Chapter 33: Adulthood and Purchasing Spirit Seeds

Time flew by, and a year had passed.

During the second semester of his second year and the first semester of his third year in high school, Lu Jun stayed at home focusing on cultivation, controlling his stars, and breaking through his levels. The little incident between the siblings remained unspoken, leaving subtle marks in their hearts.

Now, Lu Jun had reached the age of 18 by traditional reckoning, just barely considered an adult.

During this period, Lu Jun had already fully mastered the intermediate magic spell [Weapon Control] in his Metal Element Nebula. Additionally, he had cultivated the first-level spells Spirit Ripple and Fearful Mist of his Psychic Element and Curse Element to level three.

Each level of Spirit Ripple had distinct effects that he had already thoroughly understood. As for Fearful Mist, its effects consistently extended from soul damage to physical impact, progressing to [Shadow] at level two and [Nightmare] at level three.

The [Shadow] effect amplified the curse characteristics to their extreme. Targets struck by Fearful Mist would bear a lingering shadow, constantly haunted by the sight of a pair of crimson eyes, inducing repeated terror.

Unlike the one-time activation of level-one Fearful Mist, the level-two [Shadow] effect triggered multiple times, with each activation becoming progressively more intense. Ordinary people often succumbed after one or two episodes of cardiac arrest, unable to survive three.

Mages fared slightly better, but the effect still took about ten days to fade. Imagine being marked by Fearful Mist in a battle where every millisecond mattered. Just as you were concentrating on controlling your stars, those crimson eyes would suddenly appear, disrupting your focus.

It was an infuriatingly sinister ability.

At level three, [Nightmare] took things further, delving into the target's inner fears and materializing their most horrifying memories. If not handled properly, this could lead to a two-to-three-second daze during combat, as the target became immersed in their nightmare.

Thus, curse mages excelled in prolonged battles, weaving traps throughout the confrontation, gradually ensnaring their opponents. By the time their targets realized it, it would already be too late to recover.

Moreover, during the summer, Lu Jun had tested his spells on demons and discovered that Fearful Mist worked even better on them. A single glance could cause servant-level demons to suffer heart spasms and freeze for one or two seconds, while those with weak souls might even be frightened to death on the spot.

This progress had not consumed much of his time, thanks to the enhancement of his cultivation efficiency by the White Tiger Pendant. In just eight months, he had completed these advancements.

The remaining four months were spent refining his Water Element, which finally reached the critical point for a breakthrough.

In the courtyard, Lu Jun sat cross-legged, surrounded by spiraling blue water currents. Dense water vapor condensed in the air, while the sound of tides faintly echoed within his body.

In his spiritual world, a platinum-colored nebula dominated the center. Beside it, a blue light cluster containing seven spinning stars formed a swirling vortex of azure water, layer upon layer of waves crashing against a membrane of light.

The Metal Element was rigid and straightforward, breaking through in one go. In contrast, the Water Element was soft and persistent, eroding obstacles over time.

Finally, with a subtle "pop," the azure membrane shattered. A radiant burst of blue light surged forth, rapidly expanding to occupy a vast area, birthing 49 blue stars.

The Water Element Nebula had broken through to the intermediate level!

At the same time, Lu Jun felt his spiritual consciousness grow stronger, his range of mental perception extended, and his spiritual realm officially advanced to the first tier.

Inside the house, his sister, Lu Mei, seemed to sense something and walked out, smiling gently. "You've advanced to the intermediate level in the Water Element?"

Lu Jun opened his eyes, his excitement evident. The disaster in Bo City was now only six months away. Although recent days had been calm, they were merely the prelude to a coming storm.

With both his elements—Metal and Water—reaching the first level of the intermediate stage and his other elements at level three of the basic stage, his safety had greatly improved.

He still had the second semester of his third year to become proficient in the intermediate Water Element spells.

"There's still some time left in the holidays. Let's go to Magic City and purchase a Spirit Seed," Lu Jun suggested to his sister, smiling.

Over the past year, it wasn't just him who had made rapid progress. With his "nurturing"—or rather, his support—Lu Mei had accumulated significant resources. While enjoying luxury, she used both Nebula Magic Tools and specialized Wind Element Magic Tools.

The latter was similar to Nebula Magic Tools but focused solely on enhancing a single element, and the effects could stack.

Now, Lu Mei had achieved level three in her Wind Element and level two in her Earth Element, making her a top-tier individual below the advanced level. With the addition of a Spirit Seed, Lu Jun believed she might even be able to take on two warrior-level demons single-handedly.

She was likely just slightly behind Tang Yue, who was already attempting to break through to the advanced level. However, Tang Yue was two to three years older than Lu Mei.

"Spirit Seed?" Lu Mei paused, her anticipation evident. She nodded. "Alright, we've accumulated 25 million over the past year. Unfortunately, we didn't encounter any warrior-level demons. Otherwise, with 40 million, we might both have been able to obtain Spirit Seeds."

To be honest, Spirit Seeds were something she had never dared to dream of in the past. She had believed her life would cap at the intermediate level.

Unexpectedly, with Lu Jun's help through the Metal Element, she was now able to aim for the advanced level.

"Let's head out immediately," Lu Mei said, packing her clothes in a hurry. Bo City was a small city where intermediate-level resources were the ceiling, whether it was the local Cyclops wolf packs or the resources within the Magic Association itself.

Only a world-class city like Magic City had abundant resources, encompassing everything below the Forbidden Curse level.

Spirit Seeds could be purchased as long as one had the money, and there was no shortage of top-quality options.

Magic City was some distance from Bo City. The siblings first traveled to the nearby city of Xiamen, where they took a high-speed train. In the world of magic, city regulations ensured protective barriers, as otherwise, demon attacks would render everyone vulnerable.

They stayed overnight in a bustling city-center hotel before visiting an auction house recommended by the Magic Association, saving them the trouble of finding connections.

This was one of the advantages gained from their two years of demon hunting. By trading materials and essences, they had established connections with major organizations like the Demon Hunting Alliance and the Magic Association.

The former had granted them senior Demon Hunter certificates, while the latter treated them as VIPs.

Lu Jun did not accompany his sister to the auction house, as it was her choice of Spirit Seed. Instead, he remained in the hotel, focusing on controlling the recently advanced Water Element Nebula.

After seven or eight hours, Lu Mei returned, carrying a cold, mechanical mana box containing the Spirit Seed. Her face beamed with joy, and even her steps seemed livelier.

Seeing her, Lu Jun scratched his head and smiled. "So, what kind of Spirit Seed did you buy?"

He felt no jealousy or dissatisfaction. They were family, after all. In a year or two, they could easily earn back the money together, and he would acquire his own Spirit Seed.

Besides, once he entered a magic academy, his abilities would guarantee periodic allocations of Spirit Seed fragments. Collecting ten fragments would allow him to fuse a Water Element Spirit Seed with ease.

Lu Mei gave a mysterious smile and teased, "Why don't you guess?"

"I can't guess," Lu Jun said, exasperated. He directly opened the mana box, and immediately, a surge of abundant water vapor filled the room, illuminated by brilliant blue radiance.

"This is... a Water Element Spirit Seed?!"

Lu Jun was stunned. He looked up at his sister, her radiant smile under the blue light making her appear otherworldly.

In that instant, Lu Jun understood. He stared blankly at Lu Mei, feeling as if a stone had lodged in his chest, making it hard to speak.

"Sigh… You should've just bought one for yourself. There was no need for such a surprise," he finally said, rubbing his forehead. Even he didn't realize his voice carried a hint of hoarseness.

Lu Mei replied softly, "You need the Water Element Spirit Seed more. I don't know what's been chasing you these past three years, making you so anxious. Is it the new magic or the Metal Element? I'm not sure, but I believe power should give you a sense of security."

[For additional chapters....

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