Chapter 17: Intermediate Mage

«Please don't fall for me, I'm just a legend.»

«I'm about to seclude myself to break through to an Intermediate Mage. Ladies, please prepare some meals for me. When I come out, I'll be an Intermediate Mage.»

Qin Chen stood up with a cheeky smile. Before Mu Nu Jiao and Ai Tu Tu could react, he quickly touched their cheeks and darted back to his room, shutting the door tightly!

«Ah!!! Damn rogue!»

«Bastard!!!»

Mu Nu Jiao and Ai Tu Tu, finally realizing what had happened, exploded in anger like cats whose tails had been stepped on. They now seriously questioned their decision to share an apartment with Qin Chen, considering how many liberties he had taken over time.

The room had excellent soundproofing. Even Ai Tu Tu's loud screaming didn't reach Qin Chen's ears. Sitting on his bed, he closed his eyes, calmly adjusting his mindset. He observed the three clusters of stardust in his spiritual world, each containing seven shining stars. All these stars had been enhanced with servant-level essences, making them brighter and more vibrant than before.

«Let's start with the fire element.»

The fire element was the first he awakened and the first to reach full mastery at the basic level. He took out the Star Dust he had just bought, ready to use it as an aid.

Star Dust assists basic mages in breaking through to the intermediate level. It costs ten million each, a tenth of the price of a Star River Essence. Star Dust is cheaper and more readily available in the magic capital, so as soon as the team disbanded, Qin Chen bought three pieces of Star Dust for himself.

When the stardust grows to its limit, it needs to break through its current constraints to advance to the next level, becoming a star cloud. The method of breaking through is both simple and difficult: using the seven stars within the stardust to break the barrier. If the barrier is broken, the stardust naturally advances to star cloud, and a basic mage advances to an intermediate mage. However, for most mages, the stars are too weak, and the barrier is too strong. Each collision consumes magical energy. After several collisions, magical energy runs out, and one must meditate to recover it. Sometimes, even after dozens or hundreds of attempts, the barrier remains unbroken, keeping the mage stuck at their current level. This is the difficulty!

«Hit it!»

Qin Chen controlled the seven enhanced stars to collide with the barrier with full force. With a loud bang, the seven stars simultaneously hit the barrier, causing it to shake violently. However, the barrier only trembled and didn't show any cracks.

«I don't believe it can't be broken! Enhance!»

Qin Chen took out two warrior-level essences synthesized from Chaos Pearls and enhanced two of the fire stars. After the enhancement, he controlled the seven stars again, with the two strongest stars leading and the other five supporting, to collide with the barrier.

«Crack!!!»

This time, the barrier finally showed a tiny crack. But before he could celebrate, he saw the crack slowly healing!

«Keep hitting it!!»

Despite his efforts, even after exhausting all his magical energy, he only managed to break about one-fifth of the barrier.

«It seems that to quickly and independently break through to the intermediate level, fully enhancing all the stars to level five is the best choice. However, I don't have enough warrior-level essences, nor do I have the time to wait. Time is money, so I'll use the Star Dust.»

For Qin Chen, the best method now was to use Star Dust. If he relied on time alone, he could achieve an intermediate level in all three elements within six months. But if he could buy that time with a few million, why not? After all, he wasn't short of money now!

Time is life, and that statement is very true. Humans live for about a hundred years, and a mage's career spans about fifty years. Any ambitious and wealthy person wouldn't hesitate to spend money to buy time!

Days passed by. Qin Chen stayed in his room for half a month without stepping out. Even his meals were brought to his door by Mu Nu Jiao. If it weren't for the bathroom and shower in the apartment, he couldn't have stayed inside for so long.

«Sister Mu, Qin Chen has been secluded for half a month without coming out. How does he manage to stay indoors for so long? Is this the legendary skill of an otaku?»

Ai Tu Tu wore short shorts and a loose shirt, holding a bowl of cereal. She chatted with Mu Nu Jiao while watching TV and eating cereal.

«Half a month, he should be breaking through soon.» Mu Nu Jiao sipped her tea calmly.

«Huh? Sister Mu, do you really believe he will succeed?» Ai Tu Tu said with wide eyes.

«He said he would succeed, didn't he?» Mu Nu Jiao responded.

«Just because he said so, you believe it? I think Sister Mu, you're falling for Qin Chen.» Ai Tu Tu said bluntly.

«Crack!!!»

At that moment, the door opened, and Qin Chen walked out with a spring in his step, looking refreshed and full of energy. He teased,

«Jiao Jiao understands me best, I haven't let you down.»

«Ai Tu Tu, do you have so little faith in me? It's just an intermediate mage, it's no big deal for me.»

«You broke through to the intermediate level?»

Mu Nu Jiao was surprised to see Qin Chen come out with such a radiant smile, even ignoring his teasing.

«Yes, a genuine intermediate mage. Jiao Jiao, to celebrate my breakthrough, how about a candlelit dinner just the two of us?»

Qin Chen walked up and gently brushed the hair from Mu Nu Jiao's face, smiling as he invited her.

«Qin Chen, how can you go after my sister Mu? If you want to flirt, come at me and leave my sister Mu alone.»

Seeing Qin Chen's intimate gesture, Ai Tu Tu couldn't stay calm. She rushed over and pushed Qin Chen away, standing protectively in front of Mu Nu Jiao, unaware that her loose shirt exposed more than she intended.

«Tu Tu!»

Mu Nu Jiao quickly buttoned up Ai Tu Tu's shirt to prevent Qin Chen from peeking. She felt helpless about Ai Tu Tu's obliviousness, unsure whether to laugh or cry.

«Ah! Pervert!»

Realizing what had happened, Ai Tu Tu glared at Qin Chen and labeled him a pervert.

Just after breaking through, sharing the joy with two beautiful women was indeed a rare happiness.

(End of Chapter)