Gao Nuo's worries were not unfounded. While League Two players might not be the most technically dazzling, their fundamentals are solid, and their tactical execution and physical fitness are quite good.
For Wang Xiaochuan, whose football philosophy and physical conditioning were both poor, it wasn't a lack of ability, but rather an unsuitability for a game environment that emphasized physical confrontation.
Regardless, Gao Nuo posted a photo of himself training with Wang Xiaochuan on his social media, tagging Stockport County Football Club with the caption: "Wishing my good brother stays here!"
Stockport County gained 200,000 followers overnight, and although most were Chinese fans, Gao Nuo's influence was indeed growing. This made the owner of Stockport County ponder; originally, he only intended to ride the coattails of the hype, but now it seemed giving this young Chinese player a contract wasn't a bad idea. He called in head coach Dave Challinor, and after discussion, they offered Wang Xiaochuan a two-year contract with a weekly salary of 1,000 euros.
Stockport County's training ground is the Carrington Training Centre. Although it's only a League Two team, it boasts excellent training facilities, fully comparable to some Premier League teams.
Standing on the training ground at Carrington, Wang Xiaochuan was filled with mixed emotions. He deeply understood an ancient Chinese saying: "When one person attains the Dao, even his chickens and dogs ascend to heaven."
When the news of the signing came, Gao Nuo knew Wang Xiaochuan's financial situation was average, so he took the initiative and bought a small villa not far from his own home for him to live in. For the next year, Gao Nuo planned to arrange his personal extra training at the Carrington base, training alongside Wang Xiaochuan. This would only incur some costs, and for Gao Nuo, anything that money could solve wasn't a problem.
Gao Nuo believed that with a training plan developed by the system and professional dietary management, Wang Xiaochuan would definitely experience a significant improvement, just like him.
Wang Xiaochuan didn't act coy and accepted all of Gao Nuo's kindness. He just secretly vowed in his heart that he would definitely make something of himself, so that Gao Nuo's efforts wouldn't be in vain.
With matters around him settled, Gao Nuo refocused his energy on the Challenge Road.
The virtual Newcastle United's offense and defense were relatively balanced, with no opportunistic tricks. With Gao Nuo's current lineup, passing the level was only a matter of time if he played patiently.
In recent days, he had focused more on Gavi. Unlike him, who had the system's help, Gavi was a true prodigy.
As a Spanish talent about to turn 20, Gavi burst onto the scene at Barcelona at 17, astonishing the world.
As a right-footed midfielder, standing 173cm tall, he possessed excellent agility, stamina, and stability, and could play for long periods with outstanding intensity.
In virtual Mourinho's 4-3-3 formation, Gavi was one of two central midfielders. He had the ability and skill to drive play from the back and create chances in the attacking third.
According to Gao Nuo's observations, Gavi was a classic La Masia player. He liked to control the ball, would actively demand it, was never afraid to play under pressure, and possessed excellent technique, vision, and teamwork to keep the ball at his team's feet.
Carefully considering the system's definition of the Challenge Road mode, Gao Nuo treated Gavi as a real teammate and began to cultivate their chemistry.
The more they cooperated, the more surprised Gao Nuo became. He found that even the virtual Gavi had reached a very high level of tactical understanding of the game. His positional sense was extremely strong, and he could use his excellent vitality to quickly fill the spaces left by teammates, ensuring the team's integrity.
Not only that, Gavi was always observing space on the field, looking for passing opportunities and gaps, ready to receive passes from teammates and deliver brilliant assists. This was the reason for his frequent flashes of inspiration.
His shortcomings were also obvious: a slight build and poor shooting accuracy, with significant room for improvement in both attack and defense.
It seemed Gavi was the ceiling for blue star cards. If not for the impact of these shortcomings, Gao Nuo certainly wouldn't have gotten such a great bargain.
His efforts were not in vain. After analyzing Gavi's characteristics, Gao Nuo utilized them, and finally, after an unknown number of attempts, he scored four goals, passing Challenge Road Level 50 with a 4-0 victory.
The first goal was scored by Gao Nuo's individual ability, a header from a corner kick opportunity.
The other three goals all came after Gavi received the ball, and Gao Nuo seized the opportunity to surge forward, resulting in two direct one-on-one goals and one penalty kick opportunity, which he also calmly converted.
Feeling refreshed, Gao Nuo looked at the purple star card in front of him, a little excited.
From his own judgment, Manchester United's teammates in reality, a peak Neymar and De Gea, could definitely reach orange card level. As for now, perhaps the strongest would only be purple card level, and Bruno Fernandes should be infinitely close to an orange card.
From the perspective of clearing the level, Gao Nuo hoped to draw real-life teammates, which would reduce the adjustment process and undoubtedly speed up the challenge.
But in the long run, Gao Nuo's thoughts aligned with the system's: drawing active top players, whether as opponents or teammates, would allow him to meticulously observe their personal habits. Whether cooperating or clashing, Gao Nuo could adapt freely.
Overthinking was useless. Gao Nuo took a deep breath and had the system open the purple star card.
A figure appeared in the void, and merely the outline of the person caused Gao Nuo to be stunned. For a few seconds, he even forgot to breathe.
The figure walking towards Gao Nuo became clearer and clearer. He looked a bit short, and his ears seemed strange, like an elf's.
It was impossible to be mistaken; it was Lionel Messi, one of the two GOATs, who, along with the other man, had dominated football for over a decade.
Messi needed no further introduction; his football career was absolutely legendary. Both his honors and historical status would leave a significant mark in football.
His excitement lasted a full five minutes before Gao Nuo gradually calmed down. For Gao Nuo, born in 2003, the nine years of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi's rivalry in La Liga were the most memorable. Until both of them successively left the top five Leagues, Gao Nuo's biggest regret was not being able to compete on the same field with them.
When he first signed with Manchester United, Cristiano Ronaldo hadn't yet moved to Saudi Arabia. Gao Nuo was fortunate enough to train with him for nearly half a year. Now, although it was only a virtual Messi, for Gao Nuo, it was enough to make up for the regret in his heart.
"Messi is a purple card? System, are you broken?" He was very dissatisfied with the system classifying Messi as a purple card. Even if the two GOATs had declined, in Gao Nuo's heart, they had always been god-like existences.
"host, a 37-year-old Messi is still at the peak of a purple card, which is an almost impossible feat. No one can resist the erosion of time. Please face reality, host."
The system spoke very objectively, and Gao Nuo felt a moment of emotion, realizing that the gods on the mountain had finally descended.
