Jing Wuji headed toward the school gate—he was going to find Ye Xinxia.
After the scene he had just caused, he was probably going to be expelled. But it didn't matter. As long as Mo Fan and the others were safe, attending school was optional for him. What mattered now was growing stronger—to survive the disaster that would come.
Without the slightest hesitation or sentimentality, Jing Wuji walked straight out of the school.
As soon as he stepped outside, he sensed a magical fluctuation from the shadows around him. He turned to look at his own shadow.
Sure enough, a moment later, Tang Yue emerged from it.
Startled to find him staring right at her, Tang Yue instinctively flinched, but then quickly returned to her usual cool, composed demeanor.
"You could sense my magical fluctuations?" she asked in surprise.
Seeing it wasn't an enemy, Jing Wuji simply replied, "Yes," and turned to leave.
Tang Yue's opinion of him rose once again.
What terrifying talent... He had sensed the magic ripple of a mid-tier mage using magic.
A mage's level—beginner, intermediate, advanced—wasn't defined solely by the amount of mana they possessed. It also depended on their control over it and their understanding of magic itself.
That's why Jing Wuji's talent was so extraordinary.
"Hey, what's the rush?" Tang Yue asked, catching up to him.
"…" Jing Wuji didn't respond.
"If you keep this up, I'll have no choice but to fulfill my duty as your teacher," Tang Yue warned, switching to her more authoritative tone.
"What? Wait around to be kicked out? I'm not up to anything. I just want to see Xinxia and then go home to continue meditating. Happy?" Jing Wuji snapped, annoyed, though he knew Tang Yue meant well.
"As your teacher, I must keep you from straying down the wrong path," she said seriously. Her eyes—bright like stars—shone with unshakable resolve.
"I'm about to get expelled, so you're not my teacher anymore. Stop following me." Jing Wuji was a bit touched by her concern but still rejected her help.
"But you haven't been expelled yet. So I'm still your teacher—and I have the right to guide a student teetering on the edge and pull him back to the right path."
"It's already too late."
The moment he'd acted, he knew what the consequences would be. But he didn't regret it. If he had to do it all over again, he still would.
Touch my reverse scale, and you die.
Ye Xinxia and Mo Jiaxing were his reverse scale. As for Mo Fan—he believed that guy could take care of himself.
"It's not too late. I'll take care of this. But you have to promise me one thing," Tang Yue said, her presence flaring once more with that fiery aura of hers.
The students of Class 8 had given her the nickname "Flame Witch"—not only was she strong, but she was also stunningly beautiful.
"Oh?" Jing Wuji hesitated. After all, hearing about his expulsion would upset Mo Jiaxing and Ye Xinxia.
"That one thing is—no matter what happens, never lose yourself."
Tang Yue had already seen it clearly: Jing Wuji barely had any personal desires. He didn't care about what he ate, what he wore, or where he lived. The only things he truly cared about were Ye Xinxia and Mo Jiaxing. If anything happened to them, Tang Yue believed Jing Wuji would go to any lengths—even step into darkness without hesitation.
"Alright. I promise," Jing Wuji replied without hesitation.
Hearing his agreement, a faint smile appeared on Tang Yue's face. She knew—this young man didn't make promises lightly. But when he did, he kept them.
"Then this won't count as skipping class," she said with a grin and slowly melted back into Jing Wuji's shadow—vanishing completely.
"Hold on to... yourself?" Jing Wuji murmured, his eyes slightly dazed.
He didn't know why Tang Yue would go this far for him. But he did know—this beautiful teacher's background was not simple.
Because what he had done just now was a crime—assaulting a mage.
If it had happened out in the wilderness, that would be one thing. But this was in the city. Given Mu Zhuoyun's status and Jing Wuji's actions, it wouldn't be hard to brand him as a member of the Black Church. If that happened, his only option would be to flee into the wild.
He had planned to see Ye Xinxia one last time, then disappear—only returning when disaster struck, to save her.
That Tang Yue could resolve all this… meant her influence ran deep.
Without thinking too much, Jing Wuji went to Mingwen Girls' High School to pick up Ye Xinxia. After helping her request a leave of absence, the two of them wandered around the city together.
They spent the entire day out, not returning until the sun dipped below the horizon. As the day ended, Jing Wuji escorted Ye Xinxia back to her school.
When he returned to the dorm, he opened the door to find Mo Fan rushing toward him for a hug.
"Jing Wuji, you stole the spotlight—but I gotta say, you were awesome!" Mo Fan patted him on the back with admiration.
Jing Wuji gave him a sideways glance and pushed him away, annoyed. "You're still thinking about that? The guy was going to go after Xinxia—of course, I had to warn him."
"He won't touch Xinxia, trust me. I know him too well. One day, he'll willingly marry off Mu Ningxue to me. So don't be mad," Mo Fan replied with a goofy grin as he leaned in again.
Jing Wuji pushed him aside and asked casually, "So how did it end?"
"He wants his adopted son to have a magic duel with me—on my eighteenth birthday. The loser has to bow to the winner."
"Train hard. Even if you lose, just don't die," Jing Wuji said, clearly a bit concerned.
"Relax. His adopted son? Not even worthy of making me break a sweat," Mo Fan replied with a confident grin that put people at ease.
Despite the bravado, Mo Fan immediately sat on his bed and began to meditate.
Seeing Mo Fan train so earnestly, Jing Wuji knew he didn't want to lose.
Worried that Mo Fan's ego might be getting too big, Jing Wuji felt reassured—and sat down to meditate himself.
…
Sure enough, Tang Yue had flawlessly resolved the incident. No one came looking for trouble with Jing Wuji.
However, students from Class 8 instinctively kept their distance from him now—not that it made much difference to him.
Before, it was indifference.
Now, it was fear.
…
The year-end assessment results were in: Jing Wuji, Mo Fan, and Zhang Xiaohou had all been placed into the elite class.
The elite class had about 100 students. They studied in large lecture halls and trained in the main training grounds.
Their practical course teacher was still Miss Tang Yue—rumored to be stronger than any other practical instructor in the school.
Jing Wuji could confirm that from sensing her mana alone.
Their homeroom teacher remained Xue Musheng, who was trying everything he could to step down from the position—after all, he now had two "dangerous individuals" in his class.
Life gradually returned to its usual calm, and the strength of both Jing Wuji and Mo Fan steadily improved.
One month later—
"Finally... it's time to receive our Stardust Magic Artifacts!"
Mo Fan had been waiting for this day for a long time.