Nine Point Eighty Seconds!

"9.80!!!"

Coach Wang Zhen's roar echoed across the field like thunder, filled with unbelievable joy and extreme shock!

He stared intently at the stopwatch in his hand, the bright red numbers seeming to be burned onto his retinas—9.80 seconds!

Even considering the slight margin of error possible with manual timing, this result was enough to send the entire Chinese track and field community into a frenzy!

After all, the current official best record for China's men's 100 meters was 9.91 seconds, set by Su Bingtian in 2018!

Ling Yun's run had directly improved this record by 0.11 seconds! This was simply a leapfrog breakthrough!

Wang Zhen could no longer contain his excitement. He rushed over to Ling Yun, who had just stopped, and patted Ling Yun's shoulders and arms forcefully. He couldn't resist even squeezing the leg muscles that contained explosive power, stammering with praise:

"Genius! No! A monster! A monster rarely seen in a century... no, a millennium! The future of Chinese track and field! No, the future of world track and field rests on you!"

He could already see his name inscribed in history as the "Coach of the World Record Holder"!

"Coach," Ling Yun took a slight breath (which he was faking, of course), a "weary" smile on his face, "So... do I not have to participate in regular training from now on to qualify for the City Games?"

He seized the moment to remind the other party of their previous promise.

"Of course! You absolutely can! I, Wang Zhen, stand by my word!"

Wang Zhen patted his chest to guarantee it, but after the excitement subsided, a hint of worry surfaced. He earnestly advised, "But Ling Yun, listen to your coach. Even if you are an unparalleled prodigy, you still need necessary training to maintain your condition. So many talented individuals have been ruined by 'complacency'!"

He truly couldn't bear to see this superstar, who was about to shock the world, fall due to laziness.

"Don't worry, Coach," Ling Yun felt Wang Zhen's sincere concern and responded seriously, "I promise you, as soon as my performance shows even a slight decline, I'll come back to train myself without you having to urge me!"

"Good! Good! With you saying that, I'm relieved!" Wang Zhen's taut heartstrings finally relaxed, and a smile of relief spread across his face.

Talented and disciplined—that's a sure thing!

"Then Teacher, if there's nothing else, may I return to the classroom for my lessons?"

Ling Yun pointed towards the teaching building.

"Go, go! Focus on your studies! I'll notify you in advance before the City Games begin!"

Wang Zhen nodded repeatedly, looking at Ling Yun as if he were a rare treasure.

Ling Yun smiled, greeted Wang Zhen and Zhao Ruixue standing nearby, and turned to leave the field.

Watching Ling Yun's retreating figure, Zhao Ruixue nudged the still grinning Wang Zhen with her elbow and teased, "Teacher Wang, how is it? Does that hurt your face? Who was it that thought he was too arrogant before?"

"Hurt? Hahaha!"

Wang Zhen burst into hearty laughter, showing no embarrassment, only genuine joy and pride.

"If I can be 'slapped in the face' like this every day, I'd welcome it! As long as China can produce more geniuses like Ling Yun who can bring glory to the nation and shock the world, let alone a slap in the face, I'd willingly have my old face ground into the dirt, and I'd do it with pleasure!"

His eyes shone with an incredibly sincere light, the ecstasy of seeing a new era for Chinese track and field about to begin.

Zhao Ruixue was also infected by his emotions. She dropped the teasing and followed Ling Yun's disappearing direction with her gaze, filled with infinite longing and anticipation.

Just then, Wang Zhen's gaze swept to the starting line of the track. Lin Yuxuan was sitting blankly on the synthetic track, his head buried in his knees, his shoulders trembling slightly.

"Yuxuan!" Wang Zhen's heart tightened. He quickly walked over, crouched down, and forcefully patted Lin Yuxuan's shoulder. "A man! Does losing one competition make you cry like a baby? What kind of behavior is that!"

"Coach..."

Lin Yuxuan looked up, his eyes red, his voice thick with a nasal tone, filled with confusion and self-negation. "I... I don't want to do sports anymore... I want to go back and focus on my academic studies..."

The immense blow had instantly stripped him of all his confidence and goals.

"Silly boy! What are you comparing yourself to him for?"

Wang Zhen's voice suddenly rose, carrying a stern tone of disappointment.

"Why are you doing sports? Is it to compete in the Olympics? No! It's to get into a good university! It's for your own future! Lin Yuxuan, listen to me! Your grades, your Level 2 Athlete certificate, are assets that countless ordinary students envy! You don't need to compare yourself to a monster destined to stand at the pinnacle of the world! Your opponent is yourself! Do you understand?!"

Wang Zhen's words struck Lin Yuxuan's chaotic heart like a heavy hammer.

Lin Yuxuan stared blankly at his coach, the confusion in his eyes gradually fading, and a spark of light reignited.

Yes, what was his original intention for practicing sports? Was it to surpass limits and become the world's best?

No, it was to change his fate, for that university acceptance letter that would allow him and his family to live a better life!

Ling Yun's height was something he couldn't reach, but that didn't mean his own efforts were worthless!

"I... I understand, Coach!"

Lin Yuxuan took a deep breath, wiped his face forcefully, and his eyes regained their firmness.

"I won't compare myself to him! I... I'll keep training! For my university!"

Although his voice was still a bit hoarse, the sense of dejection had disappeared.

Seeing his disciple finally recover from the blow, Wang Zhen breathed a sigh of relief and patted his back with satisfaction: "That's more like it! Get up! Continue training!"

Ling Yun arrived at the classroom door right on time, as the dismissal bell rang.

The math teacher had just left when he stepped through the door.

"Brother Yun!" Zhou Da immediately swarmed over like a shark smelling blood, his small eyes gleaming with gossip and certainty. "Let me calculate... Hmm! If nothing unexpected happens, you must have shattered those coaches' little hearts with your inhuman speed, right? The spot for the City Games is secured?"

He had evolved from initial shock to becoming Ling Yun's "number one fanboy" and "chief predictor."

"Mm, all done."

Ling Yun sat down with a calm expression, as if he had just taken a stroll around the track.

Sharing this with Zhou Da was purely to satisfy the guy's curiosity, and also... well, to low-key show off a bit.

"Holy crap!!! 9.80 seconds?!" Upon hearing Ling Yun's brief account, Zhou Da almost jumped out of his chair, his voice cracking. He quickly covered his mouth and lowered his voice.

"Brother Yun! My dear brother! This... this isn't just about making it to the Olympics! You're going to win the gold medal and break the record!!"

He was so excited he couldn't form coherent sentences. He subconsciously patted his pocket, where Ling Yun's autograph was hidden! This was a potential heirloom for the future!

"Shhh—" Ling Yun put his index finger to his lips, making a shushing gesture, with an expression that said, "Low-key, just a basic move, don't overthink it."

"Got it, got it! Absolutely confidential! My mouth, Zhou Da's mouth, has three layers of insurance locks!"

Zhou Da immediately made a zipping motion across his lips, patting his chest as he guaranteed.

His greatest strengths were his discretion, loyalty, and ability to handle things, which was why he was Ling Yun's "exclusive straight man."

As they were talking, Jiang Yingqing floated over like a delicate butterfly, her face filled with concern. "Brother Ling Yun, was the test just now... successful?"

Ling Yun, too lazy to repeat himself, gestured towards Zhou Da with his chin.

Zhou Da understood immediately and instantly became a drama king, vividly and eloquently describing the "earth-shattering feat" on the track, as if he were the one who ran the 100 meters in 9.80 seconds and shocked the coach.

"Heavens! Brother Ling Yun, you... you're too amazing!"

After hearing this, Jiang Yingqing's beautiful eyes widened, filled with pure admiration and awe. Her small face flushed slightly with excitement. "How can there be someone as perfect as you in the world..."

She murmured, her heart pounding.

However, beneath the immense admiration and joy, a strong sense of crisis also quietly brewed.

Ling Yun's brilliance was growing brighter and brighter. A boy as outstanding as him would surely attract more and more excellent girls around him in the future... What should she do?

Jiang Yingqing felt a little flustered.

She couldn't think of any special solution for the moment, so she could only secretly make a firm resolution.

She absolutely had to appear by Ling Yun's side often! Care about him more! Talk to him more! She absolutely couldn't let anyone else get a head start!

She had diligently studied "strategies" online. Those relationship bloggers all said that tsundere was outdated now. When you meet someone you like, you have to take the initiative and boldly show your affection!