Full-Time Mage: Starting With the White Tiger Pendant

When Lu Jun was able to release Gold Element Intermediate Level Magic, he realized that [Artifact Control] was not easy to manage—the gravity changes that could expand or shrink, the precise control over the spread of golden radiance, and three-dimensional combat across land, sea, and air required immense mental strength and spatial imagination.

Otherwise, not only would he fail to maximize its power, but he might also accidentally injure his allies.

In addition, although Artifact Control made up for the Gold Element's short-range limitation, its range of control depended on spiritual cultivation; the higher the ninth realm level, the greater the range.

Fortunately, Lu Jun had awakened Mind Magic at the intermediate level, which solved both problems well and was more conducive to improving his spiritual cultivation. With the current [First Realm] expanded range, it was enough for him to sweep through the intermediate level.

If the Gold Element really became widespread, he would be among the most outstanding in it, and for this reason, he had trained for a long time.

The more he killed, the more Lu Jun was grateful that the powerful auxiliary and mysterious characteristics of the Mind Element gave bonuses to his other three elements—Water, Gold, and Curse.

Finally, because the flying sword danced through the city and its form was too exaggerated when it transformed into heavy sword mode—even slaying demons in front of many evacuating crowds, showing off before people, impossible to hide even in the rainy night—it was witnessed by everyone.

"Look, on top of that skyscraper, who is that person? A mage?"

Under the light screen of the Safe Zone, the safe people were fortunate. Suddenly, a small girl shouted, pointing excitedly at the building in amazement: "So handsome! Is he killing the Black Vatican's demons?"

As she spoke, everyone saw the hazy figure on top of the building. Even with the rain and night blocking the view, a set of blue-green Water Windbreaker still drew all attention.

A three-foot Platinum Sword Light that whistled through the city seemed to be this mysterious strongman's magical artifact.

Someone roared in support: "Kill them well! Shred them for me, these damn dogs, these antisocial bastards!"

"A real man should be like this!" A knowledgeable mage sighed, envious: "That magical artifact's level must be extremely high."

In the vast crowd, Mo Jiaxing pushed Ye Xin Xia's wheelchair and looked up. Zhang Xiaohou stood next to He Yu, their hands tightly clasped, their eyes fixed on the silver-white sword standing tall like a building under the sky.

Including Mu Bai, Zhao Kunsan, and others, all were there. The people who had been panicked by the sudden blood-colored alarm gradually relaxed their hearts when they saw this domineering scene.

This time, Zhang Xiaohou wasn't infected by Zhan Kong's solitary slaying of the Winged Azure Wolf commander, but he was still attracted by Lu Jun's demeanor of looking down on the world and judging the Black Vatican.

He Yu hadn't died. The love and responsibility in the disaster were no less than the desire for revenge.

Zhang Xiaohou tightly held He Yu's hand, lowered his head, and said firmly: "He Yu, I also want to be like that strongman, to protect people from any harm... I want to join the military."

He knew clearly that with his cultivation at only the second level of the beginner stage after high school graduation, even if he got into a school, he wouldn't be valued. Joining the military was a path.

"I understand you." He Yu said softly: "And I also want to hold up that half of the sky, to become an independent and powerful female mage. I'll go with you."

"Hurry, hurry!" Many people excitedly pulled out their phones: "Quick, record a video, post it online! That's so cool, slaughtering those Black Vatican dogs!"

It seemed these people had no sense of urgency or seriousness. If Lu Jun were here, he would instead be relieved. Compared to the Original Timeline where the city was draped in white, families destroyed, and grief thick, this scene was a great affirmation of human guardianship—the Mages holding back all disasters.

Suffering doesn't make people grow; experience does.

It's just that smiles are conserved, transferred from one group's faces to another's.

Bo City was cheerful; the Black Vatican was miserable.

Rumble!

On a certain street, a three-zhang-long giant heavy sword, like a tractor, brutally plowed a deep trench through this area. When the heavy sword trembled and lifted, the trench was filled with corpses, like a slaughterhouse.

Two Black Vatican Members in black robes trembled, hiding under the ruins of collapsed walls, having just narrowly escaped death by a hair's breadth.

Seeing this, Yu Ang, still shaken, panted heavily: "Are you still planning to seize the Earth Sacred Spring?"

His fellow sufferer, Instructor Bai Yang, had a grim face: "Let's see. If a direct grab doesn't work, I'll use the military's name to take it by strategy."

"Then good luck." Yu Ang, already scared out of his wits, said: "My identity might not be recognized by that person. I'm counting on you."

Buzz buzz~

Soon, on top of the building, Lu Jun raised his hand and beckoned. A white line flashed in the night sky, like a rainbow piercing the sun. A three-foot Platinum Sword Light broke through the air and returned, hovering around him. A killing intent brewed, like a dormant white flood dragon ready to strike at any moment.

He looked down and muttered to himself: "That's about enough. Save some magic power."

At least one hundred and fifty Black Beast Demons had died under his sword. Blood was everywhere. Tang Yue, Lu Mei, and Lin Yuxin were all relieved. At his command, they turned around and headed for the outpost border.

Under the Safe Zone, the stable social mages were also mobilized under official organization, continuously reinforcing the front line.

When Bo City reacted, the demon wolves would face a clenched iron fist.

There were still many Black Beast Demons running rampant in the city. After being intercepted and blocked by the sword net, paying a bloody and painful price, they finally charged to the foot of the Yin Mao Building.

At this distance, it was no longer cost-effective for Lu Jun to use Gold Element ranged combat. His Gold Element nebula currently had at most twenty percent magic energy left. Melee combat consumed less and was no weaker than ranged combat.

There was no helping it. The intermediate [Artifact Control] could sustain itself once activated, but it consumed a lot of energy.

Chapter 43: Intermediate Level Surging Waves, Total Annihilation!

Captain Liang had already returned to the top of the building, panting: "It's bad. When I opened the basement, some Black Beast Demons mixed in. I had to run back into the building."

"We'll hold our ground here for now, waiting for the dispatched mages to return..."

Before he could finish, he happened to see the scene above the antenna—Lu Jun controlling a Platinum Sword Light magical artifact, slaughtering in all directions as it came to an end. He rushed to the railing and looked down, seeing corpses everywhere, and was dumbfounded.

Captain Liang gasped: "Are you really just a high school graduate?"

Beside him was a dumbfounded Mo Fan. Originally suppressing the urge to devour the Earth Sacred Spring and preparing to cultivate honestly, he hadn't waited a few hours before someone pulled him up, saying something about Bo City's blood-colored disaster.

After seeing Lu Jun and understanding the whole process, Mo Fan swallowed his saliva and said with a strange look: "Old Lu, you've been hiding this all along. Damn, you've reached the intermediate level."

Outsiders see 'magical artifacts'; insiders see magic energy.

Artifacts that can be used for a long time do exist—for example, in the Original Timeline, the national team contestant Guan Yu from Mo Fan's generation had a claw, and Mo Fan's Black Dragon Set counted too.

But the greater the power, the more magic energy it consumes.

Without an Intermediate Nebula to support it, it simply couldn't be sustained.

"What do we do now?" Captain Liang asked worriedly. "Can your magic energy still hold out?"

At that moment, the building trembled slightly. Over a hundred Black Beast Demons had slammed into the walls downstairs, piling up like a dark, oppressive tide. Several Black Robe Cultists followed behind them.

"These petty demons—let's just kill them all."

Lu Jun said expressionlessly. Black Beast Demons were the Vatican's signature dark art, forged from humans using a combination of the Curse and Mind Elements. Their strength ranked only in the middle of Servant-level, slightly better than Giant Eyed Rat Demons, but their numbers were overwhelming. Worse, they possessed a degree of intelligence and knew how to cooperate.

Hearing this, Captain Liang's mouth twitched. A hundred of them—even an Intermediate Mage would hesitate. Remembering the reinforcements, he quickly asked, "By the way, where are Vice Captain Lin and the others?"

"They left." Lu Jun calmly wiped the blood from his Dark Gold Longsword. "I told them not to bother."

At these words, Captain Liang felt the world spin. He was almost speechless.

"They're coming up." Lu Jun caught sight of shriveled, terrifying shadows scaling the building's surface, darting straight up like a black tide creeping inch by inch over the silver-white structure.

Truth be told, Lu Jun genuinely despised these Black Beast Demons. They were once human, but they produced no soul essence, not even remnant souls—cursed creatures through and through.

No matter how many he killed, it was a losing deal. In his two and a half years as a hunter, he'd gathered enough materials to synthesize six Servant-level soul essences. His Gold Element Nebula had six stars strengthened already, and he was only one short of unlocking [Gold Element · Beginner Level 4] magic!

Right now, Lu Jun was eager to hunt wild demon wolves in the field, not waste time on small fry.

Whoosh!

Just as Captain Liang was about to speak, he watched in shock as Lu Jun cast his spell. A brilliant azure light burst from his entire body, illuminating half the sky above the high-rise. Waves of vast water vapor surged higher and higher.

Lu Jun's eyes blazed azure. An azure star chart unfolded beneath his feet, sketching the scene of a flood sweeping through. Half a year ago, he had already broken through to Intermediate level, and his first-tier Violent Waves were long mastered.

After one breath, the Vast Energy within Lu Jun was fully charged. He threw a punch, and rain filling the sky converged around him in a spiraling motion. The vortex formed by Water Shield · Cycle swelled violently, pouring down.

Tide · Violent Waves · Repel!

Rumble! Under the stunned gazes of Mo Fan and Captain Liang, Lu Jun unleashed a surging azure river, thirty meters wide, roaring down from the sky like a majestic torrent.

An ordinary Violent Wave might only be ten meters wide—much broader than an Intermediate Fire spell—but it was nowhere near the power of Lu Jun's Tidal Spirit Seed, which tripled the force.

From a distance, the hundred-meter-tall silver-white building was covered inch by inch by the azure tide, like a magnificent waterfall sweeping down. "Flying stream plunges three thousand feet, as if the Milky Way falls from the nine heavens!"

Thud, thud, thud! The dark figures climbing the building's surface met the wave head-on. A series of heavy, dull impacts rang out as the violent tide slammed into them. In the instant of collision, the demons' bodies were deformed by the kinetic force.

Boom! Boom!

Then the waterfall swept more than twenty Black Beast Demons all the way down the hundred-meter building, smashing them heavily into the ground. They were crushed into pulp without question. Blossoms of blood bloomed, spreading across the ground in countless fan-shaped streams that shifted from azure to dark red—a gruesome sight.

The remaining eighty-plus demons were startled and scattered, trying to attack the Yin Mao Building from other angles.

But the building's entrance had long been sealed by Captain Liang. Breaking through would take time, and Lu Jun wasn't about to give them that chance.

He took a deep breath and shouted with sacred authority: "Violent Waves!"

The scattered Water Element magic energy around Lu Jun re-gathered, including the azure river below, which began to glow with faint black-red specks—the magic energy of the Black Beast Demons.

His next Intermediate Violent Wave surged in power.

Rumble!

When Lu Jun unleashed another surging river, it took on a dark blue sheen—deep, vast, and thirty-nine meters wide. The waterfall carried immense impact force, splashing waves tens of meters high as it hit the ground, making the building tremble slightly.

Splat. As expected, over thirty Black Beast Demons still on the ground were crushed to death.

"Violent Waves!"

Lu Jun's eyes flickered black and white. His willpower forcefully commanded a new surge of magic energy. His aura was like a demon's, his figure imposing, with half the sky behind him shining like a sea of sunset.

His third Violent Wave struck—a massive river forty-six meters wide that flooded three floors of the building. Merging with the two previous waves that hadn't yet dissipated, it swept the last fifty-plus Black Beast Demons eight hundred meters away, covering every crisscrossing street with water.

From above, this part of Bo City looked like a disaster scene, submerged by floodwaters. The front three rows of small buildings were flattened. Without a doubt, all the Black Beast Demons were dead—killed by kinetic impact, vortex shredding, or drowning.

Hoo~ Lu Jun slowly withdrew his power. The azure glow on his body faded, and the nearby Water Element was depleted. The dark cloud above his head dispersed, revealing the strange sight of the Yin Mao Building standing in a rainless patch.

Wu Ku's downpour had been perfect for a Water Element mage to shine. Lu Jun's power was already several times stronger than usual, and he couldn't imagine how formidable a Water Element mage would be at sea.

"Th-this... that's at least peak Intermediate Water Element power, isn't it? What kind of spirit seed is that?"

Captain Liang stammered, then suddenly realized with shock: "You're dual-element Intermediate?!"

Earlier, when Lu Jun wielded that powerful magic tool, it must have drained one Nebula. Now his Water Element was showing off its might—this meant he had at least two Nebulas. Was this really a high schooler?

Lu Jun said understatedly: "Of course. I'm Intermediate in both Water and Curse Elements."

That was a lie. In his Spiritual World, a platinum-gold Nebula and an azure one occupied the center, each with its own character—one like a heavenly sword, the other a vortex. On the edges, two small black-red and translucent star clusters were squeezed into the corners.

His Gold Element was the one at Intermediate, but Lu Jun wasn't about to say that.

Mo Fan's mouth twitched. With Lu Jun's earlier monstrous 'magic tool' and this, the gap had really widened. He'd worked hard for over a year, but instead of closing the distance, it had only grown.

Chapter 44: Fraud? Guard Turned Thief!

Ignoring the two, Lu Jun carefully savored his Water Element performance. He had to admit, large-scale area attacks were incredibly convenient. Killing over a hundred Servant-level demons in one go—even a peak Intermediate Mage couldn't pull that off.

Moreover, the special effect of his Tide spirit seed wouldn't be as powerful for an ordinary Water Mage. By the third wave, he'd already felt it slipping from his control and had to rely on his mental will. That was why it suited him so perfectly—only in his hands did [Tide] have this kind of power.

Captain Liang was still lost in repeated shock, struggling to snap out of it.

Even the two Black Vatican members hiding in a remote corner of Bo City swallowed hard. Bai Yang hesitated, then said, "We really can't take it by force. I'll have to use cunning."

He straightened his 'remains,' restoring the unyielding, upright demeanor of a soldier. Mounting his Summoned Beast, the Ghost Wolf Beast, he leaped up, skimming across the water's surface as he charged toward the building, shouting, "Captain Liang, are you there? I'm sent by Military Governor Zhan Kong. I'm asking about the Earth Sacred Spring—how is it?"

Seeing This, the three upstairs were startled. They looked down, expressions varied. Captain Liang breathed a sigh of relief, Mo Fan frowned, and Lu Jun, recognizing the newcomer, smirked with amusement.

Before long, the two sides gathered atop the building.

Bai Yang, panting heavily, wore a serious expression. He saluted and said, "Under the Bo City Military Governor's command, Zhan Kong sent me to retrieve the Earth Sacred Spring. The military will protect it to prevent the Black Vatican from seizing it."

Captain Liang, overjoyed, replied, "Excellent! With the military stepping in, it's foolproof. How is the situation outside the city now?"

Hearing This, Mo Fan sensed something off but hesitated to speak.

"Hold on." Lu Jun decisively interrupted. "I have a question."

Bai Yang's Inner Heart skipped a beat, sensing trouble, but he furrowed his brow sternly and said, "What other question?!"

Lu Jun sneered. "First off, we've already cleaned up the Black Vatican. Why are you showing up now? Picking the fruit? Second, I doubt your identity."

"Comrade, what kind of talk is that?!" Bai Yang said, agitated. "How can you suspect there's a bad apple in the Guard Department?"

Captain Liang tried to smooth things over, but Lu Jun acted directly. He unleashed a combined cast of his rarely used Mind Element and Curse Element magic. His originally clear eyes gleamed—one pitch black, the other pale white.

Buzz buzz buzz!

He simultaneously used the basic Mind Impact and basic Fearful Haze.

A surge of powerful Mental Power erupted from his eyes, carrying a chilling, ominous force that struck Bai Yang directly. First, a transparent ripple shattered the defenses of his Mind Lake, then a three-tier nightmare took shape, shrouding his perception in mental dust.

Bai Yang froze in place, his face filled with terror. Unaware of what nightmare he was dreaming, his eyes reflected black and white.

Seeing This, Captain Liang exclaimed in shock, "What are you doing? Attacking the military?"