Volume One: Our Own League — 133: The Finest Uncut Jade of Brocade City No. 17 High School

11.47 seconds, 11.20 seconds, 11.33 seconds!

These were the results of Xu He’s three 100-meter trial runs. The numbers left countless people in shock. Even Yangtong Mingxiong, who had once coached the Chinese Men’s National Football Team, was stunned. One must understand that even within the Chinese adult national team, this speed over 100 meters is considered fast; many adults cannot necessarily achieve such a time. For a boy not yet fourteen to produce such staggering results, it was no wonder he was astonished.

Because of this, Yangtong Mingxiong even set aside the assessments for the second-year students to come and take a look at Xu He. He even ordered an additional 100-meter sprint trial for Xu He’s group. Yangtong Mingxiong stood right at the finish line beside Xu Dongsheng. As soon as Xu He crossed the line, Yangtong gasped, then quickly glanced at the stopwatch in Xu Dongsheng’s hand. It read: 11.22!

Hiss!

Yangtong Mingxiong gasped again. Seeing it with his own eyes was even more impactful than what he had heard; he was shocked once more. He couldn't help but steal a few extra glances at Xu He, his eyes filled with such awe that he almost forgot to feel excitement or joy.

He muttered to himself, "Shouldn't this kid be training for track and field?"

If this boy were to develop further and undergo proper training, he would surely have a good chance of breaking the 11-second barrier. In that case, who knows? He might even make it into the Chinese national sprinting team and represent China at the Asian Games, bringing glory to the country.

Yangtong Mingxiong suddenly said to Xu Dongsheng, "Tell me, should I persuade him to take up track and field?"

Xu Dongsheng froze instantly, staring blankly at Yangtong.

Yangtong Mingxiong chuckled and said, "Just kidding, just kidding! With such a promising talent, how could I push him away?"

Of course, this only proved that Xu He had a gift for sprinting; whether he could pass this assessment and get into the school team was not yet certain. However, both Yangtong Mingxiong and Xu Dongsheng were filled with anticipation for Xu He and for this selection process.

Yangtong Mingxiong couldn't help but recall what Principal Wang had said to him earlier. Could this be the talent that Song Yu had spoken so highly of? It must be!

Yangtong Mingxiong immediately said to Xu Dongsheng, "Focus on this Xu He from now on. See how his talent is in other areas."

Xu Dongsheng nodded immediately, indicating he understood. In truth, even without Yangtong's reminder, Xu Dongsheng would have paid extra attention to Xu He; after all, the kid’s performance in the previous tests had been so stunning that he couldn't help but notice.

Xu Dongsheng hesitated for a moment and asked, "Are you not going to follow up on him personally?"

Yangtong Mingxiong looked at Xu He and shook his head slightly. "No need! You following him is enough. Besides, this kid has already shown his greatest strength; I doubt anything else will be more impressive than his 100-meter sprint!"

Xu Dongsheng nodded slightly, understanding. However, he didn't entirely agree with Yangtong. How could he be so sure that Xu He’s greatest talent was the 100-meter sprint? What if the boy had other astonishing gifts? Of course, Xu Dongsheng only thought this to himself. After all, the speed Xu He had displayed was already close to the limits of his age group—it was top-tier talent. Even if Xu He were excellent in other areas, it likely wouldn't be more shocking than this.

Xu Dongsheng said, "Alright, I understand!"

Yangtong Mingxiong nodded at Xu Dongsheng, turned, and walked back to the second-year assessment area. Xu Dongsheng signaled for the first-year assessments to continue.

To be honest, the assessment covered a lot of ground, and it was a very busy day. However, Xu Dongsheng no longer monitored the 100-meter sprint himself, leaving that to the other physical education teachers. His focus was entirely on Xu He; the kid's talent was simply too strong.

Next, Xu Dongsheng let Xu He’s group rest before preparing for the 30-meter sprint and shuttle run. After all, 100-meter sprints are rarely used in actual football matches; the most important aspect is the short-distance burst of around 30 meters. Xu Dongsheng was now impatient to see just how good Xu He would be over the first 30 meters. He was full of expectations.

After the 100-meter test, Xu He and his group went to the sidelines to rest. Zhu Ge and the others immediately surrounded him, giving him thumbs-up.

Zhu Ge exclaimed, "Xu He, you're awesome! You are definitely the fastest runner in our first-year grade. Even in the whole school, you could definitely rank in the top ten—no, top five!"

For an ordinary middle school student, breaking 11 seconds is extremely rare—almost unheard of. Even for high schoolers, it is a rarity, so Xu He ranking in the top five was a real possibility. The seniors in the third year might not even be able to beat him.

Lin Xuefeng said with admiration, "Xu He, you're so amazing, I'm already your fan! Will you compete in the Olympic 100-meter dash in the future?"

The others stared at Xu He with wide, shocked eyes. Xu He really was too fast; he had genuinely frightened them.

Xu He gave a wry smile and said, "I’m not really that fast. You can't get into the Olympics if you can't break 11 seconds, and I’ve never thought about doing track and field. I like football."

Everyone was speechless. Was Xu He trying to show off? Can't break 11 seconds? Many of them would never even break 12 seconds in their entire lives. Was that even human talk? Comparing people like this was infuriating.

Li Liying also came over and gave Xu He a thumb-up. "You really are amazing. I never expected you to be able to run so fast!"

Xu He scratched the back of his head. "I just run a little fast, it's nothing!"

Everyone looked at him with resentment—this guy was too demoralizing. For a while, Xu He became the center of attention, with everyone chatting around him. He had become the star of the show.

Soon, Xu He was freed from the crowd. The next test began, and it was their group's turn again. Because of Xu He's astonishing 100-meter speed, their group's assessment received a great deal of attention. Almost everyone’s eyes were fixed on Xu He, waiting to see how he would perform in the subsequent tests.

When he reached the testing area, Xu He was very calm. He put everything else out of his mind and threw himself into the new assessment. Yes, the previous tests were in the past; what mattered was the present.

Up next was the 30-meter sprint!

It was still a test of speed, and everyone was looking forward to seeing how fast Xu He could be over 30 meters. Would it be even more terrifying? Xu He stood at the starting line, looking very serious. Unaffected, he focused all his attention on the task at hand.

Soon, the starter pistol fired, and Xu He shot out like a bullet from a barrel.

Fast. It was still incredibly fast. Even though everyone had anticipated it, they were still shocked the moment Xu He bolted forward. He was just too quick. He instantly widened the gap between himself and the others, and the distance only grew larger; almost no one could keep up with his pace.

He was truly too fast!

Facing such a person, everyone could only feel despair, because no one could catch him. Lin Xuefeng gave Xu He another thumb-up and turned to Zhu Ge, saying, "I'll never catch up to him in this life. He's just too fast! I really think he should go into sprinting!"

Zhu Ge nodded in shock, agreeing. Xu He’s speed was simply beyond words.

Xu Dongsheng was stunned again when he looked at his stopwatch; Xu He’s 30-meter sprint seemed even more impressive than his 100-meter time. To verify his thoughts, he immediately signaled for the group to continue the test, and soon they ran three more rounds.

The results were soon clear. Xu He was not yet fourteen, but his 30-meter sprint time was under four seconds. This was truly, truly, exceptionally excellent.

Xu Dongsheng couldn't help but look at Xu He’s legs; the muscles were firm and well-defined. It was clear that Xu He possessed great explosive power and was formidable in short-distance sprints. He was a perfect candidate for a striker.

In the shuttle run test, Xu He also performed brilliantly. Although it wasn't as shocking as his pure speed, he still ranked first. Xu Dongsheng was amazed; he hadn't expected Xu He’s agility to be this good. His physical fitness was truly remarkable. Based on these items alone, Xu Dongsheng wanted to recruit Xu He into the school team immediately and cultivate him properly. He was convinced that Xu He had the potential to become a football superstar.

In the subsequent long-distance run, Xu He’s performance shocked Xu Dongsheng once again. He had assumed that because Xu He was good at sprinting, he wouldn't be good at long-distance running. But Xu He’s performance exceeded his expectations; the kid was also excellent at long-distance endurance.

Yes, "excellent" was the right word. Among all first-year students, Xu He ranked fifth in the long-distance endurance run! The first place went to Zhong Haokun from the Class 10 football team, followed by the "Shaolin Monk" Liu Peng from the Class 5/8 joint team, then the team captain Zhuo Jun from Class 16, and Yuan Fang from the Class 5/8 joint team, with Xu He following right after. This showed that Xu He also had immense endurance and excellent physical conditioning.

As far as he could see, Xu He was fast, had strong short-distance explosive power, excellent agility, and great endurance. It could be said that Xu He’s overall physical fitness was superb. He was definitely a fine prospect.

In the following tests, Xu Dongsheng discovered that Xu He’s flexibility, physical contact ability, and core strength were also quite good. Overall, Xu He’s comprehensive physical assessment was very high.

After observing these tests, Xu Dongsheng thought very highly of Xu He; he believed the boy was a rare talent. With careful and meticulous training, his future would certainly be bright. One could even say that Xu He was the most promising student in the first year of Jingguancheng No. 17 Middle School, and the one Xu Dongsheng valued the most.

Of course, Xu Dongsheng had also discovered a few other physically gifted students in the first-year league, such as Zhong Haokun, Zhuo Jun, and Liu Peng. If one looked purely at the non-ball-related tests, there were indeed many good prospects in the first year of Jingguancheng No. 17 Middle School.

But naturally, Xu He remained the one Xu Dongsheng valued most. In his eyes, Xu He was the finest unpolished jade in all of Jingguancheng No. 17 Middle School.