead as Wang Chao studied his new attacking patterns.
• Wang Chao adapted to Lin Li’s shots, succeeded with a Lin Zijun-style super push-block, and used the momentum shift to win the first game 13:11.
• Wang Chao shut out Lin Li in the remaining games and won the Brazil Open Men's Singles title 4:0.
• Lin Li struggled to accept how quickly Wang Chao had adjusted and realized he had no chance of earning the Olympic Games Men's Singles spot.
• Lin Li envied Bai Feng, wondering whether losing to him before reaching the final would have spared him this defeat.

After Wang Chao and Tang Yuanyuan dominated their practice match, Xiao Fei explained why Zhu Zeshi had arranged his final showdown with Wang Chao and reflected on passing the Great Python Turn to the next generation. Wang Chao then accompanied Xiao Fei to scout young players for his future coaching role.

• Wang Chao and Tang Yuanyuan overwhelmed Xiao Fei and Liu Wen in their first practice match since reuniting.
• Xiao Fei told Wang Chao he planned to retire and said Zhu Zeshi had arranged his match against Wang Chao to give him one last chance to shine.
• Wang Chao explained to Liu Wen that Zhu Zeshi had risked disrupting the head coach's plans to give Xiao Fei a memorable final match.
• Xiao Fei recognized Wang Chao's imperfect Great Python Turn as a chance for his signature technique to endure beyond his career.
• Wang Chao accompanied Xiao Fei to evaluate young players from provincial teams and the National Second Team for potential selection.

Wang Chao and Xiao Fei attended a national table tennis assessment, where Wang Chao identified several young players as Grand-Slam-level prospects and advised Xiao Fei to recruit one. Xiao Fei trusted his judgment and chose Wang Qin, though he wondered if Wang Chao had picked him because of his big head.

• Wang Lu showed Wang Chao and Xiao Fei the rankings and explained that the assessment's top players were unusually young, while Cheng Aimin and Chen Taolue hesitated over whether to recruit Jiang Shan.
• Wang Chao introduced Jiang Shan to the coaches as a Grand-Slam-level prospect, then praised Xu Bin after Xu beat Jiang Shan 3–0 and said Xu's ceiling was higher than Jiang's.
• Wang Chao told Xiao Fei that Wu Li was not suited to become his disciple and said Wu Li would join the first team after Wang Chao further developed his potential.
• Wang Chao recommended the assessment's top five to Xiao Fei and told him to choose Wang Qin; Xiao Fei accepted, then quietly wondered whether the reason was Wang Qin's big head.

Wang Chao persuaded the coaches that five young players had exceptional potential, prompting them to claim prospects during the assessment. He also recommended Wu Li train under Sun Tianlong, and Wang Lu recognized that China Table Tennis’s factions had shifted toward cooperation before assigning the remaining prospects.

• Wang Chao told Xiao Fei that Wang Qin was a future star, and Xiao Fei offered the twelve-year-old special admission to the national team as his disciple.
• Wang Chao urged the coaches to consider the leading youngsters, and Qiu Yinong chose Yuan Li while Wang Lu recorded Lin Dong for Wang Shou.
• Wang Chao recommended that Wu Li train under Sun Tianlong, leading Wang Lu to realize that the Qin and Zhu factions now cooperated for the overall good of China Table Tennis.
• Wang Lu accepted Wang Chao’s assessment and chose Xu Bin and He Peng, bringing the day’s special admissions to six.

The coaches regretted passing up promising young players and began trying to secure or poach disciples as the midyear assessment continued. Wang Chao left the venue for the base to find He Jingping about an important matter, after planning his preparations for the World Table Tennis Championships and Olympic Games.

• Coach Cheng Aimin and Chen Taolue called Wang Lu in the middle of the night, but Wang Lu told them he and Wang Shou had already claimed three players and refused to give any up.
• Coach Cheng Aimin, Chen Taolue, Qiu Yinong, Xiao Fei, and Zhu Zeshi all lost sleep as they reconsidered their choices and worried about missing out on prospects.
• The five young players competed with greater energy the next day, while the coaches watched them with renewed admiration and considered poaching one another's disciples.
• Wang Chao saw the coaches guarding and courting players at the venue, then left to find He Jingping.
• Wang Chao decided to stay at the base to prepare for the World Table Tennis Championships, skip later Opens for Olympic preparation, and return to help Spade Q avoid relegation after the tournament.

Wang Chao asked He Jingping to arrange a custom racket for the upcoming World Table Tennis Championships, revealing that he was preparing to challenge his senior brother Luo Jiu. He then learned that his mother was getting married and decided he would attend and make the wedding grand.

• Wang Chao told He Jingping his playing style had taken shape after learning Xiao Fei's Great Python Turn, and asked him to have Hongshuangli make a custom racket using the parameters he had written down.
• He Jingping realized Wang Chao was aiming to win the World Table Tennis Championships and might face Luo Jiu, while Wang Chao's adaptability allowed him to use an unusually elastic and tacky racket.
• He Jingping told Wang Chao that Wang Mei was marrying a man who owned a barbershop, and tried to comfort him.
• Wang Chao said he was happy for his mother, but asked He Jingping to help him attend the wedding and make it grand in honor of the mother of a future Grand Slam winner.

Wang Chao returned home for Wang Mei and Wang Zhongzhu’s modest wedding, accepted Wang Zhongzhu as his stepfather, and arranged a celebratory media event for his mother. After the newlyweds discussed taking a trip, Wang Chao left for the Spade Q training base, where he reunited with Wu Li.

• Wang Mei and Wang Zhongzhu held a small wedding, and Wang Zhongzhu worried that Wang Chao had not been told.
• Wang Chao arrived unexpectedly, congratulated his mother, set two joking conditions for Wang Zhongzhu, and formally called him Dad.
• Wang Chao arranged for Luo Xiaoyu and the Jiangcheng and Hubei table tennis teams to celebrate and publicize Wang Mei’s wedding.
• Wang Mei and Wang Zhongzhu discussed their honeymoon with Wang Chao, who offered to pay for their travels.
• Wang Chao left home the next day for the Spade Q training base and saw Wu Li again.

Wang Chao brought Wu Li to meet Hook at the Jiangcheng University Team’s training base and arranged a match between them. Hook had refused to play Wang Chao after learning that Wang Chao had developed new techniques, but Wang Chao persuaded him to face Wu Li instead.

• Wang Chao asked Wu Li whether he blamed him for bringing him to Spade Q, and Wu Li said he trusted Wang Chao and was content to keep playing table tennis.
• Wang Chao beat Wu Li 11–0, and Wu Li eagerly asked to play again, but Wang Chao took him to meet someone.
• Wang Chao and Wu Li arrived at the Jiangcheng University Team’s base, where Hook invited Wang Chao to play a match.
• Wang Chao explained that he would not play Hook because his new techniques could give Hook an advantage at the World Table Tennis Championships, and Hook recognized that Luo Jiu had grown used to his style through repeated practice.
• Wang Chao introduced Wu Li as Hook’s opponent, and Hook initially objected because he thought Wu Li was not strong enough, but Wang Chao insisted.

Wang Chao arranged for Wu Li to train against Hook and proposed adding Hou Xijia as another sparring partner. The Chinese team began its Top 12 Invitational selection, and the qualifying rounds set up a fiercely contested main tournament featuring both established players and unexpected newcomers.

• Hook played seven games against Wu Li, then agreed to keep him as a sparring partner at the Jiangcheng University base until Hook left for the World Table Tennis Championships.
• Wang Chao arranged for Wu Li to train with Hou Xijia as well, while planning to take him to the national team to train with Brother Long after the Olympic Games.
• Cai Guodong announced that Luo Jiu, Lin Li, Bai Feng, Wang Chao, Zou Zhengyu, and Fan Xiaodong would enter the Top 12 Main Tournament directly; Zou Zhengyu chose to make one last attempt at qualifying for the World Table Tennis Championships.
• Thirty-two players registered for the remaining six main-tournament places, and the elimination rounds selected Lu Feiyang, Liang Kunpeng, Ma Angxing, Zhu Ding, and Qi Hao among the qualifiers.
• Ma Angxing defeated Gao Mingyuan in the final round, while Zhu Ding and Qi Hao advanced with perfect records after Zhu Zeshi's rigorous training had helped rebuild Qi Hao's game.

The Top 12 Invitational began in Peng City with a grueling double round-robin format, and several early matches produced major upsets. Zhu Ding beat Fan Xiaodong, Qi Hao swept Lin Li, and Bai Feng defeated Luo Jiu as the tournament continued.

• The Chinese National Table Tennis Team arrived in Peng City for the Top 12 Invitational, where Qin Huachang joined the commentary lineup and twelve players began the double round robin.
• Zhu Ding beat Fan Xiaodong in a scrappy match by repeatedly limiting the shots Fan Xiaodong could attack comfortably.
• Qi Hao swept Lin Li 4–0, overwhelming him in a head-to-head attacking battle and revealing how much Qi Hao had improved.
• Sun Tianlong did not console Lin Li because Cai Guodong had barred coaches from giving their athletes private guidance during the day's matches.
• Bai Feng defeated Luo Jiu in the final match of the morning, adding another upset to the opening rounds.

Bai Feng, Fan Xiaodong, and other players caused a string of upsets in the qualification tournament, while Luo Jiu defeated Wang Chao in their first clash of the year. By the end of the next morning’s matches, Wang Chao had beaten Qi Hao but lost to Fan Xiaodong, and the tournament remained fiercely unpredictable.

• Bai Feng defeated Luo Jiu, Zhu Ding defeated Bai Feng, and Fan Xiaodong then handed Luo Jiu another upset loss.
• Luo Jiu beat Wang Chao 4:1, prompting debate between Brother Da Ma and Ye Hongye over whether Wang Chao had hidden techniques.
• Zou Zhengyu defeated Lu Feiyang in a 110-minute match, and Wang Chao, Zhu Ding, Fan Xiaodong, and Qi Hao finished the first day tied for first place.
• Ma Angxing defeated Lu Feiyang, and Wang Chao edged Qi Hao in seven games against Qi Hao’s newly developed attacking system.
• Bai Feng defeated Lin Li 4:3, and Fan Xiaodong beat Wang Chao after Wang fell behind and could not recover.

After the first round-robin, Luo Jiu led the standings while Wang Chao, Bai Feng, and Fan Xiaodong tied behind him, and the players negotiated match-order changes for the next round. The live audience anticipated a major adjustment from Wang Chao and Luo Jiu, but the chapter ended before either revealed what they wanted.

• Luo Jiu finished first with nine wins and two losses, while Wang Chao, Bai Feng, and Fan Xiaodong tied with eight wins and three losses; Fan Xiaodong earned the nickname Giant Killer after defeating all three.
• Wang Chao, exhausted after grueling matches against Qi Hao and Zhu Ding, strategically withdrew against Lin Li, who swept him 4:0.
• Zhu Ding finished tied with Lin Li on seven wins and four losses, though he had returned to the team only to enjoy playing and serve as Wang Chao's practice partner.
• Qi Hao, Fan Xiaodong, and Zou Zhengyu requested changes to the order of their matches, and the coaching staff agreed to the adjustments.
• As the live audience speculated about the players' motives, Wang Chao and Luo Jiu simultaneously raised their hands to request adjustments, prompting excitement among the players and viewers.

Luo Jiu and Wang Chao made opposing requests to reschedule their match, turning the decision into a tense contest of strategy. The coaching staff kept the original schedule, and the second round robin began with their match still set for later that morning.

• Luo Jiu asked to move his match with Wang Chao to that morning, while Wang Chao asked to move it to the following afternoon.
• Qin Huachang explained that Luo Jiu was more affected by Wang Chao and had the stronger results in the first round, while Wang Chao had conserved energy and now wanted to challenge him.
• Qin Huachang said Luo Jiu wanted to face Wang Chao early, while Wang Chao wanted to delay the match and unsettle Luo Jiu.
• Cai Guodong offered to keep the original schedule or settle the dispute with a coin toss; Luo Jiu chose the schedule and Wang Chao chose the toss.
• The coaching staff decided to maintain the original match order, and the second round robin began half an hour late.

Wang Chao lost a grueling 4:2 match to Luo Jiu, whose perfected all-table attack and improved defense made him nearly impossible to beat. Qin Huachang then revealed that Wang Chao had helped Luo Jiu develop his style and arranged his training with Hook, leaving the table tennis world to wonder whether Wang Chao had created the opponent who defeated him.

• Liang Kunpeng upset Qi Hao, and Ma Angxing defeated Lu Feiyang.
• Wang Chao and Luo Jiu fought through a high-speed, technically varied match, with neither able to exploit a decisive weakness.
• Luo Jiu won the sixth game and defeated Wang Chao 4:2.
• Qin Huachang explained that Wang Chao had used a prototype of Luo Jiu's custom-made Super Luo racket, giving Luo Jiu a slight advantage.
• Qin Huachang revealed that Wang Chao had suggested Luo Jiu switch to short pips and had helped Hook join the Jiangcheng University Team, where Hook sparred with Luo Jiu for a month.
• Fans concluded that Luo Jiu's training with Hook had strengthened his defense and wondered whether Wang Chao had helped create the opponent who beat him.

The Singles events of the Top 12 Invitational ended with Luo Jiu and Wang Yu ranked first in the men's and women's competitions, while young players reshaped the women’s World Table Tennis Championships lineup. As doubles pairings began, Luo Jiu’s plans to win a Men's Doubles gold medal unraveled, and he finally teamed up with Xiao Fei’s disciple Wang Qin as the Heavenly Net Combination.

• Luo Jiu finished first in Men's Singles, followed by Wang Chao, Bai Feng, Fan Xiaodong, and Lin Li, while Wang Yu led the women's standings and Shen Sha and Yin Di forced veterans out of the World Table Tennis Championships lineup.
• The coaching staff assigned Sun Tianlong and Xiao Fei to compete in Men's Doubles, while other players were free to form a second pair.
• Luo Jiu asked Wang Chao to form the Stir-fried Escargot Combination, but Wang Chao declined because he was already assigned to Mixed Doubles and could not compete in three events.
• Luo Jiu then sought Zhu Ding, but Zhu Ding had already partnered with Ma Angxing, and Luo Jiu later learned that Lu Feiyang had paired with Fan Xiaodong.
• Luo Jiu gave up on finding a partner capable of challenging Sun Tianlong and Xiao Fei, then abandoned his Men's Doubles gold-medal ambitions altogether.
• Xiao Fei persuaded Luo Jiu to partner with his disciple Wang Qin for the experience, and they formed the Heavenly Net Combination.

The Top 12 Invitational finalized China’s doubles selections, while Luo Jiu entered the Portugal Open alone to build confidence before facing Wang Chao at the World Table Tennis Championships. Luo Jiu won the title, Wang Chao received his custom paddle, and the Chinese delegation departed for Budapest as the championships began.

• Lu Feiyang and Fan Xiaodong defeated Zhu Ding and Ma Angxing to win the final Men's Doubles berth, while Lu Feiyang and Shen Sha claimed the Mixed Doubles berth.
• Luo Jiu asked Cai Guodong to let him compete in the Portugal Open at his own expense, then left for Portugal alone.
• Luo Jiu declared he would win the Portugal Open, and Qin Huachang explained that Luo Jiu was building momentum to prepare for another match against Wang Chao.
• Luo Jiu shut out Hook 4–0 in the final and returned to China with the Portugal Open Men's Singles gold medal.
• Wang Chao received his custom paddle and named it this Superconductor, which fans later nicknamed Overload because it was so difficult to use.
• Five days later, the Chinese delegation left for Budapest to compete in the World Table Tennis Championships.