Although it was time for class to begin, Rui Hang had no intention of simply lecturing from the textbook right away.
Not to mention it had been over five hundred years since he last taught high school, and he was quite rusty at the whole teaching thing.
More importantly, the priority now was not to stuff textbook content into the students’ heads like a machine, but to give them—and himself—enough time to adjust to their new identities.
Rui Hang turned around and erased the board, then picked up the chalk and wrote a new phrase.
『Self-Knowledge』
“Marxism holds that the essence of man lies in his reality; he is the sum of all social relations.” As a political teacher and ruler of the Demon Clan, Rui Hang quoted the theory effortlessly: “Now that we have returned to Earth, I don’t care if you were the Empress of the Empire, the Holy Son of the Temple, or a Goddess of a Nation before.
Your social relations have now been stripped down to just two identities— human and student. How you play the role of a student, whether you hide your talents or show them off, whether you are seen as a genius or a madman, that’s your problem, and I won’t interfere too much. But there is one thing—”
Rui Hang paused. “Time travel is our shared secret and our trump card. I don’t want to one day receive a notification from a Doctor that a student in our class has fallen into delusion and been sent to a Mental Hospital, or be summoned to the Office to sign a stack of Confidentiality Agreements.
So please, all of you, keep things within appropriate limits. As for those of you with past grudges or emotional entanglements, I expect you to sort those out yourselves. I also don’t want to be invited to the Principal’s Office over issues of early romance.”
The “certain students” with emotional entanglements: “……”
Ignoring the students’ teasing or embarrassed looks, Rui Hang continued writing on the blackboard: 『Memory and Magic Power』
“Regarding this, I’m sure some of you had already noticed before I even wrote it down.” As he spoke, Rui Hang pointed vaguely to the front-left of the classroom. “Shen Qiting, what’s your insight?”
Caught off guard by the sudden call, Shen Qiting, the History Representative and the strongest Astrologer in Parnaki, hesitated for a moment before standing up somewhat awkwardly under everyone’s gaze.
As an autistic sorceress who had lived alone for over a century, accompanied only by books, Shen Qiting was not used to speaking publicly anymore, even though she had been quite composed as a Class Monitor in the past.
But facing Rui Hang’s trusting and encouraging look, she quickly organized her thoughts and summoned her courage to speak: “What Teacher Rui means is probably that after we traveled back to Earth, our human memories and identity recognition from less than eighteen years can rival a century of memories from Parnaki, and none of us can use Magic anymore.”
After receiving Rui Hang’s nod of approval, she let out a slight breath of relief and continued: “The great magician Kroski Parind once wrote in The Nature of Magic: the essence of Magic comes from the Soul. The strength of the Soul is closely related to magical talent. ‘Cultivation’ refers to absorbing Magic through Meditation and refining the Soul so that the Soul Circuit can contain more Magic.
Take Parnaki humans as an example: 20% of Magic is distributed in the□□, while 80% is in the Soul Circuit. Although not every one of us has lived five hundred years in Parnaki, we have at least experienced a century of life and acquired powerful Magic. This Magic is also part of the composition of our Souls and cannot be separated. Therefore, I boldly speculate that there are only two possibilities why we cannot use Magic now and why we don’t feel any discordance with our past human lives.”
“The first is that for the Soul to complete the travel between two mutually exclusive worlds, it must consume an enormous amount of Magic. This has already been confirmed: when we first traveled, we were all reborn as infants, and our human memories only gradually returned in the following years. This is strong evidence of the Soul’s loss during the travel. But now, when we traveled back to Earth again, only an hour has passed since the initial travel, and memories from both Earth and Parnaki periods remain very clear. This may be because our Soul’s Magic offset most of the loss, allowing it to stay intact.
At the same time, our bodies on Earth—devoid of Magic—cannot be nourished by it, nor can they house a Soul with such powerful Magic. If forcibly fused, the□□ would age rapidly. When we were reborn as infants, it was a natural choice for the Soul to recuperate and merge in another world. Now, our Souls have again made a natural choice—to amplify memories and personalities from the Earth period, make up for the aging of the Soul over the century, and speed up the process of returning to our original identities and merging with the□□. For us now, the century in Parnaki is a long memory, a fleeting dream.”
“The second possibility is largely the same as the first, except that our Magic was not completely worn down during travel, but rather temporarily ‘sealed.’ This was done first to allow our Earth bodies to better merge with the Soul, and second because Magic isn’t necessary on Earth. Recklessly letting a group with powerful Magic, beyond the scientific system, appear here would only bring irreparable crisis to this world.”
At this, Shen Qiting pushed up her glasses. “Astrology is based on analysis and deduction of Magic Circuits and celestial phenomena, not fortune-telling or speculating fate. Since I cannot use Magic, I cannot answer or even speculate on who sealed our Souls, or whether the seal will be lifted in the future, or if we will regain our Magic.”
“This is already plenty of information.” Rui Hang nodded with satisfaction, casting her a look of praise. “Your answer is more complete than the one I prepared.”
Receiving his approval, a faint curve appeared on Shen Qiting’s lips, instantly brightening her delicate features and giving her a few hints of youthful awkwardness.
Having addressed the most critical issues, Rui Hang raised his hand and wrote a third phrase.
『Future』
Letting these veterans who had lived for centuries continue indulging in the common understanding of high school students—study hard, take the Gaokao, get into a good university, then pursue graduate studies or civil service exams—was clearly unrealistic.
They had been through too much, and their perspectives were far beyond that of ordinary students.
Even without knowledge of science, their century-long accumulation of literature and arts guaranteed at least a comfortable life, if not fame and fortune.
The reason he emphasized “Gaokao” was twofold: to solidify their student identity and provide a buffer to gradually adapt to this long-derailed modern life, and because textbook knowledge was not useless—it could help them find their interests.
Although Earth had no Magic, its abundant theoretical knowledge, vast and well-established social systems, and the “science” that paved new paths for humanity were things Parnaki lacked.
Magic was the foundation of Parnaki’s power but also the limitation on its technological and ideological progress.
Rui Hang did not know if they would ever return to Parnaki, and many students in the class, like him, managed nations or races. Improving the livelihood and experience of their people could not be achieved through Magic and force alone. He believed the students understood this well.
Even if they could never go back, or chose to stay on Earth, their rich knowledge would give them confidence regardless of their career path.
But the most important thing about “future” was not this.
“Just as Shen Qiting said, maybe one day we will return to Parnaki. Or perhaps a worse scenario: Parnaki and Earth stand opposed, Magic and Science coexist.” His gaze swept slowly across every face beneath the podium, losing the earlier lightness. “Although it’s a bit of needless worry to bring this up now, I want you all to make a decision in your hearts ahead of time: if the day ever comes when Earth and Parnaki are at odds, which side will you choose?”
Silence filled the classroom. Rui Hang didn’t rush to hear their answers; he waited quietly until a student let out a low sigh.
“…Can’t we choose both sides?”
“Straddling the fence is also a choice, but you must understand it’s far harder to balance a bowl of water than to pick one camp.” Rui Hang said, “Resources are limited, but desires are infinite. Unequal resources and strength inevitably lead to conflict. This question is also for myself: if one day humans’ cannons are aimed at the Demon Clan, or the Demon Clan’s blades strike humans, what choice should I, as the Lord of Demons, make? I won’t interfere with your choices; I just hope every step you take in the future is cautious and guilt-free.”
“Clap, clap, clap—”
Suddenly, applause erupted at the classroom door, breaking the increasingly serious atmosphere.
“Teacher Rui, well said, though I can’t quite follow what you’re talking about.” The Principal stood at the door, smiling kindly. “Is this from some movie?”
In that instant, several sharp glints flashed in the students’ eyes.
With a single command from Rui Hang, even without Magic, their remaining combat instincts could still support a precise and swift decapitation strike.
Facing the Principal’s friendly demeanor, Rui Hang remained calm and unfazed. “It’s Thunderstorm—a Western fantasy adaptation. Isn’t the Mid-Autumn Festival Gala coming up? We’re rehearsing lines and preparing a Scripted Play with the students.”
“You’re putting on a Scripted Play? Not bad, not bad.” The Principal nodded, clearly pleased. But he quickly resumed a more serious expression, hands clasped behind his back as if surveying the landscape. “Teacher Rui, I trust you, but students’ main job is studying. The Mid-Autumn Gala is important, but their focus must remain on learning. Don’t let the priorities get reversed.”
“The Principal is right.” Rui Hang nodded in agreement. “Our students all understand and won’t neglect their studies.”
Class 9, Grade 11 students: “……”
“As expected of Teacher Rui, your awareness is top-notch.” The Principal finally looked satisfied, turning to visit other classes. Soon after, a hearty voice rang across the corridor.
“…Class 9 next door has already started preparing for the Mid-Autumn Festival program. Look at you all here, dead tired! You’ve all become dumb from studying—show some energy!”
Class 9, Grade 11 students: “……”
No matter how unpredictable the Principal’s mood was, this shout truly dispelled the gloom in the classroom and brought everyone back to the youthful days of school.
As the saying goes, since you’re here, settle in. Since the future is uncertain, it’s better to live in the moment and savor the rare feeling of youth.
Accompanied by the clear and melodious ringing of the bell, the first class after traveling ended here.
“Oh, right.” Rui Hang picked up the book on his desk just as he was about to leave, suddenly remembering something and stopping in his tracks. “Political Class Representative, come to my Office later to pick up the test papers. One per person. Finish them and turn them in tomorrow.”
Class 9, Grade 11 students: “……”
This youthful atmosphere just got way too intense!