Lu Jun's spiritual perception felt peculiar, as if his soul had boarded a drop tower, soaring like an ascension to immortality. In the blink of an eye, he was pulled into that vast, moon-white sacred gate with no visible end.
If nothing unexpected happened, this should be the Dimensional Gate of the Summoning Element.
Immediately after, he passed through a pitch-black void tunnel, as if traversing a narrow, dark mountain cave. Then, his vision expanded, revealing a utopia-like world.
A brand-new continent lay before him, vast and boundless, towering skies stretching infinitely, with dense magical energy exceeding that of the real world.
The Summoning Plane was like adistant right in front of Lu Jun, yet infinitely distant. It felt like a dream, as if he was overlooking a grand world from a god's-eye view.
They were independent realms existing in different spaces, yet at this particular juncture, they intersected, allowing his spiritual will to interfere with the Summoning Plane.
"How fascinating. Maybe I can borrow some insights from the Psychic Element's Soul Projection technique."
Lu Jun found the experience novel, but he quickly noticed that the moon-white Stardust in his spiritual world was dimming at a rapid pace, consuming his magical energy drastically. He realized his time here was extremely limited.
If he failed to capture a suitable magical beast and imprint the Contract Mark, this summoning attempt would be wasted.
However, Lu Jun wasn't in a hurry. He had already planned to take his time selecting after all, each summoning attempt was akin to a gacha pull. Spending six months rolling for the perfect summon was entirely acceptable.
Buzz!
With a thought, his consciousness surged forward tens of thousands of meters, rapidly drifting across the plane. Countless creatures and the endless landscape flashed through his mind, filling him with a sense of absolute freedom and boundless detachment.
Roars, howls, wails...
Mountain ranges rose like towering pillars, reaching tens of thousands of meters high, their peaks piercing the clouds. Lush forests covered the slopes, with ancient trees standing tall and imposing.
Countless beasts stampeded across the land, clashing in fierce battles. The roars of magical creatures echoed through the mountains, shaking the trees and sending leaves fluttering to the ground.
Soon, he spotted several Servant-class magical beasts and locked onto one. His will descended upon it, attempting to capture it, transforming into an iron chain that bound the creature tightly.
The Shadow Wolf Beast's gaze dulled, its spirit easily crushed. If he wished, he could contract it instantly.
But Lu Jun let it go. The iron-like chains of will withdrew as he soared into the sky. He had no interest in a mere Servant-class magical beast.
The released Shadow Wolf shuddered violently, its eyes filled with terror before it bolted away in panic.
Lu Jun mused to himself Servant-class creatures were completely unable to resist his capture.
Next, he set his sights on a far more menacing Warrior-class beast a towering, ten-meter-tall rock colossus, resembling a small giant. It was none other than an Elemental Beast Rock General.
When Lu Jun cast his mental shackles, the powerful rock giant struggled fiercely but was ultimately unable to break free. Soon, it fell into a deep slumber, completely at his mercy.
Yet, he abandoned it as well.
After experimenting for several minutes, Lu Jun discovered that he could easily capture any creature below the Warrior-class. Even against peak-phase Warrior-class creatures, he felt that with a bit more effort and the support of Intermediate Summoning, he could still subdue them.
At that moment, he sensed a strong force pulling from the sky above. His spiritual projection could no longer hold on and was forcefully sucked away. A powerful falling sensation overtook him.
When he opened his eyes, he had already returned to his physical body. The small crescent moon Stardust in his spiritual world had dimmed completely.
His Summoning Magic was depleted.
Yet, he could still feel that his spiritual strength itself was not exhausted. He could have stayed longer, but the Summoning Element had run out of magical power first.
"Not bad. If I improve my cultivation a little more, I'll be able to target higher-bloodline creatures."
Lu Jun was satisfied with the results of his experiment. He glanced at his watch—the instructor's class was about to start.
It was time to return to Pearl Institute, and while he was at it, he could share the good news.
Unknowingly, several months passed.
After advancing to High-tier, Lu Jun's strength entered a period of rapid growth. He settled down, maintaining a strict three-point routine, absorbing all kinds of knowledge at a fast pace, allowing it to accumulate and solidify as nourishment.
He refined his Water Element High-tier Star Constellation, studied Formation Magic, and steadily advanced in the Summoning and Space Elements. Under the careful guidance of a Forbidden Curse Instructor, he continuously improved his elemental control, striving toward the Domain Realm, leaving nothing behind.
Occasionally, he took on small missions to accumulate funds.
Dean Xiao was elated for an entire month after learning that Lu Jun had become a High-tier Mage, treating students with newfound warmth.
However, for the sake of Lu Jun's safety, he kept this information private. Holding back for so long without boasting to the other deans left him somewhat regretful.
As the first semester of sophomore year approached its end, Mo Fan had already been at Pearl Institute for half a year. He had participated in numerous demon-hunting missions, gaining valuable combat experience and skyrocketing in strength. Not long after the semester began, he had already advanced to Intermediate-tier in all four elements.
He was about to take the Main Campus Assessment to enter the Fire School.
Right now, Mo Fan's Seven-Day Three-Step Tower cultivation opportunity was still unused. He was likely waiting until his cultivation reached its absolute limit before entering, aiming to push one of his elements to the peak of Intermediate-tier in a single breakthrough.
Entering the Main Campus with a stronger stance would greatly benefit him in the ranking battles.
Having heard the many rumors about Lu Jun, Mo Fan was naturally unwilling to fall behind and planned to follow suit.
Originally, due to pressure from the Black Vatican, Mo Fan had been forced to use the Three-Step Tower prematurely, disrupting his plans and causing significant losses.
However, since Lu Jun had already dealt with the Black Vatican in advance, there should be no similar disturbances this time. It was only natural that his cultivation would surpass the original timeline's progress.
Lately, the Black Vatican had been increasingly active across the country, likely to divert government attention and create a smokescreen while preparing for their Ancient Capital operation.
After half a year of seclusion, Lu Jun felt he had reached a bottleneck and wanted to go out to temper his cultivation.
The Clear Sky Hunter Agency had just received a rare high-paying mission. His sister, Lu Mei, was intrigued and called him to join her. Since Leng Qing was the Judicator, she couldn't stay with Lu Mei for long missions.
Coincidentally, Lu Jun had fully mastered his High-tier Water Magic and was eager for action.
At the High-tier realm, mages already held significant status in society. Regardless of the field they entered, they were among the elite.
In the military, they ranked at Strategic Command level.
In the Magic Association, they could become Judicators.
In the Hunter community, they were Master Hunters.
If they completed this mission, their rank would rise effortlessly.
At Golden Source Apartments, Mu Nujiao and Ai Tutu were at school.
Lu Mei, dressed in a casual yet refreshing outfit, tied her hair into a ponytail. Seeing her brother return, she smiled and said:
"Let's go. The employer is offering 30 million for this mission. Once we complete it, we'll have accumulated 100 million. My second Stellar Vein is within reach!"
Over the past six months, Lu Mei had not slowed down either. She had pushed her third element, Fire, to the peak of Intermediate-tier.
At the same time, she had tirelessly worked at the Clear Sky Hunter Agency, the City Demon-Hunting Team, and even hunted Swordfin Sea Demons along the East China Sea coast. Rotating between these three locations, she had amassed a staggering 70 million in funds, earning her the nickname "Workaholic Queen."
Lu Jun had barely contributed only assisting her in hunting sea demons near the East China Sea during his free time. The rest she had earned herself.
Originally, Lu Mei had planned to purchase a Fire Element Soul Seed, but Lu Jun stopped her.
Instead, he suggested they visit Dunhuang, where Fire Element Soul Seeds were abundant.
For now, the priority was breaking through her bottleneck allowing her Earth Element to break into High-tier.
For additional chapters
Versatile mage {40 chapters}
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