Edited by Aelryinth

"I have a question. How are you going to restrict the use of other Elements? Do we have to refrain from using them ourselves?" Tao Jing asked.

"The Barrier Core uses the Earth Element. If you want to enter the city, we'll apply a Seal to your Spiritual World that is tightly bound to the Barrier Core. The Seal will separate the other Elements in your body, preventing you from using them. As a matter of fact, when the Barrier Core is activated, the presence of the Earth Element within fifty kilometers from it will be overwhelming, thus reducing the level of other Elements. Mages close enough might fail to cast spells of the other Elements!" the Battlemaga said.

"What happens if we are in danger?" Lin Qihui had to ask.

"You can choose not to enter the city! We were supposed to not let ANY visitors in during this time!" the Battlemaga snapped sharply.

Lin Qihui was troubled. He turned around to discuss it with the others. Even though he was the organizer of the trip, he had to let the others decide if they were willing to Seal their Elements off.

"If the presence of the Earth Element is strong here, wouldn't we benefit from it if we cultivated here?" Tao Jing said.

"Yeah, this might actually be an opportunity for us. Apparently, some Earth Mages have managed to break through to the higher levels at times like this!"

Lin Qihui asked everyone in the group and it was soon plain that no one was planning to leave. They all wanted to observe the Barrier Core in action!

"How about you?" Tao Jing asked Mo Fan, who was not a regular member.

"I've already come here. There's no point to turning back now," Mo Fan said.

Mo Fan did not mind Sealing his other Elements off temporarily. He had already decided to disguise himself as a student with the Earth Element while his reputation was still in ruins. It did not matter if he could not use his other Elements, as long as his life was not in danger.

The Seal only prohibited his Spiritual World from connecting with the outside world. It was not going to suppress one's Spiritual World entirely, so Mo Fan was still able to Meditate while his other Elements were Sealed. It would not stop him from practicing his Star Palace!

His Star Palace was an ambitious project. The Magic Accelerators Zhao Manyan had bought for him were not effective at all, but Little Loach provided Mo Fan with great help after its recent upgrade. He believed he could learn the Super Lightning Spell before the arranged duel with the man from the Zu Clan. Otherwise, he might not stand a chance against him!

The Battlemaga began to Seal off their Elements after the students gave their consent.

A man in a light brown outfit came up and greeted the Battlemaga with a gentle smile. "Wen Xia, why are you on duty here today?"

"Fine, I'll be patrolling around the Dongtian Cave to prevent those annoying little demons from messing with our barrier," the man informed her.

Wen Xia simply ignored the man. She uttered coldly to Mo Fan, who was standing behind Tao Jing, "Next!"

She had been very efficient in Sealing the students' Elements. She was expressionless throughout the process, like an inspector stamping pork meat. However, her eyes sharpened when it was Mo Fan's turn, as if she had noticed something.

"You are a student, too?" Wen Xia asked him seriously.

"Yeah, I'm from the Pearl Institute!" Mo Fan took out his student ID.

Dean Xiao had purposely given Mo Fan a new identity to help him with the disguise. Mo Fan had come prepared.

"Humph!" Wen Xia checked Mo Fan's ID and did not ask any more questions, but her eyes were filled with disbelief.

She could easily determine a person's cultivation from the difficulty of Sealing off their Elements. She was having difficulties sealing Mo Fan's Elements. If it wasn't for the Barrier Core, she would have failed to Seal Mo Fan!

Mo Fan's identity was valid, hence Wen Xia felt there was no need to expose him. Many people had learned about the city's upgrade through different sources, so a lot of Earth Mages had come to take advantage of it.

---

The Seal was placed beside a person's soul. Mo Fan tried using other Elements after going into the city, but quickly confirmed his Elements were 'muted'.

It felt like he had the log and the tinder, but it was still impossible to start a fire without oxygen. The presence of other Elements was too lacking here!

The unique walkways and stairs made of stone in the city were a dazzling sight. However, the soldiers patrolling the streets gave them a feeling that a war was going to break out at any second.

The inn they were staying at was located at the middle of the mountain, and was also built with wood and stone. Mo Fan was able to see the other side of the large city behind the tall mountain. He roughly estimated the city to be around three times the size of Bo City, not to mention having so many buildings that were densely packed together. It would be very easy for people to lose their way among the buildings!

"Come, I'll bring you all to the famous Dongtian Cave!" Lin Qihui seemed very excited. He was gathering the group up before they could get some rest.

The group followed Lin Qihui to the west side of the city. Mo Fan soon noticed that the mountain was not just an isolated peak. It was connected to a mountain range extending into the distance to the west. The city was only the tip of the iceberg that was the mountain range!

The Dongtian Cave was shocking to see. The truth was, it was not just a cave; it was more like an underworld that had yet to be fully explored even today!

The terrain of the Dongtian Cave was heading deeper while the mountain was growing higher, forming in a huge ravine between the ground and the mountain. They were so far apart that it felt like the mountain was actually floating above the ground. The end of the ravine was a steep slope, diving down into a world of stone and darkness.

Mo Fan stood on the edge and stared into the cave. Even though he was unable to see what was inside the cave, he was quite impressed by the spectacular view. No wonder the city was so famous, having such a unique cave right beside it. It was definitely worth coming for!

"Apparently, it's so big inside that it feels like there's no end to it. The city has explored less than a tenth of it so far," someone in the group mentioned.

"It might be less than a tenth. I didn't have the guts to go inside the last time I came. I won't miss out on it this time!" Lin Qihui said passionately.

"Heaven knows what kind of monsters are down there; I'm not going inside. We'll just stay outside and look around."

"Don't worry, someone will be guiding us."

"The city is being upgraded to a first-tier Elemental Capital. Could it be that someone has discovered some rare resources inside the cave? Otherwise, where did the Barrier Core come from?"

"It's possible! I bet there's more than one in the cave, so the military has decided to take over. Oh my, the place must be full of treasures. The Soul Seeds will be everywhere, just like weeds!"

Everyone in the team felt excited all of a sudden. Even Mo Fan was intrigued, staring into the dark cave.

He might actually find something valuable inside it!