She Is My First Wife

Shen Mingxiao was stewing in resentment. He simply could not understand how someone as worthless as Mo Fan had managed to steal his Shadow Demon-Beast — and then somehow get selected as an exchange student on top of it all.

Being questioned like that by Song Xia, Mo Fan found himself feeling a little awkward.

*In terms of raw power, I could hold my own against anyone here.* The problem was that if he had to conceal his true abilities and only show his Summoning Element and Lightning Element, that might genuinely drag the team down. His Summoning Element, in particular, hadn't seen any real improvement lately.

*Whatever. I'll take it one step at a time. My Lightning Element alone should be more than capable of carrying its weight.*

"Lu Zhenghe, Mingcong, Xiao Jinhe, Xiao Feng — you four are up," Lu Yiming said with an easy smile. "If Pearl Academy is really only this capable, four of you should be more than enough."

The four stepping forward as the first group were no better than average within their team. If Pearl Academy couldn't handle this opening wave, they had no hope of taking the second round.

"Teacher, let me go." At that moment, a voice rang out from beneath a parasol — clear and sweet, like the chime of crystal bells.

Every head turned toward the girl sitting in its shade.

The parasol was large, and the girl had been sitting in the shadow of the tiered seats. Under the fierce afternoon sun, most people simply hadn't noticed her — she'd been there all along, blooming quietly like an ice-lotus, still and fragrant. It wasn't until she rose to her feet, until a subtle, inexplicable chill began to coil around her and slowly drift outward in all directions, that everyone suddenly realized: within the ranks of the Imperial Capital Magic Academy, there was a woman of breathtaking, solitary beauty.

She stepped into the sunlight — and even the blazing sun seemed to dim before her. A faint veil of ice-mist wreathed her graceful silhouette. Tall boots lined with snowy white down encased her delicate calves, while her long, perfectly shaped legs were half-concealed by a floor-length leather trench coat. The coat was snow-white, fitted as though tailored for her body alone, and even draped across her shoulders it traced every breathtaking curve.

Her waist was so slender it seemed made to be held between two hands. Her chest wasn't the overwhelming kind that announced itself through sheer size, but the delicacy of her frame made everything beneath the fitted inner shirt all the more taut and full...

Already exceptional in every other way, it was her face that proved truly captivating — features so perfect they seemed lifted from a painting, without a single flaw. If one absolutely had to find fault, it was only the cold aloofness of her expression, that icy, imperious air. But even that perfectly matched the old adage: skin like snow, bones like jade.

A cascade of silver-white hair stood out vividly against the blazing sky, yet somehow it only complemented her ice-pale complexion, radiating an aura unlike anything else — impossible to say whether it was bewitching allure or peerless, untouchable nobility.

When she stepped forward, it wasn't only the Imperial Capital Magic Academy's own members who stared — every student and teacher from every other school in the crowd was completely transfixed.

Until now, most people had considered the slender woman from Pearl Academy, in her knitted sheer outfit, to be the undisputed beauty of the event. No one had expected the Imperial Capital Magic Academy to be hiding a female student whose looks and presence seemed to eclipse her entirely.

"Ningxue, they're not worth your effort — leave them to us." Lu Zhenghe moved forward immediately, his smile rich with flattery.

At the sight of Lu Zhenghe fawning like that, the tall girl named Zhao Mingyue stamped her foot in frustration. She had absolutely no fondness for this stunning woman.

Lu Zhenghe was at least open about it. The other male students had also wanted to say something, but every time they looked at that frost-touched face, the impulse simply dissolved.

Beauty alone in a woman can only hook a man's baser instincts — and in an age where accomplished men could either restrain themselves or had simply grown jaded, what truly conquered all hearts was the combination: devastating looks paired with power that even men had to look up to.

Men like Xu Dalong, Lu Zhenghe, and Liao Mingxuan, however proud they were, could only do one of two things in the presence of their captain Mu Ningxue: eagerly offer themselves up as cannon fodder, or pretend to be too lofty and disinterested to care.

"Mu Ningxue, are you certain you want to go out there?" Teacher Lu Yiming asked, his tone serious.

"Mm." Without further explanation, Mu Ningxue walked straight toward the arena.

Among the four who'd been about to step out, the man named Xiao Jinhe flashed a thoroughly shameless grin and stepped aside without hesitation. "Since Mu Ningxue wants to warm up," he said, "this senior will graciously yield his spot. Though I have to say, this is only going to make Pearl Academy — already down one round — sink even further into the ground. Ha!"

"Exactly — let them see what a real genius looks like!" Lu Zhenghe added.

The students from other academies watching nearby were all stunned. From the way the Imperial Capital Magic Academy was carrying on, was that silver-haired beauty actually their *captain*?

They'd been fighting all morning and hadn't even drawn out the other side's captain? This exchange program was turning into a complete embarrassment.

"Damn, this woman is the spitting image of my dream girl."

"After seeing her, every other woman just fades into nothing."

"Who the hell are you calling 'nothing'?! Zhou Yutong, you are so dead today!!"

Chatter buzzed all around the arena, punctuated by whistles — who could have imagined that the strongest member of the Imperial Capital Magic Academy would be a woman this devastatingly beautiful?

Over on Pearl Academy's side, shallow men like Zhao Manyan and Luo Song looked ready to float right across the arena.

"Damn — haven't seen her in over a year, and she just keeps getting more lethal." Even a man of depth like Mo Fan could only wipe his mouth and mutter to himself.

In ancient times, a woman with looks like hers could have ignited wars between kingdoms — a face that launched armies, a calamity wrapped in beautiful form.

Truth be told, ever since the so-called youthful "elopement" incident with Mu Ningxue, Mo Fan had barely had a chance to see her — despite being practically neighbors...

Who would have thought — Mu Ningxue had been beautiful as a child, but that was before she'd grown into herself. Now she was stunning beyond description, like an ice-lotus immortal stepped straight out of a painting. *What a waste,* he thought. *Should've just gone ahead and done it back then, made it a done deal. Once the rice is already cooked, what could Mu Zhuoyun have possibly done about it?*

"Tsk, tsk, tsk — this exchange trip was absolutely worth it. If I could win that woman over, I'd give up my entire inheritance without a second thought. I've decided: she is the woman that Zhao Manyan is going to conquer." Zhao Manyan declared this with the gravity of a sacred vow.

"Me... me too. I'd renounce my own cultivation for her," Zheng Bingxiao added in a rush.

Peng Liang gave a noncommittal nod.

Shen Mingxiao — shameless charmer that he was — usually at least managed to put on an act of indifference when he encountered a beautiful woman. This time, he couldn't even manage that. His eyes hadn't left Mu Ningxue for a single moment.

"Don't even bother," Mo Fan said, wiping his mouth.

"What, is she already taken?" Peng Liang asked.

"Yep," Mo Fan replied, completely deadpan. "She's my first wife."