Versatile Mage: Starting with the White Tiger Pendant

The new semester began, and time flowed like water. In the blink of an eye, two months had passed, and the semester was halfway through.

During this period, Lu Jun had focused all his energy on water magic. Finally, under the nourishment of the White Tiger Pendant, he broke through to level three of Water Control: Circulation.

At night, at home, his sister Lu Mei was quietly cultivating on the sofa. A soft yellow glow surrounded her body, and the Star Bracelet on her wrist shimmered brightly as she meditated on earth magic.

Outside in the yard, Lu Jun manipulated his stardust, and a bright blue star trail streaked across the air. The abundant water vapor in the atmosphere was extracted, and countless water droplets converged, weaving into multiple streams of flowing water that shimmered brilliantly, surrounding him protectively.

When he touched it with his finger, the rapid flow of water emitted a strong impact force, bouncing his hand back and causing some pain.

When the water flowed, it not only self-repaired endlessly but also contained abundant kinetic energy. Even if a demon managed to break through the defense, the shattered Water Control would generate a powerful shockwave, repelling servant-level demons and providing a moment to catch his breath.

It could be said that level three Water Control was indeed a decent defensive skill.

Lu Jun nodded in satisfaction, inspecting his spiritual world. The two stardusts were neck and neck, both having reached level three in the beginner tier. For someone aged seventeen, this was truly impressive.

Just as he was about to rest, he suddenly received a call. Opening the communicator, he was surprised to find that it was Mo Fan.

What could be going on?

---

Earlier that evening, on the rooftop of the teaching building, Mo Fan was fiddling with a newly acquired Stardust Magic Tool, preparing to cultivate.

However, the small mudfish pendant on his neck reacted, directly swallowing all the energy from the Stardust Magic Tool. Mo Fan was dumbfounded and quickly shook his Azure Dragon Pendant.

The small mudfish refused to spit it out. Instead, it used the servant-level soul essence to awaken itself, gaining functionality equivalent to the Stardust Magic Tool.

"Damn, you're kidding me!"

Mo Fan was furious but kept telling himself to stay calm.

After thinking for a moment, he decided to call Lu Jun. Originally, in the novel, he would have called Tang Yue, who, as a fire mage, had taught fire students for some time and had a mysterious background that might offer a solution.

But now that Lu Jun was here, Mo Fan was more inclined to trust a friend rather than a teacher he barely knew.

Moreover, Lu Jun's sister was one of the few intermediate mages in Bo City. She could communicate with the school and surely suppress the issue.

So Mo Fan dialed the number. As soon as the call connected, he said, "Dad, come save your son!"

In the yard, Lu Jun couldn't help but feel exasperated as soon as he heard Mo Fan's opening line. His forehead was full of black lines, and he vaguely guessed the reason. However, he responded sharply, "Yeah, right. Would you call me 'Dad' if it weren't something serious?"

"You just got assigned a Stardust Magic Tool today. Let me guess—did you break it?"

"Damn, how did you figure that out? Are you a south…" On the other end of the line, Mo Fan first exclaimed in surprise, then awkwardly laughed and said, "Hehe, I mean, a father knows his son best."

"So now you're trying to pin this on me, huh?" Lu Jun was speechless. This guy was truly shameless—he had a lot to learn.

At the same time, a thought struck Lu Jun. He came up with a good idea and said over the phone, "Stay where you are; I'll come over shortly."

Lu Jun got dressed, informed his sister, and headed to the school.

---

About ten minutes later, he arrived at the school rooftop. As soon as Mo Fan saw him, he sighed dejectedly, "You're here. The wind on this rooftop is so strong and the night so cold, I feel like jumping off."

Hearing this, Lu Jun's mouth twitched. He responded irritably, "Cut the act and show me what's going on."

Mo Fan then explained everything in detail.

Lu Jun understood the situation and explained while holding his forehead, "This little mudfish pendant of yours isn't ordinary. It's a magic tool that can upgrade itself. You don't need to worry about it being taken away, as it's already linked to your soul and cannot be stolen. However, you must be cautious and not tell anyone else about this."

Hearing this, Mo Fan suddenly realized and gained a clearer understanding of the relationship between Stardust Magic Tools, soul essences, and soul containers. "So what do we do now?"

"I have a solution." Lu Jun gave a sunny and cheerful smile. "I have some remnant souls on hand. I can place a servant-level remnant soul into the Stardust Magic Tool."

"Then we can temporarily disguise it as intact, allowing it to still emit its soothing energy. However, it'll only last a few days before it completely exhausts its energy."

"Before that happens, you can hand it over to the next user. I think that would be Mu Bai, right?"

"Oh~" Mo Fan, being sly himself, quickly guessed what Lu Jun intended to do. It was nothing more than shifting the blame. He exchanged a knowing look with Lu Jun, and they both broke into sinister smiles.

Mo Fan, still resentful about the annual evaluation incident, was more than happy to mess with Mu Bai.

As for Lu Jun, he had his own reasons. At this point, Mu Bai was actually broke. The one with money was his father, Mu He—the head of the Black Vatican and the mastermind planning the destruction of Bo City.

Heh, Mu He would definitely step in to cover the damages. So in reality, they weren't targeting Mu Bai but Mu He.

Over the past year, Lu Jun had lived with a sense of dread, diligently cultivating—partly due to the looming disaster in Bo City. If he didn't mess with this scumbag, he wouldn't feel at peace.

The Black Vatican was a terrifying enemy, deeply embedded in official institutions and seemingly omnipresent. Even the purest Judgment Court had been infiltrated, let alone other governmental organizations.

Lu Jun racked his brain and saw a vast, ominous shadow looming, yet he dared not act rashly, relying only on himself to find a way out.

He also knew which big names in the original story were clean, but unfortunately, these figures were out of reach. Even if he tried to meet them, most of their entourages likely included Black Vatican members. (More details will be explained as the story progresses.)

After all, it was unrealistic to expect high-ranking individuals, overwhelmed with responsibilities, to act on the words of a mere beginner mage.

The likely outcome would be...

Black Vatican: Who dares accuse me? On what grounds?!

Lu Jun shook off the thought, took a deep breath, and got to work inserting the remnant soul into the Stardust Magic Tool.

The process wasn't simple, but his metal element talent seemed to give him an affinity for understanding magic tool structures. After some experimentation, he managed to complete the task.

Only then did Mo Fan breathe a sigh of relief and grin. "Thanks, Old Lu."

"No problem." Lu Jun smiled and extended his hand. "That'll be one servant-level soul essence."

Hearing this, Mo Fan froze, his forehead darkening. "You might as well sell me off. How's that any different from compensating for the Stardust Magic Tool?"

"Hahaha, just kidding. I'm just a father hoping his son will succeed so I can bask in his glory someday."

Lu Jun was only joking and didn't take it seriously. A remnant soul was no big deal; it was an investment in Mo Fan.

Mo Fan sneered, "Yeah, right. When I strike it rich, I'll give you a hundred soul essences."

On this moonless and windy night, the two left the rooftop, with no witnesses to their scheme.

---

A week later, it was Mu Bai's turn to use the Stardust Magic Tool. Completely unsuspecting, he took it home.

After using it for a few days, it inevitably broke. He informed his mother, who turned to Mu Bai's "uncle" for help.

That night, Mu He said, "It's fine. I'll handle it."

As a result, Mu He, a school board member, donated one million to the school. Tian Lan High School reported the damage to the relevant authorities, and the Magic High School Alliance redistributed a new Stardust Magic Tool.

And so the matter quietly passed, with only Mo Fan and Lu Jun knowing the truth.

However, Mu Bai suffered for it. Still dealing with the fallout of the annual evaluation incident, he now faced reprimands from the family elders for the broken Stardust Magic Tool.

While being a student spared him from major consequences, Mu Bai despaired, realizing he would likely lose all family support after graduating high school and end up no different from an ordinary commoner.

Lu Jun thought: That family isn't worth keeping anyway. The sooner you break away, the sooner you can rise.

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