Mo Fan at his best – Versatile Mage

Walking down the stone steps, Jiang Shaoxu was unlike other proper women. Whenever she was alone with a man, she would naturally get a little closer, carrying that teasing and ambiguous charm of hers. She was born with an alluring temperament and did not have as many petty concerns as other women, but she also knew her limits very well. She could joke, flirt, and tease, but if someone truly crossed the line, her Psychic Element would make them regret it immediately.

As for Mo Fan having Mu Ningxue?

Jiang Shaoxu did not care too much. In her eyes, Mo Fan himself was not exactly a proper man either. Teasing him was practically punishing evil.

Just as the two were descending the steps, Mo Fan saw a woman appear before him.

She had a neat high ponytail, with two strands of black hair falling down to her collarbone, revealing a delicate and charming face. Her clothes were simple and elegant, but there was a strange coldness around her, like she did not quite belong among the living.

They brushed past each other. The girl seemed like she wanted to speak, but Mo Fan’s eyes narrowed slightly. A faint spatial force swept out from him, not enough to harm her, but enough to scare her away from the area.

The girl froze for a moment, then quietly disappeared into the shadows.

Jiang Shaoxu noticed Mo Fan watching the direction the girl had left in. She immediately pouted and said, “Stinky man, with me accompanying you, are you still thinking about other things?”

“Heh, if you let me hug you, then I wouldn’t think about anything else,” Mo Fan said seriously.

“Dream on!”

Jiang Shaoxu rolled her eyes at Mo Fan, annoyed. She had figured it out. This scoundrel truly had no shame and would not miss out on any advantage.

The two quickly arrived in the city. After walking through the gloomy mountain path, the area suddenly became bustling with people.

This city was very clean, with characteristic island city style slopes, winding mountain roads, and neatly arranged houses built on both sides. Independent small courtyards, quiet old trees, and warm lantern lights gave it the feeling of a place where someone could easily spend an entire afternoon without noticing time pass.

Walking to the more bustling main street, Jiang Shaoxu simply bought some skincare products and snacks. There was nothing particularly special.

However, she was still a young woman. As they were preparing to return, she saw an izakaya located at the intersection of two quiet streets. It backed against a rising hill, with lanterns swaying under the eaves and wooden boards displaying menu items in Japanese script.

Jiang Shaoxu seemed to have no resistance to the atmosphere. She immediately looked at Mo Fan and said, “Come on, let’s go have a drink.”

After Jiang Shaoxu ordered drinks, Mo Fan leaned back and said, “Jiang Shaoxu, you see I’ve been shopping with you for so long. Shouldn’t you grant me a small wish?”

“No way,” Jiang Shaoxu replied, giving Mo Fan a cat like gaze and smiling charmingly.

This woman loved to laugh. Every gesture and movement carried a natural charm, yet her words always held a little disdain, as if she saw through everyone but still found it amusing to play along.

Mo Fan was not the type to act noble. A woman like Jiang Shaoxu, who understood the boundaries of jokes, was honestly quite fun to be around.

However, Jiang Shaoxu was not as easy to flirt with as she appeared. Afterward, the two drank Japanese wine and talked about some of their past experiences.

Mo Fan did not particularly like the taste of the wine. Compared to the strong liquor he imagined, it felt too light and strange. Jiang Shaoxu, however, seemed to enjoy it very much.

Because the two were chatting so freely, the owner did not have much chance to chime in. Until they left, Jiang Shaoxu still had not heard anything useful about Yanming Temple.

Compared to the temple, Jiang Shaoxu seemed more curious about Mo Fan.

On their way back, Mo Fan and Jiang Shaoxu each returned to their rooms to sleep.

Late at night, Mo Fan suddenly noticed Zhao Manyan sneaking out.

This surprised him slightly. He immediately used Fleeing Shadow and followed him silently.

Zhao Manyan went straight toward the back mountain. Mo Fan followed for a while, then stopped in the darkness.

He could faintly sense an ancient and heavy aura.

It was not hostile.

It was similar to the feeling he had sensed on the ocean when Baxia had passed beneath their ship.

Mo Fan’s eyes flickered.

“So it really is connected to Baxia,” Mo Fan muttered.

He did not continue following. If the Wooden Fish had chosen Zhao Manyan, then this was Zhao Manyan’s opportunity. Mo Fan had no reason to interrupt it. Besides, Baxia had not shown any malice toward them before. This artifact was most likely not a curse, but a trial or inheritance.

As for the soul hooking incident, Mo Fan was now even more certain that Zhao Manyan had not been taken by the Wooden Fish itself.

Someone had used the temple’s strange atmosphere to trick him.

Nothing else happened overnight. The next morning, the team gave another sum of money to the monks and left Yanming Temple.

After buying train tickets, they continued their journey.

The train gradually moved from the coastal area into the mainland. Rolling mountains appeared in purplish green on both sides of the tracks. Japan’s mountains were relatively clean, and the air was better than expected. Moreover, they did not encounter any demon beasts along the train route.

Indeed, being a smaller country also had some advantages.

Unlike China, which was vast and rich but filled with all kinds of demon races, Japan’s territory was more concentrated. If the constant problems that happened in China happened here, this country would likely be unable to cope for long.

“Mo Fan, Mo Fan, let me tell you, I got a treasure last night!” Zhao Manyan happily looked at Mo Fan and said.

“You got a wooden fish, right?” Mo Fan said casually.

Zhao Manyan froze.

“???”

He stared at Mo Fan like he had seen a ghost. “How the hell did you know?”

Mo Fan leaned against the seat and smiled. “Old Zhao, don’t forget who noticed Baxia first. That thing followed us all the way across the ocean. Did you really think it appeared for no reason?”

Zhao Manyan quickly lowered his voice. “You mean this thing is related to that giant shadow under the sea?”

Mo Fan nodded. “Most likely. The Wooden Fish is connected to Baxia. Since it chose you, keep it well. It should be very useful for your Water Element defense.”

Zhao Manyan immediately hugged his bag tightly, as if afraid someone would snatch it away.

“Damn, I knew I was destined to become rich and powerful,” Zhao Manyan said excitedly.

Mo Fan glanced at him. “Do not get too excited. If Baxia gave you something, it might also mean trouble later.”

Zhao Manyan’s smile stiffened. “Can you not ruin the mood?”

“You followed me long enough. You should know by now that treasures and trouble usually come together,” Mo Fan said.

Zhao Manyan thought about it and suddenly felt that Mo Fan was right.

While Zhao Manyan was still struggling between excitement and fear, Ai Jiangtu suddenly spoke to everyone.

“We have to go to Osaka.”

“Aren’t we going straight to Tokyo?” Zhao Manyan turned and asked.

“We have to spar with some well known academies in Japan. This was specifically instructed by the mentors. Osaka has a Japanese National Pavilion. Before going to Tokyo, we have to get through Osaka first,” Ai Jiangtu said.

Ai Jiangtu’s tone was calm and direct. As captain, he was responsible for the route and mission arrangements. Even though Mo Fan had become the most terrifying combat force in the team, command still belonged to Ai Jiangtu.

“Challenging the National Pavilion sounds quite interesting,” Guan Yu said.

Since starting his training, Guan Yu had been looking for opportunities to prove himself. Being suppressed too much by Mo Fan made him eager to recover some confidence from the National Pavilion.

Mo Fan looked at him and smiled. “Don’t lose too badly. Otherwise, when we get to Tokyo, people might think our team is weak.”

Guan Yu’s face darkened. “You should worry about yourself.”

Zhao Manyan laughed. “He killed a Commander level creature before we even got here. I think the ones who need to worry are the Japanese students.”

The carriage went quiet for a moment.

Even Guan Yu could not refute that.

Jiang Yu was not very interested in challenging the National Pavilion. Instead, he was more interested in the Sea Battle City of Japan. He looked at everyone and said, “There are many sea monsters here. I heard that some of Osaka’s city sea lines are famous Sea Battle Cities. If we have enough time, we can go see them. They say the scene is very spectacular.”

“When we get to Tokyo, we will definitely go to the Sea Battle City. We won’t go to Osaka’s,” Ai Jiangtu said, shaking his head. “Our main goal now is to challenge their academies. Do not waste time.”

After all, their future training would likely involve sea monsters. There was no need to rush now.

“That’s true. Tokyo’s Sea Battle City is one of the four great ocean battlefields in the world. There’s nothing much to see in Osaka. Let’s quickly deal with the Japanese National Pavilion here, and then we’ll go experience the grand spectacle!” Jiang Yu said excitedly.

Everyone became slightly interested after hearing Jiang Yu’s description of the sea monsters.

Among them, besides Nanrong Ni from the Ocean Academy and Jiang Yu himself, the others were not very familiar with sea monsters. Most of the creatures they had fought before were land demon beasts. Even the Feiniao City incident had been unusual.

Mo Fan sat by the window, listening quietly.

Japan’s Sea Battle City.

The Wooden Fish connected to Baxia.

The National Pavilion challenge.

And countless chances to find resources.

His lips slowly curled into a grin.

This trip was already becoming more interesting than he expected.

The monks were admitted to the hospital. Japan had its own City Hunters too, but since the problem had been resolved, the monks did not want any more trouble.

“The Magic Association of Xixiong City must be investigating it now. They will soon discover that we’re here illegally. We should leave as soon as possible. We’re still quite far away from Tokyo,” said Nanyu.

Xixiong City was the westernmost place in Japan, while Tokyo was located in the east. They basically had to travel across all of Japan to reach there. It was quite a long journey without taking a plane.

Zhao Manyan hurriedly returned from the back of the mountain and regrouped with the others. Gong Yu who was still holding a grudge against him snapped coldly as the team had wasted some time waiting for his return, “Can you not run off for no reason? Do you seriously think we’re on vacation?”

Mo Fan was having difficulty interpreting the situation. The truth was, they had gone back to the run-down temple after dealing with Nara Orisora, to decide what they were going to do with the vessel. To their surprise, the wooden clapper’s Magic Lock was as strong as it was before. They could not do anything to it at all.

They could not even touch the wooden clapper vessel, let alone take it away.

To his surprise, Zhao Manyan had a dream about it and even took it with him!

Was the Magic Lock not stopping him?

“Nanyu, can you check this out?” Mo Fan felt something was not right. He quickly called Nanyu over.

Nanyu did some checks and realized that the wooden clapper vessel was bound to Zhao Manyan’s soul. However, she could not tell if it was because it had taken Zhao Manyan’s soul away before, or because the vessel had lost its previous owner...

Mo Fan tried to touch the wooden clapper. As he thought, the yellow forbidding force emerged again and rejected him strongly. Zhao Manyan was so shocked that he even threw the wooden clapper away.

When Zhao Manyan went to pick it up again, it had returned to normal without posing any threat.

Nanyu frowned as she fell into deep thought.

She looked at Mo Fan and asked him to follow her to a corner.

“What’s going on? Is there something wrong with the wooden clapper? I feel like it’s quite evil; maybe it’s better to leave it here,” said Mo Fan.

“First of all, I think the wooden clapper has chosen its new owner as Zhao Manyan, whose soul was kidnapped first. I believe it had something to do with the dream he had, but I think he wasn’t dreaming. It was his soul going deep into the wooden clapper, and somehow he has acquired its approval,” said Nanyu.

The Magic Lock was not only effective against Mo Fan, it activated when everyone else tried to touch it, including Mu Ningxue.

“Is that even possible?” Mo Fan was left speechless.

Did Zhao Manyan seriously obtain a strange piece of treasure just by sleeping?

“Normally, it’s more likely that you’d become the wooden clapper’s new owner since you’ve killed the demon spirit inside it. However, from what I can tell, the wooden clapper is actually repelling more... maybe I shouldn’t say repel, I think it’s afraid of you. From what I know, the wooden clapper most likely gave birth to the demon spirit since it has been ownerless for a very long time. The person who defeated the demon spirit would usually become its new owner. Instead, it’s rejecting you more strongly than before. The only explanation is, you already own a Lifetime Vessel, and its level is higher than the wooden clapper!” Nanyu stared at Mo Fan.

Mo Fan was startled. He was going to look at the Little Loach Pendant on his neck subconsciously, but decided against it when he saw Nanyu’s sharp gaze.

“Am I right, Mo Fan?” Nanyu’s lips curled upward slightly. The expression in her eyes felt like she had completely read his mind.

As a matter of fact, Nanyu was no longer interested in the wooden clapper. She was more interested in Mo Fan’s vessel now. Otherwise, she would not have dragged him to the side.

The wooden clapper was a high-level vessel. No one in the team had managed to crack its Magic Lock. It had also given birth to a terrifying demon spirit in just a few years, clearly implying how extraordinary it was.

And yet, such a vessel seemed to be scared of Mo Fan. The only explanation was that Mo Fan owned a stronger vessel!

“I’ve mentioned it before, a real vessel has its own soul. They even have their own temper, character, and can relate to their master’s feelings. These vessels are grouped into different levels, too, with auras and presence similar to creatures with outstanding lineages. The wooden clapper vessel strongly rejects you. It doesn’t let you touch it, even after you’ve killed the demon spirit. That means that it’s scared of something you have. I guess your vessel has the ability to devour other things, so the wooden clapper is only rejecting you to protect itself!” Nanyu’s eyes glittered as she was talking about vessels.

She was extremely passionate about Magic Equipment. She was initially very excited when she had the chance to inspect the wooden clapper, but she ended up discovering a greater secret that Mo Fan was trying to hide!

Mo Fan’s vessel must be extremely powerful!

“Hehe... are you being serious now, I’m nothing but a povo. Unlike you guys with wealthy and formidable backgrounds, the only thing that the Mo Family left for me is my handsome face, which so many girls have fallen in love with. There’s no way I would have a Spirit-grade vessel or Soul-grade vessel,” Mo Fan laughed hollowly, trying to keep his secret.

-Damn it, is this Nanyu a freak? How was she able to deduce the existence of the Little Loach Pendant?- Mo Fan admitted that the Little Loach Pendant was indeed interested in eating the wooden clapper, but the wooden clapper was not something he could easily mess with, either. The strong Magic Lock was not giving him any chance to devour it.

“Fine, I know there’s no way you will tell me such a great secret easily. I still haven’t understood everything about the wooden clapper. I bet I won’t able to learn anything even if you showed me your precious toy now. However, I believe you’ll need my help one day, when you want to know its secrets,” Nanyu was well-behaved. She did not ask him any more.

Mo Fan uttered a relieved sigh. He had never told anyone about the Little Loach Pendant. Miss Tangyue had seen the pendant before, and was still unaware of its unbelievable ability to refine Soul Essences.

“By the way, aren’t you curious why you’re the only one that can see the wooden clapper’s demon spirit?” said Nanyu with a faint smile.

“Mmm?” Mo Fan raised his eyebrows. Somehow, he felt like Nanyu had turned into a cunning fox. He had to be careful not to expose his secret.

“I think your precious treasure is somehow related to the wooden clapper. You can visit the island in Hangzhou’s West Lake if you have the time. Check the drawings on the wall, you might figure out something,” said Nanyu.

“I’ve been there,” replied Mo Fan.

“How about Tianshan Mountain?” said Nanyu.

“Not yet, what can I find there?” Mo Fan was intrigued.

“The same ancient words. Such a pity, I haven’t found the translation of the ancient words. Otherwise, we would be able to decipher it easily,” said Nanyu.

“Oh, alright, I’ll visit it when I have the chance,” Mo Fan nodded.

Nanyu giggled when she saw Mo Fan’s reaction.

This prick, he was reluctant to admit that he had a vessel just a moment ago, but his reaction when she provided him with some clues had already revealed the truth.

“Oh right, what do you mean by lifetime vessel just then?” asked Mo Fan.

“Lifetime vessels... they are a unique kind of vessel that can fully merge with human souls. Others won’t be able to take it away, unless they crush their master’s soul to pieces. Someone can only have one lifetime vessel in their whole lives. The wooden clapper is a lifetime vessel, too. You already have one, so Zhao Manyan was lucky enough to claim it. But then again, maybe the vessel is more suitable for Zhao Manyan. These intelligent vessels can pick their own master, yet it didn’t choose Mu Ningxue, who’s stronger,” Nanyu told him.

Mo Fan nodded, although he had only understood half of the explanation. When it came to magic equipment or weapons, his level of understanding was similar to primary school students. He had no clue what Nanyu was saying when she was explaining the deeper stuff.

Speaking of which, even though he was the reason that Zhao Manyan had gotten into trouble, the man had gotten a lifetime vessel in return. Zhao Manyan should be grateful to him instead!

——

Everyone in the team was busy packing their luggage. The monks were generous enough. They had bought everyone on the team a train ticket to Tokyo.

The train happened to be traveling along the shoreline. Mo Fan poked his head out of the window and enjoyed the scenery as they left Xixiong City.

“By the way, if the cliff close to the sea is in that direction, doesn’t that mean this part of the sea is where the island that Miyata mentioned was supposed to be?” Jiang Yu asked Mo Fan who was sitting beside him.

The window was not big, and Mo Fan had basically extended his body out of it. He simply blocked the vision of the people sitting in the same row.

Mo Fan subconsciously looked toward the sea when he heard Jiang Yu’s words. The area pretty much led offshore to the Pacific Ocean. However, the mountain where Yanming Temple was located extended past the shoreline and blocked off the view. Only those on the cliff or passengers on the trains that were traveling on the same line could barely see this side of the ocean.

The railway was about to take a turn soon. Mo Fan could only take a glimpse of the ocean.

The truth was, when Mo Fan and Ai Jiangtu were in the illusion, they had already checked the area, but they did not see any island nearby.

The mist early in the morning had yet to disperse fully. The sea looked somewhat blurry in the distance.

The train sounded its horn, signaling the passengers on board that it was making a turn.

The wind blew on Mo Fan’s face. He indifferently took a glimpse of the sea while he was inhaling the fresh air through the window!

His eyes widened as soon as he took a glimpse. There was indeed an island in the mist on the ocean!

Mo Fan was wondering if he had imagined it. He quickly focused and peered into the distance. However, before he could take a closer look, the train had driven into the mountain. Everything darkened when the train entered the tunnel...

The tunnel was quite long. When he finally was able to see outside again, he could no longer see the same view of the ocean.

“Did I imagine it?” Mo Fan returned to his seat with a blank expression.

“What’s wrong?” asked Jiang Yu.

“I think... I think I just saw the non-existent island that Miyata mentioned,” Mo Fan replied in disbelief.