The Beautiful Teacher's Fire Element

Tang Yue stood perfectly upright, her graceful figure outlined by the slightly fitted skirt she wore. Perhaps the rush of starting a new posting had left her no time to think about her wardrobe — whatever the reason, the students had no complaints.

"You need a calm mind, a peaceful state, and total focus. Even as I speak to you right now, my full attention is concentrated within my Fire Element nebula — oh, within my Stardust," said Teacher Tang Yue.

Her voice reached every student. They watched her standing there utterly still, motionless as a carved statue — and then, quite suddenly, her pear-blossom curls began to stir.

There was not a breath of wind on the training ground, yet her hair spread outward as though lifted by a wave of rising heat.

"Control — you are the one calling out. Command your Star Motes to obey, and let them open the gates of Fire Element magical power for you!!" Her voice shifted without warning from its earlier warmth to something solemn and commanding, charged with the arrogance of someone who could reduce everything before her to cinders.

In that instant, every boy whose mind had been wandering into unclean territory snapped to attention.

They stared at the beautiful teacher before them, something close to alarm breaking through their stupor.

Her aura.

Yes — they could feel it now. A scorching presence was radiating off Teacher Tang Yue and washing directly over their faces.

There was surprise. There was reverence. And there was an authority that needed no anger behind it — a natural, unforced dignity that made any impure thought simply impossible.

They had assumed this new instructor would be just another ordinary teacher, the kind who could only deliver the same muddled theoretical lectures as old Teacher Lian — and might even fumble when it came to actually casting. But the young woman standing before them had clearly mastered this power for a long, long time. She could teach and control her Star Motes simultaneously. And when she completed her casting stance, the fire aura that poured off her was in an entirely different league from old Teacher Lian's — the difference was like comparing a candle flame to a pillar of fire.

"Remember — once you have arranged your Star Motes, you cannot afford to let your focus slip for even a moment. You must immediately lock onto the point of Release!!"

That authoritative voice rang out once more.

"Fire Burst: Scorch!"

The words struck like a bell, resonating through the minds of everyone present.

In the same moment, a vivid crimson Star Trail blazed into being around Teacher Tang Yue. It flashed around her in an instant, then condensed rapidly onto her right hand — smooth and pale as white jade.

As her fingers curled into a half-grip, a mass of searing red energy bloomed in her palm, wild and straining to be let loose.

She whipped her arm forward.

The fireball shot out like an arrow from a bowstring, trailing a vivid crimson flash through the air, then drove into the practice dummy with bullet-like precision.

"That's it?"

"Why isn't anything happening?"

"It definitely hit."

A second of silence fell over the field. The dummy struck by Fire Burst showed no reaction whatsoever — a jarring contrast to the sheer commanding presence Tang Yue had projected.

Amid a murmur of skeptical voices, Teacher Tang Yue slowly turned around to face the forty-eight still-young faces of her class, and the corner of her mouth curved into a smile of absolute, effortless confidence.

**Whoooooosh!!**

Then it erupted. A blazing crimson explosion tore through the dummy from the inside — not a slow kindling but a frenzied, ravenous storm of fire, as though it intended to devour every last combustible thing in one savage breath.

The practice dummy, whole and unharmed just a moment before, was swallowed entirely by the crimson flames.

One second? Two?

Ordinary fire dances. This fire *devoured*. In less than two seconds, the entire human-shaped dummy had been consumed without a trace.

The blinding red glare bathed Teacher Tang Yue's lovely pear-blossom curls and flushed her fair complexion to a vivid, captivating rose.

That smile still curved her lips. Behind her, the flame raged without restraint. The woman who had already been breathtaking was now something that defied every available word to describe — beautiful beyond compare.

All forty-eight students stood transfixed.

Mo Fan couldn't speak for anyone else, but his own heart was hammering in his chest — and not only because of how entrancing she was. It was the sheer confidence that radiated from her as she wielded the power of flame, the effortless nobility of it, that sent his blood surging with awe, fascination, and reverence all at once.

A woman who was merely beautiful would always inspire idle daydreams. But a woman who commanded power and authority beyond other people's reach — such a woman would work on a man like poison, impossible to shake free of.

Heaven only knew how many boys that day would make Teacher Tang Yue their goddess for life. Mo Fan, at the very least, had been completely conquered by her presence.

Both served as magic practice teachers — but old Teacher Lian's spellcasting had been dull and lifeless, the kind of thing you watched through drooping eyelids. What Teacher Tang Yue had just done was something you carried with you, an inner tremor that refused to quiet.

They were not even in the same league.

"Now then — which students in this class have the Fire Element? Let me take note." Teacher Tang Yue seemed to regard the students' adoring stares as entirely routine, and simply continued with her lesson.

"I have Fire Element." A girl with a spirited, determined look on her face was the first to step forward — Zhou Min, the same student who had caused a small stir at the opening ceremony.

Zhou Min's eyes stayed fixed on Teacher Tang Yue.

The truth was, she had taken an immediate dislike to her from the start. What kind of teacher dressed like that and spoke in such a deliberately gentle voice?

But the moment she saw Teacher Tang Yue complete that Fire Burst, Zhou Min's opinion reversed completely. Admiration welled up in her before she could stop it.

Zhou Min's own mother was a teacher too — but Zhou Min was certain her mother could never achieve anything like what she had just witnessed. Not in presence, not in technical fluency, not in accuracy, and definitely not in raw power.

"That's me — and me too! Teacher Tang Yue, I have Fire Element! My name is Huang Feifeng!" Another boy who had awakened the Fire Element shot to his feet.

Look at the pure excitement on Huang Feifeng's face.

Everyone knew the logic: if your magic practice teacher shared your element, you were all but guaranteed to receive special attention — practically a personally mentored disciple.

Huang Feifeng felt he was the luckiest person alive. He had just instantly become Teacher Tang Yue's personally chosen disciple! And who was to say she wouldn't one day come to appreciate his talent and develop feelings for him? She was his Xiaolongnü — and he was her Yang Guo.

"Don't hold me back, I'm going to the roof — why didn't I awaken the Fire Element, *why?!*" Lu Xiaobin, whose element was Water, wailed in genuine anguish.

"T-teacher, I also have F-Fire — Fire Element. I, my name is Zh-Zhao Daniu." A small, slight boy who spoke with a stutter stepped forward, his entire face blazing scarlet the moment his eyes met Teacher Tang Yue's.

Poor kid — one glance told you everything. The kind of boy nobody ever noticed.

Teacher Tang Yue looked at him, then let out a soft laugh. "You're clearly quite slight — why on earth did your family name you Daniu?"

"I — I was n-never very strong, so my p-parents hoped… hoped I'd grow up as sturdy as a big ox."

"In that case, your name should be Zhao Quicktongue," Zhao Kunsan — that sharp-tongued troublemaker — immediately fired back.

The jab, naturally, was aimed squarely at Zhao Daniu's stutter.

"Mm. Anyone else?" Teacher Tang Yue's gaze swept over the class.

Only three Fire Element students in the entire class?

A bit sparse.

From what she could sense, only the girl named Zhou Min seemed to have any notable talent — and her cultivation progress was at least reasonable.

"One more — my name is Mo Fan." Mo Fan snapped back to reality and stepped forward from the crowd.