Chapter 4

After Zhang Guan crossed the finish line, he looked around and found that no one was paying attention to him, so he prepared to leave.

"Wait a moment," a voice came from behind him. He turned around and saw an old man and a middle-aged man walking over.

"Can I go now, sirs?" Zhang Guan asked.

"You are Zhang Guan, right? I am Mr. Chen, and he is Mr. Zhou. We are both coaches of the provincial track and field team," the old man introduced himself first, then asked, "Do you want to join the provincial team and train with me?"

"Provincial team?" Zhang Guan was slightly stunned and then asked, "Aren't all the athletes in the provincial team professional?"

Mr. Chen nodded, "Yes, they are all professional athletes. If you join, you will also be a professional athlete."

"Why did you choose me?" Zhang Guan asked immediately.

"Your 100-meter speed is very fast. If you can intensify your training, you will definitely become a leading figure in the short-distance running events in the country. In the future, you can even participate in international competitions and bring glory to the country!" Coach Zhou answered officially.

"No," Zhang Guan shook his head. If he were really a 17-year-old young man, he might have been easily persuaded, but Zhang Guan knew that being an athlete was a very hard job, and it was very likely that one would not achieve any results in their lifetime.

Seeing Zhang Guan's refusal, Coach Zhou immediately said, "I have a quota for a direct admission to the provincial sports university. If you join the track and field team, this quota will be yours."

"Really?" Zhang Guan suddenly felt a bit tempted.

According to his original life path, Zhang Guan eventually got admitted to a local second-tier university, where he studied sports management. After graduation, he somehow got a job in the sports bureau, living a leisurely life of trading stocks during the day and playing games at night. Zhang Guan's academic performance was far from good enough to get into a first-tier university, and now a direct admission to a first-tier university was a real benefit for him.

At this moment, Zhang Guan suddenly recalled his parents' excitement when he was admitted to university, even though it was only a second-tier university, he could still feel their pride. If he could get a direct admission to a first-tier university, Zhang Guan felt it would be a great gift for his parents. So, almost instantly, he made his decision.

"If you can really guarantee my direct admission to the provincial sports university, I will join," Zhang Guan said.

...

Back home, Zhang Guan eagerly started to study the system in his mind. However, to his disappointment, he couldn't even open the skill bar because he was still in the beginner tutorial mode, and the system functions had not been activated. All he could do now was use the "Sprint" skill.

Zhang Guan didn't know when the beginner tutorial would end, but the next beginner task was to participate in a formal competition.

"Participate in a formal competition? Where can I find a formal competition? This is just teasing me..." Zhang Guan looked at the task prompt helplessly, knowing that he couldn't proceed with the beginner tutorial without completing this task, and thus couldn't unlock the other functions of the system.

...

In the dormitory of the provincial sports team, Zhang Guan, who had just reported in, was tidying up his belongings. On the bed next to him, a slim young man was lying down, holding a martial arts novel, reading it while chatting with Zhang Guan.

This slim young man was named Wang Kai, also an athlete in the track and field team, specializing in the 1500-meter long-distance running, and he was Zhang Guan's roommate.

Wang Kai, lying on the bed with his legs crossed, held the martial arts novel in one hand and scratched his foot with the other, saying casually, "Zhang Guan, you sure have good luck. I heard that Mr. Chen will personally train you!"

"Mr. Chen? Is he the old man in his sixties? Is he very good?" Zhang Guan asked, putting the clothes he brought into the wardrobe.

Wang Kai suddenly sat up and said, "You can be ignorant about others in the track and field team, but you must never be ignorant about Mr. Chen! Do you know who he is? He used to be the coach of our national track and field team. He retired a few years ago, and it was only with great difficulty that the provincial sports bureau managed to get him to come here."

Wang Kai continued, seeing that Zhang Guan didn't react much, "Mr. Chen was once the 'Number One' in our country's track and field, and even the fastest runner in the world."

"The fastest runner in the world? Did he break a world record?" Zhang Guan laughed and said, "Brother Wang, I didn't read much, so