Chi Tong's Growth Over the Past Year

Luckily, Chi Tong was still Chi Tong.

As I said before, I only wanted to take a year off.

Shi Tong spoke calmly and offered no further explanation.

Sendoh did not press him. He simply nodded, then turned to Shendai Liufei beside him and greeted her casually.

"Hey, Shendai. I didn't expect you to come to Ryonan with Chi Tong too."

Shendai Liufei smiled slightly and returned the greeting politely.

"To me, it makes no difference where I go. I don't know anyone at the other schools, so I might as well come to Ryonan with Chi Tong."

"Haha, is that so?"

Sento chuckled, his tone carrying a hint of apology. After all, he had been the one to call and invite Chi Tong to Ryonan, even if it had only been a suggestion.

"Oh, right." Sendoh suddenly changed the subject, his tone becoming somewhat serious.

"Saint Radiance really didn't win the championship after all?"

He was asking about Saint Radiance's third-year students. If Chi Tong had still been at Saint Radiance Middle School, there was no way they could have failed to win the championship. Yet the school that had taken the title in the end was not Saint Radiance. That was when Sendoh knew Chi Tong truly did not care whether Saint Radiance's third-years won the championship.

Chi Tong's expression remained unchanged as he replied evenly.

"That has nothing to do with me anymore."

There was no regret in his voice, nor did he offer any further explanation.

There it was again. That feeling surfaced once more.

Standing beside Chi Tong, Sendoh could not help muttering inwardly.

He could sense that Chi Tong was still the same Chi Tong. That calmness, confidence, and air of total control were all still there.

But at the same time, an unprecedented sense of unfamiliarity had quietly begun to grow around Chi Tong. It was an indescribable, contradictory aura.

In truth, it was also because Chi Tong had grown over the past year.

During that year, Chi Tong's rate of growth had been nothing short of terrifying.

The once calm and aloof youth had now transformed into someone impossible to ignore.

At sixteen, he had already reached 185 centimeters in height and 79 kilograms in weight. His build was well-proportioned yet explosive, and every movement carried a maturity and oppressive presence that did not belong to someone his age.

What was even more astonishing was the progress of his talent development. He could now use 80% to 90% of his talent. That meant his court vision, judgment, speed, and control of tempo had nearly reached perfection. Every pass, every drive, every defensive play was like manipulating the threads of fate, firmly pulling the entire game into his rhythm.

However, he still had no clue about that legendary realm. Even so, with his current strength, if he went all out, he would be almost unmatched among people his age.

Even more remarkable was that Chi Tong's long-troubling issue of split personalities had also found a temporary solution over the past year.

It was only temporary because, during one struggle between the two consciousnesses for control of the body, the two completely different personalities had ultimately each taken half of the dominant control.

That was also why Sendoh had often felt, during that period, that Chi Tong seemed to become a different person from time to time.

For that very reason, Chi Tong chose to leave the Basketball Club for a year, solely to completely resolve the chaos between his two personalities.

During that year, he had finally found a balance between them.

Now, he could switch between the playstyles of his two personalities at any time without affecting his own strength.

That was why Chi Tong now always carried such a contradictory aura.

It could be said that Chi Tong's body was now jointly controlled by his first and second personalities.

"I'll take you to register directly. Coach is probably dying to meet you already."

Sendoh said with a smile, his tone carrying a touch of teasing.

With that, he turned and led Chi Tong and Shendai Liufei toward the basketball gym.

"You weren't just waiting for Chi Tong alone, were you?"

Shendai Liufei tilted her head slightly, a trace of curiosity in her voice.

Sendoh smiled. His tone was relaxed, yet it carried a deeper meaning.

"Of course not. Lingnan High School is quite famous in Shidaikawa too. It's just that this year, everyone is most looking forward to Chi Tong."

But as he said this, he suddenly slowed down.

He moved closer to Chi Tong and lowered his voice, sounding apologetic and helpless.

"Because of some things before, everyone's attitude toward you might not be very friendly. There may be some trouble once we get to the basketball gym."

He did not put it too bluntly, but Chi Tong understood.

Everyone in the Basketball Club already knew that someone named Chi Tong was coming. They had only heard Sendoh talk about how formidable Chi Tong was, so naturally, the players were unconvinced. Once they reached the basketball gym, they would definitely make things difficult for Chi Tong. Sendoh had not expected that either.

Chi Tong's expression remained calm. He did not take Sendoh's warning to heart at all. If anything, it was exactly what he wanted.

He had not come here to be a good little boy. What he needed was authority. He did not want his team to experience the same situation as when he was a first-year middle school student. To prevent that from happening, the only way was to take control of the team himself. And to achieve that, the best choice was to crush everyone with absolute strength.

At the same time, the squeaking of basketball shoes against the floor echoed throughout Lin Nan High School's basketball gym. A group of boys in white jerseys with black trim were sweating through their daily training.

They were the current members of Lingnan High School's Basketball Club.

"I heard someone incredibly impressive is coming today. Is that true?"

Yueye Hongming wiped away his sweat as he could not help asking, his tone filled with undisguised curiosity and interest.

The moment he spoke, the players around him immediately became interested.

They had heard about this before.

Uekusa Tomoyuki frowned, looking utterly confused.

"You mean Sento's teammate from middle school?"

"Wasn't that still unconfirmed?"

He clearly had not fully believed it yet.

Hearing that, Yueye Hongming rolled his eyes speechlessly. "Come on, Coach specifically had Sento call and invite him. Don't tell me you still don't know about that?"

Coach had asked Sento in front of everyone. How could this guy have forgotten?

Ikegami Ryoji tilted his head and thought for a moment before suddenly speaking. "I just saw Sendoh go out. He probably went to pick him up, right?"

He paused, and a serious glint flashed in his eyes.

"But then again, if he's someone Sendoh invited, he should be really strong, right?"

As he said that, he suddenly turned his gaze toward Uekusa.

Ikegami's lips curved slightly as he teased, "Hey, Uekusa, it seems that guy plays the same position as you. Your starting spot might not be safe anymore!"

The moment those words fell, the entire court went silent for several seconds, as if the air had frozen.

Uekusa Tomoyuki's expression instantly darkened, but he did not argue. He merely tightened his grip on the towel in his hand and said quietly, "Then let him prove it with his strength!"