Lu Jun glanced at the scattered Earth Lizard Giant Demons, colliding and trampling over each other in their desperate escape, leading to heavy casualties.
Seeing this, he no longer paid attention to them and instead checked his White Tiger Pendant.
This was the largest harvest so far. He had devoured over three thousand servant-level remnant souls, merging them into thirty-two refined souls. Additionally, given the probability of obtaining one complete refined soul per hundred servant-level demon souls, he had gained a total of sixty-five refined souls.
Including his previous stockpile, his collection of Servant-level Refined Souls had reached sixty-eight.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Above the Blood Lake, clusters of ghostly blue flames burned brightly, illuminating the surroundings for hundreds of meters. At the very center, a particularly radiant and ethereal ghostly blue soul flame floated—it was a Warrior-level Refined Soul.
That's right, a Warrior Refined Soul. Among the three thousand lizards, there were dozens of War Generals, and combined with the accumulated Warrior-level remnant souls from before, he had finally condensed another one.
Unfortunately, his luck seemed to have been exhausted with the Blood Clan, as he still hadn't obtained an Advance Refined Soul.
Even so, this was a tremendous gain. Lu Jun couldn't help but roar excitedly:
"White Tiger, enhance!"
Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!
Guided by his will, forty-two Servant-level Refined Souls merged into the Metal Element Nebula. The remaining forty-two third-tier stars expanded several times, becoming translucent and brimming with platinum-colored magical energy.
In just a moment, Lu Jun's Intermediate Metal Element successfully advanced to Level Four, accompanied by an influx of knowledge.
Intermediate Metal Element, Level Four - Weapon Control: Stacked Storm
This ability divides the sword light into multiple streaks, which rapidly revolve around him to form a Sword Storm, combining offense and defense.
Its destructive power had increased significantly, granting him wide-area slaughter capabilities, while also incorporating defensive effects.
Next, he infused seven Servant-level Refined Souls into his Moon-white Nebula, strengthening seven floating Primary-tier stars, which were bathed in a nurturing radiance and expanded in size.
Primary Summoning Element, Level Four - Dimensional Summon: Borrowed Magic
Lu Jun eagerly examined it but felt slightly disappointed advancing his Primary Summoning Element to Level Four had not granted him an additional Contract Slot.
Thinking about it, this was expected. A Primary-tier magic that directly granted an extra Contract Slot would be far too overpowered. Otherwise, summoners across history would have prioritized upgrading it at all costs.
"Some Summoners have reached Level Four through innate talent or rare conditions," he mused, "but not a single case exists of someone reaching Primary Level Five. I should try upgrading it later just to see what happens."
He wasn't thinking too deeply about it just curious about its effects. Since he had the White Tiger Pendant and a surplus of Warrior-level Refined Souls, he might as well test it.
More importantly, Lu Jun realized that Primary Summoning Element, Level Four might not provide an extra Contract Slot, but its ability was incredibly powerful perhaps the strongest among all six of his Primary-tier abilities.
What was "Borrowed Magic"?
It allowed a Summoner to use Dimensional Summon Magic to borrow one of their Summoned Beast's abilities.
Lu Jun could now select one ability from his Nightmare Thunder Dreambeast's skill list and permanently integrate it into himself, enabling him to cast it using Summoning Elemental Energy.
As his Summoned Beast's strength increased, this effect would only become more terrifying.
For most people, borrowing magic from a Servant-level or Warrior-level beast would yield mediocre results, providing Summoners with only basic self-defense techniques.
But for Lu Jun, the situation was vastly different.
His Nightmare Thunder Dreambeast was a Commander-level Great Demon! Every one of its abilities was equivalent to Advanced-tier Magic, possessing fearsome destructive power.
This meant that, despite only having Primary-tier Summoning Magic, Lu Jun could now cast Advanced-tier spells!
Of course, the energy cost remained as high as an actual Advanced-tier spell, but the mere fact that he could access this power at Primary-tier was already terrifying.
The only limitation was his Summoning Nebula at Intermediate Level One—it wasn't strong enough to sustain too many uses of "Borrowed Magic."
He needed to reserve enough energy to maintain his Nightmare Thunder Dreambeast's presence in battle. At most, he could use "Borrowed Magic" once per fight any more would be too costly.
After all, his Water Element at Advanced-tier and Metal Element with Dual-effect Enhancement already provided immense destructive power. His greatest strength was being a versatile spellcaster, and using Summoned Beasts as his primary offense was the most cost-effective approach.
With that settled, Lu Jun reached into his spiritual world, connecting with his Moon-white Nebula and establishing a link with the Nightmare Thunder Dreambeast. He felt a strange sensation, as if he could draw upon its power at any moment.
For his permanently borrowed ability, he ignored all the miscellaneous monster spells and focused on the Dreambeast's three strongest attributes:
Mind, Thunder, and Shadow.
First, he eliminated Nightmare Domain. His Mind and Curse Elements would develop into Advanced-tier Domains, which would rival or surpass it.
Shadow Magic was powerful, but the Dreambeast's strongest Shadow ability was Shadow Step, which wasn't an actual Advanced-tier spell.
Lu Jun didn't hesitate he chose "Silent Thunder Death Ray"!
It was a pure Thunder-element single-target destruction spell, making it the perfect highly lethal ability to complement his Metal Element.
In the future, once the Nightmare Thunder Dreambeast ascended to Monarch-level, there was a good chance that Silent Thunder Death Ray would evolve into an even stronger ability Thunder Judgment Seal!
Disguising himself with a different identity, no one would recognize him as Lu Jun.
As he continuously sublimated two magic spells using soul essence, his aura regained its formidable strength.
Meanwhile, on the other battlefield, the battle was reaching its conclusion.
Lu Jun gazed towards the distant nest on the mountain peak. The four high-tier mages and a commander-level demon were working together, forcing the pseudo-dragon into a desperate retreat.
Roar, roar, roar!
The agonized roars of the evil dragon echoed above the Golden Forest Ruins. Its flesh was charred black, covered in terrifying wounds and cracks. Its once-impenetrable scales had been corroded by darkness, turning an ashen gray as tendrils of black mist rose from its body.
This was the combined work of wind, fire, and shadow elements.
One had to admire the vitality of dragon species—even with more than half its body rotting away, it could still move.
The beast attempted multiple times to flap its enormous wings and escape, but the Night Thunder Dream Beast manipulated its mind, dragging it back down. Furthermore, sound and shadow magic restrained it, until finally, both of its wings were broken, leaving it as nothing more than a lamb waiting for slaughter.
Seeing how difficult it was for the group to wear down the dragon's vitality bit by bit, Lu Jun frowned.
Buzz, buzz, buzz!
The next moment, he activated his Star River, unleashing his metal-element magic. The Black-Gold Dragon Mark Sword beneath his feet trembled and split into fourteen flying swords, which turned into streaks of dark light and shot forth.
The swords encircled the pseudo-dragon, weaving through the air, activating the Magnetized Doom effect. Threads of gray-white energy gathered between heaven and earth—metal particles, deathly calamity aura gradually forming a terrifying storm of blades.
It was like a sky-piercing pale tornado.
Everyone instinctively retreated, sensing the chilling, skin-piercing sharpness in the air. The howling winds carried a faint platinum glow, and just inhaling caused pain in their lungs.
Boom!
A fourth-tier mid-tier spell, already comparable to half a high-tier spell in power, combined with metal's unparalleled offensive nature and the dual effects of Adamantine and Doom(Calamity Qi) , now erupted with a world-shaking force. The storm of frenzied sword light triggered turbulent gusts, roaring like the growl of a white tiger.
As everything settled, the fourteen three-meter-long greatswords returned.
The pseudo-dragon stood motionless. A breath later, its flesh, bones, and skin separated—its pristine dragon hide peeled away perfectly, its scales stripped off one by one, its thick dragon tendons severed, and chunks of flesh scattered across the ground.
A butcher dismembering a dragon!
Atop the mountain nest, only a colossal skeletal frame remained, standing tall like a monument, leaving onlookers shaken to their very souls.
The pristine white bones exuded a lingering dragon's might, as if the pseudo-dragon's soul had yet to dissipate.
Zhan Kong sucked in a breath of cold air. "A pseudo-dragon lizard's hide can easily resist high-tier fire spells. If not for the corrosion from shadow magic, breaking its defenses wouldn't have been easy. Yet, under your magic weapon, it became as soft as water."
There was no need for them to painstakingly dissect the materials and exotic bones.
Whether it was the dragon tendons, perfect for crafting bow-type magic weapons, or the dragon hide for armor, or the dragon scales for shields—each piece was a top-tier material, at least high-tier in quality.
Even the remaining dragon bones, blood, and flesh all held significant effects. If consumed by mages, they could enhance their physique due to the unique properties of dragon species. (Original text: South Sea Evil Dragon)
Unlike the original story, where Mo Fan handed the dragon corpse to the military for 28 million, this would have been a waste.
Lu Jun's method of selling the materials separately would easily fetch at least 35 million, with enough to share among the five of them.
Without responding to Zhan Kong, Lu Jun descended from mid-air. His silver eyes flickered as he activated Void Rift, causing a deep spatial fissure to open, like a colossal heavenly mouth, swallowing the enormous skeleton and all the remains atop the mountain.
Dissection included dragon corpse disposal services.
Lu Jun sheathed his Black-Gold Dragon Mark Sword, satisfied with its terrifying prowess. Under the effect of Doom, all defenses were as fragile as paper.
Even if he were to cast the high-tier Heaven Water Curtain, it would be effortlessly pierced by the Black-Gold Dragon Mark Sword, severing heads with a single strike.
Ever since entering university, Lu Jun had rarely used his metal element, treating it as a hidden trump card. Whoever saw it would die no one would live to tell the tale.
He addressed the group, "We'll divide the spoils once we return. My sister and I only need the complete dragon hide. As for these Earth Lizard Beasts, there are too many. Let Lihman's military handle them—we'll each get 20 million."
"No problem," the others Zhan Kong, Tang Yue, and Professor Yuan nodded in agreement.
Buzz!
Before leaving, Lu Jun collected the remaining commander-level pseudo-dragon spirit along with the nineteen servant-level spirits and one warrior-level spirit. With these, he could unlock another mid-tier fourth-level spell.
He would decide which element to enhance later.
For now, Golden Forest Ruins had turned into a vast lake, littered with countless corpses. The stench of blood and decay was overwhelming.
Shortly after, the group emerged from Golden Forest and rested at Li man's station, where Mo Fan and the others had also gathered.
"Thank you for slaying the pseudo-dragon lizard. That beast had been lurking around Dongting Lake, posing a severe threat to nearby cities," Li man expressed his gratitude and added generously, "The corpse materials won't be an issue. We'll purchase them at market value."
Not long after, Lu Jun, Lu Mei, and the others each received a 20-million transfer to their accounts.
Everyone was elated, especially Lu Jun and Lu Mei. Their previous savings had now reached 100 million enough for a Star River Vein!
Not lingering long in Golden Forest, the group parted ways.
Zhan Kong and Lu Zhenghe headed to the military to file complaints.
Tang Yue returned to Hangzhou's Judgment Council. Before leaving, she reluctantly embraced the siblings. "Take care. Until we meet again."
The two were responsible for applying political pressure for compensation.
Lu Jun, Professor Yuan, and the national government students returned to the capital, heading straight to the authorities to demand accountability.
Of course, this had nothing to do with the siblings, as the direct victims were Mo Fan and his group.
Once everything was settled, the siblings retreated to their room to split the spoils.
Lu Mei firmly refused, insisting, "Use this 100 million to purchase Star River Vein first. The National Battle is in less than a year—you reaching high-tier in multiple elements will yield greater benefits."
"Alright." Lu Jun didn't argue. Instead, he handed Lu Nian's Petrification Magic Tool and the commander-level pseudo-dragon hide to his sister. "Take this to Master Huo Tuo at Oriental Pearl Tower for crafting."
"Two top-tier high-tier magic tools, one offensive, one defensive—worth at least 200 million. Unparalleled power."
Lu Mei hesitated, but Lu Jun insisted, "Earth Lizard Beasts are earth-element creatures. These two magic tools enhance earth magic, making them perfect for you, not me."
She finally accepted.
After a brief rest in the capital, they hurried back to Shanghai for material refinement and crafting.
Soon, Mo Fan received his compensation.
Lu Jun was a bit surprised. "That fast? How much?"
Mo Fan smirked. "The military gave me 100 million, securing a Star River Vein, and the school rewarded me with a top-tier high-tier magic armor. Since this was a severe oversight, they were generous on the condition of our silence."
Mo Fan didn't hide anything and grinned smugly.
Hearing this, Lu Jun took a sharp breath. Damn, Mo Fan was skyrocketing to invincibility!
In the original timeline, he had only hunted a single Commander-level corpse and earned 28 million. Compared to now, in just a few months, Mo Fan might reach the High Tier in one element, and he wouldn't lack Fire Element Spirit Seeds or anything else.
Don't forget, Mo Fan was going to challenge the Fire School ranking soon. He didn't even need to take first place just making it into the top ten would be enough. After a few months, he could gather a top-tier Fire Spirit Seed.
That meant he wouldn't even need to spend a 100million on purchasing a Star River Vein.
This made Lu Jun almost wish he could switch places with him. Unfortunately, Lu Nian wasn't that foolish and wouldn't turn against him.
And now, he had obtained a top-grade Magic Armor much earlier than the one in Hangzhou's Totem Black Snake incident by a full six months.
This was actually good news. Given Tang Yue's now-distant relationship with Mo Fan, the future Totem Black Snake incident likely wouldn't involve him. Master Hoto's prices were outrageously high, so that armor wouldn't have had a chance to fall into his hands.
"How will they deal with Lu Zhenghe?"
Lu Jun thought of him and asked. He didn't want to leave behind any loose ends that could come back to bite him later. If the military didn't take action, he had already made up his mind he would use a Curse and assassinate him in secret.
Fortunately, Mo Fan's response satisfied him. "The military has decided to execute Lu Zhenghe. As an accomplice, he must bear the consequences."
Thus, the series of unexpected events from the Jinlin training came to an end.
All three of them felt the urge to return and enter closed-door cultivation in Shanghai.
The next day, they boarded a flight out of the capital. This time, they had an extra companion Professor Yuan!
He had no reason to stay in the capital and intended to continue his experiments in Shanghai.
When Lu Jun and his sister stepped foot back onto the Pearl Academy grounds, they took a deep breath before wasting no time in heading straight for the Oriental Pearl Tower. They handed the dragon hide over to Master Hoto, urging him to forge the Magic Equipment as soon as possible.
Master Hoto agreed without hesitation.
In the end, everyone went into seclusion for training except for Lu Jun.
He had to find a reliable Grand Mage to refine the Blood Source and Demon Relic, fusing them into his ideal Curse material.
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