Full-Time Mage: Starting With the White Tiger Pendant

By then, Lu Jun will possess a full five skills, making his methods more varied.

The moment Lu Jun stepped into the Advanced Class, the classroom, which had been noisy from outside, fell into sudden silence.

Everyone looked at him with strange gazes as he entered.

He paused slightly, ignored them, and sat down calmly. Mo Fan immediately leaned over and said with a "tsk tsk tsk," "Old Lu, you're really hiding your strength. Honestly, what's your cultivation level now?"

"Just so-so. My sister bought me a Magic Tool," Lu Jun replied vaguely, then asked, "Where's Zhang Xiaohou?"

"Sigh." Mo Fan sighed, nudged his chin to indicate a spot to the side, and said, "He's over there being affectionate with his girlfriend."

Upon hearing this, Lu Jun saw Zhang Xiaohou enthusiastically chatting with He Yu in the distance. He secretly thought that things were back on their original track and wished them happiness.

Mo Fan said with great pity, "You guys are living off women and abandoning your friends. The Iron Triangle is falling apart."

"Oh, come on. The Iron Triangle never existed."

Seeing this, Lu Jun curled his lips. He and his sister were free and unfettered; who needed a third wheel like him?

Afterward, many classmates were quite curious and wanted to inquire about his situation. Some had ulterior motives, which annoyed him to no end. He simply applied to the school for permission to study at home.

Fortunately, Principal Zhu knew that his cultivation was not simple. Special talents received special policies, and he approved it decisively, only reminding him to return to school a few months before the college entrance examination to strive for a world-class Academy.

Thus, under the envious gazes of his classmates, Lu Jun, after only a few days, casually packed his schoolbag and left.

From then on, he became an enduring legend at Tianlan High School. As his reputation grew in the future, it became even more outrageous.

Returning home, Lu Mei asked strangely, "Why are you back?"

Lu Jun looked silently at the scene before him. The living room dining table was laden with delicacies, the dishes were incredibly rich: Buddha Jumps Over the Wall, roast goose, Boston lobster, Tomahawk steak...

He put down his schoolbag and sighed, "When I'm home, I just make noodles for convenience. When I'm not home, you order big fish and big meat, huh? You've really broken my heart."

"Don't be angry." His sister gave an awkward smile and quickly beckoned, "Sit down and eat together."

Hearing this, Lu Jun pressed his forehead. This was truly something only a sister could do. He channeled his grief and anger into his appetite and ate heartily. He had to admit that Mages indeed had larger appetites than ordinary people; the Demon Hunting activities were proof of that.

For the next two months or so.

Lu Jun devoted himself to controlling his Star Seeds. He had not yet mastered Intermediate level Gold Element Magic, but he could already cast Primary level one spells of the Mind and Curse Elements.

Having mastered new magic, Lu Jun eagerly began experimenting. First was the Mind Primary level one spell [Spiritual Ripples · Soothe], which had little offensive power but possessed auxiliary abilities.

In the living room, he outlined a transparent Star Orbit, his eyes bright. A faint, semi-transparent ripple emanated from his forehead, engulfing the 'test subject'—his sister.

During this process, Lu Jun's intent was peculiar, as if he were touching a vast, undulating lake of minds before him. He could vaguely sense the other person's emotions. As his intent swept over, it was like smoothing out the wrinkles on the lake's surface, making it as clear and calm as a mirror.

After casting the spell, he looked nonchalant and couldn't help but ask Lu Mei about her feelings. Here, he followed a certain intuition, remained silent, and conveyed information solely through his intent.

Unexpectedly, a voice directly echoed from Lu Mei's mind: "How do you feel now?"

"Huh?" His sister slowly came back to her senses. Her mood finally fluctuated, but her tone remained calm. "I was very nervous being used as an experiment. When you cast the magic, I became relaxed, thoughtless, and felt nothing else."

"Wait, you can really hear my thoughts?"

Lu Jun was first incredulous, then fell into thought. This was indeed consistent with the situation of a Primary level Mind Element magic. However, the ability to arbitrarily manipulate someone's emotions was still extremely terrifying, giving a sense of absolute control.

Moreover, Primary level spells were all minor aspects. What amazed him was that he seemed to have truly awakened a superpower, able to transmit sound to people from a distance. In the East, this was Buddhist Telepathy; in the West, it was the Psionic Energy of a psychic.

The sacred Kara connected everyone!

Lu Mei, who was beside him, seemed to have just recovered. Her emotions fluctuated violently, her expression filled with deep surprise, astonished by the magic of the Mind Element.

Chapter 32: Mind Soothing, Curse Fear

The more Lu Jun studied the Mind Element, the more new discoveries he made. This intent was actually the most direct manifestation of spiritual cultivation. Combined with the Mind Stardust ability, it unlocked various passive abilities.

For example, Telepathy was just the most basic. Recently, while using his Gold Element to slay Demonic Beasts, he discovered that his perception was extremely keen, and his sixth sense was outstanding.

It was almost like the Heart's Eye in swordsmanship legends, or the utmost sincerity in martial arts that allows one to foresee the future, sensing a cicada before it moves. His combat power and survival ability greatly increased.

Furthermore, while the Primary level one Mind spell [Spiritual Ripples · Soothe] might not be powerful, its level two, [Mind Impact], became extremely terrifying. The principle was the same as before.

He used his intent to probe others' 'lakes of minds.' The former soothed, while the latter agitated, stirring up monstrous waves that disrupted the target's concentration, preventing even Intermediate level Mages from casting spells.

At Primary level three, [Mind Wall], he could erect high walls on the lakes of minds of himself and his teammates, defending against external mental intent erosion.

Overall, it was very practical.

Of course, the concept of the 'lake of minds' was something Lu Jun summarized through casting spells. It roughly corresponded to the mysterious area of a Mage's Spiritual World?

From this, a principle emerged: if a Mage's cultivation was extremely high, their 'lake of minds' would also be vast and boundless. For a Primary level spell's intent to shake it, more energy would have to be expended, or it might even turn into a wisp of breeze in the face of the 'ocean,' achieving nothing.

Therefore, Mind Mages were wary of those with high spiritual realms.

Lu Jun felt that there was no need to worry below the High-level. Looking at Mo Fan's situation, he was only at the late second realm with Dual Elements at High-level one. With his strength, he could easily toy with those of the same level.

A moment later, he experimented with a Primary level spell of the [Curse Element]. He immediately felt a difference. He still channeled his spiritual power into the Curse Stardust to control the Star Seeds, acting as a converter. Inputting intent, outputting another kind of bizarre power.

This time, the test subject was still Lu Mei, but he had certainly controlled the power.

"Level One Fearful Haze · Tremor!"

Lu Jun's eyes turned black and red, and an ominous aura emanated from him.

Seeing this, Lu Mei seemed to fall into a trance. Darkness enveloped her vision, and she vaguely saw a pair of blood-red eyes staring down at her from above Lu Jun's head, high and mighty, filled with bloodthirsty intent.

The next moment, her heart raced, her breathing grew rapid, her body stiffened and tensed, she broke out in a cold sweat, and her heart convulsed.

Seeing that something was wrong, Lu Jun sensed that the Heart Lake ahead was about to overturn. He quickly circulated his Primary Mind Magic to soothe it. A gentle breeze swept through, and Lu Mei's emotions swung to the other extreme, her mind becoming as still as water.

Not long after, the magic effect faded. Lu Mei gasped, her voluptuous body collapsing onto the sofa. Her eyes rolled back, sweat drenching her. From extreme fear to extreme calm, her spirit was abnormally exhausted, looking completely worn out.

Seeing this, Lu Jun panicked a little and turned to flee the scene, regretting having caused Lu Mei to be like this.

"Lu... Xiao... Jun... Stop right there!"

As expected, Lu Mei's gritted teeth voice echoed from behind him. Then he felt strong gusts of wind hitting his back, a soft impact force striking him, and his body fell to the ground, wrapped in cotton and unable to move.

Lu Mei directly tackled Lu Jun, tripping him. Her pair of straight, shapely, fair legs clamped around his waist, her jade arms wrapped around his neck, her limbs entwined around him like an octopus, and her jade hands pinched and pulled at Lu Jun's cheeks.

The mature woman's pleasant, magnetic, and angry voice echoed in his ear: "You brat promised to control your strength, what's going on now?!"

Lu Jun's brainwaves scrambled, unable to think straight, nearly suffocating. He could only whimper, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to."

"Accidentally?!" Lu Mei roughly manhandled Lu Jun, relieving her fear from earlier.

Honestly, for an ordinary person, under the Curse Magic Fearful Haze · Tremor, they would have directly suffered a heart attack and died. It controlled damage and had offensive capabilities, making it a rare skill.

The two wrestled and played in the living room.

Gradually, Lu Jun's expression turned strange. The moist breath from Lu Mei's lips near his ear made him uncomfortable. Thinking of her voluptuous body pressing down on him, he blushed and said in a low voice, "Get up quickly."

"What's wrong, are you still in your rebellious phase..."

Lu Mei was unhappy at first, then looked down and saw Lu Jun's slightly flushed ears. She suddenly realized something and released her jade arms, straightening up. She tucked a strand of her dark hair behind her ear, revealing a charming smile, "Oh~, so you're shy."

Lu Jun looked up. From this angle, Lu Mei's chest was broad and ample, her face was stunningly beautiful, and she possessed a captivating charm. He couldn't help but swallow.

"What are you afraid of? We bathed together when we were kids."

She chuckled, patted Lu Jun's butt, and elegantly stood up, stretching lazily. "Forget it, you've made me all sticky. I'm going to wash up first."

With that, Lu Mei ignored Lu Jun and turned into the bathroom.

As soon as she closed the door, she leaned against it, clutching her chest, her face flushed red. Her mind kept replaying the intense hormonal scent from earlier and the sense of security brought by Lu Jun's heroic figure when he hunted demons in the past.

After a long period of wild thoughts, she cursed herself for thinking such things and turned on the shower to wash up.

In the living room, Lu Jun also stared blankly for a while. After getting up, he sat on the sofa, wanting to concentrate and meditate, but his mind couldn't calm down.

He had no choice but to control his Star Seed and cast a Primary Mind Magic Lv. 1 spell on himself: [Soothing].

Instantly, Lu Jun felt a coolness descend from the crown of his head, like being doused with cold water. His bloodlust subsided, and he felt like he was in a state of enlightenment, his mind as still as water.

He began to recall his insights from using Mind and Curse Magic. He then looked inward at his Spiritual World. His black-red and transparent Star Seeds were pressed closely together, appearing somewhat dim.

"So that's how it is. Mind and Curse are two sides of the same coin, both originating from the soul. The former doesn't harm the body, while the latter damages the physique. This is how White Magic and Black Magic are distinguished."

Lu Jun mused that Mind and Curse were the only elemental categories that relied on spiritual cultivation. There must be some connection between them.

If he could grasp this connection, perhaps he could combine the two elements to form fusion magic, and the Magic Energy within the Star Seed could be shared.

Then Lu Jun began to practice. He discovered that the power of the Mind element could indeed effectively strengthen curses. If his Spirit Ripple reached level two, a Mind Impact mixed with curses would be impossible to guard against.

This also helped him conceal his innate Dual Elements. The transparent color of the Mind element influenced things invisibly. Even if he used the obvious concealment of curses, others wouldn't be able to see through it.

At worst, they would think it was some kind of Mind-related Magic Tool.

From now on, his Intermediate level second element would be [Curse].

Of course, once both reached the Intermediate level, their paths would diverge significantly. They started at the same point but headed in different directions.

Lu Jun nodded with satisfaction. Mind Magic provided an unassailable foundation for dueling everyone on equal footing, a 50/50 chance. Curse Magic controlled and dealt damage, effectively compensating for his lack of means. Furthermore, the damage from Curse Magic was different from the physical damage of the Gold Element, being bizarre and unconventional.

These four types of magic could handle various situations.

Chapter 33: Adulthood, Purchasing Spirit Seeds

Time flowed by, and a year passed.

During his second year of high school and the first semester of his third year, Lu Jun cultivated diligently at home, controlling his Star Seed and breaking through his cultivation realm. The minor incident between the siblings was tacitly unspoken, but it left a mark on both their hearts.

He also reached the age of eighteen by traditional reckoning, barely considered an adult.

During this time, Lu Jun had already mastered the Intermediate level Gold Element magic [Artifact Control] Star Map. He had also cultivated the Primary level spells Spirit Ripple and Fearful Haze of the Mind and Curse elements to level three.

The effects of Spirit Ripple at level three varied, as he had already understood. Fearful Haze, however, consistently continued its soul-to-body damage. Level two was [Shadow], and level three was [Nightmare].

The so-called 'Shadow' manifested the characteristics of curses to the extreme. Enemies hit by Fearful Haze would be left with a shadow that constantly pestered them, occasionally seeing those crimson eyes and experiencing tremors.

Compared to the single-use effect of level one Tremor, level two Shadow could be triggered multiple times, each time more intense than the last. Ordinary people would almost certainly die; they might survive the first heart attack, but not the second or third.

Mages fared slightly better, but it would still take more than ten days for the effect to fade. Imagine, in a battle where milliseconds mattered, being marked by Fearful Haze, you focus on controlling your Star Seed, and suddenly the crimson eyes jump out to interrupt you.

It was incredibly infuriating.

Level three Nightmare went a step further, constantly probing your inner flaws and appearing from your most terrifying memories. If not handled properly, it could cause a two-to-three-second daze in battle, immersing you in the nightmare.

Therefore, Curse Mages had to play a slow game, weaving traps during combat, making opponents fall into their techniques unknowingly. By the time they realized it, it would be too late to salvage the situation.

Furthermore, Lu Jun had experimented on Demonic Beasts during his summer Demon Hunting, and unexpectedly found the effect to be even better. A glare of Fearful Haze would cause Servant-level Demonic Beasts' hearts to twitch, paralyzing them for a second or two. Those with weaker souls might even be scared to death.

The above did not take him much time. The White Tiger Pendant's nourishment and the improved cultivation efficiency of an Intermediate Mage allowed him to complete it in just eight months.

In the remaining four months, Lu Jun's Water Element, after being tempered, finally reached the breakthrough threshold.

Splash!

In the courtyard, Lu Jun sat cross-legged, several azure water currents swirling around him. Dense water vapor gathered in the air, and a tidal sound could be faintly heard from within his body.

Within his Spiritual World, the platinum Star Nebula occupied the center. Beside it, a blue mass of light spun rapidly with seven Star Seeds, forming an azure vortex where waves crashed against the light film layer by layer.

The Gold Element was extremely rigid, pushing forward in one go, while the Water Element was extremely soft, like water dripping through stone.

Finally, with a pop, the azure light film shattered. A vast, azure radiance surged out, quickly occupying a large area, expanding seven to eight times, and birthing forty-nine blue Star Seeds.

Water Element Intermediate level Star Nebula breakthrough!

At the same time, Lu Jun closed his eyes and felt his spiritual will grow stronger. His psychic perception range extended, and his spiritual realm officially reached the first stage.

Inside the house, his sister Lu Mei seemed to sense something. She walked out with a gentle smile, "Water Element Intermediate level is done?"

Lu Jun opened his eyes, quite excited. The disaster in Bo City was only half a year away. Although things seemed calm recently, it was actually the prelude to a storm.

The goal of Dual Elements Intermediate level one and Dual Elements Primary level three was achieved, greatly increasing his safety.

The remaining time in the third year of high school would be enough for Lu Jun to master Intermediate level Water Element Magic.

"There's still some time left in the holiday, let's go to Modu and buy some Spirit Seeds."

He came back to himself and smiled at his sister Lu Mei. It wasn't just him who had been making rapid progress this year. Lu Mei, under his 'watering'... ahem, her own efforts and his support, had accumulated considerable strength. She luxuriously used both a Nebula Magic Tool and a specialized Wind Element Magic Tool.

The latter was similar in effect to a Nebula Magic Tool but specialized in enhancing a specific element, and they could be stacked.

Now, Lu Mei had Intermediate level three Wind Element and Intermediate level two Rock Element, making her a top-tier figure below the High level. Once she was equipped with Spirit Seeds, Lu Jun suspected she could take on two Commander-level Demonic Beasts alone.

She was probably only slightly weaker than Tang Yue, who was already attempting to break through to the High level.