Chapter 6: Mythical Summoned Spirit, the Divine Lü Bu!

Principal Shen had been dragging him around just now, so only now did Song Qi have the chance to take in his surroundings.

The entire Hall of Professionals was a hollow skyscraper, its design resembling a massive, open cylinder. The overall tone was pure white. The first floor was dedicated to reception and inquiries, while the second and third floors housed the task counters for low- and mid-level assignments. Higher up were the specialized equipment and professional training facilities.

Before long, the two of them arrived at a floor covered in intricate formation patterns. The guard on duty checked Song Qi’s identity.

“VVIP?”

“You’re both here to summon your first contracted beast?”

“Just me,” Song Qi replied with a nod.

The guard was clearly surprised by this, but said nothing more, simply nodding and opening a passageway.

“The third room from the left is currently vacant. You may enter.”

“There’s a bookshelf in the corner—if you’re unfamiliar with the summoning process, you can take a look. It might help you improve the quality of your summoned beast.”

“Thank you,” Song Qi said, and he and Principal Shen stepped inside.

“A summoner with VVIP status—how rare,” the guard murmured as he watched them walk away. “It looks like he’s just changed professions. I wonder if he’s the child of some prominent figure or if he’s simply extraordinarily gifted? If it’s the latter... then his talent must be at least S-rank. Perhaps this child will become the savior of our summoner lineage.”

A glimmer of hope shone in the guard’s eyes. He had once been a high-ranking summoner himself, a pillar of the human race. But during an operation, he had fallen into a demon clan’s trap; all his summoned beasts were slaughtered. A summoner without their beasts might as well be useless. Since then, he had never recovered, relegated to the role of a doorkeeper.

Yet unlike others, he still held a sliver of hope. He wished for a prodigy to rise, one who could reach the pinnacle of the profession. Then, perhaps, the greatest flaw of summoners could finally be overcome.

...

Bang!

Once inside, the door closed automatically behind them.

“This is it,” Principal Shen said. “You know, despite the summoner profession not being all that, these formation patterns do give me a strange sense of oppression.” He glanced around, pulled a chair over, and sat down with casual ease.

Song Qi was taken aback. “Um, Principal, aren’t you leaving? I need to brush up on formation usage. It might be a while before I can start.”

Waving his hand with a teasing smile, Principal Shen replied, “No rush. I’m free anyway. You are the only summoner in human history with a super S-rank talent. You might be a future legend. I wouldn’t miss your first summoning for anything.”

“Well... all right, then.” Since he’d put it that way, Song Qi didn’t press further.

He glanced at the bookshelf, browsed quickly, and pulled out a copy of ‘A Beginner’s Guide to Summoner Formations.’ He began to read.

About an hour later...

Bang!

Song Qi snapped the book shut. Principal Shen, who had started snoring a while ago, woke with a start.

“Oh, done?”

“Yes, I’m ready.”

With that, Song Qi stepped into the center of the formation and began channeling his mental energy into it, following the guide’s instructions step by step.

A faint hum filled the air as Song Qi sat cross-legged in the center. Gentle light seeped from the patterns, and the formation activated. In that moment, the patterns seemed to become fissures, and the room was flooded with a myriad of auras from different worlds!

Some of these auras were so intense that even Principal Shen felt a vague discomfort, as though some ravenous beast had fixed its gaze upon him.

Song Qi’s ceremony had reached its most crucial moment. It was as if he stood at the crossroads of infinite worlds. Countless foreign energies brushed past his senses, mingled with whispers and roars that thundered in his ears.

Brilliant lights filled his vision—an endless ocean of consciousness, each belonging to a potential summoned beast, surging and rolling before him.

He sensed that if he extended an invitation to any one of these presences, the summoning would be complete. But the streams of consciousness moved far too quickly—so fast, in fact, that not even a split second was enough to discern good from bad. They streaked by like meteors.

“No wonder they say summoning is a profession of pure chance,” Song Qi thought with a sigh.

In this situation, no one could possibly distinguish the quality of each consciousness. Without hesitation, he reached into his mind and drew forth the ‘Transcendent Three Kingdoms: Summon Ticket—Lu Bu.’

[Ding! Do you wish to use a summon ticket?]

“Confirm!”

As soon as the words left his lips, a crimson beam shot out from the sea of light. Before Song Qi could react, his consciousness was already linked to it.

[This summoning quality is... Heroic!]

[Divine Summoning activated—quality is being upgraded...]

[Upgrading...]

[Congratulations! You have obtained Divine Lu Bu!]

A series of system notifications rang out.

When Song Qi opened his eyes again, he found himself back in the room, the ceremony completed. And there, standing before him, was a towering, broad-shouldered warrior.

This man wore a beast-faced, linked-plate armor, a golden crown with three-pronged bands, and possessed strikingly noble features—sword-shaped brows and starry eyes. There was no doubt: this was Lu Bu.

Lu Bu had only just been summoned. After a moment’s confusion, he immediately dropped to one knee, swearing allegiance to Song Qi. A summoned spirit, once called, was absolutely loyal to its summoner.

“Lu Bu Fengxian, at your service, my lord!”

Principal Shen’s interest was instantly piqued. His eyes lit up as he leaned in. “A humanoid summoned spirit?! No—this should be called a summoned soul.”

Humanoid summons, possessing intelligence, were not referred to as summoned beasts but as summoned souls.

“And he looks like a general from some world? That armor’s impressive, too.”

Principal Shen reached out, curious to touch the armor, but Lu Bu slapped his hand aside with a sudden, forceful motion.

Lu Bu rose, frowning, his Sky Piercer halberd appearing in his grip. Standing over two meters tall, he towered over Principal Shen, confronting him without a hint of fear.

“My lord, is this insolent fellow an enemy? Shall I slay him for you?”

“No, stop! He’s not an enemy,” Song Qi cried out in alarm.

Only then did Lu Bu stand down, though he remained vigilant at Song Qi’s side.

Principal Shen, far from angry, was astonished. “Impressive! Your summoned soul actually repelled my attack.”

He was, after all, one of the most formidable human experts. Even a casual blow from him was not something an ordinary professional could withstand—yet Song Qi’s summoned soul, fresh from the ceremony and only level one, had such power? That was extraordinary.

Either it possessed some explosive skill, or its innate attributes were absurdly high.

“Song Qi, let me see your summoned soul’s stats! If his base attributes are over forty, that confirms he’s legend-grade!”

“A super S-rank summoner, plus a legend-quality summoned soul—this combination will make even the city lord take notice. Even if Old Chu wants to snatch your resources, the city lord himself might refuse!”

Principal Shen was barely able to contain his excitement.

Song Qi scratched his head and opened Lu Bu’s status panel.