The Second Awakening

Following the time Tang Yue had specified, Mo Fan arrived at the nation's most prestigious Magic Association.

The entrance plaza alone was enough to convey the sheer scale of the place — a world apart from the tiny Magic Association branch back in Bo City.

Everyone moving up and down the broad steps looked no different from ordinary civilians in dress, but from their auras alone Mo Fan could tell they were all Mages. Some weaker than him, some at his level — but more than a few he couldn't sense at all.

*No magical presence whatsoever. People like that don't need explaining — they have to be operating at a level far beyond mine.*

The nation's most formidable Magic Association, and it lived up to every word of its reputation. The kind of High-Level Mage who was practically royalty back in Bo City was just another figure strolling through the lobby here... oh. Those ones were tourists. Not Mages.

The Oriental Pearl Mage Tower remained open to the public, with designated areas for sightseers. Mo Fan, as a young Mage of genuine ability, headed straight for the Mage Channel.

He passed through an exhibition hall where cutting-edge modernity and historical significance coexisted in equal measure, then stepped into an elevator that carried him smoothly upward — a hundred meters into the sky.

This level was known as the Lower Sphere. A gathering place for Mages, distinct from the tourist floors, dedicated to serving Mages from all across the country.

Stepping off the elevator, he was met by a magnificent lobby. The hall itself was spherical — fifty meters across — and when he tilted his head back and took in the Renaissance-style curved dome with its sweeping magical murals, a sense of rich, ancient heritage seemed to radiate from the very walls.

"Is there anything I can help you with, esteemed Mage?" A lobby attendant in a flowing white qipao approached with a smile.

"I'm here for an Awakening. Someone made a reservation for me," Mo Fan replied, his eyes instinctively dropping to the slender, elegant legs beneath the hem of her qipao. *Big cities really are something else — even the receptionists are stunning.*

"Let me look that up for you. Your name, sir?"

"Mo Fan."

"Of course, Mr. Mo Fan." The girl smiled. "Would you like a look around first, or shall I take you straight to the Awakening Room?"

"Straight to the Awakening."

Sightseeing could wait. What mattered was the Awakening itself. After everything he'd been through, Mo Fan understood better than most just how much a second Element could change the equation.

Making their way through the main hall, Mo Fan noticed something interesting. The lobby was divided into two distinct service arrangements: some Mages had the undivided attention of their own personal attendants, while a far larger group sat in chairs spread across the floor, eyes fixed on the massive LCD screens mounted overhead — scanning the displays like retail investors glued to a stock ticker.

"The screens post bounties and announce the week's resource distributions from the Mage Association," the girl explained helpfully, clearly reading that this was his first visit. "Anyone interested can put in an application."

"What about the one-on-one service?" Mo Fan asked.

"Either those clients have paid a premium for the privilege, or they've already reached Intermediate Level. Intermediate-Level Mages automatically qualify for dedicated personal service. A staff member will assess any items they want to trade, advise on how best to sell them, compile detailed information on suitable bounties, and handle any services they need to apply for. Anything requiring attention gets taken care of directly — it saves time and cuts through a lot of red tape. Naturally, depending on the staff member's area of expertise, clients also gain access to information that ordinary people simply can't obtain," she said, the explanation delivered with practiced ease.

"I see," Mo Fan said, nodding.

*Everyone wants special treatment. Not everyone gets it. But then — I happen to be one of those who does.*

Mo Fan was led into a room lined with perfectly circular chambers. Awakening Stones covered nearly every surface, so densely arranged they made his head swim.

"Mr. Guo... the, um — the client for the Awakening is here." The qipao attendant's composure slipped slightly as she made the announcement.

"Right. Tell him to sit down." The man surnamed Guo didn't look up from what he was doing, his voice flat and disinterested.

"I'll... leave you to it, then." She stole one last glance at the man before turning to go, a trace of disappointment crossing her face as she disappeared down the corridor.

Mo Fan took a seat as directed and settled in to wait, a familiar current of excitement stirring in his chest — the same feeling he'd had on the school grounds for his very first Awakening.

Across the room, the man hadn't spared him so much as a glance before disappearing into an adjoining chamber.

The inner room was dim. He looked at his apprentice. "Xiao Mian, are the Awakening Stones ready?"

"Which Element's guidance stones are we setting up?" the apprentice asked.

"Let me check..." Guo Liyu walked to the doorway and sized Mo Fan up from across the room, apparently too impatient to simply ask the boy directly. "Lightning Element," he said.

"Aren't you going to ask him?" Xiao Mian said.

"I have absolutely no patience for these pampered second-generation kids who've never worked a day in their lives," Guo Liyu said. "Look at him — seventeen, eighteen years old and only now getting around to his Awakening. Wants to throw money at getting a Lightning Element. If my Awakening Room wasn't short on restocking funds right now, I wouldn't waste a single Awakening Stone on someone like him."

"How much did you charge him, Master?" Xiao Mian ventured in a very small voice.

"A hundred thousand. And all it does is bump the Lightning Element probability up a bit above baseline," Guo Liyu said.

Xiao Mian's mouth fell open. *A hundred thousand — just to nudge the odds slightly higher. Master has absolutely no shame.* She was wise enough to keep that observation to herself.

She dutifully set about arranging the Lightning Element guidance stones around the central Awakening Stone.

Their Awakening Room, operating out of the nation's premier Magic Association, used only top-grade stones — and charged accordingly. Free service was reserved exclusively for clients referred through extraordinary channels.

Guo Liyu stepped out and planted himself in front of Mo Fan, wearing the expression of a man who deeply resented being there. "Alright, kid, come on in. Let me be upfront with you — what Element you awaken is decided by fate and your own bloodline. Guided Awakening only improves the odds by a margin. So if you end up with Light Element, Water Element, whatever else — don't come looking at me."

"I know that. Can we start?" Mo Fan said.

"Go ahead and go in. We won't disturb you during the process." Xiao Mian's tone carried a distinct coolness, for reasons Mo Fan couldn't quite place.