Welcome to the Sovereign Era, Li Fei III Sneakers!

"Don't let your guard down,"

Li Fei cautioned. "Scottie's threat isn't his scoring, but his post game and passing. Limit his ability to connect the whole team and force Karl Malone or the others into isolation plays, and we'll already be halfway to winning."

With the tactical arrangements complete, the players began making their individual preparations. A grim, murderous atmosphere spread through the locker room.

Thirty minutes before the game, the players filed out of the locker room and headed through the tunnel to the court for their final warm-ups.

A fateful encounter took place.

Li Fei and Barkley ran into each other at the corner of the tunnel.

The instant they saw one another, the seriousness on both their faces turned into smiles.

They opened their arms and gave each other a hard, manly hug, their chests colliding with a muffled thud.

"Hey, kid, congratulations. That IPO went pretty well."

Barkley patted Li Fei on the back and said in his deep voice, "But your shoes are seriously expensive. Even I, your endorser, feel the pinch buying them myself."

Li Fei burst out laughing. "Charles, the endorsement fee I pay you is enough to buy a whole block of houses in Houston. You're still worried about the cost of a few pairs of shoes?"

The two laughed at each other, the mood light and pleasant. But when they separated and their gazes met, invisible sparks seemed to crackle in the air. It was the language of elite competitors—nothing needed to be said. They both understood.

"Once we're on the court, I won't go easy on you," Barkley said quietly.

"Likewise." The corner of Li Fei's mouth lifted slightly.

They brushed past each other and headed toward opposite ends of the court.

Soon after, Kobe Bryant emerged from the locker