Diligence is Fatal

"Yawn."

Stretching lazily, Bai Mo glanced at the time. Two in the morning.

With the national exam only half a month away, he planned to do some more practice questions.

Just as he picked up his pen, his vision suddenly went black. Then, his perspective shifted, and he saw a figure slumped motionlessly on a desk.

Mysteriously, he knew he was dead.

Then his perspective continued to move upward, seeing his room. Then the brightly lit city, the blue and white planet, the endless darkness, and the brilliant starry sky.

Next, a bizarre and fantastical scene unfolded. After this, four planes appeared in his sight, one bright and one dark, one prosperous and one desolate.

Immediately after, his perspective kept zooming in on the prosperous plane. However, Bai Mo did not notice—

As his soul passed through the desolate plane, a divine light, twisted and transformed, merged into his soul as it flew towards the prosperous plane!

"Pay attention, this man is called Xiao Shuai..."

Standing on the sports field of Zhi Lan Magic High School in Modu's Qingyuan District, waiting for the awakening ceremony to begin, Bai Mo was idly scrolling through short videos.

He ignored his homeroom teacher Su Ning's gaze, let alone the principal's impassioned speech under the national flag.

Why was our classmate Bai Mo so awesome?

Because his surname was Bai, from the Modu Bai Family, and the Bai Family happened to have shares in this high school.

Of course, this only made the homeroom teacher slightly more mindful of her words and actions. The reason Su Ning didn't stop his behavior was twofold.

First, it was a trivial matter. She also felt the principal's speech was too long-winded, especially since he had been using the same script for three years.

Second, this student named Bai Mo, who was currently in front of her, had a bit of a reputation. The neighbors all knew he just wanted to slack off.

Yet, his grades hadn't slipped, leaving the teachers unsure of what to say.

"Cat News Network reports: A student from Changzhou First Magic High School died suddenly in class. The cause was..."

Looking at another report on his phone, Bai Mo shook his head. It was about an excellent Beginner Mage who died suddenly due to excessive night cultivation, leading to insufficient sleep. He used his days for classes and practicing magic control and release, overworking himself, coupled with parental pressure.

He seemed to see his past self.

Just keep grinding!

Of course, these small, obscure news platforms often exaggerated, fabricated, and took things out of context.

But he couldn't be bothered to think about it. Why should he refute videos that resonated with his own thoughts?

This Beginner Mage, "diligent to death" – those eight words clearly meant to oppose involution.

Beginner Mages could also get tired to death, which was quite strange. Although the physique of a Beginner Mage was not much different from that of an ordinary person.

So, involution is not good.

As for how Bai Mo, who rejected involution, got into magic high school?

Regarding this, Bai Mo himself was also very confused. He wasn't particularly diligent during his nine years of compulsory education, so how did he get into high school?

When the results came out, he pondered for a long time and finally concluded that it was because the other students in his district were not as smart.

In addition, although he thought that since his family background was good and his elder brother's talent was also good, he had no need to work hard at all, and no need to compete too much! He should leave some free time to enjoy life.

However, since he had arrived in this extraordinary Magic World, Bai Mo felt that awakening as a Mage was still very necessary.

He might not be strong, but he couldn't not be one!

More importantly, this world was too dangerous and not suitable for being too flashy.

Therefore, compared to other students' various cram schools, elite classes, and training camps, he appeared very laid-back.

Yet, even so, he scored first place in the entire district and eventually entered high school.

Bai Mo could only assume that his peers had not yet fully unlocked their potential.

As for the rumors that he was slacking off and lying flat, Bai Mo could only say that rumors stop with the wise.

Besides, it was none of their business how he talked big with his family.

He didn't work particularly hard, but he was still a bit far from completely slacking off.

Moreover, if he didn't have fun before becoming a Mage, he wouldn't have so much time to play afterward.

The more Bai Mo thought about what he would face after becoming a Mage, the more he cherished those carefree days that were already gone.

There isn't anyone who has attended cram schools and interest classes non-stop since birth, right?

He wasn't rejecting competition, he just couldn't bear to part with his current leisurely time.

After all, knowing the future changes of the entire Magic World, he was very clear about Modu's fate.

Three short videos of young ladies dancing had passed. Just then, the principal on stage also finished his speech.

"Students, line up, and those whose names are called will come forward to awaken their magic!"

The shout from their homeroom teacher, Su Ning, instantly energized everyone who had been drowsy.

Hearing the commotion, Bai Mo also put away his phone. The dark screen reflected a handsome, cynical young man with a high nose bridge and handsome features.

Putting away his phone, Bai Mo looked straight ahead.

At the front of the line stood Su Ning, their homeroom teacher. She had short, ear-length hair, wore a pair of silver-rimmed glasses, and was tall. In front of her was a black stone, about the size of a basketball.

Su Ning called out the first name:

"Bai Mo!"

Upon hearing his name, Bai Mo stepped out of the line. His classmates looked at him with a mixture of curiosity, admiration, and disdain, while Su Ning's expression was one of a headache.

All of it entered his sight.

In just a few steps, Bai Mo arrived before the Awakening Stone.

Getting closer, he realized the Awakening Stone was like a compass, not perfectly spherical. And within its blackness, colorful faint lights swirled.

Seeing him approach, the homeroom teacher said:

"Begin. Place your hand on it and calm your mind."

She didn't have any particular expectations for Bai Mo. The Modu Bai Family wasn't like the Modu Dongfang Family or the Didu Mu Clan, where a magic element was passed down as a hereditary lineage.

Bai Mo nodded slightly and extended his slender, fair right hand, placing it on the Awakening Stone.

The cold touch quickly calmed his nervous and excited heart.

Closing his eyes, with the help of the Awakening Stone's fluctuations, his consciousness visited his Mental World for the first time.

It was pitch black here; it needed something to illuminate it.

As soon as this thought flashed through his mind, Bai Mo saw a silver light in the center of the darkness.

"Silver!"

"It's the Space Element!"

Meanwhile, outside, Bai Mo's classmates also saw the brilliant and mysterious silver glow emanating from the Awakening Stone before him.

It illuminated his entire body.

And they immediately recognized its identity—

The Space Element!!!

Although these children, who had grown up in Modu, had seen a lot, witnessing the rare Space Element was enough to make them gasp in amazement!

The commotion in Class 1 Grade 1 also attracted the attention of other nearby students.

Thus, there was another round of shouting and exclaiming. Chinese people never lacked interest in watching a spectacle.

The homeroom teacher, Su Ning, looked at the student who had just opened his eyes, her face still showing a hint of surprise. But the silver light that flashed in Bai Mo's eyes quickly drew her attention back.

Thus, based on her brief understanding of Bai Mo, her teacher's duty compelled her to remind him:

"Student Bai Mo, you've awakened the Space Element, and your talent is excellent. I hope you will cultivate diligently in the future and not let yourself down."

"Understood, Teacher Su. Please continue."

A smile appeared on Bai Mo's face. After a brief greeting, he returned to the group.

The surrounding classmates were sizing him up, either openly or subtly, wanting to get closer. However, they were deterred by the rumors they had just heard about him and dared not approach.

"He's Bai Mo?"

"Yeah, they say he's not very sociable. Everyone else goes to the teacher's remedial classes after school, but he doesn't."

"Oh..."

Bai Mo paid no mind to these discussions.

Instead, he was thinking about what his parents' reaction would be when they found out he had awakened the Space Element.

They would probably urge him to cultivate properly.

Just like how parents in his previous life wanted their children to study hard.

Cultivation was necessary, but cultivating on his own initiative felt different from being constantly pushed and nagged. It felt different.

He was mainly afraid of suddenly being scheduled with activities one day.

Everyone needed a period of adaptation.

Moreover, Bai Mo felt that it was fine to proceed step by step.

His older brother, at the young age of 23, was already a High-Level Mage and had a promising future. He could completely shoulder the responsibility of the family! He could just be a regular piece of trash.

Just kidding. The main reason was... well, he just wanted to arrange things himself.

However, the old man had many affairs to handle every day, and his mom was busy playing mahjong with others.

They probably wouldn't notice such a small matter as his awakening today, right?!

Shaking his head, Bai Mo temporarily shifted his attention to the students on the field who were undergoing their awakenings.

He didn't care which powerful magic element someone awakened. He just wanted to see if there were any pretty girls.

So he could look at them, rest his eyes, and relax his mind.

To Bai Mo's surprise, his search actually yielded results.

Next to their class, a girl with a graceful figure and light steps was slowly walking towards her class's Awakening Stone.

Her demeanor was like a secluded orchid, quiet and serene. Her movements were elegant and unhurried, possessing a natural, ethereal charm.

A cascade of black hair was tied with a cyan ribbon, swaying back and forth with the breeze as she walked.