"No wonder you're able to perform One-Thought Star Track. In theory, this technique really can conserve a great deal of Spiritual Energy."
Teacher Xue wore an expression of sudden realization, though his words carried deeper meaning.
The phrase "in theory" was deliberately chosen—it was an abstract qualifier.
Zhou Min and Xu Zhaoting were completely lost, listening once yet feeling as if they'd heard nothing at all.
Mu Bai, however, looked thoughtful.
Old Zhang nodded as well, agreeing with Teacher Xue's assessment.
For ordinary people, the time they could actively control Star Particles ranged from three to five hours. This depended on meditation depth and willpower.
The time actually usable for real action would often be halved—and if someone lacked sufficient willpower, that halved time might be halved yet again.
All because of inefficient control, which wasted Spiritual Energy for nothing.
It was like herding sheep—forcing Star Particles into fixed nodes just to release magic. That process itself consumed energy inefficiently.
Teacher Xue cast a sharp glance at Wang Teng.
This kid only talked about the surface, he thought. He didn't touch the core issue at all.
Yes, a large amount of Spiritual Energy was wasted—but how to prevent that waste, how to act, how to precisely control Star Particles—he hadn't explained any of it.
At most, he'd provided a meditative contrast, using meditation as a reference point to let others sense the difference.
That was why Teacher Xue had used the phrase "in theory."
In his understanding, it was impossible for a person to meditate twenty-four hours a day and do nothing else.
That simply wasn't realistic.
Training for a few hours after dinner had always been the school's standard recommendation. Anything beyond that depended on individual effort, intelligence, and talent.
Someone like Wang Teng clearly fell into the talent category.
He definitely had a concrete, practical method.
Otherwise, reaching One-Thought Star Track through brute Spiritual Energy alone would require an absurd, ocean-like amount—completely unrealistic.
But it wasn't appropriate to ask further.
That kind of technique—even he wouldn't casually share it.
Giving a general direction was already generous.
So he didn't press the matter.
He understood everything clearly—but at least three people present had listened to absolutely nothing of value.
"Hey—can you stop fencing with words?"
"Old Wang, could you explain it in a way I can understand?"
"I understood every word, but put together, I didn't understand a single sentence."
"Come on—let's drink another round!"
Xu Zhaoting's face was now flushed red as he raised his cup of baijiu, clearly intent on clinking glasses.
Drink?
Wang Teng decisively grabbed the bottle and filled Xu Zhaoting's cup to the brim, upgrading it from a half cup to full. Then he filled his own.
Xu Zhaoting stared at the cup, his eyes flickering—then resolutely extended it toward Wang Teng.
"Cheers!"
"Cheers!"
Mu Bai immediately exclaimed, "Great drinking capacity!"
He then picked up the bottle and refilled both their cups again, smiling sincerely.
Inside, he was calculating a little—hoping Wang Teng might reveal a bit more.
After all, Wang Teng's life was even better than his.
Mu Bai still depended on the Mu Family, yet received limited resources.
Wang Teng, on the other hand, had stable monthly income.
There was no comparison.
"Eat, eat—don't just drink!"
"Drinking on an empty stomach gets you drunk easily. There's so much seafood—eat more, don't waste it."
Old Zhang came over to intervene, deliberately cutting off the topic.
It wasn't the final day yet.
He didn't want Wang Teng saying too much—what if students from Class 8 learned something and increased the number of people able to release magic?
That would be disastrous for him.
Zhou Min showed a regretful expression as she picked up a large shrimp from the hotpot.
She'd been waiting for Wang Teng to continue.
Night gradually fell.
By the time dinner ended, Wang Teng hadn't revealed anything more.
Old Zhang and Old Xue were both veterans.
Wang Teng had given them a direction—with their experience, it was entirely possible to infer some workable methods from it.
How much they could extract depended on their own ability.
In truth, they'd noticed such phenomena before—but never paid serious attention to them.
Now that they had a living example, the significance was completely different.
They could confidently research deeper, without fearing wasted effort or dead ends.
After all, this involved Spiritual Energy—something beneficial even to them.
"Xu Zhaoting, can you get home on your own?"
Zhang Jianguo walked them out, focusing particularly on Xu Zhaoting. The alcohol was hitting him now—he looked unmistakably drunk.
"No—no problem. I'll call a taxi. It's not too late yet."
Xu Zhaoting swayed slightly, pulled out his phone, and smoothly started booking a ride.
"Alright then. I'll head off too."
Wang Teng rode his electric scooter over. Seeing Xu Zhaoting still functional—and Old Zhang present—there was no need for him to stay.
"Alright, go on."
"I'll watch him."
Old Zhang waved him off.
Wang Teng nodded, twisted the throttle, and shot off—disappearing in moments.
"This kid…"
"Riding an electric scooter like it's a supercar."
Old Zhang watched him leave, old memories resurfacing. Back then, he'd loved speeding too.
Wang Teng rode without even turning on the headlights.
Bathed in moonlight, his movements were smooth like a roaming dragon as he wove through traffic.
With the physique of a Commander-level demon, this was trivial.
If he got off and ran, he might even be faster.
In just ten minutes, he left the bustling city center and reached the outskirts near the safety barrier of the old district.
Perhaps his riding was too flashy—so flashy that even demons couldn't stand it.
As he crossed a bridge, a black shadow suddenly leapt out!
Wang Teng's body tightened instinctively.
Using the scooter's momentum, he sprang upward, hanging mid-air.
His gaze sharpened—and he clearly saw the creature.
Blood-red eyes.
A massive rat, larger than a dog.
"Blood-Thirsty Demon Rat!"
"Steel Fist!"
Wang Teng clenched his fist.
Force surged around it as he smashed it straight into the rat's massive head.
Crack—crack—CRASH!
Bones shattered explosively.
The Blood-Thirsty Demon Rat was blasted backward at a right angle from its original trajectory, slamming down onto the bridge.
Bang!
Its head burst open like a smashed melon.
The body twitched twice—then went still.
"Huh?"
"An Essence Drop?"
Wang Teng landed, eyes lighting up as a bright green mote of light drifted from the corpse.
With a pull of Spiritual Energy, the Essence floated into his hand.
"This thing should be worth quite a bit."
"Better share it."
He took out his phone, opened WeChat, selected Tang Yue, switched to camera mode, and snapped a photo of the demon corpse and the Essence in his hand.
He sent it immediately—along with his location.
"Hmm? The Essence didn't show up?"
"Oh—right."
"I can only perceive Essence when I focus my mind. Phones don't have that feature."