National destiny: Global tower climbing skills have decreased by 10,000 times.

The chef and Ye Fei stood frozen in place. The receptionist glanced at her phone, her face apologetic.

"I'm sorry, gentlemen, it seems I have to attend this meeting as well, so I can't join you. However, the meeting won't last long, it should only be over in about half an hour."

"But don't worry, once we're inside, I'll immediately tell Boss Li that you two have been waiting here for quite some time. I'm sure he'll come to see you as soon as possible."

"I must take my leave now. I apologize to both of you!"

After saying that, the receptionist turned and left.

Chef Ye Fei and his companion went down the stairs to the reception room. Chef Ye Fei seemed to suddenly remember something and nudged Ye Fei:

"Hey? Dude, you're not really that good at this, are you? You actually know about malfunctioning robots?"

"I thought you were just a good observer like me! I didn't expect you to be such a know-it-all when it comes to malfunctioning robots."

"Brother, how many things are you still hiding from me?"

"I saw you leave even that Wang Sect member speechless. Just how many supernatural powers do you still have that you haven't told me? Tell me! Tell me..."

Ye Fei seemed unwilling to continue the conversation, simply replying coldly, "Sigh, don't ask questions you shouldn't."

I haven't settled the score with you yet for taking sides today.

The cook realized he had made a fool of himself and didn't dare ask any more questions. He quickly shut up, only muttering something under his breath:

"Alright, he still has to be my older brother."

"Big brother is awesome, big brother, do whatever you want."

……

Chef Cai and Ye Fei returned to the reception room and sat down on the sofa again.

The chef was still savoring the scene from earlier, glancing at Ye Fei every now and then, seemingly wanting to say something but holding back.

Ye Fei leaned back in his chair, his eyes closed, as if he were resting or thinking about something.

The reception room remained quiet for several tens of minutes.

Footsteps echoed down the corridor, paused at the door, and then the door was pushed open.

A middle-aged man walked in.

He was slightly overweight, still wearing his formal suit, his hair was neatly combed, and he wore a smile that he had developed from years of socializing.

She looks to be under forty, but the crow's feet at the corners of her eyes are deep, like marks left by frequent frowning.

The cook immediately stood up: "Brother Kun!"

Ye Fei opened his eyes and stood up.

"Oh my! Distinguished guest! Isn't this Xiao Chen? Long time no see!" Da Kun strode over, patted the chef on the shoulder, and spoke warmly.

"The last time we met was at last year's company annual meeting, wasn't it? You've lost weight!"

"Brother Kun, you haven't changed much." The chef greeted him with a smile, then turned to introduce Ye Fei:

"This is Hei Xi, whom I mentioned to you before. We're business partners now, so I brought him along to show you around today!"

Da Kun turned to Ye Fei, looked him up and down, and extended his hand, his smile unchanged:

"Oh... I've heard so much about you! Xiao Chen mentioned you to me before. You're that genius kid who played the spectator game, right?"

"I didn't expect him to be so young! Our tower defense industry really has a lot of talent!"

Ye Fei shook hands: "Hello, Uncle Kun."

"Sit down, sit down, don't be shy." Da Kun sat down first on the single sofa, put his hands in front of his chest, and his smile faded a bit, becoming more serious.

The chef and Ye Fei sat down again.

"Xiao Chen, you've come at the perfect time." Da Kun sighed. "I was just worried about having no one to talk to. I've been under a lot of pressure these past few days."

The cook leaned forward and asked, "What's wrong, Brother Kun? I saw your school was running perfectly fine, what happened?"

"It's the association, they had a meeting a couple of days ago." Da Kun shook his head.

"It's tough, let me tell you. These days, it's getting harder and harder for small organizations like ours."

"Over the past two years, we've been getting fewer and fewer new students. After all, parents have seen the results the Dragon Team has achieved in recent years!"

The cook opened a pack of cigarettes, handed one to Da Kun, and said, "You're joking again. You call this a small organization? How are others supposed to survive?" He glanced at Ye Fei as he spoke.

Ye Fei waved his hand: "I don't need it, you can smoke it yourself." The cook took back the cigarette and put it in his mouth, then took out a lighter and lit it for Da Kun.

Da Kun took a deep breath and held it between his fingers: "Alright, alright, I'll continue. We're in a meeting, so there's bound to be some action."

"You've seen our performance in national competitions over the past few years. The country invests so much every year, but what are the results? They're far from satisfactory."

"Therefore, based on the decision of the China Esports Association, we plan to launch a 'Sword Forging Plan' this year to strongly support outstanding domestic esports training institutions."

The chef had just ordered for himself when he heard this, so he quickly took it off and held it in his hand, almost choking on it.

"That's great! Isn't this a good idea? Why do you say it's difficult?"

Da Kun paused, took another breath, and lowered his voice:

"That's great, but securing a spot will be difficult..."

The chef's excitement subsided, and he waited for the chef to continue.

"The original intention of this so-called 'Sword Forging Project' is very clear: to cultivate outstanding e-sports talents for the country."

"And cultivating outstanding talents certainly requires excellent institutions. Which athlete didn't start out from an institution?"

The chef nodded and continued listening without interrupting.

"But you know how mixed the quality of training institutions in China is! Some fabricate test results, some make up teaching materials..."

"Some even have coaches whose qualifications are faked. Do you think they can produce good students like that? Not every institution can be considered a good institution."

"Therefore, the subsidies for this 'Sword Forging Project' aren't given out randomly. There are only a limited number of slots—only one hundred nationwide!"

The chef exhaled a puff of smoke, seemingly dazed, and then swallowed back what he was about to ask.

"But there are so many institutions across the country, if not tens of thousands, at least several thousand. How do we determine if you are a qualified institution and allocate quotas?"

"Here's the thing!" Da Kun slammed his fist on the table. "It's simple, but also brutal—the competition!"

"How do we compare them?" the chef asked, frowning.

"A competition between organizations!" Da Kun squinted, as if he had reached the most crucial point, and his tone became more serious:

"The higher-ups will issue the document in a few days, but I found out beforehand and wanted to tell you first..."

"This competition is divided into two parts: a local competition and a national competition."

"Firstly, this local tournament is overseen by the esports associations of each province, and the judges and referees are drawn from the local professional players..."

"Any local organization, as long as it is a legitimate organization, can register—of course, it is done on an organization-by-organization basis, and after registration, it can send three students to participate in the competition."

"These three students must be registered students of our organization, representing our organization in the competition. Once registered, the association's leaders will conduct a review to ensure that no one else can participate on their behalf or impersonate a student."

"Even students who temporarily join the organization for the purpose of participating in the competition are not allowed. As for how they are investigated, it is not our responsibility. As long as such a possibility does not exist, they must be regular students trained by our organization."

"After registering for the competition, these three students will go through the preliminary round, the semi-final, and the final. Once they win the final, they will be granted the qualification by the provincial electric association to represent the organization in the national competition."

"And after participating in the national competition, the top 100 who are eliminated will be the recipients of the 'Sword Forging Subsidy'!"

Da Kun stared intently at the kitchen, his tone somewhat excited, and he seemed very serious.

"And this 'sword-making subsidy' is no simple matter! It not only includes annual subsidy funds, but also professional technical support from the Dragon Nation Electricity Association."

"To put it bluntly, it's about 'resources'! You know that. But that's not the most important thing. Do you know what's the most important thing?"

The chef shook his head. For an organization, what could be more important than "resources"? He didn't know, but he was clearly eager to know the answer.

Da Kun solemnly uttered two words:

"Shop sign!"