Versatile Mage: The Young Master of Zhou Family

Azue Sky Hunter Agency.

"Since you've completed the assignment, you'll be teaming up with Lingling from now on. As for the bounty, give your card number to Leng Qing later she'll transfer your share."

Old Bao didn't seem surprised at all that Zhou Haoyu had completed the mission, speaking nonchalantly as if it were routine.

"Alright."

Zhou Haoyu wasn't really concerned about the bounty. His main reason for joining the hunter agency was to open Lingling's treasure chest.

[Unlock condition: Met.]

[Opening...]

[Obtained: One large Mind Stone.]

In just an instant, Zhou Haoyu sensed a new stone-like object inside his dimensional ring, about the size of a ping-pong ball.

Zhou Haoyu had been worrying about how to enhance his Spiritual energy. Now, it was like a pillow falling into his arms right when he needed a nap.

Mind Stones were incredibly rare. Even a fingernail-sized Mind Stone cost hundreds of millions. Larger ones were essentially priceless you couldn't buy them no matter how rich you were.

"It's getting late. Why don't you two just stay here at the agency for the night? There are still some vacant rooms upstairs," Leng Qing said after transferring the bounty to Zhou Haoyu.

"This…"

Zhou Haoyu glanced back at Mu Ningxue, who was waiting quietly. He'd originally planned to stay at an inn, but finding one at this hour would take who knows how long.

"Alright then, thank you, Sister Leng Qing," Zhou Haoyu said gratefully.

"Second floor. Last room at the end of the hall." Leng Qing placed a key on the front desk.

"You too, Sister Leng Qing. Get some rest."

Zhou Haoyu picked up the key and headed upstairs with Mu Ningxue.

As soon as they entered the room, Zhou Haoyu pulled Mu Ningxue into his arms and began kissing her all over.

Mu Ningxue seemed to be getting used to it. Not only did she not resist, but she even began to respond to him on her own from time to time.

"You go to sleep first. I'll cultivate for a bit longer."

Zhou Haoyu looked down at Mu Ningxue's slightly swollen pink lips. Having a fiancée he could spoil and indulge in like this felt truly blissful.

But if he wanted to protect Mu Ningxue in the future, he had to become stronger. Relying on the Zhou family alone wasn't nearly enough.

"Okay… Just don't overdo it," Mu Ningxue said softly, her face slightly flushed.

She hadn't slept well the night before and genuinely needed a good rest.

Once Mu Ningxue fell asleep, Zhou Haoyu took the Mind Stone into his hand and entered a deep meditation state.

The usage of a Mind Stone was very straightforward—just keep it nearby while meditating, and it would gradually enhance a mage's spiritual energy.

Unlike other mages, Zhou Haoyu possessed a Spiritual Origin, meaning all spiritual energy would eventually be refined into Spiritual Power.

Normally, it was difficult for mages to directly wield spiritual energy it merely enhanced the power of magic from the Space, Curse, or Mind Element.

This was one of the main reasons Space Mages had such a hard time using weapons to kill enemies.

Telekinesis was, after all, only a Basic Spell. Even with strong spiritual energy, it had limited effect on demons.

But Zhou Haoyu was completely different. His Spiritual Origin wasn't confined to Space Magic it allowed him to slay Commander-level demons with ease.

If he kept developing it, it might even become possible to take on a Commander-level demon one-on-one at the Intermediate Tier.

He continued cultivating until around 3 or 4 a.m., then finally slipped into the bed Mu Ningxue had already "warmed" for him.

Though it was a bit chilly, Zhou Haoyu didn't mind, and soon drifted off into sleep with her soft body in his arms.

Nearly approaching noon, Zhou Haoyu slowly opened his eyes.

"You're awake. This is your breakfast, but it's gone cold. Want me to heat it up for you?" Mu Ningxue pointed to the meal on the nightstand.

Zhou Haoyu blinked at her in a daze. Was he still dreaming?

Was this really the Mu Ningxue he knew? Could it be that she had been tamed by his forceful attitude?

Mu Ningxue herself didn't know why she'd done it. She'd simply slept better last night than she had in ages, and ended up buying an extra breakfast without thinking.

"It's fine. I actually prefer it cold," Zhou Haoyu replied, not overly particular about food.

Mu Ningxue caught the innuendo in his words and rolled her eyes at him.

Zhou Haoyu grabbed a soup dumpling and popped it into his mouth, only to frown the next moment it tasted awful after going cold.

"Cough, cough. It's getting late. Let's grab lunch and then head back to the capital."

Zhou Haoyu returned the half-eaten bun to its bag, intending to toss it out later.

This trip had been quite fruitful he'd discovered five treasure chests and opened one. That alone made it a big win.

Now that he'd officially joined Azure Sky Hunter Agency, he'd definitely be coming to Magic City more frequently. But for now, it was better to escort Mu Ningxue home, so his father and Uncle Mu wouldn't worry.

If he lingered in Magic City for too long, his dad and Uncle Mu might start thinking they were going to be grandpas.

After going downstairs, Zhou Haoyu briefly explained the situation to Leng Qing and Lingling mostly about his identity and how often he'd be going on demon hunts in the future.

Zhou Haoyu couldn't afford to run back and forth to Magic City every other day. Coming two or three times a month was already a stretch.

Fortunately, Lingling still had to attend school, so their schedules wouldn't clash.

The moment Lingling found out her new partner was about to bail, she immediately gave Zhou Haoyu a vicious stomp, clearly annoyed.

After returning to the capital, Mu Ningxue and Zhou Haoyu parted ways. They were only engaged after all it wouldn't be appropriate for her to live at the Zhou residence permanently.

Even if Zhou Haoyu was willing, Mu Ningxue didn't want to be kissed and hugged by this guy every single day.

Zhou Haoyu didn't push the matter. There would be plenty of chances in the future. Right now, he had more important things to focus on.

With the identities of Mu Yu'ang and Mu He exposed, the Mu Family would definitely be kicked out of the Mu Clan. When that happened, the Zhou Family would undoubtedly be implicated as well.

Although Zhou Haoyu had a way to deal with the negative publicity, he still had to guard against suppression from the Mu Clan.

The most straightforward way to handle the situation was to find a more reliable backer.

If he were in Pearl Institute, Zhou Haoyu could try to become Dean Xiao's disciple. But since the Zhou Family was based in the capital, Dean Xiao wouldn't be of much help.

Unless Dean Xiao revealed his Forbidden Curse identity but that was obviously unrealistic.

As for Old Bao, he would never get involved in a power struggle between families.

After thinking it through, Zhou Haoyu set his sights on Jiang Yu's teacher the Chief Summoner of the Magic Court, Pang Lai.

As the top Summoner in the country, Pang Lai's strength went without saying. More importantly, he represented the Magic Court and was one of China's Top-tier Mages.

With the entire Magic Court backing him, the Mu Clan would have no choice but to tread carefully.

What's more, Zhou Haoyu happened to practice the Summoning Element. Plus, he was somewhat familiar with Jiang Yu, so getting an audience with Pang Lai wasn't completely out of reach.

However, to become Pang Lai's disciple, his Summoning aptitude would need to be exceptionally outstanding.

Even though he had previously obtained a "Significant Enhancement to Summoning Talent" from Jiang Yu's treasure chest, the potential of his summoned beast was still the deciding factor.

At least in the early stages, summoned beasts were crucial to any Summoner.

Therefore, over the next period of time, Zhou Haoyu planned to focus mainly on cultivating his Summoning Element.