Peninsula: Aiming for a Grand Slam

Sunday.

in the afternoon.

Ace Tennis Stadium.

The receptionist was yawning; he wasn't smoking today, but he was holding a cup of coffee.

He saw Chen Jixian and paused slightly: "Continue today?"

"continue."

"Should we practice backhand?"

Chen Jixian paused for a moment:

"Practice them all."

Boss Cui glanced at him but didn't say anything.

Practice them all?

Ha ha.

For the first three days, he hadn't seen the kid practice his forehand.

The ball machine is always set to the backhand position, and the ball speed is always 30. You hit the ball basket after basket, pick it up, and then continue.

It's all about backhand, backhand again.

He placed the key on the counter:

"That's not how you practice a backhand."

Chen Jixian looked up.

Boss Cui didn't look at him, as if talking to himself:

"Practicing only backhands—amateurs don't practice like that, and neither do professionals."

"Practicing a single technique for too long will cause muscle fatigue and distorted movements, making the training ineffective. Moreover, it increases the risk of injury, with the elbows being the first to give out."

Chen Jixian remained silent.

Boss Cui finally glanced at him. It wasn't exactly a reproach, but rather a look that said, "I've seen too much of this."

"Whether you listen or not is up to you."

She picked up her coffee and didn't look at him again.

Chen Jixian picked up the key and walked towards Field No. 3.

He knew that everything Boss Cui said was true.

That's not how you practice a backhand.

This is not training.

It is self-harm.

Without the extended battery pack, he would have been in the hospital long ago.

But he has.

He can't stop.

His aunt's house hung overhead. 10000 backhands, 8000 more needed. The wall Bae Joo-hyun chose for him appeared a month later.

He must complete the backhand +1 as soon as possible, and then start serving practice.

The problem is that there is only one training packet slot.

Even two wouldn't work. Chen Jixian only has 24 hours in a day, and he also has to go to class.

[Backhand training package activated. Remaining time: 6 days. Current progress: 1943/10000.]

[Training begins.]

Chen Jixian stood to the end.

The ball machine spits out balls.

Similar to yesterday.

Step, backswing, hit the ball. The pass rate is a little higher than before, but I can't quite explain why.

Backhand training: 1950/10000.

Chen Jixian stopped and shook his wrist.

The panel reads "Temperature: 1".

But he didn't understand where this "1" was.

During training, I didn't feel anything special; I still rushed when I needed to, and panicked when I needed to.

Occasionally, there's a beat that makes you feel—

"It doesn't seem that rushed."

"There is plenty of time."

The ball bounced up, he took a step, the racket arrived, and the ball arrived too.

Not too early, not too late.

Very comfortable.

But the next beat went back to normal, and chaos ensued.

Unable to grasp. Unstable.

He recalled the ball that had been placed under trusteeship last time—no rush.

It's a state of being able to overcome speed with slowness; you're clearly slower than others, but you always take the lead in action.

The ball hadn't arrived yet, but people were already waiting. That feeling is something you can't find anymore.

It took more than two hours to finish, with 280 people.

Faster than yesterday.

But he had a strange feeling: it wasn't enough.

He can be faster!

He has the ability!

But I couldn't find a clue.

[2242/10000]

The uncle at the front desk strolled over with coffee, and we stood there for a while, separated by a partition.

He watched as Chen Jixian returned to the court and hit a few more balls.

"Ugh."

All of them were backhands.

Don't practice your forehand.

They don't practice serving.

I don't practice slice shots.

Practice your backhand.

The middle-aged man shook his head.

He'd seen plenty of young people like this—

In the first few days after arriving, he was full of enthusiasm and focused on practicing a particular skill.

After a few days, his hands hurt, his legs ached, his enthusiasm faded, and he disappeared.

He took the coffee back to the front desk.

[Training efficiency was detected to be too low.]

[Activate "Paradigm Compilation - Rhythm Compilation"?]

Price: 100 yuan.

Chen Jixian stared at the word "rhythm".

The system is fishing for him.

The rhythm +1 was written on the panel, but he couldn't grasp the meaning.

During training, I didn't feel anything particularly special. I still felt rushed and anxious.

Occasionally, there's a moment when you feel "it doesn't seem so rushed," but then you go back to your old ways in the next moment.

He needs to know—what exactly should it feel like to increase the tempo by 1?

Now, you can experience "Rhythm +11" all at once.

100 yuan.

If we don't count the embezzlement of "public funds", there is less than 500 yuan in the bank card.

The racket was a gift from Wang Hao, so it didn't cost me anything. Accessories, sweatbands, court fees, a ball machine, and battery life packs all cost money.

He gritted his teeth:

"confirm."

Paradigm compilation (rhythm) is activated.

[Trial price: 100 yuan.]

Duration: 3 goals.

Three balls.

Chen Jixian didn't have time to think.

The ball machine spits out a ball.

His body moved.

The body moves "by itself".

Stepping forward, drawing back the racket, and striking the ball—these three movements are executed in one continuous beat, without rushing or panicking.

The ball landed in the corner of the baseline.

So accurate!

How accurate was it? He felt that he had drawn that line himself.

The second goal.

The ball moves faster.

He's still not in a hurry.

Take a step, and the racket arrives, and so does the ball.

Don't chase the ball.

We need to wait for the ball.

Or rather, he appeared in the right place at the right time, and then—

The ball bumped into us by itself!

The third goal.

He took action ahead of schedule.

The ball was still flying, and he was already standing at the hitting point! With a swing of his racket, the ball flew out, skimming the sideline.

The game ended with three goals.

The special UI for paradigm compilation has also disappeared.

"Rhythm is about capturing the patterns in the movement of a tennis ball!"

Chen Jixian stood there, gripping the racket, his palms sweaty.

He found out.

What is rhythm?

It's not about running fast.

It starts up quickly and gets to its destination quickly!

The ball hasn't even arrived yet, but you're already there. Your opponent is still catching up, but you're already waiting!

He glanced down at the panel.

Rhythm: 1.

It's still only 1.

It truly lives up to its reputation as an extremely rare reward.

Now he knows what that "1" should look like. Once you've seen different scenery, you can never go back.

……

……

night.

Boss Cui strolled over, a cigarette dangling from his lips.

He stood outside the net and glanced at Chen Jixian—he was still practicing his backhand. From morning until now, he hadn't practiced anything else but his backhand.

It's been an afternoon.

He watched for a while longer.

Then his expression changed.

This kid—

When I arrived in the afternoon, my movements were stiff, my shots were off-target, my footwork was erratic, and I was unsteady.

Now?

It's like he's a completely different person!

This kid's ball speed isn't high, but every shot is on target.

Don't chase the ball, wait for it.

No rush, no panic.

The hitting point was so precise it was almost unbelievable.

Every ball is positioned to the side and in front of the body!

Same location!

It was like a videotape being replayed; this was definitely not luck.

Boss Cui never expected that in just one afternoon and half an evening, the child would undergo such a dramatic change!

This understanding and mastery of the "laws of tennis" doesn't seem like that of a tennis novice who only has a fleeting interest; it's more like—

A tennis veteran who has been practicing for over ten years!

After thinking it over, Boss Cui realized that in his tennis circle, there weren't many players who could play like Chen Jixian.

At least, not in the amateur category.

"This child is talented!"

However, he glanced at Chen Jixian's age again—seventeen or eighteen years old, too late to have grasped the basics.

In professional tennis, people start training at six or seven years old and achieve results by twelve or thirteen. If you only start at seventeen or eighteen, it's too late.

The middle-aged man shook his head.

Pity!

night.

After finishing the last basket of balls, Chen Jixian went to the front desk to pay the bill.

He was covered in sweat, his clothes were stained with salt, and his right arm ached repeatedly. Even with an extension pack, this kind of training was too physically demanding.

"Boss, how much?"

The uncle didn't calculate the money, but glanced at him.

How long did you practice today?

"From 1 p.m. until now."

9 hours.

The uncle's expression turned serious:

"Nine hours, all practicing backhand? No forehand practice at all?"

Chen Jixian was stunned for a moment.

"Practice them all."

"I've mastered the forehand, but I haven't practiced it enough."

The uncle's lips twitched.

"You've got it?"

"Um."

The middle-aged man stared at him for two seconds, wanting to ask: How much?

However, he did not ask any further questions.

"From now on, I'll charge you 7,000 per hour when you come."

Chen Jixian opened his mouth.

Seven thousand won, three thousand won cheaper than the original price.

"Thank you, boss."

The uncle waved his hand.

"Don't thank me. I haven't seen you train like this in over a decade."

He paused for a moment, then added:

"What a pity, he came to his senses too late."

Chen Jixian remained silent.

Too late to realize it?

He looked down at the panel.

Current progress: 3343/10000.

one day.

1400 effective backhand shots.

He looked down at his hands; the skin between his thumb and forefinger was chafed, and his wrists were swollen.

The +1 to the forehand is from Genshin Impact.

But the 3343 on the panel was typed out by him, one stroke at a time!