311 The Soaring Cloud Student Platoon! (1/2)
The expression on the faces of everyone on the viewing platforms underwent a series of changes. What Wang Baole had said had been brilliant. What he had done had been just right—without too much exaggeration or too little justification.
He hadn't brought himself to the forefront but instead placed the students in the limelight. His request for a name for the student platoon had achieved a similar effect, accentuating his own value.
What was most important was that with the Martian Governor's conferment, the Dao Mountain Mist Academy would no longer be one of two elites' academies on Mars but… the only one!
The encouragement and inspiration that the students would receive from this christening would be unprecedented. It would elevate their gratitude for and loyalty towards the Governor to an extreme.
This strategy of Wang Baole not only resolved the potential problem of him overshadowing the students' glory due to their fanatic devotion to him, but it also served as a devious way to suck up to the Governor.
Once the platoon was conferred a title, Wang Baole's own reputation would accompany the birth of the name and go down in Martian history. As long as the platoon and its name remained, the mark Wang Baole left on Mars would never be erased.
Such a string of simple words could have been uttered by anyone. However, the meaning and significance hidden within were multilayered… after all, whether one could think of saying something like that, and whether one dared to say something like that in front of such a large audience, and whether one even had the opportunity to say something like that—all these factors culminated in Wang Baole impressing everyone in the stadium!
The Dao Mountain Mist Academy Dean was shaking with excitement and agitation at present. He thought of the glory and honor that he would receive if the Governor did confer the student platoon. It wouldn't rival that of Wang Baole, but as the dean of the academy, his contributions would also not be easily forgotten!
It meant that once he left his current role and returned to Earth, his new position wouldn't be as lowly as the one originally planned for him. The thought moved him, and he felt immense gratitude towards Wang Baole.
To the Fire Spirit Academy, though, Wang Baole's request was a complete nightmare. The faces of the dean and teachers immediately went pale. They looked as if they were on the verge of tears. They were powerless, though. They stared at Li Wuchen with anger, regret, and sorrow.
”Why did you have to offend him!?”
Li Wuchen was equally pale. He felt bitter and couldn't speak a single word. Since the moment the Dao Mountain Mist Academy students' fighting spirit had erupted, he had known that he had lost. It had been a complete and utter defeat. He had not only lost to Wang Baole in a one-to-one fight, but he couldn't even compete against Wang Baole when it came to grooming students.
He was unwilling to admit defeat, however. He thought of his family background and his future. He thought about many, many things. His body shook violently when he heard Wang Baole asking for a christening of the student platoon. He raised his head and stared at Wang Baole, a myriad of emotions and thoughts stirring inside him. Intense envy, a feeling he had never experienced in his entire life, suddenly surged within him.
There were people who were delighted, people who had mixed feelings, people who were excited, and people who fell into despair. The stadium gradually descended into silence. The Fire Spirit Academy students hung their heads in defeat while the Dao Mountain Mist Academy students' breathing grew uneven from their excitement and anxiety, their eyes shining with anticipation and nervousness. The two teams played out a stark contrast on the public square.
The Martian Governor, dressed in her red robes, looked at the excitement in their eyes, and a smile slowly unfurled on her face. What she had meant by one last step earlier had referred to the admission of defeat. It didn't matter if they had decimated the Fire Spirit Academy team. This might have given them confidence, but it wouldn't have instilled the idea of team honor and glory in their minds. That could only be achieved by driving fear into their enemies' hearts and forcing a complete surrender.
This meant that the Fire Spirit Academy wasn't admitting defeat to a single person… but to the entire team!
After she heard Wang Baole's request, she gave him a deep and meaningful look. Her gaze shifted and swept across the excited students, and she pondered for a while. Then, with encouragement in her eyes, she rose from her seat.
”Those with great ambitions will travel the skies and reach for the stars. Their achievements will soar through the clouds and be sung throughout the lands!”
”I name you—the Soaring Cloud Student Platoon!”
As soon as the Governor spoke, cheers exploded in the entire stadium. Members of the Martian administration who were present were all visibly affected. What the Governor had said meant the world to the students.
The atmosphere in the stadium reached its climax following the Governor's proclamation. Everyone from the Dao Mountain Mist Academy was overwhelmed with excitement and happiness, and the students started cheering uncontrollably. The dean and the teachers from the Fire Spirit Academy, on the other hand, hung their heads in bitter defeat.
Wang Baole witnessed the scene before him and was immeasurably pleased. He extended a deep bow towards the Governor.
”My utmost gratitude to the Governor!”