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

In the final match of the group stage, Fan Zhengyang's opponent was Zhang Wei, the "Grinding King," a well-known defensive player in the city.

Before the competition even started, Zhang Wei already had a look of utter despair on his face.

He had witnessed firsthand how Fan Zhengyang had outsmarted Lao Wang to death, and now that it was his turn, he felt like a lab rat waiting in line to be dissected.

"Dude, when you hit me... could you go a little easier?" Zhang Wei said to Fan Zhengyang, his voice almost trembling with tears, as they shook hands before the match.

"Don't worry, I'm the kind of person who wins people over with virtue." Fan Zhengyang patted his shoulder and smiled kindly.

Then, the game began.

In the first game, Fan Zhengyang used only one move throughout the entire game – a high-loop topspin.

It's that kind of high, spinning, seemingly harmless, health-preserving style of play, commonly known as the "moon ball."

Zhang Wei was initially quite pleased. Hey, this kid's not going to use brute force or tactics today? He's going to play a war of attrition with me? I'm the King of Grinding!

He immediately perked up and began shaving, one stroke at a time.

However, five minutes later, he started acting strangely.

Ten minutes later, his face began to turn pale.

Fan Zhengyang's high-looping topspin was so cunning!

The rotation intensity of each plate is different; sometimes it is strong topspin, and sometimes it is side topspin.

The landing points were extremely tricky, sometimes hitting the body, sometimes at a wide angle, forcing him to run all over the court and use all sorts of awkward postures to chop the ball.

This isn't playing ball; it's clearly a shuttle run in physical training!

After the first game, the score was 11-3, with Fan Zhengyang winning by a large margin.

Zhang Wei was exhausted, panting heavily as he leaned against the pool table.

Fan Zhengyang, without batting an eye, even casually made a heart shape with his hands towards Ye Zhiwei in the audience.

"I...I can't go on..." During the break, Zhang Wei waved his hand at the referee, "I...I give up."

The entire audience erupted in uproar!

The "Grinding King" was actually worn down to the point of surrender by his opponent? This is simply a world-famous painting!

Fan Zhengyang advanced strongly with a perfect record of three wins in the group stage (only losing one game to Lao Wang)!

He not only won, but he won in a very entertaining way.

Facing "Quick-Knife Liu," he used an even faster blade, staging a "showing off his axe skills in front of Guan Yu" scenario.

Facing the "long pips maverick," he demonstrated his understanding on the spot, providing reverse instruction and illustrating what it means to "knowledge is power."

In his battle against the "Grinding King," he used an even more grueling method to show his opponent what it means for "magic to defeat magic."

Three matches, three different styles: Fan Zhengyang's comprehensive skills and terrifying game reading ability completely shocked the entire table tennis world of Lanhai City.

"Just how much more do we not know about this kid?"

"Is he really a high school student? I feel like there's some old monster who's been playing basketball for fifty years living inside him!"

"I used to think he was like Lu Bu, all brawn and no brains. Then I realized he was like Zhuge Liang, all cunning and manipulative. Now I understand, he's the ultimate Frankenstein's monster, skilled in both literature and martial arts, and even knows sorcery!"

After the match, Fan Zhengyang's name became a household name thanks to Gu Qingcheng's strong promotion.

Liying Sports' public relations team worked overnight to edit his highlights into a video titled "A High School Student Teaches Blue Ocean City's Top Players How to Play Basketball," accompanied by highly provocative captions:

"You think he's all about brute force? He'll show you what true intellectual superiority looks like with his tactics! You think he's all about offense? He'll show you what impregnable defense looks like! He is the all-around god of war born for table tennis! He is the rising star of 'Liying Sports'—Fan Zhengyang!"

This video spread like wildfire across the internet.

Fan Zhengyang's Douyu account gained a million followers overnight! He became a veritable top internet celebrity in the sports circle of Lanhai City.

Countless sponsors, GG Corporation, and even some second-tier professional clubs have begun to frantically contact Liying Sports, wanting a piece of the pie.

Gu Qingcheng flatly refused, declaring, "Want to cooperate? Sure. Let's talk about it after he wins the Blue Ocean Cup."

Her ambitions extend far beyond this.

Fan Zhengyang, who was at the center of the storm, was completely oblivious to the commotion outside.

After each match, he would immediately find Ye Zhiwei, and the two of them would review the match and analyze the data together.

"Today, the usage rate of high-loop topspin reached 78%, and the proportion of power attacks dropped significantly compared to previous matches. Is this a deliberate tactical adjustment?" Ye Zhiwei asked curiously, pointing to the data curve on the screen.

Today she was wearing a white tracksuit, her long hair tied into a neat high ponytail, looking dashing and just like a beautiful female manager of a sports club in anime.

"I guess so." Fan Zhengyang took a sip of the sports drink she handed him. "I feel like my strength and spin attributes have improved too quickly lately, but my technique and control aren't keeping up. It's like a game character who only levels up but doesn't practice their skills. They're okay at fighting small monsters, but they're likely to fail when they encounter a big boss."

He didn't mention the system, but explained it in a way that Ye Zhiwei could understand.

"So I want to take advantage of the group stage to practice ball control and spin variation more, and solidify my foundation."

Ye Zhiwei nodded repeatedly, her eyes sparkling.

She discovered that what fascinated her most about Fan Zhengyang was not his amazing ball skills, nor his increasingly handsome face, but his clarity and composure far beyond his peers.

While everyone was going crazy for him and elevating him to a pedestal, he knew better than anyone his own shortcomings and was willing to calm down and work on them little by little.

This mindset is what a true strongman, a future grandmaster, should possess.

"So...so how do you think the results are?" she asked expectantly.

"It's alright," Fan Zhengyang shrugged. "The main problem is that the opponents are too weak and can't put any pressure on me. It's like playing against the AI, not very interesting."

If Liu Bin, Lao Wang, and Zhang Wei heard this, they would probably be so angry they'd vomit blood on the spot.

We're noobs? We're top-tier amateur players in Blue Ocean City!

You wouldn't even call us "teacher," and you even called us "human-machine"?

Versailles! The ultimate Versailles!

But when Fan Zhengyang said it, it sounded so natural.

Ye Zhiwei chuckled and gave him a reproachful look: "Don't be arrogant!"

"Yes, sir, my personal analyst!" Fan Zhengyang saluted with a grin.

The atmosphere between the two became increasingly harmonious, but also increasingly ambiguous.

Unbeknownst to them, in a corner of the stadium, a telephoto lens was clearly recording this scene.