Chapter 230: Money talks
Eileen’s eyes narrowed when she saw that her Psychic interference had failed.
The transparent ripple had struck Mo Fan’s mind directly, yet it had been stopped by that faint silver light and the glow of his Concentration Necklace. His casting had not even paused. The flames around him only grew stronger, brighter, and more violent, as if her attempt to interrupt him had instead provoked the fire inside him.
Eileen finally stopped relying on pure Water Magic.
“Snow Shadow Armor!”
A layer of pale-white armor unfolded over her body, thin as frost yet bright like polished crystal. It wrapped around her shoulders, arms, waist, and legs, forming a graceful defensive shell that looked light but carried an impressive magical pressure.
“Aurora Shield!”
A second magical artifact activated in front of her. A curved shield of soft rainbow light appeared, its surface flowing with faint bands of blue, white, and gold. It did not look heavy, but the moment it appeared, the destructive heat pressing against Eileen was pushed back several meters.
Mo Fan clicked his tongue.
“Rich people really are annoying.”
Unable to fully use her Domain, and unable to suppress Mo Fan’s flames head-on, Eileen could only take out her defensive equipment one piece at a time. Her expression remained calm, but her golden eyes had already become much more serious.
Above Mo Fan, the flames continued gathering.
The fire feathers that had scattered through the air did not vanish after exploding. Instead, their remnants were being drawn back together by Mo Fan’s control. Bluish-black fire rolled in the sky, twisting into a massive burning stone. The surface of the stone was covered in cracks, and inside those cracks, crimson flame pulsed like molten blood.
A giant Hellfire Stone had formed.
The arena below was illuminated by its glow. Even before it descended, the heat from it forced the grass terrain to blacken and curl. The stone terrain cracked, and streams of steam rose from Eileen’s Water Brilliance Sky Curtain.
Mo Fan raised his hand and pressed downward.
The Hellfire Stone fell.
It was not fast at first, but with every meter it dropped, its pressure grew heavier. The air howled around it. The bluish-black flames wrapped over its surface compressed tighter and tighter, making it look less like ordinary fire and more like a meteor dragged out of the depths of a volcano.
Eileen lifted her eyes.
The Aurora Shield moved above her.
The Snow Shadow Armor brightened.
The Water Brilliance Sky Curtain surged upward.
Three layers of defense stacked together in front of her.
Boom!
The Hellfire Stone smashed down.
The Aurora Shield was the first to take the impact. Rainbow light flared wildly, bending inward under the pressure. For a moment, the shield seemed to hold, but the next instant, dense cracks spread across its surface like broken glass.
Crack!
The superior shield magic tool shattered.
The Hellfire Stone continued downward without slowing much.
It struck the Water Brilliance Sky Curtain next. Eileen’s water surged fiercely, trying to wrap around the flame and dissolve it layer by layer. Waves spiraled upward, hissing as they collided with the burning stone.
But this time, the water could not swallow the fire completely.
The Hellfire Stone drilled through the curtain, forcing the purple-blue barrier to cave inward. Steam erupted in a thick white cloud, and the water curtain was torn open from the middle, its flow scattering violently to both sides.
Eileen’s expression changed.
Even after breaking through her shield and water barrier, the Hellfire Stone still had power left.
The burning stone descended toward her Snow Shadow Armor.
At that moment, a deep surge of Water Element power suddenly erupted from Eileen’s body.
Whoosh!
A massive wave rose from beneath her feet.
The wave was not formed from ordinary water in the arena. It seemed to pour out from the depths of her own magical artifact, carrying an ancient, pure, ocean-like force. The water surged upward like a dragon roll, lifting Eileen high into the air.
The wave collided with the Hellfire Stone.
Hiss hiss hiss!
Flame and water devoured each other. The Hellfire Stone burned fiercely, but the sudden water outburst was too dense and too pure. Layer after layer of seawater crashed into it, stripping away the fire on its surface until the massive burning stone finally cracked and exploded into smoke and sparks.
Mo Fan narrowed his eyes.
So she still had something like that.
Eileen stood atop the rising spiral of seawater, her hair fluttering in the humid wind. Her Snow Shadow Armor glowed faintly beneath the mist, and her golden eyes were now filled with wariness.
Calling Mo Fan a National Pavilion guardian was absolutely ridiculous.
He was far beyond that level.
After blocking Mo Fan’s Hellfire Stone, Eileen raised her slender arm. Several thick water jets shot out from the rotating seawater beneath her feet, piercing toward Mo Fan like blue-white lances.
“Awoo.”
Wolfie looked up, his ice crown glowing faintly. Frost particles around him stirred, ready to freeze the incoming water in midair.
“Don’t come closer,” Mo Fan said.
Wolfie stopped.
Mo Fan wanted to see how strong Eileen was after using that water-enhancing artifact.
Buzz buzz buzz!
Silver light wrapped around Mo Fan.
The first water jet struck him head-on, but just before touching his body, the space in front of him warped. The water column bent strangely, splitting to both sides as if it had struck an invisible curved wall.
The second water jet came from above.
Mo Fan shifted half a step.
The water lance pierced through the afterimage he left behind and exploded against the arena floor, blasting open a deep pit filled with swirling foam.
The third and fourth jets arrived together, one from the left and one from the right.
Mo Fan raised his hand.
Space trembled.
The two water jets slowed unnaturally near him, their violent force being peeled apart layer by layer. By the time they reached his side, they had already scattered into mist.
Eileen’s attacks did not stop.
More water jets formed, each one sharper and faster than the last. Some curved through the air like whips, some drilled forward like spears, and others burst apart near Mo Fan, trying to trap him inside a cage of water pressure.
This girl was not only defensive.
Her Water Magic could attack too.
Mo Fan’s eyes flashed.
Golden light gathered in his palm.
It was not a true high-tier Light spell. His Light Element was still at the Basic level. But under his powerful control, the Illuminate radiance condensed into a sharp golden edge, and Space Magic wrapped along its outline, giving it a cutting force it should not originally possess.
A golden blade appeared in his hand.
“Let’s see how hard your water is.”
Mo Fan swung downward.
Whoosh!
The golden blade cut through the incoming water column. Light scattered across the surface, while the silver edge hidden inside split the pressure apart. The water that should have slammed into Mo Fan was separated down the middle and burst past him on both sides.
The British National Team members stared in disbelief.
“My God, something’s wrong with this Pavilion defender. Space Element, Fire Element, Summoning Element, and now Light Element?”
“How can he have four elements?”
“And why does every element look so strong?”
“That Light Element is strange. It’s not high-tier, but he’s using it like a weapon!”
They were completely baffled.
Having four elements at his age was already absurd. What made it worse was that none of them seemed weak. His Fire had terrifying destructive power, his Space was precise and oppressive, his Summoning brought out a monster like Wolfie, and even his Basic Light had been shaped into a blade through control and Space support.
In the observation seats, Song He’s mouth opened slightly.
Feng Li’s expression also changed.
He had heard before that Mo Fan’s combat strength was monstrous, but seeing it in person was different. This was not merely monstrous. This kid was a complete battle prodigy.
No wonder the higher-ups had said that no matter what happened, Mo Fan could not be allowed to leave the National Team.
With him there, China's National Team could definitely fight for a strong result this year.
This match was said to be four against four, but in reality, it had already become Mo Fan alone against Britain’s lineup.
Most importantly, if Eileen had not carried so many high-grade magical tools, she would have been defeated long ago.
Still, Feng Li felt a little regretful.
Mo Fan had revealed too much.
Using such overwhelming strength here would definitely make other countries pay attention to him. Once the World Academy Competition truly began, he would be heavily targeted.
Boom boom boom!
The battle between Mo Fan and Eileen continued.
Flame, water, light, and space collided repeatedly. Mo Fan stood on Wolfie’s head, launching spells with terrifying rhythm, while Eileen rode the spiraling water beneath her feet, using her artifact-enhanced Water Magic to block and counterattack.
The arena trembled continuously.
The energy barrier surrounding the battlefield began to ripple.
At first, it only shook slightly. But after several more collisions between Mo Fan’s flames and Eileen’s water surges, faint cracks finally appeared across the barrier.
Crack!
Crack!
A circle of fractures spread through the protective wall.
Bai Dongwei’s expression changed at once.
The National Pavilion’s barrier had been designed to handle High Tier battles, but Mo Fan and Eileen had clearly exceeded the usual range of a friendly Pavilion match.
Seeing this, Mo Fan stopped attacking.
The flames behind him gradually faded, and the fire wings on his back disappeared. Wolfie stood silently beneath him, frost particles still drifting around his body. The cold aura remained calm and serene, but the floor around him was already covered in a thin layer of ice.
Below, Eileen also ceased her assault.
She naturally noticed the cracks in the barrier.
Mo Fan looked at her and said, “This is just a friendly sparring match at the National Pavilion. Is there really a need to continue?”
Eileen looked at the cracked barrier, then back at Mo Fan.
She blinked. “You still have a trump card?”
Mo Fan smiled. “You might not believe it, but I haven’t used my full power yet.”
Eileen did not immediately deny it.
First, Wolfie had barely participated after the opening exchange. If the Snow Frost Star Wolf had fully joined the battle, she would have had to face Mo Fan’s spell bombardment while also dealing with that silent, terrifying ice control.
Second, Mo Fan had not used Lightning.
From the way he fought, Eileen could feel that Fire was not his only destructive element.
Of course, that did not mean Eileen had no trump cards left. She still had several magical tools and artifacts, including her strongest defensive item. But this was only a National Pavilion exchange. It was not worth exposing everything here.
More importantly, the barrier was about to break.
“Alright,” Eileen said at last. “We don’t care about this medal. I believe you’ll definitely enter the National Team. When the World Academy Competition begins, we can fight again properly.”
“That’s no problem,” Mo Fan said with a smile. “When Venice comes, I’ll fight you to your heart’s content.”
Eileen smiled gently.
Her earlier battle intent faded, and her elegant, curious side returned.
Mo Fan suddenly added, “After this is over, I’ll take you to eat some local food. Interested?”
Eileen’s eyes immediately lit up.
“Really? That would be wonderful! I love the food here.”
It was clear she was serious. From her clothes and behavior after arriving in Great Xia, she genuinely liked the culture here. Food was obviously one of the things she looked forward to most.
“Eileen, this isn’t appropriate,” one of the British members said.
“They’ve already bought you off?” another muttered.
Eileen turned and glanced at them.
The group immediately shut their mouths.
With Eileen’s status, what she wanted to do was not something they could control. Besides, to be fair, this Pavilion defender was indeed terrifyingly strong. Since they could not win cleanly and the barrier was already breaking, there was no point in continuing.
Mo Fan jumped down from Wolfie’s head.
Wolfie’s summoning gate opened behind him again. Before returning, the Snow Frost Star Wolf glanced once at the Golden Griffin. The Griffin lowered its head slightly, not out of fear, but as if acknowledging that this battle had ended.
The serene cold in the arena slowly faded.
Only then did many people realize their shoulders had been tense the entire time.
Mo Fan stretched lazily and looked toward Feng Li in the observation seats.
“So, Mentor Feng Li, did I pass?”
Feng Li’s face darkened.
Pass?
This brat had almost broken the National Pavilion’s barrier, exposed half his abilities in front of Britain, and then invited the enemy’s noble genius out for food.
Feng Li really wanted to scold him.
But looking at the British team withdrawing voluntarily, he had no choice but to admit one thing.
Mo Fan had indeed protected the Pavilion’s face.
And he had done it almost single-handedly.