Mu Ningxue naturally sat beside Zhou Haoyu—if he just lowered his head slightly, everything below her collarbone would enter his view.

"You have nomination tickets now, don't you?" Mu Ningxue lightly bit her lip and asked softly.

Zhou Haoyu was now the hero of Hangzhou, so it was only reasonable for him to have obtained a few nomination tickets.

"Yes—I received two in total."

Zhou Haoyu nodded. Zhu Meng had given both of his tickets to him.

As for the Lingyin Enforcement Union's ticket, it had most likely gone to Mo Fan.

After all, they only had one ticket and couldn't split it between him and Mo Fan.

Besides, Zhou Haoyu had no dealings with the Lingyin Enforcement Union.

Even though he had indirectly saved the Black Serpent, compared to Mo Fan he was merely a stranger.

This too was a flaw in the system—the ownership of nomination tickets depended entirely on subjective will, not on whoever was stronger.

However, becoming a High-Tier mage did give one a chance to overturn that system.

"Getting a nomination ticket from Imperial Capital Academy shouldn't be difficult for you." Zhou Haoyu continued.

Mu Ningxue frowned slightly, fixing her gaze on Zhou Haoyu. "You only have two tickets—you need four to confirm a spot."

Zhou Haoyu certainly knew this, but for Mu Ningxue it was a very important opportunity.

Once Mu He's identity was exposed, the tickets the Mu Clan acquired definitely wouldn't fall into Mu Ningxue's hands.

But the current dean of Imperial Capital Academy was Feng Li—as long as Mu Ningxue shone during the nomination contest, she could at least secure a substitute position.

"I'm a High-Tier mage—do you think anyone could squeeze me out?" Zhou Haoyu countered.

Mu Ningxue didn't argue; she knew this well too.

So long as the leaders wanted the National Team to do well, there was no way they would reject Zhou Haoyu's entry.

By now, Zhou Haoyu was already sliding his hand around Mu Ningxue's waist. Even through two layers of clothing he could feel that cold softness.

After spending time together, Zhou Haoyu had found that although Mu Ningxue appeared icy outside, deep inside she enjoyed thrill and adventure.

She might be unwilling at first, but once she adapted she would become proactive.

After a round of exploration, Mu Ningxue glanced at Zhou Haoyu with watery eyes and said in a heavier tone than usual, "Upstairs first—my dad's still here."

Zhou Haoyu immediately lifted Mu Ningxue into his arms and headed straight to the second-floor room.

In the kitchen, Mu Zhuoyun was utterly exasperated—these young people truly had no regard for the feelings of the elderly.

Still, he was secretly pleased—if Xiaoxue could conceive, he could finally have a grandchild.

Two hours later, Zhou Haoyu left the Mu residence and went directly to the nearby Magic Market.

Although auction houses sometimes had resources for summoned beasts, they were few—most were found in the Magic Market.

Unlike auctions, the Magic Market was chaotic. One might find treasures—or worthless junk.

Some people with keen insight could even make a fortune here, and Pang Lai was an expert in that.

Zhou Haoyu had learned a little from his teacher—enough not to get swindled.

After buying the materials needed for the Flame Scorpion Tiger, Zhou Haoyu didn't linger and immediately left.

One month later.

During this time, Zhou Haoyu learned that Dean Songhe's whereabouts had been confirmed—he was imprisoned in the Enforcement Union's prison.

To open a treasure chest, Zhou Haoyu specially asked Zhu Meng to help him gain access to the prison.

Compared to the formerly kind old dean, Songhe was now unkempt with fluffy white hair and tattered clothes—like a destitute beggar.

Zhou Haoyu had nothing much to say to the old fellow. After opening the treasure chest, he left immediately.

Songhe originally thought Zhou Haoyu had come to visit him, but seeing Zhou Haoyu turn and leave just as he entered, he was completely dumbfounded.

Wasn't this just bullying the elderly?!

Songhe's treasure chest yielded Ten-Thousand-Year Ice Marrow, extremely beneficial for Ice Element mages.

Aside from opening the chest, Zhou Haoyu had also raised the Flame Scorpion Tiger to the Commander-level, and even learned Beast Tide Summoning.

Since he still didn't have a Summoning Magic Tool, he could currently only summon a few Warrior-level Flame Tigers.

Once Flame Scorpion Tiger broke through to Monarch-level, perhaps he would be able to summon an entire Flame Scorpion Tiger clan.

In his room, Zhou Haoyu glanced at the piles of secret scrolls scattered on the floor and murmured, "It's about time."

Zhou Haoyu had always kept the Sun Ridge volcanic vein in mind—this was meant to be the starting point of the Zhou family's rise.

But to enter and begin extracting the fire vein, a Fire Elemental lifeform was required—and the Flame Empress was the most suitable candidate.

The Flame Empress Zhou Haoyu spoke of was not the yet-to-be-born Little Flame Empress, but the Flame Witch Jiang Feng.

With Jiang Feng's strength, entering that volcanic heavenly pool would not be difficult.

However, Zhou Haoyu did not plan to travel to the Northern Corner of the Burning Plains with Mo Fan.

Although he wasn't particularly interested in the Little Flame Empress, traveling together with Mo Fan and the others was far too troublesome.

As long as he found Chen Ying, everything was fine—he had the Psychic Element himself and could communicate with Jiang Feng directly.

Putting thoughts into action, Zhou Haoyu immediately went to the Earth Institute of Imperial Capital Academy.

He wasn't foolish enough to search blindly—he went straight to the director of the Earth Institute.

With his identity as the Chief's disciple, he could travel practically anywhere unimpeded at Imperial Capital Academy.

He waited in the office for about an hour before a female student in uniform arrived, unhurried.

Her long silky black hair draped casually over her shoulders, with a few playful strands framing her fair cheeks, lending her a lively charm.

Her eyes were bright and gentle, the corners of her lips holding a faint smile. She exuded a subtle elegance, like a beauty walking straight out of a classical painting—soft and captivating.

[Activation condition: Kill the Ghost Bride.]

"Student Zhou, this is the person you were looking for—I still have a lecture, so I'll be going first."

After bringing Chen Ying into the office, the department head grabbed his briefcase and hurried out.

If it were anyone else, he absolutely wouldn't have spent an hour searching for a student. But since Zhou Haoyu was the Chief's disciple, he had to honor that much.

"You were looking for me?" Chen Ying looked at Zhou Haoyu in confusion.

After the plague situation, Zhou Haoyu's reputation had skyrocketed—almost no one in Imperial Capital Academy had not heard of him.

Chen Ying was certainly no exception.

What puzzled her was why someone she basically never interacted with suddenly wanted to see her.

Could it be… a confession?

"Senior Chen Ying, I'd like to ask you to accompany me to the Northern Corner of the Burning Plains." Zhou Haoyu stated directly.

Chen Ying was obviously stunned for a moment upon hearing this.

She had actually already been planning to head to the Burning Plains Northern Corner on her own and was worried it would be dangerous alone—she hadn't expected Zhou Haoyu to show up at her door.

Wasn't this a little too coincidental?!

...

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