Daily Evolution from Mastering Tai Chi-Chapter 299 - 245: Reaching the Pinnacle, The Retirement Battle (Part 2)

However, due to recent heavy workloads and overtime, I neglected Wang Ye's situation.

Unexpectedly, after just a week of overtime, there was an earth-shattering change with Wang Ye.

At the same time, Li Weimin also sent a message to inquire.

Though they didn't often follow overseas videos, Wang Ye's recent popularity was so high that any related videos would be translated and uploaded to major domestic short video platforms by his fans, quickly becoming viral.

So, it was reasonable they stumbled upon the video so quickly.

After briefing them on his activities over the past few days,

Wang Ye put on a weighted vest and went out to continue training for running.

These past few days, his daily routine had been very simple.

Running, weightlifting, cycling, surfing.

These four activities nearly occupied his entire day.

Although monotonous, Wang Ye found joy in it.

Because he could genuinely see himself progressing.

The more effort he put in, the more noticeable the progress became.

Unlike other athletes at his level who couldn't make any progress despite training.

Wang Ye could visibly see his advancement, which was quite fortunate.

This indicated that no effort he made was wasted.

As long as he put in the work, he would undoubtedly see tangible rewards.

It's like playing an online game where you level up, gaining experience, equipment, and combat power by defeating monsters.

That's why gaming can be so addictive.

Wang Ye now felt like he was playing a game in real life,

with all attributes and skills he mastered meticulously displayed on a panel.

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Until about the day before October.

Li Weimin suddenly gave Wang Ye a call.

At that moment, Li Weimin seemed to be on vacation somewhere, speaking concisely, "Wang Ye, I've received some new information. On October 2nd, there's a press conference in Chicago. You, as China's representative athlete, need to be there for interviews."

"No problem," Wang Ye agreed.

Having a press conference for such a major event was, in fact, within his expectations.

With his current strength and influence reaching international renown, it would be strange if there wasn't a press conference before the competition.

Then Wang Ye and Li Weimin discussed over the phone for half an hour. Their conversation focused on the speech content for the press conference three days later. Initially, there was some disagreement between Li Weimin and Wang Ye, with intense arguments, but after nearly half an hour of discussion, Li Weimin gradually understood Wang Ye's perspective and reluctantly agreed to his requests.

On October 2nd,

Wang Ye arrived at the press conference on time.

Many renowned domestic and international athletes were already present.

However, Chinese athletes were still in the majority because the Chicago event was close to China's seven-day holiday beginning on October 1st. Many Chinese athletes arrived at the beginning of October for this reason. Those intending to push their PR (personal record) would arrive two weeks earlier to acclimate, such as elite runners like Wang Lianzheng, He Jie, Yang Shaohui, Wu Xiangdong, Dong Guojian, and Sangji Dongzhi.

At the press conference, Wang Ye even saw some popular figures in the running field. They were mainly internet celebrities under "Houlang Interactive Entertainment," a network of marathon athlete influencers forming an MCN company.

Among them, "Old Zhang's Shoes" was the owner of Houlang Interactive Entertainment and was also present at the press conference. Well-known individuals Wang Lianzheng and Taisho were internet celebrities under Houlang Interactive Entertainment as well. In fact, most influential online runners would sign with Houlang Interactive Entertainment, as having an MCN agency helped increase followers and monetization.

Wang Ye sensed that Houlang Interactive Entertainment wanted to recruit him. However, he no longer needed such MCN agencies; with his existing large fan base and various monetization avenues, joining an MCN would only mean sharing a significant portion of his income.

After exchanging a few pleasantries with influencers from Houlang Interactive Entertainment,

Wang Ye began answering questions from the surrounding journalists.

Given his prominence and skill, he attracted a lot of journalists.

One journalist asked:

"Mr. Wang Ye, do you have confidence in your results this time?"

"Yes." Wang Ye nodded, "I will achieve even better results."

"Are you planning to break the world record again?" The journalist continued in a surprised tone, "Do you have plans to participate in any more competitions, like November's New York Marathon?"

"I don't plan to; I might not compete in marathons anymore." Wang Ye shook his head slightly.

Since acquiring the Divine Speed Skill, regular marathon races have lost their challenge for him.

If he continued competing, he'd only break records again and again, setting them to impossibly high standards, rendering "competition" meaningless.

He was seeking competitions where he could challenge equally matched opponents.

These diminishing return style competitions were just a waste of time and created unnecessary challenges for future athletes.

Wang Ye planned to set a record high enough in value and then retire from the marathon field.

His earlier disagreement with Li Weimin stemmed from this.

Yet Li Weimin eventually relented, realizing further competition held no true significance for Wang Ye, although commercially, it would only benefit him. However, Wang Ye's overwhelming skill would effectively destroy the sport of marathons if he continued breaking major international records, akin to killing the goose for its golden eggs.

Therefore, Wang Ye thought it better to retire from marathons, challenge other fields, and leave his mark in different domains. This would also help bring more advanced sports science to future generations.

This was a choice Wang Ye made with long-term considerations in mind.

After a pause, the journalist confirmed, "So this competition is essentially your retirement match?"

"You could say that," Wang Ye nodded.

Upon hearing this, the journalists and athletes around were taken aback. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

The current marathon leader was retiring?

If Wang Ye were over forty, that would be understandable, but the thing was, he was only twenty-nine! Although not exactly young, and physical abilities were starting to decline, twenty-nine was still considered prime in sports, where skills and physical coordination peaked, perfect for pushing limits and breaking records. For instance, Su Bingtian set personal bests at thirty-two, and Kipchoge continued racing at thirty-nine.

Yet here Wang Ye was, retiring at twenty-nine!?

The athletes and journalists around him cast him curious glances.

But due to the noisy environment and tight schedule, they didn't inquire further.

After continuing with interviews at the press conference for three hours, the number of journalists gradually dwindled. Wang Ye then exchanged contact information with other athletes and influencers from Houlang Interactive Entertainment before planning to return to the hotel to rest.

As he was leaving, Wang Lianzheng suddenly approached him, worriedly asking:

"Brother Ye, why are you suddenly announcing retirement? Is there something wrong with your health...?"