Full-Time Magister: The Ruler of Wind and Rain

The high-speed train sped along the tracks to Jiangnan, and the scenery outside the window gradually transformed from a concrete jungle into a gentle ink painting. Vast rice paddies, crisscrossing river networks, and white-walled, black-tiled houses appeared and disappeared in the misty rain.

Wang Yu sat by the window, engrossed in reading a book titled "Illustrations of Water-Based Formations." Lingling sat opposite him, her short legs dangling in mid-air, fiddling with a tablet computer.

"Wang Yu, is this last-minute cramming going to work?" Lingling glanced at the book, her tone skeptical. "Array formations require years of accumulated knowledge. Don't go to the site and not even be able to find the array's core; that would be incredibly embarrassing."

"This is called last-minute cramming; even if it's not quick, it'll still be useful." Wang Yu turned a page without looking up. "Besides, I have a foundation. Forging and array formations are inherently interconnected; they both involve constructing magical energy circuits. What I lack now is specific application experience with water-based arrays."

The more than ten million yuan he spent burning through in that dark basement over the past six months wasn't just for a few piles of waste; it also gave him an understanding of the flow of magical energy. In his eyes, the damaged array was more like a rusty machine. As long as he found the key gears, cleaned and polished them or replaced them altogether, and added some grease for lubrication, he could make it run again.

After the train crossed the boundary of Shanghai, Wang Yu suddenly sensed that there seemed to be too much water element in the air. In the absence of any rivers or lakes nearby, the water element was quietly accumulating, or to put it another way, stagnating, which was not a normal situation.

"Lingling, take out the element detector and check the situation around here. I feel that the water element is a bit abnormal." Wang Yu, who was just joking, said seriously.

"The water element concentration is too high, and... it's mixed with a trace of demonic energy." Lingling frowned. "The nearest water source, Jiashan Lake, is a tourist area within Anjie. Logically, it shouldn't have this level of demonic energy reaction. It seems our previous investigation was correct; the water is indeed not clean."

"The dirtier the better." A glint of shrewdness flashed in Wang Yu's eyes. "If it's just repairing a formation, the money is a bit too hot to handle. But if I can kill a few mindless demons along the way, I can take the money with a clear conscience."

Two hours later, the two arrived at Jiashan Lake Town.

The person who came to pick them up was a middle-aged man in a Zhongshan suit who introduced himself as Director Zhang from the management office. When he looked at the two "masters" in front of him, one big and one small, his smile visibly stiffened for a moment.

"Um... Wang, right?" Director Zhang wiped the sweat from his brow, somewhat hesitant. "The school said they sent an expert, but... isn't he a bit too young? And this young man..."

"I'm his assistant, not a kid!" Lingling skillfully pulled out her hunter's badge and flashed it. The gleaming gold high-level hunter badge on it made Director Zhang swallow the rest of his words. "Director Zhang, we're here to solve a problem. Take us directly to the scene."

After being rebuked by a young girl, Director Zhang didn't dare to retaliate and could only awkwardly lead the way.

Jiashan Lake is vast, with a misty, shimmering surface and truly beautiful scenery. But at this moment, the scenic area has been closed off, and long cordon lines have been erected along the shore.

Wang Yu stood on the boardwalk on the shore, his gaze sweeping across the lake.

Something's not right. Something's very, very wrong.

Before coming, the client, namely the "Jiangnan Water Element Circulation Protection Array - Jiashan Area Demonstration Array Project Team", had already given Wang Yu information on this area of ​​water element array. In theory, Jiashan Lake should indeed be calm and still, but there should be no water element siltation, because Jiashan Lake is the water element hub of this demonstration array, and should be able to connect east and west and north and south.

However, a large portion of the water element that should have been flowing in the lake according to the array's trajectory is now being lost in the lake, which is very abnormal. What element in the lake could cause the loss of water element?

Wang Yu crouched down, his fingers gently touching the water's surface, a faint trace of magical energy probing into the water through his fingertips.

The feeling was strange; Wang Yu felt as if the water elemental magic energy within his body was also being slightly drawn towards the lake.

"How is it?" Director Zhang asked anxiously. "The previous batches of sorcerers all said they couldn't fix it, saying there was interference underwater, and the magical energy couldn't take shape at all."

"There is indeed interference." Wang Yu stood up, patted the water off his hands, and said with certainty, "Something has tampered with the key nodes of the formation, causing the energy of the entire water circulation system to be lost."

"Then...what should we do? You...no, can you fix it?"

"I can't make any promises until I understand the situation." Wang Yu turned to Lingling. "Lingling, get ready to work. You stay on shore and monitor the situation. I'll go down and find that 'saboteur'."

"You're going into the water?" Director Zhang exclaimed in alarm. "Things haven't been safe in there lately!"

"I am a water mage."

Wang Yu didn't explain further. A flash of blue light appeared on his body, and a streamlined water shield instantly covered his entire form. He leaped into the water like a nimble fish, silently disappearing into the lake.

The moment it entered the water, the world became quiet.

The lake blocked the sunlight, and underwater visibility was low. But this wasn't a big problem for Wang Yu. On one hand, there was an anomaly in the lake that slightly attracted his magical energy, most likely related to the current mission; Wang Yu could simply swim straight there. On the other hand, his ability to remain still gave him a more sensitive perception of the surrounding water currents. The water seemed to be feeding him information about his surroundings, and Wang Yu wondered if this could be considered some kind of sonar.

"Thirty meters to the left front, array node A."

Wang Yu silently chanted in his heart, and the water he summoned from time to time disintegrated behind him, the resulting water flow propelling him forward rapidly.

Soon, several enormous stone pillars came into view. These were the foundation stones of the Jiashan Lake protective array, covered with intricate magical runes. However, at this moment, these stone pillars were covered with a dark green aquatic plant, like a thick layer of mold, completely obscuring the magical runes.

"It really is this thing."

Wang Yu swam closer and reached out to pluck a handful of seaweed. This thing was extremely resilient, and the moment it was touched, it actually began to wriggle like a living thing, trying to wrap around Wang Yu's fingers.

After summoning the water blade and cutting off a section of aquatic plant, Wang Yu decided to go ashore first to check on the external brain.

"Ghost Water Vine, a parasitic plant that likes to absorb magical energy." Lingling on the shore calmly judged after examining the sample. "This plant usually grows near demon lairs. Wang Yu, be careful. The presence of Ghost Water Vine means there's a high probability that there are demons raising it nearby."

OK.

Wang Yu went back into the water. Instead of clearing away the weeds, he swam to the base of the stone pillar. He discovered a huge gap at the base of the pillar, as if it had been gnawed out by some sharp teeth.

Dude, why are demons even gnawing on rocks?

Wang Yu first used his water blade to quickly clear away the nearby aquatic plants, then took out his underwater camera and snapped some photos. After getting ashore, he sent the photos back to the client, completed the first phase of the task, and asked them to study how to repair the formation in the most reasonable way.

Soon, the other party replied that the energy trajectory could be repaired using Cloud Gold, following the original design. It seemed simple enough. Cloud Gold wasn't a particularly valuable material, and Wang Yu had brought it with him. So, Wang Yu quickly used Cloud Gold to refine several prefabricated components, preparing to go underwater again. If there were no problems, he would repair the formation.