Came to Magic City to Beg

It was gone. The Star Dust was really gone.

Zhou Sining's heart bled. His luck today was rotten to the core!

If his awakening had simply failed, he might not have been so devastated.

But it had succeeded, only for Gangsha to blast it out of existence!

Damn it. So that "test" had been a straight-up fight!

How could a newborn speck of Star Dust possibly withstand an attack from a top-tier Devouring Seed?!

If he reached the Advanced Level and his Spirit Seed evolved into a Soul Seed, it would stand even less of a chance.

Was he really going to spend his whole life with just this one Fire Element and this one Devouring Seed?!

Whoosh!

As if sensing Zhou Sining's thoughts, the Gangsha Flame, which had only just settled down, surged three meters high and swayed restlessly.

"Get lost. I'm not in the mood to coax you right now!"

Boom!

The Gangsha Flame erupted. Rings of white fire rolled outward from the center of the Nebula like a tiny exploding planet, protesting against Zhou Sining and almost seeming to curse him back.

It was too weak to be my teammate. Let's be honest, this is your fault for being useless. If you actually had talent, how could its Star Dust have glowed so faintly?

"You little bastard!" Zhou Sining understood Gangsha's meaning, and his lungs nearly burst with rage.

Inside his own Spiritual World, Gangsha had dared to unleash rings of flame and curse him.

Rebellious brat! How dare you!

"Fuck!!!"

Furious, Zhou Sining withdrew from his Spiritual World. He failed to notice two stars twinkling in the Chaos Mist beside the Nebula...

The Awakening Room was still dim and quiet. The Awakening Stone still gave off its silver glow. Nothing had changed.

Only Zhou Sining's face had changed. It was so dark it nearly blended into the surroundings.

"What fucking rotten luck!!!"

Zhou Sining couldn't help swearing.

He hated stories that gave him hope only to turn it into despair at the end.

It felt even worse when he had brought that despair on himself and still couldn't bear to give up the cause of it.

Even if he could go back and choose again, he would still choose Gangsha.

Heavenly Gang, Earthly Sha, sanctioned by heaven, born to kill!

Those few words alone summed up Gangsha's power and potential.

But having his awakening fail still hurt like hell.

The Advanced Level remained far out of reach, and his odds of succeeding at his next awakening were slimmer still.

Zhou Sining took a deep breath. No matter how unwilling he felt, he couldn't change the fact that his awakening had failed.

Forget it...

He buried his anger and frustration, then strode out of the Awakening Room.

The awakening mage was about to step forward and ask how it had gone, but one look at Zhou Sining's frighteningly dark expression made him wisely hold his tongue. He merely pointed politely toward the exit.

Luo Song gave a derisive snort. "Don't tell me your awakening failed?"

For once, he wasn't just picking a fight. Zhou Sining really did look that awful.

Most people who failed to awaken the element they wanted would be annoyed or upset at worst.

Luo Song had never seen anyone with a face as dark as charcoal.

Unless Zhou Sining utterly despised the element he'd awakened, his awakening could only have failed.

"Ahem!" The awakening mage coughed awkwardly.

"Young master... perhaps we should..." The butler beside Luo Song pulled out a handkerchief and wiped away his sweat.

As the largest Magic Association in the country, the Mingzhu Magic Association supplied top-quality Awakening Stones. If Zhou Sining had failed to awaken, it could only mean his talent was truly terrible.

Everyone present was a mage. They all knew that was a worse insult than cursing someone's entire family.

"Get lost, fat pig, or I'll burn you to a crisp!" Zhou Sining had never been gentle at heart.

He glared at Luo Song. White flames flared in his pupils, and several strands of formidable magical energy leaked from his body.

That look, that aura—Zhou Sining really did intend to kill!

Luo Song froze for a moment, startled by those furious eyes. Then he came to his senses and flew into a rage.

"You think I'm afraid of you? How dare you speak to me, Luo Song, like that!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a trace of Ice Aura burst from his body.

The situation escalated in an instant.

The awakening mage hurriedly shouted, "What are you doing? This is the Magic Association!"

"Young master, don't!" The butler grabbed Luo Song by the arm.

Zhou Sining realized he had gone too far and quickly reined in his magical energy.

At the same time, he caught Luo Song's name. "You're Luo Song? Your family's based in the Imperial Capital, and you have a sworn rival named Xu Dalong, don't you?"

Luo Song froze too.

He hadn't expected Zhou Sining to know so many details.

He couldn't help sizing Zhou Sining up, but no matter how long he looked, this broke nobody didn't seem like someone who could ever move in his circles.

Whatever the case, he couldn't back down.

Luo Song sneered. "That's right, I'm Luo Song. If you know what's good for you, apologize and get lost!"

Zhou Sining scoffed. "Well, I'll be damned. You fat pig came to Magic City to beg for scraps this early?"

"What did you say?!"

"I said you couldn't hack it in the Imperial Capital, so you came to Magic City to beg for scraps!"

Crack, crack, crack!

Luo Song's fury took form. A slab of solid crystalline ice suddenly spread beneath his feet, its cold radiating through the air like the anger rising within him!

Luo Song was furious. Truly furious!

Nothing stung him more than being mocked for failing to make it in the Imperial Capital and having to leave for Magic City.

And Zhou Sining had put it in even crueler, uglier terms!

Luo Song no longer had the presence of mind to wonder how Zhou Sining knew so much. All he wanted was to kill this mouthy little punk!

Everything this broke nobody wore couldn't have cost three hundred in total. How dare Zhou Sining say that to him?!

The situation spiraled completely out of control. The butler and the awakening mage cried out almost at the same time.

"Young master, don't!"

"Stop! You there, pull back your magic!"

The association's security guards rushed over. "First warning: pull back your magic."

The security guards at the Mingzhu Magic Association were no ordinary guards. Most were Tribunal members still undergoing evaluation, and they were far stronger than ordinary Intermediate Mages.

A wave of pressure bore down on Luo Song. He clearly understood the gap between himself and the other man, and reluctantly withdrew his magic.

"What do you think you're doing?!" the Tribunal officer shouted.

"Sorry, sorry. We lost our heads." The butler stepped forward first to defuse the situation.

This was the Pearl Mage Tower. To violate the Mage Convention so blatantly here could land someone before the Mage Court if they weren't careful!

"I'm sorry for causing trouble." Zhou Sining apologized to the awakening mage and the Tribunal officer.

"They're young and hotheaded. Please be understanding," the butler continued.

"Yes, yes. It's just a quarrel between young people. We'll sort it out," the awakening mage added.

If responsibility were assigned, he would be held directly accountable. The consequences for him would be serious.

The officer glanced at the defiant Luo Song. "You'd better. There's nothing wrong with being young and hotheaded, but you need to know where you are."

"Yes, yes. We'll make sure to discipline them."

With the situation under control, there was no need to make a bigger issue of it. The officer said nothing more and turned to leave.

The Tribunal's evaluations were strict. If trouble broke out in the area under his watch, it would reflect badly on him too.

The butler then handed the awakening mage a card. "I'm terribly sorry for the trouble today. This is for a hotel our family owns. You can use it for a thirty percent discount on your next visit. It's just a small token of apology."

"It's fine, it's fine. Now, you should get on with the awakening." The awakening mage's expression softened.

"Of course. Young master, please go ahead."

Luo Song snorted and headed toward the Awakening Room.

As he passed Zhou Sining, he couldn't help stopping. "You'd better pray this is the last time we meet. Next time, I won't let you off!"

"I don't want to see you either, you fat pig who came to Magic City to beg for scraps."