Full-Time Mage: Starting with Obtaining the White Tiger Pendant

Fortunately, at the critical moment, Lu Jun reacted and quickly retracted his hands, the door-sized Shock Gold Sword held horizontally in front of him, firmly shielding his entire body.

With a clang, the Alpha Wolf's pounce was blocked by the heavy sword, but the abundant impact force was something a frail human body could hardly withstand.

Lu Jun was sent flying, his chest tight, the azure water garment around him rippling as countless strands of water splashed up. As his back hit the ground, he saw four or five One-Eyed Magic Wolves pouncing on him, the pack biting and tearing, trying to rip him apart.

A strong sense of crisis rose in his heart—once he was pinned down on the ground, even with Water Shield, it would be Certain Death.

Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck. He rolled on the spot like a donkey, dodging the ferocious encirclement of the demon beasts, and then saw the Advancement Period Alpha Wolf, with no pause, burst into a second charge, its massive body rushing at him.

Rumble!

Lu Mei barely intervened, casting a Level Three Earth Wave in one and a half seconds. A deep pit caved in beneath the Advancement Period Magic Wolf's feet, the soil churning as if turning into a swamp, causing the Alpha Wolf to stumble, its limbs sinking in and firmly trapped.

Although Lu Jun had gained a moment to catch his breath, the situation remained perilous.

In truth, if they had jumped off the cliff, they could have retreated completely unscathed, but all their hunting efforts would have been wasted.

At that moment, Lu Jun considered giving up, but immediately dismissed the thought. His gaze turned ruthless—if he backed down from such a small difficulty, he might as well go home and raise pigs instead of being a mage.

Then, the Gold Nebula in his Spiritual World seemed to sense this resolve. The originally dim platinum cloud radiance generated a new force, and the dust cloud's glow surged, not only expanding by a circle but also restoring a portion of his magic power.

After multiple kills, the Gold Nebula finally sublimated from its critical point, reaching Primary Level Three [Gold Radiance].

Buzz buzz buzz!

Lu Jun felt a stroke of inspiration. He let out a low shout and raised the four-meter-long Vibranium Heavy Sword. Golden patterns spread and outlined across its surface, a layer of sharp platinum radiance covering it as he swung down fiercely.

In an instant, a golden light burst forth from the greatsword, the arc condensed and shimmering brightly, spanning over ten meters with a sharp whistling sound piercing the air.

Pfft!

The Magic Wolf ahead couldn't dodge in time, struck squarely in the head. The sound of flesh and blood being cut rang out as the Gold Radiance swept through smoothly, cleaving its body in two, blood gushing out.

Not only that, the remaining momentum of the Gold Radiance didn't stop, slicing through the bodies of two more Magic Wolves behind before ceasing.

"What the?!" Lu Mei's beautiful eyes widened, filled with disbelief.

Lu Jun leaped up, muscles bulging, gripping the sword with both hands and slashing down fiercely at the Advancement Period Alpha Wolf. The Level Three Gold Radiance was triggered again—this was the good thing about the Gold element: once a magic tool was summoned, techniques like "Size" and "Gold Radiance" could be executed without controlling star particles.

The Alpha Wolf, trapped in the mud pit below, struggled desperately, only able to watch helplessly as the heavy sword descended.

Next Moment, Lu Jun's figure fell from the sky, a curved blade flashing with cold light as it slashed toward the Alpha Wolf's neck. The decapitating strike was fierce and powerful!

Pfft!

As Lu Jun landed on one knee beside it, a burst of blood spurted three meters behind him. The half-human-sized wolf head was thrown high into the air, crashing heavily to the side, even carving a deep trench into the ground.

The massive wolf body trembled and convulsed a few times before silently collapsing into the mud. The Alpha Wolf was dead!

He was bathed in the torrents of falling blood, scalding hot. When he stood up, his entire body was drenched in crimson, the Bloody Smell thick. His silhouette was like a demon, his Killing Aura overwhelming, and with one hand, he hoisted the wolf head high, letting out a roar.

In that instant, the seven or eight injured Magic Wolves around whimpered lowly, intimidated.

They had perhaps never seen a mage like this—closing in with his body, charging alone into the formation, beheading the Alpha Wolf!

"Scram!" Lu Jun tossed the massive wolf head high and kicked it in front of the wolf pack.

Seeing This, they retreated step by step, as if sensing the urge to flee.

Too bad it was too late. His elder sister shouted, "Level One Wind Disc!"

Rumble!

The gale swept across the Mountain Top once more, a ten-meter-tall tornado mowing through. Every wolf, whether injured or whole, was flung into the air, crashing down the mountain, dead without a burial place.

Seeing the entire wolf pack Before His Eyes completely cleared, Lu Jun finally sat down on the ground, panting heavily, his muscles aching. He had been somewhat bluffing earlier—his Gold Nebula had long since exhausted its magic power after fighting for so long and using two Gold Radiance strikes.

But when he saw the demon beast corpses scattered all over the mountain, his inner heart was filled with satisfaction and excitement. Primary Level Three! The next step was to break through to the Intermediate barrier.

This was two years ahead of Mo Fan, who only capped out at dual-element Primary Level Three near the end of his senior year of high school.

And the lethality of the Gold element was undeniable. The Gold Radiance technique made up for some of its shortcomings. From Then On, he had mastered mid-to-short-range killing power—the future was promising!

"An Advancement Period Servant-level beast—even Intermediate Magic might not instantly kill it—yet I easily beheaded it and killed it."

Lu Jun took a Deep Breath, ambition growing in his heart, eager to achieve something great.

On the other side, his Elder Sister Lu Mei Walked over, her expression both Shocked and worried. She had to admit, the sight of her Younger Brother holding the wolf head high, bathed in blood, had shaken her soul.

It was like seeing the silhouette of an epic hero—only sixteen years old, Primary Level Three, fighting demon beasts in bloodshed. Who among the world's youth could rival him?!

It took her a long time to regain her composure. Looking at her brother sitting there, she asked, "Are you okay?"

Hearing This, Lu Jun grinned and said, "With the heavy sword blocking and Level Two Water Shield absorbing the impact, I'm probably fine. I'll get a thorough check at the hospital later. For now, let's hurry and collect the spoils."

As he spoke, Lu Mei's brows curved, her smile blooming like a flower, and she nodded lightly: "Mm!"

Soon after, she took a dagger and went to finish off the Magic Wolves scattered across the ground, of course, reinforcing herself with Water Shield to avoid any mishaps.

As Lu Mei cut through the corpses, her mind wandered. Once upon a time, she had given up the chance to attend a magic academy for her brother. A single woman raising a half-grown child—the invisible discrimination she faced in society was no small matter.

Whether it was the magical path she yearned for or the ordinary life of being a wife and mother, she knew the moment she made her decision that those were far behind her.

She had given up a lot, raising Lu Jun to adulthood. Seeing him become capable and independent only added A Few layers of loss—when a child spreads his wings and flies, what about her?

Now, as Lu Jun quickly repaid her efforts, Lu Mei realized she was still young, still had a chance. She could pick up the dreams that had fallen into the dust, brush off the grime, and charge toward that supreme hall of magic.

Chapter 24: Servant-level Essence Soul!

Lu Mei cut through the materials, and as she cut, she let out a low laugh, as pleasant as silver bells.

So this was what nurturing felt like? It really wasn't bad—that deep, solid joy of planting a seed in spring and reaping the harvest in autumn was utterly intoxicating.

She added silently to herself that it had to be a Five-Star Character Card as obedient, well-behaved, and capable as her younger brother to experience this kind of happiness.

Lu Jun, resting nearby, couldn't make heads or tails of it and asked in confusion, "What's wrong, Elder Sister? A big haul?"

"It's okay." His elder sister bent down to pack up the materials, outlining a graceful back. After a moment, she paused, turned her head, and smiled radiantly. "Tell me, do you think we could become Great Mages?"

Hearing this, Lu Jun was momentarily stunned, then said firmly, "We definitely will. We'll become Forbidden Curse Mage Gods, and our names will shine with indelible glory in the river of history."

Lu Mei smiled. "You're letting your imagination run wild. For us siblings, reaching Super Rank would already be a success!"

"Your vision's too small." He pursed his lips, rested a bit, and stood back up. In this battle, they had killed at least fifty magic wolves. In his field of vision, firefly-like, deep blue specks of light rapidly converged into the White Tiger Pendant.

A total of fifty Remnant Souls, gathered automatically without needing to collect them himself.

Lu Jun's spirit probed into the White Tiger Pendant, and his vision suddenly opened up. A blood-red, murderous dark lake appeared, with nearly a hundred specks of Remnant Souls floating on its surface.

These had been accumulated from the past until now.

The magic tool contained a mustard seed space. At its peak, it was definitely a soul tool, its grade rivaling a Forbidden Curse. Even though it had fallen now, it still had the auxiliary effects of a Nebula Magic Tool and a Nebula-level Soul Vessel.

When he peered into this Golden Blood Lake, the hundreds of specks of light suddenly stirred, rapidly overlapping and fusing, actually forming a thumb-sized, deep blue candle flame. A not-weak aura emanated from it—it was actually a complete Servant-level Essence Soul!

"Remnant Soul synthesis. As expected, what Mo Fan's Little Loach has, the White Tiger Pendant also has."

Lu Jun was slightly delighted. Although the synthesized Essence Soul couldn't be released from the White Tiger Pendant, it still had wonderful uses, like nourishing star particles and raising the upper limit of the star dust.

Normally, a mage's magic at the Primary, Intermediate, Advanced, and other major realms could at most be raised to [Level Three].

But if one used a demon's Essence Soul to nourish it, they could break the limit and achieve an unprecedented [Level Four], or even [Level Five].

However, to get a [Primary Level Four] magic, all seven star particles had to be nourished with Servant-level demon Essence Souls, requiring a total of [seven] Servant-level Essence Souls.

Given that one Servant-level Essence Soul cost five million, this would cost thirty-five million, enough to buy two Spirit Seeds. And a configuration of dual-system Intermediate Spirit Seeds was the standard for Prodigies from Great Noble Families.

So no one was willing to upgrade their star particles, unless they had a divine artifact like Lu Jun or Mo Fan to absorb demon Remnant Souls and synthesize Essence Souls, allowing them to be Rich and Powerful.

A Primary Level Four magic was equivalent to half an Intermediate magic. It could instantly kill a demon of the same rank, and easily defeat a Servant-level demon in the Advancement Period.

The key was saving magic energy. One had to know that the consumption of an Intermediate magic was seven or eight times that of a Primary magic. This raised combat power by more than just a notch.

It was said there was a similar [Innate Talent], where all spell levels in a certain magic system were +1. While others were capped at Level Three for Primary, Intermediate, and Advanced, they were capped at Level Four.

And this was just Level Four. If one wanted Primary Level Five, it would require seven General-level Essence Souls, costing 140 million!

And for Intermediate Level Four... forty-nine star particles, forty-nine Servant-level Essence Souls... hiss.

Lu Jun recalled that even Mo Fan, in the future, at most only raised his Advanced to Level Four and stopped. He did have Level Five magic for his Primary and Intermediate.

"Take it one step at a time."

He felt that, given the unique nature of the Gold System, all star particle enhancements would fall upon his Natal Magic Tool, the [Shock Gold Sword], granting it boundless power.

But before Lu Jun's spirit could leave, another surprise came.

He saw a complete Servant-level Essence Soul rise from the corpse of the Advancement Period magic wolf. The deep blue candle flame quickly fell onto the White Tiger Pendant on his chest.

Lu Jun saw two Servant-level Essence Souls floating and sinking in the blood-colored lake.

"Hahaha, we hit the jackpot!" He laughed out loud, turned his head, and said to his elder sister, "Elder Sister, an Essence Soul dropped! Five million!"

Upon hearing this, Lu Mei was both surprised and delighted. According to probability, this was actually about the same luck. Plus, the Advancement Period magic wolf had a stronger soul, making it easier to produce an Essence Soul.

She quickly walked closer, then paused, asking, "Wait, where did you get a Soul Jar?"

Hearing this, Lu Jun glanced at her and said, "Secret. Don't ask so many questions. We'll exchange it at the Yin Mao Building. Five million in hand. You rent a top-tier Nebula Magic Tool for half a year and use the Earth System to break through to Intermediate."

"Tsk tsk tsk, dual-system Intermediate at twenty-two years old. Barely counts as a genius."

Lu Mei didn't press further. She pursed her lips and said with feigned reproach, "Hmph! Who are you mocking?"

Soon, the two siblings worked together to clean up the battlefield, extracting all the valuable materials from the demons' bodies, and finishing off any that were still alive.

They were worried that the bloody smell would attract other large groups of demons, so they didn't dare stay long. They only took the key parts and quickly withdrew.

After all, to some extent, a nest of One-Eyed Magic Wolves was a subordinate unit of a clan. Once the bloody smell in their territory lingered, the wolf packs from neighboring nests would come to investigate.

Both Lu Jun and his sister carried luggage half as tall as themselves, and could only run easily after being enhanced with Wind Track.

"Three million, three million worth of materials in total! The Exotic Blood and Bones from that Advancement Period Servant-level demon are very valuable."

His elder sister walked while counting like a money-grubber, her beautiful eyes turning into dollar signs.

Lu Jun smiled. That meant this haul directly earned them eight million. After deducting the three million for renting the Starry Sky Magic Tool, they could save the remaining five million. A few more trips like this, and by the end of the second semester of their sophomore year in high school, they'd have saved up two million to buy a Spirit Seed.

Of course, this was his special situation. Almost all Demon Hunting Squads didn't have a Soul Jar, which would reduce this income by five million. And even with good luck, they couldn't harvest an Essence Soul every time.

The two stepped on Wind Track and soon returned to the Xuefeng Mountain Outpost. The veterans there were familiar with the siblings and smiled, nodding at them.

Only Zhan Kong walked out. He swept his gaze over Lu Jun's blood-soaked, murderous aura and was utterly stunned. Then he glanced at the large bundles they were carrying and sucked in a breath of cold air. "You two didn't go deep into the wilderness and wipe out a nest of magic wolves, did you?"

Seeing this, Lu Jun muttered, "How can an officer like you be so free every day, just waiting around for us here?"

Well, to be fair, Zhan Kong was really idle after being demoted. The young master had come down to the countryside to experience life.

Beside him, Lu Mei smiled and answered, with a hint of a parent bragging about their child, "It was alright, all thanks to my younger brother. A whole nest of demons."

Zhan Kong stared at Lu Jun, beginning to question his entire understanding of life. Was this a high school kid? So ferocious, directly wiping out an entire nest of demonic beasts—he felt even the Black Vatican didn't have kids this twisted.

And since when did the Black Vatican have such good intentions and such low-level methods, hunting demonic beasts for money?

Wait, could it be... Zhan Kong's expression shifted slightly, his mind filling in some unknown blanks. He looked at Lu Jun with a face full of tangled emotions, then said solemnly, "On behalf of Bo City's military, I thank you."

"The force stationed near Bo City is a large clan of One-Eyed Magic Wolves, at least fifty nests strong, with a Commander-level Winged Azure Wolf overseeing them. One nest of Magic Wolves dead means one-fiftieth less pressure."

Hearing this, Lu Jun curled the corner of his mouth and said, "Forget the thanks, how about some real rewards? Or is it another little pennant again?"

"You little brat." Zhan Kong laughed and scolded, then mused, "I can't give you actual money, but how about I waive the Winter Break Training at the end of the first semester of sophomore year? Directly mark it as excellent."

"In my view, a kid like you doesn't need to play house anymore. It's overkill, makes my job hard to do. And I'll keep the relevant information confidential."

Chapter 25. End of Summer Break.

The Winter Break Training starting at the end of the first semester of sophomore year was unavoidable for every magic high school—a national requirement to cultivate mage qualities, recorded into the total score for the College Entrance Exam, carrying significant weight.

Generally, the Advanced Class went first, while the rest of the regular classes might go at the end of sophomore year or be organized in the middle of senior year.

Lu Jun was overjoyed to hear the training was waived. After everything he'd been through, he couldn't care less about this exercise—it was boring. Saving time was best; he'd hunt demons for money during winter break.

But Zhan Kong's words carried deep meaning. What did he mean by "hidden information"? If he didn't go on the field training, he wouldn't have to show his hand in front of classmates and instructors, letting him keep his strength hidden until college.

Wait, he looked at Zhan Kong. This handsome older man's eyes were full of implication. Lu Jun muttered inwardly—could he have been imagining him as a Calamity Bringer, and deliberately accommodating him?

Only a Calamity Bringer could have the strength to kill Servant-level Demonic Beasts at this age.

After a moment, Lu Jun was too lazy to explain. This was fine too—he could develop in the shadows. He owed Zhan Kong a small favor. Thinking about the other's future tragedy, just for this character, he was worth saving.

Leaving Snow Peak Mountain Outpost, the siblings headed straight for Bo City's hospital for a full body checkup. There was no choice—hunting mages had to take this seriously. How many people ignored it when young, only to have their aftereffects explode in middle age, ending up half-crippled?