Breaking the Zero-Point Curse

Kanagawa Gymnasium.

Inside the venue for the Group B finals.

"Shoyo! Shoyo! Shoyo!"

The Shoyo cheerleaders screamed at the top of their lungs, desperately cheering for their team as they had before.

But for some reason, their cheers sounded a bit weak, several decibels lower than before.

On the court, the Shoyo players' gazes were all fixed on the figure in the Number 9 Jersey of Shohoku.

Except for Fujima Kenji and Hanagata Toru, the others on Shoyo had heard about Qing Junce's exploits, either from the two of them or through various reports.

Takano Shoichi stared intently at Qing Junce, his expression wary, and muttered to himself, "This is Qing Junce? He plays the same position as me, Power Forward. Both the Captain and Hanagata warned me that this guy is tough to deal with."

Nagano Mitsuru also grumbled inwardly. "Is this the rookie who's even better than Rukawa Kaede?!"

Hasegawa Kazushi bolstered himself. "No matter who's on the other side, I just need to guard my own target and shut down Mitsui."

Fujima Kenji's face was serious, his aura instantly sharpening, and his focus became even more intense than usual, looking like he was facing a formidable enemy.

Hanagata Toru, peering through his glasses, fixed his sharp gaze on Qing Junce, scoffing inwardly. "No matter how strong he is, a 20-point deficit isn't something you can easily catch up. We're not Tsukitake, we won't let you run wild."

On the Shohoku side.

Akagi Takenori cleanly passed the ball to Qing Junce.

Thump...

Thump...

Thump...

Qing Junce dribbled the ball slowly forward, appearing very relaxed, as if he were just taking a stroll.

Yet, this seemingly casual action pressed down on the Shoyo players like an invisible mountain, heavy and suffocating.

The pressure came without reason, yet it was palpable, making each of them feel slightly breathless.

Fujima Kenji's expression changed instantly, his heart churning like a lake disturbed by a massive boulder.

When he had watched Qing Junce play from the stands before, he hadn't felt anything particularly special.

But now, standing on the court and facing Qing Junce directly, he inexplicably felt a sense of being looked down upon from above.

He hadn't even felt this way facing Maki Shinichi of Kainan.

What a joke.

They hadn't even clashed yet, so why was he feeling this pressure?

Fujima Kenji had already rated Qing Junce's threat level very highly, but he hadn't expected it to be so far beyond his predictions.

The other Shoyo players felt similarly.

Hanagata Toru had harbored some hope earlier, believing the 20-point lead was a sure win.

But now, his expression was also shifting, uncertain.

A 20-point lead, under normal circumstances, against any team, was almost equivalent to a guaranteed victory.

But for some reason, standing before Qing Junce now, he inexplicably felt that this 20-point lead wasn't so secure.

Thump...

Thump...

Thump...

Qing Junce continued to dribble the ball at his own pace, his eyes sweeping over the Shoyo players like searchlights.

His posture was casual and unrestrained, a smirk playing on his lips as he revealed a rebellious smile. "Shoyo... I hope you won't disappoint me!"

As soon as he spoke, the Shoyo players' faces darkened instantly.

Too arrogant.

Too presumptuous.

Too dismissive.

He didn't put them in his eyes at all.

In an instant, a nameless rage flared up from the depths of the Shohoku players' hearts.

Takano Shoichi's face turned red with anger. He lunged forward, firmly blocking Qing Junce, and roared, "Arrogant brat, I'll take you on."

Qing Junce looked up, his gaze drifting casually to Takano Shoichi, his expression calm, and he simply said, "Then, let's begin!"

Thump...

Thump...

Thump...

The sound of the basketball hitting the floor abruptly stopped.

The moment the sound vanished, Qing Junce shot off to the left like a black afterimage.

So fast.

Takano Shoichi's pupils constricted sharply, a wave of panic surging through his heart.

But he reacted quickly, stepping heavily to his right, attempting to block Qing Junce's breakthrough path.

However, in the very next second, Qing Junce's low-slung posture to the left remained unchanged, but his breakthrough move suddenly shifted.

He spun sharply to the left, his body rotating like a top, and in the blink of an eye, he flashed past Takano Shoichi's right side.

A strong gust of wind whistled past his left. Takano Shoichi's expression changed drastically, his eyes widening in shock. "What a fast spin, I couldn't react at all."

At this moment, his center of gravity was entirely shifted to the right, and he could only watch from his peripheral vision as Qing Junce's afterimage flashed by.

The other players from Shoyo were equally shocked, but they suppressed their astonishment and hurriedly reacted.

Fujima Kenji and Hanagata Toru quickly formed two defensive lines, one firmly blocking the front of the three-point line, and the other standing guard in front of the paint.

Nagano Mitsuru and Hasegawa Kazushi were also fully focused, ready to assist in defense at any moment, doing their best to stop Qing Junce's fierce attack.

Whoosh…

On the basketball court, Qing Junce, without any warning, instantly transformed into an incredibly dazzling red lightning bolt, carrying a surging momentum, and streaked towards Shoyo's half of the court like lightning.

For a moment, the spectators seemed to hear a crisp "snap."

Immediately after, that striking red figure had already ghost-like appeared in front of Shoyo's three-point line.

Seeing this, Fujima Kenji's pupils contracted rapidly, and a large bead of cold sweat silently trickled down his cheek.

Too fast.

It was simply too fast.

Although he managed to catch a glimpse of Qing Junce, at that critical moment, his body felt frozen.

He knew clearly that it was because the opponent's speed was beyond imagination, and his own reaction speed couldn't keep up.

Fortunately, Fujima Kenji had been locked onto Qing Junce the entire time, which barely gave him a little precious reaction time.

He quickly spread his arms like a taut net, his gaze sharp, staring intently at Qing Junce's every move, not missing any detail.

At the same time, Nagano Mitsuru also seized the opportunity, rushing over like a whirlwind, intending to cooperate with Fujima Kenji to double-team Qing Junce and limit his movements.

But Qing Junce paid no attention to this, the corners of his mouth curling up slightly, revealing a playful smile.

His sprinting motion, which was like an arrow released from a bow, suddenly stopped. He planted himself as if nailed to the ground, stopping steadily in front of Fujima Kenji.

At this moment, Fujima Kenji and Qing Junce seemed to become two statues, standing still.

Their eyes met, and the surrounding space seemed to freeze, time itself appearing to stop.

Fujima Kenji seized the opportunity and suddenly thrust out his palm, swiftly swatting at the basketball in Qing Junce's hands.

However, in the very next second, Qing Junce was like a supercharged engine, his speed instantly soaring from 0 to Max.

He turned into a blurred afterimage, disappearing without a trace from Fujima Kenji's vision in the blink of an eye.

And in the instant Qing Junce's figure vanished, in Fujima Kenji's eyes, it was replaced by the increasingly focused face of Nagano Mitsuru, filled with shock.

The two stared at each other, both with expressions of bewilderment.

Bang…

Just as Fujima Kenji's mind was occupied by Qing Junce's ghostly disappearance, a crisp and sudden dribble sound exploded unexpectedly from behind him.

Fujima Kenji knew he had been broken through by Qing Junce.

Without hesitation, he spun around abruptly, shouting, "Hanagata…"

At the same time, his feet sprang like coiled springs, and he quickly turned to cover, striving to block Qing Junce with Hanagata Toru.

In the blink of an eye, Fujima Kenji and Hanagata Toru, like two solid walls, successfully cornered Qing Junce between them.

This scene also drew gasps from the audience.

After all, a double-team on one player by Fujima Kenji and Hanagata Toru was something that had never happened before in the game.

At this moment, Qing Junce stood steadily between the three-point line and the free-throw line, like a trapped but fearless beast.

Feeling the pressure from Hanagata Toru in front of him and the crisis brought by Fujima Kenji rapidly approaching from behind, Qing Junce not only showed no panic but felt an irrepressible surge of excitement.

"This is what makes it fun." Qing Junce's smile grew brighter, and the light in his eyes instantly sharpened like an eagle's.

His footwork didn't stop, maintaining his rapid forward momentum. Just as everyone thought he was going to force his way through, he flicked his wrist, and the ball traced a bizarre arc behind him, completing a beautiful behind-the-back crossover.

Fujima Kenji and Hanagata Toru's gazes were drawn by an invisible force, subconsciously following the ball.

But before they could react, Qing Junce bent his knees slightly and performed another between-the-legs dribble, the ball darting backward like a nimble sprite.

Coincidentally, at this critical moment, Fujima Kenji arrived, pressing close.

The ball seemed to have calculated the timing perfectly, and it whistled through Fujima Kenji's legs.

In a flash, Qing Junce used this momentum, his feet pushing off forcefully. His body spun backward like a top, precisely maneuvering around Fujima Kenji behind him, and he firmly regained his position behind him.

At the same time, Qing Junce reached out and scooped up the basketball that had just passed through Fujima Kenji's legs, firmly controlling it in his hands.

At this moment, Qing Junce used Fujima Kenji's body as a natural shield, successfully blocking Hanagata Toru's obstruction.

As the entire audience watched, dumbfounded, Qing Junce bent his knees, leaped into the air, raised the basketball high, and shot.

The basketball followed his movement, tracing a somewhat awkward parabola through the air.

Swish...

The ball soared high over the heads of Fujima Kenji and Hanagata Toru, hitting the backboard directly before bouncing into the hoop amidst everyone's tense, held breaths.

The numbers on the electronic scoreboard then changed.

Shohoku 2, Shoyo 24.

After Qing Junce entered the game, Shohoku finally broke their zero-point curse.