Chapter 31: Kneel and Sing of Surrender

They stared wide-eyed at Jiang Xiaofei, their faces filled with disbelief.

After all, Lin Tianfeng was an intermediate mage! And setting aside his magical prowess, just the fact that he was the deputy mayor’s son meant no one at school dared cross him. Yet this new Professor Jiang had actually slapped him in the face—did he not care about his reputation at all?

Some students whispered, “Now he’s really in trouble!”

“Exactly, Lin Tianfeng cares more about his pride than anything. Slapping his face is like killing his father. What was Professor Jiang thinking, provoking someone like Lin Tianfeng, the ultimate privileged kid? Isn’t he afraid of retaliation?”

“Who knows? Maybe he thinks being an intermediate mage makes him invincible.”

“Heh! What’s so great about being an intermediate mage? Our class is full of them.”

Jiang Xiaofei heard their muttered discussions and sneered inwardly, paying them no mind. He had no intention of provoking anyone, but that didn’t mean he feared anyone either.

At that moment, Lin Tianfeng was clutching his burning cheek, his expression thunderous. Being slapped in front of so many classmates was humiliating beyond measure, and rage twisted his features as he pointed at Jiang Xiaofei and roared, “You dare hit me? Do you even know who I am? Do you understand the kind of power you’re challenging?”

A mocking smirk curled on Lin Tianfeng’s lips. “However, if you get on your knees right now and beg for forgiveness, I might just be generous enough to let this go.”

At those words, Jiang Xiaofei’s brow furrowed, his eyes blazing with anger as he retorted coldly, “I don’t care who you are. If you deserve a beating, you’ll get one.”

Arrogant, unbelievably arrogant. The students all thought Jiang Xiaofei was being ridiculously conceited.

The smile on Lin Tianfeng’s lips faded, replaced by pure fury. He’d expected Jiang Xiaofei to show some fear, but instead, he’d been met with such brazen defiance—it was as if he’d been spat on.

Lin Tianfeng’s face darkened further. “Fine, very well. You’ve got guts. You dare humiliate me like this? I promise you’ll regret it.”

With that, his right hand clenched into a fist and he swung at Jiang Xiaofei.

Instantly, a flash of light erupted. Under the students’ stunned gazes, Jiang Xiaofei calmly raised his hand and caught Lin Tianfeng’s fist in his palm.

“He caught it barehanded? Isn’t he afraid his hand will be shattered?”

The students were astonished. Lin Tianfeng’s punch carried a wave of magical force—it wasn’t just for show. It could have knocked out a bull! Yet Professor Jiang showed no sign of channeling his own power; he’d simply caught the punch as if it were nothing, an act so foolish they began to wonder if he was insane.

Only Lin Tianfeng himself sensed the truth—what looked like an ordinary hand was, in fact, terrifyingly powerful, dissipating his blow with ease! Worse, his own magical energy was being drawn away through his arm, absorbed relentlessly by Jiang Xiaofei. It was a horrifying skill!

“Who is he, really?” Lin Tianfeng thought, panic rising in his chest.

In his mind, such a technique was beyond the abilities of any intermediate mage—even advanced mages couldn’t do it. Only a profound mage could. Realizing this, dread flooded Lin Tianfeng—he’d provoked someone truly dangerous.

As Jiang Xiaofei’s grip tightened, Lin Tianfeng felt a searing pain, as if his right hand would snap.

“Aaagh!”

With a cry of agony, the students watched in shock as Jiang Xiaofei twisted Lin Tianfeng’s arm behind his back. Veins bulged across Lin Tianfeng’s face as he endured excruciating pain, begging for mercy. “Professor Jiang, I was wrong! Please, have mercy—let me go!”

Now, even the slowest student realized Professor Jiang had to be a profound mage. Otherwise, Lin Tianfeng would never be so powerless.

Fear of Jiang Xiaofei spread among the students. After all, even in the Mage Association, a profound mage was a figure of authority!

But curiosity lingered—how had the school managed to appoint a profound mage to supervise their class?

Jiang Xiaofei watched Lin Tianfeng writhe in pain and sneered, “Now you regret it? But I won’t let you off so easily. I’ll drain your magical energy dry—let’s see how you keep up your arrogant act then.”

“What? Professor Jiang wants to drain Lin Tianfeng’s magical energy?” The class was shocked. Magic was a mage’s foundation—if it was drained, he’d be no better than an ordinary person. Even if he started training again, he’d never reach his former height.

Hearing this, Lin Tianfeng was terrified, pleading, “Professor Jiang, please, I’ll do anything you ask—just don’t take my magic!”

At his words, Jiang Xiaofei released him, folding his arms across his chest with a mocking smile. “Those are your words. Now, get on your knees and sing ‘Conquer’.”

Lin Tianfeng’s face twisted with reluctance.

Seeing his hesitation, Jiang Xiaofei frowned. “What, you refuse? In that case, I’ll just drain you dry.”

He reached for Lin Tianfeng’s shoulder, and Lin Tianfeng quickly relented. “No, I’ll do it!”

To the students’ amazement, Lin Tianfeng knelt before Jiang Xiaofei and, wailing miserably, began to sing:

“Just like that, I’m conquered by you, all my escape routes cut off...”

Seeing Lin Tianfeng actually sing, Jiang Xiaofei finally nodded in satisfaction. “Since you know your place, I won’t push this further. But if you ever dare provoke me again, you won’t get off so lightly!”

Lin Tianfeng, though still resentful, was haunted by the thought of Jiang Xiaofei’s true rank and nodded repeatedly. “Professor Jiang, your lesson is well taken. I won’t dare again, never again!”

Jiang Xiaofei nodded. “Get up and return to your seat. Don’t give your classmates more reason to laugh at you.”

Only then did Lin Tianfeng realize the other students were secretly snickering at him.

He snorted coldly, as if to say, “Just wait—you’ll get yours soon enough.”

Jiang Xiaofei merely shook his head and smiled, then strode to the podium. His gaze swept the classroom, cold and piercing. “If anyone else has a problem, come up and test your luck.”

At this, the students all avoided his eyes.

Seeing their reaction, Jiang Xiaofei nodded with satisfaction. “Since no one objects, let’s begin the lesson.”

He glanced at several empty seats. “Who’s missing from these three seats?”

“Professor Jiang, it’s Xie Xuanxuan, Lin Xiaofeng, and Chen Hao,” Li Xiaofang answered, standing up.

Jiang Xiaofei frowned. “Where are they?”

“They went to the Talent Class for revenge against Song Jie,” Li Xiaofang replied.

At this, Jiang Xiaofei seemed to realize something and smiled. “Let them be.”

He turned his gaze to the first empty seat in the rightmost row. “Who sits here?”

Before Li Xiaofang could answer, a girl beside the seat replied, “Professor Jiang, that’s Takagi Qiu’s spot.”

Jiang Xiaofei’s heart leapt with delight. He asked, “Why isn’t she here?”

“She called in sick,” the girl replied.

“Sick?” Jiang Xiaofei’s brow furrowed. To him, the excuse was absurd—how could the mighty Ghost Emperor fall ill?

“Could it be that she knows I’m here and is intentionally avoiding me? But that can’t be—only my wife and I know about this; no one else.”

As Jiang Xiaofei mused, a girl entered the classroom—a tall beauty dressed in black casual wear, her long hair cascading over her shoulders like a waterfall, exuding radiance and confidence.

Her entrance drew every gaze in the room, especially from the male students, who stared wide-eyed, as if their goddess had arrived.

“Takagi Qiu is here.”