Time Lag

Over the next few days, he continued cultivating. Lin Lan's Lightning Element only rose from 3.6 times to 3.7 times after absorbing the Lightning Element Spirit Seed Fragment. He estimated that another Lightning Element Spirit Seed would allow it to break through into a Soul Seed. He could not help envying Qin Yu'er for being born with an Innate Soul Seed, though it was dangerous as well. The Arbitration Council would not tolerate such geniuses appearing before their eyes.

Mo Fan had awakened the Shadow Element and Summoning Element the day before yesterday, and he had been overjoyed. The moment he awakened, he called Lin Lan to share the good news. Now he was still cultivating tirelessly in his room. It seemed he would not come out for at least half a month, and Xin Xia even had to bring his meals to his room. Mo Jiaxing could not stay idle at home. After Mo Fan bought him a car, he went back to driving for hire.

"Let's pick up a commission." With that thought, Lin Lan headed to the Demon Hunting Hall. Cultivating at home was far less effective than going out to hunt demons. "I'll just take some commissions within Magic City. I can also raise my demon hunter rank and strive to become a Demon Hunter Master as soon as possible." A one-star Demon Hunter Master held some status anywhere, while a three-star Demon Hunter Master held the same standing in a place as its mayor.

When he arrived at the Demon Hunting Hall, the same staff member received him. She was a beautiful young woman with fair skin, a gentle and graceful demeanor, and a fresh, refined air about her. The professional outfit, hip-hugging skirt, and black stockings were standard attire here, yet she somehow looked more elegant than the rest.

"Mr. Lin, you're here again. Thank you for attending our Bai Family's auction. My name is Bai Wanting." Bai Wanting looked at Lin Lan with sweet smile curving her lips, her tone exceptionally gentle.

"I'm here to take on a commission. Help me look through them. Honestly, I'm rather curious why someone from the Bai Family would work as staff at the Demon Hunting Hall." Lin Lan looked at Bai Wanting, a trace of curiosity in his eyes as he spoke softly.

"I'm not a mage, and I'm only from a branch of the Bai Family. This is simply work arranged by my family. Our Bai Family has demon hunting squads at the Demon Hunting Hall that need reception staff, so they sent me here. I haven't been working here for long." Bai Wanting raised her eyes to Lin Lan, then began searching through the commissions.

"Mr. Lin, would you like an outdoor commission or one within Magic City? I'll filter them for you." Bai Wanting surely knew about the auction. Her service attitude this time was noticeably better, and she was more attentive as well.

"You great families have it good. One arrangement gets you an iron rice bowl, far better than most people have. Just find me one within Magic City." Lin Lan said with an easy smile.

"You flatter me, Mr. Lin. I've filtered them for you. Please have a look and see whether there's anything suitable." Bai Wanting handed the tablet to Lin Lan.

Capture an escaped Summoned Beast, a Feather Sparrow. Commission reward: 900,000.

Three Blood-patterned Giant Rats have appeared in Magic City's sewers. All must be eliminated. Commission reward: 3,000,000.

A Bone-eating Demon Summoned Beast has escaped within Magic City. Capture it within four days. Commission reward: 800,000.

"Help me accept the first commission." After giving it some thought, Lin Lan decided the first one was most suitable. The commission locations were all in Pudong New Area, so he would not have to travel far to complete it. After cultivating at home for a week, he needed to stretch his limbs a little. As for whether the pay was high or low, it did not matter much. A man worth fifty million had confidence wherever he went.

"Certainly, Mr. Lin. This is the client's contact information. Once you complete the task, you can directly deliver the Summoned Beast to the employer." Bai Wanting said softly as she wrote down the contact details.

"Hello, are you the one who commissioned the search for the Feather Sparrow? Send me the detailed information." Lin Lan called the employer. After he hung up, the employer sent over a photo as well.

Dimensional Summon. Lin Lan summoned the Crimson Wind Eagle. The higher one stood, the farther one could see. A creature like a Feather Sparrow was either flying or hiding in the woods. He could first search the skies over Pudong New Area, then look around the places where ground rats—the Feather Sparrow's favorite food—often appeared.

He searched the skies above Magic City for a long time. He did not find the Feather Sparrow, but he did spot quite a few other Summoned Beasts, along with their summoning mages. Magic City had airspace restrictions. One could not fly through areas used by aircraft, and airplanes had devices that interfered with demons. Summoned Beasts in Magic City also needed to be registered, or they were not allowed on the roads.

"Big Eagle, head to the forest. We'll search there." The Crimson Wind Eagle began flying toward the wooded area.

Once they reached the forest, it was much quieter. There were also plenty of demon tracks, all left by creatures drawn there for the ground rats. Numerous burrows dotted the ground, traces of the ground rats. These creatures were generally herbivores and were also one of humanity's favorite delicacies.

"I found it the moment we got here. That was fast." A Feather Sparrow stood on a treetop before Lin Lan. It was five meters long, covered in white feathers, with a sharp beak and three slender, long tail feathers.

"Big Eagle, make your move..."

After a series of maneuvers, the Feather Sparrow was successfully bound by the Space Element, unable to move. Lin Lan formed a claw with Void Grip and restrained the Feather Sparrow. "Squeak, squeak!" The Feather Sparrow cried out in displeasure.

"Big Eagle, let's go back and turn it in." The Crimson Wind Eagle carried Lin Lan toward the location where he was to meet the employer.

"Mr. Lin, thank you for helping me recover the Feather Sparrow. Here is one million. The extra one hundred thousand is an efficiency bonus." The employer was deeply grateful that Lin Lan had found the Feather Sparrow so quickly, so he naturally paid him extra.

"It's nothing. It's what I should do." Lin Lan said indifferently. He had merely been passing the time and honing his skills. After bidding the employer farewell, Lin Lan went to take on his next commission. By the end of the day, he had completed three commissions and earned 2.8 million. In his previous life, he would have had to work for most of his life to earn that much. Yet Lin Lan did not know that he had once again drawn someone's attention without realizing it.

Magic City, Pudong New Area residential district.

"My lord, the person who has repeatedly appeared at the Demon Hunting Hall to accept commissions is Lin Lan, the one Lady Salang is looking for. Mo Fan is also in Magic City, but we have not found any trace of him." A Gray-robed Cultist knelt before Yu Ang and reported.

"Alright, I understand. Leave." After the Gray-robed Cultist departed, Yu Ang began contacting his superior.

"My lord, based on our speculation, the Earth Sacred Spring should be on Mo Fan. However, Lin Lan has now appeared, while Mo Fan remains nowhere to be found." Yu Ang spoke in a low voice to the communication device on his chest.

"The Earth Sacred Spring is the priority now. As for Lin Lan, Lady Salang said that if you can kill him, then kill him. We are being watched, so it is inconvenient for us to act. I will send someone over. Cooperate with him." The voice on the other end was icy, clearly harboring murderous intent toward Lin Lan.

"Yes, my lord!" Yu Ang turned his gaze toward the window, his eyes filled with killing intent. "Mo Fan, Lin Lan, neither of you will live."

The moment Lin Lan returned home, he began cultivating without pause. He felt that his Space Element in his spiritual world was on the verge of a breakthrough. He only lacked a slight opportunity to reach the second level of the intermediate realm.

Within his spiritual world, two nebulae and two star dusts revolved continuously. The Space Element steadily improved through meditation, and with the aid of the spirit-grade Star Dust Magic Tool, his cultivation progressed naturally.

Spatial Rhythm—Time Lag. Silver light flashed in Lin Lan's eyes, and a silver star map lit up beneath his feet. The space inside the room began to change. Lin Lan tossed out a cup of water, and under the effects of Time Lag, the water flowed slowly through the air, scattering into individual transparent droplets.

"Another new skill." Lin Lan's Time Lag was extremely effective, influencing the entire surrounding space. Holding the water in place for fifteen seconds did not consume much mental energy, and he could maintain it for longer. Controlling more powerful skills would require greater mental energy and have shorter durations, but it was undoubtedly a powerful skill.

Looking at the many skills of the Space Element, Lin Lan thought of an endless-control torture-style combat method.