NOVEL NEXT Chapter 94 - The Competition 2
In a world where strength commands respect, only those with power can earn recognition and respect from others.
Instructor Fang said bluntly to Mai Dongzi, “Student Xi, these five freshmen are the strongest students in our Command Department apart from you. Although we have gathered them together and informed them that you will be appointed as the team leader, if you cannot win them over within three days and make them willing to form a team with you, recognizing you as their leader, then the team will be disbanded, and they will have to find other people to team up with!”
Although Mai Dongzi didn’t think that Instructor Fang and the others would manage everything flawlessly, she didn’t expect them to be so hands-off either.
According to Instructor Fang, they were using a simple and blunt method to force these five individuals to abandon their own team formation plans and gather together. They then told them that they would have to accept a student from the Art Department as their leader and follow the Art student’s commands in the future.
Then they left the group in a small conference room and instructed Mai Dongzi to go in, introduce herself, and win them over.
The way Instructor Wen and the others handled it, not only would students who were originally proud and arrogant be provoked, but even those who were less fiery would be stirred into action.
Mai Dongzi gave Instructor Fang a deep look. She couldn’t believe that the instructors hadn’t pressured these students to at least superficially accept her as their leader.
Instead of pressuring the students, they were actually adding fuel to the fire, causing the five talented individuals to develop a rebellious attitude toward her.
It seemed that while the Command Department’s instructors and professors would allow her freedom in cultural subjects as long as she learned enough and scored high, they would not offer any help with her cultivation. Instead, they would create obstacles for her.
For Instructor Fang and the others, this was likely a test for Mai Dongzi.
After all, as a commander, personal comprehensive ability, especially the ability to organize and direct others, is crucial.
Although Instructor Fang said she had three days, after the way the instructors manipulated the situation, if Mai Dongzi didn’t take advantage of the opportunity tonight to win over these five people while they were together, it would be very difficult in the future.
After Instructor Fang left, Mai Dongzi didn’t immediately enter the training room. Instead, she stood outside for a while, using her mental power to “observe” the five talented students, looking for ways to win them over.
Among these five first-year students, two were female. However, these two female students were at the late stage of Level 4, which was higher than the three male students, who were at the mid-stage of Level 4.
This year’s first-year students were reportedly the strongest batch in fifty years at the Imperial Capital University.
In the past, the highest cultivation level among first-year students was only the early stage of Level 5.
Therefore, even Level 4 late-stage cultivators were considered geniuses in previous years.
But this year, not only was there a Level 6 cultivator, but also two Level 5 cultivators.
This situation left the late-stage Level 4 cultivators feeling somewhat stuck. Despite being better than many of their peers, they couldn’t even claim the title of “genius.”
Originally, they had already started scouting for teammates and had preliminarily formed their own team, preparing to show their skills in the competition.
However, they didn’t expect that the academy would suddenly intervene, forcing them to form a team and appointing Mai Dongzi, a completely unfamiliar student from the Arts Department, as their leader.
From their conversations, Mai Dongzi inferred that these five talented students from the Command Department probably didn’t have a lot of respect for each other either.
However, with a common “enemy” in sight, they had set aside their previous grievances and were now united in their determination to overthrow Mai Dongzi, planning to return to their respective teams afterward.
Although they acknowledged that Mai Dongzi’s cultivation level was higher than theirs, they did not believe she had the capability to lead them. They had more confidence in the team they had formed themselves.
Understanding their mindset, Mai Dongzi decided against discussing emotional appeals or rational arguments with them.
She walked to the door of the training room, and as soon as the five noticed her, she used the same show of authority that General Su had once used on her. Stepping into the training room, she released her mental pressure.
Students who apply to the Command Department typically share a common trait: their mental strength is stronger than that of ordinary cultivators.
Especially these five first-year students, although they were not mental-type ability users, Mai Dongzi felt that their mental strength was comparable to that of a Level 1 mental-type ability user.
So they knew better than ordinary cultivators that someone who could exert such mental pressure on them was not someone they could handle by simply teaming up.
“Hello, I’m Mai Dongzi, your team leader,” Mai Dongzi introduced herself naturally, showing no sign of the mental pressure she was applying to the five.
The five students trembled slightly, their faces reddened, and sweat beaded on their foreheads.
When they realized they were being suppressed, they naturally wanted to resist, especially since it was five against one.
However, the result of resisting was even greater suppression. Their heads began to ache, making them hesitate to act impulsively.
After all, this person meant them no harm. If they struggled too hard and accidentally injured their mental state, they might not be able to participate in the competition.
Once Mai Dongzi sensed that the five had given up struggling, she slowly continued, “So, you don’t accept me as your team leader and believe you’re more capable of leading us to win the freshman team competition and rank among the top three in the finals of the university-wide competition? If you think you’re better, make a recommendation. If you are stronger than me, I will immediately step down as team leader.”
From their initial resistance and stubborn defiance, the five students’ expressions began to change after being subjected to Mai Dongzi’s mental pressure for three minutes and hearing her words.
They were young and arrogant, but not foolish. Their initial resistance was due to their pride and underestimating Mai Dongzi’s abilities.
They hadn’t anticipated that her greatest strength wasn’t her Level 6 martial cultivation but her mental abilities.
While exerting mental pressure on them, she could easily converse with them.
With someone like her as their leader, did they now have a chance to overcome the Combat and Ability departments?
“Reporting to the team leader, my name is Wang Yiyi!” The highest-ranked girl among the five saluted Mai Dongzi. She didn’t seem like she couldn’t handle it but rather had come to some realization.
After Wang Yiyi spoke, she felt the mental pressure on her vanish, but she saw that the other four were still enduring the same pressure.
Wang Yiyi was somewhat astonished. Mai Dongzi had been exerting pressure on all five of them for three to four minutes, and her mental abilities seemed to be under perfect control. Just how high was her level in the mental ability department?