As expected, Mo Fan was stunned. This was probably the first ti he'd seen Mu Ningxue since that incident—three years ago?
Back then, among the group of children, everyone liked to call her "Little Princess," and she truly was the princess in everyone's hearts. She lived in a castle on the hill, wore clothes and accessories far more beautiful than any ordinary girl's, and had an irresistibly charming and adorable appearance.
But in these three years, Mo Fan felt as though she had changed so much that she was almost unrecognizable.
She had indeed changed a lot.
The once lively and approachable girl now gave off an air of distance and aloofness as she entered her adolescence.
Was it her temperant that had changed? Or was it the growing age and vast difference in status that made such thoughts take root in his mind?
Lu Jun, observing Mo Fan's expression, guessed that he was probably feeling a bit inferior. It was perfectly natural, and he sighed without mocking him. After all, Mo Fan's persistence in pursuing Mu Ningxue in the future, despite his humble background, could also be seen as a reaction to that inferiority.
Still, Mo Fan and Mu Ningxue truly walked the path of a fairytale to the very end, proving they were worthy of each other.
"Life is tough. I hope Mo Fan and Mu Ningxue remain steadfast, enduring the hardships of both the dark and light sides of this world, so I can quietly grow stronger," Lu Jun muttered to himself. He thought of the ridiculous actions of the Magic Association, which left him exasperated.
From the mont he awakened his tal elent and twin natural elents, Lu Jun's enemies were no longer just the Black Church but the entire irrational and dark magical world.
Standing beside him were only his sister, Lu i, and at most, Mo Fan, Mu Ningxue, and other geniuses who had been persecuted. They could barely count as allies.
Next to him, Zhang Xiaohou, staring at the dazzling Mu Ningxue, sighed, "Fan-ge, you should've eloped with the Little Princess back then..."
Mo Fan snapped back to reality and, regaining his composure, jokingly scolded, "Did you hit your head on the bathroom door?"
Seeing this, Lu Jun teased, "What's the Old Mo's current feeling?"
"Nothing much," Mo Fan said, regaining his usual nonchalant tone. "I just think that old dog Mu Zhuoyun did the one thing right in his entire life—having a daughter. If he'd obediently let be his son-in-law, I might even forgive him for everything he did back then."
"Hahaha!" Lu Jun laughed. "That's what I'd call 'eating your words,' huh?"
Mo Fan chuckled slyly. These words were only ant for his friends. After all, he could sense that, unlike most people, Lu Jun and Zhang Xiaohou didn't innately regard the noble families as untouchable beings.
Everyone else seed to possess an ingrained servility deep in their bones.
Right on cue, Zhao Kunsan jumped in to mock them, "You think you can get your hands on the swan? You'll never get into the Imperial Capital University. Just wait for the annual examination to expel you."
The three of them completely ignored this clown.
Lu Jun, however, suddenly recalled sothing. During this examination, Mu Bai and Mu He had planned to sabotage Mo Fan and have him expelled. They had secretly placed a dark light stone—a mineral that absorbs brilliance—on the testing instrunt, the Star Disc, to reduce Mo Fan's results.
To their surprise, Mo Fan's abilities surpassed expectations. Even with underhanded tactics, he still achieved excellent results, drawing the attention of Tang Yue, who spotted the anomaly and insisted on re-testing with another Star Disc. The re-test revealed an S-grade result, shocking the entire school.
The format of this annual examination was quite simple. To Lu Jun, it was reminiscent of the classic opening Chapter of Battle Through the Heavens, only replacing the family's stone tablet with a Star Disc. Instead of testing Dou Qi cultivation, they were testing magical energy.
The brilliance of the Star Disc determined one's grade.
Needless to say, using a dark light stone to dim the light was a malicious tactic.
Lu Jun whispered to Mo Fan, "Be careful during the examination. Mu Bai and the others might try sothing shady. Before you start, it's best to inspect the Star Disc thoroughly."
"Hmm?" Mo Fan frowned. He was already aware that Mu Bai held a grudge against him, but would he really dare to pull sothing like that in front of so many people?
"Try and see," Lu Jun sneered. "The school's funding cos entirely from the Mu family, and the teachers are all their lapdogs. What do you think?"
Mo Fan's expression grew serious, but he remained calm. At the very least, a student couldn't openly be persecuted by any faction. Principal Zhu, appointed by the Magic Association, was highly independent and had protected countless commoners.
He patted Lu Jun on the shoulder, expressing his gratitude without saying much.
Soon, the annual examination began.
First up was a girl nad He Yu, who, like Lu Jun, was a water elent user. She was crying before stepping on stage, looking so pitiful that even the teacher, Xue Musheng, and the entire class were comforting and encouraging her.
But when the test started, everyone realized they had been played. The brilliance on the Star Disc indicated an A-grade result, directly qualifying her for the honors class next year.
Everyone was dumbfounded. This was the epito of playing the damsel in distress!
Lu Jun glanced at her, recognizing her as Zhang Xiaohou's future girlfriend. Sadly, two years later, during the Bo City disaster, she would sacrifice herself to save Zhang Xiaohou, shielding him from a monster's attack and losing her life.
It was a tragic story.
He thought about the underground tunnels he had investigated this year and resolved that such a tragedy would not repeat itself.
Next up was Zhang Xiaohou. His Star Disc test also lit up brightly, reaching an A grade, earning him admiration from everyone.
At this mont, Zhang Xiaohou shyly but resolutely declared, "Teacher, I want to take the second test: magic release."
The examiner was a bit surprised. "Are you sure?"
"I know that ranking high in the annual examination will determine the ti when we receive our Stardust Magic Tools, so I want to take the release test," Zhang Xiaohou explained.
The second test, magic release, was generally for the few elite students who were proficient enough to attempt it. Each year, only a handful of students passed, as mastering magic release within a year was incredibly rare.
Unfortunately, Zhang Xiaohou, though capable of casting the wind-elent basic spell Wind Path, failed due to nervousness. He repeatedly lost control of his stars, causing the star trail to break.
Dejected, he walked down. Tang Yue, acting like a gentle older sister, comforted him, "It's okay. With your results, you'll definitely enter the honors class."
Zhang Xiaohou asked, "Teacher, I thought I had already mastered it. I didn't expect that a little nervousness would cause my star control to collapse each ti. How do you complete magic release so effortlessly?"
"Practice, of course," Tang Yue said with a slight smile. "But beyond that, a calm mind is essential. A qualified magician must have solid fundantals and an unwavering mindset."
Lu Jun nodded from the side. To be precise, it required experience in killing. Facing monsters head-on was the only way to forge a strong will. That was how he never lost control of his stars at crucial monts.
As ti passed, it was finally Xu Zhaoting's turn. All eyes turned to him.
On the podium, Principal Tian Lan began to boast about him, describing him as a model student with exceptional character and talent—a lightning-elent user. Mu Zhuoyun smiled gracefully and softly said to his daughter, "Ningxue, watch your junior's performance carefully."
The silver-haired girl lightly nodded in acknowledgnt.
In the testing area, Xu Zhaoting, dressed in his school uniform, stood confidently under the gaze of the entire school. Unfazed by the pressure, he began casting his spell.
"Thunder Strike: Python Mark!"
Crackle! The basic-level, first-tier lightning spell. A long, whip-like electric current extended from his hand, resembling a snake, and struck a wooden target in the distance.
A loud bang echoed, leaving behind a charred, broken target.
Lu Jun's expression grew tense. He suddenly realized how much the lightning elent countered both his gold and water elents.
Even a glancing blow could paralyze him, rendering him helpless.
But eventually, Lu Jun relaxed. No elent was invincible; most countered one another. For example, rock counters lightning, and ice and water counter fire. Once he awakened more elents at the interdiate level, the gaps would naturally be filled.
Moreover, lightning-elent magicians were rare, so there was little cause for concern.
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