C23 The Candidate List of the Academy Team

At the podium, Reira nodded with satisfaction. The sophomore class this year was truly exceptional. Amidst her Spiritual Energy Storm, impressively, five students managed to stay conscious. Considering she had only utilized a mere tenth of her Spiritual Energy, and given that she was an Empire's Class A Psionic Warrior, that fraction was already formidable.

"Alright, that's it for today's class," Reira declared firmly, promptly exiting the hall. She had a hefty agenda ahead, with selections pending for the freshmen, juniors, and seniors. Time was of the essence.

The students who had passed out would come to soon enough.

Lin Luo was taken aback. Was that really it? If his memory served him right, the lesson hadn't even spanned ten minutes. He pushed the thought aside. Sleep was his priority now. He was utterly exhausted.

The Dawn Society trio acted in sync, rising, pivoting, and departing from the hall.

Selina eyed Lin Luo's retreating figure and licked her lips, murmuring, "President Lin Luo, you can't escape me." Her whisper was faint, yet Lee Yuan overheard it from a short distance away. His face turned crimson, his fists balled up in a mix of anger and envy. Overcome with emotion, he bellowed, "Lin Luo!"

Unbeknownst to Lin Luo, who was hurrying back to the dorms, he had caught the attention of Lee Yuan, one of the academy's top three masters.

That afternoon, a notification buzzed on the communicators of all academy students. It was the announcement of the Academy Team candidates: Selina, Lee Yuan, Harry Barry, Gu Ritian, Harves, Lin Luo, Fu Xinyi, Su Xiaoyu, Alex Bell, and Alex Elsa.

These ten individuals were now in the running to join the Academy Team. Typically, a full team comprised five main members and five alternates. With exactly ten names listed, they could theoretically form a team as is.

However, Captain Reira had made it clear that this was merely a provisional roster, not the definitive lineup. Meaning, some would be cut, and others might join.

The posting of this notice set off a wave of chatter among the students. It made sense that Selina, Lee Yuan, and Harry Barry, the academy's renowned trio, were selected.

Gu Ritian served as the Deputy President of the Thorns, while Harves held the same position within the Flame Dragon Society.

Their selection was met with nods of understanding from many.

Yet, the question on everyone's mind was: Why were all the members of the seemingly ineffectual Dawn Society chosen?

The inclusion of Alex Bell and Alex Elsa made sense. As the academy's standout new talents of the day, they certainly had the chops.

But Lin Luo was considered a nonentity, Fu Xinyi was known as an internet addict, and Su Xiaoyu was labeled a disgrace to the Warrior Faculty.

What justified the selection of these three?

The decision was met with outright rejection.

Within the hour, the academy was abuzz with accusations of "Unfair Academy Team Selection," "Dark Deals," and cries of "Injustice."

Students spilled out of classrooms, their protests echoing through the halls.

In the Dean's office, Dean Green was nursing a headache.

He remembered, fifteen years prior, watching Reira lead the academy to its zenith.

But the academy's performance had since been in decline, each year's results more disappointing than the last.

Just three years ago, the Psionic Academy of Star Glory City had hit rock bottom in the Eastern Match Area.

With retirement on the horizon, Dean Green was determined to go out with a bang, leaving no stone unturned.

To that end, he had called in favors from many old friends, sparing no expense to recruit newcomers Alex Bell and Alex Elsa.

With talents like Selina on board, his goal was to assemble an indomitable Academy Team.

He had even brought in Reira to oversee the selection and training of the team.

Yet, he hadn't anticipated such turmoil erupting on day one.

Still, Dean Green couldn't meddle with Reira's decisions—they had an agreement.

Left with no other recourse, he reluctantly issued another announcement, hoping to quell the rising tide of protest within the academy.