Wang Teng curled his lips, his face darkening further. If he hadn't read the original work, he might genuinely have suspected that this girl was pulling some kind of advanced-level mockery.
With just a few sentences, she had set him up as the school's negative example. By the law of conservation, that meant she herself instantly became the school's angel.
If he actually cared about empty reputation, he probably would've confronted her on the spot.
Down below, Xu Zhaoting's eyes were red with emotion. He was deeply moved—his goddess had spoken up for him. That alone felt like the greatest blessing imaginable.
He could even choose to forgive Wang Teng's earlier rude behavior.
Out of the corner of his eye, Wang Teng had been watching Tang Yue the entire time. At this moment, her eyes were filled with amusement, nearly squinting shut from holding back laughter.
Mu Ningxue wasn't stupid either. Sensing something off and seeing the reactions around her, she immediately realized she'd gone a bit too far.
In one move, she'd placed herself on the moral high ground, turning the other party into her stepping stone—crushing him into the dust. In essence, it wasn't much different from how he'd just laughed at Xu Zhaoting.
In fact, it was even worse.
After all, Wang Teng's laughter might have been unintentional—Xu Zhaoting's words really were a bit funny. But her words were different.
She already had overwhelming popularity and adoration. Now, her image had been elevated even further.
"Alright, Ningxue. Let's go. There's no need to converse with this kind of person."
Mu Zhuoyun, an old fox if there ever was one, immediately saw through Mu Ningxue's state. He wanted to salvage something, but this situation actually suited his intentions perfectly.
Mu Ningxue was already a living signboard for the Mu Family. Now that signboard had become even brighter—naturally, he was pleased.
As for Wang Teng, this student—since he'd already become a stepping stone, he might as well serve properly. Mu Zhuoyun had originally considered recruiting him.
But compared to Mu Ningxue as a brand, everything else was trivial.
As Mu Zhuoyun walked forward, the others followed along, and Mu Ningxue was swept away with them.
Wang Teng turned around indifferently and returned to his formation.
The assessment continued. Old Zhang glanced at Wang Teng, opened his mouth as if to say something, then closed it again.
After all, the school board members were still present—and Class 8 wasn't far away.
"Old Wang, you laughed at me earlier and seriously hurt my spirit. You owe me compensation!"
Once Mu Ningxue had walked a bit farther away, Xu Zhaoting immediately reached out, trying to sling an arm around Wang Teng—only to miss as Wang Teng dodged.
"Compensation for what?"
"I'm saying, if that tumor on your shoulder cooled down a bit, you wouldn't have gotten nothing out of this."
"Didn't you notice the changes in Zhou Min and Mu Bai?"
Wang Teng really couldn't be bothered to keep talking to him. They weren't on the same wavelength—half a sentence more and the conversation derailed.
The test was already over. At least, for him it was.
He'd originally thought he might still get a round of shocked gasps, but with the unexpected turn of events, everyone's attention had shifted entirely to Mu Ningxue.
Maybe later, after they calmed down, they'd realize that Mu Ningxue was just a dream—and that the real geniuses were the ones right beside them.
Xu Zhaoting was left completely stunned by Wang Teng's words.
What tumor on the shoulder? Wasn't the brain on the shoulder? Where did a tumor come from?
And why pay attention to those two?
Subconsciously, he looked toward Class 8. Mu Bai was currently taking the assessment. As for Zhou Min, he couldn't see her—blocked by the crowd.
By the time he came back to his senses, Wang Teng had already closed his eyes again, drifting off.
Xu Zhaoting's gaze flickered.
Wang Teng rarely spoke nonsense. Just like at the banquet last time—this time, though his words sounded unpleasant, they still carried information.
He replayed those words again and again, while trying hard to recall the changes Wang Teng mentioned in Mu Bai and Zhou Min.
Damn it… he couldn't recall anything at all.
He'd spent the past few days paying attention only to Old Wang, completely ignoring those two.
The two of them had both attended the banquet. Since Old Wang had said this much, then they must have gained something.
Both of them did.
So where did it come from?
From Old Wang? That didn't seem likely…
Unless…
"Damn it, talking to people who play mind games is exhausting!"
Xu Zhaoting cursed inwardly. Why not just say it outright? Why twist and turn, only saying half a sentence and leaving people to guess?
He really wanted to grit his teeth and, one night, throw a sack over this guy's head and beat him senseless—only then would he vent his frustration.
But soon, a huge commotion erupted from the neighboring class, instantly pulling his attention away.
Mo Fan was loudly cursing at a school board member, causing nearby onlookers to gasp in fear—like witnessing a madman sharpening his blade in the dead of night.
It was even more sensational than Wang Teng's earlier chuckle.
Xu Zhaoting carefully snuck a glance at Wang Teng, only to find that he didn't care about such things at all—as if the sky collapsing wouldn't even surprise him.
Oh, wait—
He had laughed at him earlier.
Time passed quickly, and the annual assessment finally came to an end.
All the major incidents from the school's annual assessment spread rapidly.
Those who hadn't seen it in person discussed it with relish.
First came Wang Teng laughing at his teammate Xu Zhaoting, prompting the princess to angrily declare, "I don't like it."
Then came Mo Fan loudly cursing Mu Zhuoyun, a school board member—sparking a mage duel two years later, completely blowing up the topic.
Blue Arc Apartments.
"Well, you're famous now—completely."
Tang Yue wore a form-fitting black floral dress. Paired with her rosy cheeks, she looked like a black rose blooming in the night.
"So what?"
"If this were before, I definitely wouldn't have done something so pointless."
"As for now—this little bit of attention isn't even worth my concern."
Wang Teng glanced at the table full of skewers, then picked up a chicken wing with a bit of char on it.
"If nothing unexpected happens, you'll probably be ranked first."
"Six S-grade evaluations—no one scored higher than you."
"I've heard that in the second year, there'll be an outdoor training assignment."
"Probably involves facing demons."
"I wonder if they'll piss themselves on the spot."
"Hehehe~"
Away from the public eye, Tang Yue revealed a slightly different side of herself. Faced with Wang Teng, who dared openly tease her, she showed much less restraint.
"Probably not."
"Demons won't follow instructions. If you throw this group in front of them, they'll most likely start crying for their parents—forget about casting spells."
"That'd end in mass casualties, which clearly exceeds training limits."
"If nothing unexpected happens, it'll probably be something like summoned beasts. That way, it stays controllable."
Wang Teng took a bite of the fragrant chicken wing, voicing a well-reasoned guess.
"Mm~ That actually sounds very plausible!"
Tang Yue's eyes lit up. It really was a good solution—same training effect, but with controllable risk.
Clink—
They tapped their glasses.
"Recently, I noticed that Zhou Min and Mu Bai from Class 8 have been acting very strangely."
"Do you know why?"
Tang Yue chewed on a piece of toasted bread thoughtfully, her gaze sizing up Wang Teng. She'd even investigated this matter deliberately.
Since Wang Teng himself was involved, it clearly wasn't a problem.
Tonight was a good chance to ask the person involved directly—what exactly was going on behind the scenes.