The number of people isn’t the key, nor is whether the surrounding crowd understands; the key is that the one fighting him, David Bolton, after being utterly crushed, can realize his own mistakes, and that Henry Sutton is right—that’s what a true crushing defeat means.

David Bolton counts as an academic ace??

Didn’t he only have the potential to sprint for the top ten in the department? Yet he’s never succeeded, has he?

Why was he able to defeat David Bolton? Don’t forget, he just finished absorbing the rewards from the newbie gift pack, gaining Level 1 Auxiliary Spirit Studies knowledge, and at Level 1 proficiency. Among Peking and Tsinghua undergraduates, his Auxiliary Spirit Studies would absolutely hold up.

Jiangzhou Institute of Technology is only a second-tier university, and David Bolton is just a freshman.

Thinking of this, Henry Sutton’s heart stirred, “System, can I observe David Bolton’s academic level?”

Probing target: David Bolton.

Spirit Wood specialization.

Cultivation: Spirit Transformation, Level 3.

Techniques: Wood God Technique (Grade 3)

Spells: Spirit Nurturing Technique Level 0 (Basic), Wood God Spell Level 0 (Introductory), Bright Light Spell Level 0 (Proficient), Earth Severance Spell Level 0 (Basic), Temperature Shift Spell Level 0 (Basic), Flying Vine Spell Level 0 (Introductory), Flower God Spell Level 0 (Introductory), Elemental Transformation Spell Level 0 (Basic)…

Spirit Plant Cultivation Level 0 (Basic).

Spirit Plant Improvement Level 0 (Proficient).

Spirit Plant Studies Level 0 (Proficient).

Soil Science Level 0 (Proficient).

Auxiliary Spirit Studies Level 0 (Basic).

Overall Evaluation: Academic Theory Level 0, 87 points; Practical Ability 80!

……

With just a try, he could actually see David Bolton’s stats? Henry Sutton was surprised by David Bolton’s cultivation and the number of spells he had mastered—this guy knew way more spells than he did. However, after Henry Sutton’s Auxiliary Spirit Studies rose to Level 1, the gap in theoretical reserves was enormous.

Before this, in the newbie gift pack quest, Henry Sutton had received a Level 1 boost in Auxiliary Spirit Studies. Now, his panel attributes?

Host: Henry Sutton

Cultivation: Spirit Transformation, Level 2

……

Overall Evaluation: Academic Theory Level 1, 12 points; Practical Ability 57.

His practical ability was still trash, a weak point, but with Level 1 proficiency in Auxiliary Spirit Studies, he was no worse than an outstanding graduate from Tsinghua or Peking University. Most of the debate just now was also about key points in Auxiliary Spirit Studies.

Before receiving the Level 1 Auxiliary Spirit Studies knowledge from the newbie gift pack, Henry Sutton was already on par with David Bolton in theory; now, they were on completely different levels.

“Junior, what’s your name? Let’s add each other on WeChat.”

“Junior, you’re amazing! I have a question I don’t understand—could I ask you for help?”

……

While Henry Sutton was still puzzled, a series of excited voices rang out—these were the senior girls or classmates in the crowd who couldn’t hold back any longer.

Henry Sutton shook his head speechlessly, made up an excuse, and left the library. He knew he was popular with the girls, but the old Henry Sutton had never been interested, let alone now, when he still carried a deep grudge.

Studying, improving, and becoming stronger—these were the only things that could bring him happiness now.

Chapter 005: All-Star League

Five days passed in a flash. Henry Sutton was still immersed in his studies and received another mission: once again, he had to utterly crush an academic ace on the battlefield. The mission reward was a random academic theory raised by one level; the penalty for failure was a random academic spell dropping by one level.

But this time, he couldn’t find a suitable target—not every time would someone like David Bolton jump out, offering himself up to be humiliated.

Henry Sutton was sitting in his dorm, pondering how to find a battlefield to complete the mission, when he heard Scott Rowe, who was playing on his phone nearby, shout excitedly, “Damn, Old Su, the University All-Star League registration has started! Quick, come help me browse the forum—we have to cheer for our goddess!”

“The academic ace in third year, Emily Lynn, she’s the goddess of my dreams. Should I bring a cheer squad to support her during the campus competition?”

Henry Sutton was stunned for a moment, then slapped his thigh and cursed inwardly—how could he have forgotten about the University All-Star League? This was one of the most famous events in all of Great Ming—no, on the entire planet.

Back on his previous life’s Earth, university student competitions in China? Don’t kid yourself—the hottest events globally were the FIFA World Cup and the Olympics.

On this Earth, the University All-Star League of the Great Ming Empire was the world’s most watched and prosperous event, far more popular than the World Cup or Olympics in his previous life.

This was the time for all university students to celebrate.

Don’t think this is just an ordinary competition.

Simply put, right now, many of the Great Ming Empire’s politicians, tycoons, and scholars all came from this national competition.

Take the Martial Arts Department’s muscle-bound men, for example—when they fight, every punch lands hard, the stronger you are, the fiercer you fight. If you can stand out in the Great Ming University All-Star League’s combat events and become a top powerhouse, after graduation, no matter which official system you join or if you go private, true powerhouses are respected everywhere, with countless people vying to offer you the best treatment. If you want to join the military, there’s no difficulty at all—you’d start at least as a thousand-man commander.