Chapter 5: Spiritual Power Level Two Guidance?

A black military SUV, rumbling with a low growl, pulled up at the entrance of a dark, dense forest on the outskirts of Jianghai City.

The door opened, and Ye Hongyu stepped out first.

She scanned the surroundings warily, confirmed it was safe, then opened the back door.

"Master, we've arrived."

Lin Mo stretched lazily and got out of the car.

He stared at the forest, perpetually shrouded in mist.

A cold wind blew through, leaves rustling, and occasionally, the roar of beasts echoed from deep within.

【The "Fireball Spell" let out a cackling laugh: "Darkwood Forest, I, Little Fireball, am back! Tremble, monsters! Fear, ants! My wrath shall once again purify this land of sin!"】

"…"

"Keep it down. You're a skill, not a villainous final boss."

Lin Mo's lip twitched as he silently grumbled in his mind.

The two walked into the outer edge of the forest, one behind the other.

As she walked, Ye Hongyu expertly drew two gleaming daggers and said:

"Master, to maximize your leveling efficiency, I won't team up with you."

"Team-up splits your experience, and higher-level players leading lower-level ones reduce the experience gained."

"My plan is for me to lure and control the monsters, reduce them to near-death, and let you land the final blow—so you get 100% of the experience."

"Understood, Ye Jie, thanks for the effort."

Lin Mo nodded, his face relaxed.

Ye Hongyu watched his casual demeanor and sighed inwardly.

She had watched this young master grow up.

Though he'd always been lazy since childhood—preferring to lie down rather than sit up—he'd never been arrogant or spoiled like other young masters from wealthy families.

He was always polite and respectful to servants; everyone in the household liked this young master.

She'd expected this awakening setback to depress him for a while, but he'd shown surprising drive—staying up all night leveling right after awakening.

Too bad… he'd awakened as a blank-element mage.

A flicker of regret passed through Ye Hongyu's eyes.

In this world, mages valued "elemental affinity" above all.

Affinity determined not only damage and skill-learning probability, but also "control" over spellcasting.

A fire-element mage, even a beginner, could make fireballs obey his will—point, shoot, strike exactly where aimed.

A blank-element mage? Like wielding a gun with massive recoil—whether it hits depends on fate.

The gap in control became more obvious the higher the level.

The young master had the will, but this innate deficiency was too hard to overcome…

Ye Hongyu thought to herself.

She'd pushed hard these past few days to help him level, but passing into the legendary "Capital Supreme Academy" was impossible.

The academy had stood for centuries—and had never admitted a single blank-element mage.

As she pondered, the two had advanced deeper.

Ye Hongyu halted, her expression turning serious:

"Master, ahead is the territory of Shadow Wolves. Though also level 3, they're famed for speed and agility—extremely troublesome."

She turned to Lin Mo and suggested:

"Given your current control over Fireball Spell, even if I reduce them to near-death, you'll likely miss these agile targets."

"Missing wastes your mental energy and time."

"My advice: avoid this area and head west for 'Ironhide Wild Boars.' They're slow-moving, thick-skinned—perfect for practicing your aim."

Lin Mo listened, then shrugged indifferently:

"We're already here. If we run into them, just weaken them for me—don't waste the experience."

"But…"

Ye Hongyu still wanted to persuade him.

"Relax, Ye Jie. I've got some confidence in my aim."

Lin Mo grinned, radiating confidence.

After all, Little Fireball had already cleared this area last night—Lin Mo had zero worries.

Ye Hongyu froze, studying his confident expression, a flicker of doubt rising in her.

Where did the young master get this confidence?

He's probably never faced a high-agility monster.

Even an S-rank fire-element mage, on the first day of class, would barely hit a Shadow Wolf.

But then Ye Hongyu reconsidered.

True—wild monsters in Verdant Grassland weren't as fast as Shadow Wolves.

He probably just hasn't seen one, so he's overconfident.

"Fine. Since Master insists, let's try."

Ye Hongyu said no more, gripping her daggers tightly: "If you miss, I'll finish them off immediately—no danger to you."

"Got it, Ye Jie, thanks, Ye Jie!"

Lin Mo laughed and patted Ye Hongyu's shoulder.

The moment he spoke—

Swish—!

The dense shrubbery on the left suddenly exploded open, a gray-black afterimage shooting out like an arrow released from a bow!

【Shadow Wolf, Level: Lv. 3】

"Watch out!"

Ye Hongyu's eyes sharpened, her body moving faster than her voice.

She kicked off with her long legs, darting forward like a phantom, her dagger slicing through the air with a cold, gleaming flash.

"Aowu!"

The shadow wolf mid-leap let out a shriek of pain.

Ye Hongyu precisely slashed its front leg and abdomen, then delivered a clean side kick straight into its flank.

Boom!

The shadow wolf crashed heavily to the ground—alive, but utterly battered.

"Master, now's your chance!"

Ye Hongyu shouted loudly, stepping back at the same time to clear the killing zone.

Though wounded, this beast—a monster famed for its speed—still possessed formidable instinctive evasion at the brink of death.

Now it all depends on whether Master can seize this opportunity!

"Go, Xiao Huo."

Lin Mo issued the command.

【Fireball Spell didn't even bother to look at the wolf: Hmph. A mere stray dog—let this lord grant you a glorious death!】

Whoosh—!

A bright orange fireball shot forth from Lin Mo's palm.

In that instant, true to its reputation for agility, the wounded shadow wolf twisted violently to the right, activating its innate skill: "Shadow Flash."

This roll perfectly dodged the fireball's original trajectory.

"Damn, it missed!"

Ye Hongyu's heart sank.

Was it really not possible?

The novice mage's Fireball Spell had a straight trajectory—utterly incapable of adjusting to sudden directional changes.

She was about to strike the finishing blow, lest the wolf threaten Master's life.

But in the next second—

Ye Hongyu froze in place, her eyes widening in shock, as if witnessing something impossible.

The fireball, which had clearly missed, suddenly came to a violent stop after grazing the wolf's flank.

Then—

The fireball forcibly reversed direction, executing a sharp U-turn and hurtling straight toward the shadow wolf.

【Fireball Spell sneered: You dare to dodge? Did I give you permission to dodge?! Die, worm!】

Though Ye Hongyu couldn't hear Xiao Huo's inner voice, she faintly sensed the fireball radiating a furious, humiliated aura as it turned.

Boom!

The spinning fireball struck the shadow wolf with pinpoint precision.

The already low-health shadow wolf was instantly obliterated, flesh and blood exploding outward.

【Slain Shadow Wolf (Lv. 3), +20 Experience Points gained!】

After slaying the shadow wolf, Xiao Huo faithfully vanished on the spot, as promised.

"!"

At that moment, Ye Hongyu stared fixedly at the lingering flames beside her.

"This… is this…"

"Second-stage mental guidance?!"