Chapter 13: The Starfall Phoenix’s Unveiling

Amidst the cacophony of disorganized whispers and exclamations across the academy’s training ground, Mu Wanqing slowly made her way towards the summoning circle at its center, her steps leaving a trail of shimmering frost.

With each stride she took, the grass beneath her feet became veiled in a delicate layer of frost, reflecting a myriad of cold, fractured gleams under the sun’s rays.

Especially as she brushed past Ye Xingchen, an inexplicable chill radiating from her entire being instantly froze the patch of lawn they traversed, prompting all nearby students to marvel at the formidable command Mu Wanqing wielded over her water elemental affinity.

A visibly embarrassed Ye Xingchen could only feign being dazzled by the sun, not daring to look her directly in the face, for that would only compound his awkwardness.

Raising a hand to shield his brow, pretending to avert the sharp gaze of his ‘best friend’, yet out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of Su Liyue gracefully smoothing her school uniform skirt, settling elegantly into a seat in the audience.

‘This misunderstanding has truly escalated…’

‘Perhaps I should find an opportunity to tell her about my relationship with Su Liyue?’

‘Though the term “bestie” was something Su Liyue had casually taught Mu Wanqing during a conversation back then.’

‘He never expected that now, every student in the entire academy would be using that term to refer to them both; he truly didn’t know how to even begin to complain about it.’

“Quick, look! Goddess Mu’s hair tips are all frosted over!”

“The last time she was like this was when the alchemy department blew up their lab, wasn’t it?”

“I bet five academic credits, this summoning is definitely an enraged water-elemental familiar!”

Mu Wanqing stood quietly in the center of the summoning circle, as the Poké Ball on a nearby seat suddenly emitted a crisp click.

The hamster baby inside frantically held up a newly made ice crystal sign:

[You’re so beautiful, Master~ I’ll always stand by you!]

It was practically saying, ‘Master is justice itself.’

At this moment, no one noticed Ye Xingchen and Su Liyue in the viewing stands, both lightly caressing the contract marks on their wrists in perfectly synchronized rhythm.

After all, for a single soul, having to explain relationship issues to one’s ‘best friend’ was an unprecedented experience, perhaps even one for the annals of history.

***

The dazzling brilliance of a magic array burst forth in a sudden, brilliant display on the training ground, drawing all eyes to Mu Wanqing.

She stood in the heart of the array, her crystal hair ornament shimmering with kaleidoscopic hues under the sunlight, water elements surging and swelling with immense power around her.

The students in the viewing stands held their breath, their gazes fixed intently.

First, an epic familiar had manifested.

Then, an alchemy maniac and a genius school beauty had forged a human contract.

Now, everyone was staring, eager to see what this water-elemental genius would summon.

Dean Yu Qinglan fixated his gaze intently upon Mu Wanqing.

He only prayed that Mu Wanqing would summon a normal familiar, even just an ordinary water elemental spirit, just so no more accidents would occur.

This string of unexpected events today had already caused the old man to seriously consider his early retirement plans.

The runes within the magic array suddenly spun with incredible speed, and a sky-piercing column of cerulean light shot heavenward.

Within the light column, a translucent phantom of a phoenix, its body shimmering with crystalline clarity, gradually materialized, its wings gleaming with an ethereal, ice-crystal luster.

“Could it be… an Ice Crystal Phoenix?! The highest-tier legendary water-elemental familiar!”

The audience erupted in a clamor of excitement.

After all, according to the records of Starfall Academy, including the current dean, only a mere handful of individuals had ever successfully summoned a familiar of this caliber.

As for the even more mysterious Starfall Phoenix, it was an entity whose very elemental affinity remained unknown.

Some claimed it was an all-elemental familiar, while others speculated it was a wind-elemental mutation, but none of these theories had ever been confirmed.

Inside the Poké Ball on the seat, the hamster baby excitedly waved its paws, causing the Poké Ball to tilt and roll off the seat with a thump.

The little creature spun dizzyingly inside, clinging to the ball’s wall and shaking its head.

Just at this moment of universal anticipation, the phoenix phantom within the light column gradually solidified; everyone held their breath, awaiting the descent of the legendary Ice Crystal Phoenix.

However, when the light dissipated, the figure that appeared in the center of the magic array was utterly unexpected.

In an instant, the entire training ground was enveloped by an otherworldly, bone-white flame.

This flame was unlike any mundane fire; it bore no heat; instead, an icy chill permeated it to the bone, freezing even the air into delicate ice crystals.

A colossal phoenix phantom, its wings blotting out the sky, unfurled within the flames, every single feather shimmering with the brilliance of stars.

“A Starfall Phoenix?!” Dean Yu Qinglan gasped in astonishment.

In his centuries of knowledge, only the Starfall Phoenix, rumored to be even more powerful than the legendary Ice Crystal Phoenix, could possess such majestic might.

Yet, that was a supreme entity that transcended even the Ice Crystal Phoenix, with merely a few scattered mentions in the academy’s ancient texts!

Chiiang——

A clear, resonant phoenix cry pierced the heavens, and a vast, primordial pressure caused the entire training ground to tremble faintly.

Students rose to their feet one after another, their faces etched with expressions of utter disbelief.

Some rubbed their eyes vigorously, others repeatedly pinched their thighs, and still others fumbled to pull out memory crystals, desperate to record this historic moment.

“Oh my god! Am I seeing things?!”

“Goddess Mu is awesome!”

Amidst the rising and falling exclamations, the epic Explosive Winged Lion instinctively lowered its massive form, its eyes gleaming with profound reverence.

It cautiously drew back its raging flames, afraid of disturbing this sacred presence.

Dean Yu Qinglan suddenly understood, realizing why the Explosive Winged Lion had behaved so unusually earlier!

Unable to conceal his excitement, he looked towards Mu Wanqing.

He saw the young woman standing quietly amidst the heart of the primordial sea of fire, her long hair gently swaying with the surging energy, her face etched with an expression of profound shock.

The bone-white flames abruptly converged, and the phoenix phantom finally solidified completely.

It elegantly unfurled its wings, spanning a hundred meters, each feather inscribed with ancient runes, a single crimson mark on its forehead, like a flame solidified.

As it lowered its gaze to survey them, everyone felt a shiver of dread, as if their very souls had been laid bare.

Mu Wanqing stared blankly at the familiar before her.

[Little sister, was it you who summoned I?]

(TL Note: The phoenix’s speech uses archaic pronouns, reflecting its ancient and powerful nature.)

The Divine Phoenix’s voice resonated like ten thousand worlds whispering simultaneously; each syllable seemed to carry an invisible pressure.

Mu Wanqing remained rooted to the spot.

She had indeed fantasized about summoning an Ice Crystal Phoenix, but that probability was akin to catching a specific raindrop in a downpour.

As for a Starfall Phoenix? That was a legend among legends, marked with a ‘Mythical’ tag by scholars in the Familiar Compendium!

An untimely, bizarre shout suddenly echoed across the training ground:

“Mom! So anger really can make someone go all out!”

“Look, School Beauty Mu was so angry she summoned a limited-edition legendary familiar! If I’d known that, why didn’t I go all out just now?!”

No sooner had he spoken than the Divine Phoenix casually cast a glance in his direction.

The student instantly stiffened, his hair crackled as a layer of ice crystals formed on it, making him resemble someone wearing a bird’s nest.

His companions silently shifted three steps away, making a praying gesture across their chests.

The Explosive Winged Lion seized the opportunity to cover its eyes with its paws, pretending to be absent.