Demon territories were almost always harsh environments.
Yet, the resources people sought were invariably located in those most dangerous places.
The Demon Art he was developing allowed him to retrieve objects from a considerable distance through space itself, which vastly increased his safety when operating in such regions.
That said, this Demon Art was far more complex than Void Phasing, and its development difficulty was correspondingly higher.
Fortunately, with his Spiritual Attainment having broken through to the Fourth Level, the difficulty dropped significantly.
In addition, although he hadn't deliberately focused on the Psychic Element, it was extremely compatible with Spiritual Attainment. Relying solely on daily meditation and absorbing magic energy, his Psychic Element cultivation had already reached Mid Tier, Level Two.
As for the Space Element, it had advanced to Initial Tier, Level Two as well.
Compared to the Psychic Element, advancing the Space Element was considerably more difficult.
"Wang Teng, Xu Zhaoting—come with me for a moment."
Old Zhang's voice suddenly interrupted his thoughts.
Wang Teng looked up to see Zhang Jianguo glancing in his direction, while the rest of the class stared at them with undisguised envy.
Wang Teng stood and walked out of the classroom, with Xu Zhaoting following closely behind.
"Alright, everyone, self-study. Keep it quiet."
After saying that, Old Zhang led the two of them away.
However, instead of heading toward the teachers' office, he continued climbing upward—toward the rooftop.
Wang Teng and Xu Zhaoting exchanged glances, both clearly puzzled, before following him.
The three of them arrived directly at the rooftop.
High walls had been built around the perimeter, along with guardrails and wire fencing. From here, nearly half of Bo City was visible.
"Tell me honestly," Zhang Jianguo said with a warm smile, as if chatting with old friends.
"Can you release magic yet?"
Despite the relaxed expression, the unease in his eyes betrayed him.
"Teacher, I've successfully released my Lightning magic once already!"
Xu Zhaoting lifted his chin proudly as he answered.
"Good, good, good… Xu Zhaoting, you've done very well. As your teacher, I'm truly happy."
Joy overflowed in Old Zhang's eyes.
With at least one confirmed success, half of his expectations had already been met.
He then turned his hopeful gaze toward Wang Teng.
"And you, Wang Teng?"
Xu Zhaoting also stared at him intently, clearly anticipating something.
"Relax," Wang Teng replied calmly.
"I said back then it wouldn't be a problem—so naturally, I'll deliver."
"Spirit Ripples: Pacify."
Wang Teng's expression remained indifferent.
His hands were tucked into his pockets. With a single movement of his lips, a flash of light streaked past him.
The Psychic Element spell – Spirit Ripples: Pacify was released instantly, enveloping all three of them before stopping just as abruptly.
"T-this… this is—!"
"Could this be the legendary One-Thought Star Track?!"
Old Zhang cried out, eyes wide.
His heart felt incomparably calm—so calm that despite his shock, he couldn't even feel excited. The sensation was profoundly strange.
He was reasonably well-informed. He'd seen rumors online about mages capable of forming a star track with a single thought.
But actually witnessing it was another matter entirely.
Xu Zhaoting's proud expression collapsed instantly, like a defeated rooster.
What Wang Teng had just demonstrated—he couldn't do it.
All his past effort.
All his former pride.
In that moment, it all turned into a joke.
I can't do anything…
Wang Teng curled his lips slightly.
He was very satisfied with Old Zhang's astonished lack of composure—and equally satisfied with the praise.
Showing off required an audience.
And whether it was Xu Zhaoting or Old Zhang, both were exceptionally qualified spectators.
He could even feel Xu Zhaoting's happiness draining away.
The ancients once said that everything in the world was conserved—it neither increased nor decreased.
Wang Teng strongly agreed.
Happiness hadn't vanished.
It had merely transferred from one smiling face to another.
"Good, good, good… you really did it!"
After Wang Teng withdrew the spell, Old Zhang's suppressed excitement finally burst forth.
This time, his odds were excellent.
Wang Teng naturally noticed his delight.
But happiness at the beginning rarely lasted.
If nothing went wrong, Class 8 had at least three students capable of releasing magic—Mu Bai, Mo Fan, and Zhang Xiaohou.
Meanwhile, in Class 7, only Wang Teng and Xu Zhaoting were confirmed so far.
The rest still lagged behind by a considerable margin.
The seventh Star Particle was a wall for many students.
Their Spiritual Energy simply wasn't sufficient—they couldn't fully control it.
Even maintaining daily focus already exhausted them.
Trying to push further?
That was extremely difficult.
As a result, each additional Star Particle became harder to connect than the last.
By the seventh one, the difficulty skyrocketed.
The slightest distraction, and magic release would fail entirely.
After all, releasing magic required a stable and tranquil spiritual world.
Without that, one couldn't even perceive the Star Dust—let alone connect Star Particles.
"Come, come, come! Today's a good day!"
"After school this afternoon, come over to my place. I'll treat you to a big meal."
As a teacher, Zhang Jianguo had a private living space on campus.
Clearly in an excellent mood, he intended to properly reward the two pillars of his class—especially Wang Teng.
Just imagining Wang Teng demonstrating One-Thought Star Track during the assessment…
It would blind everyone present.
And naturally, his own reputation would benefit as well.
"Ah… o-okay." Xu Zhaoting replied absentmindedly, clearly still shaken.
"Haha! Zhaoting, don't compare yourself to Wang Teng."
"Think about it this way—across the entire grade, the number of people who can release magic probably won't exceed one hand."
"You're already outstanding."
Old Zhang laughed as he patted Xu Zhaoting's shoulder, while his other arm wrapped around Wang Teng's, as if afraid he might escape.
Wang Teng was a bit speechless at Old Zhang's enthusiasm.
Still, since the invitation had already been extended, refusing would be awkward.
Besides, the atmosphere was just right—he didn't feel like declining anyway.
After heading downstairs, Zhang Jianguo didn't return to the classroom with them.
Some appearances still needed to be maintained.
Wang Teng hadn't expected Old Zhang to pull this move.
It was the first time a teacher had invited him to dinner.
The feeling was… oddly novel.
"Hey, Wang Teng."
"Should we buy something to bring along? Showing up empty-handed feels kind of rude."
Outside the classroom, Xu Zhaoting tugged on Wang Teng's sleeve, his face full of indecision.
"Hmm. You've got a point."
"So—what do we get?"
"Fruit? Or wine?"
Wang Teng glanced at him, mildly surprised.
He hadn't expected Xu Zhaoting to be this considerate.
"Uh…"
"What do you think?"
Xu Zhaoting scratched his head awkwardly.
He'd only thought of it on impulse—he had no idea what to buy.
"Forget it. I'll handle the gift."
"I'll leave a bit early after school. Just wait for me at the gate."
Wang Teng felt slightly exasperated, but he decided to adopt a Western approach.
He'd bring a couple of bottles of wine.
There was plenty sitting at home anyway—letting it gather dust would be a waste.
"Alright then. We'll split the cost later."
Xu Zhaoting hadn't expected Wang Teng to be this reliable.
He immediately broke into a cheerful grin.
This was exactly the kind of person he liked—no need to worry about anything.
Relaxing and easy.
Wang Teng watched him head back into the classroom, a strange expression on his face.
Split the cost?
The wine at his place wasn't cheap.
If it were, Tang Yue wouldn't always end up having one or two glasses every time she visited.