Such a Show-Off

"Let me introduce you. Night Wind, Night Rain, Niu Ming—they were originally members of Fifth Team."

In the lounge, Chu Yunlong brought in three people dressed in Military Mage uniforms and introduced them to Bai Mo and the other two.

After everyone had exchanged greetings, Chu Yunlong continued.

"The Patrol Team's mission has changed. The patrol area is now a one-kilometer radius northwest of the foot of Third Peak. Your objective is to clear out any demons descending the mountain. The military commander has assigned me to another task for four days."

With that, he swept his gaze over the eleven people in the room. "For these four days, you will follow Zhong Ling and Jiang Cheng's orders!"

"Yes!"

Inside the relatively steady-moving small truck, Zhong Ling was laying out the arrangements for this patrol mission.

"The Wind and Rain sisters are both Ice Magicians, while Niu Ming is a Wind Mage. This time, our primary task is combat. To block off the demons across a thousand-meter area, we need to split into two teams! Jiang Cheng and I will each lead a group."

As soon as she finished speaking, Zhong Ling's gaze swept over everyone. "Night Wind, Night Rain, Zhao Qingying, Zhou Tianyuan! You'll follow Jiang Cheng. Everyone else follows me."

Her gaze passed over the remaining Shadow Mage, Light Mage, and Bai Mo as she said flatly, "No objections?"

"No!"

Bai Mo sensed that something was off. Through the window, he saw identical small trucks speeding along the narrow dirt road both ahead of and behind them.

Fourth Team and Sixth Team? What were they planning?

But he soon had no time to think about it. They had arrived.

Under normal circumstances, there were very few demons around the foot of the mountain. It was the same now. After Bai Mo and the others reached their assigned patrol area and cleared out a few Dustwind Raccoons and Giant-eyed Stinky Rats that had wandered into their path, they found nothing else for the next half day.

Speaking of Giant-eyed Stinky Rats, those things really were everywhere.

As night drew near, a bloody slaughter was unfolding within Third Peak.

Military Commander Yang Biao had brought a hundred combat mages from Middle Town's Third Peak division, along with Chu Yunlong, a Mind Element mage who was like a Demon Detector.

They were carrying out a carpet-style purge of the demons in the forest.

"Fire Seed!"

"Lightning Seal!"

"Water Barrier!"

For a time, fire rained down like a waterfall, lightning light joined the clouds, and ribbons of water danced through the air.

Their attacks and defenses were orderly. Even though they were only using Beginner Magic, once deployed in organized formations, they were just as unstoppable.

Meanwhile, Military Commander Yang Biao rode waves of earth as he kept a Commander Level Giant-Palm Raccoon Demon occupied.

"Boom~~~~"

A demonic palm larger than a millstone, its claws seemingly sharp enough to slice through iron, slammed heavily into the ground.

As though it had struck the surface of water, a deafening boom erupted, and shattered grass and wood mixed with dirt and gravel surged upward and splashed in all directions like overturned waves!

"Damn, that was quite a show. But if a stupid thing like you wants to hit Grandpa here, you're still a few hundred years too early!"

Yang Biao looked at the clump of mud that had landed before him and spat disdainfully. Flames quietly rose in his eyes.

A dazzling Scarlet Red Star Map lit up behind him, igniting the surrounding air. Scorching energy gathered in his fist, wreathed in crimson flames.

"Fierce Fist!"

Yang Biao stepped forward, then bent his knees into a half-kneel and drove his twisted right fist viciously into the ground before him.

"Nine Palaces!"

The massive energy held in the crook of his arm was violently poured beneath the earth. The injection was so rapid that the surrounding ground cracked apart completely!

With Yang Biao's roar, the power that had reached its critical point erupted beneath the Giant-Palm Raccoon Demon's feet as an enormous pillar of flame.

Towering columns of fire rose one after another, like furious dragons breaking free from their cages, destroying everything within their range—earth, grass, trees, and stubborn rocks alike.

After three parallel pillars of fire, the ground on both sides split open again, and six identical giant columns of molten flame shot into the sky.

They formed a Nine Palaces pattern, incinerating an unknown number of nearby Servant Level lesser demons and carving out a hundred-meter stretch of scorched earth in the forest.

When the flames died out, the Giant-Palm Raccoon Demon had become nothing more than a larger pile of charcoal.

Two demon nests were swiftly wiped out, while the remaining demons finally reacted during this time.

They began to organize an orderly resistance.

But it could not stop the Military Mages' advance.

Down the mountain, Bai Mo and the others gradually came under pressure as well.

Many lone demons had been driven down the mountain by the Military Mages.

For instance, the Sparrow-headed Yellow Toad—the first demon Bai Mo had ever seen. The Sparrow-headed Yellow Toad was not particularly powerful; the only thing to watch out for was the pustules covering its body.

They contained highly poisonous venom and could burst at any time, especially upon impact. Therefore, when Zhong Ling saw a Sparrow-headed Yellow Toad approaching them, she shouted while entangled with a Two-faced Cat:

"Bai Mo! Throw that toad over here!"

"Got it," Bai Mo replied urgently. A streak of silver arced through the space behind him as he faced the Sparrow-headed Yellow Toad and raised a hand to grab at it.

"Mind Control!"

A faint, nearly imperceptible silver gleam flashed around the Sparrow-headed Yellow Toad. Then, as if seized by something, it rose into the air.

With a thought, Bai Mo controlled the Sparrow-headed Yellow Toad and hurled it at the Two-faced Cat charging toward Zhong Ling.

"Bang!!!!"

With a crash, most of the shit-yellow pustules on the Sparrow-headed Yellow Toad's body visibly burst open. Murky yellow slime sprayed everywhere, most of it landing on the Two-faced Cat, with a small portion splattering onto the ground.

The weeds on the ground withered away, while the Two-faced Cat let out a shrill scream:

"Waaah-woo~~~~~~~!"

Even more disgusting than he had imagined, Bai Mo assessed inwardly. Then Zhong Ling's praise rang out beside him. "Nicely done!"

Both her hands lit up with dazzling flames, which she threw toward the two Demon Beasts on the ground.

The Two-faced Cat had been tormented beyond recognition by the venom, its muscles paralyzed. It could only watch helplessly as the flames flew toward it. Though the Sparrow-headed Yellow Toad had also been badly shaken by the impact—

—it could still move. It merely felt as though the air around it had solidified, binding it in place.

"Explode!" Zhong Ling snapped her fingers, and at her command, two explosions rang out.

"Boom boom!!"

The sun had already set, and the moon had come to take its shift.

Bai Mo's class was also handed over to a squad of Military Mages.

"Void Claw!"

Crack!

With a violent crack, Bai Mo twisted the head of the Wind Soul Rabbit before him—a full person's height tall—a full three hundred and sixty degrees. No more Demon Beasts came down from Third Peak.

The order to end the patrol soon arrived as well. After returning to Middle Town with Zhou Tianyuan and being summoned to the central square by their homeroom teacher, Su Ning, Bai Mo learned his results along with the other second-year students in the square.

First Place, S+, Bai Mo

"I remember someone saying he'd just get an S this time." Zhou Tianyuan looked at his own S- grade without any dissatisfaction, merely speaking to Bai Mo in a faintly resentful tone.

"I accidentally underperformed. There was nothing I could do."

"You really are a Space Mage."

"What?"

"You're really good at putting on an act!" Zhou Tianyuan slowly spat out those three words. He would have exploded if he hadn't said them.

Bai Mo ignored him, clasping his hands behind his back with the air of an expert.

What a joke. All the classmates around them were watching. How could he waste such a perfect moment to show off by bickering with an idiot like Zhou Tianyuan?

Bai Mo continued standing with his hands behind his back, his expression blank. In his mind, he must have looked incredibly cool and imposing right now.

He glanced at Zhou Tianyuan and sighed inwardly. What a pity. This guy really did not know how to liven up the atmosphere. He was useless at everything.

However, the students had already grown accustomed to Bai Mo's excellence and were not particularly surprised. They continued searching for their own results on the enormous stone slab in the center of the square.

A gust of wind swept past, stirred up by the homeroom teacher. Su Ning looked at Bai Mo, feeling that there was something a little strange about his current state.

But she did not pay it much mind and said, "Bai Mo, Zhou Tianyuan, come with me."

At that, Bai Mo stopped posing. Guessing that the school's reward had arrived, he exchanged a glance with Zhou Tianyuan and followed her.

Inside a room at the edge of the square, Su Ning stepped in. There was another girl in the room, and she was quite tall—around 1.7 meters, by estimate.

"This is Mei Qian," Su Ning introduced.

Bai Mo knew of her. She was ranked second in the entire school and wielded the Lightning Element.

Ignoring the silence among the three students in the room, Su Ning took out three ancient-looking invitation cards from the table and handed them over. "These are your entry passes to Jingan Stone Temple. You will enter in three days. Latecomers will not be admitted."

"Teacher Su, are we leaving tomorrow?"

"We're leaving shortly. The bus arranged by the school will be here soon." Su Ning glanced at Mei Qian, who had asked the question, before continuing, "The invitation cards state how long you may remain in Jingan Stone Temple. But don't worry. When the time comes, someone will call you out."

Hearing that, Bai Mo lowered his head and looked at the antique invitation card in his hand. There was a number on it: 14.

That should be his allotted time. Fourteen days seemed rather long.

"I only got three days!" Zhou Tianyuan lifted his gaze from his invitation card and looked at Mei Qian on his left. "Classmate Mei, how many days did you get?"

"Five days." Mei Qian's sweet, girlish voice caught Bai Mo off guard. Was this the legendary loli voice? The contrast with her height was a little extreme.

"Oh, looks like it's based on ranking. Bai Mo, how many days did you get?"

"Fourteen days."

Mei Qian and Zhou Tianyuan were both stunned. The difference was rather huge, wasn't it?

"Normally, first place only gets seven days. Jingan Stone Temple only gave all the high schools in Qingyuan District a total quota of ninety slots, but the military commander of Middle Town gave Bai Mo an additional seven days' worth of quota."

Seeing their confusion, Su Ning explained. Afterward, she asked curiously, "Bai Mo, what did you do?"

"Emmm, I don't know. I didn't do anything major. I just acted as a tool for Commander Yang and the others once, leading the way in the search."

Since he did not want to go back out to the square and bake under the sun, Bai Mo simply gave them a vivid account of what had happened that day.

After listening, Su Ning and the other two were equally baffled. It really did seem like he had not done anything important.