This was the biggest day of the year for the entire Green Campus of Pearl Academy.
The older students who had spent some time lingering around the Green Campus weren't about to pass up such a great chance to watch the freshmen embarrass themselves.
Naturally, some freshmen who were confident in their abilities were also planning to make a name for themselves today.
"Looks like I'll have to start calling you senior sister." In the cafeteria, Lan Yu sat across from Ding Yumian and spoke up.
"Call me whatever you like," Ding Yumian replied softly, though she looked rather pleased with herself.
Lan Yu smiled, then feigned a wounded expression. "Alas, my dear sister must be tired of me. She's being so perfunctory."
At his words, Ding Yumian couldn't help thinking, There he goes again!
After all these years, he was still the same.
In a word, Ding Yumian and Lan Yu were childhood friends.
Their families had lived across the hall from each other. Both sets of parents had been mages, but they had perished in the jaws of Sea Monsters during a demon-hunting mission.
Afterward, Ding Yumian's grandmother had raised her for a while, but before long, she too had passed away from illness.
From that moment on, Ding Yumian awakened the power of a psychic calamity, and that very day, Lan Yu had nearly strangled himself.
Later, Dean Fu took Ding Yumian away. From then on, they could only spend time together spacing out on weekends.
As time passed, they gradually grew up, but both of them tacitly avoided speaking of what had happened when they were little.
"You're a grown man, yet you talk like some tea-sipping drama queen. Careful, or someone might throw a sack over your head," Ding Yumian teased.
Lan Yu made a face, looking unconcerned.
He had always teased Ding Yumian like this. After all, that period had been the most painful time in her life.
Even the combined efforts of Dean Fu and Dean Xiao to comfort her hadn't worked as well as Lan Yu's teasing.
"Speaking of which, have you found a suitable Summoned Beast yet? If not, I can lend you some money so you can buy a few magic tools to help with summoning," Ding Yumian added.
Lan Yu shook his head. "That won't do. The competition at Main Campus is fierce. You should save your money to buy suitable magic equipment and tools, Yu Mian."
"Time's about up. Let's head to Green Arena."
After lunch, the two set off together for Green Arena.
They weren't the only ones. Other students were also filing into Green Arena, one after another.
By three in the afternoon, every tiered seat in Green Arena was packed with students. The faces were brimming with youthful energy, and the rows of pale legs—some in over-the-knee socks, some in black stockings—were a feast for the eyes.
Lan Yu's first element was Light Element, but his Intermediate Level element was the Summoning Element.
The day he awakened the Summoning Element, he received a gift from the Homeland—in other words, Earth Mom had granted him a cheat.
That cheat was his Summoning Element.
The other end of his Summoning Element wasn't connected to the Summoning Plane of the magical world, but to Douluo Continent!
That's right, Douluo Continent!
At the time, Lan Yu had made a decision that would have his ancestors spinning in their graves: he wouldn't rush to find a Summoned Beast just yet.
Once the cooldown was over, he would use his Summoning Element to enter Douluo Continent again and "catch" a suitable Summoned Beast.
Those quotation marks around "catch" were rather suggestive.
That was because Lan Yu was certain his Summoning Mark could be forcibly imprinted onto a living creature.
As for what level of creature he could manage, he knew that perfectly well.
As long as it didn't exceed Monarch Level, he'd have no problem.
It was just that after being forcibly branded with the Summoning Mark, the Summoned Beast's strength would be limited to the same level as its summoner.
"Lan Yu, I've been looking everywhere for you!" a voice called over.
Lan Yu turned his head and saw Zhao Manyan, that bastard, with an arm around another female student.
This bastard had switched girlfriends again!
"If you're here to show off, get out of my sight," Lan Yu said.
"Come on, I'm not here to show off this time." Zhao Manyan sat down beside Lan Yu with his new girlfriend.
Lan Yu raised an eyebrow. "Oh? What's the story?"
"I'm telling you, there's a guy in my dorm who's really my type..."
"Tsk, did you go to Rongcheng for advanced training or something?"
"Get lost! I mean his temperament and personality are right up my alley," Zhao Manyan said.
Lan Yu could tell who Zhao Manyan was talking about without even thinking.
The guy with Innate Dual Element, owner of Little Loach, Azure Dragon guardian, future Evil Saint King, the only owner of the Demon Element, master of the vampire Bola, the man behind the Parthenon Saintess, Salang's 'true love'... Mo Fan.
Wait a second. There wasn't room for that many people here.
"What's his name?" Lan Yu asked.
"That guy's called Mo Fan. He's in the Summoning Element," Zhao Manyan said. "Sigh! If only I had the Summoning Element too. Maybe Dad would get excited and leave me the whole family fortune."
"Heh! You're destined to be a Turtle Shell Mage for life. Stop dreaming about becoming a combat mage," Lan Yu sneered.
Zhao Manyan shot him an annoyed look. "And how much better are you? Your first element is Light Element too. Otherwise, we wouldn't have been called the Twin Stars of Pearl Academy Affiliated First Middle School."
"Before I begin my speech, there's something I'd like to make sure of."
Just then, Dean Xiao's deep voice rang throughout Green Arena.
"If all you want is to be a... then I can tell you with complete confidence that you've come to the wrong place!"
"Those who graduate from Pearl Academy... wealth and fame are things we don't lack. What we lack is an eternal heart devoted to pursuing the highest reaches of magic!"
After Dean Xiao said those words, nearly everyone's eyes began to gleam.
"Today is your chance to show what you can do. First, let's welcome our seven main characters—the freshmen of the Summoning Element!"
Dean Xiao kept it brief and didn't make the other school leaders give speeches one by one. He went straight to the day's main event.
The atmosphere in Green Arena immediately grew electric.
Perhaps many freshmen had planned to keep a low profile and sit out the Beast Fighting Tournament.
But after hearing Dean Xiao's words, they could hardly hold themselves back.
They had already eliminated plenty of competitors in the local magic entrance exams. Why should they keep their heads down now that they were at a magic academy?
After all, the school's resources weren't going to fall into the laps of students who kept their mouths shut for no reason.
The Seven Gourd Brothers walked to the high platform amid the crowd's cheers.
"Maybe a lot of you are unhappy. Why should the Summoning Element students become the center of attention as soon as they enroll?"
"That doesn't matter. If you can knock them down, then you'll be the real stars of the day!"
The crowd grew even more excited. Many couldn't wait to get into the Beast Fighting Cage and show off their skills!
"Zhao Manyan, go up there and put on a show. If you make a name for the Zhao Family, maybe your dad will let you inherit the family fortune on the spot," Lan Yu said with a grin.
"Me? Fight the Summoned Beasts of those Summoning freshmen? Have you lost your mind?"
Before you continue