Chapter 75: Chen Mo Makes His Entrance!

In her panic, Lin Zhong hurriedly gathered her flames, attempting to compress the fireball as well. Yet, even though her Meditation stat was also at 30 points, both her spellcasting speed and magic condensation were only half as fast as Chen Mo’s!

“How can your spellcasting be that fast? You’re clearly just wearing a beginner’s set!” Lin Zhong screamed in disbelief.

Even Moon Fox found it strange—Chen Mo’s casting speed was nothing like that of a novice mage. She had checked his stats herself and knew his Meditation was only 30 points; it shouldn’t be possible. Moon Fox’s spiritual sense could roughly gauge that Chen Mo’s Meditation was indeed around 30—there was no cheating.

But Moon Fox had seen her share of prodigies at the White Cloud Azure Sky training base. She’d met many geniuses who, even with only 10 points in Meditation, could outpace her own 50, because in reality, spellcasting speed was influenced by many factors, not just Meditation. Some talents, through powerful mathematical reasoning, rebuilt the Fireball spell from the ground up, creating their own models. The power remained the same, but their casting speed doubled.

Moon Fox had heard from her academic colleagues that Chen Mo was exceptionally bright—a favorite among the teachers. So, while surprised, she found Chen Mo’s performance understandable.

Lin Zhong, though unwilling, was not truly afraid; her shield could withstand all damage. At worst, she’d fail this promotion, but with so many loyal followers in Class F, she could always return as their goddess.

However—however!

A sly smile crept across Chen Mo’s lips. In the softest whisper, he said, “Goodbye—”

Boom!

An explosion erupted—Chen Mo had not only compressed his magic but ignited the compressed fireball directly! The elemental particles in a compressed fireball were terribly unstable; even Lin Zhong would wait for them to split before detonating them separately. Yet Chen Mo triggered the blast instantly!

The force of it! It was as if the power of two fireballs combined with doubled explosive flames. The damage from the fireball and the explosive flame stacked together—nearly quadrupling the force of an ordinary fireball!

“No!” Lin Zhong seemed to realize her fate, and for the first time, screamed in terror.

Crack—

Her shield shattered! But the power of the compressed fireball’s explosive flame was far from spent. Even with her shield broken, flames washed over Lin Zhong’s entire body!

Agonized screams tore from her lips.

Although Moon Fox raced forward to extinguish the flames immediately, large swathes of Lin Zhong’s body and arms were still badly burned.

Her devoted followers erupted in anger: “Intentional harm! Disqualify him! Disqualify him from the match!”

But before Chen Mo could explain, Class D burst out jubilant: “To hell with disqualification! When Lin Zhong stabbed our Du Nan from Class D with a dagger, where were your complaints, huh?!”

Drumstick Instructor rushed over at once, producing a healing drumstick for Lin Zhong to eat. A layer of green vapor enveloped her, healing her wounds.

Yet the burns were too extensive. Even with the magic drumstick’s power, scars would remain.

Staring at the burns and scars on her arms and chest, Lin Zhong went mad. She clutched her hair, yanking out great handfuls, and screamed hysterically, “No! No! This isn’t me! This isn’t me!”

Wu Chen leapt from the stands in a single bound, landing as a blur before Lin Zhong. He held her tightly, comforting her, “Don’t be afraid, Lin’er, don’t be afraid. With modern technology, your scars can be removed.”

“Get away from me! Get away! You must despise me now! You despise my scars!” Lin Zhong shoved Wu Chen with all her might, but he only held her closer, undeterred by her blows.

Chen Mo felt not a shred of sympathy for Lin Zhong and even reminded, “Instructor Moon Fox, are you just going to let the two of them carry on like this?”

Moon Fox was well aware of Lin Zhong’s reputation at school, but as an instructor, she would never dislike any student because of it.

“Wu Chen, take Lin Zhong to the infirmary to rest, and remember to hurry back for the promotion match.”

“Yes, Instructor!” Wu Chen, ignoring Lin Zhong’s struggles, carried her out on his back. Before leaving, he turned, eyes blazing with murderous intent, and glared at Chen Mo.

Chen Mo met his gaze calmly, unperturbed.

Wu Chen said nothing more and simply carried Lin Zhong out of the gymnasium.

With this brief episode over, the promotion and demotion matches resumed.

Moon Fox asked, “Chen Mo, do you want to rest or continue challenging?”

Chen Mo pointed toward Class B, toward Shangguan Chaoyue, and smiled slightly, “Continue. My next challenge is Shangguan Chaoyue from Class B!”

The entire arena fell silent, then erupted in laughter.

“Hahaha, is this kid getting cocky? Does he think beating a girl makes him invincible? Challenging Shangguan Chaoyue from Class B!”

“Shangguan Chaoyue is one of the top contenders for the school’s top five, a real combat master favored by Instructor Wei Zheng. And this rookie from Class F is challenging Class B? Is he insane?!”

“You don’t know anything! This kid knows martial arts—he even beat Zhu Tao from Class C last time!”

“Martial arts? Ha! That’s only useful early on. By now, most people have cleared the beginner stages, earned better gear and stronger skills. Martial arts? What a joke. I could stand still and let him hit me, and he wouldn’t make a dent!”

Even though Shangguan Chaoyue had anticipated Chen Mo’s challenge, he was still a bit surprised when it actually happened.

He’d watched Chen Mo’s duel with Lin Zhong attentively; Chen Mo’s performance was commendable. He used two skills—a fireball, standard for mages, and a combo skill, Explosive Flame; his command of magic was deft, his control strong, even demonstrating advanced compression techniques. Yet in Shangguan Chaoyue’s eyes, it was still weak.

Shangguan Chaoyue cut a dashing figure, with short silver hair and a handsome face—so much so that he was often mistaken for a striking young man and was the object of many girls’ admiration.

Swish!

Shangguan Chaoyue vaulted from the stands, his body soaring twenty meters through the air before crashing down with force.

Boom!

The violent burst of air forced Chen Mo to stagger back half a step. After all, a mage’s physique was no match for Shangguan Chaoyue’s overwhelming presence.

Looking down from above, Shangguan Chaoyue spoke with commanding arrogance: “Chen Mo, are you truly prepared for defeat?”