Zhao Kunsan was one of Mu Bai's lackeys. Ever since Song Jie took first place in the class rankings, Zhao Kunsan stopped picking on Mu Bai and began deliberately targeting Song Jie instead.
However, this time, Zhao Kunsan had indeed seen a demon. Whether the others believed him or not was none of his concern.
Seeing that Song Jie didn't argue back, Zhao Kunsan grew bolder. "See? I told you! You just talk big. If you've really seen a demon, I'll eat this book!"
"Zhao Kunsan, Brother Jie just doesn't want to stoop to your level! Don't push your luck!" Zhang Xiaohou retorted, standing up for Song Jie.
Zhao Kunsan rolled his eyes. "Zhang Xiaohou, Song Jie didn't say a word. Why are you so nervous?"
Everyone turned to look at Song Jie, expecting him to explain himself.
But Song Jie ignored Zhao Kunsan completely, as if he hadn't heard a thing. That silence made many start to doubt him—maybe he really was bluffing.
At that moment, Tang Yue, who had been standing on the podium, suddenly spoke up.
"Oh, by the way, I have something to announce."
Everyone immediately turned their eyes toward her.
"I just received news that one of our classmates showed incredible courage—and actually killed a demon!"
Her words stunned the entire class.
Killed a demon?!
A student from their class?
For a moment, several students glanced toward Song Jie. He had just mentioned seeing a demon…
"How could it be him? That's a demon we're talking about…" Zhao Kunsan muttered, though he couldn't help swallowing hard.
Mo Fan, Mu Bai, and Xu Zhaoting all turned to stare at Song Jie as well.
They were all top students, yet none of them had ever killed a demon.
"You can't possibly mean that a Light Mage killed a demon, right?" Zhao Kunsan scoffed.
That reminder hit everyone at once—Song Jie was a Light Mage!
If he had been a Fire or Lightning Mage, that might make sense. But a Light Mage killing a demon? That was absurd.
Their curiosity quickly turned to disbelief.
"Teacher Tang Yue, who was it?" a girl asked eagerly.
After all, anyone who could kill a demon was worth befriending.
Tang Yue smiled faintly. "That person was… Song Jie."
Her own tone carried a hint of disbelief. She remembered clearly that Song Jie specialized in Light Magic—how could someone like that slay a demon?
The moment her words fell, the classroom exploded into chaos.
"It's really him?!"
"Brother Jie, you actually killed a demon?!" Zhang Xiaohou exclaimed, his eyes shining with excitement.
Zhao Kunsan was dumbfounded. He looked around at everyone's reactions, realizing this wasn't a joke.
This couldn't be real… could it?
"Zhao Kunsan," Zhang Xiaohou said with a grin, "you remember what you just said, right?"
"That's right," another student added, "you said if Song Jie killed a demon, you'd swallow that book whole!"
"Yeah, I heard it too!"
The whole class laughed, half mocking, half admiring Song Jie. Even those who had looked down on him before now wanted to stay on his good side—after all, next week's practical training could be deadly.
Zhao Kunsan's face twitched. How could he actually eat a book? So he pretended to act confused, hoping they'd drop it.
Tang Yue stepped in. "Classmate Song Jie, could you share how you managed to kill that Giant-Eyed Blood Rat?"
Everyone leaned forward eagerly. A Light Mage killing a demon was unheard of—they had to know how it happened.
Song Jie shook his head. "That Giant-Eyed Blood Rat wasn't killed by me alone. When we encountered it, it was already badly injured. I assisted Mu Ningxue, and together, we managed to finish it off."
The name Mu Ningxue instantly set off another wave of excitement.
"Mu Ningxue?!"
Everyone knew that name. She was the pride of Bo City, the Mu family's prodigy.
"It all makes sense now!" someone said. "No wonder he managed it—Mu Ningxue was there!"
Zhao Kunsan puffed up his chest again. "See? I knew it! How could a Light Mage kill a demon alone? It was because of Mu Ningxue!"
"Zhao Kunsan, what are you so proud of?" Zhang Xiaohou snorted. "You think you could walk beside Mu Ningxue?"
"I—" Zhao Kunsan's voice caught in his throat. He couldn't argue.
Meanwhile, Mu Bai's expression turned grim. He remembered that Mu Ningxue had personally escorted Song Jie home that day. It was very likely they had run into the demon together and slain it.
"Song Jie, do you really know Mu Ningxue?" someone asked, eyes gleaming with gossip.
"Song Jie, what's her current strength like?" another chimed in.
Song Jie exhaled softly, clearly unwilling to entertain their questions.
Tang Yue quickly intervened. "Alright, that's personal. Don't pry into other people's business. Focus on preparing for next week's training instead."
Reluctantly, the class quieted down.
Zhao Kunsan sighed in relief and quietly shoved the book back into his drawer.
A week passed in a flash, and soon it was time for their practical training assessment.
The elite class gathered on the school playground, lining up to board the buses.
"Everyone, take your seats. We're about to depart," Tang Yue instructed, standing at the front.
The buses rumbled to life and rolled out of Bo City.
After traveling through the mountains for some time, a small village appeared in the distance.
"Teacher Tang Yue, is that where we'll be training?" someone asked, pointing ahead.
"Yes," Tang Yue replied. "That's Xuefeng Mountain Village—Bo City's defensive outpost."
The students peered out the windows. The village wasn't an ordinary settlement, but a fortress-like town built between two towering cliffs.
"Teacher Tang Yue, will the training be dangerous?" someone asked nervously.
"Of course it will," Tang Yue said seriously. "So take it seriously and don't panic when things go wrong."
Despite her words, many students couldn't help feeling uneasy. If they really encountered a demon, could they survive?
Before long, the buses arrived at Xuefeng Mountain Village.
As they got off, the students noticed many mages coming and going—some wearing Hunter badges, others in military gear.
"Those are Hunter Mages, right?"
"Probably…"
"When I graduate, I want to become a Hunter too!"
Their chatter filled the air until Tang Yue's voice called out again. "Everyone, off the bus and gather here!"
Song Jie followed Zhang Xiaohou off the bus and looked up—only to see a familiar figure standing ahead.
"That's… Instructor Zhan Kong," Song Jie thought to himself.
Zhan Kong stood before them, watching as the students assembled.
When his gaze swept across the group, his eyes briefly met Song Jie's—