Fmes surged forward violently toward the group!

  This was no ordinary attack — it was Fiery Fist: Groundbreak, a second-level Mid-Tier Fire spell.

  The moment Mo Fan released it, the ground within the targeted area was instantly engulfed in roaring fmes. Fire spread outward in a bzing wave, devouring everything in its path.

  Second-level Fiery Fist was already terrifyingly powerful, and Mo Fan was even using Spirit Fire to amplify it.

  This kind of destructive force was nearly impossible for the students to withstand. Waves of fire rolled across the battlefield, and Teacher Gu Han reacted immediately, erecting a protective barrier just in time.

  “Boom! Boom! Boom!!!”

  The impact smmed violently into Teacher Gu Han’s defensive magic, the barrier trembling from the force.

  Even so, the attack left everyone utterly shocked.

  That was clearly not a Level 1 Fiery Fist: Exploding Heavens.

  That was a second-level Fiery Fist — Groundbreak!!!

  Freshman? Screw the freshman!

  What kind of freshman could unleash something like that??

  “This student… is he really only twenty years old?” one of the directors asked in disbelief.

  “His Fire System attainments are exceptional. Why not transfer him to our Fire Institute?” a Fire Institute director suggested immediately.

  “No way! He is our Summoning Element’s freshman. At least during his first year, he cannot transfer!” Jiang Yunming shot back.

  “…”

  Mo Fan’s dispy had practically offended all the freshmen.

  But so what?

  He had strength.

  What director wouldn’t want a student like this?

  This was only minor Pearl Campus — in the future, he would surely become a renowned magic genius.

  Having such a student would greatly benefit any institute.

  “Alright. Today’s Beast Battle Tournament ends here. All public resources for this semester will belong to the Summoning Element,” Dean Xiao decred firmly.

  Although murmurs of protest rose up, Dean Xiao cut them off with a cold snort.

  “The resources you receive this semester are neither excessive nor insufficient. They do not determine your ultimate cultivation. What you cannot accept is not the loss of resources — it is seeing those benefits concentrated in one system… and one person.”

  “When the rule was first proposed — that if the Summoning Element did not reach one hundred students, their resources would be distributed among you — why did none of you protest then? Why was it fair at that time?”

  “Is it because the Summoning Element has only seven members? Because they cannot oppose you as a mob does now?”

  “Have you forgotten what kind of mages our Pearl Academy cultivates?”

  His voice thundered across the arena.

  “For over ten years, Pearl Academy has remained stagnant, especially among freshmen. Today, someone has finally broken that compcency. This may not change the world yet — but it is a sign.”

  Silence fell.

  Then, a stubborn-looking male student stepped forward.

  “Dean Xiao, what you said makes sense. But what about students from humble backgrounds who rely entirely on school resources? Even a small loss affects us deeply.”

  Dean Xiao removed his gsses slowly.

  “Because this is a school, you can ask such a question,” he said calmly. “If this were society, that question would be naive.”

  “Do you believe Mo Fan was born with superior resources? That he comes from wealth and therefore naturally reached the Intermediate Mage level earlier than you?”

  “Yes!” the student replied firmly.

  “Good,” Dean Xiao said.

  “This detestable student taking your resources… comes from Bo City.”

  “His family background is ordinary — worse than most of yours.”

  Another silence fell.

  “You may find it hard to believe,” Dean Xiao continued, “but everything Mo Fan possesses was earned step by step in the wild. While you were stabilizing your Star Paths in your second year of high school, he was already fighting outside the safety of the city — from Giant-Eyed Blood Rats to One-Eyed Magic Wolves.”

  Even Mo Fan was slightly stunned hearing this.

  He hadn’t expected someone to have investigated his history so thoroughly.

  But everything he had gained was legitimate.

  Combat had accelerated his growth — but it had also carried immense risk.

  Dean Xiao’s voice softened slightly.

  “While combat can speed cultivation, reckless actions in the early stages are dangerous. Strength gained through battle comes with consequences. Good fortune does not always accompany bravery.”

  The students looked at Mo Fan differently now.

  A second-year high school student venturing into the wild alone?

  That sounded insane.

  And yet here he stood — an Intermediate Mage, second level, wielding a fully mastered Fiery Fist: Groundbreak.

  At that moment, admiration quietly repced resentment.

  After the competition concluded, Mo Fan quietly awaited his resource rewards. Although these were public resources, not the core resources the school provided to students, the sheer accumuted amount was incredibly exciting!

  The remaining six members of the Summoning Element now regarded Mo Fan as a deity. They were also quite sensible, only taking their original share, leaving all the resources Mo Fan had seized for him alone.

  Everyone understood this point.

  They were well aware that Mo Fan, daring to seize all the minor Pearl Campus resources, was no benevolent soul. Trying to get a share at this point?

  Wasn't that asking for death?

  After a period of turmoil, his life also underwent some changes.

  First, only three people remained in his dorm room.

  The two roommates who didn't interact much with Mo Fan seemed afraid of being implicated by the enmities Mo Fan had stirred up and had already applied to change dorms.

  Now, only Mo Fan, Zhang Pinggu, and Zhao Manyan were left in the dorm.

  Zhang Pinggu worshipped Mo Fan wholeheartedly, almost becoming his little follower. Zhao Manyan, on the other hand, reacted more normally, just going about his business as usual.

  Mo Fan himself was also the same.

  Time passed quickly; over a month had gone by.

  The news of the freshman competition was gradually repced by new developments. Mo Fan occasionally heard Zhang Pinggu chattering before bed about several strong individuals appearing. Reportedly, one of them enrolled ter but had decent cultivation and might be Mo Fan's opponent.

  There was no helping it; Mo Fan was ultimately a public enemy of the entire school. Everyone knew he was strong but refused to admit he was truly invincible across the school. Naturally, they would elevate people who dispyed simir-level strength and were more affable to the strongest, since there hadn't been a direct fight.

  As for these matters, he naturally didn't take them seriously.

  Another thing was that the Mu family had donated a rge sum of resources, instantly making Mu Ningjiao a goddess-like figure in the Minor Pearl Campus.

  However, Mo Fan had been in seclusion cultivating these past few days and had no intention of paying attention to any of this.

  As time passed, In the early morning, Dean Xiao had finally brought the good news to Mo Fan, and asked Mo Fan to follow him to redeem his rewards.

  When they got to the library that had the appearance of a huge book, Mo Fan was brought to the top floor, where access was not permitted to any other students of the institution.

  As they reached the top floor, Dean Xiao stood with his hands at his back and looked at the Pearl Institution’s surroundings through the windows.

  “Dean Xiao.”

  When Mo Fan entered the meeting room, Mo Fan saw Dean Xiao standing alone. From the lonely yet slightly heavy atmosphere of the meeting room, Mo Fan could tell that Dean Xiao was worrying about some other matters.

  Dean Xiao turned around, a gentle smile on his face.

  “I knew that you were hiding some other hidden trump cards during the examination. Though I do not know how you evaded Mu Nujiao’s skill, but I sensed some dark magic…” said Dean Xiao with a smile.

  “That is not really a secret. If Dean Xiao investigated my background in Bo City, then you have all the answers you need,” replied Mo Fan casually.

  Back then, it was Principal Zhu’s idea to announce Mo Fan was an innate Dual Element at the high school exam.

  However, when the catastrophe struck Bo City, no one had the luxury to pay attention to this matter anymore, especially when Principal Zhu died…

  But if Dean Xiao really wanted to dwell on this matter, all he had to do was to send some people to ask those people who used to reside in Bo City, and he would have all the answers he needed.

  “There is no need for that. One day, you will reveal your secrets all by yourself. Now, let’s get to the main point, shall we?” said Dean Xiao.

  “Of course!” replied Mo Fan as he rubbed his hands together. Tsk tsk, the resources for all new students, just imagine how much these resources worth, perhaps he could buy a luxury bungalow in Shanghai already!

  “These resources were to be given to different students from different Elements and we have to change them into resources you could use… Thus, what we did was changed some of the resources that you would not be able to use into something that could benefit you,” expined Dean Xiao.

  Mo Fan understood the reason behind this action, nodded and said, “As long as I get the resources promised to me in full.”

  If the resources had not been converted into something Mo Fan could use, they would just be useless rubbish to him.

  Hence, just like what Dean Xiao said, they could only estimate the total amount of the resources and how much they were worth before they convert these resources to something Mo Fan could use.

  “I know that you have barely any good magic equipment with you so here are a few higher css pieces of magic equipment suitable for the battles of Intermediate-level mages. You may only pick one of them…” Dean Xiao said, as he waved his sleeves and a few small-sized magic items appeared on the table, lying there quietly waiting for Mo Fan to pick one of them.

  “Intermediate-level Magic Equipment, they must be quite expensive!” he blurted out excitedly.

  “The value of these magic items solely depend on the ones using them. But if you were to put them on sale, each and every one of these magic items here are worth at least this amount!” expined Dean Xiao as he raised his hand, palm out.

  “Fifty thousand?” asked Mo Fan.

  His answer was quickly rejected by Dean Xiao with a shake of his head.

  “Five hundred thousand!?” asked Mo Fan, amazed.

  “Our institution spends quite a great deal on the student’s resources every year. Part of these resources are donated by the outstanding students of our Schools that have graduated, some are funded by our institutions. However, we will only give you the public resources funded by the institution,” Dean Xiao expined.

  Nodding again, Mo Fan agreed, understanding that the resources donated by the outstanding graduates of the Pearl Institution were part of the reward and punishment given to those juniors that did not take part in the competition.

  “Now, pick one of these magic items and you will receive the promised resources ter on,” Dean Xiao directed him.

  There were already tiny stars blinking in Mo Fan’s eyes. Damn, with a piece of Intermediate-level Magic Equipment worth five hundred thousand dolrs and the other rewards, if I knew that there were so much included, I would have went all in to defeat Mu Nujiao, even if I had to expose my Fire Element!

  “Would you mind expining to me what can these items do? I know nothing much about magic equipment, these were something luxurious that could only be toyed around with by those rich people, not poor ones like me,” Mo Fan asked eagerly.

  “Certainly. This one close to your hand is the Blood Tabi. It is made with the bloody bones of the Blood Beast in the Long Pin Mountains. Once equipped, the mage will be bestowed with the extreme sprinting capabilities of the Blood Beasts, which is even greater than the Wind Path: Drifting Shadows! Other than that, each time this Tabi is charged with the essence of a Blood Beast, the Tabi will be able to unleash power strong enough to crush a mountain,” expined Dean Xiao as he gave off a feeling of a professional in this field.

  “Offensive ability! Nice!” said Mo Fan.

  Mo Fan then recalled the fight he had with Yu Ang; he had used magic shoes!

  If Mo Fan was not wrong, he still remembered that Yu Ang’s magic shoes only allowed Yu Ang to execute an evasive move once, which was nowhere close to the level of the Blood Tabi!

  “How about that? It looks like armor,” asked Mo Fan, as he pointed at the item in the center.

  ”Yes, that is magic armor. The rgest difference between the armor and shield magic equipment is that the shield’s defense is dead; a magic shield needs the mage to activate the shield so that it can help the mage to fend off an attack, which is way different from the magic armor. The magic armor is strong to the point where the mage can just wear it and it does not require the attention of the mage to activate it for its defense. It may not be able to fend off attacks completely like the magic shields, but indirectly, it can greatly increase our durability. At every levels, the bodies of mages are weak, making magic armor one of the life saving insurances for them. This magic armor is called the Jade Scale Mail. It is known for its flexibility, so that even when Wind Element mages wear it, their mobility will not be affected by it at all. At the same time, this amplifies its fws greatly. This mail possess a weaker defense than the other magic armors, making it hard to take a very strong impact or destructive power head on,” expined Dean Xiao.

  “You are saying this type of magic armor must be one of the worst choices among the other magic equipment?” asked Mo Fan.

  “Precisely. Magic armor is always expensive, they are only slightly cheaper than the Stardust Magic Tools. This Jade Scale Mail will only be able to sustain attacks from the Minion-css monsters, but when it comes to the attacks delivered by Warrior-css monsters or any Intermediate-tier magic, it will at most prevent the mage wearing it from dying,” replied Dean Xiao.

  Magic armor might be a very good thing to use since it could be worn by mages throughout an entire battle. But when it came to Mo Fan, their inferior defensive capability would be less useful.

  From Dean Xiao, Mo Fan received the blood beast boots, an opportunity to cultivate in the Three Step Tower, a massive sum of five million yuan, and some resources suitable for the Snow Frost Star Wolf.