After enjoying a careful and relaxing massage, Mu Nianbing finally left the comfortable hot spring.
As soon as he returned to his room, he saw Mu Ningxue standing gracefully before him.
She was wearing a thin bathrobe.
The light fabric clung gently to her body, covering only the most necessary areas while revealing her flawless pale skin.
Her complexion was so fair it seemed almost luminous, truly living up to the description of skin like ice and bones like jade.
The moment Mu Nianbing saw her like this, the heat in his chest instantly surged.
"Nianbing…" Mu Ningxue lowered her gaze shyly under his intense stare. "I bought this especially for you. Do you like it?"
In front of outsiders, Mu Ningxue was an untouchable snow lotus standing proudly atop a mountain peak.
But in front of Mu Nianbing, she was simply a girl deeply in love.
Mu Nianbing didn't answer with words.
Instead, he proved it with his actions.
Without hesitation, he stepped forward and pulled her into his arms.
Mu Ningxue's back pressed lightly against the cool wooden wall, but she did not resist.
Instead, she looked at Mu Nianbing with shy, misty eyes.
Realizing the position was somewhat uncomfortable, Mu Nianbing lifted her in his arms and carried her to the bed.
Mu Ningxue wrapped her arms around his neck and gently offered him a soft, cool kiss.
The night once again passed quietly.
Early the next morning, the team gathered to prepare for their trip to Tokyo.
However, they soon realized that Mo Fan was missing.
Mu Nianbing guessed that Mo Fan had probably gone to the East Watchtower during the night.
When they finally found him, Mo Fan asked Mu Nianbing for another leave of absence.
Mu Nianbing already knew that Mo Fan needed to deal with the Condensed Evil Pearl, so he agreed without hesitation.
After parting ways with Mo Fan, Mu Nianbing led the rest of the National Team toward Tokyo.
On the train, Jiang Shaoxu looked extremely excited.
"Tokyo is way more fun than Osaka," she said with a bright smile. "When we get there, I'll take you all out for some entertainment."
"That won't be necessary," Ai Jiangtu said coldly, shutting her down immediately.
"Once we arrive in Tokyo, we still have to complete the tasks assigned by our mentors."
Within the team, Ai Jiangtu served as the vice-captain.
His authority was second only to Mu Nianbing.
Mu Nianbing nodded and added calmly, "That mission is connected to the distribution of cultivation resources. With those resources, most of you should be able to break through to the High Level."
"Resources for High-Level advancement?!" Zhao Manyan's eyes lit up instantly.
Although Zhao Manyan's family background meant he didn't lack resources, nobody would complain about having extra.
"You got into the team through the back door. Don't even think about it," Mu Tingying sneered.
"Even if the mission succeeds, those resources won't go to substitutes like you."
After witnessing Mu Nianbing's strength earlier, Mu Tingying had become much quieter.
However, she still carried resentment and could only vent it toward Zhao Manyan.
Zhao Manyan ignored her and turned toward Mu Nianbing.
"Brother Bing… substitutes really don't get anything?"
Mu Nianbing nodded calmly. "That's correct."
"Damn it. Substitutes have no human rights," Zhao Manyan muttered bitterly.
Even if he relied on his family's resources to break through to the High Level, he might still be replaced.
There were only three substitute spots.
Both Mo Fan and Mu Ningxue had already reached the High Level.
That left Zhao Manyan as the only Intermediate Mage.
Even if he advanced soon, catching up would still be extremely difficult.
The thought left him feeling heavy-hearted.
It had been hard enough to join the National Team in the first place.
He never expected to struggle so much even at the beginning.
After arriving at the train station, the group didn't linger.
They headed straight for Hai Zhan City.
Completing the mission quickly would allow everyone else to focus on breaking through to the High Level.
When they entered the city, everyone was stunned.
The streets looked incredibly new.
"There's not even a trace of battle here," someone said in confusion. "This looks nothing like I imagined."
"Hai Zhan City undergoes regular reconstruction," Mu Nianbing explained calmly. "It was probably renovated recently."
Hearing this explanation, everyone relaxed.
"Let's go. There's nothing special to see here," Mu Nianbing said as he prepared to lead them forward.
Suddenly—
BOOM!
A loud explosion echoed ahead, and the ground shook violently.
Before anyone could react, a massive stone pillar came flying toward them.
"Holy crap!!" Zhao Manyan shouted in panic, nearly forgetting to cast a spell.
"Telekinesis!"
Mu Nianbing and Ai Jiangtu reacted simultaneously.
Two invisible forces stopped the incoming stone pillar in midair before slowly lowering it to the ground.
However, because their psychic powers weren't perfectly synchronized, the stone pillar wobbled slightly as it descended.
"Look! Sea monsters ahead!" Jiang Yu shouted.
Everyone looked forward.
In the distance, two enormous azure sea monsters were rapidly approaching.
A broadcast soon echoed through the city.
"Attention all personnel. Sea monsters have appeared in District 19. Non-combat personnel, please evacuate immediately or take shelter in designated refuges."
"Attention all personnel. Two Commander-level Blue Valley Ferocious Li Beasts have been identified. Combat personnel are requested to assist in eliminating them."
Everyone's expressions immediately became serious.
"Captain, should we help?" Ai Jiangtu asked while looking at Mu Nianbing.
As a Military Mage, he couldn't stand watching sea monsters cause destruction.
However, as a member of the National Team, he had to follow his captain's orders.
Following orders was the duty of a Military Mage.
Before Mu Nianbing could respond, Zu Jiming stepped forward.
"This isn't our problem. Why should we get involved?"
Facing Commander-level creatures, Intermediate Mages had little chance of survival.
Zu Jiming, a Poison Mage with weaker defensive abilities, certainly didn't want to risk his life.
Mu Nianbing glanced toward the approaching sea monsters.
"Since we'll be hunting monsters later anyway, we might as well treat this as practice," he said calmly. "I'll handle one. You deal with the other."
To Mu Nianbing, the two Blue Valley Ferocious Li Beasts were basically walking Spirit Essences.
Thanks to the Qilin Blessing, the drop rate for Spirit Essences had increased significantly.
There was a good chance that one of these monsters would drop one.
A single Spirit Essence was worth 300 to 500 million.
That was far more valuable than the training resources provided by the mentors.
Mu Nianbing now had many people relying on him.
Naturally, he wanted to earn more money.
With the strength of Ai Jiangtu and Mu Ningxue, even if they couldn't kill the creature, restraining it would not be difficult.
In truth, Mu Nianbing could easily defeat both monsters himself.
But that would turn the mission into a solo performance.
That would defeat the purpose of training the team.
There was also another important reason.
Only when the others felt real danger would they truly understand how important Mu Nianbing was.
And that realization would save him a lot of trouble later.
...
Author's Note:
Versatile Mage: Heir of the Frozen Throne — Part 1 & 2 is now fully completed with 150+ chapters and available on my Patreon!
🔗 patreon.com/Shadow_demon_007
🔥 I also have additional **18+ fanfics** available for readers who enjoy exclusive mature stories. 😉
1. Dragon Ball: Oolong's Sex Adventure
2. Elements of Lust – ATLA & Korra Mixed Smut
3. Doraemon: Filtering with Nobi Tamako
4. The Naive Me Who Became Someone's Everyday Secret
5. High School DxD: Rias Gremory, the Phenex Bride
6. Versatile Mage: Awakening the Succubus System
🔗 patreon.com/Shadow_demon_007
Thank you all for your support and love for this story 💙