I was a top student in America.

As soon as Durant stepped into the player tunnel, his phone rang again.

After listening for a couple of minutes, he shoved the phone into Li Ao's hand: "Principal Smith is looking for you."

The background noise on the receiver was chaotic, and Smith, who seemed to be in a hurry, spoke with barely suppressed excitement: "Leo, are you sure you didn't fill in the wrong identification information?"

"Principal, I submitted a photocopy of the original document, which even has my headshot on it." Li Ao was a little speechless as he walked back.

"Yes, yes, it can't be wrong! But what exactly does 'black belt' mean in that email?"

"It's the highest category in MOSP. This year, the six official spots for the US national team will only be chosen from these dozen or so 'black belts,' while the remaining red and blue belts can only compete for regular medals."

Li Ao explained in a calm tone.

As a study abroad consultant who had handled countless competition applications in his previous life, he knew all too well the weight of this title.

Fewer than twenty people are selected from the entire United States, which means that each state doesn't even have one. It's no exaggeration to say that they are even rarer than the top scorers in the college entrance examination in each province.

Reaching this point means he has the opportunity to knock on the doors of top universities and has finally grasped the rope to escape the quagmire of the South District.

Thinking of this, the corners of his tense lips curled up slightly.

"Fantastic! I'll have the finance department process the bonus application right away! Mr. Brown, congratulations on mentoring a potential national team player!"

Smith's ecstatic voice came from the other end of the phone, and you could also faintly hear the excited cheers of his mentor, Brown.

The moment the phone was handed back to the coach, the players who had been eavesdropping from the corner erupted in excitement.

"Brother Leo, you absolutely have to sign this for me later. I'll keep it as a family heirloom and let it appreciate in value!"

"I want one too! Sign it right onto my vest!"

"Okay, plenty." Li Ao rarely cooperated and joked.

The atmosphere in the tunnel was so enthusiastic that it was as if Wyndham had already won the championship trophy.

Everyone here comes from a humble background, having struggled their way up from the streets of the South District. No one understands better than them how difficult it is to "carve out a bloody path with your brains." Moreover, Li Ao is usually down-to-earth and always helps his teammates with their application materials. At this moment, everyone's excitement and banter are completely unreserved.

Durant, standing next to Li Ao, looked at him as if he were some rare species.

This kid trains like a robot without feeling pain at the gym, yet he still manages to casually win first place in the US Math Olympiad?

Having lived for over fifty years and led countless team members, this was the first time he had ever seen such a freak whose mind and body were neither like those of a normal person.

However, seeing the team getting so excited they were about to lift the tunnel roof off, Durant quickly cleared his throat to calm things down:

"Alright, let's save the celebrations for after we win! If we win today, I'll treat everyone to pizza at noon, all you can eat!"

"Coach, we've won the tournament, the celebration should at least be upgraded to a barbecue, right?" Jaylen chimed in.

"Get lost! Look at me, I only make a few dollars a month!"

Durant cursed irritably, which drew another burst of laughter from those around him.

……

Ten minutes later, Li Ao changed into his shoes and followed the team onto the field.

As soon as he looked up, he raised an eyebrow at the stands.

Besides the school's own students and parents who came from the South Campus, several familiar faces sat incongruously in the front row near the center line—

Ryan, Sam, Jimmy, and even Matthew, who's usually the most reserved, were there.

These "nerds" are clearly not traditional basketball fans: Ryan is holding an extra-large cup of Coke, and Sam even has a thick SAT vocabulary book full of sticky notes spread out on his lap.

As soon as Li Ao stood on the sideline, Ryan immediately shouted at the top of his lungs over the railing:

"Leo! We heard you guys made it to the major tournament, so we came to see what you look like on the court!"

"Don't listen to his nonsense," Sam laughed, "He just found out about your USAMO score and couldn't wait to find out more about you."

Jimmy was the most honest: "To be honest, it was a complete waste of time. Leo has definitely made it into the 'black belt'."

Faced with his friends' teasing, Li Ao smiled helplessly and nodded in response, before being called over by Durant to hear his tactical instructions.

Watching Li Ao turn and run away, Ryan took a sip of his cola, feeling dejected.

"Why didn't he show even the slightest excitement after getting the black belt? Shouldn't a normal person be going crazy and showing off?"

If it were him, and he was just one step away from joining the national team, he would definitely keep everyone within a ten-mile radius awake tonight.

"That's Leo, just a typical day in the life of a top student."

Sam casually flipped through a page of his vocabulary book, adding without looking up, "Even if he actually won the IMO gold medal, he'd still have this deadpan expression. You think everyone's as loud and boisterous as you?"

Ryan rolled his eyes, speechless.

He had just checked his score: 34 points.

Although he didn't make it to the "black belt" level, he still managed to get into the summer camp and has the opportunity to compete for a gold medal in the All-American Math Olympiad, which is definitely an exceptional performance.

He originally wanted to show off in front of his friends, but compared to Li Ao's outrageous perfect score, his achievement suddenly became meaningless.

At the same time, the referee walked to the center circle and blew his whistle loudly.

The first match of the Greater Chicago Championship has officially begun.

Lane Tech started aggressively.

In the first round, the opposing starting point guard used the center's screen to drive hard to the right side.

His first step was indeed half a beat faster than in the video, and taking advantage of the slight gap when Wyndham switched defense, he scored two points with a light floater.

As he retreated, he deliberately gave Li Ao a provocative glance, the subtext of which was self-evident:

So what if you're a math all-star?

This is a basketball court; you can't win a game just by knowing how to solve problems.

When it was Wyndham's turn to attack, just as TyShaughnessy was about to set up his position inside, Ryan Polytechnic's defense instantly collapsed.

The opponent had clearly done their homework, knowing that Wyndham's finishing touches relied almost entirely on Ty Shore's strong drives or Li Ao's outside shots.

"They're putting on high pressure right from the start..."

Durant's face darkened slightly on the sidelines. Just as he was about to signal for a play, Li Ao suddenly slipped out from the weak side of the baseline.

Jaylen, who was being closely guarded on the outside, caught a glimpse of Li Ao reaching out for the ball and, as if grasping at a lifeline, immediately threw the ball to him.

Upon seeing this, Ryan Polytechnic's point guard immediately rushed to the outside.

In the past, after receiving the ball, Li Ao would most likely first adopt a triple threat stance to stabilize his center of gravity before deciding whether to shoot or pass.

But this time it was completely different.

The moment the basketball landed in his palm, his muscle control ability was instantly activated.

The sequence of muscle activation and the feeling of tension in the wrist, forearm, and shoulder are incredibly clear.

Without any extra adjustments or deliberate effort, the four movements of catching the ball, taking a step, jumping, and shooting flowed together seamlessly, even smoother than during an open warm-up.

The basketball flew in a high arc and swished cleanly into the net.

Three point hit.

In the stands, Ryan, who was sipping his cola with his head down, was startled by the crisp sound of the net swishing across the net and looked up sharply: "Holy crap, he just threw that ball without even stopping after receiving it?!"

"Yes, and the pose is really beautiful!" Sam's eyes widened as well.

Jimmy chuckled to himself, "I told you it would be worth the ticket price to come and see the show today."

On the court, the point guard from Lane Polytechnic University visibly paused for a moment.

He had watched the video before the game and knew that Li Ao had a basket, but watching it on a screen and facing it in person on the court are two completely different things.

He had clearly made a diving save for that ball; his fingers had almost touched Li Ao's eye. According to the pre-match intelligence, the opponent should have been forced to adjust at least half a beat.

The results of it?

The ball was not only thrown smoothly, but the shooting motion was also textbook perfect, without the slightest deviation.

It's like... there's a sophisticated program inside the other person's body that has all the action instructions pre-arranged.

He glanced back at the still-shaking net, then turned to stare at Li Ao, who was retreating on defense, and his expression changed completely.

Before the match, he thought this was just a top student who could play basketball, but now he realized that his opponent was like a monster that was constantly evolving and whose limits were unknown.

Lane Polytechnic reorganized its offensive.

This time, the point guard didn't call for a screen. Instead, he lowered his center of gravity and waved his hand to create space, clearly intending to overpower Li Ao.

In his opinion, no matter how good Li Ao's shooting is, his slender physique is always a major weakness, and he absolutely cannot withstand close-quarters muscle combat.

Their goal before the match was to limit Li Ao through physical confrontation and a contest of strength.

However, when he first slammed his shoulder into Li Ao, the expected scene of Li Ao being sent flying half a step did not occur.

Li Ao did indeed retreat, but he retreated extremely cleanly—his center of gravity remained intact, and his steps were steady.

Relying on muscle control, Li Ao kept his waist, abdomen, and lower limbs extremely tense. He did not confront his opponent head-on, nor did he blindly reach out to gamble on a steal. Instead, like a piece of chewing gum, he always precisely positioned himself on the opponent's most difficult breakthrough route.

The point guard refused to give up and made a sharp change of direction the second time, but Li Ao followed with a slide step; the third time he stopped abruptly and pulled back, but Li Ao still stood firmly in front of him.

Ultimately, the point guard, cornered, had no choice but to force a mid-range shot despite the blocked defense.

"Bang!" The basketball slammed heavily against the front edge of the rim and bounced out.

Tayshaun grabbed the defensive rebound and roared, "Run!"

Ryan, sitting bolt upright in the stands, was so shocked: "This guy looks so skinny, how can his core strength be so monstrous?"

Matthew pushed up his glasses and said incisively, "That's not just brute force; it's about using skillful defense and anticipation. He plays with his brain."

Sam stared intently at the field, muttering unconsciously, "That's so cool..."

On the pitch, Wyndham launched a relentless counter-attacking offensive.

Jaylen sprinted down the left flank, while Daryl cut inside to the right corner to create space.

Instead of blindly sprinting, Li Ao deliberately slowed down his pace by half a beat and quietly positioned himself slightly to the right of the arc.

This half-beat of "slowness" is extremely lethal.

The Ryan Institute's defensive players instinctively collapsed into the paint to protect the rim, but they completely left Li Ao on the perimeter unattended.

Just past halfway, TySean delivered a precise long pass.

After receiving the ball, Li Ao did not rush to shoot. He keenly noticed that his center of gravity was slightly forward when his right leg landed, so he naturally adjusted his toes outward by a small half step.

This movement was subtle and inconspicuous, and the defender had no time to notice it. But for Li Ao, this half-step adjustment made his shooting foundation as solid as a rock.

Jump and flick the ball.

He hits another three-pointer after stepping back!

6:2.

The Wyndham bench erupted in cheers, with everyone jumping to their feet.

Students from our school who couldn't get good seats simply squeezed into the aisle, craning their necks and waving towels wildly.

Just then, a commotion broke out at the entrance of the stadium, and Principal Smith and Mrs. Paterson strode in.

Mr. Brown followed closely behind, still clutching the newly printed list of MOSPs tightly in his hand.

The three of them had clearly run all the way here, without even taking off their coats.

As soon as Principal Smith entered the arena, his eyes swept over the scoreboard above his head: Wyndham was leading 6-2.

Looking at the court again, Li Ao was calmly retreating on defense, his expression unperturbed, as if the person who had just hit two three-pointers was not him at all.

The principal's face instantly broke into a wide smile, which he couldn't suppress at all.

Mrs. Paterson made no attempt to hide her admiration: "I knew I had to make this trip myself today."

Mr. Brown, standing to the side, had a look of bewilderment, both amused and exasperated.

Half an hour ago, he was trembling with excitement as he stared at the list of the top math olympiad students in the United States on his computer screen. Now, he has to watch his top students dominate the championship...

This drama is indeed far beyond the daily psychological limits of an ordinary public high school teacher.

Li Ao glanced at the stands and naturally recognized the principal and his group, but he did not show much surprise.

Given the school's extreme thirst for attention, they are bound to make a big move once the MOSP roster is released.

But right now, the competition is the main event.

After being hit twice in a row, Ryan Institute of Technology promptly requested a timeout.

Head coach Holland gathered the players on the sidelines and spoke rapidly:

"Don't let that number 23 receive the ball so easily! That kid's not playing well today; we can't just treat him like a regular spot-up shooter. His adjustments after receiving the ball are too quick; we have to intercept his receiving routes in advance! Also, stop treating Windham like an easy target!"

The starting point guard wiped his sweat haphazardly with a towel and remained silent.

The coach makes it sound so easy, but he just went up and tested the water himself.

Li Ao's current fighting style, footwork, and center of gravity control are on a completely different level compared to the video.

The whistle blows, the timeout ends.

In front of the Wyndham bench, Coach Durant didn't give many complicated instructions, but simply patted Li Ao on the shoulder and said, "Just play like this."

Li Ao nodded, stretched his wrists, and stepped back onto the wooden floor.

Ryan, watching Li Ao's retreating figure as he walked towards the field from the stands, couldn't help but swallow hard and mutter to himself, "Is this guy even human?"

"What did you say?" Sam didn't hear clearly and leaned closer to ask.

"No...it's nothing." Ryan shook his head, his eyes fixed on the field. "Let's keep watching the game."

The competition has only just begun.

Today, it's clear that the worldview of those destined to have their worldviews shattered by Li Ao is not limited to the mathematics competition community.

……