NOVEL NEXT Chapter 92 - Learning
“I will soon be apprenticed under Instructor Su Wenli from the Special Talent Training Center, and General Su from the Third Legion will be my teacher,” Mai Dongzi said.
If Mai Dongzi had parents, this matter would have been prepared for long ago. To avoid appearing weak, she needed to showcase the Xi family, and the best choice for this was the current head of the family.
It took Ren Guang three full seconds to process this information, and his breathing became rapid.
As a scion of a prominent family and currently one of the elite heirs, he quickly understood the immense benefits this would bring to Mai Dongzi and the Xi family.
The Xi family’s influence was mainly in the political sphere, and they had little influence in the military. Young people like Ren Guang, on the other hand, could achieve more in the army.
Ren Guang immediately realized why Mai Dongzi chose to stay in the Arts Department while only taking electives in the Command Department. Since she already had a mentor for her cultivation, she needed to acquire other knowledge, especially in military studies.
In fact, not only did Ren Guang understand this right away, but his three teammates also grasped the situation. The three of them displayed different expressions of excitement, knowing that if their captain succeeded, they might have the chance to benefit as well.
When the robotic servers delivered all the food they had ordered, Shi Zimo and the other three showed not only a courteous attitude towards Mai Dongzi but also a subtle hint of respect.
Ren Guang was relatively composed, as Mai Dongzi was his cousin, but he also subtly indicated that Mai Dongzi was the leader.
Satisfied with achieving her goal, Mai Dongzi enjoyed her meal.
As the sky outside began to darken, both inside and outside the cafeteria were brightly lit, and the scene was bustling with activity.
Since there were no plans for the evening, the group moved at a leisurely pace.
Halfway through their meal, they received a message almost simultaneously.
Everyone in the cafeteria opened their light screens to check, and Shi Zimo remarked with a mix of surprise and nonchalance, “For this semester’s swimming records, Junior, you’re ranked fifth. Captain, you’re actually in sixth place—an impressive rise.”
“According to the campus website, the second batch of freshmen faced a storm that lasted for an hour and a half today, which delayed the entire schedule. Given these conditions, Xi Junior, you still managed to place fifth in the school. That’s really impressive,” said Ding Chenghao, who rarely spoke.
It was clear to everyone that he was genuinely impressed, and the others felt the same.
“Imperial Capital University truly lives up to its reputation as the best university in our Blue-Black Empire. Even with all my effort, I only managed fifth place. It’s true that there are always stronger individuals. I need to work even harder,” Mai Dongzi said with determination.
Fifth place was nothing compared to her current cultivation potential. In the future, she aimed to secure first place in terms of combat ability.
Mai Dongzi’s voice was slightly raised, and any perceptive students nearby could hear her clearly.
Students in the Combat Department are known for their competitive and combative nature. Instead of seeing Mai Dongzi’s words as arrogance, they admired her sharp and ambitious spirit that matched their own.
“Cousin, you’ve already earned a hundred points, and with the new student rewards, don’t be frugal. Try to have a natural meal every day,” Ren Guang said.
“Don’t worry, I have a total of two hundred and ninety points now,” Mai Dongzi replied.
“What? How do you have so many points?” Ren Guang asked, his face full of surprise.
When Ren Guang and the others learned that Mai Dongzi received a hundred points as a new student reward in the Arts Department, they were merely envious. Given Mai Dongzi’s cultivation level, it wasn’t surprising for the Arts Department to offer her the highest entry reward to retain her.
However, hearing that she also received ninety points for her elective courses in the Command Department, everyone felt somewhat disheartened.
Ren Guang’s new student reward was only sixty points, which was already more than many others. His three teammates each had only forty or fifty points.
When they applied to take additional majors, merely getting their applications approved was a great achievement; expecting points was just a dream.
For students who are serious about their studies, life is never poetic and picturesque but rather busy.
Especially for someone like Mai Dongzi, who is majoring in two fields and must complete at least four hours of cultivation every day, her schedule is incredibly hectic.
The courses in sound therapy may seem simple, but mastering them is not easy. It requires repeated practice to perfectly integrate mental strength with musical notes.
Sound attack, on the other hand, is traditionally an auxiliary skill used by sound therapists to disrupt enemies and delay time while waiting for rescue.
Whether it’s sound therapy or sound attack, both involve using mental strength to “perform” music for soothing therapy or attack purposes.
Sound therapy is manageable as long as one is a level two mental energy user, capable of playing music that can soothe mental breakdowns.
But sound attack is different; without strong mental energy, one cannot produce music with powerful offensive capabilities.
When choosing an instrument, Mai Dongzi faced some difficulty but ultimately chose the flute and the harp.
The flute is light and agile, suitable for everyday use as a weapon, while the harp is steady and heavy, making it a powerful tool for group attacks.
Regardless, attending classes every day involves learning music theory or music itself, which is relatively relaxing.
Especially since Mai Dongzi has her own cultivation room, the Arts Department, due to her strong abilities, does not impose as strict restrictions on her as it does on other students. Therefore, aside from the mandatory class hours, she is allowed to practice in her dormitory, which saves her a lot of time.
In the Command Department, the first year is dedicated to learning basic knowledge, so memorizing and learning by rote is a common experience for first-year students.
Even with her strong mental energy and near-photographic memory, Mai Dongzi found herself overwhelmed by the long reading list provided by the Command Department professors.
With so many books, not only is remembering them challenging, but even just flipping through them takes a considerable amount of time.
Therefore, Mai Dongzi, who is extremely busy, spends her days either in the Arts Department or the Command Department, and upon returning to her dormitory in the evening, she follows General Su’s cultivation schedule.
Since General Su’s cultivation schedule only includes plans for mental energy and martial arts, Mai Dongzi also carves out an hour each day to cultivate her wood-type abilities.
On Ren Guang’s suggestion, Mai Dongzi bought potted vegetables and fruit seedlings from the Star Network. She would nurture them while cultivating her wood-type abilities every day, which saved her a lot of points.
As time flew by in her busy schedule, it wasn’t until Instructor Lan from the Arts Department came to talk to Mai Dongzi that she realized five months had quickly passed, and the freshman competition was about to begin.
“Mai Dongzi, would you like to sign up for the individual competition?” Instructor Lan asked with hopeful eyes.