A Stunning Sword Strike / The Start of School

Chapter 11: A Stunning Sword Strike

At the edge of the alley, almost the instant Lu Jun attacked, his four teammates noticed. But the narrow terrain made it difficult to enter. If they got strung together like candied hawthorns by a Scarlet Beam, that would be ridiculous.

"Look out!"

When it mattered, Lu Mei was the reliable one. She shouted, her slender hand tracing out magic. A green Star Track swept across the air and pointed toward Lu Jun, empowering her younger brother. This time, she cast Level Three Wind Track.

"Wind Track · Drifting Shadow!"

Whoosh! A gale swept through the streets. The four of them heard their clothes snap in the wind. Ahead, in the alley, countless hazy, transparent wind paths spread out, even crisscrossing up and down along both walls.

It was like a grid of wind, like a sprawling subway map.

Level Three Wind Track could make someone move so fast they left afterimages, and it created more than one wind path.

In the next instant, Lu Jun felt the immense boost. His body felt light, as though he were about to ascend to heaven.

Water Shield, Wind Track, Vibranium Heavy Sword... As he looked at the Giant Eyed Rat Demon in the darkness up ahead, a reckless idea flashed through his mind.

Some people, when faced with danger, couldn't move their legs and simply sat down to await death. Others ran as fast as they could. But then there were people who instinctively fought back. He was obviously one of them.

Splash!

Lu Jun let out a low growl and darted forward, charging at the Servant-level Demonic Beast. He stepped onto the Wind Track, leaving an afterimage behind him. The Water Stream Ribbon wrapped around him was pulled back by the powerful wind pressure, streaming into countless blue ribbons.

He held the Vibranium Heavy Sword in reverse. Its platinum patterns lit up as he angled the blade downward, carving out a dark arc of light.

The sharp sword cry rang incessantly in Lu Jun's ears, then gradually faded into the distance. The scene before his eyes slowed, as if everything had come to a standstill and all sound had vanished.

By now, Lu Jun had already adapted to how his senses worked at this speed. His eyes were fixed on the ugly Demon Beast ahead. He watched the Giant Eyed Rat Demon's pupils slowly contract, then saw another Scarlet Beam shoot out.

Vroom!

He pushed off hard with his foot, tilting his whole body against the wall as he ran along it! The "slow" Scarlet Beam was left behind.

During the practical exercise a year later, Zhang Xiaohou would be able to leap across a cliff with the acceleration of Level One Wind Track. Now, with Level Three Wind Track, Lu Jun could even run straight up a building.

In almost an instant, Lu Jun raced along the wall and reached the Giant Eyed Rat Demon. Holding the Vibranium Heavy Sword in reverse with both hands, he formed a right angle with his body and the long sword as he stood beside the enormous rat. The blade's platinum brilliance burst forth and sank into its flesh.

With a squelch, he'd expected the blade to sink into the beast with the muddy resistance of cutting through steel. Instead, thanks to the speed of Wind Track and Gold Element Sharpness, it sliced through the rat like tofu, cutting along its spine and through its entire body in one smooth stroke.

When Lu Jun felt the resistance against his hands ease, he left the wall and spun once in midair before landing. The water wrapped around him scattered like a celestial maiden scattering flowers, blossoming into blue splashes.

Then he calmly turned his back on the Giant Eyed Rat Demon and slowly straightened. With a flick of his wrist, the Water Shield ribbon slid along the sword and flung out a blood-red flower. The Black Heavy Sword gleamed.

A moment later, a thin line of blood appeared across the Giant Eyed Rat Demon's forehead. Its massive body split in two and crashed to the ground. The cut was perfectly smooth. A great spray of blood burst out, shooting half a meter into the air, and fell like fireworks at the end of a performance.

The scene froze.

"Ah!" Li Xia and the others had already made their way along the wall and into the alley as Lu Jun charged. They'd seen the whole thing. The red-haired beauty couldn't hold back her shriek; her eyes had practically turned into hearts. She shouted, "That was so cool! I just climaxed!"

Xu Yan and Mu Yuan stared blankly at Lu Jun at the far end of the alley, utterly stunned.

Even Lu Mei was momentarily dazed. For a moment, she saw her younger brother's back as that of an invincible powerhouse, rising like a towering giant, his edge fully revealed.

The four of them had been little more than spectators. Li Xia had thought that the Thunder Fire Mage, with his power of destruction, would steal the show. But now, she realized that cowering at the back and casting spells didn't make a man.

A real man drew his sword and fought Demon Beasts at close quarters.

Several blue ribbons of water stretched from both ends of the alley to Lu Jun. Even after he'd slain the Demon Beast, they still hadn't fallen.

A wind-sword master? Water Breathing!

Lu Jun's boiling blood gradually cooled. Even he couldn't believe he'd pulled off such a feat. He deeply admired himself for managing to think on his feet and keep up the pose after killing his enemy.

He carefully examined his state of mind. It felt as if he'd broken through some kind of restriction. He wasn't afraid at all of facing similar Demon Beasts again; he could kill them with ease. His basic Water Shield hadn't even been broken.

Besides, his usual fighting style wasn't like this. He relied on Wind Track's agility to strike once, then retreat a thousand miles. If the alley hadn't been so narrow, forcing him to fight or die, he wouldn't have taken such a risk.

Metal Element's offensive power really was extraordinary. As long as you had the courage to raise your sword, it would open up a whole new world for you.

Xu Yan walked up to the Giant Eyed Rat Demon's corpse. He examined its sturdy sinews, bones, and flesh, all cut cleanly, then shook his head in admiration. Looking enviously at the Vibranium Heavy Sword in Lu Jun's hand, he said, "That Demon Slaying Gear is incredible."

None of them found it strange. With a sister who doted on her younger brother, it was only natural that she'd give him a weapon for dealing damage to go with his defensive skills.

These little mages, averaging Primary Level Two, were no match for Lu Jun.

Lu Mei snapped out of her amazement at that stunning sword strike and walked over to her brother. She chided him, "Don't charge in alone again. The instant you run into a Demon Beast, pull back first. Are you hurt?"

She checked him all over with both hands, unwilling to let it go.

"Sis..." Lu Jun was rather embarrassed. One moment he'd been a fierce swordsman, killing without hesitation; the next, he was a little boy relying on his sister.

Li Xia came closer and said flirtatiously, "Little man, want to strip naked tonight and let your big sister check you over?"

Seeing this, Lu Mei glared at her, then told her teammates to check the alley for anything they might have missed. If there was nothing, they could head back and report in.

Xu Yan and Mu Yuan immediately cast their magic: Ground Wave and Ice Vine.

Soon, the ground in the alley began to ripple. Earth-yellow light seeped through as wave after wave rolled into the darkness. A chill crept into the sewer, and ice spread over the manhole cover. A series of cracking sounds came from below.

This was one way to make practical use of Primary Magic: as a means of detection. Otherwise, if a mage with a frail body went searching up close and a Demon Beast suddenly appeared, they might never even know what killed them.

Lu Jun paid no attention to the two of them. After this battle, he sensed that the Gold Nebula had grown brighter, and the Vibranium Heavy Sword in his hand had become even sharper after being washed in blood.

"Actual combat really does hone your magic. A few more fights like this, and I'll break through to Primary Level Two before long."

He pondered. The second-level Metal Element spell was Size Change, which let him alter the size of a crafted "tool," though at the Primary level, it couldn't grow or shrink by more than a factor of three.

Nearly four meters long, the great sword was like a huge door when held across his body. With the defensive power of its vibranium alloy, it could be called nearly invincible at the Primary level.

Just as Xu Yan and Mu Yuan finished their checks, the White Tiger Pendant on Lu Jun's chest suddenly trembled.

In his vision, a tiny, ghostly blue light appeared over the Giant Eyed Rat Demon's corpse, no bigger than a firefly. It was as small as a candle flame, slowly drifting toward the pendant around his neck as if it had been summoned.

A Servant-level Remnant Soul!

No one else could see this. Only a mage of the Black Magic Undead Element could sense it.

"I didn't expect the White Tiger Pendant to work like Mo Fan's Little Loach, collecting Demon Beast souls."

Lu Jun was delighted, but then regretful. "Too bad it isn't an Essence Soul. Remnant Souls aren't worth much. A Servant-level Remnant Soul is worth at most ten thousand yuan."

An Essence Soul was a Demon Beast's complete soul, containing most of its source essence. The chance of one appearing was extremely low; even a hundred Demon Beasts might not produce a single one. Its energy was dozens of times that of a Remnant Soul.

As for the price... even a single Servant-level Essence Soul could cost five million.

Why was it so expensive? Because Essence Souls had many uses. For example, Stardust Magic Tools were made using Essence Souls from Demon Beasts of the same level!

In other words, an ordinary Stardust Magic Tool cost at least ten million, and a Nebula Magic Tool cost tens of millions. It was easy to see how powerful the White Tiger Pendant was.

They were also difficult to obtain. Either an Undead Mage had to collect them, or someone needed the special Magic Tool known as a Soul Jar. Both were priceless and hard to find, and Undead Mages were rare in the country.

Chapter 12: The Start of School

After confirming there were no other dangers, Lu Jun and the others left the alley. Someone would come to dispose of the Demon Beast's corpse; its hide, eyes, and other parts were worth quite a bit.

Some materials, such as Exotic Blood and Bones, could be used to make Magic Tools. They were similar to Remnant Souls, except that one was spiritual and the other physical. Neither was nearly as valuable as a Stardust Magic Tool.

The operation was paid for by the city government, amounting to roughly a hundred thousand yuan. Since Lu Jun had handled the Demon Beast alone, the other three only took a token amount for their legwork, three thousand yuan each.

The rest went to the siblings. Excluding the Remnant Soul, they'd earned seventy thousand yuan in one go.

That showed how generous the rewards for hunting Demon Beasts were—though the danger was considerable.

Lu Mei smiled. "Come on, I'll take you to register with the Hunter's Alliance. This operation will go on your record, and you'll earn the title of Junior Hunter. It'll make it easier to go in and out of the wilderness in the future."

The group split up, and the siblings headed to the Hunter's Alliance hall. It felt like a stock exchange and a job fair rolled into one, bustling with people.

A huge LCD screen hung on the wall of the Hunter's Alliance hall. It displayed the latest bounties, with the reward prices listed beside them. The lowest bounties were worth a hundred thousand yuan, and the highest could reach a million.

Many teams were also recruiting mages.

"Iron Soul Squad is heading out to hunt Demon Beasts. We urgently need an experienced Wind Element mage. Come quickly!"

"Assist the Military Mage at Snow Mountain Post in clearing out a One-Eyed Magic Wolf den. More than fifty adult Servant-level Demon Beasts. We need strong Fire Element damage support!"

"Any White Magic Healing System mages? Someone's about to die!"

The scene felt incredibly familiar to Lu Jun. It reminded him of people calling out for a party in an internet café, back in the days of Dungeon Fighter Online and World of Warcraft.

Before long, Lu Jun successfully registered at the counter as a hunter mage. He noticed several hunter mages gather around his sister.

They were all inviting Lu Mei to join their wilderness hunting teams. Intermediate-level mages were in desperately short supply in Bo City.

"Join us. How about a thirty-percent share for you?"

"No, thank you. I'm not planning to go into the wilderness for now."

Lu Mei shook her head and declined. The several middle-aged hunting team leaders left disappointed.

Seeing this, Lu Jun realized his sister was in a difficult position. Bo City couldn't afford to support an Intermediate-level mage. For his sake, Lu Mei's strength would stagnate.

For a genius who'd reached the Intermediate Level at twenty-one, that was unacceptable.

Should he tell his sister to stop worrying about him and join one of the wilderness hunting teams?

Lu Mei wouldn't agree, and even Lu Jun thought it was unreliable. He knew that most hunting teams were full of pitfalls; only a handful were any good.

Out in the wilderness, no one could hear you scream. There was plenty of darkness lurking out there, especially in this Magic World.

If she went to Magic City, even a job in manufacturing would only pay slightly more than a position on a city Monster Hunting Squad. That wouldn't help Lu Mei much without resources worth millions, such as long-term use of a Nebula Magic Tool or a Magic Tool that could withstand Commander-level Demon Beasts.

Only now did he truly understand how hard it was for a commoner's child to get anywhere in the Magic World.

Unfortunately, the White Tiger Pendant was bound to his soul, so he couldn't lend it to his sister.

"Sis, how about I go into the wilderness with you?"

When Lu Mei came over, he thought for a moment, then said, "You're a Wind and Earth mage, so you can handle escape and control. I'm a Water and Metal mage, so I can handle defense and killing. The two of us wouldn't be weaker than a whole team of mages. We could bring along one or two people we know well, too."

"Little brother! How old are you? You're only at Primary Level One, and you want the two of us to go into the wilderness?"

Lu Mei found it amusing. She said, "The wilderness isn't like the city. In the city, Demon Beasts are like rats; people beat them whenever they see them, and it's already a big deal if one or two gather together."

"But in the wilderness, humans are the rats! We'd have to move through the gaps between Demon Beast tribes. Running into seven or eight Servant-level Demon Beasts at once is normal. If we're unlucky, there could be more than ten, or a whole den of fifty."

"Really unlucky, and a Demon Beast army with more than fifty dens in its tribe could pass by. Counting only adult Servant-level Demon Beasts, there'd be anywhere from two thousand five hundred to ten thousand. There'd be plenty of Warrior-level ones, too, and even Commander-level ones."

She spoke earnestly. "I know what you're thinking. Wait until your Water Shield reaches Level Two · Protection. Then we can talk. You need to be able to withstand three or four Scarlet Beams."

Hearing this, Lu Jun felt the weight of the situation. He was under immense pressure. He couldn't let his sister waste her youth for nothing. They needed to build up their strength while times were peaceful, or they might not be able to handle the disasters to come.

The two made their way home. Seeing the black-haired boy still frowning, Lu Mei reached out and pinched his slightly chubby cheek, saying affectionately, "All right, that's enough. My affairs aren't for you to worry about."

"Your job right now is to study hard and get into a top university. Then you won't have to struggle as much as I do."

Lu Jun swatted her hand away, displeased. "Come on, I'm not a little kid anymore."

He secretly resolved that his sister was currently at Wind Element Intermediate Level One—she could already cast magic—and Earth Element Primary Level One. By the end of next semester at the latest, he needed to get both his Elements to Primary Level Two. His sister should have her new Element at Primary Level Three by then, too.

He couldn't put it off any longer. He needed to gather the money to rent a Nebula-level Magic Tool as soon as possible so she could break through to the Intermediate Level in her second Element.

In fact, Lu Jun knew that with Lu Mei's talent, she could have entered one of the country's top universities after graduating at eighteen. But she'd stayed to look after him, and even if she'd gone, a lack of money would soon have left her behind everyone else.

"Right." Lu Jun remembered something and made a point of telling her, "You can keep the seventy thousand. Don't rent a Stardust Magic Tool for me."

"Oh, right."

Lu Mei nodded. "With your progress, the school should let you borrow a Stardust Magic Tool to cultivate in your second year of high school. Not bad—you've got your sister's flair. You're top of the class."

Hearing that, Lu Jun started to say something, then stopped. Forget it. She could misunderstand if she wanted.

He had the White Tiger Pendant, a top-tier Nebula Magic Tool. His cultivation speed was soaring, leaving the school's Magic Tools far behind.

If Beginner Mages didn't have far less Mental Power than Intermediate Mages, which made cultivation less efficient, he could easily get both Elements to Primary Level Three in half a year. In the original story, after Mo Fan reached the Intermediate Level and awakened two new Elements, he cultivated at about that speed with the help of the Little Loach, which had swallowed the Earth Sacred Spring.

The White Tiger Pendant was no weaker than the Little Loach had been back then. It was normal for a Beginner Mage to get off to a slow start. Later, once he reached the Intermediate Level, gained experience, and had greater Mental Power, learning a new Element would go faster.

Time passed. During the final half-month of winter break, Lu Jun didn't encounter any more reports of Demon Beasts in the city from the Monster Hunting Squad, so he buried himself in cultivation.

Not long after he discovered the Black Vatican's activity in the sewers, an Orange Alert was sounded outside the city.

But it wasn't a big deal. Compared to the Blood-colored City-destroying Alert two and a half years later, it was nothing.

Still, certain signs were gradually emerging. In the original story, people were already in a panic at this time.

Although he now longed to help kill Demon Beasts and do his part, the Military Mages wouldn't let a child like him join them, so he gave up on the idea.

Finally, the second semester of his first year of high school began, and he naturally returned to school.

Class 8, First Year. The students had all arrived, chatting excitedly about the Lunar New Year during winter break. Before long, the conversation shifted to bragging about how far they'd advanced in magic.