Chapter 418: The Second Miracle Chest of the World Cup, Physical Talent

Russia World Cup Assist Rankings (as of the end of the Round of 16):

1. Tang Ye (China), 5 assists.

2. Messi (Argentina), 2 assists.

2. Hazard (Belgium), 2 assists.

2. Sanchez (Uruguay), 2 assists.

2. Rodriguez (Colombia), 2 assists.

Although already eliminated, Tang Ye remains at the top of the player assist rankings.

It is worth mentioning that Tang Ye has pulled ahead of the twelve players tied for second place by a full margin of three assists.

According to data displayed on the BetWay website, Tang Ye's odds for becoming the World Cup's top assister have ranked first ever since the end of the first round of the group stage.

China lost to Brazil and stopped at the Round of 16, yet Tang Ye's odds remained first, barely dropping at all.

After all, these are five assists, not five goals.

"Even if Tom is eliminated, I think the top assister will most likely still be him; others can't possibly compete with that."

Mbappe said this to reporters before the match against Uruguay began.

"However, I still feel quite regretful about China's elimination; now everyone thinks I will win the Best Young Player award, but this reward actually shouldn't belong to me."

The first match of the quarter-finals is about to kick off, which also means that all Round of 16 matches had already concluded one day prior.

With China and Japan eliminated one after another, there are no longer any Asian teams remaining in this World Cup.

The remaining matches have nothing to do with the Chinese team, so after resting in Russia for a few days, the players prepared to return home.

During this period, Tang Ye received invitations from FIFA and the French national team, hoping he would stay in Russia to continue watching the matches.

Sponsors also hoped Tang Ye would do so.

However, Tang Ye felt that for an already-eliminated player to return to the stadium was a very shameful thing, so even though Bo'er persisted, Tang Ye ultimately refused.

The bus departed from the training base, its destination being the local international airport in Samara, where the Chinese team's chartered plane waited for the players.

While passing by the Samara Arena, Tang Ye pulled open the curtain and leaned his head against the window.

【2018 FIFA World Cup】

【2018 FIFA World Cup】

【2018...】

As the venue for some group stage and knockout matches of this World Cup, the exterior of the Samara Arena was covered entirely with World Cup posters.

The poster for the Round of 16 match between China and Brazil had not yet been removed.

【July 3rd: Brazil vs. China】

On the poster was a giant ten-meter image of Tang Ye.

However, because it had rained yesterday, the poster now looked less striking and magnificent than before.

Wu Lei looked at Tang Ye without speaking; the latter, as if sensing Wu Lei's gaze, turned his head around.

Discovering that Wu Lei was looking at him, Tang Ye let go of the curtain, cupped the back of his head with both hands, and said, "Why the hell are we passing by here?"

"Probably because this is the fastest route; when Russia arranged our base for us, they chose a location close to the stadium, so we can see it as soon as we come out," Wu Lei said, while Tang Ye tilted his head back, staring blankly at the bus ceiling.

Wu Lei spoke, while Tang Ye tilted his head back, staring blankly at the bus ceiling.

Tang Ye did not want to leave.

But he could not bring himself to say these words.

The Sun International Edition — Reporters photographed Tom preparing to board at Samara Airport.

"Tom looked out the window; he seemed to notice the reporters filming in the terminal, but he did not avoid their lenses because of it."

"Judging from his expression, he seemed somewhat regretful."

Xinhua News Agency, July 6th, by reporters Liang Rongqi and He Tao: Relevant sources revealed that the Chinese team's chartered plane will land at Capital International Airport.

Beijing, China.

An aircraft with red livery slowly taxied on the runway, while over a thousand people inside the terminal rushed in the same direction.

Viewed from the side, well... it was as if a zombie virus had suddenly broken out; people kept muttering words like "Tang Ye" and "China" incessantly.

"What's happening?"

Two girls had just walked out of a milk tea shop and stood there watching the crowd surge forth.

"Uh... probably some celebrity."

One of the girls stuck her straw into the milk tea and took several quick sips.

Although drinking, she still watched the surging crowd ahead without blinking.

"Didn't they say boys don't chase stars..."

The other girl felt curious about this.

Because this airport reception spectacle was indeed a bit too terrifying.

"Tang Ye!"

"Look at my camera, Tang Ye!"

"China is awesome!"

"China is awesome!"

The players of the Chinese team slowly walked out.

"There are more than I imagined..."

Wu Lei whispered a sigh of emotion, while Tang Ye beside him observed the situation among the fan crowd.

Counting those still running over on the road, the number of fans who came to receive them was estimated to be in the four digits; otherwise, the arrival exit wouldn't have been completely blocked.

"Indeed, there are so many..."

Tang Ye blinked his eyes.

Recalling briefly, this was probably the largest airport reception team he had ever encountered in his life.

The influence of the World Cup is still top-tier!

"Tang Ye, Tang Ye!"

With so many people, Tang Ye could only sign autographs for the nearest few fans: "Thank you, thank you."

"It's fine, Tang Ye, in four years we'll crush Brazil; we can wait!"

Suddenly, one fan shouted it out, and the other fans immediately echoed him.

The Chinese national team was visibly getting stronger.

Wu Lei and Zhang Zhang Yuning were both leveling up in the top five leagues, and adding Tang Ye, who had already become an absolute starter for a powerhouse, the prospects for the Chinese national team could be said to be very bright.

Only four years!

"King Tang of Football, listen to me, you'll only be 23 in four years; football players are at their best after age 20. By then you can carry the team however you want, and Wu Lei and Zhang Zhang Yuning will be even fiercer."

At the fans' suggestion, the Chinese national team players squatted down at the arrival gate, and Tang Ye took the camera to take a group photo.

"Wait, wait, I need to step up on that platform, otherwise I can't fit everyone in the shot."

"Right, you all move back a bit, move back a bit."

Tang Ye climbed to a high spot, holding his own mobile phone in his hand: "Eh, no, let's switch; bring one with more cameras, this phone of mine isn't clear enough."

A fan handed up his phone, and Tang Ye began his operations: "Come on, come on, get ready, get ready!"

"Three, two, one!"

"The Chinese national team is awesome!!!"

Xinhua News Agency: Leaders of Guangdong Province and Shenzhen City met with Chinese national team athlete Tang Ye; during the World Cup tournament, the Chinese national team featuring Tang Ye achieved the best result in the team's history. Shenzhen, representing the people of Guangdong Province, expressed congratulations and gratitude to the athletes. Additionally...

Manchester United Official: Congratulations to club number 10 player Tang Ye for achieving 4 goals and 5 assists in this World Cup and being selected as the Best Player of the World Cup Group Stage.

Manchester United is quite interesting; there were a total of 5 Best Players of the World Cup Group Stage, including Kane, Cheryshev, Modrić, and other players, yet Manchester United's image-and-text announcement carried no implication of "one of them."

In other words, Manchester United directly treated Tang Ye as the sole Best Player of this World Cup Group Stage.

Croatian and Russian fans were extremely angry, but they felt too embarrassed to post comments.

【Hurry back and prepare for the new season, Tom!】

【Back to the club; put the national team aside for now.】

【So where are our summer signings?】

【Earlier, Tom said in an interview that he wanted to take down Mancheng; I feel we truly have a chance this season, if we can bring in a good right winger.】

The new season of the Premier League will begin in one month.

Last season, despite scoring as high as 92 points, they were still pressed down by Mancheng, leaving Manchester United fans filled with reluctance.

Now fans only hope the team can buy good players during the summer transfer window.

And then, just as Tom said in the interview.

"Compare with Mancheng once again"!

Manchester Evening News — Manchester United's first friendly match of the new season will begin on July 10, London time. Considering that players need sufficient vacation, Tom is expected not to participate in the team's two friendly matches against Club América and the San Jose Earthquakes.

"But Tom should return to the team before the International Champions Cup begins; the matches against AC Milan and Liwupu hold significant preparatory importance for Manchester United."

Beijing, China.

General Administration of Sport of China.

"Hello, I'm here to collect my rank certificate. Um... for Latin dance."

The girl approached the counter.

It was not currently the time for collecting athlete rank certificates, but because she needed the certificate to register for the next level of competition, she had specially made an application.

The staff member found the girl's information on the computer, and then a dedicated person escorted the girl to the office at the back.

The staff member asked the girl to sit on the sofa: "Wait here for a moment; what is your name?"

"Zhou Ye."

"Mm, okay, a Level Two certificate, right? I'll be back very soon."

The staff member left, and Zhou Ye sat on the sofa, looking around.

It had taken several minutes of walking just to reach this office; judging by the style of decoration here, did this seem to be some very important place?

Suddenly noticing a red booklet lying on the coffee table, Zhou Ye curiously picked it up.

【International-Level Master of Sports Certificate】

【General Administration of Sport of China】

"?"

She opened it to take a look.

Name: Tang Ye.

"!!!"

The very first line at the top stunned Zhou Ye; she continued reading downward.

Gender: Male.

Date of Birth: March 2, 1999.

Place of Origin: Foshan, Guangdong.

Sport: Football

Match: 2018 FIFA World Cup.

"Yes, um, thank you, thank you; I still have to go to Europe later, so I won't be staying here."

Outside, Tang Ye and an official from the General Administration of Sport walked in, happening to see Zhou Ye holding his certificate.

"Hm? You are..."

Tang Ye's eyes widened.

Zhou Ye quickly tossed the booklet aside: "Oh, sorry, sorry; I just saw it lying on the table and couldn't resist opening it to take a look."

"Oh, haha, it's fine, it's fine."

Tang Ye instinctively wanted to fist-bump the girl, then realized she was not his teammate.

"Really sorry, really sorry."

Zhou Ye stood up and bowed repeatedly.

"Oh, it's nothing; this isn't something that can't be looked at, right?"

Tang Ye waved his hand, taking his certificate back from Zhou Ye's hands.

"Um, are you... Tang, Tang Ye?"

"Haha, hello."

Zhou Ye stared fixedly at Tang Ye; soon, a staff member arrived.

"Grade-2 Athlete?"

Sitting on the sofa, Tang Ye spotted the text on the cover at a glance: "You don't look like an athlete; what event are you in?"

The staff member, seeing the Deputy Director and Tang Ye there, had originally intended to usher Zhou Ye away, but unexpectedly, Tang Ye and Zhou Ye started chatting directly.

The Deputy Director gave a look, and the staff member hurriedly left.

"La... Latin dance."

Zhou Ye said softly.

"Wow, dance; indeed, I felt you were either into dance or gymnastics."

"Mm, Tang Ye, I feel you're much friendlier than you appear on TV."

"Ah, is that so? Haha, thank you, thank you."

Tang Ye blushed from the praise.

"Mainly, during matches I need to shout loudly, so there's no help for it; in normal conversation, it's much better."

Tang Ye stood up from the sofa, said his goodbyes, and left.

"..."

Zhou Ye and the Sports Bureau official before her locked eyes, their expressions somewhat awkward.

Looking around, she then put the certificate she had received into her bag, grabbed her phone, and quickly ran out of the office.

"Tang, Tang Ye, can you wait a moment?"

On July 10, China time, half a week after the Chinese team ended their World Cup journey, Tang Ye's system finally stirred.

【You led the team to a 2:5 defeat against Brazil, ultimately stopping at the Round of 16 in the World Cup knockout stage. Although you could not advance further in the knockout rounds, this is already the Chinese team's best World Cup result; for a player who came out of retirement to return, this achievement is nothing short of a miracle.】

【You have obtained a Miracle Chest (Rules-Ignoring Version).】

Another Rules-Ignoring Version of the Miracle Chest.

In the Miracle Chest he opened after advancing to the knockout stage, Tang Ye had obtained Son Heung-min's Curved Shot Template, which he hadn't used even once yet; he hadn't expected to receive a new Miracle Chest so soon.

From Tang Ye's impression, this Miracle Chest had a relatively high probability of yielding good items, so he was now quite expectant.

Rubbing his hands, feeling it still wasn't quite enough, Tang Ye went to the bathroom to wash his face, then used a Mao Jin to wipe his entire body clean.

【Miracle Chest Rules: You will receive...】

The slot machine began to spin.

First up!

【Anthony Martial's Black Gloves.】

"..."

Martial's gloves; if Tang Ye wanted this item, he could simply ask Martial for it face-to-face; using a Chest to obtain it was a very foolish idea.

The second item opened was...

【Haaland Penalty Template (Superstar).】

Another unfamiliar player, but judging by the two words "Superstar," this player was quite formidable.

A Superstar-level Penalty Template; considering Tang Ye was currently the primary penalty taker for both Manchester United and the Chinese national team, this template was quite important for him.

Let's see what the third one is first!

【Forcing Growth: Special Item; after use, can directly elevate any talent not yet at its maximum level by one rank.】

!!!

At the first glance at the item description, Tang Ye knew he would unhesitatingly choose 【Forcing Growth】 among these three rewards.

Tang Ye had already tasted the sweetness of talent elevation, so he was very certain that this 【Forcing Growth】 would be far more useful than a Superstar-level penalty ability.

Directly elevate any talent not yet at its maximum level by one rank...

Squinting, Tang Ye focused his mind and quickly located the Talent Panel beside the Attribute Panel.

Tang Ye (40 years old)

【Ball Control: Widely Acclaimed; Passing: Unparalleled】

【Shooting: Rare Opportunity; Heading: Worthless; Set Pieces: Rare Opportunity】

【Speed: One in a Hundred; Stamina: One in a Hundred; Physical Confrontation: Widely Acclaimed】

【Defense: Once in a Thousand Years; Vision: Transcendent and Holy】

Overall Evaluation: Unparalleled in the World

Since only one rank can be increased, it must be the one with the highest initial rank.

Playing it this way yields the highest cost-performance ratio!

【You have obtained Pulling Seedlings to Help Them Grow (Special Item)】

【You used Pulling Seedlings to Help Them Grow on Passing; Attribute Initial Talent: Unparalleled in the World】

He waited quietly for a while, yet nothing happened.

?

【Your Passing Talent has already reached the highest talent rank: Unparalleled in the World; unable to use items for enhancement】

"Hmm?"

Is Unparalleled in the World the highest talent rank?

Tang Ye didn't react immediately, because this seemed slightly different from what he understood.

The four characters "Transcendent and Holy" were written right on his talent panel.

You're actually saying Unparalleled in the World is the highest talent rank?

Suddenly thinking of something, Tang Ye needed to verify his hypothesis.

【You used Pulling Seedlings to Help Them Grow on Vision; Attribute Initial Talent: Transcendent and Holy】

【*&%#*&@W#】

"... 6"

【Unknown Error; Item Usage Failed】

After all that fuss, the rank Transcendent and Holy simply does not exist in the system, while Unparalleled in the World is the true highest talent rank.

Then there was no choice.

Tang Ye could now only make a selection from other attributes.

Both Ball Control and Physical Confrontation were at the Widely Watched level; after enhancement, they would become Unparalleled in the World.

Tang Ye greatly loved the feeling of dribbling past opponents, because it matched his identity as a ball-controlling midfielder.

If judging solely by his Xin De Xiang Fa, Tang Ye would without hesitation choose to enhance Ball Control.

But he could not do so, because he needed to consider the team as a whole.

Last season, Mancheng had secured a full 100 league points; barring accidents, Mancheng would remain very strong in the upcoming season.

If Manchester United wanted to contend with Mancheng, then Tang Ye must possess the ability to confront Mancheng's defensive midfielders, full-backs, and even center-backs.

Therefore, whether from the club's perspective or the national team's perspective, extremely strong physical confrontation ability was what Tang Ye needed most right now.

He was about to turn twenty; Tang Ye did not wish to continue being that little child hiding behind Wei Wei Shihao!

Pah!

Spitting the chewing gum in his mouth precisely into the trash bin, Tang Ye made his decision.

【Physical Confrontation: Widely Watched → Unparalleled in the World】

Tang Ye (40 years old)

【Ball Control: Widely Watched; Passing: Unparalleled in the World】

【Shooting: Once in a Thousand Years; Heading: Good for Nothing; Set Pieces: Once in a Thousand Years】

【Speed: One in a Hundred; Stamina: One in a Hundred; Physical Confrontation: Unparalleled in the World】

【Defense: Once in a Thousand Years; Vision: Transcendent and Holy】

Overall Evaluation: Unparalleled in the World

Suddenly, his whole body felt a tingling sensation, causing Tang Ye to shudder involuntarily twice.

This season, after it ended, he had increased his Physical Confrontation talent rank twice in a row.

Originally, physical talent had always been Tang Ye's weakness; now he had directly turned it into one of his strengths.

The same talent rank as Passing!

【Physical Confrontation: 82 → 82】

Carefully feel it.

Barring accidents, his Physical Confrontation should reach 83 before long.

(End of Chapter)