"I'm really not pretending to be weak to deceive others."

Ethan Brooks was filled with doubt and surprise. He had learned martial arts in VirtuLink, but what about Daniel? Was he a master in reality?

Daniel laughed heartily, as if the test had never happened, and took out a business card, saying to Changfeng, "I'll be staying in City B for a while, and I don't have many friends to talk to. Give me a call sometime, and we can spar together."

With that, he jotted down Ethan Brooks' phone number and turned to leave.

The group of princelings looked at Ethan Brooks with a hint of envy. Daniel's status was extraordinary; even their fathers wouldn't dare to offend him easily. None of them had Daniel's phone number, yet Ethan Brooks did. If they could connect with Daniel, a bright future seemed just around the corner.

In the blink of an eye, the princelings had all left. Alice walked up to Ethan Brooks excitedly and punched him squarely in the chest: "Nice one! I didn't expect you to be so good, pretending all this time when we played pool!"

"Ahem, ahem~~" Ethan Brooks coughed dryly from the punch. Alice looked so beautiful, but she was surprisingly violent.

"What do you call that? Right, Daniel said something about 'hiding one's ability and waiting for the right moment to show it'!" Alice was clearly very excited.

"I didn't~~~" Ethan Brooks said helplessly. Daniel's words referred to his martial arts skills, not his pool game.

Outside the Tai Li Entertainment City, someone finally couldn't hold back and said to Daniel, "Daniel, aren't you being too polite to that guy?"

Daniel smiled faintly but didn't respond.

He had noticed during Ethan Brooks' second shot that the latter had martial arts training.

When Ethan Brooks made that miraculous shot, Daniel realized that the young man had incorporated an advanced technique of force application into his stroke. Otherwise, it would have been impossible to achieve such an effect with ordinary stroke techniques.

So after the game, he tested Ethan Brooks with his fourth - level Lingfeng Power, an internal martial arts skill. Unexpectedly, as soon as they made contact, Ethan Brooks' internal energy pushed back, indicating that his internal strength was definitely stronger than his own.

"Daniel, in today's world, people are restless. Those who can master internal martial arts are becoming fewer and fewer. But on the other hand, those who can master internal martial arts are all exceptionally talented, with great perseverance and great fortune. When you enter the world in the future, always remember to value everyone who has achieved something in this field. You must know that those who have mastered the techniques have mental fortitude and perseverance that cannot be ignored in any field." This was what his master had advised him before he left the mountain.

Daniel's background was absolutely extraordinary. Behind his ever - present smile was absolute confidence and arrogance. There were almost no people in this world who could make him bow his head, but his master was definitely one of them. Daniel always kept his master's words in mind.

Although Ethan Brooks was still a student, Daniel had a feeling that this young man's potential was by no means limited to his pool skills. In fact, Daniel vaguely sensed that he might grow into a generation - spanning hero like his elders!

Of course, this was just a vague feeling. Daniel didn't want to explain it to anyone, and with his status, he didn't need to explain anything to anyone!

Meanwhile, inside the pool hall, Ethan Brooks was surrounded by some enthusiastic onlookers.

"Ethan Brooks, let's hurry up and leave," Isabella tugged at Ethan Brooks. If they didn't leave soon, Ethan Brooks would be completely surrounded by them.

Ethan Brooks nodded, grabbed his coat, and was about to leave.

A middle - aged man blocked his way, "Young man, wait a moment."

Ethan Brooks stopped. The man handed him a business card: "Young man, I'm the owner of this entertainment city. Here's my card."

Ethan Brooks took the card and said, "What do you want?"

"You play pool exceptionally well. Here's the thing: in a month, there's a World Snooker Masters Cup Tournament in Shanghai. Our pool club has a spot in the competition, and I'd like to invite you to represent us in the tournament," the middle - aged man said.

Seeing Ethan Brooks' silence, the owner quickly added, "The first prize for this tournament is three hundred thousand in cash, and the winner can become the spokesperson for snooker stars in the Asia - Pacific region. If you win, you could potentially earn close to a million RMB in advertising revenue. Moreover, if you come in first, I'm willing to personally add another two hundred thousand."

One point five million was a substantial sum for a student, almost a fortune.

"What's in it for you?" Ethan Brooks asked sharply.

"Our chain of entertainment cities will gain more recognition. It's like spending two hundred thousand on an advertisement. I believe in your ability; you have a good chance of winning first place. I've never seen anyone pull off an AREBALL on a snooker table before," the owner said, his excitement evident on his face.

"I'm still a student; I don't have the time," Ethan Brooks replied.

"Hehe, I have a waiter here who knows your classmates. You're from Bruler University, right? Bruler University aims to cultivate versatile students and strongly encourages the development of individual talents. If you explain your situation, you'll definitely get a leave of absence from the school authorities. This is an international competition, and winning would bring honor to the country," the owner said confidently, clearly believing he could persuade Ethan Brooks.

Ethan Brooks thought for a moment. It seemed there was no real downside. He said, "Alright, I'll think about it."

"Great, give me a call when you've made up your mind. Xiao Wu! Bring over that set of Baron cues from over there!" Boss Zhou Hai shouted, and a waiter brought over a long, yellow wooden box.

"Your name is Ethan Brooks, right? I heard from that young lady earlier. This is a British Baron cue, the brand of the world - renowned snooker master Philip. You don't have your own cue yet, do you? Use this one for now," the owner said, showing his willingness to please. He was already giving gifts before anything was done.

Ethan Brooks immediately saw through the owner's intentions, but he was right. If he were to participate in the competition, the school would grant him a vacation. One point five million was a significant temptation. So, without refusing, he took the cue.

This is how realistic society is. As long as you have a bit of ability and can do something others can't, people will immediately try to flatter you, package you, and give you benefits. However, their ultimate goal is to use you to bring them greater profits. Ethan Brooks was open - minded about this. There was no one who couldn't be used by others unless you were a waste, of no value.

Seeing Ethan Brooks take the cue, the owner felt relieved and exchanged a few more words with him before stepping aside.

Ethan Brooks and the others quickly left the pool hall.

After stepping out of the entertainment city, Alice threw her head back and laughed loudly, "Haha, Ethan Brooks, you did a great job! Seeing that tattooed man's ugly face made me feel so relieved! Tell me, what reward do you want? I'll try my best to meet your demands!"

Ethan Brooks had figured out this young lady's character. She was a typical female knight - errant. How could he dare to ask for anything?

"It's still early. How about we go to a bar for a drink and then head back to school?" Leonardo suggested at this moment.

Near Tai Li Garden, there was an entertainment street with a bar that students often visited.

"Sure, sure! I'm so excited today. Let's go have a drink!" Alice said excitedly, with no sense of a girl's modesty.

Seeing someone agree, Leonardo immediately encouraged everyone to go.

A bar was still a relatively mysterious place for students. No one objected, and they headed towards the nearby street.

The entertainment street where the bar was located was not far away. The group walked there and soon arrived.

Strangely, although it was the weekend, the bar was almost deserted. Only one group of customers was sitting brazenly at the entrance, with some even drinking beer bare - chested. However, since Ethan Brooks and the others had never been there before, they didn't know if this was how bars were supposed to be, so they didn't feel anything particularly unusual.

Because the bar was so empty, the group didn't book a private room but chose to sit at a table surrounded by sofas.

In the outer hall of this bar, there were usually roller - skating girls delivering drinks, but for some reason today, only waiters were serving.

After they sat down, a rather handsome male waiter approached and asked Ethan Brooks and the others, "What would you like to drink?"

"A dozen Carlsberg draft beers," Leonardo said, probably the only one among them who had been to a bar before.

The waiter nodded and walked away. Alice looked around and said, "This is my first time in a bar. The atmosphere is nice, but why are there so few people?"

"Maybe it gets busier in the evening," Sophia speculated.

"Forget it, Ethan, you really made us proud today! I never expected you to be so good at pool. What was that move called again?" Alice said excitedly to Ethan Brooks.

"AREBALL," Isabella said with a gentle smile from the side.

"Right, AREBALL! You should teach me too. I want to learn how to hide my abilities and find those clueless young masters to make some money. It's just too satisfying!" Alice's eyes sparkled as she spoke.

"Miss, are you joking? That move takes at least five to seven years of practice to master," Leonardo said from the side.

Alice rolled her eyes and feigned anger, "The main person hasn't even taught it yet. Why are you butting in?"

Leonardo was left speechless and muttered, "I'm just saying the truth. But whether Ethan Brooks wants to teach it or not, uh, taking the opportunity to get some benefits is also good..."

Alice didn't catch what Leonardo was muttering, but Fido, who did hear him, pinched Leonardo's side, making him open his mouth but unable to make a sound. Alice turned to Ethan Brooks and said, "What do you say? Will you teach or not?"

Ethan Brooks thought to himself. If he taught Alice how to play pool, he would inevitably have to correct her posture and engage in some rather intimate teaching. However, that move wasn't something just anyone could pull off. This young lady probably just had a fleeting interest and wouldn't be able to learn it. 

"Leonardo is right. It takes at least three to five years of practice to master it," Ethan Brooks said.

"Ah? That long?" As expected, upon hearing that it would take such a long time to learn, Alice's enthusiasm waned significantly.