The basketball, infused with Liu Ziqiang's fury, arced through the air and hurtled viciously toward Jiang Chen.
But Jiang Chen—keenly aware of his surroundings—had already sensed the incoming threat the moment Liu Ziqiang let go of the ball.
Without even turning his head, Jiang Chen casually lifted his hand and slapped the ball away mid-flight.
To everyone's surprise, the basketball flew across the court in a smooth parabola, straight toward the hoop.
Under everyone's stunned gaze, the ball circled the rim once, twice… and dropped cleanly through the net.
A perfect shot.
Applause and whistles erupted from students nearby.
Even the boys who had been playing with Liu Ziqiang couldn't help but exclaim, "Nice shot!"
However, the moment their praises left their lips, they met Liu Ziqiang's icy glare. Immediately, they swallowed their words and exchanged awkward glances.
Liu Ziqiang forced a tight-lipped smile and said sarcastically, "Jiang Chen, I didn't expect you to know how to play basketball too!"
Jiang Chen offered a polite smile and replied modestly, "Just average. My skills are only slightly better than yours."
Liu Ziqiang's face twitched.
Slightly better?
That tone—humble on the surface, but full of mockery underneath—was like salt on an open wound.
He clenched his fists, the veins in his neck bulging. After a deep breath, he said coldly, "Is that so? Then why don't you have a game with me here, on the court?"
Liu Ziqiang was a core player on the school basketball team. While not quite a professional, he was easily among the top athletes in school.
His signature red-dyed buzzcut made him stand out, and many classmates even jokingly called him "Sakuragi Hanamichi" from Slam Dunk.
There was no way he'd believe Jiang Chen's earlier shot was anything more than dumb luck—like a blind cat stumbling onto a dead mouse.
With a challenging stare, he added, "What's wrong? Scared?"
He paused for a moment, then smirked. "It's fine. If you're scared, just say so. After all—losing to me, Liu Ziqiang, isn't anything to be ashamed of."
Seeing Liu Ziqiang's arrogant and smug expression, Jiang Chen couldn't help but sneer.
"Heh… since you're so eager to lose, I'll play along."
Liu Ziqiang's face lit up the moment Jiang Chen agreed.
"Great!"
He pointed toward the basket and said, "One-on-one. Whoever scores more baskets wins. Sound fair?"
Jiang Chen shrugged casually. "Sure."
His relaxed attitude only made Liu Ziqiang angrier.
Keep acting cocky. Let's see how long you can keep that smirk once we start playing.
Liu Ziqiang's eyes flicked toward Lin Yuechan.
He hadn't challenged Jiang Chen for fun—this was about pride. He wanted to humiliate Jiang Chen on the court and win Lin Yuechan's admiration while doing it.
But to his growing frustration, Yuechan hadn't looked at him even once. Her gaze remained fixed on Jiang Chen, calm and steady.
That stung more than any insult.
With nowhere to vent his growing fury, Liu Ziqiang gritted his teeth and flung the basketball hard at Jiang Chen.
"You go first. Don't say I bullied you."
Jiang Chen caught the ball effortlessly. Without so much as a glance at Liu Ziqiang's defense, he stepped into a clean motion and launched the ball.
It arced high over Liu Ziqiang's head, perfectly curved—
—and swished cleanly through the net.
A flawless three-pointer.
Everything had happened so fast that the crowd was stunned into silence.
Even Liu Ziqiang stood frozen, blinking in disbelief, as if unsure whether the shot had actually gone in.
Jiang Chen calmly turned to him and said, "Thanks for the warm-up."
Now it was Liu Ziqiang's turn.
He tightened his grip on the ball and glared at Jiang Chen. That was just luck, he told himself. This time, I'll show him who owns the court!
Dribbling fiercely, he tried to mimic the aggressive flair of his idol, Sakuragi Hanamichi, aiming for a grand slam dunk to reclaim his dignity.
But reality didn't cooperate.
In one smooth motion, Jiang Chen read his move, reached in, and cleanly stole the ball.
Without hesitation, Jiang Chen stepped back and let it fly again—another perfect arc, another clean shot.
A three-pointer. Again.
The crowd exploded in cheers.
Even the fangirls began screaming.
Liu Ziqiang's face twisted with humiliation.
That was supposed to be my moment!
"Again!" he barked, not ready to give up.
But the outcome didn't change.
Every time Liu Ziqiang had the ball, Jiang Chen shut him down.
Every time Jiang Chen had the ball, he scored with ease.
By the end, Jiang Chen had scored 18 consecutive points, while Liu Ziqiang had yet to make a single basket.
Completely crushed.
Jiang Chen looked at him with a calm, almost pitiful smile.
"So… do you admit now that my skills are just a little bit above yours?"
Liu Ziqiang wanted to scream. To say something. But his throat was dry, and the words felt hollow before they even formed.
What could he possibly say?
0 to 18.
Not even the most shameless excuse could salvage that.
Jiang Chen clapped his hands clean, turned away without another glance, and left the court with Lin Yuechan walking quietly beside him.
The school bell rang.
Lin Yuechan returned to class, her eyes bright and full of unspoken admiration.
But Jiang Chen didn't head for class.
He wasn't in the mood for textbooks or lectures.
His mind was elsewhere—on pill refinement.
To temper his physique and break through to the Innate Realm, he still needed medicinal materials.
And materials meant money.
Jiang Chen looked up at the sky and sighed lightly.
"It seems I need to make some cash—fast."