Unfortunately, after just one meeting, he had temporarily stopped taking jobs from the Azure Sky Hunter Agency.
Something more important awaited him now!
Namely, the formalities for the Three-Step Tower (the Beast Fighting Competition)!
By nearly noon, the Green Fighting Pavilion was packed with enthusiastic new students, older students there to watch the fun, and even scions of several great families who had come to observe.
The last group naturally came to find promising seedlings among the new students, then approach them and bring them into their families to serve them.
The Beast Fighting Competition was the Summoning System's biggest event, a battle to defend their resources. Going by past years, probably not a single cohort had ever managed to hold on to its resources.
But now...
Arriving backstage, Lu Ling suddenly smiled.
Who knew what madness had come over him?
"Lu Ling, you're finally here."
Jiang Yunming, the Summoning System's director, spotted that distinctive white hair and hurried over.
This year was rather unusual, and he had genuinely feared Lu Ling wouldn't show up.
"Teacher Jiang Yunming."
"Lu Ling, our Summoning System is counting on you!" Jiang Yunming reached out and patted Lu Ling's shoulder, his face full of hope.
"Don't worry." Lu Ling waved a casual hand.
"Lu Ling, you're the only new student in our Summoning System this year," Jiang Yunming added.
"Only me... only me?!" Lu Ling looked at Jiang Yunming in disbelief, only to find him looking utterly serious, without the slightest hint of a joke.
"So you absolutely must watch out for your safety..."
"That's all? I thought it was something serious. Being on my own saves me trouble!" Lu Ling waved his hand, not caring in the least how many people there were.
"Let these pampered young masters from Magic City's great families see some real magic!"
Huh?
Jiang Yunming was stunned.
Why was this reaction so different from what he had imagined? At first, he had feared Lu Ling would surrender without a fight and had prepared plenty of arguments to persuade him.
Now, why did it seem as though Lu Ling was even more excited?
"Students, the rules of the Beast Fighting Competition require the Summoning System to withstand the attacks of one hundred people from all the other schools to hold on to its resources.
"At first glance, this rule seems very unfair to the Summoning System. But there's another half to the rules, something no cohort has ever achieved in all these years. That is, if the Summoning System withstands two hundred of you, then all the resources for this year's new students will belong to the Summoning System!" Dean Xiao declared emphatically from the raised platform.
An uproar swept through the entire venue at his words.
The ones surprised weren't the new students, but the older students present and the teachers who hadn't known the rules!
"What?!"
The Beast Fighting Competition had a rule like that?! How had they never known?!
Watching the reaction in the stands, Dean Xiao smiled faintly, a faint anticipation stirring within him.
Then the white-haired Lu Ling walked calmly into the center of the iron beast-fighting cage.
"That's all I have to say. Good luck."
Everyone else also noticed Lu Ling in the arena.
"That's this year's new Summoning System student? His hair is so white. Is he sick?"
"His looks are exactly my type!"
"You horny woman."
"Why is he all alone?"
Lu Ling gave two light coughs to clear his throat, then shouted:
"Everyone, I'm the only new Summoning System student this year. And my goal today is to defeat every last one of you! In case anyone says I'm bullying you, you don't have to form teams of five. I'll accept teams of fifty!"
Jiang Yunming gaped.
Had Lu Ling gone stupid? He was openly provoking the whole school before the fight had even begun. Wasn't he going to get beaten so badly he couldn't get out of bed?!
The entire venue fell silent, then erupted in laughter.
"Hahahahaha! What's this guy talking about?!"
"Did being alone scare him witless?!"
"I won't bully you either. We'll form a team of five, but I'll fight you one-on-one. The others can just watch from the sidelines!"
"This new student really isn't right in the head."
"..." Lu Ling was speechless.
Fine. Without a little truth to back him up, no matter how he threatened them, they would treat it as a joke.
He gently closed his eyes.
"Long Zhanye, please."
"All right, all right. No killing this time, right?" Long Zhanye's telepathic voice came from within his mental world, sounding languid.
High in the sky, a crescent-shaped magic formation appeared instantly, slowly becoming a moon-white disc like a solar eclipse.
A ferocious, terrifying aura spread from within, sending chills through everyone in the stands!
"Roar!!!"
Enormous dragon wings all but blotted out the entire sky, casting a shadow over the new students!
The massive white dragon slowly descended with beats of her wings, her claws gripping the edges of the iron beast-fighting cage.
Golden dragon eyes looked down upon the new students.
"Aaaah!!!! A Demon Beast!!"
"!!!"
Sure enough, all the students in the stands fell into a panic.
They were students fresh out of magic high school. Even if they had undergone field training, they had only seen Servant Level Demon Beasts. When had they ever seen a dragon like the Heavenly Star White Dragon, over twenty meters tall?
That immense pressure left quite a few girls screaming, terrified, or unconscious.
"Everyone, don't panic. This is merely Lu Ling's Summoned Beast!"
Dean Xiao's voice seemed to be enhanced with magic. Upon hearing it, the previously panic-stricken students all calmed down.
Jiang Yunming's jaw nearly hit the floor. The aura of this Summoned Beast actually made even him feel pressured.
New students and older students alike were all mere ants before the white dragon.
Still shaken, they gazed at the mighty white dragon's jagged form, fear lingering within them.
To think they had actually been mocking him just now... He wouldn't retaliate, would he...?
"Dean Xiao... with that size, it's probably Commander Level, isn't it?" Dean Fu asked quietly. "Just what kind of monster has joined the Summoning System this year?"
No wonder Dean Xiao had specifically emphasized those long-forgotten rules earlier. So that was why...
"Not Commander Level yet. According to him, it's at the Warrior Level Advanced Stage. But given a dragon's fighting strength, this big fellow probably isn't much different from a Commander Level creature," Dean Xiao said with a beaming smile.
It was rare to have a target so far above the students to put them through the wringer. How could he not make good use of it?
"Students, this is the Summoned Beast of this year's new Summoning System student, at the Warrior Level Advanced Stage. Do any of you still have the courage to take part in this Beast Fighting Competition?"
Seeing no response, Dean Xiao continued.
"You'd better think this through. You're now the defenders, while the Summoning System has become the plunderer.
"This battle is your fight to defend your resources! With all your Intermediate Mages attacking together, you might not be without a fighting chance. I'll relax the conditions and allow all your Intermediate Mages to fight this white dragon together. One battle will decide the outcome!"
"Lu Ling, do you agree?"
"Dean Xiao, I have no objections!" Lu Ling called out.
"What, none of you dare come up? Where did all that energy you had for mocking me go?" Lu Ling mercilessly mocked the disarrayed new students.
"Why wouldn't we dare?!"