The two of them shouted themselves hoarse for ages, but no one paid any attention. Their throats were burning, so they squatted by the roadside gulping down water. “This isn’t working, we need to pull out the big guns!”

Chapter 3 Half of First Place

Mark Brooks’s eyes flashed with a murderous glint. John Carter couldn’t help but laugh, “If you’ve got any big moves, use them quick. Don’t forget, today’s my birthday. Come to my place for dinner tonight.”

“Ah, look at me, I totally forgot. Alright, let’s split up. You go to the crowded area and hand out the rest of the flyers, I’ll stay here and keep recruiting. I refuse to believe that, with my looks, I can’t attract a few newbies!” said Mark Brooks.

John Carter nodded with a smile—he was out of ideas anyway.

As soon as John Carter left, Mark Brooks immediately stood up, scanning the area. Although he really wanted to recruit cute new girls, keeping the club alive was the top priority. If they couldn’t get five people within a week, the club would be disbanded—they wouldn’t even qualify as an unofficial group.

Suddenly, Mark Brooks’s eyes lit up. He dashed over to a freshman, blocking his path. Mark Brooks squinted—this guy was at least 2.2 meters tall, with a build and muscles that screamed Warrior Division.

“Hey, freshman, right? Have you joined any clubs yet?”

The freshman, stopped in his tracks, was stunned for a moment, then broke into a simple, honest smile and bowed. “Hello, senior, I’m a freshman, Baron Grantham, from Donsquek City. I haven’t joined any clubs yet.”

“Haha, great, your luck’s in! I can see you’ve got potential. Join my Eccentric Club—this is a paradise for elites. Here, take a look at our member John Carter, your senior, who ranked first in the Command Division’s theory test. You know about the Command Division, right? It’s a paradise for the strong!” Mark Brooks pulled up John Carter’s transcript on his communicator and showed it to Baron Grantham, while covering the lower half with his left hand.

First place???

Baron Grantham was utterly shocked. The seniors seemed to care more about the new girls and ignored him completely. Could he really join such an outstanding club?

“Se-senior, can I really?” Baron Grantham stammered.

“From now on, you can call me President. I’ve got my eye on you!” Mark Brooks said, putting on airs.

“Yes, Pre… President, I’ll do my best!” Baron nodded quickly.

Mark Brooks felt a rush of satisfaction all over. No wonder so many people wanted to be club president—it felt amazing. “Baron, your first task as a club member is to put the table and materials back in the storage room. I’ll send you the address on your communicator.”

“Uh, President, aren’t we going to keep recruiting?” Baron Grantham asked curiously.

Mark Brooks rolled his eyes. “What do you think our Eccentric Club is? We only recruit truly unique elites—quality over quantity!”

Baron Grantham’s face flushed with excitement. As expected, this was the big city, Tianjing. The seniors at the top Soul Academy really were on another level compared to those from small towns!

Watching Baron easily pick up the table, Mark Brooks once again felt his own brilliance. The club’s logistics were sorted—this one guy was worth three.

Mark Brooks dashed off to find John Carter, who was still handing out flyers, grabbed the flyers and stuffed them back in the bag. “Let’s go, man, I’ve already recruited someone. Today’s your sixteenth birthday, a big day. We’ll continue tomorrow!”

John Carter smiled and nodded. “You didn’t use half my grades to trick someone again, did you?”

“What do you mean trick? I was just stating the facts… half the facts,” Mark Brooks said nonchalantly.

John Carter was quite the oddball himself. Back in middle school, he’d caught the academy’s attention with an essay titled “On the Core Role of Control Techniques in Team Combat.” With excellent grades and having already ignited his soul fire, he was directly recruited into the Command Division. But what happened next was a shock to everyone. This “genius” had a growth potential value of only 5, below average. In other words, he was purely a theorist. People thought he’d shine after formal training, but in the end… he faded into obscurity. The academy could only swallow their complaints, and John Carter himself became the joke of the Command Division.

The Command Division was undoubtedly the elite’s domain. Over the whole school year, John Carter only had Mark Brooks as a friend.

The Soul Academy had four main divisions, each with a different focus: the Command Division, the Ability Division, the Warrior Division, and the Rune Division.

The Command Division was a cradle for officers, requiring students to be well-rounded in theory, talent, and practical skills. Of course, most students from powerful Soul families were in this division.

The Ability Division only recruited students with special abilities. After all, only a small portion of those who ignited their soul fire possessed abilities, and this division also included research into ability-based technology.

The Warrior Division recruited students with excellent soul power growth potential.

As for the Rune Division, it took in students who had ignited their soul fire but didn’t have any outstanding traits. The Rune Division was also the largest, with the most categories and subjects, including rune technology and other support majors. After all, in this era, every student who had ignited their soul fire was a resource—even if they weren’t suited for combat, there were still plenty of things they could do.