He pulled out a sword.
Mu Zhuoran gazed at the sword in his hand, his eyes gleaming with determination. He was filled with excitement.
As long as he defeated Jiang Yu, he could enter the Sacred Land and rise to the next rank!
Besides, Mu Zhuoran was only a student. The academy would surely promote him to black-rank teacher, and might even grant him an exceptionally powerful Demon Artifact!
The thought of the academy's recognition made Mu Zhuoran's heart race.
And as for the reward for defeating Jiang Yu?
He was sure Jiang Yu would make excellent material for a Demon Artifact.
"Let me ask you: how many Demon Artifacts does Mu Zhuoran have?"
"Three Demon Artifacts: a blade, a shield, and a control-type artifact..."
The old man with white hair and beard stroked his sword and murmured.
"According to the records, none of them are particularly impressive."
But Mu Zhuoran's attention was fixed on Jiang Yu.
He was somewhat puzzled. Jiang Yu had a Demon Artifact, and yet the aura of demonic energy around him seemed so unusual.
"Ha..."
A long sigh broke the silence.
"Jiang Yu, I must congratulate you. Today, you'll become the stepping stone to my success, Mu Zhuoran!"
As he spoke, Mu Zhuoran summoned his three Demon Artifacts. He intended to take Jiang Yu down in one strike!
Only then could he prove to everyone that he had the strength to become a black-rank teacher.
"Ice-element spell!"
With his Demon Artifacts' help, Mu Zhuoran's Ice Element spell was far more powerful than usual.
In an instant, ice covered the entire arena!
Jiang Yu barely glanced at Mu Zhuoran, then looked around.
He had feared that Mu Zhuoran's magic might be too powerful and harm Jiang Yu!
But Jiang Yu only smiled faintly.
As he raised his hand, he casually murmured,
"Ice Demon: Ice Prison."
Jiang Yu's voice was very quiet. No one heard his incantation.
Everyone only watched as the ice spread across the arena.
But in the next instant, a giant star formation made up of forty-nine stars appeared behind Jiang Yu!
It was an ice element star formation, cold and terrifying!
The moment it appeared, almost everyone was stunned into silence.
Mu Zhuoran slapped the table and stood up, his voice trembling with disbelief.
"That's a spell?!"
Even Mu Zhuo, who had originally thought little of Jiang Yu, turned ashen. He had never imagined that his younger brother, Jiang Yu, would be so powerful.
The students who had been on good terms with Jiang Yu grew so excited that they leaped to their feet.
They were going to make all those people who had looked down on Jiang Yu eat their words!
At that moment, Mu Zhuoran's ice was completely suppressed. It was absolute domination, leaving no possibility of resistance!
His expression turned savage as he pulled out that bottle of violent demonic blood.
"You forced me to do this, Jiang Yu!"
Mu Zhuoran gulped it down. Demonic energy surged through him, and he instantly broke through to the next rank.
His veins bulged, and he looked like a raging demon!
Consumed by fury, he poured every ounce of demonic energy in his body into his spell.
But Jiang Yu remained calm, utterly unmoved.
He slowly finished the incantation.
"Bone Prison."
The previous spell's rough ice spikes, thicker than a person's arm, shot out.
The ice spikes moved with the speed of flesh-devouring insects, lunging at Mu Zhuoran.
"Get away from me!"
Mu Zhuoran poured demonic energy into his body and activated every Demon Artifact he had.
The demon armor, the golden-essence blade, the shield artifact...
A flash of light enveloped him completely.
But before Jiang Yu's magic, it was all futile.
The ice domain was mercilessly shattered.
The various Demon Artifacts on Mu Zhuoran's body were as fragile as paper, breaking apart in an instant!
In the end, he was sent flying through the air by a flurry of ice spikes.
Mu Zhuoran was badly wounded, his bloodshot eyes filled with terror as he stared at Jiang Yu.
"Crack—"
With a loud thud, Mu Zhuoran crashed to the ground, groaning in pain.
Who could have imagined that the mild-mannered young man standing there had been hiding such incredible strength?
He had defeated Mu Zhuoran, who was much stronger than him, with a single move.
Yes, an eighteen-year-old spellcaster of the next rank. What could Mu Zhuoran, who was already approaching thirty, possibly do against him?
As everyone watched the outcome, the entire arena fell into dead silence.
No one could believe that the usually unremarkable Mu Zhuoran had been defeated so easily, and so thoroughly.
A burst of applause broke the silence.
"Jiang Yu, you're incredible!"
"Brother Jiang, well done!"
Mu Fan and Zhang Xiaolong's cheers shattered the quiet.
Mu Zhuo, seated in the main chair, also snapped out of his daze.
"An eighteen-year-old spellcaster of the next rank! I've never seen one before!"
The old man with white hair and beard exclaimed in astonishment.
He had been too shortsighted. He had only just reached the next rank himself.
Mu Zhuo, meanwhile, laughed loudly after recovering from his shock. The academy had found a genius!
The previous family that had dominated the world of magic had fallen a few years ago, but now...
"Congratulations! Congratulations! Your Mu family has raised a prodigy!"
"That's right. With Jiang Yu at the Magic Academy, there's no need to worry anymore. He could even get into the top ten in the Imperial Capital!"
Quite a few people came forward to congratulate Mu Zhuo.
Yet his expression was rather grim.
The resources he had invested in Mu Zhuoran far exceeded what he had spent on Jiang Yu, and yet Mu Zhuoran had been defeated so easily...
But one person was even more viciously glaring at Jiang Yu: the seemingly insignificant Mu Zhuo Inquiry.
His hands clenched into fists as anger filled his heart.
It was Jiang Yu again! He had blocked him again and again!
But Mu Zhuo seemed to have thought of something, and his expression turned cold.
Jiang Yu, you won't be able to jump around for much longer...
The protagonist of this performance had already returned to Ying Yue and Xia Xinyin.
Jiang Yu crouched down and gently wiped the dust from Xia Xinyin's face.
"Xinyin, don't worry about me. Your Brother Jiang is a lot stronger than you think."
But Xia Xinyin shook her head, tears still falling as she said,
"I just hope you stay safe, Brother Jiang. Please don't get involved in such dangerous things again, okay?"
Xia Xinyin didn't care about fame or fortune. She only wanted Jiang Yu to be safe.
Jiang Yu smiled and reassured the girl.
"Some things won't stop happening just because I don't want them to. Only if I become powerful enough can I stop them."
"So I have to keep going!"
Xia Xinyin lifted her tearful eyes to the handsome young man, and she understood his reasoning too.
"Brother Jiang, I'm sorry you got hurt because of me."
Ying Yue looked at Jiang Yu, who was radiating confidence, and felt happy too.
"Congratulations! Looks like you've finally reached the next rank!"
Jiang Yu nodded and said,
"Ying Yue, I owe you so much. Without your help, I wouldn't have had the strength to get here."
Ying Yue wiped away her tears and smiled.
"Don't be silly. You know I'm always happy to help you. I've always wondered what kind of personality could have shaped someone as extraordinary as you."
"I believe you'll go far on the path of magic, very far..."
Their conversation didn't last long before it was interrupted.
Some elderly fellows, who were interested in Jiang Yu, hurried over.
"Jiang Yu, with your talent, why not join my Magic Guild? I can offer you lots of benefits!"
"Forget it. My guild is much more suitable for you than some old man's!"
The two older men began arguing. Just then, a distinguished man with white temples pushed them aside.
"Jiang Yu, if you come with me, I'll give you a position in the Ministry of Heaven!"
Mu Zhuo stared in astonishment at the young man before him.
If Jiang Yu agreed, the three Demon Artifacts he had sent out would all be back in his hands!
But Jiang Yu didn't even look back. He wasn't interested in the Magic Academy...
After all, a big city like the Imperial Capital would have even more talented people! When the time came, he could head straight there!
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