Chapter 1 Aftermath of an Upset

After stunning Bayern's youth team with their upset victory,

Coach Topp generously granted all the players a day off.

Back at the Talent training base,

Henrichs eagerly led his teammates toward May Ninth Park.

The group changed into casual clothes, ready to leave the locker room,

and turned to look at Li Kang, who was standing still.

"Li, come with us! My treat!"

"Don't refuse this time!"

"Otherwise, we'll have to question your... problems. Well, it's not like it's forbidden; May Ninth Park has everything."

As he spoke,

Henrichs picked up a soccer ball from the bin, squeezing it hard a couple of times.

"How vulgar! Li is a serious person like me; why would he go to a place like that with you guys?"

"Hurry up and get lost; Li and I still have to practice!"

Havertz quickly shooed everyone away.

A moment later,

he pulled out his phone and leaned in front of Li Kang with a mysterious expression.

"Li, I'm meeting a girl at the library tonight. Come with us! Her mom will be there too."

"Let me show you a picture of her mom..."

Li Kang: "..."

[Ding! No dopamine reward neurotransmitters generated! No need for suppression!]

....

Of course, Li Kang didn't participate in his teammates' entertainment.

He didn't go anywhere.

He returned to the first team's dormitory,

poured himself a glass of water,

and the system prompt sounded again.

[Ding! German Youth League season being settled...]

[Personal evaluation: SSS+]

[Mission reward upgrading...]

[Congratulations, Host, on receiving: Bronze Treasure Chest → Bayern Superstar Bronze Treasure Chest!]

The reward even leveled up?

No extra mission prompts.

This should be a normal post-match reward.

In the system panel,

a bronze-colored treasure chest shimmered with a faint white light.

Li Kang glanced at the prize pool.

[Beckenbauer's Love Letter.]

[Neuer's Bicycle Seat.]

[Robben's Hair Growth Formula.]

[Kahn's Viagra Pills.]

[...]

What the hell?

The Bronze Treasure Chest only gives these random things?

[Reward opening...]

[Congratulations, Host, on receiving: Low-Level Attribute Point *1!]

[Usage restriction: This point can only be used on attributes below 70!]

Thankfully, it wasn't something random.

Li Kang thought for a moment and added it to ball control.

[Ball Control: 69 → 70!]

.....

Barcelona.

Enrique returned to his office, weary from travel.

Assistant Coach Unzué handed him a report, saying, "Perhaps you should take some time to learn about our loaned-out youth players... the deadline for the summer transfer window is getting closer and closer, and here are their recent game recordings..."

Enrique glanced at his watch

and opened a folder on his computer desktop.

After more than ten minutes, he seemed impatient.

"They're excellent, but not what I'm looking for. The La Liga roster for next season has already been registered..."

Two months ago, 35-year-old Xavi left Barca and retired from European football.

Countless media outlets shared the same view: Barca's dominance would completely vanish with Xavi's departure.

The question was:

Could Xavi's successor really be found in this world?

Since taking over as coach of Barca, Enrique had been deliberately trying to change Barca's style of play.

This had led to a barrage of criticism.

Some fans believed that he had caused Barca to lose its soul.

Even though Enrique had led the team to win the Champions League last season,

people still called him: a "dog on a leash" champion.

With MSN (Messi, Suarez, Neymar) and Iniesta, Busquets, even if you put a dog in Barca's coaching seat, they could still win the championship.

Unzué smiled: "There's one last video clip; I suggest you watch it."

Enrique clicked the mouse impatiently.

The black-haired teenager on the screen... felt a bit familiar.

It turned out to be Sofia's adopted son.

Unconsciously,

the Barca coach was engrossed.

He moved the mouse constantly,

repeating several clips from the video,

his eyes filled with admiration.

After a long while,

he came back to his senses: "Why is he wearing a Leverkusen jersey? I remember Barca and Leverkusen rarely cooperating on loan deals..."

"It doesn't matter, let him come back, then send him down to the reserves, or loan him to other clubs in the Segunda División. He's only 17; if he can make it in a few years, he'll be a good helper for Barca to cope with multiple fronts!"

Unzué spread his hands: "It's not a loan; Li Kang transferred to Leverkusen!"

He was about to explain why the video was in the document,

but Enrique interrupted him with a slap to his head:

"Robert seemed to mention this to me more than a month ago."

"It doesn't matter; if he can secure a starting position at Leverkusen and put on a better performance, he'll return to Barca in his prime."

"Leverkusen's strength... can't reach any championship."

"And Barca is pursuing more than just championships."

"A hungry dog will return home."

...

Munich, Germany.

Allianz Arena.

Guardiola and his coaching staff sat in the meeting room.

Towards the end of the meeting,

the screen began to replay the youth team's match footage.

Unlike Enrique, Guardiola was very concerned about the club's youth training.

During his time coaching Barca, he knew the characteristics of every La Masia player very well and was able to give them opportunities to play in the first team.

As the game progressed,

the coaching staff couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.

"His passing timing is too reasonable! It's like the result of an AI calculation!"

"And his positioning!"

"What kind of game-reading ability is this!"

"He fits our current tactical system very well!"

One of the technical assistants couldn't help but pick up the small blackboard in the corner and started scribbling non-stop.

"It's a pity that besides passing and long shots, his other technical abilities are very average."

*Clap!*

Guardiola hadn't said a word the whole time.

He recognized Li Kang.

When he coached Barca, he greatly admired the awareness and vision of this Dragon-blooded young player.

It was just like himself when he was young.

He didn't expect this kid to have improved so much.

He thought for a moment.

In the end, he didn't express any opinion.

He slowly stood up and signaled the end of the meeting.

The coaching staff looked at each other: usually, the head coach would praise a certain player greatly during this meeting segment!

.....

A highlight reel from a youth league match wouldn't cause too much of a sensation.

Dragon Country.

Leverkusen spent a lot of money to buy trending searches again.

The number of likes was sparse.

The number of shares was zero.

The comments section was still full of jokes.

-[He played just barely okay, but youth team matches don't prove anything.]

-[Remember Bojan, the super genius from Barca? The one who broke Messi's record in the youth ranks? Haha, he's disappeared long ago!]

-[Leverkusen, don't waste money. Stop buying trending searches and prepare to play in the Champions League qualifiers!]

-[Champions League has qualifiers?]

-[Yeah, Leverkusen finished fourth in the Bundesliga last season, so they didn't directly qualify for the Champions League and have to play in a playoff.]