Innate Talent of the Undead Element

Jiang Yuan returned home. With no threat to his life, his taut nerves finally relaxed, followed by an overwhelming exhaustion that consumed his entire body and mind.

His brain grew drowsy, teetering on the edge of sleep.

He locked the door, tended to his wounds, and collapsed into bed.

He didn't wake until the next day, when his school alarm jolted him from slumber.

Jiang Yuan had no intention of going to school today. He picked up his phone and called Xue Musheng, easily securing a day off.

"Yesterday was way too close. Running into a Giant-eyed Stinky Rat in the neighborhood—what rotten luck!" Jiang Yuan's spine tingled as he recalled the encounter.

The Bocheng disaster would strike in three years, largely because these stinking, reeking rats had tunneled through the underground.

He had originally planned to wait until he was strong enough to sabotage the tunnels beneath the city, mitigating the catastrophe's fallout.

He never expected to face a Giant-eyed Stinky Rat as a freshman in high school.

Confronting a Servant-level demon, Jiang Yuan not only successfully cast magic but nearly killed it.

That already put him ahead of over ninety percent of his peers.

Even Mo Fan, at this stage, would only be scrambling for his life against a Servant-level demon.

"I'm pretty impressive."

As Jiang Yuan counted his blessings, he recalled the eerie calmness from yesterday, how easily he had completed the Star Track.

That state was crucial for a mage—it let him unleash his full power, allowing a fresh Beginner-level mage to slay a Servant-level demon.

"I need to boost my strength fast. If I run into another demon, I might not be as lucky as yesterday."

Jiang Yuan resolved to quickly raise his Water element to Beginner-level three, and his Undead element needed improvement too.

Speaking of the Undead element, he remembered a surge of energy entering his Undead Space yesterday, which he hadn't had time to check.

Now he had time to look.

Jiang Yuan's consciousness sank into the Undead Space.

Amidst the miasma of death, a glowing soul form of a Giant-eyed Stinky Rat drifted.

"Is this the Giant-eyed Stinky Rat's soul?" Jiang Yuan examined it closely, then immediately dismissed the idea: "No, this is a Soul Essence produced by the Giant-eyed Stinky Rat!"

The value of a Soul Essence went without saying.

A Servant-level Soul Essence could sell for over a million.

It could also be used to craft magic tools.

Or to strengthen magic.

A Servant-level Soul Essence could enhance a third-level spell to fourth-level, a Warrior-level one from fourth to fifth, and so on.

Few were willing to use precious Soul Essences to strengthen magic, since each one only empowered a single Star Particle.

Only Mo Fan, with his Azure Dragon Pendant, could afford to wastefully boost up to sixth-level.

Mo Fan's Azure Dragon Pendant could collect not only Soul Essences but also Soul Remnants, fusing them into Soul Essences.

That was also the function of a Soul Vessel, but Jiang Yuan couldn't figure out why his Undead Space was absorbing Soul Essences.

Sure, the Undead element dealt with Soul Essences more than any other magic system, and many vessels were crafted through it.

But no magic theory textbook ever said an Undead Space could store Soul Essences.

Otherwise, why bother making Soul Vessels? Just awaken the Undead element.

Jiang Yuan stared at the high-quality Soul Essence, pondering for a moment, then a bold idea struck him.

"Could it be that my Undead element, like my Water element, has an Innate Talent that lets me collect Soul Essences?"

The more Jiang Yuan thought about it, the more plausible it seemed.

If his Water element could have an Innate Talent, why couldn't his Undead element?

It made sense—perfect sense!

The thought that his Undead Space could store Soul Essences sent Jiang Yuan's heart racing. He could barely contain his urge to hunt demons and gather Soul Essences right away.

He had already tested it—Soul Essences in the Undead Space could be taken out.

Soul Essences were money!

With money, he could buy Star Dust Magic Tools, or even higher-grade ones.

That way, even without the Azure Dragon Pendant, he could keep pace with Mo Fan's growth.

With enough cash, he could even buy Spirit Seeds, Soul Seeds, Heavenly Seeds, or purchase a Lord-level sub-dragon from Europe as an adult—why not!

"Growl~" Just as his excitement peaked, Jiang Yuan's stomach growled loudly.

He only then realized he hadn't eaten anything since last night, too caught up in demons and magic to remember food.

Jiang Yuan left his room and headed downstairs to grab some breakfast.

The spot where the demon had appeared last night was already cleaned up.

"Did a demon really show up in the neighborhood yesterday?"

"That can't be false—I saw it with my own eyes!"

"But aren't we inside the city? How could there be demons here?"

"Shh! Don't ask. The higher-ups said this has to be kept secret."

The appearance of demons stirred up rumors throughout the neighborhood, and many residents grew uneasy.

In truth, it wasn't impossible for some demons to show up within the city. Those that lived in the sewers would occasionally crawl out when driven mad by hunger to claim human lives.

And that was exactly the kind of work the City Demon Hunting Squad was responsible for.

Bocheng had several City Demon Hunting Squads, and Mo Fan had only joined one of them.

Jiang Yuan ate as he listened to the gossip drifting over. Since becoming a mage, his hearing had sharpened considerably.

He was mulling over whether to join the City Demon Hunting Squad.

If he wanted to obtain Soul Essences, he couldn't avoid dealing with demons. But outside the city was far too dangerous for a Beginner level mage like him.

The City Demon Hunting Squad, which handled matters inside the city, was a pretty good option.

The risks and rewards were clear at a glance.

The City Demon Hunting Squad was the better fit.

Having made his decision, Jiang Yuan finished breakfast and headed straight for the Hunter's League.

The Hunter's League was where Hunter Mages accepted bounties, and hunter teams often recruited teammates there.

As soon as he stepped into the hall, Jiang Yuan saw the massive magical screen hanging in the center, displaying bounties ranging from hundreds of thousands to millions.

"Any Wind element mages? Join our team—great pay!"

"Our team just took a one-million bounty. We need an Intermediate level Earth element mage to join!"

"Ice element mages, Ice element mages over here!"

"..."

Listening to the shouts of teams looking for members, Jiang Yuan couldn't help feeling like he was in an online game.

He passed by those hunter teams without hesitation and made straight for the City Demon Hunting Squad's recruitment point.

Jiang Yuan was in luck—one of the City Demon Hunting Squads was just recruiting new members.

A lot of people wanted to join the City Demon Hunting Squad, and the line at the recruitment point had already stretched into a long queue.

At the recruitment point.

Xu Dahang frowned as he looked over the stack of resumes in his hands. Not a single one satisfied him.

He grumbled, "There are plenty of mages with defensive magic, but that doesn't mean just any riffraff can join our City Demon Hunting Squad. What kind of mages are these?"

"Captain!" A team member ran over. "There's a Water element mage who says he wants you to interview him personally."

"?"

Xu Dahang shoved the resumes forward and said in a low voice, "Mages like that—our team doesn't take them. Thinking they can join the City Demon Hunting Squad just because they have a bit of strength? Not happening."

The team member scratched his head. "Alright, Captain. I'll go tell him to leave."

"Wait."

Xu Dahang stared at the Water element mage's figure from a distance, a growing sense of familiarity washing over him.

"I'll go with you to take a look."