On the court, Zhao Jiayi passed the ball to Hao Ren and said, "Ren, catch it!"
Hao Ren caught it easily before dribbling two steps forward. His move was smooth and practiced.
Spotting an opportunity, Hao Ren stopped while turning away from the defender. He raised the ball and made a shot.
Standing on the edge of the court, Su Han, Zhao Yanzi, Lu Linlin, Lu Lili, and Xie Yujia all followed the ball expectantly with their eyes.
The ball drew a brown arc and shot out. Bang! It crashed onto the ceiling of the stadium.
Su Han had been hopeful after hearing Zhao Yanzi's report about Hao Ren's great skills in basketball. Now, she relaxed and was no longer cared about the situation on the court.
Seeing Su Han's disappointment, Zhao Yanzi explained in a whisper, "Sometimes, he can make a good shot."
Hao Ren reddened since he had forgotten that his strength was about a dozen times greater without the burden of the Mount Tai Bracelets. That was why the ball flew out tens of meters away.
Xie Wanjun looked at Hao Ren in exasperation and astonishment. On the one hand, he was exasperated at the poor shot. On the other hand, he was astonished at the great strength. After all, not everyone could throw basketball tens of meters away. "My mistake…" Hao Ren called out before running over and picking up the ball.
"Go! Gongzi!" Lu Linlin and Lu Lili called out to him. They didn't care about his skills, and even Hao Ren's mistake looked dashing to them.
While Hao Ren ran back to the court, Lu Lili asked Lu Linlin, "Will the Gongzi think we are annoying for following him everywhere?"
Lu Linlin smiled slyly at her younger sister's question. "Sister, don't you think he is cute?"
"Sister, don't tell me you are attracted to a mortal man again." Lu Lili looked at her in resignation.
"Nonsense. Last time I came to the mortal world just for fun. How could I like a mortal man? However, this Hao Ren is cute." Lu Linlin reached out her hand and pinched Lu Lili's nose. "He got me out of prison and, I offered to serve him for 100 years. If you find it boring, you may go back."
"Fine! I'll keep you company." Lu Lili pouted.
On the other side, Su Han and Zhao Yanzi were perusing Lu Linlin and Lu Lili who were standing opposite to them.
"They are the sisters Elder Lu took in, aren't they?" Su Han turned her head slightly to Zhao Yanzi and asked.
"Yeah. My father said each of them has the strength of the top-grade Kun-level," Zhao Yanzi nodded and said.
"Their powers were higher than top-grade Kun-level. They had lost some of their strength while they were imprisoned in the Dragon Palace. In a while, even I probably couldn't win against them."
"Really? They are that powerful?" Zhao Yanzi was surprised.
Su Han had a different perspective from that of Zhao Guang's. As the East Ocean Dragon King, he certainly hoped for a stronger home base and more powerful assistance. However, Su Han, as an Inspector, didn't like to see anyone in the East Ocean too powerful for her to control.
"You came to visit me because of them, didn't you?" Su Han continued to ask Zhao Yanzi.
Zhao Yanzi looked defensive. "No… I came to visit you for fun."
"I know what you're thinking." Su Han glanced at her before looking toward Xie Yujia in another corner of the court. "But I'm afraid the sisters are not real threats to you."
"You mean the real threat is the Class President." Zhao Yanzi was smart and immediately guessed whom Su Han was talking about. She continued, "She is a mortal, not qualified to be my rival."
Su Han smiled, but she remained silent. She turned the topic back to the Lu Sisters. "Lu Linlin and Lu Lili are both powerful, and they are quite knowledgeable, which will be of great help to Hao Ren. Besides, they are not in our circle, and thus your identity does not affect them. In short, the odds of you defeating them is almost zero."
"I… I didn't say I want to defeat them. I only thought…"
"What?" Su Han asked.
"It is annoying!" Zhao Yanzi said.
A smile appeared on Su Han's cold face. "Don't worry. Hao Ren won't go back on his promise. Whom do you think he is cultivating so hard for?"
"Sister Su, even you are speaking for him!" Zhao Yanzi glared at her.
"I was only stating the truth. From what I know about his character, even if he doesn't like you, he will try his best in cultivating to save your life. Before you turn 20, the more solid his realm is, the safer the process of returning you the Dragon Core will be. I think he knows that."
Su Han patted Zhao Yanzi's head. "But you are not nervous at all. He can take off the Mount Tai Bracelets for a while each day, but including, today he only took them off two times. He works so hard for you and you're not showing any gratitude."
"I don't like him…" Zhao Yanzi mumbled.
With a smile, Su Han turned her gaze to Hao Ren in the match.
"To steady his cultivation realm, the guy chose the Light Splitting Sword Shadow Scroll which possessed little combat power. He is indeed single-mindedly cultivating for Zhao Yanzi," she thought.
Then she turned her gaze toward Lu Linlin and Lu Lili, who were watching the match with adoration in their eyes and was lost in thought.
Without the hindering burden of the Mount Tai Bracelets, Hao Ren gradually got used to the strength in his arms and was playing better and better on the court. Seeing Hao Ren's excellent performance, Xie Yujia's eyes got brighter.
Hearing Lu Linlin and Lu Lili's cheering voices, the guys who had come to root for Hao Ren were so jealous that they all glared at him viciously.
Zhao Yanzi widened her big eyes at Hao Ren's steals and attacks, thinking that the Uncle looked quite youthful and vibrant.
The match ended with 58 to 51 with Hao Ren's team winning.
Pulling off his jersey, Hao Ren walked toward Zhao Yanzi and asked, "What do you think? I was quite good, wasn't I?"
"Smug!" Zhao Yanzi rolled her eyes. The truth was she almost cheered when Hao Ren made the three-pointers.
After all, girls at her age were most easily attracted to dashing guys who played basketball.
Hao Ren chuckled while wiping the sweat from his face. "Your PE class is almost over. I will take you back."
"You stink! Go take a shower! I don't need you to take me back; Sister Su will do it." Zhao Yanzi backed off half a step before holding Su Han's arm.
With his well-intentioned offer rejected, Hao Ren turned to look at Xie Yujia and met her gaze. She looked away and turned to her elder brother.
At this moment, Lu Linlin and Lu Lili jogged over to Hao Ren. "Gongzi, you were awesome!"
At the sight, Zhao Yanzi burned with jealousy and dragged Su Han away.
Poor Hao Ren was received with coldness by Zhao Yanzi when he tutored her in the evening, and he was treated the same way on Wednesday evening.
Thursday came. Ignoring the guys' envious and jealous gossips, Hao Ren spent his free time over those two days on studying the Light Splitting Sword Shadow Scroll and finally understood the route of the Nature Essence circulation in his body.
"Ren! We are at the gate of your school now!" it was a little after six, and Hao Ren was cultivating secretly when he suddenly received Hao Zhonghua's text message.
"Dad has really come to watch me play the match…" Hao Ren hurried to the school gate. Sure enough, there parked a white Ford.
He pulled open the car door and found his dad, his mom, Grandma, and… a man he didn't recognize!
"Ren, don't you remember Uncle Xie, Little Carrot's Dad? He returned with me this time to visit our home university!" Hao Zhonghua told Hao Ren cheerfully.
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