Dad, Please Try a Little Harder - Chapter 31
Chapter 31 How Many Talents Did Seacoast Normal University Actually Recruit This Year?
“Another draw?”
At Jiao Tong University, in the women’s dormitory, Li Zhiyi, with bobbed hair, stared intently at her phone screen. The screen displayed a Chinese chess endgame.
Her side only had one horse and two soldiers left, while the other side only had one horse and two soldiers left.
Unless one side deliberately blundered, neither could win over the other in this situation.
“Let’s draw for peace?” The opponent sent a message in the chat box.
What was infuriating was that the opponent’s ID was named “Handshake for Peace,” as if intentionally trying to provoke her.
Yet, this was already their 26th drawn game.
From the first time she challenged the Wheel War and met this opponent to the consecutive week of 1v1 matches, she had given her all, employing all her skills acquired over her lifetime, but still couldn’t win.
The opponent couldn’t win either, and perhaps he never intended to. Every move he made seemed to be meticulously planned to end in a draw right from the first step.
It was obvious he was doing it on purpose.
Just to prove that his ID was true?
Li Zhiyi’s cheeks were a little flushed, like two small apples. Right now, she was both angry and anxious, feeling helpless and stifled, as if a bone was stuck in her throat and a thorn was at her back.
She had never encountered an opponent like this before.
She had even dreamt these past few nights that she finally won, and then she laughed heartily in her dream, asking the opponent, “Why aren’t you proposing a draw now?”
She had even considered hacking into the “Journey of Chinese Chess” server to check the opponent’s registration information, but then she wondered what the point of doing that would be.
After all, the opponent was just playing Chinese chess online normally and hadn’t harmed her in any way. Besides, she was the one who initiated the challenges each time.
“Do you play draws with everyone or just me?” Li Zhiyi’s curiosity was now fully aroused.
“With everyone. Drawing peacefully is my pursuit here.”
“Why? Don’t you want to win?”
“I’m content as long as I don’t lose. As for why I pursue draws, the answer is simple. After playing Chinese chess with me, I hope every opponent I face can find a moment of inner peace. Those who always win shouldn’t become too proud and arrogant, and those who always lose shouldn’t become too self-deprecating and discouraged. They should always remember that there’s also the aspect of drawing beyond winning and losing.”
“Just like the realization of King Qin in the movie
Hero
, the third realm of Chinese chess is also the highest realm, which is not to win but to achieve peace. And I, I’m going to be this ambassador of peace.”
Li Zhiyi, nearly driven to madness and with her inner peace completely disrupted, didn’t believe a word. She suspected the opponent was here for amusement but lacked evidence.
After exiting “Journey of Chinese Chess,” she opened the Chinese chess club’s group and was about to ask if any other members had encountered “Handshake for Peace.”
Just as she hesitated on how to start the conversation, she saw the vice president saying, “There’s a small piece of news. It seems that the Chinese chess club at Seacoast Normal University has recruited a very strong freshman this year. Rumor has it that this freshman has defeated all the club’s senior members in the wheel war.”
Li Zhiyi’s eyes suddenly sharpened.
Then she saw someone reply, “We can see him in the freshman tournament next week. But isn’t the Chinese chess club at Seacoast Normal University not that strong overall?”
Someone else replied, “Can anyone be stronger than Li Zhiyi?”
The vice president chimed in, “Anyway, everyone should be cautious during the competition. Be careful not to make significant mistakes.”
Everyone lined up with responses like “Understood.”
After mentally preparing herself for a while, Li Zhiyi asked, “Have any of you encountered a player named ‘Handshake for Peace’ on ‘Journey of Chinese Chess’?”
After a while, a sophomore member replied, “I have. His skills are decent. He played a draw against me, and I was on a three-game winning streak.”
Then another person responded, “I think I’ve encountered him once, too, and it ended in a draw.”
Curious, the vice president asked, “Why are you asking this person?”
Li Zhiyi explained, “That person also played a draw against me.”
The group fell silent for a full ten seconds.
Then, the two members who had just spoken replied with a shocked “Oh my god” and six exclamation marks, respectively.
According to everyone’s assessment, Li Zhiyi was already at a grandmaster level. The fact that “Handshake for Peace” managed to draw with her only left two possibilities.
One, that person was also at the grandmaster level or even higher.
Two, that person was an official AI released by this app, either for active players or for some testing purposes.
After discussing for a while without reaching any conclusion, the vice president suggested, “If anyone encounters him again, maybe invite a few more people to study together.”
…
Monday morning at 7 o’clock, at Azure Bay University.
Zhao Baiyu got up on time.
After getting ready.
She went to the playground alone and practiced martial arts for half an hour.
After returning from her grandfather’s house during the summer vacation, her master was very satisfied with her understanding. He taught her the “Golden Voice Jade Vibration Sixty-Four Hands.”
Speaking of this, she also needed to thank her grandfather, and that chance encounter with a guy named Qian Quan.
It was precisely due to her grandfather’s guidance and Qian Quan’s insights into Chinese chess that inspired her and helped her pass her master’s test smoothly.
However, she was just starting to learn the “Golden Voice Jade Vibration Sixty-Four Hands” and not yet mastering them. She couldn’t produce a continuous sound between her fists and palms, let alone the golden sound and jade resonance.
Her master said that the first level of learning the “Golden Voice Jade Vibration Sixty-Four Hands” was to produce a continuous and crisp sound, and the second level was to perform skills silently.
The third level was to attain proficiency, such that during exertion, the strikes should resonate like the deep and reverberant sound of a bell, while during relaxation, they should be clear and melodious like the tinkling of a wind chime, leaving a lingering aftertaste.
The saying “produce sound like a bell, resonate like a chime” is the essence of the “Golden Voice Jade Vibration Sixty-Four Hands.”
After finishing her practice, Zhao Baiyu returned to her dormitory, freshened up quickly, and got ready to have breakfast and attend her classes.
On the way to the classroom, Zhao Baiyu ran into Luan Qingyun, who had just finished his run.
“Good morning.” Zhao Baiyu greeted politely.
“Good morning. Off to class?” Luan Qingyun asked.
Although Zhao Baiyu had nearly taken down Luan Qingyun on the day of the recruitment, he didn’t hold any grudges. Instead, he looked at her with appreciation and anticipation.
“Yes.”
Luan Qingyun nodded. As he was about to leave, he suddenly remembered something and said, “By the way, I have a piece of news you might be interested in.”
Zhao Baiyu looked at him.
“According to a friend of mine, the martial arts club at Seacoast Normal University recruited a powerful new student this year. Apparently, during the interview, he managed to defeat their vice president with just one move.”
Zhao Baiyu raised an eyebrow and asked, “How does that vice president compare to you?”
“I haven’t sparred with him, so I can’t say for sure, but anyone who can become a vice president must be quite competent.”
“Alright, got it.”
“Okay, nothing else from me. You should go to class.”
…
Fudan University Basketball Arena.
The university basketball team was conducting their routine training.
Warm-ups, sprints, passing and receiving drills, shooting practice… and then they divided into teams for scrimmage practice.
“Qin Zhao, I heard from Dacheng that you guys played baseball on Saturday and got crushed by a new student from Seacoast Normal University who came to play with you?”
After the teams were formed, the captain, Han Xun, walked over with a smile and asked Qin Zhao.
“Don’t even mention it. It’s a tearful story. For the details, you can consult Liu Yu,” Qin Zhao replied.
Han Xun said, “I already asked him, and he told me to ask you.”
With a wry smile, Qin Zhao said, “I don’t want to recall the specific process. Let’s put it this way: I was in a group with Liu Yu and Dacheng, and we almost didn’t even touch the ball.”
“Is it really that extreme?”
“It’s exactly that extreme. If Seacoast Normal University’s overall lineup improves even a little this year, they can win the championship in the Azure Bay region.”
“That sounds too exaggerated. I’ll just ask Wang Teng directly in the chat group.”
Wang Teng was the president of Seacoast Normal University’s basketball club. There was a large group that included presidents, student council executives, and captains from various major university clubs, student unions, and basketball teams in Azure Bay. It was quite an active group where various pieces of information were shared.
Han Xun directly mentioned Wang Teng in the group and asked, “Wang Teng, did your basketball club recruit a strong new player this year?”
Wang Teng might have been busy as he didn’t reply immediately.
Then the president of the Chinese chess club at the Azure Bay Polytechnic University sent a message too: “Since Han Xun brought it up, I’ve got a question too. Cao Chuande, I heard your chess club also got a new member this year. Can you share some details?”
Cao Chuande, the president of the Chinese chess club at Seacoast Normal University, quickly replied, “Yes, we have someone decent. He can have a back-and-forth in our matches. But this year’s strongest newcomer in Chinese chess must still be from Shanghai Jiao Tong University.”
At this point, Luan Qingyun also chimed in, “From what I know, the martial arts club at Seacoast Normal University recruited an impressive individual this year. So, how many talents did Seacoast Normal University actually recruit this year?”
Wang Teng chimed in, “Well, you know, just two people isn’t that many. It shouldn’t really be enough to alarm Captain Han, right?”
Han Xun replied, “Why wouldn’t it be enough? They managed to make two of my main players lose all confidence!”
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