Confirming the Relationship, Magic Duel

Inside the Castle Villa, at the tea table.

Mu Zhuoyun, sharp-eyed and silver-templed, looked at the two hands clasped tightly before him. For a moment, a thousand thoughts swirled in his mind.

He was pleased that Qin Yuan had become "one of the family."

But still, seeing the "little coat" he had painstakingly raised now draped over someone else's shoulders left a bitter taste.

Mu Zhuoyun's mind churned for a long while before he finally let out a light sigh and said, "Qin Yuan, treat Ning Xue well."

At these words.

Not only was Qin Yuan stunned, even Mu Ning Xue was taken aback.

"Uncle Mu, rest assured. I will never let Ning Xue down."

Qin Yuan's expression was serious as he stated his position.

Though he enjoyed teasing Mu Zhuoyun now and then, there were times when joking was out of the question—basic respect had to be maintained.

Beside him, Mu Ning Xue felt a surge of joy in her heart.

She and Qin Yuan had been stuck in a stage of ambiguity—holding hands, embracing, kissing—they had done everything except the final step.

But Qin Yuan had never given her a clear, straightforward declaration, which had secretly troubled her.

Now, Qin Yuan had stated his position, and in front of Mu Zhuoyun, no less.

Qin Yuan's declaration. A loved one's blessing.

Today, nothing could bring greater joy than these two things.

"Mm."

Mu Zhuoyun gave a slight nod. After refilling the tea, he said, "Qin Yuan, since we're family now, I'll speak plainly."

"Please, Uncle Mu, go ahead."

Qin Yuan nodded.

"Qin Yuan, I'm sure you know that my branch is just a collateral offshoot of the Mu Clan. By rights, we shouldn't receive much attention."

"The reason we do now is that the Mu Clan values Ning Xue's talent."

"But Ning Xue is alone after all. She can't stand firm in the vast Mu Clan without a few trustworthy people by her side."

"So, if you and Ning Xue are together, you'll have to face the pressure from the Mu Clan."

Mu Zhuoyun felt it necessary to inform Qin Yuan of the burden on Mu Ning Xue, so that Qin Yuan could share it with her.

No other reason—because they were family.

Compared to the Mu Main Clan, he trusted his son-in-law Qin Yuan far more.

"Uncle Mu, rest assured. Ning Xue has already told me about this. I have a clear picture." Qin Yuan smiled and replied.

"Mm. Good that you know."

Mu Zhuoyun nodded with relief, then suddenly recalled something and said, "There's one more person—Yu Ang, today's main event. He's my adopted son... in name only."

"As cruel as it sounds, Yu Ang is nothing more than a 'blade' I raised, a 'blade' the two of you can wield with ease."

Everything he had done, aside from Qin Yuan, was solely to pave the way for Mu Ning Xue.

Heartless, yes. But also reality.

For the sake of his daughter, Mu Zhuoyun was willing to be so.

"Mm."

Qin Yuan acknowledged with a single word, saying nothing more.

Yu Ang?

Sorry, but after today's Earth Sacred Spring competition, he would soon "disappear" in a perfectly reasonable way.

Beside him, Mu Ning Xue had worn no expression from start to finish—or rather, she had... drifted off.

She was thinking about what Qin Yuan had said outside the door earlier: "marry."

Strange. And yet, perfectly normal.

No matter how aloof Mu Ning Xue was, she was still a woman, with that thing called emotion.

The grand banquet hall of the estate.

It was filled with all kinds of delicious food. The invited guests were mostly mingling, occasionally sampling the delicacies.

Among the crowd, a roguishly handsome young man was eating and drinking heartily. Beside him stood a middle-aged man with stubble.

Mo Fan. Zhan Kong.

It was unmistakably those two.

Though Zhan Kong was surprised that Mo Fan would be sparring with Yu Ang, he didn't dwell on it. Instead, he pulled Mo Fan aside and said with a sly grin, "Mo Fan..."

"Whoa, Chief Instructor, I'm not into that kind of thing." Mo Fan quickly protested.

Zhan Kong: "..."

Damn it, did he look like he had a taste for men?

"Bang!"

"Piss off!" Zhan Kong smacked Mo Fan hard on the back of the head before saying, "I've got serious business with you."

"Serious business? What is it?"

"Nothing much. Just pay a bit more attention when you spar with Yu Ang later."

"Pay attention to what?"

"Just pay attention."

Seeing that Zhan Kong wouldn't spell it out, Mo Fan was puzzled. "I don't get it."

He was about to ask further when a few middle-aged men and women walked over. Zhan Kong quickly greeted them with a cheerful smile.

Mo Fan watched, feeling even more baffled.

"Forget it, I'll worry about it later. First, let's fill my stomach." Mo Fan grabbed the fragrant roasted leg and tore into it with big bites.

Soon, the Magic Sparring was about to begin.

Principal Zhu, Yang Zuohe, Deng Kai, and other important figures were all present. These people held significant sway in Bocheng.

Principal Zhu, the principal of Magic High School, was also one of the few High-level Mages in Bocheng.

Yang Zuohe, president of the Mage Association, held an exalted position.

Deng Kai, the top leader of the Hunter Alliance, wielded immense authority.

The military's representative was naturally Zhan Kong, a High-level Mage and Bocheng's strongest combat power.

Mu Zhuoyun represented the family faction.

Qin Yuan sat beside Mu Ning Xue, giving him a clear view of the entire venue. Many familiar faces came into sight.

The instructors from Wilderness Training, Xu Dahuang and others from the Monster Hunting Squad, classmates from the Elite Class...

"Qin Yuan, why aren't you the one going for the Earth Sacred Spring spot?" A familiar voice came from behind.

Qin Yuan turned his head and saw Zhan Kong.

"Senior Zhan Kong, I've already broken through to Intermediate Level. The Earth Sacred Spring spot wouldn't do much for me. It's better to give it to Others."

Qin Yuan smiled and replied softly.

"What? Intermediate Level???"

Zhan Kong's pupils contracted, and he nearly exclaimed.

Fortunately, he was a man of composure and could handle such surprises.

Zhan Kong sighed with deep emotion and praised sincerely, "Qin Yuer has a genius brother. Your talent far surpasses even mine back in the day."

"Times are advancing, Senior Zhan Kong. Weren't you the most dazzling genius of your era?"

Qin Yuan laughed.

"Hahaha, you little rascal." Zhan Kong laughed heartily, genuinely pleased.

This Qin Yuan—the more he looked at him, the more he liked him.

Polite, well-mannered, and smooth with words.

The two chatted a bit more, then fell silent, focusing on the upcoming Magic Duel below.

On the dueling field.

Mo Fan's attire was neither flashy nor shabby—just average.

But Yu Ang across from him seemed to have dressed up specially, wearing a tailored outfit that exuded an air of nobility... putting on airs.

"Hm?"

Several big shots frowned.

They could tell at a glance that Yu Ang was wearing several expensive magic tools.

Before it even began, this was already an unfair match.

Still, no one said much.

"Friendship first, competition second. You two, shake hands first." Deng Kai, acting as referee, said.

"Crackle, crackle..."

Whether it was fate or bad blood, even a simple handshake turned into a clash of ice and flames.

"You ants should have stayed put down there instead of jumping out to court death." Yu Ang sneered coldly.

"Ants?" Mo Fan's expression was casual as he shot back, "More than enough to bite a moron like you to death."

He'd originally planned to hold back a little and save Yu Ang some face, but now it was clear the guy didn't want any face at all.

There was no need to hold back. He'd go all out.

Today, he was going to shock everyone completely!