Intermediate Level Two

"Phew... Those things are still a long way off for me."

After a brief silence, digesting everything he had just seen and heard, Tang Miao let out a sigh.

He checked the time and realized only three minutes had passed... and that was including the time he'd spent processing everything.

Sometimes, things were just that strange, so Tang Miao wasn't all that surprised. Besides, what he'd gained from this Totem relic had directly helped him break through in one Element. It felt incredible!

The energy provided by this Totem Beast was stronger than any natural treasure.

Even a mere broken feather could provide such a powerful surge of energy. If he found some other relics, could he skip straight through the levels?

But with his current strength, it was obviously too soon to think about that. Tang Miao then headed up the stairs. At first, the climb was smooth, with no apparent obstacles... but the farther he went, the heavier his breathing became.

He'd forgotten about this place's drawback... he grumbled to himself, "I should've rested on the first level!"

Looking at the path still stretching at least halfway ahead, Tang Miao had no choice but to grit his teeth and press on. Fortunately, he had four Elements. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to reach the second level at all, and his time here would've been completely wasted.

As soon as he reached the platform, a dense aura of Ice Element energy washed over him. It was like a swarm of friendly little spirits dancing around him, gently swirling in the air and even eagerly burrowing into his mental world...

Feeling the energy surge toward him, Tang Miao immediately began meditating. The moment he started cultivating, he realized that the jade's effect had increased his speed several times over!

After reaching the second level, Tang Miao began meditating.

The speed was incredible! With the qilin inside him, he experienced a hundredfold increase on the second level! After two days, he successfully broke through to Intermediate Level Two in the Lightning Element.

Of course, his cultivation speed didn't stay that high. By the fifth day, his speed, even with the Stardust Magic Tool, had only reached nearly forty times normal.

Today, he decided to try for the third level. Only then would he have a chance of raising his Space and Summoning Elements to Intermediate Level Two as well!

Tang Miao hadn't chosen to focus on raising just one Element because he couldn't. Heaven had granted him exceptional talent, but it had also left him with an obstacle!

After breaking through, if he wanted to awaken a new Element, he had to raise all his existing Elements to the next level at the same time. Otherwise, he couldn't awaken one on his own...

Of course, perhaps he could awaken one by paying for it? He hadn't tried. More importantly, if he paid to awaken an Element the first time, that meant he'd have to keep paying from then on... and pay twice as much!

So Tang Miao had no choice but to cultivate several Elements at once.

The higher the level, the denser the energy, and the greater the rewards. Although Dean Xiao had promised him seven days of cultivation each month, that was only for one year. After that, he could still get five days thanks to his Lightning Element, but he'd have no other opportunities.

Once he'd made up his mind, Tang Miao immediately began his ascent.

Halfway up, each step made his head feel as though another lead ball had been strapped to it. The oppressive weight intensified the pain in his mind.

With every step, it felt as if he were being tormented by the tightening spell from the Monkey King's headband. The pain became unbearable.

The mental pressure kept increasing. His head grew heavier and heavier, more and more agonizing, as if it were about to be crushed flat.

Even so, Tang Miao still managed to climb up...

On the third level, his cultivation speed increased to a full two hundred and thirty times normal!

They said the path of cultivation was long and arduous, and that was true. If people cultivated without any resources or support, an ordinary person could spend their whole life at it and still only become an Intermediate Mage, with no hope of advancing further. It was these rare treasures and exceptional resources that allowed mages, already blessed with extraordinary talent, to reach even greater heights.

Just seven days in the Three-Step Tower could equal several years of hard cultivation outside!

Two days later...

Two days was a very short time, but the school had set the limit at seven days and wouldn't grant even a minute more. Every time the Three-Step Tower opened, it consumed enormous amounts of energy, so the school kept strict control over it. Besides, this wasn't his only chance to come back, so there was no need to feel too disappointed.

When Tang Miao stepped out of the Three-Step Tower, he felt refreshed from head to toe.

This time, all four of his Elements had reached Level Two. His Lightning and Ice Elements were nearly at Level Three.

The first thing Tang Miao did after leaving the Three-Step Tower was go out for a feast.

Fried chicken and beer—life was good~

It wasn't that he had low standards. He was just down to a few hundred yuan in living expenses... He had to keep a low profile!

A full stomach and a couple of drinks later, Tang Miao happily turned on his phone.

"Bzz! Bzz! Bzz!!"

The moment it powered on, Tang Miao felt as if his little phone was about to vibrate itself to pieces.

It wasn't until ten minutes later that the buzzing finally stopped. By then, Tang Miao saw that his inbox was already flooded with 99+ messages!

He glanced through them and saw that they were all from Tang Yue, so he hurriedly called her.

She picked up almost immediately, and Tang Yue's anxious voice came through. "Miao, are you okay?"

"I'm fine, I'm fine."

Tang Miao answered, then added, "After the Challenge Tournament ended, I went into the academy's Three-Step Tower to cultivate. I just came out..."

After Tang Miao explained what he'd been doing, Tang Yue finally let out a sigh of relief. Then she scolded him, sounding a little angry. "How could you reveal all your trump cards?"

"..."

Her worry gave way to a torrent of scolding... Tang Miao's mouth twitched. Still, he understood that Tang Yue was only acting this way because she was worried about him.

"Honey~"

Tang Miao called her in an affectionate voice.

Sure enough, after he called her that, Tang Yue stopped scolding him. Then she gave a soft "hmph." "Who's your honey? Don't be shameless!"

"Heh..."

Tang Miao didn't mind. "Yueyue, how's your mission going? When are you coming back?"

The magic college entrance exams were getting closer and closer, which meant the disaster in Bo City was drawing near!

The only person Tang Miao was worried about now was Tang Yue.

And he couldn't be sure whether his arrival would cause the Demon Beasts to attack the city early.

Tang Yue fell silent for a moment, then said, "There hasn't been much progress on the mission. I should be back in Hangzhou after I finish teaching this class."

"Okay. When you're done with what you're doing, come find me in the Magic Capital."

Tang Yue replied softly, "Okay, I understand. I have to go. Class is starting."

After hanging up, Tang Miao returned to his rented apartment.

Then he continued practicing controlling Star Seeds... If he wanted to make money, he first had to be able to cast spells.

He'd already managed to control more than thirty Ice Element Star Seeds. After leaving the Three-Step Tower, he found that his control speed had increased by who knew how many times!

In just two full weeks, he successfully connected all forty-nine Star Seeds into a Nebula!

The next day, Tang Miao went to the academy's casting room to practice his Ice and Lightning spells, along with his control and precision.

His progress in that area was surprisingly fast. He managed it in just one day.

The next day.

All that remained were the seven Star Seeds of his Space Element. He'd been planning to continue his seclusion.

But then... he received a message from Tang Yue saying she'd found Black Vatican members and couldn't come back for the time being!?

She was supposed to return today, but then she found Black Vatican members. Tang Miao couldn't help thinking, "MMP!"

After reading the message, he didn't hesitate. He headed straight out of his rented apartment and set off for Bo City.

Tang Yue was only a weak Intermediate mage, and she didn't have a cheat. Bo City was about to face its most brutal attack, and he was genuinely afraid something might happen to her. Tang Miao had planned to summon the Totem Mystic Snake and bring it along, but he was worried there wouldn't be enough time. The duel between Mo Fan and that Black Vatican lackey had taken place five days ago. With no other choice, Tang Miao had to go alone!

If he'd been in Hangzhou, he could've summoned the Totem Mystic Snake from anywhere. But outside Hangzhou, he couldn't...