"Not interested."
Wang Teng looked at the supremely confident Tang Yue and decisively shattered her optimistic fantasy.
Opening her mouth with recruitment right away—this woman's sense of superiority was pretty strong.
Did she really think recruiting someone was as simple as casually saying a few words?
"…What?"
Tang Yue hadn't expected such a clean rejection. Surprise showed on her face. Still, considering he was only a student, she wanted to probe deeper.
"Can you explain why you're refusing?"
Wang Teng smiled and spoke calmly:
"First, from your tone, the Judgement Court mainly deals with combating heretical and evil mages."
"That means endless trouble. I know my own talent very well—at this stage, I can't afford to waste precious time running missions."
"Second—Teacher Tang Yue, you show up at my door and just say, 'Interested in joining us?'"
"Do you people work without pay?"
"Or are you planning to use people for free?"
"If you want me to join, that's not impossible…"
"How much are you paying?"
Wang Teng spoke with a worldly grin.
Trouble was still trouble—but if the benefits outweighed it, then it stopped being trouble and became opportunity.
In a world crawling with demons, he firmly believed there was no such thing as a free lunch.
After hearing this, Tang Yue felt relieved—but almost immediately sensed something was off.
Joining the Judgement Court was supposed to be an honor.
Why did it sound so cheap coming out of his mouth?
But when she thought about his talent, she had to admit that even without the Judgement Court, he could enter the academy system and still rise smoothly.
Talented people—so long as they didn't offend truly powerful figures—were welcome almost anywhere.
And resources really were the core issue.
No matter how gifted, without resources, time would eventually grind anyone down.
To be honest, if he went to Pearl Institute right now, being accepted through speciale Admission wouldn't be surprising at all.
Tang Yue leaned back on the sofa, fingers interlaced as she rubbed her hands together, her gaze drifting as she weighed gains and losses.
Wang Teng didn't press her. He lifted his wine glass, took a slow sip, and patiently waited.
The Judgement Court had risks—but none beyond what he could tolerate.
That place valued three things: strength, connections, and a sharp mind.
Especially the last—because there were always a few people inside whose thinking wasn't exactly… normal.
In the early stage, Tang Yue herself was a small but solid benefactor. She could help him get through his resource bottleneck.
In the mid stage, she could even help him secure the Black Totem Serpent—a top-tier bodyguard.
Unlike Mo Fan, once that serpent landed in his hands, he had no intention of ever giving it back.
As long as Tang Yue was tied to him, that big dumb snake would do whatever he said.
That alone would provide overwhelming security for his mid-to-late-game growth.
Zhu Meng was a good chess piece. If Luo Mian could use him, why couldn't Wang Teng?
So although his conditions sounded demanding, they were actually simple:
He wanted to attend Pearl Institute.
He didn't want to work.
And he wanted resources.
As for when he'd actually start working for the Judgement Court…
That could wait.
Plenty of time later. Plenty.
After a while, Tang Yue finally spoke, wearing a pained expression, as if she were about to suffer a major loss.
This decision wasn't easy.
She had authority—but Judgement Court rules were strict, far more restrictive than the Hunter Association or the academy alliances.
If she wanted this genius without violating regulations, the cost would come out of her own pocket.
"I agree to your conditions," she said.
"I'll provide the resources for advancing to Intermediate Tier. Attending the academy is fine."
"But—you must first become a probationary Judgement Officer under my supervision."
"After graduation, you must report to the Judgement Court immediately."
"And you may not accept invitations from any other organizations or noble families afterward."
"How about it?"
She stared at Wang Teng with burning intensity, a hint of smugness in her heart.
No matter how clever you are, you're still from a small city.
Your understanding is limited.
Resources, prestige, a high-status job—what reason could you possibly have to refuse?
For ordinary mages, resources for breaking into Intermediate Tier were priceless.
For her, they were acceptable losses.
Wang Teng hesitated slightly and licked his lips.
These resources were exactly what he needed.
But since she was already paying—asking for a bit more shouldn't be a problem, right?
"Fine. But I also want one set of Space Element resources."
"Preferably a Space Magic Crystal. If you can give me a Space Magic Diamond instead, I'll even offer an equivalent exchange."
He didn't want to push things this far—but Space Element resources were simply too rare.
And they were essential to the path he intended to walk.
After half a year of accumulation and research, he had a general direction.
Space-attribute demonic transformation.
Compared to elemental paths, Space corrosion was far weaker—sometimes even showing inert characteristics.
Elemental paths risked full elemental assimilation in the late stages, possibly losing human form entirely.
Elemental erosion was simply too violent.
Human bodies weren't born like demons. They couldn't handle that level of stimulation.
Dark Element carried hidden dangers—secondary option.
White Magic was out of the question.
Among dimensional paths, Space was the most versatile—and best suited his goals.
Once he passed the Servant-level transformation stage, everything afterward could be planned.
With his talent, the National Academy Competition was well within reach.
So many cultivation holy grounds would be waiting for him.
A demon entering those places—how could its growth not skyrocket?
At least as a Space-type demon, up to Commander level, bottlenecks wouldn't be the issue.
As long as magic energy was sufficient, advancement was straightforward.
Breaking into Monarch might require bloodline evolution—but that was a future concern.
"You—!"
"How do you even know about these resources? Space Magic Diamonds?!"
Tang Yue rolled her eyes violently.
Even many Super-Tier mages didn't know about Magic Diamonds.
Those were core materials for Forbidden Spells.
As for Space-attribute ones—forget her.
Even the Judgement Court didn't possess such treasures.
"Then what about a Space Magic Crystal?" Wang Teng asked eagerly.
"I have one," Tang Yue said through gritted teeth.
"But I can only give you one."
Her heart ached.
She was practically dumping her entire net worth into this kid.
Damn it—this brat was infuriating!
"Hahaha! Then I'll be relying on you from now on, Sister Tang Yue!"
Wang Teng was ecstatic, joy bursting across his face as he nearly went in for a hug.
Thankfully, he restrained himself—there was plenty of time ahead.
"A night like this deserves celebration!"
He brought over two more bottles of red wine, called a nearby restaurant to order a full meal set, and enthusiastically poured drinks for his newly acquired benefactor.
His service attitude was impeccable.