After Tang Miao joined Advanced Class, he looked around at his classmates and saw that the roster had changed again. Some familiar faces were gone, while a few new ones had appeared.
Just after he sat down, Little Fox, Dongfang Hui, came over to him.
Seeing how excited she looked, Tang Miao asked in confusion, "Did you eat bee poop or something? Why are you so happy?"
Dongfang Hui had been grinning from ear to ear, but the moment she heard that, her face turned livid!
"We haven't seen each other all summer. How are you still so annoying?"
Tang Miao chuckled, then said, "I'm just trying to get Miss Dongfang's attention."
They had known each other for half a year. Dongfang Hui wasn't stupid; there was no way she'd believe what Tang Miao said. He'd teased their homeroom teacher a few times, but he'd always treated her like a classmate!
Pouting, she gave a soft snort. "How come I didn't notice?"
She looked like a little flirt, yet acted so aloof. Tang Miao found it a little boring, and asked, "What is it?"
When Dongfang Hui heard him ask, she happily replied, "I've reached the second level in Beginner Magic!"
Tang Miao had thought she'd finally come to her senses and was going to make a move. He'd even decided where to take her on a date that evening. But then... "That's it?"
Dongfang Hui was displeased by his reaction. "What do you mean? Isn't that impressive enough?"
Tang Miao shook his head and said nothing. After all, he was already close to becoming an Intermediate Mage!
Dongfang Hui had always been competitive. The reason she wanted to surpass Tang Miao was that only the top student from each region had a chance to get into the Imperial Capital's Top Academy.
So, if she wanted better training conditions and resources, she had no choice but to work hard.
But Tang Miao's attitude made her unhappy. She felt as if he was looking down on her!
Dongfang Hui's pride had been brushed aside, and she snapped, "Are you looking down on me? Do you dare to have a match?"
"Isn't magic dueling prohibited for anyone under eighteen?"
"You..."
Dongfang Hui was at a loss for words. She huffed a few times, then left and went to another seat.
Tang Miao looked at Nan Li, one of the top ten students in Advanced Class, and asked, puzzled, "She's always trying to surpass me. Do you know why?"
Nan Li and Tang Miao got along fairly well. Hearing the question, he explained, "You don't know about the Imperial Capital Academy's student recruitment?"
"No."
Tang Miao had no intention of going to the Imperial Capital, so why would he care about that?
Nan Li explained the Imperial Capital Academy's admissions process. Only then did Tang Miao understand why the girl had been trying to surpass him ever since he'd trounced her... So that was the reason!
"I see."
Now that he knew what was going on, he felt even worse than when he hadn't known. Tang Miao had thought his own dazzling presence had made the girl competitive, and that maybe she'd improve a little because of it... or something~
But now it seemed that wasn't the case. She was only worried he'd take her spot...
He'd gotten his hopes up for nothing, and it had all come to naught. How could he not be disappointed?
Sure enough, if you wanted a girl to admire you, you needed some seriously impressive accomplishments. Without them, it was all just wishful thinking!
Just then, their homeroom teacher, Li Li, walked in. She looked at everyone and said, "Class, this is our fourth semester. You've all made considerable progress, but you'll be graduating in a year and a half. If you want to get into a good academy, you'll need to work hard during that time."
"..."
After offering a few words of encouragement and reminding them of the pressure they were under, Li Li began today's lesson.
The lessons were mostly about familiarizing them with all kinds of known Demon Beasts and how to deal with them...
Tang Miao had never been interested in theory classes. He either cultivated or slept. During practical classes, he practiced controlling his magic. Even with Innate Talent, he still had to accumulate Star Seeds after Stardust to Nebula, so there was no harm in practicing whenever he had free time.
Of course, he was still hard to satisfy. He simply didn't have enough time to meditate...
After the morning classes ended, Tang Miao stopped Dongfang Hui as she was leaving. Quite a few classmates noticed, but none of them dared to get involved in the drama between those two.
Only after everyone had gradually left did Dongfang Hui speak. "Why'd you stop me?"
"Are you planning to apply to Imperial Capital Academy?" Tang Miao asked directly, without beating around the bush.
Dongfang Hui nodded without denying it, then said confidently, "By graduation, I'll have surpassed you!"
Tang Miao smiled and mocked her. "I'm already about to reach Level Three. Where does all that confidence come from?"
"What!?"
She was surprised, but didn't doubt him for a second. She didn't think Tang Miao would lie to her... Besides, there didn't seem to be any reason for him to.
Though she felt discouraged, Dongfang Hui still insisted, "So what? There's still a year and a half. I'll definitely surpass you."
Tang Miao smiled and looked at the girl who was striving toward her dream with an amused expression. "How about this? I'll give you a chance. Sleep with me for one night, and I'll give you my spot."
Hearing that, Dongfang Hui clenched her fist and swung at him. "Go to hell!"
Tang Miao dodged easily and stepped back a few paces.
By then, Dongfang Hui had decided to use magic!
Seeing this, Tang Miao hurriedly said, "Stop, stop, stop! I was kidding!"
When Dongfang Hui eyed him warily, Tang Miao shrugged. "I'm not planning to leave Magic Capital. I'm going to Pearl Academy, so I won't compete with you for a spot. You don't have to spend all your time trying to outdo me."
Only then did Dongfang Hui relax. Still a little doubtful, she asked, "You mean you're not going to Imperial Capital Academy?"
Tang Miao nodded. "I never intended to leave Magic Capital."
Dongfang Hui asked again, "Then why don't you just apply to Pearl Academy?"
"Come on, I'm only a Beginner Mage. What am I supposed to apply with?" Tang Miao did want to go to Pearl Academy, since its resources surely wouldn't be any worse than the ones here!
But he was only a Beginner Mage right now. He had no chance of getting in.
"Don't you know that Pearl Academy recruits Lightning Element students regardless of their level?" Dongfang Hui stared at Tang Miao and said calmly.
"What did you say!?"
Tang Miao froze. Then he stared at Dongfang Hui in shock, unable to believe it. "Is that true!?"
PS: There'll be more campus life. The early levels are just a transition. I'd originally planned to have the protagonist follow Bo City, but if he's following the protagonist the whole time, it'll be no different from the original. So I decided not to have him start out following the protagonist.
Also, although the protagonist knows the plot, I've set it up so that he only remembers the general outline. Details he selectively forgot, like who the boss is.
Anyway, just keep reading. There'll be plenty of heroines, but he won't jump into bed with them at first sight. If you want to know who they are, wait until the character list comes out after the contract is signed!
This is my first time writing Full-time Mage, so please bear with me if I get anything wrong. If you don't like it, feel free to leave~
Before you continue