Annual Performance Appraisal

Chapter 23 Annual Performance Appraisal

The warm, humid air from the sea flies over the mountains and descends upon Bocheng, a small southern city, dispelling the spring and marking the arrival of summer.

Summer weather in this small southern town is unpredictable; often it's sunny in the morning, then dark clouds gather by noon, and in the afternoon a torrential downpour begins.

"Another typhoon, what a miserable experience!"

Ling Tianyu wiped the rain off his face and looked enviously at the water-elemental seniors in the second and third years of high school. With water defense activated, no matter how heavy the rain, they remained unmoved.

Plant-based systems are indeed powerful, but they're completely helpless when it comes to keeping out rain. No matter how tightly your vines are covered, water droplets will always find their way in through the gaps and soak you. As for curse-based systems, well, let's just say "heh heh." Are you going to curse the heavens to stop the rain?

The water ribbons swirl gracefully, ethereal and otherworldly. Water droplets strike the barrier, but instead of breaking its defenses, they blend in perfectly, making the water ribbons even more crystal clear.

Those students who awakened their water elemental powers at the start of the semester and clamored that the rooftop would be their final resting place finally stood up and proudly watched their classmates curse the injustice of heaven. This was probably the only moment when they could stand proudly among the thunder and fire mages.

Of course, there were also perks to be had. The girls' clothes were soaked by the torrential rain, and their underwear was faintly visible, perfectly outlining their figures. This made all the boys in the school excited. The shy ones kept their eyes straight ahead and occasionally admired the perks. But people like Mo Fan didn't care about saving face. He didn't have any of those things at all and stared at the girls passing by without any hesitation.

The girls hurriedly rushed into the classroom, put on their coats, and didn't reveal a single bit of their underwear.

Teacher Tang Yue was an exception. She walked gracefully with light steps, wearing a standard professional bodycon skirt, her figure was graceful and charming, and she wore a pair of pink girly rain boots. The raindrops around her evaporated the moment they hit her, just as the fire aura around her evaporated. She passed through the rain without getting wet at all. So elegant!

"Hey, Xiao Fan, don't you have fire element? Why don't you try doing it like Teacher Tang Yue?" Lu Xiaofu, Mo Fan's nemesis roommate, nudged his arm and said with ill intent.

"Get lost!" Mo Fan laughed and scolded. "Don't you have the water system? Aren't you going to hold an umbrella for me?"

As the two were playfully fighting, a swift gust of wind swept by, and a figure that Ling Tianyu recognized very well made intimate contact with the classroom's iron door with his face at a speed far exceeding that of Usain Bolt in his previous life!

"when!"

The sound echoed throughout the school, drawing the attention of the students in Class 8.

"Ah, the direction of this wind tunnel is too hard to control!" Zhang Xiaohou lived up to his reputation as the man Ling Tianyu and others called a monkey. Putting everything else aside, he was incredibly tough. He was completely unharmed after the impact, and after scratching his head sheepishly, he was full of energy again.

"Monkey, you've mastered the wind-based star orbit, not bad!" Ling Tianyu stepped forward, his face full of admiration.

…………

Time passed by little by little, and before they knew it, a year had passed since they awakened their magic. The freshmen of Tianlan Magic High School were about to face their watershed moment.

If one can cultivate diligently, enter the elite class, and gain long-term access to the Stardust Magic Artifact, coupled with one's own hard work and perseverance, one can far surpass one's peers.

Incidentally, after Ling Tianyu's little Qilin absorbed Bai Yang's essence, it advanced to the Spirit level. As a result, even if Ling Tianyu did not concentrate on meditation, his stardust would slowly fill up.

The child has become more sensible and can now do chores on his own without Ling Tianyu's supervision!

At the training ground, Ling Tianyu arrived early. Unlike Mo Fan, who was always late to make his presence known, he was not a carefree person.

He glanced around at the students, whose expressions varied. Some were indifferent, not taking the mere magic assessment seriously. For example, Xu Zhaoting from the next class was as steady as a rock, his expression confident, as if victory was already in his grasp. After a year of hard work, it was finally time to show off! Others were constantly complaining about their magic cultivation. Ling Tianyu guessed that most of them were just pretending to be weak, which was similar to the reactions of those hidden academic geniuses in his previous life.

The crying after the exam, thinking they failed, gives those at the bottom of the class a blind confidence that they can definitely win. But when the results come out, hey, the one who cried the most is the class's number one, in the top ten of the grade, and those at the bottom are still at the bottom.

The weather was clear and crisp in the morning, as if even the heavens were following the school's plan.

In Class 8, Ling Tianyu's looks were undeniably handsome—definitely school heartthrob level. However, his sharp aura made most of the girls in the class shy away. In terms of popularity, Ling Tianyu certainly couldn't compare to Mu Bai, that "wolf in sheep's clothing"—oops! "elegant gentleman."

Three school leaders and examiners were present. More than 1500 students from 30 freshman classes crowded the playground. Putting everything else aside, the sheer scale of the event was absolutely spectacular.

Next came the principal's speech, which has been the same for years, followed by the speech from the school board members...

Mu He stepped onto the podium and, with a passionate and inspiring tone, began to encourage the students and paint a bright picture of the future. Ling Tianyu, however, remained expressionless, inwardly sneering.

After all, who would have thought that the well-dressed school board member in front of them was actually a high-ranking blue-robed deacon of the Black Vatican?

The crisis in Bo City was nothing to the Cardinal. At most, she would assume a supervisory role to ensure the plan proceeded smoothly. The real mastermind was Mu He.

As for Tang Yue's later claim of restraining Salang, that's pure fantasy. While her talent is indeed considerable, her current strength is limited. For someone with only mid-level cultivation to try and take on a super-level red-clothed figure is simply laughable. If Salang truly cared about her, he would have a hundred ways to make her die silently.

Don't you see, even when Lingxi, the supreme elder of the ancient capital, was replaced by Salang, it didn't cause the slightest ripple. Without a protagonist's halo like Mo Fan's, even a supreme mage would hardly escape death at the hands of the Black Church.

Currently, Ling Tianyu's strength is even inferior to Tang Yue's, so he must keep a low profile, otherwise even ten more lives wouldn't be enough for him to squander!

Today is a special day.

"Because we have invited the most outstanding female magician in our city, who was exceptionally admitted to the Imperial Capital Magic Academy at the age of 15. That's right, she is Mu Ningxue. Let's welcome this magical genius who should have been in the same class as you, but has already been admitted to university!"

(End of this chapter)