"Pfft, your Sister Tang Yue doesn't like little brats, so give up already~"
"But I like big sisters."
Tang Yue: "..."
She truly admired Qin Yuan's thick skin.
That said, Yuer's little brother Xiaoyuan was indeed rather interesting.
His words were obviously frivolous, yet they were strangely hard to dislike. They only made her feel annoyed and amused. Perhaps... it was because of his looks.
People were visual creatures. Beauty and handsomeness could always leave a good first impression.
"Then work hard." Tang Yue lightly lifted Qin Yuan's chin with a jade-like finger and said in a seductive voice, "If you can really make Sister Tang Yue fall for you, then I'll definitely reward you properly~"
Trying to tease her, was he?
Then she would tease him right back.
Teasing a little brother, and Yuer's child husband little brother at that... well, how should she put it? It was a little exciting.
"Hehe."
Qin Yuan chuckled and said nothing more.
Tang Yue withdrew her hand as well, reined in her emotions, and said seriously, "I'll be in Bocheng for a while. If you run into any trouble you can't handle, contact me."
Teasing was teasing, but proper business still had to be handled.
As Qin Yuer's younger brother, he deserved extra care from her.
"Mm."
Qin Yuan smiled and nodded.
The two chatted for a while longer. In the end, Tang Yue simply treated Qin Yuan to a meal before they finally parted ways.
Afterward, Tang Yue continued handling her own affairs, while Qin Yuan went on attending class and fulfilling his duty as a student.
The days that followed were mostly spent this way.
Cultivating, attending class, occasionally meeting up with Mu Ning Xue and Ye Xin Xia, and sometimes privately visiting Tang Yue for a chat.
Life was quite peaceful, since Qin Yuan kept a relatively low profile.
And so, five months passed, and the Magic Annual Assessment arrived.
Five months later.
Hot air rolled over layer upon layer of mountains, sweeping away the languid spring air in the south and replacing it with summer's scorching heat.
This was followed by another sudden torrential downpour.
Bocheng's weather was temperamental. One second, the sky could be clear for miles; the next, dark clouds could gather as fierce winds and heavy rain descended.
On the Grassland Terrace.
"Ice Vine—Condense!"
Crack, crack~
A thick layer of ice blue frost spread over the lush green lawn. Its temperature rivaled winter's chill, while its hardness matched stone.
"Faster than I expected."
Qin Yuan looked at his "masterpiece" with satisfaction.
More than half a month ago, his Ice Element had already broken through to Elementary Level Two, even faster than he had anticipated.
In one year, he had reached Elementary Level Two in the Ice Element.
His talent was already considered quite good.
His next goal was to break through to the Intermediate Level in the Ice Element within a year and become proficient at drawing a Magic Star Map.
"System, check in."
Qin Yuan's thoughts stirred slightly.
[Ding! Detected that the host has checked in for a full year. Annual check-in triggered.] [Ding! First annual check-in successful. Congratulations, host, you have obtained a Mind Stone.]
"Mind Stone!"
Qin Yuan was slightly surprised.
In the All-Magic World, Mind Stones could enhance a mage's Spiritual Power and were extremely rare.
In the original story, the Mind Stone Mo Fan obtained during the Treasure Hunting Competition was worth at least several billion, and it was something that could not be bought even with money.
Qin Yuan took the Mind Stone from the System Space.
Thud!
A basketball-sized Mind Stone fell onto the lawn. It was entirely silver-white, with light flowing across its surface, giving it a rather mysterious appearance.
"Holy shit, it's this big?"
Even with Qin Yuan's excellent self-control, he could not help blurting out a curse when he saw the Mind Stone's size.
A basketball-sized Mind Stone.
If this went up for auction, would the starting bid not be five or six billion?
"The longer the check-in period, the more generous the rewards."
"The System truly doesn't deceive me."
Qin Yuan smiled at the corner of his mouth and stored the Mind Stone back in the System Space.
With the Mind Stone's aid, his Spiritual Power would rise rapidly. When he broke through to the Intermediate Level in the future, awakening the Space Element would not be impossible.
Furthermore, one's Spiritual Power realm also affected Star Control and spellcasting to a certain extent.
The stronger one's Spiritual Power, the more one could strengthen control over Magic Star Seeds, shorten the control time, and improve cultivation efficiency.
"Tomorrow is the Magic Annual Assessment. With my current strength, participating or not won't make much difference."
"The Elite Class's resources are better than nothing."
"But showing off once in a while can help adjust my mood."
Qin Yuan shook his head with a smile and left.
The next morning.
The Magic Annual Assessment had finally arrived. For some people, it was practically terrible news, because they were very likely to be advised to withdraw.
Every Magic High School followed this system. Those unsuited to studying magic were advised to leave early, allowing them to find another way to make a living sooner.
At the training grounds.
This was normally a place for magic practice, but today it was being used for the assessment. Several examiners had already prepared the Star Sense Stones for testing.
They were black, watermelon-sized spherical pebbles.
The examiners were in place, the teachers were in place, the students were in place... all staff members were in place.
Among the crowd, Qin Yuan stood at the very front of Class 8, Grade 1.
"System, check in."
[Ding! Daily check-in successful. Congratulations, host, you have obtained 521 Huaxia Coin.]
Qin Yuan: 6
Huaxia Coin was the most common reward from daily check-ins.
Qin Yuan already had no less than twenty million Huaxia Coin. It looked like a lot, but in reality, it was not much at all—barely enough to buy a Spirit-level Magic Tool.
"Phew."
Qin Yuan exhaled softly, calmed his mind, and turned his gaze toward the podium ahead.
Whenever there was a major event, Principal Zhu's speech was never absent. Today, there was even an additional speech from a school board member.
Mu He, his hair slicked back and dressed in a suit and leather shoes, slowly stepped forward and declared in a clear voice, "Today is also a very special day."
"We have invited Bocheng's most outstanding female mage. She was exceptionally admitted to Imperial Capital Academy at the age of fifteen. I believe many of you already know..."
After a lengthy speech, Mu Ning Xue appeared and received countless students' admiring and adoring gazes.
Beautiful, talented, and backed by a powerful family—she was simply a perfect goddess.
On the podium, Mu Ning Xue wore a calm expression. Her clear, tranquil eyes swept over the crowd, only rippling slightly when they landed on Qin Yuan.
Qin Yuan smiled at the corner of his mouth and parted his lips slightly, as though saying something.
Mu Ning Xue read Qin Yuan's lips. Her pretty face immediately turned cold, and she shot him an almost imperceptible glare before retreating backstage.
She sat beside a dignified middle-aged man.
"It has been many years since we last met. That boy has changed quite a bit. Not only is he an Ice Mage, he also possesses an Innate Spirit Seed."
"If I hadn't conducted a thorough investigation, I would have thought he was a Mu clansman who had ended up outside the family."
Mu Zhuoyun's voice was deep and resonant, carrying an imposing authority even without anger.
"Dad, you investigated Qin Yuan?" Mu Ning Xue frowned slightly, somewhat displeased.
Mu Zhuoyun: "..."
His daughter was practically about to be taken away. As her old father, could he not pay closer attention and investigate?
Sigh.
Mu Zhuoyun sighed inwardly. In the end, his precious padded jacket had let in the wind, leaving her father alone in the cold.
Still, he was not someone who fussed over such things.
Qin Yuan was handsome and exceptionally talented. More importantly, he had a very good relationship with his daughter. There was room to work with that.
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