Julian approached the dejected Beckham and surreptitiously touched the blue bubble with his foot. The blue bubble promptly burst, releasing a beam of light that flowed into Julian's body.
"The host has acquired professional football skills from the absorbed bubbles: Golden Right Foot – Increases Accurate Long Pass by 1. Today's pick-up progress is 9/10."
Ah-ha!
A smug smile tugged at the corner of Julian's mouth.
Finally, a decent football skill!
Golden Right Foot: Precise Long Pass!
This is Beckham's specialty!
Julian's mind flashed with memories of Beckham's phenomenal collaboration with Zidane and Ronaldo during their Real Madrid days.
Julian could feel his right ankle, previously rigid, now infused with a newfound flexibility—like it had been injected with lubricant. It was incredible!
No need to rush!
There's still one more pick-up process to go today, so I can't use it just yet!
I have to find a way to annoy Beckham one last time!
Julian gazed at Beckham, his eyes gleaming with anticipation.
Beckham, noticing Julian's stare, assumed he was there to pressure him to continue filming the commercial. "Leave me alone!" Beckham snapped. "What kind of terrible commercial is this? I'm not doing it anymore!"
Julian replied calmly, "Mr. Beckham, you're absolutely right. This commercial concept isn't very good. May I offer a suggestion?"
"You?" Beckham scoffed. "You're just a backup photographer. What could you possibly know?"
Julian remained unfazed. "Director James wants to showcase your breakthrough skills, but that highlights your limitations. I propose we focus on your strengths—the full moon scimitar."
Beckham's interest piqued, he asked, "How do we do that?"
Julian gestured to the beach's distant trash cans. "You can use the full moon scimitar to kick the ball into each of those three cans, 40 meters away. It's a perfect opportunity to showcase your amazing footwork and promote Pepsi in the process."
This was the exact premise of Beckham's iconic Pepsi commercial!
While the director would likely have conceived this plan eventually, Julian had presented it to Beckham during their moment of uncertainty.
Beckham was slightly taken aback. "Hmm...that's a good idea."
Julian pretended to reconsider, then shook his head. "On second thought, forget it. 40 meters is too far. I don't think you could manage it."
Beckham was immediately provoked, "You think I can't do it? Get the ball! Today, I will show you what a real full moon scimitar looks like!"
Julian pretended to be embarrassed and sighed, "Okay, then, let's give it a go."
Julian instructed the staff to retrieve three footballs and he himself activated a hidden fixed camera.
Barefoot, Beckham meticulously placed three footballs in a row on the uneven sand.
Without wasting any time, Beckham took a small jumping run-up, his knees slightly bent, his body tilted 45 degrees to the side of his supporting leg. He struck the lower right side of the football with his right foot. As the ball soared, his thigh swung forward in unison!
It was a stunning display of the Full Moon Scimitar!
The football traced a scimitar-like arc through the air and precisely dropped into the trash can located 40 meters away.
The crowd gathered around erupted in amazement!
This is the unmistakable signature move of Beckham!
This type of footwork technique is notoriously challenging to replicate, not solely because of its high difficulty but due to the risk of injury. If the ankle isn't controlled properly, it can lead to severe damage. Most players are not willing to risk their careers to learn this move.
To achieve Beckham's flawless full moon scimitar, one must master the strength of the ankle and the precision of their footwork.
Julian already possessed Beckham's "Golden Right Foot: Accurate Long Pass +1," and his understanding of footwork had naturally progressed to a higher level, as evidenced by Beckham's execution of the round moon scimitar. Julian silently acknowledged Beckham's skill; his "golden right foot" had to be at least +9, and the moon scimitar skill itself was likely also at +9.
Julian couldn't help but sigh inwardly: This is the strength of an international superstar!
How much had Beckham practiced, how much sweat had he shed, and how often had he been injured to achieve such mastery over the double-skill +9 footwork?
With unwavering confidence, Beckham continued to use his unique round moon scimitar to propel the second and third balls into the trash can from the same distance.
Perfect! Absolutely flawless!
The spectators at the scene couldn't help but erupt in spontaneous applause and cheers.
Beckham was also quite pleased with himself: "Hey, you backup photographer! Do you still think I'm not good enough?"
Julian turned off the fixed camera and smiled, "Holy, you're really hot stuff! Mr. Beckham, at 35 years old, you can still pull off such a perfect full moon scimitar, it's incredible!"
Beckham chuckled, "Haha... what do you mean by 'old'?"
Julian feigned innocence, "What else could it be? This time around, England didn't pick you for the World Cup squad, saying you were injured. But it's clear your injury has healed. They're just being blunt and calling you old to save face."
Beckham was taken aback.
Julian's words were painfully true.
Playing in the World Cup for the national team was Beckham's most fervent aspiration!
Now, having clearly recovered from his foot injury, he was not called up by the national team!
That's right, it doesn't mean he thinks he's old, does it?
Falk! There's no way he can serve the country!
Thinking of this, Beckham completely broke down, shouting, "I want to go to the national team! I'm not old! I can still play! I can still run! Even if they make me a substitute! I want to play in the World Cup! They actually despise me for being old?! They actually despise me for being old?!"
Seeing Beckham's mentality collapse, Julian was quite... excited!
"91 points of negative emotion detected from David Beckham, system bubbles are being generated..."
Oh ho! 91 negative emotion points!
It seems that this time, it truly pierced Beckham's heart!
With such a high negative emotion value, surely he could acquire some top star skills, right?
At this moment, a blue bubble filled with energy appeared at Beckham's feet.
Julian quickly approached Beckham, gently patting his shoulder to offer comfort while simultaneously touching the blue bubble with his foot.
The blue bubble immediately burst in a brilliant flash, transforming into a beam of light that entered Julian's body.