Full-Time Mage: Starting with the White Tiger Pendant

Ding Yumian felt a little uneasy. Her keen psychic senses detected a faint hostility from the woman before her, mixed with a possessive urge born of love.

She knew she had been misunderstood. The other woman had deliberately dressed up like this to make a show of strength.

"Big Sis..." Lu Jun broke free of Ding Yumian's support and stepped forward to embrace his elder sister, Lu Mei. His hands climbed around her slender waist and rested on the curved swell of her pert hips as his entire body went limp against her.

He buried his head and took a deep breath, resting his cheek against something soft as drowsiness overtook him.

When Ding Yumian had supported him earlier, the difference between men and women, along with their lack of familiarity, had kept Lu Jun's body tense. Only with Lu Mei did he feel completely at ease, without so many reservations.

Seeing this, Lu Mei's heart ached. The inexplicable discomfort she had felt when she came over vanished completely upon seeing her younger brother like this, leaving only tender affection.

She wrapped both arms tightly around Lu Jun and smiled gently at Ding Yumian beside them. "Thank you."

"It's nothing."

Ding Yumian shook her head, feeling somewhat strange and awkward inside. Still, she was kind by nature and did not dwell on it.

Then, the two of them helped Lu Jun into the car. The imposing black SUV slowly drove out of the school grounds.

Everyone watching in secret was dumbfounded. Such harmony—brilliant, simply brilliant!

By the time they returned home, Lu Jun had already fallen asleep from exhaustion.

After getting out of the car, Lu Mei domineeringly scooped her younger brother up in a bridal carry and carefully placed him on the bed. She even brought over warm water and gently wiped down his body with a wet towel.

She pursed her lips and complained, "Honestly, why did you have to push yourself so hard?"

Three days and three nights had passed since the Beast Fighting Competition ended. Although the news had only spread among the Elementary Mages and Intermediate Mages following the academy, it was still gaining traction online.

At the very least, Lu Jun had become quite famous within Magic City.

Of course, it still fell short compared to a major nationwide event, so there was no need to worry about it disrupting Lu Jun's life.

On the campus forum, someone had specifically made a rating post for every notable freshman genius. Starting from Bai Zhengfeng, Dongfang Ming, Huang Xingli, Ding Yumian, and Lu Jun, they were ranked one after another. All of them were Intermediate Mages; Elementary Mages could forget about it—they were not even qualified to make the list.

Replies rapidly flooded in below.

Bai Zhengfeng was rated rather highly at first, receiving seven points.

"Bai La, I'm dying of laughter, but he really was brave."

"Yeah, ignorance is fearless."

"If he hadn't been the first to step up, all the freshmen in the school might have frozen there. That would've been embarrassing."

"Who wouldn't be afraid of Lu Ren Tu? He'd personally slaughtered freshmen from his own year, and he had ties to the Black Vatican. That's terrifying, okay? Which of you keyboard warriors would dare?"

"Bai Zhengfeng: Failure runs through my entire life, so I ran away right from the start."

Next came Dongfang Ming, with a lofty score of eight.

"Here! How about our Dongfang Family? He didn't lose out to Lu Jun in terms of presence."

"Not bad. A child of a great family with an Innate Talent—sigh, the advantage is just too great."

"Ordinary mages are in despair. He's both loaded and lucky; how are we supposed to deal with that?"

When it came to Ding Yumian, Lu Jun's opponent received the highest rating of all: nine points!

"The losing side's MVP for this match. Who agrees? Who objects?!"

"Girl, you're amazing. Women hold up half the sky—the only one who went head-to-head with Lu Jun using Intermediate Magic, one of the Water-and-Fire Twin Stars."

"To be fair, Ding Yumian was already incredibly powerful. It was just unfortunate that she ran into Lu Jun."

"Powerful, top-tier looks, formidable."

"Beautiful mage, slurp slurp! Wife, slurp slurp!"

"Heh heh heh, your wife was someone else's long ago. You probably don't know, but after leaving the Beast Fighting Competition, Ding Yumian personally went to support Lu Jun. Heh heh heh."

"Supported him?! (Alert) Supported which part of him?"

"Wuwuwu, I want to die. I feel awful, I can't sleep at night."

"That's not even the most exciting part. Lu Jun had another beauty come pick him up in a luxury car. He had one on each side as they sent him into the car together."

"That's right, I saw it too. But this rumor is getting more outrageous the more it spreads. Ding Yumian didn't get in the car."

The discussion beneath the post grew increasingly off-topic. Perhaps once any powerhouse reached a certain level, they could no longer avoid becoming the subject of gossip.

In the girls' dormitory, Huang Xingli angrily pointed at her phone and said to Ding Yumian, "These people are going too far. You two obviously have nothing to do with each other. Damn it, who knew that Lu Jun already had someone?"

Having learned everything, her best friend began indignantly defending her.

Ding Yumian slowly shook her head and quietly read her book. Her temperament was elegant and composed, and she paid no attention to the rumors of outsiders. After a few days, she had regained her calm.

Chapter 78: Personal Care

Inside Jinyuan Apartment, Lu Mei sat at the bedside with her long, fair legs elegantly crossed. When she came across this reposted thread on Pearl Academy's official website, she chuckled. That brat really was far too charming.

She glanced at the youth sleeping soundly on the bed. If the Healing System teacher had not said that this was a normal result of depleted magic energy, exhausted mental strength, and physical fatigue, she would probably have been worried sick.

Lu Mei continued browsing the thread. It was simply too addictive.

When she finally reached the comments evaluating Lu Jun, her beautiful eyes lit up and she hurriedly began to read.

"Ten! It has to be a ten! Lu Jun, you're my god!"

"Ten is only the system's limit, not your limit. Rating: god among gods."

"A True Man fought for an entire day and night; Lu Ren Tu defeated all three thousand freshmen."

"Lu Jun: Everyone here is trash! Who else wants some?!"

"Some people have been on Earth too long and forgotten where they came from. Alien face.jpg!"

"I strongly suggest drawing his blood. There wasn't a single drop of blood in the stimulants."

Aside from these simple praise posts, there were also several long analyses praising him from every possible angle.

"The Beast Fighting Competition's defeat left me with complicated feelings. I fought at the time, but I was utterly helpless. One person defeated several thousand people—the gap was simply too great. It seemed only natural that he should occupy most of the resources."

"In a supernatural world, individual excellence was often more important than the collective. What moved me was that Lu Jun had still been willing to 'put on a display.' At the very least, he regarded all of us as opponents."

"In fact, he did not need to do this at all. Even killing a thousand pigs alone would wear someone down. The probability of failure was enormous, and the risk was quite high."

"If you ask us why we did not hate that man after our resources were taken, this was probably the reason."

There were many highly rated comments below, all expressing agreement.

"That's right. With Lu Jun's courage, and the way he faced the Black Vatican head-on before enrolling, I think someone like him should be given all the resources. With his hatred of evil and upright character, he'll become a great mage who protects humanity in the future."

Seeing this, Lu Mei was filled with emotion. Privately, she knew what kind of person Lu Jun was—not particularly good or bad. This was the importance of maintaining an image.

But then again, whether it was Lu Jun's battle in Bo City or Magic City's purge of the Black Vatican, which one had not been an act of righteous justice? He was even more impressive than many adjudicators.

Judge deeds, not intentions. If someone pretended to be a good person for their entire life, then they were a good person!

Ahem!

Just as Lu Mei was thinking, a soft groan came from the bed. When she turned around, she saw that it was the sound of Lu Jun waking up.

Lu Jun's consciousness surfaced from the darkness. His entire body ached in waves, and his head was a little dizzy as well. He opened his eyes to see an unfamiliar ceiling... ah, no, his own home.

He looked slightly bewildered. Sensing someone beside him, he turned his head and saw a pert backside close at hand, tightly wrapped in denim shorts.

Seeing this scene, Lu Jun was slightly startled. Looking upward, he saw a full waist, a straight and graceful back, three thousand strands of ink-black hair cascading down, and an incomparably beautiful profile. Only then did he realize that Lu Mei had her back to him.

Lu Mei turned sideways and said gently, "You're awake today? How do you feel?"

Although the full view of her beautiful backside was gone, for convenience, she naturally placed one long, beautiful leg on the bed. From the side, beneath her hot pants were her fair thigh, straight and well-proportioned calf, and jade foot.

"Phew..." Lu Jun blushed a little from sneaking glances. Hearing that, he said quietly, "A little tired. I'll be fine after some rest."

Lu Mei reproached him, "A little? If you keep forcing yourself, you'll ruin your body. Don't do this again next time."

"Mhm..." He hurriedly nodded. His clothes had been changed, and the dust, grime, and sweat on his body had been wiped clean. He knew he had caused Lu Mei trouble.

In the end, silence fell between them for a moment. Lu Jun caught the pleasant scent of body wash from beside him, while a body continuously gave off warmth that washed over him, and he could not help having wild thoughts.

Little did he know that Lu Mei's face was slightly red as well. While Lu Jun had been unconscious, she had been the one taking care of him.

When Lu Jun had not awakened, she could remain perfectly composed. But once he woke up, things became a little awkward.

Thus, Lu Mei changed the subject. "You just woke up, so you should be hungry, right? You slept for three days and three nights. Don't eat anything too stimulating when you get up. I cooked some porridge for you."

As soon as she finished speaking, Lu Jun came back to his senses and struggled to sit up.

"Hey, hey." Lu Mei pressed a slender hand onto Lu Jun's shoulder, making him lie back down. She said softly, "You've only just recovered, so don't move around recklessly. I'll feed you."

Lu Jun's expression turned strange. In truth, after his body had been baptized twice by the Tidal Spirit Seed, he had long since been able to move. There was no problem at all.

However, he secretly glanced at Lu Mei. Her beautiful eyes, like autumn waters, were lowered, her dark pupils carrying a hint of shyness. Ink-black hair fell beside her ears, and her neck was fair and tender. Her gentle, married-woman aura made his heart pound.

So Lu Jun shamelessly buried his conscience and obediently agreed.

Lu Mei let out a sigh of relief, calmed herself, picked up the steaming meat porridge from the bedside cabinet, and prepared to feed Lu Jun.

She scooped up a spoonful and gently blew on it. After cooling it down, she realized it was inconvenient to feed a fully reclined Lu Jun, and he could easily choke.

Lu Mei frowned in worry. Then she suddenly thought of something, her eyes lighting up. She set down the bowl and spoon, stretched out her right leg, and patted her large fair thigh as she gestured. "Put your head on my lap."

Hearing this, Lu Jun's eyes widened. Before he could react, Lu Mei had already extended her jade hands, lifted the back of his head, and gently placed it on her thigh, letting him lean against her leg.

Lu Jun only felt his head resting on something warm and soft, and he shifted the top of his head slightly.

Smack! Unable to resist, Lu Mei patted Lu Jun's shoulder and cried softly, "Ah! Don't move around!"

Only then did Lu Mei realize that what she had done was far too intimate.

Although Lu Mei's slap was as gentle as a caress, Lu Jun honestly stopped moving, lest he anger her.

Afterward, Lu Mei fed him one mouthful after another, her movements careful. Occasionally, she even tested the temperature with the tip of her tongue. It was entirely an unconscious action.

Once she realized it, her face flushed bright red. Seeing that Lu Jun had his eyes closed and had noticed nothing, she simply gave up worrying and fed it to him anyway—indirectly, that thing.

This bowl of porridge left Lu Mei particularly embarrassed. Yet as she lowered her head and gently stroked the young man's hair, she recalled that year. Back then, Lu Jun had only been seven or eight years old. When he fell ill, she had fed him like this too, one bite at a time.

She placed the empty bowl and spoon on the bedside cabinet. Before she knew it, she had finished feeding him an entire bowl of porridge.

And this brat had actually fallen asleep.

Lu Mei's face was slightly red as she half-held Lu Jun in her arms. Lu Jun lay on his side with both arms wrapped around her, making her afraid to move carelessly.

The siblings remained in this warm posture until the afternoon, and Lu Mei sat like that the entire time.

Only when Lu Jun slowly came to again did his vitality, energy, and spirit return to their peak, the four Nebulae in his Spiritual World shining brilliantly.

Lu Mei naturally saw that Lu Jun had recovered. With a look of disdain, she pushed his head away. As she got out of bed, she stumbled and nearly fell—the leg Lu Jun had been resting on for too long was so sore that even a mage's physique could barely endure it.

Left with no choice, she supported herself against the wall and slowly walked out of the room.

Seeing This, Lu Jun was Dumbfounded.

Lu Jun got up, stretched lazily, washed up and brushed his teeth before heading into the living room.

Elder Sister had returned to her own room. Before leaving, she had prepared a table full of sumptuous dinner. That was the one bad thing about Jinyuan Apartment: the two units were separated, so he could not see Lu Mei whenever he wanted.

After finishing dinner, he sat on the sofa and turned his attention inward, sorting through his cultivation. The four Nebulae—platinum, azure, dark green, and transparent—complemented one another. After a day and night of bloody battle, his spiritual will had stabilized at the second realm.

Next, he needed to master the Intermediate Mind Element spell and become proficient in controlling the Curse Element abilities.

The Intermediate Mind Element spell was called [Mind Ripple]. Like [Spirit Ripple] at the primary level, it did not possess much destructive power. The difference was that it had evolved from targeting a single individual to affecting a group, and its power had increased significantly.

Take [Mind Control] at Intermediate Level One, for example. An evolved version of Primary Level One's calming effect, it could soothe large numbers of violent Servant-level Demonic Beasts, even General-level Demonic Beasts.

At that point, every Mind Mage was a treasure when hunting demons in the wild.

Moreover, Mind Control was not limited to calming. It could also "agitate" demonic beasts, acting as a taunt, or even control them!

Lu Jun remembered that two years later, when Mo Fan traveled to Dunhuang, he had brought Xin Xia, a Mind Mage, along with him. Their journey had been smooth and unhindered, with many powerful General-level Demonic Beasts calmed down, avoiding many unnecessary battles.

One had to know that Mind Mages internationally were divided into three branches: the illusion branch, the taming and beast-control branch, and the combat branch that interrupted others' magic.

His previous Mind Sword belonged to the combat branch, and his style also leaned toward that school. Now, perhaps he could also venture into the branch that tamed demonic beasts.