The Media Frenzy and The Sister's Approval
The next morning, the media coverage dictated by Li Tianyi's sister, Li Tianyu (Imperial Star Media), was flawless. Instead of emphasizing the overwhelming score, headlines across the Veridian Covenant focused on Li Tianyi's "unparalleled, effortless elegance" and "athletic precision." The narrative was simple: Li Tianyi doesn't play the game; he perfects it.
Li Tianyi was reading the reports in his penthouse, mildly satisfied. This low-effort dominance maintained his family's cultural influence without requiring him to engage in tedious, public interviews.
A call came through from Li Tianyu.
"Brother Tianyi, your performance was a tactical masterpiece," Tianyu's voice crackled with professional approval. "The stock of the Black Tiger team's primary sponsor is already suffering a dip due to the association with 'crude failure.' Excellent financial collateral damage."
"It was a necessary formality, Tianyu," Li Tianyi replied. "My goal is still tranquility."
"Understood. Now, for the second game: you face Golden Sun University. They are analytically minded, relying on advanced scouting and data. They won't rely on chaos; they'll rely on statistics. They have several exceptional pitchers and powerful sluggers who throw with massive physical force."
"Inefficiency disguised as strategy," Li Tianyi scoffed. "If their strategy relies entirely on predictable force, it is easily countered."
Game Two: The Statistical Flaw
The second game, held at a massive stadium due to the hype surrounding Li Tianyi, was indeed a statistical battle. Golden Sun University's coaching staff attempted to analyze Li Tianyi's previous performance, finding flaws in his apparent lack of effort.
"They believe that if they apply overwhelming, sustained physical output, my 'effortless' style will break down due to lack of stamina," Li Tianyi observed to Zhao Lei in the dugout. "A predictable miscalculation based on flawed assumptions regarding my physical baseline."
Golden Sun started their star pitcher, a towering man of pure muscle, who threw fastballs with brutal, high-90s velocity. The sheer force was meant to intimidate and overwhelm.
When Li Tianyi came up to bat, the pitcher threw two blindingly fast pitches that only just missed the strike zone. The crowd gasped at the speed.
Li Tianyi did not flinch. He simply tracked the ball with absolute visual certainty.
On the third pitch, the pitcher threw his fastest pitch yet, trying to overpower the Dynasty heir.
Crack!
Li Tianyi executed the same effortless, kinetic strike. He didn't try to match the brute force; he merely used the pitcher's own high velocity against him, perfectly redirecting the energy. The ball shot out—not higher, but faster than the previous game's hits. It was a physics lesson in efficiency.
Home Run. A clean, elegant counter-refutation of the opposition's entire statistical strategy.
Pitching Against Predictable Force
When Li Tianyi took the mound, he faced the biggest slugger on the Golden Sun team. The batter's strategy was clearly to stand deep in the box and try to muscle the ball.
Li Tianyi found the solution immediately. He focused on the batter's predictable wind-up and stance, which betrayed his intent to swing hard at anything in the center zone.
Li Tianyi threw a series of four pitches, none of them exceeding 70% of his maximum speed:
A slow, looping curveball that forced the slugger to start his massive swing too early. Strike.
A changeup that dropped right as it crossed the plate, hitting the bottom of the zone. Strike.
A slow slider that tracked perfectly outside, tempting the batter. The batter, desperate to justify his brute force, swung with unnecessary aggression. Miss.
The final pitch was a subtle sinker, thrown perfectly inside, that forced the batter to lean back, completely fouling the swing.
Strike Out. The slugger, completely humiliated, threw his bat down in a fit of rage—the messy, emotional chaos that Li Tianyi despised.
The Elegant Retreat
The result of the game was inevitable. Imperial Star won 9-1. Li Tianyi played five innings, securing the necessary runs and outs, striking out 12 batters, and hitting two home runs. The single run scored by Golden Sun was against a substitute pitcher after Li Tianyi had elegantly stepped off the mound, citing "physical fatigue due to the excessive need to demonstrate simple concepts."
He didn't need to play the full game; his point was already made.
As he walked off the field, avoiding the surging crowd, Zhao Lei was already managing the situation perfectly, erecting a barrier of polite excuses.
"Chairman Li, the media wants to know why you retired early," Zhao Lei asked, his voice now imbued with the disciplined subservience of a true follower.
Li Tianyi handed his used, pristine baseball to a member of The Shadow Contingent to be cataloged.
"Tell the media," Li Tianyi stated simply, boarding his sedan, "that the demonstration was complete. Playing further would have been tedious and repetitive. I do not believe in over-delivery."
With that, he was gone, leaving behind the frustrated coaches, the defeated rival athletes, and the chaotic spectacle of a major college sports win—a win achieved with the effortless grace of a man who found global dominance to be merely a slightly elevated form of leisure.