Battle at Fire Hall (Part One)
Mo Fan had truly become a one-move ruler — one technique, and every challenger fell.
The opponents that followed had virtually no chance against the combined force of Mo Fan's Spirit Seed and his fourth-level Fire Burst.
The Rose Flame's trait was brutally simple: it amplified Fire Element magic by 2.5 times, and with Fire Burst cultivated to its fourth level, the explosive force doubled on top of that.
At a full fivefold intensity, Fire Burst: Detonation could cut down Servant-class Demon-Beasts in a single strike — let alone students whose defenses left much to be desired.
As long as he didn't run into someone with dedicated defensive skills, Mo Fan could send any challenger off the platform with Fire Burst alone. The relentless display of dominance had already forced those who had mocked him for overreaching to reconsider their opinion entirely.
"Has no one managed to force out his intermediate magic yet?!" Wei Rong demanded through gritted teeth, frustration plain in his voice.
He was growing frantic. Most of these challengers were ranked beyond four hundred, and not a single one possessed a Spirit Seed. Facing Mo Fan, who had one, they were at a natural disadvantage from the moment they stepped onto the platform...
"Well, Wei Rong, it seems you misjudged this one." The white-browed teacher's smile broadened.
Unlike the rigid, serious Wei Rong, the white-browed teacher took a far more relaxed approach with his students. Yes, Mo Fan had disrespected his elders and insulted the academy first — but if Wei Rong hadn't started the whole affair by calling everyone trash, none of this would have blown up in the first place.
"Teacher Wei, could you please focus a little while acting as judge? The student you called up was sent flying a while ago — call the next one!" Mo Fan's voice drifted in from the arena.
Those words nearly made Wei Rong explode. If the school didn't have a strict rule against teachers attacking students, he would have stormed onto the platform himself to deal with this insufferable transfer student.
"Don't you dare get smug, you little punk!!" Wei Rong snapped, all pretense of composure abandoned.
"I'm not being smug — dealing with this lot gives me no satisfaction whatsoever," Mo Fan replied.
Wei Rong scanned the roster through clenched teeth, searching for names he recognized. Anyone he had bothered to commit to memory was someone with real ability. The Fire Hall's situation was becoming embarrassing: twenty or thirty challengers had already gone up, and not one of them had managed to force out this transfer student's intermediate magic. The power gap was becoming painfully hard to ignore.
"Jia Zhenlong — excellent. Finally, someone worth watching." A rare trace of a smile crossed Wei Rong's face.
Jia Zhenlong was ranked 280th in the Fire Hall — not an elite placement, nor considered one of the Hall's standout fighters — yet Wei Rong knew him well.
Jia Zhenlong was a Hunter-mage. He spent little time at school, frequently joining hunting teams in the field to pursue Demon-Beasts. His practical combat experience was exceptional among Fire Element Mages.
Unfortunately, the previous month he had offended a student named Liu Qian who was ranked in the top fifty. With Liu Qian's influence, even without acting personally, he had made life difficult enough for Jia Zhenlong that his ranking had been squeezed all the way down past 280th.
"Five more and it's Jia Zhenlong's turn. Let's hope he doesn't disappoint me," Wei Rong muttered under his breath.
No surprises — the next five challengers were each dispatched by Mo Fan with the exact same routine.
Magic was nothing like the flashy, varied powers depicted in martial arts stories or fantasy novels. Even after untold years of human exploration and research, only a limited number of elemental systems and magic skills had ever been uncovered — and each one demanded enormous stretches of grueling practice before a Mage could wield it with true fluency.
Consider Mo Fan himself: he had spent three full years of high school mastering just two basic-level spells. Even now, though his arsenal had grown considerably, Fire Burst and Lightning Seal remained the techniques he commanded with the greatest mastery.
Once a decisive divide in power existed, two skills refined through years of relentless work were more than enough to hold an unbeaten position.
"Next up — ranked 280th, Jia Zhenlong!" Wei Rong called out, a glimmer of anticipation flashing in his eyes.
Jia Zhenlong clearly carried a certain reputation within the Fire Hall. The moment his name was announced, murmurs broke through the crowd.
"Jia Zhenlong, go put this transfer student down! Don't let him actually think the Fire Hall has no real fighters!"
"Right! With your strength you can definitely beat him — win back the Hall's honor!!"
"Doesn't Jia Zhenlong have a Spirit Seed as well?"
"If he has a Spirit Seed, now we've got a real fight on our hands!"
The crowd erupted as Jia Zhenlong stepped into the arena.
He hadn't been particularly popular in the Fire Hall before — it was simply that thirty-plus challengers had been put down one after another by a basic-level spell, and their collective pride had taken a severe beating. Other halls' students were watching this tournament. Being demolished so thoroughly by a single transfer student was deeply humiliating.
Standing on the platform, Jia Zhenlong was caught off guard by the reception. *When did I become this popular...?*
"Looks like everyone's feeling threatened by you," he said with a leisurely grin, watching the formidable transfer student. "I stepped on the wrong toes once — used to be nobody around here liked me much."
"Is that right? Then we're cut from the same cloth." Mo Fan was equally at ease about it. "Just throw out a spell and concede — I'll buy you a drink afterward."
Jia Zhenlong fell briefly silent.
*Seriously — I thought this kid had real backbone. But the moment he sees I'm no pushover, he's already extending olive branches.*
"One drink isn't worth much compared to taking you down and earning the respect of the entire Hall... and unless I'm mistaken, there are plenty of high-ranked fighters already lined up with the same idea. In a place this size, being remembered by both teachers and students isn't something that happens easily," Jia Zhenlong said.
His reputation was poor to begin with, and being targeted had kept him from the ranking he deserved and cut him off from the resources that came with it. This was the perfect opportunity for a comeback — so no matter what, he intended to give everything.
"Come on then — show me something real. Don't think the basic-level spells you've been using on small fry will work against me!" Jia Zhenlong settled into his stance, expression sharp and resolute.
"That's a bit too much confidence in yourself." Mo Fan still had no intention of using intermediate magic.
Without another word, he struck first, summoning Fire Burst. A mass of roaring flame spread rapidly across his right palm, and brilliant crimson Star Trails began to spiral slowly around it.
One had to admit — after a period of Control training with that Control Magic Weapon, Mo Fan's Release speed had improved noticeably.
*Once I have the money, I'll pick up another Control Magic Weapon and give every spell in my arsenal a serious speed boost.*
*And not just basic-level magic — intermediate spells need the same treatment. Someone like Dongfang Ming, whose natural Release speed is twice anyone else's... if I hadn't strengthened my fourth-level basic magic when I did, I really would have taken a beating.*