After the match ended, Lu Jun returned to his room and entered seclusion to cultivate.
His Curse and Water Elements had both reached the peak of the High-Tier, but there were still his Space, Summoning, Psychic, and Metal Elements left.
Among the remaining four, he discovered that his Summoning Element had the highest chance of breaking through—likely because the cultivation progress of his two contracted Summoned Beasts had advanced rapidly, driving his own magic cultivation forward.
Seeing this, Lu Jun decided to devote all his energy to meditating on the Summoning Element, aiming to reach High-Tier Level 3 by the end of the National Institute Tournament.
What he didn't know was that his speech after the last match had stirred up a tremendous uproar throughout China. It even reached the ears of a powerful figure, who praised him with a few words.
In a VIP room in Venice, Shao Zheng chuckled and said, "This young man Lu Jun is quite good. The Chinese National Institute Team should have this kind of spirit—otherwise, how could we talk about winning the championship? He's really bringing glory to our nation on the international stage."
Certain people sitting nearby were secretly startled, suddenly taking Lu Jun far more seriously. This was what you'd call "being remembered by the Emperor himself."
While Lu Jun was focused on cultivation, another piece of news arrived—the Parthenon Temple had officially begun selecting the new Goddess. Three main candidates were already competing, but unexpectedly, the current Matriarch suddenly introduced a fourth contender—Xin Xia—into the competition.
European citizens and mages were somewhat surprised, but most believed this was simply the Matriarch's way of asserting her influence, forcing the three original candidates to make concessions.
When Mo Fan came out of his own seclusion, he was completely baffled after hearing from Zhao Manyan's explanation that his Xin Xia had become a Saintess candidate. Beyond his happiness, he also felt deep concern about the political struggle surrounding her.
Not long after, another message came from the temple: due to an outbreak of plague in Croatia, many were afflicted, and the Parthenon decided to send a Saintess to resolve the crisis and calm the people.
By coincidence, Xin Xia was chosen. She didn't refuse and volunteered to go herself.
"Damn it, I knew that pure-hearted Xin Xia would get dragged into those scheming bitches' traps at the Parthenon Temple!"
Upon hearing the news, Mo Fan couldn't sit still. He hurriedly went to find Lu Jun to request leave so he could accompany Xin Xia to Croatia.
Lu Jun played on a pun: "I've been to Croatia before—the magic there is very pure."
Mo Fan was utterly confused. "What's that supposed to mean?"
Lu Jun then approved his leave and added a reminder: "The mental plague there mostly affects the soul and emotions. Start by looking for a cure from that angle."
He knew well that the madness outbreak in Croatia was caused by one of the Red Devils—just like Lu Kun from his own family. It was a lesser Red Devil born from the Red Demon's transformation, but that wasn't something he could reveal. With Mo Fan's intelligence, he'd likely find the truth soon enough.
Thus, Mo Fan was absent from the next match—leaving the China team short one of its three core members.
Even so, in the first round, second match, their opponent was the Turkish National Institute Team, and few believed Turkey had any chance of defeating China.
That evening, Lu Jun once again stood motionless in the arena, his eyes flickering as a surge of Cursed Power burst forth, earning them another sweeping victory.
The Turkish team members performed even worse than the Japanese team—they didn't even last half a minute.
The Chinese National Team members all looked relaxed. They had thought the tournament would be filled with strong opponents and grueling battles, yet so far, they hadn't even needed to cast a single spell to win.
There was no helping it—Lu Jun's cultivation was profound, his mastery vast, and his spiritual dominance absolute. Facing opponents who had barely reached the High-Tier, not crushing them instantly would be absurd.
Two days later came the third match—against the Spanish National Team. Mo Fan still hadn't returned, and for the first time, some ripples of tension appeared.
Outside the arena, someone said: "The Japanese team underestimated him and got caught off guard by Lu Jun's spiritual assault. I heard the Spanish team bought a massive stock of Mind-Calming Artifacts. With Mo Fan, one of China's core members, missing, Spain might actually have a chance to turn the tables."
"Well said! I'm betting on the China team!"
Lu Jun saw these remarks and went to check the odds set by various betting houses. He couldn't help but shake his head helplessly.
The China team's performance had been too good. Being in the spotlight came with its drawbacks. Still, whatever the public said, the gambling world was honest—the China team remained the top favorite to win the championship.
So yes, he had considered taking advantage of the betting odds for profit—but no matter how much you wagered on China, the payout was pitiful.
That was different from the original timeline—he was short a clean two hundred million.
Today—China Team VS Spain Team.
When Lu Jun entered the arena, he deliberately glanced toward the VIP section. The Spanish prince, Banpo, looked tense. There wasn't a single woman of unusual temperament beside him. According to the progression of the original timeline, Salan would disguise herself as Banpo's teacher, Kandi, to advance her revenge plan.
But now that Salan was dead, that person naturally didn't appear.
Lu Jun shifted his attention back to the field, where the five Spanish players stood opposite them, faces grim and solemn.
Splash! Splash! Splash!
Suddenly, ten staff members—water element mages—activated their spells. The complex Dragon Fang Rock terrain began filling with water. Raging waves surged, and ten waterfalls continuously poured in, raising the water level until a small lake formed. Dense mist soon enveloped the battlefield.
This would be the battleground for the match.
In the livestream, Spanish viewers cheered with delight. Spain, a country by the sea, was renowned for its abundance of water mages—this lakeside terrain was clearly advantageous to them.
Lu Jun, however, didn't care. His Water Element was fully cultivated—the terrain's blessing only amplified his power further.
Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!
The moment the referee announced the start of the match, Lu Jun summoned his Star Constellation with a single thought. His eyes gleamed with a sinister red-black light. Using his familiar tactic, he opened with Fear Mist to probe his opponents.
"Ah!"
The Spanish captain, Flan, grimaced in agony, gritting his teeth. His body burst with a dazzling psychic-blue radiance as he roared, "The royal family bestowed upon us the Mermaid's Tear—your Curse Element magic will be greatly weakened!"
Not only Flan, but the other four Spanish players were also shrouded in the same azure brilliance. It was as if the mental damage was shared among all five of them.
Although this slowed down their star orbit connection speed, it was far better than being instantly killed at first contact.
Lu Jun sensed the familiar energy fluctuations and couldn't help his surprise—it was indeed a magic tool crafted from remnants of the Mermaid Saint Spirit. Such a heritage proved just how deep the foundation of an old magical nation truly ran.
Still, he wasn't disappointed. With his unmatched spiritual cultivation among the younger generation, it was natural for him to dominate the early rounds, crushing weaker opponents by surprise. Yet once the top nations caught on and began compensating for their weaknesses with powerful magic tools, the playing field naturally balanced.
In the end, his spiritual realm still hadn't surpassed the Sixth Tier, remaining within the Advanced Mage domain.
These advanced academy elites were also wealthy enough to buy specialized Focus Magic Tools to counter his strengths. The cost, however, was steep—their entire budget went into Psychic Protection, drastically weakening their offense and defense in all other aspects.
This wasn't like when Lu Jun first entered Pearl Academy, alternating between Curse Element and Psychic Element, fighting bloody battles against two thousand opponents—back then, no one could even afford a proper magic tool!
"Heavenly Flame Funeral: Hellfire!"
Behind Flan, a pair of sapphire wings unfolded—his magic tool activating in full. His entire figure soared skyward, claiming control of the air. His body ignited with deep sea-blue spirit flames, outlining a magnificent constellation as both hands raised to the heavens.
In the air, a massive blue fire meteor condensed, like a miniature sun hanging above. Its scorching heat flooded the arena, as though the crowd stood upon the lip of an erupting volcano.
Curiously, despite the searing temperature, the lake's mist didn't evaporate under the influence of the special Soul Fire effect.
High-Tier Level 2 Cultivation, Fire Element Soul Seed—it truly displayed the deep foundation of the Spanish royal bloodline.
The audience's spirits lifted at once. At last, they were witnessing a high-level magic duel, not another one-sided instant defeat.
For additional chapters
Versatile mage {40 chapters}
Douluo Dalu:This Soul Master is to Weird {30 Chapters}
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