Chapter 548

This pitch hit the perfect center of the strike zone!

Sano Sho even felt the vibration from the glove was stronger than before.

The red numbers on the speed gun made both of their breaths hitch: 137 km/h!

“The level of a high school third-tier pitcher…” Kuroda Keisuke muttered.

What made them even more incredulous was that while Xia Xia Muchun was clearly increasing his power output, his pitching motion remained terrifyingly stable, without any deformation, excessive leaning, or arm drag caused by forced exertion!

Most pitchers, when pursuing extreme ball speed, would have some distortion in their motion; this was a natural compensation of the human body’s exertion.

But Xia Xia Muchun didn't; his body control was precise to a terrifying degree.

“Monster… this guy’s control over his body is simply a monster…” Sano Sho couldn't help but whisper.

Before they could fully recover from the shock, Xia Xia Muchun had already caught the ball that bounced back, a flash of sharpness and joy in his eyes.

From that pitch just now, he had already experienced the effect of the ‘Effort Baseball Glove’.

Simply put.

Previously, through the body control of the ‘Decaying Wooden Sword’, Xia Xia Muchun had already raised his hit rate to over 90%.

In this situation, basically every pitch would be in the strike zone.

Now, adding the 10% hit rate of the ‘Effort Baseball Glove’, plus the pitching ability bonus.

It was almost certain to hit the perfect center of the strike zone.

But just hitting the target wasn't enough.

The speed had to be up too!

Otherwise, even if it hit a certain area, it would be too slow, allowing the batter to hit it and score.

“Next pitch, I’ll add a bit more power.”

As the words fell, he had already started again, intending to increase the intensity!

This time, his motion seemed to be injected with stronger explosive power; from pushing off the ground to swinging his arm, the connection of the entire kinetic chain was so fast it created faint afterimages!

“Whoosh—!”

The sound produced by the speed of the ball was different from before!

A white shadow flashed by.

Sano Sho’s professional instinct made him instantly alert, even subconsciously tensing his arm to catch the ball.

“Bang!!”

A much duller impact sound exploded in the glove.

Sano Sho’s eyes were somewhat shocked, and he felt his hand go numb.

He couldn't hold back and immediately shifted his gaze to the speed gun on the side.

The numbers on the speed gun jumped wildly, finally settling on a number that made both former professional players’ hearts shake violently:

“Second… second-tier ace level…” Kuroda Keisuke’s voice trembled.

This was already the signature ball speed for the main pitchers of many strong high school baseball schools!

And Xia Xia Muchun, in less than an hour of his first pitching training, had touched this threshold?!

You have to know that even they, when they wanted to reach this speed in their first year of high school, couldn't do it at all.

At the very least, it was something they could only do in their second or third year.

You could even say that they had been training baseball since they were little.

And now… this A-kun had reached this realm purely by relying on this terrifying body control and quality?

Because of this, the two coaches couldn't help but look at each other, both seeing the excitement and thrill in the other’s eyes.

You have to know that reaching this speed after just one day of training meant that Xia Xia Muchun would definitely exceed 150 km/h within this month!

This was a situation that would definitely lead to a professional career!

Thinking of this, the two even forgot that they were actually under a life-threatening threat from the Mido family.

They were completely excited and shocked by the birth of a baseball superstar!

Xia Xia Muchun rubbed his right shoulder, a thoughtful expression on his face, as if digesting the feeling of those few pitches.

Then, he looked at the two coaches, his eyes calm but carrying an unquestionable sense of confirmation.

“Coach Sano, Coach Kuroda, for the next pitch, I want to try full power.”

“Fu… full power?” Kuroda Keisuke’s throat tightened, very shocked. “You haven't even used full power yet?!”

“Can your motion still be maintained? Is there any discomfort in your shoulder or elbow?” Sano Sho swallowed his saliva, asking anxiously, mixed with excitement and worry.

That professional instinct made him prioritize the athlete’s health.

He didn't want Xia Xia Muchun to push himself.

After all, with this speed now, as long as he stayed steady, he would basically definitely reach 150 km/h in a month.

So there was no need to push himself!

He didn't want to capsize in the gutter!

“It feels good, no discomfort.” Xia Xia Muchun moved his arm and confirmed, “I think… I can control it.”

Looking at the calm confidence in the young man’s eyes, which wasn't blind arrogance but born from the precise control of the last few pitches, the two coaches’ hearts were pounding.

They knew they might be witnessing a rare miracle of physical talent.

“…Alright!” Sano Sho gritted his teeth and placed his glove in the center of the strike zone. “Just one pitch! Throw it at full power! Let me see your limit!”

Kuroda Keisuke also held his breath, staring tightly at the young man on the pitcher’s mound.

Xia Xia Muchun took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.

While intending to use full power, he also used the effect of ‘Hot-Blooded Baseball’ without hesitation.

In this instant.

He was exceptionally surprised.

Because just by holding the baseball, he could feel that his power had indeed increased.

Since that was the case.

That meant throwing a baseball could also trigger the ‘Hot-Blooded Baseball Bat’ effect of increasing power by 10% and hit rate by 20%!

Plus the previous control over his body.

It could be said that Xia Xia Muchun could now use full power while also hitting exactly where he aimed!

Xia Xia Muchun closed his eyes for a moment, as if confirming all the exertion links in his mind one last time.

Then, he opened his eyes, his gaze locking onto the center of the catcher’s glove like lightning.

Push off! Rotate hips! Swing arm!

His whole body was like a fully drawn strong bow, compressing all his power to the limit, and then releasing it suddenly through that perfect “whip”!

“Sshh—!”

The air seemed to be torn apart.

A white light, with an initial speed far exceeding any previous pitch, shot almost straight toward home plate!

Sano Sho’s pupils contracted sharply; having retired from the professional baseball field long ago, he was now somewhat unable to react, and had no time to make more adjustments to catch the ball, so he could only rely on instinct to fix his glove in place.

“BOOM!!!”

It wasn't a “bang,” but a dull, loud sound like a small cannon firing!

Sano Sho felt a huge force coming from the glove, shaking his forearm numb, and his body couldn't help but lean back slightly.

The speed gun screen, after a brief glitch, jumped out a number that plunged the entire training ground into dead silence:

Silence.

A silence of over ten seconds, where you could hear a pin drop.

Kuroda Keisuke opened his mouth wide, and the recording board in his hand fell to the ground with a “clatter.”

Sano Sho slowly straightened up, looking down at the small white ball in his glove that seemed to still be slightly hot, then looked up at the speed gun, and then at the young man on the pitcher’s mound who wasn't even panting, just calmly moving his wrist.

—158 km/h!

This was no longer just the level of a “high school ace.”

This was the stable fastball range common for first-string pitchers in Japanese professional baseball!

It was a ball speed that many professional players needed years of training and matches to stably master!

And Xia Xia Muchun, a high school student who had officially learned to pitch for the first time today, in less than an hour, used near-perfect motion control to throw at this speed…

“Is this still human… it’s simply—a monster!”