It's been a week, sorry I won't be able to upload frequently for this month, once or twice a week is all I can manage. From next month I will Stop my job for rest and upload more chapters during that time.
This chapter is short but I will upload one more chapter tomorrow.
Thank you
Mo Fan stepped up and placed his hand on the Star Appraisal Stone. The reaction was instantaneous—the stone erupted into a blinding, fiery light that forced those nearby to shield their eyes. There was no room for doubt; the results flashed a perfect triple-S for his stardust cultivation.
The crowd was still whispering when Mo Fan moved to the magic release area. He didn't waste a second. He closed his eyes, and his stars aligned with a speed that was almost predatory. But he didn't stop at a standard Level 1 spell.
"Fire Burst: Burning Bones!"
He unleashed the Level 2 variation. The fireball was denser, darker, and roared with a terrifying heat as it streaked through the air. When it collided with the practice dummy, the impact didn't just burn; it sent a shockwave of heat across the training ground, charring the reinforced target into a molten ruin in seconds.
The entire school went dead silent. Students, teachers, and even the VIPs stared at him as if he were some kind of monster born in human skin. To achieve Level 2 Fire Burst at their age was a feat possible only for the most elite geniuses of the capital.
"Hey, teacher," Mo Fan's voice broke the silence, his tone casual as he looked at the stunned examiners. "Shouldn't you give me my score?"
The judges finally snapped back to their senses, exchanging frantic looks. Without a single word of discussion, they scrambled to record his score: Triple-S.
Mo Fan had performed far more brilliantly than he ever did in the original timeline, yet there was a strange, heavy silence following his results. In the past, recruiters would have been swarming him, but today, they kept their distance. Because of my support, everyone assumed Mo Fan was already a protected asset of the Li family—a suspicion that was, in truth, not far from the reality.
High up in the VIP section, Mu Zhuoyun watched Mo Fan with a mixture of professional envy and concern. "Sister Lin, Sister Zhang," he said, turning to the two women representing Li Mountain. "It seems your Li family has managed to snatch up yet another rare genius."
The two women offered nothing but calm, enigmatic smiles, effectively silencing any further questions. Beside them, however, Mu He sat in the shadows of the VIP box, his gaze fixed on Mo Fan with a sinister, calculating glint. He clearly saw Mo Fan not as a talent, but as a growing threat to his schemes.
"This year, our school has truly been blessed with exceptional talent," Principal Zhu interjected, his face flushed with excitement. He leaned forward, his hands gripping the railing. "If this momentum continues, the school might actually produce an Intermediate mage by the time the college entrance exams arrive!"
He couldn't even remember the last time such a prospect had been a possibility. The air in the VIP room grew heavy with the weight of that statement; everyone knew exactly who he was talking about. All eyes were slowly shifting from the stage—where Mo Fan was waiting—to the spot where I was currently standing, preparing to take my turn.
I stepped up to the podium, the weight of a thousand stares pressing against me. Unlike Mo Fan, who radiated a wild, untamed energy, I maintained a calm, methodical presence. My name echoed through the training ground, and for a moment, even the wind seemed to die down.
I placed my hand on the Star Appraisal Stone. I didn't let my Intermediate-level stardust flood the crystal; instead, I carefully throttled the flow, mimicking the absolute peak of a Basic-level mage.
SHING—!
The stone didn't just glow; it resonated. A beam of deep, concentrated crimson light shot upward, so pure and stable that it looked like a solid pillar of ruby. It wasn't the flickering explosion of Mo Fan's power—it was the terrifying perfection of total control.
Stardust Strength: S+, S+, S+!
The "plus" notation caused a ripple of whispers among the teachers. It was the grade reserved for those whose stardust density was so high it defied standard measurement.
I didn't wait for the murmurs to die down. I walked to the magic release area. The air around me began to shimmer as I reached into my mental sea. To the crowd, it looked like I was connecting seven stars, but in reality, I was suppressing forty-two.
"Fire Burst: Rupture!"
I unleashed the Level 3 spell.
A sphere of white-hot flame condensed in my palm before screaming across the field. When it hit the dummy, there was no initial burn. Instead, the flame bypassed the surface and detonated from within.
BOOM!
The reinforced dummy didn't just char; it disintegrated. Shrapnel of enchanted wood and molten metal rained down across the pit, and a small crater smoked where the target had once stood. The sheer thermal pressure was so high that the air itself distorted in a heat haze for several seconds after the blast.
Magic Release: S+, S+, S+!
Silence. Absolute, suffocating silence.
Mo Fan's Level 2 had made them think he was a monster. My Level 3 made them realize I was playing a different game entirely. Level 3 was the absolute limit of the Basic tier—a threshold that most mages didn't reach until they were deep into their university years, if at all.
"Three S-plus," the head examiner stammered, his hand trembling as he recorded the score. "Highest honors in the history of Tianlan Magic High."
I turned and walked back toward the line, my expression as neutral as if I had just finished a morning stroll. As I passed Mo Fan, he gave me a low, appreciative whistle.
"Rupture, huh?" he muttered, his eyes wide. "You really are a freak, Old Li."
I glanced up at the VIP stands. Mu Zhuoyun looked like he had seen a ghost, while Principal Zhu was vibrating with such excitement he looked ready to faint. But it was Ningxue's gaze that I held for a second longer. She didn't look surprised—she looked challenged.
The annual assessment was over for me, but the real war for Bo City had just found its starting point.