2012 · Los Angeles · Private Training Facility
The location Mark sent wasn't public.
No sign.
No logo.
Just a quiet industrial building tucked away from the main roads.
Gu Kai arrived ten minutes early.
The door was already open.
Inside, the court was dimmer than usual. No music. No chatter. Just the sound of shoes against hardwood—slow, deliberate.
There were only ten players.
No extras.
No spectators.
And no weak links.
---
"These runs don't stop,"
the coach said, handing the ball to the baseline.
"No winners. No rotations. You play until someone can't."
Gu Kai checked in.
Across from him stood a guard in his mid-twenties—lean, compact, eyes calm.
A professional.
Not someone chasing a spot.
Someone defending one.
---
The ball went up.
The first possession hit like a wall.
Contact came before the dribble.
Hands checked his hips, his shoulders, his balance.
No whistle.
Gu Kai took two dribbles and pulled back.
Reset.
He didn't attack.
Not yet.
---
The pace climbed quickly.
No one forced shots.
No one hunted highlights.
Every possession was a calculation.
Gu Kai made his first move on the fourth touch.
He drove hard to the right, drew two defenders, then stopped short and kicked out.
Open look.
Hit.
No reaction.
They ran back.
---
Next possession, the defense adjusted.
They stayed home.
Gu Kai saw it immediately.
He went downhill.
Not explosive—
inevitable.
The defender slid.
The help came late.
Gu Kai absorbed contact and finished through it.
Hard.
Clean.
Still no reaction.
But the spacing changed.
---
Mid-run, fatigue started to show.
Not in the legs—
in the decisions.
One player forced a drive into traffic.
Blocked.
Another hesitated on a rotation.
Layup.
They didn't complain.
They just kept playing.
Gu Kai stayed steady.
He talked on defense.
Pointed early.
Moved first.
Not louder.
Earlier.
---
On the fifteenth possession, the defense trapped him near the sideline.
No escape dribble.
No bailout pass.
Gu Kai didn't panic.
He pivoted, protected the ball, waited for the cut—and slipped the pass through a closing window.
Finish.
The guard across from him nodded once.
That mattered.
---
The run went on.
Twenty possessions.
Thirty.
No breaks.
Sweat soaked through jerseys. Breathing grew heavier.
Gu Kai felt it—
This wasn't about showing more.
It was about holding form longer than everyone else.
On a late possession, he caught the ball at the top with a tired defender in front of him.
Gu Kai jabbed.
No reaction.
He jabbed again.
Still nothing.
So he pulled up.
Mid-range.
Clean.
The first sound from the sideline all night—
A pen tapping against a clipboard.
---
Finally, the ball rolled dead.
No whistle.
Just exhaustion.
The coach walked onto the floor.
"That's enough."
No one argued.
They just bent over, hands on knees, catching breath.
The coach looked around.
Then at Gu Kai.
"You belong here,"
he said.
Not loudly.
Not dramatically.
Just clearly.
---
The system interface appeared—calm, measured.
---
[Stage Two: High-Intensity Evaluation]
[Initial Trial: Passed]
🟡 Gold Trait Progress Detected
[Unlock Condition: Sustained Professional Intensity]
[Current Progress: 18%]
[Note]
At this level, power is common.
Stability is rare.
---
Gu Kai straightened and wiped sweat from his face.
His legs burned.
His lungs worked hard.
But his mind was quiet.
This wasn't the place where stars were born.
It was where professionals decided
who was allowed to stay.
Gu Kai picked up his bag and walked toward the exit.
Behind him, the court lights dimmed slightly.
Ahead—
The door hadn't opened yet.
But for the first time—
He was inside knocking distance.