Beast Fighting Competition (Part One)

With the young lady Mu Nujiao's explicit permission, Zhou Sining grew bolder.

Borrowing the prestige of her status, he wandered around the old estate and thoroughly enjoyed being treated like a direct descendant of a great clan.

Through Mu Nujiao, Zhou Sining also formally became acquainted with Ai Tutu.

Unfortunately, the start of term was fast approaching. Pearl Academy required its students to live on campus, so the two beauties would have to move into a six-person dorm room once classes began.

Zhou Sining was not shameless enough to keep staying at the Mu Clan's old estate, either. He booked a room near the academy and passed the time immersed in cultivation.

During that period, he declined invitations from the Shen and Mu Clans, and Mu Nujiao found time to tell her family what he had in mind.

Still, the Mu Clan had not given up on recruiting Zhou Sining and told Mu Nujiao to keep in touch with him.

Mu Nujiao understood what her elders were thinking. They were casting a wide net.

After all, a few conversations and meals hardly cost anything. Earning a genius's goodwill would be worth it no matter what.

Soon, the welcome festivities arrived.

Zhou Sining waited outside Pearl Academy's main gates early that morning. Before long, he spotted Mu Nujiao and Ai Tutu coming to meet him.

"Sorry for the trouble. Want some milk tea?"

"Thank you." Mu Nujiao took one of the low-sugar cups.

Ai Tutu accepted hers with a grin as well. "Sure! I'm pretty fond of sweet drinks."

She was already used to boys eager to curry favor mysteriously cropping up around Mu Nujiao, so she took Zhou Sining's sudden appearance quite well.

She only found it a little odd. Usually, Mu Nujiao could not be bothered with those boys, but this time she seemed a bit more patient with Zhou Sining.

Still, Ai Tutu could not be bothered to think too hard about it.

This boy named Zhou Sining was probably just like all those other lousy men, anyway. His enthusiasm would not last, and once he realized Mu Nujiao was not so easy to win over, he would soon disappear.

The three strolled around campus together. Colorful streamers printed with summoned beasts hung everywhere, while huge posters of students who had performed exceptionally well in previous Beast Fighting Competitions stood at the entrances to the student clubs. They looked ridiculously cool!

As Zhou Sining looked around, he gradually caught the excitement of the biggest day on Pearl Academy's Green Campus.

After spending the morning wandering around, the three headed into the cafeteria for lunch.

Along the way, plenty of students turned to look at Zhou Sining, their eyes brimming with envy, jealousy, and resentment.

After all, beside him stood Mu Nujiao, Pearl Academy's goddess, who had made countless men gasp on the first day of term and become the talk of campus in just three days!

Mu Nujiao and Ai Tutu were clearly used to being the center of attention. Neither the stares nor the chatter around them affected them in the slightest.

Every word and gesture carried the composure and grace unique to those raised in great families.

And Zhou Sining, the only man among thousands allowed to accompany them, became every male student's public enemy within a mere hour.

In truth, Zhou Sining thoroughly enjoyed being the center of attention. It more than satisfied his urge to show off.

As for the boys' hostility, he cared even less.

They could hate him all they liked. With his student records registered in the Ancient Capital, he would be impressed if any of them managed to dig up his personal information.

Around three in the afternoon, the entire Green Fighting Pavilion was packed with students. Zhou Sining sat beside Mu Nujiao, savoring the hostility of the boys nearby as he took in Pearl Academy's grandest freshman event.

He snapped a photo and sent it to Mo Fan. After receiving "???" in reply, he put down his phone in satisfaction.

The atmosphere inside the pavilion was already electric, and Dean Xiao Bingsen's impassioned speech sent it soaring to its peak.

Even Zhou Sining could not resist joining in with a couple of shouts, making everyone around him burst into laughter.

"I didn't expect you to be so expressive." Mu Nujiao looked at him with a smile.

"Couldn't help it. Just couldn't help it." Zhou Sining rubbed his nose sheepishly.

He had been in this world for over a year, and the liveliest sight he had witnessed before this was a horde of corpses surging toward him like a black tide.

But that only filled people with fear and despair. The sinister aura alone could scare someone to death. It certainly could not be this lively, or the soldiers on night watch would have a miserable time.

The first to enter was a Summoning System student named Hai Dafu. His summoned beast was a White-Armored Battle Scorpion, which ultimately took down fifteen opponents.

"Pearl Academy really lives up to its name. If that White-Armored Battle Scorpion had eyes, their strategy might actually have worked." Zhou Sining thought highly of the first team's tactics.

All his combat experience came from fighting the undead, and much of it did not apply to normal battles between mages.

Watching more fights like these was worthwhile. Who knew when it might come in handy?

"They really did quite well," Mu Nujiao agreed.

The competition continued in full swing. After the White-Armored Battle Scorpion came a juvenile Ghost Wolf Beast, followed by Zheng Bingxiao, who swept through the opposition with his Rock Demon Warrior.

Zhou Sining remembered Zheng Bingxiao. He was a good-natured fellow, but unfortunately, he never appeared again after the training expedition to Golden City.

After Zheng Bingxiao came a guy named Wang Liting, who summoned a Bone Gnawing Demon.

"That Bone Gnawing Demon is vicious, agile, and cunning. It can fly, too, which makes it extremely mobile. An ordinary team won't be able to handle it."

Seeing Zhou Sining staring at the vulture-like demon beast overhead, Mu Nujiao thoughtfully acted as his commentator.

"Is it difficult to form a contract with one?" Zhou Sining asked.

"Not particularly. It mainly depends on the summoner's cultivation. The higher their cultivation, the stronger the summoned beast they can contract."

Beside them, Ai Tutu tilted her head. "Why are you asking? Don't tell me your second system is the Summoning System?"

"That's right. I haven't found a suitable summoned beast yet," Zhou Sining said with a smile.

Ai Tutu looked a little surprised. "Then why didn't you join the Summoning System department?"

"Not interested." Zhou Sining put on the air of an aloof expert.

But only he knew that his damn Summoning System had not appeared until after the college entrance exams.

Before that, he had always thought his awakening had failed. How could he possibly have applied as a Summoning System candidate?

"What a poser." Ai Tutu rolled her eyes.

"..."

"Tutu..." Mu Nujiao tugged at Ai Tutu.

Ai Tutu scrunched up her little face. "You're acting really strange, Sister Mu. Normally, you can't even be bothered with these boys. Why are you defending him today?"

"Just watch the competition." Mu Nujiao coughed and did not answer her question.

She was not ready to let Ai Tutu know about the Shen Feng incident, which made Zhou Sining's presence even harder to explain.

"Someone's going in."

A remark from a student in the row ahead drew their attention back.

The two girls and Zhou Sining looked up. At the entrance, where no one had emerged for quite some time, a fat boy radiating arrogance slowly walked out.

"It really is that damn fatty." Zhou Sining narrowed his eyes.

"You know him?" Mu Nujiao asked.

"Just a fat pig who came to Magic City to beg for scraps." Zhou Sining snorted.

Even now, he could not forget Luo Song's idiotic words and behavior on the day of his awakening.

Mu Nujiao raised her eyebrows slightly, surprised by how harsh his words were.

"He's an Intermediate Mage. He's clearly going in because he doesn't want the Summoning System students to have an easy time," Zhou Sining added.

The moment he finished speaking, Luo Song unleashed the Intermediate Level Ice Element spell, Ice Lock, easily putting an end to Wang Liting's swagger.

The appearance of Intermediate Level magic sent the entire pavilion into an uproar!