Li Mufeng, Zhang Meng, and Tu Xiaoshan had also changed into new armor, and they were all starting to look the part of Mages.
Of course, Xi Yueyao's was the coolest. After all, her armor was crafted from rare materials, so more care had inevitably been put into its creation. On the girl's budding, delicate frame, it made her look absolutely heroic and striking.
Class Two's group was right next to them. Zhou Chen, due to his personality, appeared relatively calm, only occasionally glaring at Feng Hao.
But Beixing Ran was a different story. Seeing the Violent Bear Hide Armor that was originally hers now worn by Xi Yueyao, humiliation and fury filled her heart. She was itching to charge over and start a fight!
"Boss, I think Zhou Chen is staring at you," Li Mufeng said, leaning in close to Feng Hao.
Feng Hao was busy teasing Xi Yueyao. Hearing this, he subconsciously glanced toward Class Two's group. Sure enough, Zhou Chen was looking at him provocatively, and beside him was a teeth-grinding Beixing Ran.
Feng Hao smirked and turned back nonchalantly. He had no interest in this kind of childish game of one-upmanship.
"Boss, aren't you nervous at all? That's Zhou Chen we're talking about!" Tu Xiaoshan said with a worried expression.
"You bunch of cowards! Feng Hao is way stronger than Zhou Chen!" Xi Yueyao glared at the three of them indignantly.
Feng Hao chuckled, then said calmly, "Don't worry. First place is mine."
"But I still have a bad feeling about this," Zhang Meng said sheepishly. Li Mufeng and Tu Xiaoshan felt the same way.
Even Yue Linglong, who was standing in front of them, turned around. "Are you really confident you can defeat Zhou Chen? From what I know, his current strength is formidable. Even among the second-years, he'd be a contender for first place."
"Teacher Yue, you're a Fifth-rank Mage. Can't you tell who's stronger and who's weaker?" Feng Hao said with a pout.
"But I feel that Zhou Chen is a bit stronger," Yue Linglong said with a serious expression.
"..." Feng Hao was torn between laughter and tears. 'The combat skills I showed off before were so incredible. It's one thing for the other students to be clueless—they're just Mage novices, after all. But Yue Linglong is a dignified Fifth-rank Mage, and she can't even see that much?'
Seeing Feng Hao's speechless expression, Yue Linglong frowned slightly. "I know you have extensive combat experience, but the gap between Mages ultimately comes down to genetic data and Secret Technique talent."
Feng Hao was stunned. 'So this woman looks down on technical skill? As the number one Assassin in "Mage," I can't let that slide.'
'Just for that comment, I'll have to put on a good show. I'll make her see the power of god-tier mechanics... er, no... the power of high-end combat techniques in a real fight!'
"To be honest, Teacher Yue, none of these kids in the academy can put up a fight," Feng Hao said, glancing around arrogantly with a playful look in his eyes. "How about we make a bet?"
Feng Hao had clearly provoked Yue Linglong's pride. She was a top student from the Five Provinces Advanced Academy; her deep-seated arrogance couldn't be challenged by a few words from him. "Fine. If you lose, the monthly class fee will be raised to 50,000 Magic Crystals."
"And if I win?" Feng Hao asked with a half-smile.
"You can have whatever you want!" Yue Linglong replied haughtily.
"Don't regret it now, Teacher Yue." Feng Hao flashed a wicked grin, his eyes trailing over Yue Linglong's curvaceous figure. "Just you wait and see me take first place!"
Faced with Feng Hao's suddenly lecherous gaze, Yue Linglong was overcome with shame and anger. She gritted her teeth and snorted, "We'll talk after you take first place!"
"Don't worry, I won't disappoint you, Teacher," Feng Hao said with a teasing laugh.
Yue Linglong turned back around in a huff, her eyes filled with contempt and disgust.
Feng Hao couldn't be bothered to argue with her. 'Actions speak louder than words. Once I take first place, let's see how she can keep up her arrogant act.'
As they spoke, the competition began. With the arrival of the dean and the Elders, the entire venue instantly grew much quieter.
However, the appearance of an elderly man in lavish robes caused a wave of gasps. The old man, a gentle smile on his face, was personally escorted by Dean Zhao Hao to the centermost seat.
"It's the City Lord! The City Lord actually came!"
"The City Lord is getting on in years. How long has it been since he last attended an assessment?"
"Is there a special reason this year? But I haven't heard any special news!"
...
Hearing the discussions around him, Feng Hao's expression turned strange. He had been in Rongcheng for so long, yet this was the first time he had seen the legendary City Lord.
'And this City Lord is completely different from what I imagined. Shouldn't the lord of a city in the Mage World be unfathomable, imposing, and domineering? What's with this kind-looking old man who looks like a strong gust of wind could knock him over?'
"That's the City Lord? He doesn't look the part at all," Feng Hao said, smacking his lips.
Zhang Meng hurriedly whispered, "Boss, keep your voice down. The Old City Lord is very prestigious."
"Uh, okay!" Feng Hao was stunned into silence.
Xi Yueyao's eyes sparkled with excitement. "The City Lord is incredible! My sister told me that every time he attends the assessment, he always brings some really precious rewards."
"Now I believe it," Feng Hao nodded in deep agreement. 'Any City Lord who gives out generous rewards is a good City Lord.'
On the high platform in the square, Zhao Hao had already begun his speech. He started with a few words of welcome for the City Lord, followed by a standard principal's speech routine. For specifics, please refer to *One Hundred Speeches for Middle and High School Principals Across the Nation*.
The students listened with waning interest, clearly tired of hearing it, but Zhao Hao delivered his speech with booming passion.
「Half an hour later.」
He finally got to the point. "This year's combat assessment rules are the same as before. Competing students can draw a number from Instructor Huang and proceed with one-on-one elimination matches based on that number."
"It's worth mentioning that the rewards for this assessment are exceptionally generous! The first-place winner of each grade will receive a reward of one million Magic Crystals, as well as a [Magic Soul] gifted by the City Lord!"
Hearing that a [Magic Soul] was part of the reward, the entire audience erupted again. The students were as excited as if they had been injected with stimulants.
Only Feng Hao, the outsider, remained relatively calm. He asked with some surprise, "What's a Magic Soul? Everyone looks so excited."
"When I was lecturing on Magic Souls, you were still messing around in the Monster Simulator. It's normal that you don't know," Yue Linglong suddenly turned around and explained irritably. "The full name for a Magic Soul is [Secret Skill Soul]. To put it simply, it's the soul of a Secret Technique. It's a special kind of secondary life form that exists as a Spirit Body. After being subdued, it can merge with a [Secret Technique Mark] to enhance the effects and abilities of a Secret Technique."
"It is especially necessary for large-scale Secret Techniques, because in team battles, only a Secret Technique controlled by a Magic Soul can avoid friendly fire!" Yue Linglong explained simply.
Feng Hao was amazed after hearing this. 'The Mage World is truly incredible. There's even a way to turn off friendly fire.'
"Can a Basic Secret Skill merge with a Magic Soul?" Feng Hao asked, his eyes gleaming.
Yue Linglong shot him a cold glance. "Magic Souls are incredibly precious. Only a fool would waste one on a Basic Secret Skill."
Feng Hao couldn't help but smack his lips and ask curiously, "Um... Teacher Yue, do you have a Magic Soul? What does it look like?"
"Of course I do!" Yue Linglong tilted her head up proudly. 'Are you kidding me? I'm a top student from the Five Provinces Academy.' "Remember the Fire Snake Secret Skill I used last time? That's the effect you get from fusing it with a [Fire Snake Magic Soul]."
"I see, I think I get it now," Feng Hao said in realization. "So you're saying that certain special forms of Secret Technique effects can only be achieved by fusing with a Magic Soul?"
"More or less," Yue Linglong nodded thoughtfully.
Previously, when Feng Hao was studying [Demon Patterns], he had discovered that Secret Techniques created from combining Demon Patterns had many limitations, especially regarding skill effects and large-scale Magic.
'Now that I know about the existence of [Magic Souls], all those ridiculously cool skills from my memories can be brought to life!'
At this thought, Feng Hao's gaze grew fervent. 'Damn it, first place is mine for the taking. I dare anyone to try and snatch it from me!'
"Boss, wake up! The lot drawing has started!" Zhang Meng waved a hand in front of his face with a helpless expression.
Feng Hao snapped out of his daydream and saw that the drawing had already begun. Filled with excitement, he said, "Let's go, the sooner we draw, the sooner we can fight!"
With that, he took off at top speed toward the drawing station. Compared to the other students' unhurried pace, he stuck out like a sore thumb.
Fortunately, he had Xi Yueyao for company. When that girl got excited, she was even more worked up than he was. Zhang Meng and the other two could only follow behind speechlessly, feeling incredibly awkward.
In the blink of an eye, the two of them had rushed to the drawing station, one after the other.
"Drawing lots, drawing lots! I want number one!" Xi Yueyao, used to being lawless, immediately started clamoring for the number one token.
The instructor in charge of the drawing, Instructor Huang, looked displeased. He pushed a high-tech device toward them. "The numbers are random. You get what you get."
"Hmph, it's just drawing lots! This young lady has the best luck!" Xi Yueyao grumbled, but she didn't dare throw a tantrum at the instructor. She obediently pressed the button on the lot-drawing device.
ZZT—ZZT—ZZT—
After a few piercing noises, the device spat out a small card.
Xi Yueyao impatiently snatched the card and looked at it, then became unbearably smug. "GAGA, it really is number one! This young lady's luck is incredible!"
"Medicine-selling brat, you try it," Xi Yueyao said, looking back at a speechless Feng Hao.
To be honest, Feng Hao was genuinely stunned by the girl's heaven-defying luck. 'If this were a game, she'd be a legendary "lucky hand"—someone who gets whatever they want.'
He snapped back to his senses with a wry smile, walked forward, and pressed the drawing button.
After another grating whir, the device spat out another small card. He picked it up and looked at it:
[Assessment Number: 998]
"Nine-nine-eight? Are you kidding me?" Feng Hao was torn between laughter and tears. He never dreamed he'd draw such a bizarre number. Thinking back to that century-old meme from Earth, he was completely speechless.
After the drawing was done, Xi Yueyao jumped up and down triumphantly and dragged Feng Hao toward the dueling grounds.
"Those two are so crude. How could the academy accept people like them?"
"Shh! Keep it down. That guy is the auditor student who's been making waves lately. I hear he's really strong."
"So he's an auditor. No wonder he's so crude. He doesn't have any of the proper bearing of a Mage."
"And that Xi Yueyao, too. She's nothing like her older sister!"
"Yeah, look how composed Zhou Chen is. He truly is worthy of being Elder Gu's Direct Disciple."
...
The two of them disappeared amidst the countless scornful and cursing voices of the students. They came in a hurry and left in a hurry, not taking a single cloud with them.