Invitation

The Super Training Ground was as bright as day.

On the lush green pitch, Yang Yang was dribbling the ball, charging time and again at the defensive player ahead of him.

Although he had endless stamina in the Super Training Ground and never tired, repeating the same set of movements over and over without pause felt incredibly mechanical and tedious.

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

But Yang Yang didn't. He still executed every move meticulously, repeatedly driving forward with the ball.

The desire to improve was the greatest force driving him.

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

Just a few days ago, Old Bing had raised the level of the defensive player practicing with him from the original fourth-tier league to the third-tier, which meant Yang Yang was now facing defenders at the level of Almere's First Team.

Both the fourth and third tiers were amateur leagues, but their skill levels were worlds apart.

Yang Yang, who had utterly dominated fourth-tier defenders, found himself hitting a wall against third-tier ones, failing time and again. It was only after several days of improvement and hard work that he barely managed to break through, but his success rate was pitiful.

Even though he was being crushed, Yang Yang showed no sign of discouragement.

After every dribbling drill, he would constantly sum up lessons learned, searching for that barely perceptible balance between success and failure. Old Bing would also repeatedly help him refine his approach.

And what Old Bing emphasized most was footwork.

To put it in a formula: speed equals stride length times stride frequency.

Stride length is the distance of each step. The longer the stride, the weaker the control over the ball and the poorer the ability to react to defense. Stride frequency is the rate of steps. Similarly, the lower the frequency, the weaker the control over the ball and the worse the defensive adaptability.

Speed-oriented players on the field often adjust their stride length and frequency to control their speed based on the actual situation.

When far from a defender, they can increase speed by lengthening their stride while keeping frequency constant. When close to a defender, they can shorten their stride and increase frequency to boost ball control and adaptability.

Old Bing's training requirement for Yang Yang was to find the footwork that best suited him and train it to the point where he could switch between stride length and frequency at will, adapting instantly to any situation on the field.

To find that ideal footwork, there was only one way: practice, relentless practice.

The footwork of stars like Ronaldo was accumulated and refined through years of playing since childhood, perfectly matching the demands of professional leagues. Those that didn't fit had long been weeded out.

But for someone like Yang Yang, trying to develop a suitable footwork at this age and turn it into instinct through hard training was an extremely difficult task—yet one he had to accomplish.

He understood clearly that ball control and footwork were the foundation of his future on the soccer field. The stronger and more solid that foundation, the smoother his development would be.

With that in mind, Yang Yang dared not slack off in training, striving to make every move as perfect as possible, aiming to meet the Super Training Ground's requirements as quickly as he could.

Even though he was stuck in tedious basic drills, Yang Yang could still feel himself improving.

Ever since the away match against Bryde Middle School, Yang Yang had been firmly placed at right winger, becoming an unshakable attacking spearhead on the team's right flank, sharing the offensive burden of Baken Academy with Henk Dimer.

The coaching staff had high hopes for him, and Yang Yang didn't let them down. His performances in the two games since taking over as right winger were outstanding, each better than the last. On the inter-school match field, no one could stop his dribbling advances anymore.

After all, in the Super Training Ground, the defenders he faced were at the level of third-tier league fullbacks.

Every morning, Yang Yang would open his eyes on time, full of energy.

He had gradually gotten used to the existence of the Super Training Ground, treating it as part of himself and regarding Old Bing as a respected mentor.

After washing his face and brushing his teeth, he ate the milk and eggs his aunt had prepared, then slung his backpack over his shoulder and headed to school, dribbling the ball as he went.

Now he jogged while dribbling, making a conscious effort to control his stride length and frequency, keeping them as consistent as possible.

At the Skate Park, he still trained against that wall.

Without him noticing, after absorbing countless passes and shots from Yang Yang, the wall had become noticeably more battered than before, pitted and uneven, making the rebounds more unpredictable—but that only helped his training.

His days were simple yet fulfilling. Apart from the Saturday matches, he devoted almost all his time to training.

The only odd thing was that, since meeting him two weeks ago, that strange Dutch Middle-aged Man had never shown up at the Skate Park again. Yang Yang didn't know him at all, so he gradually forgot about it.

After finishing his morning training at the Skate Park, Yang Yang jogged north while dribbling, arriving at Baken Academy.

In the past, the sight of Yang Yang dribbling into school was a joke among teachers and students. But ever since he started performing better and better, seemingly on the verge of replacing Henk Dimer as the school team's top star, that scene had become proof of his improvement, earning praise and recognition from everyone.

Even at the school gate every morning, many students would smile and greet him when they saw him dribbling over.

Just as he entered the school and was walking toward the classroom building, Henk Dimer stood ahead, waving at him from a distance.

Everyone knew they were rivals, and that Yang Yang had shaken Henk Dimer's position as the team's top star. Seeing Henk Dimer come looking for him was both surprising and curious.

Could he be looking for revenge in public?

Only Yang Yang knew the truth. His relationship with Henk Dimer was distant, but it wouldn't come to blows. After all, in the past few games, he had averaged an assist to Henk Dimer per match, so the latter should be grateful rather than hostile.

"How are the semester assessments coming along?" Henk Dimer asked flatly as Yang Yang approached.

Yang Yang was used to that tone by now.

"Not bad."

"Our evaluation criteria come from three parts: daily training, match records, and final test scores."

Yang Yang looked at this teammate who had once humiliated him, a bit puzzled. What was he getting at?

"Your match records are definitely fine, your daily training is decent, and the academic test in the final exam won't be a problem either. The basic technical tests might be a bit tricky, but passing them won't be hard."

Henk Dimer had said so much, but the core message was simple: it wouldn't be hard for Yang Yang to stay on the team.

Over the past month or so, his progress had been too fast and too obvious, stunning everyone.

Yang Yang nodded. Getting through was naturally not hard; the hard part was him aiming for the top three.

He longed to earn a spot in the Ajax Talent Day selection event. He didn't think he'd catch Ajax's eye, but he wanted to give it a try, especially since his idol, Van Basten, might appear at Talent Day.

"Is that all you wanted to tell me?" Yang Yang found it strange.

He didn't need anyone to tell him these things; he already knew them himself.

Only then did Henk Dimer look a bit awkward. He glanced at the classmates watching around them, then back at Yang Yang, and mustered the courage to ask, "Are you going back to your home country after the break?"

Home country?

Yang Yang suddenly remembered that school had a six-week summer break, and the youth team's training would also stop. How would he spend that time?

If he went back, would his parents still let him come abroad again?

Seeing his worried expression, Henk Dimer thought he was fretting over the summer break and immediately invited him, "I've talked it over with a few teammates from the squad and some first-team players who aren't getting game time. We're planning to form a team to play in the Summer Amateur League. Do you want to join?"

The Dutch football scene, besides its well-structured official leagues, was filled with many amateur leagues, like the famous Weekend League. Especially during summer break, various amateur tournaments were organized across the country, providing another training platform for students and youth on holiday.

Though it was an amateur league, football was highly popular in the Netherlands. Many participating players had undergone long-term youth training and had high skill levels; some were even active youth players from Eredivisie clubs.

"The tournament we're joining is a long-standing tradition in Amsterdam. Not only is the competition level high, but in the finals stage, they also invite strong teams from other regions to participate. It attracts a lot of scouts' attention. Last year's champions were a team made up of Ajax's youth squad."

Hearing Henk Dimer say this, Yang Yang's interest was piqued.

He had long wanted to test himself and see what level the Ajax youth players his age were at.

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

It was clear that Henk Dimer was a bit worried Yang Yang would refuse.

After several matches over the past month, he had gradually realized Yang Yang's importance, especially his sharp dribbling and breakthroughs on the right wing. With him around, playing in the center was almost too easy.

The rest of the team also felt that if they could get a winger like Yang Yang to anchor the side, they might actually have a chance at a decent finish this summer.

"I'll think it over and get back to you another day." Yang Yang thought for a moment but didn't agree on the spot.

"No problem, there's still time. I'll wait for your answer." Henk Dimer saw that Yang Yang hadn't outright refused and figured there was a good chance, so he didn't push.

Yang Yang, however, was thinking that he still needed to discuss this with his uncle and call his parents to let them know. After all, he had previously said he'd go home this summer. Changing his mind at the last minute without saying anything wouldn't be right.

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

Lately, Yang Yang had also found that the tempering from matches helped him more and made him improve faster than just training behind closed doors. It was more valuable. And with many scouts around, even if he couldn't stay in Almere in the end, he might still have a chance to join another team.

How could he refuse such a good opportunity?

It's a new week again. I hope everyone can cast their recommendation votes for me next week. I want to try to make a push, thank you!