Full-Time Mage: Starting from Obtaining the White Tiger Pendant

At present, three of his elements had reached the Intermediate Level. Only the Mind Element remained. He had originally thought that after developing the Mind Element's ultimate move, Mind Sword, he could polish it day and night and break through to the Intermediate Level ahead of the others. Never Expected the Curse Element to get there first.

The Metal Element stood alone at the top, already at level two. Seven Dark Gold Flying Swords expanded to three zhang in length and slashed down, like seven fighter jets diving from the sky. Even several warrior-level monsters would not be enough to kill.

Next was the Water Element. Having used it many times, he vaguely sensed signs of breaking through to level two.

But it was fine. Next, he would focus his energy on the Mind Element and Water Element.

Lu Jun Looked Around at his four elements, filled with a sense of accomplishment. There were too many elements to take care of, so he could not neglect one for another. For now, he would have to let his Metal Element, his Big Brother, suffer a little. There were not many chances to use it in the academy anyway, and it was too much of a bully against students of the same year.

"Elder Sister, I'm heading to school."

He said this to Lu Mei as he left the house and headed alone toward Pearl Academy.

His Elder Sister merely waved her hand, Immersed in cultivation as she strove to break through that solid high-level barrier and ensure that she would advance to the High Level when the time came.

Before long, Lu Jun arrived at the academy. He was already familiar with the route after coming here two or three times.

Nearby, the new students—handsome young men and beautiful young women alike—were all dressed stylishly, looking dazzling and flamboyant. A restless air of youth Permeated the place as everyone searched for a target, hoping to have a sweet romance.

The senior students acting as volunteers to maintain order had their eyes shining brightly, eager to catch their prey.

Seeing This, Lu Jun found it utterly boring. He did not see any familiar faces. Xu Zhaoting and Mo Fan would be in the next cohort; by then, he would already have soared into his second year, perhaps even reaching the peak of the Intermediate Level.

With the help of the Three Step Tower, the High Level was within reach.

Among the freshmen, he was the only one not carrying any luggage, clearly living off campus.

As a result, quite a few senior girls who noticed his outstanding looks and sharp aura wanted to strike up a conversation, yet had no excuse to approach him.

Lu Jun was lining up to pass through the school gate when someone suddenly shouted from the crowd, "Holy crap, it's Lu Ren Tu!"

"Huh? Where? Let's go, quickly!"

In an instant, the students fell into Great Chaos. The line retreated layer by layer, clearing A Large Area of empty space at once, As If they had encountered some demon or monster. They scrambled to flee.

Only Lu Jun remained where he was, Dumbfounded.

After the freshmen scattered, they began watching from far away, looking on curiously or pulling out their phones to take pictures.

One Small Girl's eyes lit up as she said, "He doesn't seem that scary, does he? He's such a delicate-looking youth. How could he be as exaggerated as in the video?"

Someone beside her immediately retorted, "Give it a rest, you shallow woman who only judges by appearances. It's people with handsome faces like his whose Inner Heart is truly twisted. When he kills, he's fast, precise, and ruthless."

"Get lost!" someone angrily cursed. "What do you mean, twisted? That's enforcing justice! I seriously suspect your background."

"Exactly. He gives people such a strong sense of security, okay? Having a boyfriend who slays demons and eliminates evil would be unbeatable."

Lu Jun realized something was wrong when he saw people taking out their phones to photograph him. Azure Cloud Boots Flashed with cyan light beneath his feet. He decisively activated Swift Step, and at a speed no weaker than Wind Track, his figure shot away from the crowd in a flash.

"Ah, he left."

The freshmen behind him did not dare chase after him either, afraid of angering Lu Jun and getting cut down when he turned back.

A moment later, Lu Jun reached a secluded place with no one around. He felt that those students had been far too dramatic. So what if he had killed people? Who hadn't?

Uh, students at magic academies seemed like they really had not.

On the other side, beneath the shade of some trees, several groups stood watching the commotion at the gate from afar.

Among them were two brothers. One had thick brows and a righteous air, while the slightly older one was a frivolous Youth. Anyone who saw them would think they were spoiled young masters from Great Noble Families.

In reality, both were members of the Dongfang Family. The Former was called Dongfang Ming, while the latter was Dongfang Lie.

Seeing This, the carefree Dongfang Lie smiled and said, "Ah Ming, what do you think of this Lu Jun?"

Dongfang Ming, with his thick brows, looked uncomfortable. "I wouldn't dare provoke the Black Vatican, but with my Innate Talent, I wouldn't lose to him in a magical duel."

"Heh heh heh." Dongfang Lie shook his head and merely said, "I'll be a third-year student soon. I want to intern at the Adjudication Court. The more I learn about these things, the more I feel that Lu Jun is not simple."

"You should take care of yourself. Try not to provoke Lu Jun. I mean, don't resort to underhanded tricks. Compete openly and fairly. That is my advice."

Dongfang Ming turned his head away, though he was deeply wary inside. He had watched that video too—the uncensored full version. It had been horrifying to watch, and he had been unable to sleep for several days afterward.

From Then On, he understood just how strong Lu Jun's mental fortitude was, acting as though nothing had happened.

In Addition, there was another group of beautiful girls. They carried a fiery, alluring aura. If one had to describe it, it was the unique presence of Fire Element female mages like Tang Yue.

They were led by a gentle, stunning woman. Her hairstyle was mesmerizing: black hair as smooth as silk fell down both sides, while delicate net-like braids were woven in the middle, like a wisp of gauze softly draped over her silky waterfall of hair. She possessed a gentle and virtuous air without Lacking nobility and refinement.

Anyone who saw her would think of a Jiangnan lady, a graceful daughter of a distinguished household.

Yet the short-haired woman beside her knew that her best friend was a pure commoner, even an orphan. She had no idea how she had cultivated such a temperament; she seemed more elegant than herself, a native of Magic City.

"Worthy Of a university—prodigies from all over gather here." The tomboyish short-haired Huang Xingli eagerly asked, "Ding Yumian, what do you think of this Lu Ren Tu?"

The few of them had been together since the Youth Class and counted as specially recruited students, similar to Mu Ningxue's situation. Although they belonged to Mingzhu University, they had not officially enrolled before. This cohort was when they truly counted as "freshmen."

The difference was that they were locals of Magic City, with money and connections to get in, while Ding Yumian had relied purely on her Innate Talent. The attack range of her Fire Element was twice as broad as others', even wider than the range of a Water Element Storm Wave. (Original text disguise)

Ding Yumian gazed quietly and gently shook her head. "He is very confident. He gives me the feeling that everything is under his control."

The others did not find anything wrong with that. They all knew their best friend had a keen eye for judging people. Many scumbags who approached her had their intentions exposed and fled in embarrassment.

Huang Xingli teased, "So that means he has a strong desire for control? Male chauvinism? Then again, a man who dared fight the Black Vatican could not do it without at least a little obsession."

Ding Yumian said nothing, but she felt it was not a desire for control. It was more like composure?

In any case, she had heard Grandpa Xiao mention him before, so she had remembered Lu Jun's name. Now that she saw him, he seemed to be hiding many things. She actually could not see through him at all, like trying to view flowers through mist.

Usually, she had only experienced similar situations when encountering Mind Element mages.

She fell into thought, but did not pay it much mind.

Meanwhile, Lu Jun had yet to notice that several named supporting characters from the original story had taken notice of him. They probably never expected to be in the same cohort as him either.

Finding it troublesome, he merely collected his books in the new class and left in a hurry. Fortunately, he was not staying in the school dorms, or it would have driven him mad.

The freshman welcoming assembly the next day—also known as the Beast Fighting Competition—would be the real main event.

Beast Fighting Competition?

The next day, Lu Jun tidied up his appearance and headed to the Beast Fighting Arena.

The so-called [Beast Fighting Competition] was a contest where the summoned creatures of Summoning System students dueled all the freshmen, determining how resources would be allocated between them.

After all, the conflict between the Summoning System and the other systems had existed for a long time. There were few practitioners of dimensional magic, yet the resources they occupied were equal to those of major systems with huge student populations, such as the Fire Element, Water Element, and Wind Element. Imbalance was inevitable.

So Dean Xiao waved his hand and simply proposed a challenge. If the new Summoning System students could defeat one hundred people in succession, they would receive the full share of resources.

If they were defeated by freshmen from other systems, half their resources would be stripped away.

Thus, every freshman eagerly participated, fighting for their own interests. Incidents involving bloodshed were not uncommon.

Gradually, the Beast Fighting Competition had become the most important event at Green Campus. Many upperclassmen from the Main Campus came to watch, and the memorable characters who emerged were basically all future prominent figures of the academy.

It was held once a year and even broadcast online through the media, drawing no small amount of traffic.

Many ordinary people curious about the inner workings of major academies, as well as leisure mages, followed it. Tens of thousands were often online at the same time.

Such scenes of human mages battling demon beasts were truly rare. Perhaps only the once-every-four-years Venice Competition and the once-every-ten-years Hunter King Competition offered anything comparable.

With the current civilian communication devices, livestreaming in the wilderness was impossible. Any Demon Hunter knew that the moment a phone was switched on in the wild, the magical fluctuations it emitted would immediately alert demon beasts. Only someone tired of living would livestream out there.

Likewise, the Imperial Court had no way to keep track of the vicious murder cases that repeatedly occurred in the wilderness. The dead left behind no evidence.

Military equipment could do some of it, though. In the coming years, as the technology developed, it would gradually become available for civilian use—and since it had already become widespread, it had turned into a popular and profitable field. He had considered entering the industry later to make money.

Back to the point, Lu Jun was determined to win this Beast Fighting Competition. There was no need to mention the benefits from the various systems. The Curse Element was a minor branch, with only a few freshmen at present.

His reputation had spread far and wide, allowing him to claim the bulk of the resources. In fact, when he had dealt with the Black Vatican's Curse Substance before, he had used resources from the department.

If he could get the Summoning System's resources as well, he would truly take off.

Of course, Lu Jun had an even greater ambition: like Mo Fan a year later, he wanted to seize the resources of every system, strengthen himself, enter the Three-Step Tower, and perhaps quickly reach the peak of the Intermediate Level.

Before long, he arrived at the Beast Fighting Arena.

The building was extraordinarily grand, even a few sizes larger than a football stadium.

Normally, it served as a venue for major matches, but today the dueling grounds within had been transformed into an enormous Barrier Cage known as the "Beast Fighting Iron Cage."

The Beast Fighting Iron Cage was surrounded on all four sides by tiered seating. Row upon row of seats packed the venue so densely that accommodating ten thousand people would not have been much of a problem. Only a Rich and Powerful institution like Pearl Academy could likely afford to build such a massive arena.

Students had already begun entering the venue one after another. They had started lining up right after lunch, and the sea of people had already created a solemn, festive atmosphere.

By three in the afternoon, the entire venue was filled with students. Young, spirited faces and fair-skinned young women... all watched the arena with expectant gazes.

At the same time, drones took off to film the event. With the military's advanced technology, they could capture stable moving footage in high definition. Probably only Pearl Academy had the connections to obtain such equipment.

Lu Jun could not help feeling envious.

The Beast Fighting Competition had not even begun, yet the livestream chat was already filling the screen. Judging by the viewer count, the fan engagement was remarkably high.

"Does nobody work? Sigh... Pearl Academy's Beast Fighting Competition is great in every way except the timing is uncertain. They're broadcasting on a weekday this year, so I can only slack off and sneak a few glances."

"Same here!"

"Same here!"

"Come on. It's a major academy training top-tier mages. They can't possibly turn a freshman assessment into a nationwide entertainment project. That would be putting the cart before the horse."

"Besides, demon beasts are bloody and terrifying. A lot of people with weak nerves can't handle it. If they promoted it openly, parents would be lining up to report it."

"Truly exemplary Huaxia parents."

"Yeah, this is pretty good too. As a niche livestream, only people in our circle know about it."

"So how many of you are mages like me?"

"Heh heh, I'm with the City Demon Hunting Squad."

"I'm from the city guards..."

"Holy crap, is everyone here a mage? Am I the only ordinary person... trembling in fear."

"This is so boring. There isn't even commentary. When is it starting? I suddenly realized those gaming commentators aren't completely useless after all. At least they can chat nonsense with you."

"Brother, you just don't get it. You need eyes that can discover beauty. Tsk tsk, the girls at these top-tier academies are gorgeous. In the middle of summer too—those long white legs, those faces... holy crap, I'm jealous!"

Another wave of copycat comments followed.

The academy staff members watched the footage while happily reading the comments. These silly netizens were quite entertaining.

By then, Lu Jun had arrived at his designated location. He was one of the hundred people registered to challenge the summoned creatures, so he went straight backstage rather than sitting in the audience.

It could not be helped. Given how famous he was, if he sat in the stands, an empty circle would definitely form around him.

As for his registration, neither the teacher nor the student in charge bothered to verify his qualifications. He was directly given one of the slots.

When Lu Jun arrived backstage, he saw the ten students from the Summoning System, along with a hundred students from the combined departments.

Everyone was slightly taken aback. With a hint of awe, they stepped aside to make room. Dongfang Ming and Ding Yumian, standing within the crowd, did not move and merely watched Lu Jun.

He did not care about becoming the center of attention and said without hesitation, "I'll be the first one up."

Gu Han, the teacher in charge, was slightly startled before nodding in agreement. Beside him, Ruan Ya, the beautiful teacher from the Healing System, smiled and nodded. "This year's freshmen are quite good. They've got spirit."

As soon as she finished speaking, the other prideful Prodigies were dissatisfied. Yet they were wary of him and did not wish to argue, so they merely watched coldly, intending to test Lu Jun.

Dean Xiao was the first to speak onstage. In a calm yet resolute tone, he said, "If all you want is to become a mage respected by society, earning a considerable salary and living a high-quality life... then I must responsibly tell you that you have come to the wrong place."

"Mages who graduate from Pearl Academy must possess the power to change the world. They must be heroes capable of shouldering the mission of protecting humanity."

"If what you seek is only the former, then we can give you a Pearl Academy graduation certificate and a letter of recommendation right now, allowing you to live that kind of life. Please do not occupy one of Pearl Academy's precious slots. We do not lack wealth or fame. What we lack are eternal hearts that pursue the highest magic!"

This was the belief of a magic academy: the students it taught all possessed the potential to charge toward the Super Rank.

The students present were also fired up, their youthful faces flushed red.

In the livestream, comments flew across the screen one after another:

"Well said! College students should take the revival of humanity as their duty and contend against demons beyond our borders!"

"Dean Xiao is a peerless national hero!"

Dean Xiao gave a speech every year, and his words were different each time, often bringing people a new realization. That was why he was so popular online and so beloved by the public.

A little over ten minutes later, Dean Xiao wrapped up his speech cleanly and decisively. He did not even give the other leaders a chance to speak before immediately beginning the beast-fighting contest, which was also one of the reasons viewers loved the livestream.