Still, Yang Chen didn't let the feeling linger too long.
Deep down, he felt genuinely satisfied with how everything had played out so far.
Lin Yulan had already agreed to take Fu Ting on as her disciple, and for him, that was more than enough progress.
To be completely honest, his suggestion to Lin Yulan hadn't been only about helping Fu Ting get over her fear of using her divine power. There was another, equally important reason.
Yang Chen knew Lin Yulan far too well. He could see that, even now, she hadn't fully healed from the deep trauma she carried inside.
Taking on a talented but troubled student like Fu Ting might be exactly what Lin Yulan needed to start facing her own past again.
Down on the court, the players were getting into position for the jump ball.
Zhu Jia suddenly stepped right in front of Fu Ting, blocking her path toward the center circle.
"Fu Ting, wait a mont," Zhu Jia said in a firm, no-nonsense tone.
Fu Ting stopped and looked at her teammate with a puzzled frown. Zhu Jia didn't waste ti.
"Would you mind if I take the jump ball this ti?"
Fu Ting's brows knitted together even more. "Why all of a sudden?" she asked. It didn't make much sense to her.
She clearly had the height advantage over almost everyone else on the court.
Zhu Jia t her eyes steadily. "You should know why," she replied, her expression completely serious. "As we are right now, we don't stand a single chance against them."
Fu Ting opened her mouth to argue back, but the words didn't co. She hesitated, and after a second her shoulders slumped just a little.
Deep down, she knew Zhu Jia was telling the truth. No matter how many new ways Lin Yulan had taught her to channel her divine power, the old fear still locked everything up inside her whenever it really mattered.
"That's why I'm planning to go all out from the start," Zhu Jia declared. Her eyes sharpened with determination as Yang Chen's risky plan flashed through her mind again.
When Yang Chen had first explained the strategy to her earlier, Zhu Jia had felt a heavy wave of reluctance.
The idea basically required her to betray her own team in order to create an opening. It felt wrong.
But now, standing here under the bright stadium
lights with the score so lopsided, she understood there was no other realistic path to beating the Blue team. This was their only real shot.
Chen Miya's unbelievable talent was waking up more and more with every passing minute of this sports event. It almost seed like the pressure was speeding up the process.
On both offense and defense, her movents looked completely effortless now. She had beco an unstoppable force on the court.
Zhu Jia truly believed that if Chen Miya decided to go all the way, nothing could stop her. With Chen Miya holding everything together as the core, Jin Ruolan and Xie Qingyi would finally be free to unleash their full strength. Together, the four of them could dominate.
Zhang Yufei, standing just a few steps away, frowned deeply when she overheard Zhu Jia's words. Fu Ting, anwhile, stayed frozen in place, her face pale and uncertain.
Zhu Jia knew the gamble ca with serious danger.
She couldn't use her Spiritual Manifestation without any limits. If she pushed herself too hard too early and burned out, it would leave Zhang Yufei and Fu Ting facing three absolute monsters from the Blue team with almost no backup.
As harsh as it sounded, this match had really co down to a battle between the top six most talented students in the entire school. The other four players on each side could only provide the smallest amount of support.
If the Blue team managed to shut Zhu Jia down quickly, before she could create the opening they needed, the whole plan would collapse, and any hope of a Red team victory would disappear completely.
Fu Ting paused for a mont, her expression thoughtful. Then a calm, small smile appeared on her lips. "Fine," she said quietly. "I'll leave it to you then."
She turned around without another word and walked back to her assigned position near the edge of the key. Zhu Jia gave a quick nod of thanks before stepping confidently forward to take her place at the center circle for the jump ball.
Up in the stands, the Red team supporters exchanged confused glances. Murmurs rippled through their section as they tried to make sense of what they were seeing.
"Huh? Zhu Jia's taking the jump ball?"
"I thought Senior Fu would handle it. She's way taller."
"But this probably ans Fu Ting and Zhang Yufei are going to launch an attack right after Zhu Jia gets the ball."
"Hey, aren't those twins pretty mysterious anyway?"
"Yeah, they're from the Otherworld, yet sohow they're already on the sa level as our academy's top geniuses."
"And… have you noticed how developed their physiques are? Honestly, if soone told they were in their late twenties, I'd believe it without a second thought."
Down on the court, Gu Mama, the referee, moved to the very center. She held the basketball firmly in both hands, knees slightly bent, ready to toss it high into the air and officially start the ga.
Directly opposite Zhu Jia, Jin Ruolan from the Blue team stepped forward with her usual cool confidence. She planted her feet and locked eyes with Zhu Jia, clearly expecting an easy win in the jump.
The mont Gu Mama's arms began to rise, a sudden brilliant light exploded around Zhu Jia's entire body. White energy shimred and pulsed like living flas, wrapping her in an aura that made the air around her hum.
Both Jin Ruolan and the crowd were caught completely off guard. Sharp gasps and surprised shouts filled the gymnasium as more and more people recognized exactly what was happening.
Spiritual Manifestation!
She was activating her full power right from the opening tip-off.
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