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

"He hasn't forgotten about the field training, has he? Still thinks it's winter break."

"No way." Mo Fan saw Head Instructor Old Xue about to call the roll and made a snap decision. "I'll call Lu Jun and tell him to get here fast."

But before Mo Fan could get through, Teacher Xue spoke from the front: "This field operation will be led by the military, with practical instructor Tang Yue and Demon Hunting Alliance member Pan Lijun accompanying us. As for Lu Jun from our class, due to special circumstances, the military has granted him an exemption from the assessment."

The moment those words fell, Mo Fan, Zhang Xiaohou, and even Mu Bai—who had been having the worst luck lately, his face dark as coal—were all stunned.

Mo Fan muttered under his breath, "Old Lu, that bastard. When did he get cozy with the military? Mysterious as hell."

The other students buzzed with chatter, but no one was jealous. They hadn't experienced demon hunting yet and still thought this was some kind of field trip, or at worst a survival camping trip. They figured skipping it would be a missed opportunity.

And honestly, that wasn't wrong. Before Zhan Kong was exiled to Bo City, the second-year field training was mostly a formality. After all, who would take responsibility if some kid died?

Even Zhan Kong, when he took over, only used the instructors' Summoned Beasts disguised as demons to test the students, keeping everything safe and controlled.

A Summoned Beast, by the way, comes from [Summoning System], one of the Dimensional Magic branches at Primary Magic level. It lets a mage summon a Servant-level Demonic Beast even at the Primary stage, often making them nearly invincible against opponents of the same rank.

Of course, Innate Talents and freaks like Lu Jun were a different story. His Gold System for offense, paired with Wind and Water Systems, covered every angle.

Before long, a fleet of school buses set off, carrying the students straight to Snow Peak Mountain Outpost.

Soon after they got off, Zhan Kong made a grand entrance and laid down the law. He told them to abandon everything, survive in the wild for ten days, and complete a bounty.

Otherwise, the entire class would fail.

This time, not only the top students were in an uproar, even the practical instructors objected: "No way. Even ordinary demon hunters can't finish that bounty, let alone a bunch of students."

But it was useless. Head Instructor Zhan Kong crushed all objections and even tempted them: "Whoever finishes the bounty first gets a personal gift from me—a Primary-level Magic Tool!"

At those words, the whole crowd erupted with excitement. The students were pumped.

Too bad they'd regret it soon enough.

Zhan Kong laid out the entire plan to the practical instructors, and the school teachers immediately joined forces to test the students.

Mo Fan and his group survived in the wilderness for a full ten days before reaching the mission site—a valley that was once the lair of a One-Eyed Magic Wolf. There were no demons left inside.

What was actually there was a Summoned Beast belonging to an instructor named Bai Yang, disguised as a Ghost Wolf Beast demon.

Just a Servant-level Demonic Beast, but the moment it appeared, its Killing Aura was like a ferocious beast's, sending dozens of students scattering on the spot.

Xu Zhaoting, Mu Bai, Zhang Xiaohou, Mo Fan, He Yu, and other top students tried to control their star particles and release Primary Magic to fight back, but against the overwhelming tide, they couldn't turn the tide.

The Ghost Wolf Beast let out a roar, and all the students still linking their Star Trails had their connections severed. They couldn't hold on and fled in panic.

Only Mo Fan and Mu Bai managed to successfully release their magic, but two Primary Level One spells were useless against the Ghost Wolf Beast.

Left with no choice, Mo Fan and Zhang Xiaohou stepped up, using Wind Track to lure the Ghost Wolf Beast away.

But just then, Bai Yang's Ghost Wolf Beast went out of control. Seeing that someone was about to die, Zhan Kong's expression shifted. He quickly cast a High-level Wind Magic, Wind Wings, and rushed to save Mo Fan.

But Mo Fan was Mo Fan. At the critical moment, his Fire System broke through to Level Two. Using clever magic application, he paralyzed the beast with Lightning System and used Fire System to break the stalactites on the cave ceiling. They fell and pierced straight through the Ghost Wolf Beast, pinning it dead in the cave. A narrow escape.

In a way, Lu Jun's first demon-hunting experience was much smoother than Mo Fan's. His Gold System let him summon magic in advance, so he didn't have to split his focus in battle. He adapted and grew step by step to reach this level.

Mo Fan, on the other hand, was born with nerves of steel. In the end, the brave man got his reward—a Primary-level Shield Magic Tool worth hundreds of thousands.

In Addition, because his Summoned Beast died, Bai Yang suffered a contract backlash and was injured. He held a grudge against Mo Fan.

If Lu Jun had been there, he probably would have yelled "Serves You Right." Because Bai Yang was a member of the Black Vatican, planted inside the military. The plan to Destroy Bo City was already in motion. They had set up many 'Frenzied Springs' in the demon lairs outside the city.

This was a drug diluted from the Earth Sacred Spring, using life potential as fuel. It could massively stir up demon bloodlust, driving them into a frenzy and triggering Advancement.

Bai Yang was probably afraid of being discovered, so he deliberately pretended to lose control and let his Summoned Beast go for the kill. Who knew he'd run into a freak like Mo Fan?

Luckily, even Zhan Kong didn't find anything in the end. It was just too well hidden.

While Mo Fan was out on his Field Training, Lu Jun took advantage of the winter break to team up with his Elder Sister again and wipe out a wolf pack.

Earth System Intermediate Level One: [Rock Barrier · Rugged Stone]!

Lu Mei's entire body blazed with apricot-yellow magical light. A rugged stone pattern formed beneath her feet, forty-nine star particles arranged into a Star Chart. She shouted and raised her slender hand.

In an instant, layers of earth waves rolled forward. Rock walls roared up from all sides. The pack leader, a Servant-level demon in its Advancement Period, charged wildly and slammed headfirst into the ten-meter-high hard wall with a thunderous boom.

Then, the rock walls closed in, tightly trapping the pack leader and seven or eight One-Eyed Magic Wolves. They were completely immobilized, with only a small opening at the top.

Pfft!

Lu Jun's cyan boots flared with light. He stomped the ground and shot up over ten meters into the air. As he came down, he swung his four-meter-long Vibranium Heavy Sword. Golden Radiance burst forth, piercing through all the magic wolves trapped inside the rock walls. Blood seeped from the gaps in the fortress, soaking the earth.

The battle ended easily. Wolf corpses lay All Over the ground, marked by traces of Wind, Gold, and Earth System destruction.

This area was relatively flat terrain, nowhere near as favorable for demon hunting as that valley from before. But Lu Jun and his sister still handled it with ease.

Their strength had grown tremendously over the past six months.

First, his Elder Sister Lu Mei had broken through to Intermediate Level in Earth System two months ago. Since she already had experience, her mental cultivation was already there. Using her old system to nurture the new one, paired with a top-tier Nebula Magic Tool and frequent battles, her advancement speed was fast.

She had two systems at Intermediate Level One. Her Earth System Intermediate Magic was still a bit rough, but her Wind System Star Chart drawing speed was already fast, showing signs of breaking through to Intermediate Level Two [Wind Disk · Heaven Net].

As for Lu Jun, both his systems were at Level Three. His Gold System had reached its peak. After grinding for four months, he was almost ready to break through to Intermediate Level. Probably within the next few days.

Besides that, the million they earned last summer wasn't just sitting around. They went to the Magic Association and bought two Intermediate-level Magic Tools each, fully equipping themselves.

Chapter 28: Damn, We've Become 'Other People's Kids.'

Lu Mei had obtained a Demon Slaying Gear called the [Halo Ring], which usually hung on her wrist like a golden bracelet.

It contained the 'Halo Slash' skill. Once activated, it would transform into a massive halo that slashed down from the sky, the strongest single-target strike, capable of instantly killing an Advancement Period Servant-level demon without issue. It was worth six million.

This piece of gear made up for her lack of output methods and her deficiency in having no decisive blow. In terms of evasion, control, defense, and group attacks, her Wind and Earth elements were already top-tier.

As for Lu Jun, he had chosen a piece of gear called [Azure Cloud Boots]. Worn on the feet, it had protective functions and was worth four million. The 'Wind Step' skill itself had two modes.

One was what had just been demonstrated: all the energy 'burst' out in an instant, shooting him over ten meters straight up, allowing brief gliding in midair, and even a double-jump burst. The other was 'Sprint', an effect similar to Wind Track, outputting energy over a longer duration.

It was really too suitable for Lu Jun's situation. It didn't matter when he had his elder sister's support, but once he lost the Wind Element mage's buff, he would become a live target, and the power of his Metal Element would also be greatly reduced.

In addition, the reason he bought an Intermediate Mage gear was that he was also considering that he was nearing the Intermediate level. He wanted to leave enough usage time for the future, similar to buying a bigger size of clothes for a child.

Besides, he would be attending the academy soon, and situations where he fought alone would increase.

All in all, the ten million was well spent. The increase in combat power made hunting demons safer. You had to spend to earn.

Just like now. Lu Jun walked before the corpses of the wolf pack. Fluorescent light converged from all directions. Among them, one piece the size of a thumb, originating from the head wolf, was actually another Servant-level Essence Soul.

This holiday, the siblings had consecutively wiped out two nests, and had luckily dropped Essence Souls both times. Two Essence Souls were ten million. Adding the materials, that was fifteen million in value.

One could say the luck from last semester had accumulated and burst out now. The probability was still around one percent.

However, Lu Jun considered that if he was going to buy an Elemental Seed, he should buy a top-grade one. He needed to accumulate at least twenty-five million in funds. Originally, Mo Fan's Thunder Elemental Seed [Thousand Jun], which had a special effect, cost twenty-eight million.

It would probably take another half a year. If he really managed to save up the funds, he wouldn't buy a Water Elemental Seed for now. Instead, he would first equip his elder sister with a Wind Elemental Seed.

On one hand, his elder sister, as an Intermediate Mage, contributed the most in battle. On the other hand, he wouldn't be breaking through to Intermediate Water Element that quickly.

"Lu Jun, let's withdraw first."

Lu Mei finished collecting the materials, her expression grave. "I have a bad feeling. The demon wolves have been too active and agitated lately. I'm afraid something will happen."

"That Advancement Period demon wolf we wiped out earlier almost evolved to General-level. Good thing we killed it early, or we would have really capsized."

General-level was another domain entirely. It took seven or eight Intermediate Mages to hunt a single General-level demon.

His elder sister, with two Intermediate Elements, was at most equivalent to the combat power of two Intermediate Mages. Ordinary Intermediate Mage gear like the two pieces they had couldn't even cause much trouble for a General-level. Gear capable of harming a General-level cost tens of millions.

Once they encountered a General-level Demonic Beast, even a newly advanced one, they would be completely unable to handle it.

"Mm, we can't take risks for now. Wait until my Metal Element advances to Intermediate. Together, we should be able to contend with a General-level."

Lu Jun nodded. His gaze was deep. He crouched by the pool in the demon wolf's nest, reached out, and touched some of the turbid water. His Water Element Stardust sensed it. In his heart, he muttered: "Frenzied Spring. The Black Vatican is making a move."

Perhaps their consecutive Essence Soul drops weren't an accident. These Advancement Period demon wolves might have had their potential stimulated, greatly increasing the quality of their souls.

And even though the hunters were working so hard to wipe them out, the frequency of encountering demons was still rising. This pointed to one problem: demon reproduction was increasing, and the number of migrating foreign tribes was also growing.

In half a year, Lu Jun had basically mapped out Bo City's underground pipes, but he was stretched thin and couldn't monitor the Black Vatican's actions in real time. Besides, he was afraid of being discovered.

"Take it one step at a time."

He shook his head, shouldered a large pack of materials, and stepped onto the Wind Track, returning together with his elder sister.

Before long, the siblings saw Snow Peak Mountain Outpost in the distance. Dense figures of people were standing there. They let out a soft exclamation of surprise: "Strange. Why are there so many people today?"

Inside the crowd at Snow Peak Mountain Outpost, Mo Fan stood there, listening to the Head Instructor's praise, puffing out his chest with an air of arrogance.

Mu Bai, Zhao Kunsan, and the others had ugly expressions. All the surrounding classmates looked at Mo Fan with envious and admiring gazes, making him the center of attention.

"Ahem, very good. Being able to fight demons alone at such a young age. All of you should learn from him."

Zhan Kong coughed lightly, inwardly muttering how there were so many freaks. Another high schooler who could solo kill a Servant-level demon had popped up. At the same time, his heart ached terribly. He hadn't taken the gear reward seriously at first, because there simply wasn't any bounty.

But now he had no choice but to give it. This kid wouldn't take a loss. Consider it compensation.

As he sighed, the students ahead let out waves of exclamations and commotion, as if they had seen something unbelievable.

When Zhan Kong looked over, he realized it was that kid Lu Jun returning from hunting demons.

The siblings had a strong presence and were very eye-catching.

Lu Mei had her smooth black hair tied up high, perfectly displaying her fair, sweat-beaded face and neck.

Looking down, she wore a cream-white shirt that outlined her voluptuous figure. Her chest rose like hills, and even the conservative round collar couldn't hide a flash of a deep cleavage. Over it, she wore a set of windbreaker, looking heroic and spirited like a mature woman, exuding an alluring wildness from head to toe.

Lu Jun was even more startling. His entire body was covered in a killing aura. The bloodstains on his clothes had dried. The large pack of flesh and blood materials on his back revealed just the tip of the iceberg. A strange bone dripped with blood, dripping down. Every step he took was firm, making him look like he had just walked out of a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood.

There was no helping it. During their battles, Lu Jun was always in melee combat, getting splashed with blood all over. His elder sister was much more graceful, just more tired, drenched in fragrant sweat.

Of course, coming back from the wilderness, no matter the image, it brought a strong visual impact. Each had their own wild and masculine beauty.

Those greenhouse flowers from the campus had never seen such a scene. Their breathing stalled, and their eyes involuntarily looked away.

Someone exclaimed, "This... is this the exempted Lu Jun? He actually went out to hunt demons in the wild."

"Who's that woman next to him? So stunning, but too imposing."

Some young boys couldn't withstand the allure of the strong, imposing elder sister. While their hearts pounded with excitement, Lu Mei's stern aura also made them dare not look directly at her. They only breathed a sigh of relief after the two had passed by.

Zhan Kong saw the two return and greeted them, then smirked at the group of students. "You all, don't think that just because you've had some experience facing demons during training, you can be arrogant."

"There's always a better man, a better sky. Look at them. Now you know why they got exempted, right? At your age, would you dare to go out and hunt demons?"

Hearing this, Mu Bai, Zhao Kunsan, and the others swallowed their saliva, a feeling of defeat rising within them.

Mo Fan didn't listen to a word Zhan Kong said. His arrogant nature was deeply shaken—the gap was too vast. Suddenly, killing a Servant-level Demonic Beast felt like Nothing Special.

Tang Yue frowned, connecting it to her own investigation reports, lost in thought.

Lu Jun nodded to Zhan Kong in acknowledgment, then greeted Mo Fan and Zhang Xiaohou. Only then did he remember that During This Time, the school was in its Field Training period.

He and his Elder Sister didn't linger. They quickly left to handle the Essence Souls and materials.

By the time Lu Jun and the others were far off, the whole class erupted in chatter, endlessly discussing the two. Many Small Girls were drawn to Lu Jun's cool, killing aura, while secretly admiring Lu Mei's strong, independent femininity.

They chattered curiously, unable to help themselves. Lu Jun was usually high in cultivation, good at studies, and handsome—but too low-key and solitary. No one knew he had an Elder Sister, or what he himself was up to.

Now that a corner of the iceberg was revealed, even more mystery surged forth, irresistible, stirring a desire to dig deeper.

The boys were Dumbfounded too, their feelings mixed. Mo Fan sank into deep thought. His Inner Heart was full of pride, not one to give up easily. He began to wonder if he just wasn't grinding hard enough.

Mo Fan made up his mind: he had to join the City Demon Hunting Squad, then step by step hunt demons in the wild. It was both for money and training. If Lu Jun could do it, there was no reason he couldn't.

On the other side, Lu Jun Did Not Know what his classmates were thinking, and he Don't Care.

On the way home, his Elder Sister teased him: "Oh my, with the way those girls were looking at you, all you'd have to do is crook a finger and they'd be yours."

Lu Jun was speechless. He fired back with a direct shot: "But I only want to be with you, Elder Sister."

At that, Lu Mei's face flushed hot. She shoved her Younger Brother and scolded, "Don't talk nonsense."

The black-haired Youth curled his lips and said nothing more. As usual, the two went to the hospital for a checkup, then headed to the Hunter's Alliance to process all the materials and Essence Souls.

Demonic Strange Bones and Strange Blood were valuable—resources for the Summoning System, sources for magic equipment, and at the very least, raw materials for Blood Supplements, Demon-Seeking Powder, and other essentials for wild demon hunting.