Chapter 18: Ch18: Special Missions
Mo Bai finally made his way toward the training grounds after selecting his elemental skill. The Lightning Claw technique booklet was now tucked securely under his arm. As he arrived, he saw Mo Fan sitting cross-legged, deeply focused on reading and understanding his own skill.
"Oh, Mo Bai! You’re done already? So, what did you pick, huh?" Mo Fan looked up with a casual smile and curious tone as Mo Bai approached and sat down beside him on the tiled ground.
"My pick? I chose the Lightning Claw technique. It suits me best," Mo Bai replied calmly, showing the title clearly written on the booklet’s cover.
"What? Really? Isn’t that a technique that only requires beginner-level elemental control? Why didn’t you choose something stronger? You had a bunch of options," Mo Fan asked, clearly surprised.
"Yes, it only requires beginner-level control, but that doesn’t mean it’s weak. It’s the best fit for me. You’ll understand in time."
Mo Fan shrugged. "Well, I guess you know what works for you."
Still, before returning to his reading, a flicker of doubt crossed Mo Fan’s mind.
’I don’t get it... With his control level, he could’ve picked something way stronger. Even if he likes close combat, there were plenty of other techniques better suited for that. Weird choice... Whatever, I’ll just focus on getting stronger myself. Once I master this, Yi Kang is going down. Haha.’
Mo Fan quickly pushed away his curiosity and refocused entirely on his booklet.
The rest of the day passed in focused silence. All students—including Mo Bai and Mo Fan—worked hard to absorb every step of their new skills, trying to memorize and even practice them. But by the end of the academy day, no one had managed to properly activate their techniques.
Still, when they returned home, most students continued practicing out of sheer excitement. And by the end of that night, Mo Bai was the only one who had successfully activated his skill, albeit barely.
A faint smile of satisfaction curved his lips as he whispered to himself, just an hour before bedtime:
"Finally... I managed to form at least one claw on my right hand. The first step is always the hardest. I’ll probably be able to form all five claws on this hand by tomorrow."
He raised his hand close to his face. A single dark blue lightning claw shimmered over one finger, pulsing with electric energy, sparking every few seconds.
’Pretty amazing, really. I doubt anyone else managed even a rough form of their technique on the first day. But this isn’t because I’m some unrivaled genius at control or understanding. I shouldn’t let this small success cloud my judgment. The real reason is that my technique has a very low learning threshold, and I’m the only one at intermediate control who picked a technique that simple.’
He calmly analyzed the situation, determined not to let his small success inflate his ego.
’Honestly, who told everyone to pick the strongest technique their control level allows? That only makes it harder to master and delays progress. Higher difficulty doesn’t always mean better. Like the teacher said: pick what suits you. Too bad most didn’t understand that.’
Fatigue settling into his body and face, Mo Bai collapsed into bed. It wasn’t just the physical exhaustion of depleted energy and stamina, but also the mental strain of nonstop training. Only brief breaks for meals and necessities had punctuated the day.
’Today was productive... but exhausting too. I’m seriously sleepy now.’
He rolled over and pulled the covers over himself, drifting off into the peaceful silence of night, a stillness broken only by the coming dawn of a new day.
...
The next morning, Mo Bai came downstairs to share breakfast with his father. They sat quietly at the table, eating from several dishes with chopsticks, until Mo Shen spoke with his usual cold tone.
"You’ve been off training missions for two weeks now since you joined the academy, Mo Bai. It’s time to resume them. Especially now that you’re learning techniques—it’ll help you master yours."
"Alright. I was planning to head deeper into the forest anyway to refine my skill. This lines up well," Mo Bai replied calmly, unsurprised, still eating at a relaxed pace.
"No, not that kind of training. You’ve moved past the point of fighting beasts. It won’t benefit you much now. I’ve prepared everything already. It was part of my plan to toughen you up—I just didn’t tell you. I wanted to catch you off guard by framing it as normal task work. So, what do you think? Are you ready for special missions and real training?"
Mo Shen spoke like it was an ordinary comment, but beneath it, a hidden pride shimmered—he was quietly pleased to drop this surprise.
Mo Bai lifted one eyebrow slightly, a small flicker of surprise showing on his face.
"Hmm... I don’t mind. I somewhat expected it. I didn’t think you’d let me just keep fighting beasts when there were better ways to gain real combat experience."
"Good, then. After you return from the academy today, you’ll face your first challenge. Come straight home as soon as you’re done, Mo Bai."
With that, Mo Shen finished his food and stood up, heading toward his training chamber.
"Understood, Father," Mo Bai muttered softly since his father had already walked off, then finished eating and set off for the academy.
...
Inside the training chamber, Mo Shen sat cross-legged, a faint smile playing at his lips as he whispered to himself:
"What I’ve prepared for you isn’t easy at all, Mo Bai. I doubt you’ll keep that indifferent attitude once you return. But it’s good. No matter how smart or well-taught you’ve been since childhood, overconfidence is inevitable when your plans go smoothly. This challenge will hone you, my son. I look forward to seeing your growth, your maturity... and your rise in power, Mo Bai."