Tang Yue, the Adjudication Court? / Dual Elements, Primary Level Two.

"I can control two stars now!"

"What? Only two?! I've got three already."

Zhao Kunsan caught the look on Mu Bai's face and immediately jumped in to fawn over him. "You two- and three-star guys have no business bragging. Mu Bai's already mastered five stars. By next semester, even if he slacks off and only studies every other day, he'll be able to reach seven and master Primary Magic."

"Damn, Mu Bai's that good??"

"F-five stars? How did he even train? That's incredible!"

"I heard Xu Zhaoting, the Class Seven Lightning God of Learning, is the best student in the whole school, and even he's only mastered five stars."

As he listened to his classmates talking, Mu Bai began to feel a little light-headed. He affected a modest air, thinking that Zhao Kunsan was a first-rate hype man.

Going around town bragging about your grades was tacky. The key was to show off at just the right moment.

Chapter 13: Tang Yue, the Adjudication Court?

Lu Jun returned to school. Looking at the lively, smiling students, he felt a little dazed and didn't react for a moment.

One moment, he'd been enduring training so grueling it was practically self-torture, engaging in bloody, brutal close combat with Demon Beasts. The next, he was facing the peaceful, happy life of a school campus. Spider-Man?

He fell silent. How many of the people before him would still be alive two and a half years from now? When he heard his classmates talking about the prodigy Xu Zhaoting, he could only shake his head and sigh. Xu had made a huge splash during Magic Awakening, awakening the rare Lightning Element.

Until his final year of high school, he'd seemed destined for greatness. Then everything had taken a sharp turn for the worse. When disaster struck Bo City, his parents and grandmother all died. After he finally managed to rebuild a normal life in Magic City, he found a woman worth loving for the rest of his life—only to run into the mastermind behind it all. He'd tracked down the culprit himself to take revenge.

The outcome was obvious. The mastermind's trap had been set for Mo Fan, but Xu Zhaoting had taken the fall. He was cruelly and horrifically turned into a Black Beast Demon, an abomination that violated the natural order.

Then, under the mastermind's malicious control, he was made to kill his own girlfriend.

There were countless cases like his.

Lu Jun still wasn't strong enough. If he could protect himself in the future, he wouldn't mind lending a hand if the chance arose.

When Lu Jun walked into the classroom, a few girls were about to greet him because of his handsome features. But when they saw his sharp, intimidating air, they hesitated.

It was hard to describe someone's presence. It was like how people could instantly tell a recent college graduate by his bookish air. After a few years out in the world, his thoughts and attitude changed completely, and it showed in his expression and manner.

Lu Jun sat at his desk. None of his classmates came over to chat or show off. They all seemed to find him unfamiliar, as if a few stars were nothing to boast about in front of him.

Before long, Mo Fan arrived, full of confidence and looking pleased with himself. When he spotted Lu Jun, his eyes lit up. He didn't care about his intimidating air at all and plopped down beside him.

"Old Lu, how was your winter break?"

Mo Fan's eyebrows danced and his butt shifted. Lu Jun knew at once that he was about to show off.

Ever since he'd learned Mo Fan's secret—that he had Innate Dual Elements—the two of them had each tried to get closer to the other for their own reasons. They also came from similar backgrounds in their previous lives, so they got along pretty well and had become friends.

Later, when Mo Fan saw that Lu Jun hadn't let his secret slip for half a year, he finally relaxed completely. He treated him as a friend and took to calling him "Old Lu" at every opportunity.

As for why he didn't call him Lu Jun, Mo Fan had once complained that putting "Old" in front of a name sounded like those people from the country where life was pretty good. It was too girly. That was the sort of thing a hostess might call you at a brothel; it sounded sexy coming from a wayward girl.

A man calling another man "Old" this and "Old" that gave him goosebumps.

Lu Jun didn't take it to heart. He casually said, "Did you manage to master Primary Magic over winter break? Your Fire Element stalled in the first semester. Was it your Lightning Element?"

Mo Fan was stunned. He felt frustrated and disappointed, and lowered his voice. "You could even tell? That takes all the fun out of it."

He felt like Lu Jun was a parasite in his stomach. There was no secret he could keep from him.

Lu Jun already knew. Mo Fan was a real workaholic. Over winter break, he'd not only mastered Lightning Magic, he'd also spent a month holed up in the Library, barely managing to memorize all the common knowledge about the Magic World.

"Wait." Mo Fan realized something and looked at him strangely. "You're not surprised. Does that mean you've also—"

Lu Jun didn't answer. He just smiled without saying a word.

"Heh, my brother's really strong." Mo Fan gave an awkward laugh and rubbed his chin. "Your Water Element's for defense, my Lightning Fire is for offense, and Zhang Xiaohou's Wind Element boosts our speed. We'd make the perfect trio."

At the mention of Zhang Xiaohou, he arrived, looking as earnest as ever. "Brother Lu, Brother Fan, happy new semester!"

Before Lu Jun could reply, the noisy classroom suddenly fell silent.

Lu Jun looked around in confusion. Mo Fan, Zhang Xiaohou, Mu Bai, and the other boys were all staring blankly toward the teacher's desk.

"Good morning, class. Your Magic Practice Class teacher, Lian, is sick and recovering at home. Starting today, I'll be teaching your Magic Practice Class. My name is Tang Yue!"

A mature voice, bright and lively, rang out.

Lu Jun understood. He looked toward the front of the classroom. A female teacher in a professional office outfit stood at the lectern. Her fitted black blazer and short skirt showed off her curvy figure.

A magnificent, beautiful peak strained against her white blouse, as if it were about to burst free. It was hard not to wonder whether those little buttons could really hold back such a surging bounty.

The new teacher, Tang Yue, had a seductive face and a sexy air. She had a classic oval face, willow-leaf brows, and alluring eyes.

Even Lu Jun was impressed. If Lu Mei was the typical mature, capable older woman, steady and gentle in equal measure, then Tang Yue was a sensuous, married woman. She looked like she knew exactly how to handle things—like a ripe peach about to burst with juice.

She was clearly around twenty-four or twenty-five.

Lu Jun took a closer look and couldn't tell whether she or his older sister was older.

Of course, he didn't spend long studying her appearance. Having read the original story, he knew Tang Yue had a complicated identity behind the scenes. She was a member of the Adjudication Court and had been sent to investigate some oddities in Bo City. She'd disguised herself and slipped into the city to search for answers.

But Tang Yue stayed in Bo City for two years without finding anything. She left before the disaster came, and the only thing she did was provide some protection for Mo Fan while he was in high school.

The Adjudication Court was an agency directly under the Magic Association and represented its will. It had the strongest fighters and secretly handled all kinds of difficult problems, especially those involving dark forces. Its authority to pass judgment was beyond question.

Every member was a standout at Intermediate Level. They had immense resources at their disposal, making the Court a sacred place that nearly every hard-working mage dreamed of joining.

Lu Jun had considered anonymously reporting Mu He and the others to the Adjudication Court. But after thinking about the situation at the Hangzhou Adjudication Court, where Tang Yue came from, he gave up on the idea.

The Hangzhou Adjudication Court was one of the biggest in the country, responsible for cities in Min Province and Zhe Province, including Bo City.

The problem was that the Hangzhou Adjudication Court had moles. Two of the higher-ups were known by name: a Councilor's Secretary and a Second-tier City Trial Chief. There were also several at the bottom, deeply concealed until they were exposed later on.

Lu Jun racked his brains, searching his memories. When he realized this, he was speechless.

Bo City wasn't a problem a few Intermediate- or even High-Level adjudicators could solve. Aside from the Demon Beasts, the mastermind behind the scenes in Bo City was no pushover. They knew exactly how many people you'd deployed. How were you supposed to fight them?

Reporting them would only alert them.

"I can trust Tang Yue, at least. But there's no point reporting it to the Adjudication Court. And I'll need to choose the right time to approach her."

Lu Jun looked at the beautiful teacher at the lectern and sighed at the trouble of it all. Humanity in the Magic World was rotten to the core. It didn't matter where you fled—Hangzhou and Magic City had even bigger problems.

Besides, he was in Bo City, and his family wasn't some prestigious clan. Transferring schools would be difficult, and he had to finish high school if he wanted to attend a magic academy.

"Everyone, get ready to head to the training ground. I'll demonstrate Primary Magic for you."

Tang Yue smiled warmly and led the students out to the magic practice field.

Chapter 14: Dual Elements, Primary Level Two.

"Stay calm, be at peace, and focus. Even while I'm talking to you right now, my mind is completely focused on my Fire Element Nebula... Oh, I mean my Stardust."

On the large sports field, Tang Yue patiently explained magic as she cast a first-level Primary Magic spell of the Fire Element: Fire Seed · Burn!

The entire class crowded around her, watching intently. What exactly they were watching was another matter.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Fire elements gathered around Tang Yue. A bright, crimson star trail flashed through the air, and a scorching aura surged toward them. A ball of blazing fire danced in her pale, delicate hand, wild and violent.

Lu Jun's expression turned serious. Her aura was even stronger than his sister's! The other students were struck speechless, their lewd thoughts instantly swept away as they stared in shock.

Then she swung her arm and sent the ball of fire flying like an arrow loosed from a bow. It flared crimson in the air and, like a bullet, struck a training dummy in the distance, piercing straight through its body!

"That's it?"

"Why didn't anything happen?"

"It clearly hit!"

The atmosphere fell silent for a moment. The dummy struck by Fire Seed showed no reaction at all, an odd contrast with the power of Teacher Tang Yue's spell.

As her students voiced their doubts, Teacher Tang Yue slowly turned around to face the forty-eight young, still somewhat childish faces. A confident smile curled her lips.

Rumble!

All at once, a shocking crimson blaze erupted inside the dummy. It didn't slowly catch fire; it flared wildly, as if determined to burn everything combustible in a single breath.

The wooden dummy, which had been perfectly intact just moments ago, was swallowed by crimson flames in the blink of an eye!

The dazzling red light illuminated Teacher Tang Yue's beautiful, curled hair. Her fair face took on a rosy glow, and the smile at the corner of her lips was framed by the fire blazing behind her.

The already gorgeous teacher could only be described in one way—breathtakingly beautiful!

Mo Fan, Zhang Xiaohou, Mu Bai, and the others swallowed hard, captivated by the sight.

Even Lu Jun had to look twice. A beautiful older woman was a rare sight, and one with such strength was rarer still.

Tang Yue then called out the names of the students in the class who had the Fire Element. A pack of wolves groaned, regretting that they didn't have the Fire Element and couldn't get extra lessons from the beautiful teacher.

She added, "This semester is crucial. The Year-end Assessment is coming at the end of the year. Anyone who fails will be expelled from the magic school. In addition, your scores will determine your class placement next year and how much time you're allowed to use the Stardust Magic Tool the school provides."

"I'll be waiting for you in the Advanced Class."

At that, Zhao Kunsan mocked Mo Fan again. "Heh, an entire semester's passed, and you haven't managed to control a single Fire Element star. With how much you slack off, what good is your talent with the Fire Element? You won't even be here for us to hate next semester."

Mo Fan gave a snort but said nothing. He could already cast Lightning Magic; mastering the Fire Element would be a piece of cake in a single semester.

Lu Jun rubbed his chin. The Year-end Assessment would be lively, but it had little to do with him. For now, he needed to focus on his training.

Time passed, and half a year went by in the blink of an eye.

The warm southeast winds swept over mountain range after mountain range and across the south. The weather was unpredictable, and a typhoon was approaching.

Whoosh!

On the way from Bo City to Tianlan High School, Lu Jun strolled calmly through the rain. Three azure Water Stream Ribbons circled him and intertwined into a Water Windbreaker, condensed and gleaming like an Armor Robe.

The torrential rain fell, but the Water Shield around him absorbed it all. Not a drop touched him.

The pedestrians on the street held up umbrellas, but they were still soaked from the neck down. They cursed and complained as they passed. Seeing the cool, youthful boy standing alone in the rain, they were filled with envy.

"Damn, being a mage is great. Forget the superpowers—even everyday life is so much more convenient."

At the same time, the students of Tianlan High School were walking along the same road. Mo Fan and Zhang Xiaohou opened their mouths when they saw him. Suddenly, they felt that the Fire and Wind Elements weren't so appealing. Nothing was as cool as the Water Element, walking alone through the rain as if it were one with the world, without a drop touching you.

"Old Lu's really found a way to show off with this. He's a total showboat. All the girls in our class and the older girls from other grades are staring."

Mo Fan wished he could take Lu Jun's place.

Over with Mu Bai's crowd, they were impressed too. Zhao Kunsan glanced at Lu Xiaofu and said, "You're a Water Element mage too. Why don't you show us something like that?"

Lu Xiaofu, one of his lackeys, turned green. Not every Water Element mage could pull off a trick like that, especially when he hadn't even mastered all his stars yet.

"Shh! Don't talk. Look at the girls in our class."

Mo Fan whispered, sneaking furtive glances around them. The girls' loose uniforms were half-wet, half-dry, showing off their graceful curves.

The boys noticed too. Their expressions grew increasingly lecherous, drawing angry glares from the girls, who hurriedly covered their chests and ran to the bathrooms in the teaching building.

Then, someone finally shouted, "Teacher Tang Yue's here!"

Every gaze turned in that direction at once. What teenage girls could compete with a mature, married woman? Especially one with a wet blouse. jpg!

In the distance, Teacher Tang Yue held up an umbrella, her black, open-toed heels splashing through puddles. Her fair feet peeked out, each toe as smooth and gleaming as a pearl, creating a striking contrast.

Her figure moved gracefully through the rain, blurred in the mist as she approached the teaching building. She was as elegant and composed as ever, with barely any moisture on her. Even her curls weren't damp like the other girls' hair, so there was no treat for the eyes.

Even so, everyone gaped, nearly drooling. The sway of Tang Yue's full hips fanned a fire that even the cold rain couldn't put out. Zhang Xiaohou said incredulously, "How did she not get soaked on the way from home to school in this wind and rain?"

No one understood southern typhoons better than the people of Bo City. Raincoats and umbrellas were useless; you were getting soaked no matter what.

Just then, a streak of crimson energy flashed around Tang Yue. Its scorching heat evaporated all the moisture around her, restoring her neat appearance. She even helped the girls at school dry their clothes.

White mist billowed around the entrance to the teaching building.

The pack of wolves groaned, feeling they'd missed a beautiful sight. They finally understood how Tang Yue had avoided an embarrassing situation. They had to admit, that kind of control over her Fire Element was terrifying.

By the entrance, the girls' whispered conversations continued. Lu Jun's spotless appearance stood out too, and Tang Yue's gaze fell on him. She was startled to see his Water Shield.

Could a student really have achieved that level of mastery?

The others couldn't see through him, but her eyes were sharp. Remembering why she had come to Bo City, she furrowed her willow-leaf brows.

At that moment, Lu Jun looked over. Their eyes met across the distance, then turned away.

Nobody else knew, but Lu Jun did: Tang Yue had already reached Intermediate Level and had two Elements, the Fire Element and the Black Magic Shadow Element.