014 The First Step

Thud. Thud. Thud.

Brisk and even footsteps shattered the pale golden sunlight that pierced through the tree canopy, winding through the University of Alabama campus.

Accustomed to the exhaust fumes and dust of big cities, at this moment Li Wei could distinctly feel the green oxygen filling every alveolus, lightening his steps considerably.

In the quiet campus that was just waking up in the early morning, some early birds hurriedly clutching books rushed toward their classrooms, while others, dragging their heavy bodies unrested from the whole night, left the library. Some bathed in the sunlight in the middle of the grass to practice yoga, slowing down the otherwise busy and crowded life.

Li Wei, jogging slowly, made his way among them.

Around a corner, he entered a straight, shaded avenue, then sprinted at full speed.

Sprinting, picking up speed, sprinting at full force, continuously accelerating, without reservation.

Slow jogging wasn't just slow jogging; it was the variable speed running often practiced in cross-country, focusing on sudden changes in speed, breath regulation, and rhythm to maintain a steady pace amidst the variations.

This was a test—

It was a test of the potential of this body and also a test of the system's operation.

According to the system's instructions, the progress bar at the bottom is another daily function of the system, which can be filled through training and competition. When the progress bar is full, you can win a chance to draw cards again.

Among these, Li Wei noticed that the two sides at the top of the page were slightly different: the template on the left seemed more spacious while the right had only three card slots.

Therefore, it was not yet clear whether there was a limit to the number of templates and card slots; if there were, could one gain extra through the card draw chances? And if not, would the three card slots each represent three different functions?

The novice gift pack gave Li Wei two cards, which he had already equipped. There was still one slot empty, sparking his curiosity and competitive spirit, making him eager to fill the progress bar quickly to win a chance to draw cards.

So, "through training and competition," is there an underlying pattern?

Is it based on time?

On quality?

On in-game performance? Does better performance in games give extra bonuses? And what about training—do internal scrimmages and system template training performances count?

All of this awaited Li Wei's exploration.

From the experiments yesterday afternoon and this morning, everything counted—

Whether it was system template training or exercising in his free time, everything could advance the progress bar; moreover, both quantity and quality were considered, with exercise duration being an obvious way to improve, and higher quality and intensity in the same duration providing faster progress.

Additionally, he estimated that it was still "newbie territory," and progress wasn't hard to achieve. Without any professional training yesterday and today, just some trials, the progress bar had already advanced a small fraction. But subsequent advancements would likely become more difficult, given the difference in professionalism.

Whoosh. Whoosh.

He sprinted at full speed, dashing to the end of the shaded avenue, slowing down, maintaining a steady pace, accelerating, then slowing once more, and maintaining pace, he sprinted back the same way.

His lungs were burning, as if he could hear the gurgling rumble, a sharp and slightly sour pain spread within his muscles. But Li Wei did not stop; instead, he adjusted his direction and ran at a steady pace toward the school's stadium, with the structure visible from afar—

A building of dark red set against ivory white rose majestically five stories high; the front was an office building, and the spiraling stands spread from both wings like a Transformer, etched with history, lying quietly in a corner of the campus like a giant beast.

Bryant-Denny Stadium.

The name comes from two leaders of the University of Alabama, one being George Denny, who served as president from 1912 to 1932, and the other Paul 'Bear' Bryant, who led the Crimson Tide football team to countless glories since 1975.

The stadium, seating one hundred and two thousand people, sits within the campus of the University of Alabama and is undoubtedly a landmark of the city of Tuscaloosa. To the locals, they might stumble home drunk without remembering the way, but they would never forget the location of the stadium.

For Li Wei, everything was new because cross-country running was always done outdoors; he seldom had a chance to enter a sports stadium, let alone one that could accommodate a hundred thousand people. The entire scale and atmosphere were utterly different.

He had a feeling during yesterday's tryout, but today was the first chance to take a proper look around.

Entering the field was like entering a new world—

And that wasn't wrong because football is indeed a new world.

Just then,

a figure burst out from behind him at an angle, moving with agile steps, like an arrow released from a bow, instantly surpassing Li Wei.

Li Wei was still immersed in the grandeur of the stadium and didn't have time to react. His body had already reflexively started to chase.

A push and a sprint.

His speed exploded instantly, but Li Wei did not immediately overtake him; instead, he stuck close by and kept up, eyeing the figure ahead of him.

Wait a minute, he knew the person. It was that guy from yesterday, who nearly face-planted twice, playing as a... cornerback, but what was his name?

Humphrey had no idea what was going through Li Wei's mind. He purely wanted to play a prank, but when he turned his head, he saw Li Wei's face close behind him.

Holy crap!

Humphrey, feeling as though he'd seen a ghost, sped up at once, breaking into a sprint. He hadn't expected Li Wei to stick to him like a shadow, with his own speed skyrocketing as well.

A gust of wind, then another, the two figures entered the field one after the other.

Ronnie Clark was diligently setting up training equipment—

Football is a sport with intense collisions, recklessness, and brutal aggression, and the daily training is no exception. The players need to go through various collision training, anti-collision exercises, and agility training for changing direction and evading.

These are just the common basic training drills that everyone on the team must practice. After the basic drills are over, there's specialized training for different positions, which is more professional and detailed.

Everything mentioned above is just the morning's physical training.

Beyond this, there's also gym training and the vitally important tactical training.

NFL professional players train four days a week, ten hours a day, a true test of both mental and physical strength, definitely not something just anyone can endure.

But the NCAA is different. Officially, weekly training time cannot exceed twenty hours, plus players are required to spend no less than seven hours studying in a professional study hall.

This is why NCAA games often focus more on physicality, and the tactics tend to be relatively simple.

Right now, Clark was moving the training equipment onto the field in preparation for the morning training.

Then,

Clark saw two figures rush in, Humphrey and the rookie from yesterday?

Humphrey was accelerating, trying to shake off the rookie.

After failing to shake him, Humphrey tried to change his speed to tire out the rookie through the rhythm change, but he never expected that the rookie would stick to him relentlessly.

The two of them began running laps around the field, chasing each other with no distance growing between.

One lap. Two laps. Three laps.

Without any warning, the rookie started to accelerate, instantly creating a gap; Humphrey didn't notice for a second and failed to keep up. Then he could no longer catch up, watching helplessly as the gap widened.

Humphrey: What's going on?