The Mu Family's Wishful Thinking

Mu Bai took a deep breath, adjusted his clothes, and walked towards the stage.

This was his chance to prove himself with his Talent, to enter the Mu Family's core disciples, and even to catch the eye of the goddess.

He, Mu Bai, had waited for this moment for many years!

Placing his hand on the Star Sensing Stone, Mu Bai closed his eyes.

He had to admit, even though Mu Bai was a bit of a Green Tea Man, his attitude towards Magic was commendable. Despite being more nervous than anyone else, his meditation process was incredibly smooth, forming a stark contrast with Zhang Xiaohou's earlier performance.

White ice spread rapidly from the Star Sensing Stone, covering its entire surroundings.

These ice shards were incredibly potent, even overflowing from the Star Sensing Stone and reflecting onto Mu Bai's face.

The entire class of teachers and students widened their eyes, shock etched on every face.

The light overflowed!

"My Demonic Energy isn't even full, and Mu Bai's is overflowing?"

"He's so much stronger than Zhou Min. I doubt anyone can suppress Mu Bai except Xu Zhao Ting."

"Are you sure? Didn't you see Mu Bai got three S's, while Xu Zhao Ting got two S's and an A+!"

"Mu Bai, you're amazing!"

Zhao Kun San, Mu Bai's top follower, said smugly, "See that, Mo Fan? That's the difference between you and a genius! Grovel and apologize to our Mu Bai later, and he might even help you out if he's in a good mood... Oh, I almost forgot, you're being expelled after the assessment today, so you won't even have a chance to grovel, hahahaha."

"Zhao Kun San, try saying one more word!"

Mo Fan couldn't be bothered to reply, but Zhang Xiaohou couldn't stand it. If the leadership group hadn't been standing in front of them, they might have started fighting right then and there.

On stage.

The result of three S's didn't impress Mu Ningxue; the girl remained aloof. After exchanging a look with Mu He, Mu Bai chose to proceed with the Magic Release assessment.

"Go, Ice Vine!"

The star track appeared, and under Mu Bai's command, the power of ice turned the test dummy into a popsicle, even freezing the playground beneath the dummy's feet.

Another Ice Element student had performed their release assessment earlier, but their performance was far inferior to Mu Bai's, and leagues behind Mu Ningxue's.

Many students standing nearby were startled and retreated, while the school leaders' eyes were full of praise.

Mu Bai let out a long breath, looking nervously at Mu Ningxue. But to his utter shock, Mu Ningxue wasn't looking at him!

She was looking at... Mo Fan!

Mo Fan! Mo Fan! It's that scoundrel again!

Why would she look at a bug like him, who was destined to drive a large truck with his useless father? I performed my Magic Release so well, why isn't she looking at me?

Not only Mu Ningxue and Mo Fan, but Mu Bai also saw his dream girl, the perfect teacher Tang Yue, chatting happily with Xu Fang!

Pain, so much pain.

Mu Bai felt like the protagonist of a cuckold manga: handsome, diligent, and hardworking, only to have his home stolen by an ugly, fat Blondie.

Intense unwillingness contorted his expression. He abruptly turned to look at the chief examiner.

Get these two kicked out, immediately!

Meanwhile.

"You're saying the chief examiner will tamper with the Star Sensing Stone? Just because you offended Mu Bai, and the chief examiner is from the Mu Family?" Tang Yue chuckled, "It's just a conflict between students, how could a major family be so petty... Uh."

She recalled the aristocratic children she had encountered.

It seemed they really weren't very magnanimous.

Xu Fang sighed, "When you're kind, you get bullied by dogs. Mo Fan and I are both mild-mannered. If the Mu Family really bullies us, we'll probably just cry ourselves to sleep..."

"Alright, alright, stop complaining. I'll keep an eye out for you later, okay?" Having interacted with Xu Fang for a semester, Tang Yue knew him well. He was audacious; it was a good thing if he didn't bully others.

Mild-mannered?

I think he's thick-skinned!

"Next, Mo Fan!"

Mo Fan walked onto the stage with his hands in his pockets, sensing something was amiss.

Blondie was rushed off the stage, replaced by Green Tea Man. It was too coincidental that I'm up right after Green Tea Man finished his test... My head itches, it's about to grow a brain!

Mo Fan decisively chose to give up thinking. Eat when you should eat, drink when you should drink. When soldiers come, block them; when water comes, cover it. If you don't stand up, it's a sunny day.

The chief examiner looked at him, a hint of mockery flashing in his eyes.

You little punk, do you think your Talent is high? What good is high Talent? Out in the world, you need connections. The Mu Family is the TOP 0 power in Bocheng!

Having offended the Mu Family, the future of these two brats is destined to be tied to the bottom rung...

"Do it like this, place your hand on the Star Sensing Stone."

While demonstrating, the chief examiner placed his hand on the Star Sensing Stone and took the opportunity to stick a dark stone onto it.

The dark stone was small and its color was very similar to the Star Sensing Stone. Without Shadow Element assistance, it would be very difficult to spot with the naked eye.

As for the magic artifacts?

Mo Fan was just a student, dirt poor. What kind of money could he have, wearing a cheap plastic pendant just for show?

As for Xu Fang, who was next to go on stage, perhaps he had some way to detect the dark stone, but so what?

The Mu Family could completely push the blame onto Mo Fan, saying this kid failed his assessment, lost his composure, and tried to frame a classmate, dragging others down with him.

If Xu Fang also failed to detect it, that would be even better.

They could take the opportunity to attack the military, insisting that they were trying to interfere with pure education and disrupt Bocheng's long-standing balance and stability.

Of course, it wasn't impossible to reconcile, as long as you showed enough sincerity—for example, opening up more Earth Sacred Spring spots to Mu Family disciples would be a good form of compensation.

It didn't matter if you disagreed; negotiating business always involved back-and-forth bargaining. In short, muddying the waters was the right move!

And the person who opened up this situation would surely receive the greatest reward from the Mu Family, perhaps even becoming a honored elder within their lifetime...

Thinking of that beautiful scenario, the bald chief examiner couldn't help but let out a "kuku ku" laugh, which sent a shiver down Mo Fan's spine.

Yikes, this guy isn't a closeted gay guy, is he...

"Cough, cough, the test is about to begin!" the chief examiner said.

Mo Fan took a step forward, about to place his hand on the Star Sensing Stone, when he heard an unfriendly voice.

"Stop!" Tang Yue said coldly, "This Star Sensing Stone has a problem!"

Everyone's faces changed, especially the chief examiner and Mu Bai, whose faces instantly turned pale.

Mu He was calmer, shouting to stop her, trying to use his position as a school director to suppress Tang Yue, but Tang Yue completely ignored him.

"Teacher Tang Yue, may I ask what the problem is?" Principal Zhu asked politely.

He didn't know Tang Yue's background. All he knew was that this woman had been transferred from a higher department. His old leader had specifically instructed him to give her whatever she needed and cooperate with her in any way possible.

Tang Yue's face was grim as she strode onto the stage. Disregarding the jumping and enraged bald examiner, she reached under the Star Sensing Stone and pulled out the dark stone.

The bald examiner wet himself.

Framing someone during a Magic exam, that was a serious crime, punishable by expulsion and a permanent record!

The students didn't recognize the dark stone and whispered amongst themselves, confused. Several examiners exchanged glances, none daring to speak first.

Mu He was the first to speak, "So the Star Sensing Stone broke. These things are useful, but they're too fragile... Thankfully, Teacher Tang Yue discovered it in time and corrected our mistake. Hey, you, hurry up and get a new one!"

The chief examiner felt as if he had been granted amnesty.

Tang Yue frowned. She knew this matter was inseparable from the Mu Family.

If she exposed this incident, it would be difficult for the school leadership. The students wouldn't receive any compensation. Offending the Mu Family, the local power brokers, would also affect her mission to investigate the Black Vatican.

She could only temporarily...

"This is a dark stone! It can absorb the light of the Star Sensing Stone, turning an S into a B!" a furious voice suddenly boomed.