Star City High, inside the Student Council Room.

  "Long time no see, Lance Wolfe."

  As soon as Student Council Vice-President Lance Wolfe pushed open the door to the activity room, he saw a tall figure standing by the window, leisurely admiring the scenery outside.

  Lance froze for a moment before blurting out, "President York?"

  This person was none other than the President of the Star City High Student Council—Preston York.

  Since entering his senior year (Grade 12), Preston York had rarely involved himself in Student Council affairs. He had been devoting all his efforts to his college applications. One could say he had become something of a "hands-off" leader.

  Although with his ability, coupled with the support of Lysander Thorne, entering one of The Eight Elite Universities of The Tulip League wouldn't be too difficult, it didn't mean there was no competition.

  Ironpeak Academy had been investing more and more resources in recent years, showing a faint momentum of surpassing Star City High.

  Due to one reason or another, Preston York hadn't attended Student Council activities for a long time.

  Consequently, all matters of the Student Council, big and small, naturally fell onto the shoulders of Vice-President Lance Wolfe.

  But Preston York was not someone to be trifled with. The aura of authority he had built up over time still lingered. Therefore, seeing the suddenly appearing Preston York, Lance Wolfe felt somewhat apprehensive in his heart.

  "An email came from Harford University." Preston York turned around, his eyes looking straight at Lance.

  "What?" Lance couldn't help but tremble slightly. "Harford University?"

  "This..."

  Hearing the name Harford University, a name quickly surfaced in Lance's mind—Lysander Thorne!

  The genius who walked out of Star City High back in the day.

  And the legendary figure who allowed the Student Council to possess its current status.

  "It's not from Senior Lysander Thorne." Noticing the change in Lance's demeanor, Preston smiled and shook his head slightly.

  Although Lysander Thorne had always paid attention to the situation at Star City High, he had many things to do at Harford University and managed his own organization. Therefore, many matters regarding Star City High were managed on his behalf by his subordinates—those juniors who had just entered the eight elite universities.

  Although the "troublemaker" Fly was very much in the limelight this time, it hadn't reached the point of alarming Lysander Thorne himself.

  "Fly's performance in the Freshman Invitational this time was exceptionally outstanding. It has already attracted the attention of the higher-ups," Preston said.

  "Is that so? Fly..." Lance frowned slightly.

  As early as the Power Assessment Test, he had already noticed Fly and had specifically instructed Forrest Banks to find a way to recruit him into the Student Council.

  As a result, Forrest Banks, who was used to being arrogant and domineering, not only failed to persuade Fly but also shot himself in the foot, making the situation very rigid.

  "I heard about Marshall's incident," Preston continued.

  His energy during this period had basically been focused on preparing his university application materials, but he was not ignorant of what was happening in the school.

  What's more, the process of the battle between Fly and Marshall was filmed by students who were onlookers at the time. It spread like wildfire on social media, and the prestige of the Student Council was greatly affected because of it.

  But it had to be said, Fly's strength was indeed very formidable.

  Especially his performance in this Freshman Invitational.

  The black sickle Fly used had traces of Marshall's Mantis Sage.

  Coupled with the fact that his Beast Totem suddenly changed from a Common Species cockroach to a Mythical Species Thunder-Roach.

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

  The telegram from Harford University had already pointed out that Fly's abilities were probably not as simple as they appeared on the surface...

  "You should also understand, right?"

  "The secrets hidden within Fly are far more important than the strength he is currently displaying."

  It was no wonder that Harford University attached such importance to him and sent an email specifically.

  How could they not absorb such a good seedling into the Student Council?

  Even...

  For a talent like Fly, as long as he entered the Student Council, he could be cultivated according to the specifications of the next Student Council President.

  "Although in Star City, our Student Council can be considered a local powerhouse and firmly holds the fate of many geniuses of Star City High in our hands. But in The Eight Elite Universities of The Tulip League..."

  "People like us are nothing but peasants who walked out of the backwaters."

  "Compared to those young masters from true prominent families and clans, we are nothing but toads in the mud."

  "The 'pecking order' is everywhere, and bullying is everywhere."

  "If Senior Lysander Thorne hadn't integrated everyone's strength ten years ago, ordinary Beast Warriors like us probably wouldn't even be able to touch the threshold of The Eight Elite Universities of The Tulip League. Even if our talent is extremely outstanding and our luck is extremely good, and we manage to enter the eight elite universities by a fluke, we would be nothing more than a drop of water falling into a vast ocean. What kind of waves could we possibly stir up?"

  "Entering The Eight Elite Universities of The Tulip League does not mean that the days ahead will be smooth sailing. There are cases of people failing to graduate after entering the eight elite universities, or failing to enter The Martial Sanctum after graduation, having nowhere good to go, and eventually becoming ordinary civilian warriors. It's not unheard of."

  "For people like us, the margin for error is lower than that of rich young masters. At any stage, a slight carelessness can lead to a fall from grace, fading into obscurity and becoming just another face in the crowd."

  Preston York spoke slowly with a heavy tone.

  "In this dog-eat-dog world, people like us with no background must band together for warmth if we want to achieve anything. Unlike the great clans who have furnaces to keep them warm when it's cold, we can squeeze together and rely on each other to generate a shred of warmth in the cold winter. Just like penguins in the Antarctic, we can survive the bitter winter by huddling together."

  "Hundreds of geniuses with talent but no background and no power gathering together is also a force to be reckoned with."

  "Only in this way can we have enough resources and enough power to confront those prominent families who monopolize cultivation resources."

  "And only in this way can we poor geniuses have a chance to stand out and make a name for ourselves."

  "In this regard, I am very grateful to Senior Lysander Thorne. He paved a road forward for us geniuses of ordinary origins."

  "Fly is also one of us, but the talent contained within him is stronger than any of us. I don't wish to miss out on such a character in vain."

  "I understand," Lance sighed. "I will personally talk to Fly, try my best to clear up the misunderstanding, and persuade him to join the Student Council."

  "No..."

  Lance thought for a moment and shook his head gently. "I will bring that guy Forrest Banks along and personally go to apologize to Fly."

  "Mn, it seems you have a high level of awareness." Preston gently patted Lance's shoulder and nodded with satisfaction. Then, he turned and left the Student Council activity room, gradually disappearing at the end of the corridor.

  Lance Wolfe watched Preston's figure disappear at the end of the corridor before closing the door of the activity room. He let out a breath as if a heavy burden had been lifted and sat down heavily on the sofa.

  Although the difference between him and Preston York was just Vice and President, the authority they possessed was worlds apart.

  Although since Preston retreated to the second line, the Student Council's affairs were all managed by him, when it really came to major events, the decision-making power lay entirely with Preston York.

  Sometimes, Lance felt like he was just a little follower of Preston York, or rather, a "glorified lackey."

  It was the same this time.

  Preston actually pressured him directly for a high school freshman named Fly!

  But there was no helping it. Who let Preston be stronger and able to contact the higher-ups directly?

  In the final analysis, this was all Forrest Banks's fault!

  He was sent to recruit talented freshmen, but unexpectedly, he made such a huge mess, and in the end, Lance, the Vice-President, had to clean up his mess.

  "Damn Forrest Banks!"

  Lance couldn't help but curse loudly and slapped the coffee table. The cups on the table rattled and teetered.

  He leaned back on the sofa, closed his eyes, massaged his temples, and thought hard for a long time...

  "Forget it..."

  "Let's just proceed according to the plan. Although Fly crippled Marshall and formed a feud with the Student Council, there are no permanent enemies, only permanent interests..."

  Thinking of this, Lance slowly relaxed his furrowed brows, stood up, straightened his clothes, opened the door, and left the Student Council activity room.

  Meanwhile...

  Inside the Star City Stadium.

  The award ceremony for the Freshman Invitational was drawing to a close.

  Fly and 'Emperor' Valerius went on stage and received the trophy and prize money for this competition.

  Looking at the prize money and honor in hand, Fly was also very happy in his heart.

  But thinking of the injured Genevieve and Jett Gale, Fly's heart was still somewhat heavy.

  After the award ceremony ended, Fly, 'Emperor' Valerius, and Dean Sterling rushed to the hospital without stopping.

  With a heavy heart, Fly knocked on the door of Genevieve's ward.

  He thought the atmosphere in the ward would be incomparably depressing and heavy, but what Fly didn't expect was...

  The moment he opened the door, peals of silver-bell-like laughter washed over him. Subsequently, the sound of his own voice from the previous interview with Celine rang out:

  "Huh?" Fly couldn't help but freeze.

  Genevieve turned around, looking at Fly with smiling eyes. "Fly, I didn't expect you to have quite the business mind. That was too funny!"

  "Your injuries... are they healed?" Fly asked cautiously.

  "Of course." Genevieve patted her shoulder and revealed a healthy smile.