Confrontation

Mo Xie stood at the back of the group, staring at the pile of debris on the ground as he thought to himself.

He had already reached the second level of the Beginner rank. One glance told him that Tang Yue's spell had not been the first-level Burn, but the second-level Burning Bones.

She was an Intermediate Mage, after all. Whether it was her mastery of Fire Burst or the power she unleashed, he was no match for her.

They could both cast Burning Bones, yet his was a tongue of flame while Tang Yue's was a pillar of fire.

"All right, which of you are Fire Element students? Let me make a note."

Tang Yue seemed unfazed by the students' admiring gazes and carried on with her lesson.

"I'm a Fire Element student."

Zhou Min stepped forward, her eyes fixed on Tang Yue.

At first, Zhou Min had disliked her. What kind of teacher dressed so provocatively and spoke in such a soft, lovely voice?

But after seeing Tang Yue cast that Fire Burst, Zhou Min's opinion changed completely. Admiration welled up inside her.

Zhou Min's mother was a teacher too, but she was certain her mother could not do what Teacher Tang Yue had done.

Not with that commanding presence, that skill, that precision, or that power!

"I am! Me too, Teacher Tang Yue! I'm a Fire Element student!"

Another boy who had awakened the Fire Element jumped forward excitedly.

"T-Teacher, I'm Fire... Fire Element too."

A young boy with a slight stutter stepped forward. The moment his eyes met Teacher Tang Yue's, his whole face turned red.

"Don't stop me! I'm going to the roof! Why didn't I awaken the Fire Element? Why?"

A boy who had awakened the Water Element wailed nearby.

Tang Yue swept her gaze over them. Only four Fire Element students in the whole class. That was rather few.

But it could not be helped. Bo City was only a small city, incomparable to the major cities.

Judging by their auras, only the girl named Zhou Min seemed particularly talented, and her cultivation was progressing well too.

From what Tang Yue had observed, the most talented and advanced students in the class were Mo Fan and Mu Bai, the Lightning Element and Ice Element students.

Zhang Xiaohou of the Wind Element was making good progress. Zhou Min came next.

The only uncertainty was Mo Xie...

Tang Yue glanced toward Mo Xie at the edge of the group, considering something.

She quietly released her spiritual power, intending to probe Mo Xie's Spiritual World.

The next instant, her pupils contracted. Her beautiful eyes widened as she stared, unblinking, at Mo Xie, who looked as though nothing had happened.

Tang Yue had only wanted to sense his approximate cultivation level, but she could not detect it at all.

It was as if Mo Xie were shrouded in black cloth, hiding everything beneath it.

There were roughly three ways to prevent someone from probing one's cultivation.

The first was for the person being probed to have a far higher cultivation level than the one probing them, allowing them to keep another's spiritual power out of their Spiritual World.

The second was to have a sufficiently high level of spiritual power. That could prevent it as well.

The third was some special Magic Tool that could conceal one's cultivation.

Tang Yue could not tell which explanation applied to Mo Xie.

Still, she had prepared for the worst.

Had he used a special Magic Tool to hide his cultivation, or...

Tang Yue regained her composure and looked away, though a faint sharpness remained in her eyes.

"By the way, if any of you manage to gain complete control of all seven stars, you can come see me privately. I'll make time to give you some extra guidance."

The classroom erupted in howls of excitement!

Mastering seven stars instantly became everyone's goal.

"I'm almost at seven stars. Just wait for me, Teacher Tang Yue..."

"Really? How many can you control?"

"Two."

"Get lost!"

"What a joke. He's showing off with two? Mu Bai can already control six stars. He'll be at seven soon."

Zhao Kunsan looked at them with disdain.

"Damn, Mu Bai's that good?"

"S-Six stars? How does he even train? That's incredible!"

"I heard the strongest Lightning Element student in the school, the one in Class Seven, has only just mastered five stars."

Hearing the discussion around him, Zhang Xiaohou spoke up for his big brother.

"Brother Fan has mastered six stars too. He'll be casting magic any day now!"

"Whoa, does that mean our class has two students who can do it?"

"You counted wrong. There are three. You forgot Mo Xie."

"Oh, right."

It had been about eight months since they awakened their magic.

Mo Fan had twice as much time to cultivate, while Mu Bai had the Mu Family's resources. It would have been strange if they had not reached six stars.

Zhang Xiaohou was talented and had mastered five stars.

It was also worth mentioning that Zhao Kunsan had mastered four stars through sheer persistence.

Tang Yue kept her gentle smile. Her first lesson had clearly gone well today; the students' enthusiasm for learning was soaring.

"That's all for today's practical magic lesson... Mo Xie, come to my office."

Mo Xie was rubbing his chin as he studied the ashes on the ground. Hearing his name, he froze for a moment.

He looked up, but all he saw was Tang Yue's shapely figure walking away. He had no choice but to follow.

In her private office, Tang Yue sat down and crossed her legs, which were clad in black stockings.

A captivating smile curved her red lips as she regarded Mo Xie with amusement in her foxlike eyes.

Mo Xie closed the office door behind him and stood before her desk, looking at her in confusion.

"Teacher Tang Yue, did you need something?"

Tang Yue gave him an alluring smile and parted her lips.

"Mo Xie, it's been about half a year since we last met."

"Yes. I never expected the person I saved half a year ago to come teach at Tianlan Magic High School, let alone become my teacher."

"I still have to thank you for saving me."

"With your strength, Teacher, those thugs would never have been a match for you. I only got in the way."

Mo Xie shook his head and spoke calmly.

"Then... I'd like to ask you something. How were you able to use magic half a year ago?"

Tang Yue, gentle a moment before, now looked stern, her eyes flashing coldly.

Mo Xie narrowed his eyes slightly and let confusion show on his face.

"Teacher, I don't understand what you mean. I had only just awakened my magic that day."

"Mo Xie, please answer honestly. You can't fool me about the fluctuation of magical energy when you made your move."

"Did you come into contact with some forbidden art, something like the Black Vatican, or..."

"Are you a member of the Black Vatican yourself?"

Tang Yue uncrossed her legs and stood, bracing both hands on the desk. She fixed her eyes on Mo Xie, a stern aura radiating from her.

To her astonishment, a smile tugged at Mo Xie's lips, as though he were struggling not to laugh.

At that moment, he looked just like a villain whose cover had been blown.

"Hahaha... I'll admit, that's pretty funny."

Mo Xie lowered the hand covering his face. His expression went blank.

"Did it occur to you that I might be unusually gifted, or that I awakened early?"

"Stop making excuses. You could already cast magic with ease back then. An extra two months wouldn't have been enough. And if that were true, why are you only saying so now?"

"Fair enough. But it's my secret. Why would I tell a stranger?"

Mo Xie had no desire to say more. He turned to leave.

"Wait. You may be involved with the Black Vatican. I have the right to hand you over to the Judgment Hall!"

"I don't know why an Intermediate Mage like you came to a little place like Bo City to teach, but let me warn you: don't mess with me."

Mo Xie gripped the door handle and looked back at Tang Yue coldly.

"You..."

The only answer she received was the heavy thud of the door closing.