Space Element Reverie

In winter, one had to drink soup.

So Shi Yu took Bai Mo out for sour pickled radish old duck soup.

It was an obscure little shop right beside Pearl Institute, but the taste was surprisingly good.

After returning home, Bai Mo placed the receipt for the three-million expenditure in Patriarch Bai's study. Only after returning to his room did he carefully examine the three books Shi Yu had given him.

Only one of the three books specifically introduced rare Summoned Beasts. The other two seemed to be collections of experiences from summoning mages.

It happened to be winter break, so he had plenty of time to read the three books alongside his cultivation.

The next day, at the Four Directions Beast Arena.

Bai Mo stood in a stretch of sand, with a Servant Level Demon Beast, a Flying Shadow Leopard, standing opposite him.

The day before yesterday, he had suddenly remembered that ever since gaining control of forty-nine Space Element Star Dust, he had never used the Mid-Level Space Magic, Space Rhythm.

So he had come to try it out today.

The last time at Jingan Stone Temple, his Mental Power had broken through to the third level. Combined with his advancement to the mid-level, his Mental Power had increased significantly as well.

As a result, he could draw his Star Orbit faster too.

He could now form a Star Orbit with One Thought.

Facing the Flying Shadow Leopard as it darted toward him, Bai Mo remained calm as he looked at the beast's maw, which seemed to be right in front of him and carried a foul, fishy stench.

Silver light lit up in his eyes. He calmly opened his hand, and a Star Map rose from his palm.

Silver light blazed!

"Space Rhythm!"

"Buzzzzzzzzzzz!"

As space rippled, the charging Demon Beast seemed to slam into an invisible wall. It was trapped inside an invisible cage, unable to escape no matter how it lunged and struggled.

"Compress!"

Bai Mo slowly clenched his hand into a fist, and the invisible spatial cage closed in with his will. The once agile Flying Shadow Leopard became a pile of mangled flesh.

"Not bad."

Bai Mo nodded and carefully reflected on the spell. Space Rhythm: Compress was exactly as its name suggested—a use of spatial contraction.

So he wondered, could he only shrink without compressing? Wasn't the divine art of Shrink Earth to an Inch from myths and legends based on this very principle?

By infinitely shrinking the distance between two places, one could cross a thousand miles in a single step. Was Instantaneous Movement supposed to work like that?

That was his guess.

Though it probably was not that simple in practice, if he understood the theory before applying the magic, could he also shrink certain objects?

As soon as the thought came to him, he acted on it. Bai Mo extended his hand toward the pile of flesh again, and the silver starlight behind him connected once more.

The Safety Officer, who had been walking over after seeing that the battle was over, stopped and watched quietly when he saw this.

The Star Map formed, and magic appeared.

"Buzzzzz!"

The air trembled again. The pile of flesh shuddered slightly as Bai Mo slowly used his will to control the shrinking space, and the flesh shrank along with it.

But as the degree of contraction increased, he gradually lost control over the spatial pressure. In the end, when the pile of flesh had shrunk to half its original size, it burst with a pop and shattered into even smaller pieces.

The Safety Officer remained utterly composed at the sight. He had only ever seen Space Element mages for the first time, let alone Mid-Level Space Magic. He had no idea what this young man was doing.

Destroying the body?

Bai Mo had no idea that the Safety Officer's gaze toward him was gradually turning strange. Looking at the even more mangled pile of meat, he fell into thought.

Could he take it home and make dumplings with it?

Hm? No, that wasn't right. He still needed to practice his Space Rhythm. Once he became proficient enough, he should be able to realize his idea.

Just imagining a massive Fierce Fist coming at him, only for him to open and close his hand and turn it into a single spark—

That scene would be way too cool.

But he still needed to figure out how to reduce the power of a spell at the same time.

Just thinking about it filled him with motivation.

Once the Safety Officer saw that he had finished experimenting, he stepped forward to clear away the remains before summoning another Demon Beast.

This was a Servant Level Mysterious Earth Turtle with formidable defenses. Even some ordinary Warrior Level Demon Beasts could not break through its hard shell.

After using Draw Sword Slash Cloud last time, Bai Mo had roughly learned the attack range of his level-four Mind Control—Phantom Sword.

This time, he wanted to test the attack power of his Phantom Sword as well.

The Mysterious Earth Turtle was curled up inside its shell, asleep. It only needed to stay there.

Bai Mo raised his hand, held two fingers together, and pointed at the bathtub-sized Mysterious Earth Turtle. With a light tap, psychic force surged forth, and a translucent Phantom Sword appeared soundlessly.

The Phantom Sword tore through the air and, in the blink of an eye, nailed itself into the Mysterious Earth Turtle's shell.

"Kyaaa!!!"

The Mysterious Earth Turtle jolted awake from the intense pain, blood gushing from the wound where the Phantom Sword had pierced it.

The two-thirds of the blade still exposed were outlined.

Bai Mo dispersed his Space Power and nodded slightly. Its attack power was enough to handle ordinary Servant Level creatures.

If his Mental Power reached the Mid-Realm, even a Warrior Level creature could be killed in a single strike.

The Summoning Guidance Scroll still needed some time to be made. As for how long, Bai Mo did not ask.

It was not until the last day of winter break that he received a same-city delivery from Shi Yu. As expected, it was the Summoning Guidance Scroll.

How should he put it? Dimensional Summoning was like drawing prizes in his previous life, except he could see part of the card pool.

There might be SSRs in that pool, but he might not necessarily come across them.

The Guidance Scroll was meant to increase his chances of drawing an SSR.

He made one draw every day, but unfortunately, his luck was poor. He had even encountered Monarch Level creatures, yet none of them were single-element creatures.

This time, he had spent money on ten draws from a designated card pool. His Summoning Element cultivation had also reached Elementary Level Two, giving him enough Magic Energy. Therefore, Bai Mo was going for a ten-pull today.

Sitting cross-legged on his bed, Bai Mo closed his eyes slightly. When he opened them again, his gaze had turned moon-white.

A spatial rift glowing with moonlight appeared beside him.

A silent, desolate aura surged out of the rift and quickly filled the entire room.

He picked up a scroll and tore it open. Following the instructions, he silently recited "elemental creature" in his heart. Bai Mo closed his eyes again, and his spiritual consciousness once more entered the vast Dimensional World.

He swept his gaze around. It was another place he had never visited, yet somehow seemed familiar.

This was a wasteland. Sensing an unseen pull, Bai Mo headed east. He flew as he searched, but most of the creatures he encountered along the way were still non-elemental creatures.

He kept looking.

A Blazing Fire Snake. It was a single-element creature, but unfortunately, it was a Warrior Level creature and could only reach Warrior Level at most.

A Skywind Horse. Commander-in-Chief Level, and still a young beast. Unfortunately, aside from the Wind Element, it also possessed the Light Element, so it did not meet the requirements.

A Movie Rabbit. Wasn't that Thunderbird food? He wondered if there were any Thunderbirds nearby.

After searching like that for an entire day, spending more than ten hours and Summoning Guidance Scrolls worth three million, Bai Mo still failed to find a Summoned Beast he liked.

He did find an Infant Stage Light Colt with the bloodline of an Advanced Commander-in-Chief Level creature. It was also a single-element creature, but unfortunately, it did not possess a Monarch Level bloodline.

He left a mark on it. If he really could not find anything else, then it would have to do. Hopefully, it would still be there by then.

When he returned to the school he had been away from for so long, the classroom was as lively as ever.

"Wow, the big shot's here!" A classmate spotted Bai Mo entering. They already knew he had become an Intermediate Level mage, and they exclaimed in surprise.

In truth, more people had already gotten over their shock after their homeroom teacher, Su Ning, informed them in the group chat. Now, they were mostly teasing him.

After getting along for more than a year, they knew Bai Mo was a genius, but he was not aloof. He joked around with people too, so his classmates did not see him as someone unattainable.

"The big shot is still as handsome as ever," another classmate said.

"Hey, I like hearing that. Say more." Bai Mo smiled as everyone laughed and joked with him, then spoke to the classmate who had called him handsome.

"Tchhh!" A chorus of boos immediately broke out.

Bai Mo pretended not to hear them and walked to his seat at an unhurried pace.

"Hey, have you found a Summoned Beast for your Summoning Element yet?"

As soon as he sat down, Zhou Tianyuan nudged him with his elbow.

"Not yet."

"Isn't your talent a little too difficult?"

"What's the rush? I have time." Bai Mo answered indifferently, then glanced at Zhou Tianyuan and asked, "What about you? Have you reached the third level yet?"

"Just two more days."

"You little trash."

"Cultivation isn't that fast."

"True. After all, you're not me."

Zhou Tianyuan: "."

The first class in the morning was Su Ning's as usual. After class, Bai Mo went to the office at Su Ning's request.

"Teacher Su, what did you want to see me about?"

"Of course it's something good, our great genius. By the way, does your Summoning Element have a Summoned Beast yet?" Su Ning smiled softly and handed Bai Mo a form, motioning for him to look at it first.

"Not yet." Bai Mo took the form and answered first. Then he glanced over it, his attention caught by the line at the top. He slowly read it aloud: "Modu All-Magic High School Tournament. What is this?"

"To put it simply, it's the Modu All-Magic High School Tournament, held once a year to give high school students some practice in magical combat. Not just any student can participate. Interested?"

"Why should I compete?" Bai Mo asked in confusion.

"You young people are always so impatient. Come, let your teacher enlighten and instruct you." Su Ning smiled as she continued, "The school offers rewards for this competition. As long as you make it into the top three, you'll get one million. Though I doubt that interests you."

Su Ning's eyes shifted as she continued, "But the competition itself also has rewards. First place receives a reward from the Modu University Alliance. Aside from a Wing Magic Item, you can choose any other type of magic item. You can also be admitted to Pearl Institute early."

"But those aren't the most important things!" Su Ning said slowly. Without waiting for Bai Mo to ask, she added, "The most important reward for first place is a Nebula Spirit Vein. That's a vital treasure for helping a Beginner Mage break through to the mid-level."

Hearing that, Bai Mo nodded. He knew about it—so long as one's talent was not outrageously poor, it could help a Beginner Mage advance to the mid-level.

As he read through the form, he noticed the section for captain and team members. "This competition requires teams?"

"That's right. Every member of the first-place team receives the rewards."

"What about second and third place?"

"One magic item as a reward." Su Ning paused. "If you win first place and are specially admitted, you won't need to attend school anymore."

A glint of interest flashed in Bai Mo's eyes, and a smile bloomed across his face.

"Teacher Su, I'm not interested in holidays or rewards. You know me—I've always been a good student who cares little for fame and fortune and loves studying. The school has treated me so well. All I want is to bring glory to the school!"

Looking at Bai Mo's utterly earnest expression, Su Ning might actually have believed him if she weren't his homeroom teacher.

Still, since Bai Mo was willing to participate, she nodded to show that she believed him.

After saying that, Bai Mo's expression turned serious. "By the way, how many teammates do I need, Teacher?"

"Each team can have up to five people, with a minimum of three." Su Ning thought for a moment before adding, "During matches, the number of participants will be based on whichever team has fewer members."

"I see. Then give me three more forms. I'm planning on a three-man team with one substitute. Is that okay?"

Su Ning nodded and picked up three more forms to hand him. "Of course. You'll be in command of the school team this time. I'll accompany the team when the time comes and help you handle all the procedures."

"Got it. If there's nothing else, Teacher, I'll be going."

"Who are you planning to recruit?"

"Zhou Tianyuan, Zhao Qingying, and I haven't decided on the last one yet."

Bai Mo answered. Seeing that Su Ning had nothing else to say, he prepared to leave the office. But just as he stood up, he remembered that this was a registration form and that he had not asked when the competition would begin.

"Teacher, when does the competition start?"

"This September."

Bai Mo was somewhat confused. "We're registering now for something in our senior year?"

"You'll need time to train in advance, and organizing the competition takes time too. For example, they need to screen the participants. Some repeat students aren't allowed to take part, and there are only six months left anyway. But with you at our school this year, we probably won't need to worry."

"You're right, Teacher."

Su Ning rolled her eyes and slowly added, "Don't get complacent either. Modu is huge, and you aren't the only genius. Every year, there are students who reach the mid-level while still in high school. Besides, you still have a Summoning Element you can't use."

Bai Mo did not care. Not every Mid-Level Mage was truly a Mid-Level Mage. Some had reached the mid-level but could not use Mid-Level Magic. How could they fight him?

He guessed Su Ning had not asked whether he could use Mid-Level Magic because he had broken through too recently. In her view, there was no way he could have mastered Mid-Level Magic yet.

"Go on, then."

Seeing Bai Mo's unconcerned look, Su Ning felt a little annoyed. But thinking that this student had never let her down, she impatiently waved him away.

"Yeah. Bye, Teacher."

The computer took up an entire chapter's worth of time today T﹏T