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At this moment, Gu Ran's vision was filled with negative emotion bubbles.

And among them, there were three blue skill bubbles!

This was amazing!

Gu Ran focused his thoughts and quickly scanned through the white bubbles first to see if there was anything useful.

Most of the white bubbles contained things like "Upper body core muscle training +10 hours," "Personal trainer-level physical training +10 hours," and "Shooting training +10 hours."

There was even one labeled "Kayaking side paddle training +10 hours."

Wait… this player is a little off-track, isn't he?

Other than the kayaking bubble, the rest of the training results were decent, though none of them were dynamic-level training results that Gu Ran particularly desired.

Judging from this alone, Triangle River Team was far behind Rugby Golden Fleece Team.

St. Paul's School did indeed focus more on rowing; football wasn't their primary sport.

That didn't stop them from spending large amounts of money to bring in semi-professional players from Chelsea's youth academy, allowing them to compete for top rankings every year.

This alone showed how difficult it was for an ordinary private school like Southampton to make it past the group stage.

Yes, the world was never fair...

Gu Ran remained expressionless as he ignored the white bubbles.

He still had eight collection attempts left for today, so the focus was on those three blue skill bubbles.

The first blue bubble had dropped from a player named "Roth Dempsey."

Gu Ran had an impression of this player—according to the team's internal scouting reports, Roth Dempsey was Triangle River's starting right winger. He stood at 183cm, weighed 79kg, and was known for his explosive speed, physical strength, and ability to bulldoze past defenders. He had frequently been seen overpowering opposing fullbacks.

A right winger… in terms of positioning, he was directly up against Gu Ran, the left-back.

This was going to be his primary opponent on the pitch today.

Gu Ran took another look at Roth.

At the same time, Roth's gaze met his.

For a moment, sparks seemed to fly between them.

Roth wasn't much taller than Gu Ran, but he was clearly heavier.

And all that extra weight was pure, high-density muscle.

Gu Ran focused his mind and checked the skill bubble Roth had dropped: Wing Cut-in +1.

Damn!

This was a great skill!

Gu Ran's heart leaped with excitement, and he couldn't stop the corners of his lips from curving upward.

The wing cut-in was one of the most common skills in football. Simply put, it was a dribbling technique used to cut inside from the flanks.

But when to cut in, at what speed, with which part of the foot, what feints to use, and how to coordinate with teammates—these were what defined skill.

In reality, top players weren't those who had completely unique abilities, but those who refined ordinary skills to perfection.

As someone who had lived twelve years into the future, Gu Ran's wing cut-in ability was already solid, roughly at a +3 level. With his high football IQ, he could push it to a +4 level.

But that was his limit.

Now, with the chance to acquire a new "Wing Cut-in" skill, he had the opportunity to break through that limit!

If he obtained this skill, even if it was only a +1 boost, he could stack it onto his existing ability, raising his wing cut-in to a +5 level.

At +5, he could dominate amateur tournaments.

In amateur competitions, these seemingly basic but essential skills were what mattered the most.

Only by solidifying his foundation could he make a shocking entrance into professional football in the future and put on a masterclass performance!

Gu Ran immediately concentrated his thoughts and collected Roth's skill bubble.

As the shimmering light, invisible to others, merged into his body, Gu Ran felt his understanding of the wing cut-in deepen significantly.

It felt amazing!

Without hesitation, he moved on to the second blue bubble.

This one had dropped from Triangle River's midfielder—Butler Marks.

According to the scouting report, Butler was 191cm tall, weighed 90kg, and physically resembled Yaya Touré—a powerhouse.

Just his physical attributes alone were enough to make it to the professional leagues.

Butler was another player St. Paul's had recruited from Chelsea's youth academy. He was also Triangle River's captain.

According to team reports, Butler wasn't just a pure central midfielder; he could also play as a central attacking midfielder or a defensive midfielder. His ability to intercept and tackle was considered one of the best among high school teams.

He had consistently performed well in previous matches, with an average match rating of 8.0. He was also a strong candidate for this year's National Tournament Best Young Player award.

This guy was a real talent.

The reason he wasn't playing in a professional league was probably because of the high "specialized scholarship" offered by St. Paul's.

These scholarships were often more lucrative than being a bench player or reserve team member in the pro leagues.

However...

From what Gu Ran knew from the future, this Butler guy never made a name for himself. He faded into obscurity.

That was football for you. Many young talents who looked promising ended up amounting to nothing for various reasons.

Butler's blue bubble contained: Interception & Tackle +1.

Gu Ran was thrilled.

This was turning into an incredible day!

The match hadn't even started, and he had already acquired two highly useful skills!

The "Interception & Tackle" skill was even more valuable than "Wing Cut-in."

As a left-back, Gu Ran's biggest weakness was his lack of basic defensive skills.

Southampton's strategy revolved around being a defensive counter-attacking team. Especially in the early game, solid defense was crucial.

Gu Ran had good positioning, speed, and football IQ, but his actual defensive tackling ability was lacking.

First, because of his weak foot; second, because he had never played as a defender in his previous life. His tackling was instinctive, but a mistimed tackle could easily get punished.

With an "Interception & Tackle" skill, his defensive shortcomings would be significantly improved!

Gu Ran wasted no time. With a single thought, he absorbed the skill.

This felt incredible.

He took a deep breath, feeling fully satisfied.

There was one last blue skill bubble left.

This one had dropped from Eddie Conrad—a goalkeeper. He was also one of St. Paul's recruits from Chelsea's youth academy.

A goalkeeper's skill bubble…

Gu Ran wasn't expecting much from it.

When he focused on it, the skill was revealed: Powerful Throw +1.

As expected… completely useless.

But at least it told him that Eddie was skilled at quickly launching counterattacks with long throws.

A strong and precise hand throw could easily set up a fast-break chance.

That was something to be mindful of. Gu Ran made a mental note of it and ignored the bubble.

Now, with the bubbles he had collected earlier at the train station, he had six collection attempts left for the day.

He decided to save them for the match, hoping to acquire more "Interception & Tackle" and "Wing Cut-in" skills. If he could collect them multiple times, he'd effectively save talent points.

But the most important goal of the day?

Getting a free skill from Frank Lampard.

He just didn't know when Lampard would arrive.

A player of his caliber had a packed schedule, so it was unlikely he'd show up at St. Paul's too early.

The real question was—once he met Lampard, how could he get a skill from him in the quickest way possible?

It wasn't like he could just hold Annie's hand and parade in front of Lampard to make him drop a jealousy-induced skill bubble.

That wasn't realistic.

Lampard was a football legend. He had seen everything. He wouldn't be as easily flustered as these St. Paul's students.

Besides, Annie's identity had to remain a secret. She couldn't even reveal her face.

If he wanted to get something from Lampard, he'd have to rely on himself.

Just then, Triangle River's assistant coach, Benson, had finished discussing the dining and training arrangements with Coach Carter.

Benson smirked and said, "Oh, by the way, Coach Carter, you should know that for today's match, we've invited a Chelsea football legend to kick off the game. And—haha—there's also a special surprise planned. So, you'd better arrive at the riverside stadium ten minutes early. You wouldn't want to miss this rare opportunity to meet a football superstar. I mean, for us at St. Paul's, it's nothing special. But for a school like Southampton, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."

His tone oozed arrogance.

Coach Carter let out a cold chuckle. "Noted."

Benson grinned. "Then please, proceed to our third dining hall for lunch."

With that, he dismissed the Triangle River players.

Gu Ran turned to Annie. "Let's go."

Annie nodded obediently and followed closely behind him.

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