Most of the freshmen headed off to register with their assigned departments. Ashley greeted Thora briefly before leaving for the Command Institute. Shirley, Luke, Tristan, and Ryan, however, stayed behind. Shirley's purpose was straightforward. She wanted to transfer. Wherever Thora went, that was where she would go. Luke and Tristan remained out of curiosity, wanting to see what would happen next. Ryan, on the other hand, was simply trying to make his presence known, which immediately earned him a wave of disdain from the others. Thora had originally intended to enter the Command Institute, but to her, the specific institute didn't truly matter. Just as she had never been picky about her living environment, she was never afraid of challenges. So the Combat Institute? Fine. Combat Institute it was. She turned and prepared to go register. Valen had been closely watching Thora's expression. He had expected defiance or dissatisfaction, yet she showed none at all. "Thora," he called out suddenly, his voice low. "What is it?" Thora asked, turning back. Valen spoke with a mix of frustration and disappointment. "Aren't you even going to ask why you were assigned to the Combat Institute?" Thora didn't understand why he was angry. She replied calmly, "Does it matter?" "The Combat Institute is the lowest-ranked department in the academy," Valen said heavily. Thora blinked. On her cool, composed face, there was an unexpected trace of innocence. "I don't mind."Valen was speechless. You don't mind, but I do. Such a promising candidate, and he was supposed to watch her sink into the lowest-ranked academy? Seeing how indifferent Thora was, Valen felt both anxious and irritated. Then Thora seemed to recall something. She frowned slightly. "Is it because the Command Institute doesn't accept women?" "That's not the only reason," Valen replied. At last, it felt like she was starting to understand. He continued, "The Command Institute not admitting women is a long-standing tradition. More importantly, your ranking in this assessment was last place. The ability radar chart is an important reference, but entering the Command Institute as the lowest-ranked candidate would spark a lot of resistance, especially among the instructors involved in the allocation." Valen fixed Thora with a serious stare. "Right now, you have one chance to enter the Command Institute." Thora's sharp brows drew together slightly as she turned to face him. "Instructor, please explain." "Each academy within the military school sets its own entrance examination as a specialized threshold. As long as you pass, the school will recognize your qualifications to enter that academy. This exam is usually used for transfers, or when a student is dissatisfied with their assignment and wants to challenge their way into a target department. "There will be designated instructors and students observing. You don't need to worry about fairness," he paused, his tone carrying a note of encouragement. "If you want recognition, you prove it with strength." Most people would have felt their blood surge at such words. Thora, however, remained composed. After all, her actual abilities and radar chart already met the Command Institute's standards. She had only been excluded because of her gender and her ranking.Seeing her so calm, Valen unexpectedly worried that she might refuse. He could not help sneering. "What, are you afraid to challenge the Command Institute?" Thora lazily lifted her eyelids and replied flatly, "What's there to be afraid of?" Compared to Valen's impassioned persuasion, her cool, understated response sent a ripple through the hearts of those present. "Good," Valen said at last, nodding in satisfaction. In truth, the moment Thora's assignment results had come out, Valen had already considered arranging a separate Command Institute challenge for her. Only in this way could he silence the conservative instructors in the upper ranks of the academy, while also allowing Thora to enter the Command Institute through proper procedure. That said, the Command Institute's entrance examination was notoriously difficult. Its demands for comprehensive decision-making, battlefield prediction, and team coordination were almost unforgiving. To date, no woman had ever passed it. This was not discrimination against ability, but simply the reality that very few had ever reached such an all-encompassing level of excellence. Valen silently hoped Thora would not disappoint him. Otherwise, he swore he would never involve himself in recruitment again. With the other freshmen already registering with their departments, Valen led Thora alone to another location. Shirley tried to follow, but Tristan and the others dragged her off to register. In their view, no matter which department their leader entered, she would carve out her own path. And if there was a department she truly wanted, there was no way she would fail to get in. It was simply a matter of her preference, nothing worth worrying about at all.