One Finger

"Good Armor Enchanted Gear is far too expensive — seek out something appropriate for yourself once you have the means. Take a look at this Slash Enchanted Gear and see if it interests you. It's called the Crow Slash. When activated, it manifests the forearm of a Black Mantis to execute Sickle Dance Wind Slash — its destructive power rivals a combined strike from two Ascension Phase Demon-Beasts," Dean Xiao said.

Mo Fan thought it over. As a man who had already mastered both the Fire and Lightning Elements — two of the most destructive disciplines in existence — offensive power was the last thing he lacked. The Crow Slash seemed far better suited to Mages who had no real attack options to speak of.

In truth, he could use every one of these items. Owning them all would substantially boost his combat capability — each piece expanded his options in a fight, sparing both sides from having to simply stand there trading spells like idiots.

But if he could only choose one, the Blood Beast Boots remained the better investment.

He already had a movement ability. Shadow Fade, granted by the Shadow Element, let him slip around with remarkable freedom — but it was far from invincible. Its weakness was an awkward dependency: unlike the Earth or Wind Elements, which could shift you anywhere, Shadow Fade needed shadows to function. It required a contrast of light and dark.

No differential meant no shadow. No shadow meant nowhere to go.

What Mo Fan truly lacked most was defense. Unfortunately, the Azure Scale Armor had proven underwhelming for his level of opposition. Footwear Enchanted Gear it was, then — an extra means of escape was worth more than anything else right now.

"If you've decided against the remaining items, you may go ahead and brand the Blood Beast Boots with your Spirit Imprint," Dean Xiao said.

Mo Fan completed the imprint quickly, binding the Blood Beast Boots to his soul. From this moment on, a single flicker of Mental Intent would summon them onto his legs, detonating the strength in his lower body to explosive levels.

"Thank you, Dean Xiao." The addition of such fine Enchanted Gear lifted his spirits considerably.

"You earned it yourself — no need to thank me. Now, for your cultivation resources..." Dean Xiao said with a smile.

"If it's Stardust Artifacts or anything like that, skip it and convert it to something else," Mo Fan said quickly.

When it came to cultivation artifacts, very few could compete with his Loach Pendant after it had drunk from the Earth Sacred Spring.

"Nothing of the sort. The resource in question is normally reserved for outstanding students at the main campus and those who have rendered exceptional service to the Academy. We couldn't devise a practical way to redirect so many dispersed public resources to a single person, so we petitioned the main campus and secured permission for you to cultivate in the Three-Step Tower — once," Dean Xiao said.

"The Three-Step Tower??" Mo Fan had never heard the name.

Dean Xiao only smiled. He offered no explanation.

Pearl Academy had stood at the pinnacle of the nation's academies for many years, and the Three-Step Tower had a great deal to do with that.

It was a place that even Intermediate-Level students at the main campus fought tooth and nail for a single chance to enter. Freshmen were simply not eligible. Mo Fan was breaking precedent for the first time.

"This opportunity is exceedingly rare — cherish it," Dean Xiao said, making a deliberate point of the words.

Mo Fan nodded earnestly. He had no doubt that the Three-Step Tower was a cultivation ground on par with the Earth Sacred Spring — if not beyond.

Without the Earth Sacred Spring, reaching Intermediate Level would have taken him several more years. A single opportunity in a place like this would represent a tremendous leap in his cultivation.

"Thank you, Dean Xiao."

"One small piece of advice: the number of times one can enter the Three-Step Tower is extremely limited. Many Intermediate-Level Mages at the main campus have never received even a single chance to set foot inside. Your opportunity is precious — precious indeed. I would encourage you to choose the right moment carefully. From what I have observed, entering now would not maximize your return," Dean Xiao said.

Mo Fan's mouth fell open slightly.

Dean Xiao wasn't wrong. Both his Fire and Lightning Elements had already crossed into Intermediate Level; what he needed now was to consolidate and master them. His Star Chart Control was still slower than Mu Nujiao's.

As for his Summoning and Shadow Elements — he had pushed both to the third tier of Stardust in a single sprint, yet they remained a long way from the Star Nebula of Intermediate Level. He hadn't so much as touched the threshold.

If he used the sacred cultivation ground now in a bid to break through, the odds of success would be low, and he would squander this rare opportunity.

He understood Dean Xiao's meaning: wait until the timing was right and the conditions were mature, then enter the Three-Step Tower and shatter the dam of his cultivation in one decisive effort. That was how you truly made use of a sacred cultivation ground.

In ordinary practice, the Loach Pendant already served as his accelerator. Levels that a bit more time and effort could reach on their own didn't need to consume a Three-Step Tower opportunity.

"Next — this Beast Commander Spirit Blood. It will have a significant effect on advancing your Gloom Wolf Beast to Battle-General-class. That said, all of these resources are only aids. Whether the beast actually reaches Battle-General-class depends entirely on the beast itself. Your Gloom Wolf Beast only entered the Ascension Phase recently — do not rush this." Dean Xiao's tone turned somber. "Nature has its laws. The hierarchy of classes is absolute, especially among Demon-Beasts. High-bloodline Demon-Beasts are powerful by birth, gifted from the start with intelligence and the capacity for command. Low-bloodline creatures breed in great numbers and move in packs — their strength lies in numbers. Forcing them to shatter their bloodline limits is to act against the laws of nature. Failure could mean total annihilation."

Mo Fan nodded gravely.

Whether for humans or Demon-Beasts, the path of cultivation was paved with hardship and trial.

When Mo Fan himself had broken through to Intermediate Level, the mental backlash had nearly killed him. Demon-Beast advancement was no different. If a beast's body was not strong enough, if its willpower was not firm enough, and it forcibly shed its original bloodline in pursuit of a higher one — only to fail — then having burned that bridge, abandoned the very bloodline it was born with, survival in the brutal natural world would become far more precarious than before.

"This card is yours. There is approximately two million yuan inside — prize money and the combined public scholarships from every department this semester. All of it goes to you." Dean Xiao finally extended a bank card.

Mo Fan's jaw hit the floor.

Two million yuan!!

*Holy sh*t — universities sure know how to spend. Two million in one go? That's jackpot money right there!*

He was rich. Absolutely, undeniably rich!

Watching Mo Fan's expression, Dean Xiao grew concerned that such a sudden windfall might cause the young man to lose his footing. He spoke up in warning: "For a Mage, money is nothing but a tool. Pursue the higher path of magic — a few million counts for nothing when you have the potential to become a High-Level Mage. Beyond High-Level, many resources run into the tens of millions, even hundreds of millions. The road is long and the journey far. You have lived through the Bo City disaster. You, of all people, should understand what a true Mage's responsibility is — and just how precarious the situation of humanity truly is."

"Dean Xiao, don't worry about me. Mo Fan has no intention of settling for mere Intermediate Level," Mo Fan replied.

"Good. Then I hope that when greater disasters come, you will be able to rise to meet them as you did at Bo City," Dean Xiao said.

"Dean Xiao — one more question. Roughly how much does a Wing Enchanted Gear cost?" Mo Fan couldn't stop himself from asking.

Dean Xiao slowly extended one finger. "At least this much," he said. "And more often than not, it never goes to auction at all."