After the night of the kidnapping, Mu Ning Xue left, and a fence was erected around the villa, and the territory was carefully monitored, making it impossible to get in. Mo Fan was furious all the time and cursed everything and everyone, starting with the Mu family and even me. True, he cooled down a bit later and apologized, but it was still obvious that it had left a strong mark on him. It seems I somehow influenced the canon in a way that Mo Sina's salary wasn't cut, although he was treated much worse. I bet Mu Ning Xue did that before she left. But I don't think it will have any short-term impact, and I don't expect much in the long run, preparing only for major events.
Time flowed again at breakneck speed, and soon almost two years passed. Mo Fan and I were about fifteen years old and were in our last year of middle school, and the fateful moment for any person in this world was approaching. Exams for admission to the magic school and the right to perform one's first awakening! Although there was nothing interesting for me in elementary school, in middle school, subjects like history, general theory of magic, which replaced physics, and biology, which had a section on studying magical beasts, interested me quite a lot. But besides that, I often disappeared in the library, conducting my own research, filling in some gaps left after reading the canon. Unfortunately, there was nothing particularly interesting except for new beasts. Although I did figure out the cultivation resources of this world, which usually confused me.
In the sense that it was obvious to assume that resources were magical tools that accelerated cultivation, but that always seemed insufficient to me. You buy such a thing and that's it, and Mo Fan constantly whined about not having enough money! Well, it turns out there are a whole bunch of different stones, flowers, and other nonsense that contain magical elements and can accelerate cultivation. However, their use is associated with some risks and one must approach it carefully… And they are also quite expensive… The main such resource is elemental essence, which has no side effects and is quite common, but it is very difficult for ordinary people to obtain. This is due to the fact that all their reserves are controlled by clans and the government, and they themselves need these resources and don't really want to sell them. However, distinguished students in leading universities might get some.
In conclusion, I can say that I was quite intelligent, if not to say more, a genius and well-read person. In my past life, I suffered a lot because of this. And in this one, so as not to completely trample Mo Fan into the dirt with my excellent grades, I stayed around his level and didn't rush anywhere. I can show my brains in magic school, and then in university, where it won't be paid much attention due to the importance of a mage's personal strength.
About three months before the exams, Mo Fan returned from a walk with a talisman around his neck. Here it begins. Eight years of waiting were worth it. Honestly, I was worried that Mo Fan wouldn't get the dark talisman and the plot wouldn't start because of me, but fortunately, everything worked out and my little adventure with Mu Ning Xue didn't affect it, although I think it will have big consequences. But we'll live and see. As expected, the next day my Mo Fan woke up, not understanding anything and surprised by the presence of magic. It's good that he knows me, that's already not bad, otherwise it would be really hard. On the same day, I saved him from trouble by doing his homework and explaining what was happening in class.
What can I say, the author clearly embellished Mo Fan at the beginning, and it wasn't his strength that spoiled him, he's a lazy bum, although quite smart, to grasp everything on the fly. Over eight years of living under one roof, this was especially noticeable. In justification, one can only mention his good character and loyalty to his friends and loved ones. He's a real fighter for them! After the incident with the provoked hooligans, we got into trouble many more times, and not always did we manage to give them a worthy rebuff. Perhaps during this time I fought more than in my entire previous twenty-year life! Although I must admit that the fights themselves gave me pleasure, and if there were no manhua in this world, I would seriously consider the idea of becoming a bandit… Although it's better to become a hunter, it should be fun there too.
However, the world apparently wasn't going to follow my plans smoothly, and two months before the exams, a curious encounter occurred. As always, I wandered through bookstores looking for the next volume of a favorite manhua. Due to problems with pocket money, I had to look for it after the main sales, when in a provincial town the main print run was already sold out. But that's not the main thing, walking down the street, not thinking about anything in particular, waiting for the awakening of magic and the start of real work, I decided to relax and continue to enjoy life. Of course, keeping myself in a more or less normal shape, I still couldn't do anything more useful.
So, I noticed a girl with black hair tied in a ponytail, dressed quite simply. But what was important wasn't all this, but that her face resembled Zhou Ming's from the original, only less cartoonish and completely realistic. I must admit, she was indeed symptomatic. If it was her, of course, because I could easily be mistaken, considering all the differences and the eight years that had passed. But I still had a photographic memory and trusted it completely. Therefore, I decided to approach her and ask her, anyway, she looked somewhat sad.
"Hello, did something happen?" I asked, not thinking too much about it.
"No, nothing like that, I'm just tired…" she waved me off, not even looking in my direction.
"Really? You look kind of worn out," I said, shrugging. "Maybe it's all because of preparing for the exams? They're a real headache."
"Huh?" she asked in surprise, finally looking at me. "So you're a schoolboy too…"
"What else would I be?" I asked her in surprise, my voice not being rough enough to be mistaken for someone older.
"Well, who knows…" she shrugged without much enthusiasm.
"My name is Jiaxing Yun, what's yours?" I asked, extending my hand.
"Zhou Ming, nice to meet you," she said, slapping my hand. "Are your parents also bothering you with exam preparation?"
"No, no, it's simpler with us…" I said with a smirk. "And yours?…"
"My mother is a teacher at a magic school, so if I fail the exams and can't get in, she'll chew me out!" Zhou Ming said resignedly, rolling her eyes. I was finally convinced that this was the same girl from the canon. The moment I realized this, a plan was born in my head to win her over. After all, she was a decent mage, although she disappeared from view completely later, after the events in Xi'an. But I think she has good potential if given a push… So she could become a significant figure, which would consequently facilitate saving the world and maintaining my peaceful life. If it weren't for the danger of global catastrophe, I'd sit quietly and read manhua. Maybe I'd become a mage out of curiosity…
"I see… Quite harsh… Maybe we should go for a walk then?" I suggested to her. "I was just about to go shopping, you could keep me company. And in return, I'll help you with your exam preparation as much as I can."
"Do you think you have the qualifications for that?" Zhou Ming smirked. "You don't look particularly smart."
"Well, it's still easier to prepare with someone than alone," I said, shrugging.
"Then why don't I ask my friends?" she smiled slyly.
"Hmm… Well, why haven't you asked them?" I said, thinking for a moment.
"And what if I did?" she asked with a smirk.
"Then I'm afraid my authority ends here… But no one forbids you to try sitting with a complete stranger in the library after you go shopping, right?" I asked, smiling. "Why wouldn't such a chance encounter suddenly become fateful for you? Anyway, we met by chance, and even if you don't like something, we can never meet again… Unless we end up in the same school, of course."
"And what if you lead me somewhere or kidnap me?" Zhou Ming continued to say with a smile, more fooling around than truly rejecting my offer. It was clear that she wasn't entirely against it, mainly because the exam preparation had really gotten to her, which was understandable, normal people prepare for at most a month, or even better, a couple of days, and here it's two!
"Where would I lead you? To the library? Who would allow anything to happen there?" I said, shaking my head.
"Well, okay, anyway, I decided to run away from home for a couple of hours, just to clear my head," Zhou Ming said, getting up from the bench. "Well, shall we go?"
After that, we didn't find the manhua volume I needed, and instead quickly moved to the library, talking about all sorts of nonsense. Here I shone with my knowledge and talents, starting to prepare her at the highest level! I needed to gain her trust if I wanted to use her in the future, and for that, I had to be more than just acquaintances. At the end of our little get-together, we agreed to meet in a couple of days and continue our studies, so the plan can be considered successful.
As a result, Zhou Ming and I studied almost until the exams, and considering Mo Fan, I could be considered a full-fledged tutor. It's not that it bothered me too much, it was even fun and interesting at times with the former, but with the latter, I had to suffer for a long time and literally stuff knowledge into his head. But as everything comes to an end, and according to the exam results, I barely passed into the magic school, and Mo Fan, as expected, did not. Here the events unfolded a little differently, with adjustments for me, but not significantly different. The house was sold to Mu He, and Mo Fan and I moved into the dormitory, working in the library. However, this is exactly what I expected, so I was quite satisfied, continuing to gather the necessary information, leaning more towards the fact that the canon is still happening despite my presence, but a couple more checks and confirmations were needed.
At the very beginning of summer, another unexpected event occurred, this time quite unpleasant and even painful… Namely, lightning struck me! It happened like this, we were returning from work to the dormitory when a thunderstorm began. Naturally, we hurried back as quickly as possible, but about fifty meters from the building, lightning struck me, causing me to lose consciousness, of course, or rather, to enter my inner world.
I had been there before, tried it out of curiosity, and it wouldn't hurt to familiarize myself with this aspect, I learned all the necessary information from books. Usually, it's empty there, as it should be, but now I saw purple stardust with seven stars! A little later, to the side, I saw green stardust of the same size. These were the two elements of lightning and wind, the lightning strike provoked the self-awakening of magic! And I turned out to be lucky and awakened two at once! Damn, I hope I didn't steal this ability from Mo Fan? But that wasn't all, on top of the dust, two roses bloomed, one purple and the second blue. They exuded pure natural energy, like the one that struck me. These were two innate secondary spiritual seeds! Calming down a bit, I also noticed that these two stardusts were connected and seemed intertwined, although their cores were located at a significant distance from each other.
I woke up in the hospital, fortunately, I wasn't seriously injured and didn't pay much for treatment. Naturally, I decided not to tell anyone about awakening magic, as it could undermine my plan to follow in Mo Fan's shadow and significantly alter the canon. At school, during the awakening, I will simply infuse wind energy and pretend that I just awakened it. After all, revealing the mastery of lightning will affect the canon no less, and most likely will lead to the premature revelation of my brother's two elements…
After a quick discharge, I returned to work at the library, where I tried to get Mo Fan to deepen his knowledge a bit, no, he was improving it, but not to the level of not being stupid all the time. In the evenings, I started meditating, trying to fix the image of stardust in my spiritual world. Surprisingly, I could meditate for about two hours, although ordinary mages only for an hour, probably because I have two elements, not one, like Mo Fan will have. In cultivation, I used knowledge from books in the library, however, I felt that my elements were much more capricious than usual. I don't know why, but I feel it clearly, the books describe slightly different sensations.
On September 1st, as I was getting ready for the admission ceremony, I looked in the mirror. A young guy with black hair and black eyes looked back at me. There were no special features, his face was quite pleasant, better than in my past life, but not perfect either, girls wouldn't jump on him, but they wouldn't turn away with complete contempt either. His physique was quite frail, which I also lacked in this life, although I did exercise, but a couple of months in the hospital, as well as natural thinness, did their job. Now, what am I like? Quite good.
Today, about fifteen hundred people gathered on the square in front of Tianlan School. Mo Fan and I got into the same class, only in this reality, because I barely passed the exams, I became number forty-eight, and Mo Fan, forty-ninth. I don't think it should change anything, although I'm worried about the coincidence of Mo Fan's and Xu Zhaoting's lightning awakenings. I'll have to finish everything faster.
After the principal's speech, which was almost exactly the same as in the original, if I remember correctly, I didn't pay much attention to it, we headed to our respective classrooms. I deliberately walked a little away from Mo Fan, who was chatting with Xiao Hou, because I was expecting an event that could slightly spoil my plans.
"Oh, is that really you, Jiaxing Yun?" Zhou Ming asked in surprise, watching me from the side for a long time. "You look kind of disheveled and pale… You used to be more… alive, I guess…"
"Hello… I didn't think we'd end up in the same class," I lied, as this was exactly what I expected. "And I look disheveled because lightning struck me at the beginning of the holidays, I was in the hospital for two months, almost until the end…" I remarked listlessly.
"Really? Are you okay now?" she asked, a little worried.
"Yes, quite, the doctors said I was lucky and everything turned out fine," I said.
"I see… I'm more surprised that you barely passed!" she remarked, slightly offended.
"Haha… I got sick before the exams and almost failed them…" I said, putting on a slightly guilty look.
"That's not nice…" Zhou Ming said, slightly disappointed.
"Why is that? It's all my fault, why is it unpleasant for you?" I asked in surprise.
"You see… Thanks to your help, I'm second in our class," she said with a smile, as if she didn't feel awkward a minute ago.
"Well, congratulations," I shrugged. "Good luck maintaining that position."
"I think you should have been first! Don't you think you're too smart? And why haven't I heard of a genius like you before?" she said, surprised and slightly disappointed.
"Probably because in our world, brute force is valued more than a good mind, so now everything will depend only on our success in cultivation, and everyone will not care how smart we can be. You can't rise above ordinary people without good cultivation," I said, smiling.
"But that's not fair, is it? There are many smart people who just don't have a talent for magic!" Zhou Ming replied excitedly, but at that moment we had already approached our classroom.
"Sorry, we'll continue later, we have awakening now and it's very important," I said, patting her head, and moving to my seat. Mo Fan sat down right behind me.
"Haha… Where did you meet such a girl and when did you get so close?" he asked mischievously, paying no attention to anything.
"We met while walking around the city, you could say I was doing the same job for her as for you! You could at least thank me for that!" I said, slightly angry and offended.
"But in the end, I still failed, so what was the point of your efforts?" he asked seriously, even with a little irritation, though not directed at me, but at the guy sitting in the first row and being first in class, Mu Bai.
"Stop being angry at Mu Bai, he's definitely not to blame here… You were just a little short, so considering the fact that you forgot absolutely everything you learned in school before, this is my victory," I said confidently.
"But you yourself barely passed," Mo Fan retorted with a smirk.
"I told you I was sick then!" I said indignantly, turning away.
While Mo Fan and I were peacefully arguing, we were given school badges, which would show our progress after awakening. After that, our teacher Wu Musheng told us a little about awakening and began the long-awaited magic awakening ceremony. All this time, in parallel with us, Zhao Kunsan was arguing with Xiao Hou, saying that Mo Fan would fail and all that, nothing new, everything as it should be. Mu Bai went first, as the best in the exam scores. He was confident, approached the awakening stone, placed his hand on it, after which it glowed bluish, and a chill emanated from it.
"Excellent Mu Bai, it's pure ice element!" the teacher said. Next was Zhou Min, who was supposed to be much later, but thanks to me, she achieved a much better result. "Oh, not a bad fire element, Zhou Min. Excellent!" Teacher Mu Sheng was beside himself with joy after the first awakenings, imagining an even better outcome. No wonder, his salary depends on it... After that, students began to replace each other one by one, moving in a continuous stream. What annoyed me the most was that light mages were seriously considering suicide! Just go to Xi'an, they'll snatch you up there even at the beginner level, because something is better than nothing. And water mages? Not much better! Although everyone knows perfectly well that they possess the only initial-level defensive spell!
"Hey, idiot, people like you, who came through the back door, probably won't awaken. Trash like you shouldn't waste the stone's energy in vain," said Zhao Kun San, he will spend it, and how! You just don't have enough strength to understand that, which is a pity.
"Mo Fan, just ignore him, awaken your fire magic and show this dog its place!" said Zhang Hou, a good guy, after all, he is a very loyal friend, or rather, a named younger brother, well, another one.
"Quiet, you two, or the teacher will notice." I hissed at them, I don't need any more delays, Mo Fan must awaken lightning, along with Xu Zhao Ting, practically simultaneously, otherwise everything will go according to a different scenario. You could say this is a fateful moment for him!
"No one asked you," Zhao Kun San said, puffing up and turning away. He didn't want to be punished on the first day, and I bought myself time.
"Zhang Xiao Hou!" the teacher said, and our monkey went to awaken his wind element.
"Wind," the teacher said, as the crystal lit up with a faint greenish light and a weak breeze blew.
"Next is Jiaxing Yun," Teacher Mu Sheng said. Finally, it's my turn.
Standing up, I approached the awakening stone. I need to do everything quickly and accurately; I've already awakened my magic. Placing my hand on the stone, I directed as little energy as possible from the wind stardust into it. If I don't control the amount, they might find out about the innate seed, plus I've been cultivating for about two months. A sudden gust of wind and the stone glows a little brighter than Xiao Hou's. It worked.
"Unusual wind element, good," the teacher said, and I returned to my place. Or did it not work out very well, huh? "Number forty-nine, Mo Fan."
"Ha, I hope you can awaken at least light," Zhao Kun San said while Mo Fan was getting up. Yes, you'll be surprised after you find out what he will awaken. Two elements. I hope everything works out, Mo Fan, don't let me down.
As he walked towards the awakening stone, it was clearly visible that he was very nervous and worried. When he passed Mu Bai, he whispered something to him, but it was impossible to hear, even if I were sitting next to him. Due to his increasing anxiety, Mo Fan's hand trembled incessantly, even after he placed it on the awakening stone, and in such a state, awakening magic was impossible.
"Calm down! Stop and stop shaking," Mu Sheng warned him. With his left hand, Mo Fan gripped his right and placed it on the stone again. "Close your eyes, feel your spiritual world," the teacher instructed.
Mo Fan closed his eyes, and the whole class began to watch the "worst" student, who had gotten through the "back door," waiting for him to fail. Now everything should come together, I hope it works out. Unfortunately, even for me, it's impossible to fully control everything until the last second! Where are you – Xu Zhao Ting! A moment after I thought this, a bright purple light poured from the neighboring classroom.
"Lightning?!" Everyone in the class jumped up and rushed to see who had awakened it.
I slowly stood up and headed after them, but stopped in front of Mo Fan, whose stone was also glowing purple. And if you compare them by eye, Mo Fan's light was brighter, only no one would notice, as the light from the neighboring class appeared a little earlier. Mo Fan opened his eyes and looked at me, I just gave him a thumbs-up, after which he closed his eyes again, and the stone changed its color to fiery red, and I rushed to the door, pretending that I had just entered.
"Fire..." I said in a stunned voice, stopping at the doorway.
"What? Are we burning?" Zhao Kun San's voice was heard from behind.
"No, Mo Fan awakened fire," I said in the same voice, stepping aside.
"Wha-at?.." Zhao Kun San said in surprise, walking into the classroom. Mu Bai followed him, and you should have seen their faces, anime couldn't capture their charm!
"Mo Fan, you awakened fire! Cool!" Zhang Xiao Hou burst into the classroom.
"Uh..." Mo Fan, returning from the spiritual world, drawled, then looked at me. I showed him one, then a thumb, and smiled. Yes, I know it would have been easier if I had left with everyone, but this way is more interesting, and besides, such a small shared secret can have a good effect on his trust in me. Soon, the commotion about Mo Fan being a fire mage subsided. He didn't say he awakened lightning, so there are almost no problems. Then the teacher told us about the basics of cultivation and assigned homework. Before leaving, I asked him about the questions that had accumulated for me over two months and about subordinating stars; I need this now for further progress.
"Brother Jiaxing Yun, can I meet you on the roof of the dormitory?" Mo Fan asked when I moved away from the teacher.
"Yes, of course, brother Fan," I smiled back at him, after which he walked ahead, leaving me alone... Or rather, handing me over to Zhou Min.
"Is he your brother?" Zhou Min asked in surprise, watching Mo Fan leave with interest.
"In a way... You could say that," I said awkwardly, scratching my head. "Alright, I have to go, see you later."
"Uh-huh..." she said, surprised by my answer.
An hour later, Mo Fan and I met on the roof. I used to cultivate here; now I'll probably have to make room, as he also liked to cultivate here in the original. I was standing almost at the edge when he arrived; honestly, I had to wait quite a while for him.
"Do you know that I awakened fire and lightning?" he got straight to the point.
"Yes," I answered him briefly, nodding slightly and stepping back from the edge.
"But why didn't you tell anyone?" he asked in surprise.
"We are brothers, how could I tell anyone without your permission?" I asked, no less surprised.
"So you won't tell anyone?" he looked at me with disbelief. Yes, his plan to humiliate the Mu family now depends on me.
"Don't you trust me that much?" I asked, even more surprised. "I thought we could trust each other."
"Hahaha... Sorry, it's just very serious, I had to clarify," Mo Fan said, laughing and patting me on the shoulder. "Of course, I trust you, so you can also tell me what's going on with that girl. She's quite beautiful and seems smart."
"Do you have nothing else to do but ask me about this?" I said with a hint of contempt and offense. "We're just friends."
"I see, I see... Of course, I believed you," he said, nodding his head.
"You can ask her. I'm only interested in studying," I said, shaking my head and pushing him away.
"Are you serious? Do you want to die of boredom?" he asked with a slight mockery.
"Knowledge is also important for a mage, so I advise you to pay a little attention not only to cultivation but also to other subjects we will have," I said preachily.
"Okay, okay, I got you. Are you coming to celebrate our admission or not?" Mo Fan said, waving his hand and heading for the door from the roof.
"I'll come later; I want to be alone for a bit and relax," I said, stretching.
"Got it, say hi to Zhou Min," Mo Fan grinned and disappeared from the roof before I could say anything.
Left alone, I intended to start subordinating stars. For this purpose, I chose the lightning element first, because if I accidentally subordinate the wind star before we start doing it, suspicions might arise. Returning to my room, I took out my already heavily scribbled notebook and checked off the first page. The beginning has been laid; everything will only get more interesting from now on, and for now, I still need to go to that party.
Two months into our studies, we were explained how to properly take control of stars and were assigned the task of doing so every day. It was from this day that the race began throughout the school, who would subordinate all the stars faster. Mo Fan secluded himself on the roof, most likely, as in the original, he would first take control of lightning. My progress leaves much to be desired; during this time, I managed to take control of only two stars. The first took two weeks, the second already a month! And the third star still doesn't even want to contact me!
With such success, I need to actively master the wind, otherwise, at the end of the year, I won't be able to get into the elite class with Mo Fan, and I don't want that. If the lightning stars were arrogant and irritable, no matter how you approached them, it was always wrong, and you had to either pressure them or, conversely, pamper them, gradually winning them over. The wind stars were different, more spirited and cheerful; they didn't show disobedience and didn't try to snap back, but you had to catch them. They ran away from me, tried to hide, and literally slipped out of my hands! But I, like a caring father, tried to catch them and punish them for disobedience! Which personally infuriated me incredibly! Who knew that my words to Zhou Min before the start of classes could turn out to be true? But I wasn't going to put up with being a mediocre mage, continuing to work hard, finding new ways to take control of disobedient stars.
After a couple more months of study, winter holidays arrived. By this time, I had managed to subordinate only three wind stars; Mu Bai had almost subordinated his fifth, and even Zhou Min wasn't far behind him! I tried to maintain a fairly friendly relationship with her, but nothing more. Today, Mo Fan and I were heading to the bus stop; we were going to school at Jiaxing Xia's, and after that, we would go to Aunt Mo Qing's. Today, I expected to see a show and get another confirmation of my theory. On the way, Mo Fan decided to cultivate; I prudently moved away from him and also began to subordinate wind stars, but with little effect. Suddenly, an electric current ran from Mo Fan's side. He, as in the canon, subordinated the seventh star on the bus. I think if it weren't for the fact that he wasn't worried about me and boldly subordinated stars in such a place, he would have done it a little later than necessary. Everyone, as expected, started shouting; some old men grumbled that young mages shouldn't cultivate on the bus and that there were special places for it, nothing unexpected.
Getting off the bus, we walked along a narrow path that very few people knew about. Coming out into the yard, we saw Jiaxing Xia sitting on a swing, and her wheelchair was nowhere to be seen. I expected this and remained calm, even exhaled with some relief. But Mo Fan went berserk and went to deal with the local hooligans, among whom I even recognized the grown-up sycophant! It seemed he was the leader of this gang.
"Brother Yun, aren't you going to stop Fan?" Jiaxing Xia asked anxiously. Yes, in our group, I established myself as the voice of reason in some moments, although I often helped the two rascals get out of difficult situations, just like in that case during my "first" walk.
"Don't worry, Mo Fan is a mage; I'd be more worried about those who took the wheelchair," I said, waving my hand. A couple of minutes later, an electric crackle was heard from the direction of the gazebo where the hooligans were with the wheelchair, and lightning flashed. Jiaxing Xia was very scared; I shrugged my shoulders. The canon is being followed quite accurately so far, which is good.
"A mage?" Jiaxing Xia whispered quietly, seeing this scene. Soon, a smiling guy with the wheelchair in his hands appeared from there.
"Jiaxing Xia, I dealt with them; they won't bother you again!" Mo Fan said, bringing the wheelchair.
"Really? Brother Mo Fan is a mage now?" Jiaxing Xia asked, confused.
"Haha, you were one of the first to see my magic!" Mo Fan said, suddenly approaching the girl's face. Because of this, Jiaxing Xia, not expecting this, blushed deeply, although she should be used to it by now.
"Okay, enough, you can flirt later," I interrupted the conversation. Damn, they completely forgot about me! It's even a little offensive...
"Ah, what!?" Jiaxing Xia shook her head in surprise. "Wait, Brother Mo Fan, you awakened your element in less than six months. As far as I know, many talented people needed a year to master spells correctly," she said. This was roughly what was in the light novel, so now we'll find out about the black church. It's even funny that for the first time in the original, we learn about it from the Pope's successor...
"You just said that talented people need a year, but what is the level of their talent?" Mo Fan asked cautiously, although he is slow-witted and doesn't understand basic questions, he at least understands the essence of this world and that standing out too much is dangerous.
"Mu Ning Xue is considered the most talented in Bo City; even studying with other geniuses, she needed seven and a half months to master magic," I said, deciding to remind them of myself, interrupting Jiaxing Xia a little. But in reality, I was very surprised by this information because I clearly remember that in the original, she needed eight full months for this! Could our conversation have influenced her so much?
"Yes, that's right," Jiaxing Xia nodded. "And only members of the black church can develop so quickly."
"Seven and a half, seriously? What kind of black church is this, where you can develop even faster?" Mo Fan asked, completely shocked by what he heard. Yes, guy, you're too cool for this world. Although I'm no better; if I could develop like you, with two innate seeds and elements, I would have surpassed you by a head. But I think I'll manage anyway; the main thing is diligence and a creative approach, and I can find other ways to become stronger.
"The black church is an organization that does all sorts of atrocities in the world. Well, murders, kidnappings, mass bloodshed, terrorist attacks, and all that sort of thing..." I briefly explained the essence, and he will learn more later.
"Ah, yes. In fact, I awakened my talent not at school. I met an old man much earlier; he called out to me and said he saw talent in me. When I asked him who he was, he replied that he was a member of the magic association and could help me... So, in total, it took me more than five months," Mo Fan said quickly. We believe you... But okay, let's not embarrass him.
"Yes, really? Well, then it's good," Jiaxing Xia nodded, and I thought, she's talking about the black church, she herself is the daughter of a cardinal in red...
"So don't worry, let's go home," Mo Fan said and pushed the wheelchair forward. When I got closer to him, he quietly said, "You also think I'm connected to the black church, you know I have two elements."
"No, of course not, don't worry, I'm a tomb," I reassured him just as quietly, after all, he remembered me.
But I don't regret saying that I know about his second element. Because if I didn't know, it would be difficult for him to use magic now... Although, given his character, he wouldn't even think about it. Mo Fan slept through the evening on the sofa in the living room; he was clearly exhausted after using magic. I cultivated all this time. The next evening, Aunt Mo Qing came and told me that there were mages in the Mo family and that monsters had recently attacked the city. Nothing that could surprise me, but it was nevertheless very important information.
During the holidays, Mo Fan often spent time in the library, although there would be no particular benefit from it. I cultivated all the time; ordinary meditation took less energy, so I focused on it, trying to develop both elements more or less evenly. I was cultivating on the roof; one day, a strong wind rose, and meanwhile, I began to subordinate stars and felt how this very wind entered my spiritual world and gently caressed the stars, making them more pliable and obedient. Is it possible that to overcome the "wildness" of my stars, I just need to use pure natural elements? I don't know, but by the end of the holidays, I had subordinated four stars and almost managed to conquer the fifth.
On the first day of classes, Mo Fan and I were late, mainly because of him; I had to wait for him to get ready! But I wasn't going to protest, as it fit with what I knew, but for appearance's sake, I had to. Everyone around in the auditorium looked strange and excited. Mo Fan was very surprised by this; I took a seat next to Xiao Hou, not paying much attention to it.
"Hello, Brother Yun, how is your wind element? I've already subordinated four stars!" he asked, slightly smugly, as soon as he saw me. Because we both have wind magic, we compete a little with him on who will master the magic faster. For him, it's something cool; for me, it's just a small amusing bonus, and also a way to make him stronger.
"I have four too, so don't dream of releasing magic before me!" I said confidently, while Mo Fan sat down next to me.
"Good morning, students. Your class advisor and practical magic teacher are ill. Starting today, I will be replacing your class advisor and, concurrently, your practical magic teacher. My name is Tang Yue!" a voice said. Well, whose voice, it was just Tang Yue, a member of the Chinese magic court, sent here to investigate the affairs of the black church, but I don't care about her. After all, if my tooth-talisman eats a magic device, I don't think she'll rush to buy two more. For me and Mo Fan.
Speaking of him, if it weren't for the effect of its use, I might have been subordinating only the third, or even the second wind star, even though I started on September first! Or maybe I'm exaggerating... But in any case, this only confirms the fact that subordinating stars is definitely more difficult for me than for others. I had no plans for Tang Yue at all. Besides the fact that she is the guardian of the totem beast, she had nothing remarkable. A perfectly average talented mage, who, like Zhou Min, fell out of the narrative after a certain point. To deal with her too? ... Not too much trouble, and it's not a fact that everything will work out and I will gain anything. But maintaining a friendly and trusting relationship with her is simply mandatory for the future... I have no plans for her, but not for the totem serpent!
At the beginning of the lesson, Tang Yue talked about magic and that you should always concentrate on your star. After that, she showed a trick with delaying the use of magic, but as for me, it's spectacular, but stupid in combat, who would wait for your magic to work? Although it might be good for practicing control... Then Tang Yue asked those who possess fire magic to stand up. Zhou Min, Zhao Da Niu, Zhao Kuai Zui stood up, and at the end, Mo Fan, who was laughed at for being a layman. Guys, I pity you, but you will only laugh for another six months, then you will start to fear and condemn. Well, as for Zhou Min, I'm glad; she successfully subordinated another star during the holidays. My help during the exams and the pressure of second place in the class did their job... Although I think I should thank her mother, who "encourages" her daughter well, according to the daughter herself.
Then Tang Yue said that she would help those who had already released their magic, thus unintentionally starting an argument about who would do it first, but everyone agreed that it would be Mu Bai. It's really fun to watch, knowing the whole truth. Although Mo Fan clearly doesn't share my views and looks quite annoyed.
After that, the routine school days dragged on. I tried to cultivate for as long as possible, but I still had difficulty subordinating only the sixth wind star. Although I must say that I also paid a little attention to lightning and control four stars in it! The weather this year was quite capricious, and one day I overheard a conversation between Zhang Xiao Hou and Liu Xiao Bin.
"A typhoon is approaching? This cursed weather... It behaves as it pleases every year," Xiao Hou complained in the dormitory.
"Zhang Hou, don't you have the wind element? Maybe you should go out and try to do something?" Lu Xiao Bin replied.
"You're a water mage, so why don't you go out in the rain and do something too? You walk in the rain with an umbrella, how can you be ashamed?" Mo Fan said, defending Xiao Hou. I just chuckled, remembering the water mages who summoned rain...
"Okay, everyone, I'm going," I said, leaving the room.
"Yes, are you crazy? You can't even release magic, only six stars," Xiao Hou tried to stop me.
"Yeah, it's okay, nothing serious," I replied, leaving the room. Behind me, I heard them trying to persuade Xiao Hou to show his magic. After all, he beat me, but considering my two elements, I won, but even so, I hurried to leave the corridor as quickly as possible, just in case.
Climbing to the roof, I immediately felt a strong wind, and dark clouds were gathering in the sky. Sitting comfortably by the wall, I began to cultivate. The stronger the wind, the more energy it transferred to me, and the easier it was to control the stars. After an hour of labor, I subordinated the last wind star and began to work on lightning. To get into the elite class, this will be enough, and if the results are too high, it could be harmful. The strong wind continued for about another month, and although it didn't help much in subordinating lightning stars, their nature was too explosive, but during this time I managed to take control of the fifth star. I'm not sure, of course, what the difference is between elements just being in the air and during natural phenomena, but the fact of accelerated cultivation is obvious. Soon it was time for exams; by this time, six lightning stars were subordinated to me, and I easily learned to use wind magic, although connecting the stars took about five seconds.