Basketball System: Rebound of the Underdog-Chapter 343: Juren High

Juren High.

The crown jewel of secondary education in Shanghai.

It was a place where students were polished into scholars and where the elite minds of tomorrow were shaped.

Yet, despite its reputation for academic excellence, there was one thing that truly set Juren High apart from all the other prestigious schools in the city—basketball.

The moment the bell rang for morning assembly, the school came alive.

Students streamed into the halls, chattering excitedly about the latest games, upcoming tournaments, and, of course, the man of the hour—Jian Niu.

Jian Niu was a name that echoed through the halls of Juren High.

Everyone knew him.

Whether they admired him, envied him, or secretly feared him, one thing was certain—Jian Niu was the king of the court.

His footsteps were followed by a chorus of greetings as he made his way down the hallway, heading toward his classroom.

"Morning, Jian!"

"Hey, Jian! Great game on Saturday!"

"Jian, you’re a legend!"

"I hope you always have a great day, Jian!"

"Jian, my man! You’ll nail it in the Nationals again!"

Jian nodded and waved casually, a slight smirk tugging at the corner of his lips.

He was used to the attention, to the way people looked at him as if he was more than just a high school student.

As he entered the classroom, his eyes immediately found the whiteboard. At the top, written in bold letters, was his name.

Not only was he a basketball star, but he was also a top student.

Jian Niu was the perfect combination of brains and brawn.

He took his seat, still wearing that easygoing smirk, as his classmates crowded around him.

"Jian, you’re top of the class again! Do you ever sleep, man?" one of his classmates, Li Wei, laughed, patting him on the back.

"Yeah, dude. How do you balance school and basketball?" another classmate, Minghao, chimed in.

Jian shrugged nonchalantly. "It’s nothing, really. Just takes some practice. You know how it is."

He reached into his bag and pulled out a large container. "By the way, my mom made cookies. Want some?"

Before he could even finish his sentence, Li Wei snatched the container out of his hands.

"Dude, your mom’s cookies are the best! You always bring the good stuff," Li Wei said, his mouth already full.

"That’s ’cause my mom’s the best," Jian replied with a grin, taking a cookie for himself before passing the container around to the rest of the group.

His classmates all enjoyed the cookies, chattering away as they munched on the delicious treats.

After the final bell rang, signaling the end of the school day, Jian stood up and stretched.

"Are you heading to the court?" Minghao asked.

Jian nodded, slinging his bag over his shoulders.

"Do you even have to?" Minghao asked. "You’re just going to kill it, as usual."

"Yeah, can’t you go easy on your opponents for once?" Li Wei added.

Jian chuckled. "I’ll think about it."

"Although, it wouldn’t matter much anyway," he added, causing the two to cheer in agreement.

The gym was already full as he arrived.

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Juren High was a big school, one with over 20,000 students. As this was the Juren Champions’ first training session after their victory in the Interhigh Preliminaries, the court was filled with people who wanted to witness their practice session.

For smaller schools, this might sound like an overwhelming situation. However, the Juren Champions were already accustomed to such.

In fact, most of them enjoyed the attention.

"Jimmy, stop showing off to the girls," their captain, Chaoxing, said while pulling Jimmy to the middle of the court.

The sound of sneakers squeaking against the polished wooden floor and the swish of the net as a ball sailed through it—this was Jian’s domain.

As soon as he stepped onto the court, everything else faded into the background.

The practice game began, and as expected, Jian was unstoppable. He dribbled past defenders with ease, his movements so fluid and natural that it looked like he was gliding across the floor. When he jumped, it seemed like time slowed down, giving him all the time in the world to sink the ball into the net. He played with a confidence that bordered on arrogance, but no one could argue with the results.

He was just that good.

The audience screamed his name as the game continued.

His teammates, though accustomed to his skill, couldn’t help but be amazed every time they played with him.

It wasn’t just that Jian was better than everyone else—it was that he made it look so easy.

"Jian, man, slow down! Save some for the actual games!" Chaoxing said in amusement.

Jian just smirked as he drove past Jimmy and dunked the ball with one hand. The gym erupted in cheers, even from the players on the bench. Everyone loved to watch Jian play, even if they were the ones getting destroyed on the court.

Coach Park, the man who had overseen Juren High’s basketball team for years, stood on the sidelines with his arms crossed, nodding in approval.

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He was a tough coach, known for pushing his players to their limits, but when it came to Jian Niu, even Coach Park couldn’t find much to criticize.

"Nice work, Jian. Keep it up," Coach Park called out, his voice carrying over the noise of the game.

Jian just gave a quick thumbs-up in response before returning to the game.

He didn’t need to be told he was doing well—he knew it.

After ten minutes of dominating the court, Jian finally decided to call it a day.

He waved off his teammates, who were still panting and trying to catch their breaths.

"That’s it for me today, guys," Jian said, heading towards the exit.

They nodded and let him be, merely watching his back as he made his way out of the basketball court.

A first-year boy, who had watched their practice for the first time, turned to his friend with furrowed eyebrows.

"He’s already going?" he asked. "The game isn’t over yet."

His friend chuckled, already used to it for being a fan of the Juren Champions.

"You don’t know?"

"Jian rarely stays for a full practice."

"Why not?" the boy frowned.

"That’s because he doesn’t need it," he responded. "Even if he doesn’t practice, he’s already the best."

"A perfect player."

As he walked out of the gym, leaving his teammates and the rest of the school in awe, the smile he usually wore was replaced with a frown, clicking his tongue as he made his way to his car.

One thing was already clear.

"Fucking boring," he muttered.

Jian Niu was the king of Juren High, both on and off the court.

And for him, there was nothing left to prove.