The month following the annual Mid term exam passed in quiet tension.
Winter settled deeper over Bo City, and beneath the cold air the mana fields around the city shifted strangely—thin one hour, heavy the next, like the world was breathing in a rhythm only mages could sense.
Most students didn't notice it.
But Xu Mang did.
And Lu Jun did.
Because Lu Jun didn't just know cultivation.
He knew the future.
He knew the entire original story—every disaster, every rise, every fall—because he had read it back on Earth. It was the reason he never underestimated Mo Fan. It was the reason he never looked down on Zhang Xiaohou. It was the reason he always watched the direction of the northern barrier.
Xu Mang wasn't surprised when Lu Jun quietly approached him atop the school roof one evening.
"You've been helping Mo Fan," Lu Jun said, folding his arms. "More than he realizes."
Xu Mang didn't deny it. "He'll need the power. Earlier than anyone thinks."
Lu Jun nodded slowly. "The Black Vatican… the calamity… I know."
Of course he knew.
Xu Mang glanced sideways. "Then you know who Yu Ang really is."
"Mu He's pet," Lu Jun replied. "Black Vatican veiled disciple. And Mo Fan's first real exposure to human malice."
Xu Mang exhaled. "Good. Then we're aligned."
The Frost Star Wolf lay curled at Xu Mang's feet, its cold mist drifting in the air . It opened one eye when the distant city barrier flickered faintly. The wolf, although only 10 months old at this point, was so powerful he could possibly be the STRONGEST servant class creature in the world as it was known that Antarctic beasts are 6× Stronger Than normal Monster. Furthermore it's level was even higher because of Royal Bloodline! It had the Strongest Ice Element in the World! (Extreme Dust!)
Lu Jun's gaze followed it. "It's starting sooner than the book described."
"Everything is accelerating," Xu Mang said.
And that included Mo Fan.
Night after night, Xu Mang delivered small gifts without leaving a name.
A piece of refined lightning marrow crystal tucked under Mo Fan's desk.
A diluted fragment of semi-calamity dust placed beneath Mo Fan's pillow.
A tiny vial of purified thunder sap left in his backpack's side pocket.
Mo Fan never questioned why he was cultivating faster.
He simply thought he was finally "unlocking his genius."
In truth, Xu Mang had poured nearly one billion yuan of Summoning Plane treasures into Mo Fan's lightning growth alone.
By the twentieth night, Mo Fan could summon all seven lightning stars instantly.
By the thirtieth night, he could form the orbit in two breaths.
By the thirty-third night, Mo Fan had reached Novice Tier Level 2 in Lightning—an achievement that would take a normal student a year.
At school he continued pretending to struggle with Fire, a bad student blamed for laziness.
But in abandoned construction sites and quiet alleys…
"Sparks!"
WHIP—CRACK!!
A bolt shredded a stone pillar cleanly in half.
Mo Fan grinned like a madman. "Hehehe… if only they knew…"
They would. Soon.
But not yet.
On the last night of the month, Xu Mang met with Lu Jun again behind the school's outer wall.
"His stars are stable?" Lu Jun asked.
"More than stable. He's ready to fight a Servant- level beast with lightning alone."
"And Fire?"
Xu Mang smirked. "Still pretending to be useless."
Lu Jun chuckled. "Good. That means the Yu Ang reveal will still land."
Xu Mang nodded. In the original timeline, Mo Fan's lightning shocked the entire school during their duel. That moment was a turning point. And even though the world had shifted because of their arrival, Xu Mang intended for that moment to remain untouched.
It gave Mo Fan the fire he needed.
It humiliated the Mu Clan at exactly the right time.
It introduced Mu He's true nature.
Some events needed to happen.
But this time… Mo Fan would not be fighting alone.
Xu Mang would be watching.
Planning.
Intervening from the shadows if necessary.
The recruitment posters appeared the very next morning:
BO CITY HUNTER SQUAD — YOUTH APPRENTICE SELECTION
Students crowded the bulletin boards, whispering excitedly.
"Hunters? Isn't that dangerous?"
"They only take real talent!"
"I heard you need at least three stars of control!"
"Who in our class meets that—?"
Mo Fan casually walked by, hands in pockets.
Three stars?
He had seven.
And Level 2.
He stopped in front of the poster and flashed a confident grin.
"Heh… perfect timing."
Xu Mang observed from a distance.
Lu Jun joined him a moment later.
"He'll get in," Lu Jun said.
"He'll dominate," Xu Mang corrected. "Young Mo Fan is reckless, but not stupid. And lightning fits the Hunters perfectly. Fast, lethal, disruptive."
Lu Jun's eyes narrowed slightly. "Once he joins the Hunters, his growth will explode. More than in the story."
"That's the plan."
"And you? How are your levels?"
Xu Mang didn't hesitate.
"Lightning: Level 2 bottleneck.
Summoning: Level 2 bottleneck.
Lu Jun nodded. "You're holding yourself back on purpose."
"I need control before power," Xu Mang said. "What's the point of breaking through if I rip myself apart? I see you are doing the same even with your step-sister Lu Mei"
Lu Jun laughed. "Haha you know how it goes".
The Frost Star Wolf hopped onto his shoulder, a small chill radiating through the air.
Xu Mang stroked its fur absentmindedly.
Lu Jun tapped his White Tiger Pendant. " Metal: Level 2 near breakthrough. Water: Level 1, stabilizing."
Xu Mang smirked. "Good. You'll need it."
"For Bo City?"
"For everything."
The two stood shoulder-to-shoulder at the top of the hill overlooking the city.
Lights flickered.
Mana currents shifted.
Distant howls echoed faintly beyond the northern forests.
The disaster of Bo City had not yet begun.
But the world was already moving toward it.
And this time…
the city would not be defended by one boy alone.
It would be defended by three transmigrators—
each stronger than the last,
each rewriting fate with every step.
Mo Fan, the Hidden Lightning.
Lu Jun, the White Tiger Descendant.
Xu Mang, the Dark Tortoise's Heir.
"Let's let Mo Fan enjoy his big moment," Xu Mang murmured.
Lu Jun nodded. "He deserves it."
Far below, Mo Fan tore the recruitment poster off the board with a grin.
"Bo City Hunters, huh?
Hehe… watch me shine."
Xu Mang smiled faintly.
The spark was hidden.
For now.
But soon—
It would burn everything in its way.