At a single glance, Lu Jun inwardly thought—this was trouble.
The Night Thunder Dream Beast was safe and sound in the Summoning Plane and could be summoned using Basic Magic. The mermaid maiden was also fine, quietly sleeping within the Contract Space and likewise able to be summoned into manifestation.
Only the Mermaid Monarch was different—slumbering inside his portable space, covered by the same layer of dim gloom, frozen in time and space, unable to be released.
"Damn it, this Space-Time Divine Eye is really troublesome."
Seeing this, he cursed under his breath. The reason he had chosen to obediently follow the arrangements of the natives instead of acting on his own to infiltrate the holy land and steal the Eye of Space-Time was precisely because he had neither the trump cards nor the confidence.
Here, high-level and super-level beings were everywhere. If he were discovered violating a taboo, the situation could turn out much worse.
Lu Jun took a deep breath, showing no emotion on the surface, and said to Bayer: "My Life Contract has already been signed, but as for the Advanced-level Gate of Beast Tide, I can still contract one more."
"The first contract is signed? What about the third contract of the Advanced spell?"
Bayer pondered for a moment and then asked, "Have you opened your second contract yet?"
"No." Lu Jun shook his head. "I don't know how to open it."
"That's easy to fix." Bayer's eyes lit up with joy, and he said warmly, "Your Summoning Element has already cultivated to the Advanced level—you've met the requirements to open a second contract. I'll have the priests from the Space Institute teach you the secret method."
"Oh, and you must absolutely keep your third contract slot."
The old man solemnly warned, "Being able to open a third contract in addition to the first two—besides being a gift of innate summoning talent—this kind of top-tier spell is something that can only be encountered by chance. It's best to keep it until you've reached Forbidden Curse level. At that point, you can try contracting an Emperor-level being."
"When that time comes, you'll instantly become a pinnacle powerhouse of humanity."
Lu Jun nodded earnestly, knowing this was the voice of experience.
No matter whether it was early stage, mid-stage, or late stage, the Summoning Element was a magic system that could take shortcuts and outpace those of the same level.
For example, in the future, Su Lu would pay a huge price to collect the Titan's Heart and the Infant's Heart, set up the Dragon Taming Grand Array, enslave the only black dragon of the magic plane, and leap straight to the top-tier powerhouse level.
Immediately, when Lu Jun heard Bayer speak about the second contract, his mind was quick, and he instantly guessed the other's intention—his eyes brightened.
Could it be that he was going to help him find a top-quality contract beast? And on top of that, open the second contract as well? That was just too generous!
Truth be told, Lu Jun had no idea how to handle this second contract. Even Mo Fan had stumbled through it in a muddle, intending to find time to ask Jiang Yu's teacher, Chief Pang Lai, for advice again—only to end up trapped in this strange place and unexpectedly gain another opportunity.
As for a summoned beast, Lu Jun did feel some hesitation. The Night Thunder Dream Beast and the Water-element Holy Spirit were both first-class, top-grade existences. To fill in his shortcomings, raise his ceiling, and cultivate them to Monarch level would require a great deal of resources and time.
As for the third and fourth beasts, he had yet to decide what types he wanted. Originally, he thought it best to keep the slots empty, so that when he reached Forbidden Curse, he could contract two Emperor-level beings in one go—now that would be truly delightful.
If he chose hastily, then even with a supreme bloodline, he might not be able to give it the growth space it needed, and there was also a chance of overlapping functions.
At this moment, Bayer saw through Lu Jun's thoughts and said leisurely, "There's no need for you to worry. The kind of summoned beast you contract will be decided by your heart."
Lu Jun mulled over the word—he had already heard it several times before: "Heart?"
"Yes." Bayer spoke gently, "The Spirit Carving Method can reference countless demons and summon beast groups suited to all kinds of situations, but imitation will always have its limits—it can only release those that have truly existed in the present world."
"Certain creatures that went extinct in ancient times—no matter if you find their fossils and reproduce them in carvings—it will be of no use. And among the countless strange and varied beast groups, is there truly one that fits your heart's desire one hundred percent?"
Hearing this, Lu Jun's heart trembled. He lowered his head in deep thought, then shook it and said, "I don't know what one hundred percent means. Could there really be a perfect creature in the world? In my eyes, as long as it can meet all my requirements, then it is already an extremely fitting summoned beast."
"Hahaha." Bayer burst into loud laughter, his gaze blazing hot as he said, "What if I told you that the Spirit Carving Method can create from nothing—a summoned beast completely in line with your heart's desire, a unique species that does not exist in this world?"
"It can combine the advantages of all top-tier races—the chimera of chimeras. It can completely disregard reason, logic, and demonology. It will be the flawless and invincible being in your heart, the unparalleled one of all time that has never before revealed its sacred form."
Bayer spoke each word slowly, and with each passage his momentum grew, his eyes burning, his tone firm and powerful.
At these words, Lu Jun sucked in a cold breath. His soul was shaken, his breathing quickened, and his scalp tingled—this grand concept was far too lofty.
Yes, the Spirit Carving Summoning Method was originally meant to use that faint thread of spiritual connection to instantly capture and manifest the corresponding beast group that matched oneself perfectly—then why couldn't one carve out of nothing a species that had never existed, and summon it into reality?!
Even better, half of its foundation would rest on pure imagination, half would step into reality, existing between the virtual and the real. Various "settings" and "organs" could be added without needing to think about the internal structural consistency.
It must be known that species born of nature must adhere to nature. No matter how powerful those demons were, they had corresponding weaknesses and natural enemies, and even their internal structures inevitably had many redundant parts.
You couldn't have it all. Any creature praised as a perfect race was only relatively perfect—take out any one organ or function, and it certainly could not be called the strongest.
The Spirit Carving Method was different—it allowed you to contend with the sky's overlord, the true dragon, in the domain of flight, while surpassing the deep-sea giant kun in its ability to stir up storms, and still have strength to spare to rival the demon tiger clans on land.
"Teacher, I want to learn!"
Lu Jun spoke sincerely. Before, calling him "teacher" was just playing a role—this time it was from the heart.
It had to be said, Bayer had helped him push open the door to the supreme hall of the Summoning Element—no one in history had ever thought of it this way.
"No rush. Imagination comes from reality. At the very least, you must reach the second stage of the Spirit Carving Method, copying and imitating thousands upon thousands of species to accumulate experience and material. In addition, you must also master the top-tier techniques of the Psychic Element."
Bayer smiled kindly, patted Lu Jun on the shoulder, and left with ease.
In the stone forest where he stood, Lu Jun deeply agreed. Sweeping his gaze over the densely packed, endless stone forest, his motivation surged. A Spirit Carving exclusive summoned beast would not be easy—it would likely have to wait until after reaching Super Level.
After all, it seemed the Incan Empire had never realized this concept.
But without accumulating small steps, one cannot reach a thousand miles. He calmed his heart, picked up his hammer, and began carving and imitating those demon statues.
Since time was limited, and he didn't know when he would return—
Lu Jun deliberately chose several often-used, combat-powerful clans to carve first.
Dong, dong, dong… Once again, the sound of hammering and striking echoed through the stone forest…
Time flew like an arrow. His days in the Summoning Institute passed one after another. In the blink of an eye, Lu Jun had stayed for a month, imitating seven or eight kinds of demon stone carvings.
Just as he was thinking of continuing to hole up, the people from the Space Institute arrived—this was a young, strong, beautiful woman. Her facial features were three-dimensional and exquisite, her gaze deep, her skin wheat-colored, and her muscles well-toned.
The woman had come to teach him the method to open the second contract, and the process was unexpectedly simple.
For additional chapters
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