Below the Snow Peak Post Station was a small village.
Led by Zhang Jianguo, the students entered in groups.
The village was the size of a small town, with vendors lined along the streets selling all sorts of things—Magic Tools, magic stones, and demon beast materials.
Mu Nianbing barely glanced at them. To him, they were all low-grade trinkets, not worth a second look.
"Mu Nianbing," Mu Bai walked up beside him and asked curiously, "besides the Stardust Magic Tool, did the family give you any other resources—Magic Tools, contracts, anything?"
As fellow disciples of the Mu Family, Mu Bai felt somewhat indignant. Despite his own family background, he didn't seem to enjoy the same privileges.
"Not yet," Mu Nianbing replied calmly. He didn't mind at all.
Low-level Magic Tools were of little use to him anyway.
Mu Bai exhaled quietly, feeling a hint of relief. At least he wasn't being completely overshadowed.
"Gather up! Everyone, gather up!"
The instructor's shout echoed through the street.
Mu Nianbing immediately headed toward the gathering point. The students quickly assembled into formation.
Moments later, a tall man with a stern expression arrived—Zhan Kong.
"I am your chief instructor for this outdoor training—Zhan Kong," he said, his tone firm. "You should feel lucky. You're the first group I've personally trained."
Instantly, the noisy crowd fell silent.
Mu Nianbing, however, quietly rolled his eyes.
To him, Zhan Kong looked like a man trying too hard to fill his boredom.
Soon after, Zhan Kong announced the bounty mission:
Anyone who completed the assigned task—whether individually or as a team—would receive an A-grade score.
Failure meant an automatic F.
Zhan Kong's gaze swept over the students and paused on Mu Nianbing. The boy's calm, unreadable expression caught his attention.
This kid… really is different.
After leaving the post station, Mu Nianbing led his group along the mountain trail marked on the bounty notice.
For ten days, they trekked across rivers, forests, and rocky slopes, facing numerous hardships. Finally, they arrived before a narrow valley—the designated training area.
"With Brother Nian leading us, we really are the first group here!" Zhao Kunsan said flatteringly, eager to please.
Mu Nianbing ignored him. His focus was entirely on the mission—the demon beast inside.
According to the bounty, a One-Eyed Magic Wolf was said to inhabit the cave ahead. But Mu Nianbing knew better.
It wasn't a One-Eyed Wolf. It was a Nether Wolf Beast—a far deadlier creature.
If others entered, they would only be in danger.
"You all stay here," Mu Nianbing said firmly. "I'll go in and check the situation first."
Mu Bai frowned. "According to the bounty, there might be a One-Eyed Magic Wolf inside. It's safer to wait for the others and go together."
He wasn't wrong. Against demons, a single mage's strength was limited. But Mu Nianbing already knew that cooperation here would only get people killed.
"Don't worry," he replied calmly. "I won't go deep. I'll just take a look."
Without waiting for objections, he turned and walked into the dark cave.
Outside, Zhan Kong, who had been observing from afar, couldn't help but frown.
"He actually went in alone?" he muttered in surprise.
Knowing full well that demons could be inside, yet still daring to enter—this boy was cut from a different cloth.
"Mu Nianbing is the top student of our school," Zhang Jianguo said quickly, smiling proudly. "He might've already cultivated to the second level."
"Hmph. Or maybe he's just being reckless," Bai Yang sneered under his breath.
The Nether Wolf Beast inside was his summoned creature. This was the perfect chance to "accidentally" eliminate someone inconvenient.
"The higher a mage's cultivation, the more energy their body emits," Bai Yang thought. "All the better to attract my Nether Wolf Beast…"
Zhan Kong turned to him. "Bai Yang, remember—keep your summoned beast under control. Don't let it hurt him."
"Of course, Instructor Zhan," Bai Yang said obediently—but his eyes glinted with malice.
He didn't believe a word of what he said.
If the Nether Wolf Beast attacked and killed Mu Nianbing, he'd simply claim it went berserk.
Even Zhan Kong might believe it.
What he didn't realize was that Mu Nianbing was not his average student.
Inside the cave, Mu Nianbing flicked on his specially modified flashlight.
Its intense beam cut through the darkness, flooding the cavern with blinding white light.
A deep, guttural growl echoed from within.
The Nether Wolf Beast, disturbed by the sudden brightness, slowly emerged from the shadows—its crimson eyes burning with murderous intent.
The air grew heavy and cold.
Mu Nianbing's pulse quickened, but not from fear.
If anything, a strange calm took over.
He raised his right hand. "Ice Spread — Cover!"
A burst of icy energy erupted, blanketing the entire cave in frost. Under the threefold amplification of Profound Ice, the spell's power was terrifying—nearly forming a miniature Ice Domain.
Before the Nether Wolf Beast could even lunge, its limbs were completely frozen to the floor.
"Ice Spike—Pierce!"
Mu Nianbing condensed a shimmering shard of blue-white ice in his hand. With a flick of his wrist, it shot forward like a thunderbolt.
"Swish!"
The spike pierced clean through the beast's neck.
A deafening roar echoed—then silence.
The mighty Nether Wolf Beast collapsed lifelessly to the ground, frozen solid in its final stance.
Outside the cave, Bai Yang suddenly convulsed and fell to the ground, foam forming at his mouth.
"What's going on?!" Zhan Kong exclaimed, startled.
Could a summoned beast losing control also affect its master this severely? He had never seen such a case in his entire career.
Moments later, Bai Yang gasped weakly, clutching his chest.
"M-my… my Nether Wolf Beast… is dead!"
"What?!"
Zhan Kong and the students around him all froze.
Only one person had gone into the cave.
Mu Nianbing.
Did that mean he had killed the Nether Wolf Beast—alone?
Impossible!
Even a full team of students would struggle against such a creature, let alone one person.
But the evidence was undeniable. Bai Yang's connection had been severed. His summoned beast had perished.
As the realization set in, Bai Yang's expression twisted in disbelief and despair.
"My… Nether Wolf Beast!" he howled.
He had planned to kill Mu Nianbing—only to lose his own beast instead.
And somewhere deep inside the cave, the frost still gleamed faintly in the light—an eternal mark left by the boy who wielded Profound Ice.
...
Author's Note
Hello, readers! Welcome to my second Webnovel account.
My first Webnovel account is Shadow_demon_007, where I uploaded 20 fanfics. Due to Webnovel's upload limits and rules, I created this second account so I can continue uploading more fanfics for you all.
Please also check out my first account, where many of those 20 fanfics are available. Some of them are already fully completed, and I have uploaded those completed fanfics on my Patreon
👉 patreon.comShadow_demon_007
On Patreon, you can find
Fully completed fanfics
One free fanfic available for readers
Another free fanfic coming in a few days
I sincerely hope you enjoy my works, and I truly appreciate all your support.
Thank you for reading and supporting me!
— Shadow_demon_007