I am a necromancer, and I absolutely love America.

Richard stood alone under the tree, pointed to a starling on the tree, and attempted to activate the Painful Touch.

A gentle breeze was blowing.

He vaguely felt a surge of energy at his fingertips, which subsided as if it couldn't find an outlet.

The starlings did not react.

Richard checked the panel; his magic power was still 1 point, and had not been depleted.

The spell failed.

Too far?

Or is it considered not to be contact if it's just through the air?

Or perhaps the pain of touch is ineffective on animals?

Richard was about ten meters away from the starling.

He moved closer and tried again, but failed once more.

Richard continued to approach, continued to test, getting closer and closer.

Eventually, perhaps because they were too close, the starlings sensed a threat.

Immediately afterwards, a flock of starlings took flight in a dense, dark mass, soaring to the distant trees.

Richard's eyes gradually brightened.

After numerous tests, he finally made some discoveries.

Each time I use the Touch of Pain, the magic within me seems to transform into an invisible tentacle, extending from my fingertips and skin!

However, the spell apparently failed, and the tentacles quickly retracted.

Because the tentacles were invisible, Richard didn't know how far these invisible tentacles could extend, but he was basically certain that the so-called contact of the Touch of Pain was not with his own fingers, but with that invisible tentacle!

Just then, another starling flew back and landed on a branch directly above Richard's head, tilting its head to look at him. It was no more than 3 meters away from Richard.

Richard took a deep breath, calmed himself down, and slowly stretched out his hand, pointing to the starlings above his head.

A painful touch!

A surge of power erupted, and invisible tentacles instantly shot out from the fingertips.

The next second, the starling froze, every feather trembling violently, unable to control its body, and fell from the tree.

Magic power reduced to zero, spellcasting successful!

The starling fell heavily to the ground, struggled a few times, and then lay motionless, as if it had fainted.

Sure enough, no direct physical contact is needed! Richard's lips curled into a slight smile.

"Ding! You have explored the Touch of Pain and independently learned the prerequisite skill for Touch of Pain, Magic Hand."

"【Magic Hand】: You can release a tentacle made of magic, which can freely switch between reality and illusion. Maximum distance: 3.7 meters. Magic consumption: 1 point of magic is consumed every 10 seconds, minimum consumption is 1."

"A new skill!" Richard exclaimed in delight. Before he could even begin to study the new skill, Brandon's excited voice drifted over from afar:

"OMG! Richard! You still say you can't use electric acupressure!"

Richard was speechless.

Where did this kid come from?

Brandon, like a crazed monkey, jumped toward Richard while clutching his head and screaming exaggeratedly.

"COOL! Thai pants are hot!"

"Oh no! This poor little bird is dead!"

"Richard! How did you do that?"

Richard probed:

"Uh...would you believe me if I said it was just a coincidence?"

"Hey! Bro! My GPA is definitely below 5, but I'm not stupid! You just pointed, and the bird fell down!"

"One-Finger Zen!" Brandon said with absolute certainty. "I've seen that TV drama from Tokyo University! This is One-Finger Zen!"

Holy crap! What on earth did you learn?! Richard was in a real bind.

"Hey! My bro knows kung fu!" he shouted excitedly to his classmates in the distance, who looked at him like he was an idiot.

Richard shrugged:

"You might as well say I'm a superhero. Quiet down! Don't let anyone else hear!"

"I understand! I understand!" Brandon covered his mouth, made a zipper gesture, and said in a high-pitched voice, barely able to contain his excitement:

"The kung fu masters at Tokyo University all prefer to keep a low profile! I understand!"

Richard sighed:

"Okay, I admit it, I know kung fu."

Brandon kept his mouth tightly shut, jumped high into the air, and swung his right fist violently.

See what I said!

Kung Fu truly exists in this world!

"Teach me! You must teach me!"

Richard shook his head firmly. "I don't even know how to do it myself, how can I teach you?"

"Oh, I understand, in the East, one must kneel to become a disciple."

Thump! Brandon knelt down as soon as he finished speaking, and Richard had no idea what the guy was thinking.

Brandon stared at Richard with incredibly sincere eyes:

"Please, Master Richard, teach me kung fu!"

The students in the distance were terrified.

"Look! Brandon's been beaten to his knees by Richard!"

"Let's get going!"

"That Eastern kid is really cruel!"

"He's not as good as the old David!"

......

Richard covered his face:

"What the hell have you been watching all this time?! Get up right now!"

Brandon jumped to his feet, his eyes filled with longing and an unwavering determination.

I hate kung fu fans! Richard sighed:

"Okay, I can teach you."

Brandon was overjoyed and said with a determined look:

"A day spent thinking of you, a lifetime spent protecting you! I understand!"

Richard's lips twitched slightly:

"Let me make this clear first: your aptitude is too poor. You might never learn acupressure even if you practice your whole life."

"Impossible!" Brandon said confidently.

"I'm definitely a kung fu genius! I'll definitely become a kung fu master! I'll be the next Bruce Lee!"

Okay, whatever makes you happy.

So what should I teach him to fool him a little?

Just fool me until I go to college.

Brandon definitely won't get into an Ivy League school.

Richard pondered for a moment:

"First, practice the basics, which is the horse stance."

Richard casually struck a pose and pulled out some intimidating sentences from online novels to fool people:

"This is the horse stance; you should feel like you're squatting like a horse."

"A horse suddenly appeared?" Brandon looked completely bewildered.

"How do I squat?"

Richard calmly replied:

"Imagine yourself riding a horse, your body rising and falling with the momentum, integrating the power of riding into yourself. It can only be understood intuitively, not explained in words; you will experience it as you practice."

Brandon tried squatting for a few seconds, then grimaced.

"This is too difficult. How long did you practice, Master?"

Richard, hands behind his back, was spouting nonsense:

"I started practicing martial arts as a child, and it took me six years to complete my training."

Brandon did not back down; instead, his face was resolute.

"I don't have my master's talent, but I'm sure I can master it in 10 years!"

Richard waved his hand dismissively, looking exasperated.

"Qi originates from the root. When you feel the Qi, you have mastered it."

Fine, do whatever you want with your training. Anyway, squatting in a horse stance is good for your health.

I'll admit defeat if you can cultivate internal energy!

Richard picked up the starling; its body was slightly warm, so it was probably still alive, though it had likely been knocked unconscious after falling from the tree.

Released!

The painful touch ended silently.

The starling recovered immediately and struggled to stand up.

Sunlight filtered through the tree canopy, casting dappled shadows on Richard and forming a bright spot on his palm, like a spotlight.

The starling fluttered its wings and flew away in a panic from Richard's palm. Richard's face was in shadow as he slightly raised his head to look in the direction the starling had flown away, his calm expression filled with mystery.

Seeing this, Brandon became even more convinced that Richard knew the One-Finger Divine Skill.

This is clearly a method to release the pressure points.

I'm sure I can master it too!

Richard clapped his hands:

"It's almost time, let's go attend the congressman's event."

......

15:25 minutes.

A stretch Lincoln drove into the campus and parked next to the auditorium.

Brian Anderson clutched his heart, his breathing becoming rapid.

He was 68 years old, and in order to show his friendliness to young people, he specially wore a light-colored casual suit, unbuttoned and open, without a tie, looking like an old man next door.

However, physical aging will not change just because he dresses younger.

Assistant Doug helped him up:

"Mr. Anderson? If you are not feeling well, you can ask the school to cancel today's event."

Brian paused for a moment before speaking firmly:

"No way! The election prospects are terrible this year, and this school is my territory; it's extremely important!"

"But......"

"No buts! That bastard Marty keeps attacking my age, I can't give him the chance! It's just an old problem, nothing to worry about! The event will proceed as scheduled. I've won seven times in District 6! I'll definitely win again this year!"

"OK, you're the boss, you're in charge."

Brian took a deep breath, opened the door, and got out of the car.

As soon as he stepped out of the car, his expression changed; he became kind, friendly, and full of approachability.

Flashbulbs went off as reporters, who had been waiting in advance, began taking pictures.

George Smith personally came to greet him:

"Mr. Anderson!"

Brian flashed his signature smile, revealing six impeccably maintained, snow-white teeth:

"Principal Smith!"

The two shook hands and faced the reporters.

Click.

Click.

The flash went off again.

After exchanging a few more pleasantries, the two sides entered the auditorium.

The auditorium was already full of students.

Brian walked past the front row, quickly shaking hands with the carefully selected student representatives and teachers in the first row, saying a few words of encouragement to each of them.

Let the reporter take a few more photos.

Once Brian was sure that most people's attention was on him, he walked up to the podium and said in a loud voice:

"Dear students, hello! I'm Brian Anderson, and like you, I graduated from Francis Lewis High School. It's a pleasure to be here with you all today and spend this wonderful afternoon together."

......