Mo Fan at his best – Versatile Mage

Mochizuki Chikako led the National Team members on a tour around the West Sentinel Tower.

This grand structure reminded Mo Fan of those strange fantasy cities where a single fortress could function as an entire society. At the center of the West Sentinel Tower was a wide artificial lake, intersected with water pavilions and corridors. The surrounding buildings were arranged in a circular layout. Overall, the scenery was beautiful, carrying the elegance of a traditional Japanese courtyard.

The tower had three levels. The lower tower had numerous halls and corridors, crisscrossing like a maze.

The middle tower housed the museum, library, trial arena, meditation chambers, lecture halls, grand halls, living quarters, artifact chambers, forging workshops, and potion rooms.

The upper tower contained the military conference hall, watchtower, guard corridor, and formation tower. Aside from a few key Osaka figures and tower Army soldiers, no one else was allowed access.

The suspension bridge of the Twin Sentinel Towers was located between the upper towers. In other words, without authorization from a general, no one could cross the bridge to reach the East Sentinel Tower.

Through Mochizuki Chikako’s introduction, Ai Jiangtu met her elder, Mochizuki Meiken.

Both showed relatively friendly attitudes. They were not hostile people to begin with, and their courtesy made the Chinese National Team feel slightly more relaxed.

Mo Fan, however, kept glancing toward the East Sentinel Tower.

The place looked quiet, but the air around it felt heavy and strange. It was not ordinary prison pressure. It was something deeper, something born from countless dark emotions being sealed and compressed over a long period of time.

Mo Fan narrowed his eyes slightly.

The East Sentinel Tower.

That was the birthplace of the Red Demon.

Mo Fan still remembered the traces of the Red Demon from the Magic City. That thing was not an ordinary monster. Its true body was connected to the Condensed Evil Bead, something formed from humanity’s deepest malice, fear, resentment, and evil faith.

As long as evil persisted, the Red Demon would never truly die.

Unless a powerful individual emerged to seize the origin’s position.

Mo Fan sat at the tea ceremony, sipping tea while looking calmly in the direction of the East Sentinel Tower. The Red Demon’s power was truly eerie. Even with his current strength, he would not underestimate something born from endless negative emotions.

Ai Jiangtu noticed Mo Fan’s gaze and said quietly, “You sensed something?”

Mo Fan smiled faintly. “That tower is not clean.”

Ai Jiangtu’s expression remained calm, but his eyes sharpened.

He knew Mo Fan would not say something like that without reason. Ever since Feiniao City, Baxia, and Yanming Temple, Ai Jiangtu had realized that Mo Fan’s instincts toward danger were far beyond normal students.

Mochizuki Chikako seemed to notice their attention and gently reminded them, “The East Sentinel Tower is an international prison. It holds many dangerous criminals. Please do not approach it without permission.”

Ai Jiangtu nodded. “We understand.”

Mo Fan leaned back and smiled. “Relax. I’m not the type to randomly break into forbidden places.”

Zhao Manyan almost spat out his tea.

Nanyu looked away, pretending she had not heard anything.

Even Mu Ningxue gave Mo Fan a cold glance, clearly not believing him.

Mochizuki Meiken smiled faintly, though his eyes stayed on Mo Fan for a moment longer. He had already read the intelligence reports. Ai Jiangtu was the official captain of China’s National Team, a calm and powerful Space Element genius. But Mo Fan was the one who made people uneasy.

A young mage who had survived the Ancient Capital calamity.

A young mage connected to the Totem Black Serpent.

A young mage who had recently slain a Commander level sea monster before even reaching Japan.

Such a person could not be treated like an ordinary student.

After the tea ceremony continued for a while, the other dozen or so National Team members gradually grew restless. Gong Yu could not help asking, “May I ask when your country will accept our challenge?”

Mochizuki Meiken was slightly surprised, then smiled. “So eager? Then we are ready anytime.”

Ai Jiangtu placed his teacup down and said calmly, “Then let us begin. We still have to head to Ocean Battle City for further trials.”

Both teams proceeded to the magic dueling grounds. The arena was massive, seven to eight hundred meters in diameter, more than enough for high level mage combat.

After some discussion, the two countries decided on a one on one format, not team battles.

A best of five system would determine the victor.

The China National Team members were eager to sign up. Ever since the national team reform, results would be publicly disclosed. Defeating Japan’s National Pavilion would no doubt bring prestige back home.

Ai Jiangtu, however, remained composed.

He had already observed during the reception that the Japanese Pavilion team had no true Advanced Mages among their lineup. Their strength was not weak, but compared to the current Chinese team, they were not enough to force out their strongest cards.

Ai Jiangtu looked across his teammates and quickly made his decision.

“Gong Yu will start,” Ai Jiangtu said. “Mu Ningxue second. Mo Fan third.”

The others were startled.

Only three people in a best of five match?

Mochizuki Meiken’s eyes changed slightly. “Captain Ai, are you certain?”

Ai Jiangtu nodded. “Three are enough.”

His tone was calm, without arrogance, but the meaning behind the words was clear.

The Chinese team did not expect the match to reach the fourth battle.

Gong Yu’s eyes immediately lit up when he heard that both Mu Ningxue and Mo Fan were participating. He looked toward Mo Fan and said, “Since we are both fighting, how about we see who finishes faster?”

Mo Fan glanced at Ai Jiangtu. “Captain, you did this on purpose, didn’t you?”

Ai Jiangtu replied calmly, “This is also training.”

Mo Fan understood immediately. Ai Jiangtu was using Gong Yu’s rivalry with him to force Gong Yu to perform at his best. As captain, Ai Jiangtu was not only arranging battles. He was managing the team’s mentality.

Mo Fan leaned back lazily. “Fine. But if I finish too fast, don’t blame me for crushing his confidence.”

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

Zhao Manyan laughed from the side. “Gong Yu, I admire your courage.”

Soon, Gong Yu entered the field. As a Wind and Earth Element mage, he moved freely across the arena, using speed and positioning to pressure his opponent. His arm armor delivered aggressive attacks, forcing the Japanese Pavilion student into continuous retreat.

After a few test exchanges, Gong Yu found an opening. His Wind Element movement carried him around the opponent’s defense, and his Earth Element pressure locked the opponent’s footing for a brief instant.

That instant was enough.

Gong Yu landed a decisive blow and won.

Nearby spectators cried out in surprise.

“This Chinese team member is strong!”

“His movement is excellent. Is he one of their main fighters?”

“He is not even the captain?”

Gong Yu walked off the stage with a proud expression, but before he could enjoy the praise, he heard someone whisper, “If even this one is already so strong, what about Ai Jiangtu and Mo Fan?”

Gong Yu’s face immediately darkened.

He had won cleanly, yet the spectators were already comparing him to Ai Jiangtu and Mo Fan.

Zhao Manyan laughed so hard that his shoulders shook. “Poor Gong Yu. Even when he wins, he still lives in Mo Fan’s shadow.”

Gong Yu glared at him, but could not refute it.

Next came Mu Ningxue.

The moment she stepped onto the field, the atmosphere changed. Her silver hair drifted slightly as frost spread beneath her feet. She did not speak, nor did she waste any movement. Her opponent tried to close the distance quickly, but the arena temperature dropped sharply.

Ice spread.

Wind slowed.

The opponent’s spell rhythm collapsed.

Mu Ningxue only needed a few exchanges before the Japanese student was sealed in layers of ice, unable to move another step.

The second victory belonged to China.

The Japanese National Pavilion crowd had already gone quiet.

Two matches.

Two clean defeats.

Then Mo Fan stood up.

The silence became even heavier.

Unlike Gong Yu’s sharpness or Mu Ningxue’s cold elegance, Mo Fan walked onto the field with a lazy and casual expression, like he was only going out for a stroll. But everyone who had read the reports knew that this man was the most dangerous member of the Chinese team besides Ai Jiangtu.

No, perhaps in pure combat power, he might be even more terrifying.

His opponent was a serious Japanese student, one of the Pavilion’s stronger fighters. He stared at Mo Fan with full concentration, clearly not daring to underestimate him.

Mo Fan looked at him and asked, “Are you ready?”

The Japanese student frowned. “Of course.”

“Good,” Mo Fan said.

The referee had barely announced the start when purple black lightning flashed.

A Lightning Strike fell.

It was not huge.

It was not flashy.

But it was terrifyingly fast.

The Japanese student had only completed half of his Star Pattern when the lightning struck the ground beside him and exploded outward. The violent electric arc paralyzed his limbs instantly. Before he could resist, Mo Fan appeared in front of him through Fleeing Shadow, one hand already burning with compressed flames.

The flame stopped an inch away from the student’s chest.

The heat alone made the opponent’s face turn pale.

Mo Fan smiled. “You lost.”

The whole arena was silent.

The referee froze for a moment before finally announcing the result.

“China wins.”

Three straight victories.

The match was over.

The Japanese National Pavilion crowd was stunned. Gong Yu had won cleanly. Mu Ningxue had dominated with Ice. But Mo Fan’s battle could barely even be called a battle.

It was an instant suppression.

The Japanese student had not even completed one proper spell.

Mochizuki Meiken let out a long sigh. “The younger generation is truly formidable. This eastern dragon has finally awakened.”

Mochizuki Chikako’s gaze stayed on Mo Fan for a long time.

The reports had not exaggerated.

If anything, they had been too conservative.

Ai Jiangtu remained seated calmly. He had not taken the field at all. As captain, he had secured the win without needing to reveal his own strength.

The Chinese National Team obtained their first badge.

Everyone was uplifted. A strong opening win was undoubtedly a good omen.

The news quickly spread back home, triggering waves of celebration. The Japanese team had always been considered a solid powerhouse in past National Team tournaments, consistently placing among the stronger countries and occasionally pushing deep into the competition.

Now, however, their National Pavilion team had been defeated thoroughly and cleanly.

Although the footage had certain magical details redacted to maintain confidentiality, the timestamps for each match’s conclusion were unaltered.

Some people tried to downplay the win.

“The National Team was supposed to be stronger than the Pavilion team to begin with. Winning is expected. Losing would have been disgraceful.”

Someone immediately retorted, “What a joke. Anyone who understands magic dueling knows that winning this quickly shows true strength. Especially Mo Fan’s instant suppression. That kind of efficiency is proof of how fast the team has improved.”

“Besides, the strength of a Pavilion team depends on the country. Japan is not weak. Their Pavilion team ranks among the better ones globally.”

Another person added, “The funniest part is that Ai Jiangtu, the captain, did not even fight. They only sent Gong Yu, Mu Ningxue, and Mo Fan, and still won three straight rounds.”

“That means China did not even reveal its full strength.”

“But Mo Fan fought, didn’t he? Isn’t he the vice captain?”

“Yes, but did you watch the match? He barely revealed anything. One Lightning attack, one movement spell, and the fight ended. We still have no idea how strong he really is.”

Netizens rallied behind the team. Some niche media outlets even revived the term “Three Star China Team” and the “Three Giants” label. However, because past results had been inconsistent, most people did not dare celebrate too early.

Still, there was reason to believe that as the National Team’s performance continued to climb, public support would only grow stronger.

Meanwhile, far away in Osaka, Ai Jiangtu and the others were unaware of the domestic discussions. After claiming the National Team badge, the Twin Sentinel Towers extended a warm invitation for them to stay the night.

Ai Jiangtu accepted after confirming with the team.

Mo Fan’s eyes lit up slightly as well. He had no interest in Japanese hospitality, but he was highly interested in the secrets of the East Sentinel Tower.

The Condensed Evil Bead.

The Red Demon.

The prison full of negative emotions.

Mo Fan leaned against the railing and looked toward the eastern peak.

That place was dangerous.

But danger often meant opportunity.

Zhao Manyan noticed Mo Fan’s expression and immediately became alert. “Why are you smiling like that?”

Mo Fan said seriously, “Old Zhao, I’m thinking about justice.”

Zhao Manyan stared at him. “Every time you say justice, someone gets beaten or something gets stolen.”

Mo Fan patted his shoulder. “That is called efficient justice.”

Ai Jiangtu walked over at this moment and said calmly, “Mo Fan, do not approach the East Sentinel Tower without permission.”

Mo Fan looked innocent. “Captain, do I look like that kind of person?”

Ai Jiangtu stared at him silently.

Nanyu stared at him silently.

Mu Ningxue stared at him silently.

Zhao Manyan stared at him silently.

Mo Fan coughed. “Fine. I will try not to.”

Ai Jiangtu sighed.

The night at the Twin Sentinel Towers had only just begun.