Su Xi grabbed the ball and pushed it up the court. Mike Bibby immediately moved in to defend, trying to body him up at midcourt to satisfy the bloodthirsty cheers of the home crowd.

Even though he claimed to be one-eighth Chinese, that didn’t stop him from trying to put Su Xi in his place on the court.

He was known for his strength.

But the moment he tried to use his body to force Su Xi back, he felt a truly overwhelming power.

Su Xi simply blew past him, his explosive power and speed erupting all at once. Mike Bibby was sent reeling like a discarded condom, crumpled up. For a second, he didn’t even have the strength to move his legs.

Su Xi quickly slashed inside the free-throw line.

Chris Webber immediately slid over to defend. He was a little overweight, and the knee injury from last season still bothered him. As a result, his movement wasn’t fast, and Su Xi charged straight at him.

Although Weber was taller and had the advantage in size.

’But... weren’t the twenty thousand people in Akco Arena screaming for blood?’

’Then I’ll give you the slaughter you want to see!’

THUD!

Su Xi crashed violently into Weber like a cannonball hitting its target, sending Weber staggering back half a step. Su Xi immediately faked a shot. Weber scrambled to press up against him, but the moment he committed, Su Xi spun. His body was incredibly flexible, twisting and whirling around Weber. The slowness from his knee injury and extra weight made it impossible for Weber to keep up with such a fluid, almost supernatural, ballet-like move.

The moment he got past Weber, Su Xi exploded upwards. Though his vertical was average, his explosive power was incredible. He leaped up and slammed the ball through the hoop with one hand. He barely cleared the rim, but the dunk was packed with force.

With the very first play of the game, Su Xi put Weber on notice!

No one saw that coming.

The bloodthirsty cheers in Akco Arena died instantly, as if a thick rod had been shoved down everyone’s throat. In that moment, Su Xi’s sheer dominance erupted.

No one could have imagined Su Xi’s first play of the game would be so aggressive. He shoved aside a strong point guard in Mike Bibby, then slashed into the paint and spun past Chris Webber—a five-time All-Star, one-time rebounding champion, one-time Rookie of the Year, a member of one All-NBA First Team, three All-NBA Second Teams, one All-NBA Third Team, and a two-time Player of the Month.

This wasn’t just posturing in front of a tiger; this was yanking out its whiskers.

Su Xi dropped down from the rim and glared at Weber. He then made a gesture that drew a roaring tide of boos and curses from the crowd. He bent over and held his right hand down at knee-level. "This is your level now!"

Weber was about to charge Su Xi and teach him a lesson, but Brad Miller held him back.

Su Xi paid Weber’s aggressive stance no mind. "And if you want to fight, you’re even worse."

Su Xi’s arrogance was broadcast on television screens all across America.

In fact, it was also broadcast into countless homes across the Pacific in China. It was just that the CCTV hosts and commentators didn’t explain the gesture, even as the internet exploded over it. They merely downplayed it, saying, "Su Xi and Weber had a bit of a verbal spat before the game. It’s normal for a young man to be a little arrogant."

This was as far as CCTV’s editorial standards would allow.

But the young people watching on TV were fired up. They were sick of the traditional virtues of being gentle, kind, courteous, and restrained. They were tired of seeing Yao Ming get provoked only to turn the other cheek. Every time they saw news like that about Yao, they felt frustrated... even though Yao Ming handled those situations flawlessly and with great maturity.

’But why should you have to be the bigger person? Why turn the other cheek?’

’Isn’t it better to be like Su Xi? You piss me off with one sentence, and I’ll fight you to the bitter end.’

That dunk and the subsequent taunt earned Su Xi a massive following among the youth.

At this point, some of the older, more spineless fans would start saying things like: ’Su Xi is young and hot-headed; he’ll pay the price for it sooner or later. Weber will definitely get his revenge.’

They always pontificated from on high, citing their "life experience," terrified of offending their foreign masters and acting all preachy.

Little did they know that across the Pacific, Charles Barkley was slamming his desk and shouting, "MAN! YES! THAT’S WHAT I’M TALKING ABOUT!!"

"I love this kid! I love this kid! That’s exactly how you’re supposed to fight back. Weber isn’t some prodigy anymore. Does he not know what’s become of his own athleticism? He just had to try and shut Little Sheep Su Xi up. He thought he could easily blow out Little Sheep Su Xi, but he never expected the kid to be this tough. He wants an easy meal? He’d better be careful not to break all his teeth."

"OHO HO! Now this game is getting interesting!"

Barkley was ecstatic, and his excitement piqued the interest of neutral fans watching at home.

Many had originally tuned in to watch the debut of "The Chosen One," James. But after the war of words between Weber and Su Xi was blown up by the media, and after seeing Su Xi’s face on television as he said what he did... people couldn’t help but feel a sense of anticipation for Su Xi’s performance.

After all, with Su Xi’s looks, he could be a leading man even in Hollywood.

In front of his television, Nike founder Phil Knight pumped his fist. He was thrilled to see this, especially since during the taunt, every close-up clearly showed Su Xi wearing a pair of sneakers from the Nike Hardaway line.

’Perhaps it’s time to give this guy his own signature shoe.’

Phil Knight thought to himself.

In the frontcourt, Chris Webber got the ball at the high post.

Just then, the fans in Akco Arena began to chant: "SU XI SUCKS! SU XI SUCKS!"

They were desperate for Chris Webber to destroy and utterly humiliate Su Xi. They couldn’t accept a cocky, wet-behind-the-ears rookie running wild all over their King.