Chapter 69: The Growth of a Grassroots Mage

The bone general rushed at Mo Fan with great force. However, despite its initial bravado, it was sent flying back in a rather pathetic state upon impact. As it flew through the air, Mo Fan quickly followed up with a Fiery Fist: Nine Palaces, unleashing a scorching wave of blue fire. The intense, scorching blue flames surged forward, prompting Mo Fan to think to himself, "Might as well turn this big bone into soup!"

Seemed fitting.

"Shadow Spike!"

Mo Fan admired his own multitasking ability. Even in the midst of battle, he could still think about other things. Ever since he had acquired the Devil element, he had to admit he was getting a bit too overconfident.

The moment Mo Fan cast his Shadow Spikes, they immediately nailed down the bone general, pinning it at its four limbs.

"Roaaaar!!!"

The bone general, stunned by Mo Fan's relentless counterattacks, found itself immobilized and unable to react.

"Thunderbolt: Madness Dance!"

Boom boom boom!

The area shook under the thunderous explosion, and although the bone general was shattered into pieces, it still wasn't quite dead.

"Damn, this thing is tough!" Mo Fan cursed, following up with another punch, a Fiery Fist: Ground Break. As the flames erupted into the shape of a blue lotus flower, the bone general finally lost all signs of life.

With the bone general defeated, Mo Fan hurried over to assist his Flame Wolf, who was still fighting off a swarm of corpses and skeletons.

By the time Flame Wolf was completely exhausted and Mo Fan's Star Cloud was nearly drained, they finally retreated back to the safety of the protective barrier.

Despite being drained of magical energy, Mo Fan managed to defeat around a thousand undead on his own, including rotting corpses, skeletons, and even the bone general. Naturally, he ended up covered in new cuts and wounds, but thanks to his unique physique, these injuries had already begun healing by the time he returned to safety.

The undead he killed brought in a hefty profit. After selling the spirit essences he had gathered, Mo Fan earned nearly 13 million yuan. The undead leaderboard wasn't of much importance to him, so he didn't care about it too much—his priority was making money.

In addition to selling the spirit essences, Mo Fan's fire-element stars had now been strengthened to 36, putting him on the verge of advancing his Fiery Fist to the fourth level.

On top of that, Zhao Manyan had sold the pseudo-terror demon seed for about 18 million yuan, bringing Mo Fan's total funds to nearly 30 million—enough to buy a Star River Vein.

Not knowing much about this energy-rich item, Mo Fan left the matter to Zhao Manyan.

When Zhao Manyan found out that Mo Fan was about to reach the High Tier of magic, he was speechless.

Mo Fan had only been in the ancient capital for a month, and out of that, he had only gone hunting for undead five times. The rest of the time, he had spent recovering.

It was worth mentioning that after all this fighting, Mo Fan's four magical elements were close to reaching perfection. His fire element was already at a point where it couldn't be improved further, with all 49 stars now enhanced to the fourth level. His thunder element had also reached the fourth level in the Intermediate Tier.

Flame Wolf had also grown stronger through these battles, nearing the level of a major battle general. Though it didn't have its own territory in the summoning plane, it no longer lived in such harsh conditions as before.

Upon returning to the magic city, Mo Fan helped Lingling handle some of the piled-up business in the Hunters' Agency.

"Damn, we're all good brothers here, but how did you end up advancing so much faster than the rest of us?" Zhao Manyan said, feeling a bit envious.

"While you're busy rolling around with women, I'm out there risking my life fighting demons. So, tell me, how do you think I got ahead?" Mo Fan shot him a glare.

"Hmm, fair point." Zhao admitted.

For mages, improving one's power isn't just about training. Constant life-or-death experiences in the wild expand the Star Cloud, offering the chance to break through in ways that staying safe can never achieve.

Compared to Mo Fan, who was constantly risking his life, Zhao Manyan knew that his own approach couldn't compete. The true path to power lies in relying on oneself, not external resources.

Grassroots mages might not have access to the millions or billions worth of resources that noble families could offer, but once they managed to claw their way up, they were able to obtain even more through their own hard-earned strength. Self-reliant mages grow much faster than those constantly dependent on their families for resources.

Advancement isn't something that can be entirely bought with money. If someone has a poor foundation, throwing money at the problem won't help. But self-trained mages understand how to find their own paths through the vast Starry Sea, and through battle, they achieve their breakthroughs. Even if they end up covered in scars, they'll eventually break through and leave their family-dependent peers far behind.

Zhao Manyan could already see this trend forming in Mo Fan.

"Alright, enough talking. Here's the rest of the money. No need for the emotional speeches. If you need anything else from me, just let me know." Mo Fan said as he handed over the final payment for the Star River Vein.

"Come on, we're all brothers here! No need to say anything more." Zhao Manyan replied with a smile.

With the Star River Vein secured and his obligations to the hunters' agency taken care of, Mo Fan returned to the Academy. He was already being flooded with challenge letters, even more than his mission requests.

Official challenges took place on the second and fourth weeks of each month, giving him time to absorb his rewards.

The reward for ranking in the top 100 was a special magic tool known as a speed-control device. It helped mages smoothly connect stars and star tracks, making them easier to link. Training with it would speed up the process of drawing star tracks and prevent interruptions.

This tool was something Mo Fan planned to purchase later when he had more money, especially since he had so many elements to master.

Ranking higher in the challenges brought better rewards, though for now, he had only earned some spirit seed fragments, which he decided to keep.

His Blue Flame also required special fire for growth, though that would take time. For now, as he was still considering how to get Little Flame Belle by his side, the power of the Blue Flame was enough.

The Blue Flame's power was already nearly three times that of a regular Spirit Seed, which was more than enough for the moment. With Little Flame Belle's help, its power could even rival some Soul Seeds in strength.

As Mo Fan's power continued to grow, he knew there would be plenty of opportunities to enhance his magic further. There was no need to rush.

(End of Chapter)