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As soon as the rankings were displayed, Coach Wang jumped up abruptly, his chair sliding backward and crashing into the wall with a thud.

Without waiting for anyone's reaction, he pushed open the door of the observation room and strode towards the student competition area.

The coaches exchanged glances, realized something was wrong, and quickly followed.

In the student competition area, Lin Xi was still sitting in front of the computer, her hand on the mouse, staring blankly at the words "Third Place" on the screen.

He hadn't fully recovered from the tension when Coach Wang suddenly rushed out of the viewing room, pointing at him:

"Where did you get this playing style? Who taught you?"

Coach Wang's voice was like a thunderclap, startling all the trainees present.

Lin Xi looked up abruptly and saw Coach Wang standing in front of him, his face ashen and his eyes blazing with fury.

Du Feiyang and Jin Ying took off their headphones and looked over, and the other trainees also turned to look.

"Coach Wang... Coach Wang..." Lin Xi subconsciously shrank back a little.

"Who taught you this playing style? Is there someone else?" Coach Wang's voice was loud enough to be heard throughout the entire training room.

Lin Xi was stunned.

"I'm asking you, who taught you!" Coach Wang raised his voice.

Several coaches who had followed him quickly stepped forward and pulled him away:

"Brother Wang, calm down. Let's talk things out. Don't scare him!"

"Yes, Brother Wang! He's still a child."

Coach Wang shook off that hand and pointed at Lin Xi: "Look at what he's doing! We've never taught this kind of playing style in our organization."

"We've been in China for so many years, and we've never seen a student like him before. Where did he come from?"

Several hands pressed Coach Wang down again, making him step aside. Coach Shen squatted down, looked at Lin Xi, and softened his tone:

"Lin Xi, Coach Wang was a little agitated just now, please don't be afraid."

"Coach Wang means that if someone else taught you this playing style, please tell us the truth so that our organization can find out the details."

"Because this concerns your eligibility to participate in local competitions in the future, and it also concerns the reputation and credibility of our organization. I believe you will understand us, right?"

Lin Xi's mind went blank. Listening to Coach Shen's words, she felt a little calmer and nodded in a daze.

He remembered what Ye Fei had said—"You are not allowed to tell anyone what I taught you, nor are you allowed to mention my existence to anyone."

Lin Xi was conflicted. After hesitating, she whispered:

"I...I can't tell you."

The coaches' expressions began to change, and they all thought that the less they were told, the more it proved their guess was correct.

Coach Shen also shook his head, seemingly disappointed with the answer:

"Lin Xi, we're not trying to make things difficult for you, but if you have other teachers who aren't telling us..."

"We may not approve your eligibility to represent the organization in the local competition."

Lin Xi bit her lip and remained silent.

Coach Wang broke free from his restraints, pushed Coach Shen aside, and pointed at Lin Xi, shouting:

"Lin Xi, I won't beat around the bush, I'll just say it straight—"

"If you don't tell us now, and we find out you have a foreign teacher, it won't be as simple as just disqualifying you from the local competition..."

"At best, we'll expel you from the school and cancel your student status... At worst, we'll freeze your account and even affect your credit record!"

He didn't finish his sentence, but the meaning was already quite clear.

The coaches' expressions changed. They exchanged glances; some nodded slightly, while others frowned.

If Lin Xi really did have a foreign teacher who privately instructed her without informing them, and she participated in the local competition...

—Then the institution will face huge scrutiny and credit risks.

As for the "Sword Forging Plan," a national program designed to cultivate future esports talent in China, what does it mean if a student of a foreign teacher is allowed to qualify and win a competition?

By then, no one can guarantee that this student is truly someone who "fights for the Dragon Kingdom".

Upon realizing this, the coaches instantly understood the gravity of the situation and felt a chill run down their spines. No matter what they said, they had to get the truth out of the student.

Coach Shen pulled Coach Wang aside again, carefully considered his words, and said gently:

"Lin Xi, you are an excellent student. I know you didn't mean to hide it from us."

"If you can honestly tell us who taught you this fighting style, we will retain your qualification to represent our organization in the local competitions of the 'Sword Forging Project'."

Other coaches echoed this sentiment:

"Yes, Lin Xi, if you tell us, we won't blame you."

"Your grades are so good, we've all seen it, and we believe in you."

"But there are some things... if their origin is unclear, our organization cannot explain them."

Lin Xi lowered his head, biting his lip, his eyes already red. He understood what Coach Shen had just said, and he remembered the promises he had made to Teacher Ye.

If he breaks his teacher's promise, he will become a "scoundrel" who betrays his teacher, and Teacher Ye may no longer recognize him as a disciple.

But if we don't answer truthfully now and lose our qualification for the local competition, then everything will be meaningless.

He prayed silently in his heart:

"Teacher Ye, I'm sorry, I believe you'll understand..."

Lin Xi finally spoke, and all the coaches fell silent, waiting for him to finish.

"My teacher... his surname is Ye, and he is also a professional gamer. His professional name is 'Stardust'."

Lin Xi's voice was very soft, so soft that it was almost inaudible:

"And he's in this facility right now... and he's sitting in the spectator room right now."

The coaches looked at each other in bewilderment.

"Stardust?" Coach Shen frowned.

"What profession is this? Does anyone know?"

All shook their heads.

"Stardust... I've never heard of it."

"Is this a player from China? I don't remember having this ID."

"Could it be that he's retired?"

"Even among the retired players, none of them are named 'Stardust'!"

Coach Wang snorted coldly, turned around, and headed straight for the spectator room. Coach Shen waved his hand: "Go take a look."

A group of people followed them back to the spectator room, and Lin Xi was also taken there.

Only a few coaches and some spectators remained in the viewing room. Da Kun and Coach Lu were still in their office and hadn't returned.

The chef was sitting in the back row, holding a bottle of water. He curiously peeked out when he saw the commotion.

Coach Wang scanned the room and shouted, "Which one is 'Stardust'?"

All eyes turned to them, but no one answered.

"Stardust, who is this child's teacher now?" Coach Shen asked again.

Still, no one answered.

The cook put down the water bottle and came closer: "What's wrong? What happened?"

Coach Shen turned to him and asked, "Chef Cai, do you know a professional player named 'Stardust'?"

The chef thought for a moment and shook his head:

"Stardust? Never heard of it. There is a Star Abyss, though."

"But we all know Xingyuan. He retired from the entertainment industry a long time ago, so it's impossible for him to be anyone's teacher."

Coach Wang's expression darkened further. He turned around and stared at Lin Xi, who had followed him in: "Where's the teacher you were talking about?"

Lin Xi frantically scanned the observation room, and was surprised to find:

The seat Ye Fei was sitting in is now empty—the teacher is gone.

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