Full-Time Mage: Starting With the White Tiger Pendant

He temporarily believed Lu Jun's words—not believing wasn't an option anyway—and besides, he felt the other party knew a great deal; knowledge was also a form of strength, worth befriending.

Once the awakening was complete, each class returned to their lessons.

Lu Jun indeed had no intention of exposing himself; it would bring him no benefit and only offend people. Moreover, he desperately wanted Mo Fan to grow up safely. Honestly, facing the disasters to come, even a dozen of such people wouldn't be enough.

A moment later, under the homeroom teacher's guidance, Lu Jun conducted his first magical cultivation.

Chapter 5: Beginner Gold Element Magic

The release of magic consisted of only three very simple steps.

First, Meditation.

Second, Control.

Third, Release!

As the names implied, meditation was about increasing Mental Power and Star Dust Magic Power to raise one's cultivation level, while control involved arranging the Star Seeds in order, and finally, release followed a fixed spell template to cast the magic.

Lu Jun immersed himself in his Spiritual World, where two Nebulae—one blue, one platinum—shone brilliantly, each containing seven dazzling Star Seeds floating and sinking.

A [Nebula] meant stardust; at the cultivation level of a Beginner Mage, it was insignificant within the vast Spiritual World—the term was quite fitting.

One Element had one Nebula with seven Star Seeds. Linking seven stars into a [Star Track] allowed spellcasting.

At the Intermediate Mage level, the Nebula evolved into a [Nebula Cluster], containing forty-nine Star Seeds, and spellcasting required combining seven Star Tracks into a [Star Chart].

In the Magic World, spellcasting before the High-level was extremely rigid. Each Element and each rank had only one spell. With a Beginner Mage having just one skill, teaming up was necessary to leverage each other's advantages.

By the Intermediate level, with two Elements fully cultivated, four skills provided a bit more flexibility.

Alternatively, one could rely on external forces. This introduced [Magic Tools], akin to equipping artifacts. However, Magic Tools had severe limitations—they could only be activated once within a certain period, whether it was an offensive Demon Slaying Gear or a defensive Shield Magic Tool.

"So that's why Innate Talents are so precious—they come with various bizarre abilities. Next are Spirit Seeds and Soul Seeds; refining them can greatly enhance the power of one's Element."

Lu Jun shook his head and muttered to himself. So-called Spirit Seeds and Soul Seeds were similar to the strange fires in Battle Through the Heavens—a concept exclusive to the Elemental Elements. When ordinary people cast spells, Water was ordinary water, Fire was ordinary fire, and Lightning was ordinary lightning—no special effects or formidable power.

But refining a Spirit Seed or Soul Seed, mastering a strange fire or strange water, would leave those of the Same Rank several streets behind in power.

However, these things were quite expensive. Moreover, only Intermediate Mages could accommodate Spirit Seeds, and High-level Mages could accommodate Soul Seeds. Above Spirit Seeds were Soul Seeds—still a distant prospect for now, unless one's Innate Talent was to master a Spirit Seed.

At this moment, Lu Jun ignored the [Gold Element] Nebula and focused entirely on the [Water Element] Nebula.

After careful consideration, he decided to pour his energy into the Water Element, because the Gold Element couldn't be shown in public, and without a Beginner spell template, he couldn't even begin controlling the Star Seeds.

Buzz buzz buzz!

But just as his thoughts touched the Water Element Nebula, the White Tiger Pendant hanging around his neck trembled slightly, sending information into his mind. His face lit up with surprise—it was the Star Track arrangement for a [Gold Element] Beginner spell.

"Haha, I knew that opening the Gold Element wouldn't leave me hanging."

Without a doubt, the White Tiger Pendant was also a Magic Tool, of a very high level with special abilities.

Although the Gold Element magic issue was resolved, Lu Jun still honestly focused on cultivating the Water Element first—this was crucial for the school assessment.

During his first cultivation session, his thoughts delved into the blue Nebula. The seven azure Star Seeds had been quite calm, but as soon as the outsider arrived, they instantly became restless, each tracing elegant arcs within the Nebula to evade their master's capture.

A moment later, Lu Jun had gained nothing—he hadn't even caught a single Water Element Star Seed. This was normal; every magic element had its unique temperament, and one had to learn to get along with it first.

Ordinary people often took about a year to successfully release a Beginner spell—that was considered excellent.

Returning home after school, Lu Jun was physically and mentally exhausted. Ordinary people could meditate for five hours, but controlling Star Seeds lasted only two hours, as it consumed a great deal of mental energy.

When he arrived home, he sensed a peculiar whirlwind surrounding the civilian house, with thick Wind Element energy spreading out, surprising him.

"Elder Sister, I'm back."

Lu Jun walked into the living room and called out loudly.

Soon, he saw Lu Mei sitting cross-legged on the sofa, floating three feet off the ground, her entire body radiating a cyan glow.

She slowly opened her eyes, smiled, and said, "Your elder sister is an Intermediate Mage now—Wind Element Intermediate. From now on, you can walk sideways in Bo City."

Hearing this, Lu Jun was quite surprised. Reaching the Intermediate level at twenty years old put her on par with students from Mingzhu University. Even though the Intermediate barrier was relatively easy to cross, his sister had still grinded for two years.

"So?" Lu Mei asked with concern, "What Element did you awaken?"

Lu Jun hesitated for a moment, then decided to tell her about his dual Elements. They had only each other to rely on—how could he not trust her? Besides, he thought of the Gold Element Nebula; to cultivate this Beginner spell, he would definitely need his sister's support.

"I awakened two Elements."

As the words fell, Lu Mei was stunned. Her red lips parted slightly, and her eyes widened. "Innate Talent?! Innate Dual Elements?"

The pride she had felt from her promotion to Intermediate instantly vanished.

"Wait." She rushed over to her younger brother in a flurry and said seriously, "Don't tell anyone except me, or you'll be targeted by malicious forces. You can only reveal it when you reach Intermediate and can protect yourself. Also, what are your two Elements?"

"I'm not stupid," Lu Jun replied. "Water Element and Gold Element."

"Huh?" Lu Mei was confused again. She understood Water Element, but what was Gold Element?

She couldn't believe it and asked several times in a row, until Lu Jun personally guided out the sharp, platinum-white magic energy unique to the Gold Element. Only then did she believe.

"A brand-new Element?!" Lu Mei's expression turned grave as she studied her brother. She sighed, "Younger Brother, you're destined to be a great mage, on par with the First Emperor, Faraday, and the like."

Seeing that his sister still firmly stood by his side, Lu Jun first breathed a sigh of relief, then felt a bit awkward.

The basic structure of the Magic World was the same as his previous life, but everything had been replaced by magic. For example, Qin Shi Huang was the founder of the Earth Element and one of the origins of the Undead Element, having created magical wonders like the Great Wall and the ancient capital's imperial mausoleum.

Finally, Lu Mei asked curiously, "What's the Beginner Gold Element skill? You know, if you mess up controlling the stars when releasing magic, either it has no power or it hurts yourself."

"Gold Element?" Lu Jun recalled the information transmitted by the White Tiger Pendant, his expression unreadable. The Beginner Gold Element magic was named [Forge].

As the name implied, it meant crafting an object from metal—it could be a blade or sword, or a bell, tripod, tower, or mirror—then infusing it with magic power, engraving the Beginner Gold Element magic, transforming it into a magic tool, and storing it within the Gold Nebula in the Spiritual World to nurture, evolving as his cultivation improved.

Unlike ordinary magic tools, which were single-use, as long as the magic energy the Gold Nebula could contain wasn't exhausted, the Gold Element magic could be continuously activated against enemies.

You had to know that even a Mortal Magic Tool used by a Beginner Mage, once activated, was unstoppable by anyone of the same rank. The power of a Demon Slaying Gear of the same rank was even stronger than Beginner Thunder or Fire magic, but its endurance was too weak—at most, it could be used in a pinch.

Heaven never seals off all roads. Lu Jun had originally wondered how he'd get through the awkward period where Water Element only had defensive magic at Beginner level. He planned to forge the Gold Element into a destruction system.

Gold governs killing. In terms of killing power, it has been number one under heaven since ancient times, even more renowned than Thunder and Fire. According to the Beginner magic description, it clearly had that potential.

Unfortunately, Gold Element had no Forge. Even if he finished controlling the stars, he couldn't unleash its power. So the urgent task was for Lu Jun to find suitable materials to forge, and he could only ask his elder sister for help.

Materials were key. The Beginner Gold Nebula could only accommodate ordinary metals, but if the alloy chosen was good, setting aside the base power bonus, the additional special effects wouldn't be inferior to a Soul Seed or an Innate Talent.

The Beginner Gold Element's Forge had to be handled with extreme care. Hard materials must be chosen, because the stars would all merge into the Natal Magic Tool. If it were destroyed, the entire element would be half crippled.

"Metal alloy, huh... Looks like I'll have to find a few of my girlfriends who got into universities and pull some strings to get it custom-made in a university lab."

Lu Mei fell into thought, telling her younger brother to wait for news.

Then she revealed a smile and said, "By the way, welcome home. Congratulations on becoming a mage."

Chapter 6: Mastering Magic

Bo City, summer turned to winter. Leaves tumbled in the wind. In the blink of an eye, one semester, half a year, had passed.

Ever since awakening his magic, Lu Jun had buried himself in intense cultivation. The pressure of future disaster, the craving for transcendent power, the steady temperament honed in his past life, and the ambition for fame and fortune all transformed into powerful motivation.

A world where effort yielded power was simply wonderful.

During the first half of the semester, aside from teaching some basic demon knowledge, the school mostly had meditation classes. There wasn't much else to do.

At this moment, Lu Jun sat cross-legged in his bedroom, immersed in meditation. The White Tiger Pendant on his chest emitted a platinum luster, its warm force caressing his entire body. His pores relaxed, as if he were soaking in a hot spring.

Inside his Spiritual World, the blue Nebula and the platinum Nebula had both expanded several times. Nourished by this mysterious power, they grew rapidly even without meditation.

During this time, the White Tiger Pendant had given Lu Jun another surprise. It truly was worthy of being a top-tier auxiliary magic tool. Even though it was damaged and hadn't recovered to its peak, it still possessed the ability to nurture stars, just like a Stardust Magic Tool or a Nebula Magic Tool.

A so-called [Stardust Magic Tool] was a special magic tool specifically used to assist cultivation. A normal person would get tired after ten hours of meditation and need to rest and sleep.

But a Stardust Magic Tool, even the weakest one, could extend that by several hours and restore Mental Power. A powerful one didn't even require cultivation—the Nebula would automatically grow in cultivation while being nurtured.

This type of magic tool was extremely precious. Divided by rank like Beginner and Intermediate, they went from Stardust, to Nebula, and then to the high-level Galaxy!

The White Tiger Pendant itself was comparable to a top-tier Nebula Magic Tool. An Intermediate Mage bathed in its effects could quickly grow to their peak, let alone a newly awakened Beginner Mage.

Rustle!

"Water Guard - Dissipate!"

Suddenly, Lu Jun's eyes flashed blue. The seven stars of his Water Nebula were gradually controlled into place. A brilliant, deep blue Star Track streaked across the air.

Countless water droplets in the air gathered, forming a water-blue ring current, about ten feet long and two feet wide. Like a soft silk ribbon, it coiled around Lu Jun, covering most of his body. Its surface shimmered brightly, looking incredibly tough and flexible.

Water is the softest element, but if a person fell from a great height onto a water surface, its hardness was no less than rock—they could be shattered into pieces. This was the principle of a non-Newtonian fluid.

Lu Jun felt this Beginner Water magic was about the same. Joy surged in his heart. He had finally mastered the first level of Water Shield.

Besides the five major realms, each realm was further divided into three levels.

The magic itself remained unchanged, but as the level increased, many variations were derived from the foundation, enhancing its power.

For example, with Level Two Water Shield · Guard, Lu Jun wouldn't just condense one water ribbon, but several, basically covering all angles. As for Level Three Water Shield · Cycle, the water ribbon would become dynamic, flowing endlessly, never extinguishing.

Unless it was destroyed in one go, which would require Intermediate destruction magic or higher.

"Water Shield can finally be released. I've mastered two Beginner magics, Gold and Water, in half a year. That's faster than Mo Fan. He should only have mastered the Beginner Thunder [Thunder Seal] by now, and won't master his second element, Fire [Fire Seed], until the end of next semester."

"Mu Ningxue took eight months to master her Beginner Ice magic. Hmph, setting aside Mo Fan's Innate Talent, his cultivation talent alone isn't inferior to other geniuses."

Lu Jun pondered. Of course, both of them relied entirely on their own efforts, without any Stardust Magic Tool. It wasn't until the second year after they mastered their Beginner magic that their clans or schools lent them magic tools for assistance.

So his own progress being this fast was normal. And this was just the beginning. The Stardust Magic Tool's help was relatively small when it came to controlling stars; the real boost would come when he needed to increase his cultivation and magic energy.

The condition of his White Tiger Pendant was clearly much better than Mo Fan's Azure Dragon Pendant. You could tell just from the appearance. Mo Fan's was like a dead object at first, and it wasn't until his sophomore year, after absorbing a school's Stardust Magic Tool, that it activated a portion of its abilities, becoming equivalent to a Stardust Magic Tool.

To reach the level of his White Tiger Pendant, Mo Fan would need to wait two and a half years to absorb the [Earth Sacred Spring] to catch up. The Earth Sacred Spring of Bo City was a Heavenly Material and Earthly Treasure that boosted cultivation, capable of helping one break through to Intermediate Mage. It was also the root cause of the disaster, because it had been targeted by the Black Vatican.

"Two and a half years left. I'll aim to get both elements to Beginner Level Two next semester."

Lu Jun clenched his fists. He got up from the bed. The water-blue silk ribbon swirled around him, misty and hazy, like a banished immortal descending from the water.

Downstairs, Lu Mei sensed the fluctuation of Water Element energy. She looked over and saw a black-haired youth coming down the stairs. The water-blue ribbon coiled gently around him, his skin moisturized, appearing much fairer.

She immediately said with envy, "Water mages are great. It's like natural skincare."

Hearing this, Lu Jun was speechless. Magic was transcendent! Shouldn't she be paying attention to the magic itself? The Beginner Water element's popularity was no less than Thunder's. It was the only one among the seven basic elements that had a defensive skill at Beginner level; the others had to wait until Intermediate.

Thunder and Fire were for killing. The difference was that Thunder Seal came with a paralysis control effect, Fire Seed came with continuous burning, Ice was for control, Earth [Ground Wave] was half control, half movement, and Wind [Wind Track] was for movement.

"I'm just joking." Lu Mei chuckled lightly, then exclaimed in amazement, "I Never Expected you to master a Beginner skill in just half a year. If I, your elder sister, hadn't been with you day and night and knew you inside and out, I'd think you had learned some evil technique from the Black Vatican."

Lu Jun was Too Lazy to pay attention to his sister's nonsense. He dispersed the Water Shield around him and said with slight irritation, "I've mastered more than just Water magic. I could release Gold Element three months ago. If it weren't for the alloy you promised that still hasn't arrived, it wouldn't be completely powerless."

"Ah, this..." Lu Mei's expression turned serious. She asked suspiciously, "Lu Jun, you're not really...?"

Hearing this, Lu Jun fell silent for a moment, then raised an eyebrow and said, "Don't jump to conclusions. When the time is right, I'll tell you everything."

The fewer people who knew about the White Tiger Pendant, the better. But once he grew strong enough, it wouldn't matter. In the early stages, it was just an auxiliary magic tool anyway; later on, it would become the key to seeking the totem.

Take those Great Noble Families, for example—when they went all out to cultivate a single person, the resources they invested were absolutely no worse than the White Tiger Pendant, and in some cases, several times stronger.

"Fine." Lu Mei sighed. She felt that ever since her younger brother awakened his magic half a year ago, he had been carrying a heavy heart, training desperately, never slacking off for even a single day, putting in over ten hours straight.

To be honest, for a high school freshman, this level of self-discipline was terrifying. Add in that unprecedented gold element, and there were clearly plenty of secrets. But she was willing to trust her brother—unconditionally.

Lu Jun asked again, "What about my alloy?"

"Don't worry." Lu Mei winced in pain. "It's already been shipped from the lab. You're really a gold-devouring beast, you know—a million in resources just for the Initial Stage. And that's only because my best friend had connections, and it was a byproduct of an experimental project meant to make money."

Lu Jun was equally shocked. A million—in a second-tier city, that was enough to buy a house. It could also purchase a Shield Magic Tool strong enough to block an Intermediate Mage's destructive magic.

With his elder sister's cultivation level, pouring that into her would definitely boost her strength significantly. Lu Jun felt a pang of guilt, but also overwhelming gratitude. Only true relatives would trust your words and go crazy with you like this.

They had really sunk their entire family fortune into this—their parents' inheritance, the death benefits, and the money Lu Mei had earned over two years.

He could only hope that the power of his gold element when casting magic would be worthy of the investment.

Chapter 7: Gold Element Lethality

In the courtyard, Lu Jun finally saw the special alloy produced by the magic lab. It had been crafted into the shape of a heavy sword—a pitch-black, gleaming slab four feet long, about one meter twenty, and looking incredibly weighty.

"Vibranium, the hardest metal in the world, from the depths of the universe—dug out of a meteorite. If it weren't for the fact that it has no magic power or special effects, people would have thought it was a powerful magical metal."