Full-Time Mage: Starting With the White Tiger Pendant

Among them, the Shadow Element's Primary Magic [Shadow Escape] was the coolest and most convenient—as the name implied, a displacement dodge skill that allowed jumping between shadows at extreme speed, making it hard to counter.

Somewhat like a Rogue Shadow Step from D&D.

She'd probably used Shadow Escape to leap her way here, only pretending to walk properly once she reached the school.

Lu Jun sighed, consoling himself that his Water Shield wasn't bad either. After a semester of hard training, both his Water and Gold Elements had reached Primary Level Two, just a hair away from breaking through to Level Three—he figured a few battles in the field would be enough to push him over.

Water Shield, Weapon Forging.

All-around, no-blind-spot defense, plus the Tremor Gold Greatsword's increased power in hand—combine the two, and his combat strength doubled.

Chapter 15: Mu Ningxue

Over these six months, Lu Jun had been moving with the City Demon Hunting Squad, hunting down seven or eight small demons in total. He was already familiar with the experience and had improved tremendously, while Lu Mei's Rock Element had also reached the peak of Primary Level Three.

If the two of them coordinated well, their combat strength wouldn't be weaker than a Demon Hunting Squad of over twenty Elementary Mages, meeting the standard to leave the Safe Zone.

Though he was itching to hunt demons right away, Lu Jun had to wait until the Year-end Assessment was over.

This assessment was going to be quite the show.

Lu Jun remembered something and walked over to Mo Fan with a meaningful look, casually saying, "A few days from now is the Annual Assessment. I heard Mu Ningxue is coming—what do you think about that?"

The group had already returned to the teaching building to take shelter from the rain. Mo Fan was about to tease Lu Jun for being flashy when he heard those words and his expression went blank, lost in thought.

Back then, that incident had stirred up a huge storm, dragging in a lot of people. The truth was that Mu Ningxue, in a fit of little princess temper, had naively wanted to run away from home and casually asked Mo Fan to take her out.

The main fault lay with Mu Ningxue, but since the master could never be wrong, her father Mu Zhuoyun made a mountain out of a molehill, and in his rage, he swept up countless servant families.

That matter had since become muddled, impossible to untangle the grudges and grievances.

Mo Fan snapped back to reality, saw Lu Jun's malicious grin, and cursed, "What do I think? I just want to dig up that old dog Mu."

"Good! That's the spirit."

Lu Jun chuckled and snapped his fingers, his Water Shield Cloak dissolving into mist.

The students of Class 8, First Year, had all gathered, each one nervous and excited, with a touch of melancholy—the Year-end Assessment meant class reassignment was coming, and friends they'd just gotten close to might be separated again.

A few days passed in a flash. The typhoon was gone, and the sky cleared.

Thirty classes, fifteen hundred people, all assembled on the big playground. School leaders, School Board Members, and others had also arrived, including the Mu brothers, Mu Zhuoyun and Mu He.

Lu Jun, Mo Fan, Zhang Xiaohou, and Mu Bai stood in the formation, quietly watching Mu He's endless speech.

"Today is also a very special day."

"Because the school has invited the most outstanding female mage in Bo City. At just 15 years old, she was directly admitted to the Imperial Capital Magic Academy on a special basis. I think many of you have already heard of her legend..."

"That's right, she is Mu Ningxue! Let's welcome this magical genius who should have been in your grade but has already advanced to university!"

Finally, Mu He ended by introducing an outstanding alumna.

"Holy crap, is that the Mu Ningxue with the Innate Talent [Innate Ice Spirit Seed], whose Ice Magic power is three times that of an ordinary person?"

In an instant, the entire student body buzzed with discussion. From everyone's reactions, it was clear Mu Ningxue was no stranger to them.

They hadn't expected to actually see this legendary magic genius at today's Annual Assessment!

Leaving aside various special effects, an Elemental Seed alone granted a mage [2 to 3 times] the magic power of an ordinary person. One Primary Level One Ice Magic from her would be equivalent to someone else's Primary Level Three—the gap was obvious.

To be fair, aside from Innate Talents, an Elementary Mage couldn't possess an Elemental Seed. If Lu Jun didn't have his second Gold Element, going up against Mu Ningxue would be like delivering a meal.

Fortunately, the Gold Element he'd crafted with millions in resources (actually far more) was powerful enough, and paired with other magic, it could solo a Servant-level demon.

Of course, Lu Jun also knew that Mu Ningxue's talent went far beyond an Innate Elemental Seed. Her true talent was an Innate Soul Seed, also known as the Ice Element's [Calamity Bringer].

A Soul Seed granted [4 to 6 times] power. For now, her cultivation was too low to show it, but once she reached High Level and maxed out the sixfold boost, she wouldn't just be destined for Forbidden Curse—the moment she broke through, her Innate Talent would undergo another ascension.

An Innate Soul Seed, then an ascension—what did that even mean? We usually described it with two words: "Monster!"

Honestly, Innate Dual Elements were far inferior to a Calamity Bringer. What did having more Magic Systems matter? Without money and resources to nurture them, every system would be mediocre, even falling behind the average, and you'd still get beaten.

Moreover, the five major ranks got harder to break through the further you went. Countless mages were stuck before High Level for life, needing vast, pure natural energy to break through.

Innate Dual Elements were no exception in this regard—among all talents, only the Calamity Bringer was different.

To use an imperfect analogy, a Calamity Bringer was like Xiao Yi Xian's [Calamitous Poison Body] in Battle Through the Heavens. Once she took poison, her cultivation skyrocketed without stopping, improving even while sitting still, until she self-destructed.

Ah, wasn't that a coincidence? Black Magic just happened to have a [Poison Element]. If a Calamity Bringer were born from it, wouldn't that be the Xiao Yi Xian template—slay gods when gods block, slay Buddhas when Buddhas block?

The more Lu Jun thought about it, the more urgent he felt. He examined his own cultivation and found it unsatisfactory no matter how he looked at it—he'd have to grind even harder.

"Bro Fan, Bro Fan, it's the little princess, it's really her! She actually came to our school!"

At that moment, Zhang Xiaohou excitedly tugged at Mo Fan's sleeve beside him.

Mo Fan and Lu Jun both looked up at the podium. They indeed saw a beautiful figure standing there like a proud snow lotus, her snow-white high-waisted fitted dress showcasing her stunning figure to the fullest.

What drew the most attention wasn't entirely her body radiating sexy young woman charm, but rather her breathtaking, stunning silver-white center-parted long hair...

Though the weather was sweltering, the woman standing proudly on the podium was like a snow fairy descending from the icy mountains into the mortal world—so ethereally beautiful, yet untouchable!

The whole school fell silent for a moment, then erupted into heated discussion. This was Mu Ningxue, like the Ice and Snow Goddess in her youth, with an arrogance bone-deep.

Lu Jun glanced at her distinctive silver-white hair, lost in thought. It seemed the Calamity Bringer's talent had already begun to manifest.

In the end, he lost interest, completely indifferent to Mu Ningxue, unlike the rest of the school's boys who worshipped her as a goddess.

He, knowing the future clearly, understood that this woman was a pure calamity bringer—or rather, any Calamity Bringer was on the Magic Association's Book of Life and Death, and getting involved with one in the later stages meant certain death.

The reason why was obvious from the Xiao Yi Xian template: when talent exceeded a certain limit, it became a disaster for the entire clan.

In the early stages, Mu Ningxue's background and the support she received from the Mu Clan in the imperial capital meant her loyalties would always sit on the side of the Great Noble Families. In a word, they were not on the same path.

No matter how beautiful she was, Lu Jun kept his distance. Her coldness came from the bone. He remembered that after over a thousand chapters, Mo Fan had to shamelessly cling on before he could chip away at this ten-thousand-year ice, and even then his teeth shattered.

Admittedly, Mo Fan had his private moral failings, but how many times had he risked life and limb for Mu Ningxue? What a price he paid. Selling a kidney and being a simp was small-time in comparison.

Besides, without the childhood sweetheart bond and that hazy, ambiguous experience, odds were Mo Fan would have just been a stupid ATM by the end.

Sometimes Lu Jun only hated that his transmigration hadn't turned him into a woman. Otherwise, why bother struggling on his own? Just latch onto the big simp and be done with it.

Living a second life, Lu Jun had long matured. Love was a two-way street. And if his lust was acting up, this girl was too green. Where was the mature, alluring charm of an elder sister? Something you could look at and touch.

His thoughts wandered as he glanced at Mo Fan beside him.

Chapter 16: Year-end Assessment

Unsurprisingly, Mo Fan was staring in a daze. This was probably the first time he'd seen Mu Ningxue since that incident, right? Three years?

Back then, all the kids liked to call her Little Princess, and she really was the princess in everyone's hearts, living in a castle on the mountain, wearing clothes and accessories many times prettier than what ordinary girls had, with that charming, adorable look...

But in these three years, Mo Fan felt he could barely recognize her.

She had changed so much.

The once relatively cheerful and approachable girl, now in the bloom of youth, actually felt even harder to get close to...

Was it a change in her temperament, or was it the psychological effect of the growing gap in status as they aged?

Lu Jun watched Mo Fan's expression and guessed there was a little inferiority complex inside him. It was only natural. He sighed without mocking. In the future, Mo Fan's shameless pursuit of Mu Ningxue, a kind of retaliatory behavior from his humble origins, was another reason.

Anyway, he himself could never bring himself to drag his self-respect down for love.

But the two of them, Mo Fan and Mu Ningxue, did make it to the end like a fairy tale, each worthy of the other.

"Full of disasters and hardships. Hope Mo Fan and Mu Ningxue stay as tough as ever, standing firm against both black and white, giving me a chance to develop in the shadows."

Lu Jun sighed, thinking of all the stupid things the Magic Association did, giving him heart palpitations. From the moment he got the Metal Element and Innate Dual Elements, his imaginary enemy wasn't just the Black Vatican, but the entire unreasonable and dark Magic World.

By his side, only his elder sister Lu Mei, and at most Mo Fan and Mu Ningxue, plus those persecuted geniuses, barely counted as allies.

On the other side, Zhang Xiaohou watched Mu Ningxue, who stood out like a crane among chickens, and sighed. "Bro Fan, you should have just eloped with the little princess back then..."

Mo Fan snapped back to reality, his mood calming, and cursed with a laugh. "Did you hit your head on the bathroom door?"

Seeing this, Lu Jun teased, "So, Old Mo, what are your thoughts now?"

"Nothing much. Just think that old dog Mu Zhuoyun did the only right thing in his life."

He paused, then said arrogantly, "He gave birth to a daughter. If he obediently made me his son-in-law, I'd reluctantly forgive what he did back then."

"Hahaha." Lu Jun ribbed him. "Is this what they call 'it smells good'?"

Mo Fan snickered slyly. He only said these things to his friends. Mainly because he clearly felt that neither Lu Jun nor Zhang Xiaohou, unlike others, were born seeing the Great Noble Families as insurmountable.

The people around them had servility in their bones.

Sure enough, Zhao Kunsan jumped out and sneered, "You think you can eat swan meat in this life? You'll never get into the Imperial Capital University. Just wait to be expelled after the Year-end Assessment."

None of the three paid the clown any attention.

Lu Jun did remember one thing. In this assessment, Mu Bai and Mu He wanted to kick Mo Fan out. They secretly placed a Dark Light Stone on the assessment device, the Star Compass—a mineral that absorbed light, lowering the score.

Who knew? Mo Fan's cultivation was beyond expectations. Even with the dirty trick, he still got a decent score. Then Tang Yue noticed something off, swapped out the Star Compass, and he shocked the whole school with an S-rank score.

The format of this Annual Assessment was very simple. In Lu Jun's eyes, it was a classic rehash of the opening of Battle Through the Heavens, only replacing the clan's stone tablet with a Star Compass, and testing Battle Power with magical power.

The score was determined by the brilliance of the Star Compass.

You could imagine how vicious the principle behind placing the Dark Light Stone was.

So, Lu Jun said in a low voice, "Watch out. Mu Bai and the others might pull a dirty trick during the assessment. When you go up, make sure to circle the Star Compass and check it."

"Hm?" Mo Fan frowned. He already knew Mu Bai had it out for him, but at this Annual Assessment, in front of everyone, would they dare pull something?

"Just try it and see."

Lu Jun sneered. "The school's funding all comes from the Mu family. The teachers are all the clan's dogs. What do you think?"

Mo Fan's expression turned serious, but he wasn't panicked. At least a student couldn't be openly persecuted by any force. Principal Zhu, appointed by the Magic Association, was very independent and sheltered countless commoners.

He patted Lu Jun on the shoulder without saying much, a gesture of thanks.

Soon, the Annual Assessment began.

First up was a small girl named He Yu, who, like Lu Jun, had the Water Element. Before going on stage, she was crying, tears streaming like pear blossoms in the rain, afraid she'd be kicked out of the magic high school.

Her homeroom teacher, Xue Musheng, believed it, and even the whole class of boys comforted and encouraged her.

Who knew? When she tested, the whole class looked like fools. According to the Star Compass's brilliance, she reached an A-rank level. Next year's class placement would directly put her in the Advanced Class.

Everyone was dumbfounded. This was a pure magic study snake.

Lu Jun glanced over and recognized her. She was Zhang Xiaohou's girlfriend, right? Unfortunately, two years later, during the Bo City disaster, she blocked an attack from a demon to save Zhang Xiaohou and died.

A tragedy, really.

He recalled the underground passages he had investigated over the past year—this time, he would not repeat the same mistakes.

Then it was Zhang Xiaohou's turn. The Star Compass test shone brilliantly, earning an A+ grade, drawing exclamations of admiration from the crowd.

At this moment, Zhang Xiaohou looked a little shy, but his eyes were firm as he said, "Teacher, I want to take the second test—casting magic."

The Proctor was somewhat surprised. "Are you sure?"

"I know that if I rank high in the Annual Assessment, I'll get to use the Stardust Magic Tool for a longer time, so I want to test the release portion."

The Annual Assessment included not only the Star Compass but also a second test for magic release. Generally, the latter was reserved for a very small number of top students, with only a few passing each year—too few students could master magic within a single year.

Unfortunately, although Zhang Xiaohou could cast the Wind Element Primary Magic [Wind Track], he grew nervous during the exam. He repeatedly failed to control the star particles, the star track broke, and he couldn't complete the release.

He stepped down in dejection. Teacher Tang Yue comforted him like a gentle elder sister: "It's alright. With your score, you're more than qualified for the Advanced Class."

Zhang Xiaohou asked, "Teacher, I thought I had mastered it thoroughly, but I never expected that a little nervousness would make the star particles scatter inexplicably every time I tried to control them, forcing me to start over. How do you manage to release magic in a single motion?"

"Naturally, through practice." Tang Yue smiled slightly. "Beyond that, mental state is also very important. A qualified mage must not only have a solid foundation but also a calm mind that remains unshaken by events."

Beside them, Lu Jun nodded. To be precise, it was killing—facing demons directly tempered a strong heart. Just like him, after killing many demons, his control over star particles never failed in critical moments.

Time flowed on. It was Xu Zhaoting's turn, and suddenly the entire venue's attention was fixed on him.

On the main platform above, Principal Tianlan began to boast—excellent character and studies, a Primary Lightning Element mage. Mu Zhuoyun smiled elegantly and said quietly to his daughter beside him, "Ning Xue, take a look at this junior's performance."

The silver-haired girl nodded slightly and hummed in acknowledgment.

Inside the examination ground, Xu Zhaoting, wearing his school uniform, already stood there. Under the pressure of the entire school's gaze, he was long accustomed to it and released his magic.

"Lightning Seal Mark!"