Extraordinary Realm from Persuasion System

"You really don't know how to play basketball, but you sure know how to *wreck* a ball—as in, wreck it till it explodes!"

Looking at the basketball that Zhang Beixing had carelessly tossed onto the ground, which now sported a fist-sized hole, then looking at Zhang Beixing's hands spread in helpless resignation, Li Chang and the others twitched slightly, roaring internally.

Now, who cares if you can play basketball! Everyone is focused on how you just punched the ball and made it explode!

Playing basketball is a moderately intense sport. To ensure participants have fun and enjoy it thoroughly, basketballs are generally manufactured using extremely resilient materials like leather and rubber. This makes them very tough and resistant to impact. Unless they encounter sharp objects like blades or broken glass, neither palms nor fists can harm them at all. Initially, some people didn't believe it, thinking, It's just a flimsy little thing; I can smash it with a bit of force. But as time passed, people realized that smashing basketballs was somewhat unrealistic, so they shifted their focus to smashing backboards to show off their strength!

Li Chang and the other sports students felt the same. They dreamed of the day they could execute a violent slam dunk, shatter the backboard to pieces, make a name for themselves at school, and thereby gain priority mating rights.

But before they could achieve their goal of smashing the backboard, Zhang Beixing had accomplished another feat today: he threw a punch and literally made the basketball explode!

BOOM! It exploded!

"Brother Zhang... no, Daddy! I want to learn this move!"

Regaining his composure without a hint of hesitation, Li Chang acted on pure instinct. He slid towards Zhang Beixing, and just as he was about to collide, he twisted his body, transforming his slide into a kneel. Li Chang clung to Zhang Beixing's thighs, looking up at him with a face full of adoration.

"Huh???"

Seeing this behavior, Zhang Beixing was utterly dumbfounded, not having processed the situation yet.

When the other sports students saw Li Chang's actions, they also snapped back to their senses, internally cursing his shamelessness. But deep down, they desperately wanted to do the same. Zhang Beixing's feat of exploding a basketball with a single punch was just too damn awesome! If they could learn it and pull it off in a game, forget priority mating rights; even if a septic truck passed by the school gate, it would have to stop and let them savor a taste of that glory!

However, concerned about their image, they were too embarrassed to slide and kneel before Zhang Beixing in front of everyone like that weirdo Li Chang, begging to be taught. If they wanted to learn, they'd have to find another way.

Seeing this, Li Chang naturally understood what they were thinking.

To this, Li Chang just wanted to retort: "You don't even have the guts to go all out, yet you dream of showing off in front of others and impressing girls? Get real! Do you even understand what patience and building a foundation mean? (Tactical lean back)"

Seeing that Li Chang was clinging to his thigh and refusing to leave, Zhang Beixing felt a headache coming on because of this show-off. Beating him up wasn't an option with so many people watching, and he lacked a proper reason. But not beating him up...

Looking at the few other sports students who also seemed eager, Zhang Beixing felt that if he didn't resolve this, he might become a Douyin sensation by tomorrow thanks to these show-offs.

He had even come up with a title: [Shocking! Recently, at a university in Shishi, a man committed such an outrageous act in public that it caused numerous men to kneel and beg—a true spectacle of moral decay and utter chaos!]

So damn disgusting!

"Alright, alright, Li Chang, stop clinging to me! I'm telling you, get up now!" To protect his reputation, Zhang Beixing looked at Li Chang and chose to concede.

"Really, Daddy?" Li Chang asked, his eyes sparkling as he looked at Zhang Beixing.

Zhang Beixing nodded. "Yes, really. Now, get up!"

He felt he couldn't stay a moment longer. It wasn't just because of the strange stares from the onlookers, but also because Zhang Beixing sensed that the internal energy, that indescribable power within him, was subtly starting to dissipate!

This was bad. That inexplicable energy was crucial for his breakthrough in Martial Arts! If it was wasted because of this delay, he'd be so furious he wouldn't sleep for nights. He'd absolutely have to slaughter Li Chang and offer him as a sacrifice to the heavens!

So, for his own physical and mental well-being, for his future, and also for Li Chang's future, Zhang Beixing spoke, revealing the secret to his incredible power.

"If you want to make a basketball explode with one punch like me, it's actually quite simple. Starting today, every day, wear fifty pounds of weights, run ten kilometers, do one thousand push-ups, one thousand pull-ups, and one thousand squats. Keep this up for two and a half years, and you'll naturally learn how."

Hearing this, Li Chang was stunned. Then, an awkward yet polite smile appeared on his face. Li Chang nonchalantly got up from the ground and dusted himself off.

"Sorry to bother you, Brother Zhang. I'll be taking my leave!"

With those words, Li Chang turned and left without a second glance!

Regardless of whether Zhang Beixing was telling the truth, the sheer intensity of the training regimen was not something an ordinary person could endure. Even for a sports student like Li Chang, completing those exercises would leave him utterly exhausted, let alone doing them while wearing fifty pounds of weights.

He'd probably suffer from rhabdomyolysis right after finishing and be rushed to the hospital for emergency treatment!

Seeing Li Chang wisely retreat, Zhang Beixing nodded with satisfaction. He then turned to the others, smiled, and asked, "Does anyone else want to learn? Or perhaps, you don't want to learn and would rather continue playing basketball with me?"

Upon hearing this, the sports students, who usually feared nothing, immediately recoiled, waving their hands frantically.

"No, Brother Zhang, definitely not! I'm scared. You're too formidable! If you accidentally bumped into me during a game, with my frail constitution, I'd probably end up in the hospital for two months!"

"Same here! Besides, the ball's broken, so we can't play anymore. Maybe some other day."

"What are you talking about? 'Some other day'? With our pathetic skills, do we even deserve to play with Brother Zhang? I say, the only people in this world qualified to play basketball with our Brother Zhang are those famous NBA stars! No! They aren't even worthy to play with Brother Zhang. Those worthless shrimps! If Brother Zhang landed one punch... cough, cough, I mean, if one ball hit their jewels, their family line would end!"

"It might sound harsh, Brother Zhang, but playing with others wastes time; playing with you costs a life. I can't afford that!"

"Oh, dear! I just remembered I haven't finished my workout for today. Brother Zhang, I'll head off first."

"..."

One by one, the sports students made their excuses, backing away as they spoke. Once they had created a safe distance from Zhang Beixing, they bolted. Soon, only Zhang Beixing remained on the court, with just the messy footprints on the ground and the ruptured basketball as evidence of what had just transpired.

Seeing this, Zhang Beixing raised an eyebrow but said nothing. He simply took out his phone to check something. He was a bit disappointed to find that the first class in the afternoon wasn't Teacher Liu's. He then contacted his instructor, asking for leave due to a "cold" and requesting the instructor to inform the course teacher.

In response, the instructor silently sent three dots. Then, a photo was sent over. It was a picture of Zhang Beixing standing on the sports field, head down, fiddling with his phone. A glance at the timestamp in the bottom right corner: Hey! May 23, 2018, 1:21 PM! Taken just now!

Fortunately, after Zhang Beixing employed his silver tongue, the instructor eventually granted him leave.

Once he confirmed he wouldn't get into trouble for skipping class, Zhang Beixing didn't even bother to say goodbye to Lin Siqi and the others. He jogged straight into the small grove of trees and began to ponder the inexplicable energy that had surged within him earlier.

「It was after he left.」

Looking at the empty basketball court, the crowd of spectating students in the stands still hadn't dispersed. They were still discussing the incident, occasionally gasping in shock, thereby contributing their small part to global warming.

Sophia Zhou was utterly astonished. As a sports student, she often played basketball for leisure, so she knew exactly how tough a basketball was. But now...

Is this what a martial artist is capable of? It's terrifying! Exploding a basketball with one punch... Could this be the 'True Qi' mentioned in those Martial Hero novels?

Staring dumbfounded at the ruined ball on the court, Sophia Zhou was filled with disbelief.

Hearing her, Lin Siqi's mouth twitched. She first said seriously, "There's no such thing as True Qi in reality." But then, looking at the remains of the basketball, she too became somewhat bewildered. "Honestly speaking, Lao Zhang's punch was truly outrageous! Exploding a basketball like that... Even those strongmen or boxing champions couldn't do it, right, Rourou? What do you think?"

"I'm watching on my knees!" Chen Rourou replied instantly, without a moment's thought. She carefully recalled the punch Zhang Beixing had thrown and realized that, whether in the world of Martial Arts or basketball, it was an absolutely explosive feat!

The three girls were profoundly shocked.

But even more shocked were Zheng Jituo and his friends, sitting not far from the three girls. As Zhang Beixing's roommates, they had lived under the same roof, eating and sharing their lives for three years. Before this, they would have confidently thumped their chests and declared that, apart from Zhang Beixing's parents and his internet browser, they knew him better than anyone else in the world!

But now, thinking about what had just happened...

TAP.

HISS.

"Guys, why do I suddenly feel like I don't recognize Lao Zhang anymore? Don't tell me some ancient demon from another world has possessed him?" Zheng Jituo lit a cigarette, took a deep drag, and turned to ask the equally bewildered Dong Guoning and Jin Linyu.

It wasn't surprising he thought this. Zhang Beixing's transformation was simply too drastic! He had started working out in April, and in less than two months, he had gone from a skinny guy to this muscular man.

This is insane! Even taking a ton of performance enhancers wouldn't produce such incredible results, right?

But then, thinking about Zhang Beixing's usual antics, Zheng Jituo felt that possession was unlikely. After all, there weren't many people in the world as shameless as Zhang Beixing! At least at Shi University, he was like a scorpion's dropping—utterly unique in his shamelessness!

Weird! So damn weird!

"..."