Rebirth: Slice-of-life Cultivation

Chen Si Yu chirped, "It's okay, sister, she's not as tall as both of us combined."

Chen Siqing furrowed her brows, "That seems to make sense."

"Sister, look at the girl next to her!" Chen Si Yu exclaimed, "She's so pretty!"

Bai Yuxia stared at the girl and suddenly said,

"That's Ding Shuyan."

Those three words were known by everyone in the freshman, sophomore, and junior grades of Fourth Middle School.

Lin Zida greeted her,

"Jiang Ning, you're here too!"

Ding Shuyan, bearing the sensation of being watched from all sides, nodded slightly.

Lin Zida found an open space, glanced around for a moment, then came back and shouted,

"Jianhui, your strong suit, why not give it a try?"

Zhuang Jianhui was tall and handsome, with a well-defined face.

Just now, a few girls had been secretly watching him.

Zhuang Jianhui smiled confidently, "Why not give it a try."

He shouted, "Boss, give me a ball."

The middle-aged man came over smilingly, and the spectators automatically made way.

Zhuang Jianhui handed him a crisp 20-yuan bill.

The boss fumbled around and pulled out a crumpled, worn 10-yuan bill.

Zhuang Jianhui's eye twitched, "That's fine, keep the change. Give me two tries."

He held the basketball, standing a few meters in front of the sand jar, reviewed the rules of the game, and understood them clearly.

The top prize was 500 yuan. For someone like him, that wasn't a lot; the shoes he was currently wearing cost one thousand six hundred a pair.

But that didn't mean he didn't care about the 500 yuan; winning it would definitely be a joy.

Zhuang Jianhui sought to maximize his gains, aiming for the top prize.

Chen Si Yu whispered, "I know him; he's really good at basketball. He even performed a slam dunk during military training."

Chen Siqing said, "Someone in the dorm next to mine has a crush on him."

Bai Yuxia said, "He's indeed really good at basketball."

Xue Yuantong, curious, asked, "Is he better at basketball than Wu Xiaoqi from our class?"

Bai Yuxia's expression turned odd, "It's not about whether Wu Xiaoqi is good or not, he's just very... unique."

She didn't know quite how to express it.

"Hey, Wu Xiaoqi is here," said Xue Yuantong.

Across the street, Wu Xiaoqi, holding a basketball, walked alone.

He suddenly stopped, sniffing.

At that moment, Wu Xiaoqi smelled the scent of basketball.

He set off again, approaching the sand jar stall.

...

Zhuang Jianhui nonchalantly tossed the ball forward, sending it rolling straight ahead.

A master's touch is evident from the first move.

The basketball hit the pyramid of sand jars, "bang," knocking down the jars.

Chen Si Yu counted out loud, "1, 2… 7, 8, a total of 8 jars."

She looked at Bai Yuxia, "Theoretically, the most jars that could be hit."

"Yes, exactly." Bai Yuxia felt Zhuang Jianhui truly deserved his reputation for being good at basketball, achieving results with his first throw.

The boss came over and said, "Congratulations on knocking down 8 jars, you've won 10 yuan!"

His eyes gleamed with cunning, "Young man, do you want to continue, or should I hand you the 10 yuan?"

Zhuang Jianhui, thinking of the boss's crumpled 10 yuan, of course chose to continue.

After the throw just now, Zhuang Jianhui also realized it was a bit difficult to hit 10 jars.

But that wouldn't stop him; he crossed his arms, holding the basketball, his palms vigorously rubbing it, spinning the basketball and sending it forward.

Lin Zida exclaimed, "A spin shot!"

"Bang!" It knocked down 6 jars, no prize.

A chorus of boos erupted around them.

Shen Xu yelled, "It's really tough, spin shots are useless. You can try hitting the top jar, there's a reward of 50 bucks."

He had just lost the game and hadn't left, planning to see if anyone could win a prize and to pick up some tips.

After all, the grand prize was 500 bucks, and he couldn't earn that much selling goods half the month.

Zhuang Jianhui wasn't a stubborn person; this time he changed his strategy and made an overhead throw, aiming to knock over the topmost jar.

Zhuang Jianhui used his usual basketball accuracy for the forward throw.

The basketball precisely hit the single jar at the apex of the pyramid, but when that jar fell, it knocked down two more below.

The owner shouted, "Knocked down three jars, 10 yuan reward! Want to keep playing?"

Just as he finished speaking, a strong, ringing voice came from the crowd:

"I'll do it!"

Everyone looked toward the source and saw a young man, just over 1.6 meters tall, holding a basketball and striding in.

The owner glanced at the basketball in his hands and reminded,

"Only the basketballs we provide can be used."

Wu Xiaoqi said, "No problem."

He paid 10 yuan and walked over to Zhuang Jianhui.

Two lanes were open at the sand jar stand, accommodating two customers at once.

So, on the left was Zhuang Jianhui, and on the right was Wu Xiaoqi.

Xue Yuantong clenched her small fist, "A battle of the strong."

Zhuang Jianhui still aimed for the single jar on top, stood straight, took a deep breath, and thought, this is kind of interesting.

Amidst a noisy bustle, Wu Xiaoqi made his move.

He actually sat down on the ground!

Sitting wasn't enough; Wu Xiaoqi, regardless of the dusty cement, slowly leaned back until his shoulders were just an egg's height above the ground.

He leaned forward, holding the ball tightly with both hands, his eyes fixed on the sand jar.

Zhuang Jianhui was flabbergasted: '...Bro, you're making this difficult for me.'

He made him look completely unprofessional.

Immediately, Zhuang Jianhui ignored him and prepared to shoot.

Wu Xiaoqi's eyes locked on the jar; he was not just playing a game but participating in a professional competition.

He wasn't just hitting a sand jar; he was defining his brilliant life!

The two balls were thrown.

Zhuang Jianhui's basketball grazed the top jar and knocked over another.

Wu Xiaoqi's performance was impeccable; the basketball brushed past the jar like a lover's caress, knocking only the single jar.

The sand jar owner's face soured as he announced,

"Knocking down two jars, reward 30; knocking down one, reward 50!"

Then he shouted to those around, "Everyone, look, it's truly possible to hit them!"

Chen Siyu said, "Wu Xiaoqi is so awesome."

Bai Yuxia added, "Indeed, his control of the basketball is excellent, just like his hands."

Xue Yuantong asked again, "Is Wu Xiaoqi better at basketball?"

Bai Yuxia explained awkwardly, "Playing basketball isn't just about precise shooting; there are other factors."

After asking her, Xue Yuantong turned to someone else:

"Jiang Ning, can you play basketball?"

"A little bit," Jiang Ning replied.

Xue Yuantong's eyes sparkled as she rubbed her hands together,

"I want to give it a try."

Jiang Ning pulled out a hundred yuan bill and generously said, "Play as much as you want."

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PS: I wanted to add more for the Alliance Hierarch to finish this plot in one go, but couldn't... Sorry