Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Magic Awakening

"Mu Bai, you'll be the first to awaken," declared Class Teacher Xue Musheng with a confident smile. He held high hopes for this particular student. Mu Bai was a descendant of Bo City's influential Mu family, and his uncle, Mu He, was one of the school's directors.

Success in this world often hinged on connections, whether you were a worker or a teacher.

The Awakening Stone, resembling a thick compass, hovered in mid-air, displaying a prominent palm print. Mu Bai appeared calm but couldn't hide his nerves as he placed his hand upon it. Suddenly, the Awakening Stone radiated with star-like brilliance. These radiant marks formed unique patterns resembling intricate blood vessels and crawled onto Mu Bai's right hand.

Then, a frosty aura enveloped his body, and a translucent layer of frost materialized on the compass.

"The awakened element is ice; he's truly deserving of being a member of the Mu family."

"Wow, ice magic is highly sought-after among magicians. The basic spell, 'Ice Mane,' is both deadly and controlling," one of his classmates exclaimed.

Later, when Lu Jun witnessed this scene, he couldn't help but be moved. Mu Bai, oh, Mu Bai!

While others might be unaware, he knew that School Director Mu He was nominally Mu Bai's uncle, but they had a father-son relationship. Mu Bai was, in fact, Mu He's illegitimate son, and Mu He was also a top figure within the Black Church, an organization of absolute villains.

Three years later, it was Mu He who led the demons in the attack that devastated Bo City. He was responsible for numerous tragedies and nearly wiped out millions of inhabitants.

Even after Mu Bai discovered the truth, he remained steadfast in his commitment to justice. He sacrificed kin for the greater good, emerging from darkness to darkness. Despite his sinister origins, his actions were noble and righteous, making him a character three times stronger than a mere 'whitewashing' could ever convey.

At this moment, Mu Bai breathed a sigh of relief. He was proud and couldn't help but daydream about sharing the ice element, the same magical system as Mu Ningxue, the little princess of the Mu family. Then, they could practice together. He glanced disdainfully at Mo Fan, who was at the end of the line. "White Swan," he muttered. How could a 'toad' like him get involved? The gap would only widen.

Recalling their childhood escapades, Mu Bai couldn't help but twitch the corner of his mouth. Mo Fan had the audacity to elope with Mu Ningxue, ignoring the potential consequences.

Children might not take such matters seriously, but adults remembered. Mo Fan's father, Mo Jiaxing, was fired, which led to the expulsion of Zhao Kun and other servant families from the Mu family. Luckily, they hadn't been killed; otherwise, they would have met their demise in a secluded corner long ago.

"Next, Qiu Yueying!"

"Next..."

Lu Jun observed as some awakened the earth element and others awakened the wind element, all part of the seven major elements of Elemental Magic. Even fire and thunder, while rare, made appearances.

He also noticed a few students who failed to awaken and were left in despair. Awakening wasn't inexpensive; even the initial awakening cost 100,000 yuan. Only the school offered free awakenings.

The high school entrance exam served as a screening process. Those who didn't make it into a magic high school had to abandon their dreams of studying magic, given the associated costs. The desire was there, but the country couldn't cater to everyone's awakening.

Mo Fan, for instance, had entered Tianlan College only after his father had humbled himself and followed School Director Mu He's path.

After some time, another girl in line touched the Awakening Stone. A brilliant golden light enveloped her, casting an aura of sanctity. The special effects of light and shadow eclipsed others.

However, the class teacher, Xue Musheng, sighed sympathetically, "It's a pity; she awakened the light element."

Lu Jun observed the girl in front, covering her face and crying. He felt exasperated. To make matters worse, the students around her were gossiping and reveling in her misfortune. "The light system is one of the most useless systems in the early stages, followed closely by the water system," one of them said. "The primary light magic, 'Glory,' is nothing more than a glorified light bulb; it lacks any real lethality. At best, it can illuminate, and achieving the highest level only temporarily blinds the demons."

"Each of the five major levels allows you to cast one specific magic spell, and junior magicians only possess one skill. For light magicians, it's essentially useless—even an ordinary person could defeat them single-handedly."

Lu Jun understood that this was a common misconception, especially in smaller cities with limited exposure, even among teachers. In truth, every magic system had the potential to be immensely powerful, with the ability to reshape the world and cause destruction. The distinction between them was subtle, and there was no clear hierarchy of superiority.

So he spoke up, "The light system is not weak. Once it reaches the super level, the super-level magic 'Holy Judgment: Demon Trial Sword' is considered the strongest single-target skill. When used against opponents of the same level, it's lethal. Even those with thunder and fire attributes would be at a disadvantage."

His words left the audience stunned, including Mo Fan, Mu Bai, and others, who looked over, clearly hearing this knowledge for the first time.

Xue Musheng furrowed his brows and asked inquisitively, "Classmate Lu, where did you come across this information?"

Hearing this, Lu Jun sighed and replied casually, "I found it in the library. The Magic Association provides comprehensive information on all magic systems, including super-level and lower-level spells. It's open to the public, and anyone interested can access it online."

The Magic Association was the highest governing body for all things related to magic, overseeing matters on a continental, national, and local level.

Upon hearing this, the girl was pleasantly surprised, her fighting spirit reignited. She thanked Lu Jun profusely, and many of her female classmates looked at him with admiration.

As an educator, Xue Musheng found himself being taught by his own students. He couldn't help but remark, "You do know that reaching the super level is an accomplishment few achieve worldwide? In all my years of teaching, very few have even reached the intermediate level."

This statement held true: "There are no worthless magic systems, only mages who lack skill." It was a fallacy to suggest otherwise.

However, Lu Jun had no patience for these ineffective magic instructors and replied, "Don't teachers know that the elementary level of the light system possesses power, but students lack proper guidance?"

"Dark magic falls prey to the light system; mages of the same level are defeated one after another. In our country's ancient capital, there were numerous encounters with the Undead Empire, where light magic was highly prevalent."

Xue Musheng didn't dare to argue further, feeling that his knowledge had been thoroughly outshone by this student.

Mo Fan and Zhang Xiaohou exchanged quiet whispers, puzzled by Lu Jun's knowledge. "Who is this guy? Why does he seem more knowledgeable than Mu Bai?"

Finally, it was Lu Jun's turn. He took a deep breath, feeling a bit nervous, knowing that his talent in the magic department would shape his future. He hoped for a helpful element to assist him; otherwise, he'd be a mere spectator in the face of impending disasters.

Buzz!

Soon, Lu Jun closed his eyes, entering a spiritual realm filled with emptiness and darkness. Everything became a void, yet there was an innate warmth to the magical energy that flowed through his hand and into his mind.

As if possessing some mystical power, a gentle drizzle of light rain began falling within his empty spiritual world.

Ordinarily, one couldn't see anything with closed eyes, but magic energy had the unique ability to manifest the spiritual world.

Lu Jun witnessed a tiny fragment of stardust within his void—a minuscule speck amidst the vast dark expanse. It gleamed with a faint blue light, representing the water element.

But there was more: crimson stardust representing fire, cyan stardust for wind, brown stardust symbolizing earth, golden stardust indicating light, and purple stardust denoting the Thunder Element.

Just when Lu Jun thought it was coming to an end, another surge of magical power emanated from the Awakening Stone. His heart soared with excitemen

t. Born with dual abilities? No, it was more likely to be [dual systems at each level].