After getting First Blood, are you this fierce?

"How is it going?"

"Moric, what's the situation?"

"Is Lu sick?"

Moric was on the training ground, surrounded by coaches and teammates.

Everyone was confused, even terrified, by Lu Yang's absence today.

Lu Yang never missed a single training session.

He possessed twelve points of passion and perseverance for football.

But today... he had not appeared on the training ground.

Everyone was worried that something might have happened to Lu Yang.

Because around this time last year, San Remo had suffered a major blow.

With a chance to promote to Serie C, their main center-back and team captain, Rondo, suffered a serious injury at the end of the season. This caused them to collapse at the final moment, missing out on promotion.

But this year, led by Lu Yang and Moric, they had fought their way from the relegation zone to sixth place in the standings.

They were united this year, vowing to break into the promotion zone.

But if something happened to Lu Yang, the team...

I don't know when it started, but even though Lu Yang didn't play the role of the team's core like Moric, his presence had already taken root in everyone's hearts.

On the defensive line, he could track back to help everyone.

In midfield, he could sweep up to provide a comfortable environment for others to play.

On the attacking line, he could also push forward to score goals and provide assists.

He was everywhere.

Everyone was deeply convinced of Lu Yang's ability.

Coupled with Lu Yang's usual composure and wisdom, and his ability to occasionally stabilize his teammates' emotions, he already possessed a certain level of team leadership.

Even Rondo often remarked that in time, this sixteen-year-old "little turkey," the youngest on the team, might be able to take the captain's armband from him and become a teenage captain!

The team could not afford to lose such a person.

But everyone's worries vanished in the next instant.

"He slept with Sophia!" Moric blurted out.

"What?"

Soto, Tom, Rondo, Nagy, Vedian—everyone was stunned.

"What nonsense are you spouting, Moric? That's my goddess!" Rondo, ignoring his wife's objections, had placed Sophia at the top of his list of goddesses.

"It's true. They had dinner together last night; Sophia asked Lu Yang out." Moric was also desperate. Lu Yang wasn't a virgin anymore, and that meant he was the only little rookie left. "And Lu Yang didn't come back all night."

"But that doesn't mean they necessarily... did that." Soto couldn't believe it either. Such a fine cabbage, how could it be snatched by Lu Yang...

Moric said, "I heard Sophia's voice on Lu Yang's phone, the kind of voice you have right after waking up... And before Lu Yang left, he told Sophia... they didn't sleep all night, he had a great time, and he hoped to continue with Sophia next time..."

Pfft!

Vedian spat out blood on the spot.

Didn't sleep all night?

No way!

With his physique as a black man, he could only manage seven times a night for a total of two hours, and that was including halftime breaks. Otherwise, he would be dead in minutes at his fastest.

And Lu Yang... actually lasted the whole night?

That was Sophia!

Facing such a goddess, Lu Yang was actually able to put in the effort for an entire night?

Everyone on the field collapsed.

Unbelievable!

Couldn't believe it!

Refused to believe it!

The purity of the goddess and the pride of men fell at this very moment.

They thoroughly hated that guy named Lu Yang.

Lu Yang realized this deeply as soon as he arrived at the training ground.

"Moric." Lu Yang grabbed Moric. "Why is everyone looking at me like I stole their wives? I was just late, not absent without cause. Isn't this a bit much?"

"I'm just a little guy, don't ask me about anything." Moric was being haughty; he was still bothered by how Lu Yang had addressed him when he was with Sophia.

"Uh... I had just woken up then, I wasn't very clear-headed. Don't take it to heart." Lu Yang apologized proactively.

"I beg you, stop showing off that you had just woken up! We all know it! You and Sophia did it all night!" Moric's eyes turned red. "Fine, so I'm the last virgin on the team, so what? I'll have you know, I believe in love, and I will find love in the future!"

Moric roared.

The entire training ground fell silent, and then everyone stared at him.

"Moric actually..."

"My god, I thought he had already... otherwise why wouldn't he grow taller."

"He is a year older than Lu Yang, yet now that Lu Yang has already... he is still..."

The teammates whispered among themselves.

Moric's face turned green.

Damn it!

This was a true social death!

The 32nd round of the Serie D.

San Remo versus Pagani.

This was a mid-table team.

But they were highly aggressive and advocated for pure attacking football.

The reason they were stuck in the middle of the league was precisely because they insisted on attacking, while their defense was quite poor at the same time.

The lower the league level, the more such idealistic teams existed.

They could hold onto some strange beliefs, even if the team's results had to be sacrificed for them.

In high-level leagues, such teams were extremely rare.

Only a very few wealthy, big clubs had the qualifications to stick to their own creeds.

For example, Athletic Bilbao's requirement for player lineage.

For example, Real Madrid's policy of signing superstars.

For example, Bayern Munich's firm method of poaching players at low prices.

For example, Barcelona's undying commitment to extreme possession football.

But Pagani was clearly not on the same level as them.

Nineteen minutes into the match.

Lu Yang received a long clearance from the center-back in the backfield.

However, the way he received the ball was very surprising.

He actually jumped up and performed a Rabona in mid-air to trap the ball.

The entire movement was incredibly cool.

The fans cheered instantly, as if he had already scored a goal.

As for his teammates, they expressed their understanding.

After all, Lu Yang had just completed his "coming-of-age ceremony," and although Sophia was famous for being sexy, that public denouncement of the "hidden rules" four years ago let people know that she was actually a traditional woman.

So, last night, Sophia had likely also just completed her "coming-of-age ceremony."

It was only natural for Lu Yang, having claimed the first blood, to be a bit excited.

Young boys, after all, are always very excited after every "arousal."

But just as everyone's attention was drawn to Lu Yang's flashy trap, Lu Yang suddenly launched a long pass.

The football did not fly high, and its speed was far faster than his previous passes.

So much so that most of the Pagani players did not react in time.

The ball flew straight toward the top of the Pagani penalty arc.

And by the time they realized the threat.

The San Remo center-forward, who was never known for his speed or runs, had completed a beautiful, ghostly movement. He appeared directly at the landing spot of the ball, easily received it, dribbled two steps, and took a shot, successfully helping the team take the lead.

Moric stared in a daze.

What the hell is this Low-altitude Passing?

When did Lu Yang learn this?

Didn't he only know how to use the Weighted Spin Pass, which was high and slow and only suitable for switching play between the left and right flanks?

When did he learn more threatening, rapid passing?

Thirty-ninth minute of the first half.

While dribbling horizontally, Lu Yang suddenly launched a long pass.

It was another Low-altitude Passing.

And this time, the one who received the football was the surging Moric.

Moric received the ball a bit far from the penalty area, but the advantage was that he was completely unmarked, leaving him in a wide-open space.

Naturally, he took a long-range shot, ready to try his luck.

As it turned out, his luck was good today; the long-range strike found the back of the net!

Lu Yang had secured a brace of assists!

During the halftime break, everyone looked at Lu Yang with strange expressions in their eyes.

This guy... ever since he came of age, why does his style of play feel so different? How did he become so "accurate"?

Lu Yang didn't possess such powerful playmaking abilities in the past.

He was much better at seizing opportunities to "steal" goals.

In the second half, the tides turned abruptly.

Pagani finally started to see results from their offensive efforts.

In the sixty-third minute of the match.

After a relentless bombardment, they successfully scored a goal, narrowing the deficit to one-two.

Soon after, Moric sent a long pass to the team's right winger, whose shot was saved, resulting in a corner kick.

Moric took the kick, and Nagy, the center-back who had earned a starting spot today, successfully headed the ball into the net, changing the score to one-three and pulling the team out of danger.

That's right, whenever the team conceded, Nagy was usually on the pitch.

His defensive ability was still far from stable at the moment.

For San Remo to develop him, they would have to pay the price of conceding goals match after match.

However, Nagy's potential in aerial duels and his determination to bulk up had impressed Soto, eventually leading to a rotation situation with the other center-back.

Pagani's attack was fierce.

Although they were trailing, they were playing brilliantly.

And soon, they regained possession through a high press in the attacking third, followed by a successful goal from the team's center-forward.

The defensive line had some issues with this goal, but the San Remo goalkeeper was more at fault. It was his pass back to Nagy that lacked sufficient power, which led to Nagy losing the ball.

The score on the field was three-two.

It was far from safe.

And now, the match had only reached the seventy-fifth minute.

With nearly twenty minutes left, San Remo felt like they were struggling to hold on.

The opposition was attacking too aggressively.

Furthermore, although Pagani didn't defend much, their pressing in the midfield and attacking third was quite sophisticated. Moric suffered greatly from it, and he actually had a difficult time organizing the offense today.

At the very least, he didn't have many opportunities to deliver lethal passes and could only guide the team's attack.

In terms of efficiency, it wasn't very high, and the gameplay wasn't very direct either.

At the critical moment, it was Lu Yang again.

He helped Nagy cover defensively in the backfield, successfully disrupting the opponent's shot.

Rondo controlled the ball and passed it back to Lu Yang.

Lu Yang executed a V-Pull, dodging the opponent's press, and then seized the opportunity to launch a low, long-range pass, sending the ball into the opponent's half.

This pass was also incredibly fast.

And because Pagani had pushed up so much, it was a perfect counter-attack.

Vedian, like a cheetah, finally seized that glimmer of light in a match with few opportunities, receiving the ball for a one-on-one.

Boom!

Vedian scored.

The score was four-two.

With that, only ten minutes remained in the match.

Lu Yang threw himself wholeheartedly into defense.

Even Moric gave up on orchestrating the midfield, forming a double-pivot defensive barrier with Lu Yang and parking the bus in their own half.

After that, Pagani did not get another good scoring opportunity.

The final score was four-two.

Looking at the score, San Remo's advantage seemed obvious.

But those who watched the match knew that San Remo had played a dangerous game.

When facing such a highly offensive team, San Remo had yet to find their own style of play.

Should they commit to defense, or commit to an attacking duel?

That is the question!

If they committed to defense, Moric's talent would be wasted, and Vedian would become invisible.

However, if they committed to offense, the San Remo backline would remain unstable without Lu Yang's coverage.

Lu Yang was the regulator for the team's offense and defense; he gave the team two choices when facing difficulties, which was far better than having no choice at all.

But there was only one Lu Yang, after all.

To put it bluntly, San Remo was already a "powerhouse" in Serie D!

They were accustomed to playing attacking football and were unwilling to hand over the initiative as they had in the past to play defensive counter-attacks.

This was the reason they had struggled so much at times during this match.

Fortunately, Lu Yang had a god-like performance in this game, providing three assists to complete the first hat-trick of his professional career—a hat-trick of assists, no less.

But Lu Yang's assist ability was not actually as formidable as everyone perceived; his passing, on the whole, was not yet precise enough and still lagged behind Moric.

Most importantly, when the opponent was fully prepared, Lu Yang did not have many opportunities to launch long passes.

Moric could shake off markers before passing, an essential skill for a midfielder.

Yet, Lu Yang only had his V-Pull and Rabona.

A single trick might work for a while, but one couldn't rely on it every single day.

San Remo needed to adjust their mindset and quickly determine their style of play when facing strong teams.

And Lu Yang also needed to find ways to enhance his passing or his ability to shake off markers.

The latter was more effective, but as for how to go about it, that would depend on what he pulled from the random gift pack.

That was not something Lu Yang could control.

As for the team's problems, Soto stepped in to resolve them after the match.

"We have entered the top five of the standings, which is not easy, but that does not mean we are a strong team," Soto replied in the post-match interview. "Because among these five teams, we are the weakest. We have no right to be arrogant; we are still the same as before, and we will do everything in our power to play every game well."

His attitude said it all.

Soto wanted the team to pick up the defensive counter-attack style again when facing strong opponents.

The coaching staff would also reflect this in subsequent training sessions and meetings.

After this match concluded, Lu Yang earned Soto's second-stage approval.

He had saved the team when they were in their most dangerous moments.

Although not everyone thought the match against Pagani was important for San Remo, Soto certainly did.

Therefore, Lu Yang received a star player skill: Soto's Iron Wall!

This caused his stats to receive a massive boost.

All defensive stats were activated.

Defensive Positioning went from 50 to 55.

Tackling went from 63 to 65, extremely strong.

Interceptions went from 55 to 60, top-tier for Serie C.

Clearances activated, 50.

Blocking activated, 50.

At the same time, his physical talents were also enhanced.

Shot Power activated, 50.

Jumping went from 50 to 55.

Strength went from 50 to 55.

Balance went from 60 to 63, extremely strong.

Stamina activated, 50.

Injury Resistance activated, 50.

This almost gave him a qualitative transformation in terms of defense.

He had grown from a strong defensive player in Serie D to a strong defensive player in Serie C!

However, this was not all he received.

The hat-trick of assists also brought him a random gift pack.

And this pack could be considered to have yielded something good.