The Magic Duel!

"Damn, that old bastard Mu Zhuoyun really spared no expense — can you even count how many Magic Weapons and pieces of Enchanted Gear he's loaded onto Yu'ang?" Deng Kai nearly shot up out of his seat.

Principal Zhu could only keep shaking his head.

Most school students were simply outmatched by clan disciples. The cultivation gap was one part of it, but their equipment was nowhere near the same league. For this Coming-of-Age Ceremony alone, Mu Zhuoyun had showered Yu'ang with more Enchanted Gear and Magic Weapons than anyone could tally.

And Mo Fan?

Apart from the Sickle-Bone Shield he'd squeezed out of Zhankong, it seemed like he had nothing else at all.

Just how in the world was he supposed to fight this?

The sight of it left Principal Zhu and most of the school's contingent with a chill in their hearts.

"Deng Kai, since you are already here as witness to this duel, why don't you serve as our referee?" Mu Zhuoyun said with a faint smile, already savoring the prospect of watching a cat toy with its prey.

Deng Kai genuinely didn't know what to say. He could only offer a silent prayer for Mo Fan in his heart.

"You are both exceptional talents among the younger generation of mages. This duel exists only to push you toward more dedicated cultivation — so keep it measured. Know when to stop!" Deng Kai stepped between the two young combatants, his voice carrying to every corner of the arena.

He stepped back slightly — but not fully off the field. From that position, if anything went wrong, he could intervene immediately.

"Right, shake hands, and wait for my signal."

Mo Fan and Yu'ang walked toward each other, both extending a hand.

A thin glaze of frost had already formed in Yu'ang's palm. The instant their hands clasped, Mo Fan felt a surge of icy energy probing inward, reaching for the very marrow of his bones.

Mo Fan reacted fast. His arm flushed a sudden, inexplicable crimson as fire welled up beneath his skin, shielding his muscles, vessels, and bones — and without changing expression in the slightest, he raised his other hand and gave Yu'ang the middle finger.

"You really are a clueless little mongrel rat," Yu'ang said, releasing his grip and turning away with a cold smirk. "No matter. I'll freeze every last drop of water in that skull of yours solid — maybe then you'll manage to think more clearly."

"Moron," Mo Fan returned.

He turned back to his starting position, his gaze sweeping the crowd.

From the moment he'd set foot in this estate, he'd lost count of how many eyes had fixed on him with mockery and pity. How many people had praised his nerve to his face while their lips curved in that unmistakable smirk of contempt — the silent verdict that he was overreaching, punching above his weight, an egg thrown at a rock.

There was a certain kind of person in this world who fancied themselves wiser than everyone else — who watched your every unconventional move with the smug, gloating face of someone who had "been there and seen it all." They lived their whole lives trapped inside a cage of mediocrity, in a system they believed no one could ever break out of. And because of that, they wanted — needed — everyone else to be exactly like them. They used their self-righteous "experience" and their shortsighted, small-minded worldview to mock anyone who dared to take a real shot at something.

Some people just loved watching others fail. Loved running their mouths without end. Loved putting that limited intellect and paper-thin sense of superiority on display.

Today — he'd make every single one of them shut up.

"The duel — begins!"

Deng Kai's voice rang out, and the magic duel Mo Fan had been waiting so long for was officially underway.

In the next instant, streaks of vivid crimson blazed through Mo Fan's eyes. Within those flames, seven fiery Star Motes could be clearly seen snapping together in rapid sequence, tracing out a Star Trail.

The Star Trail blazed. Magic ignited.

A ball of fire burst forth in Mo Fan's palm, its scorching spirits leaping and dancing with wild excitement, straining to set everything within reach ablaze.

"Fire Burst: Scorch!"

Mo Fan's Star Trail had linked together at breathtaking speed — people could still hear the echo of Deng Kai's starting call when the spell was already complete.

Such fluid, practiced Release drew a ripple of surprise from the audience.

"He's got skill, I'll give him that — problem is, first-level Fire Burst won't do a thing."

"Strange," Luo Yunbo said from the side, a puzzled look on his face. "Hasn't he already mastered Fire Burst: Char Bone? Why is he using first-level Fire Burst: Scorch? Char Bone is far more powerful than Scorch — if he managed to get the jump on casting, why not use something that actually hits hard?"

Anyone with even a passing knowledge of Mo Fan knew he had been the first student in the school's history to master a second-level basic spell. Fire Burst: Char Bone had even made a spectacular showing during a Field Expedition. So what on earth was his purpose in opening such a critical duel with a mere Fire Burst: Scorch?

Across the field, Yu'ang showed not the slightest urgency. He simply watched as Mo Fan completed his Star Trail, his manner seeming to say: *So what if I let you cast first?*

"Ice Vine!"

Yu'ang finally moved, his Mental Intent locking down all of his Star Motes with practiced ease.

He was just as fluid and unhurried. Tendrils of cold mist coiled around him, wreathing his white-robed figure in whorls of chill air.

"Ice Vine: Coagulate!"

The moment those words left his lips, the temperature of the entire dueling arena plunged — as though blazing midsummer had been ripped away and replaced wholesale by the dead of winter.

Snow and frost began to fall. Countless wisps and flakes of ice swirled through the air like frozen silk.

A blanket of white descended over Mo Fan's position. At the rate Ice Vine was spreading, standing within its zone for even three seconds would be enough to freeze a person's lower body solid.

Ice Vine was a devastatingly effective skill in a duel.

At the basic level, only Wind Element and Earth Element mages had any reliable means of rapid movement. Ice Vine, meanwhile, always covered an entire area — once it came down and the frost blanketed the ground, a mage had three seconds to escape or be frozen in place. Those who lacked the speed simply couldn't escape.

Yu'ang's Ice Vine had blanketed every inch of space where Mo Fan stood. Even at a dead sprint, Mo Fan couldn't possibly clear the zone in three seconds — which meant that three seconds from now, he would be a standing target.

After that, all Yu'ang had to do was layer a second Ice Vine on top. Three seconds after that, Mo Fan would be a human ice sculpture, and the laughter from the crowd would shake the rafters.

There was no getting around it: Ice Element was practically mindless to wield against mages or Demon-Beasts who couldn't move quickly. Of all basic-level spells, Ice Vine demanded the least technique yet remained among the most devastatingly practical.

"Is this guy an idiot? Why is he just standing there?"

"If that were me I'd be running my legs off. Once you're frozen, it's over."

Mo Fan did not run. Any mage with even basic instincts would have started moving the moment Ice Vine came down — staying mobile was the only way to avoid being frozen.

*Want to freeze me?*

Mo Fan's smile spread wider.

He hadn't thrown the flame in his palm toward Yu'ang at all. He knew perfectly well that a measly first-level Fire Element skill stood no chance of taking Yu'ang down — but he had something else entirely in mind for this Fire Burst: Scorch.