I Really Just Want to Hit the Iron

"Kobe, I've decided—I'm going to skip college and take my talents straight to the NBA!" Su Feng said, looking at Kobe with a serious and determined gaze.

"Are you serious?" Bryant asked in surprise.

"Of course I'm serious. I want to play with Michael before he retires," Su Feng said, using MJ as his reason.

Bryant took a deep breath. He could tell Su Feng wasn't joking.

"You can't. Not yet," Bryant said, looking at him knowingly.

Su Feng understood Kobe wasn't trying to discourage him—he said it because he truly valued their friendship.

"I know. But I'm going to work hard to make it happen," Su Feng nodded.

"I'm afraid just working hard won't be enough..." Kobe said honestly. Although Su Feng was already strong, if they went head-to-head…

"That's why I need your help!" Su Feng suddenly smiled and said.

"My help?" Bryant frowned.

Su Feng patted Kobe's shoulder and whispered his plan to him.

After a while, Bryant looked at him with doubt. "Are you sure you can pull this off?"

"It's the best plan I've got. And Kobe, you have my word: if I stop progressing in high school, I'll go to college."

Kobe nodded. "Alright. Even if you're going to run, it won't be until next year."

"So, we've got to work even harder, right?" Su Feng said.

"Yeah—we have to!" Although still worried about Su Feng, Kobe started thinking… if Su Feng could run alongside him, maybe it wouldn't be so bad.

…

After talking with Kobe, Su Feng felt he needed to calm down for a while.

[Road of Genius] could definitely be called a task full of challenges.

Still, Su Feng liked it very much.

Not just because the "lifelong injury and illness immunity" perk was irresistibly tempting.

He knew his Iron System wouldn't improve just through competition.

For now, one-on-one training with Kobe was his main source of Iron Value.

But then came the question—would the way he earned Iron Value change after entering the NBA?

Su Feng believed that while official games would likely yield more Iron Value than training, hard work could balance things out. Besides, the current NBA wasn't the future league yet...

In this NBA, most teams had their own franchise stars.

For a high schooler like Su Feng, entering the NBA would be difficult—and he'd definitely start on the bench.

But wasn't that the perfect chance to level up?

After all, NCAA games and training couldn't possibly match the quality of the NBA in terms of Iron Value.

The NBA... was full of opportunity.

At the time, college ball offered only a few potential "thighs" to cling to.

But the NBA?

It was full of legends.

Stunts, badges, signature moves—everywhere.

As a Kobe superfan who had read hundreds of "Kobe Encyclopedias" in his past life, Su Feng had briefly considered getting Kobe into college ball with him.

But he could say with full confidence—it was never going to happen.

Kobe had great SAT scores. He didn't skip college for academic reasons.

He also wasn't short on money. His father, a former NBA player, had earned plenty overseas. NCAA scholarships meant nothing to him.

Even if some college coach had tried to bend the rules to get him in, Kobe wouldn't have cared—he simply wasn't interested.

As Kobe had said himself, he was thinking about Jordan, the NBA...

He couldn't wait another minute.

Don't be surprised—when Leo traits took over, Kobe was impulsive.

If Su Feng had somehow convinced him otherwise, well...

He probably wouldn't have been Kobe.

So, tempting as Task 1's systems were, Su Feng had made up his mind: he would take his destiny into his own hands.

Even if [Sky Wizard] was kind of a troll system, as long as he kept his work ethic strong, stayed true to his "Iron mentality," and held onto that lifetime injury immunity, he could still make a name for himself in the NBA.

Of course...

He'd have to get drafted first.

Still, injury immunity? That was incredibly sweet.

"If I want to make the NBA, I have to keep getting stronger—my vertical too.

Bottom line: I need to upgrade the Ironing System to version 7.0 after this summer break to see what new abilities unlock.

And I've gotta start farming stats like crazy."

Walking further down this ambitious path, Su Feng clenched his fists silently.

"If I can make it into the 1996 second round, I've still got a decent shot.

Sure, second-rounders don't get the best treatment, but like Rashard Lewis, NBA teams back then were still patient with high school prospects."

If Su Feng remembered correctly, Lewis, also drafted out of high school, spent his first couple of years as a benchwarmer—just a second-round pick.

But the Sonics had faith in him. No pressure, no limits—just steady growth.

And later, Lewis landed a hundred-million-dollar contract and became one of the NBA's success stories.

Su Feng decided Lewis would be his benchmark. After all, he debuted two years later than Su Feng.

Since Su Feng had chosen to skip college, he figured there was no shame in starting as a "waterboy."

"It really doesn't matter... With my upgrade system, even if I'm just fetching towels, I'll keep grinding.

Of course, having a teammate like Kobe would make things even better."

Looking back at his analysis of Task 1 and Task 2, Su Feng realized his Iron System was...

"Is this what they mean when they say 'better to ride the bench in the NBA than win a title in the NCAA'?" Su Feng chuckled.

…

Now that he had chosen Task 2, Su Feng was naturally…

In a total rush!

After all, the system's final decision deadline was March 31, 1996.

Before that, Su Feng needed to fully prepare for the challenge mission [Road of Genius]. If his stock didn't rise in time, his "Iron Will" might just crack.

After all, if he didn't get drafted, that sweet "injury immunity" would be completely out of reach.

"I wonder if there's another way to get that lifetime injury and illness immunity... maybe a lottery or something?" Just as Su Feng let his thoughts drift, the system responded for the first time in history:

"Lifetime injury and illness immunity cannot be obtained from any other source!"

Holy—wait, so this system isn't just here to baby me?

Even though Su Feng had tried chatting it up a thousand different ways, the system had always ghosted him—never answering, not even to thoughts in his head.

"Alright then! Gotta have backup plans on backup plans. Leaving things to chance isn't my style," Su Feng thought to himself.

So after watching the news of Jordan's comeback with Kobe's family and returning to his rental apartment, Su Feng figured... it was time to call Su Weiguo.

Because playing in the NBA? Definitely not a small decision.

Even though he hadn't fully accepted his "new" parents emotionally, the more they talked lately, the more Su Feng saw that "Su Feng's" parents were actually heartbreakingly earnest people.

A lot of times, people feel unloved by their parents because they're not physically there—but truthfully, many parents are just out there trying to make enough money to support their kid's future… even if that means letting them fall a little first.

Most Chinese parents simply don't know how to show their love properly.

As Su Feng mentally rehearsed how to explain his "NBA plan," Su Weiguo's voice came over the line:

"Hey son, you've been playing basketball, right? So do you know anything about the NBA?"

Su Feng: "..."

His instinct was to snap back—"You kidding me?" In his past life, he'd practically been an online coach for every team in the league.

But he held back. "Yeah, I know it. Why?"

"Been watching some NBA games on the sports channel lately—pretty fun to watch! Hey, do you think you could make it to the NBA someday? Didn't you win that elementary school championship back in the day?"

Su Feng: "..."

Sure—and I got gold stars in kindergarten, too!

Same thing, right?

But wait... maybe this was a good angle.

After all, back then there wasn't much NBA knowledge in China, and Su Weiguo sounded like a total rookie fan.

"Well, a lot of NBA players go pro straight from high school," Su Feng said, seizing the moment.

"College? That's fine too. But your grades... You remember in first grade when you scored 59 on that exam? I had to beg the teacher to bump it up to a 60 so your little heart wouldn't break. If your grades were any good, do you think your mom and I would've hesitated to send you overseas?" Su Weiguo chuckled.

Su Feng: "..."

Wow. "Su Feng," you're kind of a legend.

Who scores 59 in first grade?

Seriously—even with eyes closed, you can ace elementary school!

In his past life, Su Feng never failed a subject—not even in junior high, except maybe missing perfect scores in Chinese and English because of essay deductions.

Once in high school, he even beat himself up over scoring "only" 145 on a math test.

Still, for all his inner roasts, Su Feng realized: this kind of academic embarrassment actually worked in his favor for once.

"Oh yeah, son—is the NBA high-paying?" asked Su Weiguo, genuinely curious.

"I heard players can make millions of dollars a year," Su Feng replied.

"So... tens of millions of RMB? Not bad! Hey, it could even bring glory to the country!"

Su Feng: "..."

Excuse me, what?

Millions of dollars and this man says "not bad"?

Su Feng had to resist asking—Dad, did you graduate from Peking University or what?

"Do your best, son! If you ever make it to the NBA, your mom and I'll fly to the U.S. and cheer you on!" laughed Su Weiguo.

Su Feng nearly passed out.

Because he realized... he wasn't fooling Su Weiguo—Su Weiguo was fooling him.

For a second there, Su Feng genuinely felt like he was already an NBA player.

Who knew he'd get his "new parents" on board so easily?

"Family..." Su Feng murmured.

In his past life, even though he was good-looking and talented, a lack of family connection slowly drained his will to live.

Honestly, based on looks alone, Past Su Feng could've had it made.

Who would've guessed that before reincarnating, he was part of the "Dianniang Orphanage"? And now, reborn with rich, healthy parents?

Su Feng had always believed some kind of mysterious cosmic force shaped the world.

And when the system appeared, that belief turned into resolve.

In his old life, only basketball kept him grounded.

So if that force was real—thank you.

Thank you for giving me the talent to chase the NBA dream.

Thank you for letting me do what I love.

Thank you for letting me meet Kobe.

This time, I'll flip the NBA on its head.

At that moment, Su Feng felt truly powerful.

Even if [Road of Genius] was tough, the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.

"Tomorrow's the state championship final!"

"I'll win it. Then start prepping for senior year!"

Su Feng clenched his fists and made a silent vow.