Locke tapped his fingers on the tabletop and said, "The two of you should both enter the competition."
Gregor still wanted to say something, but under Locke's gaze, he couldn't get a word out.
Locke softened his tone and said to Gregor, "Gregor, just perform at your normal level, and you'll discover that those opponents aren't as frightening as you thought. Besides, if you don't even dare to enter a competition, how can you dare to think about advancing to become a Formal Wizard?"
Locke's gaze sharpened. "Do you think First Transcendence is something simple? Even though the Wizard Civilization already has a complete path laid out for First Transcendence, it's still something that only people with courage and wisdom can accomplish."
"If you can't overcome your mental weakness, you might as well drop out early."
Gregor bowed to Locke. "Teacher, you're right. Mental weakness has always been my flaw. Do you have any advice for someone in my situation?"
Locke glanced at Gregor and spoke based on his understanding of the young man's personality. "You're merely afraid of failure. Just lower your expectations. Lower your expectations for your goal."
"Don't think that you must rank at the top when entering the Breeder Competition. Just focus on learning something from it, and you'll be satisfied. Transform your desire to defeat others into a desire to defeat yourself, and you'll overcome this flaw."
Locke said, "Those who can frequently defeat others are victors, but those who can frequently defeat themselves are strong. On the endless path of pursuing truth, only the truly strong can keep going all the way."
Gregor's body trembled, and he muttered, "Only those who can defeat themselves are strong—"
"Teacher, I understand now. Thank you for your guidance."
"Becoming your student is truly my good fortune."
Locke