Thirty pull-ups, and the system only counted six? Was there a mistake?
"Little Seven? Little Seven?" Lu Ke called out for help anxiously. "What's going on? Is the system broken? No way, I just got it two days ago, and it's already broken? Is this a defective product?"
"Only motions that meet the standard are counted. Otherwise, the system won't record any of them," Little Seven's response was unhurried, naturally ignoring Lu Ke's "defective product" suspicion.
Lu Ke understood what it meant, but he needed more clarification. "Standard? What counts as a standard? So, out of the thirty I did, only six were standard? What's the basis for judgment?"
This time, Little Seven didn't speak. Instead, a video played directly in Lu Ke's mind. In the video, a digitally created figure of Lu Ke performed a pull-up. The legs were crossed and tucked back, the hands were in a standard grip, and the body was pulled up until the chin was over the bar. It paused for three seconds before slowly lowering until the arms were fully extended back to the starting position.
In simple terms, you had to start from a complete stop and return to a complete stop, with no shortcuts. The upward motion had to be held for exactly three seconds, not a second less.
Out of the thirty pull-ups he did earlier, only six met that perfect standard. The others all had some flaws, so the system didn't count them. This… was a good thing, right?
During college training or at a gym, even with a coach supervising, they weren't machines. They couldn't monitor every single movement and ensure it was perfectly executed. But under the system's supervision, every little flaw would be detected. This meant there was no room for laziness, and it also meant Lu Ke would be undergoing the most rigorous and demanding training.
In all his years, Lu Ke had never received formal training. He had learned everything on his own. His fundamentals were weak, and even his passing stance wasn't completely correct. Despite this, he had become a decent player through his diligence and self-study. Now, under the system's supervision, he would have the opportunity to correct every flaw and completely rebuild his fundamentals.
After calming down, Lu Ke noticed that next to each training task was a video icon. He chose to play the video for the 40-yard shuttle run. His digital avatar performed the run, and the video explained which muscles to engage, key techniques, and so on.
Letting out a soft breath, he finally understood. All his hard work from earlier was for nothing, which was a little frustrating. But looking at it from another perspective, this was the best opportunity to completely re-engineer his skills, so he perked up again.
He grabbed the horizontal bar and started his pull-ups from the beginning.
Lu Ke wasn't focused on the number but on the quality of each repetition, making sure every motion met the system's requirements. Without the continuous momentum, a deep burning sensation in his muscles became noticeable. By the time he finished all thirty, he could feel a definite tightness in his muscles. This feeling hadn't been there after his first attempt.
When he summoned the system again, sure enough, the pull-ups option in his daily training task was grayed out, indicating he had completed it for the day.
"The superstar system is not a fake, nor does it make mistakes." Little Seven's voice suddenly came through. Lu Ke was stunned for a moment, then realized Little Seven was responding to his earlier complaint. This was the first time Little Seven had shown a different side—was it… angry? "No, I'm not angry. I'm just correcting your statement and clearing up some misunderstandings."
Little Seven's defense came again, stubborn and proud.
The corners of Lu Ke's mouth curled into a smile. He nodded and said earnestly, "Okay, you're not angry." This time Little Seven was silent, and Lu Ke's smile grew even wider. "Little Seven, how do I get back now? If I run back, will I complete tomorrow's 10,000-meter task in advance?"
"No," Little Seven answered with finality.
Lu Ke wasn't surprised. "Alright. But I think I'll run back anyway." If he were tired, he would have found another way, like calling Logan to pick him up. But right now, he felt energized, so he would run back. Starting tomorrow, he should set a fixed point where a round trip would be exactly 10,000 meters. That way, he would have more time for the other drills.
The rest of the day was as ordinary as ever. Morning classes, a group project discussion at noon, and team practice in the afternoon. However, after practice, Lu Ke didn't rush to leave. He stayed and called out to one of his practice partners, "John?"
John Ward was the guy who had criticized him yesterday for "practicing too seriously." He was also part of the practice squad. However, he wasn't on the same level or type of player as Lu Ke.
John's father was a star in the NCAA during the seventies, a famous wide receiver at UCLA with a brilliant career. But in American sports, they always say high school doesn't represent college, and college doesn't represent the professional league. After college, John's father entered the pros but achieved nothing, retiring after only three years due to injury.
Even so, it was still a proud accomplishment.
His father's legacy was passed down to John. In high school, John was famous. He could play as a wide receiver, quarterback, linebacker, and even fill in as a kicker. From offense to defense and special teams, he could do it all. He was a true all-around talent and was highly sought after.
Before entering the pros, it was normal for players in high school and college to change positions as they hadn't fully developed their style yet. Even in the pros, it wasn't uncommon to change positions for the team's overall benefit and style. But an all-around player like John was truly rare.
However, sports are never short on talent. Football is no different.
After entering college, John's star faded quickly. He struggled with physical contact, both when catching and defending, and easily lost his position. As a quarterback, relying on pure strength was no longer enough; you needed accuracy, tactics, and teamwork. Soon, John lost his starting position, became a backup, and then struggled to keep a spot on the team, ending up with the practice squad.
Experiencing such a high point and then falling so quickly was a torment that no one could imagine, except for John himself.
Normally, John was a quiet and peaceful person who didn't talk or socialize much and seemed to keep to himself. But when Lu Ke joined the practice squad, while others were watching this face with black hair and yellow skin and wondering how to interact with this "outsider," John was the first one to talk to Lu Ke.
John not only explained the important things to know as a practice player but also shared tips on how to avoid injuries. Compared to the main players, practice squad members had less comprehensive benefits and had to take care of themselves. Otherwise, with the high-intensity collisions every day, they wouldn't be able to last.
In a way, John was Lu Ke's best teammate on the practice squad. Was he a friend? Maybe not, because John always seemed to be a lone wolf, avoiding deeper conversation with anyone, and his talks with Lu Ke were limited to training. But at the very least, he was a teammate.
Hearing Lu Ke's call, John stopped, turned around irritably, and asked, "What?"
Lu Ke called out, "I want to do some training. I was wondering if you could join me?"
A quarterback's training requires partners; many drills are done in pairs. Lu Ke had initially considered asking Logan, but Logan wasn't the best choice. For one, as a main team player, Logan's daily training was already intense, and doing extra practice in his free time would be too much of a burden. Secondly, unlike practice players, main players had to do specific training and tactical learning, so their time was limited.
The best choice was to find a training partner within the practice squad. And Lu Ke's choice was John.
"Are you crazy?" John's eyebrows furrowed immediately. "Yeah, you're crazy! You're insane!"
Since the start of his senior year, John had been irritable and seemed to lack patience. Lu Ke guessed that John was also feeling lost. For them, the practice players, graduating meant the end of their sports careers. They had no hope of entering the pros and would have to return to a normal life. This was true for John, and it would have been true for Lu Ke if he hadn't gotten the superstar system.
"Do you know what you're doing? Did you lose your mind?" John said with a twisted expression, pointing to his head. "Did the main players hit you too many times? You're nothing. On the school football team's roster, you're nothing. Nobody even knows you were ever on this team. So what are you doing? You look like an idiot who's lost his mind."
"If you hate it so much, why don't you just leave?" Lu Ke wasn't angry. He walked closer and retorted, his tone sharp.
John was stunned. "I can't." This was an answer Lu Ke hadn't expected. "If I quit… my dad won't pay for my tuition anymore."
Lu Ke was taken aback. He paused for a moment. "Is that the only reason you're here?"
John turned his back to Lu Ke and started to walk away, but his feet remained rooted to the spot. "I guess, deep down, I'm still hoping that one day, I can get back on the field."
"Then why not join me? Train with me?" Lu Ke pressed on.
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