"It's likely your innate talent will be second-grade. That was the level of my own innate seal as well." Mo Bai's father said in his usual calm tone, fingers interlocked as he sat across from his son.
"But! Don't make the mistake of believing your future is already set in stone, like most of those ignorant fools think." he continued, his voice turning firmer, eyes brimming with resolve and ambition.
"There is a way to break through those so-called limits… and you, Mo Bai, will break them." Mo shen's eyes sparkled with unwavering confidence in his son, and Mo Bai met them with a faint, steady smile as he muttered audibly:
"Of course I will."
…
Mo Bai recalled his father's words from a week ago, word for word, as he stepped toward the platform. He finally stood before the glowing crystal orb, his heart filled with renewed resolve. This was only the beginning of a long journey that would demand intelligence and courage, Talent? That would just be a bonus.
As Mo Bai's name was announced, the crowd naturally began murmuring again, though this time, not without reason, Mo Bai was really famous.
"Mo Bai… the little beast." someone whispered with a mix of curiosity and respectful envy. "I wonder what his innate seal will be like, My father always calls him a genius, and I think he's right."
"Of course he's right." his friend replied with a sigh. "Have you ever seen a six-year-old hunting beasts?"
"He's been doing it for four whole years, almost daily! If that's not genius, I don't know what is. My father never stops comparing me to him, says if I were half as useful, I'd help with our household expenses. But that boy's just not normal, You agree, right?"
As the chatter spread among the children in the rows, Elder Mo stood watching Mo Bai with a faint smile on his face, his eyes filled with obvious interest.
'Mo Bai… this boy is extremely gifted. I've sent my men to observe him several times, during his hunts, and even in spars with other children. His fighting ability is exceptional.
He beats other kids easily, even when they gang up on him, seems he's already learned martial arts from his father, his instincts and reactions are sharp. But what's even more impressive is his intelligence, how he sets traps and uses weapons so cleverly while hunting, He's truly talented. As long as his seal is at least second-grade… then I can begin making plans.
All of this, the thoughts, the whispering, happened as Mo Bai climbed the platform. The moment he reached the top, he placed his hand on the crystal orb without hesitation, his short self-meditation had only lasted a few seconds.
One second… two seconds…
Then, a vibrant flash of blue light.
A pale blue, glowing seal appeared on the back of Mo Bai's hand. Intricate, like all seals, but clearly less complex than the one Yi Kang had received.
"Second-grade Lightning Seal, an uncommon talent," the elder announced loudly once more, but this time for Mo Bai.
The boy smiled faintly at the result, thoughts racing through his head.
'Just as expected, after all, both my parents have second-grade seals, the odds were over eighty percent, this is perfect.'
Gasps and envious glances rippled through the crowd. While the result wasn't shocking, it was still enough to stir jealousy in those who watched.
'So, the little beast got a second-grade sea, that means the Mo Faction has outperformed ours again this year, damn it. And there are still more Mo children yet to be tested, their faction has been slowly gaining ground for ten years now, year after year, they're closing the gap between the second-grade talents of Bai faction and theirs. If this keeps up, our thousand-year-old Yi Faction will be left in the dust.'
Elder Yi's thoughts churned with intensity. Sweat trickled down his face as he clenched his fists so tightly the veins bulged.
'It all began ten years ago. If only that massacre hadn't wiped out over half our faction's elite talents during that one cursed month… If only I had known they were being targeted, Damn it! If I ever find out who was behind that, I'll rip their eyes out and make them beg for death they won't be granted!'
Meanwhile, Mo Bai calmly stepped down and rejoined the line of children who had already completed the test. A genuine, childlike smile spread across his face, one that didn't make him seem naïve, but rather showed just how happy he truly was, as a talented child.
...
"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."
"Did you see that, Elder Ye? My faction has geniuses, brother and sister both have third-level talents, and they can become third-level Seal Masters in the future, so there's no need to worry at all." Elder Mo said with a mocking tone and a smile on his lips.
'You bastard.' Elder Ye thought, his fist clenching on the armrest of his chair, before continuing his thought with annoyance and tension, 'That bastard is right, his faction has many geniuses, his faction obtained a third-level talent 15 years ago as well, while ours who appeared nine years ago was killed, at this rate, my faction this generation will suffer under the Mo faction, and also this gap will be cumulative and will increase with time, 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 for the Shadow Blade City's inner gate, which led to the outer city. This city was divided into an inner section for clan members of the various factions and an outer section for all visitors and slaves, and it was also where commerce was concentrated. But Mo Bai stopped midway and headed toward a stall to 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 stall owner said as he handed the pouch to Mo Bai.
Mo Bai handed over a quarter of a Nia stone in return, then took the bag, tied it to his belt, and continued on his way until he finally reached the gate leading to the outer city.
He then entered the outer city directly without paying any fees, as anyone leaving the inner city was obviously already a member of the clan, of course, but what also showed that upon returning was the clan symbol on the belt.
'This will most likely be the last week I clear this mission level, once I learn to use Nia, the mission will get more difficult, huh?' Mo Bai thought calmly as he took his first steps onto the dirt ground after also exiting the outer city.
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.