I dug up the magical girl's corpse.

Chapter 73 The Final Preparations

Their expressions quickly changed from anticipation to disappointment.

There was nothing special in the ring's storage space.

First, some documents, bank cards, and cash fell out with a clatter and landed on the ground.

Chen Mu picked it up and examined it. Apart from the real name of [Kapok], there was no valuable information, which was of little value anyway. As for the cash, by the standards of a magical girl, it was pitifully little; she just didn't know how much savings the girl had in her bank account.

"Just like my bag."

Lin Yongxi complained.

"Functionally speaking, they're the same." Chen Mu wasn't surprised. With a storage ring, it was indeed convenient to go out without a backpack.

The remaining items include the "Bud" badge that certified me as a magical girl, which was taken by Kapok and was probably put back here.

"mine!"

Lin Yongxi took it with a grin. The joy of getting it back made her very happy; this badge was proof that she had worked so hard to obtain.

Even if we take a step back, this is still a necessary document for participating in the competition. Without this, one cannot participate in the competition.

Chen Mu didn't say anything; his gaze was drawn to the last item in the ring.

That was a book.

Without a cover or title, it's more like a notebook, filled with handwritten notes and densely packed content. Aside from the slightly worn handwriting at the beginning, there are numerous additions, notes, and annotations, all very detailed.

"This should be the 'Light Law'." Chen Mu glanced at it and roughly understood.

It records how to absorb magic power, how to practice magic, how to master the connection of one's own heart flower, and also includes some content about the transformation of the [Gem Body].

Post-war versions of "The Law of Light" were generally like this: they were not uniformly printed books, nor did they resemble martial arts manuals. Instead, they looked quite ordinary, like notebooks recording personal cultivation insights. These insights were continuously supplemented, added to, and modified through communication and learning, making them very personal.

Kapok must have used this knowledge to teach her students.

Unfortunately, after carefully reading it, Chen Mu found that this book, "The Law of Light," was useless and of no value to him.

"Too simplistic." He shook his head, expressing his disappointment.

Perhaps because [Kapok] is only a bud-level magical girl, her understanding of magic is not deep, and her knowledge of magic is not broad enough. Especially for Chen Mu now, who has the orthodox and advanced "Light Law" in his mind, looking at this notebook is like a graduate student looking at elementary school questions.

If they practice according to this method, it will actually hinder their progress.

Therefore, this book is of no help to him, and it doesn't even have any value for learning or reference.

"Although we don't need it for now, it might have other uses in the future, or we could sell it."

Chen Mu thought to himself, just as he was about to put it away.

A piece of paper suddenly floated out of the notebook. Its color was different from the pages, and it didn't seem to have been torn off, but rather had been tucked inside from the beginning.

He picked it up, but before he could even see what was inside, the paper suddenly burst into flames!

"What?!"

To his surprise, the flames were even burning his body, which was a "freak" physique, indicating that it was not a normal spontaneous combustion.

The paper burned to ashes in less than a second.

"Are you alright?" Lin Yongxi was also surprised. She was about to help when the flame went out by itself, giving her no chance at all.

"fine."

Chen Mu's answer was simple, but his eyes were downcast.

He realized that the contents hidden on the paper were probably not so simple, and that it used such a clever magical protection mechanism.

Perhaps it detected that it wasn't a kapok tree that picked it up, so it spontaneously combusted and extinguished itself to prevent others from seeing the contents inside.

"What is it that's protected even more than money, even more important than that book, 'The Law of Light'?"

Chen Mu had some doubts.

Ultimately, the fact that Mu Mian attacked him was suspicious from the start. Her previous provocation could be explained as "the two of them had a bad relationship, and now that Lin Chaojing is dead, she's taking the opportunity to bully this enemy who has no one to protect her." But now, everyone with eyes can see that Chen Mu has the support of two powerful figures, Bixi and Chaoxi. What makes her dare to risk her life to launch a surprise attack here? Isn't she afraid that if she's exposed afterward, she won't escape death herself?

He never believed that Mu Mian would do something so stupid, let alone seek revenge just because of being expelled from the Demon Academy and the students withdrawing from the election. Anyone who could calculate things clearly would never provoke Chen Mu now.

Therefore, there must be greater interests or some kind of conspiracy behind this.

Last night, when Kapok launched a surprise attack, Chen Mu had this suspicion all along, but he was focused on the battle and couldn't think about anything else; he could only concentrate on fighting the enemy. Now, reflecting on it, perhaps he should have seized the opportunity to interrogate her and find out who the real culprit was…

"However, since they've taken precautions against this note, I doubt we'll get any information out of them."

Just as it was burning, he caught a glimpse of it, but unfortunately, he only saw the word "garnet," not a complete sentence.

All I know is that it's a gemstone from the kapok tree; now, if I were to connect the dots, I couldn't think of any other meaning.

"Remember this for now, consider it a clue." Chen Mu silently wrote it down, crumpling the ashes of the paper along with the burn mark in his palm.

"Here you go." After checking that there was nothing else, Chen Mu tossed the storage ring to Lin Yongxi.

"Hey, for me?"

Lin Yongxi was pleasantly surprised.

"Nonsense, I don't have magic power. Who else but you could use it?"

Chen Mu knew she was asking a question she already knew the answer to: "How about I wear the decorations?"

"Hehe, thanks brother-in-law~"

Lin Yongxi quickly took it with a playful smile, and even hugged Chen Mu's arm and acted coquettishly for a while. Normally she would never have done this, but today she was really happy.

Not only did I get a weapon that looked really powerful, but I also got this storage ring, which gave me a lot more confidence in everything I did, whether it was in a competition or anything else.

"Let go."

Chen Mu pushed her away with disdain and said, "Now that you've seen the spoils, come upstairs with me."

"Going upstairs, what for?"

Lin Yongxi was taken aback, not understanding what he meant.

"Of course it's training." Chen Mu found two handy sticks from somewhere, which looked like clotheslines that had been taken apart. "I wasn't very satisfied with your performance last night. When dealing with Kapok, apart from that one spell, you were basically just lying around. That won't do. Before the competition, I'll give you some pointers on stick techniques."

"Eh—"

Lin Yongxi's face immediately fell, and she protested, "I... I'm injured! I just recovered, shouldn't I be resting and in top condition before the competition?!"

She was still terrified of her brother-in-law's "training," especially since he had brought weapons this time. She didn't know how badly she would be treated!

"That won't do. Your injuries have fully healed, haven't they? The Demon Academy is very professional."

Chen Mu deftly twirled the staff. He was not only an expert in combat and fighting, but also had extensive knowledge of the use of various weapons, and he could teach her all of them.

"Besides, can your [Instant Light] spell be 100% successful? You should at least test it properly to ensure its stability, right?"

"Well……"

Lin Yongxi was somewhat convinced, and thinking back to the first unique magic she had ever learned, she was still a little itchy to try it herself.

The thrill of unleashing the [Instant Light] punch is no less than anything else; it's like every cell in your body is breathing freely, an experience of magic pouring out.

"If this happens a few more times... my magic power accumulation might progress significantly, and I might even be able to break through faster!"

Recalling the imposing figure of Kapok last night, even though she was an enemy, I was still drawn to her transformation costume and immense power. Especially after reaching the [Bud] level, she gains the ability to fly, has her own transformation [lyrics], and her own [gem]. I wonder what other wondrous magic she possesses…

Thinking of this, Lin Yongxi finally nodded: "Alright, let's do it then. I'll definitely reach the [Bud] level as soon as possible!"

"Okay, you understand perfectly now, don't you? As expected of someone who has prepared for the college entrance exam, you can't relax until the very end. Last-minute cramming is the norm."

Chen Mu smiled, not forgetting to tease her:

"Raise the bar by one point, and you eliminate a thousand people, right?"