At Mingzhu Academy, the headmaster's office.
"Brother Jiang, I finally found you!"
Mo Fan looked at the young man before him and exclaimed with delight.
Jiang Yu was someone everyone in the nation knew. Wherever he went, people recognized him.
The World's Demon King, the one who'd never lost a fight, the King of Hell—those were all his titles.
But Mo Fan had been looking for Jiang Yu for nearly a year. He'd finally managed to track him down.
"Ahem. You've waited long enough. Now, let's get down to business."
Headmaster Qiu Yu said.
"Ever since the academy reforms, I've been looking for a student who could represent us at the Imperial Capital Academy."
"And, of course, the Imperial Capital has long had its eye on Brother Jiang."
Jiang Yu looked puzzled.
"Isn't that for this year's student exchange?"
He hadn't even taken part in the main academy's entrance exams. Headmaster Qiu had simply called him in and arranged a three-step challenge for him.
After all, why would someone as powerful as Jiang Yu need to take an exam?
Headmaster Qiu didn't know how to respond.
"Since you're the student representative this time, the Imperial Capital Academy will send someone below the age of twenty."
"And they'll be a mage whose cultivation is far below yours—even a student who's only just begun training!"
The Imperial Capital and the Imperial Household's Demonic Law Association were plainly trying to make things difficult for Jiang Yu.
Still, Jiang Yu's name had recently become so famous that no ordinary academy could hope to match it.
Even the Imperial Capital Academy, standing right before them, couldn't help but seem dwarfed by comparison.
"I'm warning you, don't go overboard."
Headmaster Qiu finished explaining the situation to Jiang Yu and turned to Mo Fan.
"You're strong too. You'll have to put in some effort as well."
As he spoke, Mo Fan looked at Jiang Yu beside him, feeling a little jealous.
He had no idea that Jiang Yu had already reached such a high level.
And yet, he hadn't been separated from Jiang Yu for all that long...
At the New Student Conference, Mo Fan had fought his way through nearly a hundred and fifty students, placing second in Mingzhu Academy's history.
Naturally, Jiang Yu had taken first place, defeating a hundred and sixty students.
From Mo Fan's perspective, there was only a ten-person gap between them. Their strength shouldn't be all that different.
"Here, take this."
Headmaster Qiu took out two talismans and handed one each to Jiang Yu and Mo Fan.
"These are protective amulets. They can block one mental attack from a high-level mage."
"With Jiang Yu here, I can apply for a three-step challenge for you too."
Headmaster Qiu looked at Jiang Yu with a meaningful expression.
Because, as far as he knew, that kid had already reached the high level.
That was truly astonishing...
"The Imperial Capital Academy has a long history. It was one of the earliest cities to resist the demon hordes, and its origins can even be traced back a thousand years."
"Take the ancient city of Luoye, for example. It was built by the First Emperor. The people there call their most powerful Earth mage the Earth Mage Elder, and he's regarded as the ancestor of all Earth mages!"
As he spoke, the old professor's face filled with pride.
Jiang Yu looked toward the magnificent, towering fortress in the distance.
He could feel the dense magical energy seeping from the land beneath his feet. It was what allowed the Imperial Capital's fortress to withstand the demon hordes.
Even if Jiang Yu attacked with all his strength, he estimated he'd leave behind nothing more than a small crater!
Mo Fan, meanwhile, rubbed his hands together.
"Hey, be careful. You'll end up breaking this ancient fortress!"
Qiu Yu warned him.
Mo Fan reluctantly lowered his hands.
"What's the big deal? Even if I break it, can't we just use magic to repair it?"
Professor Qiu Yu was speechless.
"Hahaha!"
Jin Jue, Zhuo Jian, and Zhuo Jian's entourage burst into laughter.
"Jiang Yu, Jiang Yu! You think I'll have a chance to challenge you?"
At that moment, Ai Tu, who stood beside Jiang Yu, asked excitedly. Mu Nujiao also leaned in, listening intently.
"I'll give it a try..."
Jiang Yu could only offer a rough guess.
After all, his arrival had set off a butterfly effect.
For example, when Jiang Yu had killed Yu Ang in Bo City, Yan Yuhuang hadn't taken part in the main academy's exam at all.
Yan Yuhuang and his girlfriend, Mu Ningxue, were both doing very well.
So Jiang Yu had no idea what would happen next.
However, there were always people who, after seeing the beautiful women beside Jiang Yu, grew so jealous they were practically green.
"That's ridiculous. Even the goddess Mu Nujiao has fallen for Jiang Yu. That kid's not just crazy strong—he's got a monster-level cultivation too, doesn't he?"
Shen Mingxiao muttered, his heart full of resentment.
The pudgy boy at his side twitched the corner of his mouth.
You're one to talk. Weren't you the one who said it was an honor when the campus belle paid attention to you?
The Mingzhu Academy party played and joked along the way as they headed toward the Imperial Capital Academy.
It was September, and the weather was clear and crisp.
Jiang Yu took in the unfamiliar scent of flowers as he gazed at the imposing Imperial Capital Academy, nestled between the heavens and earth.
Before him stood a vast campus, its buildings carved from jade and gold.
Beside the academy's main gate stood a large stele, its surface densely inscribed with the names of countless people.
Jiang Yu stepped through the entrance. All around him, students with exceptional magical talent...
"No wonder they say the Imperial Capital Academy is one of the best in the nation. These students are terrifyingly strong!"
He couldn't help exclaiming.
As Jiang Yu gazed at the four imposing characters on the Imperial Capital Academy's gate, he thought he saw a proud, towering maiden.
He wondered how the woman who'd once humiliated him would react if she saw him now...
At that moment, an elderly professor stood outside the Imperial Capital Academy's gate, waiting. He greeted them warmly.
"Headmaster Feng, Mingzhu Academy has quite the impressive lineup. You've certainly kept us waiting."
"Which one of you is Jiang Yu?"
The old professor from each academy greeted the other.
The old man's gaze settled on Jiang Yu. A smile appeared in his eyes.
"So this is Jiang Yu? He's quite the young talent."
"I'd heard of him before he arrived. I just didn't know if he really had the strength to back up his name!"
Jiang Yu looked at the old professor and replied calmly.
"Thank you for your confidence in me, sir."
As the two exchanged pleasantries...
A young man nearly two meters tall, with a powerful build and well-defined muscles, appeared behind them.
"Sir, he's the opponent I'll be facing this time. Hmm... he doesn't look like much."
Mo Fan had just been chatting with Zhuo Jian when another young man swaggered over.
"Hey, you're the little bean who got slapped around by that big lizard, right? You're my opponent!"
"Looks like I won't even need to fight him myself. I can just let my underling handle him!"
The young man's words made the faces of everyone at Mingzhu Academy turn as dark as night.
"Which side are you on, exactly?"
The students were supposed to be friends, weren't they?
Why was the Imperial Capital Academy talking trash about Mingzhu Academy?
Zhuo Jian had many questions, but swallowed them all.
"I'll be waiting for you in the arena."
With that, he led the Mingzhu Academy group away.
This time, the Imperial Capital Academy had three professors: Feng Fan, Li Dong, and Qiu Yu.
Their student representative was Jiang Yu. The other students accompanying him were Mo Fan, Zhuo Jian, Shen Mingxiao, Guo Cai, Bai Jiao, Mu Nujiao, Ai Tu, and others...
At that moment, the ten or so students burned with anticipation as they headed toward the Imperial Capital Academy's arena.
Jiang Yu looked around.
The Imperial Capital's atmosphere was completely different from that of the Demon Capital.
The Demon Capital was known for its bustling commerce, while the Imperial Capital felt grounded and profoundly imposing.
And many of the academy's students wore expensive clothes and walked with their noses in the air.
After all, most people in this world were born into wealthy families. They were naturally a little arrogant...
The Imperial Capital Academy's arena was supported by enormous white jade pillars, as if it had been built in the distant past.
Several dozen groups were already waiting inside, eager to compete.
Aside from the top academies in the Imperial Capital, there were also some more remote academies and a few factions.
This was the Imperial Capital's strongest academy versus the Demon Capital's number-one academy!
What made it even more exciting was that Jiang Yu, hailed as the most talented mage of his generation, would be competing against the Imperial Capital Academy's student representative.
After all, Jiang Yu had awakened the New Era's first demonic talent—he was the Son of Elements!
That was the conclusion reached after countless powerful mages had studied his performance at Mingzhu's New Student Conference.
He had an innate elemental affinity, and his magical power grew stronger. He could even grasp high-level magic ahead of time.
That was why he'd been hailed as the Son of Elements.
But how could he have known that Jiang Yu would have already...
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