Full-Time Magister: I Had No Intention of Reaching the Dimensional Throne

"There's such a rare treasure, but it must be hard to find, right?" Mu Nujiao said.

"Well, the last time a Star Fruit was recorded was three years ago, and the time before that was five years ago. In short, the time between them is getting longer and longer."

Lingling affirmed, then turned to look at Bai Mo, not forgetting her main purpose for coming here.

"Let's get down to business first. Bai Mo, take out the Di Token and activate it. I had my grandfather study it. It has a sensing restriction on it, which can detect similar auras within a certain range."

Bai Mo took out the Di token as instructed, inputted magical energy into it, but the token remained silent and unresponsive.

"It shouldn't be in this area. Let's walk further in."

So the three of them headed into the mountains. This part of the Taihang Mountains looked like it had been visited by many people. There weren't many demons, and the vegetation didn't have the lush and terrifying feeling of an uninhabited area.

Bai Mo summoned Da Ju, and under the Beast King's intimidation, there were no more traces of demons. After traveling several thousand meters further, they saw tall mountains and dense forests in the distance, with strong winds and gathering clouds.

At the edge of the view, a barren hillside stands with a small inn.

This is the Bajing Post Station. Further ahead lies the Taihang Mountains.

Calculating the distance in his mind, Bai Mo subconsciously activated the Di token in his hand. A tremor came from it. He released his hand and saw the token emit a thick, earthy yellow starlight.

Dust and sand rose up, forming a lifelike model of the Taihang Mountains. Starlight fell from the token, touching a mountain peak before suddenly dissipating.

Lingling, who was holding a recording device, waited a few seconds and saw that the token had fallen into Bai Mo's hands, so she put away the camera.

She recalled the spot where the starlight had fallen, then pulled up a map on her computer, carefully compared it, and finally said:

"The most dangerous path is near Feihu Valley in the Eight Paths. Not only are there many powerful demons, but the path itself is also very dangerous, with many elemental hazards."

Lingling said that the situation of demons in the Taihang Mountains has always been under the control of the Forbidden Army. Monarch-level creatures are not allowed to exist, so demons are not something they need to focus on preventing.

The elemental danger zone is the real one, which is why Lingling brought it up.

Places rich in elements can be treasure troves or perilous lands. This is how all things in the world are: yin and yang, presenting a relationship of opposition and unity.

As captivating as the elemental treasure lands are, so too are the elemental perils. For example, the distorted area on the ice marks of the Heavenly Mountains—falling into it means almost certain death.

Therefore, upon hearing Lingling's words, Bai Mo frowned slightly. "Do you have an elemental map, Lingling?"

"I've collected some, but the elemental dangers of the Taihang Eight Paths are constantly changing, and even the demons that inhabit them find it difficult to avoid them."

As Lingling spoke, she pointed to the Bajing Post Station ahead.

"So, relying on outdated maps might lead to our downfall and unnecessary trouble. It would be better to find a guide team and leave the group once we find the location of the Di Tu Mo."

"Then we can go to the inn and form a team, but most hunter teams rarely accept outsiders."

Mu Nujiao craned her neck to look at the distant post station, and then raised her doubts.

Many hunter teams have been working together for years, and in the wild, sometimes, people can turn into monsters.

Therefore, many hunter teams are very wary of strangers joining them, and rejection is the norm.

"That's right, so we won't join a team, we'll form a group."

Lingling snapped her fingers, took out her computer, and skillfully began operating it.

"The reason why Flying Fox Valley is the most dangerous is that it is where demons from two mountains converge, and it is also the place with the most concentrated elemental energy. Therefore, many hunter groups will explore this place."

"We'll add a hunting group that's frequently active in the Taihang Mountains. These groups usually take on this kind of work, that should do it. However..."

"What's wrong?" Mu Nujiao asked curiously when she saw Lingling's strange expression.

"This hunter group is quite lucky; they've found two Star Fruit Stones in the last ten years. Perhaps we can get some unexpected gains by following them."

Lingling's eyes flickered slightly, and she said in a low voice.

So Bai Mo accepted the large orange, and the three of them entered the Bajing Post Station, a gathering place for hunters, military mages, and merchants traveling to and from the Taihang Mountains. Though small, it had everything they needed.

Bai Mo sensed several high-level mages after just one trip to the Hunter's Hall.

No wonder this post station is located at the foot of the mountain, completely unafraid of demons attacking.

The hunter group they temporarily joined was called the Haoran Hunter Group. As a reward, these unofficial members might have to work harder, and things like killing demons were unavoidable.

Rest overnight, then gather the next day.

Bai Mo led Lingling and Mu Nujiao to the outside of Bajing Post Station, 300 meters from the east gate, where a group of people were already gathered.

There were men, women, young and old among them, and the leader was a pale-faced man with a pointed mouth and narrow eyebrows. He was seven feet tall, burly and strong, but his eyes were lifeless.

"Bai Mo, right? So you're the one bringing two people with you on the tour?"

As he spoke, his eyes swept over the three men, then suddenly lit up after passing over Bai Mo, and he laughed:

"No wonder the name sounded familiar. Turns out you're the national team champion, here to find the Starry Fruit Stone?"

"Just here to try my luck." Bai Mo smiled slightly and didn't say anything more.

But the pale-faced man with narrow eyebrows continued, "Your strength is not bad, and you know the rules. The reputation of being a national champion doesn't work here. If you don't follow orders, I will have to ask you to leave."

"Don't worry, we understand."

"Okay, then. Be careful. This isn't a fighting ring. Don't blame me if those two girls die."

"Of course, Commander, you don't need to worry."

Bai Mo nodded slightly, glancing at the silver bracelet on his hand, the gemstone ring, and his somewhat youthful face.

He remembered that the information said that the leader was around thirty-five years old and was a lightning-type super-tier.

"By the way, my name is Pan Feng. You can stay at the back of the group for now," Pan Feng said, turning around.

Bai Mo nodded, not finding anything wrong with it. They wanted the hunter group to lead the way, as long as they weren't allowed to go ahead and scout ahead, it was all fine.

Following behind Pan Feng, Bai Mo greeted the members of the hunter group and introduced himself to everyone.

But then a disheveled man saw him, and his silent eyes suddenly lit up, then became frighteningly bright.

"Little sister, don't get all excited when you see a handsome man, you can't eat him."

A woman dressed in hunter's clothes spoke softly, tugged at the person staring intently at Bai Mo, and then smiled apologetically at Bai Mo.

She had the appearance of a respectable wife or daughter, which immediately made people feel a sense of goodwill and lessened their wariness.

Bai Mo glanced at the 'little sister' and saw that she was dressed in hunter's clothes, but with a lot of dust and dirt on her, looking disheveled. If it weren't for the fact that she was a respectable woman, he wouldn't have been able to tell that she was actually a woman.

"I'm sorry, my little sister has some mental issues. She joined the hunter's group this time to find a medicinal herb that can save lives. I hope she didn't scare you."

"Oh, I see. No, it isn't."

Bai Mo nodded in understanding, then walked away to the end of the group. He summoned the Divine Dust Tiger, and sat on it with Lingling Mu Nujiao, following the Haoran Hunter Group into Flying Fox Valley.

Located at the junction of the Taihang and Yanshan mountain ranges, and adjacent to the highest peak of the Taihang Mountains, Feihu Valley has a unique and unpredictable terrain.

The road through the high mountains and deep valleys is not wide, and there are towering peaks on both sides, so the mountains seem infinitely large and the sky seems infinitely small.

The bright sunlight shone down, yet I only felt a cool sensation on my body.

Above the myriad valleys, amidst the clouds and mist, one can see wolves soaring and leopards leaping, golden eagles flapping their wings, and a riot of demons dancing wildly, all with menacing, tiger-like eyes.

Everywhere you look, there is the shadow of demons.

However, intimidated by the power of the Divine Dust Tiger, these outer demons dared not step forward.

"The road outside isn't too dangerous yet. The only thing to watch out for is the Yuan Arrow. If you get hit, things will get really bad."

Seeing that no demons were blocking the way, Pan Feng called out a warning, but that was all he said.

It's rather absurd, although most people know that the Elemental Danger Zone sounds like a region.

However, some of these dangers are not only passively triggered, but also attack randomly. For example, the typhoons that often occur along the southern coast of Kyushu are a product of a dangerous elemental region.

The Yuan Arrow also sounds similar, but Pan Feng didn't say what the Yuan Arrow was.

Lingling, the team's intelligence officer, immediately began to explain:

"The Yuan Arrow is a type of elemental danger in the Taihang Mountains. It emits an arrow-like elemental gas filled with strange energy. Although it does not harm mages, it can affect their ability to cast spells and manipulate elements."

"In severe cases, they can't even sense the elements, becoming completely useless mages. But if they leave the Taihang Mountains, this effect disappears immediately. Nobody understands why."

Upon hearing this, Bai Mo glanced at the large orange cat and asked, "Does this elemental arrow have any effect on summoned beasts?"

"Just like humans."

Bai Mo nodded slightly. There was no reason to guard against thieves for a thousand days. He reached out and a pale yellow wind began to swirl around them, forming a wind barrier.

Since it has a physical form, we can just block it.

He hadn't used Canghuang Chongfeng much since he obtained the Wind Spirit, so this was a good opportunity to familiarize himself with it.

Who knew that once this wind barrier was activated, a layer of the ground would be shaved off.

Bai Mo raised an eyebrow; this wind was rather domineering.

Since Shen Chenhu was less affected, he maintained the barrier only around the three of them.

rustling!

Before long, attacks like arrows came from the ground and from the two mountain walls.

The arrows were gray in color, not very powerful, but very fast.

However, some members of the Haoran Hunters Group were experienced, either using magic to dodge gracefully or using defense to block directly.

Bai Mo glanced at it and realized that to defend against this elemental arrow, a single water defense was enough. It seemed that this was indeed just an appetizer in this perilous elemental land.

While the hunters were on the run, Lingling glanced at Bai Mo and suddenly asked:

"Didn't you notice anything wrong?"

"What's wrong?" Bai Mo asked, resting his chin on his hand, the token in his hand already warm from being held so tightly.

"The woman who first looked at you, and the woman who claimed to be her sister." At this moment, Mu Nujiao spoke up:

"Something's not right with them. That respectable woman is very skilled at dodging Yuan Arrows. It's not like she's a first-timer in Taihang Eight Paths. It's more like she's a member of this hunter group. The other hunters in the group seem to know her very well."

"Besides, although she dodged the arrow, she didn't pull her little sister along to dodge it too." Lingling pouted.

"She's obviously a fake older sister. She talks about caring for and protecting her sister, but her sister is disheveled and doesn't take care of herself, and she didn't even protect her from the arrows."

"Lingling~" Bai Mo couldn't help but pat his forehead. "What does this have to do with us? Even if that innocent woman is a vicious older sister, we can only take action if her 'little sister' really asks for help."

"Besides these, there's nothing else fishy. The suffering of those who suffer is different, but their happiness is the same."

Bai Mo said lazily, "I'm not a saint. No one asked me for help. I don't have much interest in intervening every time I see a tragic or strange place."

Shaking his head, Bai Mo turned around and said, "Let's see. If these people are really no good, it wouldn't be bad to act on their behalf."

Instinctively, he wanted his journey to find the totem to be smooth and free of any trouble.

However, this world is never short of people who seek death, perhaps because Bai Mo was accompanied by two exquisite beauties, one tall and one short.

Perhaps it was because he sat upright on the giant tiger the whole way, like a big shot, even though he was in charge of the safety of the rear of the group.

However, because Shen Chenhu was so powerful, no demon dared to attack him from behind for the time being.

As a result, when the pressure on one side decreases, the pressure on the other side increases.

It's not scarcity that's the problem, but inequality, especially since Bai Mo isn't even a member of the Haoran Hunters Group.

Then someone called out, "Hey kid, come help me out, have some common sense."

"That's right, didn't you guys come out to train? Help us hold off this wave of Flash Wolves, give you more opportunities to show your skills."

Bai Mo glanced at the more than one hundred Flash Spirit Wolves rushing down the mountainside to the side; this was a group of great warriors.

For those who are at the higher level, it's just a little troublesome.

These people clearly couldn't stand him being idle.

Feihu Valley is just a mountain gorge, not particularly wide, but it is densely packed with demons. After entering a bit, even more demons attacked.

These demons also knew why the humans had come in—to fight for resources.

He was mentally prepared for the current situation. Regarding the two people beside him, Bai Mo simply said:

"Then I'll help you out, but the leader only wants us to guard the rear of the team."

After saying that, he waved his arm, and suddenly a silver spear was thrust out, its solidified body flying like lightning.

With a slight sway, the gun barrel split into two, then into four, and finally into a hundred spears with a buzzing sound.

Guns flew in droves, swift as lightning, arriving in an instant, each one accurately blasting open the heads of the Flash Wolf.

In an instant, a spray of blood bloomed, and the pack of Flash Spirit wolves, which had been nimbly charging down the mountainside, fell one by one, plummeting to the ground.

Like helicopters falling from the sky, crashing down with a thunderous sound, piling up into a row of mountains of flesh!

Unseen by the crowd, the Soul Refining Pot emitted a faint light, and the essence of the flesh mountain flew out and entered the pot's mouth!

This "Hundred Shadows with One Strike" is yet another change after the Silver Hairpin Spear's restrictions were lifted.

It made up for his previous weakness of needing to charge up before he could unleash the spear's light, and harvesting the essence of souls was even more difficult, requiring him to kill them one by one.

Sometimes, this can be quite strange; for example, when the next magical monster is about to die, you suddenly pull out a magic-slaying tool and kill it.

If there are no outsiders around, it's fine, but once there are others, some people will inevitably become suspicious.

Totem objects are not such inconvenient things.

Now, the Silver Hairpin Spear has finally unlocked its area-of-effect attack skill.

Getting back to the main point, "one shot, a hundred shadows" means exactly one hundred gun shadows, no more, no less.

As for its power, he tested it with a hollow willow branch, and when fully charged, it was equivalent to a weakened version of a lightning-type super-tier power.

It can be used to treat monarch-level creatures by scraping them or finishing them off.

If you really want to kill a monarch-level being, you'll need the Silver Hairpin Spear itself to do it.

If it's just an instant cast, it can kill a sub-commander instantly, but not a legitimate commander.

"hiss!!!"

Meanwhile, the Haoran Hunters were also taken aback when they saw Bai Mo wipe out the wolf pack with a wave of his hand, sending hundreds of meteors flying.

The Flash Wolf is just a warrior; they could handle it with a few high-level spells, but they knew they couldn't handle just one.

The two people who had been spouting sarcastic remarks also shut up; in matters of the heart, they were more experienced than Bai Mo.

"Brother Bai, your magic is quite powerful. Can you help me out? I see your summoned beasts are enough. I'll pay you a commission."

However, seeing how quickly Bai Mo killed the demon, Pan Feng immediately shouted,

"We came here specifically for the treasures on Little Wutai Peak, and we'd also like to look for Star Fruit Stones. If we come across any, Brother Bai, you can buy them first. What do you think?"

With such powerful spatial magic, Pan Feng was now convinced that Bai Mo had come here to find the Star Fruit Stone.

As his thoughts shifted, his lifeless eyes brightened slightly as he began to scrutinize Bai Mo and the others.

"sure."

Upon hearing this, Bai Mo immediately agreed, as he was more than happy to kill all these demons.

Since the Soul Refining Pot entered Jingwei's territory, as Jingwei's strength recovered, his role in the Soul Refining Pot became increasingly clear.

For example, it was known that a hundred servant-level spirits could be combined to form a warrior spirit.

In fact, the Soul Refining Pot's function goes far beyond that—

As its name suggests, the Soul-Cultivating Artifact's function is merely secondary. Its primary purpose is to refine the soul.

Therefore, in addition to synthesizing warrior-level essences, its more important function is that it can also refine and synthesize commander-level and even monarch-level essences.

As for an emperor, that's impossible; Jingwei herself was not an emperor.

This feature will undoubtedly greatly benefit Bai Mo in accumulating command essence and building his own summoning legion.

Furthermore, it accelerates the feeding of Earth and Lightning elemental stars, enhancing the bloodline of the Great Orange Moon.

As one's summoning cultivation reaches the super-tier, the summoned beasts that respond to the beast tide summoning can be at least warrior-level.

Therefore, Bai Mo no longer urgently needs the warrior-level spirit, and the commander-level demons are not only rare, but also quite difficult to obtain.

Many of the leaders are pillars of the demon empire, and some are even the towering white jade pillars of their tribes.

Those imperial tribes in large groups.

Killing one means killing a whole group, which is incredibly troublesome and dangerous.

It's practically impossible to sell the obtained essence to obtain a higher-level essence.

Firstly, he has a great need for Commander-level Essence, and secondly, the drop rate of Commander-level Demon Essence is not high to begin with.

Necromancers, summoners, soul-cultivating vessels, and so on—the demand for spirit essence has always been a bottomless pit for society, nations, the military, and magical associations.

Commander-level spirit essences, and even spirit essences in general, have always been in short supply. For him to buy them in bulk is just a pipe dream.

Needless to say, even the remnants of the monarch-level beings are priceless.

However, if synthesized using the Demon Refining Pot, only two hundred Warrior Essences are needed to synthesize one Commander Essence.

The transition from warrior to commander involves the laws of nature. A warrior's ascension to commander comes at a price. Even a living warrior who wants to rise to commander must be prepared to be annihilated, let alone his spirit!

Bai Mo estimated that some of it was taken by the Soul Refining Pot, but the Soul Refining Pot also contributed, as it was necessary for it to do so in this kind of situation.

Even so, the effort he needs to acquire Commander-level essence is much less, and Warrior-level essence can be replenished through the largest number of servants.

If one can accumulate leadership essence by collecting and refining the essence of generals or servants, why doesn't he do it?

Think about it again: if he were to eliminate a race led by a commander-level demon, he could use the demon souls of all the demons in that race through the Demon Refining Pot.

Unlike initially, when those slave-level spirits were only used to exchange for money.

He can earn money when he's short of it, but it takes a lot of effort to acquire high-level essence.

So, after agreeing, Bai Mo lightly stepped on the back of the Divine Dust Tiger and rode a whirlwind to the center of the group.

At the same time, his arms swung continuously, and in an instant, a series of gun shadows shot out to the left and right, with the sound of gunfire whistling through the air never ceasing.

Red and white, all the demons whose hearts, heads, and other vital organs were pierced by the shadow of the gun all died instantly.

Those who managed to dodge the fatal attack were severely wounded and on the verge of death, and the rest of the hunters seized the opportunity to deliver the final blow, killing them instantly.

Continuing forward in this way, the speed increased considerably.

Bai Mo also successfully synthesized the first commander-level essence using the warrior's essence.

While keeping an eye on the dangers around him, he focused his mind into the Soul Refining Pot, carefully examining the newly appeared Commander-level Essence to see how it differed from the natural Commander-level Essence.

The answer was no. Seeing this, Bai Mo felt much relieved.

Feihu Valley winds its way for over a hundred kilometers, and Xiaowutai Mountain seems so close yet remains unreachable.

However, there were quite a few other discoveries.

As they gradually became more familiar, Mu Nujiao and her companion were both exceptionally beautiful and possessed outstanding qualities. The elder was mature and elegant, while the younger was lively and adorable, almost too radiant...

He could clearly feel that as the group moved forward, there were many more glances directed at the two girls.

Let him look, he's not that petty. But I can understand men looking at him, but why are those female mages looking at him too?

Moreover, Bai Mo always felt that their gazes were slightly strange.

After crossing mountains and winding roads, sometimes the journey is truly circuitous, and suddenly there is a high cliff or a dangerous place in front of you.

But the road ahead took an unexpected turn, and without someone leading the way, they would have had a hard time getting further.

Before we knew it, it was already evening. The valley with its towering peaks had long since lost its light, and all around us was a deep, dark black, darker than the sky.

Only by looking very high can one see a narrow galaxy, nestled in the darkness.

The hunters found a relatively flat spot with a stream flowing nearby and decided to spend the night there.

After setting up camp, Lingling and Mu Nujiao slept in one place, while Bai Mo slept in another.

It was already dark. Instead of meditating, he plucked the strings and explored his surroundings.

They were to guard against both demons and people.

Listening closely, Bai Mo didn't want anything to go wrong.

However, a footstep was slowly approaching. He frowned slightly; it was the footstep of the disheveled woman.

The voice hadn't gone far when it was stopped by another person, a respectable woman who claimed to be her sister.

"Little sister, what do you want to do?"

"."

After a moment of silence, the virtuous woman spoke softly again:

"It's getting dark, and it's not safe around here. Since you've already eaten, go back to sleep."

"I need to use the restroom." A timid voice, tinged with fear, rang out; it was the 'little sister'.

Bai Mo rubbed his ears, raised an eyebrow, and for some reason, he felt that the voice sounded slightly familiar, but he couldn't quite place it.

"Have I heard their voices somewhere before, or heard similar voices?"

He secretly wondered why he was so strange. As a sound mage, he was very sensitive to sound and would never forget what he had heard.

If he recognizes the voice, then he must have heard it before.

Bai Mo secretly paid attention, but even as the moon reached its zenith, there was no further sound. (End of Chapter)