AN: Ye Xinxia or Mu Ningxue, who's best girl?
--- --- ---
It was a beautiful day, the sky a clear, vibrant blue, sunlight streaming down warmly, accompanied by a gentle breeze.
Liu Shan woke up with a heavy yawn, his body stretching instinctively as the satisfying pops of his joints echoed in the quiet room.
Still half-asleep, he shuffled downstairs, his mind wasn't working on full power, The haze of sleep still clouded him.
Reaching the washbasin, he cupped his hands under the cool stream of water and splashed it onto his face. The chill jolted his senses awake.
Pushing back the damp strands of his dark, mid-length hair, he looked into the mirror. His familiar face stared back at him, framed by his pale skin and sharp features. His dark violet eyes stared at himself.
They shifted slightly, drawn to the space behind his reflection.
His shadow moved.
From its depths, a grotesque creature emerged, its shadowy, amorphous form rippling with faint specks of blue and violet that circled its single, unblinking eye. It loomed silently, its presence unnervingly still, as though waiting.
The creature's eye locked onto him, unwavering. It awaited his command.
---
The annual examination had finally arrived, and for a lot of people, today was a nightmare. This was because there was a chance that they would be expelled from the school, and these people counted as the most tragic and most shameless who had to go back and meet their parents.
Afterall, studying Magic was not a child's game. Every Magic High's system worked like this: if you were not suited to study Magic, then you would be expelled early, giving them another way so they wouldn't continue to waste their time in the borderless Magic Sea.
To those students who had been doing their best in cultivating, today was the day they could show their results. Particularly for those students who could already use their skills!
The examination wasn't writing on a paper in the classroom. Although they did have examinations on Magic Theory, the points acquired from it weren't much. The most important thing was the annual practical examination.
Frankly, it was just assessing the student's cultivation state after a year and once more distributing them into classes.
As Liu Shan made his way over to the ground, he could see that the grounds were set up differently. Other than the examiners' table that was placed in a half arc, there was also a floating Star Appraisal Stone.
The 1,500 students were all gathered together in the massive ground, their murmurs and whispers all mixing together.
Liu Shan stood among them; his arms crossed as he listened absently to the noise around him.
"Hey, Brother Liu Shan, how do you think you'll do?" Xiaohou leaned toward him, his grin boyish and curious.
"Eh, I don't know. Elite class, I hope," Liu Shan said nonchalantly.
In truth, he was certain he'd make it in. What really interested him was whether he could control his stardust well enough to not surpass Mo Fan.
He wished for the plot to play out as it did. He wasn't sure what changes had already been caused due to his arrival; He wanted to preserve his advantage of knowing the future just a little more.
And being at the centre of attention wasn't really all that it was chalked up to be. Now to him, definitely. Now that he was sure what he was actually capable of, A lot of things have changed. Moving forward, A lot of things will change.
His mind recalled the remnant soul that had been absorbed by his stardust, 'The stardust magic tools were useless to him, well not entirely. But just like Mo Fan's Little loach, they would become useless if i used them'
He moved to look at the people that have arrived at the front of everyone.
Standing there were some of the most influential figures in Bo City. And among them was a woman who could only be described as the very definition of an ice beauty—cold, indifferent, breathtakingly beautiful, and utterly unapproachable.
She exuded the aura of an untouched ice sculpture, far too precious to be marred by mortal hands.
He watched her, his eyes going over her silver white hair. Memories swirled in his head, He knew her from childhood, but sadly he didn't really had much interaction with her. He was rather reserved during childhood.
He had a few memories, but some stood out. Like that time, he'd tried to climb a tree—eager to impress their little motley crew—only for Mo Fan to do it effortlessly before him. Refusing to back down, he'd attempted it anyway... and ended up falling, scraping his arms in the process. She had been the one to help him up, carefully bandaging his wounds while he tried (and failed) to hide his embarrassment.
Aish, The foolishness of a child desperate to look cool, to earn a little social validation.
He sighed as more embarrassing memories surfaced. Back then, he had really wanted to outshine Mo Fan, to be the cooler one.
Liu Shan chuckled, shaking his head at his younger self.
All around him he could hear commotion of people discussing who was the beauty on the stage, behind him he could hear Zhao Xiaohou talking with Mo Fan about her.
As his eyes drifted again towards her, she also looked at him. Her expression cold and indifferent.
He wondered if she remembered him, He doubted it. Afterall, He wasn't Mo Fan, He wasn't the one of those persistently trying to win her over. He was just... normal.
He still gave her a smile, just like he always had in his memories.
He had never treated her the way others did, had he?
The princess tag never really did matter to him. He had always called her by her name, never putting her on a pedestal, never acting any differently than he would with anyone else. Perhaps he did have a little pride in that tiny body of his in the past, He wasn't sure.
Mu Ningxue didn't smile in return. She merely inclined her head slightly, a subtle acknowledgment that she had seen him.
Her eyes were hard to read—not that Liu Shan was an expert—but maybe, just maybe, he caught a flicker of recognition in them. Or was it reminiscence?
He wasn't sure.
But they held something.
As the principal concluded his speech, another figure stepped forward.
Liu Shan recognized him instantly—Mu He.
A Blue Deacon of the Black Vatican.
Liu Shan didn't remember everything, but he knew this much. He remembered Mu He.
As Mu He filled the air with flowery words, his voice smooth and practiced, Liu Shan couldn't help but chuckle.
He really couldn't do anything.
He was weak—too weak to even think about dealing with Mu He, let alone someone like Salan or the Black Vatican itself.
But he would be stronger, it was only a matter of when, not if.
He wasn't a saint; He knew what this world was like. He was aware of its savageness, not only out in the wilderness but also inside these safe walls.
"Today is an extremely special day." Mu He continued, "That is because we have invited the most distinguished female Magician of the Bo City. When she was 15 years old, the Imperial University made an exception and recruited her. I'm sure many of you have already heard of her legacy... That's right; she is Mu Ningxue! Please, let us all warmly welcome her, who should be the same year as you but is a Magic Genius who has already been promoted to university!" Mu He said loudly.
As this was said, the entire a thousand or so people suddenly caused an uproar.
Liu Shan showed an annoyed yet understanding expression at the commotion. Almost everyone in Bo city knew who Mu Ningxue was, but few had the opportunity to see her. It was apparent what would have happened. Add in the fact that she was possibly the most beautiful girl they had laid their eyes one, and here we are.
---
"The Annual Examination will now officially begin!"
All of the thirty classes in the school began simultaneously.
The process of the test was actually very simple. You just had to place your hand on the Star Appraisal Stone while everyone, including the examiners, watched. Then, you concentrated to enter a meditative state, and at that time, the Star Appraisal Stone would emit the same radiance as the examinee's stardust. They would then assess the level of the cultivation based on the radiance.
Every student had three attempts.
The final result was based on the attempt with the brightest radiance.
Naturally, the more the student concentrated on it, the more the Star Appraisal Stone would accurately display the radiance of the student's stardust.
The first student was called, A timid girl from Liu Shan's class went up. She had a nervous expression, almost on the verge of crying.
Liu Shan saw the look of pity others were throwing her way.
As a person cultivates, His stardust expands, being a mage himself, he could vaguely sense her level.
'It's not low, that's for sure' He thought. It was a basic skill every develops, the ability to sense magic. The better you were, the better you could sense.
He was proven right when she got an A. The pity soon turned into dumbfounded anger.
"Next, Zhang Xiaohou," the examiner announced the name.
Zhang Xiaohou said something to Mo Fan as he walked towards the stage, to the side of the Star Appraisal Stone.
Closing his eyes, Zhang Xiaohou adjusted his breathing and slowly entered a meditative state.
The radiance emitted from the Star Appraisal Stone flickered; it followed Zhang Xiaohou's breath as it brightened and dimmed. It was easy to tell that Zhang Xiaohou was slightly nervous, which explained why the Star Appraisal Stone was unable to grasp the energy from his stardust.
However, Zhang Xiaohou slowly entered the meditative state.
At last, the radiance stabilized. The cyan colored radiance from the Wind Element covered the surroundings of the Star Appraisal Stone, and the radiance was superior to He Yu's. Other than being a bit unstable, there was no other fuss about it.
"A!"
"A!"
"A+!"
The three examiners seemed to have different views regarding it.
"Teacher, let me try one more time."
Zhang Xiaohou didn't seem pleased with this result; thus, he once more entered a meditative state.
This time, he was considerably calmer.
The intense radiance covered the Star Appraisal Stone's surroundings; it was apparent that it was much stronger than He Yu's. Additionally, there didn't appear to be any unstable flickering from it anymore.
The three examiners glanced at each other and nodded.
"A+"
"A+"
"A+"
"Final results, A+!"
Soon the assessment was in full swing. Liu Shan was patiently waiting for his name; His eyes would momentarily drift towards Mu Ningxue but He didn't linger and watched the assessment with half a heart.
---
On the stage.
Mu Ningxue wasn't happy to be there. She really wasn't, but her father insisted she came to watch over the future of Bo city, If only as a show of power for her family. She came because her father said so.
Deep inside her a voice said she came due to something else, for someone else, but she squashed that voice quickly.
Mu Ningxue was glancing at the crowd when she felt a gaze at her, she turned to it.
'That's...' She knew him. Liu Shan.
He gave her that same smile. Liu Shan was weird. She thought he was.
When she was little, He was mature yet immature at the same time. He talked less yet never stopped talking when he once started. He was...
She stopped thinking. It's better to leave things when the distance becomes too big.
She shifted her eyes. She also saw Mo Fan.... But She wasn't sure to meet his gaze...
---
"Look, the people of the school council are almost here."
"They are at the seventh class' exam grounds... The one taking the test is that Lightning Element guy."
"Xu Zhaoting, that is firmly the number one guy in the entire school."
"That's not certain. I heard Mu Bai's cultivation is also very high!"
"Heh, wait till you see Liu Shan's Space element cultivation. He will definitely be number 1."
Liu Shan perked up listening his name being called, 'Ah, It's the background information npcs.'
He saw Xu Zhaoting standing at the magic activation platform, He had his star's aligned and his arm stretched outwards.
"Heed my command!"
"The first of the Elements, Lightning!"
"Strike of Lightning!"
Liu Shan would have laughed out loud if not for the memories of that day. His shadow shifted just a little bit.
Throughout Heaven and Earth, he alone is the cringe one.
The lightning strike was actually pretty good, Liu Shan noted.
"Ningxue, what do you think?" The school supervisor, Mu He, asked with a smile across his face.
"Average," Mu Ningxue didn't take another look and chose to continue advancing forward.
Liu Shan was waiting for the main event, Mo Fan's confrontation with Mu Zhuoyun.
Mu He moved closer to a bald examiner who was calling the students, As Mu He hinted to him, the bald examiner immediately understood what he meant. He first pretended to not see anything before he indifferently said, "Next, Mu Bai!"
He looked at him, the boy held a resolute expression as he walked towards the star appraisal stone.
Mu Bai bowed towards the clan head and his uncle as proper show of respect. Turning towards the star appraisal stone he exhaled slowly and entered a calm state as he put his hand on it.
A white and dense, icy wave quickly spread out from the Star Appraisal Stone and covered the surroundings.
This ice wave was so strong; it overflowed from the Star Appraisal Stone and made even Mu Bai feel it's cold on his face.
All of the teachers and students watched this scene, entranced.
The radiance was overflowing. This was perhaps the first time they have seen something like this happen during an exam. The radiance was even a little more than Xu Zhaoting's.
"S!"
"S!"
"S!"
The three examiners immediately gave announced their grades, and all of them were 'S's!'
"I remember Xu Zhaoting from before had two 'S' and an 'A,' right?"
"In that case, Mu Bai's stardust is more superior than Xu Zhaoting!" Mu He immediately said.
At this moment, Xue Musheng was astonished by this sight. This Mu Bai had hidden his true power?
"As expected of the disciple of a noble family. I thought Mu Bai would only get one 'S' at most, who would've thought that he would receive three 'S's!' "
"Three 'S's,' the final result is naturally 'S's!'"
These were without a doubt the best grades in the school!
"Shit, Mu Bai is too amazing. He unexpectedly received three 'S's.' These grades directly shake Xu Zhaoting off the podium; thus, Mu Bai will be worthy of the title 'Number One.'"
"Big brother, what do you think?" Mu He laughed as he asked Mu Zhuoyun to his side.
"Not bad," Mu Zhuoyun gave a brief comment.
Mu Ningxue, however, didn't say anything.
Seeing Mu Ningxue not react, Mu Bai knew that getting three 'S's,' in Mu Ningxue's opinion, was nothing impressive. This was the Activation test; it was also the time for him to show off his true strength!
Mu Bai turned around and walked to the middle of the exam grounds.
"Mu Bai is taking the Activation test!"
"No shit, Mu Bai has definitely grasped the control of seven stars."
"I can't wait to see the skill of Ice element."
As they were discussing this, Mu Bai had already fixated his gaze onto the human-shaped puppet.
That's right; the Stardust test was only the basics. The people who had a brain were very clear on the fact that the Activation test was the true assessment test.
"Ice Spread!"
Without stopping or hesitation, Mu Bai yelled this in a rush, demonstrating all of his hard work.
His pupils changed. After he finished his Magic activation, those watching suddenly realized there was a layer of frost spreading on the body of the puppet.
The ice quickly covered its body, and the puppet now looked as though it was painted in a layer of ice lacquer. It was rather astonishing.
The stabbing cold air pervaded the entire exam grounds.
Creak~
The Ice Spread didn't stop after it covered the entire puppet, it even began to spread onto the floor of the exam grounds.
The other classes also had Ice element students who had taken the activation exam. Clearly their Ice Spreads weren't as imposing as Mu Bai's!
The other students felt intimidated and took a step back, feeling like the ice was about to spread to where they stood.
The directors and examiners were calm. However, their eyes flashed with praise.
This was the equivalent of a proficient Ice element skill; it had reached the standard of a member of the Magic Association.
A student who only awakened a year ago capable of utilizing the Ice element skill to a proficient level was something extremely rare to come across.
"Not bad." Mu Zhuoyun still gave the same evaluation.
Mu Bai didn't know whether he had entered Mu Zhuoyun's eyes. With his heart feeling nervous, he shifted his gaze toward Mu Ningxue.
As he looked at her, Mu Bai felt as though an arrow had pierced through his heart. It was because his most beloved Mu Ningxue hadn't taken a look at him. Instead, her gaze had always been attentively watching someone in his class.
Mu Bai took this opportunity and looked for the person she was looking at, and he felt another arrow piercing his heart.
Mo Fan!!
She's looking at Mo Fan!
Scoundrel, SCOUNDREL!
Why is she looking at him again!!
What is there to look at in a guy who is almost covered in trash? Why aren't you looking at my remarkable display of skill?!
Mu Bai's nervous face was almost completely distorted.
"Next, Mo Fan!"
As the bald examiner called out the next person, Liu Shan did not miss the subtle shift of his sleeves near the star appraisal stone nor the signal he gave to Mu He. It was subtle, only because he was looking for it could he spot it.
The bald examiner didn't outwardly show any reaction of it but deep in his heart he was ecstatic, to have the grace of Mu family for such a small task. He wanted to laugh.
He saw the kid, Mo Fan, walking towards the stone. The kid looked normal enough to him, 'but alas, you woke on the bad side of Mu family, kid'.
'don't blame me for being like this.'
He had done his part; he had slipped a Black stone under the appraisal stone. The effects of the Black Stone were very simple. When the Star Appraisal Stone was emitting its radiance, the Black Stone was capable of absorbing a part of the energy, causing the Star Appraisal Stone's radiance to dim by a lot.
"Mo Fan, that sounds familiar." At this time, Mu Zhuoyun slowly opened his mouth.
"Big Brother, he is the son of Madam's driver," Mu He reminded Mu Zhuoyun.
At that moment, the Mu Zhuoyun whose eyes that seemed like ice and snow this entire time suddenly began to turn.
In truth, he had already taken notice of Mo Fan. It's just he was in doubt. How come the second he got here; it was Mu Bai's and Mo Fan's examinations?
Mu Zhuoyun took glance at Mu Ningxue to his side.
Mu Ningxue quickly recovered her tranquil manner, acting as though she was looking at the mediocre students from before, without any fluctuation to her emotions.
Mu Zhuoyun's eyes gave rise to some satisfaction.
A kid will always have a time where they are rebellious. Once they grow up, they will no longer be that childish.
"Let's watch then. He also counts as one of our Mu Family, at least, he was." Mu Zhuoyun's manner of speaking was indifferent as he said this.
Mu Zhuoyun was also very clear on the fact that a driver's son was incapable of being any good, thus, letting Mu Ningxue watch was also beneficial. This kind of person was common within the small Bo City, they would leave our world sooner or later. Mu Zhuoyun didn't want this kid, Mo Fan, to remain a scar within the heart of his precious daughter.
---
On the other side, Mo Fan didn't listen to what these people were talking about.
He had already walked to the front of the Star Appraisal Stone, and just like the people before him, he placed his hand on the Star Appraisal Stone.
"To be honest, I'm really thankful that he is here. He can save me from setting the standards lower, this way, I won't be too miserable," a failure of a student said.
"Brother Mo Fan, I also got a D. Don't worry, we can leave the campus together in a natural manner." said his classmate, Xiao Bing, who was a Water Element from the same dorm.
"Whether he can receive a D is hard to say."
"Yeah, he probably didn't make any progress on his cultivation."
In the same class, Zhoumin, who also possessed the Fire Element, was attentively watching Mo Fan.
She wanted to know whether he studied or not. A person who clearly had a higher talent in the Fire Element than her being expelled from the school, this made even Zhoumin feel it was somewhat a pity. At same time, she couldn't help but loathe Mo Fan, a person who didn't put effort into improving himself.
"There's light, there's light coming..."
"The radiance seems really weak; it feels like it's even weaker than a D grade."
On the Star Appraisal Stone, the radiance felt extremely bashful. It was simply unable to escape from the inside of the Star Appraisal Stone.
However, the radiance on the inside had a relatively strong light. It seemed as if the light was being concealed by a shadow; simply unable to escape from the inside.
"Shit, something isn't right."
"That light... it doesn't seem to be a D!"
"Really? Grade C??" The dorm mate, Xiao Bing looked at it in astonishment. He seemed unable to believe that Mo Fan was actually able to cause a C grade Fire Element radiance to appear on the Star Appraisal Stone.
We said that we would leave the school in a natural manner, but you receiving grade C would barely meet the qualifications.
What about the trust from one failure to another failure?
Liu Shan could vaguely sense the energy dissipating around the Star appraisal stone, he was looking at Mu He and the bald examiner, their expressions was concealed but the eyes did not lie.
Mu Ningxue was also watching Mo Fan, she had a light frown on her lips looking at the dim light.
"Is it C?"
"No, that's not right, the radiance is still slowly spreading."
The examiners were also puzzled. The other examinees had quickly finished their tests; however, this student's radiance was weak in the beginning, but then it started to slowly become stronger. It went from D to C, and it was still growing stronger even after reaching grade C.
"B! This is definitely B!!"
"Holy cow, a comeback, the failure is doing a comeback!!"
"That must be a mistake. I only received a B; how could this guy possibly get a B?" The other Fire element user, Huang Feifeng, almost cried.
Zhoumin received an A, and that puny little kid called Da Niu also received a B. Out of the four Fire elemental students, only he, Huang Feifeng had received a C. How was he going to receive Mrs. Tangyue's affections now!
Xue Musheng's eyes immediately began to brighten.
As the homeroom teacher, his biggest fear was for someone in his class dragging down the average. Today, all Xue Musheng asked out of Mo Fan was for him to not be publicly expelled, it had not happened for the past three years. If this Great Buddha didn't do that, then he could drag down the average as much as he wanted!
What Xue Musheng never thought of was that this kid would suddenly emerge with a B!!
The average of the class was roughly B-.
The Great Buddha had unexpectedly increased the average grade, this something he could not even dream about.
The current Xue Musheng was happier than seeing an A grade student!
The discussion volume this time wasn't any lower than the chatter about Mu Bai before. After all, Mu Bai was the person who everyone knew had good grades, whereas Mo Fan was the well-known dreg out of the dregs.
The dreg suddenly seized a B, there were too many people who didn't expect this outcome!
"How is this possible... how is this possible!" Mu Bai was flabbergasted.
His uncle, Mu He, watched this scene while feeling completely speechless.
What kind of situation is this, that kid got a B??
His gaze met with the bald examiner. The anger was conveyed without any words but the examiner knew what it meant. He tried to explain that he had done as instructed. He himself didn't know what was happening, this kid should be trash, 'How is this possible...?' The Black stone would definitely decrease the result by a solid tier. Does this mean... This kid...
'He is at least an A.' Both Mu He and the examiner came to this conclusion. It was hard to believe but what could they do.
"Mhm, this grade was well within expectations." Mu Zhuoyun's tone was indifferent as it carried a sense of mocking.
His own daughter was almost taken away by this kid???
If this really happened, then he would have been ridiculed by all of the people under the heavens.
"Alright, let's move on to the next class." Mu Zhuoyun didn't want his daughter to pay too much attention to this kid, thus, he said this to the crowd of people.
"Big Brother, this Mu Bai..." Mu He wanted to continue talking.
Mu He was not satisfied with this outcome. Today's plan was to let Mu Bai show off his skills in front of the clan and receive the attention of the Family Head. The other one was to let Mo Fan suffer a tragic end. However, the two outcomes hadn't been attained, how could he just let them leave like that?
"Oh, distribute a bit more to their family during the New Year to show encouragement," Mu Zhuoyun replied.
As Mu Bai heard this, he was completely stunned.
What the hell was 'distribute some more to them during New Year's'???
Who the hell wanted that charity-like money, what he wanted was attention. What he wanted was for the Mu Family to focus on supporting him. What he wanted was the Stardust Magic Tool. What he wanted was the colossal cultivation resources which the Mu Family distributed to their direct descendant!
"This... Big Brother, I think..." As Mu He was about to say some few words for Mu Bai, another voice suddenly resounded.
"That's wrong, this radiance is wrong!"
Suddenly, someone objected. It was a woman's voice, sounding soft and sexy.
Liu Shan had to suppress his expression as he watched the scene unfold.
It was one thing to see it on a screen, to read it on paper. But witnessing it in reality? That was something else entirely.
The commotion sparked by Mrs. Tangyue's interjection, the heated arguments, the eventual agreement—it all played out just as he remembered.
It was definitely interesting to watch.
He had to hand it to Mo Fan—his luck was something else.
'Oh, to be the protagonist, blessed by the heavens.'
The thought was ironic, hypocritical even, considering his situation.
But still.
Soon a new appraisal stone was brought for him.
"S!"
"S!"
"S!"
"Final result is 'S'!"
This time it was an even bigger uproar.
"Mo Fan, do you wish to continue the exam?"
"Naturally!" Mo Fan gave the examiner a slight smile.
The fiery aura radiating from Mo Fan was wild and untamed, but it was also powerful.
The fire burst from his hands and engulfed the puppet whole, yet it didn't burn instantly.
Just like when Liu Shan saw Mrs. Tangyue cast it a few months ago, it burst forth from inside the puppet, blazing from the inside.
What followed after that… Liu Shan could only describe as both foolish and brave.
Foolish of Mu Zhuoyun to think Mo Fan would ever agree to be his dog. And brave—recklessly so—of Mo Fan to curse at someone far stronger than him.
Brave, yes.
But utterly foolish.
Creak~
The aura of ice Mu Zhuoyun excluded froze the very air, the chill penetrating everywhere.
Liu Shan's hair stood on end. His blood started pumping with adrenaline, his shadow shifted subconsciously.
It was waiting. For the Lord's order.
Liu Shan caught himself. His body instinctively entered the fight-or-flight instinct.
"Zhuoyun, control your mood. This is a school, and there are also students with no defensive capabilities." The school director, who was also from the Hunter's Union, Deng Kai, suddenly stood up, standing between Mu Zhuoyun and Mo Fan.
The scene ended with an agreement—a magic duel between Mo Fan and Yu Ang, Mu Zhuoyun's adopted son.
And a lunatic of the Black Vatican, Liu Shan mentally added.
With that settled, Mu Zhuoyun left the grounds, and Mu Ningxue followed, though not without casting one last look at Mo Fan.
As she turned to leave, her gaze drifted—almost unconsciously—toward Liu Shan.
She watched his calm expression. Her eyes caught something.
'Did it… move?' She looked toward his shadow.
Perhaps she just needed some rest.
--- --- ---
Very little change so far in the story, Don't worry, mc starts becoming active in the plot slowly.