Love is as simple as badminton.

Chapter 13 Strength comes in many forms, and it's not necessarily limited to the basketball cou

The next morning, Lin Xiang arrived at the stadium at 6:15 and found that Shi Yuqi had already arrived.

Good morning, Coach Lin!

She was adjusting a bent net, her eyes brightened by the morning light.

Good morning, senior.

Lin Xiang paused for a moment, then said, "It's okay if you don't have to come this early in the future. We can start training at 6:30."

"Let's leave a little earlier, so that if something happens along the way and we're delayed, we'll have some leeway. After all, I asked you to guide me, so it wouldn't be good to be late."

Shi Yuqi picked up her racket as she spoke.

"Come on, I'm ready!"

"Okay, let's begin then."

Actually, leaving early is also Lin Xiang's habit, for different reasons. Surprisingly, he and his senior are quite in sync on this point.

That's how time management is—some people don't need reminders at all, and for others, reminders are useless.

"Today, we'll start with practice on short shots and high clears, halving the volume from yesterday. Then we'll practice flat drives, which will help you practice power and ball feel. Finally, I'll teach you how to break down footwork across the entire court. Just run one or two sets of each to familiarize yourself with it; that's the main content for tomorrow."

"good!"

The two quickly got into training.

Lin Xiang was surprised to find that his senior's short and high shots were quite good today.

He had prepared himself to interrupt and correct her frequently, but after several sets of practice, she didn't have any major problems, except for some minor issues with angle and force.

The power of the high clear is generally smooth, and you can tell from the loud sound that it is not something that can be achieved by brute force.

"Did you go back for extra practice yesterday?"

During the break, Lin Xiang casually asked a question.

"Yeah! I reviewed for a little while after watching the game!"

Shi Yuqi tilted her head back to drink water, her long, fair swan neck a sight to behold.

"I've finished everything tonight, and I still have some time before bed, so I might as well just relax."

"fine."

Hehe~

This was the first time the girl had heard him use the word "long" as a compliment, and she couldn't help but smile.

However, just as the break was about to end, a group of "uninvited guests" walked onto the field—

"Hey bro, wanna play a game?"

The speaker was a tall, muscular man who resembled JoJo in both physique and facial features; he was the kind of guy who could ignite passion at a glance.

Behind him were two other muscular guys, who looked like they'd all worked out at the same gym.

"I'm Wang Yang from the Physics Department. I noticed you yesterday, and I think you're pretty good at it!"

Wang Yang, with a carefree smile on his face, said, "Since there aren't many people using the court today, let's have a match."

Lin Xiang looked the muscular man up and down, but didn't recognize him at first. However, when he saw the man warming up by swinging his racket in place, he quickly recalled the scene of him playing ball yesterday.

Lin Xiang has an almost photographic memory for information on the court, which is both a talent and the result of continuous training. This is in stark contrast to his inability to remember directions.

The man in front of me, Wang Yang, must be someone like Zhao Hao who has neglected his cultivation and hasn't had systematic training for many years.

However, given his foundation and good physical condition, he is still a strong candidate for national second-level national competition.

"Thank you, but I'm busy right now."

Although Lin Xiang was looking forward to sparring with strong opponents, he shook his head, "We still need to train."

"Come on, bro, he's really strong."

"That's right, I guarantee you'll be satisfied."

Seeing this, Wang Yang's two brothers thought that Lin Xiang felt the intensity was not enough, and they made a gesture on the left and right saying "This one is even more heavyweight".

"Don't underestimate Wang Yang just because he's not a special admission student; he's a second-level national champion! There aren't many amateur players with his skill level."

"That's right, that's right. He said yesterday that you're not simple, and we all want to see for ourselves. Don't be so stingy."

Wang Yang chuckled and waved his hand, secretly pleased: "Keep it down, keep it down..."

Xiangda University is full of top talents; a mere second-year national team player wouldn't even qualify him for the school team. Not to mention, he got his second-year national team certificate in junior high school, and hasn't had any systematic training in years.

But skill level is relative. On an amateur court, Wang Yang would still dominate. After all, only a minority of people are truly skilled.

It is well known that badminton masters of the same level are attracted to each other – he felt that Lin Xiang was a worthy opponent, which is why he took the initiative to challenge him.

On the other hand... there's also a desire to impress the pretty senior students.

Although the senior student wasn't familiar with him, the fact that she asked Lin Xiang, who was also a freshman, to play basketball must be because Lin Xiang was stronger.

If he demonstrates the same or even stronger abilities, wouldn't he be able to attract the senior's attention as well?

"Thank you, but I'm busy right now."

To his slight surprise, Lin Xiang repeated what he had just said without any expression.

"We still have training to complete."

"Really not going to start a game?"

"Sorry, we'll talk about it after training."

"this……"

Wang Yang pursed his lips.

A normal person wouldn't say something like "Are you scared?" with normal emotional intelligence, but he always considered himself a master, and in the past, others were always begging him to fight.

This was the first time he had ever asked to be hit but was rejected, so he was definitely a little unhappy.

"How much longer will you train?"

"There's still a little over half an hour, less than forty minutes. You can wait a bit if you'd like."

"Okay, half an hour it is. I'll wait for you!"

Wang Yang is also a man of strong emotions. He went to the next court to warm up, looking determined to have a match with him today.

Lin Xiang ignored him, silently picked up his racket, and turned his gaze back to Shi Yuqi, who had been silent until now.

"Sorry, senior, I've taken up a little time."

"It's okay!"

Shi Yuqi also picked up her racket.

He saw the girl reveal a bright smile, as if the training hadn't been unexpectedly interrupted, but rather something happy had happened.

"No delay, look, the break is just over~ Next up is flat-block training, right?"

"Um."

"Let's get started!"

The two quickly returned to training as if nothing had happened.

Unlike his net shots and high clears, Lin Xiang found that Shi Yuqi's flat drives and blocks were quite impressive.

Based on this single skill alone, he should be able to reach level 4.

Therefore, Lin Xiang automatically increased the difficulty level by one level, putting her under pressure equivalent to level 5.

"Slap! Slap!"

"You need to move your feet too, don't just reach for the ball."

"Clap clap—clap!"

"Yes, actively seek out the ball, get yourself moving, and look for opportunities to counterattack."

*Smack!*

The ten sets of flat shot drills ended quickly, much smoother than yesterday's short shots and high clears.

Do you usually play doubles more often?

During the break between groups, Lin Xiang asked.

"Ah...yes."

Shi Yuqi gave an awkward smile.

"Although I prefer singles, my skill level is only so-so, so you know, not many people want to play singles with me, hahaha. I usually play doubles with everyone, so I don't have many opportunities to practice singles specifically."

As she said this, her eyes kept glancing at the muscular physics students on the adjacent basketball court, a hint of envy in her gaze.

"After all, badminton is a highly hierarchical sport, and strong players are more popular..."

"There are many kinds of strength, and it's not necessarily on the court."

Lin Xiang looked serious.

"I think my senior is also very capable."

"Thanks, junior!"

Shi Yuqi smiled, and her beautiful willow-leaf eyebrows curved into a gentle curve.

"No, thank you, Coach Lin!"

The last item is footwork training.

Lin Xiang demonstrated the footwork for running from mid-morning to nine o'clock to Shi Yuqi, and had her do two sets. He then corrected any obvious problems, and that concluded today's lesson.

This isn't very demanding; it's just a "preview" of tomorrow's content.

"Looks like you guys finally finished practicing?"

Wang Yang stopped warming up. "You still have the energy to close deals, right? Why don't you rest a bit more?"

At first, he thought Lin Xiang was a pure badminton player who, like him, longed to compete against strong opponents, which was why he took the initiative to come and learn from him.

I'm a little disappointed now.

He increasingly suspected that Lin Xiang was putting on an act, avoiding him to avoid being exposed. If he harbored malicious intent, perhaps Lin Xiang was pretending to be an expert just to use training as an excuse to flirt with pretty senior students…

In that case, he's unlucky; he's wasted so much time waiting here.

However, to Wang Yang's surprise once again, Lin Xiang nodded.

"Can."

He walked onto the field expressionlessly, his calm voice carrying a powerful and overwhelming force.

"What score scale would you like to use?"

"This...of course it's 21 points!"

"Okay, come on."

Lin Xiang walked to the right half of the court and took his position to receive the serve.

Upon seeing this, Shi Yuqi immediately sat down with her hands tucked in and watched, feeling both excited and nervous.

This is the first time I've seen a junior student battle someone!

Will it win?

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