Volume One: Our Own League 153: Thirty-Six Candidates Pass the School Team Tryouts

After the final match concluded, Xu He and the others gathered together to await the results. Up on the stage, Yangtong Mingxiong held a stack of documents, jotting down notes while continually conversing with Xu Dongsheng and Luo Dongqing beside him, clearly deliberating over the final roster.

The students off the stage were tense with anticipation.

Many of them kept their gazes fixed tightly on Yangtong Mingxiong, hoping for a miracle to occur and wishing they would be selected to stay.

Yet, they were well aware of the difficulty.

A typical school team usually accepted around 23 players, stretching at most to about 28.

However, there were 64 players participating in today's final selection round. This meant that even with the maximum capacity, roughly 60 percent of those present would be eliminated.

It was a remarkably ruthless process.

Many were painfully aware of their own performance, making their hearts pound with anxiety.

Of course, Xu He and his friends had no need to feel anxious; their selection was an absolute certainty, given that Xu He was among the standout performers of the day. Consequently, the looks directed toward Xu He were filled with deep envy.

Standing among the first-year cohort, Xu He appeared thoroughly composed.

At this moment, he genuinely felt no nervousness.

He knew he was bound to make the school team, and since his friends had all performed admirably, he believed they would be selected as well, allowing him to remain completely relaxed.

Suddenly, Li Jie, standing beside Xu He, turned to him with a trace of unease and asked, "Old Xu, do you think I'll pass the evaluation today?"

Xu He turned his head to look at Li Jie, briefly stunned.

What kind of question was that?

Li Jie's performance today had been quite impressive. Whether in defense or providing assists, he had excelled, easily ranking as the finest left-back of the day. If Li Jie didn't make the cut, who possibly could?

Before Xu He could reply, Zhu Ge chimed in first, "Stop trying to fish for compliments, will you? If you don't make it, then nobody will!"

As Zhu Ge spoke, his gaze dimmed slightly, and his spirits appeared visibly low.

Li Jie looked at Zhu Ge and asked, "What's wrong?"

Zhu Ge sighed and said, "I'm the one who should be worried right now! I thought making the school team was in the bag for me, but who could have guessed my luck would be this atrocious?"

Indeed, Zhu Ge's luck today had been abysmal.

Being part of the first wave to take the field, they happened to cross paths with a group of lone wolves desperate to show off, which dragged down their entire team's performance. They had been thoroughly thrashed by the combined second- and third-year team. Zhu Ge himself had been heavily impacted, completely unable to showcase his true abilities and reducing him to a thoroughly mediocre level.

Thus, Zhu Ge felt deeply resentful.

This was clearly not a reflection of his actual skill!

It was intensely frustrating.

Xu He looked at Zhu Ge and immediately said, "Although your performance wasn't particularly prominent today due to uncontrollable external factors, you still played well—very steady, in fact. I think you'll still get selected; your strength is top-tier!"

Yes, Zhu Ge possessed formidable abilities.

If he were to be eliminated just like that, it would be thoroughly unfair and a major loss for Jingguancheng No. 17 High School.

Xu He firmly believed Zhu Ge would make the school team.

Zhu Ge was unaccustomed to receiving such treatment, and his heart burned with annoyance.

Nevertheless, Zhu Ge maintained a generous facade, saying, "I'm fine, don't worry about me. Just wait, the results are about to come out!"

He tried his best to appear nonchalant, guarding his pride.

Seeing this, Xu He and the others said no more.

Everyone's attention shifted to Zhong Haokun, who had been on the same team as Zhu Ge. Zhong Haokun had also been affected by those unfavorable circumstances, but his situation was much better than Zhu Ge's. His physical attributes were off the charts, practically functioning like a cheat code among middle school students. On the strength of that alone, Yangtong Mingxiong and the coaches would undoubtedly choose him.

Moreover, Zhong Haokun had delivered a stellar defensive performance during the match, displaying extraordinary midfield sweeping capabilities and a massive defensive coverage area—he was the textbook definition of a defensive midfielder.

By this point, Zhong Haokun was clearly Yangtong Mingxiong's favorite prospect.

Could anyone miss the way Yangtong Mingxiong kept glancing at Zhong Haokun? The sheer glow in the coach's eyes as he looked at the boy suggested he felt like he had struck gold.

Abruptly, Zhu Ge asked, "Xu He, if I don't make the school team, will you quit our Class 10 football team?"

Hearing this, Xu He was momentarily bewildered. What did those two matters have to do with each other?

Hearing this, Zhu Jun immediately pricked up his ears to listen closely.

Noticing Zhu Ge staring intently at him with piercing eyes, Xu He replied immediately, "Those two things are unrelated. As for whether I'll leave the Class 10 football team, I haven't made up my mind yet; I need to think about it further."

Xu He made no attempt to conceal his thoughts, voicing his genuine reflections directly.

Zhu Ge nodded slightly and said, "Take your time thinking about it. Let me know once you've decided; I respect your choice. Still, I suggest you stay, because we need you!"

Zhu Jun curled his lip slightly, thinking that Zhu Ge had truly abandoned all shame.

Turning his gaze to Xu He, Zhu Jun's eyes naturally conveyed an unspoken persuasion. He genuinely hoped Xu He would join their team, as the Class 16 football team was an absolute perfect fit for him. With Xu He on board, they would undoubtedly claim the championship in the next season's league.

Yet, everything depended entirely on Xu He's own decision.

Though Zhu Jun longed to say something, he chose to remain silent at that moment, leaving everything up to Xu He without applying any pressure.

Li Jie looked toward Xu He, trying to fathom what was truly going on in his mind.

At that very moment, Yangtong Mingxiong and the other coaches concluded their discussion. Yangtong Mingxiong stepped directly up to the microphone and announced, "Everyone, please keep quiet. We are now going to announce the roster of members selected for the Jingguancheng No. 17 High School football team."

Hah... hah... hah!

Hearing these words, many students below grew tense, their breathing turning ragged.

Although Xu He looked calm on the surface, his fists were clenched tightly. While he believed his inclusion on the team was a foregone conclusion, he remained immensely excited and expectant.

Xu He eagerly anticipated entering the school team of Jingguancheng No. 17 High School.

Yangtong Mingxiong continued, "Thank you all so much for your support of the Jingguancheng No. 17 High School football team. Thank you as well for spending your rest time to attend our tryouts. Thank you deeply; every single one of you did wonderfully."

Evidently, Yangtong Mingxiong was employing tactics to win over and pacify the crowd.

Hearing these words, the students off the stage felt considerably comforted. At the same time, their anticipation for selection spiked, intensifying their nervous anxiety.

Yangtong Mingxiong proceeded, "To be honest, you truly surprised me. You are merely ordinary middle school students from an ordinary junior high, yet the strength you displayed on the pitch genuinely astonished me. Some of you even surpassed players of the same age group in the youth training academies of professional football clubs. You—are formidable!"

Yangtong Mingxiong praised the students of Jingguancheng No. 17 High School, instilling confidence in them.

Upon hearing this, the students present turned their heads to look at Xu He and Zhong Haokun. These two had undoubtedly been the most outstanding and memorable players throughout the two days of trials. Their innate talent was so extraordinary that it provoked a deep sense of envy in others.

In their view, the players Yangtong Mingxiong had referred to were clearly these two.

Yangtong Mingxiong's gaze happened to land on Zhong Haokun, which only served to reinforce the students' convictions.

Yangtong Mingxiong went on, "Of course, the majority of you were also quite impressive and possessed genuine strength. Frankly speaking, the capabilities you demonstrated far exceeded my prior imagination. You are much stronger than I anticipated, which is why I am filled with confidence regarding your future."

At this, the students below grew extremely excited. Yangtong Mingxiong had validated their strength and expressed his belief that they possessed the capability to make a run at the national tournament.

Xu He was naturally thrilled; the national tournament was his ultimate goal.

Now that a head coach with such an extensive background openly declared that their abilities were solid, it proved they truly stood a chance of breaking into the national tournament.

Yangtong Mingxiong stated, "Since this is a selection process, it is inevitably cruel. Today, some will enter the school team, while others will inevitably depart..."

The atmosphere at the scene plummeted instantly, dropping to freezing levels.

Several students who had performed poorly closed their eyes in despair, knowing they had completely missed out on the school team, leaving them in low spirits.

It was undeniably a harsh reality for them.

Yangtong Mingxiong observed everyone's reactions before continuing, "Of course, those who aren't selected today need not lose heart or feel regret. This is not the final selection process for Jingguancheng No. 17 High School. If you go back, work hard to elevate your standards, and strive to showcase your full potential during the next tryout to impress us, you will still have the opportunity to make the school team!"

These were not merely comforting platitudes from Yangtong Mingxiong; they were the honest truth, as future selections would indeed be held at the school.

Hearing this, the students who currently lacked a chance felt a flicker of hope reignite within their hearts. Clenching their fists, they secretly vowed to work diligently from then on, striving to stand out and earn a spot on the team during the next trials.

Yangtong Mingxiong concluded, "Alright, enough preamble. I will now announce the roster of those who have passed the evaluation and entered the school team. In this round of evaluations, we selected 36 players out of 378 participants to join the school team. Those 36 individuals are: Zhong Haokun, Zhu Ge, Lin Xuefeng, Zhu Jun, Li Jie, Xu He..."

Hearing this, everyone was struck dumb with astonishment.

They never expected the school team to recruit such a massive number of players this time. Out of the 64 participants in the second stage of evaluations, as many as 36 had been selected. That meant a staggering 56 percent acceptance rate—the probability was simply too high.

Xu He and his companions were equally shocked. Were 36 people not simply too many?

A starting lineup consisted of only 11 players, and adding substitutes brought the total matchday roster to merely 18. Would a total squad size of 36 be excessive?

Xu He turned to Zhu Ge and the others with a shocked expression, asking, "Are Coach Yangtong Mingxiong and the staff planning to set up a first team and a second team?"

The pupils of Zhu Ge and the others contracted sharply. They felt Xu He's speculation made a lot of sense.

Having 36 players was indeed an overabundance, and clearly, a single school team squad was overstaffed. Perhaps the management intended to use the second-team players to stimulate the first-team members, serving as a reminder that even securing a spot on the school team did not guarantee safety—if you failed to work diligently, plenty of people were waiting behind you to take your place.

A powerful sense of crisis instantly welled up in everyone's hearts.