However, the person who appeared on the stage was unfamiliar to everyone. The handsome face of that guy did not belong to any expert they knew.
On the stage, the principal with graying temples walked up to the winner, beaming happily.
"This mock exam competition has ended successfully. In the end, student Bai Ze defeated everyone and won the championship of the competition, as well as a 30,000 bucks worth of scholarship provided by the school. I hope student Bai Ze will continue to work hard and make a name for himself. Please give him a round of applause!"
The principal looked at the crowd below and said kindly.
The next moment, thunderous applause came from the audience. Although most people did not know this student named Bai Ze, they still chose to cooperate out of respect for their teachers.
Some of those people looked at Bai Ze with surprise, others with envy, jealousy, and resentment.
Liang Rou, who had lost the chance to get a spot, looked listlessly at the stage. The corners of her eyes twitched from time to time. Even after experiencing so much, she still couldn't face this scene calmly.
A man standing not far away from her was dumbfounded. He couldn't understand how things could have gone wrong.
Unfortunately, the current circumstances didn't permit it. Otherwise, he would have called Liang Rou out and asked her to explain.
The man's name was Lu Yuanzheng. He was the eldest son of Lu Yansheng, head of the Lu family of Maplewood City. His ability was at the level of a junior fourth ring. Even in a high-end aristocratic academy like the Saint Inscription Academy, he was still considered one of the best.
The reason he had come to Maplewood City's Numero Uno High School this time was to strike a deal with Liang Rou. Before the start of the competition, Lu Yuanzheng used his family's secret technique to sneak into the school in advance and help Liang Rou get the badge.
The reward was ten Ether Essence potions.
Now, however, he didn't see Liang Rou appear on stage. The person who received the qualification was someone totally unknown to him. This made him extremely surprised.
Lu Yuanzheng waited with great patience, until finally, the principal finished his speech, and the rest of the students left one after another.
He immediately cast a speed spell and arrived at the storage room on the third floor of the planetarium in just two minutes.
As soon as he entered the storage room, Lu Yuanzheng noticed something unusual.
The temperature here was no different from the outside environment, and there were water puddles around the black box.
His expression changed drastically, and he quickly rushed forward to open the box. Upon opening it, Lu Yuanzheng found that the ten bottles of Ether Essence potions had indeed disappeared!
At this moment, the class monitor Liang Rou rushed over. When she saw that Lu Yuanzheng had already discovered the situation, her face instantly turned pale.
"What the hell is going on? If you don't give me an explanation, the Lu family will declare war on your family immediately!"
Lu Yuanzheng's eyes widened as he roared in anger!
Liang Rou shook her head innocently, and the tears which had previously dried up began gushing out again.
"Brother Lu, I honestly didn't make these potions. I needed your help, so how could I sabotage myself?"
Liang Rou sobbed as she spoke, tears streaming down her face.
Lu Yuanzheng's eyes quivered. He had no choice but to suppress the fury in his heart. He took two steps forward, clenched his teeth, and said, "Then what exactly happened? How come you are not the champion?"
"After you left, that guy called Bai Ze broke into the third floor of the planetarium. He injured me and drove me out of the planetarium. He also took away my badge."
Liang Rou wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes. "When I came back, the potions were gone. This is probably related to that guy called Bai Ze, but I'm not sure if he's responsible."
After hearing Liang Rou's words, Lu Yuanzheng immediately clenched his fists. The magic power in his body surged, and his face turned ashen.
"I don't care who that Bai Ze guy is, but since he dared to snatch something from my Lu family, I'll definitely make him die without a proper burial!"
After he said this, he turned around and left.
He was entering the school illegally, so naturally, he couldn't stay for too long.
In the storage room, Liang Rou only stopped sobbing after Lu Yuanzheng had vanished. Her expression changed slightly, and her emotions were also in turmoil.
She did not dare to tell Lu Yuanzheng the truth for fear that he would do something to harm her. She could only divert his attention to Bai Ze.
That evening, Lu Yuanzheng returned to the Lu family in a huff.
He planned to discuss with his father how to deal with Bai Ze.
When he arrived on the second floor, he saw that the door to his father's room was shut tightly. He immediately pushed the door open and walked in.
"Father, this time I have failed in the mission to help Liang Rou cheat!"
Lu Yuanzheng said anxiously immediately as he walked into the room and saw his father writing something on the desk.
"Impetuous!"
Lu Yansheng was sitting on the chair, and he turned around to look at his son Yuanzheng with a look of displeasure.
"Knock before you come in! How many times have I told you this?"
After getting lectured by his father, Lu Yuanzheng could only swallow his words and lower his head in silence.
Upon seeing this, Lu Yansheng gave a disdainful snort. He put down his brush and stood up, "Tell me, how did you fail this time? As far as I know, there aren't many people in Maplewood City's Numero Uno High School who can beat you in actual combat. "
"You're right, father,"
Lu Yuanzheng raised his head and said angrily, "The first half of our cooperation with Liang Rou went smoothly."
"But later, a guy called Bai Ze disrupted our plan and took away ten bottles of Ether Essence while I was hiding!"
When he said this, Lu Yuanzheng became so enraged that blue veins popped out on his forehead.
"In the end, that person actually won the championship and a spot in the training camp. How can I swallow this affront?"
Hearing that, Lu Yansheng frowned and said in a low voice, "Did you offend someone you shouldn't have? How could an ordinary person have the guts to do this?"
"Father, I've already sent someone to investigate. That person isn't very strong, but the magic energy in his body is very strong. He doesn't look like a descendant of an aristocratic family."
As soon as Lu Yuanzheng finished speaking, the landline phone in the room rang. Lu Yansheng picked it up casually.
"Hello… Sir, I've found the person the young master asked me to investigate. That person is called Bai Ze. He's an orphan from Safflower Orphanage and has no noteworthy background. Half a month ago, he was just an apprentice without magic power."
After hearing the news over the phone, Lu Yansheng squinted his eyes slightly, and his face was filled with murderous intent.
"Well done."
After hanging up the phone, he turned to his son and said, "The other party is an orphan, so there's nothing to worry about. You can make a move at any time. We must show people that it's not that easy to take things from the Lu family!"
Seeing that his father had agreed to let him take action, Lu Yuanzheng immediately sneered and said, "Don't worry, father. The joint examination of nine academies is coming soon. I'll have plenty of chances to kill him!"
Lu Yansheng nodded, a merciless glint flashing across his eyes. "If it's not convenient, just contact the fallen mages directly and get those lunatics to take action. We must recover the lost items."
Lu Yuanzheng immediately nodded. He shuddered at the thought of the cruel methods of those people who practiced heretical magic, and he could not help but swallow nervously.