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

Hearing this, Tang Yue felt reassured. She had to admit the youth before her was both charming and reliable; that instant kill of a General-level combat power was explosively effective, and the nearby mages' morale soared.

She extended a sincere invitation: "Come to the Adjudication Court. You'll definitely become a Great Mage in the future."

A graceful figure drifted over from afar. Elder Sister Lu Mei also arrived riding the Wind Track. Hearing those words, she glanced over, gave a light snort, then turned to look at her younger brother, smiling sweetly: "You little brat, learning to show off, huh? You're not hurt, are you?"

"No." Lu Jun waved a hand, then said to Tang Yue: "We'll talk about it later. The demons are attacking right now."

"Alright!" The three temporarily formed a team, rallying a group of Elementary Mages to press the advantage and sweep through this flank of the battlefield.

As for the General-level wolf corpse, no one paid it any mind. They'd deal with it after the battle; dedicated Military Mages would tally it up, so nothing would be skimmed off.

Lu Jun didn't get a General-level Spirit either—only a single Remnant Soul.

He looked at the battlefield littered with corpses, feeling a pang of regret. If he'd come earlier, participating in this war might have let him gather enough to synthesize one or two Servant-level Spirits without issue.

After a demon died, if its essence wasn't collected quickly, both the Spirit and the Remnant Soul would soon dissipate.

Besides, the absorption range of Lu Jun's White Tiger Pendant had its limits. In the end, he still had to kill the demons himself; taking shortcuts was out of the question.

Rumble!

Soon, a surging tide swelled around Lu Jun. Wave after violent wave crashed out, ravaging the hills. Vast torrents of azure floodwater mixed with mud and debris swept up the fleeing, scattered One-Eyed Magic Wolves, drowning and suffocating them.

Meanwhile, Lu Mei and Tang Yue weren't idle either. The former unleashed a Level 3 Wind Disc · Tear—dozens of twenty-meter-tall tornadoes swept through, dense blades of wind hacking over twenty Magic Wolves to pieces.

The latter was even fiercer. With a hot figure, a fiery temperament, and an equally violent fighting style, she threw a punch of Fire Element Intermediate Level 3 [Sparrow Flame · Fierce Fist · Nine Palaces], enhanced by a Fire Spirit Seed, its power far surpassing that of the siblings.

The ground shook, huge cracks split open, rings of flame spread outward, and pillars of fire shot into the sky, covering a hundred meters in every direction—no less impressive than the Water Element's violent waves.

Every Magic Wolf caught within the tide of vermilion flame was burned to ashes.

With three Intermediate Mages added to the fight, two of them peak-level experts, not only did the demons fail to breach Bo City, but the stalemate began to break, sparking a counteroffensive.

From a high vantage point, the dark tide of wolves shrank. Led by Lu Jun and the other two, the flank battlefield was gradually pried open. Wave after wave of Magic Wolves died horribly, the arrowhead of their assault driving straight into the wolves' core territory.

At the outpost on the front line, Deng Kai of the Demon Hunting Alliance was temporarily commanding. He raised his binoculars, saw this scene, and exclaimed in surprise: "Whose troops are those? So fierce?"

His subordinate replied: "It's Adjudicator Tang Yue, along with Hunter Lu and her younger brother."

Deng Kai's voice turned stern: "Whoever they are, all troops, hear my order! Press forward along the tear they've ripped open and kill without mercy!"

On the other side, as Lu Jun slaughtered freely, counting the kills by his sister and Tang Yue nearby, the number of Remnant Souls in the White Tiger Pendant quickly reached over a hundred. Specks of faint blue light gathered and coalesced into a brand-new Servant-level Essence Soul.

He split off a portion of his focus, his heart stirring with excitement upon seeing this. He quickly guided the Essence Soul into his Spiritual World, merging it into the vast, platinum-white Nebula.

Forty-nine stars shone brilliantly, six of them occupying the center, noticeably larger and more lively than the rest.

Buzz buzz buzz!

As the Essence Soul merged into an ordinary star, a new one instantly swelled and squeezed into the center. Seven stars now orbited together, radiating a strange power that not only expanded the Nebula's boundary by a ring.

It also nourished a sword seal suppressing the Nebula. The seven stars aligned upon it, strengthening the Natal Magic Tool.

The next moment, a surge of information flooded Lu Jun's mind: Metal Element Elementary Level 4 had been promoted! Named [Oscillation]!

It was an evolution based on Level 3 Golden Radiance.

Against the sturdy flesh and defensive demon arts of General-level demons, Golden Radiance had been growing somewhat sluggish—at best, it could penetrate deep into the bone. But if a melee strike couldn't instantly kill, a single blow from a General-level demon would be certain death, unable to be blocked even by an ordinary Water Shield.

Thus, [Oscillation] appeared. Based on the principle of metal resonance, it unleashed a powerful special effect: vibration. Every strike carried a knockback effect, sending even General-level demons flying backward.

Lu Jun combined this with his Spirit Seed's triple Water Shield · Cycle repulsion. The two together made him utterly invincible.

Beyond that, under the impact of this energy surge, he vaguely sensed that Metal Element Intermediate Level Two was right within reach.

Chapter 47: General-level Magic Wolf

Counting it up, it had been a year and four months since Lu Jun broke through to Metal Element Intermediate. Though he'd since focused his energy on the Water Element, Mind Element, and Curse Element, he hadn't slacked on practice.

After this war, he might just break through.

Roar roar roar! Suddenly, Lu Jun's focus snapped back. His sixth sense tingled, detecting a violent, powerful aura ahead. He immediately looked up and, sure enough, a General-level wolf beast, even more formidable than the previous one, charged toward him.

Clearly, the Magic Wolf pack had noticed the tide turning on this side and sent out a Great General to kill a few of them.

This Three-Eyed Magic Wolf stood over ten meters tall on its hind legs alone, its aura terrifying. As it moved swiftly, it stirred up sonic booms and airwaves, causing the curtain of rain falling from the sky to reverse and roll back.

Even so, Lu Jun wasn't afraid. On his own, he could fly on his sword, wear it down with Water Element violent waves, then follow up with Metal Element magic—there was a decent chance of killing it, let alone with three people.

But the next moment, his ease vanished. From the center of the wolf pack, three more ordinary General-level wolves, slightly smaller, emerged in succession.

With the Great General as the arrowhead, they charged in a triangular formation. From a distance, the momentum was like mountains toppling and seas overturning.

Hiss! Lu Jun heard the two beside him suck in sharp breaths.

"I'll try blocking with an Earth Barrier first," Lu Mei said.

She quickly controlled her stars, releasing an Elementary Earth Wave. A stretch of land far ahead turned soft and boggy, transforming into a swamp.

But the leading Great General Magic Wolf charged through, its speed barely slowed by a hair. Only the three General-level wolves behind it showed noticeable deceleration.

Seeing this, Lu Mei's brow furrowed slightly, but her hands moved without pause. She hadn't expected an Elementary magic to be useful—it was just for control. Soon, an Apricot Yellow Star Map spread beneath her feet, thick Earth Element energy surging around her as she slammed both hands onto the ground.

Rumble!

In an instant, rows of fifteen-meter-tall Mountain Screens rose up, repeating the same trick to trap the four General-level wolves together.

The four General-level Magic Wolves were squeezed into a narrow corner. They rammed hard—thud!—and though they broke through one yellow stone wall, two more rows remained behind it, enough to complete the encirclement.

The Great General Magic Wolf was about to be trapped when it threw its head back in a long howl, its four hooves blazing with green light. Its speed suddenly surged by a large margin, and its entire massive wolf body stepped through the air into the distance, directly vaulting over the fifteen-meter-high rock wall.

A physique like this, with that kind of leaping power, was enough to make one's heart tremble with fear.

"Shadow Intermediate, third-level Giant Shadow Nail · Pear Thorn."

At the critical moment, Tang Yue made her move. She too had been preparing her magic, and now it was fully formed. With a cold and graceful flick, she cast several clumps of shadowy dark light, which writhed in midair into several giant spikes, slipping silently along the shadows of the night to the side of the four magic wolves.

Buzz, buzz, buzz!

Instantly, the Great General that had been about to leap out stiffened, its body powerless as it fell. Then the four walls closed in, pressing the four magic wolves together, locking them tight.

But the earthen fortress kept shaking, gravel raining down. With the strength of a Commander Rank demonic beast, it would likely break through the obstacle soon.

Yet with Lu Mei and Tang Yue controlling two Intermediate Magics, they had ample time to cast spells.

Two clear shouts rang out: "Wind Disc · Tear, Sparrow Flame · Fierce Fist · Nine Palaces!"

In the distance, the stone wall fortress trembled violently, the ground split open, rings of flame spread outward, nine pillars of fire shot into the sky, the Spirit Seed's blaze scorching hot, and waves of fire rose higher and higher.

Then the wind eye condensed, and a vast gale of cyan wind swept across the ground, wrapping around the flame-engulfed fortress like a torch. Flames suddenly surged even higher, a mix of cyan and red, like a fire dragon soaring into the sky, over thirty meters tall.

Lu Jun did not rashly intervene. The Water Element didn't synergize well with the two women's combat style, while Wind and Fire worked far better together.

Besides, he wasn't idle. His Thought Moved, and a Gold Element star map took shape around him. A Dark Gold Flying Sword hummed with sharp edge, shot into the sky in an instant, and raced all the way to the limit of his mental perception.

Then a strand of Platinum Sword Light fell vertically, faster and faster, the sword's shadow growing larger and larger, like a platinum meteor streaking across the night sky, a line of platinum from heaven to earth.

Thud!

The moment it struck, it had transformed into a twelve-meter heavy sword, like a supersonic missile hitting the ground. It struck the flame fortress, and the violent air blast it stirred up scattered the cyan-red firestorm, causing the earthen fortress to collapse and explode.

And the newly promoted fourth-level [Shock] effect activated, piercing through the earth's crust. Dense spiderweb cracks spread across the ground, and massive slabs of earth lifted up.

Even Lu Jun and the other two, standing far away, were jolted off their feet, stumbling down after being lifted a few inches off the ground.

Tang Yue hesitated, then said, "Should be dead, right? That Magic Tool of yours has some real stuff to it."

But Lu Jun beside her said gravely, "No, not yet."

His Mind Element perception sensed that within the pile of fire ahead, three life forces had already weakened, like candles in the wind. Under the continuous burning of the Sparrow Flame Spirit Fire, they would die sooner or later.

But the Life Aura of that Great General was still tenacious. After all, standing over ten meters tall as a massive demonic beast, the twelve-meter great sword's fall had only pierced through the bodies of three weaker Commanders.

The Great General had narrowly escaped a fatal wound.

Before long, from within the vast shattered flame fortress, a three-eyed demonic beast, covered in wounds and dragging a crippled leg, walked out slowly. Its skin and fur were charred black over large areas, crisscrossing wounds exposed raw flesh, and one leg had been pierced through by the Vibranium Heavy Sword.

It growled in fury, still moving with heavy steps, wanting to tear Lu Jun and the other two apart. The desperate ferocity of a cornered beast had fully erupted.

Heh, Lu Jun let out a cold laugh. He had been prepared. He formed the Intermediate Water Element spell [Tide · Violent Waves · Repel] and unleashed it. A vast flood thirty meters wide swept through, instantly crashing into the charging General Magic Wolf.

Splash, splash!

The already heavily wounded Great General had no strength to resist. The moment they met face-to-face, it was swept away by the azure torrent, tossed up and down in the river, spun and tumbled, crushed to pieces.

It struggled constantly, but the azure river seemed to have a sinister nature, continuously draining its strength and Demonic Power, even devouring them.

Dozens of seconds later, the azure water flow dried up. The wet, plowed 'riverbed' revealed a massive wolf corpse, and a wisp of remnant soul converged into the White Tiger Pendant.

Lu Jun sensed the demonic beast's last shred of strength being drained away, suffocating to death alive. The 20% boost gathered on his body was ready to strike.

"Four Commanders taken care of. Counting the dozen or so from before, the flank is almost cleared. Everyone, give it one more push."

Beside him, Tang Yue let out a sigh of relief, her beautiful face covered in sweat. She spoke wearily.

Including his elder sister Lu Mei, both had been fighting for quite a while, their two-element Nebulas nearly exhausted.

Lu Jun looked out across the field. Corpses littered the mountain wilderness. Lin Yuxin and Yang Zuohe on the adjacent path were also fighting fiercely. The three armies converged, charging straight toward the wolf tribe's core territory.

He could clearly see the commotion among the dark mass of demonic beasts on the distant hilltop—they were completely shaken.

Thud!

Suddenly, a great boom echoed from the sky, accompanied by a majestic, stern shout: "Whoever dares to invade my Bo City shall be punished, no matter how far!"

Then, under the curtain of night rain, a vast black shadow fell, crashing heavily onto the mountain. It was the decapitated Winged Azure Wolf, a Commander Rank demonic beast, a massive creature tens of meters long, only half the height of Godzilla, and now dead.

Woo, woo, woo!

Seeing this scene, the wolf pack wailed in grief. They could no longer hold formation, completely collapsing and scattering, fleeing in all directions.

The war came to an end. Every mage was cheering!

Chapter 48: Wrapping Up

Zhan Kong's figure slowly descended from midair, and amidst the crowd's cheers, he stood at the very front.

Everyone wore smiles. Tang Yue, Lu Mei, Lin Yuxin, Yang Zuohe, Principal Zhu, Deng Kai, and even Lu Jun saw Mu Zhuoyun and Mu Ningxue in the Great Noble Families' camp.

That's right! Mu Ningxue was there too. This time, Lu Jun had appeared and struck first, preventing her from following the original path—returning to Imperial Capital University after Mo Fan's duel—and instead having her fight alongside him in Bo City.

At this moment, no matter their identities or social standings, everyone was celebrating wildly. That genuine emotion was deeply moving.

Seeing this scene, Lu Jun felt a bit dazed. He had truly changed the future, torn up the script, and achieved a perfect ending.

He gradually broke into a smile, his thoughts wandering. How wonderful—fighting demons was endlessly enjoyable. He had passed the most critical ordeal of his life and defended his hometown.

Next came the academy. Fighting people would surely be just as enjoyable, wouldn't it?

Lu Jun had yet to experience combat against a human mage; for three years, he had fought bravely in the wilderness, locked in slaughter with the Black Vatican's Black Beast Demons.

Soon, his thoughts returned, and seeing the night rain in the sky grow lighter and lighter, on the verge of ceasing as the clouds dispersed, he let out a heavy sigh of relief—it meant the Black Vatican had fully abandoned their plan and withdrawn Rain Summoner Wu Ku.

The overall situation was settled!

In truth, Lu Jun remained highly vigilant toward the two, unwilling to absolutely confirm they wouldn't act, so before the operation began, he still had Tang Yue relay intelligence, solemnly instructing that it be passed only to the Hangzhou Adjudicator alone—that is, her uncle.

This way, should any unforeseen changes arise, there would still be room to salvage matters.

Moreover, Zhan Kong himself was no simple figure—a peak High Rank mage, bearing the Zu Family Forbidden Art. When necessary, he could take on a bottom-tier Super Rank like Wu Ku in a fight; it was a fallback strategy.

Lu Jun had only made his move after careful deliberation. Now, as he swept his gaze across the crowd, he inadvertently spotted Mu He among the Mu Family members. The man wore a full smile, as if sharing in the collective joy.

Seeing this, Lu Jun couldn't hold back and nearly laughed out loud. Knowing Mu He's true identity, and then looking at what he was doing—forced by the Mu Family crowd to disguise himself as an Intermediate Mage and help Bo City bravely resist the demons—

His mission had failed, and he still had to smile in celebration; his heart was probably bleeding.

Finally, the Night Rain ceased, and a faint glimmer emerged at the horizon, as if dawn was cutting through the darkness.

The crowd stared blankly at the sky, long unable to snap out of it. They did not pursue the Wolf Pack demons fleeing into the wilderness—chasing a cornered foe was unwise; they were already utterly exhausted, and besides, the demons could never be fully killed.

The human world occupied less than one percent of the land; merely preserving Bo City was already good enough.

Zhan Kong emerged unscathed, though his body was soaked and he looked somewhat disheveled. Gazing at the receding tide of green-black across the mountains and plains, he muttered to himself, "This battle alone has bought Bo City at least ten years of peace."

Until a new Wolf Pack migrated to the South Ridge, it would remain stable.

Once the initial wave of excitement passed among everyone, tallying the casualties painted a different scene—many wore sorrowful expressions.

Fortunately, the losses were mainly among the border soldiers at the outpost, who had all died resisting the First Wave's impact. By the time reinforcements arrived and a stalemate set in, there were no major further casualties.