Afterward, Jiang Yu often wandered around the Demon City and picked up quite a few talents.
"Demon City really is something."
Jiang Yu looked at the new stats displayed on his panel.
[Host: Jiang Yu]
[Rank: First Rank Mage, Ice Element Intermediate 2, Fire Element Intermediate 2, Shadow Element Intermediate 1, Space Element fully mastered.]
[Talent: S-rank: Heavenly Fate, born to be extraordinary. A-rank: Dark Ice Heart, elemental mastery, Star Constellation Insight, accelerated magic recovery, increased magic power. B-rank: Fire, wind, earth, light, ice resistance, dragon essence and tiger vigor...]
[Evolution Points: 4900]
[Divine Skills: Talent Assimilation, Talent Fusion, Talent Ascension (locked)]
He had collected three B-rank talents! And one of them was a C-rank talent.
Two of the B-rank talents were elemental resistances.
The other one was "Dragon Essence and Tiger Vigor."
Dragon Essence and Tiger Vigor was somewhat special. It was created by fusing the C-rank talents "Soul Strength Enhancement" and "Physical Strength Increase."
With this talent, Jiang Yu's height had already reached 186 centimeters.
He also had a lean, well-built physique. His tailored suit fit him perfectly, and his clothes showed off his muscular frame.
He could feel how strong he had become. Even with just his bare hands, he could beat some ordinary monsters to a pulp!
Jiang Yu glanced at his panel again.
"Three steps of rapid growth. That's fast."
But only a few days had passed.
His Ice and Fire Elements had reached Intermediate 2, and his Shadow Element had also successfully broken through to the First Rank!
"I wonder why I haven't picked up any more evolution points lately."
Jiang Yu saw that he had a little over a hundred evolution points left.
He had spent about a hundred points to buy a brand-new Star Magic Device for Xiaotan.
The Star Magic Device he'd given her for her graduation ceremony had barely any magic power left in it.
Jiang Yu planned to save up more before buying her another one. After all, it had been her thoughtful gift...
Xiaotan had also eaten quite a lot of magic cores.
She had already reached her juvenile growth period, and Jiang Yu had even given her dragon blood to drink.
He imagined Xiaotan gnawing on something, doing her best to chew...
"Buy a sacrificial offering for the Holy Spring. By the way, the demons can use it to improve their eyesight, too."
The Holy Spring Sacrifice was held at the busiest place in the Demon City.
Looking toward the majestic building that soared a hundred meters into the sky, Jiang Yu secretly wondered whether going to the Holy Spring Sacrifice would bring him any rewards.
He took a flying carriage to the designated venue.
As soon as he entered the Holy Spring Sacrifice grounds, Jiang Yu briefly examined the demonfolk waiting in line.
"High-ranking demons, please divide into teams. The next batch of lower-ranking demonfolk's elite candidates are 1,280 meters away."
The sight of this line of scarred demons made Jiang Yu feel that he was still young.
He couldn't help thinking to himself,
The people my age are all beginners. And yet these demons are already so advanced at such a young age.
"It looks like I'll have to visit the Blue Sky Tower first. I can't let the elite candidates from the lower-ranking demonfolk join the city's demon hunting squads."
Jiang Yu immediately arrived at a quiet, old-fashioned courtyard.
In the midst of the Demon City's modern urban sprawl, an old-fashioned courtyard like this seemed entirely out of place.
As soon as Jiang Yu entered, he heard a sound like pearls rolling across a jade plate.
"Three steps for the Heavenly Spring Pavilion. Those under thirty, please raise your hands to sign up."
A girl with delicate features, sitting at a green stone table and tossing jade beads, was speaking. Her fingers moved so quickly that they blurred.
"I'm here to apply to join the Heavenly Spring Pavilion."
Jiang Yu spoke up.
The woman, who was focused on her game, looked up at him in surprise. Then she turned toward the courtyard and shouted,
"Someone's here to apply to join the Magic Pavilion!"
At that moment, an old man who looked rather unpleasant walked out. He gave Jiang Yu a look, then asked,
"You're Jiang Yu, the new student at Mingzhe Academy who defeated that arrogant kid, right? I saw the recording."
"You're strong. Join my Heavenly Spring Pavilion, and you'll have a promising future."
"You can call me Uncle Bao."
Before Jiang Yu could answer, Jing Jing had already come up beside him.
Her big, bright eyes were full of curiosity.
"You're Jiang Yu? You're the one from that video!"
Ever since Jiang Yu's fight with the new student at Mingzhe Academy, news of his talent had spread like wildfire.
At least in the Demon City, almost every mage knew about him.
Uncle Bao considered it for a moment, then said to Jiang Yu,
"The Shepherd family's Shepherdess is joining them."
Jing Jing froze, then asked in surprise,
"Isn't that just a rumor? The Shepherd family offered a thousand gold to recruit her. Even if I put in a whole year's salary, I still couldn't afford a magic tool of the First Rank!"
Jiang Yu also spoke up,
"What does the Shepherdess look like? How much can I get?"
Jiang Yu had been thinking he needed to save up more to buy Xinghe a Heavenly Talent!
Otherwise, if he waited until her cultivation filled up, she might get stuck because she didn't have enough resources.
Uncle Bao ignored Jing Jing's question and continued,
"The Shepherd family is recruiting spirit mages in the Six-Ray Valley. Your level isn't high enough to join the Magic Pavilion, but the Demon City doesn't discriminate against outsiders."
"And all the major families come to the Six-Ray Valley every year."
"As for how much you can get..."
Uncle Bao looked at Jiang Yu, thought for a while, then held up a number.
"Seven hundred gold! And any spirit mage you bring along will get the same offer."
When he held up that number, Jing Jing thought Uncle Bao must have lost his mind.
According to the usual practice, a magic mage would be lucky to get half the offer.
"Seventy-thirty split? Then—"
Jiang Yu immediately agreed.
Without the Heavenly Spring Pavilion, no other group could get a share.
Besides, it was a good opportunity to have Jing Jing help bring in the spirit mages.
Uncle Bao laughed heartily and headed back into the courtyard. He sat down in a reclining chair and savored his tea.
Jing Jing gave him a suspicious look.
"Did you get Uncle Bao drunk on some kind of soul-bewitching drug?"
Jiang Yu put his hands up.
"I have no idea."
Jing Jing took out a pink tablet and entered Jiang Yu's information. She looked displeased as she said,
"You'd better really have the ability to earn seven hundred gold."
"Otherwise, if the mission goes badly, you won't get a single coin."
Jiang Yu looked at Jing Jing's puffed-up cheeks and felt that she was kind of adorable.
Jing Jing used her status as a mage to accept the mission, then said coolly,
"Meet here tomorrow morning. Then I'll take you to the Shepherd family."
"By the way, what should I call you?"
"Just call me the Shepherd family's Shepherdess."
After Jiang Yu understood the details, he immediately left the Blue Sky Tower.
On his way home, he unexpectedly received a call.
The voice on the other end sounded a little tired.
"Little Yu, you haven't called your cousin in ages."
Ever since he'd saved Tang Yue, the two of them had been keeping in touch a lot less.
"How could I forget my cousin? I've just been busy."
Jiang Yu quickly returned home.
"Anyway, back to business. I've been tracking a wanted criminal lately. He seems to have already reached the Demon City."
"Be careful. He may be keeping an eye on you and plotting to sneak into the city."
"I'm going to Desert City tomorrow. Make sure you're there to welcome me."
"Got it, Cousin Ying Yue. Tomorrow I'll be taking on the mission to investigate the Holy Spring Sacrifice."
Jiang Yu reminded her,
"Ying Yue, remember to take some precautions. I'll finish the call here."
The next day
The Six-Ray Valley was located near the coast, close to the Demon City. It was a very unusual valley.
It had formed when the sea had eroded the surrounding land over countless years. The valley was also home to many rare natural resources!
At the same time, there was a terrifying layer of dark matter at the summit.
The magnetic field there was strange, and could have a fatal effect on anyone who ventured in.
Anyone who went more than twenty meters inside would be contaminated and die.
Even the four great families of the Demon City had sent their Transcendent elders, but none of them had found an explanation.
That was why the Six-Ray Valley had become a place for the four great families to train young mages.
The Shepherd family was one of them.
Among the crowd, a young woman with an especially striking figure stood out.
Her pale skin and long legs were eye-catching, and her autumn-water-clear eyes were bright and lively. The slight upward tilt at the corners gave her an air of cool elegance.
At that moment, she was chatting with a group of unusual mages.
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