Recruitment

The two chatted idly for a while before Mu Nujiao suddenly remembered something and looked at Zhou Sining beside her.

"Right, you said you were here to see your friend..."

"When you messaged me, I told him not to come out. He's probably fast asleep in his dorm by now," Zhou Sining said.

Mo Fan had actually been online the whole time, pressing him to explain what had happened, but Zhou Sining hadn't had a chance to reply until he reached the police station.

He sent Mo Fan a quick message saying he'd gotten into a fight outside Pearl Academy. Mo Fan responded with a string of 666s and said Zhou Sining was no friend at all for not inviting him to a brawl.

Then Zhou Sining had been called away to give his statement, and afterward he couldn't be bothered to answer the guy.

"Good thing you didn't ask him to come. It would've been a pain if he'd gotten dragged into this," Mu Nujiao said with an understanding nod.

At that, Zhou Sining suddenly remembered that the Beast Fighting Competition from the original story was coming up soon.

It was one of Mo Fan's most memorable moments of showing off and putting people in their place. It was also a standout appearance for Mu Nujiao, an important supporting character early in the story.

Later, the two even ended up living under the same roof by coincidence.

The thought left Zhou Sining miserable.

When he'd read the story, he'd imagined himself as Mo Fan, and of course living with a beautiful woman had seemed wonderful.

But now that he'd crossed into this world, how could he keep doing that?

He looked at Mu Nujiao. The young woman beside him carried an air of cool elegance and refinement.

Her eyes were lowered now, as though she were daydreaming or deep in thought. Either way, she was beautiful.

And the sight of her resolutely handing him her magic equipment earlier, telling him to find a chance to escape, had been more beautiful still.

In that moment of danger, Mu Nujiao could have abandoned him and fled alone. Instead, she'd given him the chance to escape.

There was no way it hadn't touched Zhou Sining.

No. I need to find a way to keep Mo Fan and Mu Nujiao apart.

Seeing the worry on his face, Mu Nujiao couldn't help asking, "What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"

"No." Zhou Sining shook his head.

Mu Nujiao was about to say more when the higher-ups began filing out of the conference room.

It looked like everything had finally been settled.

She checked the time. It was already one in the morning, far too late to return to school. She would have to spend the night at the family's old residence.

Mu Nujiao was just about to ask whether Zhou Sining had somewhere to stay when the Mu Clan representative with the goatee came over.

"Little Jiao, this must be Zhou Sining, right?" Mu Ning asked with a kindly smile.

"Yes, Third Uncle," Mu Nujiao replied.

Mu Ning stroked his goatee, his smile widening.

He turned to Zhou Sining. "You have a bright future ahead of you, young man. May I ask which family you're from?"

Mu Nujiao grew curious too.

Zhou Sining could not be over twenty, yet he was already capable of casting Intermediate Level Two magic.

At that age, such cultivation required both talent and family support.

But in their brief time together, Mu Nujiao had sensed none of the arrogance or conceit typical of a scion of a great family in the way Zhou Sining spoke or carried himself.

If anything, he seemed like an ordinary young man.

Especially with an outfit that couldn't have cost three hundred yuan from head to toe. He was almost excessively unassuming.

Mu Nujiao wasn't the only one. Shen Yi, the Shen Family representative, and Dean Xiao Bingsen had both quietly taken notice of Zhou Sining while watching the surveillance footage.

After all, that had been a Level Two Fierce Fist, cast with Spirit Fire.

The footage alone showed how powerful his flame was, not to mention Zhou Sining's control, which far surpassed that of an average Intermediate Level Fire Element mage.

He was a genius among geniuses!

A Spirit Seed Fire Element mage at Intermediate Level Two before the age of twenty!

Give him a little support, and he was certain to reach the Advanced Level before twenty-five. The value an Advanced Level mage could bring could not be measured in numbers alone.

They had already considered recruiting him. Now, seeing Mu Ning get the first chance simply because he was closest, they all stopped to wait for Zhou Sining's answer.

It would be one thing if he were the prized heir of a great family.

But if a small family had poured all its resources into raising him, they needed to seize the chance to recruit and nurture him. The returns would be enormous!

With so many eyes on him, Zhou Sining showed no nerves.

He smiled calmly. "I'm not some rich young master. I'm from Bo City. Yes, the Bo City you're thinking of."

Everyone present stared at him in disbelief.

Bo City???

The Bo City the entire nation had mourned after the news reports a year ago?!

The Bo City that had suddenly faced a Crimson Alert and lost a hundred thousand people?!!

What kind of joke was that?

How could someone with no background or support have reached such a high level of cultivation at such a young age?!

He was a Spirit Seed Fire Element mage at Intermediate Level Two before twenty, a genius with a strong chance of reaching the Advanced Level before twenty-five!

And he was just an ordinary person.

"Young man, you're not joking with us, are you?" Mu Ning wondered if he'd misheard.

Zhou Sining raised an eyebrow. "Do I look like I'm joking?"

Clearly, he did not.

"He's more than a genius. He's a monster!" Shen Yi, the Shen Family representative, exclaimed.

"The next generation is formidable indeed!" Dean Xiao said, stroking his beard with a look of approval.

Mu Ning quickly recovered too, his eyes lighting up.

Bo City was perfect.

A genius from a small place like that was exactly the sort of person the Mu Family should recruit!

"My mistake, my mistake. That was presumptuous of me," Mu Ning said with a smile. "I'm terribly sorry, Zhou Sining."

"It's fine."

"Oh, and it's so late that you surely can't get back into Pearl Academy. If you don't mind, why not come with us to the old residence and spend the night?" Mu Ning pressed on.

"I... All right. Sorry for the trouble."

Zhou Sining had been about to say he had somewhere to stay, but after glancing at Mu Nujiao beside him, he changed his mind.

"Wonderful, wonderful. Come, this way." Mu Ning was grinning from ear to ear.

For an elder, Mu Ning was treating him with considerable respect.

Since the man thought so highly of him, Zhou Sining saw no reason to stand on ceremony. He stepped forward and followed.

Shen Yi froze. Then, abandoning any concern for appearances, he tried to catch up to Zhou Sining, only for a Mu Clan bodyguard to block his way.

He looked up and saw Mu Ning's smug grin.

Shen Yi stamped his foot in frustration.

Damn you, Mu Ning!

You got to him first because you happened to be close. Aren't you impressive!

Dean Xiao Bingsen showed little reaction. He merely spoke as Zhou Sining passed.

"Zhou Sining, are you a student at Pearl Academy?"

"No. I applied to Ancient Capital Academy. I came to visit a friend today. He's a freshman at Pearl Academy."

"So you took the college entrance exam this year?" Shen Yi seized the chance to move closer.

"Yes. Classes start in a few days."

At once, Shen Yi handed over a business card. "Excellent. The Shen Family has businesses in Ancient Capital too. If you need anything, you can contact us anytime."

Before Zhou Sining could reach for it, Shen Yi pressed the card into his hand.

"That's rather underhanded of you, Elder Shen Yi," Mu Ning said with a snort.

"And you're any better?" Shen Yi didn't even look at him.

Caught between the two families' competing interests, Zhou Sining silently tucked the card into his pocket.

Whatever. You two can argue. I'll take the card.

No reason to turn down something free.

Dean Xiao noticed the little gesture and chuckled. "Ancient Capital Academy is an excellent choice. Its field-duty policy gives students valuable experience. But..."

He changed tack. "If you ever want to continue your studies, Pearl Academy would be delighted to have you. Here's my card."

Zhou Sining accepted it with a smile. "Thank you, Dean Xiao. I'll consider it."

Shen Yi and Mu Ning both gave awkward laughs. "Dean Xiao truly lives up to his position as an honorary professor at Pearl Academy..."