Versatile Mage

1

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 —

 Zhang Xiaohou went back to the army in Qinling Mountains. The guy was supposed to go on a vacation with Mo Fan, yet he ended up making a huge contribution. His superior was most likely going to reward him after he went back to the army.

 Jiang Shaoxu did not go home empty-handed, either. Advisor Shao mentioned that she had seen Shaoxu’s brother before. The girl had left in a hurry, most likely heading to her new destination.

 Mu Nujiao and Mo Fan went back to the Magic City. Mo Fan felt troubled; Little Flame Belle had resurrected, and she had acquired a new Soul-grade Fire, too. On the other hand, Mu Nujiao did not get any benefits even though she had risked her life during the trip. He decided to give the rock crystals he had collected to Mu Nujiao. He could not just leave her empty-handed.

 Mu Nujiao gladly accepted the crystals.

 ——

 As soon as they arrived home, Mo Fan slammed right onto the couch without even taking a shower, taking up the whole couch. Mu Nujiao went to the fridge to grab some drinks. She gave Mo Fan a can too.

 “Did you forget something?” Mu Nujiao asked.

 “Oh, thanks,” Mo Fan emptied the drink and responded politely.

 Mu Nujiao rolled her eyes and said in a serious voice, “It’s been a while since you last went back to school, right?”

 “School? Why would I go there?” Mo Fan was confused.

 “…” Mu Nujiao was utterly speechless. Did this guy seriously forget that he was still a student of the Pearl Institute!?

 “We haven’t graduated!” Mu Nujiao emphasized, just in case the man was so full of himself that he had completely forgotten that he was still a student.

 “Seriously? How is it that we haven’t graduated? We’ve won the World College Tournament and basically beat the crap out of the students of almost every magic university in the world…” Mo Fan said.

 “The World College Tournament is one thing, but we haven’t graduated officially yet,” Mu Nujiao repeated.

 “Ugh… didn’t they say we would graduate automatically as soon as we reached the Advanced Level?” Mo Fan said.

 “Well, no one’s going to stop you from leaving, but are you seriously going to give up on the graduation gifts that the school is planning to give us? We’ve come in first in the World College Tournament, you might be receiving some collaborative gifts from the institutions across the country,” Mu Nujiao said.

 “You’re saying that it might be something rewarding?” Mo Fan’s eyes glittered as soon as he heard about the gift.

 “Well, since you’re so rich now, you might no longer be interested in the graduation gift that the school has prepared for us. I’ll let the school know that they can keep it for your juniors,” Mu Nujiao said.

 “Hehe, I’m not the kind of person that you think.”

 “We’ll have to pass the graduation exam first,” Mu Nujiao said.

 “There’s an exam still!?”

 “It’s just part of the procedures. I heard that the exam isn’t too difficult. The students are allowed to choose the kind of exam they are interested in, too.”

 —

 Mo Fan believed it was no longer necessary for him to go back to school even though he was still a student in the system. The resources provided by the school were negligible. Mo Fan did not even bother to claim them. He decided to graduate in advance so he could claim the reward that the institutions were giving them after they had won the World College Tournament.

 “So both of you are thinking of graduating in advance? I’ll check and see who’s in charge of the students that are graduating,” Dean Xiao smiled when he saw Mo Fan and Mu Nujiao.

 Dean Xiao had witnessed Mo Fan’s growth. He was extremely proud of the young man’s achievements. He did feel a little sad knowing that Mo Fan was going to graduate.

 “Dean Xiao, don’t be sad. Mu Nujiao and I are living nearby, I’ll pay you a visit at times,” Mo Fan said with a smile. He knew the dean would be sad about them leaving the school.

 Mu Nujiao pinched Mo Fan on the arm. Why did he make it sound like they were living together and currently in a relationship?

 “Don’t bother visiting me, I’m glad that you two are graduating in advance. It’s true that there’s nothing you can learn anymore in the school,” Dean Xiao said.

 Dean Xiao flipped through the papers in the files he had just picked from the shelves. The files contained records of the teachers in charge of students that were doing internships, and the teachers that were responsible for students applying for graduation.

 The main campus of the Pearl Institute did not have a lot of restrictions on the students. They could stay at school if they wished, they just needed to do the work that the school had arranged for them. The students could also choose to graduate; there were three ways to do so.

 The first way was to complete their courses. However, that alone would not grant the students the graduation badge of the Pearl Institute. Most students that chose to graduate that way were having trouble improving their cultivation any further. The Pearl Institute would admit that they had studied in the Pearl Institute before, but they would not qualify them for graduation.

 The second way was to graduate officially. These students would be sent on a mission with a mentor. The mentor would report back to school on the performance of the students during the mission. The teachers l would then evaluate the students’ performance to see if they were qualified to graduate, before giving them their graduation badges.

 The graduation badges of the Pearl Institute were quite significant. It was a symbol of their capabilities and identity that they could show to the Magic Association, the Hunter Union, and the renowned clans. A graduate of the Pearl Institute could easily find a job after entering society!

 The third way to graduate was called graduating With Excellence.

 Students that were planning to graduate With Excellence first had to make enough contributions to the school. The school would then arrange these students to complete some research or mission with a reputable mentor. The students would then be evaluated based on their performance. The mentor, dean, and the Elemental Directors would then decide if the student was qualified to graduate With Excellence.

 Students that had graduated With Excellence would be given a Pearl Badge, showing that the Pearl Institute had acknowledged their brilliance. It was no longer as simple as finding a job in society. The different organizations would compete with one another just to recruit them. Those that had graduated With Excellence did not just have outstanding capabilities; most importantly, they were young!

 Being young meant they had endless possibilities. It was the main reason why the different factions were active close to the institutions, hoping that they could discover some great talents that had a chance of achieving the Advanced Level. Having an extra Advanced Mage meant adding to their foundations. If they were lucky enough to recruit someone that eventually became a Super Mage, it was the same as hitting the jackpot!

 Those that graduated With Excellence from the Pearl Institute were mostly Advanced Mages below the age of twenty-five. In other words, they were a bunch of crazily-talented monsters!

 People that achieved the Advanced Level before the age of twenty-five had a chance of achieving the Super Level. As such, the various organizations would try everything possible to recruit students that had graduated With Excellence from a magic institution.

 The standard of graduating With Excellence was the same for all magic institutions across the country, since they were using the difficulty of the missions and the contributions that the students had made to weigh the status and influence of the magic institutions in the country. As a result, the magic institutions were also ranked based on the number of students that had graduated With Excellence from them.

 The Pearl Institute was ranked second in the country, and the number of its students that graduated With Excellence was the second-highest in the country, too!

 The rewards for graduating With Excellence were gratifying. It was the reason why Mu Nujiao asked Mo Fan to graduate together with her.

 On the other hand, the rewards given to the students that had won the World College Tournament would only be distributed after the students graduated. Both Mu Nujiao and Mo Fan needed resources in their current stage, thus the earlier they received the rewards, the earlier they could use them to improve their cultivation!

 “I have looked around, and there isn’t any mission that’s suitable for you. They are just too easy, it won’t help much with the evaluation.” Dean Xiao flipped through the files and shook his head helplessly.

 It was unlikely that he could find a mission that was suitable for their level for the time being.

 “We aren’t in a rush either. Should we come back when Dean Xiao finds a suitable mentor for us?” Mu Nujiao asked.

 “Well… I also did a quick check, and the mentors and professors that are eligible to guide students that are planning to graduate With Excellence are all busy. None of them will be available in the near future. Another reason is because of how talented you two are; I suppose the mentors aren’t even that much stronger than you two,” Dean Xiao said.

 Dean Xiao’s lips twisted after finishing the sentence. He was wondering if he should be proud or feel sad about it.

 The students were stronger than the mentors. Mm, mm, he should be proud of them… it was important to be open-minded as teachers!

 “Doesn’t our school have quite a few mentors?” Mu Nujiao asked confusedly.

 “Some had gone to undertake advanced studies. A couple of them will go every five years. Two of the directors had gone, too, leaving an old man like me behind!” He sighed. “It has to be done. It’s important for the teachers to improve, too. Otherwise, they are going to be left behind by the students eventually…” Dean Xiao exclaimed. A thought suddenly crossed his mind. He quickly looked at Mo Fan with a different smile.

 “Dean Xiao, nothing good ever happens when you look at me like that,” the sensitive Mo Fan immediately said.

 “Since our mentors have left for advanced studies, there are lots of research and missions that are vacant at the moment. I believe none of them would be difficult for you if you were under a mentor, and since it isn’t difficult enough, I won’t be able to evaluate your performance properly, right? How about this, Mo Fan; I’ll make you a mentor, and you will be leading a bunch of students that are planning to graduate instead!” Dean Xiao said happily.

 Mo Fan’s expression stiffened.

 For some reason, Dean Xiao seemed to be very excited, as if he was overjoyed that he finally found a way to graduate that would be troublesome for Mo Fan!

 The Pearl Institute was a reputable institution, after all. Even if Mo Fan wanted to graduate, the process still had to be somewhat unforgettable. Otherwise, he would soon forget about his alma mater!

 Dean Xiao never had the intention to let Mo Fan graduate peacefully!

 “Dean Xiao, instead of treating the student that has greatly contributed to the school nicely, why did you make the situation even more difficult for me?” Mo Fan said with a wry smile.

 “Mo Fan, you’ve completely misunderstood me. Aren’t you familiar with what kind of person I am? I’m only doing this because of how reliable you are. The school does have a lot of work that needs to be done… oh, I mean the target that you have to meet. As a member of the institution, you should feel obliged to lend a hand. Once you’re done with it, I will personally hand you the Pearl Badge!” Dean Xiao proclaimed.

 “Dean Xiao, how could you set me up like that? This isn’t a target for a student, it’s an end-of-year evaluation of a teacher!” Mo Fan protested.

 “Don’t mind the details, feel free to choose a field that you’re interested in. See, you are able to make the decisions as you please as a mentor, but if you’re just a student, the mentors will choose on your behalf instead, not to mention that you will have to see if your mentor has the time or is willing to guide you…” Dean Xiao added.

“I’m more willing to wait,” Mo Fan said.

 This is ridiculous, I came to graduate as a student!

 Mu Nujiao giggled and said, “Teacher Mo Fan, all the best!”