The Growth of the Teachers' Team

On the afternoon of the third day of the Tomb-Sweeping Festival, the students of Class 9 from all over Nam City gathered at the Tianxing Basketball Court.

Today, a match for the teachers' team was to be held here.

The Zhenzhong teachers' team was facing off against the First High School teachers' team.

Since this match wasn't a crucial event, the crowd in the stands wasn't very large.

Class 9 occupied the corner of the stands with the largest number of spectators.

"This match is simply a one-sided slaughter."

"It's undeniable that our Zhenzhong teachers' team is too strong. First High School has absolutely no power to resist."

"Actually, for the majority of students who don't watch much basketball, this kind of one-sided game is more entertaining."

"Yeah, they don't understand tactics, off-ball movement, or intricate defense anyway. On the contrary, matches where the ball is flying up and down are much easier to watch."

"Flying up and down in the air? Hahaha, that description is spot on. It's only the first quarter, right? That freak Zhou Lv has already completed five or six alley-oops."

"Isn't that because First High School lacks strength? They can't even pose a threat to Zhou Lv, letting him run free and dunk at will."

"But these flashy drives, alley-oops, and shots are indeed highly entertaining."

......

The strength of the First High School teachers' team was several levels below that of the Zhenzhong teachers' team.

On the court, they simply couldn't effectively defend Lin Weirui, Zhou Lv, and their teammates.

Lin Weirui drove through them as if entering an empty territory.

Yue Yangye's footwork was like a butterfly dancing through flowers, leaving his defenders stumbling to the ground.

Zhou Lv charged forward like a bulldozer; no one on the First High School team could defend him one-on-one.

Wei Xiaotian, Shen Hua, Mo Ming...

The members of the Zhenzhong teachers' team, after being tempered by actual matches, had all made rapid progress in their individual strength.

Facing First High School was simply a dimensional reduction strike.

In just half a game, they had established a 36-point lead over their opponents.

Xu Jie sat among the students, looking at Lin Weirui and his teammates on the court, feeling highly pleased.

Actual combat was the most effective way to temper a person.

With Lin Weirui, Xu Jie had never been worried.

He possessed a big heart and was a genius who could perform far beyond his usual level on the court.

Calling him Xu Jie's prized disciple was no exaggeration.

Outstanding talent, supreme strength.

Ever since he stepped onto the court, he had dominated the number one spot on the five-star high school rankings.

He received high praise from professionals.

More than ten professional teams in Nam City wanted to establish early contact with him.

Some even tried to bribe his parents to recruit Lin Weirui.

However, these attempts were all neutralized step-by-step by Xu Jie.

Xu Jie knew that what Lin Weirui lacked was merely game experience.

This kind of experience, no matter how good a teacher or coach was, could not be taught.

Because it was something they needed to feel, experience, and comprehend on the court themselves.

Talking about strategy on paper would only lead to being overwhelmed by others.

What pleased Xu Jie was that Lin Weirui's ability to read the game was now much stronger than before he had played in matches.

What was the ability to read the game?

It was a person's ability to make accurate judgments and execute the correct tactics at the correct time on the court.

Knowing exactly where they were, where their teammates were, and where their opponents were.

Should they run off-ball to look for an opportunity?

Or should they set a screen for a teammate?

Should they drive and dish to assist a teammate?

Or should they charge straight under the basket to score?

All of these fell under the category of reading the game.

Only by using one's brain more, thinking more, and reflecting more while playing basketball could a person's ability to read the game gradually strengthen.

In Xu Jie's eyes, Lin Weirui was like a sponge, absorbing nutrients to grow with every match.

From the very beginning, his sharp offensive style had left a deep impression on everyone.

But as the matches progressed, people around him were surprised to find that they often ignored Lin Weirui's presence on the court.

This change didn't mean Lin Weirui was playing worse and could no longer leave a deep impression.

Rather, he had matured to the point where he could control the game on his own.

When they needed him to attack to break a deadlock, he was the sharpest sword, piercing straight into the enemy's rear.

When they needed him to defend the opponent's star player, he was the sturdiest shield in the team, blocking all offensive paths.

He always appeared where he was needed most, doing what was most necessary.

Everything came naturally.

Aside from Lin Weirui, the progress of Yue Yangye and Zhou Lv also brought immense joy to Xu Jie.

Yue Yangye had shed his habit of easily becoming anxious.

Zhou Lv had shed his habit of easily making reckless mistakes.

Class 9's Trident could be said to have truly matured.

In addition, the other members of the teachers' team had also made significant strides of their own.

Wei Xiaotian's ball-handling and defense, Shen Hua's mentality, Mo Ming's offensive capability...

Everything about the Zhenzhong teachers' team was developing in a better direction.

......

During halftime, Xu Jie went to the players' locker room.

"Teacher Xu."

"Hello, Teacher Xu."

The members of the teachers' team greeted Xu Jie one after another.

During normal training, Xu Jie would occasionally find time to come to the basketball court to offer guidance.

Aside from the three—Lin Weirui, Yue Yangye, and Zhou Lv—the other members of the teachers' team had also witnessed Teacher Xu's formidable strength.

He was truly strong, so strong that even Lin Weirui had no power to resist.

When they first witnessed Teacher Xu's formidable strength on the basketball court, they were all completely stunned.

Xu Jie smiled in response and walked over to Lin Lei.

"Brother Lei, after this match, all the regional matches will be over."

"An undefeated record to lead the region—such a glorious achievement has never been accomplished in the history of our Zhenzhong."

Lin Lei smiled and nodded.

"Old Xu, this is all thanks to you."

"I took over the teachers' team before, but I never thought we would achieve such good results this year."

"I remember when you first recommended players to me, I even hesitated. Thinking back now, fortunately I didn't refuse, otherwise how could we have today's results?"

Lin Lei felt it was truly miraculous when he recalled Xu Jie self-recommending and saying that Class 9 had a few good seeds.

At that time, Xu Jie had not taken over Class 9 for very long.

At that time, Class 9 was still the notoriously problematic class.

At that time, Class 9 only had Zhou Lv as a notable basketball player.

No matter what, Lin Lei could never have imagined that the former Class 9 of middle school had now grown to become a class admired by everyone in Zhenzhong.

In basketball, they had Lin Weirui, Yue Yangye, Zhou Lv, and a host of experts.

In football, they had Chu Xiaoran shining brightly at the front.

In the sports meet, they had Liu Yunfei, Zhou Tao, and Liu Peng.

In academic competitions, they had Shi Yunfeng, Shi Mingyu, and Liu Qingyun.

One genius after another, like bamboo shoots after a spring rain, emerged from Class 9.

If someone had told Lin Lei before this semester started that Class 9 would undergo such an earth-shattering transformation?

Lin Lei would probably have slapped him to wake him up.

But now, all of this had actually happened.