Defeat, and Resolve to Strive Harder. / National Prefecture Warm-Up

With Lu Jun's goal of reaching the fourth level of the intermediate Intermediate Level the entire system progressing smoothly, his combat power has reached an abnormal level.

At this moment, in the eyes of the dozen or so young mages trapped in the Cursed Well and the Mind Palace, the arena had disappeared, replaced by a dilapidated octagonal ancient pagoda, black and red.

The ancient tower was eerie, its interior covered in cobwebs, with densely packed rooms and overlapping corridors, occasionally emitting chilling creaks.

Squeak! Squeak! Squeak! Those were Soul Devouring Evil Spider climbing up, their shadows heavy. The group of chiefs watched helplessly as the spiders pounced on them, devouring their souls.

They had already succumbed to two waves of mental magic attacks and were powerless to resist; their defeat was inevitable.

Soon everyone was covered in black and red runes and collapsed one after another, all believing it to be a simple attack from Curse Element domain before they lost consciousness.

As soon as Lu Jun had a thought, the illusory octagonal evil spider tower retracted and returned to the lake of his mind.

As reality gradually returned to normal, the arena remained in place, with more than a dozen people lying sprawled out, all the top students from various academies having been defeated.

Lu Jun did not activate the Curse Mark; it was just a friendly competition, and victory was all that mattered.

Although his Mind Palace is not as grand and imposing as Ding Yumian's, with its double reflection structure, its power is greatly increased after incorporating the Curse Element, and it also has a unique style.

Upon seeing this scene, the entire audience fell silent, exchanging bewildered glances. They had expected the chief competition to be fierce and full of twists and turns, but instead, one person had domineeringly suppressed everyone.

It ended abruptly.

Lu Jun resolved the matter decisively and felt rather bored, so he slowly turned around, preparing to leave. With three votes in hand, he was officially appointed National Mansion Captain.

Suddenly, a loud, carefree voice came from the doorway. "Damn, I forgot about this during my seclusion. I shouldn't be late, right?"

Upon hearing this, Lu Jun looked into the distance in surprise and spotted Mo Fan's figure after a long time.

Since returning from Dongting Lake half a year ago, the other party has been busy with ranking and cultivation. A few months ago, he even went into seclusion to try to break through to a higher level, but today he just happened to come out.

He sensed Mo Fan's fiery aura, like a small sun on Mortal World, and realized that he must have succeeded, and might even have initially mastered high-level Fire Element High-level Magic.

Wow, that's amazing speed! As expected, without the drag of the Dongting Lake Demon Element for half a year, Mo Fan's talent makes high-level cultivation a piece of cake.

Just then, Mo Fan made his grand entrance, scratching his head under the spotlight, with Zhao Manting following beside him, looking utterly speechless.

Mo Fan had been immersed in cultivation for a long time, losing track of time. He had achieved mastery of the advanced Fire Element and was about to come out and show off his skills on campus.

As a result, on this special day, Pearl Academy was deserted, and he stood bewildered in the wind.

If Zhao Manting hadn't remembered him and taken him along, and hadn't explained the importance of the chief competition and the National Prefecture War, he probably would have missed it in a daze.

The National Government is a great place to quickly acquire resources. Mo Fan currently has one high-level magic system and three Intermediate Magic systems that require the Star River Vein. After a while, he will awaken and have six magic systems.

Innate Dual Elements is powerful, but it requires a lot of resources, so he has to do everything he can to find a solution.

Of course, the thought of having to gather at least two votes gave Mo Fan a headache.

Fortunately, they managed to catch up with the chief competition in time.

However, when Mo Fan saw Lu Jun on the field, and a group of top students from various colleges lying on the ground, he was stunned.

"Damn it," he said, exasperated. "Is it over already? It was you again?"

Lu Jun smiled knowingly, "What? You want to challenge me?"

Upon hearing this, Mo Fan recalled the other party's past impressive achievements and even his arrogant image. He swallowed hard, feeling a chill run down his spine.

He chuckled sheepishly, about to accept his fate as usual, but when he sensed the magnificent, blazing, crimson galaxy in his Spiritual World, he was jolted awake.

Yes, things are different now. He has also advanced to a higher level and has mastered the most powerful high-level Fire Element High-level Magic in the Magic System. Against Lu Jun, who can only Water Element, the attributes are indeed countered, but it's not like he has no chance.

As for Lu Jun's troublesome Curse Element, he now has a mental necklace and Armor Magic Tool [Fish-Dragon Scale Armor] for defense, so dealing with a mere Lu Jun would be a piece of cake.

Mo Fan quietly comprehended the immense magical energy overflowing from the galaxy, which was like a river of lava flowing through the desolate universe, and his confidence grew stronger.

Damn it, Lu Jun has been keeping him in check, and I almost forgot that my strength has greatly improved. Mo Fan laughed at himself, then turned to look at Lu Jun, his fighting spirit gradually rising.

When will Pearl Academy be number one? Right now! Right now!

Unfortunately Mo Fan clearly forgot that while he was improving, others were improving as well.

For six months, he focused on improving himself, completely unaware of Lu Jun's significant increase in Curse Element cultivation, and the incident involving the Hangzhou Totem Mysterious Snake.

"That's right." Mo Fan said smugly, hands in his pockets, "I've been wanting to test your skills for a long time, to see if the gap between us has narrowed or widened."

Chapter 207 Defeat, but Determination to Improve

Upon hearing this, Lu Jun appeared slightly surprised.

Huh?! Why is Mo Fan so brave today? Before, he had repeatedly wanted to bully young Mo Fan, take photos as souvenirs, and use them as embarrassing moments for his friends to tease.

Otherwise, he might not be able to defeat the Evil Saint King in the future!

Unfortunately Mo Fan is a cunning fellow who never fights a battle he's not confident of winning; he always finds an excuse to disappear.

He looked the other person up and down, and suddenly understood. Oh, it was because the sky had cleared and the rain had stopped. He felt like he was doing well again after advancing to a higher level.

It seems Mo Fan is unaware of his progress.

Hehehe, brilliant! Lu Jun can only say that this is the only chance he has in his life to defeat Mo Fan. After this, the other party will definitely not be foolish enough to suffer a loss.

At this moment, suppressing his mischievous impulses and not wanting to appear too eager lest he frighten Xiao Mo Fan, he calmly said, "Alright, please come on up."

But Mo Fan was very cautious and said seriously, "This is just a friendly spar, don't take it seriously."

Zhao Manting, standing to the side, hesitated, knowing that Mo Fan had just come out and had been in seclusion for several months, completely unaware that Lu Ren Tu had once again committed a groundbreaking act.

He wanted to offer a warning, but upon catching a glimpse of Chief Lu's indifferent, cautionary gaze, he gave up. Alas, he couldn't stop someone who was courting death.

Mo Fan swaggered onto the stage, but the judge stopped him, saying, "Wait a minute, you're not the department's top student."

"Oh?" Mo Fan raised an eyebrow and asked, "Who is the current Chief of the Fire Element?"

The referee answered, "Dongfang Lie."

"Heh, that guy?"

Mo Fan pointed to the thick-browed man lying unconscious on the ground, about to be carried away, and said disdainfully, "He thinks he can be the chief?"

Rumble!

The next moment, he snorted coldly, his aura surged, and a large area of purple flames rose behind him, vast and mighty, with Lightning Fire and fire intertwined, enveloping the entire arena. The temperature inside the arena suddenly rose, accompanied by waves of tingling sensations sweeping across the entire area.

"This is..." The judges and audience exclaimed in shock, "High-level Fire Element! He's only a freshman and he's already at the high-level?!"

They originally thought that it was already good enough that Mingzhu had produced a genius like Lu Jun, a once-in-a-century talent, but they didn't expect that there was someone who was no less capable than him, and who was Mo Fan, with a terrible reputation and sleazy behavior.

"I can't accept this!"

Some old rivals in the audience shouted that even though they were already at the second or third level of the Intermediate Level, the Star River Vein of 100 million was an insurmountable threshold for the advanced stage, and there was no guarantee of a 100% success rate.

It can be said that at this moment, Mo Fan has completely distanced himself from everyone at the Pearl Academy and has barely reached the same level as Lu Jun.

"I'm a high-level Fire Element, am I qualified? The Chief of the Fire Element, please?"

Seeing everyone's shock, Mo Fan spoke with an air of superiority, secretly pleased that he could finally show off in front of others.

Hehehe, what's the point of all this hard work in cultivation? Isn't it just to laugh at all living beings, have beauties on both sides, and reach the pinnacle of life?

Immediately, Director Wei of the Fire Institute, who was in the front row of the audience, stood up and laughed loudly, "Good! Good! Good! Now Mo Fan is the chief of the Fire Institute!"

Since the dean of the college had said so, the referee had no choice but to agree.

On the other side, Lu Jun looked at Mo Fan with surprise. The other party had indeed collected Fire Element Spirit Seed through the rankings, and it seemed to be of extremely high quality, even more powerful than [Rose Flame].

The main element is Lightning Fire and fire, which is extremely violent and perfectly matches Mo Fan's fiery personality and the output magic of both Lightning Fire elements. Presumably, there will be a trump card that combines the two elements.

He couldn't help but scrutinize Mo Fan, realizing he hadn't paid any attention to him since starting university.

I never imagined that he would grow to this level without me even realizing it, becoming far stronger than he was in the same Timeline in the original work.

Let's begin.

However, Lu Jun remained calm and composed; in terms of extraordinary talent, he was second to none.

Buzz buzz buzz!

The two stood on opposite sides for a moment. Lu Jun stood with his hands behind his back, imposing and unmoving, his eyes flashing with black and red light, casually conjuring up the initial stage of the Fearful Haze.

A hideous ghost head appeared out of thin air and bit down hard on Mo Fan's head. The fourth-level magic plus the Fourth Realm Mental Power was already quite powerful.

Ah, Mo Fan was still controlling the magic when a sharp pain shot through his head, interrupting his spellcasting.

"As expected, it's Curse Element magic that counters curses, but I'm different now. I only need one chance!"

Mo Fan's gaze hardened, and layers upon layers of silver dragon Fish Scale Pattern emerged all over his body, spreading upwards to form a majestic and noble battle skirt scale armor. The Concentration Necklace on his chest shimmered with a deep blue light.

His intention was clearly to withstand the mental attack, unleash destructive magic, and sweep Lu Jun away in one fell swoop for a quick victory.

In the void, the Green-Faced Fanged demonic beast bit into the hard silver fish-scale armor, but was repelled by the double barrier of Silver Light and azure, and almost dissipated into the air.

Boom!

In an instant, Mo Fan erupted, his hair flying wildly, crackling with lightning and flames. With a single punch, the arena trembled violently, and nine purple pillars of lightning and flame shot into the sky, attacking his opponent.

In his pursuit of speed, he refrained from using the high-level Fire Element High-level Magic [Sky Flame Funeral], which he was not yet proficient in, intending instead to rely on a continuous barrage of Intermediate Magic to drag the fight into a protracted war of conflict.

This is the domain that Mo Fan is most familiar with. He has four elements, and he uses the Lightning Fire elements alternately, which is enough to exhaust Lu Jun's high-level Water Element magic energy. Next, the Shadow Element will secure the victory.

Mo Fan had a well-thought-out plan; he had basically finished writing the script and was full of confidence.

Unexpectedly, the next second his eyes widened, and he cursed, "Holy crap, Lu Jun, when did you become a high-level Curse Element? Are you cheating? Old Zhao, why didn't you tell me?"

Above Mo Fan's head, the Netherworld Opens, a howling wind blew, and the terrifying power of the curse extinguished the nine pillars of flame. The Green-Faced Fanged ghost struggled to crawl out of hell, and a three-zhang-tall fierce ghost crawled out and clung to his body.

Sizzle!

The Green-faced Ghost Fiend pressed its claws against Mo Fan's shoulders, clashing fiercely with the azure light of the Mind-Focusing Magic Artifact and the silver light of the Fish-Dragon Armor.

Mo Fan's breathing became rapid, as if he were being paralyzed by a ghost, unable to move, watching helplessly as the Cursed Ghost Object slowly gnawed away at his defenses.

Indeed, Lu Jun could cast the One Thought Star Chart. The initial Fearful Haze was merely the first effect of the entire high-level constellation. The subsequent seamless connection with the Ghost Execution of Through-the-Net made the casting speed almost the same as that of an ordinary mage casting Intermediate Magic.

Mo Fan tried to suppress this situation by relying on casting speed, but that was wishful thinking.

Seeing that the situation was under control, Lu Jun finally revealed a malicious smile and quickly drew out another Ghost Punishment, leaving no room for respite.

"I'm numb, I'm going to lose face. I was defeated in one move. That kid Lu Jun will probably laugh at me for a whole year."

Before Mo Fan lost consciousness, his last thought flashed through his mind, "I must strive to become stronger."

A moment later, his Fish Scale Armor shattered with a loud crash, and one after another, blue-faced demons seized the opportunity to enter, severely injuring his soul. He lost consciousness and collapsed to the ground, sturdy.

Lu Jun approached and saw Mo Fan lying on the ground, pale-faced. He took out his phone with interest, snapped a picture as a meme, and posted it on his WeChat Moments.

"Sophomore year, late autumn, defeated Mo Fan. Please be aware."

Chapter 208 National Government Warm-up

Lu Jun easily swept aside all the top students in the academies, becoming the number one in Mingzhu Academy. He took pictures of Mo Fan's unconscious state from various angles, and then left satisfied.

As for the handover of responsibilities as student council president, he couldn't be bothered with it. He simply made a phone call to Qing Yu and handed it over to his secretary. Going home to spend time with his sister was more important to him.

The referees and Director Wei of the Fire Institute in the audience were astonished, wondering if even High-Order Mage could be defeated in one move.

Director Wei, a peak-level expert, was a connoisseur. He muttered to himself, "Fourth Realm Mental Power, top-grade Curse Substance, high-level domain... no wonder..."

The referee lamented, "What a pity for Mo Fan. At such a young age, he's already at such a high level. In previous years, he would have swept through all the universities in the country. But he ran into Lu Jun. Why was he born if he was destined to be a mortal?"

"Hahaha." Director Wei laughed heartily, not upset at the defeat of his department's students, but rather delighted, saying, "Doesn't this just prove that this year's generation of geniuses is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity?"

"You mean... the quadrennial National Prefecture War Venice?!"

The referee frowned and shook his head, saying, "It's difficult. The Nationalist government's selection process is plagued by too many vested interests and interference, which are deeply entrenched and difficult to change. Furthermore, the country has been weak internationally for many years, so it won't be easy."

"But isn't this a good omen?"

Furthermore, Mo Fan's enemies, seeing him suffer a setback, were all gloating. "Heh, so what if he's a high-level cultivator? He was still instantly killed."

But Zhao Manting, who was on good terms with Mo Fan, quickly sneered and mocked, "Mo Fan is at least a high-level cultivator. What are your cultivation levels?! You trash who can't even catch up with exhaust fumes in your entire lives, do you have the right to say that?"

Upon hearing this, all the hostile parties were rendered speechless and fell silent.

What no one expected was that as Lu Jun swept through the Pearl Academy, various discussions unexpectedly spread from the campus, causing a wave of widespread interest in society.

At the high-level, even Civilian Mage have to take it seriously. They are all experts outside, not ordinary people. Public opinion is gradually being guided towards the upcoming National Prefecture War's Liberation Army.

"Wow, Mingzhu already has two high-level students! This is unprecedented. In the past, it would take several months to half a year for National Team to reach a high level."