The Fiery Fist: Nine Halls completely turned the tide of Mo Fan's battle. The moment he seized the initiative, the surrounding White Sand Giants no longer posed the same level of threat. His spells flowed one after another with frightening precision, each Star Pattern forming in barely three seconds, far beyond what any ordinary Intermediate Mage could achieve.
Chen Yi could barely keep her eyes off him.
It wasn't just power anymore.
It was mastery.
Every spell snapped into place as if instinctively completed, leaving no gaps, no hesitation. Where others would struggle to maintain control under pressure, Mo Fan seemed to thrive in it.
Another wave of flames surged forward—
But this time, something changed.
A sharp, violet flash tore through the battlefield.
It wasn't fire.
It wasn't shadow.
It was lightning.
Not the violent, chaotic lightning Mo Fan usually cast, but something… alive.
A small figure flickered into existence beside him.
At first glance, it was no bigger than a child, its entire body formed from crackling purple lightning. Tiny arcs danced around it like playful sparks, yet each flicker carried a terrifying density of energy.
Chen Yi froze for a brief moment.
"What… is that…?"
The little lightning spirit hovered beside Mo Fan, her glowing purple eyes fixed on the battlefield ahead. There was no hesitation in her gaze, only a strange mixture of curiosity and instinct.
Mo Fan glanced at her briefly.
A faint grin appeared.
"Go on," he said calmly. "Try it."
The moment his words fell—
She moved.
There was no Star Pattern.
No casting delay.
Only pure instinct.
A streak of violet lightning shot forward, faster than the eye could track. One of the White Sand Giants barely had time to raise its saber before its entire body exploded apart, shattered from within by a concentrated burst of electric force.
The sand collapsed instantly.
No resistance.
No struggle.
Chen Yi's pupils shrank.
That wasn't normal lightning.
That was something far denser—far more refined.
The Lightning Belle paused midair, as if surprised by her own strength. Tiny sparks flickered around her body, unstable but vibrant, like she was still learning how to control herself.
Another White Sand Giant approached.
She turned toward it.
This time, the lightning gathered around her more deliberately. It pulsed once, then surged outward in a wider arc, striking multiple targets at once. The sand armor cracked violently, several of the giants staggering as their structures destabilized under the electrical disruption.
Mo Fan didn't interfere.
He watched.
Carefully.
He could feel it—the connection between them, the way her power fluctuated, the way her control sharpened with each strike. She was raw, unrefined, but her potential was obvious.
She needed this.
She needed to fight.
The battlefield was the fastest way for her to grow.
"Don't hold back," Mo Fan said lightly, stepping forward as flames reignited around his own body. "Get used to it."
The Lightning Belle responded instantly.
Another surge of electricity burst forward, faster, cleaner this time. Her movements became sharper, more confident, as if each attack was teaching her something new.
Chen Yi's breathing slowed unconsciously.
Her gaze shifted between Mo Fan and the small lightning spirit.
First, his casting speed.
Now… this?
A contracted spirit… at this level?
And it had just been born?
A realization hit her harder than any of the White Sand Giants' attacks could.
Mo Fan wasn't just strong.
He was becoming something else entirely.
Meanwhile, Mo Fan moved alongside the Lightning Belle, his fire tearing through the remaining formations while her lightning shattered their structure. The combination was seamless—destruction and disruption working in perfect sync.
The White Sand Giants no longer resembled an overwhelming force.
They looked like prey.
Chen Yi was no ordinary student. As someone with a high standing at Imperial College, she understood better than most how troublesome these "well-trained" White Sand Giants were. Even with her Swift Star Wolf supporting her, breaking through their coordinated assaults was far from easy.
And yet—
Mo Fan had already cleared his entire side.
Completely.
Even without relying on his summoned beast, he had wiped out every White Sand Giant in his area with overwhelming efficiency. The sight left a lingering shock in her chest that refused to fade.
"Mo Fan, head over to Zhao Manyan once you're done. He's holding, but the pressure on his side is getting heavy," Lingling's voice came through, calm but decisive as she monitored the battlefield from the center.
Mo Fan gave a slight nod, not wasting a second. Flames around him died down as shadows gathered beneath his feet, his figure sinking and reappearing several meters ahead in a smooth transition. His movements were clean, controlled, every reposition deliberate.
Just as he passed by the center—
"Wait, Brother Mo Fan," Xinxia called softly.
Mo Fan slowed, rising out of the shadows with a puzzled glance.
Before he could speak, a soft, milky-white glow drifted toward him.
A butterfly spirit.
It hovered gently, as if drawn by instinct, before settling briefly on his shoulder. Then it moved along his back, where several unnoticed wounds had accumulated from the earlier sand impacts. The moment it touched him, a soothing warmth spread through his body, the injuries rapidly closing as if time itself had been accelerated.
The healing was subtle, almost effortless.
But the effect—
immense.
Mo Fan flexed slightly, immediately feeling the difference. The lingering strain from continuous casting vanished, his body returning to peak condition as if the previous battle had never happened.
"This Healing Spirit will follow you," Xinxia explained gently. "It will continuously mend your wounds, but each time it does, its energy fades. Once its glow disappears, the spell will end."
Mo Fan glanced at the small spirit, then back at Xinxia, a faint smile forming.
"Got it."
The moment he turned—
a faint flicker of violet lightning danced along his shoulder.
The small Lightning Belle hovered quietly beside him, her tiny form crackling softly as she observed the battlefield ahead. Compared to before, her aura had already stabilized slightly, her movements less erratic, more focused.
Mo Fan didn't say anything.
But he could feel it.
She was learning.
"Stay close," he muttered lightly, before his gaze sharpened.
Then—
he moved.
"Zhao Manyan, I'm coming!" Mo Fan called out, his figure darting forward with renewed speed.
But the moment he arrived within range—
he stopped.
"…What the hell?"
In front of him stood layer upon layer of White Sand Giants, stacked so densely that they resembled a living fortress. The number wasn't just high—
it was absurd.
Mo Fan's expression stiffened slightly.
"Did you walk into their headquarters or something?" he said through the communicator.
Inside the formation, Zhao Manyan's voice came through, strained but far from broken. "If you've got time to talk, you've got time to get me out of here!"
Despite the chaos, Zhao Manyan was still holding.
His defensive field pulsed steadily beneath the constant barrage, water and light intertwining into a stable structure that refused to collapse. The ground around him had already sunk into a deep pit, yet he remained anchored at its center, like a fixed point resisting the tide.
Mo Fan clicked his tongue.
"I want to help, but how do you expect me to get through that?" he said, eyeing the thick walls of White Sand Giants. "Even blasting through them won't open a big enough gap."
For a brief moment, he considered going all out.
Then—
he stopped.
Not yet.
This wasn't just a rescue.
This was still a battlefield.
"Should I use my Psychic Spell?" Xinxia's worried voice came through.
Mo Fan hesitated slightly.
Before he could respond—
"Brother Fan, I'm here!" Zhang Xiaohou's voice suddenly sounded from nearby.
Mo Fan turned.
And immediately regretted it.
Zhang Xiaohou was there.
But so was everything chasing him.
A massive wave of White Sand Giants surged behind him, kicking up clouds of sand as they closed in at full speed.
Mo Fan's face darkened instantly.
"…You've got to be kidding me."
If the situation wasn't bad enough—
it just got worse.
Zhang Xiaohou, however, seemed completely unfazed.
"Watch this!" he shouted confidently, sprinting straight toward the already packed formation surrounding Zhao Manyan.
Mo Fan's eyes narrowed.
There was no way—
No way those White Sand Giants would just crash into each other.
Right?
But in the next moment—
the impossible happened.
The pursuing wave slammed directly into the outer layers of the formation with a thunderous crash. Sand exploded outward as the tightly packed giants were thrown into disarray, their structure collapsing under the sudden impact like a broken wall.
Mo Fan blinked once.
Then let out a short breath.
"…Okay, I didn't expect that."
Beside him, the Lightning Belle flickered excitedly, tiny arcs of electricity snapping outward as if eager to dive into the chaos.
Mo Fan smirked slightly.
"Looks like we've got an opening."
And this time—
he didn't hold back.
Just like bowling pins collapsing in a chain reaction, the ranks of White Sand Giants were knocked down simultaneously. The impact didn't stop there—the ones charging from behind slammed directly into their fallen comrades, their massive bodies scattering apart under the force, some even shattering completely as the collision rippled through the formation.
The entire battlefield turned into chaos in an instant.
Fragments of white sand flew through the air, the towering formation that once resembled an impenetrable fortress now reduced to a collapsing mess. It looked less like a battlefield and more like a catastrophic accident, violent yet strangely effective.
Mo Fan stared for half a second before letting out a short breath.
"…That actually worked."
Only now did he notice the subtle movement beneath the battlefield. The sand Zhang Xiaohou had been running across wasn't stable—it was flowing. A tide beneath the surface, pushing everything forward.
Flowing Mud.
Realization struck immediately.
Zhang Xiaohou hadn't just been running—he had been controlling the terrain the entire time. The White Sand Giants had tried to stop, but the ground itself betrayed them, forcing their massive bodies forward into the formation ahead.
Their size and weight, which made them terrifying—
also made them clumsy.
And Zhang Xiaohou had exploited it perfectly.
"Once the ground turns, they can't dive or stabilize themselves," Zhang Xiaohou said with a grin, clearly satisfied with the result.
Mo Fan smirked and gave a quick thumbs up. "Not bad, Houzi."
There was no more hesitation.
"Let's break through."
The moment he spoke, a faint crackle of violet lightning echoed beside him.
The Lightning Belle hovered at his shoulder, her small body flickering with unstable but eager energy. The chaos in front of them seemed to excite her, tiny arcs snapping outward as if she was itching to dive in.
Mo Fan glanced at her briefly.
"Stay with me."
Then—
he moved.
Zhang Xiaohou surged forward first, weaving through the collapsing formation, while Mo Fan stepped in right behind him. But unlike before, Mo Fan didn't immediately cast.
He waited.
Watched.
Measured.
The moment an opening appeared—
his eyes snapped open.
Purple lightning surged.
But this time—
it wasn't just his.
The Lightning Belle reacted instantly.
A streak of violet shot forward alongside Mo Fan's own lightning, the two currents overlapping for a brief moment before diverging. Mo Fan's Thunderbolt crashed down from above with overwhelming force, instantly disintegrating several White Sand Giants, while the Lightning Belle's attack pierced forward, far more concentrated, detonating from within as it struck.
The difference was clear.
Mo Fan's lightning destroyed.
Hers ruptured.
The combined impact tore a clean path straight through the formation.
And the most terrifying part—
there had been no delay.
No eight-second channeling.
No hesitation.
From movement to casting—
barely three seconds.
Chen Yi, watching from afar, felt her breath catch again.
That speed… that control…
And now—
he wasn't even fighting alone.
The breach opened.
Zhang Xiaohou reinforced it instantly, raising another curved Rock Barrier to hold the collapsing edges back, buying them just enough space to push through.
They advanced.
Step by step—
through a battlefield that had been impossible just moments ago.
Soon, Zhao Manyan came into view.
He stood at the center of a deep crater, layers of water and light swirling around him in a stable, unbroken defense. The constant barrage had not pushed him back—not even a step.
The moment he noticed them—
he didn't panic.
He acted.
A surge of water erupted outward.
Rolling Wave.
The timing was perfect.
With the formation already disrupted, the heavy White Sand Giants lost their footing as the wave crashed into them, sweeping entire rows aside and widening the opening Mo Fan and Zhang Xiaohou had created.
Zhang Xiaohou moved first, using the fallen bodies as footholds, leaping forward with fluid precision.
Mo Fan followed—
but not alone.
The Lightning Belle darted ahead of him, a streak of violet carving through the air. She struck first, destabilizing the nearest targets before Mo Fan even landed, creating a safe landing zone mid-battle.
Mo Fan touched down.
Seamless.
Controlled.
They reached Zhao Manyan.
Zhao Manyan glanced at them, his expression calm despite the battlefield. "Took you long enough."
Zhang Xiaohou laughed lightly. "You're still alive, aren't you?"
"Of course," Zhao Manyan replied, his tone steady. "I told you—I've got the defense. You two just focus on clearing."
Mo Fan rolled his shoulders slightly, flames beginning to rise once more as lightning flickered faintly around him.
The Lightning Belle hovered beside him, her glow brighter now, more stable than before. Each movement she made was sharper, more deliberate. The battlefield itself had become her training ground.
Mo Fan's eyes narrowed slightly as he looked at the surrounding White Sand Giants.
There was no fear.
Only intent.
"Houzi, keep splitting them. Manyan, hold the center," he said calmly. "I'll clear the front."
The three stood together now—
no longer surrounded.
But anchoring the battlefield itself.
The White Sand Giants continued advancing, relentless and fearless, their massive forms closing in once more like an endless tide.
But this time—
they weren't walking into prey.
They were walking into hunters.
And Mo Fan—
with lightning and flame intertwining beside him—
was already moving.