Judge Night Hawk

Bocheng's old barbecue stall.

"Monkey, let me tell you, today Lanzi and I..."

Lin Lan quickly kicked Mo Fan. Mo Fan had obviously drunk too much and was about to blurt out nonsense. They had not brought Monkey along because they did not want to drag him into something like wiping out the Black Vatican. Besides, Monkey's cultivation was not high enough.

"Ah—hahaha, today we saw a long-legged beauty on the road. She was gorgeous..."

Mo Fan also caught Lin Lan's hint and hurriedly changed his tune with a laugh.

"Really, Brother Fan? But why weren't you and Brother Lan home over the weekend?"

Zhang Xiaohou was puzzled. Just seeing a pretty girl would not make Mo Fan look so smug, would it? He usually wore nothing but a lovestruck expression.

"We went out to hunt monsters and save Bocheng while we were at it."

Lin Lan's words left both of them completely baffled.

Zhang Xiaohou asked in confusion, "What does hunting monsters mean?"

Mo Fan, meanwhile, looked utterly bewildered as he thought, "What does saving Bocheng mean? Weren't we hunting demons for money?"

However, seeing that Lin Lan did not say anything more, neither of them pursued it. They continued drinking and chatting.

After returning to school, they resumed cultivation. It was nearly their senior year already, and they had long since finished their magic theory classes. The school simply let everyone cultivate on campus, and those whose results met the school's standards could also cultivate at home. Still, Lin Lan preferred the atmosphere at school. At home, he was alone.

"I still need to visit Teacher Tang Yue today and report the location of that cave entrance."

With that thought, Lin Lan got up and headed for Tang Yue's office.

Knock, knock, knock.

"Come in."

The moment Lin Lan entered, he saw Tang Yue working diligently at her desk.

Tang Yue was indeed very charming. She had curves where a woman ought to have curves, was conscientious toward her students, and her family was generally made up of Arbitration Council members. Her home even had a Supreme Monarch-level Totem Mysterious Snake. Lin Lan was almost tempted to let her keep him.

"Teacher Tang Yue, I'm here."

Lin Lan spoke.

"Did you find anything in the wild?"

Tang Yue stopped working as well, turning her beautiful eyes toward Lin Lan as she asked.

"Teacher Tang Yue, when have you ever had to worry about me getting things done? I found one in the stone forest west of Bocheng."

Lin Lan answered with a smile.

"Good. Our Arbitration Council has sent over one High Mage and two Intermediate Mages."

"You're from Bocheng and familiar with this area, so take them to those caves as best you can. They'll handle the rest. The Soul Vessel you wanted is already being purchased for you."

"Also, once this is done, I'll apply for a spirit-grade Star Dust Magic Tool as an additional reward."

Tang Yue's words were full of temptation. Clearly, Lin Lan was going to be put to work again, leading the Arbitration Council bigshots around.

"Alright, Teacher Tang Yue, you're really generous."

"Teacher Tang Yue, does your family need someone to warm your bed?"

After giving it some thought, Lin Lan agreed. Although he was not a "real" Bocheng native, they were offering far too much for him to refuse. He even grinned and joked with Tang Yue.

"Smooth talker."

"If there's nothing else, go back."

After saying that, Tang Yue turned away and ignored him. Then, after thinking about it, she smiled knowingly. Perhaps if she had been Lin Lan's age, she really might have fallen for someone so handsome, humorous, and capable...

Over the next few days, Lin Lan cultivated continuously, and his Space Element cultivation steadily rose as well.

Within Lin Lan's spiritual world, the Space Element stardust occupied most of the space. The bright white Lightning Element star particles made up only a small portion and were extremely restless, yet they became very quiet near the Space Element's territory. Lin Lan could not figure out why his Lightning Element acted like this every day.

The remaining black regions were undeveloped areas within his spiritual world. They would have to wait for another magic awakening before they could be lit up.

"The Space Element is about to break through. I need to give it some more time."

Lin Lan devoted all his cultivation time to the Space Element. He cultivated through the entire night, and finally—

"Space Element, Level Three!"

A silvery-white gleam lit up in Lin Lan's eyes. "Mind Control—Air Shield."

A silvery-white spatial shield immediately appeared around him, enveloping his entire body.

"My offense is maxed out, and now my defense is maxed out too. Eight skills in total."

The corners of Lin Lan's mouth lifted slightly. The Three-Eyed Demon Wolf had been destroyed by the Space Element's immense power last time. Space was mysterious and powerful, and his Space Element was even more extraordinary. Once it developed, its future would surely be unparalleled.

Lin Lan imagined the future, raising his gaze slightly. A bright white glint flashed through his eyes, as though stars were shining in their depths, revealing a hint of mystery...

That day, Tang Yue brought Lin Lan to the Magic Association to meet the other Arbitration Council members so they could get acquainted and plan their next move.

"Hello, I'm Judge Night Hawk."

Night Hawk's eyes were deep and sharp, his face stern. He spoke to Lin Lan in a voice devoid of emotion.

"Hello, I'm Lin Lan."

Lin Lan responded. Night Hawk gave him the impression of someone with an expressionless face. Even a simple introduction made him seem cold and distant.

"Hello, Night Hawk. I'm Tang Yue from the Lingyin Arbitration Council. Lin Lan is my student. He's quite capable and familiar with the surrounding area, so he'll guide you."

Tang Yue greeted Night Hawk as well and stated Lin Lan's identity.

"I know. The higher-ups sent me and two other Arbitration Council members to destroy the caves here and prevent demon invasions. They also mentioned this young man."

"Brother Lin Lan is so young, yet he already dared to take on the Black Vatican. Your Lingyin Arbitration Council certainly knows how to pick people." Night Hawk looked toward Lin Lan as he spoke, a faint smile appearing at the corner of his mouth.

"You flatter us. We're all doing this for Bocheng," Tang Yue replied.

Lin Lan's mouth twitched as he thought, So you're not completely expressionless after all.

The other two judges arrived one after another, walking toward the three of them.

"I'm Magic City Judge Shen Yibai."

"I'm also a Magic City Judge. My name is Zhao Wenjie."

Shen Yibai was tall and quite handsome, with a barely noticeable smile on his lips. The other man was somewhat thin and wiry, with ordinary features and a slightly dark complexion.

Night Hawk had the highest cultivation among them, having reached the High Mage level. The others were all at Intermediate Level Full Cultivation, leaving Lin Lan with a sense of helplessness.

Tang Yue remained in Bocheng to watch for any new movements from the Black Vatican, while Lin Lan and the other three headed into the wild. They would first bury the cave from that day, and if they encountered any Black Vatican members, they would eliminate them along the way.

Over the next half month, the group began their cave-burying journey. Shen Yibai was an Ice Element mage, so he first filled the caves with ice and froze the demons inside to death. Zhao Wenjie was an Earth Element mage, so he directly manipulated the earth afterward and sealed the caves shut.

They also encountered quite a few demons along the way, all of which Night Hawk casually killed. Lin Lan felt that he was truly just there to tag along, but that was fine. It was not as if they would withhold his reward, and not having to fight was even more comfortable.

They did not care for servant-level demons, so Lin Lan quietly slipped their corpses into his Spatial Storage and happily sold them off afterward.

Wang Dafu could not even handle all the sales alone, so Lin Lan found several other buyers. His hunter experience kept climbing until he was nearly a Hunter Elite.

"We haven't encountered any Black Vatican members during this time, but we've dealt with quite a few caves—eleven in total."

Night Hawk spoke to the group.

"Indeed. I think it's about time for us to head back."

"There are matters in Magic City that require our attention."

Shen Yibai said in a deep voice.

"Yes. Then we'll prepare to leave tomorrow."

"Lin Lan, you're not bad. At your age, you've already mastered the third level of basic magic. If you come to Magic City in the future and run into Black Vatican members you can't handle, come find me, Night Hawk."

Night Hawk thought highly of Lin Lan. He hoped someone like him would come to Magic City and bring fresh blood to its young mages.

"Definitely, definitely."

Lin Lan replied with a smile. He had gained quite a lot over the past half month. Selling demon bones alone had earned him 5.3 million. Since someone was inviting him to develop in Magic City, and he happened to want to attend Magic City Academy, he agreed.

Ring, ring, ring—

Lin Lan picked up his phone. The moment he answered, Mo Fan's shout came through.

"Lanzi, get your ass over here and save me! A One-Eyed Demon Wolf is chasing me! Bocheng's abandoned construction site!"

Mo Fan hung up immediately after saying that.

"What happened?"

Night Hawk had also heard the call and asked.

"My brother is being chased by a demon at an abandoned construction site."

Lin Lan said anxiously.

"Then let's go. We're heading back to Bocheng anyway."

As Night Hawk spoke, a contract summoning star pattern lit up on his body, and a Sky Eagle flew out from it. The Sky Eagle was enormous, with a vigorous and imposing form, sharp eagle eyes, and razor claws. It looked exceptionally majestic.

The Sky Eagle lowered its body, and the four of them quickly jumped onto its back.

"Sky Eagle, to Bocheng's abandoned construction site!"