Two months.
That's how long it took me to recover my fusion magic skills to a level where I could use them comfortably outside of battle. If everything goes according to plan, I should be able to use it in combat by the time I graduate from the magic school.
Thanks to inheriting Mu Bai's memories, I was able to find my way around school and the family estate easily. Honestly, it wasn't even that hard. In the family, Mu Bai had always been treated like a second-rate human being. Until I demonstrate some earth-shattering talent, no one's going to pay much attention to me. And even then, it's doubtful. Most of the family's spare resources get funneled straight into Mu Ningxue's Imperial Magic School fund. A hefty chunk also goes to Mu Yuan, the adopted son of Mu Zhouyun. As for the rest of us? Left with scraps.
In the last two months, I was given exactly one dose of ice mountain grass elixir, which slightly helps with connecting to the ice element stars. Mu Ningxue downs one of those every day. Mu Yuan gets his dose once or twice a week.
The only one who's ever shown any kindness to Mu Bai is Mu He.
Not that he's ever shared any resources—probably blowing it all on his little hobby of being a card-carrying member of one of those charming organizations bent on destroying civilization. Specifically, the Black Vatican.
I won't touch him until the Ancient Capital incident. If I interfere too soon, I won't be able to improve the outcome. But that doesn't mean I'm going to keep pretending we're close. I'll just play the part of the sulking nephew whose dear uncle keeps hoarding resources.
At school, I'm consistently ranked first in the class, showing off control over two ice stars (though in truth I can control all of them—second spiritual boundary, after all, is the domain of peak Advanced magicians, and I don't need special resources to use it). That kind of progress makes me look like a total genius. I'm carefully building a reputation so that when the final year rolls around, I'll have a shot at the Sacred Spring. I'll definitely need it for my next plan.
Which is—no big deal—just my first trip to a parallel reality.
With my current energy reserve, I can stay there for about thirty minutes, as long as I don't use any additional time or space magic. My goal?
The White Tiger Totem Vessel. I know exactly where it is—in a safe spot, too. An old shrine near the Kunlun range. We found it by chance, way after the battle in the Holy City, and gave it to Mu Ningxue. Made sense—she was the one with the contract to the White Tiger cub.
Why not go after Mo Fan's pendant instead?
Well, because totem vessels bond to their users, and they don't choose a new one until the previous dies. And I'm not planning to kill Mo Fan.
No, this isn't some lingering sentiment from our past brother-in-arms days. This is pure logic. Mo Fan's a talented magician and a decent guy. He'll be useful—especially if I can prevent him from getting the Demonization element and turning into the Dark King's puppet.
After school, I lock my room. No one's going to interrupt—they all think I'm cultivating.
I sit on the bed, focus, and begin merging the energy of time and space, shaping my intent through the Laws.
A few minutes later, a forest breeze brushes my face. I open my eyes—and there I am, sitting beside an old, weathered shrine. Stone pillars carved with images of a white tiger rise around me.
I stand and enter quickly. From a crack in one of the stones, I retrieve a beautiful pendant engraved with a white tiger.
As soon as it touches my hand, a sharp burn flashes across my palm.
The bond is established.
Congratulations to me. I now hold the totem vessel of one of the Four Sacred Beasts of China—the White Tiger.
I'd have preferred the Phoenix, honestly. But unlike the Tiger, the Phoenix left no descendants and perished fighting sea monsters over a thousand years ago. No one knows where its totem vessel is—or if it even still exists.
As for what's next? That's simple.
I need to head into the sewers and hunt down a one-eyed rat.
I'll extract its soul and use it to upgrade the pendant into a basic magical tool. That'll let me start capturing soul fragments and synthesizing artificial souls. I used to drool over Mo Fan's extravagant star-enhancement techniques, but back then I could only push my beginner-level spells in Space, Light, and Time to the fifth tier. I never had the money for more—let alone a magical totem vessel like this.