The three of them returned to Aunt's house. After dinner, Auntie Mo Qing started chatting with Mo Fan.
Jing Wuji sat to the side, watching Ye Xinxia and listening to their conversation.
"I heard from your dad that Xiao Jing is already a Basic-level Mage. That's impressive," Mo Qing said.
"Brother Wuji has always been amazing," Mo Fan replied. "By the way, where's Uncle? I haven't seen him."
"He went with your dad to deliver supplies to the military mages in the mountains. I don't know where those two regular folks got the courage to go into the mountains. If they run into a demon, they'll be swallowed whole," Mo Qing complained.
"Aren't the demons supposed to be in the more remote, primitive forests far from the city?" Mo Fan asked — the exact question Jing Wuji most wanted to ask.
"No way! Didn't you see the warning posted by the Hunter Alliance? Demons have been running wild lately, and there've been frequent sightings outside Bo City. They've specifically warned us civilians not to go beyond the safe zones," Mo Qing said.
Jing Wuji fell into deep thought. According to his memories, Bo City was destroyed by a sudden outbreak of demons. Judging by what he was hearing now, this was likely the beginning of that disaster. It seemed the catastrophe of Bo City was just a few years away.
Ye Xinxia noticed Jing Wuji suddenly spacing out. She waved her hand in front of his eyes. When he didn't respond, she softly said, "Is something bothering you? You can talk to me, you know. Don't keep everything bottled up like before."
Startled by the girl's voice in his ear, Jing Wuji snapped out of it. Looking into Ye Xinxia's concerned eyes, he simply smiled and reached out to ruffle her hair.
"Don't worry. I'll handle it," Jing Wuji said. There was no point in overthinking it now. He didn't have any solid evidence, and telling her would only make Xinxia worry. The only thing he could do at the moment was get stronger as fast as possible.
With that thought, Jing Wuji excused himself and went back to his room to begin his meditation. After all, magical energy was everything.
Just like mages in games — if you run out of mana, no matter how powerful your skills are, all you can do is watch helplessly.
A short winter break passed in a flash. After spending a few days at Auntie's house, Jing Wuji and Mo Fan returned to Tianlan Magic High School.
Mo Fan buried himself in the library, meditating while absorbing knowledge.
Jing Wuji locked himself in the dormitory, either meditating or practicing star control. Apart from eating and using the bathroom, he didn't slack off for even a moment.
Finally, through this tireless effort, Jing Wuji's Shadow Escape ability rose to Level 2. At Level 2, Shadow Escape could phase his body, making him immune to physical damage and some magic.
However, Jing Wuji realized he still had no offensive capabilities, which was a major headache.
On the first day of the new semester, Jing Wuji, as usual, sat in his seat by the window in the back and began meditating. He had no interest in the lecture since he had already self-studied everything the teacher could cover.
"Jing Wuji! Jing Wuji! Wake up! Look at the teacher—we've got a new one!" Mo Fan whispered urgently, rousing him from meditation.
What's the big deal about changing teachers? Jing Wuji thought Mo Fan still lacked composure.
Still, he looked up at the podium.
The next moment, Jing Wuji's eyes widened.
A stunning female teacher in uniform!
If this were the old him from his previous life, he'd probably already be imagining what their children would be named. Unfortunately, he was no longer that man.
"Good morning, class. Your previous practical magic teacher is on medical leave, so starting today, I'll be teaching your Magic Practice class. My name is Tang Yue," said a bright and mature voice, snapping Jing Wuji back to reality.
"Since you've only been awakened for half a year and none of you can cast magic yet, I want you to understand that possessing great power doesn't mean you know how to use it well…" Teacher Tang Yue quickly shifted into her teaching mode.
Mo Fan wanted to say that he could already cast Basic-level Lightning Magic, and even his Fire Element had two-star nodes under control. But to avoid being suspected as part of the Black Church, he kept quiet.
The entire morning was spent in the Magic Practice class. After covering the theory, Tang Yue led the students to the field to demonstrate the core elements of magic casting.
Tang Yue stood still in a posture that perfectly showcased her figure. Her elegant curves were especially striking beneath her slightly tight skirt.
As she stood there explaining the key points of spellcasting, she radiated confidence.
When she finished her last word, Tang Yue's aura suddenly changed. A powerful presence filled the air, and the students immediately realized: that this beautiful teacher was a real powerhouse!
Even though her aura wasn't directed at them, just felt it was overwhelming.
"Fire Burst · Scorch!"
The sound rang out like thunder, echoing in everyone's ears simultaneously.
At that exact moment, a bright crimson star path appeared around Tang Yue.
The star path flashed briefly before quickly gathering on her fair, jade-like arm.
As her palm half-closed, a searing red flame rapidly grew in her hand — extremely wild and fierce!
With a powerful swing of her arm—
The ball of fire shot out like an arrow released from a bowstring. It streaked through the air with a red trail, as precise as a sniper bullet, and struck the training dummy dead-on.
The moment the flame hit the dummy, it disappeared, leaving the surface seemingly unscathed.
But just one second later, a red glow emerged from within the dummy's body — and in the blink of an eye, it was completely engulfed in flames.
Tang Yue's overwhelming power left everyone at the scene in awe.
Jing Wuji felt a bit envious — after all, he didn't have that kind of offensive strength.
Once the students recovered from their shock, Tang Yue clapped her hands and said, "Alright, which of you in this class has awakened the Fire Element? Let me take note."
Two boys and a girl stepped forward and introduced themselves.
After they were done, Mo Fan finally emerged from the crowd.
"My name is Mo Fan!"
Jing Wuji watched quietly as Mo Fan played it cool, feeling a bit helpless.
Tang Yue glanced at Mo Fan and probed his aura. Her lips parted slightly in surprise.
Then she said with earnest concern, "Your fire-element talent is excellent. Why is your cultivation so weak? Mo Fan, many people dream of becoming fire-element mages — you already have a rare advantage. You can't afford to slack off."
"I understand, Teacher Tang Yue," Mo Fan nodded.
Zhao Kunshan, who was in the crowd, was just about to say something sarcastic to flatter Mu Bai when he suddenly noticed Jing Wuji standing nearby. A wave of unpleasant memories surged in his mind. After thinking it through, he decided to drop it.
"Alright, I'm sure you've already heard from your homeroom teacher Xue Musheng how important the year-end assessment is. I won't repeat it. So this semester, there's no excuse not to give it your all," Tang Yue addressed the class, then dismissed the students for self-practice — but called out Jing Wuji by name to speak with him privately.