Song Jie ran as fast as he could and didn't stop until he reached the school gate.
He turned back—no one was chasing him.
"I told you not to play with fire, but you didn't believe me. Do you believe me now?" Song Jie muttered with mock righteousness.
Carrying the brown sugar water he had bought, he left the school and returned to his apartment.
After a short walk, he arrived at Ding Yumian's door and knocked lightly.
A few seconds later, the door opened. Ding Yumian stood there, looking slightly puzzled.
"Is something wrong?" she asked softly.
"This is brown sugar water. I brought it for you—drink it while it's hot," Song Jie said, holding out the cup.
Ding Yumian blinked in surprise, then slowly accepted it.
"I looked it up online," Song Jie added with a small smile. "They say brown sugar water helps."
Ding Yumian froze for a moment before realizing what he meant. Her cheeks instantly turned pink—he must have guessed she was on her period.
"Thank you," she murmured, lowering her head.
"Get some rest early," Song Jie said simply before turning to leave.
Back in his room, he flopped onto the sofa, completely relaxed.
As for the training Jiang Shaoxu mentioned earlier, he wasn't too worried. He had plenty of ways to protect himself. If he really encountered danger, escaping unscathed wouldn't be a problem.
"I'll be getting another outrageous transformation tomorrow," he said to himself, a grin tugging at his lips. "Can't wait to see what new skill it'll be."
The next day, the magic competition officially ended.
Now, it was time for the training preparations. For the moment, everyone was free.
As soon as Song Jie woke up, a familiar system chime echoed in his mind.
"Ding!"
[Congratulations to the host! 'Contract Seizure' has outrageously transformed into a higher-level 'Contract Summon +2'!]
Song Jie sat up, eyes wide.
Contract Seizure was already an advanced version of Contract Summon, and now it had evolved even further?
"This… increases the number of contract beasts again!?"
He was already barely managing to support three of them—now he had to raise four!?
"That's insane!" he groaned.
If it weren't for the outrageous transformation, he would have needed to reach the Advanced level before unlocking another contract slot.
Still, he wasn't complaining. Suitable contract beasts were hard to come by anyway.
Just as he was pondering which creature might suit his new slot, a knock came at the door.
"Song Jie!" Mu Lei's voice called from outside.
Song Jie opened the door. "What's up?"
"Didn't you check the messages? Professor Deng called everyone to the lecture hall for a meeting," Mu Lei explained.
"Huh?"
Song Jie pulled out his phone and checked the group chat—sure enough, there was a notice.
He slipped on his shoes and followed Mu Lei to the lecture hall.
When they arrived, the students from Mingzhu Academy had already taken their seats. Ding Yumian and the others were there, and next to them sat the team from Hancheng Academy.
As soon as Song Jie sat down, he could feel a cold, murderous gaze from across the aisle.
"Song Jie, what did you do last night?" Mu Lei whispered nervously. "Jiang Shaoxu looks like she wants to kill you."
"I didn't do anything. Do I look like the kind of guy who messes around?" Song Jie said, his face perfectly calm.
Mu Lei shook his head quickly. He wasn't about to anger the person he planned to rely on for protection during training.
At the front of the hall, the representatives from all eight academies were already seated.
The man in the center stood and spoke in a calm, authoritative voice.
"First of all, welcome everyone to Imperial Capital Academy," he said. "I am the dean, Song He. You may call me Dean Song He."
He smiled kindly, then continued, "The reason we called this meeting is to announce a decision—we need all of you to participate in a joint training exercise."
A wave of murmurs spread through the hall.
Song Jie and Mu Lei weren't surprised; they already knew about this.
"Quiet!" Lu Yiming barked from the side.
Once the students settled down, Dean Song He resumed, "Your mission is to enter a deep mountain region and conduct mineral exploration."
"Mineral exploration?" several students echoed in confusion.
Was it really that simple?
Dean Song He chuckled. "Don't think it's easy. Those deep mountains are crawling with demon beasts. I sincerely hope all of you can return safely."
That line alone made the room go silent. The tension was immediate.
He went on, "We will assign each group a specific survey area. If you successfully bring back mineral data, your academy will reward you with resources."
At that, many faces brightened with excitement.
For any mage, resources were invaluable—and academy rewards were never small.
"Alright, you have one day to prepare. We depart tomorrow!" Dean Song He concluded.
With that, the meeting was dismissed.
The next morning came quickly.
Song Jie and his group boarded the bus arranged by the academy. The location of their training was kept secret, even from the students themselves.
Around noon, they arrived at a military-controlled private airport near the safe zone.
"Everyone, board the helicopters. Once we arrive, you'll receive your assigned areas," Lu Yiming instructed.
The students exchanged glances. This was far bigger than they'd imagined—even helicopters were involved!
Apparently, the area they were headed to was completely closed off to normal access.
Ten minutes later, the loud rumble of rotor blades filled the air. The flight was short, but by the end, everyone's heads were buzzing.
When the helicopter finally began to descend, Mu Lei exhaled in relief. "Finally here!"
They landed in an open clearing surrounded by wilderness.
Four academy teams disembarked together—Imperial Capital Academy, Mingzhu Academy, Hancheng Academy, and Tianjin University.
The other four academies would be exploring another region altogether.
"Alright," Lu Yiming said, stepping forward. "Let's assign your areas."
Each team received two maps and two mineral detection devices packed in briefcases. Before leaving, their teachers had already taught them how to use them.
After explaining the routes and procedures, Lu Yiming climbed back onto the helicopter and took off.
Now, only the students remained.
For a brief moment, no one moved.
Song Jie finally spoke up. "Let's go. The faster we finish the survey, the faster we can head back."
Mu Lei and the others nodded and followed him into the dense forest.
Shangguan Hong stared at their retreating figures. "Let's go in too! We'll see who finishes first!"
"Shangguan Hong, you're not the captain now—it's not your call," Mu Tingying said coldly.
Shangguan Hong snorted but said nothing more.
"Follow me," Mu Tingying ordered, leading her own team into the forest from another direction.
Although Jiang Shaoxu would've preferred to stay near Song Jie—since being around him felt much safer—she represented Hancheng Academy. She had no choice but to follow her team as well.
That night, under the cover of darkness, several figures clad in black slipped silently through the trees—moving straight toward the direction where the academy teams had gone.
Their eyes gleamed coldly in the moonlight.
Something dangerous was coming.
...
Author's Note:
The first half (completed version) of Versatile Mage: My Magic Has Gone Beyond Limits! is now available on Patreon!
🔗 patreon.com/Shadow_demon_007
Thank you all for your continued support! 💙