“How is it? How is it?” Teacher Jin ran over to Teacher Qi, his voice trembling with excitement.

He had anticipated that Erbao’s speed would be impressive, but not to the exact extent.

His eagerness to know the result was evident, and his eyes were red with anticipation.

Teacher Qi swallowed and handed the stopwatch to him. “Take a look.”

Teacher Jin took the stopwatch with the utmost seriousness and focus, then fixed his gaze on it.

Eventually, tears welled up in his eyes.

11.23 seconds—11.23 seconds!

This broke the record for the 100-meter sprint among middle school students.

“Quick, go tell the leaders! With this kind of speed, if he competes in the World School Sports Games next year, our country is sure to achieve impressive results in the 100-meter sprint!” Teacher Jin shouted in excitement.

The World School Sports Games, known to few, began in 1974 and are held every two years, with the third edition taking place in 1978, next year.

Teacher Qi’s eyes lit up upon hearing Teacher Jin’s words.

The performance of our country in the World School Sports Games has not been outstanding, but if this child has a spot in next year’s third edition…

However, he turned to Erbao, “Child, what grade are you in this year? How old are you?”

Age wasn’t actually an issue; the limit was under 17 years old, so they were sure Erbao didn’t have a problem.

Erbao, aware of his speed and not quite understanding the teachers’ reactions, answered honestly, “I’m in the fourth grade this year, twelve years old by the traditional reckoning.”

“Fourth grade, not middle school. Twelve years old, at most eleven years old. He’s still an elementary student,” Teacher Jin sighed.

Teacher Qi said, “So what? He’s in fourth grade this year, but that doesn’t mean he can’t be specially recruited as a middle school student next year. An eleven-year-old 100-meter champion is rare nationwide.”

Indeed, being from the admissions office, Teacher Qi immediately thought of the possibility of having an elementary student be considered for middle school.

Teacher Jin wasn’t concerned about this.

Special recruits with extraordinary skills were a normal and common occurrence.

“Then I’ll go inform the leaders,” Teacher Qi said, still unable to calm his excitement.

He had personally brought in a potential champion; how could he settle down quickly?

“Wait a moment…” Teacher Jin suddenly had an idea, “Let’s try the standing shot put too. Didn’t his parents say he has good physical strength? Let’s test his long-distance running as well.” Turning to Erbao with an unusually gentle tone, “Can you run long-distance today, child?”

His tone was softer than when he spoke to his own wife.

Erbao nodded, “I can run. I run every day.”

Hearing that Erbao runs every day, Teacher Jin understood the reason behind his strong physical condition.

Since Erbao had mentioned being from a military school, he was likely influenced by a family background with military qualifications.

Daily running exercises were probably encouraged by his elders, contributing to his good physical strength.

“That’s great. Now, let’s test the standing shot put,” Teacher Jin said.

Erbao hesitated, “Teacher, I don’t know how to do the standing shot put. I haven’t learned it at school.”

Teacher Jin smiled kindly, “It’s alright. I can teach you. Don’t worry if you don’t pass the standing shot put; with your 100-meter sprint speed, we’ll definitely admit you to our school. I’m just curious about your shot put ability. It won’t affect your admission.”

Hearing Teacher Jin’s words, Erbao felt reassured, but his eyes lit up, “Teacher, can I tell my mother first? She’ll be so happy to know I can join the sports school and become an athlete. I want to show her that I can bring glory to the country by winning first place.”

This was the second time Teacher Qi heard Erbao mention bringing glory to the country, and he felt deeply touched.

What a good child, always thinking about contributing to the nation.

Though it was the first time Teacher Jin heard this, he was equally moved.

As a coach, he felt even prouder and more honored to nurture such a talented child.

“Sure, I’ll go with you,” Teacher Jin said.

“Thank you, Teacher.” Erbao didn’t need Teacher Jin to accompany him and immediately ran towards his mother and siblings at the starting point, shouting, “Mother, I passed! Mother…”

His loud voice could be heard throughout the small sports field.

Even the observing students, though surprised, were not entirely unexpected.

They had already been whispering among themselves, speculating that this young athlete would likely become their classmate.

Ning Shu, Yibao, Sanbao, and Yu Chengci were all smiles upon hearing the news.

They were very happy for Erbao.

“Mom…” Erbao rushed into Ning Shu’s arms, causing her to stumble backward a few steps.

Fortunately, Yibao was quick to support her.

It must be said that only Yibao truly understands Erbao.

“Mom, Big Brother, Sanbao, Yu Chengci, the teacher for the test said I passed and can join the sports school. But I still need to try the shot put. We didn’t learn shot put in school, but the teacher said it’s okay to just try it out,” Erbao explained, his tone full of joy and pride.

Ning Shu reassured him, “Then go ahead and try. Don’t worry, it will be fine.”

“Yeah, I’m not afraid,” Erbao said confidently.

The shot put area was also in the small stadium, but in a corner.

When Teacher Jin and Teacher Qi led them over, the students who had been watching also followed.

The teacher who was instructing the shot put, Mr. Li, saw the crowd and stopped what he was doing. “Mr. Jin, are you here for something?”

Mr. Jin explained briefly, “This student wants to join our sports school. He has already passed the 100-meter sprint test. Now he’s here to try the shot put. Since he hasn’t learned it before, Mr. Li, could you demonstrate and let him try?”

Mr. Li was happy to assist. “Sure, students, give this classmate some space so he can take his test.”

Then Mr. Li turned to Erbao, “I’ll demonstrate the shot put technique now. Watch closely…” He demonstrated and explained each movement.

After finishing, he added, “Just like this. Practice once, and don’t be nervous. I’ll point out any mistakes in your form.”

“Okay, thank you, teacher,” Erbao said.

Mr. Li started demonstrating the shot put.

Erbao, who had never tried shot put before, received instructions from Mr. Li and followed them without any sign of nervousness, thanks to his naturally good attitude and Mr. Jin’s reassurances.

He put all his strength into the shot put.

Even though Mr. Jin had said it was okay if he didn’t pass, Erbao still gave his all.

The result…

The scene fell into silence.

Ning Shu and the others were unsure of Erbao’s performance and remained silent.

The first to speak were the students who had been watching.

“Oh my God, not only does he run fast, but he also throws the shot put really far.”

“So impressive.”

The students who had seen Erbao run were amazed.

“That shot put throw is farther than Zhang Liangyuan’s, isn’t it?”

“Zhang Liangyuan isn’t as tall as him. He might be older than Zhang Liangyuan.”

The students who had been practicing shot put also began discussing.

The teachers, too, were taken aback.

They exchanged looks silently.

Finally, Mr. Li said, “This is a promising student. I…”

“Wait, there’s still one more test,” Mr. Jin interrupted, knowing what Mr. Li was about to say.

“What test? I want to see too,” Mr. Li asked curiously.

He then told the students, “Take a break or practice on your own, but be careful.”

“Long-distance running,” Mr. Jin added.

So, the three teachers led Erbao and the others to the running track.

In fact, more impressive than Erbao’s 100-meter sprint and shot put was his long-distance running.

His stamina was like that of a draft horse—remarkable.

The three teachers watched Erbao run, keeping track of his time.

Mr. Jin said to Ning Shu, “This child has excellent endurance, and his speed and technique are well-controlled. This kind of endurance is developed through years of training. Not only is he ahead of his peers, but even older students might not match his stamina. It seems that no one in our sports school could compete with him.”

Endurance is less about age and more about training.

In theory, the students at sports schools are well-trained over many years.

However, this child is quite exceptional.

Ning Shu said, “Yes, he has been training at home for five or six years. Unless it’s raining heavily, they don’t usually stop. The child’s perseverance is truly impressive.” As a mother, Ning Shu is straightforward about her child’s abilities without exaggeration or modesty, simply stating the facts.

“It’s no wonder. This kind of endurance isn’t something that just any child has,” Teacher Jin said, looking eagerly at Ning Shu’s other three children. “By the way, you mentioned other children. Should we test them as well?”

Both Teacher Qi and Teacher Jin had their eyes sparkling with anticipation.

If one child is this talented, what if the other three are just as good?

Their sports school’s future, or even their national team’s prospects in the World School Sports Games next year, could look very promising.

Yibao and Sanbao shrank back a little, feeling that they wouldn’t measure up.

Ning Shu smiled, “They’re not as capable. While they are better than average, their speed, strength, and endurance don’t compare to this child. Some aspects of athleticism are innate, and they simply don’t have it.”

Hearing Ning Shu’s assessment, Teacher Jin wasn’t discouraged.

He continued, “Why don’t they give it a try too?”

Ning Shu was momentarily speechless.

Yibao said, “Teacher, we’re not good enough. We don’t place in short sprints at school.” Although Yibao and Sanbao are good at long-distance running, they’re not strong in sprints or other events.

With just long-distance running, it’s unlikely they could enter a sports school.

More importantly, Yibao preferred studying over sports.

Unlike Erbao, who could endure the hardships of sports, Yibao thrived on academic challenges.

“Mm-mm…” Sanbao hurriedly nodded in agreement, worried that any delay might mean they would also be sent to the sports school.

“They really can’t compare,” Ning Shu said helplessly.

Seeing that both the parents and children agreed, Teacher Jin didn’t press the issue further.

It’s clear that if other children could pass the tests, their parents would be willing to send them to the sports school.

Besides, finding one child with athlete potential is already a rare achievement; it’s unrealistic to expect multiple children from the same family to be equally exceptional.

“Why is he still running? Isn’t he tired?” one student said.

“He’s got great stamina. He’s already run five laps of the 400-meter track,” another added.

“He doesn’t seem tired.”

“He can keep going.”

“Oh my, he’s like our idol.”

The students didn’t know Erbao’s exact age but guessed based on his height.

If they knew he was barely meeting the age limit for sports school, they’d be even more amazed.

It’s extremely rare for an elementary school student to run 2000 meters and still be in good shape.

Even in middle school, male students often show fatigue after 2000 meters in a 3000-meter long run.

“Alright, that’s enough,” Teacher Jin said after listening to the students’ discussions and observing Erbao’s condition.

There was no need to continue the long-distance test as Erbao had already met the sports school’s admission highest standards.

Erbao, hearing Teacher Jin, ran over to Ning Shu.

Meanwhile, Teacher Qi, excitedly said to Ning Shu, “As a parent, I’ll now take you to complete the enrollment process. Your child can start attending school tomorrow, or rather, start training the day after tomorrow.”

Ning Shu wasn’t aware of Teacher Qi’s plans but felt it was important to get Erbao’s opinion before finalizing anything.

As Erbao approached, Ning Shu asked, “Erbao, the teacher says we can complete the enrollment today and start school tomorrow. What do you think?”

Erbao’s eyes widened, “Start school tomorrow? But it’s vacation now.”

Ning Shu replied, “Sports schools are different. Their breaks are short because they train every day. Think about it—if they want to bring glory to the country, they need to train constantly to improve.” Ning Shu was aware of this aspect.

“Indeed, it seems you understand our sports school well,” Teacher Qi said, feeling reassured. “It’s important to have a supportive parent. Furthermore…” Teacher Qi hesitated, then added, “Next year’s World School Sports Games are approaching. With your child’s current performance, there’s a high likelihood he’ll represent our country. To ensure he performs at his best, we will adjust the most reasonable training schedule for him.”

Ning Shu swallowed.

She only knew about the Olympics but not the World School Sports Games.

However, who wouldn’t want a child who could participate in such a prestigious event?

Regardless of the outcome, just standing on such a stage was an achievement in itself.

At this moment, Ning Shu was silent, realizing that contributing to national pride was indeed urgent.

Looking at Erbao, she said, “Erbao, I’ve never forced you to do anything. You have the right to make your own decisions about your future.”

Erbao, still somewhat dazed, replied, “But Mother, I’m still an elementary student. Shouldn’t I be participating in the elementary school sports meet? Next year, I’ll be in the fifth grade.”