Values

1–0.

"Start!" Leno, the acting referee, called out.

The plan was to box Kaden in, creating a situation where Tylem could do nothing but watch their backs.

Furthermore, this plan was designed so that Kaden was under constant pressure, making it simple to foul out.

Martin and Arian disliked playing like this, but it was necessary. The plan was much more feasible than trying to score ten entire points against that monster, Tylem.

In a battle of talent, it would be their instant loss.

During their usual basketball games, the two of them had played honorably every day.

Nevertheless, right now, Arian could do nothing but bide his time. Holding the ball at the three-point line, he was unwilling to pass it to Kaden, who stood face-to-face with him.

Regardless, he hardened his heart and did so.

"What?" Kaden was confused as the ball flew toward his chest. It was a distance that left him no time to react, and he could do nothing but catch the ball.

"Oh?" Tylem raised his brow. Seeing Arian's dejected smile, he had an inkling of their plan.

Unfortunately, their opponent was him.

In the face of absolute power, tricks and ploys were pointless.

"Arian and Martin are double-teaming Kaden. What is their plan?"

"Yeah, two-on-one. This is too shameless!"

"I don't like this Brother Arian and Brother Martin at all."

"For middle schoolers, aren't Brother Arian and Brother Martin supposed to be the top basketball players in the nation?" Disapprovingly, a petite beautiful girl mumbled; she was one of their cheerleaders at the inter-school competition.

"I believe the two of them are trying to make Kaden foul out." Leno, the acting referee who was also one of the best basketball players in the nation for his age group, inclined his sharp chin. Having played with Arian and Martin before, it was disappointing to see.

The two had not given him such an unpleasant impression in the past.

"Brother." Lynne held her school tie, biting her lips. Regarding the details of the bet, she had heard it. The loser would have to kneel and slap themselves red.

If it got to that point, she would try to take the punishment in his place.

"My school life is too far gone, but Big Bro has a clean slate." Lynne looked at Tylem's calm face. However, her large eyes soon widened.

For a seventh-grader, her brother's height was undoubtedly average, but right now his figure seemed incomparably tall.

It gave the domineering impression that even if the skies collapsed, he would be able to hold it up with ease. Tylem's aura was a sign of someone destined for greatness.

Right now, Lynne realized that she really did not know anything about this big brother of hers; his entire life was a mystery. What was hidden beneath that calm exterior?

Oddly enough… in the entire main court, no one had their eyes on the person with the ball who was being double-teamed.

Rather, everyone was focused on the handsome student with silvery-black hair. It was an inexplicable feeling, but a miracle was about to occur with him as the center.

Tylem concentrated on the movements of the two basketball athletes, perceiving Kaden who was freaking out with a face of sweat.

Reflected in his pupils, Arian and Martin seemed to be moving in slow motion. The window of opportunity was narrow, but Tylem was certain about his win.

"Now." Tylem appeared behind the three in an instant. It was at least on the level as a high school champion sprinter.

Tylem's right hand reached outward, flying through the minuscule gap without the slightest contact and toward Kaden's ball.

There was not enough room to pull the large basketball out, but that didn't matter in the future that Tylem saw.

With just the slightest tap of his index finger, the basketball left Kaden's hands as it soared over five meters vertically into the air.

"The f*ck?" Martin was at an absolute loss as to what just happened, but more than anything, he started to respect the boy's confidence and his skills.

"This…" Kaden, the person with the ball, was most in shock.

"Man, this is so unfair." Sighing, Arian watched Tylem jump well over two meters into the air for the ball, while his own feet did not even have the time to leave the floor.

Tylem's figure floated mid-air for the longest time in Martin's eyes as he helplessly watched the opponent shoot a three-pointer.

Without even looking at the ball's arc, everyone was certain that this shot would make it.

And, of course, Tylem had sunk in the shot.

"Swish."

"It's a three-point shot worth two points, 3–0!" Leno boomed in elation, watching Tylem had left him on the edge of his seat. The youth's grace made his manly heart race.

The over sixty spectators followed suit, cheering with excitement.

"Tylem!" Katie squealed in delight.

"That bastard, he's too much." Shaking his head, Arthur smiled.

It was a genuine smile without falsehood.

Kaden ran to Tylem's side with an incredulous gaze. Scanning the latter up and down, he said, "Bro, you're too amazing. I'm having doubts that you're even a real person."

Hearing this, Tylem scratched his head. Perhaps, he had overdone it. It was his first time doing a vertical jump like that.

"I was just joking, you know." Kaden raised his brow when he saw Tylem's silence, continuing, "Unless… bro, you're not human, after all?"

"Shut it." Tylem rolled his eyes while turning his head to the court's sidelines.

"Looking for something?" Glancing in the same direction as Tylem, Kaden watched his bro search for something in the crowd.

"Ugh." Arian and Martin were being treated like inanimate objects. For basketball stars who were loved and adored, it was uncomfortable for them.

In the end, the two of them were being used as Tylem's stepping stone.

[Where is she?] Tylem thought. When he was observing Martin and Arian, he had briefly seen Lynne's figure, but now she was gone as if she was never here in the first place. It was unusual.

Tylem was feeling uncomfortable like something was tugging at him. Having become a cultivator, his intuition and sense of danger had improved many times over.

For a cultivator, this was normal: danger would forever loom right around the corner.

First things first, Tylem ran to the crowd, the approximate spot where he had seen his little sister's face. There, he inquired from a classmate he knew the name of.

If it was just him being paranoid, he would leave it at that. However, he never took chances when it involved people he cared about. That was his character.

Being treated like dirt for over a decade, including the constant abuse from his true birth mother who he had once given all his love to, Tylem now came to treasure and value the genuine relationships of those who cared about him, and he held their happiness close to his heart.

This family that he had come to accept treated him very well without ulterior motives. For Tylem, who never had his own place in this vast world, it was the single light.

For Tylem, who suffered through abuse his entire life, he subconsciously began to value this heartfelt relationship more than anything.

"Katie—" Tylem ignored her blushing face as he carried on, "Have you seen Lynne, a small girl with long black hair and a birthmark on her neck?"

Of course, he had noticed her obvious birthmark when Lynne had come to his room for the night because of a nightmare.

"T-Tylem?" Katie stuttered in surprise. "I did see her, but how come you're asking?"

Katie was feeling jealous, but she tried to conceal it.

Sighing, Tylem spoke honestly, "I'm worried for her. Please tell me where she went."