7 The Immortal Football Trialist

At six o'clock in the morning, Zhang Xu woke up right on time.

Waking up at six o'clock had been a habit Zhang Xu had maintained since he had entered the football academies back home, and it was one of the reasons why his body was exceptionally strong.

Last night, from 9:00 PM until 6:00 AM, a total of nine hours, Zhang Xu had been immersed in simulation training, gaining 9 experience points.

During the subsequent intra-team match training, Zhang Xu had been lucky. He had gained two attribute points, which were added to his marking and teamwork attributes.

In July, the sky in Paris was just beginning to lighten at 6:00 AM. Zhang Xu, bathed in the morning light, made his way to the school's sports field.

Morning runs were a habit he had maintained for many years, and it was one of the reasons for his exceptional physical condition. However, today was different. Why?

Because as soon as he left the dormitory building and took his first step to start running, he heard the voice of the system in his mind:

"Detection of the host engaged in training. The Super Midfield Training System is automatically activated. Would you like to activate the training module?"

"Activate!" Zhang Xu naturally wouldn't refuse guidance that came to him willingly and readily agreed.

"The training module is activated! Detecting that the host is engaged in physical training. Please select the coaching mode. Since the host's experience points are below 20, the simulated star mode is automatically blocked. Please choose one of the other two modes."

Electric Shock Mode? It cost one experience point per hour! That didn't seem cost-effective. Voice Prompt Mode was free, and it had the allure of a seductive female voice!

"Voice Prompt Mode!"

"All right, Mr. Zhang Xu, the lovely Elyah is here to serve you!" Immediately, a voice that was sweet, alluring, and slightly languid filled the air.

"Indeed, quite tempting! Just listening makes me want to commit a crime!" Zhang Xu's heart rate immediately increased by twenty percent upon hearing the voice.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Zhang Xu, your heart rate has increased by twenty percent. We recommend adjusting your breathing, lowering your running frequency, or reducing the stride length for each step!"

The system was indeed dedicated. As soon as Zhang Xu's body showed an anomaly, it immediately issued a prompt.

But, well, that wasn't what Zhang Xu needed.

"Damn, this is your fault!" he cursed in annoyance but still adjusted his breathing and running frequency as per the system's suggestion.

"Sorry, Mr. Zhang Xu, your speed is too slow! According to your physique and physical condition, we recommend increasing your running speed by 69%!"

What exactly is your problem? Zhang Xu felt like tearing up, but since the system had good intentions, he had no choice but to adjust his speed once again.

After several rounds of adjustments, Zhang Xu could finally ignore the seductive voice of the system and run normally.

However, new problems arose.

"Sorry, Mr. Zhang Xu, your stride length is insufficient. We recommend adjusting it to 1.2 meters per step!"

"Sorry, Mr. Zhang Xu, your running posture is incorrect. When your right hand naturally swings, you should try to pull it back as far as possible!"

"Sorry, Mr. Zhang Xu..."

With so many issues, Zhang Xu had to correct them.

To break his old habits and adjust his movements according to the system's requirements was awkward and exhausting, but Zhang Xu persevered, step by step, following the system's demands.

And so, a figure, who appeared to be adjusting his posture and stride constantly and strangely, ran on the track of the sports field, attracting curious glances from those around him.

...

Nicole Peltz had been having a disappointing spring after being nominated at the 31st Golden Raspberry Awards for Worst Supporting Actress.

Following that, determined to improve her acting skills, she came to Paris, known as the "City of Art," under her father's arrangement to study film acting at the University of Paris VI.

Although she had already made a name for herself in the entertainment industry, being in France meant that very few people knew her.

Now, after nearly four months of studying at this charming university, Nicole, just like every other day, got up early.

It was a habit she had developed during her time on the women's ice hockey team, and it hadn't changed even after she entered the entertainment industry.

She believed that maintaining her morning run routine was a very good habit, allowing her to cross ancient bridges and run with a light pace. This morning, she jogged to the university's sports field as usual, with the faint morning light surrounding her.

She did a warm-up exercise set, put on her earphones, and started her slow jog according to her usual routine, circling the track.

"Huff, huff!" A slightly hurried breath came from behind, followed by a gust of wind, and a figure swiftly passed her.

Through the dim morning light, Nicole could only make out that the person passing her was a young man with short black hair, a well-built body, and glistening sweat that shimmered in the morning light.

However, what puzzled Nicole was that the young man seemed to be constantly adjusting his running posture as he jogged, giving off a strange and awkward vibe.

Normally, a person's running habits would be fixed, and during a long run, they would adhere to a familiar posture. But this young man appeared to have some issues, as he continued to adjust his posture, making it seem peculiar.

Nicole shook her head and continued her jog, paying no further attention. After all, she had never encountered someone like this before, and it wasn't polite to make fun of others.

"Phew, phew!"

After a while, another hurried breath came from behind, followed by the same gust of wind. Once again, the familiar and peculiar figure passed her.

His speed was impressive, as Nicole hadn't even completed half a lap, and the young man had already overtaken her twice. He was definitely fast.

However, the strange feeling remained. The young man was still adjusting his running posture, which looked awkward and made Nicole want to laugh.

Nicole couldn't help but wonder. Could this be his habit?

Nicole shrugged off her curiosity and continued her jog, stretching her arms as she usually did.

"Huff, huff!"

"Huff, huff!"

As the dawn slowly broke, the sports field began to brighten, and more people joined the morning run. Groups of runners filled every lane of the track.

As the sky brightened, Nicole could now clearly see that the young man who frequently passed her was of East Asian descent.

Nicole had lost count of how many times the East Asian young man had overtaken her. At first, she hadn't paid much attention, but later, she became surprised.

Her surprise had two reasons: firstly, the young man had been running at high speed for a very long time and had covered a considerable distance. Even for a university student, especially one not majoring in sports, maintaining such speed for this duration was not an easy task. Yet, his breath didn't show any signs of change, indicating his endurance.

Secondly, the initial frequent adjustments to his running posture had gradually stabilized. His current posture was elegant, dynamic, and exuded a wild charm, like a cheetah running across the savannah. There was a feral quality to it.

It seemed like this young man was a professional runner. Nicole admired his dedication.

"Wow, you're fast!" Nicole muttered to herself.

Of course, the strange feeling persisted, as he continued to adjust his running posture, which appeared awkward.

Nicole didn't want to make fun of him; her upbringing had taught her not to mock others. She continued her jog, feeling slightly irritated.

"Hey, hey, watch out... Oh, damn it!" A sudden exclamation of annoyance came from behind, and Nicole felt a force rush past her.

Fortunately, the impact wasn't strong enough to make Nicole fall.

But with a loud thud, the sturdy figure fell heavily to the ground beside her.

It was the East Asian young man.

Naturally, this young man was Zhang Xu.

To avoid colliding with Nicole, he had twisted his body, trying to pass by her. However, his footwork hadn't kept up, and he had fallen.

"Sorry, are you okay?" Understanding what had happened, Nicole squatted down, her face filled with remorse.

"Damn, how do you think I'm doing?" Zhang Xu, in pain, didn't have a friendly expression towards the one who had caused the accident, even though she was a rare beauty.

"Uh!" Nicole had never encountered such an impolite man before. Immediately, any feelings of guilt and slight fondness she might have had for Zhang Xu vanished.

However, her good upbringing kept her from expressing her annoyance. She continued, "Oh, I'm really sorry! You see, can I help you with anything? Do you want me to help you up?"

"No need! Just my bad luck!" Zhang Xu muttered coldly, quickly getting up and continuing to run ahead.

"What a rude guy!" Nicole muttered to herself, and then she too got up, ready to leave.

"Hi, Nicole! It's nice to see you!" At that moment, a familiar voice called out to her.

Nicole turned around and saw her dormitory mates, Lefin and her boyfriend, Rokay, running towards her. She waved to greet them.

"You okay after that just now? I saw he almost crashed into you!" Lefin came up to Nicole and patted her chest.

"I'm fine. It was actually my fault! But..." Nicole curiously asked, "Is he a student at our school?"

"You—don't—know—him?" Lefin asked, surprised.

"Should I know him?" Nicole asked in return.

"Of course, he's the number one celebrity on our school's celebrity rankings!" 

"Oh?!" Nicole was astonished.

"Yeah, you've only been at our school for a short while, so you might not be aware. Allow me to introduce you: His name is Zhang, and his last name is Xu. So, Zhang Xu, oh no wait other way round, cause in China, umm anyway his name is Zhang Xu! He's Chinese. This guy is a super genius. He often skips classes but excels in all his assignments, outperforming everyone in the class. Professors at our school claim that if he can focus on his studies, he's bound to be the next Nobel laureate without a doubt!"

"And," Rokay, who was standing beside Lefin, added, "He also has a not-so-flattering nickname: 'The Immortal Football Trialist'!"

"Ha-ha, The Immortal Football Trialist?" Nicole couldn't help but laugh upon hearing this nickname.

"That's because his football skills aren't that great, but he's incredibly passionate. All the time he skips classes, he spends it participating in trials for various football clubs, but he has never succeeded. Yet, he never gives up. No one knows when his trial journey will come to an end. That's why he's called 'The Immortal Football Trialist.'"

"Oh, I see! Wow!" Nicole looked at the figure running swiftly in the distance and couldn't help but think of herself, as someone who also persisted in order to achieve her dreams she could relate because she refused to give in. She felt a sense of admiration. "It seems that this guy isn't all that unlikable, after all!"