After confirming there were no serious injuries or lingering aftereffects, they headed to Hunter's Alliance to deal with the Magic Wolf materials, turn in their mission, and make a little money.
Soon after, Lu Mei spent three million to rent a Nebula Magic Tool for half a year. She also auctioned off the Servant-level Spirit Essence, earning another five million.
The Magic Association had its own Soul Jar for storing spirits, so Lu Jun could simply transfer them from the White Tiger Pendant. There was no risk of exposing himself. Even if anyone found out, Lu Mei could handle it as an Intermediate Mage.
When they got home, Lu Mei held a Starlight Bracelet and said with a beaming smile, "In half a year at most, my Earth Element will reach the Intermediate Level. Then I'll have two Intermediate Elements!"
She'd originally wanted to rent one for her younger brother, too, but Lu Jun refused. The White Tiger Pendant was far more useful, after all.
His Metal Element could also break through to the Intermediate Level. That would probably take about half a year, then he'd need a few more months to control all forty-nine stars. By the end of his second year of high school at the latest, he'd be an Intermediate Mage at Level One, capable of casting Intermediate Magic, and he'd awaken a second Element.
By the time he graduated high school, he'd have at least two Elements at Intermediate Level One and two at Primary Level Three!
He'd be more than capable of protecting himself during the Disaster of Bo City!
Lu Jun clenched his fists. By the time Mo Fan graduated, he'd only just barely reached Intermediate Level in two Elements—and still wouldn't be able to cast Intermediate Magic. If he hadn't absorbed the Earth Sacred Spring, he'd have been at most Primary Level Three in both Elements at eighteen.
"The Earth Sacred Spring... what a pity the original story made it clear that its power came from the Azure Dragon Totem. It has nothing to do with my White Tiger Totem, so there's no point setting my sights on it."
He sighed, knowing that opportunities like that were rare and couldn't be sought out.
Time passed, and two months went by. During that time, Lu Jun and his sister went demon hunting several more times. Their luck was about average; they only wiped out two One-Eyed Magic Wolf dens.
They hadn't found another Servant-level Essence Soul. Even so, the materials they collected were worth a few million. After expenses, they'd amassed a fortune of ten million over the summer vacation.
It seemed they'd grown too reckless. The One-Eyed Magic Wolf packs had suffered heavy losses and become wary. They even mistook the attacks for a Bo City military operation and began to fight back, setting off a Level 3 Orange Alert.
The siblings had no choice but to suspend their operations. The Demon Beasts in the wild were on guard, and they also needed time to recover.
The prolonged killing had left Lu Jun's gaze more detached and his Killing Aura stronger. If he kept going like this, he might lose himself and grow indifferent to life. He needed to take some time to cultivate his character.
As it happened, the new school year was beginning.
Lu Jun returned to school. He'd gained a great deal over the summer, but unfortunately, his Water Element still hadn't advanced. It remained at Primary Level Two. He'd used it too little, relying on his Metal Element to carry him through every fight.
He had a plan for improving his Water Element, but it would have to wait until he reached the Intermediate Level. At the Primary Level, the Water Element was still too weak.
At Tianlan High School, Lu Jun, Mo Fan, and Zhang Xiaohou had all made it into the Advanced Class.
Mo Fan looked Lu Jun up and down, then clicked his tongue. "Old Lu, why do you seem to change every semester? You've got this intimidating presence now."
Lu Jun didn't reply. He slouched in his chair and closed his eyes, turning his attention inward to his Spiritual World.
Two Nebulae shone brightly, one azure and the other platinum, their light complementing each other. The Metal Nebula was noticeably larger, pushing the Water Nebula to one side.
He delved into the White Tiger Pendant. Above the blood-red lake, two candle-flame-sized azure souls glimmered. During the last two raids on the Magic Wolf dens over summer vacation, he hadn't obtained a Servant-level Essence Soul, but the Remnant Souls from killing over a hundred Magic Wolves had been enough to synthesize one.
Lu Jun now had two synthesized Servant-level Essence Souls.
Seeing this, he didn't hesitate. He drew the Essence Souls over to nourish his Metal Nebula.
Vmmm!
The two azure souls sank into the platinum Nebula and were instantly refined. A gentle warmth spread through him as two platinum stars popped, popped, each swelling from the size of his little finger to the size of his thumb.
Lu Jun felt a coolness wash over his mind, sharpening his focus. His memory and concentration improved, and his magic energy increased. The platinum Nebula shone even more brilliantly, and the sword mark running through it was nourished as well.
"Not bad. I'm only five Essence Souls short of Primary Level Four. I'll see if I can gather enough over the next couple of vacations. At Primary Level Three, I gained an ability similar to sword energy. I wonder how strong I'll be at Level Four. Considering the Metal Element's offensive power, I'd guess it'll reach the threshold of Intermediate Magic."
He nodded in satisfaction, but then a hubbub from nearby made him open his eyes.
At the podium stood Old Xue, the Advanced Class's homeroom teacher. He'd continued teaching them because his previous class had achieved outstanding results, producing gifted students like Lu Jun.
All one hundred or so top students were excited, including Mu Bai and the others. It was almost time to assign the Stardust Magic Tools. The longer a student got to use one, the greater their progress would be.
Xue Musheng didn't keep them in suspense. "We'll assign usage time for the Stardust Magic Tools according to your rankings in the Annual Assessment. The higher your rank, the longer you'll get to use one."
"Of course, our school is very flexible. We'll test you again every quarter and update the rankings. The allocation of the Stardust Magic Tools will change along with the new results."
Then Lu Jun witnessed another scene that left him speechless.
Director Xue sternly addressed Mo Fan. "Mo Fan, as the top student in the class, you should have gotten the longest time with the Stardust Magic Tool. However, because of your disrespectful behavior during the Annual Assessment, your usage time is being reduced from one month to ten days. This is your punishment!"
Both the commoner and noble students nearby gloated. "Ooh, from a month down to ten days. That's a huge price to pay. If he'd just held back, he could've used that whole month to pull ahead of everyone else."
"If he'd simply swallowed his pride and agreed to join the Mu Clan, maybe he could've gotten even more!"
"Exactly. Why does anyone need to be so proud?"
Mo Fan, however, looked completely unconcerned. He hadn't realized how serious the problem was.
As the first-ranked student, Mo Fan had been punished, and Lu Jun, in second place, naturally stood to benefit. But he had the White Tiger Pendant and didn't care for the Stardust Magic Tool.
So he privately traded away his usage rights to Mu Bai. He sold him the next two years' worth in a package for one million. Honestly, it was expensive—but the offer was one of a kind.
Why hadn't he asked Mo Fan? He was broke! Besides, as Lu Jun expected, Mo Fan would soon unlock the Azure Dragon Pendant's abilities.
Mu Bai was surprised at first and asked him to confirm the deal several times. Then he gritted his teeth and paid. In private, he mocked Lu Jun for being a fool, thinking the Stardust Magic Tool would greatly speed up his cultivation.
The first two students had both messed around for their own reasons. At the next assessment, they'd be overtaken by Mo Fan and Lu Jun.
Mu Bai felt that victory was practically his!
## Chapter 26: Baiting Mu Bai?
The new semester began, and time flowed by like water. In the blink of an eye, two months had passed, and the semester was nearly halfway over.
During this time, Lu Jun had devoted all his energy to his Water Element. At last, with the White Tiger Pendant's help, he broke through to Level Three Water Shield · Cycle.
That evening at home, his older sister, Lu Mei, quietly cultivated on the sofa. An apricot-yellow glow shimmered around her, and the bracelet on her wrist sparkled as she meditated on her Earth Element.
Splash!
In the courtyard, Lu Jun controlled his stars. An azure Star Track flashed across the air, drawing in the abundant moisture around him. Countless droplets gathered and wove themselves into several ever-flowing streams that shimmered brightly, protecting him.
He touched the water. The rapid current burst with such force that it knocked his hand away, leaving it stinging.
The moving water could repair itself endlessly while also storing ample kinetic energy. Even if a Demon Beast tore through the defense, the Water Shield would unleash a powerful impact before breaking, knocking back a Servant-level Demon Beast and buying him some breathing room.
Level Three Water Shield was undoubtedly a decent defensive skill.
Lu Jun nodded in satisfaction and examined his Spiritual World. Both Nebulae were evenly matched, each at Primary Level Three. For someone who was seventeen by the East Asian age reckoning, that was truly remarkable.
Just as he was about to rest, his communicator rang. He glanced at the screen and was surprised to see that Mo Fan was calling.
What was going on?
A little earlier, Mo Fan had been on the roof of the school building, fiddling with the Stardust Magic Tool he'd just received and preparing to try cultivating with it.
Then the Little Loach around his neck reacted. It swallowed all the energy inside the Stardust Magic Tool, leaving him stunned. He hurriedly shook the Azure Dragon Pendant.
The Little Loach refused to spit it out. Instead, it used the Servant-level Essence Soul to revive its own abilities, giving it the same function as a Stardust Magic Tool.
"Damn it, you're screwing me over!"
Mo Fan was freaking out, repeatedly telling himself to stay calm.
After thinking for a while, he decided to call Lu Jun. In the original story, he would have called Tang Yue. She was a Fire Element Mage who'd taught the Fire Element students for a while, and her background was mysterious. She might have been able to help.
But now that Lu Jun was around, Mo Fan was more willing to trust his friend than a teacher he barely knew.
Besides, Lu Jun's sister was one of the few Intermediate Mages in Bo City. She could surely smooth things over with the school.
So Mo Fan answered the call and opened with, "Dad, come save your son!"
At the same time, Lu Jun heard Mo Fan's first words from the courtyard and nearly lost it. His forehead creased as he guessed what had happened, but he didn't hold back. "Sure. Would you be calling me Dad if something serious hadn't happened?"
"You just got your Stardust Magic Tool from the school today. Let me guess—you broke it?"
"Damn, how'd you guess that? Are you a sou—" Mo Fan blurted out, then gave an awkward laugh. "Heh-heh. I mean, you know your own son best."
"So you're dragging me into this mess, huh?" Lu Jun was speechless. Mo Fan had some nerve. He really ought to learn from him.
Then he had an idea. "Stay where you are. I'll be there soon."
Lu Jun put on his clothes, told his sister he was going to the school, and left.
About ten minutes later, he reached the school rooftop. The moment they met, Mo Fan sighed. "You're here. The wind's strong up here, and the night's cold. I feel like jumping."
Lu Jun's mouth twitched. "Quit acting and let me see what happened."
Mo Fan told him everything.
Lu Jun understood and rubbed his forehead as he explained, "That Little Loach of yours isn't simple. It's an upgradeable Magic Tool. You don't have to worry about someone taking it away. It's already bound to your soul, so nobody can take it from you. Just be careful not to tell anyone else in the future."
Only then did Mo Fan understand. He now had a clear grasp of the relationship between the Stardust Magic Tool, Essence Souls, and Soul Jars. "So what do we do now?"
"I have an idea." Lu Jun flashed a sunny, boyish grin. "I have some Remnant Souls. I can put one Servant-level Remnant Soul into this Stardust Magic Tool."
"Then we can make it look temporarily undamaged. It'll still give off that gentle warmth, but it'll only last a few days before all the energy is gone."
"Before that happens, give it to the next person who gets to use it. I think that's Mu Bai, right?"
"Oh..." Mo Fan was a devious sort, and he'd already guessed what Lu Jun had in mind. It was just a matter of framing someone and making him take the blame. They exchanged a look and grinned in unison.
After what had happened during the Annual Assessment, Mo Fan disliked Mu Bai and was more than happy to ruin him.
Lu Jun, meanwhile, had another reason. At this point in time, Mu Bai didn't have any money. The one who really had money was his father, Mu He—the Black Vatican leader who was secretly plotting to destroy Bo City.
Heh. Mu He would definitely pay compensation. So in reality, Lu Jun wouldn't be fleecing Mu Bai, but Mu He.
He'd spent the past year in constant fear, training hard in part because of the Disaster of Bo City. He needed to take a shot at that bastard to feel better.
The Black Vatican was a terrifying enemy. Its roots reached deep into the authorities, and its members were everywhere. Even the purest Adjudication Court had been infiltrated, let alone various government agencies.
Lu Jun racked his brains, as if he could see a vast black curtain hanging over the world. Yet he didn't dare act rashly. He could only break through the situation himself.
He knew which major figures in the original story were trustworthy, but he couldn't get near them. Even if he went to visit, most of the people around them might have been planted by the Black Vatican. (This will be explained in detail as the story unfolds.)
Just think about it. A major figure wouldn't personally step in based on the word of some little Elementary Mage. They'd most likely have a subordinate look into the details first.
That was the reality of it. People with a great deal on their plates wouldn't act on hearsay.
Then the situation would become... The Black Vatican: "Who are you, and why are you accusing me?"
Lu Jun pushed those thoughts aside, took a deep breath, and began inserting a Remnant Soul into the Stardust Magic Tool.
The process wasn't actually that simple, but he had the Metal Element, and seemed to have a knack for understanding Magic Tool structures. He figured it out after a little experimentation.
Mo Fan finally relaxed and grinned. "Thanks, Old Lu."
"No problem." Lu Jun smiled and held out a hand. "That'll be one Servant-level Essence Soul."
Mo Fan froze, then scowled. "You might as well sell me! How's that any different from charging me for the Stardust Magic Tool?"
"Hahaha, I'm just kidding. I'm hoping to see my son succeed so I can bask in his glory."
Lu Jun had only said it offhandedly and didn't take it seriously. A Remnant Soul wasn't worth much anyway. He could think of it as an investment in Mo Fan.
Mo Fan waved him off. "Get out of here. Once I'm rich, I'll pay you back with a hundred Essence Souls."
The moon was dark and the wind was high. The two boys left the rooftop that night, and there were no traitors among them.
A week later, it was Mu Bai's turn to use the Stardust Magic Tool. He brought it home without the slightest suspicion.
After a few days, it broke, just as expected. He told his mother, who eventually went to his "uncle" for help.
The night passed without incident. Mu He said, "No problem. I'll take care of it."
So school board member Mu He donated one million to the school. Tianlan High School reported that the Stardust Magic Tool had been damaged and filed for reimbursement. The Magic School Alliance then issued a replacement.
And that was how the matter ended. No one knew about it except Mo Fan and Lu Jun.
Mu Bai was the one who suffered. The Annual Assessment trouble hadn't even blown over before the Stardust Magic Tool broke. Two of his clan's senior officials reprimanded him.
Though it wasn't a serious problem while he was still a student, Mu Bai realized in despair that after graduating high school, he probably wouldn't get any support from his clan anymore. He'd be no different from an ordinary commoner.
Lu Jun: Your family isn't worth keeping. Better to get out and take off sooner.
## Chapter 27: Six Months of Change
After that incident, another six months passed in the blink of an eye, and the first semester of their second year of high school came to an end.
The Advanced Class students didn't get a winter vacation. They had to go through Field Training, which would count toward their college entrance exam scores.
Early in the morning, a crowd of students gathered, buzzing with excitement. Only Mo Fan and Zhang Xiaohou, who were in the crowd, looked around with furrowed brows. "It's such an important day. Where'd Lu Jun disappear to?"
Before you continue