Thunder Town

Time flew by in the blink of an eye, leaving behind only more refined cultivation after practicing magic and deeper insights into the various Elements.

"Ha ha ha..." Mo Fan leaped out of his room, laughing wildly without pause. After two months of secluded cultivation, he had finally emerged, looking as though he had mastered some divine art.

"Brother Mo Fan, what happened? Why are you so happy?" Xin Xia had been meditating in her room, but upon hearing Mo Fan's loud laughter, she came out. Seeing him still bouncing around, she looked rather puzzled.

"It's nothing, nothing~ I just finished controlling all forty-nine Fire Element Star Seeds, and I also linked the seven Summoning Element Star Seeds into a Star Orbit. Hehe~" Mo Fan chuckled, the corners of his mouth rising on their own.

"Mo Fan~ When did you awaken the Summoning Element? Weren't you Lightning and Fire?" Mo Jiaxing had been reading the newspaper. Upon hearing that Mo Fan had formed a Star Orbit in the Summoning Element, he put down his paper and looked at Mo Fan curiously.

"I awakened it a while ago. I'm planning to use the Summoning Element for the magic college entrance exam. Where's Lanzi?" After answering, Mo Fan looked around the living room but did not see Lin Lan.

"Mo Fan, what do you need me for?" Lin Lan had just returned from taking on a commission outside. He had heard Mo Fan chattering away as soon as he reached the door. Still, Lin Lan could not help clicking his tongue at how absurd Mo Fan's cultivation speed was. In the original story, he had mastered the third-tier magic of the Shadow Element and Summoning Element within a year, while also controlling the Star Patterns of the Lightning and Fire Elements. That pace was simply ridiculous...

"Lanzi, I just wanted to ask you to go out and have some fun. Nothing else," Mo Fan said with a smile.

"Sure~ Let's go out later. I just got back." Lin Lan agreed readily. He knew Mo Fan probably wanted to head out and hunt again. Lin Lan already had fifty million in savings, but it was still nowhere near enough to buy even a Star River Vein.

The two arrived at the Demon Hunting Hall once more. When Bai Wanting saw Lin Lan, she warmly came forward to receive them.

"Mr. Lin, please have a seat. I'll make tea for you both." After inviting them to sit, Bai Wanting went to fetch the tea set.

"Lanzi, the way she looks at you seems a little different~ There's some admiration in her eyes," Mo Fan whispered teasingly.

"To be honest, it might be because I'm just that capable. You know?" Lin Lan replied.

"Mr. Lin, Mr. Mo, please enjoy." Bai Wanting carried over a tray with two cups of freshly brewed tea and placed them before the two men.

"Thank you~ We came this time because we wanted to find a commission or bounty. Somewhere near Magic City will do," Lin Lan explained their purpose to Bai Wanting.

"Mr. Lin, I learned some information these past few days. Many Magic Hunters have gone there to hunt demons. I think you may be interested," Bai Wanting said, looking at Lin Lan with gentle, smiling eyes.

"Go ahead~" Lin Lan grew curious as well. If numerous Magic Hunters were heading there, it had to be a place where demons appeared frequently and were highly valuable.

"A large number of servant-class Demon Sparrows have appeared in Thunder Town near Magic City, and there are quite a few Warrior Rank ones among them. Their tail feathers are excellent materials for crafting magic equipment. A single servant-class Demon Sparrow is worth two hundred thousand, and there are so many of them that countless Magic Hunters have been drawn there." Bai Wanting made it sound highly enticing as she told Lin Lan all the information she had gathered these past few days. Presumably, once Lin Lan collected some Soul Essences, they would also appear at the Bai Family auction.

"Alright, we'll go to Thunder Town. Thank you as well, Miss Bai, for the information. Otherwise, we would have missed this opportunity. Any Soul Essences we collect will also be put up for auction at the Bai Family's auction house." Lin Lan understood some of Bai Wanting's intentions. Information like this was usually only passed among demon-hunting teams. It seemed that, as a member of the Bai Family, Bai Wanting had some useful connections.

After a long while, the Crimson Wind Eagle carried the two of them toward Thunder Town.

"Lanzi, what's your cultivation at now?" With nothing to do, Mo Fan wanted to ask Lin Lan and see whether his own cultivation had caught up.

"Space Element, intermediate level two. Lightning Element, intermediate level two. Summoning Element, beginner level two. Ice Element, beginner level two," Lin Lan said calmly. During these two months of training, he had also successfully cultivated his Lightning Element to the second level—Thunderbolt: Yaksha.

"Damn! I thought I'd caught up to you, but I'm still just a rookie." Mo Fan cried out. He had been excited just moments earlier, but upon hearing this, his head drooped and he became utterly listless.

After half an hour of flight, the two arrived at Thunder Town and walked into it. In Lin Lan's eyes, the town's buildings were quaint and elegant. Houses of blue brick and white walls stood in neat rows, while sunlight filtered through the roof tiles and cast mottled shadows below. The place carried a strong sense of history.

"A town next to Magic City can have this much character too," Mo Fan remarked as he looked around the ancient town.

"Thunder Town~ Why is it called that?" Lin Lan was somewhat puzzled. Thunder Town should have something to do with lightning, yet this town did not seem to have any special connection to it.

"Are you two here for sightseeing or demon hunting? Our hotel can arrange lodging. If you don't book now, there may not be any rooms left in a few hours." A plain-looking woman called out to them. She was apparently sent by a hotel to solicit guests.

"There are hotels here?" Mo Fan had assumed a place like this would only have old-fashioned inns. Wasn't that how it was in wuxia novels?

"You're in the old town district right now. The people living here are mostly elderly folks nostalgic for the past, and this is also where tourists come to visit. Thunder Town has a modern urban district not far away. Come with me," the woman said as she walked ahead of them.

"You solicit customers in a place like this too?" Lin Lan asked her.

"Many people who come here, like you two, visit the old town first and don't know where our new district is. That's perfectly normal. But this old town can't provide lodging," the woman explained to Lin Lan with a smile.

"Then why is your town called Thunder Town?" Mo Fan asked curiously. It was the first time he had encountered a town with such a name.

"Because Thunder Marsh Mountain near our town is struck by lightning almost every week, so it's called Thunder Town. The elders in town say this phenomenon has lasted for who knows how many years. But over the past month, the lightning strikes on Thunder Marsh Mountain have disappeared, and the sounds have vanished too." The woman spoke to the two of them, making it clear that Thunder Marsh Mountain was far from ordinary.

As Lin Lan listened, he could not help pondering. What mountain gets struck by lightning every week for so long? There might be a Soul Seed up there, but why hasn't any mage gone looking for it? And why did demons come here as soon as the lightning stopped? For the moment, Lin Lan could not figure out the reason.

After arriving at the hotel and checking in, Lin Lan and Mo Fan planned to rest for another night before heading into the wilderness around Thunder Town to hunt demons the next day. They also intended to investigate the secrets of Thunder Marsh Mountain. Mo Fan kept insisting that if there really was a Spirit Seed up there, they absolutely had to seize it so his Lightning Element could receive a boost as well.