A Silent Court

Kanagawa Gymnasium.

At this moment, the basketball arena was as if time had stopped, utterly silent.

Everyone's gaze was fixed on the figure who stood out exceptionally from the crowd.

The players from Miuradai's team were filled with dread.

The spectators' mouths hung open, their faces a mixture of shock, astonishment, disbelief, and incredulity.

Aida Yayoi, busy capturing footage, seemed to have forgotten to press the shutter button on her camera.

She stared blankly at Qing Junce below, a look of lingering shock on her face.

Standing beside her, Nakamura Taizo pointed at Qing Junce. "This... this... this..."

His mouth opened and closed, then opened and closed again, as if he wanted to say something but couldn't form a complete sentence.

Aida Yayoi collected herself, and a spark of intelligence flashed in her eyes.

She secretly rejoiced that she had made the right decision to come here.

Shohoku had produced an incredible genius.

She made a silent decision that as soon as the game ended, she would definitely go to Shohoku for an exclusive interview.

After an unknown amount of time, the gymnasium finally erupted with deafening cheers and shouts.

"Ah... what did I just see?"

"Am I dreaming?"

"Was that real just now?"

"Who exactly is this number 9 from Shohoku?"

"So fast, he can run that fast while dribbling."

"He's the fastest dribbler I've ever seen."

The crowd was in an uproar.

Although the number of spectators wasn't large, the intensity of their cheers was no less than that of a sold-out stadium.

The ones who remained relatively calm were the members of the Ryonan team, who had already witnessed Qing Junce's strength.

Even so, when they saw Qing Junce's speed in shaking off the Miuradai players, they couldn't help but swallow.

Aida Kenichi's fingers trembled with excitement as he pointed at Qing Junce below, his voice quivering, "G-gosh! His... his speed is even faster than during the practice match!"

Sendoh's expression was grave as he slowly said, "It's not that it's faster, it's that he wasn't using his full strength before. I just wonder how much strength he used this time?"

The Ryonan team members fell silent upon hearing this.

Their apprehension towards Qing Junce deepened several notches.

On the court.

Qing Junce slowly turned around, a slight smile playing on his lips, revealing a row of white teeth, his face wearing a confident and flamboyant grin.

He walked past the Miuradai players with such composure.

The Miuradai players' eyes followed him closely, but not a single one dared to provoke him.

The scene just now had cast a lingering shadow over the hearts of the Miuradai players.

At this moment, they felt a heavy weight in their chests, as if a mountain had been placed upon them.

Back in Shohoku's half.

Mitsui Hisashi looked at Qing Junce and couldn't help but speak, "You, you bastard."

His gaze held a complex mix of emotions.

He had already experienced Qing Junce's power.

But the strength Qing Junce was now displaying still unsettled him.

Qing Junce replied indifferently, "That's why you should just pass me the ball."

Although Akagi Takenori and the others were annoyed, they had no grounds to refute him.

After all, on the basketball court, strength was the ultimate authority.

Qing Junce's power forced them to admit that he indeed deserved more ball possession.

The game restarted.

Miuradai initiated their offense again.

This time, they focused most of their attention on Qing Junce.

Especially Miyamoto Kazunari, who had been responsible for defending Qing Junce earlier, his eyes were wide like copper bells, staring intently at Qing Junce, not daring to slack off in the slightest.

However, Qing Junce's speed and agility far exceeded their imagination.

Right under Miyamoto Kazunari's nose, Qing Junce's figure gradually blurred, faded, and disappeared.

Disappeared?

Miyamoto Kazunari's heart leaped, and he quickly began searching everywhere.

Seeing the basketball still in his teammate's hands, he finally relaxed a little, but he still prepared to warn his teammate.

"Careful, Captain, that guy..." His words stopped abruptly before he could finish.

He saw Murasame Kengo dribbling the ball. Before he could even cross half-court, he felt a gust of wind sweep past him, and then, the ball in his hands suddenly felt empty.

Murasame Kengo's heart tightened. He quickly looked down and found that the basketball was already gone.

Where's the ball?

Bang...

At the same time, the sound of the basketball hitting the ground came from behind him.

He turned his head in horror.

The familiar Shohoku #9 jersey met his eyes again.

It's him again.

"Damn it," Murasame Kengo cursed under his breath and immediately gave chase.

However, the result was the same as before.

No matter how desperately he chased, that white figure moved further and further away from him.

"This is so frustrating! Why is he so fast?" Murasame Kengo gritted his teeth, bloodshot veins appearing in his eyes.

Kawasaki Akio, the Center for Miuradai, saw this and quickly moved to block Qing Junce's path.

Murasame Kengo, the Center for Miuradai, saw this and quickly rushed forward, blocking Qing Junce's path.

The other Miuradai players also heightened their vigilance, staring intently at their assigned targets, afraid that Qing Junce would seize the opportunity to pass.

But they were clearly worrying too much.

At this moment, Qing Junce had no intention of passing in his mind.

In almost an instant, he rushed to Kawasaki Akio's front.

"You're not getting past," Kawasaki Akio shouted, quickly lowering his stance and spreading his arms, attempting to use his body to pressure Qing Junce.

However, his defense was like nothing against Qing Junce.

Qing Junce's speed didn't slow down at all. He suddenly stopped in front of Kawasaki Akio, then executed a smooth and flashy spin, instantly creating half a body's distance between himself and Kawasaki Akio.

Qing Junce calmly slipped past Kawasaki Akio.

By the time Kawasaki Akio reacted, it was already too late.

He turned around with a shocked expression, silently marveling, So fast, I couldn't even react.

After breaking through Kawasaki Akio, there were no more obstacles in front of Qing Junce.

He charged into the paint again, leaped high, and delivered another one-handed slam dunk.

Clang...

The ball went through the net.

Shohoku 39 vs. Miuradai 44.

"Damn it! Where did this guy come from?" Murasame Kengo wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, his heart trembling slightly as he thought.

The Miuradai coach could no longer sit still. He stood up and shouted, "What are you guys doing? Our goal is the king Kainan! Don't let that guy get the ball again! Have you forgotten everything I taught you?"

Hearing their coach's reprimand, the Miuradai players regained their composure.

Murasame Kengo exchanged a look with his teammates, who understood.

Miuradai inbounded the ball again.

This time, they attacked with extreme caution, afraid that Qing Junce would suddenly jump out and steal the ball from them.

Araki Kazuo passed the ball to Murasame Kengo just before the half-court line.

Murasame Kengo glanced at Qing Junce's position and deliberately passed the ball to Kawasaki Akio, who was further away.

After a series of careful passes, Miuradai successfully brought the ball across half-court.

Kawasaki Akio reached the Shohoku three-point line and encountered strong resistance from Akagi Takenori.

He didn't try to go head-to-head with Akagi Takenori. Instead, he quickly passed the ball to their Shooting Guard, Takatsu Hiroshi.

"Shoot quickly," Murasame Kengo urged.

Takatsu Hiroshi was in a great position.

Mitsui Hisashi was still more than a step away from him, and there were no other Shohoku players around.

Takatsu Hiroshi knew this was a rare opportunity. Without any hesitation, he jumped and shot.

"Damn, a step too slow," Mitsui Hisashi cursed inwardly.

However, just then, a white figure suddenly appeared like a phantom, blocking the space between Mitsui Hisashi and Takatsu Hiroshi.

At the same time, a provocative voice rang out.

"Who are you looking down on!" Qing Junce said, then jumped directly in front of Takatsu Hiroshi.

Immediately after, he swung his palm, fiercely swatting away the basketball Takatsu Hiroshi had thrown.

How could this be?

How did he get here?

Murasame Kengo's eyes widened, his face filled with disbelief.

He had just confirmed Qing Junce's position, but in the blink of an eye, Qing Junce had appeared in front of Takatsu Hiroshi.

The moment Qing Junce successfully blocked Takatsu Hiroshi, everyone from Miuradai shuddered violently.

What kind of monster was this?

The Ryonan members in the stands also swallowed hard.

"That guy is too much!" Koshino Hiroaki exclaimed in shock.

Ikegami Ryoji couldn't help but say, "He's simply not human!"

Aida Kenichi had completely forgotten about taking notes. His eyes were fixed on Qing Junce below, his face full of admiration and shock as he muttered, "Amazing, simply amazing."

Uozumi's expression grew even more solemn.

If Shohoku kept winning, they would eventually meet Ryonan.

At that time, how could they possibly contain this guy?

It seemed they would need to have a good discussion with the coach when they got back and devise a strategy specifically for him.

On the court.

After the basketball was swatted away by Qing Junce, Miyagi Ryota successfully retrieved it.

He immediately dribbled the ball and charged towards Miuradai's basket.

Seeing this, Araki Kazuo quickly followed closely behind Miyagi Ryota.

Miyagi Ryota's eyes darted around rapidly, searching for an opportunity to pass.

However, the other Shohoku players were tightly guarded by Miuradai's players, making it impossible to find a suitable passing lane.

Miyagi Ryota hardened his heart and decided to shoot himself.

He made a series of quick changes in direction, shaking off Araki Kazuo, and then drove into Miuradai's paint.

Before Araki Kazuo could catch up, Miyagi Ryota leaped high and shot.

But...

Clang...

The basketball hit the rim and didn't go in.

Miyagi Ryota's mouth twitched slightly.

The Miuradai players all let out a collective sigh of relief.

However, just then.

Qing Junce, like a phantom, suddenly appeared under Miuradai's basket.

He leaped high, caught the rebounding basketball in mid-air, and without losing momentum, swung his arm and dunked the ball behind him.

Clang...

Under everyone's gaze, Qing Junce completed an alley-oop behind-the-back dunk.

Shohoku 41 to Miuradai 44.

Qing Junce landed steadily on the ground.

The entire venue fell silent once more.

The gym, which already had few spectators, was now eerily quiet.