The days before the annual exam passed in a blur of frost, star charts, and murmurs in the corridors. Every student in Bo City High was running around trying to squeeze out one more star, one more breath of magic control, one more advantage before the big test that would decide their future.
Everyone… except Xu Mang.
He moved through the campus as quietly as snowfall on rooftops, leaving no traces, no gossip, no explanations. Only Lu Jun noticed him returning later each night, clothes dusted with Summoning Plane residue, eyes steady like he had already taken every test in the world and passed.
On the third night that week, Lu Jun approached him near the vending machines.
"You went out again," Lu Jun said.
"Training."
"You disappear for hours."
"Still training."
Lu Jun stared for a long moment. "You're preparing for the disaster, aren't you."
Xu Mang didn't deny it.
"Good," Lu Jun said simply. "I'll follow your lead when the time comes."
That was the extent of their conversation. It was enough.
The next morning, Xu Mang headed toward the back of the school where Mo Fan had been practicing the same spell every day until his fingers were stiff and his patience thinner than paper. The four lightning stars kept slipping apart every time he tried to connect them.
"I swear if this thing doesn't align today, I'm becoming a monk," Mo Fan muttered.
Xu Mang watched from a distance. He waited until Mo Fan took a break to gulp water from a bottle.
Then he approached.
"You're burning too much energy each time," Xu Mang said. "That's why you're stalling."
Mo Fan glanced at him with annoyance. "Oh great, the prodigal son returns with advice."
Xu Mang didn't respond. He simply held out a small black card.
"Here."
Mo Fan blinked. "What's this."
"A billion yuan."
Mo Fan choked on air. "A—WHAT—how—wait—what?!"
"Use it for cultivation items," Xu Mang said. "Seeds. Crystals. Equipment. Whatever you need."
Mo Fan stared at him like he had grown a second head.
"Xu Mang… what kind of drug trade are you running?"
"Nothing illegal."
"Then… why give ME a billion yuan?"
Xu Mang looked at him calmly.
"Because you're useful."
Mo Fan's eye twitched. "That's not how friendship works."
"It is now."
Mo Fan wasn't sure whether to be grateful or insulted. In the end, survival instincts won.
"I'll pay you back," he said.
"You won't," Xu Mang said.
The Frost Star Wolf peeked out from Xu Mang's hood and let out a soft "Awoo."
Mo Fan jumped.
"Where did you get that thing?"
"Summoning exam project," Xu Mang replied casually.
Mo Fan leaned in, squinting. "Why does it feel like it wants to eat my leg."
"It won't," Xu Mang said. "Unless you annoy me."
Mo Fan immediately straightened up. "Let's be great friends."
Xu Mang left him to practice.
Once Mo Fan started using the items Xu Mang bought for him, his cultivation speed skyrocketed. His lightning stars became smoother, clearer, more obedient. He could now connect the fourth with only a few seconds of strain.
The other students noticed the improvement too.
"Did Mo Fan drink rocket fuel?"
"No, he definitely sold his soul."
"Could he actually pass this year…"
Xu Mang watched from the shade of the practice yard and let the whispers scatter like dry leaves.
That night, the Black Totem Pendant pulsed hard against his chest.
He halted mid-step.
The air around him thickened.
Mana swirled.
The pendant glowed in dark azure patterns, cracks of old shell falling away like dust.
Then a burst of power surged across his chest, silent but overwhelming.
The pendant had finished digesting the Ruler Soul Essence.
Its internal circuits glowed with ancient patterns, newly awakened.
Xu Mang inhaled sharply.
His Summoning Stardust quivered.
New star connections brightened instantly.
The Summoning Plane felt closer than ever, like a door had finally unlocked.
The Frost Star Wolf lifted its head, sensing the change.
"Awoo."
"Yeah," Xu Mang whispered. "I feel it too."
The pendant's evolution meant several things:
He could strengthen his contracted beasts faster.
He could pull higher-quality spirits.
He could usurp innate talents with far greater efficiency once his element matured.
And most importantly, he could suppress monster instincts more effectively.
This was the tool he needed to save Qin Yue'er, to raise Zhan Kong to Super Level, and to accelerate the growth of his friends.
Later that evening, Xu Mang sat on the rooftop, the city lights reflecting in his eyes. All the pieces were aligning.
The wolf on his lap purred frost.
The pendant hummed steadily.
His lightning stars crackled with restless potential.
His Summoning element felt like a sleeping giant stretching after a long slumber.
Tomorrow, the final exam week would begin.
Everyone else would test their strength.
Xu Mang would test his plans.
He leaned back against the cold tiles, hands behind his head, and exhaled.
"Let's begin."