Versatile Mage

 “Do you really think an heirloom treasure is worthless? They are all priceless. They are mostly some old magic Equipment that Super Mages donated to our school to express their gratitude as alumni,” Dean Xiao said.

 “Seriously!?” Mo Fan blurted out.

 The Dark Noble Mantle that he had received was a donation from Essendale, the strongest Shadow Mage. Even though the guy was condemned by the world so much that his coffin was about to explode, it did not stop his Dark Noble Mantle from leaving a mark for generations to come.

 Many people still had no idea that Mo Fan had the Dark Noble Mantle. It was the most expensive equipment that Mo Fan had, apart from the Black Snake Armor. It was perfect for sneaking, running away, and ambushing his target!

 —

 Mo Fan followed Dean Xiao to the Three Step Tower. He was a little confused. He could not help but wonder… was Dean Xiao actually thinking of offering him a chance to cultivate in the Three Step Tower for a year or a half as the reward?

 Mo Fan had spent some time cultivating on the Mountain of Blessing in Greece. It was a lot more efficient than cultivating in the Three Step Tower. The Three Step Tower did not really help much with his current cultivation, since it was more effective for Elements below the Advanced Level. It would only be useful once he Awakened his seventh and eighth Elements! He would still benefit a lot from cultivating in the Three Step Tower before the two new Elements reached the Advanced Level, however!

 “Come with me,” Dean Xiao led Mo Fan into the Three Step Tower.

 Most interestingly, Dean Xiao did not bring Mo Fan to the cultivating corridor. There was another path that Mo Fan had never seen before, leading to a different place.

 They went through a heavy door protected with magic. Mo Fan found himself in a room with lots of bookshelves and cabinets filled with ancient artifacts. It was like a museum, but somehow more dignified. It even had a pressure urging them to breathe slower and lighter. The things that were displayed had a certain aura to them…

 “Look at all these treasures!” Mo Fan was astounded. He never thought the Pearl Institute would have a place like this.

 High-level Equipment was normally referred to as a Soul-grade Equipment. These pieces of Equipment would have their own tempers, innate characters, power, and integrity, just like a living being. It was also why Mo Fan subconsciously held his breath as soon as he set foot into the room!

 “Professor Shi, I’ve brought a student here to pick his reward. This is Mo Fan, the one that won the World College Tournament. He just graduated,” Dean Xiao walked up to an empty chair.

 Mo Fan was stunned. Why was Dean Xiao talking to a chair?

 However, when Mo Fan took a closer look, he realized that someone was actually leaning against the chair. The shadow had blocked his vision. The man was like a transparent ghost in the shadow. It took Mo Fan by surprise.

 Mo Fan had the Shadow Element too, yet it was significantly weaker than the old man’s. He could not even detect the old man’s presence at such a close distance. Most importantly, the man was not using his magic at all. It was only the natural effect after his Shadow Element had reached a certain level.

 “Oh, I’ve met the kid before.” The professor leaned back and rocked the chair a little.

 Mo Fan went closer and realized that the old man did look familiar. However, he just could not remember where he had met the old man before.

 “On the train you took when you left Bo City, you asked me if there was any special way you can enter the Pearl Institute. I told you there was none,” the professor reminded him.

 Mo Fan finally remembered. On the train he, Xinxia, and his father took to Xiamen, they had a quick chat with a stubborn old professor they had stumbled into.

 “So it’s you! How fateful are we…” Mo Fan blurted out.

 “Fateful my ass! I already told you I was a professor at the Pearl Institute, but did you bother to come and visit me, despite being around in the school for so long?” the old man snapped.

 “I thought you were a liar, HAHAHA!” Mo Fan burst out laughing.

 “I won’t be fussy about it, considering the things you have done for the school.” The old professor smiled too.

 “I’ll bring him around then,” Dean Xiao told the old professor.

 “Yeah, feel free to do that.” The old professor did not talk further. He had a languid demeanor.

 ——

 Mo Fan followed Dean Xiao around the room. He turned around and took a quick look at the old professor, and discovered that the old man had vanished into thin air again.

 Dean Xiao led Mo Fan deeper into the room. They soon reached a cabinet filled with Deathstrike Equipment.

 Dean Xiao was thinking of getting Mo Fan a Deathstrike item, since they were usually more costly. Mo Fan still did not own a Deathstrike item.

 “Dean, forget about the Deathstrike Equipment, I already have too many attacking moves,” Mo Fan told him.

 “You’re right, what are you looking for then?” Dean Xiao asked.

 “Some defensive equipment. My defense is lacking,” Mo Fan said.

 Dean Xiao nodded. He brought Mo Fan to the section where the defensive Equipment was placed. As a matter of fact, there were not many pieces of magic Equipment. Each magic Equipment had its own display, with a long description of its lore.

 “Wait here, I’ll take a look at the records. It’s been a while since I last came here,” Dean Xiao said.

 “Alright.” Mo Fan proceeded to look around on his own.

 He soon discovered a bright feather placed inside a glass cabinet. It was only a single feather, but it was as big as a fan. He could even see the lines on it.

 Somehow, Mo Fan felt the pattern of the lines were familiar!

 He soon recalled the pattern that he had seen in the little hut on the heart-shaped island at West Lake, and the lines on Zhao Manyan’s wooden clapper…

 “Professor Timo…oh, Professor Shi, what is this feather?” Mo Fan said to the chair behind him.

 1Professor Shi slowly appeared. He said without even looking at the feather, “The only evidence that proves some powerful creature once existed in this world.”

 “What creature?” Mo Fan asked.

 “What do you think the strongest creature in our country over five thousand years ago was?” Professor Shi asked.

 “Women,” Mo Fan blurted out. He quickly straightened his face when he saw the displeased look on Professor Shi’s face, “I bet it’s the totem beasts?”

 1“Not bad! Many old Mages still have no clue what totem beasts are,” Professor Shi said.

 “Don’t tell me it’s the feather of a totem beast?” Mo Fan glanced at the feather and tried to imagine what the creature would look like.

 If a single feather was already this big, what would the actual creature even look like?

 “How much do you know about the totem beasts?” Professor Shi asked.

 “A little. I’m only familiar with the Black Totem Snake,” Mo Fan said.

 “Humans were at the bottom of the food chain in the early days. Back then, there were no Mages. The only reason we didn’t go extinct was that we were worshiping the Totem Beasts. Each primitive tribe worshipped their own Totem Beast, and in return, the Totem Beasts provided the vulnerable humans a safe environment. They were lots of Totem Beasts back in the day: Eagle Gods, Shark Gods, Snake Gods, Wolf Gods… different tribes were protected by different Totem Beasts,” Professor Shi explained.

 The history textbooks did not mention anything about the past. They did not even mention the words Totem Beasts.

 “Why don’t the textbooks mention anything about the Totem Beasts?” Mo Fan asked, confused.

 “Humans have gotten stronger now with the help of magic. Who would be willing to admit that they were once ruled by the Totem Beasts like slaves, even though the Totem Beasts had always been friendly to us?” Professor Shi said.

 “Fine,” Mo Fan understood.

 Humans had gone through three eras. The first era was the Era of the Totem Beasts.

 There were no cities, humans were living in the wild like the demon creatures. The humans had to rely on the protection of powerful Totem Beasts in order to not end up as food. A Totem Beast protected a human tribe. The Totem Beasts were also the symbols of the human tribes. Humans were weak and petty during that era!

 The second era was when magic first appeared. Humans started Awakening Elements and became Mages. They slowly parted ways with the Totem Beasts and set up their own territories.

 The third era was when magic became prosperous. Humans started to have lots of different Elements and build cities under the protection of magic barriers that even demon creatures had a hard time breaking through. Humans started living in cities and set up the safe zones, slowly expanding their territories while competing against the demon creatures. Even though humans were still weak compared to the demon creatures with overwhelming numbers, they no longer lived pettily like in the past.

 Every textbook in schools only recorded the history since the Awakening of magic. They never mentioned about the era where there were no Mages, nor did they mention the Totem Beasts.

 “Why did the Totem Beasts disappear? Didn’t you say there were many of them? Did the demon creatures kill them all?” Mo Fan asked.

 The only Totem Beast left in the country was the Black Totem Snake. It was too much of a difference compared to the era where every tribe was protected by a Totem Beast. Weren’t the Totem Beasts so powerful that the demon creatures would not dare to provoke? Why did so many of them disappear?

 “I think so. The demon creatures have always been unfriendly to the Totem Beasts. However, the Totem Beasts were born for battle, yet their natural enemies weren’t the demon creatures…” Professor Shi said. He did not continue.

 Mo Fan felt silent, too.

 Perhaps the reason that humans were unwilling to mention the Totem Beasts was not just because they felt humiliated.

 “No one knew what actually happened, since it’s been so long…” Professor Shi said.

 Professor Shi did not continue the topic. Mo Fan lowered his head and read the description on the feather instead.

 The description was extremely long, but most of it was just speculation. Even the person that wrote it emphasized that he could only speculate about the Totem Beast due to the lack of evidence.

 Mo Fan read until the end and noticed a familiar name at the bottom.

 “Jiang Shaoguan?” Mo Fan read the name out.

 “A good kid who’s extremely fond of the Totem Beasts. Unfortunately, he never came back after he discovered the ruins of a powerful Totem Beast,” Professor Shi said.

 Mo Fan had heard the name from Jiang Shaoxu!

 She had gone to the desert to look for clues of her brother’s whereabouts. Mo Fan had not expected that Jiang Shaoxu’s brother had found the feather of a Totem Beast. It was a remarkable discovery!

 Without those people exploring the ancient ruins, humans would eventually forget about the Totem Beasts!

 History was never something to feel ashamed of, or scars that people were not willing to reveal. It was actually a reminder of how humans had been moving forward!

 There were no species that could not go extinct in the world. Even the Totem Beasts that were born for battle had become a part of history…