Chapter 2015  w.a.n.g Teng, Are You Serious? 

"Yes!" w.a.n.g Teng looked at the snakeman with a hint of interest and gave a faint smile.

"I have a few friends from beyond the heavens as well," Damba stepped aside, allowing several of his companions from the Stellar Academies to step forward. He asked, "Do you happen to know any of them?"

"May I know which Stellar Academy you"re from?" A short-haired young man beside Damba walked out and asked.

It was common for students from the Seven Stellar Academies not to know each other, as there were many of them.

"The Seventh Stellar Academy!" w.a.n.g Teng replied with a casual smile, not hiding anything.

"I see, from the Seventh Stellar Academy." The young man and his companions behind him revealed a hint of disdain in their eyes as they responded.

The Seventh Stellar Academy was considered the weakest among the seven academies, and students from the other academies often looked down upon them.

The att.i.tudes of these individuals now confirm this sentiment.

Wan Dong and the others didn"t look good. They felt underestimated.

w.a.n.g Teng"s eyes flickered, but he didn"t mind. He smiled and asked, "May I ask which Stellar Academy you come from?"

"The Third Stellar Academy!" The leading young man said arrogantly.

Wan Dong and his companions" faces changed. It turned out they were students from the Third Stellar Academy.

Among the Seven Stellar Academies, the students from the first three academies were undoubtedly the strongest. Students from those academies were generally more powerful compared to those from the other academies.

Upon hearing that they were from the Third Stellar Academy, Wan Dong, and the others put aside their feelings of being underestimated, and their expressions turned serious.

"It"s an honor to meet you," w.a.n.g Teng said, nodding respectfully.

"Since we have all discovered this ancient architectural complex, how about we explore it together?" The leading young man suggested in a calm tone.

"I have no objections," w.a.n.g Teng replied with a smile.

Damba frowned but he didn"t say anything in the end.

He had a deep aversion to these extraterrestrial humans and had only agreed to cooperate when they approached him. Now was not the time to turn against them.

Suddenly, he looked at the queen across from him. His heart stirred, and he transmitted some words to her, attempting to form an alliance.

However, the queen merely gave him a calm look, a hint of mockery on her lips, and didn"t even reply.

Was he trying to cooperate with her?

Who did he think he was?

In comparison, she was more willing to trust w.a.n.g Teng, whose strength was superior.

Wan Dong and the others, seeing w.a.n.g Teng"s agreement to explore together, didn"t say much. They knew that arguing wouldn"t change the situation.

Moreover, seeing the smile on w.a.n.g Teng"s face at that moment, they couldn"t help but feel that they should say a silent prayer for the students from the Third Stellar Academy.

That guy was definitely planning to deceive them.

"You all encountered those black shadows on your way here, did you?" The leader of the students asked.

"How about we take turns asking questions?" w.a.n.g Teng suggested.

"Okay!" The leader replied.

"Yes!" w.a.n.g Teng replied.

"What is it?" The young man in the lead asked.

"Let me ask first," w.a.n.g Teng grinned, then continued, "What did you encounter earlier that made you so alarmed?"

"Black shadow!" The young man in the lead frowned but still replied.

"Oh?" w.a.n.g Teng was surprised; the fact that the black shadow could attack people caught him off guard.

Wan Dong and the others were equally surprised. They hadn"t expected the black shadow to be aggressive, but judging from the intense attacks these people had mounted, it was clear that the black shadow was formidable. If not, they wouldn"t have released such a powerful attack in defense.

"Now, it"s your turn to answer my question," the leader said.

"I didn"t get a good look at it," w.a.n.g Teng shrugged.

The young man in the lead: …

You acted like you saw something. d.a.m.n, you got me excited for nothing.

"Did you see anything?" w.a.n.g Teng asked.

"No." The young man in the lead glanced at w.a.n.g Teng and smiled.

"The black shadow is very elusive, so it"s normal not to have seen them clearly," w.a.n.g Teng smiled. "By the way, what"s your name?"

"I am Guang Yu, and these are my teammates…" The leader, Guang Yu, introduced his group.

"I"m w.a.n.g Teng, and they… um, they"re my teammates too," w.a.n.g Teng gestured towards Wan Dong and the others.

"Teammates?" Wan Dong and the others glanced at him with poker faces, barely acknowledging the term.

"w.a.n.g Teng! Your name sounds familiar," Guang Yu furrowed his brow.

One of his team members had a change of expression and quickly whispered a few words to Guang Yu.

"It"s you, the prodigy from the Star Rankings, w.a.n.g Teng!" Guang Yu"s eyes s.h.i.+mmered.

"The prodigy from the Star Rankings? It"s just an empty t.i.tle not worth mentioning. I still have much to learn from you, seniors," w.a.n.g Teng modestly replied.

"That"s a good way to think about it. Within the academies, there are countless prodigies with outstanding talents, and their strength surpa.s.ses yours. You should indeed be open to learning. It"s a pity that you declined the offer from our Third Star Academy. If you had come to our Third Star Academy, you"d have better opportunities," Guang Yu lamented.

"Senior, you"re absolutely right," w.a.n.g Teng nodded repeatedly.

"So, these should be your seniors, right?" Guang Yu looked at Wan Dong and the others.

After learning about w.a.n.g Teng"s ident.i.ty, he became less focused on w.a.n.g Teng and considered him a newcomer traveling with his seniors. The real key figures were probably the others behind w.a.n.g Teng.

"Oh, yes, these are senior students from our Seventh Star Academy," w.a.n.g Teng made way for Wan Dong and the others. He even pointed to Wan Dong and said, "This is our team"s leader, Senior Wan Dong, and he is incredibly powerful. He can easily defeat several high-tier imperial-level star beasts on his own."

Wan Dong: …

Single-handedly defeating several high-tier imperial-level star beasts?

Was he referring to him?

And why did this guy pull him out and make him the center of attention?

Wan Dong glanced at w.a.n.g Teng and saw him give a signal. Suddenly, it all made sense.

It seemed like he was indeed the center of attention now.

At this point, he had only one question in mind.

w.a.n.g Teng, are you serious?

Guang Yu was astonished upon hearing that Wan Dong could single-handedly defeat several high-tier imperial-level star beasts. He looked at Wan Dong with a hint of suspicion.

"I didn"t expect you to have such strength."

"Please, don"t exaggerate. My strength is far from that level," Wan Dong quickly humbled himself.

"Our leader is always humble!" w.a.n.g Teng praised, turning to Wan Dong. "Leader, it"s quite dangerous here. We should explore this building complex with Senior Guang Yu."

"Okay, I have no objections." Wan Dong glanced at w.a.n.g Teng and nodded in frustration. He felt like a puppet.

They discussed for some time and decided to enter the building.

w.a.n.g Teng and the others hesitated for a moment before agreeing.

While outside, they were safe from the black shadow"s attacks, they also couldn"t explore the buildings up close. There was a trade-off between safety and the ability to thoroughly investigate the area.

So, the group cautiously entered the midst of the architectural complex.

"Alright, everyone, be careful of that black shadow. It could appear from anywhere," Guang Yu hesitated for a moment but then issued a reminder to the group.

Wan Dong and the others felt a slight jolt of surprise, prompting them to become even more cautious.

They proceeded deeper into the building complex, remaining vigilant for the elusive black shadow while scouring their surroundings for any valuable clues.

"These buildings are quite bothersome!" Damba, growing impatient, used his palm to push aside a wall, turning it into dust.

"Please try not to destroy the buildings. We"re hoping to find some inscriptions or writings that could be useful," Guang Yu furrowed his brow in frustration at the native"s apparent lack of understanding. He had to remind them despite his reservations.

Damba, upon hearing this, appeared somewhat embarra.s.sed and could only stop his actions sheepishly.

However, it seemed as if he felt a bit embarra.s.sed and wanted to regain some face. So he continued, "Our current approach doesn"t seem very effective. It"s a waste of time. I"ll have my subordinates spread out and search. One thing we have in Ostrich-Snake City is plenty of people."

Guang Yu"s eyes flashed, and he nodded, saying, "That sounds reasonable. But, make sure your subordinates are cautious. If they sense anything amiss, they should shout immediately. This way, we can react promptly."

"Agreed!" Damba nodded and then turned to instruct the snakemen martial warriors he had brought with him.

These snakemen martial warriors had encountered the black shadow before and were deeply afraid. However, as the king of Ostrich-Snake City, Damba held authority over them, and they had no choice but to follow orders.

The queen frowned. Sending these ordinary snakemen martial warriors off to scatter and search was incredibly dangerous. If they encountered the black shadow, the likelihood of survival was next to none.

However, since these snakemen were not her subjects from Rui Snake City, she had no say in the matter. Even if she did voice her concerns, Damba would likely mock her. With no other option, she didn"t say anything.

w.a.n.g Teng watched as they departed and knew that Guang Yu intended to use these snakemen as bait. He refrained from mentioning anything and instead observed quietly.

"Everyone, be careful!" Wan Dong warned Wan Dong and the others through voice transmission.

Once again, they began their search. Unfortunately, this architectural complex, despite its vast size, had deteriorated significantly over time, leaving nothing of significant interest to discover.

Ah!

Suddenly, a blood-curdling scream echoed from a distance.

Guang Yu and his team almost simultaneously reacted, rus.h.i.+ng toward the source of the scream.

w.a.n.g Teng"s eyes glinted, and he followed suit, not lagging far behind Guang Yu in speed.

However, Guang Yu and his group were entirely focused on the black shadow and didn"t notice w.a.n.g Teng"s pace.

They quickly arrived at the location of the scream, but it was already too late. Lying on the ground was a snakemen martial warrior with wide, terrified eyes, devoid of any signs of life.

"He"s dead!" Guang Yu knelt beside the snakemen martial warrior, checked his condition, and said with a grim expression.

While they had previously encountered the black shadows, no one had died.

It was unimaginable that, after only separating their group, a fatality had occurred. This situation revealed that the danger posed by the black shadow was far beyond their expectations.

Furrowing his brows, w.a.n.g Teng activated his Real Eye and examined the lifeless body of the snakeman warrior, confirming that there was no longer any trace of life within it.

"Huh?"

Just as he was about to withdraw his gaze, he suddenly let out a soft exclamation.

Deep within the mind of this snakeman, there was a lingering aura of coldness, but it was slowly dissipating.

Suddenly, w.a.n.g Teng was stunned. He noticed an attribute bubble emerging from the snakeman"s forehead, floating above his head.

Shadow Power*10

"Shadow Power!" w.a.n.g Teng sensed the strange power that had suddenly appeared in him, and his eyes lit up with astonishment.