Table tennis: Swinging the racket billions of times, achieving a grand slam

Chapter 379 Quick-acting heart medicine, all you can eat!

12: 14.

11: 9.

11: 6.

11: 9.

The score is 3-1.

Xie Mingyang defeated South Korean player Cho Dae-seong to advance to the quarterfinals of the Asian Cup.

The moment the ball hits the ground.

"Whoo~"

Xie Mingyang let out a long breath and clenched his fist tightly.

There was no roar of celebration, and the murderous intent in his eyes had not completely dissipated.

He stepped forward and shook hands with Zhao Dacheng.

He turned around and was about to walk to the sidelines.

Sudden.

A thunderous roar came from the pool table next door.

"Zhu--"

Someone roared in a hoarse voice.

Follow the sound.

But then we see Togami Hayasuke clenching his fists, kneeling on the ground, and letting out a long howl to the sky.

"Togami Hayasuke?"

Xie Mingyang's gaze darkened slightly. "Is he my opponent in the quarterfinals?"

He knew something about Togami Hayasuke.

Known as the king of internal battles in the Japanese team, he has been preparing for battles against Tomokazu Harimoto for many years.

Although Togami Hayabusa's international record is somewhat lackluster, his fighting style is actually a high-risk, high-reward style of combat, much like the protagonist in a fast-paced action anime, making him a potential dark horse.

It was also a 3-1 score.

Hayato Togami defeated his teammate Hiroto Shinozuka to advance to the next round.

more importantly.

His opponent in the quarterfinals was Xie Mingyang.

Togami Hayabusa seemed to sense Xie Mingyang's gaze and turned to look at him.

Their eyes met in the air.

There were no words, nor any superfluous physical movements.

But, in that very instant...

The noise throughout the venue seemed to be blocked by an invisible barrier.

Xie Mingyang's eyes were calm yet piercing.

But Togami Hayato's gaze was like a blade that had been tempered by fire.

In the air, it seemed as if tiny sparks of electricity were silently crackling.

In the next match, the quarterfinals, Xie Mingyang will face off against Togami Hayabusa for a spot in the semifinals.

That one glance was enough to ignite the fuse.

……

With Liang Jingkun's victory over Zhang Yuzhen, all eight quarter-final spots in the Asian Cup men's singles have been secured.

The quarterfinal matchups were then released.

Top half.

Chen Jin vs. Yukiya Uda.

Liang Jing vs. Zhang Benzhihe.

Lower half.

Xie Mingyang VS Togami Hayabusa.

Wang Chuqin VS Lin Shidong.

Apart from Wang Chuqin and Lin Shidong, the other three matches were all against foreign opponents.

Four p.m.

Chen Jin arrived at the venue early and warmed up with Xie Mingyang.

"The schedule for this Asian Cup is quite tight, with two matches a day, which is quite tiring."

Courtside.

Coaches Wang Hao, Liu Zhiqiang, and Liu Heng stood with their arms crossed or hands on their hips, their eyes occasionally glancing at the athletes who were training.

"Yes."

Following Wang Hao's words, Liu Zhiqiang continued, "There are three international matches tonight. We can't have one person handling all three matches, can we?"

"Yes."

Wang Hao nodded. "I have to handle Chen Jin's case."

"Why?"

Liu Zhiqiang and Liu Heng's eyes widened instantly, and they stared at Wang Hao in unison.

"Does this need to be said?"

Wang Hao shrugged slightly. "Chen Jin is a penhold grip player, and so am I."

"No one understands his inherent qualities, the subtle changes in his technical approach, and his unique on-court adaptability as a penhold grip player better than I do..."

The words were not finished.

Liu Zhiqiang interrupted him, saying, "Come on, stop trying to intimidate people with your penhold grip."

"Off-court coaching is tactical warfare, on-the-spot analysis, psychological confrontation, calculation, and strategy. What does it have to do with whether you're a penhold or shakehand grip player?"

Liu Zhiqiang spoke rapidly, "With Chen Jin's brain and his calculation ability, do we really need to teach him how to play with a penhold grip?"

"You're just going up there to provide him with strategic support and help him identify the opponent's weaknesses..."

"This job requires a good grasp of the overall situation and quick reflexes. My experience may not be worse than yours."

Liu Heng, who was standing next to him, immediately chimed in, nodding repeatedly: "That's right."

Seeing that someone was on the same side as him, Liu Zhiqiang straightened his back a bit.

Without realizing it, she moved closer to Liu Heng and exchanged a glance with him.

"Coach Wang, Coach Zhiqiang, you two, put your hands on your hearts and tell me, every time Chen Jin plays a match, wasn't it you two who provided off-court guidance?"

Liu Heng said indignantly, "I'm the only one who has never done anything off-court for Chen Jin, not even once."

"Even if it's a rotation, this time it should be my turn to be Chen Jin's sideline player."

This statement came out.

Liu Zhiqiang immediately took half a step back, keeping a slight distance from Liu Heng.

"Coach Liu, it's because you've never worked on Chen Jin's sidelines before that you lack experience and are not suitable."

Wang Hao earnestly advised, "At this crucial moment, what if you, an old horse, make a mistake? Wouldn't the losses be enormous?"

Before Liu Heng could even open his mouth to argue...

Liu Zhiqiang, who was standing nearby, quickly chimed in, "Yes, yes, Coach Wang is right."

"Let alone Chen Jin, I've never done Xie Mingyang's off-court work before, and I don't have much experience."

Liu Heng said with dissatisfaction, "So, does that mean I can only be Liang Jingkun's sidekick?"

"Eh!"

Liu Zhiqiang's eyes lit up, and he immediately seized the opportunity, "Coach Liu, you said it yourself, you want to be Liang Jingkun's sideline player."

"Although Liang Jingkun is my supervisor, I'll be generous and give him to you this time."

"Okay, it's happily decided."

After saying that, he slapped his thigh hard, as if the dust had settled.

Liu Heng: "I... he..."

"Agree!"

Wang Hao nodded vigorously, "Coach Liu will be Liang Jingkun's off-court coach, that's settled."

Liu Heng stared dumbfounded as the two of them worked together, clearly outmaneuvering him, and was so angry he almost fainted.

He opened his mouth, wanting to refuse. But Wang Hao and Liu Zhiqiang turned their heads away, changing the subject.

"The weather is nice today."

"Yes."

What are you going to eat later?

"Just grab something, what about you?"

"Me too."

Seeing the two of them like this, and knowing that he was doomed, Liu Heng could only sigh with a resentful expression.

"Alright, Liang Jingkun it is."

Liu Heng paused, glancing at Liang Jingkun with a somewhat unfocused look in his eyes.

His eyes held a kind of serene indifference to life.

"Who brought paper and pen?"

Liu Heng abruptly asked, "Can I borrow it?"

"what?"

Wang Hao and Liu Zhiqiang were both stunned, looking at him with confusion.

"What are you doing?"

Wang Hao frowned and asked.

"Write a will."

Liu Heng said with a serious expression, "I'm afraid my heart can't handle it. If I get too excited while sitting on the sidelines, I might just die suddenly on the field."

Wang Hao: "..."

"Hahaha."

Liu Zhiqiang laughed and said, "Don't worry, I have experience with this."

"I have some quick-acting heart medicine here. Even if you don't eat for three months, it will be enough to keep you full."

Hear the words.

Liu Heng was even more speechless: "...Okay, as long as there's medicine, that's fine."

With their guns pointed outwards, they resolved Liu Heng's off-field issues.

Next.

Wang Hao and Liu Zhiqiang's eyes met again in mid-air, sparks flying.

Chen Jin, this "big piece of fat meat," has yet to be claimed.

"Let's stop talking nonsense and stick to the old rules: if we can fight, let's fight."

Wang Hao rolled up his sleeves, revealing his muscular forearms, and struck a pose, "Best two out of three, one to decide the outcome."

"Why should it be a best-of-three series?"

Liu Zhiqiang also rolled up his sleeves, saying, "Such an important matter must be handled with utmost care."

"Best of five... no, best of seven, that's the safest bet."

The two glared at each other, neither willing to give in, like two fighting cocks.

After a full half minute of stalemate, Liu Zhiqiang finally snorted and reluctantly gave in.

"Okay, okay, best of three it is."

Liu Zhiqiang stretched his muscles and said, "Hurry up, finish this quickly, don't waste time."

"Rock, paper, scissors—"

"Rock, paper, scissors—"

"Rock, paper, scissors"

Three shouts, three strikes.

In the first two games, each player won one game, resulting in a tie.

The atmosphere was extremely tense.

By the third round, Wang Hao was sweating profusely, while Liu Zhiqiang's eyes were sharp as knives.

It felt as if I had suddenly returned to the decisive arena of my youth.

As the last shout faded away.

Wang Hao: Cloth.

Liu Zhiqiang: Stone.

"what--"

Liu Zhiqiang screamed in agony, "No!"

"Accepted."

Wang Hao clenched his fist and a victorious smile spread across his face.

"You were 0.01 seconds too slow with your punch."

Liu Zhiqiang said unwillingly.

"You have to accept the consequences of your bet; you can't cheat."

Wang Hao laughed.

"Humph."

Liu Zhiqiang's face instantly fell, looking like a wilted eggplant. He reluctantly lowered his hand, saying, "Consider yourself lucky."

Although I missed out on the chance to work with Chen Jin, I was unable to enjoy the off-field fun that Chen Jin provided.

But, think about it.

Xie Mingyang seems to be a pretty good young man.

Anyway, compared to that rebellious son Liang Jingkun, he's at least a little better.

Think about this.

Her gaze shifted to Xie Mingyang, who was focused on training, and she looked at him with the same affection a mother-in-law has for her son-in-law.

……

the other side.

Accompanied by his teammates, Yukiya Uda also arrived at the venue early to train.

With each swing of the racket, with each push-off and twist of the waist, the muscles faithfully and powerfully execute commands.

However, his peripheral vision kept drifting towards that figure not far away.

—Chen Jin!
At this moment, Chen Jin was training his forehand and backhand swing speed under Xie Mingyang's sparring partner.

The other person was clearly not very old, but when he stood under that light, an invisible aura as heavy as a mountain spread out.

That was by no means a deliberately displayed sharpness.

Rather, it is a kingly demeanor that is ingrained in one's very being.

This kingly aura has appeared in Zhang Jike, Ma Long, Fan Zhendong, and others.

Now, compared to these predecessors, this young man is no less impressive.

Since his debut, he has never been defeated in international competitions.

A true world table tennis legend!

Soon, I will face it.

"You can do it...you definitely can..."

Yukiya Uda silently repeated to himself, trying to ignite his fighting spirit, "If I'm lucky enough to beat Chen Jin, the entire table tennis world will remember your name."

"From then on, Yukiya Uda became famous and renowned."

He closed his eyes tightly and took a deep breath.

When he opened his eyes again, a fierce glint was forcibly injected into them.

"come on!"

"There are no absolutes on the field."

"The outcome is still uncertain, why can't I be the dark horse?"

"Even if we take a step back and do nothing, I have to go all out for that bet of hand-washing my underwear a year ago!"

Even Yukiya Uda himself didn't expect that this seemingly absurd bet would become a straw he used to cope with the pressure.

(End of this chapter)