Volume 1: Our Own League 159: Fly bravely, Xu He; Li Jie will follow you forever!

After finishing Monday’s classes, Xu He made his way to the sports field. The Class Ten soccer team was scheduled to gather here for training.

Upon arriving at the field, Xu He noticed that Mu Yang was nowhere in sight. A wave of disappointment washed over him.

What exactly was going on with Mu Yang? Was he planning to quit the team, to stop playing soccer altogether?

Xu He spotted Zhu Ge nearby, who said, “I checked with the homeroom teacher. Mu Yang has taken leave—something about a family matter.”

Xu He frowned slightly and glanced over at Lin Xuefeng. It seemed last time Lin Xuefeng had left on leave, the reason was also a family issue. Could it be that someone in Mu Yang’s family had passed away? That seemed unlikely.

He immediately shook his head, silently reprimanding himself. How irresponsible to jump to such conclusions—did he really wish for misfortune to befall someone’s family?

Zhu Ge admitted, “I’m not sure exactly what happened in his family.”

Xu He quickly asked, “How many days of leave did he take?”

Zhu Ge frowned and shook his head slightly. “I don’t know that either.”

Great — Zhu Ge hadn’t asked much at all.

“Alright, then let’s wait until tomorrow,” Xu He said. “Let’s see if Mu Yang shows up at school. If he doesn’t, we’ll go to his house and get to the bottom of this.”

There was no other choice for now. Zhu Ge nodded in agreement.

Although Mu Yang was absent, the team continued training as usual, following his methods—starting with off-the-ball drills.

More and more teams at their school had begun incorporating off-the-ball training. Their previous school team trials had made them realize how vital, scientific, and professional this kind of training was.

Naturally, many were puzzled. How did Class Ten’s soccer team know about these techniques?

Before the school team selection, only Class Ten’s team practiced these off-the-ball drills, and they closely resembled the drills used during the school team assessments. Could it be that someone in Class Ten’s team had undergone professional soccer training?

Everyone was curious.

The players on Class Ten’s team had already suspected this—they believed Mu Yang must have received professional training; otherwise, how could he understand so much?

Xu He couldn’t help but reflect, “No wonder Mu Yang’s skills are so strong, his fundamentals so solid.”

Mu Yang gave him the impression of a steady, grounded player—no flashy moves, but every action was purposeful and impeccably executed.

No wonder Mu Yang felt so uniquely different.

Xu He turned to Zhu Ge and said, “Captain, I never expected it—we actually have such a talented giant hidden in our team. It’s truly our luck to have Mu Yang with us!”

They had been training this way for nearly a semester. Once they made the school team, they would certainly adapt better than teammates who hadn’t undergone similar training. This meant their starting point was fundamentally different.

This was excellent news for Xu He and the team’s future at the school level.

They all owed this to Mu Yang.

After off-the-ball training, the team held an internal scrimmage. Yang Xin was particularly active and fully engaged—he was undoubtedly the player who ran the most, fiercely searching for scoring opportunities.

Yang Xin seemed to treat this scrimmage like the final match of a league, playing with utmost seriousness.

In this match, Yang Xin scored a hat-trick, leading Team One to victory.

Xu He glanced at Yang Xin, slightly stunned. He hadn’t expected Yang Xin to suddenly exert himself so much—what was going on? Had something spurred him?

He looked to Zhu Ge, who shook his head; he had no idea either.

Xu He then turned toward Lin Xuefeng, who immediately waved his hands, saying, “Don’t look at me—I’m not even in the same class as him.”

It seemed Lin Xuefeng truly didn’t know what was happening.

Mentioning being in the same class as Yang Xin, Xu He immediately thought of Li Jie and turned to look at him. Li Jie was visibly exasperated, waving his hand before saying, “I don’t know either. Even though I’m in the same class, I’m not close with him!”

Xu He nodded slightly. That made sense.

Yang Xin’s unusual performance today was genuinely perplexing.

Suddenly, Li Jie glared at Xu He and said, “Besides me, you’re also in the same class as Yang Xin, right? Shouldn’t you know some inside scoop?”

Zhu Ge and Lin Xuefeng exchanged glances, all staring at Xu He.

Xu He rolled his eyes and replied, “With the terrible relationship I have with him, what do you think I could possibly know?”

Everyone nodded in agreement. That was true—given Xu He’s strained relationship with Yang Xin, it was unlikely he knew anything.

With that, the day’s training came to an end.

Zhu Ge immediately said to Xu He, “Xu He, want to play Pro Evolution Soccer? Seems like you’re one of the few on our team I haven’t beaten yet!”

Xu He glanced at Zhu Ge indifferently and said, “I still need extra practice. Who’d want to waste time playing soccer games with you?”

Zhu Ge had anticipated this and chuckled, “Boring guy!”

He called over Zhong Haokun, waved goodbye to Xu He and the others, and headed straight for the PS game arcade.

Lin Xuefeng waved to Xu He and said, “I have to go practice piano. Bye!”

Lin Xuefeng had passed Level Eight piano exams and still practiced diligently—was he aiming to become a professional pianist?

Xu He waved back and watched him leave.

As Lin Xuefeng departed, the young ladies who had been lingering around fluttered away as well, leaving the field peaceful—just right for Xu He to focus on his extra practice.

He bent down, picked up a soccer ball, and said to Li Jie, “Come on, Old Li, let’s get started!”

Just as Xu He finished speaking, he froze.

His gaze fixed on the goal in front of him, where Yang Xin was also working hard on his own extra practice.

Xu He was baffled. He looked around and at Li Jie, as if trying to confirm he wasn’t dreaming. Yang Xin practicing so diligently? That wasn’t like him at all. Usually, he’d be off playing Pro Evolution Soccer with Zhu Ge and the others.

Why was Yang Xin so motivated and hardworking today?

Xu He looked at Li Jie, who immediately waved him off. “Don’t look at me—I don’t know either!”

Xu He nodded slightly. “I didn’t think you’d know.”

Li Jie responded irritably, “Then why did you look at me?”

Xu He said, “I just meant, look at him—he’s working so hard. Can’t you feel a bit of urgency and start pushing yourself too?”

Li Jie glared at Xu He with disdain, then followed him to a small goal on the side to begin practicing.

Many others were also on the field, training hard. Besides Xu He and Yang Xin, there were Lu Yiming and some others Xu He didn’t recognize.

Watching these dedicated players, Xu He sighed, “Indeed, I’m not the only one working hard.”

Some were even more diligent than him.

Xu He shouted, “Come on, Old Li, it’s time to give it your all!”

Li Jie was exasperated. Xu He always got this way on the field, like he’d been shot full of adrenaline—his enthusiasm was off the charts.

Sometimes, Li Jie wondered if Xu He was an alien. How did he have such stamina and energy?

Li Jie said, “Alright, alright, let’s get going. The sooner we finish, the sooner I can play CrossFire!”

Xu He glared at him. “When did you start playing online games?”

Li Jie fiddled with the ball and said, “There are lots of things you don’t know. You really think I have to tell you everything? Xu He, you’re not as important as you think!”

Xu He snorted, “Yeah, nobody cares about your stuff anyway!”

Then Xu He sprinted forward, swung his right leg with all his might at the ball.

With a bang, the ball shot forward like a cannonball, heading straight toward Li Jie guarding the goal.

Startled by the sound and speed, Li Jie leapt aside.

He angrily shouted, “Damn it, Xu He! That’s attempted murder! Pure revenge!”

Xu He ignored the complaint. “Enough chatter. Let’s get back to training—time’s short.”

He turned back to the ball.

Seeing Xu He pay no attention to his grievances and get busy again, Li Jie smiled wryly. “I realize now—I must have owed you something in a past life to end up being your servant in this one!”

He adjusted his goalkeeper gloves and resignedly said, “Alright then, the sooner we start, the sooner we finish!”

Xu He’s lips curled slightly as he took a running start and struck the ball fiercely.

With a bang, the ball shot toward the upper right corner of the goal.

The speed and power left Li Jie helpless, but the ball soared over the crossbar and out of bounds.

Xu He placed his hands on his hips, shaking his head. “Too much power—I still can’t control the ball!”

Li Jie said, “Don’t rush. Take it slow and find the right touch! Once you feel the ball compression, your shots will improve a lot. Trust yourself—you’re the best!”

Xu He chuckled softly. “Thanks, Old Li.”

Li Jie shivered and waved his hand. “Cut the mushy stuff. You’re making my teeth hurt.”

Xu He smiled quietly and continued practicing shots.

So far, his shooting had improved, but there was still a long way to go. Sometimes his shots were precise; other times, they faltered, much like Duan Yu’s Six Meridian Sword technique. Compared to Zhang Zhen’s mastery, Xu He still had a significant gap to close. He had to keep working hard.

Of course, Xu He understood this wouldn’t happen overnight.

He wasn’t anxious. He knew haste made waste. All he needed was to give his best effort in every shot, repeating relentlessly. When the repetitions added up, his shooting would naturally improve.

However, Xu He’s training wasn’t mere repetition.

He constantly reflected during practice, analyzing what felt right during successful shots—how he applied force, where he contacted the ball. He carefully recorded and experimented repeatedly, firmly believing that perseverance would bring success.

Watching Xu He’s dedication, Li Jie was deeply impressed.

He thought, if his close friend ever chose to attend a soccer academy, he’d surely become an outstanding star. Such a pity that Xu He came to Jinguancheng No. 17 Middle School instead.

It seemed only the national tournament would give Xu He the stage to showcase his talents.

Li Jie silently vowed to do everything in his power to help Xu He reach that national stage and reveal his true potential.

The national tournament—we’re coming!

Li Jie called out loudly, “Come on, Xu He! Show me your shooting skills!”

Xu He lifted his head, eyes locked on Li Jie. “Alright then, I’ll show you what I’m capable of!”

He focused intently on the ball, took a deep breath to steady himself, then exploded forward with firm strides.

Reaching the ball, he swung his right leg like a whip, striking it fiercely.

With a bang, the ball shot out like a streak of white light.

Li Jie’s eyes widened, unable to track its path. A rush of wind brushed past his ear as the ball slammed into the net behind him with a crisp “swish”!

Goal!

Stunned, Li Jie gave Xu He a thumbs-up. “That was awesome, my brother!”