Chapter 221: National team resources
On the walls of Sea Battle City.
After the retreat of the sea monster tide, the Japanese mages stationed along the hundreds of kilometers of coastline either cheered or sighed in relief. Most, however, remained numb and silent, collecting materials and treating their comrades.
Tokyo Sea Battle City had been established for many years, and similar sieges had already occurred countless times. From the initial fear and excitement to numbness and weariness, people had gradually become accustomed to it.
Those still cheering were mostly new recruits.
In the distance, Mo Fan returned with Mu Ningxue and Jiang Yu’s summoned beast, Night Rakshasa. Behind them, Zhao Manyan followed while muttering nonstop, his clothes soaked in seawater and monster blood, looking as though he had been dragged through a fish market.
They had arrived just in time to witness the aftermath of Mo Fan’s earlier rampage. An entire street was still covered in scorched marks, frozen corpses, and lingering arcs of purple-black lightning. Every patch of ground carried the smell of burnt flesh and rotten fish.
Zhao Manyan stared at the scene for a long while before saying, “Damn, Old Mo… you really turned this place into a slaughterhouse.”
Mo Fan did not respond. His gaze swept across the battlefield, still watching for any Commander-level sea monsters that might return.
Mu Ningxue glanced at the ruined street, then at Mo Fan. She didn’t say much, but her eyes carried a complicated look. Mo Fan’s destructive ability had grown far beyond what an ordinary Advanced Mage should possess.
Mo Fan grinned and said, “Don’t look at me like that. I only cleared a street. If the Commander-level ones hadn’t run so fast, the harvest would’ve been even better.”
Upon hearing that, Mu Ningxue shot him a look as if to say, you and your bragging again.
She couldn’t be bothered to keep listening. She took the venom sac of the White Weeping Demon and went to save Nanrong Ni.
Previously, Nanrong Ni had nearly died due to the White Weeping Demon’s poison, which resulted in the team losing their healer and the entire squad nearly collapsing.
The antidote to this poison required the Binding Demon. Mu Ningxue had left the team alone specifically for this reason, hunting down the White Weeping Demon to retrieve what they needed.
However, all of this had actually been orchestrated by Nanrong Ni on purpose. She wanted to use this situation to force Mu Ningxue into danger and ultimately get her killed.
Inside the building, with Mo Fan turning the tide outside, Ai Jiangtu, Guan Yu, Jiang Shaoxu, and the others felt a massive burden lift from their shoulders and finally let out sighs of relief.
When the tide fully receded and Mu Ningxue returned, Jiang Yu said excitedly, “It’s over! Quickly, treat Nanrong Ni!”
When everyone fed Nanrong Ni the antidote, her complexion visibly improved.
In addition, now that the battle was over, the Japanese authorities dispatched a large supply of healing potions. Mo Fan’s battle performance had earned him the respect of the Japanese mages in this region. The locals no longer treated these Chinese mages with contempt or disdain.
Mo Fan returned from outside. Little Flame Belle and Little Lightning Belle had both gone quiet after the battle, clearly having consumed quite a bit of energy. Wolfie’s frost aura also slowly withdrew, though the Snow Frost Star Wolf still looked proud and oppressive as it stood behind him.
Within Mo Fan’s spiritual world, his Fire Star River and Lightning Star River were still restless from the recent battle. His Shadow Element had also been used repeatedly to move through the fog and avoid detection, while his Space Element perception had remained active for a long time.
The consumption had been immense.
Of course, compared to the harvest, it was completely worth it.
Little Loach had swallowed a massive number of remnant souls during the sea monster slaughter. Although most of them were only Servant-level, when gathered in such huge numbers, they could still be fused into complete Soul Essences.
For Mo Fan, this battlefield was dangerous, but it was also a treasure field.
He was already calculating how many Soul Essences he could synthesize and how much they could help his cultivation or be sold for resources.
Zhao Manyan, meanwhile, was still staring toward the sea.
The battle had shaken him more than he wanted to admit.
The water-rich battlefield had made his Water Element feel smoother and more active than ever before. Every time he formed a Water Shield, the surrounding humidity and tide seemed to answer him. It was as if the whole Sea Battle City was reminding him that the Water Element was not weak.
Defense was not weakness.
Protection was not weakness.
If he could obtain the Water Elemental Spirit from the Sleeping Sea Eye, then his Water Magic might truly become something that belonged to him alone.
Mo Fan noticed Zhao Manyan’s silence and asked, “Still thinking about the Water Elemental Spirit?”
Zhao Manyan snapped back to his senses and coughed. “Who wouldn’t think about it? That’s an Elemental Spirit. If I really get one, I’ll finally stop being called a turtle shell.”
Mo Fan looked at him strangely. “You’ll still be a turtle shell. Just a better one.”
“Can you not ruin the mood?” Zhao Manyan said angrily.
Mo Fan smiled. “Rest first. If you want to find the Sleeping Sea Eye, you’ll need more than enthusiasm. That place is surrounded by sea monsters and elemental merfolk. If your Water cultivation isn’t stable enough, going there is suicide.”
Zhao Manyan fell silent.
He knew Mo Fan was right.
Exploring the ocean was very different from fighting on land. For Water Mages, mana was equivalent to a lifeline. Without enough reserves and control, even breathing, moving, escaping, and defending underwater would become problems.
Fortunately, Zhao Manyan had already reached High Tier through the Zhao family’s resources. His father had forcefully sent over several Star River Veins, letting him brute-force his way through repeated failures until he finally succeeded.
But reaching High Tier was only the beginning.
If he wanted to contract a Water Elemental Spirit, he had to prove that his Water Element was worthy of it.
“Still not enough,” Zhao Manyan muttered. “If I encounter a Water Elemental Spirit and it turns out to be at Commander level or higher, I’ll need another trump card.”
Mo Fan nodded. “Then cultivate properly. Stop spending all day thinking about women.”
Zhao Manyan immediately looked offended. “That’s slander. I think about cultivation too.”
“When?”
“Occasionally.”
Mo Fan couldn’t be bothered with him.
After the sea monster tide fully retreated, the National Team members gathered again. Each person looked exhausted, injured, and demoralized.
Mo Fan looked toward them and asked, “Do any of you still want to continue training in Sea Battle City?”
As soon as he finished, everyone quickly shook their heads.
What a joke. They had nearly lost multiple teammates in this last wave. None of them wanted to continue.
Moreover, according to the national team mentor’s rules, the first round of elimination was about to begin. Everyone was eager to consolidate their gains and raise their cultivation to avoid being eliminated.
Seeing this, Mo Fan did not say much.
Quite a few of these rich young masters and university elites had finally experienced their first real hunt. The ivory tower was nothing like a true demon battlefield.
Mu Ningxue still wanted to stay behind and continue training, but she was still only at the Intermediate level. Staying behind alone without teammates or High Tier support would carry an extremely high risk of death.
She couldn’t help showing a gloomy expression, clearly aware that her chances of passing the upcoming selection were very low.
Mo Fan noticed her expression.
He knew exactly what she was lacking.
Resources.
The National Team left Sea Battle City and returned to the prosperous city of Tokyo. They rented a hotel to rest and recover.
The sea monster corpses slain in Sea Battle City would be collected by a special Japanese department, and not a single discount would be offered to demon hunters for the materials.
At the same time, the National Team resources were distributed directly to everyone’s personal accounts. Each official member received one hundred million yuan, while core members such as Mo Fan and Ai Jiangtu, who had mastered High Tier magic, each received one hundred and fifty million.
Originally, Mo Fan had been only a substitute and wouldn’t have received much support. However, his recent performance in Sea Battle City was impossible to ignore. With his strength, battle record, and ability to turn the tide, even the mentors would never consider treating him like an ordinary substitute. After all this was China's reigning Vice-captain.
After receiving his funds, Mo Fan immediately started calculating.
A Star River Vein was expensive.
Mu Ningxue needed one.
He also needed resources himself.
Wolfie needed stronger beast resources.
Little Flame Belle and Little Lightning Belle both consumed rare elemental treasures.
And now, Zhao Manyan’s Water Elemental Spirit clue also meant they might need to prepare for an extremely dangerous ocean expedition.
Mo Fan rubbed his temples.
No matter how much money he earned, it never felt enough.
Still, he eventually bought a Star River Vein and planned to give it to Mu Ningxue.
Mu Ningxue was deeply moved, but still refused. She didn’t want Mo Fan to delay his own cultivation progress because of her.
Mo Fan didn’t force her immediately. He knew Mu Ningxue’s personality. If he pushed too hard, she would only become even more stubborn. But this gesture still earned him huge points in her heart, and the way she looked at him visibly softened.
It could only be said that sincerity was the ultimate trump card when it came to girls like her.
At the same time, the various powers behind the National Team members also began exerting influence, providing additional funds.
Among them, Zhao Manyan was the most exaggerated. His father had defied pressure from the board of directors and sent over three Star River Veins in one go. Zhao Manyan had been trying to brute-force his way to advancement with cash, failing several times in a row before finally reaching High Tier in the Water element.
When Mo Fan heard about it, even he was speechless.
“You really are rich, getting Light element naturally was impressive but this” Mo Fan said.
Zhao Manyan sighed. “Rich, yes. Smooth advancement? No. Do you know how painful it is to fail three times while burning money?”
Mo Fan looked at him. “I only know I’d like to try that kind of pain.”
Zhao Manyan was silent for a moment. “Fair.”
Several days passed in a flash.
In the hotel where the National Team was staying, Mo Fan continuously sensed the aura of High Tier magic rising one after another from his teammates’ rooms. Clearly, everyone had made significant breakthroughs.
Only Mu Ningxue gave up struggling. She hadn’t managed to gather enough money, and without sufficient resources, advancing to High Tier was extremely difficult.
It was known that the Japanese authorities had already distributed the demon-hunting rewards, and each team member received their cut. Even so, she had only managed to accumulate a small amount. As a substitute, she didn’t receive national support, making it extremely difficult to advance.
This was a common issue among university elites.
Talent alone was not enough.
Without resources, even the most gifted mage could be trapped below the next threshold.
Mo Fan, having slaughtered an entire street of sea monsters, earned another considerable amount from soul essence gains. Combined with his distributed funds, he had enough to continue strengthening himself while still keeping part of his promise to support Mu Ningxue.
At this moment, the National Team members all became busy, rarely seen throughout the day. Mo Fan was no exception, beginning to fully focus on improving his cultivation.
In Mo Fan’s room, firelight and lightning radiance flickered faintly.
Little Loach Pendant around his neck radiated a warm glow, continuously refining the soul energy it had absorbed from the battlefield. Dim blue soul lights flowed into his spiritual world one after another, nourishing his stars and stabilizing his Star Rivers.
His Fire Element was already at High Tier Level Two.
His Lightning Element had also reached High Tier Level One, strengthened by a powerful spirit seed amplification.
His Summoning Element had reached High Tier Level One as well, and Wolfie’s growth gave this element even more meaning.
His Shadow Element remained at Intermediate Level Three, while Light was still Basic Level Three.
As for his Space Element, his mental strength had already reached Level Three. Although it was not yet a fully offensive system like Fire or Lightning, it gave Mo Fan terrifying perception, control, and battlefield reaction speed.
Mo Fan sat cross-legged, silently absorbing the benefits from the recent battle.
He had many paths to strengthen.
Fire for destruction.
Lightning for execution.
Summoning for Wolfie and his future beast army.
Shadow for infiltration and assassination.
Space for control and mobility.
Light for future utility and defense.
And outside of himself, there were also the people he wanted to prepare resources for.
Mu Ningxue needed help breaking through.
Zhao Manyan needed to stabilize his Water Element before searching for the Water Elemental Spirit.
Mu Bai and Zhang Xiaohou would one day need the purified dark-soul Essence Orb if his plan with the Condensed Evil Bead succeeded.
Mo Fan opened his eyes slowly.
The road ahead was getting more expensive.
But that was fine.
As long as there were demons to kill, resources to seize, and battlefields like Sea Battle City waiting for him, he would never lack ways to grow stronger.