Soaring Skyward

"Our team doesn't even have class uniforms. We're already losing to them in terms of presence!" Li Ke said, frowning as he looked over the mismatched jerseys on their side.

"Who knows where that wild little Wen Ting ran off to? She didn't even come watch me perform!" After speaking, Li Ke suddenly blurted out something completely unrelated. Zhu Zhan, Li Xue, Liu Yong, and the others exchanged speechless looks.

"Our class already used class funds to buy uniforms. We were just waiting for you guys to pick your numbers!" Li Xue said with a smile. She walked beneath the hoop and picked up a large plastic bag containing several neatly folded sky-blue jerseys.

"Blue? Not bad!" Li Ke nodded. "Pick yours! Liu Yong, you guys come find your jerseys too!"

Zhu Zhan and Liu Yong nodded and went over to rummage through the jerseys themselves.

"Little Zhan, there's a number one for you!" Li Xue immediately dug out a number one jersey from the bag and tossed it to Zhu Zhan with a smile.

Zhu Zhan had always chosen number one.

Since basketball scorebooks only listed numbers four through twelve, most other classes did not have a number one. He had not expected to actually see one on his class's jerseys.

"When I went to buy the jerseys, I told the owner to print the numbers however he liked, starting from one. There are seven boys in our class, so everyone gets a set—numbers one through seven. Is there a problem?" Seeing Zhu Zhan's delight, Li Xue widened her eyes and asked.

"No!" Zhu Zhan shook his head, took off his school team training jersey, and put on the blue number one uniform.

"It really looks like McGrady's jersey from his Orlando Magic days." Zhu Zhan turned around with satisfaction, inspecting his jersey.

At that moment, Zhu Zhan stood tall and lean on the court in a blue number one jersey, white school team training pants, and his most treasured McGrady II sneakers. He suddenly recalled what Jiang Shi had told him.

On the basketball court, play to your own rhythm instead of letting your opponent control it! Zhu Zhan smiled faintly and let out a deep breath.

"Tweet, tweet!" A sharp whistle suddenly sounded.

Zhu Zhan turned and saw a burly PE teacher blowing the whistle between his lips while beckoning toward Class 5 and Class 6 with both hands.

"Captains from both sides, come here!" PE teacher Zhang Jun called loudly as he lowered his whistle.

Naturally, Zhang Jian took the lead for Class 6, walking over with a gloomy expression.

"Little Zhan, you go!" Li Ke suddenly said after glancing at him.

"Huh?" Zhu Zhan looked at Li Ke in confusion.

"Go on. When you shake hands with that guy later, put a little more strength into it!" Li Ke said, his face reddening slightly.

Zhu Zhan froze for a moment, then immediately understood. Li Ke was afraid that when that boy shook hands with him later...

Zhu Zhan rolled his eyes at Li Ke. Li Ke awkwardly scratched his head and smiled.

Zhu Zhan slowly walked over and nodded to PE teacher Zhang Jun.

"Hello!" Zhu Zhan extended his right hand to Zhang Jian as well.

"Hmph!" Zhang Jian did not extend his hand. Staring at Zhu Zhan with dark eyes, he pointed at Li Ke and said, "That guy from your Class 5 has no manners!"

Zhu Zhan froze, even forgetting to pull back his outstretched hand.

He looked back at Li Ke and found him smiling amiably at Zhang Jian.

Zhang Jian was also frowning, glaring at Li Ke with eyes that seemed to spit fire.

An invisible current seemed to crackle between them.

These two aren't going to start fighting later, are they? Seeing Zhang Jian and Li Ke poised for a confrontation, a frightening thought rose in Zhu Zhan's mind.

"Ahem!" PE teacher Zhang Jun coughed.

He was an experienced man and immediately sensed the subtle tension between the two teams. He coughed and said, "Each class, send one person here to work the scoreboard. Then both sides can make a brief introduction, and the game can begin!"

After PE teacher Zhang Jun finished explaining, he pointed at the scoreboard placed in the middle of the court's sideline and signaled with his eyes that Zhu Zhan and Zhang Jian could begin.

"Hmph!" Zhang Jian snorted. Without shaking Zhu Zhan's hand, he gritted his teeth and walked back to his side.

Zhu Zhan rolled his eyes. Zhang Jian and Li Ke really were like two needlepoints meeting.

Zhu Zhan returned to his own side as well.

Class 5's starting lineup: Number 1 Zhu Zhan, Number 2 Liu Yong, Number 3 Zhang Bo, Number 5 Li Zirong, Number 7 Li Ke!

Class 6's starting lineup caused a stir, because their players were extremely tall and looked imposing standing together.

Class 6's starters were: Number 4 Wang Shun, Number 5 Chen Xin, Number 6 Wang Shuo, Number 7 Sun Xiaofeng, Number 8 Zhang Jian!

With an average height close to 1.9 meters, they drew everyone's attention as they walked onto the court.

The two teams went to center court, glaring at each other as if ready for battle. After shaking hands, they prepared for the tip-off.

In the first half, Class 5 would attack the left basket, while Class 6 would attack the right.

Class 5 versus Grade 7, Class 6! It had begun!

"Ready? Tip-off?" Zhang Jun held the basketball in his right hand and looked at Li Ke and Zhang Jian, who stood inside the center circle and glared sparks at each other.

"Ready!" Li Ke nodded.

Zhang Jian nodded as well. Both of them bent their knees slightly, their eyes fixed on the basketball in Zhang Jun's hand.

Zhu Zhan stood on the court, guarding Class 6's Wang Shun.

Wang Shun was 1.81 meters tall, quiet, and somewhat dark-skinned, but his body was solidly built.

Still, from the dull way he stood on the court, Zhu Zhan could tell that Wang Shun did not know how to play basketball.

Looking carefully, he found that aside from himself, the players from both classes standing around the outside of the circle to box out all looked like they were ready to fight the other side to the death.

Though Wang Shun did not say much, the way he pressed tightly against Zhu Zhan, along with the coldness in his eyes, gave him away.

Zhu Zhan was speechless. This was basketball, not a fight to the death. Did they really need to act like they had some blood feud?

"Ready!" Zhang Jun called. The hand holding the basketball slowly lowered, preparing to toss it upward.

With the whistle at his lips, PE teacher Zhang Jun nodded at Li Ke and Zhang Jian, signaling that he was ready.

Li Ke nodded, bent forward, stretched out both hands, rose lightly onto his toes, and watched the basketball in PE teacher Zhang Jun's hand.

Zhang Jian curled his lips slightly, his eyes fixed on Li Ke.

I refuse to believe you can jump higher than me! Zhang Jian thought. He planned to humiliate Li Ke with this tip-off.

"Tweet!" PE teacher Zhang Jun's whistle sounded. The palm holding the basketball swung forcefully upward!

Whoosh! The basketball instantly spun into the air.

Zhang Jian let out a loud "Ha!" and sprang upward.

With a swish, Zhang Jian shot nearly a full meter into the air, rising high like a spring onion pulled from dry earth.

His waist and abdomen tightened. His entire body resembled a soaring dragon, his torso bending slightly backward as his right hand stretched high toward the basketball flying through the air.