Mo Fan at his best – Versatile Mage

Before setting out for the Ancient Capital, Mo Fan had already made preparations. Not just for himself, but for others as well. Some matters could not be delayed, especially when it came to someone like Ding Yumian.

At Pearl University’s secluded training grounds, the air was still warm from the previous refining process, traces of fire-element energy lingering faintly in the surroundings. The ground bore marks of scorching, as if the space itself had once been turned into a furnace. Jiang Feng stood quietly at the center, her aura already stabilized, yet even so, the faint pressure she emitted still caused the surrounding space to feel heavy.

Mo Fan approached slowly. He did not speak immediately. Instead, his gaze swept across the area before settling on her. “You’ve recovered faster than I expected,” he said. Jiang Feng glanced at him, her expression indifferent. “With that level of materials, it would be stranger if I didn’t,” she replied calmly. Mo Fan nodded. That was true. The scale of what she had just refined—even he had felt it was excessive. But that was exactly why he had come.

“There’s something I need your help with,” Mo Fan said after a brief pause. Jiang Feng did not respond immediately, but she did not refuse either. “You’ve already seen the Flame Belle… how she grows, how she stabilizes fire-element energy, how she evolves through battle and absorption.” Jiang Feng’s eyes flickered slightly. She naturally understood. That small creature was not simple—far from it.

“This time, it’s not about me,” Mo Fan continued. Jiang Feng finally looked at him directly. “Then who?” she asked. Mo Fan thought of a quiet figure, a girl who rarely spoke, a girl who carried something far more dangerous than flames. “Ding Yumian,” he said. Jiang Feng frowned faintly. “A Psychic Mage?” “Intermediate level,” Mo Fan nodded, then added after a pause, “She’s a Calamity bearer.”

The atmosphere shifted immediately. Even Jiang Feng’s expression changed slightly. A Calamity bearer was not something to be taken lightly. That was not talent—it was danger someone that if discovered would be annexed and hunted by the Archangels of the Sacred City. Mo Fan’s eyes narrowed. “She can’t control her powers yet. Right now, she’s still stable… but that won’t last forever. She’s not like us. If something goes wrong, it won’t just affect her—it will affect everything around her.” Jiang Feng remained silent. She understood.

“That’s why I need you,” Mo Fan said, stepping forward. Jiang Feng’s gaze sharpened. “You want me to suppress it?” she asked. Mo Fan shook his head. “No. Not suppress. Stabilize.” He paused, then said clearly, “I want you to fuse with her.”

Silence filled the training ground. Even the surrounding fire-element energy seemed to still. Jiang Feng’s eyes turned cold. “You think I’m a tool?” she said. Mo Fan didn’t react. “If I did, I wouldn’t be asking,” he replied calmly.

Another moment passed before Mo Fan spoke again. “You’re not just any elemental spirit. You’ve already stepped into quasi–Ruler level. Your control over fire, your stability, your ability to refine chaos into order—you’re exactly what she needs.” Jiang Feng did not interrupt, but she was listening now. “If she continues like this, she’ll either break or be consumed. But if you fuse with her, you can stabilize her Psychic Element, guide it, contain it… and at the same time, you grow.”

Jiang Feng’s gaze flickered. Mo Fan noticed immediately. “She’s not weak,” he said. “She just hasn’t reached that stage yet. But she will.” His voice lowered slightly. “One day… she’ll become a Forbidden Curse Mage.”

The words hung in the air. Even Jiang Feng did not dismiss them. Because she could feel it—that potential was real. “And when that happens,” Mo Fan continued slowly, “the energy she produces, the level she reaches… it won’t just benefit her. It will benefit you too.”

Jiang Feng’s flames flickered faintly. For the first time, there was hesitation. Mo Fan pressed forward. “If you fuse with her now, you’re not limiting yourself. You’re accelerating your growth. You won’t stay at quasi–Ruler level. You’ll reach full Ruler… maybe even beyond that.”

Silence settled once more. The heat in the air pulsed, then gradually calmed. Jiang Feng finally spoke. “…And you trust her?” she asked. Mo Fan didn’t hesitate. “Yes.”

That single word was enough.

Jiang Feng closed her eyes briefly. When she opened them again, the flames within them had steadied. “…Fine,” she said. Mo Fan didn’t respond immediately, but the tension in his shoulders eased. “I will fuse with her, but only until she stabilizes. If she can’t handle it, I’ll withdraw.”

Mo Fan nodded. “That’s enough.”

He turned slightly, looking toward the distant horizon—the direction of the Ancient Capital. Internally, his thoughts continued. Ding Yumian was still only an Intermediate Mage. Too early. Too fragile. But that didn’t matter. Because now, she wouldn’t be alone.

A quasi–Ruler level elemental spirit paired with a Psychic Calamity bearer…

Mo Fan’s eyes narrowed slightly. This combination—if it worked—would be terrifying. Not just protection. Not just control.

Growth.

If everything went according to plan, Ding Yumian would reach heights no one else could. And Jiang Feng would not remain where she was.

“Let’s see how far you both can go…” Mo Fan muttered quietly.

Zhao Manyan had always been clear about his own path. Among all the mages of the same generation, he was never the most aggressive, nor the fastest at killing, but he was undoubtedly one of the most stable. Defense, sustain, control, survivability—his foundation was extremely solid. With the Water Element as his core and the Light Element as support, his combat style naturally leaned toward endurance rather than destruction. Under the early guidance of Dean Xiao, Zhao Manyan’s growth had already taken a completely different trajectory compared to his novel counterpart. He had skipped many detours that others would struggle through for years, allowing his cultivation to advance at a steady and terrifying pace. Now, he had already safely stepped into Intermediate Level Three, his nebula fully stabilized, his control over water becoming increasingly refined, flowing like a living system rather than a rigid spell structure.

For most mages, reaching this stage would already be considered a major achievement. And if Zhao Manyan continued at this pace, reaching the Advanced Level within eight months would not be difficult at all. His foundation was too stable, his resources too sufficient, and his understanding of his own Element far deeper than before. However, despite this, Zhao Manyan himself was not entirely satisfied. He could feel it clearly—his Water Element was strong, but his Light Element lagged behind. It was not weak, but it lacked depth. It had not been tempered through enough real combat, nor had it been pushed to its limits. Compared to his Water Element, which could already influence the battlefield, his Light Element still remained at the level of support and protection, unable to truly stand on its own.

Yet Zhao Manyan did not rush. He understood better than anyone that his strength did not lie in explosive power, but in layering advantages over time. The more stable he became, the harder it would be for anyone to break him. However, there was one thing that had always lingered in his mind—a possibility that had once appeared in his path. A special contract ring from his late father. A rare piece of equipment that allowed a mage to form multiple contracts even though he didn't posses the Summoning element. Not one. Not two. But three. At the time, that idea alone had already been enough to shake his understanding of summoning. Because for a mage like him, contracts did not simply represent companions—they represented extensions of his system. Mo Fan thought deeply

With three contracted beasts, Zhao Manyan would no longer rely solely on his own casting. His Water Element could control the battlefield, his Light Element could reinforce and purify, and his contracted beasts could fill the remaining gaps—offense, disruption, pressure. He would not need to chase power recklessly. Instead, he would construct it. Layer by layer. System by system. Until no one could break through it.

And then there was the next step thinking what was optimal. The Water Elemental Spirit. Compared to ordinary contracted beasts, an Elemental Spirit was on an entirely different level. Especially one aligned with his core Element. If Zhao Manyan could obtain a Water Elemental Spirit, his entire cultivation path would shift. His control over water would no longer be limited to spells. It would become instinctive, continuous, and overwhelming. The battlefield itself would begin to favor him. Water would no longer be something he summoned—it would become something he commanded.

Of course, Mo Fan knew this would not be easy. Water Elemental Spirits were rare, far rarer than most creatures in the Summoning Plane. They existed in deep oceans, ancient rivers, and hidden aquatic domains—places where even high-level mages hesitated to venture. Many could only be seen, never touched. And even if one was found, forming a contract with it was another challenge entirely. But Zhao Manyan was not discouraged. If anything, the difficulty only made the goal clearer.

“Water Element… huh,” Mo fan muttered to himself quietly.

His gaze drifted slightly, as if already looking toward distant oceans he had yet to reach.

“If that’s the path…”

“Then I’ll make that brat take it all the way.”