Wolfsburg! (Thanks to the Alliance Leader Big Stick Hits Harder)

Different-colored glows shimmered along the edges of the cards, seemingly indicating the tier of each template.

Gray, green, blue, purple, gold.

Li Luo froze for a moment.

Why couldn't he have them all?

He hated probability-based card-drawing games the most. They too easily brought out a person's gambling instincts.

"Give me the Golden Legend!"

He reached out and poked the air.

A white beam of light appeared out of nowhere, cycling between the five cards.

Gradually, it spun faster and faster.

At last.

The white beam slowly stopped on the golden card.

Li Luo was overjoyed.

He knew nothing about Bundesliga legends, but gold was definitely the best.

The other four cards scattered in the wind. The golden card blazed with dazzling light, slowly revealing the back of a tall, imposing figure.

[Congratulations, you have obtained: Matthäus "Hexagonal Midfielder" Peak Template!]

[Attribute boosts: Heading +40, Ball Control +40, Passing +40, First Touch +40, Shooting +40, Curve +40, Defending +40, Tackling +40]

[Iron War God.]

[The engine of Germany's steel torrent.]

[The most complete German midfielder of the 20th century, the most untamable lion.]

[It would be better if this guy were mute.]

Football novice Li Luo was stunned. Who was this guy? He seemed to have seen this name while researching last night.

Never mind that for now.

This felt incredible!

The golden peak template boosted nearly every attribute related to touching the ball.

He suddenly felt like he was about to "graduate."

Although his single-digit passing, first touch, dribbling, and shooting had only risen into the forties, he was more than satisfied.

Any improvement was a good thing.

But something seemed off with the attribute panel?

[Heading: 98]

Huh?

Paired with the Spatial Awareness module, 98 points in Heading—wouldn't that make him unstoppable?

No, wait.

He was only 173 centimeters tall.

The Chinese teenager was no longer a complete newbie. Last night, he had learned about the football kings, saints, and emperors throughout history.

Maradona was 168 centimeters tall.

Cruyff was 176 centimeters tall.

Both football legends were excellent in the air and possessed great jumping ability, with spectacular headed goals to their names. But... against towering defenders, neither had much of an advantage when battling for the ball in the air...

His thoughts were interrupted. The system notification did not stop.

[The road to conquering Germany is about to begin.]

[When you play for a Bundesliga club, you may collect Shock Points from everyone present.]

[For every 100,000 Shock Points, you will gain one chance to exchange them for a football star blind box.]

[Football Star Blind Box: Upon opening, you may obtain a football star skill module, such as Beckenbauer's "Outside-of-the-Foot High-Curving Long Pass" module.]

There was too much information to process.

Li Luo's mind could barely keep up.

His phone rang again, and he answered it.

"Li, I'm sorry, but the club is going to loan you to the Bundesliga this season..."

On the other end of the call.

Giggs and Manchester United's club staff wore regretful expressions.

The Red Devils' heir apparent, who loved the club so deeply, must have felt disappointed upon hearing the news, right?

Even if the Volkswagen Group offered Li Luo an incredibly generous loan salary.

Even if the Volkswagen Group would offer him an astronomical GG endorsement deal.

Even if Wolfsburg had European competition proper to play this season, while Manchester United still had to endure the qualifying rounds.

How could all those material things outweigh Li Luo's love for the club?

Click.

The call ended.

Giggs turned around and said, "Li agreed right away."

"He didn't ask why?"

"No. But I guess he'll be upset for quite a while. He asked whether he should attend training tomorrow, and I told him to rest first and prepare for the medical."

Cheshire.

Ferguson had quite an appetite today, finishing an entire plate of Italian food.

He took a sip of red wine.

His assistant leaned closer and said softly, "Sir, things are progressing very smoothly."

"Mm. Hecking will surely set him back on the proper path of development. Like De Bruyne, Li won't become some assembly-line workhorse player."

"You're right, Sir. All-round development means all-round mediocrity. Talent would be erased."

News articles quietly began appearing across China's internet.

<Wolfsburg Cancels Negotiations with Chinese Super League Club; Midfielder Surnamed Zhang Misses Chance to Play Abroad.>

<The Difficult Road for Chinese Players Seeking to Play Abroad.>

<Why Is It So Hard for Chinese Players to Set Foot on European Pitches?>

Comment section.

-[Wouldn't it have been better if the Chinese Super League club had let him go earlier? They dragged things out with Wolfsburg for two years. Letting the player go over there to broaden his horizons would've been good too. He could train with stars from the top five leagues and experience that level of intensity.]

-[The news keeps analyzing this so-called overseas dilemma, looking for this reason and that reason... Honestly, these players just aren't good enough. If they were good enough, they'd have gone abroad long ago. What dilemma is there?]

-[Those Korean media outlets are mocking us over this again. Just wait until the Asian Cup in a few months.]

-[Why do Korea and Japan have so many players abroad? I really don't get it. We're all Asian.]

-[Wolfsburg are very strong. That blond kid named De Bruyne has unbelievable passing. If they had a striker with exceptional heading ability, I can't even imagine how terrifying this team's dominance would be!]

Suddenly.

A piece of news exploded across China's internet like a bomb, stirring up enormous waves.

<Manchester United's 18-Year-Old Prospect Li Luo Officially Joins Wolfsburg on Loan.>

Night fell.

Hugging a football, Li Luo finished a day of individual training and returned to the Manchester United dormitory.

His phone screen was still playing Football Basics for Toddlers.

The improvement from those 40 attribute points was enormous.

In terms of his control over the ball, he felt as though he had gone from "kindergarten junior class" to "fourth grade."

As expected of a peak Matthäus template—it could drastically raise the overall ability of someone who had never played football before.

However.

During the upcoming Bundesliga journey, there was a high chance he would embarrass himself in training and invite doubts.

"Don't be afraid."

"Improve slowly."

No matter how poorly he played, he had to endure for a season first, then see whether he could gather enough Shock Points to exchange for module rewards.

The Chinese boy no longer felt the confusion and panic he had at the beginning.

The remnants of his slight anxiety quietly transformed into motivation.

He turned on his computer and diligently studied theory, watching instructional videos from active players.

A few days later.

Manchester Airport.

Giggs and a group of Red Devils members saw Li Luo off.

"Take care of yourself, Li."

The Red Devils legend wanted to say more—things like being disciplined, exercising restraint, staying out of trouble, and not fooling around with women...

But on second thought, what right did he have to say any of that?

"Manchester United will always be your home."

"Mr. Van Gaal didn't come, but he said you can email him anytime if there's anything you don't understand..."

Rooney looked deeply worried and suddenly cut in. "Oh, right—protect your balls when you get to Germany. I want you to come back in one piece."

Quite a few Red Devils fans had gathered beyond the cordon.

Flags fluttered in the air.

Scarves bearing the club crest were held high.

They had come to see off the Manchester United Crown Prince.

Li Luo nodded earnestly. "I'll definitely be back next season."

Once he arrived in the Bundesliga, he might no longer receive the superstar treatment Manchester United gave its rising talents.

Like every gifted player who left the land of his youth academy, he would face brutally difficult challenges in a new environment—adapting to the dressing room, adapting to the team's tactical system...

He had to work hard to overcome those difficulties and adapt.

In the end.

The Chinese boy waved goodbye to everyone.

Wolfsburg.

Allofs and the staff were bustling about.

"The highest standards. The grandest welcome."

"Don't simply treat Li as some Manchester United prodigy. He represents the entire Chinese market. Behind him stand countless gods."

"His loan to Wolfsburg is a commercial demand from the Volkswagen Group."

"The club must treat him like a god, understand? No player is allowed to bully him."

"The Chinese market accounts for 40% of Volkswagen's global sales. Volkswagen is about to launch technological localization in the Chinese market. Li is very important to us."

Previously, Wolfsburg had spent two years persistently negotiating with a Chinese Super League club over an ordinary Chinese player.

Let alone a Manchester United talent like Li Luo.

He had scored on his Premier League debut.

There was no way his performances in the Bundesliga could be poor.

Wolfsburg's manager, Hecking, remained troubled.

There were many problems to solve:

How was he supposed to develop a gifted player like Li Luo?

Would Li be dissatisfied with the coaching staff's training methods?

How should he arrange his position?

And how should the ball be shared between him and De Bruyne...?