"Jiao'er, quickly use water." The Butterfly Woman glanced nervously at the encroaching flames and hurriedly turned to the Neighbor Girl.
At the command, Jiao'er responded with a nod. Blue light shimmered around her right hand, and the nearby seawater moved with her gestures, dousing the surrounding fire.
At first, the water dampened the flames, but only for a moment — the fire soon blazed even stronger.
"What's going on? Isn't water supposed to counter fire?" Jiao'er's face paled as she stared in disbelief at the ever-growing inferno.
"In the face of absolute power, elemental counters are meaningless," Su said lightly, a faint smile flickering in her eyes.
Wow, Mu Ge is incredible — so powerful that he completely negates elemental weaknesses.
Wait, isn't water ability supposed to be rare? Why are water users as common as radishes in a military academy trial?
You're only looking at the number of water users encountered. You have to consider the proportion — among all the contestants, water users aren't that many.
"Hey, scoundrel, let go of my teammate!" The Fox Spirit frowned, reaching out to touch her arm near the flames. Even though she wasn't inside the fire, her arm was already singed. One can only imagine the burning pain the three trapped in the flames were enduring.
"Fine." Mu Qingyun raised an eyebrow and waved her right hand, extinguishing all the flames. "Leave here."
"Hmph." Fan Yunche snorted coldly. His slit pupils glowed, and his snake tail suddenly swelled many times larger, tightening at the tip like a coiled weapon ready to strike.
Though he adopted an attacking stance, he did not make a rash move.
"Yunche, Yunche, don't fight. Let's go," Butterfly Woman urged, flapping her wings to grab his arm. "There's a long road ahead. Any grudges can wait until after the first stage. Our goal is to pass the trial."
"Exactly, Yunche, don't be impulsive. Let's leave first." Jiao'er also tugged on his other arm, speaking softly to soothe him.
Given a graceful way out, Fan Yunche gladly complied. Yes, he could not be too reckless — his ultimate goal was to join the military academy successfully.
They were outnumbered—five against four—and except for the Fox Spirit's charm skills, her combat ability was nearly zero.
Three against five, and Fan Xuanye's skills were about equal to his own. Continuing the fight would not end well.
"Hmph, whatever. You penniless brat, just wait. After the first stage, you'll pay for your arrogance today!" Fan Yunche spat coldly, glaring fiercely at Mu Qingyun.
His harsh words hit the mark, but Mu Qingyun was unfazed. "Fine, I'll wait. But don't say you didn't keep your word and disappear as soon as you leave."
Wow, Mu Ge is so cool.
Why doesn't he just kill them now? His fire abilities are so powerful, and there are five of them—defeating those three shouldn't be too hard.
Maybe he's already taken a liking to that fox spirit. After all, he trapped three of them but spared her.
I don't think so. I feel like Mu Ge didn't surround the fox because he grabbed her tail earlier.
Mu Ge, why did you let them go? They're your competitors; eliminating them would help you.
Honestly, I don't get it either.
I think it's because Fan Yunche and Fan Xuanye are brothers. Even though they clash, it's family business. Mu Ge probably wants to understand the situation before acting.
Well said.
Mu Qingyun glanced at the comments, surprised at how accurately they understood her thoughts.
Fan Yunche and the others turned and left. Before leaving, the Fox Spirit glanced back at her, hesitated for a moment, then said nothing.
Mu Qingyun was annoyed by his tail-grabbing behavior—it was quite rude—but later, he hadn't surrounded her with fire.
That kind of special treatment was hard not to feel touched by.
After they left, Mu Qingyun turned to look at Fan Xuanye.
"Thanks," Fan Xuanye nodded at her in acknowledgment.
"Fan Xuanye, what's really going on with that guy? Is he really your brother?" Xiong Ruoyou couldn't hide her curiosity, her heart stirring.
At her question, everyone looked at Fan Xuanye — they were curious too, since he seemed to carry many secrets.
"He's a half-brother," Fan Xuanye said, closing his eyes slightly and sitting down, clearly irritated by the curious gazes.
"My mother disappeared when I was very young. People said she ran off with someone," he glanced coolly at Yi Beixuan, "But I know she left because of some problems, not what others say."
"So your dad remarried?" Xiong Ruoyou frowned, feeling a pang in her chest. Her mother had died when she was young, and her father never remarried for her sake.
She couldn't imagine how devastated she'd be if her father remarried.
"Yeah." Fan Xuanye nodded expressionlessly. "Fan Yunche isn't much younger than me. My dad remarried when I was still little."
"The only reason I came to the military academy trial was because I didn't want to stay in that family anymore. I don't want to inherit their business or benefits."
"Ah, that explains why he said those things to you right away. So rude!" Xiong Ruoyou scoffed angrily and threw a nearby stone in frustration.
This melodramatic evening soap suddenly became reality, right beside her—it was ridiculous.
Mu Qingyun had been silently listening. In her previous life, she was a prince disguised as a man. Her father had three thousand concubines, but before she had any achievements, he didn't care about her at all.
"What's wrong?" Su noticed her change in mood and gently poked her arm. "You don't look well."
"Nothing, just thinking about the past." Mu Qingyun answered faintly and looked up at Fan Xuanye, hesitating before asking, "Do you hate them?"
"Hate or not doesn't matter. I just want to find my mother." He looked at Yi Beixuan, emotions flickering in his eyes that were hard to read.
Sniff… I feel so sorry for Fan Xuanye. He's kind of pitiful.
He only wants to find his mom. But he's popular — if his mom watches the military trial, she'll definitely see him.
But why does he keep looking at Yi Beixuan?
Maybe just randomly, his gaze happened to land there.
After Fan Yunche's sudden arrival, Fan Xuanye's mood clearly darkened. He stopped training and kept his head down, lost in thought.
Watching him from afar, Mu Qingyun pursed her lips, feeling she should do something.
"Fan Xuanye," she walked over slowly and crouched beside him, "It's dark now, no clouds tonight. Do you want to go outside and look at the stars?"