News of the Flame Belle, Dunhuang's Burning Plains / River of Sand

"This year's class is probably the most promising one yet."

For every person praising, there's someone criticizing. Those who were extremely disappointed with the National Prefecture War mocked him directly:

"Every year they are the most promising cohort, but every year they are eliminated in the first round of the top 32."

"Anyone who didn't know better would think it was some unknown little country, but then they see the name: Kyushu, the magical superpower!"

"Those Great Noble Families control the quotas for the National Academy, and even the most worthless spoiled brats can squeeze into the ranks. They all lack willpower, perseverance, and any fighting spirit, while outstanding commoner magic geniuses are unable to participate."

"Haha, that's hilarious! Even the great magician Einstein from abroad has to learn how to offer a toast when he comes to Kyushu."

"How many instructors have these National Academy teachers changed year after year? It's all the same old wine in new bottles. I advise you to be more realistic and first figure out your own tactics, strategies, and magical concepts."

This part of the public opinion happens to dominate, leaving many netizens who wanted to support the cause speechless, as their past achievements simply did not give them the confidence to speak out.

Even the terrifying rumors surrounding Lu Jun couldn't reverse this public opinion.

At Jinyuan Apartment, Lu Jun saw numerous official media outlets and independent media outlets vying to promote and report on it, which made him thoughtful.

No wonder the hype is soaring; it turns out the authorities are deliberately promoting it to generate buzz for the upcoming National Prefecture War.

He also saw the online discussions and found them somewhat amusing.

However, it must be said that the previous two National Prefecture War were indeed disappointing. Eight years before that, Zhan Kong and Qin Yuer had an accident and were demoted to Bo City when Lu Jun was in his first year of high school.

With their core players gone, the outcome was obvious: they were eliminated in the first round of the top 32.

The previous Zhan Kong was Zu Xiangtian, who was also eliminated in the first round of the top 32, unfortunately encountering the United States team.

The last eight years have been a period of rapid growth in the magical strength of the Nine Provinces, but they have always failed for various reasons. Let's not talk about the previous few sessions. The overall national strength has not caught up, which is reflected in the National Team, and the results are not good.

"National Prefecture War Winner... Reward: [Divine Seal Praise]."

Lu Family muttered to himself, determined to succeed. This blessing could multiply the base power of a Magic System by 1 to 3 times, which was more terrifying than most Innate Talent.

Whoever receives a bonus of more than double will be certain of mastering the forbidden spell.

Of course, only those like Mo Fan and Lu Jun, who have the Azure Dragon and White Tiger Pendant to assist them, can solidify to 2 times the original value.

Most people can only maintain 1.5 times, which is already pretty good, and many are around 1.3, which is equivalent to [Water Repelling Pearl], but that's still considered abnormal.

However, winning the championship is not so easy. This year's British Team, Zhe Luo, is an freak. He has two Grand Commander Summoned Beast in the Summoning System alone, as well as a high-level level three Wind Element cultivation and a strange Chaos Element.

If Lu Jun's Metal Element, spatial ability, and mental state cannot be exposed, dealing with a Great Commander will be very difficult unless he can quickly kill it by unleashing the [God Ascension] state.

"We need to continue strengthening and improving our Space Element and Summoning System."

However, Lu Jun had only been cultivating for a few days when Mo Fan, with the help of a Healing System teacher, recovered from his mental injuries and actually took the initiative to come to his door.

In the living room, Mo Fan looked utterly miserable. He had finally advanced to a high-level position and was about to make his mark, but he had been slapped to the ground and was now unable to get up.

Not only did I fail to show off, but I also suffered a humiliating defeat in front of everyone. I've never been so ashamed in my life, and I've never suffered such humiliation.

"Old Lu, that's not fair of you."

Seeing the other person's wicked expression, Mo Fan couldn't help but recall that post on WeChat Moments, and his fist hardened.

Lu Jun suppressed a laugh and asked, "What brings you here?"

"It's serious business," Mo Fan said, frowning. "You advised me before that I shouldn't rush to awaken a new Magic System when I reach a higher level, but should consider the Demon Element instead."

"But I only have three Intermediate Level perfected elements left, and I can't advance any further. I also can't gather enough Star River Vein in a short time. Continuing to wait is just wasting time. I plan to awaken two new elements. What do you think?"

"Is the Demon Element really as good as you say?"

Upon hearing this, Lu Jun understood; he would have made the same choice in his place. So he casually said, "It's up to you to choose. After all, what if you don't like the Magic System you awaken and then blame me?"

He wasn't worried at all that Mo Fan would miss out on the Demon Element. Whether it was high-level awakening or Super Rank awakening, the other party would definitely use it, and once used, the demonic factor would lurk in his body, haunting him relentlessly.

Including Lu Jun, who refined the Blood Abyss, all of them possessed demonic power to varying degrees.

When Mo Fan undergoes his fourth awakening at the Super Rank, the Demon Element will be born alongside him. It would be much more interesting if it had an additional effect like the Rock Element.

Hearing these perfunctory words, Mo Fan scratched his head. In fact, he already had a plan in mind. He had been easily defeated by Lu Jun's Curse Element and was even considering gritting his teeth and choosing a Mind Element to make up for his mental weakness.

However, reason prevailed afterward, Mo Fan realized that his style was not suited to being all-around. On the contrary, the Space Element Teleportation was very tempting, and his offensive methods were comprehensive. The Light Element defense and offense were also quite good.

Mo Fan didn't stay long before heading to the Magic Association to awaken his powers.

Chapter 209 News of Flame Princess, Dunhuang Scorched Plain

Oriental Pearl Tower.

Mo Fan touched the Dimensional Awakening Stone, his expression a mixture of surprise and disappointment.

Within the spiritual space, two newly born stardust particles emerged, one shimmering pure silver, ethereal and dreamlike, the other chaotic and undefined, its color matching the lonely backdrop of the universe.

He thought to himself, "[Space Element] has awakened, but why isn't the second element Light Element? What is this?"

Fortunately, after researching, Mo Fan finally understood what type of element his advanced third awakening was.

[Space] and [Chaos]!

He had some understanding of the former, but with the latter, he was completely clueless and had no idea what effect it would have.

"Sigh, never mind, I'll ask Old Zhao later. Let's focus on cultivation first."

Mo Fan scratched his head. He had been defeated by Lu Jun, but spurred by his shame, he decided to train relentlessly to win back his title.

However, Zhao Manyan was not optimistic and analyzed Lu Jun's powerful Curse Element one by one, including his spiritual realm equivalent to the power of Soul Seed, top-grade Curse Substance, and magical domain.

To this, Mo Fan was frustrated to discover that his supposedly powerful high-level Fire Element was completely blank, and reaching Lu Jun's level of Curse Element was a distant dream.

This gap might be even larger than the Intermediate Level.

"Leaving aside spiritual realm for now, sigh, this is the first time I've heard of upgrading a new elemental space requiring something like a Soul Seed, starting with the Fire Element?"

Mo Fan frowned deeply; even the most ordinary artificially synthesized Soul Seed cost five or six hundred million.

Wouldn't it be better for him to use that money to buy the Star River Vein, upgrade all his elements to a higher level, and boost his combat power even faster?

"Damn it, buying it is out of the question; I'll have to find it myself."

Finally, Mo Fan helplessly mocked himself, looking at his own abilities again and again, trying to find a new and easy way to grow, when he suddenly noticed the Summoning System.

Yes, the Summoning System Contract Summoning is undoubtedly a magic that can defy fate; whether you become a dragon or an insect depends entirely on this skill.

Old Lu's third element, Summoning System, is merely a beginner -Dimensional Summon. Yet, that mysterious deer beast, with its Sub-Commander combat power, is in no way inferior to the high-level Water and Curse elements.

However, as Mo Fan thought about it, he felt even more pained, realizing how naive he had been just a few days ago.

So what if they wear down Lu Jun's Water Element magic energy? It's wishful thinking to think that the Shadow Master Night Thunder Dream Beast can be delayed until its summoning time runs out by relying solely on the Shadow Element.

"Then let 'Summoned Beast."

He acted on his idea, and after a quick look around the Hunter's Alliance's base at the Oriental Pearl Tower, he was speechless. He gritted his teeth and Summoned Beast with the bloodline of General-level.

But the General-level are useless to Mo Fan. Old Wolf is already a Warrior-level beast; at least Commander-level Contract Beast is needed for him to be effective.

Items at the higher or Commander-level, like those for commanders, are priced in the hundreds of millions, which he can't afford.

Just as Mo Fan was feeling slightly dejected, he strolled around the Oriental Pearl Tower and saw something interesting, muttering to himself, "What is the [Knowledge Scroll]?"

After some investigation, he realized that the information posted on the Hunter's Alliance's bounty list was correct and had been verified before being made public.

The information recorded in the Knowledge Scroll was entirely hearsay and inaccurate, yet it contained great value.

Hunters sell this information at a fixed price. Once a transaction is completed, the information belongs exclusively to that person and cannot be traded again; it's considered a form of mutual exchange.

It contains all sorts of information, including Spirit Seed Fragment, the distribution of Demon Beast, and materials for synthesizing Soul Seed. The higher the authenticity of the information and the higher the level of the target, the greater the value.

Mo Fan was curious, thinking that he had come to the Magic Association for nothing and hadn't accomplished anything, so he decided to spend some money.

The price range of ten thousand yuan is within my budget, so I bought seven or eight [Knowledge Scroll] at once.

As a result, Mo Fan opened them one by one, but found not a single piece of information useful to him. He couldn't help but curse, "What Knowledge Scroll? It's just like scratching lottery tickets!"

However, he was always lucky. When he got carried away, he gritted his teeth and bought another one. He pulled a miracle in a single draw, reading. "Northern Corner of the Scorching Plains, Flame Princess shows signs of conceiving new life."

Huh?! Flame Princess?! Flame Princess?!

Mo Fan almost thought he had misread it, so he quickly went to ask his hunter partner Ling Ling and finally confirmed it.

The so-called Flame Princess is a type of [Elemental Spirit]. Elemental Demon are common, but Elemental Spirit are rare. Only Elemental Demon with bloodlines reaching the Monarch Level can be called holy spirits.

They are often born in regions where the elements of heaven and earth are particularly extreme and intense; Flame Princess is a holy spirit of the fire element.

The Elemental Spirit possess a unique ability: they can merge with Summoner. If their Magic System are compatible, their combat power will increase significantly.

Mo Fan's eyes lit up. This was perfect! Fire Element Soul Seed are generally found in the northwest region of China, a dry and sunny area. The Northern Corner of the Scorching Plains of Dunhuang happens to be in this region.

He went to Dunhuang and, if he was lucky, obtained both the Flame Princess and the Fire Element Soul Seed, greatly increasing his strength to the point of being comparable to Lu Jun. If he was unlucky, he would settle for the Flame Princess and use her as a pet for two purposes. If he trained her well, it would be equivalent to obtaining the Soul Fire.

As for not getting either, impossible! Absolutely impossible! Hahaha!

Immediately, Mo Fan, having nothing better to do, went to assemble a team. Lingling was the strategist, Ling Ling Zhao was the defensive expert, and coincidentally, Zhang Xiaohou and his wife had just finished their work at Dongting Lake and were on a long-awaited vacation.

That's right. Zhang Xiaohou's two-year courtship culminated in a marriage of convenience, a legitimate military marriage. Both of them have dedicated themselves to the country, making it undoubtedly the most romantic love story.

A few days later, Mo Fan set off with Ling Ling, Xin Xia, and the others.

Meanwhile, Lu Jun was also keeping an eye on the news from Dunhuang. As Hunter Master, he easily obtained more accurate information and learned about Mo Fan's actions.

But Lu Jun wasn't in a hurry; he was waiting to use Flame Princess to lure out the [Ghost Wife].

"Sister, your Fire Element has been at the Intermediate Level perfection for a long time. Let's go to the Northern Corner of the Scorching Plains to find Soul Seed or related materials. Maybe then we can break through to the high-level."

Several days after Mo Fan left, Lu Jun cautiously went to Lu Mei's room and spoke to her.

"Hmm." The older sister pondered, then gave a soft hum. "Alright, it's been a long time since we went monster hunting together."

Hearing these words, Lu Jun breathed a sigh of relief; this could be considered an expression of forgiveness.

Little did she know, Lu Mei was also secretly reflecting on why the despicable Tang Yue had raided her home—because she hadn't accompanied her younger brother on demon-hunting trips in a long time.

When you spend less time together, your feelings for each other fade.

The two siblings acted swiftly and decisively, boarding a plane and heading to Dunhuang, the starting point of the ancient Silk Road.

Just now, from the plane, they saw the endless yellow sand, the scorching sun, and the Gobi Desert, which filled them with emotion and their thoughts were racing.

This place was once an oasis, known as the pearl of the frontier, covered with rivers and forests.

Yes, it was forests, not grasslands; back then, the Yellow River was still the mother river of the nine provinces.

Lu Jun recalled his grand idea: to use magic to restore the soil and water of the Northwest. He had been studying related array formations under his teacher, Dean Xiao, for a year and was making good progress.

After a moment, he came to his senses and looked towards the airport, where a group of strange people were.

The large family's magic team included a mysterious figure in a wheelchair, completely wrapped in white cloth.

Chapter 210 Sand Net River

"That's Ghost Wife?!"

Lu Jun couldn't help but ponder. In his memory, it seemed to be around this time, before or after the baptism of the Heavenly Tribulation Fire in the Dunhuang Scorched Plain, that Zhao Yulin arrived with Ghost Wife disguised as his wife, Jiang Feng.

As the first high-level team to step into the Scorching Plains after the Fire Calamity, they arrived at the core area ahead of many major forces, under the Star Language Sky Tree, and seized the Fire Calamity Fruit, which was also the embryo of the Flame Princess.

Then, the Ghost Wife used Chen Ying, the daughter of the Flame Witch Jiang Feng, to betray her own mother.

The most despicable thing is that Jiang Feng kindly saved the Ghost Wife in the past, but instead of being grateful, this woman repaid kindness with enmity, brazenly taking over Jiang Feng's identity and committing all sorts of crimes.

NTR (Netorare, a term referring to a form of incestuous behavior or violence) has brought together ethical malice and murder. Anyone with a normal set of values would be outraged upon learning of this.

At this moment, Lu Jun could sense from afar two figures in the center of the group: a handsome middle-aged man and Ghost Wife wrapped in white cloth.

The former was Zhao Yulin, Jiang Feng's husband, Chen Ying's father, and Zhao Manyan's uncle, with a high-level second or third-tier cultivation. The latter, the Ghost Wife, exuded a strong resentment. He nodded in satisfaction, "Excellent ghost material."

Isn't that a coincidence? It means that as long as he follows behind Zhao Yulin and his group, he can smoothly arrive at the Star Language Sky Tree.

There should be materials for synthesizing Soul level Flames there. If you're bold, you could even find Soul level- level Flames there. After all, it's the place where elements reach their extreme, a place that can nurture the Monarch Flame Princess. The Heavenly Tribulation Fire is even the legendary [Heavenly Seed] level flame.

"Oh, right, there's also the [Star Language Sky Tree], an absolute Heavenly-level tree species, the source that nurtured the Flame Princess. The reason the Flame Princess couldn't be born again in the original story was due to environmental issues, not a problem with the tree species."

Lu Jun stroked his chin, thinking, "Perhaps if we transplant it to a suitable environment, it will regain its vitality and continuously give birth to Flame Princess."

If only there were a Plant Element mage, this would be a perfect opportunity for a plant-based Magic System.

Of course, moving out of the Scorching Plains and finding a similar environment is not so easy. In the hot northwest of China, the Tarim Basin is far superior to the Scorching Plains.