After collecting their money, Mo Fan was not one to avoid doing the job. He gathered the group together.
"Since everyone's here, go ahead, Shen Mingxiao. Show them what you've got." Mo Fan said.
"???"
Shen Mingxiao was confused, staring at Mo Fan with disbelief.
"What do you mean by 'show them'?" he thought. What is this guy talking about?
"Don't you have connections in the Hunter Alliance? Ask them where the Shadow Beast is. We'll go capture it now and deliver it to the Beast Cage by night." Mo Fan said with a serious face.
"Wait a minute… You're charging me money but still plan to use my connections?" Shen Mingxiao was so baffled he started laughing in disbelief.
Zhao Manyan, Luo Song, and Mu Ningxue were also dumbfounded.
Mo Fan's behavior had them all utterly confused.
Shen Mingxiao, now even more annoyed, replied, "If that's the case, why should I even pay you?"
"What are you talking about? You're paying for protection. I'm the one who guarantees we'll safely deliver the Shadow Beast to the Beast Cage. Do you think you can do that? Or do you want to back out now?" Mo Fan asked with a grin.
"You—"
Shen Mingxiao was so frustrated by Mo Fan's smug expression that he was nearly in tears.
Meanwhile, Mu Ningxue and the others couldn't help but laugh at Mo Fan's unreasonable attitude and Shen Mingxiao's defeated expression.
"Fine! I'll ask!"
For the chance to enter the Three Step Pagoda, Shen Mingxiao decided to swallow his pride. He had no choice!
After all, he couldn't defeat Mo Fan, and since Mo Fan was one of the academy's top students, it wasn't like he could go running to the teachers for help. Even if that was an option, Shen Mingxiao didn't want to embarrass himself that way. As boys, they all had a bit of pride.
So, Shen Mingxiao used his connections in the Hunter Alliance and, unsurprisingly, located the whereabouts of the Shadow Beast.
Of course, Shen Mingxiao had considered using his connections to get someone from the Hunter Alliance to deal with Mo Fan.
But when he found out that Mo Fan himself was a registered Hunter Mage, and even a Master Hunter, that plan quickly fell apart.
Later that evening, Mo Fan and his group moved to deliver the Shadow Beast to the Beast Cage. But it wasn't going to be easy, as many other students were lying in wait, hoping to ambush them and claim the prize for themselves.
Catching the Shadow Beast wasn't the hard part—delivering it safely to the cage was.
As they approached the cage under the cover of night, many hidden students suddenly revealed themselves when they saw the Shadow Beast in Mo Fan's group's possession.
Mo Fan's strength was well-known from the Freshman Competition, but this was a school-wide test involving students from all four grades. His reputation alone wouldn't be enough to deter them.
Seeing this, one student stepped forward and said, "We know you're strong, but there are so many of us. Do you really think you can deliver the beast to the cage? Just hand it over and step aside."
Before he could finish speaking, a bolt of lightning struck him, leaving him charred and smoking.
Everyone froze, stunned by what they just witnessed.
Even the supervising instructors and school administrators were shocked.
"Lightning magic!!"
"How does he know lightning magic?!"
"Is… is he a high-level mage?"
Everyone was in disbelief as Mo Fan unleashed a lightning spell, something no one expected from him. Even his companions, Mu Nujiao and Zhao Manyan, were dumbfounded.
"Mo Fan can use lightning magic too?"
"How is this possible? It doesn't make sense…"
"He… he's a natural dual-element mage!!" someone finally realized.
There were plenty of knowledgeable students at Pearl Academy, and when they confirmed Mo Fan wasn't a high-level mage, someone immediately shouted out in amazement.
"Have you all had enough of being surprised?" Mo Fan said calmly, facing the crowd of over a hundred students without fear. "I don't want to seriously hurt anyone, but if you keep getting in my way, I won't be holding back."
"Raging Tide—Disperse!"
At the sound of this voice, the water in the nearby pool surged into the air!
"It's the Raging Tide spell! Run!"
"Who's the lunatic trying to drown us all?!"
Chaos erupted as people cursed and scrambled to escape the incoming water, but the roar of the tidal wave drowned out all other sounds as it crashed down, sweeping away friend and foe alike.
Some water mages quickly used their powers to step on the waves and avoid the chaos. As they watched others being washed away, their eyes lit up with realization.
If they could create enough confusion and take out some of the competition, their chances of winning would improve significantly.
Soon, tidal waves surged from all directions.
"Crap! What do we do?!" Luo Song panicked as the waves rushed toward them.
"Stand your ground." Mo Fan replied.
Even though he couldn't handle an all-out assault from hundreds of students, these water mages were giving him a perfect opportunity to demonstrate his power.
"Azure Flames!"
Boom!
As Mo Fan completed his star pattern, blue flames erupted around him.
"Fiery Fist: Nine Palaces!"
The moment the azure flames gathered on his fist, an overwhelming wave of fire burst forth, creating an intense heatwave that rippled outward.
Luo Song and the others could only watch in disbelief. This wasn't the Fiery Fist they were used to seeing—it was far more powerful.
Before they could fully process the situation, Mo Fan punched the ground, sending shockwaves through the earth. A deafening explosion followed.
(End of Chapter)