Billiards: Starting with the Overlord's Shot, Dominating the World

Lanhai City Sports Center, main stadium.

Above the dome, thousands of spotlights illuminated the dozens of blue ping-pong tables enclosed in the center as bright as day.

The air was filled with a unique smell that was a mixture of sweat, rubber, and adrenaline.

This is the venue for the Blue Ocean Cup Billiards Open, an annual extravaganza that brings together top billiards players from the entire Blue Ocean City and surrounding areas.

When Fan Zhengyang and Gu Qingcheng walked into the venue side by side, they instantly attracted the attention of at least half of the audience.

There's no way around it, this combination is just too eye-catching.

The man was dressed in a clean tracksuit, with a tall and straight figure. His face had a nonchalant and lazy look, but his eyes were clear and bright, as if he could see through everything.

He is none other than Fan Zhengyang, the "Tyrant Boy" who has recently risen to fame among high school students in Lanhai City.

The woman, dressed in a well-tailored Chanel business suit that accentuated her stunning curves, with exquisite makeup and fiery red lips, seemed to be stepping on everyone's hearts with every step she took.

She is Gu Qingcheng, the queen of the business world in Lanhai City and the president of Qingcheng Group.

A high school student, a female CEO. One seems to be there to compete, the other seems to be there to acquire the competition.

"Am I seeing things? That's President Gu from Qingcheng Group?"

"Who's that young man next to her? Is he one of her newly signed artists? He looks quite handsome."

"What celebrity! That's Fan Zhengyang! The high school student who defeated many masters with his 'Overlord Twist' move in the city league finals a while ago!" (Fan Zhengyang is going to spread the Overlord Twist far and wide in this world)

Gu Qingcheng's recent star-making plan has been quite successful.

Using her resources, she edited the highlights of Fan Zhengyang's match into a visually striking short video, which was then widely promoted on various platforms.

The video title is simple and direct: "17-year-old prodigy shocks the audience with a lost technique, the Overlord Twist!"

This move immediately gave Fan Zhengyang a level of fame far exceeding that of ordinary participants before the competition even began.

Of course, this kind of fame is a double-edged sword.

"Tch, what lost skill? It's just a haphazard backhand twist. The movements are so exaggerated, it's obviously just a flashy but impractical move." In the warm-up area, a young man wearing the city team uniform was stretching his legs and curled his lip, his tone full of disdain.

His name is Liu Bin, a former member of the provincial second team. He retired due to injuries and is now a coach at the municipal sports school. He is one of the favorites to win the championship in this competition and is known as "Quick Knife Liu".

A middle-aged man next to him, leisurely bouncing a ball with a long-pimpled paddle, chuckled upon hearing this, "Little Liu, don't get so worked up. These young people these days all like to create a spectacle. President Gu is invincible in the business world, but she's still a novice in billiards. Spending so much money to promote this kid, she's probably going to misjudge him this time."

This person is Lao Wang, a well-known "long pips eccentric" in the industry. He has a unique style of playing with long pips, using techniques such as tapping, pushing, scraping, and flicking. He is particularly good at defeating all kinds of academic and regular players.

In the VIP section not far away, several businessmen in suits were pointing and whispering in Gu Qingcheng's direction.

"Old Zhang, look at President Gu, she's really getting more and more daring. We're still vying for sponsorships from those established veterans, but she's investing directly in high school students like 'initial public offering shares,' haha."

"Courage? I think he's lost his mind." The fat man, known as Old Zhang, held up his wine glass with a sneer. "I watched that kid's video. His basic skills are terrible; he relies on just one trick. A player like that will be exposed in a few hits when he encounters a real tough opponent. Gu Qingcheng has probably thrown her money down the drain this time."

Facing the curious, questioning, or contemptuous gazes coming from all directions, Fan Zhengyang's expression remained unchanged.

Having lived two lives, his mindset had long been tempered into one of calm and undisturbed composure.

To him, these rumors were no different from the gossip of the old ladies downstairs in his neighborhood discussing how the price of cabbage had gone up by 50 cents.

He even had the leisure to make a joke in his mind: "What do you know? I'm far ahead. You're still on the first level, President Gu is already in the atmosphere, and I'm waiting for you above the stratosphere."

Gu Qingcheng sensed the atmosphere around her. She slightly curved her red lips, turned her head, and whispered to Fan Zhengyang, "Did you hear that, little guy? A lot of people don't have high hopes for you, and they don't have high hopes for me either. If you lose, I'll become a laughing stock in the business world."

Her voice was slightly husky and alluring, and her warm breath brushed against Fan Zhengyang's ear, causing his heart to flutter slightly.

"Don't worry, Mr. Gu." Fan Zhengyang grinned. "After today, they'll only laugh at themselves for being so blind. The return on your investment will absolutely skyrocket."

"I like your confidence." Gu Qingcheng nodded in satisfaction. "Go on, beat them all down."

Soon, the group draw results were announced on the big screen.

When Fan Zhengyang's name appeared on the list for Group C, the entire audience erupted in suppressed gasps and gloating laughter.

Group C – the undisputed group of death!

Besides Fan Zhengyang, there were three other prominent names in the group:

"Quick Knife Liu" - Liu Bin, a former provincial team member, is known for his lightning-fast forehand attacks.

Zhang Wei, nicknamed "Grinding King," is a well-known defensive player in the city. His defense is impenetrable, and he can grind his opponents down until they lose their composure.

"Long Pips Maverick" Lao Wang's unpredictable playing style is a nightmare for all technical players.

"Hahaha, this is going to be hilarious! This kid's gone straight into the meat grinder!"

"I bet he won't win a single game! Liu Bin's speed, Zhang Wei's slashing, Lao Wang's unorthodox moves—which of those can a high school student handle?"

"President Gu's face is probably going to be slapped so hard it's swollen. I'll really thank you. This grouping is too dramatic."

Even Gu Qingcheng's assistant turned pale: "President Gu, this...this luck is just too bad."

Gu Qingcheng simply raised her arm and watched the big screen with great interest, her confident smile deepening.

She trusted her judgment, and even more so, she believed that the seemingly lazy boy harbored a fierce tiger within him.

Looking at the group assignments, Fan Zhengyang wasn't nervous at all; instead, he excitedly rubbed his hands together.

"A group of death? Great, saves me the trouble of searching one by one." He muttered to himself, "This isn't a group of death, it's clearly a free beginner's gift pack giving me experience points!"

In the first group stage match, Fan Zhengyang's opponent was none other than "Quick-Knife Liu"—Liu Bin, who had scorned him.

The referee announced the start of the match, and Liu Bin served first.

His eyes were arrogant, and he didn't take Fan Zhengyang seriously at all. He immediately launched a fast, long ball, which he was best at, straight at Fan Zhengyang's forehand at a wide angle.

This shot was incredibly fast and extremely difficult to execute! Other opponents in the city league probably wouldn't even have had time to react.

"Too fast!" someone in the audience exclaimed.

However, Fan Zhengyang simply moved his feet slightly, and with a smooth, flowing cross step, his body instantly reached its position.

He didn't even turn his body to the side; he simply used pure core strength to drive his forearm, and his wrist snapped in and out the instant it touched the ball.

"Whoosh!"

A white lightning bolt, faster than the incoming ball, ruthlessly tore through Liu Bin's defense in a straight line!

The ball landed on the table, bounced up, and passed right under Liu Bin's armpit!

1: 0!

Liu Bin's arrogance froze instantly; he hadn't even seen how Fan Zhengyang made his move.

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