"Dimensional Summoning!"
Mu Nianbing didn't waste time with words or theatrics. The moment the match began, he opened the dimensional gate and summoned Cangming Jiao.
A deafening roar shook the arena as the enormous azure serpent emerged.
Its scaled body stretched nearly ten meters long, its presence alone enough to make the entire fighting ring tremble.
Gasps erupted across the hall.
"What—what kind of summoned beast is that?!"
"It's a General-level creature! Isn't that breaking the rules?!"
Even the Head of the Fire Department couldn't stay silent. "For freshmen, isn't that too much? They're still learning to handle slave-level beasts!"
But before he could continue, Professor Jiang Yunming stood up coldly.
"What rules? When our Summoning Department lost resources before, no one said anything about 'rules.'"
The Fire Department Head fell silent, his words choking in his throat. Indeed, there was no rule forbidding a student from using a more powerful summon.
Dean Xiao's calm voice cut through the murmurs.
"He's a freshman of the Summoning Department. Therefore, he follows the same rules as everyone else."
In truth, Dean Xiao had already known Mu Nianbing was no ordinary student.
During the interview, he had sensed the young man's power—intermediate level in two systems. But even he hadn't expected this.
The bloodline power within that summoned beast... it was comparable to a dragon's!
The Cangming Jiao Dominates
The moment the signal was given, Cangming Jiao lashed its tail once—and five challengers were sent flying out of the ring like rag dolls.
"This is insane! How are we supposed to fight that?!"
"With a beast like that, even mid-level mages would lose!"
The crowd was in chaos. The students who had been eager to challenge earlier were now trembling, their confidence frozen by fear.
Dean Xiao sighed, realizing this was becoming one-sided. "Increase the number of challengers," he ordered. "Ten at a time."
Excitement sparked among the students again. Ten-on-one—surely that would make it fairer, right?
Wrong.
The next ten who entered were instantly swept away by Cangming Jiao's massive body. Waves of water and roaring winds erupted as if a flood dragon had descended upon the arena.
Each round ended the same way—Cangming Jiao cleared the field without Mu Nianbing even lifting a finger.
Some daring students tried to sneak up on Mu Nianbing himself, but before they could get close, a high-pressure jet of water shot from Cangming Jiao's mouth and blasted them straight off the stage.
By the time over a hundred opponents had fallen, the entire Qingdou Hall was in shock.
Dean Xiao finally stood. "If the number of defeated challengers reaches two hundred," he declared, "then all the freshmen's resources will be granted to the Summoning Department."
That announcement sent the crowd into an uproar.
"Two hundred?! At this rate, he's going to take everything!"
"That beast is a monster! Even mid-level students can't match it!"
"Don't panic," someone muttered. "The intermediate students are preparing to go up. Once they deplete the summoned beast's energy, we'll win back the resources!"
Everyone turned toward the gate nervously. The strongest freshmen were finally stepping forward.
The Final Battle
When the final five opponents appeared, the arena thundered with chants.
"Down with the Big Devil! Down with the Big Devil!"
The nickname spread instantly—Mu Nianbing had become the new Big Devil of Mingzhu Academy.
Among the five was Dongfang Lie, his red hair blazing like fire. He frowned as he faced Mu Nianbing.
"Mu Nianbing," he said seriously, "you're not short on resources. You don't have to make enemies of every freshman here."
Mu Nianbing's expression remained calm. "No, I do. I need entry into the Three-Step Tower. That's all that matters."
Those words left Dongfang Lie and the others speechless. They couldn't tell if he was brave, proud—or simply insane.
"In that case," Dongfang Lie exhaled deeply, "there's nothing more to say."
The five of them prepared their Star Maps, their mana surging. Though each had reached the intermediate level, none could yet cast proper intermediate spells.
Before they could strike—
"Ice Vines—Cover!"
Mu Nianbing's cold voice echoed through the arena. A burst of freezing power exploded outward, sweeping across the ring like a blizzard.
The moisture left by Cangming Jiao's previous battles instantly crystallized into frost.
The entire arena froze in an instant. Four of the five mid-level students were turned into ice statues where they stood.
Gasps erupted across Qingdou Hall.
"Instantly frozen?!"
"Those were intermediate students!"
Even Dongfang Lie stared at his teammates in disbelief. Four seconds into the fight… and they're gone?!
He was the only one still standing—barely. Flames surged around him, melting the ice under his feet.
He now understood why Mu Nianbing's family name carried weight.
Even a "collateral" descendant can wield such terrifying strength…
Mu Nianbing looked at him and said evenly, "Give up. You can't win."
"Impossible!" Dongfang Lie roared. His Fire Star Map blazed to life, and flames burst from his entire body.
The ground around him glowed red as he launched his strongest strike.
"Fiery Fist: Second Level!"
Mu Nianbing's brows furrowed slightly. So he's already mastered the second level?
No—there was something else. The energy flow was erratic, wild. A mutant star pattern... that explains it.
Months ago, Mu Nianbing might have needed to rely on his Magic Meteorite Boots to dodge that strike.
But now… he didn't need to move.
"Thousand Flowers Ice Mirror!"
Countless shards of crystalline light burst into existence, forming a circle of floating ice mirrors around Mu Nianbing. Each reflected his figure, shimmering like an endless field of snowflakes.
Dongfang Lie's flaming punch collided with the mirrors—and was instantly swallowed. The flames dissipated, snuffed out by the cold like a candle under the tide.
The mirrors multiplied, spreading across the arena until they surrounded Dongfang Lie completely.
He could see nothing but his own reflection—dozens, hundreds of him trapped in a glittering icy labyrinth.
His fiery aura flickered, then died. The temperature plummeted again.
And when the ice mirrors finally shattered, Dongfang Lie lay frozen solid—encased in a sculpture of glittering frost.
The arena fell silent.
Not a single freshman dared to breathe too loudly.
Dean Xiao slowly stood, his expression unreadable. "The Summoning Department… wins."
Jiang Yunming's lips curved into a proud smile.
And so, on his very first day, Mu Nianbing earned a new title whispered across Mingzhu Academy—
The Big Devil of the Thousand Flowers Ice Mirror.
...
Author's Note
Hello, readers! Welcome to my second Webnovel account.
My first Webnovel account is Shadow_demon_007, where I uploaded 20 fanfics. Due to Webnovel's upload limits and rules, I created this second account so I can continue uploading more fanfics for you all.
Please also check out my first account, where many of those 20 fanfics are available. Some of them are already fully completed, and I have uploaded those completed fanfics on my Patreon
👉 patreon.comShadow_demon_007
On Patreon, you can find
Fully completed fanfics
Three free fanfic available for readers
Another free fanfic coming on next month
I sincerely hope you enjoy my works, and I truly appreciate all your support.
Thank you for reading and supporting me!
— Shadow_demon_007