Song Jie had made up his mind — once he reached the Intermediate Mage level, he would awaken another offensive magic element!
He let out a small sigh of determination.
"From now on, I'll cultivate properly!"
Magic cultivation was divided into three stages: Meditation, Control, and Release.
Meditation meant focusing the mind to nurture magic energy.
Control referred to guiding the newly formed stardust within the spiritual world and arranging them in a specific orbit.
And finally, Release — where a mage used seven connected stardust to unleash a spell!
Right now, Song Jie was still at the first step — meditation, working to form seven stardust in his empty spiritual world.
He closed his eyes, focused, and entered a state of deep concentration.
Time passed without him noticing.
Suddenly, he heard the dormitory door creak open. Song Jie slowly opened his eyes.
Mo Fan and Zhang Xiaohou had just returned from outside, both looking at him curiously.
"Song Jie, are you cultivating?" Zhang Xiaohou asked.
Song Jie nodded.
Mo Fan sat down nearby, narrowing his eyes at him. "How does it feel?"
Zhang Xiaohou hadn't started cultivating yet since he and Mo Fan had gone out to eat earlier.
"It's fine," Song Jie replied. "But meditation burns through mental energy really fast."
"Really? Then I'll start now! I want to release my first spell as soon as possible!"
Zhang Xiaohou climbed onto his bed, still wearing his slippers, and closed his eyes to try it.
"Brother Fan, why are you staring at Song Jie? You should be meditating too!"
Mo Fan chuckled, nodded, and lay down to begin his own practice.
Song Jie smiled faintly and ignored them. He closed his eyes again, immersing himself back into cultivation.
Time passed quickly — days turned into weeks, and weeks into months.
One evening, Song Jie opened his eyes, his expression full of disbelief.
"I actually completed my Star Orbit!"
After meditation came control — arranging seven stardust into a straight line, forming the Star Orbit required for basic spells.
Now, in his spiritual world, a brilliant golden Star Orbit shone brightly.
"Next step… magic release!"
Excitement surged in his heart as he focused again, connecting the seven golden stardust.
A golden orbit lit up in his spiritual world, pulsing with sacred light.
"Radiant Purification!"
A dazzling golden light burst before his eyes.
"It's done!" Song Jie exclaimed inwardly.
He had succeeded — he had completed all three stages of basic magic!
He smiled with satisfaction. Few people could reach this stage so quickly.
Then, his eyes fell on the bronze bracelet on his wrist.
It was a keepsake from his late mother — the only thing left from his family.
"Could it be because of this bracelet…?" he wondered. But after a moment, he shook his head.
No matter the reason, his stomach was now loudly protesting.
"Time to eat first," he muttered, standing up and heading out.
While walking past a small park, Song Jie suddenly noticed a familiar scene.
A few ruffians were surrounding a young girl on a swing.
The girl had long, silky hair, porcelain skin, and clear, beautiful eyes. Her gentle aura made her stand out like a lotus in the dark.
Song Jie froze for a moment.
"Ye Xinxia?"
That name immediately surfaced in his mind.
At the same time, the hooligans also noticed him.
"Hey, kid!" their leader barked. "Got any money? Hand it over, or don't blame us for being rough!"
Song Jie frowned. He hadn't expected to run into this scene — the one where Mo Fan was supposed to heroically rescue Ye Xinxia.
But right now… Mo Fan wasn't here.
And he, Song Jie, was just an early-stage Light Mage!
He could maybe use Radiant Purification to blind them for a few seconds, but that wouldn't help much in a fight.
Just then—
Ding!
[Congratulations, Host, for completing Magic Release. The Outrageous System has been successfully activated!]
[Reminder: The Outrageous System will undergo an "Outrageous Transformation" once every month.]
"Outrageous… transformation?" Song Jie blinked, confused. "What does that even mean?"
Another system notification immediately followed.
[As this is the Host's first activation, you are granted two Outrageous Transformation opportunities!]
[Ding! Radiant Purification has outrageously transformed into Radiant Burst!]
[Ding! Radiant Burst has outrageously transformed into Radiant Greatburst!]
Song Jie's jaw dropped.
"What the—?! Two transformations straight away?!"
He could now feel two new magic variants of his Light-element spell inside his mind — both still first-level, yet vastly stronger!
The ruffian leader grew impatient, walking up to him. "What are you staring at? Hurry up and hand over your money!"
Before Song Jie could reply, golden light began to shimmer around his body. His sharp, hawk-like eyes locked onto the thug.
"Y-You're… a Mage!" one of them stammered, stepping back.
"That golden glow—he's a Light Mage!" another shouted.
"A Light Mage? Hah, aren't they useless in the early stages—"
The words had barely left his mouth when Song Jie connected his seven stardust in an instant.
"Radiant Burst!"
A ball of brilliant golden light erupted from his palm, streaking toward a massive rock nearby.
BOOM!!
The rock exploded into fragments, scattering dust and gravel in all directions.
Everyone froze in shock.
The ruffians stared, mouths hanging open.
"Wha—what kind of Light Magic is that?! Isn't it supposed to be weak?!"
Even Song Jie was stunned by his own power.
"It can blow up a whole rock? That's insane!"
Now he truly understood why it was called the Outrageous System.
Ye Xinxia, still on the swing, looked at him in awe.
"Is that… really Light Magic?"
The ruffian who had mocked him earlier swallowed hard, trembling.
Song Jie stepped forward and kicked the leader square in the chest.
"Still want money?"
"N-No, no more!" The thug rolled several times before scrambling to his feet.
"Good. And don't tell anyone about what happened today… got it?"
They nodded frantically.
"Now get lost."
The group ran off without looking back.
Song Jie finally exhaled, feeling the tension leave his body.
He turned toward Ye Xinxia, who was still seated on the swing, her eyes wide and curious.