Just like a gorgeous woman in black stockings and Valentino heels walking into a room full of men, Li Fei drew the leering eyes of every guy in the gym the moment he stepped inside.
"Damn, those legs are huge, and his arms are so long."
"A center over 7'2". Jason wasn't exaggerating."
"That wingspan is ridiculous. It looks like he could reach the rim without even going on tiptoe."
"But he looks kind of skinny, and he's Asian."
"Is he really as athletic as Jason said?"
"..."
The Golden Bears players chattered among themselves, their eyes drifting toward Green Stewart.
He stood 6'10" and weighed 242 pounds.
A powerful physique and a blue-collar game.
He was a cornerstone of the UCLA Golden Bears.
"Don't look at me."
Stewart didn't feel that his starting-center spot was in jeopardy. In a hoarse voice, he said, "Length isn't everything. What matters is strength."
Not long after,
Head coach Todd Bozeman arrived at the gym.
The moment he saw Li Fei, he turned to Jason Kidd and said, "Take him to the hospital and get him checked out. We can't put this off."
Coach Todd was convinced that the kid was definitely suffering from gigantism.
There were normal people over 7'2".
But Li Fei's enormous hands!
And those arms that reached his knees!
How could he possibly be normal?
However,
A moment later,
Coach Todd fell silent, too.
Li Fei dribbled the ball, took a step in front of the free-throw line, and leaped off one foot.
A 360-degree spin in place, followed by a one-handed tomahawk dunk.
Bam!
His very first warm-up shot stunned the entire gym.
"Just one step from the free-throw line!"
"No run-up, and he hasn't even warmed up!"
"Am I seeing things? He just went straight up for a 360?"
"And he just threw down a casual dunk. He wasn't even going all out."
"..."
Stewart furrowed his brow.
"Coach, are we still taking him to the hospital?" Kidd asked his coach.
"I meant Stewart."
Todd pointed at Stewart. "You look like you've caught a cold."
Stewart: ⚆_⚆???
An instant cold?
"Li Fei, right?"
Coach Todd walked over to Li Fei. "Ready?"
"No problem!"
"Change into your gear and warm up with the others. I'll put you through the tryout myself in a bit."
"Yes, sir!"
Then, the moment Li Fei took off his shirt,
Coach Todd's eyes lit up!
The whole gym erupted in another uproar.
Those dense, tightly packed abs!
Those bulging biceps, veins standing out!
Those shoulders, as broad as the Pacific Ocean!
A masterpiece, chiseled as if by a sculptor!
And you call that skinny???
You never know how strong a guy is beneath his hoodie, just as you never know how big a girl's headlights are beneath her school uniform.
Coach Todd was so excited his heart was pounding.
Just as Kidd had described,
Li Fei really was a 7'2" Muscle Man!
Then Li Fei joined the others for shuttle-run warm-ups.
Of course, the shuttle run was also a test of Li Fei's speed.
Big players were generally at a disadvantage in shuttle runs.
But then—
"What the hell?"
"Are you kidding me?"
The coaching staff beside Coach Todd stared in utter confusion.
Li Fei's shuttle-run speed was every bit as good as anyone else's. He even matched Jason Kidd, the 6'4" point guard.
For big men, the hardest part was turning after reaching the baseline. Their massive bodies and thick joints put their agility to the ultimate test.
Every time Li Fei's huge foot hit the floor, his ankle twisted sharply, as if it were on the verge of rolling. Yet, with each deafening squeal of rubber against hardwood, he came through unscathed and shot forward like an arrow loosed from a bow.
"Good Lord, his ankles must be made of Titanium Alloy."
Coach Todd swallowed. "He can bend them that far and still come out without a scratch."
On the final lap of the shuttle run, Li Fei took long strides and left Jason Kidd behind.
Speed and agility, fully on display.
And this—
Was only an appetizer.
The tryout officially began.
Every part of Li Fei's performance challenged the group's understanding of the limits of the human body.
First,
At 7'4", with an 8'0" wingspan and hands measuring 11.2 inches across,
His standing reach was 10 feet!
Hard to picture?
Li Fei could touch the rim just by stretching out his arm, without even going on tiptoe.
His length stunned the entire gym!
But seeing everyone's astonishment, Li Fei smiled faintly. "I've got an even longer asset. You'll only see it when we're all showering together."
Next, during the athletic testing, Li Fei demonstrated:
[Shoulders level with the rim]
[Two-handed? No—one-handed dunk at rim level with a bent arm]
[Touching the top of the backboard]
[445-pound bench press]
With a 10-foot-0-inch standing reach and a 37-inch vertical leap, Li Fei could get his shoulders level with the rim.
He could even reach that legendary spot.
[Top of the backboard]
Plenty of superstar centers throughout history had been hyped as being able to touch the top of the backboard.
But the truth was—
Not one of them had managed it.
But now, a person who could do it
Had been born!
Beyond his leaping ability, Li Fei's strength was even more astonishing.
What did a 445-pound bench press mean?
That was only 17 pounds less than Shaq's.
But let's not forget that Li Fei had an 8-foot wingspan, which severely lowered the amount he could bench!
Li Fei's actual upper-body strength was terrifying.
And his elbows and wrists were as hard as steel!
"Let's gather the entire coaching staff at the church to pray."
After the tryout measurements ended, Coach Todd spoke to his staff in a trembling voice.
"This has to be a blessing from God!"
The University of California, Berkeley was already a formidable team, with point guard Jason Kidd, one of the top contenders for the first overall pick.
They also had Lamond Murray, a small forward who averaged 20 points per game and was a sure-fire lottery pick.
In last season's March Madness, they had even beaten the Duke Blue Devils, ending Duke's dream of a Three-Peat.
But they had lost to the champion North Carolina Tar Heels in the Elite Eight.
The reason was that their frontcourt was too thin.
At 6'10", Stewart could dominate in conference play.
But in the talent-packed March Madness, he clearly wasn't enough.
A floor general in Kidd, a scoring ace in Murray, and a Muscle Man at center in Li Fei!
That lineup opened up endless possibilities.
Coach Todd had every reason to believe
The California Golden Bears could reach the "summit" this year!
"Coach, the physical tests are done. It's time for the skills test, right?"
Li Fei was eager to get started.
He still wanted to show off his guard skills.
The Four Centers? No!
The Four Shooting Guards? Yes!
Coach Todd smiled. He'd also heard Kidd say that Li Fei played like a guard.
He had a good touch and some three-point range.
He was even fairly skilled at dribbling!
But Coach Todd wasn't concerned.
Young guys all liked to imitate Michael Jordan's smooth, graceful style.
But time would teach them to appreciate the appeal of playing in the post.
"Testing every skill separately is too much of a hassle. We can assess your game directly in a scrimmage."
Coach Todd glanced at Stewart. "Your cold's gone, right? We all want to see you go toe-to-toe with Li in a real one-on-one."
Stewart's eyes went wide.
₍•Д•)!!
You say I've got a cold, and suddenly I've got a cold.
So it really is an instant cold!
After watching Li Fei's entire tryout, Stewart had already realized how big the gap was.
He'd thought he could still win through strength.
But Li Fei's 445-pound bench press had extinguished that hope in a flash.
"Coach, if you want me to give up the starting-center spot, you can just say so."
Stewart's gaze was earnest. "I'll do my best in the backup center role."
Before you continue