NOVEL NEXT Chapter 97 - The Competition 5
Thinking about the apocalyptic crisis, Mai Dongzi decided to lend a hand to her cousin. Under the manipulation of her mental power, the sound therapy music stimulated Zhuang Huiya’s latent ability, allowing him to advance without realizing it.
However, this resulted in Mai Dongzi’s mental power, which was originally only 40% restored, dropping to just 10%.
The other four believed Mai Dongzi’s explanation, as they knew Zhuang Huiya had indeed reached the critical point for advancement.
Since Mai Dongzi refused to take credit, Zhuang Huiya didn’t bring it up again. He knew that the captain had helped him advance so quickly and stabilize his level. He was grateful, even if he didn’t know why the captain chose not to claim credit. He felt saying anything might cause trouble for her.
While Wang Yiyi and the others could not see the help Mai Dongzi gave Zhuang Huiya, the instructors in the guidance office were not deceived.
“This child is quite impressive,” Director Xir said with admiration.
“Smart, capable, and with a righteous heart,” Chief Instructor Shan nodded in agreement.
“I told you, you were overthinking. My wife said that after seeing how this child reacted to the fake daughter scandal, it was clear that she is someone with inner depth,” Instructor Fang said.
Mai Dongzi’s dramatic reversal from a fake daughter had been impressive, but to the seasoned eyes of these old foxes, it seemed that the girl was too scheming.
Although they didn’t consider her character to be poor, they felt uneasy and thought she needed closer observation. This was one of the reasons so many instructors were gathered in the guidance office.
Now, seeing her calmly helping a previously antagonistic classmate, their unease quickly dissipated.
“It seems that Professor Wen is sparing no effort in teaching Mai Dongzi,” Chief Instructor Shan remarked.
“Mai Dongzi is focusing on sound-based attacks. Given how well she handles sound therapy, her sound attacks will surely be even more impressive,” Director Xir said with interest.
“With Mai Dongzi’s abilities, there is no student at the entire Imperial Capital University who can match her. She is expected to showcase her sound attack skills in the individual competition,” Instructor Fang, who was well-informed, said.
Director Xir glanced at Instructor Fang and said, “Leave the arrangement of Mai Dongzi’s dormitory to you. Report the expenses to me.”
Instructor Fang took the order and quickly set things in motion.
After gaining the loyalty of the five prodigies, Mai Dongzi first practiced with them personally. She assessed each of their strengths and specialties, then organized them into training teams.
During the nightly training sessions, Wang Yiyi came to realize just how capable the team leader Professor Fang had found for them.
Not only could she provide precise guidance on how to coordinate in battle, but she also corrected their individual flaws during training.
More importantly, with such a formidable leader, their overall combat effectiveness was steadily improving, even as they were being beaten up every night.
Previously, the Command Department had tried multiple times to allocate a dormitory for Mai Dongzi.
She had always refused, even though the Command Department’s coursework was very demanding. She didn’t need to report in daily; many assignments could be completed through the Imperial Capital University’s online campus resources.
However, now that she needed to participate in the team competition, she had to stay in the Command Department every night, training with her five teammates for four to five hours.
After training every night, even though she used energy potions to recover her consumed abilities and stamina, physical fatigue still required proper rest to recover.
The walk from the Command Department to the Art Department took about ten minutes, and taking the hover car consumed points.
After a few days of this back-and-forth, Mai Dongzi discovered that the dormitory arranged for her by the Command Department was comparable to the Art Department’s dormitory and included a personal training room. Wang Yiyi and Yu Lan were also staying next door.
Encouraged by Wang Yiyi and Yu Lan, Mai Dongzi hesitated for a moment before agreeing to move in.
Her decision to move to the Command Department wasn’t just due to their persuasion but was part of a larger plan.
After four months of study, Mai Dongzi had nearly completed her coursework in the Art Department, which she could handle through self-study and periodic progress checks with Professor Wen.
In contrast, the coursework in the Command Department had become increasingly demanding, especially the classes on command strategy, which required her to be present for lectures.
During practical combat classes, she needed to coordinate with her classmates. As an outsider, gaining their acceptance was challenging, but with Wang Yiyi and the other four as intermediaries and by living in the Command Department, her presence would be seen as more than just that of an outsider.
Mai Dongzi also took the time to explain to Professor Wén and Instructor Lan that her focus in the coming period would be on the Command Department.
Both Professor Wen and Instructor Lan were keenly aware of Mai Dongzi’s plans and understood the intentions behind her move to the Command Department.
Although they knew that the Command Department was subtly trying to recruit Mai Dongzi, they had no intention of stopping her. Instead, they encouraged her to study diligently.
For such a talented and hardworking student, they did not want to restrict her progress out of personal interest. They felt that the Command Department was the place where she truly belonged.
The individual competition was about to start. Given Mai Dongzi’s abilities, she did not need to go through every round but could directly enter the quarterfinals.
Confident in her abilities, Mai Dongzi remained immersed in her training and studies, without paying much attention to the individual competition.
Wang Yiyi, Yu Lan, and Zhuang Huiya were all participating in the individual competition. Unlike Mai Dongzi, who was a seed player, they had to start from the preliminary rounds.
There were not many first-year students entering the individual competition. Although the school allowed students at level four, mid-stage and above, to sign up, most of the applicants were at the late stage of level four, except for a few confident mid-stage level four students.
The five of them had been specially trained by Mai Dongzi for half a month. Despite being thoroughly beaten during training and spending nearly every night in the recovery chamber, their skills had improved significantly.
The growth of the five was visibly impressive, especially Zhuang Huiya, who had just reached the late stage of level four and was favored by Mai Dongzi.
Under Mai Dongzi’s rigorous training, Zhuang Huiya, who originally lacked practical experience and had relatively weak combat skills, improved the fastest.
Zhuang Huiya had not originally planned to participate in the individual competition. Despite being among the top five in the Command Department, his overall strength and level meant he would not even make the top fifty in the entire first year.
However, Mai Dongzi changed his perspective. She not only motivated him but also gave him confidence, leading him to boldly sign up for the competition.
Zhuang Huiya was fully aware that, based on his current abilities, even in the preliminary rounds, his opponents would be formidable. He knew he would have to give his all in every match.