15. I Want to Challenge First Place

Once he reached the Lightning Territory, Tang Miao first went to find two teachers.

After all, staying away and only showing up to collect resources without getting penalized—these two teachers were pretty decent!

When Tang Miao walked into their office, he saw they were both there. Without wasting time, he said directly, "Teacher Sun Yuan, Teacher Qian Kun, I'm here to sign up for tomorrow's new Challenge Tournament."

Hearing this, the two of them set down their work and looked up at him.

When they saw it was Tang Miao, Sun Yuan said with a displeased expression, "You little rascal, are you treating the academy like a resource supply depot?"

Qian Kun didn't say anything, but it was clear he was also a bit resentful.

Knowing he was in the wrong, Tang Miao gave an awkward smile and said, "How could that be, teachers? I was just in seclusion for a while. Calm down, calm down... Under your brilliant guidance, this student has already broken through to Intermediate Level One. Now I can cast Intermediate Level One Lightning Magic."

Even though the two hadn't taught him anything, since he still had to get by in this academy, it was better to say something nice.

Whether it was Sun Yuan or Qian Kun, both seemed quite satisfied after hearing this.

They hadn't really guided him, but they enjoyed the empty praise~

Seeing that Tang Miao was being so considerate, they decided not to scold him further.

Qian Kun asked curiously, "Kid, what rank are you planning to challenge this time?"

Tang Miao smiled and said, "Of course the Top Twenty. I need a chance to enter the Three-Step Tower. I'm counting on it to keep breaking through."

"Uh..."

Qian Kun hesitated for a moment, then said, "Tang Miao! Have you not read the school rules carefully?"

"Huh?"

Tang Miao looked at Qian Kun with confusion and asked, "What rules are there?"

"The chance to cultivate in the Three-Step Tower is only available to the top twenty in the Fire Element. For other elements... only the top three in Lightning get that opportunity..." Qian Kun shrugged in response.

"What the hell!"

Hearing what Qian Kun said, Tang Miao let out a curse without thinking.

"Teacher Qian, you're not joking, are you!?"

Qian Kun shook his head, looking like he wasn't joking at all. Then he added, "As for Dark Magic, White Magic, and Dimensional Magic, they don't get this chance either. Those are all considered supplementary courses. The Water Element, Light Element, Rock Element, Plant Element, and Wind Element also have no opportunity."

Below the Super Level, the strongest in combat were Lightning, Fire, and Ice.

Lightning Mages were one in a thousand, so their numbers were small, and naturally, the quota for entering the Three-Step Tower was limited.

As for Ice, only the first-place could get one day of cultivation.

Fire, being the second strongest element and very common, was naturally different.

After hearing Qian Kun's explanation, Tang Miao suddenly felt terrible. This Pearl Academy was practically set up for Mo Fan, dammit!

He had been worrying before about whether the Three-Step Tower could accommodate everyone if multiple elements had this chance.

Of course, it was also because the original author hadn't explained it... Anyway, it wasn't the writer's fault.

Tang Miao was silent for a moment before asking, "So for the top three in Lightning, how many days do they get?"

Sun Yuan spoke up at this point, "First place gets five days. Second place gets three days. Third place gets one day!"

Tang Miao hesitated for a bit, then said, "In that case, I'll challenge for first place this time."

He had originally wanted to keep a low profile and hide some of his strength. But since he'd be exposed sooner or later anyway, why bother hiding? Right now, improving his strength was the most important thing.

He only had one element that could cast Intermediate Magic, but he still had three other elements to use. Besides, his Lightning-Ice Dual Domain was worth trying. And he really wanted to know how strong he was now!

The moment Tang Miao finished speaking, Sun Yuan and Qian Kun were both stunned...

Last time, this kid had directly challenged the top hundred. This time, he was going straight for first place?

Couldn't he take it slow?

Qian Kun couldn't help but advise, "I know you can use Thought Star Track, and I know your magic has strong killing power. But you need to understand, your talent has already been discovered. In the academy, it's not as effective anymore. The first-place holder, Ouyang Yuan, is from the Ouyang Family, which specializes in Lightning.

Although they're not that powerful nationwide, they're still a notable presence in the Magic Capital. And Ouyang Yuan isn't just at Intermediate Level Three in his main Lightning Element—his supplementary Rock Element is also at Intermediate Level Three."

In other words, Ouyang Yuan was almost ready to graduate.

Challenging him was completely unnecessary. After all, he was about to become an Advanced Mage.

Tang Miao nodded and said, "Yeah, I know. It's him!"

His Lightning Domain could reduce damage from the same element, and what threat was Intermediate Rock Magic? He had nothing to fear. He was taking that first place!

After all, five days of cultivation in the Three-Step Tower would save him a lot of resources.

Qian Kun's mouth twitched slightly. "Kid, did you understand what I said... He has a Spirit Seed!"

Tang Miao still nodded casually, a slight smile curling at the corner of his mouth. "Teacher, I understood. This time, I'll show you my full strength."

Now that he had reached Intermediate Level, he had some ability to protect himself. Besides, that kid Mo Fan had also exposed his Innate Dual Element at Intermediate Level. As long as he entered the Three-Step Tower, breaking through would be a piece of cake, right?

At worst, he'd catch the attention of that lunatic named Lu Nian. But as for the Demon Element, he had no intention of refusing it. With his four elements and strong mental power, he was no worse than Mo Fan. How could he not control it?

At most, he'd have to live like a Savage for a while, fighting in the wild!

As for major powers killing him to eliminate a threat—that was completely out of the question. After all, he had connections, specifically with the Judgment Society.

With my fiancée around, why would I panic?

Besides, I have no ties to any other major families—under these circumstances, who would make a move on me?

And the Black Vatican? They're busy with their experiments right now, waiting for the Conferring Gods Tournament in the Ancient Capital. Because of this, I need to become stronger! After all, I have to intervene in the Ancient Capital's disaster—no other reason, this is the one pass that gets me a green light.

With that pass in hand, if I run into anyone showing off, I'll just step on them directly. I've been keeping a low profile for eighteen years now—if I keep this up any longer, it'd be a disgrace to my innate talent.

Sun Yuan and Qian Kun were both taken aback, not quite understanding the meaning behind those words. But since Tang Miao was so insistent, they couldn't say anything more—after all, some things are best left hinted at rather than spelled out.