The first day of school at Pearl Institute.
The full school assembly at Qing Campus.
Dean Xiao stood on the high platform:
"I am very pleased to see your growth, but this is not the end of your journey!"
His tone suddenly became stern, like a sharp knife, piercing everyone's hearts:
"Qing Campus is the final stop for your youthful cultivation, a small warm pool before you face rapids and waterfalls.
The next stop is the true journey of magic! Whatever grievances you suffered, whatever injustices you endured, whatever hardships you faced, swallow them down yourselves, for no one will pity the weak!"
Dean Xiao, completely unlike his usual amiable self, looked terrifyingly stern, even a bit intimidating, today.
The students below held their breath, not daring to make a sound.
"Today is the assessment that determines your entry into the Main Campus. All mages whose cultivation has not reached the Intermediate Level are not qualified to participate!"
"You only have 3 years left in Qing Campus. If you still cannot break through to Intermediate Level Mage within these three years, then after leaving Pearl Institute, please no longer claim to be a student of Pearl Institute!"
These words were like a heavy hammer, striking hard at everyone's hearts.
The Main Campus was a place only for the strong, a gathering place for numerous prodigies!
The prerequisite for entering there was Intermediate Level cultivation!
This threshold alone was enough to deter most Qing Campus students.
Soon, many Novice Level students silently lowered their heads and left the venue, quickly clearing out a large empty area.
Dean Xiao swept his gaze across the audience below, and his stern face instantly returned to an amiable smile:
"Congratulations, you have become members of the Main Campus."
There were just over a thousand Qing Campus students left on the training ground.
Although there were a thousand people, most of them had only recently advanced and could not even cast Intermediate Level magic.
Ye Xin Xia was also one of them.
However, this was enough to enter the Main Campus; reaching the Intermediate Level meant one could establish oneself in the Main Campus!
As for the assessment, it was related to a reward.
Three Step Tower!
Ai Tutu's face immediately lit up with excitement after hearing Dean Xiao's rules.
She immediately pulled Mu Ningjiao's hand and excitedly found Wang Feng.
"Brother Wang Feng~ Let's team up! There are 5 spots in total!"
Wang Feng's prestige had already become like a terrifying shadow, enveloping the entire Qing Campus.
Just mentioning the name "Wang Feng" would make the Qing Campus students' morale weaken by three points.
Having him in the team was almost equivalent to securing victory in advance.
Wang Feng did not refuse to team up.
After all, he had originally planned to help Ye Xin Xia gain points, and with 5 spots, taking one was the same as taking three.
Perhaps he could even gain some benefits from it, who knows?
"Brother Wang Feng, this is truly amazing~!" Ai Tutu excitedly hugged Wang Feng.
Her natural cushioning pressed unceremoniously against Wang Feng's abs.
Wang Feng raised an eyebrow, looked down at her, and a slight smile played on his lips: "Rabbit, are you taking advantage of me?"
"No way!" Ai Tutu pouted, but there was no sign of embarrassment on her face; instead, she hugged him even tighter.
"Rabbit! Watch your image!" Mu Ningjiao glared at Ai Tutu.
"Oh~" Ai Tutu released Wang Feng upon hearing this, but a bright smile still hung on her face, clearly indicating her excellent mood.
Ye Xin Xia, witnessing this intimate scene, a hint of surprise flashed in her eyes, but it quickly returned to calm, and a meaningful smile appeared on her face.
...
After returning to the apartment, everyone gathered for a small meeting to briefly discuss the upcoming action plan.
Afterward, everyone dispersed to gather information on the Shadow Demon Beast.
Once Ye Xin Xia and Wang Feng were alone, a teasing smile appeared on her delicate face:
"Brother Wang Feng, you're quite fast~ Has Rabbit already been taken down?"
Wang Feng raised an eyebrow: "What nonsense are you spouting? I haven't made a move yet."
"Really?" Ye Xin Xia blinked, her face still wearing a disbelieving smile.
Wang Feng looked at her "I've seen through you" expression and couldn't help but laugh:
"Don't believe me? Then I'll just have to prove I'm not lying with action!"
With that, he suddenly reached out, scooped Ye Xin Xia up by the waist, and walked towards the room.
"Huh? No, no, aren't we supposed to look for the Shadow Demon Beast?"
Ye Xin Xia was a little flustered, a blush spreading across her face, and her hands unconsciously gripped Wang Feng's shoulders.
"That thing, it's not too late to go when it appears~" Wang Feng looked down at her, a mischievous smile playing on his lips.
...
A few hours later, the location of the Shadow Demon Beast was posted on the school forum by a busybody.
Immediately, all the freshmen participating in the assessment began to gather at the Shadow Demon Beast's location.
...
The victory requirement for the final assessment was to deliver the Shadow Demon Beast into a designated iron cage.
The winner(s) would receive a spot to cultivate in the Three Step Tower, while the subsequent rankings would be determined by a group of instructors based on their performance during the assessment.
The Shadow Demon Beast's iron cage was arranged by the institute on an uninhabited small mountain at the very edge of Qing Campus.
"Has Wang Feng not appeared yet? Has anyone seen Wang Feng?"
"No!"
"Continue to lie in wait, and notify everyone else immediately when you see Wang Feng!"
"Wang Feng has appeared! He really snatched that Shadow Demon Beast! And he's with Mu Ningjiao, Ai Tutu, and also the Healing System's beauty, Ye Xin Xia!"
Suddenly, a team from the southeast reported.
"That damned bastard, why him, why..."
"Stop yelling, proceed according to the original plan!"
Wang Feng dragged the unconscious Shadow Demon Beast and slowly walked up the mountain.
At the same time, his spiritual power swept out, and he immediately detected the ambush on both sides of the mountain path.
In a mere few hundred meters, there were over a thousand Intermediate Level Mages!
...
On another hilltop, Dean Xiao and a group of department heads and old professors were observing the movements of Qing Campus from afar with magic telescopes.
"Tsk tsk, these little brats from Qing Campus must have been scared out of their wits, to actually unite over a thousand people to target Wang Feng." Old Professor Qiu Yuhua clicked his tongue.
"That's inevitable. After all, you saw Wang Feng's performance at the welcoming party. Coupled with the temptation of the Three Step Tower, if they didn't unite to target him, they would truly be underestimating Wang Feng!" Dean Fu chuckled.
Dean Xiao shook his head helplessly upon hearing this.
He put down his magic telescope and sighed: "The pressure Wang Feng brings to Qing Campus is simply too great, especially for the freshmen he defeated at the welcoming party; they're probably holding a grudge."
"If they're unhappy, they can just hold it in. Whose fault is it that they're not as skilled?" Jiang Yunming smiled, completely unconcerned.
"Although Wang Feng single-handedly suppressed the freshmen at the welcoming party, they were mostly Novice Level Mages. Now he's facing a thousand Intermediate Level Mages. Can Wang Feng truly contend with them?" Director Wei Rong asked with a frown.
Jiang Yunming smiled upon hearing this: "Director Director Wei Rong, how about we make a bet?"
"Bet what?" Director Wei Rong raised an eyebrow, clearly interested.
"Let's bet on whether Wang Feng can suppress these thousand Intermediate Level Mages and place the Shadow Demon Beast into the iron cage. As for the stakes, let's bet on half of the Main Campus department resources for one semester!"
"Alright! I'm in!"