Chapter 119: Heroic Spirit Piercing the Rainbow

“A timeout and a substitution won’t turn the tide? Ridiculous!”

“Exactly, just a pure waste of time.”

As Tiancheng Polytechnic University swapped a player onto the court, the spectators supporting Wuyan University of Technology cast disdainful glances at Geng Haoshi. But soon, their attention shifted away from him to focus intently on Wu Yan, who stood poised on the court.

“The ace player really stands apart! Look at that stance, that presence!”

“Fast, skilled, and accurate—who can possibly stop Wu Yan?”

“Absolutely! With Wu Yan leading Wuyan University this year, they’re bound to clinch the championship!”

The Wuyan supporters buzzed with excitement, as if victory was already a foregone conclusion. They even began speculating about how large Wuyan’s winning margin over Tiancheng Polytechnic would be.

“I heard Tiancheng Polytechnic has been the perennial bottom-dweller for years, but this year they’re the ‘super dark horse’ making their first-ever finals appearance.”

“But they’re nowhere near Wuyan University! Wuyan reaches the finals every year and always ranks in the top five!”

“Right, no matter this ‘super dark horse’ label, the skill gap is glaring. Now it’s just a matter of how much Wuyan will win by.”

“I think the score difference will be at least fifty points!”

“Yeah, I agree. The game’s been going less than a minute, and Wuyan is already up by nine. At this rate, a hundred-point lead is possible!”

“Let’s break two hundred!”

“Three hundred!”

The fans’ chatter grew increasingly exaggerated. Some even fantasized: if Wuyan outscored Tiancheng by ten points every minute, in a 45-minute game they could win by 450 points!

The Wuyan supporters laughed uproariously, reveling in the prospect of a huge blowout. The larger the winning margin against Tiancheng, the better it would be for their national ranking.

The cumulative margin from the nine finals games would determine the nation’s top ten teams in the 2017 National University Basketball League.

So the more Wuyan widened the gap against Tiancheng in this match, the more it would favor their final top-ten placement.

Amidst their lively discussion, both teams had already completed one offensive possession each without scoring. The ball soon landed in Wu Yan’s hands again.

“Wu Yan, crush them!” “Wu Yan, score four or five hundred points!”

The harsh shouts grated on everyone’s nerves except Geng Haoshi and Zhu Di, who frowned deeply.

In the past, Geng Haoshi would have fired back at such taunts, but now, the surrounding noise seemed to fade away, entirely muted by his own focus. His eyes fixed solely on Wu Yan, who was dribbling the ball.

“Stop him, stop him, stop him…” Geng Haoshi murmured fiercely, never breaking eye contact.

Everything else around him no longer mattered. His singular goal was to guard Wuyan’s ace player. If he could stop him, he could stay on the court longer, showcase more skills, attract scouts’ attention, make the national team or a club, enter the NBA, go to America, and finally meet Mimi… This thought alone fueled his every move. It was the sole reason he stood there.

*Snap!*

Suddenly, Geng Haoshi lunged forward and slapped the ball from Wu Yan’s hands to the floor.

Without hesitation, he dashed past Wu Yan, driving with the ball straight toward Wuyan University’s paint.

“Wu Yan’s ball was stolen?!”

“That guy who just came on stole the ball from Wu Yan?!”

Wu Yan’s fans were still stunned when they saw Geng Haoshi break into Wuyan’s key area.

Wuyan’s defense reacted swiftly.

Three players stood before Geng Haoshi in the paint.

Although Yumanman had said to let Geng Haoshi stay on the court as long as he could guard Wu Yan, Geng Haoshi’s mind went further than mere defense. Stopping Wu Yan was just a means to keep playing. What he truly sought was to perform more spectacularly, to truly catch the scouts’ eyes.

Wu Yan didn’t retreat to defend but waited at Tiancheng Polytechnic’s half-court, anticipating a steal and pass from his three teammates against Geng Haoshi.

Not to mention, all three defenders stood over 6’1”, and their numerical advantage alone made Wu Yan doubt Geng Haoshi’s chance to shoot.

“Though that kid got lucky stealing Wu Yan’s ball, he’s facing Wuyan’s ‘three giant walls’—he’s bound to lose this ball!”

“Exactly. Look at his height… does he even reach 5’7”?”

Most spectators had already sentenced Geng Haoshi’s possession to failure.

Among the crowd, a middle-aged man with a small mustache watched Geng Haoshi intently, asking, “What’s your move now?”

What should I do? Geng Haoshi pondered silently.

Suddenly, he remembered the “Piercing Rainbow” dunk reward he earned after completing thirty successful dunks in official matches.

*Note: The “Piercing Rainbow” dunk guarantee activates whenever the user is within four meters of the opponent’s hoop, ensuring a successful dunk.*

Geng Haoshi calculated that he was within four meters of the basket and decided to test the “Piercing Rainbow” effect.

“9527: Master, rewards like ‘Piercing Rainbow’ are best saved for critical moments…”

Geng Haoshi ignored 9527’s advice and activated “Piercing Rainbow” immediately.

Now, with three towering defenders blocking his way, scoring this basket would surely catch the attention of scouts lurking in the stands. This was Geng Haoshi’s current thought. Thus, he decisively ignored 9527’s counsel and triggered the reward.

The instant “Piercing Rainbow” activated, Geng Haoshi felt his body instinctively crouch before leaping powerfully, soaring above the three towering defenders…