Under the immense temptation of Princess Sophia and the eager expectations of Governor Temisso, most representatives of the Almeythys Academy’s Psychic Arts Department were unwilling to give up their best chance of victory just for the sake of their department’s pride.
However, even if the Psychic Arts representatives were willing to sacrifice their pride, Temys Academy’s proposal was backed by solid reasoning. Or rather, it was the city security of Casares that gave them leverage. They brought up the lofty topic of “student safety,” leaving Almeythys Academy no choice but to accept their suggestion.
Sighing, Linoa looked around at her silent colleagues before lifting her head and speaking loudly, “What else is there to discuss? No matter what tricks Temys Academy has planned, we have no choice but to accept. Otherwise, can we really let them withdraw from the competition? Governor, there’s no need to hesitate any further. We accept their proposal.”
“But can we really just go into Sandra Forest with them like this? Linoa, surely you understand our academy’s record in survival competitions over the years…” A middle-aged teacher, who appeared to be a cautious and thoughtful man, shook his head in concern.
As the middle-aged teacher finished speaking, the expressions on the faces of the Almeythys representatives grew even more awkward. Some of the more sensitive students even blushed. Soon, the representatives of the Psychic Arts Department were whispering amongst themselves, divided almost evenly between those supporting Linoa and those supporting the middle-aged teacher, neither side able to convince the other.
Seeing their reactions, Zhang Wen, who was participating in the “Academy Exchange” for the first time, was somewhat puzzled.
To be honest, even though Zhang Wen had done extensive preparation before officially becoming the representative of the Physical Arts Department—thoroughly researching the past six or seven years of competition records and the backgrounds of the instructors from both academies—he knew absolutely nothing about Sandra Forest. This wasn’t due to any negligence on his part; rather, the Almeythys Academy archives had always kept very limited records about the survival competition.
In previous years, the survival competition had always been treated as a dessert after the main event by both Almeythys and Temys academies—neither had ever placed much importance on winning or losing. It wouldn’t even be an exaggeration to say that the motto “friendship first, competition second” applied to it. When Zhang Wen took over as the Physical Arts representative, he had very little time to prepare. Naturally, he wouldn’t waste precious energy on what was essentially a friendly match.
“What’s going on?” Zhang Wen could only whisper to Carite, who was standing beside him.
“Huh? You don’t know, Teacher Zhang?” Carite, who had already been one of the blushing students, turned even redder upon being asked by Zhang Wen—her blush even spreading to her neck. In addition, she unconsciously showed a mix of nervousness and embarrassment, her shy demeanor incredibly endearing.
“Come on, tell me what’s going on, Student Council President Carite.” Seeing her flustered expression, Zhang Wen winked deliberately and smiled again.
“Oh…” Perhaps the title “Student Council President” reminded Carite of her role. She nodded, took several deep breaths, and gradually calmed herself down.
“You know the rules of the survival competition, right, Teacher Zhang?”
“I know a little. Basically, both our academy and Temys each organize three teams to enter Sandra Forest. Each team consists of four students and two teachers. Once inside the forest, every student and teacher must carry a badge with a unique psychic resonance. The Psychic Arts students and teachers are then supposed to use their abilities to sense the locations of other badges, trying to steal others’ badges while protecting their own over ten days. At the end of the competition, whoever has the most badges wins. Am I right?”
“Yes, the basic rules are indeed like that. But…” Carite hesitated, looking at Zhang Wen with both embarrassment and concern before continuing, “Teacher Zhang, do you really not know that we’re not the only ones participating in the survival competition? Any academy with even a bit of reputation on Casares Star will be invited. Usually, there are around thirty to forty teams participating in the survival competition.”
“Ah?” Zhang Wen couldn’t help but be surprised. He raised his eyebrows in confusion, looking at Carite.
“Well… originally, the survival competition was indeed only between us and Temys Academy. However, they later found Sandra Forest to be too vast. With just the two academies participating, many times ten days would pass without either side even seeing each other. So, Principal Jackfrit suggested inviting other academies from nearby star systems to participate. Gradually, the survival competition evolved into what it is today.”
“I see. That makes sense. But then, why did everyone look so strange just now?”
“Huh? You really don’t know? Our Almeythys Academy has come in last place in the survival competition for three consecutive years!” Carite exclaimed in surprise before lowering her voice and explaining to Zhang Wen with a flushed face.
“What? Last place?” Zhang Wen was shocked again, looking at Carite in disbelief. “That can’t be right!”
Indeed, in Zhang Wen’s opinion, although Almeythys’s Physical Arts Department wasn’t particularly strong, that was only when compared to prestigious academies like Temys. Almeythys Academy, which had a place on the Empire’s list of renowned academies, couldn’t possibly be worse than those obscure little schools around!
Moreover, according to the rules of the survival competition, it was actually a comprehensive test of both Psychic Arts and Physical Arts abilities. A side with powerful psychics could obtain more accurate information about their opponents’ movements and even manipulate their senses to mislead them. Meanwhile, a side with powerful physical fighters naturally had a significant advantage in actual combat when it came to争夺badges.
(Note: “争夺badges” seems to contain a mix of Chinese and English. If “争夺” refers to “competing for” or “struggling to obtain,” the phrase could be translated as “when it came to competing for badges” or “when it came to securing badges.”)
Revised version with clarification:
Moreover, according to the rules of the survival competition, it was actually a comprehensive test of both Psychic Arts and Physical Arts abilities. A side with powerful psychics could obtain more accurate information about their opponents’ movements and even manipulate their senses to mislead them. Meanwhile, a side with powerful physical fighters naturally had a significant advantage in actual combat when it came to securing badges.
Although Almeythys’s Physical Arts Department was weak, it was supported by a strong Psychic Arts Department. Zhang Wen couldn’t understand how they could possibly have been coming in last place year after year.
“Well… it’s really last place. The main reason is… that…” Carite kept stealing glances at Zhang Wen’s expression while speaking hesitantly. It was obvious that she wanted to say it was because the Physical Arts Department was too weak, but she hesitated out of consideration for Zhang Wen’s feelings.
“I understand. It’s been the Physical Arts Department dragging everyone down all along.” Zhang Wen, understanding Carite’s meaning, remained calm. After all, Almeythys Academy’s historical performance had nothing to do with him, so Zhang Wen had no reason to cover up for Instructor Xin and the others.
“No, it’s not exactly like that.” Carite shook her head as she spoke softly, “If we’re talking purely about strength, our academy’s Physical Arts students aren’t that far behind Temys Academy’s. It’s just that our Physical Arts department has never managed to field a full team of six participants. And once we enter the forest, they always gang up on us. Last year, my group hadn’t even been in the forest for half a day before we were attacked by several teams working together…”
“Hehe, when you’re weak but famous, trouble naturally finds you.” Zhang Wen smiled slightly and waved his hand at Carite.
As Zhang Wen and Carite were whispering to each other, the debate among the Psychic Arts representatives had reached a fever pitch. Five Psychic Arts representatives had split into two factions. Three male teachers firmly opposed Temys Academy’s demands. According to them, it would be better to simply announce that this year’s exchange wouldn’t take place at all than to enter Sandra Forest and suffer humiliation at their hands.
As for the issue of Princess Sophia’s attendance, they suggested that Almeythys could simply send a delegation to visit Temys Academy in two months’ time, where there might still be a chance to compete.
Admittedly, the male teachers’ arguments sounded quite reasonable and measured. Governor Temisso was nodding approvingly at them.
However, Linoa and the other female teacher suddenly spoke up with these words:
“If we can’t even guarantee victory on our home turf, what chance will we have on Governor Karalan’s territory? Won’t they just repeat here in Casares what happened in Filia? We have ‘Terror Forest’ here on Casares Star, but they have Demon Wastes on Filia Planet.”
As Linoa finished speaking, Governor Temisso, who had almost agreed with the three male teachers, immediately began stroking his chin in renewed hesitation. The three male teachers exchanged glances but simultaneously turned their gazes toward Zhang Wen.
In their opinion, Linoa’s insistence on challenging Temys Academy on Casares Star was tantamount to suicide! How many years had Almeythys been coming in last place in the survival competition? Eight years? Ten years?
Even if Zhang Wen’s leadership could improve the Physical Arts Department’s performance this year, after yesterday’s events, who couldn’t see that Zhang Wen’s students only performed well when directly guided by him? Without Zhang Wen’s personal instruction, could Amyris have defeated that Temys student? She probably would have been beaten in just a few moves!
Moreover, the biggest problem facing the Physical Arts Department wasn’t just the students’ lack of ability. More crucially, there weren’t even enough students to field a full team!
In fact, besides the reason Carite had just explained to Zhang Wen, there was another critical issue behind Almeythys Academy’s consistent last-place finishes in the survival competition in recent years—the Physical Arts Department had never managed to field a full complement of participants!
The survival competition required each academy to provide three teams. In other words, Almeythys needed to field six students and three Physical Arts instructors for the competition. However, as everyone knew, Almeythys’s Physical Arts Department had never had the abundance of talent that their Psychic Arts Department enjoyed.
Both instructors and students were essentially being forced into participation. It was already difficult enough for them to field the one instructor and five students required for the exchange competition! Where were they supposed to find more people to participate? Especially this year, when the Physical Arts Department’s situation was even more severe—they couldn’t even field five official team members!
Even if Governor Temisso had issued orders to ensure Almeythys managed to field a full team due to Princess Sophia’s presence, could they really win this survival competition? One must remember, in the survival competition, instructors were also required to participate. In fact, to be blunt, the instructors were the true core and main force of each team!
Someone might argue that Almeythys had instructors like Xin, who had already broken through to the 11th Saint Tier. With such an expert participating, who could possibly pose a threat?
Indeed, Instructor Xin had broken through to the 11th Saint Tier. Unfortunately, according to the traditions of the survival competition, all Physical Arts instructors participating as team leaders had to be young people under thirty years old! People like Instructor Xin were simply ineligible to participate! As for the abilities of Almeythys’s younger generation of Physical Arts instructors, even Principal Jackfrit of the academy would probably scratch his head thinking about them.
In fact, among most academies in the Empire, instructors were typically former outstanding students who had remained at their alma mater—Almeythys was no exception. Looking at Almeythys’s Physical Arts Department’s performance over the past decade or so, one could easily gauge the caliber of their young instructors.
Even Zhang Wen himself, who had been promoted from a lower position, had his Physical Arts level instantly “seen through” by most of the Psychic Arts teachers present—barely past the 7th Tier, not yet reaching the 8th. Even in third-rate academies on Casares Star, this would only be considered an average level!
Now, let’s look at Temys Academy. Although they hadn’t brought their strongest lineup to Casares this time, their Physical Arts Department still had six 5th Tier students and two 6th Tier students! Their team leaders were all young instructors who had reached the peak of the 8th Tier, including Douglas, a well-known young expert! Moreover, in addition to their significant advantage in Physical Arts, Temys Academy also had a super ace this year—Seline!
One could easily imagine that Temys’s instructors would毫不犹豫地 place their strongest Physical Arts students together with Seline in one group, forming a “Hunting Team” with absolute strength.
With Seline’s terrifying proficiency in Psychic Arts, far surpassing that of ordinary students, they could essentially control the forest like gods. Any group targeted by them would have no chance of survival! In this way, as long as Temys’s other two teams carefully protected themselves, they would be virtually unbeatable. What did Almeythys have to challenge them?
Under these circumstances, the male teachers who couldn’t directly refute Linoa naturally turned their gazes toward Zhang Wen. In their view, Linoa was a Psychic Arts instructor who could be forgiven for not understanding the situation, but Zhang Wen, as the Physical Arts representative, should know the truth about his own department!
“Teacher Zhang, what do you think? Should we accept Temys Academy’s suggestion?” At this point, Governor Temisso also remembered Zhang Wen, the only Physical Arts representative from Almeythys Academy. He coughed lightly and slowly gestured toward him.
“Hehe, what is there to consider?” Zhang Wen smiled faintly, “Of course, we accept.”
As Zhang Wen uttered the word “accept,” the male representatives from the Psychic Arts Department present couldn’t help but gape in shock, while the two female instructors also showed surprise.
“Teacher Zhang! Are you out of your mind? Challenging Temys Academy in the survival competition? Why don’t you just tell us to surrender right now?” Moments later, Robert, the instructor who had made a fool of himself the previous night, immediately jumped up, his face flushed red.
Although Robert, in his excitement, even used the word “surrender,” no one present felt that what he said was inappropriate. Instead, they all looked at Zhang Wen with expressions of disbelief. Frankly speaking, even Linoa hadn’t expected Zhang Wen to stand on her side!
“Surrender? Instructor Robert, even if you like to surrender before the competition starts, I don’t have that habit.” Zhang Wen shook his head. With just this calm sentence, he almost provoked Robert into an outburst of rage.
“You bastard! Do you even know why our Almeythys lost in previous years?” Robert, furious and losing his temper, couldn’t help but roar at Zhang Wen right beside Governor Temisso.
“Past is past, this year is this year. Also, Teacher Robert, you don’t need to get so worked up. I’m just agreeing with Teacher Linoa’s point of view. Governor, if we agree to Temys Academy’s request now, although our chances of winning are indeed limited, at least our fate remains in our own hands. I think you wouldn’t want to leave our fate to be decided by our opponents, would you?” Zhang Wen waved his hand at Robert, then smiled at Governor Temisso before falling silent, as if he had no intention of continuing the argument.
Now, all the instructors participating in this exchange had expressed their positions. Three to three. The final decision rested with Governor Temisso. Slowly scanning the various expressions of those present, Governor Temisso, whose face was shifting between light and dark, suddenly slammed his fist heavily on the desk.
“Teacher Linoa is right, everyone. We’ve already run out of options. We have to see this through to the end against Karalan and those from Temys. Casares is our home ground. I refuse to believe they can pull any tricks here!” Governor Temisso declared decisively. His tone, which brooked no argument, clearly showed that this governor, known for his iron-fisted rule, had already made up his mind.
“Alright, I have other matters to attend to. You all stay here and discuss how to handle the survival competition.” After casting another glance at the silent Almeythys instructors, Governor Temisso strode out of the study. Besides Almeythys’s survival competition, he had a whole host of other headaches to deal with.
With Governor Temisso’s final decision, the Psychic Arts instructors naturally had no further concerns. Soon, a middle-aged Psychic Arts instructor stood up: “Then what we need to consider now is not whether to accept Temys Academy’s proposal, but how to arrange the teams entering Sandra Forest.”
As soon as the middle-aged instructor finished speaking, all eyes in the study immediately focused on Zhang Wen once again.
In previous years, the survival competition had always been treated as a dessert after the main event between Almeythys and Temys academies. No one had ever taken its outcome seriously. Even the fact that Almeythys’s Physical Arts department couldn’t field a full team of participants—a situation bordering on the incredible—had never been questioned.
But this year, the Physical Arts department clearly couldn’t get away with that anymore.
“Ahem… Teacher Zhang Wen, the Physical Arts department only fielded three students this year for the competition. Temys Academy caught us off guard this time. Our situation is disadvantageous. To win the competition, we all need to cooperate sincerely… When it comes to team assignments for entering Sandra Forest, what do you think?” After a long silence, the same middle-aged instructor finally spoke up with a dry cough.
None of the Psychic Arts instructors present were fools. They all clearly understood how important Governor Temisso considered the outcome of this survival competition. Teams that performed well in this competition would certainly receive generous rewards if they won, and even if they unfortunately lost, they could at least avoid the governor’s wrath.
To achieve good results, the most basic condition was naturally having strong teammates—so, the Psychic Arts instructors who would be participating in the competition certainly didn’t want Zhang Wen joining their teams!
Although Zhang Wen’s students could display astonishing strength when they were with him, one mustn’t forget that in the survival competition, the most critical combat power in a team wasn’t the students, but the instructors! Zhang Wen’s strength, barely past the 7th Tier and not yet reaching the 8th, was simply too weak—even at Almeythys Academy, where the Physical Arts department was notoriously weak, there were still quite a few young instructors who had broken through to the 8th Tier.
Zhang Wen understood the middle-aged instructor’s meaning perfectly. However, he wasn’t bothered by it. He smiled slightly and said with a helpless tone, “Teacher Riley, why make things difficult for me? I’ve only been at Almeythys for a few months total, and even less time in the Physical Arts department. Look, for this competition, I’ve brought out all three of my students. As for other matters, discussing them with me won’t help—you should let Instructor Xin make the decisions.”
“It’s true what you say, but the governor wants us to finalize the personnel right now. Instructor Xin isn’t here, so…” As soon as Zhang Wen finished speaking, the middle-aged instructor also frowned in concern.
“Well… since Instructor Xin isn’t here, why not let the seniors decide? I have no objections. According to Almeythys Academy’s tradition, Instructor Xin probably won’t oppose whatever decision the seniors make.”
“Alright.” Zhang Wen’s balanced words earned nods of approval from most of the Psychic Arts instructors present, who also gained more goodwill toward him. As for Zhang Wen himself, after speaking, he very decisively stepped aside, leaving most of the study space for the Psychic Arts instructors to discuss their strategies.
Before Zhang Wen had even finished finding his footing, he saw Carite rushing toward him.
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