...
{3rd Pov}
Shanghai Magic City, or simply known as Magic City, was one of the major metropolitan centers of China. It was home to Pearl Magic University, the country's second-best Magic University, where Dean Xiao served as the highest governing authority and held the greatest influence over the institution.
In contrast to the Imperial Capital, which housed the majority of China's prestigious noble clans, along with Imperial University, whose administration and politics were heavily influenced by those same clans, Pearl Magic University operated under Dean Xiao's leadership. His authority ensured that the university maintained a greater degree of independence, preventing any single noble family from completely dominating its affairs.
Although the influence of noble families still existed within Pearl Magic University, it was nowhere near as overwhelming as it was at Imperial University. As a result, for talented mages born into commoner families without powerful backgrounds or influential connections, Pearl Magic University remained one of the finest places in the country to study, develop their talents, and enroll in pursuit of a better future.
Today was the enrollment ceremony, or as most people preferred to call it, the Summoning Department Challenge.
The rules of the challenge were fairly straightforward.
The newly enrolled students of the Summoning Department would face students from all the other departments.
If the summoning students managed to defeat one hundred opponents in total, they would retain all of the cultivation resources allocated to their department.
However, if they failed, those resources would instead be divided among the students of the remaining departments.
Naturally, because of those stakes, the challenge had become one of the most anticipated events for every new batch of students.
"I can already see the excitement on the faces of our new students," Dean Xiao began with a faint smile as his voice echoed throughout the enormous stadium.
"Today, all of you are about to take another important step on your journey as mages... but I'll save you the usual pleasantries. Instead, I'll be completely blunt."
His smile gradually disappeared, replaced by a calm yet imposing expression.
"Pearl Magic University is not a place for the weak, nor is it a place that exists to shelter or shape weak students. If your goal is nothing more than earning a degree, entering society, and finding yourself a comfortable, leisurely job, then you may as well step off this stadium right now."
The students exchanged uncertain glances, unsure whether he was joking or being completely serious.
"I'll even give you a certificate personally," Dean Xiao continued without the slightest hesitation. "It'll be more than enough to recommend you for those ordinary city jobs. So don't waste your own time, and more importantly, don't occupy the seats that should belong to students who are actually willing to fight for their future."
His merciless words left the entire stadium stunned into silence.
In fact, Dean Xiao was correct.
Not many students from commoner backgrounds entered Pearl Magic University with lofty ambitions or dreams of standing at the peak of the magical world.
For most of them, simply getting accepted into such a prestigious institution was already a major achievement.
Their ideal future was relatively simple which was to enjoy their college life, successfully become Intermediate Mages, graduate with the name of Pearl Magic University on their certificates, and use that prestigious degree to secure a stable, well-paying job before living the rest of their lives comfortably.
Very few students genuinely desired to become stronger at any cost or spend their lives fighting demons and magical beasts on a daily basis.
Such a lifestyle was dangerous, exhausting, and carried the constant risk of death.
Of course, if some of them eventually chose to join the military after graduation, their mentality and temperament might gradually change through years of battlefield experience.
However, at this moment, there was little doubt that the overwhelming majority of them were not the type of people willing to constantly challenge themselves, push beyond their limits, and rise above mediocrity through sheer determination.
"To be a mage is to fight for humanity. It is to stand against monsters when no one else can. I expect every student who graduates from my university to be capable of holding humanity's line against those monsters, to defend our nation and protect the people who cannot protect themselves..." Dean Xiao said before pausing for a brief moment, his expression turning noticeably stricter.
"I am certain all of you are aware of the dark era our nation once endured recently," he continued, his voice carrying far more weight than before. "Many lives were lost, countless cities were destroyed, and we paid a terrible price. To ensure that such an era never returns, I expect every one of you to contribute toward building a stronger future for our nation."
His gaze swept across the entire stadium before he spoke once more.
"That is why I will repeat myself. If you came here merely to earn a degree so that you can secure a comfortable job far away from the battlefield where mages risk their lives every single day, then this seat was never meant for you."
With those final words, Dean Xiao concluded his initial speech.
The students, meanwhile, were not only embarrassed by the thoughts many of them had entertained just moments earlier but were also thoroughly fired up by his speech.
Their blood boiled with excitement as countless dreams surfaced in their minds.
They wanted to charge into battle, bathe in the blood of monsters, protect humanity, defeat their peers, become renowned powerhouses, seduce beauties... or handsome men, Ahem and, of course, ultimately stand at the pinnacle of their lives.
Meanwhile, Astreo sat among the audience of newly enrolled students, quietly observing Dean Xiao, arguably the strongest Forbidden Curse Mage in all of China.
He was the primary reason no magic clan dared to extend its claws toward Pearl Magic University.
His influence was enough to keep the university independent, while also making Shanghai Magic City a far more welcoming place for mages from commoner backgrounds.
Otherwise, the magic clans would have long since swallowed this city as well.
In fact, throughout China, it was influential figures like Dean Xiao, along with the Military, who ensured that the parasites known as Magic Clans could not completely seize control of the nation. Without people like them standing in the way, the divide between commoners and nobles would have become even more severe, making social mobility nearly impossible for ordinary mages.
Although Dean Xiao was nowhere near comparable to Astreo in terms of raw combat power as Astreo normally possessed the strength of a Mid-Emperor and could unleash High-Emperor-level combat prowess when going all out, that had nothing to do with the respect he deserved.
Strength was never the only thing worthy of admiration.
A person willing to dedicate their life to protecting their nation and its people was someone who deserved respect regardless of their level of power. Whether that person stood as your ally, your enemy, or simply remained a neutral party made no difference in Astreo's eyes. A conviction like that was worthy of acknowledgment.
"Now then, let us welcome the students of the Summoning Department!" Dean Xiao announced, his voice echoing throughout the stadium. "It is time for the much-anticipated Summoning Department Challenge!"
As soon as he finished speaking, this year's newly enrolled students of the Summoning Department walked onto the arena one after another. In total, there were only nine of them, a stark contrast to the hundreds of students from the other departments who had gathered to watch and participate.
Among those nine, three were talented recruits personally sponsored by the Star Clan. Thanks to the clan's generous resources and financial backing, they had already managed to contract fairly powerful summoned beasts before even entering the university. Compared to ordinary freshmen, they undoubtedly held a significant advantage.
Astreo wasn't surprised by those numbers in the slightest. Instead, he simply rested his hand on his chin as he watched the scene unfold.
'Lord Chin Jin-Woo... grant me the wisdom to aura farm,' he prayed silently in his heart with complete sincerity.
After all, how could there be an opportunity to aura farm without Astreo making an appearance?
That would simply be disrespectful to the profession.
Just as Lisa enjoyed face-slapping arrogant people, Shadow enjoyed stalking others from the darkness, Yi Ze enjoyed lewding his own subordinate, Yumeko enjoyed slicing people's heads off, and Qin Yu'er enjoyed freezing people's bones while they slowly died... coughcough...
Astreo, on the other hand, simply loved aura farming.
Meanwhile, Dean Xiao continued speaking, his voice carrying effortlessly across the stadium, of course not without the magical devices amplifying his voice.
"I know what many of you are thinking. Why should they become the stars of the Green Campus the moment they enroll?" He paused for a brief moment before a faint smile appeared on his face. "The answer is simple. Defeat them, and today's stars will be all of you instead!"
His words immediately ignited the competitive spirit of countless students.
After delivering those final remarks, Dean Xiao wisely decided not to continue speaking just to pad out the speech's word count. The challenge was already the main attraction, so there was no point delaying it any further.
Soon enough, the battles between the Summoning Department and the other departments officially began.
The first participant to step onto the arena was one of the students backed by the Astral Clan. Thanks to the resources invested in him and the quality of his contracted beast, he managed to put on an impressive performance, defeating a total of twenty-five challengers before finally being overwhelmed.
The next summoning student walked onto the battlefield shortly afterward. Unlike the previous contestant, however, he came from a commoner background and lacked the same level of financial support or cultivation resources. Despite giving it everything he had, he was only able to defeat seven opponents before suffering defeat himself.
Astreo let out a quiet sigh as he watched the obvious disparity unfold before his eyes.
The Star Magic cultivation system was, in many ways, completely pay-to-win.
For mages born into commoner families, competing against those backed by wealthy and influential clans was nearly impossible unless they possessed extraordinary talent that far surpassed their peers.
Resources, high-quality Beast Contracts, cultivation materials, and expensive magical equipment all created an overwhelming gap that hard work alone could rarely bridge.
Although every student accepted into the Summoning Department could be considered a genius to some extent, that reputation existed more because of their rarity and the strategic value Summoning Mages brought as a whole rather than their individual combat strength.
Without proper resources to support their contracted beasts, even a talented Summoning Mage could easily fall behind someone from a powerful clan.
As the challenge continued, several more matches quickly passed by. One student after another entered the arena, fought to the best of their abilities, and either added to the score or fell short.
Eventually, the total number of victories reached seventy-five.
Only twenty-five more wins were needed to meet the required quota, and there were still three students left to fight.
Seeing the current score, the Head of the Summoning Department, Jiang Yunming, couldn't help but reveal a satisfied smile.
As long as the remaining students persevered and performed as expected, the Summoning Department would successfully win this year's challenge and retain all of its allocated cultivation resources.
Finally, it was Mo Fan's turn.
As he stepped onto the dueling grounds, the attention of the entire stadium gradually shifted toward him. Standing calmly in the center of the arena, he waited as his opponent walked forward, a Tier 3 Novice Mage who had chosen to challenge him.
Unfortunately for the challenger, he wasn't even worthy of wasting Mo Fan's breath on a conversation.
The match ended almost as soon as it began.
With a single cast of Lightning Strike: Wrath Shock, Mo Fan instantly overwhelmed his opponent, sending him flying off the battlefield without giving him the slightest chance to retaliate. The difference in strength between the two was so obvious that many spectators couldn't help but stare in surprise.
After securing such an effortless victory, Mo Fan didn't immediately prepare for the next challenger.
Instead, he raised his head and looked directly toward Dean Xiao.
"Dean Xiao, I have a question," he called out loudly enough for the entire stadium to hear.
A faint smile appeared on the old dean's face, as though he had already guessed that something like this was coming.
"Student Mo Fan, go ahead," Dean Xiao replied with a nod, inviting him to speak.
Mo Fan didn't hesitate.
"Dean Xiao, if we lose this challenge, the Summoning Department loses all of its cultivation resources for the entire semester. But if we win, we only get to keep the resources that already belong to us. Doesn't that sound a little unfair?"
The students throughout the stadium immediately began murmuring among themselves.
In truth, many of them had already noticed how unfair the challenge's rules seemed, but none of them had given it much thought. After all, what did it have to do with them? It wasn't as though their own cultivation resources were on the line.
"In fact, there is one more hidden rule," Dean Xiao said with a faint grin.
The murmuring instantly died down.
"If the Summoning Department manages to defeat two hundred students instead of just one hundred, then all of the cultivation resources allocated for this semester will belong entirely to the Summoning Department!"
"!!!"
For a brief moment, many students wondered if they had somehow jinxed themselves.
Because now, their own resources were very much at stake.
The atmosphere in the stadium changed almost instantly as countless pairs of eyes widened in disbelief. Just moments ago, many of them had been casually watching the challenge unfold. Now, they suddenly had a personal reason to care about its outcome.
"However," Dean Xiao continued calmly, "no Summoning Department in the history of Pearl Magic University has ever managed to complete that challenge. Since no one has ever come close to achieving it, there was never any reason to publicly announce that rule."
As soon as those words left his mouth, several teachers exchanged hesitant and bewildered glances.
Even they hadn't known such a rule existed.
For a split second, they couldn't help but wonder whether Dean Xiao had just made it up on the spot.
"I see..." Mo Fan nodded thoughtfully before a grin spread across his face. "Then, please forgive me. You see, I need those resources far more than the rest of you do. So I can only wrong you all! I'll defeat every single one of you and complete this challenge!"
The moment those words left his mouth, veins immediately bulged on the foreheads of countless students.
"He's so arrogant!"
"Does he seriously think he can defeat all of us by himself?!"
"Idiot! At least mock him properly! There are still two Summoning Department students after him. Even if they aren't enough to beat us, don't act like he's fighting alone!"
"Don't tell me you failed your arithmetic classes!"
"He wants our resources? It took nearly the entire Summoning Department just to defeat seventy-five... no, wait... seventy-six students! And he thinks the remaining three of them can somehow finish the challenge?!"
"This guy is ridiculously arrogant! Which family's young master is he?!"
The entire stadium erupted into noisy discussions as insults and complaints flew from every direction.
Most of the voices blended together into an incomprehensible mess, making it impossible for Mo Fan to distinguish every individual comment.
However...there was one particular sentence that reached his ears loud and clear.
"This guy is ridiculously arrogant! Which family's young master is he?!"
Mo Fan's face instantly darkened.
He had expected people to call him shameless or arrogant, he had even expected people to curse his ancestors.
But never...Never in his life had he imagined that he, Mo Fana man who had practically grown-up poor, would one day be mistaken for some arrogant young master from a wealthy family!
"Your Daddy Mo Fan is here! Now get down to the stage and take your beating like honest people! Better yet, come at me in groups of five so we can end this farce quickly!" Mo Fan shouted confidently.
Hearing those words, the students became even more furious.
"Let's teach this bastard a lesson!"
"Yeah! Who the hell does he think he is?!"
"If you're really that brave, then stop shouting in my goddamn ear and come down already!"
The entire stadium erupted into chaos as students from every department began yelling at Mo Fan, each one more eager than the last to wipe that smug grin off his face.
Meanwhile, the teachers looked at one another before simultaneously turning their gazes toward Dean Xiao... and then back toward the student named Mo Fan, who, judging by his behavior, seemed to have hit his head against a wall a few too many times during childhood.
Or perhaps he had been dropped as a baby, several times.
"Very well," Dean Xiao said without the slightest hesitation. "Grant Student Mo Fan's request and allow him to face five opponents simultaneously. After all, the one-versus-one format is rather time-consuming."
The moment those words were spoken, the teachers could only exchange helpless looks.
None of them had expected Dean Xiao to actually agree.
Still, no one objected.
After all...Who made this man Dean Xiao?
Soon, five students entered the dueling grounds together, although at this point it would be more accurate to simply call it an arena rather than a dueling ground.
Standing calmly in the center, Mo Fan raised his hand and summoned his Swift Star Wolf or, as he preferred to call him, Old Wolf.
The moment the massive magical beast appeared behind him, the group of challengers froze in place. It was only then that they suddenly remembered one very important detail.
This was still the Summoning Department Challenge.
"An Advanced Servant!" several students in the audience exclaimed as they quickly judged Old Wolf's strength.
Even an ordinary Servant-level magical beast usually required a coordinated group of Tier 3 Beginner Mages to defeat. An Advanced Servant was significantly stronger than an average Servant, making the gap even wider. For a group of freshmen, facing such a creature head-on was hardly an enviable task.
The result was practically decided the moment Old Wolf stepped onto the battlefield.
Living up to the name Swift Star Wolf, the magical beast charged forward with astonishing speed, overwhelming the five challengers before they could properly organize themselves. Within moments, every one of them had been defeated.
The next group stepped onto the arena shortly afterward.
Unlike the previous challengers, this team presented a much greater threat. Every member of the group had already reached Beginner Tier 3, making them considerably stronger and more coordinated than those before them.
This time, however, Mo Fan had no intention of letting Old Wolf do all the work.
Fighting alongside his summoned beast, he joined the battle personally. Brilliant arcs of lightning erupted around him as he unleashed Beginner Tier 3 Lightning Magic, coordinating his attacks with Old Wolf's relentless assault.
Before long, all five students had been defeated once again.
"Next," Mo Fan said ruthlessly, not even bothering to hide his impatience as another group of challengers stepped onto the arena.
This time, the students had actually put some thought into their strategy. They deliberately formed a team whose elemental affinities were meant to counter Mo Fan's Lightning Element, believing that they had finally found a way to suppress his offensive power.
Unfortunately...with their collective IQ seemingly taking a vacation, they had forgotten one tiny little detail.
There was still a giant Magic Wolf standing right beside him.
While the challengers focused almost entirely on dealing with Mo Fan's Lightning Magic, Old Wolf happily reminded them why the challenge was called the Summoning Department Challenge in the first place.
The result was even more one-sided than before.
The entire group was defeated in an even more disgraceful fashion, leaving many spectators unable to decide whether they should laugh or feel sorry for them.
As the battle continued, the number of defeated students steadily climbed.
One hundred and twenty.
One hundred and twenty-three.
One hundred and twenty-six.
The moment the total surpassed one hundred and twenty-six defeated students, the expressions of nearly everyone in the stadium became noticeably uglier.
Mo Fan alone had already defeated more than fifty students by himself.
That number was becoming increasingly ridiculous.
"I refuse to believe this!" one student roared as he stood up from the audience. "His Summoning Element can't possibly have much magical energy left! Once that Magic Wolf disappears, he'll naturally lose his greatest advantage!"
Filled with confidence, he immediately stepped onto the arena and quickly gathered several other mages to form yet another team, convinced that victory was finally within reach.
They weren't entirely wrong.
Although Mo Fan had used his Lightning Magic rather sparingly throughout the challenge, his Summoning Element's mana reserves were steadily running dry.
With a helpless sigh, he recalled Old Wolf back into the summoning space. It wasn't that he had completely exhausted his summoning mana in fact he still had some left, but he wanted to conserve it for the more troublesome battles that would inevitably come later.
'If only I had managed to advance my Summoning Element to Tier 4 as well,' he thought to himself with a hint of regret.
Seeing Old Wolf disappear, the next group of challengers walked onto the arena with smug smiles plastered across their faces.
In their eyes, Mo Fan had just thrown away his greatest advantage.
One of them confidently stepped forward, pointed dramatically at Mo Fan, and declared in what he clearly believed was a heroic tone, "Classmate Mo Fan, your tyranny ends now!"
"And your screentime ends now!" Mo Fan replied without missing a beat.
The instant the match officially began, he didn't waste even a single second.
He directly unleashed Novice Tier 4 Thunder Magic: Electric Field.
In an instant, arcs of violent lightning exploded across the arena, transforming the battlefield into a crackling sea of electricity. Bolts of thunder rained down in every direction, engulfing the five challengers before they could even finish constructing their star paths.
The poor group was electrocuted on the spot.
Not a single spell was successfully cast.
The entire battle ended before it had truly begun, leaving everyone present completely stupefied.
Even the student who had confidently proclaimed the end of Mo Fan's "tyranny" barely managed to enjoy a few seconds of screentime before getting written out of the scene.
"What was that magic?! Was it a Spirit Seed?" someone in the audience asked in disbelief.
However, while the ordinary students were merely confused, the reactions of those from noble families and especially the teachers were even more dramatic.
One teacher even reached up and pinched his own cheek, seemingly trying to confirm that he wasn't dreaming.
"That... was Novice Tier 4 Thunder Magic?" Mu Nujiao muttered hesitantly, unable to fully believe what she had just witnessed.
Hearing her words, her best friend Ai Tutu and Zhao Manyan, who wasn't seated very far away, both exclaimed at the same time.
"Novice Tier 4 magic?!"
"THE FUCK?!"
"This guy is that rich?!" Zhao Manyan shouted, his eyes widening in utter disbelief.
He genuinely couldn't believe that someone could be even more extravagant than himself.
A true Young Master!
He had already met Mo Fan back in their dormitory, but from every possible angle, this fellow didn't look remotely rich.
If anything...He looked like a shameless beggar.
The kind of shameless beggar who would happily eat all of your cultivation resources, smile afterward, and not even have the decency to burp.
Zhao Manyan suddenly paused.
To be honest...wasn't Mo Fan literally doing exactly that right now?
The guy had openly announced that he was here to rob every one of their cultivation resources.
Maybe...his first impression hadn't been wrong after all?
Meanwhile, as the news spread throughout the stadium and everyone remained shocked beyond belief, Mo Fan simply grinned to himself.
In truth, after witnessing Astreo aura farm cough use Novice Tier 5 magic and bitchslap Mu Ningxue cough engage in a completely fair and honorable duel back in Bo City, he had become almost obsessed with increasing the tiers of his stars.
From that day onward, his training had become downright unreasonable.
For the past year, he had hunted magical beasts like a complete maniac, spending nearly all of his free time outside the safety of the city walls. Every battle became another opportunity to gather resources, improve his cultivation, and push himself a little further.
The only Warrior-grade Soul Core he managed to obtain during that period had been sold for a considerable amount of money. Rather than hoarding it, he immediately invested those earnings back into his own growth.
In total, he had consumed around fourteen Servant-grade Soul Cores to forcefully raise both his Lightning and Fire Elements to Novice Tier 4. It had cost him a fortune, but the results were undeniable. Coupled with the Fire Soul Seed he had purchased earlier, his combat strength had increased by an enormous margin compared to a year ago.
Unfortunately, there were only so many hours in a day.
Because he had devoted the overwhelming majority of his time and resources toward strengthening his primary offensive elements, the progress of his other elements inevitably suffered.
His Shadow Element had only reached Novice Tier 1, while his Summoning Element had barely advanced to Novice Tier 3.
As for his Intermediate-tier cultivation, both his Fire and Lightning Elements remained stuck at Tier 1, with very little progress made since their initial breakthrough.
Even so, Mo Fan wasn't dissatisfied.
After all, there was only one person to blame for his current obsession.
Astreo.
Ever since watching that guy casually flex strength that made everyone else question their life choices, Mo Fan had unconsciously developed a terrible habit.
Whenever he became stronger...his first thought wasn't, 'I've become powerful.'
It was, 'Maybe now I can lose with a little more dignity.'
"Damn it! Which great family's Young Master is this guy?!" a student roared in utter disbelief after finally realizing the level of magic Mo Fan was using.
Mo Fan instinctively wanted to argue that he wasn't some wealthy young master at all.
He was just a hardworking, poor man!
But after thinking about it for a second, he decided it wasn't worth wasting his breath.
He would rather save his energy for electrocuting... and, when necessary, frying the students standing in front of him.
Thankfully, Mo Fan's outrageous display of wealth at least in everyone else's eyes made the students so jealous that they gradually overcame their fear. Their desire to beat him up, rob him of his smug expression, and prove that he wasn't invincible completely overshadowed the intimidation they had felt earlier.
As a result, the challengers in the following matches charged at him like maniacs, each one determined to be the person who finally ended his winning streak.
Unfortunately for them...Reality remained cruel.
One group after another was defeated.
The number of defeated students steadily continued to climb.
One hundred and fifty...
One hundred and sixty...
Finally...
One hundred and sixty-six students.
At that point, the expressions of nearly everyone in the stadium had turned incredibly ugly.
This was no longer a simple challenge.
It had become a matter of pride.
Unable to watch any longer, the Young Masters and Young Misses of several prominent magic clans finally decided to step onto the arena themselves. If ordinary students couldn't stop Mo Fan, then they would personally teach this arrogant fellow a lesson.
However, just as the newest battle was about to begin, Mo Fan suddenly raised a hand.
"I've decided..." he declared dramatically.
Everyone paused.
"I'll stop pretending!"
The entire stadium became silent.
"Today, I'll reveal the truth!"
Many students couldn't help but swallow nervously.
"I have already mastered..."
He deliberately paused for dramatic effect before shouting at the top of his lungs,
"Novice Tier 4 Fire Magic!"
The moment those words left his mouth...
The expressions of countless students cracked.
Somehow... Somehow this bastard had been holding back all this time.
To be continued...
(A/N: You can join my patreon if you want the few advance chap of this fanfic and more advance chaps of my other fanfics)