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

"I'm not playing anymore! I'm not playing anymore! I'm not playing anymore no matter what!" One afternoon, Zhang Mang finally broke down. He threw down his racket, slumped to the ground like a 200-pound child, and cried out with a mournful face, "Coach Zhou! I can't take it anymore! Let whoever wants to be my sparring partner can be! I'm not doing this anymore! If I keep playing like this, I'll lose all my confidence."

"I feel like I'm not facing a person, but a mountain! An insurmountable mountain!" he lamented bitterly. "He just learned a backhand flick with a change of direction yesterday, and today he can do it with his eyes closed! A serve he came up with on a whim the night before last, today he can produce three different spins! Is this even fair? I feel like my worldview on table tennis is being relentlessly crushed and shattered into pieces every day!"

His tearful accusation resonated deeply with the entire team.

Because each of them has experienced this fear of being dominated to some extent.

Internal round-robin tournament.

Chen Mo, the former top player of the city team, was able to go toe-to-toe with Fan Zhengyang at the Blue Ocean Cup, and even won two games.

Now, he has used all his skills, bringing his tactics, experience, and mentality to the extreme, but the final score is 0:3.

He only scored 11 points in total across the three games.

After the match, Chen Mo stared blankly at the scoreboard, then looked at Fan Zhengyang, who was breathing steadily across from him, and felt a deep sense of powerlessness well up in his heart.

He finally understood that the gap between himself and Fan Zhengyang was no longer a matter of technique, but an insurmountable chasm called talent.

"He's a monster," Chen Mo said to his teammates with a wry smile. "We're still on the first level figuring out how to beat our opponents, and he's already on the fifth level thinking about how to make the game more interesting."

The other team members fared even worse.

The team's second-best player, a left-handed fast-attack player known for his speed, was completely outmatched by Fan Zhenyang's backhand smash in the match, unable to even touch the ball.

The team's defensive player tried to wear down Fan Zhengyang with solid defense, but Fan Zhengyang used "Ma Lin-style" control of the table, making him run all over the court, and finally he was exhausted.

Gradually, an unwritten rule formed within the city team—

You don't have to train hard, but never actively seek out Fan Zhengyang to play against you.

Because that wasn't a competition, that was a "trial by fire".

If we win, everyone will be happy, although the probability of that is practically zero.

Losing can lead to existential doubts at best, and immediate retirement at worst.

It's unclear when exactly, but Fan Zhengyang acquired a new, and only, universally acknowledged nickname within the city team—

"Blue Ocean Demon King"!

This nickname is filled with both awe and despair.

It represents an absolutely unshakeable dominance.

That day, after training, Fan Zhengyang looked at his teammates who had been "ravaged" to the point of despair and felt a little guilty.

He knew that occasionally "stomping" weaker opponents could help build authority, but if he kept doing this "lower-dimensional attack," it would be bad if it broke everyone's mentality.

So he approached Zhou Zhenhua and suggested, "Coach, how about we do a 'relay race'?"

"A series of attacks?" Zhou Zhenhua was taken aback.

"Yes." Fan Zhengyang nodded, a warm smile on his face. "Let me challenge their entire team by myself. They can take turns going up, and whoever knocks me down wins."

Before Zhou Zhenhua could speak, Zhang Mang jumped up, exclaiming, "Brother! You can't do that! You're going to take on our whole team by yourself! That's...that's too much!"

When he said "bullying," he meant bullying his poor teammates.

Chen Mo smiled wryly and said, "Zhengyang, there's no need for this. We all acknowledge that you are the strongest."

"No, it's necessary." Fan Zhengyang's eyes became serious. "We are a team. Only when everyone knows that there is an 'anchor' in our team that will never fall, will everyone have the confidence and strength to face stronger opponents."

"My purpose is not to show off my strength, but to tell everyone—"

He surveyed the room, his voice not loud, but every word was clearly audible to everyone.

"No matter how great the difficulties or how strong the opponents, you can always trust me."

"Because I will win."

At that moment, the silly, joking boy disappeared.

Instead, a true leader full of responsibility and conviction has emerged!

All the team members present, looking into his eyes that shone with confidence and listening to his resounding declaration, felt an indescribable surge of excitement and pride.

So that was his real purpose!

He doesn't want to be an invincible demon king, but rather a pillar that can support the entire team!

"good!"

Someone was the first to clap.

Immediately afterwards, thunderous applause resounded throughout the entire training hall!

"Fight! Fight Yang-ge!"

"Damn, I'm fired up! Even if I get riddled with bullets today, I'm going to learn a move or two from Brother Yang!"

"For the glory of Blue Ocean City! Charge!"

A fierce fighting spirit was rekindled in the eyes of the team members!

Zhou Zhenhua was so moved by what he saw that tears welled up in his eyes.

He knew that from this moment on, a Blue Ocean City table tennis team with a team spirit was officially born!

And all of this stemmed from that boy who stood in the center of the crowd, smiling as brightly as the sun.

Just as the Blue Ocean City table tennis team was experiencing unprecedented enthusiasm for training under the influence of Fan Zhengyang, the "dragon crossing the river," and the whole team was immersed in the joyful atmosphere of "following Brother Yang means getting good food," an uninvited guest broke this harmony.

That afternoon, a black Audi A8L hover van with a license plate from the provincial capital quietly stopped at the entrance of the sports center.

The car door opened, and a man in his early thirties stepped out.

The man was of medium build and average appearance, but his well-tailored Zegna suit, the Patek Philippe watch gleaming on his wrist, and the Chrome Hearts glasses on his nose that looked incredibly expensive all highlighted his incompatibility with this small city.

After getting out of the car, he first waved his hand in disgust in front of his nose, as if there was some unpleasant smell in the air, before walking into the training hall with steady, official steps.

He is Liu Bin, the assistant coach sent by the provincial table tennis team to scout reserve talents from various city teams.

Liu Bin was once a fringe player on the provincial team when he was young, but unfortunately his talent was limited and he did not make a name for himself. He retired early and became a coach.

However, he was very shrewd and adept at maneuvering. By serving as the provincial team's head coach's secretary for several years and doing everything he could for him, he finally managed to get the title of assistant coach.

He may not hold a high-ranking position, but he certainly has a big attitude.

Especially when he went down to various cities and counties to inspect the teams, he perfectly embodied the demeanor of an imperial envoy.

As soon as he entered the training hall, Zhou Zhenhua, who was leading his team in tactical drills, immediately greeted him with a warm smile on his face.