Lan Yu sat in the audience seats, with Zhao Manyan's ceaseless voice of envy and jealousy beside him.
"You beast! You absolute beast!"
"How come your Summoned Beast can be such a powerful tiger? Heaven is unfair!"
"Damn you, Lan Yu! You bastard, Lan Yu! I curse your kid to never awaken magic!"
"Hey, Zhao Manyan, believe it or not, I'll feed you to my Summoned Beast right now?"
"Aw, come on, Brother Lan, I was wrong." Zhao Manyan quickly backed down.
At any rate, he'd gotten all the cursing out of his system and had thoroughly enjoyed the satisfaction of mouthing off.
"..."
Lan Yu rolled his eyes. What a little bastard.
Just as expected, Pearl defeated Imperial Capital in the second match as well.
When the result came in, almost everyone in the stadium could hardly believe it.
Everyone had thought Imperial Capital Academy would even the score in the second match, but they hadn't expected it to lose to Pearl Academy again.
They hadn't expected that, besides Lan Yu, Mo Fan would also be so formidable.
He was an Innate Dual Element, with Summoning, Lightning, and Fire. Both his Lightning and Fire elements even had dual Spirit Seeds.
Even Imperial Capital Academy's trump card, Mu Ningxue, was no match for him.
"Damn it, I'll make that kid pay!" Lu Zhenghe, who had just come off the field, glared viciously at Mo Fan, his face twisted with resentment.
Lu Yiming sighed. "I can't believe we lost both matches to Pearl. Looks like Pearl really is hiding dragons and crouching tigers this year!"
"Hmph!" Lu Zhenghe snorted. "I don't think they're anything special."
"Heh, even an Innate Dual Element is nothing special? Still better than you and that guy from Pearl, who both rely on beasts to earn a living!" Liao Mingxuan naturally wouldn't miss the chance to mock Lu Zhenghe.
"You!"
"Enough." Lu Yiming raised a hand to stop the two of them. "Victory and defeat are commonplace in war. Besides, this match was meant to be an opportunity for us to learn from each other. The most important part is the training that comes next."
Magic students mostly cultivated in places like schools. Even when they got practical experience, it was usually through duels with mages, which still left a lot to be desired. That was why training that brought them face-to-face with Demon Beasts was essential.
University training was nothing like the little exercises they'd done in high school. The students would be sent beyond the Safe Zone, with no teachers accompanying them and no hunters there to protect them. They would have to overcome every obstacle and face the Demon Beasts on their own.
Casualties were inevitable during this kind of training. But as a mage, one ought to be prepared for that from the moment one awakened magic!
Otherwise, they might as well give up magic early and be ordinary people who knew nothing of it, enjoying a warm home with a wife and children.
News of Imperial Capital Academy's two consecutive defeats spread far and wide in no time.
Especially after Pearl Academy's leaders heard Gu Han's painstakingly detailed report, they grinned from ear to ear, finally able to hold their heads high.
Mo Fan's reputation as an Innate Dual Element spread to academies across the country as well.
He was already a prominent figure, known as Pearl Academy's great demon. Now, with the revelation that he had an Innate Dual Element, the buzz around him soared.
Of course, bored students at other universities had even put together a Talent Ranking, collecting students who had revealed special talents and updating the list in real time.
Mo Fan and Mu Ningxue both made the list. Mo Fan's Innate Dual Element ranked fifth, while Mu Ningxue's innate Ice Spirit Seed ranked ninth.
But having talent was one thing; being able to make the most of it was another.
"Next, you'll be going beyond the Safe Zone for training. There'll be no protective measures whatsoever. Even if your lives are in danger, no one will come to save you."
Teacher Li Jing, who had arrived at Imperial Capital Academy ahead of the students to prepare for various arrangements, spoke gravely.
"Really? No one?"
"We'll give each of you a light-magic signal pen. If you get trapped somewhere, we'll send a rescue team... but you'll have to hold out until they arrive."
"This..."
At those words, the students' faces stiffened.
"Every year, students are killed or injured during university training. Once you step beyond the Safe Zone, you must stay on high alert at all times. One careless moment could cost you your life!" Gu Han said with a stern expression.
"You've all taken classes on Demon Beasts, and your teachers have told you some things about the areas beyond the Safe Zone. In fact, most of those teachers have never ventured beyond the Safe Zone themselves. They're mostly just talking theory, so take some of what you hear in class with a grain of salt. It might not be useful out there... In short, be careful in everything you do. All ten of you must leave together and come back together." Qiu Yuhua gave them a stern warning.
Only now did everyone realize that the training ahead was no game. One careless mistake, and they could be buried in the wilderness.
"We have a general direction for this training. We'll let you know the details later. In the meantime, you can visit the auction house or magic gatherings in Imperial Capital. If you've got some savings, buy yourself a good defensive magic tool. At a critical moment, it could save your life."
The students chosen for the exchange program had not only proven their strength, but generally came from decent families too—with two exceptions.
There were still five days until the training began. During that time, the wealthier students could buy a suitable life-saving magic tool.
If it weren't for the cooldown period he still had to wait through, Lan Yu would have long since slipped off to Douluo Continent, plunged into the deepest part of the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well, collected the Water and Fire Dragon Kings' remains, and awakened his Martial Soul while he was at it.
Looks like he could only find a chance to slip away during the training.
After all, he still had one forced contract imprint he hadn't used.
As for whether to choose the Silver Dragon King, who was healing in the core region of Star Dou Forest, or the Snow Empress in the Far North, Lan Yu would have to think it over carefully.
Five days passed in the blink of an eye.
After Dean Song He, the Holy City's Grand Elder Emeritus, had rambled on for a while, the students from Pearl and Imperial Capital set off for Jinlin Desolate City.
They flew to Kangning City, the nearest city to Jinlin City, then the group of eighteen set out on foot for Jinlin Desolate City.
On the way, Jingjing, the top student, naturally began explaining the concept of Demon Beast tribes.
Luo Song didn't get along with Mo Fan, so he used the Bo City disaster as an excuse to make fun of him.
Of course, Luo Song's behavior earned him a glare from Mu Ningxue. He hunched his shoulders and didn't dare say another word.
Who knew what Imperial Capital's other students thought, but the students from Pearl Academy had all grown to dislike Luo Song.
If Mo Fan hadn't been so "easygoing," that fat Luo Song would have made a sweet snack for the Swift Star Wolf.
"Let's get one thing straight. I've always been the one in charge of the team. Since Dean Song He expects us to work together on this training, the eighteen of us need to have some rules."
"So I'll be in charge. You can offer opinions or suggestions, but I'll make the major decisions: which way we go, what we do when we encounter a Demon Beast, when we rest... I'll decide all of that."
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