Chapter Summaries

Wang Chao met provincial coach Jiang Long, who criticized his technique and threatened to withdraw a training recommendation when Wang questioned him. Wang left the meeting having likely lost the provincial training spot to Jiang Shan, while Luo Zhihong worried that Wang was running out of time to advance.

• Luo Zhihong told Wang Chao that Jiang Long might recommend him for provincial-team special training and warned him to be humble.
• Jiang Long criticized Wang Chao's background and grades, then called his hook shot unscientific and told him to stop using it.
• Wang Chao asked Jiang Long to explain the shot's flaws and offered to demonstrate it, angering the coach.
• Jiang Long threatened to reconsider Wang Chao's recommendation, and Wang thanked him politely before leaving.
• Wang Chao recounted the meeting to Luo Zhihong, who realized Jiang Long would likely give the remaining recommendation spot to Jiang Shan.
• Luo Zhihong explained that he had chosen Wang Chao because he was already eighteen and had little time to reach the provincial team.

Wang Chao ignored Jiang Long’s attempt to pressure him into competing for closed training, and Jiang Shan secured a spot alongside Wu Li. After the Cook praised Wang Chao’s match and new technique, he offered to introduce him to a teacher, leaving Jiang Shan stunned.

• Jiang Shan told Wang Chao he had not been selected yet, and Wang Chao assured him he was not interested in the training spot.
• Jiang Long waited for Wang Chao to apologize, then recommended Jiang Shan and Wu Li and finalized their spots.
• Jiang Shan talked with Wang Chao in the cafeteria, where he noticed Wang Chao had been eating with his left hand.
• The Cook served Wang Chao and Jiang Shan Cantonese dishes, praised Wang Chao’s match against Wu Li, and asked about his hook-around technique.
• The Cook offered to introduce Wang Chao to a teacher, and Jiang Shan fell off his seat in shock.

He Jingping offered to introduce Wang Chao to renowned coach Qin Huachang, who wanted to meet him, but Wang Chao questioned why He Jingping would not coach him himself. He Jingping explained that he regretted taking Luo Jiu as his disciple and changing his game, believing he had ruined a potential Grand Slam champion.

• Cook told Wang Chao that Qin Huachang, coach to Sun Tianlong and Lin Li, had watched Wang Chao's matches and wanted to meet him.
• Wang Chao hesitated over traveling to the Imperial Capital and asked why Cook would not take him on as a disciple himself.
• Cook revealed that he could not coach Wang Chao because he regretted taking Luo Jiu from Qin Huachang during a mutual selection seven years earlier.
• Cook explained that he had overhauled Luo Jiu's stance, style, racket, and rubber, but Luo Jiu fell behind Sun Tianlong, Lin Li, and Bai Feng despite working hard and keeping his composure.
• Cook identified himself as He Jingping and confessed that he felt he had failed Luo Jiu and ruined a potential Grand Slam prospect.

After learning why He Jingping had abandoned coaching Luo Jiu, Wang Chao watched Luo Jiu’s match videos while hoping to earn He Jingping’s backing. His growing reputation then brought a wave of teams trying to recruit him as the Table Tennis World Cup final approached.

• Wang Chao asked He Jingping whether Luo Jiu hated him, and He Jingping explained that Luo Jiu had repeatedly asked him to return but he felt unable to coach him again.
• Wang Chao suggested that He Jingping take him as a disciple, and He Jingping jokingly promised to do so after Luo Jiu beat Sun Tianlong.
• Wang Chao asked Jiang Shan for Luo Jiu’s match videos and studied them, while privately viewing He Jingping as a potential patron and considering whether he could help Luo Jiu.
• Mao Qian, the head coach of the Xingcheng City Team, tried to recruit Wang Chao, and Luo Zhihong later urged Wang Chao to remain loyal to the Jiangcheng City Team.
• Coaches and clubs from several organizations arrived to recruit Wang Chao, including one club that offered him five hundred thousand yuan per quarter, but he refused them all.
• Luo Zhihong explained that Wang Chao’s televised match and recorded match against Wu Li had revealed his talent, making teams eager to sign him during July’s busy recruiting season ahead of the Table Tennis World Cup final.

Jiang Long arranged a secret round-robin to force Wang Chao into another match against Wu Li and protect his coaching position. After Wang Chao played through exhaustion, Wu Li unexpectedly asked to concede, but someone at the venue refused to allow it.

• Jiang Tiansheng threatened to strip Jiang Long of his coaching position after learning that he had left Wang Chao off the provincial team recommendations.
• Jiang Long persuaded Luo Zhihong to secretly hold another round-robin and arrange for Wang Chao to face Wu Li last.
• Wang Chao played through the demanding round-robin, exhausting himself before his match against Wu Li.
• Wu Li asked to concede because he was not feeling well, surprising everyone who knew his relentless fighting spirit.
• An angry voice from the sidelines declared that Wu Li would not be allowed to concede.

Wu Li refused to play Wang Chao while Wang Chao was exhausted, insisting that their match be postponed until the next day so he could compete fairly. After Wu Li revealed that he wanted to prove himself to He Jingping, Wang Chao agreed to face him at full strength and promised to defeat him.

• Jiang Long ordered Wu Li to play, but Wu Li refused because he did not want to face Wang Chao after Wang Chao had run out of strength.
• Wu Li insisted on forfeiting or playing the match the next afternoon, and Jiang Long agreed to postpone it.
• He Jingping offered Wang Chao tactical advice for the match and said he would come watch.
• Wu Li approached Wang Chao in the cafeteria and asked him to give his all in their match.
• Wu Li told Wang Chao he envied the attention He Jingping gave him and wanted to prove he was stronger.
• Wang Chao accepted Wu Li's challenge and promised to defeat him decisively.

Wang Chao faced a crowd of curious teammates after challenging Wu Li, while the team doubted his chances of winning their match. The rookies watched the World Cup semifinals and were stunned when Lin Li defeated Sun Tianlong after Sun Tianlong inexplicably collapsed in performance.

• Wang Chao left the cafeteria after publicly challenging Wu Li, and Jiang Shan excitedly imagined how their confrontation would unfold.
• Xiao Ping, Xiao Jian, Li Shaoqin, Zhou Bo, Liu Heng, and other players crowded into Wang Chao's dorm to ask about his plans and warn him that his attacks lacked the power to beat Wu Li.
• The team gathered to watch the World Cup semifinals, where China's players occupied three of the four men's semifinal spots.
• Lin Li defeated his senior brother Sun Tianlong in seven games after Sun Tianlong lost his lead and won only one point in the final game.
• The players wondered whether Sun Tianlong's injury, an injection, or another problem had caused his sudden collapse, then hoped Bai Feng would secure the gold medal.

Bayer defeated Bai Feng in a seven-game semifinal, setting up a final against Lin Li and raising Wang Chao’s concerns about China Table Tennis’s hidden weaknesses. The next day, Wang Chao and Wu Li began their internal playoff, and Wu Li won the opening point after a long rally.

• Jiang Shan organized a betting pool before Bayer faced Bai Feng in the semifinal.
• Bayer beat Bai Feng 19:17 in the deciding game and celebrated before the German crowd.
• The players comforted Bai Feng, while Wang Chao suspected that China Table Tennis faced a hidden danger.
• Luo Zhihong stopped the players from recording the internal playoff between Wang Chao and Wu Li.
• Wu Li chose to serve and opened with a Sneak Long Serve, but Wang Chao returned it with an aggressive topspin.
• Wang Chao and Wu Li exchanged more than fifteen shots before Wang Chao sent the ball long, giving Wu Li a 1:0 lead.

He Jingping watched Wang Chao face Wu Li and praised Wang Chao’s penhold talent, while pointing out that his stamina and power held him back. Wu Li took the first game 11:6, but Wang Chao’s pressure pushed him to his limits.

• Luo Zhihong asked He Jingping who he thought would win, and He explained that the match represented the conflict between penhold and shakehand styles.
• He Jingping praised Wang Chao’s skill and called him a genius, saying he could become stronger than Wu Li within three months if he improved his conditioning.
• Wang Chao repeatedly took the initiative against Wu Li but lost points when his attacks lacked power and he could not sustain the rallies.
• Wang Chao adjusted his tactics and gradually scored more often, but Wu Li won the first game 11:6.
• Wu Li finished the game exhausted yet believed his superior endurance would let him defeat Wang Chao 4:0.

Wang Chao borrowed Jiang Shan’s shakehand paddle and switched to playing left-handed, surprising everyone with the skill he had secretly practiced. He took the first point against Wu Li, and the match continued with Wu Li demanding another rally.

• Wang Chao called for a paddle change and borrowed Jiang Shan’s shakehand paddle, then switched from his right-handed penhold grip to a left-handed shakehand grip.
• Li Shaoqin realized Wang Chao had secretly practiced playing left-handed during early-morning training.
• Wang Chao served left-handed, and Wu Li returned the short backspin ball.
• Wang Chao used an Overlord Twist, followed with powerful drives and a loop, then scored with a delicate short return.
• Wang Chao took a 1:0 lead, and Wu Li retrieved the ball and demanded another point.

Wang Chao switched to a left-handed shakehand grip and overwhelmed Wu Li with a fluid two-wing topspin attack, taking a 3:0 lead. Watching him, He Jingping recognized the seamless transitions he had once failed to bring out in Luo Jiu and remembered how that failure had led him to resign and leave for Jiangcheng.

• Wang Chao used a chopping serve, then attacked from both wings to beat Wu Li and take a 2:0 lead.
• Wu Li served short backspin, but Wang Chao used a scoop hook to send the ball deep to Wu Li’s forehand and set up another barrage.
• Wang Chao smashed past Wu Li on the seventh shot to take a 3:0 lead.
• He Jingping watched Wang Chao’s fluid transitions and recalled coaching Luo Jiu through a rigid two-wing topspin system.
• He Jingping remembered Luo Jiu’s struggles against top opponents, his own breakdown after Luo Jiu’s loss, and his decision to resign and leave for Jiangcheng.

Wang Chao crushed Wu Li after switching to his left hand, revealing his inherited skills and convincing the coaches that he was far beyond city-team level. The match ended with Wang Chao set to keep training with Li Shaoqin while Jiang Long worked to secure him a winter training slot.

• Wang Chao won the second game against Wu Li 11:0, leaving He Jingping and Luo Zhihong baffled by his sudden left-handed dominance.
• Wang Chao recalled that he had been left-handed for forty years in his previous life and had secretly practiced with his left hand since arriving at the team.
• Jiang Long accepted that Wang Chao could not be held back and planned to call other coaches to free a winter training spot for him.
• Wang Chao beat Wu Li 4:1, taking the remaining games 11:2, 11:3, and 11:0.
• Luo Zhihong admitted the base might not have a suitable practice partner for Wang Chao, and Wang Chao chose Li Shaoqin to keep training with him.

After Wang Chao’s dominant victory over Wu Li, He Jingping sent the match to his estranged student Luo Jiu, who realized Wang Chao was not He Jingping’s disciple. The recording stirred up interest in signing Wang Chao, while Jiang Long and Luo Zhihong separately moved to secure his place on the provincial team.

• He Jingping sent Luo Jiu a recording of Wang Chao’s match against Wu Li and called him for the first time in three years.
• Luo Jiu assumed Wang Chao was He Jingping’s secret disciple, but He Jingping explained that Wang Chao had no connection to his coaching style.
• Luo Jiu urged He Jingping to offer Wang Chao guidance and agreed to play Sun Tianlong so He Jingping could use the result to approach Wang Chao.
• Luo Jiu showed the recording to Fan Xiaofan, who recognized Wang Chao’s potential and began making calls to sign him for the struggling Black Spade Q Club.
• Jiang Long secured a recommendation slot and planned to notify Wang Chao the next morning, while Luo Zhihong emailed the provincial team a request to recruit Wang Chao early.

After finishing his match, Wang Chao joined his classmates’ group chat and tried to encourage his friends after their first college entrance exams. That night, he watched Bayer take the opening game of the World Cup final against Lin Li, leaving Lin Li under pressure after Bayer punished his impatience with two powerful attacks.

• Wang Chao called Liu Yue, Hou Xiaojian, and Han Feng, who worried about their exams and invited him to join Zhou Zhen’s class group.
• Wang Chao told the group he had beaten the former first-place player, but his classmates thought he was joking.
• Wang Chao and the others watched the World Cup final between Bayer and Lin Li after the women’s singles final.
• Lin Li attacked forcefully while Bayer defended carefully, and Wang Chao recognized that Lin Li was becoming impatient.
• Bayer stepped around Lin Li’s long serve and struck two explosive topspins to win the first game.

Lin Li lost to Hans Bayer after struggling without his usual coach, Qin Huachang, and Wang Chao recognized that the defeat exposed deeper weaknesses in China’s men’s table tennis team. He Jingping then told Wang Chao that the team’s supposed strength was built on one dominant player and four unstable ones, and that even the dominant player was now falling behind.

• Wang Chao realized Qin Huachang’s absence had unsettled Lin Li, who lost the second and third games to Bayer despite fighting back late in the third.
• Lin Li took the fourth game as Bayer’s stamina dipped, but Wang Chao saw the comeback as a final flash before collapse.
• Bayer crushed Lin Li 11:3 in the fifth game, and Lin Li delayed responding to Bayer’s handshake while overwhelmed by the loss.
• Wang Chao and He Jingping discussed China Table Tennis, and He Jingping described its five mainstays as four unstable players and one who was falling behind.

He Jingping explained to Wang Chao how Sun Tianlong’s injuries, China Table Tennis’s pressure to win, and its rigid promotion system had contributed to the World Cup defeats. The chapter left China Table Tennis facing a generational crisis, with no clear successor able to take Sun Tianlong’s place.

• Wang Chao asked He Jingping what had happened to Luo Jiu, and He Jingping said Sun Tianlong was aging and injured.
• He Jingping explained that Sun Tianlong had repeatedly played through pain because the coaching staff feared China would lose the championship without him.
• Wang Chao realized Sun Tianlong’s injury had affected his play in the semifinal and that Sun had hoped his own defeat would help pass the banner to his juniors.
• He Jingping described how changes in international table tennis had strengthened rival teams while China Table Tennis struggled with disagreements and a shortage of rising players.
• He Jingping admitted that the Second Team had failed to challenge the established players and confessed that he felt he had failed China Table Tennis.

Wang Chao told He Jingping that Luo Jiu’s backhand weakness might come from being forced into a looping style, and recommended short-pips rubber instead. He Jingping reconsidered Luo Jiu’s training system and saw a possible solution, while Wang Chao revealed he had chosen short pips for himself too.

• Wang Chao suggested that Luo Jiu’s racket rubber, rather than his training, might be holding him back.
• He Jingping described the equipment and techniques he had tested over seven years to improve Luo Jiu’s double-wing looping style.
• Wang Chao argued that Luo Jiu might not suit backhand looping and should use short pips to avoid competing in spin and improve transitions.
• He Jingping reconsidered the idea and imagined a style combining short-pips flat hits with Luo Jiu’s forehand loops.
• Wang Chao explained that he had learned his style from He Jingping and had chosen short pips after trying a public racket at Mingyue Stadium.

Wang Chao negotiated a contract to play for Black Spade Q Club in the Table Tennis First Division, with his pay tied to his performance. He signed on for the season, leaving Fan Xiaofan betting that Wang Chao could rescue the struggling club.

• He Jingping told Wang Chao that Fan Xiaofan of Black Spade Q Club wanted to recruit him after Luo Jiu shared a recording of his play.
• Fan Xiaofan offered Wang Chao a one-million after-tax seasonal salary, and He Jingping assured Wang Chao that joining the First Division would not block his path to the provincial or national teams.
• Wang Chao agreed to join Black Spade Q and proposed a performance-based contract with deductions for losses and reduced base pay if his win rate fell below set thresholds.
• Fan Xiaofan accepted Wang Chao's terms and promised an extra million from his own pocket for a perfect regular season; both men signed the contract.
• Jiang Shan saw the signed copies and envied Wang Chao, while Wang Chao reasoned that his success could restore Black Spade Q's audience and revenue.

Wang Chao left the Jiangcheng City Team and joined the Black Spade Q Club, where Fan Xiaoxian welcomed him as team leader and head coach. As he met the club’s players, one of them recognized him and asked why he was there.

• Jiang Long tried to keep Wang Chao by offering him a place in winter special training, but Wang Chao showed him the contract he had signed with the Black Spade Q Club.
• Jiang Tiansheng personally urged Wang Chao to join the provincial team, but He Jingping challenged his offer and Jiang Tiansheng let Wang Chao go.
• He Jingping and Fan Xiaofan accompanied Wang Chao home, where Wang Mei verified their identities and learned that her son could earn at least one million yuan; Fan Xiaofan advanced her five hundred thousand yuan.
• Wang Chao reunited briefly with Han Feng, Liu Yue, and Hou Xiaojian, then visited Tony teacher and left for the club after Wang Mei refused to discuss buying a house.
• Fan Xiaoxian introduced herself to Wang Chao as the Black Spade Q Club’s team leader and head coach, and explained the club’s history and recent struggles.
• When Wang Chao entered the training hall with Fan Xiaoxian, two players stopped their match, and one recognized him and asked why he was there.

Wang Chao joined Spade Q, met his new teammates, and received a rare Super Luo racket and a letter from He Jingping, who was returning to coach Luo Jiu. The chapter left Gao Ming convinced Wang Chao was joking when he revealed that he had beaten Wu Li 4–1 in a confidential match.

• Wang Chao greeted Gao Ming, Tian Zhengguang, and Lu Jia as he joined Spade Q, while Fan Xiaoxian explained that Geng Shuai was a decorated former national-team player.
• Fan Xiaoxian showed Wang Chao the team apartments, and Gao Ming chose to room with him while Lu Jia continued sharing with the absent Geng Shuai.
• Fan Xiaoxian gave Wang Chao a Super Luo racket that He Jingping had saved for him, along with a letter explaining that He was returning to the national team to coach Luo Jiu.
• He Jingping told Wang Chao that he hoped they would meet again in the capital and build a custom racket together next year.
• Gao Ming told Wang Chao that Spade Q had signed him after seeing his match against Wu Li, and Wang Chao explained that he had actually beaten Wu Li 4–1 in a confidential match.
• Gao Ming laughed and accused Wang Chao of pretending to be serious, while Wang Chao did not understand why he found the revelation funny.