Volume One: Our Own League Chapter 137: This Guy Is Absolutely a Genius

The students in the third group had finally finished their assessment, and by then it was already afternoon.

The ninth-grade students had completed their assessment long ago. The coaching staff had already moved on to the seventh graders, which was why the process had gone so quickly.

At last, it was Xu He and the others’ turn.

At that moment, Xu Dongsheng, Luo Dongqing, and the others could not help turning their eyes toward Xu He, Zhong Haokun, and the rest. These boys were all in outstanding physical condition, unquestionably among the very best of the seventh graders.

Zhong Haokun was especially remarkable. His physical abilities exceeded not only the standards of middle school students, but even those of high school students. He was practically on par with people who trained at gyms.

When they had first seen him, they had assumed the school had made a mistake. Where had they found a high school graduate?

They had never expected that he was only fifteen years old—a genuine seventh grader.

They had been utterly shocked.

After all, his physical condition was even better than that of the youth players they had coached in the past.

He was a freak of nature.

Even so, they were not particularly optimistic about Zhong Haokun. They did not believe he knew how to play football. They were genuinely afraid that placing their hopes too high would only lead to greater disappointment later.

Thus, they did not expect much from Zhong Haokun.

Their expectations for Xu He, however, were extremely high.

Xu He’s physical condition was good, but more importantly, he was incredibly fast—astonishingly, extraordinarily fast. With his build, he looked like someone who was born to play football. In fact, they had assumed that Xu He was the promising young player Song Yu had taken a liking to. They were full of anticipation.

Even Yang Tongmingxiong had come over to the seventh-grade students’ side to watch Xu He and the others undergo their assessment.

The students naturally noticed how much importance the coaching staff attached to this group, and began whispering among themselves.

“Do you see that guy?”

“You mean the one who ran the fastest yesterday? Did you know that he played in the seventh-grade football league? I heard he’s incredibly strong and scored a lot of goals in the league!”

“Yes, I know him. He’s a player from Class Ten’s football team. He performed brilliantly in both the semifinals and the final. He’s definitely one of the strongest players in our school!”

“Xu He? He’s amazing. His ability is incredible. I’m a fan of his…”

Remarks like these had long since reached the ears of Xu Dongsheng, Yang Tongmingxiong, and the others. That was why they had such high expectations for Xu He.

After all, the eyes of the crowd were sharp.

They, too, wanted to see just how capable Xu He really was.

Xu Dongsheng walked over to Xu He and the others and said, “You’ve all understood the assessment procedures, right?”

Xu He and the others immediately nodded.

“We understand!”

Xu Dongsheng glanced at Xu He, then said, “Good. In that case, let’s begin.”

Xu He walked calmly to the assessment area.

In an instant, everyone’s attention focused on him.

Most people would have been extremely nervous under such circumstances, overwhelmed by the pressure. Xu He, however, felt neither nervous nor pressured. He had always possessed nerves of steel, and an environment like this could not affect him in the slightest.

Seeing how composed Xu He was, Yang Tongmingxiong gave a slight nod. Xu He’s mental strength satisfied him.

Now they would see whether this boy was truly as impressive as everyone claimed.

Xu Dongsheng looked at Xu He a couple more times before saying, “Are you ready? If you are, begin.”

Xu He and the others nodded to indicate that they were prepared.

Xu Dongsheng immediately waved his hand, signaling them to start.

Xu He casually used the tip of his foot to flick the football up from the ground. The ball rose cheerfully into the air, reaching a point just above his chest before dropping back down.

That was the height Xu He had deliberately chosen, as it was the most suitable position for keeping the ball up.

He immediately raised his left foot and struck the descending ball with the instep. The football rose again to exactly the same height, then began to fall once more.

Again and again, the cycle repeated.

The ball rose to almost precisely the same height every time, and its lateral movement was minimal. Xu He’s juggling looked exceptionally steady.

Even the students watching from the side could tell that Xu He was extraordinarily skilled.

Of course, as professionals in the field, Xu Dongsheng and the others could see things that ordinary spectators could not. Xu Dongsheng’s eyes lit up. Xu He’s juggling was clearly superb. His control of the ball was excellent. Anyone could see that he knew how to play—and played well.

Xu Dongsheng turned to Yang Tongmingxiong, who gave a slight nod.

Clearly, he had seen it too. Xu He was a very capable footballer.

His ball control was excellent, and his fundamental technique should be solid as well. Combined with his speed and physical abilities, he was unquestionably a promising prospect.

Yang Tongmingxiong and Xu Dongsheng both concluded that Xu He was definitely the promising young player Song Yu had favored.

Xu He maintained an extremely steady rhythm as the number of touches continued to climb. The surrounding students cried out in amazement.

“He’s incredible! Xu He is way too good!”

What shocked the other students even more was that every member of Xu He’s group was quite skilled at juggling.

Although they were not as relaxed as Xu He, they still handled the ball with ease. Compared with the students from the other groups, they were clearly on an entirely different level.

At this sight, a glimmer appeared in the eyes of Xu Dongsheng and Yang Tongmingxiong.

It seemed Principal Wang had not exaggerated. Jinguan City No. 17 Middle School really did possess considerable talent. The fact that so many of these physically gifted students also knew how to play football was truly wonderful news for them.

The one who surprised them most, of course, was Zhong Haokun.

Although Zhong Haokun’s juggling ability was among the weaker performances in this group, he was still quite good compared with the students from the other groups. At the very least, it was obvious that he played football regularly—and that he was fairly skilled among his peers.

Naturally, his technique was rather rough.

But Xu Dongsheng and the others were not disappointed. On the contrary, they were pleasantly surprised.

Their greatest surprise was still Xu He. He was simply too good at juggling. Even after more than three hundred touches, he remained completely at ease. Xu Dongsheng and Yang Tongmingxiong both knew that if they did not tell him to stop, he could easily continue for several hundred more touches, perhaps even a thousand.

The juggling test was only a basic assessment, meant to determine whether the students possessed fundamental technique and knew how to play football. There was no need to continue indefinitely.

Thus, Xu Dongsheng immediately called a halt.

There was no point in testing these students any further. Their abilities were already clear.

Xu He was not the only one to reach three hundred touches. Several others had done so as well.

The enormous gap left the surrounding students stunned. Many of them instantly lost confidence and voluntarily withdrew. They felt they had no chance of competing with these boys.

Even some eighth-grade students felt ashamed of themselves after seeing Xu He and the others, and chose to give up.

In their eyes, Xu He and the others were practically demon kings.

Xu Dongsheng immediately looked at them and said, “Good! Very good! You’ve all done extremely well. But don’t become arrogant. There are still many more assessments ahead of you. Keep working hard!”

Xu He and the others nodded at once to show that they understood.

The next test was dribbling through the poles.

For Xu He, this was easy. He practiced it frequently in his daily training. Nevertheless, once he arrived at the assessment area, he did not take it lightly. Instead, he became extremely focused and serious. He intended to display his very best ability and let the coaching staff see what he was capable of.

Yang Tongmingxiong and Xu Dongsheng were watching Xu He closely.

They wanted to know just how outstanding he truly was—and whether he was indeed the promising prospect Song Yu had favored.

After all, during this group’s assessment, they had discovered quite a few promising youngsters. Some of them might not even be inferior to Xu He.

Seeing this, Yang Tongmingxiong and the others gained even more confidence in Jinguan City No. 17 Middle School.

Once Xu He was ready, Xu Dongsheng immediately shouted, “Begin!”

Xu He set off at once, driving the ball forward at high speed.

He was incredibly fast, shocking everyone present. They had known that Xu He was quick, but they had not expected him to dribble at such speed as well.

Was this boy some kind of monster?

Xu Dongsheng and Yang Tongmingxiong were both startled. Xu He’s dribbling speed was no slower than that of the youth players from professional clubs whom they had coached in the past. In fact, he was even faster.

Xu He truly had something special.

At the same time, they began to worry faintly. Was Xu He being too reckless? Moving so quickly, how could he change direction around the poles? Would he have to stop abruptly and slow down?

They thought he might be showing off a little too much, and began to feel concerned.

But Xu He soon left them utterly astounded and forced them to change their minds.

When weaving around the poles, Xu He barely slowed down at all. His changes of direction were smooth and utterly decisive. His style was quite different from that of the others, but the results were astonishingly effective.

As Xu He dribbled through the poles, he touched the ball only a handful of times. With several sharp taps, he flew around the poles successfully, unlike the other students, who had to control the ball carefully as they maneuvered through them.

Xu He’s movements were concise, simple, and direct.

It truly proved the old saying: in martial arts, speed is the ultimate defense.

Yang Tongmingxiong slapped his thigh, rose to his feet, and shouted, “Excellent!”

Xu Dongsheng also gave Xu He a thumbs-up inwardly. He was truly impressive.

The students around them stared at Xu He and the others with their mouths hanging open. They looked as though they were only moments away from kneeling down to worship them. The visual impact Xu He had created was simply too powerful. They could not help but admire him.

During the later assessments—high-speed dribbling followed by sudden stops and changes of direction, as well as passing and receiving—Xu He continued to shock everyone. He made them realize that he was a genius, a supreme genius.

Xu Dongsheng and Yang Tongmingxiong were both extremely satisfied, nodding again and again.

Xu He was indeed extraordinary.

But during the assessment, they discovered more than just Xu He. Several other students also performed exceptionally well. After discussing the matter, Xu Dongsheng selected forty-eight seventh graders to pass the assessment.

Xu He and the others were naturally among them.

After announcing the results, Xu Dongsheng said, “You don’t need to arrive so early tomorrow morning. You may come a little later, but you must be on the field before eleven. Tomorrow we’ll hold team-based matches. They’ll be very important for you. Whether you pass the assessment and make the school team will depend on tomorrow’s matches. Go home, get plenty of rest, and prepare yourselves well!”