Jiang Shaoxu turned her head to size up Song Jie. Mu Lei's words were simply too exaggerated.
Anyone who heard them probably wouldn't believe it.
He single-handedly challenged the geniuses of the Imperial Capital Academy!?
That was hard to believe!
But seeing the calm confidence on both Song Jie and Mu Lei's faces, Jiang Shaoxu started to doubt her own disbelief.
Still, she couldn't quite accept it.
Jiang Shaoxu said, "Then we'll be waiting for you to thrash the Imperial Capital Academy tomorrow."
"Just wait and see," Mu Lei replied with a grin, as if *he* were the one going to beat up the Imperial Capital Academy.
After that, they stopped talking about the competition and chatted about academy gossip and everyday life instead.
Jiang Shaoxu and Liu Xiaoxiao didn't eat much, so they left early.
"Shaoxu, do you think what that guy said is true?" Liu Xiaoxiao asked.
"I don't know," Jiang Shaoxu replied, shaking her head. The claim was just too unbelievable.
Liu Xiaoxiao clenched her fists. "I *hope* he's telling the truth. I want to see how arrogant the Imperial Capital Academy can be after that."
Her brother had once lost to the Imperial Capital Academy and was humiliated in the process.
That humiliation—she still couldn't let it go.
But what could she do?
After all, that was *the* Imperial Capital Academy.
"We'll know in a day or two," Jiang Shaoxu said with a faint smile. "But seeing how confident they are… it almost makes me believe them."
Liu Xiaoxiao narrowed her eyes mischievously, then wrapped her arm around Jiang Shaoxu's.
"Shaoxu, I think you're falling for that Song Jie, aren't you?"
"What are you talking about!?" Jiang Shaoxu rolled her eyes. "I might be free-spirited, but I'm not shameless!"
"Alright, alright, I'm just kidding," Liu Xiaoxiao said quickly, brushing it off.
—
Two days passed in the blink of an eye.
People from the other six academies arrived one after another, and the Imperial Capital Academy finally sent word that the competition venue was ready.
"Song Jie, let's go!" Mu Lei knocked on his door.
Song Jie opened it and joined Mu Lei, Old Man Deng, and the others as they headed toward the Imperial Capital Academy's stadium.
"Song Jie, I'm on your team today. No one can separate us!" Mu Lei said proudly.
"Stay away from me, I'm not into that," Song Jie replied with a look of disgust, quickly pushing him aside.
Soon, the group arrived at the competition venue.
Just as Song Jie was about to enter, a familiar figure caught his eye.
He stopped.
The person walking toward him was Mu Ningxue.
Her silver-white hair fluttered lightly in the wind, and her delicate, flawless face was like polished jade.
A year had passed, but her aloof beauty remained unchanged.
In fact, Song Jie thought she looked even more breathtaking than before.
Since they had interacted once before, it would've been rude to ignore her.
"What a coincidence," Song Jie greeted her with a smile.
Mu Lei looked between the two, stunned. He had noticed Mu Ningxue earlier—after all, with her looks and temperament, how could anyone *not* notice her?
"Why are you at the Imperial Capital Academy?" Mu Ningxue asked, her tone soft but distant. To her, Song Jie was a familiar stranger—someone from the same hometown, Bo City.
"I'm here to compete," Song Jie explained.
"Compete?" Mu Ningxue blinked in mild surprise.
"Song Jie, we'll head in first. Catch up later," Old Man Deng called back.
"Understood," Song Jie replied.
After the others left, he added, "When I left Bo City, I passed the special assessment for Pearl Institute."
Mu Ningxue nodded, understanding.
"Are you here to watch the competition?" Song Jie asked.
"My teacher told me to observe and learn," she said calmly.
"Then let's go in together."
"Alright."
They walked side by side into the competition venue.
Behind them, another group approached.
"Shangguan Hong, wasn't that Mu Ningxue just now?" someone asked.
Shangguan Hong's face darkened instantly.
Another person chuckled. "Yeah, that's Mu Ningxue. The same girl you've been chasing—though she doesn't seem interested."
Someone else added, "I just saw her chatting with that handsome guy. Looks like she prefers that type to muscle-heads like you."
Shangguan Hong's expression turned stormy. After all the teasing, his mood soured even further.
"Shut up!" he snapped.
The others smirked but didn't push it further—he was still their team captain, after all.
—
Inside the arena, the competitions between other academies were nearly done.
Next up was the main event: *Imperial Capital Academy vs. Pearl Institute!*
"Everyone from Pearl Institute is here, but where's Song Jie?" Liu Xiaoxiao asked.
Jiang Shaoxu shook her head.
A few moments later, Song Jie walked in, joining the Pearl Institute team.
Mu Ningxue had already gone to the spectator stands—she had special permission to watch the closed competition.
"Where are the Imperial Capital Academy people?" Song Jie asked, glancing around.
"They haven't arrived yet," Mu Lei replied. "Guess they're too proud to show up on time."
The guests had arrived before the hosts—it showed just how arrogant the Imperial Capital Academy could be.
Lu Yiming grew anxious. When he saw that Shangguan Hong and his team hadn't entered yet, he hurried over to Old Man Deng, his face full of forced smiles.
"I'm so sorry, Teacher Deng. They must be on their way—perhaps they ran into something."
Old Man Deng only grunted coldly, clearly displeased.
—
Outside the arena, the Imperial Capital Academy team still hadn't gone in.
"Captain, why are we just standing here?" one of them asked. "Shouldn't we go inside?"
Someone else answered, "That guy earlier must be from Pearl Institute. Their team arrived late—so he probably is, too."
At that, everyone realized what Shangguan Hong was doing.
He was waiting here on purpose—to give the Pearl Institute team a warning.
"You guys can take your time," said a short-haired girl coldly. "But I'm not playing along."
She ignored them and strode into the arena.
"Mu Tingying went in. Should we follow?" one of the members asked nervously.
"If you dare, don't blame me for what happens later," Shangguan Hong warned darkly.
The others fell silent immediately. They knew his temper—petty, vengeful, and cruel.
After Mu Tingying entered, she quickly found Lu Yiming.
"Mu Tingying, where are Shangguan Hong and the others?" he asked anxiously.
"They're outside," she said smoothly, "saying they want to give the Pearl Institute people a warning."
"Nonsense!"
Lu Yiming's face turned red with anger. After apologizing several times to Old Man Deng, he ran outside to deal with the situation personally.
...
Author's Note:
The first half (completed version) of Versatile Mage: My Magic Has Gone Beyond Limits! is now available on Patreon!
🔗 patreon.com/Shadow_demon_007
Thank you all for your continued support! 💙