Full-Time Mage

Chapter 3: Opening Ceremony

Mo Fan returned home, his mind filled with Mu He’s words. Those words seemed casual and earnest, yet revealed so much disdain for his family, Mo Jiaxing, and for himself.

Can’t even become a primary mage?

Heh, I’ll laugh right in your face!

Mo Fan admitted he had gotten very close to Little Princess Mu Ningxue for a while. But young as he was, he didn’t realize this would bring disaster to his poor family. From that day on, Mo Fan knew this society still had strict hierarchies.

“Mo Fan, hahaha, your problem is solved! I called an old friend of mine. Turns out he’s a big shot now, the Dean of Students at Tianlan High! He said as long as you study hard, he can get you into Tianlan Magic High School and let you awaken your destined element of magic. This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance! You have to work hard this time, you hear?” Mo Jiaxing, with his sallow face, walked in beaming, slapping Mo Fan on the shoulder.

Mo Fan looked at his dad’s joyful smile. Normally, he would have been happy too, celebrating with his dad for a week over white wine. But knowing the truth now, how could he believe his honest dad’s hearty laughter? Even more, Mo Fan couldn’t bear to believe that the respected dad he knew had never truly been respected in this society.

“Really? That’s great! You’re the best, Dad! You can handle anything, haha.” Finally, Mo Fan also put on a smiling face, slinging his arm around his dad’s shoulder.

“Of course! Who do you think your old man is?” Mo Jiaxing felt the flattery was good, and his smile widened.

Father and son still had a few drinks that night. During the drinking, Mo Jiaxing said tactfully, “Mo Fan, you should just live at the school. I’m planning to rent out the house to bring in some extra income for us.”

Mo Fan actually knew. This house was basically sold to Mu He. The rundown house wasn’t worth much, but the land in the city district was valuable.

“Sure, rent it out. I won’t be back much anyway. But what about Xinxia…” Mo Fan pretended not to know.

“Xinxia will stay with your aunt. To be honest, it’s hard for us two men to take care of a girl anyway. She’s sensible, we don’t need to worry too much.” Mo Jiaxing said.

“Alright then. Remember to visit me often at school.” Mo Fan said.

“Got it. I’m tired, sleepy. I’m turning in. You head to school tomorrow.” Mo Jiaxing downed the last sip of white wine and stood up, a bit unsteady.

Mo Fan watched him turn away, looking at his back and suddenly thinking of that essay by Zhu Ziqing.

He’d live at school, Xinxia at her aunt’s. Both kids were settled. So where would this middle-aged man live?

In the end, Mo Fan didn’t expose the truth.

In fact, for Mo Jiaxing, making this sacrifice was a father’s duty and pride. He wanted his son to know: Go study without worry. What you can’t solve, I will solve for you.

And Mo Fan knew that exposing it would only make Mo Jiaxing feel sad and humiliated. After all, what man doesn’t want to be a badass dad who can handle anything for his son?

Mo Fan couldn’t expose it. Others might not respect his dad, but he couldn’t!

This little broken house, if they didn’t live there, so be it. At most three years. Once he mastered magic, he’d have everything.

In this society, magic reigns supreme!

He would definitely become a great mage standing tall between heaven and earth!

The two months of summer vacation flew by. Mo Fan felt like he’d drowned in a sea of books. The Tianlan Magic High School library had everything, and books on magic studies were as complex and numerous as science—a truly boundless ocean of learning.

But Mo Fan had gained a lot. At least he was no longer illiterate… oh, magic-illiterate. He basically mastered what was taught in the nine years of compulsory magic education, feeling like Zhang Wuji after mastering the Heaven and Earth Great Shift, standing on the Brightness Peak!

September 1st, the first day of school. This day was incredibly important for all magic students. It wasn’t just about taking the most crucial step towards becoming a mage; it was also about which element of magic they would awaken!

Awakening, as the name implies, means letting the latent power within your body awaken.

“Kid, good luck to you! Best you awaken a Fire element. That’ll give you a big advantage among magic students. As for the other elements, they’re okay too… but in terms of combat power for primary mages, Fire is best. Oh, Rock is also good… Wind is okay too…” said Old Gu, the head librarian.

Mo Fan grunted a response, ignoring him. The old man talked endlessly. Honestly, Mo Fan hadn’t slept at all last night. For him, today’s awakening wasn’t just a change in fate; it was an unprecedented attempt. In his old world, magic was impossible! Today, he could truly grasp it. His little heart was pounding!

Mo Fan was in Class 8, Grade 10, student number 48.

No choice, he basically got in through the back door.

The earlier the student number meant the higher the score on the magic entrance exam. Apparently, these people generally cultivated faster after awakening an element because they had a thorough grasp of magic knowledge and practiced more smoothly.

Unfortunately, the number 1 in Class 8 was Mo Fan’s old classmate—Mu Bai.

Mu Bai was actually from the Mu family lineage, seemingly a branch member living in the villa. The reason he always looked down on Mo Fan was naturally because in the Mu Family Villa, he was considered a young master, while Mo Fan was the son of a servant—also a servant.

Too bad this branch member wasn’t on the same level as Little Princess Mu Ningxue. Mu Bai had tried all sorts of ways to please Mu Ningxue before, but she wouldn’t even give him the time of day.

Mu Bai’s magic grades were excellent. He should be a key focus of cultivation within the Mu family lineage. They said if he awakened the Mu family’s ancestral element, Ice, his cultivation speed would increase several times, given the immense resources the Mu family possessed. Even the portion allocated to a branch member like him was incomparable to ordinary people.