I was a top student in America.

"Add two more sets, and the strength attribute should be ready to be upgraded."

At nine o'clock on Saturday morning, the dull thuds of equipment colliding could be heard continuously from the weight room in the back of the United Center.

It has been exactly one week since the USAMO exam ended.

His schedule was extremely full during this period: he did practice problems in class during the day, trained with his team after school, took AP courses and SAT in the evening, and had to work on a new proof of the weighted HH inequality before going to bed.

He used all the remaining spare time for strength training.

The reason they're playing so hard is because the intensity of the Greater Chicago Tournament is far greater than that of the Southern Conference playoffs.

In the final stages of the South Division games, it all came down to physical attributes, tactical discipline, and performance under pressure. Wyndham managed to hold their own thanks to TySean's toughness, Li Ao's three-pointers, and a few tactical plays.

But once they step onto the court of the Greater Chicago Tournament, their opponents will be strong teams from the North District, the suburbs, and even private high schools, with the intensity of the competition approaching the NCAA level.

The opposing team has a taller forward line, faster defenders, and even core players who grew up in the standard AAU system.

Li Ao's shooting and basketball IQ are indeed advantages, but when he encounters a defender who can overpower him, his weakness in strength will be exposed.

Positioning before receiving the ball, lower limb stability during a sudden stop, and hang time deformation after being challenged by someone's shoulder before shooting—these subtle details cannot be achieved solely through muscle memory.

Explosive power is the trump card, but if you use it too much, your body won't be able to keep up.

Therefore, it is imperative to push the strength attribute to 110 before the competition.

After all, a game isn't like solving a math problem; the problem won't come to you on its own, but the defender will.

-

[Intense strength training in progress... Strength +0.1]

【Strength: 110.0】

[Unlock term: Muscle Control]

Muscle control: Your awareness and ability to regulate your own muscle exertion are enhanced, allowing for more precise force distribution during training, sparring, and fine motor skills.

The moment the panel notification appeared, Li Ao stretched his shoulders and wrists.

The change was found to be very subtle.

This feeling is different from the forced acceleration and push-back sensation of [Explosive Power], and it also lacks the bullet time effect of [Quick Reaction].

[Muscle control] is more like having a high-precision sensor implanted in the body: how much force to use in the arm, how much to tighten the core, and whether the force is transmitted from the forefoot or the heel when the foot lands...

Things that could only be vaguely judged based on experience in the past have now become clear and controllable.

To verify this, Li Ao didn't add any weights and directly picked up the empty bar and tried two sets of clean and jerk.

He exerted normal force on the first strike, but on the second strike, he deliberately slowed down the pace to perceive the sequence of movement of his shoulders, back, waist, and legs.

Even though the force applied was the same, the smoothness of the movements was visibly improved.

Especially at the moment when the leg extension transitions to the shoulder and back relay, the tendency to rush the shot is effectively suppressed.

"We still have enough time for two more sets. Let's see if our stamina can increase."

He glanced at the clock on the wall.

But just then, a knock on the door interrupted his plans.

"Leo, the pre-match activities are about to start, hurry up and gather around."

Hearing Coach Durant's urging, Li Ao could only put down the barbell and tear off his sweat-soaked wristband:

"Coming right away."

There will be a joint interactive event arranged by the organizers at 10:00 AM today.

To put it bluntly, it's all about going through the motions of a fashion show—signing posters for fans, taking photos with children, and dealing with the media's flashing lights.

In addition, Li Ao's contrasting labels of "Wyndham sharpshooter" and "mathematical genius" were so eye-catching that he naturally became a key target for attention.

After all, there are many good students who can play basketball, but it is rare to find one who goes to take the USAMO exam after making a game-winning shot in the playoffs.

Li Ao wanted to find an excuse to escape these boring activities and do a couple more training sessions, but Coach Durant gave him a strict order.

It is said that Principal Smith and Mrs. Paterson also had a special conversation last night, and the core message was just one sentence—

You can keep a low profile, but you absolutely cannot be absent.

Thinking of this, he sighed, put on his coat, and went out the door.

Upon arriving at the main hall, the scene far exceeded expectations.

Outside the temporary fence, not only were Wyndham students crowded together, but also many fans wearing other schools' team jerseys, as well as parents and children holding up posters and peering out.

"Coach, maybe I should go warm up. Let TySean and the others do this."

Looking at the long line of people waiting for autographs, Li Ao felt a headache coming on.

Durant glanced at him sideways: "Your name is printed right in the middle of the poster. Are you trying to run away now so I can sign it for you?"

"that is."

Jaylen, who was standing next to him, leaned over with a smug look on his face. "I wouldn't mind signing for you, but I can't explain those math competition stuff."

With his escape route blocked by the two's coordinated attack, Li Ao had no choice but to compromise, pulling out a chair and sitting down behind the autograph table.

Not long after they sat down, their first opponent, Lane Institute of Technology's head coach Holland, strolled over with their starting point guard.

The point guard wasn't tall, but he had a sturdy build. He had a basketball tucked under his arm, and when he looked at people, he slightly raised his chin, exuding a rebellious air unique to high school students.

Li Ao had studied him extensively in video lessons—his first step was extremely fast, his mid-range shot was very reliable, and he was the opposing team's ace.

Their eyes met briefly in mid-air, neither uttering a sound, but the unspoken message in their eyes was clear:

The real test will be on the field.

"Dude, your school has really made a fortune this year without saying a word."

As a regular at the Greater Chicago Championships, Holland is well-versed in pre-match social etiquette. Regardless of whether he knows the Wyndham academy or not, he simply smiles and extends his hand first.

He turned and glanced at Li Ao:

"I watched the game. Your team's new player not only has accurate shooting, but also a higher basketball IQ. He's a guard who can read the defense in crucial possessions. He's definitely the number one contributor to your team's qualification from the South Conference this year."

"Not at all, it's your commander who's truly enviable."

Durant also played along with the flow, saying, "His pace of breaking through and passing is so good, he could be a starter in the NCAA."

The two coaches were exchanging compliments, while Li Ao and Ryan Institute of Technology's point guard remained silent in the middle.

The point guard spun the ball in his hand with a frustrated expression, clearly feeling awkward about the scene of the coach praising his arch-rival to his face.

Just as the two coaches were about to continue their polite conversation, a gasp from the staff area nearby interrupted them.

"What?! We actually lost?! There must be some mistake!"

Looking in the direction of the sound, a parent wearing a suburban school jacket was clutching a newly printed schedule, looking utterly incredulous.

Their school was widely considered a shoo-in for the top 16, but in the first round of the early playoffs, they were dragged into overtime by a wildcard team and ultimately suffered a shock defeat by two points, failing to even make it to the main tournament.

The news was like a bucket of cold water being poured over their heads; the students who had been excited just moments before instantly fell silent.

The coach repeatedly checked the results on the schedule, and finally could only wave his hand helplessly, signaling the players to go back to the locker room to pack their bags.

The harsh reality of competitive sports contrasted sharply with the bustling autograph session in the lobby.

The line slowly indented forward, with young fans jumping for joy after getting autographs; others, having waited in line for ages only to find their favorite players had been called away by the coach at the last minute, could only grumble in disappointment.

A moment later, it was Wyndham High School's turn to interact with the fans.

At the staff's prompting, Li Ao took the marker and smoothly signed "Leo Lee" on a poster with a group photo of the entire Wyndham team.

Compared to his teammates who were seeing this kind of situation for the first time and were a bit awkward, he appeared unusually calm.

As Durant was signing autographs, his phone suddenly vibrated in his pocket.

He's not the kind of manager who only cares about tactics on the field; he also has to take care of the players' studies and school announcements.

Before leaving home today, Principal Smith specifically instructed me to convey the USAMO results and MOSP list to him immediately.

After all, Li Ao had a competition today, so he couldn't be like other students who were busy browsing the web on their computers.

"Leo, wait a minute."

Durant took out his phone, glanced at it, and immediately raised his hand to signal the staff to stop the event.

Li Ao stopped writing and looked over.

"An email forwarded by the school." Durant tapped the screen with his thumb.

The signal inside the venue was extremely poor, and the loading screen took more than ten seconds before the email finally appeared.

USAMO: 42 points (out of 5).

Ranking: Tied for first place nationwide.

MOSP (American Math Olympiad Summer Camp): Selected.

Rank: Black Belt

"Wow, these grades..."

Durant stared at the screen, his voice suddenly halting, and his thumb scrolled the email back to the top and scrolled through it again.

Only after confirming that the sender was the principal and that an official screenshot was attached did he raise his head, his voice low but unable to hide his excitement:

"USAMO got a perfect score and was selected for the national team summer selection camp. Congratulations, Leo, this has never happened before in Wyndham's history."

The acronym MOSP (American Math Olympiad Summer Camp) might sound confusing to the average fan, but the coaches present were anything but.

Even if they don't understand how USAMO scores are calculated, the significance of the words "tied for first place in the country" is obvious.

Fearing that those around him might not understand, Durant thoughtfully provided an analogy:

"To put it another way, this title is equivalent to the 'McDonald's All-American High School Basketball Game' in the high school basketball world."

Li Ao had a premonition that he had done well on the test. At this moment, he simply took the phone and checked it carefully for a couple of seconds, his expression remaining calm. However, the other Wyndham team members were in an uproar.

Jay Chou was signing autographs for fans when he heard "Number One in the Nation," and his hand trembled, causing his marker to draw a long black line on the poster.

He glanced at the scratch, then at Li Ao, and after hesitating for a while, he said to the child in front of him, "This one is ruined. I'll sign a new one for you."

Jamal stared at Li Ao with his mouth agape for a long time before finally speaking:

"Leo, you're playing like an All-American! We're playing against All-Stars!"

Even Daryl, who was usually shy and quiet, laughed and gave Li Ao a heavy pat on the shoulder:

"Dude, the school should throw you a big party after the competition."

Coach Holland, standing to the side, had a rather interesting expression.

He just praised Li Ao for being "smart," which was purely pre-match business flattery. Now he realizes that the praise was far too conservative.

The fans and staff who hadn't yet dispersed were stunned for several seconds before they could process the news.

A middle school student wearing a Chicago Bulls jersey reacted quickly, immediately raising the poster he had just signed and shouting:

"So, could I sell this poster with the signature of the number one artist in the country for a good price on eBay?"

The crowd burst into laughter.

Hearing everyone's laughter and commotion, Li Ao finally felt relieved.

In the past few days, Principal Smith and Mrs. Paterson have spread the word about applying for a scholarship for him, saying that he is sure to be selected for the US team's summer selection camp. If something unexpected happens and he doesn't get in, it will be a huge embarrassment.

Now, seeing the invitation letter that embodies all my hard work and dedication, you can imagine how I feel.

"Alright, alright, everyone, calm down." Durant put away his phone, slapped the table to quiet his players, and said, "Even if our math star gets first place in the nation, we still have to win this game today, no questions asked. Hurry up and sign autographs."

As the last little fan happily ran off with the poster in his arms, staff members quickly came over to remind everyone to get ready to enter and warm up.

Li Ao stood up and stretched his shoulders.

Outside the main hall, the noise from the stands was already surging in like a tidal wave.

The Greater Chicago Championship has officially begun.

……