With my generous assistance, the medical team thawed Mo Fan out and dragged him away. Now, it was time for the main event of this circus.
«Ladies and gentlemen!» Mu Zhuoyun's voice boomed over the arena. «Securing an effortless victory in our first match, we have a proud member of the Mu family-Mu Bai! Let's give him a round of applause!» Now that I had won, I was suddenly a «member of the Mu family» again. «And now, stepping onto the stage is the star of tonight's event, my dear successor, Mu Yu'an! Let's hear it for him!» The young man walked out onto the arena to thunderous cheers from the crowd.
«In just ten seconds, our final duel of the evening for access to the Underground Holy Spring will begin! Mu Bai will test his strength against…» «Sorry to interrupt!» I cupped my hands around my mouth and shouted, appealing to whatever voice of reason might still be left in the building. Hey, it was worth a shot. Hope dies last, right?
«Don't I get a chance to recover my mana?» I called out, reminding the audience that these were two separate duels, not a university-style gauntlet match. «I just cast four spells, including a third-tier one! I'm running on two-thirds of a tank here!»
… I'll give you ten minutes, Mu Zhuoyun grunted reluctantly. «The schedule doesn't allow for any more.» A normal mage would need a full hour to restore a third of his mana pool. Sorry, Hope, looks like we're out of luck.
Ten minutes later-during which I barely recovered any mana while Patriarch Mu entertained the guests-my opponent and I finally took our battle stances.
The gong resounded through the arena.
Wasting no time on pleasantries, I dashed straight at Mu Yu'an, hopping aside just in time to dodge his second-tier Ice Solidity. The moment I closed into range, I cast Ice Spread: Enveloping-the third tier of the element-and unleashed the frost straight at him.
This guy wasn't Mo Fan. He didn't have innate combat instincts or real battle experience; he was a spoiled, sheltered house-cat. I didn't need to get right in his face like I had in the previous fight.
The spell hit dead-on, swallowing Mu Yu'an in a miniature blizzard.
«That easy?!»
«That was way faster than the first fight!»
«Is Patriarch Mu really not embarrassed to field such an unprepared heir?!»
As the crowd buzzed with shock and indignation, the gale cleared, revealing Mu Yu'an shielding his head with his arms, wrapped in a shimmering set of magic armor. Ah, look at that-a vulnerable spot.
«Equipment armor?!»
«Patriarch Mu really has thick skin…»
«And here I thought I was shameless. Now I can keep taking bribes with a clear conscience…» Some guy in the audience said that a little too loudly. Lucky for him, the city would be facing a disaster soon anyway.
… Ahem. The rules did not explicitly forbid the use of magic items, Mu Zhuoyun said, clutching at his last shred of dignity. The thing was, unwritten protocol usually implied a ban on them. Even Mo Fan, while freezing to death, hadn't used the bone shield Zhang Kong gave him.
Mu Yu'an lowered his arms from his head. Then, as if determined to bury his adoptive father's reputation six feet under, he activated his magic boots and zipped away from me at the speed of a first-tier Wind Magic spell, putting a massive distance between us.
… Even the audience was lost for words.
… The duel continues! Patriarch Mu couldn't completely keep his composure, but he pressed on with the farce anyway.
«Just give up!» Mu Yu'an called out, retreating even further when he saw me close the gap. «This armor was specifically forged to defend against ice! Besides, as an Ice Mage myself, I have natural elemental resistance. You don't stand a chance!» Man, poor Mu Zhuoyun. I almost felt sorry for the old guy.
From that point on, the match devolved into a game of tag that only lacked the Benny Hill theme song. I would sprint toward him on my own two feet, and he would zip away using his boots. Wash, rinse, repeat.
He tried casting spells at me, but I easily dodged them from that distance. He tried running away on foot, but he lacked the physical conditioning, so whenever I caught up, he had to burn his boots' activation again.
… What are you running for?! Mu Zhuoyun finally snapped after two laps around the arena, his patience wearing paper-thin. Since his reputation was already waist-deep in mud, he decided to just blurt out advice to secure the win. Naive fool.
«Your armor is built to withstand ice! Get in close and hit him with your magic! Stop being afraid of his spells!»
«Right, Father!» Mu Yu'an's confidence flared up. Eager to wipe away his embarrassment, he used the boots to zip right up to me.
«This is the end for you!» he shouted with a triumphant grin, thrusting his hand forward-only for his face to go deathly pale.
«What's the matter? Out of mana?» I asked mockingly, slipping my hands into my pockets as I took a casual step toward him.
… A silent, pleading look toward his adoptive father was all I got in response.
«You're wearing armor, it doesn't cost mana!» Mu Zhuoyun roared. «Get in there and beat him with your fists! You have the advantage!» Was it just me, or did he sound desperate?
As if receiving a divine revelation, Mu Yu'an flashed a joyful grin and charged at me, swinging a heavy fist.
Waiting for him to step right into strike range, I summoned the short magic blade I had used to finish off the wolf during the practical exam. I slashed hard across his chest, slicing clean through his armor and inflicting a severe wound. Mu Yu'an collapsed to the ground, whimpering in pain.
… Anyone else hear the crickets chirping?
«What?» I said into the deafening silence, not even needing to raise my voice thanks to the arena's great acoustics. «If he can use magic items, so can I. I didn't break any rules.»
… The winner is Mu Bai, Mu Zhuoyun declared, his voice rasping. He looked like a man who desperately needed a bottle of whiskey instead of whatever this was.
***
Mu Zhuoyun must have actually gone on a bender-or maybe he just couldn't stand the sight of me-because three days later, it was Principal Zhu who escorted me to the Underground Holy Spring.
Even Mu He hadn't approached me with any sketchy proposals. Looks like they had completely written me off. Fine by me-I'd make my own way through, and I'd pull the others along with me.
Eventually, Principal Zhu and I arrived at the Central Bank building. Standing two hundred meters tall, the pentagonal structure was wrapped entirely in tempered glass, gleaming with a brilliant metallic sheen under the blazing sun.
«Very few people know this, but this building was originally constructed as a front for the Underground Holy Spring,» Principal Zhu explained as we stepped inside and walked toward a non-descript elevator. «Outsiders would never guess that the city's greatest treasure lies right beneath its most prominent landmark.»
He pushed the button and turned to me. «You go on ahead alone. Head down to the fifteenth basement level; someone will meet you there. The Holy Spring washes away cultivation fatigue and speeds up your progress immensely, so cultivate around the clock. Don't be lazy-I know you have what it takes to break through.»
The elevator doors slid shut, sealing away his final words of guidance.
At the bottom, a security team led by an Intermediate Mage was waiting for me. They had quite the setup down here. Even though they couldn't enter the spring itself, the residual energy leaking through the reinforced doors made this floor the finest cultivation spot in the entire city. I bet the military fought tooth and nail for shifts down here.
After verifying my identity, they opened the vault door, let me inside, and slammed it shut behind me.
The Underground Holy Spring was a small subterranean lake, bisected by a stone pathway that led to a platform in the middle. Somewhere in the wall near the entrance, I knew, lay the mechanism to evacuate the spring in an emergency.
I sat down directly on the stone pathway, letting the glowing waters flank me on both sides. Clearing my mind of all distractions, I closed my eyes and sank deep into my spiritual world.
It was time to break through to the Intermediate level.