Mo Fan at his best – Versatile Mage

Zhao Manyan remained in the Demon City Tower laboratory for a while after obtaining North Underworld Heavy Water.

The newly refined Water Seed was too powerful for his current Water Element to control casually. Feng Zhoulong repeatedly warned him not to treat it like an ordinary Soul Seed. Its four effects—Tide, Extreme Yin, Mystic Weight, and Abyssal Sea—were already close to the foundation of a minor Heaven Seed. If Zhao Manyan acted recklessly, he might not injure others first; he might crush his own Water Star River instead.

After stabilizing his cultivation and confirming there were no hidden side effects, Zhao Manyan finally bid farewell to Feng Zhoulong.

As for a true Heaven Seed, that was not something he could obtain at the moment.

Even for the Zhao Family, Heaven Seeds were not resources that could simply be bought with money. Only after stepping into the Super Tier would he truly be qualified to roam the world, venture into forbidden zones, and search for a Heaven Grade Element that might recognize him.

The three Water Soul Seeds alone had already cost an absurd amount. If not for the Zhao Family’s sponsorship, there was no way Zhao Manyan could have afforded them. Without ten or twenty billion, it would have been impossible.

“So poor…” Zhao Manyan muttered, looking pained despite being born into one of the wealthiest clans in China. “I’m actually starting to look forward to the Sea Monster Empire showing up. A flood of Water Element resources… maybe a Water Element Heaven Seed really will appear one day.”

Mo Fan glanced at him. “You’re saying that after almost dying in the sea?”

Zhao Manyan coughed. “I’m only expressing financial desperation.”

Mo Fan did not bother exposing him.

In truth, Zhao Manyan’s strength had already changed tremendously. His Water Element was still newly High Tier, but with North Underworld Heavy Water, his defensive ability had jumped several steps. If he fully stabilized the seed, ordinary High Tier attacks would no longer threaten him much. Even stronger attacks would be weakened layer by layer by Tide and Extreme Yin before reaching his true defense.

Mystic Weight gave his Water Magic crushing pressure, while Abyssal Sea allowed him to devour part of incoming magical attacks and convert them into Water Element energy. It was not as miraculous as a true Heaven Seed’s Absolute Ward, but for a High Tier mage, it was already ridiculous.

Zhao Manyan rubbed his chin. “The only problem is feeding it. This thing is like raising a child. No, worse than raising a child. A Water Elemental Spirit’s daily snacks might have to be Spirit Seeds or Soul Seeds. If I really get one later, I’ll go bankrupt.”

Mo Fan said calmly, “You’re from the Zhao Family.”

“That doesn’t mean I can raise an elemental princess like a goldfish!”

“You wanted the Water Elemental Spirit.”

“I still want it. I’m just complaining in advance.”

Mo Fan smiled faintly.

Zhao Manyan was not wrong. If they did manage to obtain recognition from a Water Elemental Spirit, nourishing it would require a terrifying amount of resources. It was not like an ordinary summoned beast that could be left to fight and grow on its own. A true elemental spirit needed pure elemental nutrition, especially during its growth phase.

Spirit Seeds.

Soul Seeds.

Special sacred water zones.

Elemental crystals.

Every single one meant money.

Zhao Manyan leaned back and sighed. “Damn… this really is like raising a kid. Don’t even think about having one without at least a few hundred million in savings.”

Mo Fan looked at him strangely. “You’re finally understanding ordinary people’s pain.”

“I understand money pain, not ordinary people’s pain.”

After leaving the laboratory, Mo Fan originally planned to take Zhao Manyan and head back to the National Team together.

That was also what Feng Li had been urging him to do.

Mo Fan had already delayed more than once. First the Condensed Evil Bead, then the National Pavilion challenge, then the deep-sea trip, then the Water Seed refinement. If Feng Li saw him now, the old mentor might really explode on the spot.

During this period, news of Mo Fan defeating the British team at China’s National Pavilion had already spread widely. The British team had come with the confidence of a magical powerhouse, yet Mo Fan had taken the field and suppressed them almost single-handedly. Even Eileen, with her noble background and absurd defensive equipment, had been forced into a difficult fight.

As a result, Mo Fan was officially recalled to the National Team without further dispute.

Mu Ningxue, on the other hand, had chosen not to immediately return with him. She had already broken through to High Tier, but her situation was different. Without clan support and with the Ice Crystal Bow hidden inside her soul, blindly staying with the National Team might hinder her growth instead. She planned to head toward Tianshan for further cultivation and seek her own opportunity.

Zhao Manyan sighed when he heard the news.

“Mo Fan, I got a Totem Tool and North Underworld Heavy Water. Mu Ningxue is heading to Tianshan. The two late bloomers finally have real financial support to grow.”

Mo Fan glanced at him. “You call yourself a late bloomer?”

“I bloomed very expensively.”

Just as they were about to head toward the airport, Mo Fan received an urgent piece of intelligence from the Zhao Family.

The information had come through the images and clues Mo Fan had provided, combined with the Zhao Family’s international channels and the Hunter Alliance’s network. After days of searching, they had finally locked onto traces of a Water Elemental Spirit.

Its current location was near the southeastern coast of Australia, close to Sydney.

Zhao Manyan froze when he heard it.

“We finally found one?”

Mo Fan’s expression also changed slightly.

The timing was terrible.

They were supposed to rejoin the National Team. The team’s next training location had already shifted toward Peru in South America, a country deeply tied to ancient Inca civilization and rich magical heritage. There was even a place there Mo Fan wanted to visit.

But now, the Water Elemental Spirit had appeared.

If they missed this chance, who knew when they would encounter another one? The entire Water Elemental Spirit race was being hunted by the Sea Monster Empire. The survivors were fleeing across the oceans, and their Quasi-Monarch ancestor was being blocked by powerful sea monster generals.

This might be Zhao Manyan’s only chance.

Zhao Manyan looked at Mo Fan.

Mo Fan looked at the flight schedule, then calmly changed their destination.

Zhao Manyan’s mouth twitched. “Again?”

“What’s one more day without the National Team?” Mo Fan said.

“Feng Li is going to kill you.”

“He can try after we find the Water Elemental Spirit.”

Zhao Manyan was silent for a moment, then grinned.

“Fine. Australia it is.”

After calculating the itinerary, Mo Fan realized that if they flew from Demon City to Australia immediately, then transferred from Australia to Peru afterward, they could still barely make it—as long as they found the Water Elemental Spirit within two days.

It was rushed.

But possible.

Without delay, Mo Fan contacted the Zhao Family representative in Australia, informed Feng Li that he was “handling an urgent matter,” then boarded the flight with Zhao Manyan.

Roughly twelve hours later, the plane landed in Sydney.

Upon arrival, Zhao Manyan glanced at the bustling metropolis and could not help but marvel.

Because of the differences between this magical world and the ordinary world Mo Fan remembered, Australia was not merely a distant continent with vast wilderness. Occupying an entire continent by itself, it possessed far more powerful natural and magical forces than outsiders imagined.

One of the world’s five major magic associations was located here—the Shrine of Saint Cape.

Its magical strength and mage population placed Australia firmly among the world’s magical superpowers. It was said that the Shrine of Saint Cape possessed a sacred cultivation ground similar to the Three-Step Tower, but with even stronger effects. The breakthrough rate for High Tier mages attempting to step into the Super Tier there was astonishingly high.

Unfortunately, Mo Fan and Zhao Manyan were on a tight schedule.

They had no time to look around.

The moment they left the airport, they got in touch with the Zhao Family’s local contact and headed straight for the beachside near Sydney.

The contact was a quiet, serious middle-aged man with the typical square-jawed face of a Zhao Family retainer. He was polite, efficient, and clearly prepared in advance. The moment Mo Fan said they needed to head out to sea, the man did not hesitate. He immediately arranged an armed helicopter and personally accompanied them over the ocean.

Clearly, the Zhao Family wanted to mend relations and secure Zhao Manyan’s future Water path. At a time like this, playing tricks would only backfire.

As the helicopter flew over the sea, the Zhao Family contact explained the situation.

“That Water Elemental Spirit appeared near the Sydney coastline about a month ago. According to our investigation, it seems to have run into trouble and has already left the coastal waters. If we wait a few more days and it slips into the deep sea, we may lose it completely.”

Zhao Manyan’s expression became serious.

“So it really came from Japan’s direction?”

“Most likely,” the contact said. “A few months ago, there were abnormal Water Element fluctuations near the Japanese coast. Later, similar traces appeared along several ocean current routes. It seems the spirit drifted with the currents until it reached the Australian shoreline.”

Mo Fan looked out at the sea.

After all the searching, detours, and mobilization of various networks, they had finally locked onto its location.

But if it had run into trouble, that meant the Sea Monster Empire might already be nearby.

The helicopter continued flying deeper over the ocean.

Then, without warning, something abnormal appeared ahead.

Rumble! Rumble! Rumble!

Thick black clouds had gathered over the distant sea. Lightning cracked across the sky, demonic winds howled, and the ocean rose violently into a terrifying waterspout. Billions of tons of seawater were drawn upward, forming a twisting wall that nearly touched the clouds.

It was as if the sky had been torn open.

A vortex swirled at the center of the storm, deep and black like a cosmic hole. Vast swathes of gray-black sea mist rose from its depths, and the surrounding storm swept across the ocean with apocalyptic force.

The strange phenomenon spanned nearly a hundred kilometers.

The Zhao Family contact’s face changed.

“How did the weather change so suddenly? The meteorological monitoring points all reported this area as perfectly clear!”

Bzzzzzt!

Even from a great distance away, the helicopter was thrown violently by the wind. The towering sea wall stretched across the horizon, connecting sky and ocean like a moving mountain range.

“This won’t do,” the Zhao Family contact said uneasily. “A sudden change in oceanic weather of this scale… there must be a great demon appearing. It may be Monarch-level.”

He paused, then spoke solemnly.

“We must return immediately.”

Zhao Manyan sat in the back of the helicopter, staring through the rain-blurred glass at the endless pitch-black sea and sky.

Torrential rain fell like a curtain.

The waves below rose and collapsed like mountains.

He remembered the intelligence Mo Fan had extracted from the Sea Fiend Divine.

The Water Elemental Spirits were being hunted.

Their ancestor was being blocked by Monarch-level generals dispatched by the Sea Monster Empire.

If this Water Elemental Spirit was here, then the storm ahead was very likely connected to that hunt.

Should he go?

Zhao Manyan asked himself silently.

If he missed this chance, who knew when he would encounter another Water Elemental Spirit? It might not happen again in his lifetime.

He had always liked safety.

He liked hiding behind shields.

He liked being rich, comfortable, and alive.

But after the Merfolk Sea, after seeing that empty nest, after learning that the Water Elemental Spirits were being chased toward extinction, Zhao Manyan no longer viewed this matter as just obtaining a powerful companion.

If he wanted recognition from a Water Elemental Spirit, he had to prove something.

Water protected.

Water endured.

Water did not abandon what it chose to guard.

Zhao Manyan’s expression slowly firmed.

He turned to the Zhao Family contact and said, “Let me down right now.”

The pilot froze. “Huh?”

He was a High Tier mage himself. He knew very well what kind of danger this storm represented. Extreme weather over the ocean, combined with the suspected presence of a Monarch-level sea monster, could spell death even for a Super Mage.

He double-checked, “Young Master Zhao, are you sure you want to jump straight into the water? This is extremely dangerous.”

Zhao Manyan took a deep breath.

His fingers touched the faint dark-blue ripple moving across his palm.

North Underworld Heavy Water responded quietly in his spiritual world.

“I’m sure,” Zhao Manyan said. “Do it. Now.”

The Zhao Family contact looked at Mo Fan.

Mo Fan stood near the helicopter door, already calm.

“I’m going with him,” Mo Fan said.

The contact’s face stiffened. “Both of you are insane.”

Mo Fan smiled. “Not the first time I’ve heard that.”

The contact sighed helplessly. “Fine. But let’s make one thing clear. If either of you dies, it has nothing to do with the Zhao Family. I’m recording everything.”

“Doesn’t matter,” Zhao Manyan said.

He dared to jump into this madness because he was no longer the same Zhao Manyan who had nearly emptied himself in the Merfolk Sea.

His Water Element had transformed.

North Underworld Heavy Water made him far stronger in the ocean than before. Tide allowed his defenses to circulate and recover. Extreme Yin weakened incoming force and energy. Mystic Weight gave his water crushing pressure. Abyssal Sea, if used carefully, could even devour part of incoming magic and turn it into Water Element energy.

In the ocean, his combat and defensive ability would rise dramatically.

And more importantly, Mo Fan was beside him.

With Mo Fan’s Fire, Lightning, Space, Shadow, Summoning, and Light, they might not be able to defeat a true Monarch-level creature head-on, but rescuing the Water Elemental Spirit and escaping afterward was not impossible.

It was a gamble.

But it was worth taking.

Zhao Manyan steadied his state of mind and walked to the edge of the helicopter door.

Below him, the sea raged violently. Black waves rose and crashed, lightning reflected across the water, and the enormous waterspout twisted in the distance like a pillar connecting the ocean to the sky.

For a moment, Zhao Manyan’s legs almost softened.

Then Mo Fan patted his shoulder.

“Scared?”

Zhao Manyan cursed, “Of course I’m scared. I’m not you.”

“Good,” Mo Fan said. “At least you’re awake.”

Zhao Manyan looked at the storm again.

Then he gritted his teeth.

“For the Water Elemental Spirit.”

Mo Fan smiled faintly.

The helicopter door opened fully.

Wind and rain roared into the cabin.

Zhao Manyan jumped first.

Mo Fan followed immediately after, Shadow and Space Magic wrapping around his body as the two figures dropped from the sky toward the raging, violent sea below.