Chapter 37: The Graduation Examination Returns (Please Add to Library)

With the Future Stars Cup concluded, the players of the Willy Football Academy returned home with honors. Given the varying significance of the tournament, there was no official welcome from the school leadership, though a department head did attend to commend and motivate the group.

Following the ceremony, Wei Lai and Yang Fan were summoned by Old Chen and given a stern reprimand. This was, of course, due to the violent conflict during the match. In the end, each received a formal demerit, which served as a slap on the wrist—a case of much thunder but little rain. As both players were already slated for the academy’s advancement program and were being groomed as key prospects, there was no intention to impose any severe punishment.

After Yang Fan was dismissed, Wei Lai was kept behind.

"Starting tomorrow, you are moving up to the Grade A squad," Old Chen said bluntly.

Wei Lai was stunned. A double promotion! He had only played one official match at the Grade B level.

"Not interested?" Old Chen asked, raising an eyebrow at Wei Lai’s silence.

"No, no, not at all!" Wei Lai quickly waved his hands; he was eager for this.

"Notify your parents to come to the school to sign the contract," Old Chen said, signaling for him to leave.

Wei Lai felt a surge of excitement. A contract! This meant he was officially entering the club’s development pipeline as a key prospect. Not only would all his tuition and miscellaneous fees be waived, but he would also receive top-tier benefits.

That evening, Wei Lai called his father. When Wei Chenggong heard that his son had been promoted to the Grade A squad, he was so excited he nearly shouted. This was the Grade A team of the Willy Football Academy! It meant a professional career path was now wide open, and with excellent performance, the club’s internal advancement system could potentially lead him to the Chinese Super League or even to wearing the national team jersey. Wei Chenggong insisted he would set off that night and arrive at the academy by the next morning.

After hanging up, Wei Lai noticed his roommates staring at him.

"We’ve only been roommates for less than two months, and you’ve already been promoted," Yuan Kai sighed. First Wan Tao, and now Wei Lai; the speed at which these two were rising was like a rocket. Hao Ren offered his congratulations, though he couldn't hide his envy.

The one with the most complex feelings was undoubtedly Guo Fan. He had been expected to reach the Grade A squad this semester, but a slump in form meant he had to stay in Grade B a little longer. In contrast, Wei Lai, who had only been promoted to Grade B this year, was now receiving a special promotion directly to the Grade A team.

However, he couldn't argue with it. Wei Lai’s progress and performance were truly top-tier. In truth, the Grade B environment had limited room for Wei Lai’s growth; he needed to enter the Grade A team to experience higher-intensity matches and even overseas tournaments to continue developing.

Wei Lai didn't know what to say, so he stopped talking about it and lay down on his bed to sleep. As his consciousness drifted, the fog seemed to clear, and a sliver of light entered his vision.

Appearing once again on the virtual pitch, the "Iron Wall" coach was already waiting at the center.

"Are you ready?" the coach asked with a faint smile, noting Wei Lai’s serious expression.

Wei Lai nodded firmly. "I’m ready!"

The coach waved his hand, and the sound of thunderous cheers filled the air.

"Come on, Chelsea!"
"Come on, Chelsea!"
"Come on, Chelsea!"
"We are the Iron-Blooded Blues!"

Amidst the roar of tens of thousands, Wei Lai felt his pores constrict, his pupils trembling, and his heart rate climbing. Even having experienced it once before, the intensity still shook him to his core. He scanned his surroundings and realized he was on the pitch, surrounded by teammates in blue jerseys. Opposite them were opponents in jerseys with red backgrounds and black vertical stripes.

"The content of this assessment is to complete one anticipatory interception—a tackle or a clearance will both suffice," the coach announced.

Wei Lai paused. "Interception, tackle, or clearance—any of those, right?"

The coach added, "With the prefix: anticipatory!"

Wei Lai nodded. "Understood." This was what he had been practicing: reading the game, predicting the attacking lanes, and executing targeted defense. He scanned the field, searching for the opponent's number 10, typically the core of any team and the focal point of their possession. But after a while, he realized there was no number 10. Wei Lai grimaced and shifted his focus to the number 8.

*Whistle!*

The match began, and Wei Lai started running immediately. Having gained some experience from the last session, he knew that at this level, he had to keep moving, or he would be left behind by the pace. The blue team attacked with speed and physicality. They pressed as a unit, their positioning flawless, and their reactions and rotations were fluid and lightning-fast.

"Damn it!"

Wei Lai felt sweat beading on his forehead. He maintained extreme focus, watching for the slightest movement.

*Bang!*

The ball flew toward the far post, and the blue team's number 10 shouted, "N'Golo!"

Wei Lai instinctively retreated a few steps, but he realized there were opponents on both sides, and none of his teammates were coming to help.

"What do I do?"

There was no time to control the ball. He had to rush and poke it out of bounds. Even so, he was struck hard by an opponent and tumbled twice across the grass.

*Hiss!*

Wei Lai caught his breath, feeling as if his internal organs had been rattled. That hit was brutal! But he had no time to waste; he scrambled up and retreated to hold his position.

"Watch behind you!"

Wei Lai turned and saw a gap behind him.

"Oh no!"

He moved to recover, but it was too late. An opponent threw the ball in, placing it perfectly behind him. The attacker easily controlled the ball, shielded Wei Lai off with an arm, and threaded a pass through. Wei Lai’s pupils dilated; he thought it was over.

But just then, he saw the defender in the blue number 24 jersey lunge across, cutting off the attacking route and disrupting the play. Following that, the number 30 defender surged forward, aggressively sliding into a 50-50 challenge to poke the ball clear.

*Whoosh!*

Wei Lai let out a sigh of relief.

"Don't be deceived by the opponent's distractions. Trust your instincts, just as you do in training," the coach said gently.

Wei Lai nodded and began to run again. For the next twenty minutes, he truly understood what a top-tier match felt like. He couldn't keep up with the rhythm, and sometimes he couldn't even react in time. He didn't know the opposing players, hadn't adapted to the tactical system, and his reflexes were simply too slow.

After all his training, Wei Lai had thought he had made enough progress, but back on the top-tier pitch, his situation was no different than before. He could only focus on keeping his position and minimizing his touches. He was terrified to receive the ball unless a teammate was double-teamed, or he…

"Don't be afraid of losing the ball. Think about your assessment criteria—losing the ball has nothing to do with it!"