Now it was Mo Fan's turn. As he walked toward the Star Appraisal Stone, his thoughts were restless.
"Is that black stone still there? I doubt it. I've shown pretty decent results in class. Besides, if it were still there… ugh, another face-slapping moment. I hate those."
He placed his hand on the cold surface of the Star Appraisal Stone. To his relief, there was no strange force sucking at his magic.
"Good, no black stone. That thing is trouble."
Taking a breath, Mo Fan closed his eyes and let his Stardust energy circulate. The Star Appraisal Stone began to warm under his hand. Then—
It ignited.
A vivid scarlet radiance burst forth from the stone, flickering like an internal flame. The radiance surged outward, no longer confined to the stone—it overflowed.
"Th-this radiance!" gasped Mu Zhuoyun, his expression shifting to one of disbelief.
The Principal, Vice-Principal, and the school's Disciplinary Committee all stood up in unison, their eyes wide in astonishment.
"It's… overflowing!" cried Xue Musheng, his voice trembling. As a seasoned teacher, he understood the magnitude of what he was witnessing.
Overflowing radiance was a rarity. In the entire school, only Mu Bai had achieved it before—and yet Mo Fan's fire radiance was visibly stronger than even Mu Bai's ice!
"Damn!!!"
Students from all classes, including the elite ones, felt that single word hammer their hearts.
Overflowing radiance. This was no joke. This was a phenomenon associated only with prodigies.
A student who had once been branded useless had now stunned the entire school.
"S… S?" someone whispered.
"It's S… it really is S!"
"Check it again!"
"S!"
"S!"
"S!"
"Final result—S!"
The crowd erupted in chaos. S-rank was the highest possible evaluation. And it wasn't just the score—anyone with eyes could see that Mo Fan's magical capabilities had surpassed even Mu Bai.
Principal Zhu gave a composed nod and asked, "Mo Fan, do you wish to proceed with the release test?"
"Naturally," Mo Fan replied with a calm smile.
He walked to the spell-testing ground and stood before the wooden puppet. Without chanting, without hesitation, he raised his hand—and with a thought, a complete Star Path formed instantly in his palm.
"Fire Burst: Burning Bones!" he declared.
Flames erupted and the fireball shot forward, crashing into the puppet. The explosion was brief—but devastating. The puppet turned to ash in seconds.
Silence fell.
"Level Two… Fire Magic…" someone muttered in disbelief.
"Holy shit, he actually reached Level 2 in a year?!"
"That's faster than even Mu Ningxue. It took her 8 months just to cast a spell. Mo Fan reached Level 2 in a year??"
"Did you see how fast he formed the Star Path? That level of control is nearly impossible at Novice level," a teacher whispered.
"He must be cheating!"
"Yeah, how can a commoner like him do this?!"
"S!"
"S!"
"S!"
"Final result—S!"
The buzzing of speculation continued until the Principal stepped forward, lifting a hand to silence the room.
"I know this may be hard for some of you to accept," he said, voice firm, "but Mo Fan's results are true. I have personally verified them. He possesses an innate talent for magic."
Gasps echoed through the crowd.
"Innate talent?!"
"That's something only one in ten thousand mages has!"
"He's ridiculously lucky…"
Mu Zhuoyun, who had remained silent until now, stroked his beard thoughtfully. When Mo Fan emerged from the testing ground, Mu Zhuoyun finally spoke.
"Mo Fan, come here."
Mo Fan raised his head. "Yes?"
"Our Mu Family recently acquired some Fire-element cultivation resources. Unfortunately, most in our manor are Ice users. Your fire talent is remarkable—so I'd like to offer these resources to you." He paused, smiling. "From now on, when you're not in class, you may train under Mu Jiangming."
Whispers swept across the crowd. Mu Zhuoyun wasn't just offering resources—he was publicly offering Mo Fan a direct link to the powerful Mu Family!
Mo Fan had just been handed an opportunity that countless Mu disciples could only dream of.
Back in the crowd, Mu He looked stunned. "B-but… Brother, what about Mu Bai? His talent is just as good. He was probably nervous today… and he's our family's own…"
Mu Bai, standing nearby, looked utterly broken. It was as if his soul had been shattered and stomped on.
This was his chance—his golden ticket to becoming a core disciple of the Mu Family. A status that would elevate him far beyond the lowly "branch disciple" title he bore. And now… it had been stolen. By Mo Fan—the one person he loathed most.
Yet all he could do was stand there, humiliated, as his dreams burned like the puppet on the training ground.
Mo Fan, however, stayed calm. He knew Mu Zhuoyun wasn't someone to offend.
"I don't need to make an enemy of him. Bo City may be small, but he rules it like a king. I should turn him down politely," Mo Fan thought.
He bowed slightly. "Mr. Mu, I'm honored, truly. But I have no plans to join any factions. I want to go to college… to explore the world on my own."
Mu Zhuoyun raised an eyebrow, but then nodded slowly. "Very well. Since you've made your decision, I won't press the matter."
He turned. "Ningxue, Mu He, let's go."
Before leaving, Mu Ningxue cast a final glance at Mo Fan. Her expression was unreadable—but Mo Fan didn't return the gaze.
He simply turned away.