Chapter 71: The Victor

Liu Qingyan remained quiet, yet before long, she was already hearing many disappointed voices around her. There was no need to check the scores; she knew that Modern High School was several points behind Hope High School. No wonder her schoolmates were reacting this way.

Oh, Zhang Pu, is he still not planning to step in?

A strange urge welled up within Liu Qingyan, so strong she almost wanted to walk onto the court and ask Zhang Pu directly: "Are you going to play or not? If you’re not, I might as well leave now. Rather than wait here to watch our inevitable defeat, it would be better to save my time."

Of course, Liu Qingyan would never actually do such a thing. Even if these were just fleeting thoughts, she would feel ashamed of them afterward. Such impulses were beneath the dignity of her noble image.

Zhang Pu himself finally realized that if he didn't act soon, the Modern High School team would have no hope of turning the game around. Although his teammates were far from the likes of Wei Kai, Huang Xiangquan, or Wang Xing from his own class—mere decorative talents—they faced opponents from Hope High School whose basketball skills were simply overwhelming. That the Modern High School team was losing to them was, on reflection, not so unjust.

Suddenly, Zhang Pu moved—

One of the opposing players was holding the ball tightly, leaving seemingly no gap to exploit. But Zhang Pu, using a minor cultivation technique known as the Celestial Eye, instantly spotted an opportunity. Activating another spell, Wind Step, he appeared beside the player as if by magic, unnoticed by all. As for his skill at stealing the ball, no one here could rival him.

"Another point for Modern High School—scored by Zhang Pu!"

Who first shouted those words no longer mattered by the time it was over.

For a moment, Liu Qingyan rubbed her eyes, as if she couldn’t believe what she had seen.

"Was that too fast just now? I didn’t catch a thing," she murmured in surprise, almost talking to herself.

Though her voice was low, a girl beside her heard it.

"Exactly!" the girl—there to cheer for their school—picked up Liu Qingyan's words without a second thought, unaware of her deeper musings. Like everyone else, she thought they were all united in support of their team. "Zhang Pu’s move was just amazing! It was so quick, no one could see it clearly. He finally played at that extraordinary level he shows in school matches. We might actually have a chance to turn things around!"

Following this comment, Liu Qingyan and the other girls around her, not wanting to be left out, all began to praise Zhang Pu at once, their admiration as transparent as the ambitions of Sima Zhao, evident to all.

Liu Qingyan, a little surprised, discreetly observed the girls around her. Each had her own charm. She couldn’t help but reflect: Now that Zhang Pu is famous for playing basketball, so many girls are sending him secret signals of affection—and she herself hadn’t even noticed.

But it wasn’t just the girls who were excited about Zhang Pu. The boys, too, were swept up in the excitement he brought. They were there for the game, and whoever played brilliantly became their idol—regardless of looks or gender.

Zhang Pu continued to use his cultivation spells, repeatedly dazzling the court. He seemed unstoppable, as if the basketball court had become his private domain—who could oppose him now?

As Zhang Pu scored several more points for Modern High School, narrowing the gap with Hope High School, someone on the opposing team who had been silently watching him suddenly felt defeated.

"My God! What did I just witness? Or did I actually see nothing at all? What is happening?" At that moment, Wu Yu’s heart was pounding and trembling.

If it weren’t for the normal running on the court, Wu Yu would have thought he was losing his mind.

He was truly shaken.

He couldn’t understand how Zhang Pu had suddenly changed into a completely different person. If not for his solid nerves, Wu Yu might have screamed aloud in panic: "Ah! He’s a ghost, a ghost…"

And then, in terror, he would have fled the court without a backward glance.

Zhang Pu’s sudden resurgence not only commanded the full attention of his own teammates, but also became the sole focus of the opposing team.

It’s often the case that a true master will lull their opponents into complacency at first—this, some of the basketball stars from Hope High School understood well.

And now, to them, Zhang Pu was precisely such a master.

None of them ever suspected Zhang Pu might be using anything out of the ordinary. Though they were skilled at basketball, they were just ordinary people, unable to detect any trickery on his part.

With one exception: Liu Qingyan.

No doubt about it—he had finally made his move! Yet the spells he used seemed both similar and different to the ones I’ve learned...

At this point, Liu Qingyan only spoke to herself in her heart, not daring to utter a word. After what had just happened, she was on her guard; this was the spectator area, surrounded by people. Her earlier slip could be passed off as excitement, but anything further might betray her secrets—something she was unwilling to risk.

On the court, even though some of Hope High School’s seasoned players realized Zhang Pu had been hiding his true strength, it was too late to react. Once Zhang Pu unleashed his power, even their best could not prevent their lead from being overtaken.

Wu Yu finally lost all hope.

Now, as before by Lake Weiming, he became a nervous wreck, like a stray dog. Worse, he even made a bad pass.

Soon after Wu Yu requested to be substituted, Hope High School’s score was completely surpassed by Modern High School.

Hope High School was utterly defeated, unable to recover.

Amid deafening cheers on that side, Wu Yu slipped away from the crowd, still gripped by fear, as if worried Zhang Pu might come after him later.

Unlike Wu Yu, the other top players from Hope High School, though dejected by their defeat, humbly approached Zhang Pu to shake his hand, offering their congratulations and seeking his guidance, their admiration sincere.

Zhang Pu was intoxicated by this unusual happiness, basking in the adoration of his former rivals.

Only Liu Qingyan, watching from afar, felt speechless at his shamelessness.

She knew all too well that Zhang Pu’s victory had nothing to do with basketball skills at all.