The Huang Rankings
…
"Damn this Lightning Seal field — my Frenzied Ant-Scorpions can't get anywhere near him!"
Dongfang Ming was seething.
Back in Hangzhou, he had been utterly routed by fourth-level basic spells. Now, facing the same opponent once more, he found this fight even harder than the last.
He had prepared specifically for this bout — swapping out his Wing Enchanted Gear for a solid set of Armor Enchanted Gear, confident it would let him handle Mo Fan's basic-level magic.
Yet Mo Fan hadn't bothered with basic spells at all. Instead, he'd used the fourth-level Lightning Seal to generate a sweeping electrical force field — and Dongfang Ming's second element, the Summoning Element, was completely useless against it.
The Frenzied Ant-Scorpion was a remarkable summoned creature. A single one was roughly on par with a Servant-class beast, but when a swarm of them came surging forth, even Battle-General-class creatures gave them a wide berth.
Dongfang Ming's Contract Beast was a Frenzied Ant-Scorpion Marshal — unremarkable in direct combat, but capable of summoning over twenty Frenzied Ant-Scorpion Drones to surround and overwhelm a target.
That was Dongfang Ming's trump card, and he had built his entire strategy around it.
Unfortunately, he hadn't accounted for the fact that Mo Fan had no fear of being outnumbered.
The fourth-level Lightning Seal gave Mo Fan something close to a miniature Domain. That same electrical force field had kept him alive amid entire swarms of lizards — and these ant-scorpion drones were far fewer in number. Mo Fan wasn't worried in the slightest.
"Rank nineteen — that's mine now!" Mo Fan's face was split by a wide, shameless grin.
"Thunderbolt!!"
He thrust his finger toward the sky. A bolt of lightning tore through the cloudless air and drove straight down, crashing full-force onto the deep-sea-blue armor encasing Dongfang Ming.
**BOOM!!!!**
Lightning detonated across the thick plating. Sparks and crackling arcs flew in every direction, and the sheer concussive force drove Dongfang Ming to his knees.
His legs shook violently. The Armor Enchanted Gear had absorbed blow after blow, but it had finally given out — electrical energy seeping through the hairline fractures in the plating and into his body, rattling his very bones.
His face was a mask of bitter frustration. He had been so certain this time would wash away the shame of Hangzhou — and yet here he was, losing to Mo Fan again.
He was naturally gifted, after all. His Star Chart tracing speed was twice that of ordinary mages, an enormous advantage he'd carried since the day he first began practicing magic. With that talent and the weight of a powerful family behind him, he had expected to crack the top three at Pearl Academy at the very least. Instead he had scraped along at nineteenth — and after losing this match he couldn't even hold on to that, tumbling all the way down to forty-fifth. There was no face left to save.
"That lazy waste actually lost." From the spectators' section, a young man with a brilliant smile remarked in a perfectly flat tone.
"How long would it take you to finish him off — this naturally born Dual Elements Mage, Dongfang Lie?" Zhou Shuming asked with a grin.
Dongfang Lie tilted his head back as though weighing the question. A few seconds passed before he spoke. "With what he's shown so far... one or two exchanges would be enough."
Zhou Shuming blinked, then burst out laughing and clapped him on the shoulder. "I'm holding you to that."
"Won't do you much good," Dongfang Lie said with an easy smile. "There are a few people ranked behind me that he could never get past — so you'll never actually see it happen."
"Fair point. But there's a piece of bad news I need to share with you — something about this Dual Elements kid." Zhou Shuming said.
"Oh?" Dongfang Lie raised an eyebrow.
"He's been given a reserve slot." Zhou Shuming's voice dropped to a murmur, conspiratorial.
*The tournament hasn't even reached its decisive stage — what gives him the right to a slot?* A flash of irritation moved through Dongfang Lie.
With his own level of cultivation, he still hadn't secured a direct reserve qualification. There was no reason this Dual Elements upstart should already be in the running.
"Councillor Zhu Meng, the Lingyin Tribunal, and the Hangzhou Municipal Administration — a joint recommendation from all three. I only found out by chance." Zhou Shuming kept his voice low.
"Sounds like he's not without backing."
"Not really," Zhou Shuming said. "I already looked into it. He just got lucky — helped Hangzhou deal with a plague outbreak, that's all. The Tribunal seems intent on putting him forward for the Huang Rankings. If no other young Mage racks up more merit than him in the near future, he'll make the list."
The easy, carefree expression finally slipped from Dongfang Lie's face. He stared at Mo Fan stepping down from the arena, something sharp flickering behind his eyes.
The Huang Rankings.
*This guy was a candidate for the Huang Rankings??*
Outstanding young Mages were scattered across the entire country — extraordinary talents spread throughout elite academies, most of them never getting the chance to measure themselves directly against each other. So how did you actually evaluate a young Mage's true strength?
Each major academy maintained its own internal rankings and campus-wide leaderboards. The Hunters' Alliance had its Hunter Rankings...
But all those lists, large and small, only captured regional or intra-circle standing — they couldn't say everything. The rankings that truly carried global authority were the four produced by the Five Continents Magic Association through joint deliberation, rigorous vetting, and real-world track records.
The World's Four Rankings — rendered into Chinese as: Tian, Di, Xuan, and Huang.
The Tian Rankings, the Di Rankings, and the Xuan Rankings were each composed of powerhouses at different tiers. Those who made any of those lists were figures of towering renown and staggering ability. Mu Dao — to whom Shi Gui had pledged his loyalty — was a Xuan Rankings Mage. Without holding any official position, he stood on equal footing with Councillors.
The Huang Rankings were reserved for young Mages.
The Bo City disaster — bravely protecting the Earth Sacred Spring. The Magic City Black Court suppression. The Hangzhou plague. Mo Fan had played a decisive role in all three, and his accomplishments were extraordinary.
The Huang Rankings updated every four years, and Mo Fan was China's nominated candidate.
The World Academy Tournament would lock in a slot for him directly, but what mattered even more was that his name had already been submitted to the national Magic Association's highest council. Once it was passed one level higher to the Asian Magic Association, his place on the Huang Rankings would be all but sealed.
Mo Fan was about as grassroots as a Mage could get. No one had thought to tell him that the World's Four Rankings even existed — so he had no idea any of this was unfolding around him.
He didn't even know that his name already carried weight among the country's young Mages. When the Huang Rankings were published, the world outside China would know who he was too.
Zhou Shuming and Dongfang Lie were among the most powerful young Mages in the country — no one cared more fiercely about the World Academy Tournament slots and the Huang Rankings than they did. Learning that this natural-born Dual Elements Mage had already secured a foot in both doors was not something either of them could smile about.