210: The National Prodigy Competition: The Battle of Kyoto!

Mobei Military Region Headquarters.

Inside the war room.

The electronic screen was densely marked with search areas.

Each red dot represented the location of a search team.

Seven days.

Seven full days of carpet searches.

Aside from the first few peripheral members of the [Spark] discovered, there had been no other valuable findings.

"Report!"

An officer rushed into the command room.

"The Thirteenth Search Team has completed its final sweep of the southwest area!"

"Still no sign of the target!"

General Zhao's face was ashen.

He slammed his hand on the table.

"Damn it!"

"Did a living person just disappear into thin air?"

The other officers exchanged glances.

"All major official teleportation arrays have been investigated, but there are no clues!"

"Old Dean."

General Zhao walked over to Zhan Chengfei.

"It's been seven days, and we haven't found anything."

"Lu Yuan is like he vanished into thin air."

Zhan Chengfei did not respond immediately.

His gaze slowly swept across the map.

Every inch of land had been thoroughly searched by the teams.

Even underground caves and abandoned mines were not spared.

But what was the result?

Nothing.

"Recall all search teams."

Zhan Chengfei suddenly spoke.

"Dean?"

General Zhao was somewhat incredulous.

"Are we just giving up?"

Zhan Chengfei turned around.

"Not giving up."

"But changing strategy."

"To be able to escape our encirclement without a sound... this boy is no ordinary person."

General Zhao fell silent.

He also had to admit that the abilities Lu Yuan displayed indeed exceeded expectations.

"Report!"

Another officer entered the command room.

"The intelligence department has sent over a detailed background investigation report on the target!"

Zhan Chengfei's eyes lit up.

"Bring it."

The officer respectfully handed over a thick folder.

Zhan Chengfei took the file and casually opened it.

The first page contained Lu Yuan's basic information.

From Canglan Province.

A student at Qingteng High School in Jiangcheng.

About to take the College Entrance Examination.

Zhan Chengfei's face instantly turned grim.

"Canglan Province?"

"Lei Xiao, that bastard!"

"He didn't make such important information clear!"

He angrily slammed the file on the table.

Everyone in the command room was startled by this sudden outburst.

General Zhao cautiously asked.

"Dean, is there a problem?"

Zhan Chengfei took a deep breath, trying to calm himself.

"It's nothing."

"Continue to look at thematerial."

He picked up the file again and read it carefully.

Lu Yuan's resume was clearly laid out before him.

From an ordinary Card Master student to the provincial champion of the Prodigy Competition.

From unknown to a genius youth sought after by various forces.

Such a growth trajectory was simply unbelievable.

And the turning point was only in his third year of high school!

To be precise, in the past few months!

"Prodigy Competition champion..."

Zhan Chengfei murmured to himself.

"Defeated Lin Dong with two gold cards..."

"Defeated a peak third-tier opponent..."

"Suspected to have three gold cards..."

Each achievement was enough to make anyone look at him with new eyes.

And the owner of these achievements was not even eighteen years old.

"Such a genius..."

A glint flashed in Zhan Chengfei's eyes.

It was an emotion called "cherishing talent."

As the Old Dean of Nine Heavens Academy, he had seen countless geniuses.

But a prodigy like Lu Yuan was indeed rare.

"Dean?"

General Zhao noticed the change in Zhan Chengfei's expression.

"What are you thinking?"

Zhan Chengfei closed the file.

"I'm thinking, perhaps our approach was wrong."

"Wrong?"

"Yes."

Zhan Chengfei walked to the window.

"Conquering such a genius with force is the most foolish approach."

"True powerhouses need respect and recognition."

General Zhao nodded thoughtfully.

"You mean..."

"Nine Heavens Academy is also a top academy."

Zhan Chengfei's tone became confident.

"Such a genius is worth fighting for."

He picked up Lu Yuan's file again.

His gaze fell on the College Entrance Examination date.

"One more month..."

"That's enough."

Zhan Chengfei turned to General Zhao.

"Order the cessation of military searches."

"Change to covert surveillance."

"At the same time, have someone prepare a set of Nine Heavens Academy's enrollment materials."

"The best kind."

General Zhao was stunned.

"Dean, are you planning to..."

A determined gleam flickered in Zhan Chengfei's eyes.

"Such a genius must not be snatched away by other academies."

"Especially those few in the Capital."

He sat back down in his chair.

He began to think about the specific recruitment plan.

Lu Yuan's background was already very clear.

Born into an ordinary family, but exceptionally talented.

Such people are most easily swayed by sincerity and resources.

And Nine Heavens Academy, in this regard, would certainly not lose to anyone.

After all, it was the only military region university.

Resources were simply inexhaustible!

The aide-de-camp added from the side.

"Dean, according to our intelligence, the admissions officers of various academies have probably already listed him as a key target."

Zhan Chengfei's expression became serious.

"This is our fault; that fellow Lei Xiao still has a low vision."

"How can those few conditions back then compare to the Capital's?"

"But we are not without opportunity."

He stood up and slowly paced around the room.

"Although Nine Heavens Academy is not in the Capital, in terms of strength and resources, it is definitely not inferior to anyone."

"Our advantage lies in being more pragmatic and flexible."

"Unlike those academies in the Capital, which are too bureaucratic."

General Zhao strongly agreed.

"Exactly, and Nine Heavens Academy's combat training has always been a strong point."

"For a practical genius like Lu Yuan, it should be very appealing."

Zhan Chengfei stopped.

"I need to carefully consider the specific recruitment plan."

"However, there are a few key points that must be grasped."

He walked to the whiteboard and picked up a marker.

"First, sincerity."

"Lu Yuan must feel our importance and sincerity."

"We cannot be perfunctory like recruiting ordinary students."

He wrote "Sincerity" on the whiteboard.

"Second, resources."

"Scholarships, mentors, cultivation resources—all must be the best."

"Money is not the issue; the key is to let him see the value."

The words "Resources" were also written on the whiteboard.

"Third, future."

"He must see the prospects for development at Nine Heavens Academy."

"Our graduates have outstanding performances in various fields; this is a very good persuasive point."

"And as the only military region university in the entire Eastern Continent, we must leverage our advantages!"

"Future" was also written on the whiteboard.

Zhan Chengfei put down the pen, looking at the three keywords on the whiteboard.

"These three points are indispensable."

"But the most important thing is still the impression of the first meeting."

"I must go in person to make him feel sufficiently valued."

The aide-de-camp quickly wrote it down.

"Yes, Dean!"

...