"I concede."
The sharp aura around Jiang Yuan instantly dissipated, and everything returned to peace.
Ai Jiangtu quickly adjusted his state and sincerely said, "My sister was right, you are indeed stronger than me, and by a lot."
With that, he turned to the referee to signal for a decision on the outcome.
The referee finally recovered from the shock, subconsciously swallowed, and loudly announced Jiang Yuan as the winner.
As their match ended, it was time to announce the final rankings.
The jury began a heated discussion about the final rankings.
The intricacies of this ranking were not simple; if ranked purely by conventional methods, support mages would naturally be at a disadvantage, so certain weighted scores would be given during evaluation.
Therefore, this also gave some aristocratic families room for manipulation.
They often used this stage to send their own disciples into the National Training Hall, waiting for subsequent personnel replacements.
Even if the disciple was later replaced due to insufficient strength, the family's goal was achieved—to have their disciple "gild the lily" in the National Training Hall.
Of course, only the most prominent figures or families had the ability to influence the voting results.
Families like the Zhao Family and the Zu Family had been actively working to get Zhao Manyan and Zu Jiming into the National Training Hall.
General Hua Jun also possessed such influence.
However, this time, General Hua Jun did not manipulate things for Mo Fan as he did in the original timeline, as Mo Fan was participating in the voting ceremony and was strong enough to enter the National Training Hall on his own.
At this moment, General Hua Jun did not participate in the ranking discussion but went directly to Jiang Yuan, who had just finished his match.
...
Dean Song He's office.
A teacher led Jiang Yuan here and then left.
Only Jiang Yuan was in the office; Dean Song He was nowhere to be seen.
Jiang Yuan sat on the sofa, wondering where Dean Song He had gone, when the office door suddenly opened.
It was not Dean Song He who entered, but Hua Zhanhong, the commander of the Southern Military Region, General Hua Jun.
"General Hua Jun!" Jiang Yuan stood up.
General Hua Jun sat on the opposite sofa and said with a smile, "Sit, sit, don't be so formal. I wanted to see you, so I asked Dean Song He to call you over."
Jiang Yuan suddenly understood and asked, "General Hua Jun, is there something you need me for?"
He probably guessed the reason, assuming it was related to his Brilliance of the Stars talent.
"Before the voting ceremony began, Dean Xiao came to me and talked about your innate talent," General Hua Jun said slowly.
Normally, as a commander, he would not personally attend the voting ceremony; at most, he would cast a vote to support a student he valued.
But after Dean Xiao detailed Jiang Yuan's talent to him, he immediately realized the immense value of this talent, stating that it was no exaggeration to call it a national treasure.
Dean Xiao even praised Jiang Yuan as the hope for China's future.
It was for this reason that he rushed from the Southern Military Region without delay, just to meet this star of hope for China, on whom Dean Xiao placed such high hopes.
Jiang Yuan's performance in the voting ceremony greatly satisfied General Hua Jun, even astonishing him.
Even if Jiang Yuan did not possess that special talent, he would still fully support Jiang Yuan, cultivating him to become the next pillar of China and the leader of China's new generation of mages!
"I came to see you this time because I wanted to meet the genius student Dean Xiao highly recommended to me. Now that I've met you, I think your Dean Xiao was still too modest," General Hua Jun said with a smile.
"Commander, you flatter me. I'm just a little bit stronger than the average person," Jiang Yuan said, subconsciously using his fingers to indicate a very narrow gap.
General Hua Jun burst into hearty laughter: "This 'little bit' of a gap for you, others probably can't catch up to it in a lifetime."
After a brief jest, General Hua Jun's expression became serious: "In the National Mansion War, our China Team usually ranks around tenth, and internationally, people have always said that China has no successors. I really don't like this statement, but the National Government ranking is indeed not impressive enough."
"This National Mansion War concerns China's honor, and also the allocation of magic resources. I think it's time to get a first place to show them."
Jiang Yuan's expression was solemn as he listened intently.
"Your strength is evident to everyone. Now tell me, can you lead the China National Team to win the world's first place?" General Hua Jun asked seriously, his gaze burning.
Jiang Yuan nodded without hesitation. In his opinion, taking first place was not difficult; it was merely a simple task.
"Good!" General Hua Jun's face lit up with a smile again, then he continued, "Your cultivation has reached the High-Level. If you can lead the team to first place, I can guarantee you that no matter how many magic elements you have, your path from High-Level to Forbidden Curse will be smooth sailing!"
"You should know that there are many mages in the country waiting to advance, and we will evaluate various factors to allocate advancement resources. As long as you can lead the team to victory in the National Mansion War, I guarantee that all resources will be prioritized for you."
Jiang Yuan's eyes instantly lit up.
Smart people don't need many words.
He understood that General Hua Jun's words meant that the star sea heavenly vein and the Heart of the Earth were beckoning to him.
Once he took first place, China's star sea heavenly vein would be made available to him immediately.
The extremely precious Heart of the Earth would also be provided at the first opportunity.
All the way to the Forbidden Curse!
Finally, he wouldn't have to worry about the star sea heavenly vein and the Heart of the Earth anymore.
"Commander, don't worry, I will definitely lead the team to first place!" Jiang Yuan patted his chest, confidently assuring him.
"Good!" General Hua Jun nodded heavily.
This conversation, apart from General Hua Jun and Jiang Yuan, was known to no one else.
But from that day on, Jiang Yuan's name appeared on an extremely important list in China.
Many powerful and influential people in the country also remembered the name Jiang Yuan.
The scene returns to the Imperial Academy.
The third round of the voting ceremony began.
This vote concerned the position of captain of the China National Team, and the competition was extremely fierce. Students who entered the top ten were all qualified to contend for this glorious position.
However, Jiang Yuan, with an incomparable overwhelming advantage, topped the list and became the captain of the China National Team without any suspense.
Regarding this result, everyone present was convinced and no one raised any objections.
After all, Jiang Yuan's excellent performance and powerful strength in daily life were obvious to all.
Zhao Manyan and Zu Jiming, through some maneuvering, also successfully joined the team as substitute members.
Thus, the highly anticipated final China National Team roster was settled:
Mentors: Song He, Feng Li, and three other mentors.
Captain: Jiang Yuan.
Vice-Captain: Ai Jiangtu.
Team Members: Mo Fan, Mu Ningjiao, Mu Ningxue, Jiang Shaoxu, Guan Yu, Nan Yu, Nan Rongni, Jiang Yu.
Substitute Members: Zhao Manyan, Zu Jiming, Mu Tingying.