Versatile Mage: Starting with the White Tiger Pendant-Chapter 135: Mental Duel, Breaking into the Top 100

Lu Jun stood on the stage like a grandmaster standing at the edge of an abyss—deep and unfathomable.

Compared to the ferocious killing intent he had displayed during the Beast Arena battle, this time he exuded an unshakable calmness, as if his foundation had solidified over time.

The female mages from the Water Institute were silent for a long while. It wasn't until the referee urged them that the next challenger, ranked around 290th, finally stepped onto the stage.

Boom! Boom!

However, this opponent was far inferior to Cui Qingyue. Despite using a Focus Magic Tool, he was still swiftly defeated by Lu Jun's Curse magic.

From then on, Lu Jun continued his winning streak, and the shockwaves of his performance spread rapidly across the school forums. No one had expected him to be this terrifying, and now, he was closing in on the top 100.

Even the chiefs of other institutes, such as Dongfang Lie, had heard the news. He chuckled and said, "Heh, Qingyu is in trouble now. Next time we have a meeting, the Water Institute might have a new chief."

"Rank 156, Pei Yufan!"

By now, even the referee had changed, and the sky outside the Magic Battle Hall had already darkened. Ten full hours had passed.

Most of the spectators, including the challengers from the Water Institute, had either gone out for a meal and returned, or, if they had already fought, were simply watching the battles unfold.

Some people had even hurriedly tried to borrow Focus Magic Tools, but unfortunately, these artifacts were no longer something that could be obtained through favors—they required wealth and resources.

Thanks to Lu Jun's ranking climb, the price of Focus Magic Tools had skyrocketed, creating a new market surge.

At this moment, Lu Jun gazed at Pei Yufan from across the stage, his face expressionless. As always, he opened with his Curse Element spell, Nightmare Fog(Basic level 4), preparing to finish with his Metal Element flying sword if necessary.

From rank 300 to now, he had used his Black-Gold Dragon Patterned Sword multiple times, and each time it appeared, it secured victory—its success rate was absolute.

Everyone had seen it by now and begun analyzing his battle style, becoming increasingly shocked at his sheer dominance.

Some challengers had even experimented by equipping high-quality Shield Magic Tools and Armor Magic Tools, yet they still couldn't withstand a single sword strike. It was as if their defenses didn't even exist.

With just these two techniques, Lu Jun had effortlessly overwhelmed every Mid-tier mage.

Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!

A foreboding aura descended upon Pei Yufan—it seemed like she was about to follow the same fate as the others.

However, something strange happened.

A radiance flickered from her forehead, and a thick, transparent illusionary wall suddenly rose around her.

At the same time, the jade bracelet on her wrist activated, unleashing layer upon layer of psychic walls, forcibly blocking the cursed ghost face from approaching.

Lu Jun was slightly surprised. He could sense that her mind was as solid as a fortress and muttered in surprise, "A Psychic Mage?"

Out of the thousands of challengers he had fought, he had encountered both Curse and Psychic Mages before, but only as their secondary element. Since their numbers were low and their skill levels even lower, they had never posed a real challenge.

After all, the Curse and Psychic Elements were as rare as the Summoning Element—even across four entire academic years, each institute had fewer than fifty students specializing in them.

On top of that, these elements progressed slowly, so only those who had reached a high level could truly contest him—hence, their numbers were pitifully small.

But now, Lu Jun could clearly sense Pei Yufan's true power.

Her secondary element, Psychic, had already reached Mid-tier Level 3—even higher than his own level.

Her mental realm was slightly weaker, only at Second Realm, Initial Stage.

Pei Yufan playfully blinked and said, "Lu the Butcher, your mental energy must be running low by now, right? I'm sorry, but your legend ends here today."

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Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!

The female mage activated her Nebula, her delicate feet tapping the ground, her skirt billowing as she levitated slightly, exuding a majestic queen-like aura.

Waves of psychic energy rippled outward, and her gaze locked onto Lu Jun.

In an instant, Lu Jun's vision blurred, as if he had fallen into a hazy dreamscape.

In the Psychic Element, Mid-tier spells progress from:

Level 1: Fear,

Level 2: Irritation,

Level 3: Memory Trauma.

Each level had different effects, but at Level 3, every psychic ability was enhanced exponentially.

He knew his mind was being invaded, and he was about to be controlled.

Lu Jun had never tried controlling others before, but he had experienced countless mental invasions. He had trained with Ding Yumian extensively, trying every possible angle and method.

That was why he merely smiled faintly now. It was nothing to him. His mind was dull and unshaken, not even the slightest ripple disturbing it.

At the same time, Lu Jun silently cast the basic-tier Spiritual Ripple, with level-four Multiple Personality Mask covering his mind, counter-confusing his opponent.

In the outside world, the two stood motionless, staring at each other across the battlefield.

The audience murmured in confusion. Why hadn't the fight started yet?

Only those with experience explained that this was a battle between the Psychic and Curse Elements, taking place entirely within the spiritual realm.

Seeing this, Ding Yumian seemed to sense something, her delicate face flushing slightly as she recalled the times she had trained Lu Jun, silently cursing herself.

Buzz!

The air distorted as Pei Yufan unleashed her full mental power. Seeing Lu Jun's gaze turn vacant, she smiled and stepped forward, admiring the strong man before her. Her fingertips lightly brushed against his chest muscles, and her cheeks flushed red.

She turned to the referee and said, "Lu Jun's mind is under my control. He has lost."

"Hmm, not quite."

The referee nodded and then, to Pei Yufan's shock, said, "You lost. Step down."

She was stunned and suddenly turned to look at Lu Jun's figure.

Unbeknownst to her, the light around him had distorted. His entire form became blurry, and as cracks spread like a spiderweb across the dreamscape, darkness expanded from where he stood, forming a deep abyss. His body was suddenly torn apart, and from within his hollowed-out shell, a terrifying, grotesque ghost emerged, opening its bloody maw to devour her whole.

"Ah!!"

She screamed as her consciousness plunged into darkness, falling unconscious.

In the outside world, the referee was dumbfounded as Pei Yufan, who had been confidently approaching Lu Jun, suddenly trembled and collapsed to the ground.

What the hell? Was she faking it?! The referee was shocked, quickly signaling for female students to carry Pei Yufan off the stage and officially declaring Lu Jun the winner.

Cold sweat dripped down his back. Even as a high-tier mage, he had been unable to perceive when Pei Yufan had fallen under mental control. Perhaps even he had been slightly affected by the dreamscape.

The battle between the Curse and Psychic Elements was truly terrifying.

Lu Jun smiled faintly, but to the audience, there was now something eerie and indescribable about him.

The scene had seemed bizarre at first glance, but in reality, he had only used two basic-tier spells to settle the fight effortlessly.

The Multiple Personality Mask of Spiritual Ripple had made Pei Yufan misjudge her target, diverting all her mental power.

Then, while her mental defenses were weak, he had used level-four Mist of fear to shatter her will in an instant. Under the backlash of Mind Control, she had completely collapsed.

This fight had been even easier than defeating a dual-element mid-tier mage with peak-level double Spirit seeds.

He couldn't help it—level-four Spiritual Ripple might seem inconspicuous to most, but it was the perfect counter to the Psychic Element.

After eliminating Pei Yufan, Lu Jun continued his unstoppable momentum, charging into the top 100 of the Water Institute's rankings.

At this level, every opponent had at least one mid-tier element at the peak level, along with a Spirit seed, making them extremely troublesome. Lu Jun, aiming for swift victories, no longer dared to engage in physical combat, lest he face unexpected risks.

"Rank 79, Chen Yu!"

In the audience, Secretary Chen Yu tensed up, glanced at the chief, Qing Yu, and stepped onto the stage with a bitter smile.