Chapter 72: The True 'Demon King'

Wei Rong's expression twitched slightly. If Mo Fan were to challenge and defeat the top-ranked student, it would truly be a slap to his face. However, he couldn't deny Mo Fan the right to challenge others just because of that. After all, many challengers had already forfeited, and the challenge event couldn't simply be canceled.

"Who do you want to challenge?" Wei Rong asked.

Mo Fan originally wanted to directly knock Dongfang Lie off the stage, but he wasn't completely oblivious to his situation. After all, before the World University Tournament, he still needed to stay in the Fire Institute and benefit from its resources. So, to Wei Rong's slight relief, Mo Fan said, "I want to challenge the tenth-ranked student."

Hearing this, Wei Rong exhaled in relief. At least Mo Fan wasn't aiming straight for the top and trying to embarrass him.

When the crowd heard Mo Fan's choice, many were surprised. Huang Xingli, standing next to Ding Yumian, said, "See, I told you this guy was interested in you!"

In Huang Xingli's mind, Mo Fan's challenge was just a way to attract Ding Yumian's attention. However, she couldn't deny that with his strength, maybe it wasn't such a bad thing?

"I think you're misunderstanding," Ding Yumian shook her head. "He has the strength to challenge Dongfang Lie. The reason he's doing this is probably just to save face for Teacher Wei."

Ding Yumian stood up and walked toward the arena. As she approached, Mo Fan couldn't help but notice her elegant beauty. She stood like a stunning white rose—pure, delicate, yet alluring. Her high, graceful hairdo and presence caught everyone's attention.

Mo Fan had known she was ranked tenth, and his challenge was deliberate. Seeing Mo Fan's feigned surprise, a determined expression crossed Ding Yumian's fair face. "You should use your full strength." she said to him.

"Oh." Mo Fan responded casually.

Wei Rong resumed his seat, still slightly uneasy. With Mo Fan's destructive power, it didn't matter much whom he challenged, but Ding Yumian? She was a psychic mage! That made things tricky.

"Psychic Blast!" Ding Yumian's star trail drawing speed was incredibly fast. As soon as Wei Rong announced the start, an invisible wave of psychic energy smashed into Mo Fan's mind, leaving him disoriented. A strong psychic mage's greatest advantage was speed—if they could disrupt their opponent's concentration before a spell was cast, they could prevent any attack from taking shape.

Ding Yumian's speed was overwhelming, almost instantaneous. Mo Fan was feeling the full headache-inducing intensity of fighting a psychic mage for the first time.

"Fiery Fist: Exploding Heavens!" Ding Yumian didn't give Mo Fan a chance to recover. While the psychic blast still echoed in his mind, she quickly completed her fire spell. Her fiery aura spread from the center of the arena, sending a massive ring of flames surging toward Mo Fan.

Ding Yumian wasn't just a psychic mage; her fire magic had nearly twice the range of most other fire mages. If it weren't for her personal issues keeping her at the Pearl Academy, she would certainly have had a spot on the national team.

Mo Fan put on his Blood Beast Boots and began dodging.

"Fiery Fist: Nine Palaces!" Ding Yumian's quiet demeanor disappeared as she unleashed another fiery barrage, giving Mo Fan no time to rest. Her star diagram was almost fully drawn, and the terrifying Nine Palaces was nearly ready to erupt.

Just as the psychic pulse faded from Mo Fan's mind, the fire mage let his own flames ignite, not intending to back down. His blue flames flared up around him. With the protection of his spirit flame and demonic bloodline, he didn't need to retreat.

Boom!

The flames exploded on Mo Fan's body, ripping his clothes apart, but thanks to his powerful defenses, he only felt a bit of pain. With a shout, Mo Fan summoned his own spell.

"Fiery Fist: Nine Dragons!"

Nine fiery dragons burst forth from his fists, tearing through Ding Yumian's flames and charging straight at her. The heat from the attack caused the protective barrier to tremble, and the audience could feel just how terrifying Mo Fan's fire magic was.

Ding Yumian activated her defense—a set of soft, flexible blue armor crafted from some unknown material. Though her magic armor was strong, it wasn't fire-resistant. The moment the fire dragons struck, she was blasted backward.

"Thunderbolt: Madness Dance!"

Mo Fan followed up with a barrage of lightning, but curiously, when the dust settled, Ding Yumian herself seemed largely unharmed with only light burns. The ground around her, however, was torn up.

"I concede." Ding Yumian declared. She knew the truth: Mo Fan had held back. Had he struck her with full force, she wouldn't be standing at all.

Once again, the crowd was left speechless.

The Pearl Academy's "Demon King" had proven his power yet again!

"My god, he just tanked Ding Yumian's fire spells without using any defensive gear!"

"Is this guy even human?"

"He's the real deal-The Demon King!"

At this point, everyone was in disbelief. Sure, as mages, they were tougher than ordinary people, but this... this was absurd! They were unable to comprehend how a fellow mage could possess such overwhelming strength.

(End of Chapter)