MRSG Chapter 20

The day after the opening ceremony marked the beginning of the track and field competitions.

At Hualing Academy, students were allowed to watch the games as long as they didn’t have classes. Having only read about the university games in past records, Zhou Mu naturally wanted to experience the atmosphere firsthand. Besides, Senior Cong was serving as a referee, and he was curious to see him in action.

Zhou Mu fried some popcorn chicken and went to watch the track events with Yan Xingke. The first race of the day was the 8000-meter preliminary round.

Tian Qi happened to be volunteering at the event, helping to maintain order. Spectators were required to stay within a designated area—the mountaintop stands—and were strictly prohibited from entering the vast racetrack.

With a sharp whistle from Senior Cōng, seventy to eighty yao (demon) contestants burst from the starting line, sprinting at full speed. Some maintained their humanoid forms, while others transformed into their true forms, demonstrating incredible speed—mostly land-dwelling beasts.

Only a handful of aquatic demons participated. Zhou Mu even spotted a Xuanggui (Black Tortoise) rapidly crawling forward…

The announcer’s voice boomed over the loudspeakers: “Leading the race is Shu Lin from Letai Academy! In his true form, he resembles a deer but with a single horn. In the last two university games, he placed second in this event. A hybrid of lesser beasts, Shu Lin has awakened the Qilin (Kirin) bloodline, giving him both speed and strength. He is the top contender for the championship, and many hope he will finally claim the title this year…”

The head referee, Xie Rulin, was a Xiezhi (a mythical beast similar to a Qilin) and also had Qilin blood. Shu Lin, being another hybrid descendant of the Qilin lineage, had a natural advantage. In fact, all furred beasts were part of this powerful bloodline. No wonder one was a head referee while the other was the favorite to win.

“Impressive. Look at his muscle definition—I think he’s got this in the bag,” Zhou Mu remarked. “Then again, our You Qi wouldn’t bother with a race like this. Even if he had Qilin blood, he wouldn’t outrun them.”

As expected from a wind-borne beast.

“Yeah…” Yan Xingke agreed, then suddenly exclaimed, “Look at the back of the track!”

Their eyes shifted, spotting a massive cloud of thick smoke billowing from the rear of the race. Several competitors ran through it and immediately stumbled off the track.

Upon closer inspection, the smoke was being spewed by one of the racers.

In demon competitions, such abilities weren’t considered cheating—as long as they were innate racial skills rather than external tools like enchanted artifacts or talismans. Performance-enhancing pills were also strictly forbidden.

This smoke-spewing competitor had a unique approach, knocking out several opponents and forcing others to slow down and avoid running near him. Meanwhile, fights had also broken out along the track. Though minor, they added to the entertainment, drawing cheers and laughter from the crowd.

As time ticked away, the racers entered the final lap, and everyone surged forward in an all-out sprint.

The smoke-spewing racer, who had remained in human form the entire time, suddenly lunged forward and transformed—his lower half becoming that of a massive snake. With a powerful whip-like motion, he lashed his tail at another runner, sending them flying!

Shu Lin, who had been in the lead, barely avoided getting hit. Reacting quickly, he grabbed the airborne runner’s hand, using a soft technique to dissipate the force and ensure a safe landing.

The rescued runner, still shaken, thanked Shu Lin profusely. The audience couldn’t help but admire him—truly worthy of having the benevolent blood of the Qilin.

However, keen-eyed spectators soon recognized the smoke-spewing competitor—he was a Cang Bi, a hybrid of the Bian (a type of mythological lion-like beast) and a snake. Not only could he spew poisonous smoke, but he also possessed immense strength.

Shu Lin’s momentary pause allowed other competitors to close the distance, including Cang Bi.

Glancing at Shu Lin, Cang Bi suddenly revealed a hidden trick—another tail, which shot out and coiled around Shu Lin’s body.

No one had anticipated this move. No one even realized Cang Bi had a second tail, likely inherited from some other unknown demon lineage.

With overwhelming force, Cang Bi hurled Shu Lin straight off the track—beyond the mountaintop boundary. This automatically disqualified him.

The crowd gasped in shock.

But it was too late. The favorite to win, Shu Lin, was out, and Cang Bi had claimed first place in the preliminaries.

This unexpected turn of events left the audience buzzing with discussions. However, no one outright condemned Cang Bi. He had played dirty, but in the end, a win was a win—he hadn’t broken any rules. That was just the way of the demon.

“Shu Lin still lost to strategy. With his strength, he could’ve won,” Yan Xingke said with regret. Shu Lin had already returned, wiping his sweat with a towel handed over by the coach and forcing a smile under countless mixed gazes.

Shu Lin was already a senior—this was probably his last competition. Having placed second the last two years had been a regret already. This year he came with high hopes, only for it to end worse.

Even the onlookers felt sorry for him. Head referee Xie Rulin personally came over to comfort his distant junior.

Zhou Mu said, “If he hadn’t tried to save that guy and just kept running, he might’ve had a chance.”

No one expected Shu Lin to lose to a newcomer like Cang Bi. But Cang Bi was ruthless and decisive.

Still, the race had high entertainment value. Zhou Mu was thoroughly satisfied and now had a much better understanding of the event types and rules—definitely helpful for future competitions.

Dorm Room 1203.

Zhou Mu once again rejected a video call from his father and texted back: [Hmph. Has Mom admitted she was wrong yet?]

His father replied quickly: [Nope. She’s just happy you’re not here stealing food.]

Zhou Mu: […Just wait. I’m coming back during the holidays to EAT EVERYTHING. I’m bringing my roommate, too! We’re going to eat so much!]

Father: [Your roommate? What is it?]

Zhou Mu: [A You Qi.]

Just after he sent the message, a loud boom suddenly echoed out. He figured it was another scuffle from the sports meet and didn’t think much of it—until he sensed something strange…

He sniffed the air… something was off!

Zhou Mu suddenly stood up.

At that moment, the school broadcast came on: “Attention all students. Attention all students. Please proceed in an orderly fashion to the emergency shelter at Tianyan Square. Do not approach the Jinyuan. Repeat: All faculty and students, proceed immediately and in an orderly manner to the Tianyan Square shelter…”

Something happened at the Jinyuan.

At this moment, Zhou Mu immediately thought of Tian Qi, who was volunteering near the Jinyuan track today. He grabbed his phone and tried to video call Tian Qi.

But Tian Qi didn’t pick up. Not knowing what was going on, Zhou Mu kept sending messages and making calls while rushing outside. The moment he stepped out the door, he bumped straight into Chun Shijiu.

“Hey, what’s got you in such a panic? Your You Q isn’t in the dorm? Tsk,” Chun Shijiu grabbed him and said, “Come with me to Tianyan Square. Who knows what’s happening in Jinyuan? Let’s see if our grandmaster’s safeguards actually work.”

He looked relaxed, but deep down, he was nervous. In all his years at Hualing, he had never encountered a situation like this. Every year, they practiced emergency evacuations, but this was the first time it was actually happening.

“Tian Qi is volunteering near Jinyuan, and I can’t get in touch with him,” Zhou Mu said with a frown.

“This…” Chun Shijiu looked up at the sky. “Tell Old Cui. The school will handle it.”

As he spoke, he tried to drag Zhou Mu along, only to find that Zhou Mu slipped away like an eel. “You go to the square. I’ll catch up later!”

Chun Shijiu froze for a moment before exclaiming, “No way, no way—this idiot isn’t actually going to look for Tian Qi, is he?”

He found it hard to believe, but Zhou Mu was already running off. At a time like this, even if he wasn’t heading straight to Jinyuan, just being outside a designated evacuation area was dangerous.

Freshmen were trained for situations like this, yet he was still acting so recklessly?

Chun Shijiu considered ignoring him but ultimately couldn’t. With an exasperated sigh, he took off after Zhou Mu.

……

Jinyuan.

Several rune-covered pillars floated in the air, glowing faintly with golden light. In the center stood Teacher Hand, wearing golden jade rings, holding onto a wisp of black energy. That thin strand of black mist stretched to the other side, connecting to a beast with dragon scales, a deer-like body, and a single horn. Its entire body was surrounded by dark energy, which was condensing into a second horn on its forehead.

Beneath this beast with a qilin-like form lay the shattered remains of rune pillars—and an unconscious Tian Qi.

The two sides were locked in a fierce struggle.

But as the second horn on the qilin beast’s forehead grew more solid, Teacher Hand started trembling, seemingly struggling to maintain control.

Not far away, Cui Jue arrived with a dozen teachers, including Xie Rulin and Lord Cong.

The moment Cui Jue saw the scene, his expression changed drastically. “Quick, reinforce the array here!”

His voice was so sharp it almost cracked.

Lord Cong caught sight of the beast and his face darkened. “Shu Lin? Why is it him? What happened?”

Not only Lord Cong but all the other teachers were bewildered. Jinyuan was supposed to be the safest place, guarded by Teacher Hand himself. How had these supposedly harmless remnants of demonic energy managed to fight back?

Cui Jue quickly sent a message on his phone before sighing and explaining, “Actually, for the past three years, these remnants of demonic energy have been showing signs of developing intelligence.”

“What?!”

“Demonic energy can develop intelligence?”

“That’s right. We originally thought the grandmaster’s seal had them completely trapped here, making the situation foolproof. But who could have expected that even the lingering demonic energy could receive the blessings of fate and reach the verge of enlightenment? Even Teacher Hand was powerless against it. After much discussion, we found another method to resolve the issue this year, but before we could finish, this… this student Shu Lin…” Cui Jue sounded exasperated. The whole matter should have been resolved quietly without anyone knowing, but then Shu Lin got caught up in it.

As for what happened to Shu Lin and how he got entangled with the demonic energy, only one other person on-site understood.

Xie Rulin let out a bitter laugh. “People always say that those of us with qilin blood are blessed, born with incredible advantages. But in reality, fortune and misfortune are intertwined.

There was an ancient beast called the ‘Tan,’ known for its insatiable greed. It devoured all the treasures of the world and even tried to swallow the sun, ultimately falling into the Eastern Sea to its death. This Tan beast also had a qilin form—except it had two horns instead of one.

Most people don’t know this, but the purer a qilin’s blood, the stronger their abilities—and the more they must cultivate their hearts. If they fail to maintain their original nature, they may grow a second horn and transform into… a Tan. At that point, they will no longer be themselves.”

Everyone fell silent. They all knew about Shu Lin’s crushing defeat in the preliminaries yesterday. No one had expected it to affect him so deeply, leaving him vulnerable to the demonic energy, which triggered his latent Tan bloodline.

With the demonic energy amplifying the Tan beast’s nature, even someone as powerful as Teacher Hand could barely hold the situation together.

Only Teacher Luo Guanzhong awkwardly muttered, “Should we be relieved that it was Shu Lin who transformed and not Judge Xie? That would be a nightmare.”

No one laughed.

“Enough,” Cui Jue said in a low voice. “I’ve ordered the entire student body to evacuate to the Grandmaster’s statue. We must hold the line here—failure is not an option. Judge Xie, the principal is out, and I’ve already sent for reinforcements. Until they arrive, we need you and Teacher Hand to prevent the Tan beast and the demonic energy from fully merging.”

Xie Rulin was the only one capable of such a task.

Lord Cong’s gaze was sharp. “Indeed. Judge Xie, allow me to be your blade in this battle while we await reinforcements.”

Xie Rulin, having worked alongside Lord Cong for years, picked up on something in his words. “You sound like you already know who Cui Jue’s reinforcements are?”

……

Meanwhile, You Qi leapt over the outer wall and entered the dorm through the window.

He wasn’t looking for Zhou Mu. He already knew that with the school’s emergency notification, everyone should have gone straight to the evacuation site. But You Qi had remembered the suit Zhou Mu gave him—unsure of what exactly was happening, he came back to grab anything important.

As he reached out to shut down Zhou Mu’s computer, a chat window popped up with a new message.

Father: [You Qi? Your mother says You Qi smells pretty good.]

You Qi froze, his hand gripping the mouse stiffening.

This sentence…

What does it mean?

At that moment, his phone buzzed. He picked it up and saw a message from Chun Shijiu: [Your roommate is dead set on running to Jinyuan to find Tian Qi! Get here now!]

Without hesitation, You Qi put down the mouse and leapt out the window.