For the girl, she originally loved the morning.
Watching the sun rise from the other side of the horizon, its dazzling radiance tore through the night, enveloping the land once more. It made her feel as if the world was reborn and filled her with joy.
But now, Shana was not in such a mood at all.
No, it should be said that no one would be in a good mood if they were thrown into a cold mud pit early in the morning.
“Stand up, look at me.”
Looking at Shana lying on the ground, Fang Zheng’s expression remained unchanged.
“Remember, combat and slaughter are different, you need to calculate and make choices between them, and this does not refer to the combat itself. Rather, these are the problems that need to be considered before the battle, thereby deciding your course of action. It’s wrong to exert full force even when a lion fights a rabbit because if you truly did so, who knows, you might exhaust yourself and step on a venomous snake lurking in the grass. Remember, the goal of the battle, the purpose, and then choose the means!”
This was the combat experience Fang Zheng had learned in the Main World from Shi Dong and Rex, and now, he was teaching it all to the girl before him.
“Whether they are enemies that need to be struck or defeated, are they targets that need to be eliminated at all costs, or can they be spared for the time being to be dealt with later? You need to judge the strength of both sides through combat and then make a decision.”
Shana was strong, but in Fang Zheng’s view, her strength was limited to within the fight. Even though the girl liked to demonstrate her dominance through relentless continuous attacks during combat, this was meaningless for Fang Zheng as a mage.
If you were to make a comparison, then Shana was like Luu Bu, fearless and unmatched, capable of charging in and out of enemy ranks seven times alone. But what of it? Overall, she was still failing, and this kind of failure was beyond human recovery. At this moment, Shana was just such. She focused on finding advantages in the combat itself, neglecting the broader situation, and thus was completely manipulated by Fang Zheng.
“Uhh...!”
Hearing Fang Zheng speak, Shana flipped over and stood up, then gripped the blade in her hand once more, staring at Fang Zheng.
“Combat and war are the same, you need to know what the enemy’s purpose is, then prevent the enemy from achieving that purpose, thus achieving your own purpose. For example...”
While speaking, Fang Zheng once again raised the Sky-Cleaving Sword in his hand.
“You can guess whether the next strike I make will use magic or if I’ll directly charge to slash you. I give you three seconds to choose.”
It was an attack!
As soon as Fang Zheng’s words ended, Shana immediately took up a defensive posture. She trusted the blade in her hands exceptionally, as just moments ago, with the help of this sharp edge, Shana had successfully broken Fang Zheng’s released Magic Missile. This made Shana confident at this moment too, sure that the opponent’s strange spells would also be destroyed by the blade in her hands. Thus, her opponent’s actions became very clear.
However, what Shana did not expect was that the first thing that caught her eye was a dazzling white light.
“Ugh—————!!”
Faced with the sudden blinding brilliance, Shana instinctively closed her eyes, and at that moment, she suddenly sensed something was very wrong.
No good!!
*Clang!!*
But before Shana could react, a strong shock came from the blade in her hand, and under the attack of this powerful force, the longsword suddenly slipped from her hand, and she herself was sent flying backwards, hitting the ground hard. Right after, the girl felt the cold blade pressed against her neck.
“Wrong answer, I not only released a Flash Spell, but also gave you a slash.”
“You, you didn’t say that just now!”
Shana defiantly reopened her eyes, and at this moment her vision was still blurry, only glimpsing a figure vaguely.
“Right, I indeed didn’t say that just now, but... why didn’t you think about it?”
Looking at the girl before him, Fang Zheng sheathed his longsword and shrugged.
“Remember, I am your enemy now, and then I gave you a choice, so think carefully, why must you do what your enemy says? If the enemy only allows you to go east or west, won’t you think about looking north and south? I give you a choice and you choose, such obedient enemies, I could easily defeat them by the dozen.”
“Uhh...”
Facing Fang Zheng’s words, Shana bit her lower lip, at a loss for words.
“Alright, we’ll stop here for today.”
Looking at the girl whose head and face were covered in mud, Fang Zheng grinned slightly, then put away the Sky-Cleaving Sword.
“Go take a bath, and then come for breakfast.”
“I don’t need to bother, just by using the Fire of Purification to cleanse...”
“No.”
But before Shana could finish, Fang Zheng cut her off.
“This is a request from the victor, you as the loser have only to comply, now go, wash up properly. Reflect on how you lost while bathing, thinking more won’t hurt.”
“Alright...”
And hearing Fang Zheng’s words, Shana blushed and huffed softly, then stood up and walked toward the apartment building without looking back.
Slapping then offering a sweet date, this tactic truly never fails.
After the transaction was completed, Shana, under the identity of “Hirai Enishi,” lived in the room next to Fang Zheng’s apartment. Since the family of Hirai Enishi had already been devoured by the Followers of the Crimson Realm, no one minded. To outsiders, perhaps Hirai Enishi had always lived there, with no change at all.
Originally, Fang Zheng had proposed training after school, but whether it was for revenge or to tease Fang Zheng, Shana chose to disturb his sleep at dawn, proclaiming the righteousness of “early to bed, early to rise makes one healthy.”
So, don’t blame Fang Zheng for being ruthless.
After all, waking up grumpy is serious business.
“Whoosh...”
Warm water cascaded down, washing away the mud sticking to her body, feeling this refreshing sensation, Shana took a deep breath and closed her eyes.
Impressive.
Although at first, she indeed harbored the idea of playing tricks on him, after these days of teaching, Shana had to admit that Fang Zheng was far more formidable than she had imagined. During her time at the Heavenly Dao Palace, she had undergone countless rigorous trainings, but at that time, to Shana, fighting was just fighting, nothing more. As long as she concentrated on the battle, she could win.
But with Fang Zheng, she discovered a whole new world.
Fighting was not just about the clash of weapons, but also a duel of minds.
And just now, she experienced this personally once again.
“Aralastor.”
“What is it, Shana?”
Upon hearing Shana’s call, the pendant outside the shower asked.
“How do you find Fang Zheng?”
“Very impressive.”
In response to the inquiry, the Demon King of the Crimson Realm gave a positive answer.
“If previously I thought his power was merely strong, I now retract that view. It’s not just his power; that man is strong in every respect.”
“How about compared to Wilhelmina?”
Unconsciously, the girl compared the man to the existence that had raised her, acting as both a teacher and a mother. Although she vaguely had an answer in her heart, she was not sure.
Aralastor was silent for a while before finally giving an answer.
“As a nurturer, she tried hard.”
This time, Shana said nothing.
The following period was as usual; Shana and Fang Zheng went to school together. Perhaps due to Fang Zheng’s influence, Shana was no longer as rude to the other teachers as she had initially been, but whenever there was something amiss, she would immediately speak up to correct it. Gradually, the teachers’ reaction to Shana also began to change. Initially regarded as just a troublesome student, they soon started seeking advice from her. After all, teachers are ordinary people, and facing the opportunity to improve themselves, they naturally wouldn’t let it slip away. Because of this, the atmosphere in Fang Zheng’s class had become much more harmonious.
After school... the two returned to the riverside clearing in front of the apartment.
However, this time the roles were reversed, Fang Zheng, as a student, began learning to manipulate and use Sealing, while Shana became the teacher.
But...
“Can’t you explain it a bit clearer?”
Fang Zheng, helplessly putting down his hand, looked at the girl standing not far beside him.
“What do you mean ‘close your eyes, feel the flow, and then just release it with a bang’... Do you think this is a bomb?”
“So annoying, so annoying, so annoying!!”
Upon hearing Fang Zheng’s complaint, Shana’s face turned red, and she stomped her feet as she shouted.
“It’s your own comprehension that’s poor, it’s not my fault!”
“...Mr. Aralastor?”
“...uh... cough cough...”
Perhaps not expecting his Contractor to be so incompetent, the Demon God of the Crimson Realm also seemed a bit embarrassed.
“Sorry, for us ‘Demon Kings of the Crimson Realm,’ manipulating the Power of Existence is an innate talent. Even if you ask me to explain it, I wouldn’t know how to describe it right away. Moreover, the ‘nature’ of the Power of Existence varies from person to person. Everyone’s Power of Existence is different in nature and manifests in different ways...”
So it’s pretty much like the Power of the Star Spirits.
Hearing this, Fang Zheng couldn’t help but recall that the powers in the Main World were also like this, according to Shi Dong. Each person has different characteristics, so the ways they use the Power of the Star Spirits vary too.
Could they be the same thing, just called differently?
Why not give it a try?
Thinking this, Fang Zheng was suddenly eager. In the Main World, he only used the Power of the Star Spirits when releasing magic; other skills depended mainly on the power of the Soulstone. He didn’t understand it very well, but now... Anyway, trying wouldn’t hurt, would it?
“Forget it... I’ll have a look first.”
While speaking, Fang Zheng closed his eyes.
As Shana described, first feel the flow of power... This was not difficult, Fang Zheng could feel his power coursing through his body, like a serene river. This was his Power of the Star Spirits, representing the true essence of Fang Zheng’s stardom.
Then, feel the power resonate with the vibrations of this world.
“Thump thump... thump thump...”
Somewhat vaguely, Fang Zheng indeed felt a presence, as if his own heartbeat was about to align with a larger heartbeat, stabilize, and form the same wave. Then...
Now is the time!
Fang Zheng opened his eyes and looked ahead.
“Sealing.”
The next moment, the world changed.

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