High-level martial arts: Long spear with black flames to suppress demons.

Having explored enough, it was nearly 9:30. The two left the library and walked along the connecting corridor towards the main teaching area of ​​the magic department.

The class was held in a spacious, suspended pavilion.

This was a huge tiered classroom that could hold more than 300 people, and it was already packed with people, with mage robes and casual clothes of various colors mixed together.

As soon as Shen Chang'an and Li Xiwan reached the classroom door, they saw Bai Yin and Ji Lin, who had come early to reserve seats.

However, Ji Lin is not alone.

Standing beside him was a young woman dressed in a dark blue, fitted mage robe. She wore exquisite gold-rimmed glasses, was about 1.7 meters tall, and had a slender figure. Her long, straight, jet-black hair cascaded over her shoulders, and she exuded a mature aura.

At this moment, Ji Lin was fanning himself with a folding fan when he said something that made the woman cover her mouth and chuckle. The atmosphere between the two seemed very harmonious.

Baiyin, on the other hand, stood far away from the two of them like a punching bag, with a lollipop in her mouth and a look of disgust on her face.

Seeing Shen Chang'an and Li Xiwan approaching, Bai Yin immediately ran over as if she had found her pillar of support, pointing angrily at Ji Lin, who was still displaying his peacock-like plumage.

"What's going on?"

Shen Chang'an asked in a low voice.

"Boss, Ji Lin is shameless!"

Bai Yin leaned close to Shen Chang'an's ear and whispered "cricket chirp."

"The girl next to him is the teaching assistant he met during his Principles of Management class at 8 a.m.! In just one class, he managed to hook her up with the magic department! Apparently, she's a graduate student and also one of our Night Town Division members."

Upon hearing Bai Yin's complaint, Ji Lin finally noticed the two approaching. He led the girl to greet them.

"Chang'an, Li, you've arrived."

"Let me introduce you. This is Pei Shuyi, a second-year graduate student from the School of Economics and Management, and also a senior member of our Zhenye Division."

"Hello, senior, my name is Shen Chang'an."

Shen Chang'an nodded politely in greeting.

Pei Shuyi adjusted her gold-rimmed glasses, her gaze sweeping over Shen Chang'an before she smiled gently, "Junior Shen, you're too kind. Your name is now legendary. You swept through the freshmen at the start of the semester, even declaring you'd take on any student one-on-one. This is going viral not only among the freshmen but also among us upperclassmen."

"Is there?"

Shen Chang'an touched his nose.

"These are all rumors, exaggerated."

"Class is about to start, senior, let's go inside and find a seat."

Ji Lin seized the opportunity to interrupt the small talk, made a very gentlemanly "please" gesture, and then led Pei Shuyi straight to an empty seat on the other side of the classroom.

Watching the two walk away side by side, Shen Chang'an couldn't help but mutter a complaint.

"This kid... he's completely let go of his act now that he's free from his sister's control. It's only been two days since school started, and he's already hooking up with a senior so quickly."

"bite--"

The school bell echoed in the spacious rooftop classroom.

An elderly man wearing a faded gray-blue robe walked slowly in through a small door on the side of the podium, his hands behind his back.

The old man looked to be at least seventy years old, with gray hair, but his back was ramrod straight, and his slightly cloudy eyes revealed a sharp, authoritative presence.

Shen Chang'an habitually scanned a trace of his senses.

"Six Realms...Spirit Abyss Realm!"

Moreover, judging from the fluctuation of spiritual energy, this old man is definitely a seasoned expert who has been stuck in the sixth realm for many years!

The old man stood on the platform, his sharp gaze sweeping over the more than three hundred freshmen below like a hawk, finally landing on the dozens of people who were not wearing the uniform of the magic department.

This included Shen Chang'an, who was dressed casually.

"I am Jiang Wen, the main instructor of this course, 'The Origin and Evolution of Magic'."

The old man spoke slowly, his voice not loud, but it clearly reached everyone's ears.

"In my class, we need to follow the rules. Everyone has to change into the prescribed clothes. Today is a small punishment to serve as a warning."

As soon as Jiang Wen finished speaking, he casually flicked his right hand in the air.

There was no chanting or pre-coil movement.

Dozens of nearly transparent wind blades instantly tore through the air and precisely locked onto the dozens of freshmen who were not wearing uniforms!

"Swish, swish, swish!"

A series of subtle cutting sounds rang out.

Li Xiwan only felt a gentle breeze brush past her ear, and the boys in front of her let out terrified gasps. A strand of their bangs or sideburns had been cleanly severed by this invisible wind blade and floated onto the table!

If the wind blade were to move down an inch further, it wouldn't be cutting through their hair, but rather their eyeballs or throats!

The entire classroom fell silent instantly, everyone stunned by the intimidating presence of this sixth-realm expert.

And in the back row.

Shen Chang'an didn't even lift his eyelids as the miniature wind blade hurtled straight toward his face. He simply raised his right hand and flicked his finger in mid-air.

"Smack."

He shattered the wind blade with pure physical strength.

Besides Shen Chang'an, there were a few other geniuses in the classroom who managed to barely block the attack, either by using rapidly condensed spiritual energy shields or some kind of protective magic artifact.

The turbulent air lifted the skirts of some girls wearing dresses, and Shen Chang'an quickly glanced at them, muttering, "Was this teacher doing it on purpose or accidentally?"

Bai Yin pinched his arm.

"When you were staring intently under your skirt just now, did you ever think about your childhood dream of becoming a scientist?"

Without batting an eye, he said, "Then scientists would need a magnifying glass to examine it."

Jiang Wen's gaze lingered on Shen Chang'an for a moment, a hint of admiration flashing in his eyes, but his face remained serious and unsmiling.

"This is just a small warning."

"If anyone still thinks their casual clothes are more effective than the magic resistance uniform of the spell department in the next class, don't blame me for cutting the wrong spot with my wind blade."

After giving him a warning, Jiang Wen turned around and wrote two large characters on the blackboard: Magic.

"Now, let's begin class."

"Everyone knows that the fundamental essence of magic is the practitioner's use and recombination of the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, as well as their own spiritual power."

Jiang Wen tapped the blackboard. "But I want to ask you a question: Under the same cultivation level and the same spiritual power output, how can you make a spell more powerful?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the lecture hall erupted in discussion.

"Compress spiritual energy density!"

"Speed ​​up the hand seals and seize the initiative!"

"Combining different elements to create complex reactions!"

Hearing these varied answers, Jiang Wen shook his head, ruthlessly overturning everyone's opinions.

"What you're talking about are just techniques. The fundamental factor that determines the upper limit of a spell's power is—the vessel."

He wrote the word "vehicle" heavily on the blackboard.

"Our Eastern Empire's cultivation world has been passed down for thousands of years. Countless ancestors summarized an ironclad rule in their battles against demons: if spiritual power leaves the physical body and is not restrained, it will quickly dissipate in the air and its power will be greatly reduced."

"The best vessel for locking in spiritual energy is a talisman!"

Jiang Wen turned to look at everyone, his gaze profound, "This is why the magic system of Donghuang eventually gave rise to the powerful 'talisman magic'."

"There are two types of talismanic arts. One is drawing talismans out of thin air, and the other is a tangible talisman that relies on a physical medium, such as talisman paper, jade, or even the bones and blood of demons!"

Jiang Wen took out an ordinary yellow talisman from his sleeve, and with a flick of his finger, the talisman instantly ignited without fire, turning into a dazzling fireball!

"As everyone should have noticed, the stronger the material of the carrier, the greater the amount of spiritual energy it can withstand, and the more complex the rune structures that can be inscribed. This means that spiritual energy can be preserved and compressed to the maximum extent before it is released."

"If you release a fireball spell by simply forming a hand seal in actual combat, and its power is 'one,' then if you infuse the same amount of spiritual energy into a high-quality talisman beforehand and activate it instantly during the battle, its power can reach at least 'one and a half,' or even 'two'!"

Jiang Wen put away the fireball and summarized, "Array formations work on the same principle. Why are the protective arrays of major families and even the various branches of the Night Guard able to withstand the attacks of evil cultivators and demons? It's because their array foundations are top-grade spiritual veins or precious spiritual objects buried deep underground!"

Upon hearing this, the freshmen in the audience all lit up.

"So, my first piece of core advice for your four years of university is..."

"If you have the ability, try to convert all the conventional spells you currently know into the casting mode of 'rune spells'."

"Even without a physical medium, developing the habit of drawing talismans out of thin air can enhance the power and stability of your spells by a significant margin."

"If you have sufficient contribution points and budget..."

Jiang paused for a moment.

"Go buy the best talisman paper, and the hides and bones of high-level demons! Inscribe your strongest talismanic techniques onto them in peacetime. Unleash them in the heat of battle, and your combat power will experience a qualitative leap!"