"You will likely have a second-level talent, my innate seal was only of that level as well," said Mo Bai's father in his usual cold tone, interlocking his fingers as he sat opposite Mo Bai.
"But! Don't think this means your future is truly pathetic, as most ignorant others assume," he continued in a sober voice, his eyes full of sternness and determination.
"There is a way to break those supposed limits, and you… you will break them, Mo Bai." His eyes glowed with confidence in his son sitting before him, despite Mo Bai's indifferent expression.
…
Mo Bai recalled his father's words, word by word, as he watched the rest of the seal test, renewing his confidence and resolve that this was only the beginning of a long journey.
"Next: Mo Fan."
As usual, the talkative children couldn't help but chat with their friends about the important figures, even if the information was already known. This time, Mo Bai also paid close attention and thought deeply.
'Mo Fan, the heir of the Mo faction to which I belong. There have always been ongoing conflicts and competition among the three factions—Bai, Mo, and Yi—within the clan. But Bai usually dominates and has held leadership of the clan for some time now, so most of the current conflicts and rivalry are only between Mo and Yi.'
Mo Bai watched Mo Fan approach the crystal with childish enthusiasm while continuing his thoughts: 'Therefore, Mo Fan must obtain a third-level talent for there to be a qualified heir for the faction. He has only a sister, and although her talent is high, tradition forbids women from leading the faction. Such foolishness in a world that relies on strength.'
A boy with a handsome pale face, soft black hair reaching his shoulders, and crystal green eyes stepped forward. He smiled excitedly and energetically. Then he placed his hand on the crystal like those before him.
A strong blue light glowed, covering the same area as the light that had enveloped Yi Kang. Then a blue lightning seal appeared, similar to the one on Mo Bai's hand, but more intricate, on the back of Mo Fan's right hand.
"Third-level innate lightning seal—a rare talent."
"Hmph, did you see that, old man? My faction has geniuses—the brother and sister both have third-level talents and can become third-level seal masters in the future, unlike your worthless faction. Just admit defeat," said Elder Mo with a mocking tone and a sarcastic smile on his lips.
"You… scoundrel!" Elder Yi slammed his fist on the armrest of his chair in anger, veins bulging on his forehead, thinking, 'This scoundrel is right. At this rate, my faction will suffer this generation under Mo's faction. I must find a solution.'
After all the children had taken the test, the elder in the purple robe announced loudly in a dry voice, "The test is over. Everyone return to their homes. Come to the academy tomorrow. Those who do not come without reason will be expelled immediately."
The majority nodded before they began exiting the vast hall, dispersing in all directions under the hot midday sun.
'I must complete my mission first, then I will return home,' Mo Bai thought quietly, his usual expressionless face unchanged, showing no hint of what he was thinking.
Mo Bai headed straight toward the Northern Shadow Blade City Gate, one of the four routine gates, but stopped midway and turned toward a kiosk on his right.
"Give me a medium-sized leather pouch," Mo Bai said in his calm tone.
"Alright, that will be a quarter of a Nia stone," the kiosk owner said as he handed the pouch to Mo Bai.
Mo Bai handed over a quarter of a Nia stone in exchange, then took the pouch, tied it to his belt, and continued on until he finally stepped beyond the city limits.
'This will likely be the last week I complete this mission level. Once I learn how to use Nia, the mission difficulty will increase, huh,' Mo Bai thought calmly as he took his first steps on the dirt ground.
After advancing a few hundred meters, Mo Bai found himself before a beautiful scene—a vast green forest dense with trees and plants, with no hint of any animal.
But Mo Bai's dull gaze remained unchanged, as if he had seen this scene hundreds of times before, before stepping into the forest.
Once inside, Mo Bai started running toward a specific direction in the northeast, and if you listened closely, you'd notice that despite his running, his footsteps only made a faint rustling sound, barely audible.
After running for a few minutes, Mo Bai stopped behind a thick large tree, peering at a large stone cave, but his focus wasn't on it. Instead, he focused on the wild boars with rough brown skin and sharp white horns scattered before him.
'There is a single-horned boar,' he thought calculatingly as he picked up a few small stones from the ground, focusing entirely on a boar quietly drinking from the river, unaware of its imminent fate.
Mo Bai's gaze fixed on the boar as he threw one small stone at it, causing the boar to stop drinking, lift its head, and roar angrily.
"Graaaah!" The angry eyes of the wild boar searched for the source, while its roar alerted another boar nearby.
At that moment, Mo Bai stepped out from behind the tree and threw another stone with precision at the beast, revealing himself before it, then started running away.
The beast roared again, its eyes red with fury, then began running at full speed chasing Mo Bai, while the other boar that noticed Mo Bai followed from behind as well.
Mo Bai kept running, taking a sharp right turn, the boar still following, until he reached a roughly 10-meter-diameter clearing without any trees. There, he deliberately slowed down until the distance between him and the boar was only one meter, then quickly threw himself right to avoid it.
At that moment, the boar could not stop its momentum, and after advancing just a little, the ground broke beneath it, and the boar fell directly into a pit lined with several bamboo spears with sharp blade tips.
"Thack!" The sound of the spears piercing the boar's body echoed, blood gushed from all over, and a metallic scent spread. The boar had fallen into the trap and died.
"The mission is complete," Mo Bai murmured calmly to himself as he watched the pierced, bloody boar carcass.