On the walls of the Sea Battle City.
After the retreat of the sea monster tide, the Japanese mages stationed along the hundreds of kilometers of coastline either cheered or sighed in relief, but most of them remained numb and silent, collecting materials and treating their comrades.
The Tokyo Sea Battle City had been established, and similar sieges had already occurred countless times. From the initial fear and excitement to numbness and weariness, people had gradually become accustomed to it.
Those still cheering were nothing more than new recruits.
In the distance, Mo Fan, Mu Ningxue, and Jiang Yu's summoned beast Night Rakshasa hurried over, just in time to witness Lu Jun transforming the water element into a killing force an incredibly shocking sight. Every drop of water posed a fatal threat to the sea monsters.
Mo Fan exclaimed, "Damn, that's insane. And he hasn't even obtained a Soul Seed yet. If he had one, wouldn't he be butchering Commander-level creatures like chickens? At High-Tier Level Three, he could try to challenge even the Ordinary Super mage!"
Upon hearing that, Mu Ningxue didn't respond, but she shot him a look as if to say, you and your bragging again.
Mu Ningxue couldn't be bothered to keep listening. She took the venom sac of the White Weeping Demon and went to save Nanrong Ni.
Previously, Nanrong Ni had nearly died due to the White Weeping Demon's poison, which resulted in the team losing their healer and the entire squad nearly collapsing.
The antidote to this poison required the Binding Demon. Mu Ningxue had left the team alone specifically for this reason to hunt down the White Weeping Demon.
However, all of this was actually orchestrated by Nanrong Ni on purpose. She wanted to use this situation to force Mu Ningxue into danger and ultimately get her killed. (Canon)
Inside the building, with Lu Jun turning the tide, Ai Jiangtu, Guan Yu, Jiang Shaoxu and the others felt a massive burden lifted and finally let out a sigh of relief.
When the tides fully receded and Mu Ningxue returned, Jiang Yu said excitedly, "It's over! Quickly, treat Nanrong Ni."
When everyone fed Nanrong Ni the antidote, her complexion visibly improved.
In addition, now that the battle was over, the Japanese authorities dispatched a large supply of healing potions. Lu Jun's battle performance had earned him the respect of the Japanese mages in this region. The locals no longer treated these Chinese mages with contempt or disdain.
Lu Jun returned from the outside. Within his spiritual world, the glow of the Water Elemental Star Galaxy had dimmed more than half. Although he had achieved outstanding results in the recent battle, the consumption was immense.
Of course, compared to other magic elements when it came to slaying similar numbers of monsters, his mana expenditure was much lower. No wonder the Water Element was famed for its group attack capabilities.
He was calculating the mana he would need to break through the sea battlefront all the way to the Merman Sea, to avoid running out of energy at a critical moment when searching for the Water Elemental Holy Spirit.
Exploring the ocean was very different from exploring on land. Water Element, as one of the few magic elements capable of moving freely underwater, made the mana bar equivalent to a mage's lifeline.
Fortunately, Lu Jun had the precious Water Avoiding Pearl, which allowed him to store an extra reserve of water-element mana.
"Still not enough. If I encounter a Water Elemental Monarch Spirit and have to break through layers of siege beneath the sea to return across the battlefield, I need to prepare another trump card."
Lu Jun contemplated silently, his gaze falling upon his sixth element — Space Element. Advanced Teleportation, the very reason he had awakened this element in the first place.
Now, after all the trials he'd undergone and with resources now in abundance, he finally had the confidence to break through. He happened to plan on entering closed-door cultivation for a while at the Tokyo Sea Battle City.
He looked toward the weary and demoralized teammates and asked, "Do any of you still want to continue your training in the Sea Battle City?"
As soon as he finished, everyone quickly shook their heads. What a joke they had nearly lost multiple teammates in this last wave. None of them wanted to continue.
Moreover, according to the national team mentor's rules, the first round of elimination was about to begin. Everyone was eager to consolidate their gains and raise their cultivation to avoid being one of those eliminated.
Seeing this, Lu Jun shook his head. As expected, the ivory tower was nothing like the mages who hunted demons regularly. Quite a few of these rich young masters were clearly experiencing their first real hunt.
Mu Ningxue still wanted to stay behind and continue training, but she was only a Middle-Grade mage. Staying behind alone without teammates or High-Grade support would carry an extremely high risk of death.
She couldn't help showing a gloomy expression, clearly aware that the chances of her failing the upcoming selection were very high.
The national team left the Sea Battle City and returned to the prosperous city of Tokyo. They rented a hotel to rest and relax.
The sea monster corpses slain in the Sea Battle City would be collected by a special Japanese department, and not a single discount would be offered to the demon hunters for the materials.
At the same time, the national team resources were distributed directly to everyone's personal accounts. Each official member received 100 million yuan, while core members Mo Fan and Ai Jiangtu, who had mastered High Tier magic, each received 150 million.
Originally, Mo Fan was only a substitute and wouldn't have received any reward. It was only by selling the essence produced by the Crimson Ridge Demon Commander that he managed to obtain the Star River Vein, thereby advancing his Lightning Element to High-Grade.
However, Lu Jun's earnings were even more substantial. As the team captain, he received a split of 200 million in funds. Combined with the Commander-level Soul Essence he planned to sell, he now held over 300 million in abundant resources.
Not to mention, Dean Xiao had sent over a Star River Vein through international channels this was a promised gift from when Lu Jun first became his apprentice, and a show of support after Lu Jun joined the National Team Selection.
His Summoning Element and Space Element were both on the verge of advancing to High-Grade. With High-Grade Across All Elements, his combat strength would rise dramatically.
Coincidentally, within the National Team, aside from the government-issued resources, the various powers behind the team members also began exerting influence, providing additional funds.
Among them, Zhao Manyan was the most exaggerated his father defied pressure from the board of directors and sent over three Star River Veins in one go. Zhao had been trying to brute-force his way to advancement with cash, failing three times in a row before finally reaching High-Grade.
Several days passed in a flash.
In the hotel where the National Team was staying, Lu Jun continuously sensed the aura of High-Grade magic rising one after another from his teammates' rooms. Clearly, everyone had made significant breakthroughs.
Only Mu Ningxue gave up struggling. She hadn't managed to gather even 100 million.
It was known that the Japanese authorities had already distributed the demon-hunting rewards, and each team member received their cut. Even so, she had only managed to accumulate ten to twenty million. As a substitute, she didn't receive any national support, making it extremely difficult to advance to High-Grade.
This was a common issue among the university elites.
Lu Jun, having slaughtered an entire group of sea monsters, earned another 100 million-plus, giving him a total of more than 400 million in funds enough to purchase an artificial Minor Soul Seed.
As for Mo Fan, after receiving his funds, he immediately bought a Star River Vein, and just like in the original timeline, planned to gift it to Mu Ningxue.
Mu Ningxue was deeply moved, but still refused. She didn't want Mo Fan to delay his own cultivation progress because of her.
Even so, this gesture earned Mo Fan huge points in Mu Ningxue's heart, and the way she looked at him visibly softened.
It could only be said sincerity is the ultimate trump card when it comes to girls.
Lu Jun had always treated his sister, Ding Yumian, and Tang Yue this way, and fate had rewarded him accordingly.
At this moment, the National Team members all became busy, rarely seen throughout the day. Lu Jun was no exception, beginning to fully focus on improving his cultivation.
Buzz! Buzz! Buzz! In Lu Jun's room, dark blue radiance filled the space, shining in all directions. Tides surged again and again, as if the deep sea had descended upon the mortal world.
The white tiger pendant around his neck radiated a brilliant light, emanating a powerful warmth that caused the Water Elemental Star Galaxy within his spiritual world to surge and rise rapidly.
For additional chapters
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