Seven-time champion

Chapter 40: European Clubs After receiving the notice from the Provincial Department of Education, finalizing the 25-player roster, and holding a mobilization meeting, a new system task appeared in Lu Wenbin’s interface. Mission 6: Guizhou Provincial High School Soccer League Champion. Mission Description: Although the Host has already garnered special recruitment offers from universities through the municipal league, the Host’s ambition clearly lies not in attending college, but in the professional soccer league. To come to the attention of professional soccer clubs, the Host must lead the team to win the provincial championship and participate in the National High School Soccer League Finals—only then will there be a chance to attract the attention of professional soccer clubs. Task Requirements: Lead the Meijiang High School soccer team to win the 2007 Guizhou Provincial High School Soccer League Finals. Success Reward: A European soccer club owner will personally attend the National High School Soccer League Finals. Failure Penalty: 10 points will be randomly deducted from current ability scores. Upon seeing the success reward, Lu Wenbin was instantly overcome with elation. Following the normal career path, he had assumed he would first join a domestic club, play in the domestic league, and only then, through outstanding performance, attract the attention of foreign clubs. Unexpectedly, the powerful system had allowed him to skip the domestic league entirely. As long as Lu Wenbin could lead the team to a provincial championship and advance to the national finals, he would have the opportunity to catch the eye of a European club owner and go abroad to play immediately. This was far better than starting his career in the chaotic domestic football scene. However, the system quickly brought Lu Wenbin back down to earth. Just because European club owners came to China to watch the high school football finals in person didn’t mean Lu Wenbin would necessarily catch their eye. Lu Wenbin’s current skills are indeed on par with those of a professional player, making him stand out among high school students. But to European club owners, who are accustomed to watching professional players—and top-tier ones at that—Lu Wenbin’s skills aren’t particularly dazzling; in fact, they might even be considered mediocre. If Lu Wenbin fails to deliver a standout performance at the national finals, they might simply dismiss him as just another anonymous athlete and pay him no mind. Therefore, to truly realize his dream of playing soccer in Europe, Lu Wenbin needs to put on a compelling performance at the national finals as well. Of course, the national finals are still some way off. Lu Wenbin’s immediate goal should be to lead his team to a provincial championship and secure a spot in the National Finals—only then can he even think about performing well at the National Finals. As for the penalty of randomly losing 10 points from his current ability stats—equivalent to losing 10 skill points—in the face of such a powerful reward for success, Lu Wenbin no longer cares. With the system at his disposal and stats rivaling those of a professional player, if Lu Wenbin can’t lead his team to a championship, he’ll deserve the punishment. Lu Wenbin has already vowed to himself that he will lead his team to the provincial championship! Because they have to participate in the provincial competition, while other students are on vacation, the members of the Meijiang Middle School soccer team remain at school training every day. As for meals, the school naturally covered all expenses, so the team members didn’t have to spend a dime. After training at school for over a week following the summer break, on July 19, the Meijiang Middle School soccer team, led by team manager Cai Yusen and coach Zhang Minghai, boarded a bus bound for Guiyang, the capital of Guizhou Province. In the afternoon, the school team arrived in Guiyang and was accommodated in the student dormitory building at Guizhou Normal University by the organizer, the Guizhou Provincial Department of Education; other teams also checked in one after another. On July 20, after a day of rest, the team leaders and captains from each team participated in the draw ceremony. Ten teams are competing in the finals of this year’s provincial high school soccer league. In addition to defending champion Guiyang Experimental No. 3 High School, the field includes Meijiang Middle School from Meitan County, Zunyi City; China Railway Group Guiyang Children’s School from Guiyang City; Shuicheng Iron and Steel Group No. 2 Senior High School from Liupanshui City; Anshun No. 3 High School from Anshun City, Tongren Teachers College Affiliated High School from Tongren Prefecture, Bijie Vocational High School from Bijie Prefecture, Xingyi No. 1 High School from the Qianxinan Buyei and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, Kaili No. 2 High School from the Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture, and Duyun No. 2 High School from the Qiannan Buyei and Miao Autonomous Prefecture. The 10 teams are divided into two groups and will first compete in the group stage. The group stage is a single round-robin format, with 3 points awarded for a win, 1 point for a draw, and no points for a loss. After the group stage, the top two teams from each group advance to the semifinals, where the first-place team from Group A faces the second-place team from Group B, and the second-place team from Group A faces the first-place team from Group B. The winners of the two semifinal matches will advance to the final to compete for the championship and a spot in the national finals. At the draw ceremony, Meijiang Middle School had good luck, being placed in Group B alongside Shuigang No. 2 Middle School, Anshun No. 3 Middle School, Bijie Vocational High School, and Xingyi No. 1 Middle School, thus avoiding the defending champion Guiyang Experimental No. 3 Middle School and the powerhouse Guiyang China Railway Children’s School. Group A consisted of the defending champion Guiyang Experimental No. 3 High School, Guiyang China Railway Children’s School, Tongren Teachers College Affiliated High School, Kaili No. 2 High School, and Duyun No. 2 High School. The matches for the two groups were held at the soccer fields of Experimental No. 3 High School and Guizhou Normal University. As the defending champion and host, Experimental No. 3 High School did have the home-field advantage. Consequently, Group A played at the Third Experimental High School soccer field, while Group B, which included Meijiang High School, played at Guizhou Normal University. On Saturday, July 21, at 8:00 a. m. , under clear skies, the 2007 Guizhou Provincial High School Soccer League Finals officially kicked off at the soccer field of Guiyang No. 3 Experimental High School. Relevant leaders in attendance at the opening ceremony included the Deputy Director of the Guizhou Provincial High-Level Officials’ Association, officials from the Provincial People’s Government, the Provincial *****, the Director of the Provincial Department of Education, the Director of the Provincial Department of Culture, and the Director of the Provincial Sports Bureau. The opening ceremony also featured cultural performances by the cheerleading squad from the host school, No. 3 Experimental High School. These cheerleading students from No. 3 Experimental High School, along with some local students from nearby schools, will be cheering their hearts out for the No. 3 Experimental High School soccer team during the upcoming matches. With No. 3 Experimental High School playing on its familiar home field and backed by its own cheerleading squad, opposing teams will face a significant away-game disadvantage. Fortunately, during the group stage, Meijiang Middle School does not yet need to worry about Experimental No. 3 Middle School’s home-field advantage. Following the opening ceremony, Experimental No. 3 Middle School kicked off the tournament with an opening match against Kaili No. 2 Middle School at home, while Meijiang Middle School and Shuigang No. 2 Middle School returned to Guizhou Normal University to play their matches. Meijiang Middle School’s first Group B match was also held in the morning. Their opponent was Liupanshui Shuigang No. 2 Middle School. The Group B schedule is as follows: on the morning of July 21, Shuigang No. 2 High School vs. Meijiang High School; in the afternoon, Anshun No. 3 High School vs. Bijie Vocational High School, with Xingyi No. 1 High School having a bye. On the morning of July 22, Shuigang No. 2 High School vs. Xingyi No. 1 High School; in the afternoon, Meijiang High School vs. Anshun No. 3 High School, with Bijie Vocational High School having a bye... The group stage lasts five days, with one team having a bye each day, but every team must play four group stage matches within those five days. Such a packed schedule is a huge challenge for any team. All we can do is hope the players can hold up and avoid getting injured in such a series of frequent matches.