Who would still play tennis after being reborn?

Chapter 149 Evolved Version: Thousand Hammers and Trials

"It was just a joke, why did you take it seriously?"

Bennetteau looked at the agent speechlessly: "Don't say that Zhang Ming is just physically exhausted. Even if he was too tired to walk, I wouldn't dare to underestimate the football cheat!"

If it were someone like Federer, his doubles partnership with Roger wouldn't be inferior to theirs. There's a fundamental difference between singles and doubles.

Otherwise, many top professional players wouldn't only participate in singles matches and not doubles.

While players like Federer and Djokovic are strong, Benneteau believes he has at least an 80% chance of winning if they meet in doubles.

That's a conservative estimate; if they really go all out, there's a 90% chance they could do it.

A score of 90% is basically equivalent to winning the game.

However, even against Gu Cheng, who is also participating in a doubles match, and with Zhang Ming as his teammate, Benneteu wouldn't dare say he has a winning percentage of over 70%.

The odds of winning might even be lower.

The reason is simple: in his view, Gu Cheng's situation is different from others.

Even though many of those amazing ball skills have been found to be countered, Benneteau's apprehension has not diminished in the slightest.

In today's world tennis scene, it's hard to find a single professional player who dares to underestimate Gu Cheng.

The agent breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this. He was really worried that Bennetteu wouldn't take Gu Cheng seriously during the match. If the second seed in doubles were eliminated by a combination like Gu Cheng and Zhang Ming, it would be incredibly embarrassing.

"By the way, what's the status of the matter I asked you to investigate before?" Bennetteu suddenly remembered the matter he had instructed his agent on some time ago.

The agent said, "It was arranged a week ago. As soon as Gu Cheng leaves the hotel, someone will keep an eye on him."

"Won't he find out?" Bennetteau frowned.

"No," the agent laughed. "There are at least dozens of reporters watching Gu Cheng every day. No one would notice if one more person was watching him."

"That's fine."

Bennett breathed a sigh of relief. It wasn't that he was afraid of the matter getting out, but these things were never aboveboard, and it was best if they weren't discovered.

"He should be at the hotel now, right?" Benneteau asked.

When asked about this, the agent replied, "No, I just received a message from an informant that Gu Cheng seems to have come with him to participate in the Australian Open Junior Championships on the outdoor courts."

"Practicing in the middle of the day? Aren't you going to play in the afternoon match?" Benneteau was taken aback: "I think he also participates in youth competitions, right?"

"Ah."

"That means he has two more matches this afternoon, one doubles and one junior singles, so he has to play four matches tomorrow?"

"That's it."

Bennett frowned, somewhat confused about what Gu Cheng was thinking.

Knowing that they will be playing a series of matches in the coming days, shouldn't they take advantage of any free time to rest? Why would they specifically use the two or three hours at noon to practice?
Did they give up on the doubles match? Or did they simply not take him and Roger seriously?
Bennett squinted, thinking it must be the first one.

And the reason is very simple.

After all, he and Roger are the second seeds in doubles, just like Federer was the second seed in singles.

Looking at the whole world, no one dares to underestimate him and Roger in doubles matches. Even the doubles pair of Federer and Djokovic would have to give 100% or even 120% of their strength.

Even so, the chances of him beating Roger are not high.

Moreover, the doubles pair of Gu Cheng and Zhang Ming are even less likely to be underestimated by him and Roger.

Thinking of this, Bennett smiled and said, "It's probably to feed the ball to those two kids who are playing in the youth tournament. I heard that Gu Cheng taught them a few skills. They could easily be called students. It's normal for a teacher to teach his students something before a competition."

"The situation seems a little different," the agent said, shaking his head.

"Oh?" Bennett raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

The agent said, "According to the informant, Gu Cheng and that guy named Yu Haoyang did play a match on the outdoor court, but the pace of the match was very slow. Yu Haoyang's serves and returns lacked power, it didn't seem like he was practicing, but rather..."

"What is it?"

"It gives the impression that they're just playing around," the agent described. "It doesn't feel like practice at all. Even if they need to conserve energy for a match in the afternoon, they wouldn't practice like this."

Bennett muttered, "Not practice? That's strange. Gu Cheng shouldn't be that bored, right? The Australian Open is such an important tournament, why would he use that little bit of rest time at noon to play around?"

The agent shook his head: "I don't know about that."

Bennetteau gave him a look that said, "I didn't expect you to know," and turned to his teammate Roger: "Roger, what do you think?"

After a moment of contemplation, Roger said, "Although I don't know much about Gu Cheng and have never met him, I think that Gu Cheng wouldn't be so careless in the face of such an important tournament as the Australian Open."

Bennett looked at him.

His agent was also watching him.

Seeing that everyone was staring at him, Roger explained, "I just wanted to say that his appearance at the outdoor court at this time has a deeper meaning. Maybe... it's to deal with the two of us."

Before Bennetteu could speak, his agent frowned and said, "It can't be that bad. I glanced at the video the informant sent, and it certainly doesn't look like a practice session."

"If you don't believe me, you can take a look."

As the agent spoke, he took out his phone and showed the video sent by the informant to the two of them: "This was filmed by the informant from a distance. Outsiders are not allowed to get close to the court, so he could only film this much. But even though the filming distance is relatively far, you can still see that neither of them has a fast ball speed, especially Yu Haoyang. The force with which he swings his racket is obviously weak. It would be an exaggeration to describe his ball speed as slow."

The two of them had finished reading by then, and they looked at each other, both seeing a hint of surprise in each other's eyes.

The situation was exactly as the agent had described.

“It doesn’t seem to have anything to do with any connection,” Bennett suddenly blurted out.

Roger then frowned and asked, "Are there any ball techniques that require hitting the ball at a low speed or with relatively little power?"

"Is there really such a skill?" Benneteau asked in surprise.

"No?" Roger countered.

Bennett closed his eyes and tried to recall the anime "The Prince of Tennis," then opened his eyes and shook his head: "I don't think so."

“What do you think?” Bennetteu glanced at his agent.

Currently, any professional player who has hired an agent or tactician will have their team watching the Prince of Tennis anime together.

The reason is simple: it's convenient to remind the people you're serving when necessary, so they don't lose the game because of some minor issues when they encounter Gu Cheng.

Moreover, at this stage, professional players around the world have already begun to be able to execute some of the tennis skills from The Prince of Tennis.

Although these are just ordinary tennis skills, it doesn't affect everyone's pursuit and yearning for the skills of the Prince of Tennis. If you can win the game quickly with your skills, who would be foolish enough to play slowly with someone else!

The agent thought about it for a moment, then shook his head with a wry smile.

Indeed not.

Roger glanced at the others and received the same answer, so he could only smile helplessly and say, "Maybe they really are just playing around."

At that moment, Bennetteu suddenly brightened up and said, "Do you think this is possible?"

Everyone looked at him.

Bennetteu whispered, "Gu Cheng might... I mean, maybe, it's just a guess, you guys listen first."

"Is it possible that Gu Cheng genuinely believes he can't beat us in doubles, so he's using this method to exhaust himself, so even if he loses, he can find a good excuse for his defeat?"

"Isn't it?"

Roger was somewhat skeptical of this conjecture.

Bennetteau's agent thought the same thing: "Given Gu Cheng's character, he wouldn't resort to such a method to justify himself."

Bennetteu spread his hands: "Then it's not."

After saying that, Bennetteau stood up and said, "Roger, I'm going to sleep for half an hour. If you're not going to sleep, wake me up later."

Roger nodded, and Bennetteau turned and walked towards the bedside. ...

the other side.

Gu Cheng and Zhang Ming stood in the center of the training field again, this time with a clear goal in mind.

The drawback of relentlessly honing one's skills is that while it dramatically improves hitting ability, it also significantly weakens other physical functions, especially movement speed and reaction speed.

If this problem cannot be effectively solved, even if the technology is mastered, it will be difficult to unleash its full power in a real competition.

"One more time." Gu Cheng gripped his racket tightly, his gaze resolute.

Zhang Ming nodded, then tossed the tennis ball into the air, swung his racket, and with a deep thud, the tennis ball flew out. The speed wasn't particularly fast, and the spin was just average, but the angle was tricky.

Gu Cheng quickly adjusted his pace, swung his racket to meet the attack, and his movements were precise and decisive.

However, as expected, as training progressed, his movement speed noticeably decreased, his steps became heavy, and his reactions became much slower.

"As expected, it still won't work." Zhang Ming frowned, looking at the constantly changing data on the screen. "Your shot quality is fine, but your body is under too much strain. You can't keep going like this for long."

Gu Cheng, panting, wiped the sweat from his forehead, but showed no sign of backing down.

"I just tried to control the power of egolessness, moving it from my arms to my legs, but it was difficult to control. Although it had some effect, it was not refined enough."

"I really don't know how the little guy did it."

“He’s the main character in Prince of Tennis,” Zhang Ming chuckled.

Gu Cheng was a little frustrated. The little guy could do it, but he couldn't. Didn't this mean that he was inferior to Yue Qian?
But he clearly humiliated the little guy like a dog in the Prince of Tennis world!

However, he also understood.

The fact that Little One was able to master the power of selflessness in such a short time is largely due to the help of people like Atobe and Sanada. However, after returning to the real world, Gu Cheng didn't have as many opportunities, nor did he have those guys who had mastered countless ball skills to practice with. Naturally, the difficulty of mastering the power of selflessness increased significantly.

"Try again. As long as I can control the power of egolessness to move to my feet, that will be fine." Gu Cheng gritted his teeth. He had never thought about controlling the power of egolessness to move throughout his body.

That thing is basically the ultimate in being seamless.

He now finds it difficult even to control the power of selflessness to move to his feet, let alone master the ultimate perfection of seamlessness.

Zhang Ming nodded thoughtfully: "In other words, you need to control the power of selflessness more precisely, so that it only acts on the necessary parts?"

“That’s right.” Gu Cheng took a deep breath. “If we can achieve this, we can maintain the power of our shots while reducing the impact on other bodily functions. This is the true, ultimate evolution of honing our skills through countless trials.”

The two looked at each other, and both saw determination in each other's eyes.

Training resumed, and this time Gu Cheng adjusted his strategy.

He no longer unleashed the power of selflessness as completely as before, but instead tried to concentrate it on his arms and wrists, while trying to avoid affecting his legs and core muscles.

This approach is theoretically feasible, but extremely difficult in practice—the state of selflessness is an almost instinctive fighting mode, and once entered, it is very difficult to maintain local control.

As Zhang Ming's serve came, Gu Cheng focused his mind and deliberately guided the power of his selfless energy to his arm.

His swing was still swift and powerful, with both ball speed and spin at their peak. But this time, his footwork was more agile than before, and his reaction speed hadn't noticeably decreased. This change pleased him; it seemed he was on the right track.

However, after only a few rounds, new problems emerged.

Because Gu Cheng deliberately restricted the spread of the power of egolessness, he was unable to adjust his body balance in time at certain critical moments and almost fell several times.

Moreover, the power of selflessness is not entirely controllable; it can inadvertently spread to other parts of the body, causing fluctuations in the physical burden.

“Something’s not right.” Zhang Ming frowned. “Your muscle load is unevenly distributed; some areas are even heavier than before.”

Gu Cheng gritted his teeth and persevered, fine beads of sweat appearing on his forehead.

He knew he was close to the key to a breakthrough, but he was missing an opportunity to make the power of selflessness truly obey his will, rather than passively accepting its influence.

He closed his eyes, and the image of the little guy competing against Yukimura Seiichi in the national tournament flashed through his mind.

In that battle, Little One successfully overcame the flaws of the ultimate refinement by precisely controlling the power of selflessness. Gu Cheng recalled those details, trying to find inspiration from them.

“Perhaps… it’s not about controlling the power of selflessness, but about learning to coexist with it and to feel it,” he murmured to himself, his eyes gradually brightening.

The next second, he opened his eyes.

Gu Cheng took a deep breath, adjusted his breathing rhythm, and entered the most stable state.

This time, he did not forcibly suppress the power of selflessness, but tried to establish a subtle connection with it.

He realized that the state of egolessness is not simply an outburst, but a flow of energy that can be guided and regulated.

As long as the right control method is found, it can play its role at the right time and in the right place, instead of taking over everything.

The training system restarted, and the first ball flew in at high speed.

Gu Cheng's body reacted subconsciously, but he did not immediately enter a state of selflessness. Instead, he let his consciousness wander within it, feeling the flow of energy in his body.

The moment the racket touches the tennis ball, he gently guides the force, concentrating it in his arm and wrist rather than spreading it throughout his body.

A miracle happened.

His shots remained sharp, but the burden on his body was noticeably reduced, his footwork was light, and his reaction speed remained at a stable level.

Zhang Ming stared wide-eyed at the data on the screen, exclaiming in amazement, "You really did it!"

Gu Cheng smiled slightly, but did not respond. Instead, he continued to focus on the next serve.

His movements were fluid and natural, as if he had completely mastered the technique. The power of selflessness was no longer an uncontrollable storm, but a river that could be guided at will, providing the strongest momentum for his shots without interfering with other parts of his body.

At this moment, he finally took a crucial step—the ultimate evolution, refined through countless trials, was opening its doors to him.

Training continued, and Gu Cheng's body had fully adapted to this new method of control.

He no longer needs to deliberately guide the power of selflessness, but can naturally concentrate it in the most suitable position.

Each swing precisely mobilizes the required energy, ensuring both the power of the shot and minimizing unnecessary energy expenditure.

Zhang Ming held his breath, staring intently at Gu Cheng's movements.

This means that Gu Cheng not only successfully overcame the flaws of the ultimate refinement, but also pushed it to a whole new level.

"You really did it..." Zhang Ming murmured, his voice filled with a hint of shock.

Gu Cheng slowly put down his racket, a hint of fatigue on his face, but more so a sense of satisfaction.

He knew he had completed the experiment and truly mastered the ultimate evolved version, refined through countless trials.

Now, this technology is no longer a trump card that can only be used for a short time, but a powerful weapon that can be used continuously throughout the entire game.

He turned to look at Zhang Ming, a slight smile playing on his lips: "How are you feeling?"

"It feels great!" Gu Cheng grinned. Although the refined and evolved version couldn't compare to the flawless one, it gave him a way to reach the ultimate level of the flawless one.

Zhang Ming took a deep breath, then smiled and said, "You always surprise me."

The two looked at each other and smiled.

Gu Cheng stood in the center of the training field, feeling the power surging within him.

He has fully adapted to the ultimate, honed version of his skill, not only able to precisely control his selfless power but also maintain peak performance during high-intensity competition. This sense of control is clearer than ever before, as if the entire court is under his command.

Zhang Ming walked to his side and said softly, "Do you feel like you're standing at a new starting point right now?"

Gu Cheng smiled and nodded: "Yes, but this is just the beginning. Mastering a skill does not mean you are invincible. True strength comes from constantly challenging yourself."

Upon hearing this, a glint flashed in Zhang Ming's eyes.

The journey of tennis has no end.

(End of this chapter)