Invitation

The Super Training Ground was as bright as day.

On the lush green field, Yang Yang was dribbling the ball and charging at the defender in front of him again and again.

Although he had endless stamina in the Super Training Ground and never felt tired, repeating the same set of movements nonstop for such a long time was incredibly mechanical and tedious.

If it had been anyone with a weaker will, they would probably have given up long ago—or even gone mad.

But Yang Yang had not. He still completed every movement meticulously, repeatedly dribbling past the defender.

His desire to improve had become his greatest source of motivation.

After more than a month of special training, his progress was obvious to everyone.

A few days ago, Old Bing had raised the level of the defender practicing with him from the fourth-tier league to the third-tier league. This meant that Yang Yang was now facing defenders at the level of Almere's First Team.

Both the fourth- and third-tier leagues were amateur leagues, but their levels of ability were worlds apart.

Yang Yang had bullied the fourth-tier defenders mercilessly, but when he faced third-tier defenders, he ran into obstacles at every turn. He repeatedly returned empty-handed. Only after several days of improvement and hard training did he barely manage to find a chance of breaking through successfully—and even then, his success rate was horrifyingly low.

Although he was being thoroughly outplayed, Yang Yang did not feel discouraged in the slightest.

After every dribbling breakthrough exercise, he would constantly review his experience and lessons, searching for that nearly imperceptible balance between success and failure. Old Bing would also help him improve over and over again.

What Old Bing emphasized most was footwork.

Put into a formula, speed equaled stride length multiplied by stride frequency.

Stride length was the distance covered with each step. The longer the stride, the weaker one's control over the ball and the poorer one's ability to react to defenders; stride frequency was the frequency of one's steps. The same principle applied: the lower the stride frequency, the weaker one's control over the ball and the poorer one's ability to react to defenders.

Speed-oriented players often adjusted their speed on the field according to the situation by changing their stride length and stride frequency.

When far from a defender, they could increase their speed by lengthening their stride while maintaining the same stride frequency. When close to a defender, they could shorten their stride and raise their stride frequency to improve their ball control and ability to react.

Old Bing's training requirements for Yang Yang were to discover the footwork most suitable for him and train it until he could use it at will, switching between stride lengths and stride frequencies according to the situation on the field.

And the only way to find the footwork most suitable for him was through practice—endless, repeated training.

The footwork of stars like Ronaldo had been accumulated and developed through years of playing since childhood. It also happened to meet the requirements of professional leagues; anything that did not meet those requirements had long since been eliminated.

But for Yang Yang to develop a set of footwork suited to him at his age, then turn it into instinct through painstaking training, was undoubtedly extremely difficult. Yet it was something he had to do.

He knew very well that ball sense and footwork were the foundation on which he would build his future career on the football field. The stronger and sturdier the foundation, the smoother his future development would be.

Once he understood this, Yang Yang did not dare slack off in training. He did his best to perform every movement to the limit of his ability, striving to meet the Super Training Ground's requirements as quickly as possible.

Although he was constantly carrying out dull and tedious basic training, Yang Yang could also feel himself improving.

Ever since the away match against Bryde Middle School, Yang Yang had been firmly moved to right wing. He had become an irreplaceable attacking spearhead on the team's right flank, sharing Baken Academy's offensive burden with Henk Dimer.

The coaching staff had placed great hopes in him, and Yang Yang had not disappointed them. He had performed outstandingly in both matches since moving to right wing, with each one better than the last. On the school competition field, no one could stop his breakthroughs anymore.

After all, in the Super Training Ground, he was being defended by a back at third-tier league level.

Every morning, Yang Yang opened his eyes right on time, full of energy.

He had gradually grown accustomed to the existence of the Super Training Ground and treated it as part of his body. He also regarded Old Bing as a respected teacher.

After washing his face and brushing his teeth, Yang Yang ate the milk and eggs his aunt had prepared for him, slung his schoolbag over his shoulder, and set off for school while juggling the ball.

Now, he jogged along while juggling the ball, making an effort to control his stride length and stride frequency and keep them as consistent as possible.

When he reached the Skate Park, he still trained against that wall.

Before he realized it, after receiving countless passes and shots from Yang Yang, the wall had become noticeably more weathered than before. It was full of bumps and pits, making the balls that rebounded from it even more unpredictable. But this actually made it more beneficial for Yang Yang's training.

His days were simple yet fulfilling. Aside from his match every Saturday, Yang Yang devoted almost all his time to training.

The only odd thing was that ever since he had seen that strange Dutch Middle-aged Man two weeks ago, the man had never appeared at the Skate Park again. Yang Yang did not know him in the first place, and gradually forgot about him.

After finishing his morning training at the Skate Park, Yang Yang jogged north while juggling the ball and arrived at Baken Academy.

In the past, Yang Yang juggling the ball into school had been something the teachers and students teased him about. But ever since he had performed better and better, and had seemingly begun to replace Henk Dimer as Baken Academy's top star, the scene had completely become evidence of everyone's admiration for and recognition of Yang Yang's improving ability.

Every morning at the school gate, many students would even smile and greet Yang Yang when they saw him juggling the ball from a distance.

Just after entering the school gate and heading toward the classroom building, Yang Yang saw Henk Dimer standing ahead and waving to him from afar.

Everyone knew that they were bitter rivals. They also knew that Yang Yang had shaken Henk Dimer's position as the team's top star. Seeing Henk Dimer come looking for him, they were both surprised and puzzled.

Could he be planning to seek revenge in front of everyone?

Only Yang Yang knew that although his relationship with Henk Dimer was distant, they were not likely to come to blows. After all, Yang Yang had contributed an assist to Henk Dimer on average in each of their last few matches. Henk Dimer had barely had time to thank him.

"How are your preparations for the end-of-term assessment?" Henk Dimer asked indifferently when Yang Yang ran over.

Yang Yang had long since grown used to that tone of voice.

"Not bad."

"The assessment results are mainly based on three parts: regular training, match records, and the final test results."

Yang Yang looked somewhat strangely at this former teammate who had humiliated him. What does he want?

"Your match record definitely won't be a problem. Your regular training is also good, and there won't be any problem with your academic results in the final test. The only troublesome part will probably be the basic skills test, but passing it won't be difficult."

Henk Dimer had said so much, but his main point was simply that it would not be difficult for Yang Yang to remain on the team.

Over the past month or so, Yang Yang's progress had been far too rapid and obvious, shocking everyone.

Yang Yang nodded. Passing certainly would not be difficult. The difficult part was that he wanted to rank among the top three.

He wanted to obtain a spot in Ajax's selection event for Talent Day. He did not expect Ajax to favor him, but he wanted to give it a try—especially since his idol, Van Basten, was very likely to appear at Talent Day.

"You only wanted to tell me this?" Yang Yang asked, puzzled.

He already knew all of this without anyone telling him.

Only then did Henk Dimer become a little awkward. He glanced at the surrounding students who were watching, then looked back at Yang Yang and asked courageously, "Are you going back to your home country after the holiday?"

Going home?

Only then did Yang Yang suddenly remember that the school had a six-week summer holiday, and the youth team's training would also be suspended. How was he going to spend that time?

If he went home, would his parents let him go abroad again?

Seeing the worried look on his face, Henk Dimer assumed he was fretting over his summer plans and immediately invited him, "I've discussed it with several teammates, as well as a few First Team teammates who can't get into the matchday squad for now. We're planning to form a team and play in the Summer Amateur League. Do you want to come?"

Aside from its highly systematic official leagues, Dutch football was also filled with numerous amateur leagues, such as the famous Weekend League. During the summer holiday in particular, all kinds of amateur competitions were organized throughout the country, providing students and young people on vacation with another platform for training.

Although they were amateur leagues, football was extremely widespread in the Netherlands, and many participating players had undergone long periods of youth training. Their footballing standards were very high, and some were even active Youth Training Players from Eredivisie clubs.

"The competition we're entering is also a traditional event in Amsterdam. The standard is very high, and once it reaches the knockout stage, strong teams from other regions will be invited to participate. It'll attract the attention of many scouts. The previous champion was made up of players from the Ajax youth team."

Hearing Henk Dimer say this, Yang Yang's heart began to race.

He had long wanted to test himself and see exactly what level his peers in Ajax's youth team had reached.

"The matches are in June and July, while Ajax's Talent Day selection is in early August. They won't conflict."

It was clear that Henk Dimer was somewhat worried Yang Yang would refuse.

After the matches over the past month or so, he had gradually realized Yang Yang's importance. In particular, Yang Yang's ability to break through and beat opponents on the right flank was incredibly sharp. With Yang Yang there, Henk Dimer, stationed in the center, had it incredibly easy.

The rest of the team also felt that if they could invite a flank attacker like Yang Yang to anchor the side, they might really have a chance of achieving a respectable result that summer.

"I'll think about it and give you an answer another day." After considering it, Yang Yang still did not agree on the spot.

"No problem. There's still plenty of time. I'll wait for your news." Seeing that Yang Yang had not refused immediately, Henk Dimer knew there was hope and was not in a hurry.

Yang Yang, however, was thinking that he still had to discuss the matter with his uncle and call his parents to tell them. After all, he had previously said that he would go home during the summer holiday. Changing his mind at the last minute without saying anything would be unreasonable.

But forming a team with Henk Dimer and the others was extremely appealing to him.

Recently, Yang Yang had also discovered that the tempering he received through matches helped him more and allowed him to improve faster than burying himself in painstaking training behind closed doors. Moreover, there would be many scouts there. Even if he really could not remain in Almere, he might still have a chance to join another team.

How could he refuse such a good opportunity?

A new week soon arrived. I hope everyone can cast next week's recommendation votes for me. I want to try to make a push. Thank you!