Chapter 4: Autumn Rookie Tournament

A gust of wind reddened the maple trees lining the street; the leaves rustled and swayed, and orange‑yellow ginkgo leaves fell with the breeze, covering the road.

Gold and red tinted the whole of Tokyo.

In Tokyo's Koto Ward, the Ariake Tennis Forest Park was bustling with voices, extraordinarily lively.

The first round of the Autumn Rookie Tournament was being held here, with hundreds of teams from various regions gathering; the venue had to be large enough, otherwise it truly couldn't accommodate so many people.

Jiecheng Wu, with a black tennis bag slung over his back, weaved through the crowd, spotting many familiar school teams along the way.

He had just seen Shimu Middle School's Jiu Gui and Yulin Middle School's player competing, and Jiu Gui easily claimed victory.

Besides the school teams, there were also many reporters carrying long rifles and short cannons; they roamed around the courts, snapping photos wildly, their flashlights never pausing.

There were even professional scouts with evaluation sheets scoring players off‑court, searching for promising talents.

"Next up is the match between Budongfeng Middle School and Sha Deng Second Middle School."

"Both sides, please take the court!"

When the referee's voice came over the loudspeaker, Jiecheng Wu happened to arrive and, along with the crowd's gaze, turned to look at the court.

Budongfeng's Yi Teng, dressed in a black team uniform, was tall and thin like a bamboo pole; compared with his opponent, he was almost a head taller.

Staring at the tiny‑sized opponent, the black mole at the corner of his mouth twitched, giving him a look of assured victory.

However, his coach Heng Shan's expression was far from pleasant.

"What terrible luck, running into the region's third seed, Sha Deng Second Middle School."

"What a hassle!"

The irritation in his heart made his throat itch.

He hurriedly fished a cigarette from his pocket, held it in his mouth ready to light, but then crumpled it into ash; smoking was prohibited on the court.

Suppressing the nicotine urge only made Heng Shan's face grow more impatient.

Jiecheng Wu took a seat in the stands, watching Budongfeng's rookie Yi Teng on the court, and couldn't help making a snide comment.

In Japan, most schools follow a similar process for training new club members.

Before being allowed to compete, these newcomers must undergo six months of ball‑retrieving, physical training, basic tennis drills, and off‑court observation of official matches, among other steps.

Only after the summer of their first year can they pick up a racket and start official competition, and the Autumn Rookie Tournament is the first large‑scale event most freshmen participate in during middle school.

But under Heng Shan's guidance, Budongfeng's first‑year members were virtually non‑competitive.

So he had a sudden idea: since the rookie tournament doesn't strictly limit participants' ages, he simply entered all second‑year members.

Sure enough, leveraging the age advantage, Budongfeng's performance in the rookie tournament each year was never too poor.

But this year it might backfire.

Midway through the match, Yi Teng used his height to claim a slight edge.

"Sha Deng Second is no different!" Yi Teng slammed the ball forward with force at the net.

"I take this point!"

Swish!

Facing the point‑threatening ball, Sha Deng Second's Zhong Cun sprinted forward, leaping fiercely.

A flying rescue.

"Bang!"

In the critical moment, the racket frame struck the ball just in time, the ball's surface warped and dented, and it flew back along a strange trajectory.

Yi Teng was instantly shocked, thinking his scoring chance had vanished, and in an instant was turned around.

"Zhong Cun takes this game!"

The referee's scoreboard updated, and Sha Deng Second's Zhong Cun leveled the game.

"Comnon!" Zhong Cun clenched his fist and shouted, his cheeks flushed with excitement.

Snatching back that hard‑won point boosted his morale; thereafter he gave his all on every rally, his condition improving with each shot.

And Yi Teng, who had carelessly lost a game, saw his opponent's soaring momentum and suddenly panicked, hurriedly trying to turn the tide.

But in his haste he made mistakes, and the more he rushed, the more points he lost.

The situation subtly shifted.

"It's over," Jiecheng Wu said, seeing Yi Teng's bewildered state and knowing the upcoming match was already decided.

"In competition, a steady mindset is clearly more important than strength, speed, or technique,"

Even if it's not his own match, Jiecheng Wu would still summarize it and remind himself to watch out for similar issues.

"Bang!"

Zhong Cun's final beautiful topspin shot ended the match, and Sha Deng Second Middle School claimed victory in the first game.

As Jiecheng Wu had expected, Budongfeng crashed.

For ordinary schools, height and physical advantages from age might decide a match, but against Sha Deng Second Middle School's players, that's insufficient.

Because any competitive sport requires not only external physical qualities but also a well‑tempered big heart.

Under Heng Shan's 'training,' Budongfeng players who rely solely on age pressure find it hard to develop such a quality.

Soon, faced with Sha Deng Second Middle School's fierce onslaught, Budongfeng suffered consecutive defeats.

"The match is over, please come forward and shake hands,"

Budongfeng lost all five matches, ending this rookie tournament with a single‑round elimination; Heng Shan's face turned as black as soot, and the second‑year Budongfeng players hung their heads, daring not to look at their coach.

"Click!"

Jiecheng Wu immediately took out his camera, recording the scene and focusing on Budongfeng's glorious record of five straight losses.

After shooting, he carefully stowed the camera; when the right moment arrives, these could all become leverage against Heng Shan.

After Budongfeng's match ended, Jiecheng Wu left the court.

"Good luck!"

"Come on!"

From not far away, cheers and shouts rose, and the crowded throng blocked off the entire court.

"Let's go have a look."

Jiecheng Wu's eyes flickered, and he squeezed forward through the crowd.

Is this a Seigaku match?!

Bu Er wore a team uniform whose main color was white, with green trim on the sleeves and collar, and moved with unparalleled lightness on the tennis court.

His chestnut‑colored shaggy hair twitched lightly with each step, and when faced with a fierce onslaught, he could always counter with effortless ease.

The opponent's attacks were also worth watching; they were far from ordinary.

Compared with the match at Budongfeng, this one was clearly far more intense.

But given the opponent's strength, the fact that they could last so long against Bu Er was truly unbelievable.

It should be noted that Bu Er Zhou Zhu is Seigaku's number‑two figure after Shouzu, a genius in everyone's eyes, and an entity whose data Gan Zhen Zhi claims cannot be measured.

Even though he's only a first‑year now, he's still incomparable to ordinary people.

Jiecheng Wu silently observed the match, shifting his perspective into both sides' positions, continuously analyzing and comparing in his mind.

After a short while.

"What a terrifying fellow."

Ending the mental simulation, Jiecheng Wu's gaze toward Bu Er grew a few degrees heavier, while he felt a touch of pity for the opponent.

In this match, Bu Er not only withheld his true power, but also kept each counter‑strike's speed, force, and even ball trajectory at a level that forced the opponent to give their all, yet still remain bearable.

During the fierce rally, Bu Er gradually increased the power of each subsequent shot, causing the opponent to gradually reach, and eventually surpass, their own limits.

Bu Er wants to face an opponent who is at their limit.

He doesn't even mind temporarily losing a few points to achieve that goal.

No wonder the match was so intense, drawing so many spectators.

"Draw out the opponent's utmost strength, then relish the heart‑pounding thrill of possibly losing, savor the sensation of dancing on a knife's edge."

"Is this the nature of the genius Bu Er Zhou Zhu?"

"Truly terrifying."

"Makes you really want to have a match with you!"

Such a self‑confidence bordering on pathology instantly sparked a fighting spirit in Jiecheng Wu.

I watched the update of Cangyuan Tu Anime episode 24 today; the narrative pacing seemed much worse than episode 23, but Great-Aunt Gu and July's new models were very nice.

(End of chapter)