The day of the exam had finally arrived. Today, students would demonstrate what they had achieved over the year, and the unworthy would be cast overboard the ship called magic. I bet most mages would be weeded out one way or another. After all, if the canon and what I'd managed to learn were to be believed, novice mages were the overwhelming majority. They were either too young or lacked sufficient talent to cross the boundary between intermediate and novice magic. Such mages, in this world full of dangers, were only somewhat useful if you gathered a couple of hundred of them... A sad sight.
As for Mo Fan's plan, as far as I could tell, it remained the same as in the original, without any changes, so that was fine. However, I was still worried about the exam, because if I remembered correctly, Mu Ning Xue's magic had shattered a stone during the demonstration. Of course, she was at least at the second, if not third, stage then, but what about now? At least she had subdued the stars faster than in the original. And there must be something stopping her cultivation, so in about five years, she would only be at the second stage of the intermediate level. Well, we'll live and see, there's no point worrying about it now.
Everyone gathered in the square in front of the school building. Teacher Xue Mu Sheng tried to encourage and calm the students, so they would show good results. The students themselves argued about who was cooler, while trembling with anxiety. And on the stage, Mu He was giving a speech. Mo Fan thought he knew how nasty this guy was, but I knew much more, namely that he wasn't the last person in the Black Church.
"Today is a special day. Therefore, we have invited one of the outstanding girls of our city, Bo. She was accepted into the imperial university at the age of fifteen. I think many of you have already heard about her legendary achievements... Yes, it's Mu Ning Xue. Let's welcome her with applause." Mu He said excitedly. His words roused the students, and they began to argue about how cool she was and that she wasn't entirely human. Well, I agreed with that, she would become too strong. Although I couldn't argue that she was human.
Looking at the arena, I saw her, a beautiful girl. Mu Ning Xue stood straight, resembling a lotus flower. Her white skirt swayed in the wind. However, what attracted everyone the most were her lovely, stunning silver hair. Despite the hot weather, she stood straight, like a fairy of snow and ice who had come to the mortal world.
"Fan, you have to work hard for two years, and then you can get into the university. Then even the Mu family won't be able to say anything to you about marrying a little Prin... Hey!" Xiao Hou managed to say excitedly.
"Don't talk nonsense, why would he talk about the university if he's going to be kicked out of school today?" Zhao Kun San interrupted him, protesting at the top of his lungs.
"Zhao Kun San, are you crazy?" Zhang Hou began to exclaim indignantly, but I stopped him with a hand.
"Are you so sure you're right?" I asked him, while Mo Fan stood, mesmerized, looking at Mu Ning Xue.
"Hahaha! Yes, what do you know!" Kun San exclaimed indignantly, putting his hands on his hips. "Jiaxing Yun, there's something in your skull called a brain, isn't there? Even I know that some people don't dare even think about talking to people like Mu Ning Xue. If you compare her and this talentless person, it's like comparing a toad and a swan!"
"Alright, I propose a fair bet for a thousand yuan. If Mo Fan can show an 'S' rating on the exam and pass the release, I win, if not, you do," I said, smiling at his words. Knowing the canon, I could make money on bets! This would be a good help for me, so before starting a free life, I could create a good safety cushion, just in case.
"Have you completely lost your mind, you want to give me a thousand yuan?! Do you even have anything to give?" he laughed in response to my offer.
"I'll find it, so are you in?" I asked with a sly smile.
"Eh, fine," he gave in, and we shook hands. Ha, a thousand yuan is mine now! "Let's see how Mo Fan survives not only being kicked out of school but also your loss! It seems you just wanted to appear smart!"
While we were talking, Mu Ning Xue placed her hand on the measuring stone to show an example. Everyone's heart stopped at what they saw, even mine. The stone glowed with a bright, bluish light, and it literally exuded cold. Even the pedestal on which it lay was covered in ice, but... the stone didn't crack. This didn't match what I knew. There could only be two explanations for this. First, Mu Ning Xue was weaker than in the original and couldn't achieve the same result. But this was too strange, and I couldn't find an explanation for it. Second, she had become stronger and controlled her magic better.
At the same time, Mu Ning Xue scanned the crowd of students, and when her gaze stopped at our class, she smiled playfully, winked, and left the stage. This puzzled me even more and threw me off balance. Although I quickly regained my composure. As expected, her character had changed due to my conversation with her. I can only hope that this decision won't lead to catastrophic changes. Meanwhile, the evaluation ceremony began. The first was a cute, shy girl, He Yu, from whom no one expected anything, but she passed with an "A". The next was Zhang Xiao Hou, who easily passed with an "S", after which he managed to pass the release with a "C". It seems our rivalry did bear fruit.
"I did it! Jiaxing Yun, let's see how you respond to this!" he said joyfully, returning, proudly raising his head.
Then came others from our class, mostly with "C" and "B" ratings. The neighboring class, the seventh, had much better ratings. In this succession of students, my attention was drawn to a guy from the seventh. Xu Zhao Ting, a lightning mage, "the only one" in the school. He stood as if he were some star; fame had thoroughly messed with his head over the year. Of course, he passed the exam with flying colors, and the release with a "B". He left the platform full of pride. It's a pity for him, of course, he wasn't the only one in the canon, and he died a very terrible death. But unfortunately for him, this is an important moment in Mo Fan's development and his story. Before this, Mo Fan didn't hate the Black Church so much. After all, none of his relatives had suffered, and he hadn't seen all their atrocities firsthand, so hatred hadn't imprinted itself so deeply in his heart. But killing with his own hands, even if not a friend, but an acquaintance, because of them... After that, anger and the desire to destroy the Black Church became so much a part of Mo Fan that he was ready to die, sell his soul to the devil, just to destroy them all! So saving Xu Zhao Ting would significantly change the canon, which I absolutely didn't need. Cruel? So what, the main thing is my benefit, and I don't care about secondary characters, even if I like their stories.
Meanwhile, Mu Bai came out for examination, and all the big shots of the city came to watch him. The actors are in place, let the show begin! Mu Bai's ratings didn't differ from the canon, just like with Zhang Xiao Hou. I didn't affect him at all, which isn't very good, but in this case, it's not bad either. After him, Mo Fan took the stage. I didn't tell him about the fake stone; it could affect the future, like a butterfly effect.
Mo Fan walked out confidently and placed his hand on the evaluating stone, after which it began to glow weakly. Kun San wanted to say something, but I stopped him with a hand and pointed to the stage, where the stone began to glow brighter and brighter. As a result, Mo Fan received a "B+", which is higher than in the original. Did my conversations with him affect it? Not bad, although I expected more... Now it was Tang Yue's turn.
"See, he only got a 'B+'!" Kun San said, no longer paying attention to my pleas to wait. "Where's my thousand yuan?"
"Yes, wait, the exam isn't over yet!" I shouted at him a little, looking at the bewildered young man on stage.
"Wait! This stone is glowing strangely!" a surprisingly clear female voice rang out. And here is Tang Yue, as per the script. Everything is excellent, I thought, smiling like a madman. Perhaps a smile even flashed across my face, as Kun San began to look at me suspiciously, but remained silent, which was pleasing.
"Teacher Tang Yue, for what reason do you doubt the rating? The exam has been confirmed by the examiners, even if you have doubts..." Xue Mu Sheng managed to say. Sit still, boy, a talent is being discovered here.
"Teachers do not have the right to dispute the rating given to children, but we can ask for the stone to be checked for proper functioning. The examiners must check if everything is alright with the stone," Tang Yue replied quickly. Well done, continue.
"Teacher, why did you dispute the result?" Mu Zhuo Yun asked curiously. It's indeed more interesting to watch this play live than to read or watch an adaptation. Too bad there's no popcorn...
"Teacher Tang Yue, how dare you act like this? There are certain rules for conducting the test. If I were you, I would leave the platform immediately!" Mu He shouted. Shut up, they won't listen to you, and you've already signed your death warrant from Salan. I'll take care of that.
"There's something wrong with the stone. I demand a re-evaluation," Tang Yue said, meeting the sharp gazes of the examiners.
"Why are you so shocked? Check the stone, we must allow every student to receive a correct and fair evaluation. If there's a problem, you must solve it immediately!" said the school principal, Tian Lan. An excellent man, it's a pity he will die during the tragedy of the city of Bo.
At the director's order, the examiners checked the stone and found that it was broken, yes, broken. I believed that. So, after quickly replacing the stone, they allowed Mo Fan to try again. He glanced in my direction, and I gave him a thumbs-up in support.
"Ha! You'll see, it won't change anything! Prepare a thousand yuan, I'll give you until the end of the week," Kun San began to blather. I calmly continued to smile, looking in Ning Xue's direction. On her face, which had become somewhat distant lately, genuine interest and even slight concern were noticeable. It seems she has become more open and honest with herself and her emotions, not hesitating to show them. I wonder what level she is at now and what abilities she possesses. But I'm afraid I won't find out anytime soon.
Mo Fan thanked Tang Yue with a nod and placed his hand on the stone. This time it glowed brighter, as if it were saturated with fiery red light, but after a second, it began to glow even more, and a faint reflection of flame appeared in its center, and barely noticeable cracks appeared on the stone. Yes, the guy has become stronger, which is very good, but I hope they won't be too scared of his increased strength and everything will go as it should.
"This can't be! What is this! This is even stronger than Mu Bai! He's definitely not a cheat?" Kun San yelled, clutching his forehead. Everyone was surprised, except me. I would have liked Mo Fan to be even stronger, but it seems difficult to do without worthy competitors. Well, let's see what can be done about it, somehow.
"S+!" the chief examiner declared, almost disbelievingly. Although Mu He's henchman wanted to object to something, with such a result, it was simply foolish. And on Mu Ning Xue's face, there was genuine surprise and relief at the same time! She certainly didn't expect this, but at the same time, she seemed to hope for such a result. And Tang Yue wasn't much different from her; her face showed pure shock! Like almost everyone present.
"Well, he definitely won't be able to pass the release, prepare a thousand yuan," Kun San tried to defend himself.
"Ha, do you think with such a result he won't be able to squeeze out even a drop of magic for the release?" I chuckled with satisfaction, to which he only growled angrily.
"Student Mo Fan, wouldn't you like to take an additional test?" asked an examiner who approached him.
"Of course!" Mo Fan said with a smile and confidently. He concentrated and connected the stars with surprising ease. Waving his hand, he unleashed a fireball that flew towards the humanoid targets. Again, everyone froze with surprise and shock on their faces.
"Rating 'A+'!" the examiners quickly said, jotting something down in their notebooks.
"Impossible, how? This is impossible..." Kun San muttered, unwilling to believe reality.
"So, where's my thousand yuan?" I asked with a smirk, bringing him back to reality. "I can give you time until the end of the week..."
"Here, take it! Choke on it! But it's still not enough for Mu Ning Xue!" he yelled, taking out and almost throwing a thousand yuan at me.
"Ha, we'll see," I smiled, putting the money in my pocket. So now the main show, and then my turn?
"Mo Fan, come here," Mu Zhuo Yun said, stroking his beard, looking intently at Mo Fan as he left the stage. Because of this, the examiner who wanted to call me stopped and began to observe the unfolding scene.
"Did you call me?" Mo Fan said proudly, looking at Mu Zhuo Yun. Good boy, put on a show here!
"Our Mu family has resources for cultivating fire mages, but unfortunately, our family exclusively grows ice mages. Your fire magic is good, and I would like to give you these resources. In addition, you can enjoy cultivating with Mu Jiang Min," Mu Zhuo Yun said smugly. These words plunged everyone into even greater shock, while Mu Ning Xue looked at Mo Fan with hope.
"Boss, this... We can't do that... Mu Bai's talent will undoubtedly be better than this kid's, he just got nervous and therefore seems weaker. He is, after all, from the Mu family," Mu He said, seemingly indifferently.
"I have already made a decision, Mu He, and I am not going to change it. Moreover, this boy has shown strength far exceeding Mu Bai's," Mu Zhuo Yun waved his hand, supporting Mo Fan's smile.
"You must be out of your mind?" Mo Fan said slowly after listening to the praise directed at him. Few noticed, but it was precisely when he said this that a flicker of anger and resentment crossed Mu Ning Xue's face, after which it returned to an impassive look, expressing only the pride and contempt characteristic of aristocrats.
"What did you say?" Mu Zhuo Yun asked again, thinking he had misheard the boy.
"I said... you must be out of your mind!" Mo Fan said, enunciating each word clearly. Everyone heard it; no one understood why Mo Fan answered like that, but they could hardly bear more shock. "Explanation... Of course. Don't pretend you don't know what happened three years ago when you started oppressing my family without much explanation. I'm not the Mo Fan you can first bully and then come back as if nothing happened because you need something. I haven't forgotten what you told us three years ago. And now you, old man, want to use me in your Mu family too? Even if you offered me to marry Mu Ning Xue with all the dowry, I would refuse. Do you really think the whole world should revolve around your Mu family? Do you expect me to be grateful? If you're not out of your mind, then I have nothing more to say to you," Mo Fan finished his tirade, although he was pushing it too far, but oh well. However, Mu Ning Xue's reaction to this was priceless. Although her facial expression hardly changed, her gaze became sad, as if she wanted to apologize but couldn't stand such treatment of her father.
"Zhuo Yun... Control yourself. The school and the students cannot protect themselves from you," Deng Kai said as frosty energy began to emanate from the head of the Mu family, pressing down on everyone except one single person... And again, it was Mu Ning Xue. She seemed to have even calmed down from this and decided what she would do. Standing quite far away, I could feel the cold emanating from the head of the Mu family. Those standing nearby also showed signs of resisting the cold, and Mo Fan shivered involuntarily. But Mu Ning Xue stood as if there was no cold, as if she were quite comfortable, only a slight smile appearing on her face!
"Mo Fan, you scoundrel! How dare you talk such nonsense! You must apologize to the head immediately!" Mu He raged.
"Apologize? Of course, I can... But first, he must apologize to me for what he did three years ago! What? Are you going to use your power to intimidate me? This Mu Zhuo Yun is using his magic to intimidate a child who hasn't even turned eighteen. What a joke... If you were my age, I'd beat you myself!" Mo Fan said, showing his fearlessness.
"Nonsense!" Mu Zhuo Yun cursed. "Shorty, you're quite brave. Not to mention me in my youth, you wouldn't be able to withstand even one member of the Mu family."
"Since you said my father uses his power to intimidate the younger ones, I will fight you. Our ages are roughly the same. I will fight you in a fair battle and find out what you are capable of now," Mu Ning Xue said calmly with a slight playfulness in her voice, as if this situation was interesting and amusing to her. Mu Bai stood aside, as Mo Fan's results far surpassed his, making it foolish to measure strength in open combat.
"Ning Xue?" Mu Zhuo Yun said, looking at his daughter in slight shock that she had come to his defense. Mo Fan also looked at her with a puzzled face. In fact, many were surprised by her behavior and tone. Even I was somewhat surprised by the changes compared to the original.
"Father, you have been insulted. You might have endured it calmly, but a daughter cannot live calmly watching this. The fairest thing would be a duel to defend your father's honor," the girl said, indicating that she would not tolerate objections and that she actually wanted to fight Mo Fan. It even seemed to me that if not for this, she would have found another reason for this duel.
"Alright... That's good! Such a girl is undoubtedly a genius. Proud and just," Deng Kai immediately praised, patting Mu Zhuo Yun on the shoulder. "Boss, you could indeed defeat this scoundrel if you were his age, but now this duel will be unfair. Let your daughter resolve this situation. When she defeats this scoundrel, he won't be able to complain about injustice."
"Apologize? No problem... I can sincerely apologize to him for my behavior, I can grovel before him until he is satisfied. However, it depends on his apologies for what happened three years ago with my family. For his words. Since he is quite famous in the whole city, he shouldn't offend ordinary people. Ordinary people can..." Mo Fan cursed.
"Wait, young man, wait. This society has its laws! This cannot happen here. But it's best to let them fight; in the best case, they are both defending their fathers' interests," the director interrupted Mo Fan.
"Well... if it comes to that... It's not that difficult to resolve this situation. Mu Ning Xue and Mo Fan will fight in a magical duel. If the boy loses, he will apologize to Mu Zhuo Yun, if Mu Ning Xue loses..." Deng Kai began, looking at Mu Zhuo Yun.
"How can Mu Ning Xue lose?" Zhuo Yun roared loudly. "I am not going to stoop to his level. Mu Ning Xue, you shouldn't do this. Yu An from my family is the same age, he will fight the duel instead of Mu Ning Xue," Mu Zhuo Yun said decisively.
"But, I..." Mu Ning Xue said, puzzled and confused, looking at her father. She clearly didn't want to give up this opportunity so easily.
"He's not worth your effort, Yu An will be enough," Mu Zhuo Yun interrupted any objections from Mu Ning Xue. Mda... I even started to worry that the Mu princess would actually fight, fortunately, everything went as it should. This also supports my theory, but it requires a little more confirmation for its complete confirmation.
"The rules of the Magical Association stipulate that both parties must be over eighteen years old for a duel. I, Deng Kai, will be the arbiter and will ensure compliance with the rules when Mo Fan and Mu Yu An reach their eighteenth birthday," Deng Kai said seriously, not paying much attention to Mu Ning Xue's rather unexpected attempt to object. "Is the exam over?"
"No, there's one more student," an examiner said, checking the list. Yes, the show finally ended successfully, and it was my turn.
"Then let's calm down and see how this student performs," Deng Kai said to Zhuo Yun.
"Alright. We need to calm down, in two years everything will return to normal," he replied, and everyone returned, as best they could, to normal. The examiner called me, and I headed towards the stone. Mo Fan stood up with Zhang Xiao Hou and began to chat merrily, not forgetting to support me. Concentrating, I placed my hand on the stone, carefully directing my energy into it. After a moment, a rather strong gust of wind came from the stone, and the stone itself shone almost as brightly as Mu Bai's and Xu Zhao Ting's, although I was holding back my strength. After all, the power of an innate seed is no joke, and I spent a lot of time strengthening the element, as subduing the stars was difficult for me.
"Rating 'S'," said the examiner. "Do you want to go through the release?"
"Yes, why not," I smiled, scratching my head, after which I carefully gathered the stars and used: wind step, quickly covering the distance to the target. I again held back my strength so that the seed wouldn't stand out too much with its effect, although a rather strong gust of wind was heard around.
"Rating 'C+'", said the examiner. "The exam is over."
"What do you think of this kid?" I heard Deng Kai ask the director out of the corner of my ear.
"He's not bad, the wind element is somewhat unusual, possibly an innate talent not yet fully awakened," the director replied. I need to be even more careful. Although I can say thank you to him just in case, he came up with an excuse for me, not that I hadn't thought of it myself before. And so, the exam day ended, and a checkmark was marked on the second sheet in my notebook.