To raise the success rate of completing The Road to Genius to 90%, boosting Kobe's initiative—the "tool man"—became the central goal of Su Feng's next phase of work.
"We can't keep grinding data as lifelessly as before. I mean, how did those programmers in my past life manage to enjoy the infamous 996 schedule?
Oh right—by being happy! If you're happy and have a goal while grinding data, that's when basketball brings the purest joy!"
After some quiet reflection, Su Feng felt he'd finally climbed the ladder to version 3.0 of his "Sewer Data Grinding Plan."
Why a ladder?
Because in Su Feng's eyes, the sewer has no threshold—anyone can get in.
Back to the story.
After spending Christmas at the Bryants' as the designated "kitchen tool man," came another cursed five-week winter break.
Initially, Kobe and Su Feng had planned to travel to North Carolina and crush McGrady—but they scrapped it.
Because considering T-Mac petty attitude...
Nonsense!
Obviously, the two little blacksmiths noticed that the Bulls would be visiting Philadelphia on January 13.
Compared to McGrady, Jordan and his Bulls held a much greater allure.
John Lucas had previously told Su Feng and Kobe that if they wanted Sixers tickets, they just needed to give him a heads-up.
But with Joe Bryant standing there full-faced, why owe anyone favors for NBA tickets?
Emmmmmm...
"No courtside seats. Just two in the back row. Take them or leave them."
"..."
Joe Bryant clearly miscalculated.
The Sixers were playing terribly that season, with sparse attendance—tickets weren't hard to come by.
But this was the Bulls visiting. Whole different story.
If Su Feng and Kobe were already dominating the Pennsylvania High School Basketball League like snow in solitude...
Then in the NBA, the Bulls were soaring just as high.
Summer of '95 wasn't just about Su Feng and Kobe's training.
To reclaim his throne, the "Old Rogue" gave Warner Bros. an ultimatum while shooting Space Jam:
If they wouldn't let him train at the studio, he'd walk from the film.
So guess what?
Warner Bros. actually built a new gym the size of a parking lot just for Jordan—with A/C, sound system, gym equipment, and even his favorite gaming tables.
That summer, Jordan realized his days of flying freely were behind him—and evolved once more.
With trainer Tim Grover's help, he perfected his fadeaway shot into an unstoppable weapon.
Through subtle changes in rhythm, shoulder angles, and eye direction, Jordan confused defenders mid-move.
Hesitate—and he'd turn and rise for the shot.
Jordan's takeoff style was unpredictable. He'd tease opponents with directional fakes—left, right, spin.
At release, everything—angle, speed, arc, timing, rhythm—was a work of art.
Combine that with his unreal hangtime...
Even Pippen, after scrimmaging him that summer, admitted there was no way to stop it. It all came down to whether Jordan made the shot.
Many tried to copy the move over the years. Few succeeded.
Because mastering it required not just core strength and bounce—but also coordination, flexibility, and intuition.
Take Su Feng's current turnaround fadeaway.
Even with the "Kobe signature" badge, Su Feng was nowhere near the unpredictability of the "Old Rogue."
Some skills only come with time—and there's a priceless asset called experience.
You earn it one game at a time.
Side note: After the Bulls' loss to the Magic post-comeback, teammates felt Jordan was easier to get along with.
Of course...
That "getting along" came at the cost of blood.
In the Bulls' preseason training camp, Jordan kept trash-talking the subs.
Steve Kerr, tired of it, turned full Zuan mode and confronted the "Old Rogue."
Jordan, not backing down, threw a punch.
"We agreed on verbal sparring—you brought fists?!"
Bah, Old Rogue!
Though Kerr later claimed he landed a few punches too...
Realistically, with his skinny frame, if teammates hadn't intervened, Jordan might've KO'd Kerr's career for good.
Regret hit Jordan instantly.
He wasn't dumb—he knew the championship was the priority.
He patched things up with Kerr soon after.
And over time, Jordan began to genuinely respect his teammates post-threepeat.
Still, even with Jordan back in top form, and the Bulls desperate for redemption...
No one knew better than Phil Jackson and Jordan that they couldn't win it all alone.
Bill Wennington was too slow. They needed rebounding help.
So, the Bulls extended an olive branch to the "colorful" Dennis Rodman.
And just like that, the core of the Bulls' second dynasty was assembled.
Michael Jordan's face-smacking redemption arc had begun.
…
In November, during the game against the Grizzlies, second-year guard Darrick Martin was assigned to defend Jordan and boldly said, "You're not that tough—I think I can guard you."
And that was the end of it.
Shocked, Grizzlies coach Winters immediately benched Martin.
But it was already too late.
Martin had successfully flipped Jordan's internal "God switch."
In the fourth quarter, Jordan went 9-for-12 from the field, scoring 19 points to lead the Bulls to a 94–88 comeback win.
By Christmas, the Bulls held a stunning record: 23 wins and just 2 losses.
Looking back, the feeling among the team was clear—when they wanted to win, they could beat anyone.
It's worth noting that, perhaps because it seemed impossible for them to lose to two high schoolers in late November...
On December 1, Jerry Stackhouse dropped 32 points in a game against the Raptors and confidently declared afterward:
"I trained with Michael (Jordan) during the offseason. If we went one-on-one, I'd beat him."
Apparently, that wasn't enough bravado for one day...
Stackhouse's teammate Vernon Maxwell piled on in the postgame interview:
"The Bulls are way overhyped. They're nothing special."
When Su Feng read this in the Philadelphia Evening News, he was already silently mourning Stackhouse in advance.
Brother DIE, go in peace.
When the Bulls visit Philadelphia on January 13 next year... I'll be there to pray for you!
…
The camera pans back to the Philadelphia smithy.
Just like the previous year, Kobe and Su Feng resumed their winter break training in the same basketball hall they'd used before.
You might not believe it, but after resisting the temptation to spend points, Su Feng had racked up a staggering 13 million points in just six months!
Mostly because Kobe kept leveling up, which made Su Feng feel oddly vain.
The two practically rang in the New Year to the soundtrack of clanking iron.
Farewell, 1995—1996 arrived with a bang.
Su Feng and Kobe were officially entering their final sprint toward the NBA.
They trained relentlessly until the 13th, living like ascetics.
Kobe tried to sneak in a date, but under the firm warning of Su Feng's "sandwich," the Mamba had no choice but to return and keep grinding.
Su Feng couldn't help but marvel that Kobe somehow ended up marrying Vanessa in the future.
After Su Feng exposed Kobe's first love, it became clear—based on Kobe's words alone—that he was a total love rookie.
No wonder, in a past life, one casual sentence from Ray Allen sent him spiraling. This kind of steel-hearted straight guy was clearly built for a lifetime on the court.
"Su, aren't you planning to have some unforgettable romance before graduating high school?"
On the way to the Chicago Bulls vs. Philadelphia 76ers game that day, Kobe glanced over at Su Feng with curiosity.
"Basketball is my girlfriend," replied Su Feng, fully immersed in his hoops obsession.
Kobe could only shake his head. From his perspective, Su Feng was too far gone. A hopeless case.
A straight-laced hoop junkie like Su Feng? Destined to ball for life.
…
Joe Bryant's infamous rear-view comment?
Turns out, TM really did have a back row.
Su Feng regretted not bringing a telescope with him.
This was his first time watching Michael Jordan play live—no screen, no highlights, just raw greatness under the stadium lights.
And... yikes.
"This is awful. I don't even want to watch—let's go, Kobe." Watching Starkhouse get steamrolled by Jordan wasn't exactly Su Feng's idea of fun.
"This has got to be a joke…"
Kobe was stunned. The game had barely begun, and they were already witnessing firsthand what happened when you dared to poke the bull.
Guarded by Jordan, Starkhouse and Maxwell put up a combined 13 and 4 points—while Jordan casually dropped 48 on their heads.
Maybe out of respect, Jordan never publicly responded to Starkhouse's death threats. But judging by the broken man wandering the court, Su Feng figured Jordan didn't need to.
Brutal. Just brutal.
"That's Michael Jordan?"
Jordan's personality might be worth a three-million-word novel—but his skills?
Seeing them live, Su Feng clenched his fists.
Could he ever beat a player like this?
Even with memories from two lifetimes… this was the Michael Jordan.
Yet strangely, there was no fear. Not in Su Feng, and not in Kobe.
Was it because of Su Feng's "iron system"?
No.
He knew—no matter how hard he trained, he wouldn't reach Jordan's heights before retirement.
Was it because he'd seen basketball's future from his past life?
Nope.
Su Feng understood: the future will have its stars, but right now, in the '90s—before Shaq's big move west—no one eclipses Jordan.
Once the switch flips, he's the god.
Su Feng's feelings were tangled.
But easy to summarize.
Maybe because of all the time spent around Kobe, Su Feng began thinking: "So what if it's impossible?"
Was the gap between himself and Jordan really greater than the one he had with Kobe when they first met?
Back then, Su Feng was just a weak chicken who got dunked on.
Only true hoop lovers would understand what he felt now.
Long ago, after looking down at the world, Su Feng thought he'd lost all passion.
But now, basketball brought it roaring back.
That passion was never gone. It was just buried.
And now? He wanted to play.
So what if he's from two worlds?
Live a little longer. If you miss your youth chasing fear... what's the point?
Almost in sync, Su Feng and Kobe stared at Jordan and said, in different languages—
"Aren't we here to play Jordan?"
And at that moment...
Ding—!
[Challenge Michael Jordan] Mission Started!