Luo Xiaoxiang lay on the grass, panting heavily.
That last move had almost completely drained him of all his strength.
“Skill ‘Formless Shot’ used. Host’s stamina decreased by 30%.”
The system’s notification sounded in his mind.
Luo Xiaoxiang felt a sudden weakness in his body, and both his legs felt a bit soft.
But in his heart, he felt an unprecedented exhilaration!
“It went in... I scored!”
He looked at the soccer ball rolling in the net, so excited he wanted to shout.
This was his first goal in a scrimmage since joining the school team!
Although the process was messy and the way he scored was bizarre and strange, it had indeed happened!
“Xiaoxiang! You’re awesome!”
Right-back Wang Lei was the first to rush over, pulling Luo Xiaoxiang up from the ground and excitedly patting him hard on the back.
“You kid, you’re something! You actually managed to poke that kind of ball in!”
“Was it a fluke? It must have been a fluke!”
“Who cares if it was a fluke or not, a goal is a good goal!”
The substitute team’s teammates also gathered around, chattering excitedly, their faces filled with surprise and joy.
This unexpected goal had tied the score for them, greatly boosting their morale.
On the other hand, the main team was in complete silence.
The goalkeeper who conceded the goal was still kneeling on the ground, looking utterly dejected.
He still couldn’t figure out how that ball had gotten past him.
It was too bizarre!
Zhang Hao’s face was so grim it looked like water might drip from it.
He stared intently at Luo Xiaoxiang, his eyes filled with jealousy and unwillingness.
It was this good-for-nothing again!
The first time was good luck, getting past two people.
This time, he got even luckier, scoring a miraculous goal while falling!
Why?
Why did all the good things happen to him?
“What the hell are you all standing around for! It’s just a lucky shot, isn’t it? What’s so great about it! Get your spirits up and get back in the game!” Zhang Hao roared at his teammates.
His voice carried a hint of exasperated anger.
The main team players snapped out of it after his roar.
Yes, wasn't it just a lucky shot?
Luo Xiaoxiang was still Luo Xiaoxiang; a good-for-nothing was always a good-for-nothing, and he couldn't become a master just because of one goal.
The game had to continue... On the sidelines.
Coach Li Tiejun slowly squatted down and picked up his glasses that had fallen to the ground.
He put his glasses back on, but his gaze never left Luo Xiaoxiang on the field.
His brows were knitted into a knot.
If that first ghostly run and the incredible Dribbling could be explained as a “flash of inspiration” or “coincidence,” then how could this recent goal be explained?
A fluke?
Li Tiejun had been a coach for many years and had seen countless “miraculous goals.”
He knew very well that so-called “luck” was often built on a strong foundation of skill.
Luo Xiaoxiang’s shooting motion just now, from any angle, was unreasonable and wrong.
However, the result was correct.
The soccer ball flew into the goal in the most incredible way.
Was there really no inevitability in this?
Li Tiejun’s mind began to frantically replay every detail from just now.
Luo Xiaoxiang’s sliding tackle... his stumbling pursuit of the ball... his poking the ball with his toe while completely out of control... and the bizarre arc of the soccer ball... All of this combined to form a huge mystery that left Li Tiejun utterly perplexed.
“Could it be... this kid has been hiding his strength all along?”
An absurd thought popped into Li Tiejun’s mind.
But he immediately shook his head.
Impossible.
What reason would a high school student have to hide his strength on the school team? What for?
Moreover, he had witnessed Luo Xiaoxiang’s usual training attitude.
He was very diligent and hardworking, but his talent was mediocre, and his basic skills were poor; this was a fact acknowledged by the entire team.
“So what exactly is going on?”
Li Tiejun fell into deep thought.
He felt that some unknown change must have occurred in Luo Xiaoxiang.
This change made him unfamiliar, made him... unfathomable.
He decided that for the rest of the time, he would focus all his attention on Luo Xiaoxiang alone.
He wanted to see for himself whether this kid was a god or a ghost!
...The game restarted.
With the score tied, the substitute team’s morale was high, and their defense became more proactive.
As for Luo Xiaoxiang, after scoring that goal, he felt as if he had opened up his meridians.
Although he had expended a lot of stamina, he was mentally excited, and his running was more active than before.
More importantly, he had found the trick to applying basketball skills to the soccer field.
“Misdirection,” used for off-ball movement, or for deceptive evasions in a small area, was simply a divine skill!
And “Formless Shot” could create miracles when his body was out of control or the shooting angle was extremely poor!
These two skills, one responsible for creating opportunities and the other for finishing, were a match made in heaven!
“Basketball system, I wronged you, you’re still somewhat useful!” Luo Xiaoxiang silently apologized to the system in his heart.
In the next ten minutes or so, Luo Xiaoxiang’s performance completely overturned everyone’s perception of him.
He no longer hesitated on the field, afraid to take the ball, as he used to.
He began to actively run, looking for open spaces and supporting his teammates.
Each time, he would appear in the most uncomfortable position for the defenders.
He was like a ghost, flickering unpredictably in the main team’s backline.
The main team’s left-back was exasperated by him, losing track of him several times.
“Mark him! Don’t let him slip away again!”
“What’s wrong with this guy? He’s like an eel, so slippery!”
The main team’s backline began to show a hint of confusion.
They found that they actually couldn’t defend against this “weak link” that was recognized by the entire team.
And Luo Xiaoxiang, after receiving the ball, handled it very simply.
He knew his Dribbling skills were poor, so he never held onto the ball.
He basically passed the ball with one touch, making the simplest combinations with his teammates.
But it was this simplest style of play that became extremely threatening due to his elusive runs.
Once, he received the ball on the right wing, and Zhang Hao immediately came over to press him.
Luo Xiaoxiang didn’t even look, directly passing the ball back to defender Wang Lei, then turning and running forward.
Zhang Hao lunged at empty space and tried to turn to chase.
But in the instant he turned, Luo Xiaoxiang’s figure seemed to blur in his vision.
By the time he saw clearly again, Luo Xiaoxiang had already run five or six meters away.
“How is that possible?!” Zhang Hao was greatly alarmed.
He clearly felt his speed was faster than Luo Xiaoxiang’s, so why did he lose him as soon as he turned?
While he was stunned, Wang Lei’s pass had already bypassed him again, flying to Luo Xiaoxiang’s feet.
A simple one-two!
Luo Xiaoxiang, once again, easily broke through Zhang Hao’s defense!
The entire field was silent.
If the first time was an accident, and the second time was luck, then how could this third, fourth time... be explained?
Everyone was dumbfounded.
They looked at the figure on the field constantly tearing apart the opponent’s defense with bizarre runs, feeling that their worldview had been shaken.
Is this... really Luo Xiaoxiang?