The first team-based training exercise exposed a truth no one could ignore.
The MC didn't just fight well.
He organized reality around him.
Without raising his voice, without issuing direct commands, he positioned people naturally—Xiao Wu guarding his flank, Tang San controlling mid-range, others filling gaps they didn't even realize existed.
Ning Rongrong noticed immediately.
This is leadership without dominance, she thought. Terrifying.
Zhu Zhuqing followed his signals instinctively, her body responding before her mind caught up.
When the exercise ended, the instructors were silent.
"That formation…" one muttered. "Who coordinated it?"
No one answered.
The MC didn't step forward.
Authority didn't need announcing.
System:"Authority seed growing."System:"Host, you're becoming irritatingly competent."
"You love it," he replied mentally.
System:"…Perhaps."
Later that evening, Xiao Wu tugged him toward the dormitory courtyard.
"You're collecting people," she said, half-pouting.
He raised an eyebrow. "Am I?"
"Yes," she said firmly. "But… I don't hate it."
She looked up at him, eyes shining under lantern light.
"Just don't leave me behind."
He knelt slightly so they were eye to eye.
"I won't," he said softly. "You're the first."
Her heart skipped.
She hugged him suddenly, tight and warm.
He rested a hand on her back, protective, steady.
Far away, Tang San sat alone again.
I'm chasing him, he realized slowly. Not the other way around.
And that truth tasted bitter.
Above the academy, clouds shifted.
Fate adjusted.
The board was no longer centered on the Tang Sect heir—
But on the man who chose the most rewarding path every time.