This bastard, does he still want to climb over his master to get ahead?

Several months passed, and the Main Campus assessment arrived.

"Li Xingze, be careful during this time. The Black Vatican may come looking for trouble with you."

"The Black Vatican?" Li Xingze paused, then grinned. "Then why not have Teacher Tang Yue be my personal bodyguard?"

"You wish. I have a mission to carry out during this time. Besides, with your strength, protecting yourself won't be a problem."

Tang Yue rolled her eyes on the other end of the call. This guy actually dared to flirt with his teacher!

Because of Li Xingze, Tang Yue had reached the High-level earlier, so someone else had naturally taken over the task involving Chao He. She had been assigned a higher-level mission.

As for Mei Yan, he had naturally fallen under the Judgment Association's jurisdiction.

"What strength do I have? I'm just a humble Intermediate-Level Mage," Li Xingze said.

Tang Yue rolled her eyes and said irritably, "Could an ordinary Intermediate-Level Mage have a Summoned Beast with such a high bloodline? If you hadn't gone to Pearl Institute, I would've wanted to recruit you into the Judgment Association myself."

"I'm not interested in being a judge. But men who are judges are pretty nice."

"Can you be serious? I'm your teacher."

Tang Yue was not some innocent young girl. She immediately caught the hidden meaning in Li Xingze's words.

This bastard—was he trying to make a move on his teacher?

"It's fine. I like mature women," Li Xingze said with a chuckle.

Tang Yue did not want to let him lead her around by the nose, so she could only hurriedly end the topic.

Every time they spoke on the phone, this guy always derailed the conversation.

"The Black Vatican is not as simple as you think. Be careful in everything you do," Tang Yue reminded him.

"Don't worry. I'm just a little Summoner, and I value my life."

"Oh, and Mo Fan too. He's very likely on the Black Vatican's list as well. In any case, you two must be extremely careful."

With that, Tang Yue hung up. She still had great confidence in Li Xingze's strength.

"The Black Vatican..." Li Xingze murmured, gripping his phone.

The Abyssal Dragon had already reached the Advancement Stage and was very close to Commander-level. If not for the limitations of the Summoning Element Nebula, it might already have reached Commander-level.

Though it was only at the peak of General-Level, with the enhancement of its dragon breath, dealing with a few Small Commanders should not be a problem.

There were now two and a half months left before the Main Campus assessment. It would be best if he could cultivate his Wind Element to the second level as well.

That way, even if he encountered a High-level Magister, Li Xingze could use movement techniques to restrain them and let the Abyssal Dragon deal with them.

"I am very pleased, because from the freshman assembly until today, I have seen the growth of many people."

"The Green Campus is the final stop of your youthful cultivation, a small warm pool before you face rushing currents and waterfalls. The next stop will be a true journey of magic. Whatever grievances you have suffered, whatever unfairness you have endured, whatever hardships you have borne—swallow them yourselves. No one will sympathize with the weak!"

At the school-wide assembly, Dean Xiao began another one of his impassioned speeches.

It had to be said that there was a reason Dean Xiao still held this position even after becoming a Forbidden Curse Mage. Such eloquence would be wasted if he were not a teacher!

Even Li Xingze's blood began to boil as he could not help saying, "Applause if you understand!"

The few students beside him froze for a moment. As if their bodies had received an order, they inexplicably began clapping.

Clap clap clap!!

When the other students heard the applause, they also started clapping along for no apparent reason.

They did not know why they were applauding, but if everyone else was doing it, there had to be a reason!

Dean Xiao, who had been delivering his impassioned speech, had his train of thought disrupted by the sudden applause.

His gaze quickly locked onto the culprit, Li Xingze. Dean Xiao's face darkened. Did this brat take him for some motivational guru?

Next, Dean Xiao went over the rules of the Main Campus assessment once again.

Put simply: only Intermediate-Level Mages were qualified to participate in the Main Campus assessment.

Although it seemed somewhat inhumane, it was actually perfectly reasonable. Everyone's talent differed greatly, and competition in the Main Campus was intense. Wouldn't Initial-Level Mages just be cannon fodder if they went there?

If someone could not break through to the Intermediate-Level within three years, they would likely remain an Initial-Level Mage for the rest of their life. If they were lucky, they might eventually break through to the Intermediate-Level.

In Li Xingze's view, a mage's talent could be divided into four tiers. The first tier consisted of peerless geniuses, people like Qin Yuer and Ding Yumin.

The second tier was geniuses, such as Mo Fan, Mu Bai, Zhang Xiaohou, and Xu Zhaoting. This type varied in ability, but at the very least, they could strive for the High-level.

The third tier was those with a bit of talent. Students of this caliber would have no problem entering the Main Campus within three years.

Last were the students who could not even enter the Main Campus. Some might have been harmed by the Awakening Stone, while others perhaps simply lacked talent from the beginning.

Poor-quality Awakening Stones caused almost random awakenings. One might happen to awaken the Element they had the most talent for, or the one they had the least talent for.

As the mages whose cultivation was only at the Initial-Level left one after another, the previously packed seating area immediately became much emptier.

The elimination rate was as high as fifty to one. The threshold of the Intermediate-Level was far from easy to cross!

And this was only the Intermediate-Level. Reaching the High-level was even harder. Other than relying on the energy of a Star River Vein, there was almost no possibility of breaking through.

"Those who remain, congratulations on entering the Pearl Institute Main Campus," Dean Xiao continued.

"Huh? Didn't they say there would be an assessment?" Xu Zhaoting asked, confusion in his eyes.

"Intermediate-tier is the threshold for the Main Campus, and the assessment affects your ranking," Zhao Manyan explained from the side.

"Ranking!" Mo Fan's eyes lit up as he hurriedly asked, "Does that mean there are rewards?"

Dean Xiao slowly took a rolled-up directive from his robes and unhurriedly began explaining the details of the assessment.

As expected, it was the mission to capture the Shadow Demon Beast alive. For Li Xingze, it posed no difficulty whatsoever.

"The student or team that captures it and delivers it to the school's Summoned Beast iron cage will be rewarded! If an individual completes it, they will receive all the rewards alone. If a team completes it, the team may have no more than five members, and they will receive the same reward: one opportunity to cultivate in the Three Step Tower!"

Dean Xiao's gaze settled on Li Xingze. Barring any surprises, first place would belong to Li Xingze.

He just wondered how long it would take him.

The moment Dean Xiao finished speaking, every student's eyes turned toward Li Xingze. This was a powerful backer!

If they latched onto him, wouldn't that mean getting an opportunity to cultivate in the Three Step Tower for free?

"Ze Ge, my dear Ze Ge, you wouldn't abandon me, would you?"

Zhao Manyan reacted quickly, grabbing Li Xingze on his left as though afraid he might slip away.

"Old Li—no, Ze Ge, with the friendship we share, there has to be a spot for me too, right?" Mo Fan said, waggling his brows.

Li Xingze was also eager for the Three Step Tower. If he could enter the fourth level, then with the Star River Vein he had prepared, he might be able to push his Summoning Element into the high tier in one go.

"What are you so smug about? Finding a demon isn't just about strength. I, Bai Zangfeng, will definitely be the first to find it."

Watching Li Xingze become the center of everyone's attention, Bai Zangfeng complained resentfully.