The Grand Hunt!
"Those of you who remain — congratulations on entering Pearl Academy's Main Campus." Dean Xiao's tone shifted entirely, warm and grandfatherly, like the kindly old professor welcoming students to their first day.
"Wait, we're just *in*? What happened to the assessment??"
"Yeah, where's the actual test!"
"Shouldn't there be an evaluation? What if Basic-Level students stuck around just to coast through — do they count too?"
About a thousand students had remained — more than most people expected.
Then again, that made sense. Crossing into the intermediate tier and being able to Release intermediate-level magic were two very different things. Plenty of these students had advanced to intermediate cultivation but were still far from being able to draw a complete Star Chart.
"Without a ranking test, how are they supposed to determine the top ten? I heard first place gets access to the Three-Step Tower, second and third each receive a Magic Weapon, and everyone from fourth to tenth gets rewards." Someone raised the objection almost immediately.
Dean Xiao had clearly anticipated this. He let the murmuring run its course, then unhurriedly drew a rolled-up directive from inside his coat.
"A few days ago, we received word that a Shadow Demon-Beast being tamed by the military escaped overnight due to a management failure — approximately one semi-tamed Shadow Demon-Beast is now at large. Shadow Demon-Beasts possess abilities from the Shadow Element: they can conceal themselves at night and slip between city districts without detection. This particular animal underwent specialized training. It will not actively attack humans. It will not kill. Right now, it's wandering somewhere in Magic City like a stray cat. The school had originally agreed to assist the military — to notify them the moment any trace of the beast was found. Now I need you to capture this Shadow Demon-Beast alive and return it to the military."
"And that," he said, "is your ranking assessment for entrance into the Main Campus."
The announcement sent over a thousand voices erupting at once.
They'd heard the Main Campus assessment might be an all-out free-for-all — students fighting students. Instead, it was a military operation.
"Worth noting," Dean Xiao continued, "that while the Shadow Demon-Beast won't harm anyone unprovoked and has no killing instinct, if it is attacked or cornered, its temperament shifts entirely. At that point, the danger it poses falls just short of a true Demon-Beast. So when you find it and move to subdue it, plan your approach carefully."
"Any student or team that captures the beast and delivers it to the Academy's Summoned Beast enclosure will receive a commendation! Individual completion earns the person all commendation rewards. Team completion is capped at five members, with each member receiving equal rewards. The commendation reward is one opportunity to train inside the Three-Step Tower!" Dean Xiao announced.
"The Three-Step Tower!!"
"My god — the *Three-Step Tower*!!"
The moment the words left his mouth, over a thousand students lost their minds.
Even the regular Main Campus students bled tooth and nail for spots in the Three-Step Tower. And here was Dean Xiao offering a full five slots at once.
Mo Fan had trained inside the Three-Step Tower himself. He knew better than anyone how terrifyingly fast it could push a Mage's cultivation.
*Back then, I pushed all the way to the third floor — 200 times the normal training speed. Absolutely insane.*
If he'd had just a few more days, he was certain he could have pushed every one of his other elements up another full stage.
The day he walked out of the Three-Step Tower, he'd made himself a silent promise: he would go back. He hadn't expected the chance to come so quickly. The Main Campus assessment reward was entry into the Three-Step Tower itself.
*Perfect. Absolutely perfect.*
He could already reach the third floor. Seven more days of training there, and both his Shadow Element and Summoning Element would break through to the second stage.
Near the front of the podium, one student could barely contain himself. "Dean, aren't there any leads? Any clues at all?"
Dean Xiao shook his head. "Find it yourselves."
Excitement was excitement — but the moment reality set in, over a thousand students hit a wall.
Shanghai, suburbs included, was a vast city. Streets and alleyways numbered in the tens of thousands. They couldn't even narrow down which district the Shadow Demon-Beast was hiding in. Hunting a single creature with Shadow Element concealment in a sprawling metropolis like this was like finding a needle in the ocean.
Mo Fan needed that Three-Step Tower access badly.
When he'd been on the third floor, he'd focused everything on the Fire Element — pushing it right up to the threshold of the third stage. A couple more days and his Fire Element Star Nebula would have broken through.
Below the High-Level tier, Mo Fan would have nothing to fear from anyone.
That wasn't all. His Shadow Element had only recently entered Star Nebula. The Giant Shadow Nail's Star Chart Control was something he'd mastered inside the Three-Step Tower — without that, it would have taken the better part of a year just to achieve a clean Release. There was no way he'd be drawing it this fluently now.
The Summoning Element was even further behind. He still couldn't draw the intermediate Star Chart for it at all.
His time in the Three-Step Tower had simply been too short. He'd concentrated everything on Fire and Lightning.
Next time he entered, he had two choices: either push the Fire Element all the way to the third tier in one go, or pour everything into advancing Shadow and Summoning. Either way, for someone like Mo Fan — with so many elements to cultivate — every single visit to the Three-Step Tower meant a significant, measurable leap in power.
*If only Lingling were here,* he muttered to himself. *She's the best tracker I know. She can run down parasitic creatures hiding behind a human face — a Shadow Demon-Beast would be nothing to her.*
Mo Fan was already a seasoned hunter, and even he had no idea where to begin.
He went back to his room and opened his laptop, searching online for information on Shadow Demon-Beasts — anything about behavioral patterns or habits.
"Mo Fan! Mo Fan! The assessment allows teams — join our beautiful girls squad!" Ai Tutu burst into the common area, face flushed with excitement, and planted herself right in front of him. Her generous figure swayed conspicuously with every word. "Think about it: I'm the strategist, Sister Mu brings both brains and raw power, you're the unstoppable bruiser — then we recruit two more people with strong Control abilities, and we'd be completely invincible!"
Mo Fan glanced up at Ai Tutu's eager face, then over at Mu Nujiao, who had just walked in and was changing her shoes.
"Find someone else," he said, shaking his head.
"Are you seriously going solo?! You know how bad your reputation is around here, right? Nobody in this entire school wants to be in a group with you! Tutu and Sister Mu are literally the only people who don't mind — and now you're *turning us down*?! After we so graciously invited you? You ungrateful jerk, I'll bite you." Ai Tutu spluttered, face reddening.
"Tutu, stop it." Mu Nujiao stepped in with quiet firmness.
Mo Fan didn't bother explaining himself.
The truth was, it had nothing to do with not wanting to cooperate. The reward was the same whether one person captured the beast or five.
But Mo Fan knew exactly what kind of situation he was in.
Inside the Academy grounds, the Black Church probably wouldn't make any bold moves. The moment they stepped off campus, anything could happen. He had no intention of dragging these two girls into his problems. The Black Church wouldn't spare them just because they were beautiful.