Chapter 119: 4x100 Relay Training

January 7th. Inside the training room of the Pengcheng Sports Institute.

Day after day, the monotonous sounds echoed. Whenever Luo Su returned to the institute, he spent three to four hours of his day right here.

*Clang, clang, clang, clang...*

The rhythmic striking of equipment was accompanied by the steady rise of Luo Su's attribute scores. Thanks to the "Glass Crown" he had equipped, his progress was remarkably rapid.

On the bird-cage rack next to him, Juno was also working on her upper body muscles. High jumpers didn't require excessive muscle mass, so her training was focused on balance. Some say that lifting iron is a man’s romance, so perhaps this counted as a date for Luo Su and Juno.

After finishing a set, Juno paused to rest. Luo Su continued his routine. Juno noticed that when Luo Su was handling the weights, his form was impeccably standard. Every piece of gym equipment came with a diagram of the proper posture, and Luo Su’s movements were identical to the human silhouette printed on the machine.

"Don't you ever lose your form?"

This discovery left Juno deeply astonished. One had to understand that training was about pushing toward one's limits, and once that limit was reached, form inevitably broke down. If the form remained perfect, it meant the limit had not yet been reached. This iron rule of training seemed to be completely invalid when it came to Luo Su.

Juno watched him with keen interest, waiting to see how long he could maintain such perfect posture. But the result was, from start to finish, he never faltered.

"How do you do that? Your form doesn't change at all. You're like a robot," Juno marveled.

"Because I'm amazing," Luo Su replied with a light, cheerful smile.

"I’m relieved to see you’re not under any pressure," Juno said.

Pan Kai landing an A&F endorsement was a major event in the domestic sports world, and the high jump team was aware of it. Everyone understood that the pressure had now shifted to Luo Su.

"There is pressure, but not regarding the 100m, 200m, or 400m," Luo Su said. "I'm worried about the 4x100m relay."

"Our Pengcheng provincial team doesn't really have an edge in the 4x100m, do we?" Juno asked. "What’s the goal this time?"

It was a fact; track and field was a weak point for Pengcheng. If not for Luo Su’s sudden rise to prominence, no one in the country would likely have known that Pengcheng even had a sprint team.

"What else could it be? A gold medal," Luo Su said.

"Your coach has some nerve." Juno, who always aimed for gold herself, found it hard to believe. Although she had heard Tian Shiwei mention it before, she had dismissed it as a joke. She hadn't realized they were actually going to pour their energy into such a goal.

"I’m the one who promised him," Luo Su said.

"If it’s you," Juno said, adjusting her attitude, "I think it might be possible. If you sweep all the sprint titles, you’ll be the King of Sprints in the country."

Juno looked adorable in that moment. Luo Su couldn't help but want to ruffle her hair. Her hair was thick, so thick that the inner layer was dyed a color invisible from the outside, so it must have felt wonderful to touch. But Luo Su just raised his hand and lowered it again.

"It’s not just for the fame, although I do want that fame, and I want to use it to shut the mouths of those internet trolls," Luo Su said. Even though he was confident in himself, he still felt angry whenever he saw those mocking comments online. After all, Luo Su was the type of person who refused to be pushed around.

"Fame is one thing, but I also want to leave something behind for the Pengcheng provincial team," Luo Su said. "After this year's National Games, I'll be participating in the Golden Grand Prix, and then the World Championships, the Asian Games, and the Olympics. By then, I won't just be representing the Pengcheng team—I'll be representing myself or the country. This National Games will likely be the first time I compete for the Pengcheng team, and possibly the last, so I want to leave a legacy for them."

"True, the next National Games won't be until after the 2008 Olympics. Who knows what will happen by then?" Juno calculated it and nodded. "After the Olympics, I’m retiring."

"Retiring?" It was the first time Luo Su had heard of this.

"Yes. After the Olympics, I’ll be twenty-two. I’ll have to prepare to get married," Juno said. "My dad promised me I could play until the Olympics, and then I have to go home, get married, and inherit the family business."

Get married...? Luo Su glanced at Juno. Juno looked back at him.

After a long moment, Luo Su asked, "Marry... who?"

"The dim-witted marries the grumpy one," Juno said, using a phrase Luo Su didn't understand. She amused herself, then corrected, "No, wait—the grumpy one marries the dim-witted one."

...

Days passed. The date of the National Games drew nearer.

Yangcheng had begun massive promotional and hype-building activities. On television, billboards, and street banners, advertisements for the National Games were everywhere. Hosting the largest sporting event in the country was an honor for any province, and it brought in significant economic revenue—a win-win in both political and economic terms.

As a neighboring city to Yangcheng, Pengcheng was one of the host sites for several events. Promotional ads were visible there as well. On television, one could even see public service announcements featuring sports stars. Luo Su had been borrowed by the Yangcheng Sports Committee to shoot a few photos. In the following days, if Luo Su went out shopping in Yangcheng, he could see his own face printed on buses and hanging on street banners.

Of course, Luo Su didn't receive an advertising fee. As a native of Southern Guangdong, promoting the image of the province was his duty. It was just a shame that this "duty" cost him an entire afternoon.

Luo Su was currently training at full capacity every day. His "Strength" and "Agility" attributes were not improved solely through specific events; for instance, even participating in 4x100m relay training helped improve his "Agility," and his "Strength" saw some minor gains as well.

...

Baton exchange practice.

Today was January 8th, just seven days away from the opening of the National Games. Luo Su, Tian Shiwei, Lin Lishuo, and Qian Feng were practicing their exchanges. They were testing various sequences. Luo Su was always either the first or the last leg, as his baton exchange technique wasn't quite refined—partly, of course, because he wasn't wearing the Glass Crown.

*Whistle!*

Lu Jinrong blew his whistle. A trial race for the 4x100m began.

Tian Shiwei to Lin Lishuo, to Qian Feng, to Luo Su.

The final time was 41.12 seconds.

This was a very respectable time. It was nearly three seconds faster than what the Pengcheng team had achieved at the last Southern Guangdong Provincial Games. The training methods brought back from the national team were clearly working, Lu Jinrong mused. They would have no problem with the provincial qualifiers. But if they wanted to achieve something at the National Games, they still had more work to do.

"Coach, what was the time?" Luo Su asked as he jogged over.

"41.12 seconds," Lu Jinrong replied.

"If I can make it two seconds faster during the race, that’ll bring us to the high 39-second range. That should give us a fighting chance," Luo Su said, slapping his palm with his fist. It was decided.

*You say you'll be two seconds faster, so you'll be two seconds faster? Do you have an engine in your backside?* Lu Jinrong looked at Luo Su, started to speak, but shut his mouth.

"Everyone needs to be a bit faster, though," Luo Su said to the team.

"Yes, Brother Luo!" everyone replied.