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

Following the updates has never been so enjoyable.

"Zhang Benzhi from Japan, a roaring boy of only fifteen years old, his aggressive style of play has already defeated several of our national team's main players. The 'Ahn Jae-hyun's' from South Korea, each of them seems to be carved from the same mold, their basic skills are terrifyingly solid, and their willpower is as tenacious as a cockroach. When you play against them, you have to be prepared to play until you are exhausted."

"These are our main rivals in table tennis in the world. Surrounded by formidable opponents, our situation is far from as optimistic as you might imagine."

Fan Zhengyang listened silently, the relaxed expression on his face long gone.

For the first time, he gained a clear and profound understanding of the global landscape of table tennis.

"Then... what about our Blue Country?" he couldn't help but ask.

Zhou Zhenhua sighed, and the projection screen switched to the information of the Blue Country Table Tennis Team.

"Our Blue Country has never lacked geniuses or top players." He pointed to the world rankings on the screen. "Look, out of the top twenty male players in the world, ten are from our Blue Country! That's the highest number in the world!"

"Then why...?"

"But!" Zhou Zhenhua emphasized, "Look at the top ten, we only have three people. And the highest-ranked Long Chen is only third. Ahead of us are Dimitrij Ovtcharov of Germany and Simon Gauzy of France."

"We have enough talent depth, but the top of the pyramid isn't sharp enough!" Zhou Zhenhua's voice carried a hint of heartache. "We have many excellent players, but we lack a 'wall-breaker' like you, capable of delivering the decisive blow and being ruthless! That's why in world competitions, we always fall just short of the final championship. We've been holding onto that 'blame' for years!"

Fan Zhengyang's heart sank as well.

He never imagined that table tennis in this blue country would be such a "crisis under the sun".

"So, do you understand why I have such high hopes for you?" Zhou Zhenhua looked at him, his eyes burning like fire. "Because I see in you the hope of breaking this deadlock! Your appearance might just be the key to our Blue Country men's table tennis team breaking through that barrier!"

These words stirred Fan Zhengyang's blood, and an unprecedented sense of responsibility and mission welled up in his heart.

"However," Zhou Zhenhua suddenly smiled, a hint of mystery and pride in his expression, "while our men's team is a bit 'lagging,' our women's team is truly amazing!"

The projected image switched again, and a cool and beautiful girl's portrait appeared in the center of the screen.

Her eyes seemed to contain the stars and the sea; just looking at the photos, one could feel a breathtakingly powerful aura.

Below the photo are her name and a brief introduction.

Xia Shuisheng is the absolute core player of the Blue Country National Women's Table Tennis Team and is currently ranked number one in the world.

"Xia Shuisheng..." Fan Zhengyang subconsciously uttered the name. The name had a gentle, refined feel reminiscent of the water towns of Jiangnan, yet somehow it was associated with the domineering title of the world's number one.

"That's right, it's her." Zhou Zhenhua's tone was full of pride. "In the world of women's table tennis today, she's in a league of her own. To put it another way, if women's table tennis were a class, Xia Shuisheng would be the academic genius who always gets 100 points, while the second to tenth place in the world are all vying for the spot where they get 90 points. That's how big the gap is between them."

"She...is that strong?" Fan Zheng-yang was astonished by this analogy.

"Strong?" Zhou Zhenhua grinned like a fox who had just stolen a chicken. "Of course she's strong! You know, this girl used to be my disciple too."

"What?!" Fan Zhengyang was genuinely shocked this time, and he jumped up from his chair.

"That's right." Zhou Zhenhua's eyes fell into reminiscence. "Many years ago, she was just like you, a genius I discovered in an insignificant little city. I personally mentored her for three years, sending her to the provincial team, and then the national team... She is the proudest work of my life."

A fatherly, loving smile appeared on Zhou Zhenhua's face.

Fan Zhengyang looked at the girl on the screen who was like an ice queen, and then at the somewhat "creepy" middle-aged coach next to him. He just couldn't connect the two together.

A bold idea suddenly popped into his head, and he cautiously asked, "Coach, will I have a chance to see her in the future?"

Zhou Zhenhua glanced at him, his eyes seeming to say, "You little brat, you're dreaming."

He patted Fan Zhengyang on the shoulder and said earnestly, "Want to see her? It's simple."

"When you can make it into the legendary 'national team' on your own merit, you'll be able to see her every day."

"national team……"

These three words, like a bolt of lightning, cleaved through all the fog in Fan Zhengyang's mind.

Provincial teams, provincial championships, national championships... and that highest hall that gathers all the table tennis geniuses in the entire Blue Country!

A clear yet challenging path slowly unfolded before him.

He knew that his journey had only just begun.

Since Coach Zhou Zhenhua started giving Fan Zhengyang special training and painted a magnificent picture of the world table tennis scene for him, Fan Zhengyang's enthusiasm for training has been completely ignited.

He was no longer content with "smurfing" within the city team, but set his sights on the more distant provincial teams, national teams, and even those powerful overseas rivals who occupy the top of the world.

However, problems also arose.

Knowing yourself and your enemy is the key to victory. He knew almost nothing about his future opponents. Although Coach Zhou could give him some general overviews, specific playing styles, technical characteristics, and habitual shot patterns couldn't be explained in just a few words.

"If only we could watch their game footage beforehand..."

In the evening, Fan Zhengyang finished a day of grueling training and collapsed on his bed in the dormitory, muttering to himself in distress.

Just then, his phone pinged, indicating he had received a new message.

It was sent by Ye Zhiwei.

The message was simple, containing only an encrypted cloud drive link and the line: "A gift for you, please check your mail ^_^".

"Gift?"

Fan Zhengyang was a little curious, so he casually clicked on the link.

After entering the password, a vast library of files appeared before him.

The file library is divided into several major categories with clear and easy-to-understand naming.

[Blue Province Table Tennis Team - Key Player Technical Analysis]

[East China Region - Provincial Youth Teams - Potential Rising Stars Data Report]

[National Second Team - Key Players' Tactical and Technical Analysis]

[Overseas "Dragon Slayer Alliance" - Core Member Gameplay Study (First Edition)]

Fan Zheng-yang's fingers trembled slightly.

He opened the folder "[Blue Province Table Tennis Team - Technical Analysis of Key Players]", which contained more than a dozen subfolders named after the players.

He casually opened a folder named "Chen Feng (Provincial Team's Number One Main Player)".

Inside were more than a dozen ultra-high-definition match videos, and a Word document that was dozens of pages long and rich in pictures and text!

The document is titled "Analysis Report on the Technical Characteristics, Tactical Habits, and Psychological Fluctuation Model of Chen Feng, a Player from the Blue Province Team".

Fan Zhengyang gasped and opened the report with trembling hands.

The report was so detailed it was outrageous!