Wang Teng followed the class as they exited the classroom, watching the dense crowd in the corridor surge forward like a tide.
"Hey—what's your name?"
"I keep getting the feeling you've been staring at me."
Xu Zhaoting quietly fell back from the front of the line and moved beside Wang Teng.
Wang Teng frowned slightly. He really didn't feel like dealing with this unlucky kid.
The Lightning Element was eye-catching, sure—but it shouldn't be enough to draw the attention of the Black Vatican's trash just yet.
While he was still weak, he had no intention of attracting trouble he couldn't handle.
"It's nothing. You're overthinking it."
Wang Teng quickened his pace, slipping away from Xu Zhaoting and blending into the crowd.
"Tch—"
"Just putting on airs."
Xu Zhaoting felt a bit embarrassed. Fortunately, he hadn't awakened the Lightning Element yet, so that arrogance hadn't fully formed.
Finding it pointless, he stopped paying attention to that person. After all, he wasn't about to press his warm face against someone else's cold indifference.
What kind of fate awaited everyone later… no one knew yet.
…
On the sports field, after the principal's nearly two-hour-long *"briefly saying just two things,"* the long-awaited Magic Awakening finally began.
"Quiet!"
The noisy crowd fell instantly silent—especially over by Class 8, where a near-circus scene had almost broken out earlier.
Wang Teng hadn't joined in, but that didn't stop him from enjoying the show.
"The Awakening begins. When your name is called, step forward…"
As the process started, students craned their necks, stood on tiptoe, or tilted their heads, all trying to catch a glimpse of the front.
"Sun Yuan!"
"Water Element!"
"Yang Xin!"
"Wind Element!"
…
"Wang Teng!"
Hearing Zhang Jianguo call his name, Wang Teng stepped out of the line and walked forward.
"Come on. Place your hand on the palm imprint. Close your eyes and sense your spiritual world."
Zhang Jianguo gave the instructions with practiced ease. As one of the top ten students in Class 7 academically, Wang Teng was someone he had expectations for.
Wang Teng felt a slight surge of excitement. He placed his palm onto the Awakening Compass and closed his eyes.
Meditation was something he was already extremely familiar with. The moment he closed his eyes, his spiritual world appeared as a vast, tranquil blank—utterly still.
Then, an unusual fluctuation surged up his arm and rushed straight into his mind.
Wang Teng instantly caught it.
Deep within his spiritual world, he discovered a patch of transparent stardust. His heart tightened.
*This element…*
"Th-this… colorless?! What kind of magic element is this?!"
Zhang Jianguo's eyes widened. An element that almost never appeared—and he had run into it?
He rubbed his eyes hard and stared at the Awakening Stone. The magical glow was incredibly faint, nearly transparent.
Unwilling to give up, he focused intensely. Just as the Awakening was about to end, a clear wave of spiritual power rippled outward.
"It's the Psychic Element!"
Only now did Zhang Jianguo confirm it. The excitement in his eyes was practically overflowing.
He'd struck gold. His bonus was guaranteed.
"What?! Psychic Element?!"
"What even *is* a Psychic Element?"
"Is there such an element in magic?"
"It's not in elemental magic records!"
…
"Old Zhang, you've hit the jackpot!"
Teacher Xue from the neighboring class had already shifted his attention the moment Zhang Jianguo shouted. He hurried over and took a careful look himself.
Zhang Jianguo's face was flushed red with excitement, his smug satisfaction completely undisguised as he drank in Teacher Xue's envy.
"Oh, not necessarily… Your class isn't finished yet. Who knows—maybe you'll get a Space Element."
Teacher Xue rolled his eyes.
Space Element?
It was still daytime. No need to start dreaming yet.
"Student Wang, return to the line."
Zhang Jianguo didn't forget the ongoing Awakening. He spoke gently, smiling from ear to ear.
"Next—Xu Zhaoting!"
Wang Teng returned to the group with a composed joy. As he brushed past Xu Zhaoting, he caught the disbelief in the other's eyes.
Not just his—there were gazes all around him filled with envy, jealousy, and resentment.
"Psychic Element… damn."
Mo Fan glanced sideways at Wang Teng, who had already regained his calm expression. Mo Fan had been cramming magic theory lately and understood a fair bit by now.
If the Lightning Element was considered rare among elemental magic, then the Psychic Element was rare among the rare.
"Number 48—Mo Fan!"
Hearing his name, Mo Fan quickly stepped forward. No matter how strong-willed he was, nervousness crept in at this moment.
Teacher Xue had already given up hope. Having Mu Bai to carry his class's reputation was more than enough.
"Go on. Place your hand on the Awakening Compass and sense your spiritual world."
As he spoke, a sudden burst of deep purple light erupted from Class 7, accompanied by the crackling aura of lightning magic.
Teacher Xue's scalp went numb.
*Damn it—did Old Zhang step in dog shit this year?!*
"Lightning Element! My god!"
"Have mercy! Why did I get the Light Element?!"
"Ah!"
"Ah!"
"Ah!"
…
"Xu Zhaoting—Lightning Element!"
Zhang Jianguo was completely flushed now. His heart pounded wildly, his face beaming with joy, his eyes blazing with pride.
Compared to the mysterious Psychic Element, Lightning was far more *visibly* powerful.
The crowd erupted. Everyone's attention was drawn to Class 7's Lightning Element. The other homeroom teachers all wore faces filled with sour jealousy.
…
After school in the afternoon, the passage of a single day was enough for most people to calm down.
Once the Awakening ended and they returned to class, they were immediately met with attention—especially Wang Teng's mysterious Psychic Element and Xu Zhaoting's Lightning Element.
Naturally, they became the focal points of the class.
Xu Zhaoting wore a faintly proud expression almost the entire day.
This Awakening had truly changed his fate. The Lightning Element gave him more than enough confidence.
Wang Teng, on the other hand, remained low-key. He knew very clearly what he wanted. This was only the beginning.
Though he hadn't expected to awaken the Psychic Element, upon reflection it made sense—his spiritual power at this stage was simply too strong.
The Psychic Element was closely tied to spiritual strength within White Magic. As for the Space Element—that was a matter of luck.
Next time, he could use an Awakening Guidance Stone.
"I'll think about everything once I'm home."
Wang Teng started his electric scooter and shot off instantly.
"What's with that guy, rushing home like that?"
Xu Zhaoting exited the school as well. He had wanted to catch up and invite Wang Teng to a street stall for drinks.
After asking Teacher Zhang later, he finally learned just how rare the Psychic Element truly was—rarer even than his Lightning Element.
That stirred a competitive urge within him.
After all, in their class, only the two of them had awakened rare elements. The only person truly worth his attention was Wang Teng.
As for everyone else…
He would respect their individual fate.
"Even if you work hard, I won't fall behind!"
"I can work even harder!"
After muttering to himself, he turned and headed off in another direction.
Fortunately, Wang Teng had left quickly.
If he had known what Xu Zhaoting was thinking at that very moment, he would've run even faster—wishing never to cross paths with him again.