The scorching sun made the atmosphere in the northeast corner of the playground even hotter.
Demon Pet battle?
The teenagers had watched countless Demon Pet battles on TV and online, but none felt as immersive as the fight happening right in front of them.
After all, as rookie Demon Tamers, everyone here was unbelievably green...
Honestly, low-level Contracts really don't make the cut.
Powerful Demon Tamers are always in perfect sync with their Demon Pets, sending orders with unbreakable Contracts, unlike Du Yu and Li Mengnan who just yell back and forth like this.
"Wind Witch, take off!" Li Mengnan was brimming with energy. Can't fault that look of hers—so many students gathered around to watch, and her charisma definitely played a part.
Du Yu squatted on the ground, encouraging softly, "Focus the flames at your mouth. Let's blast the Wind Witch Doll out of the sky."
"Wind Witch, Little Wind Blade!" Li Mengnan was very pleased with her tactic. Making use of her Demon Pet's specialty, she'd claimed the high ground while staying out of Little Fire Fox's attack range.
This is literally killing two birds with one stone!
Whoosh~
A wind blade formed and slashed down from above. But it was pathetically small, about the size of a kitchen knife.
"Dodge quickly."
Du Yu issued a divine-level command!
No matter if you're a lowly Demon Tamer Prentice or the almighty Demon Taming Saint, you can't avoid yelling those three words!
Among all the endless, crazily diverse commands, probably only these three words will accompany every Demon Tamer for life...
"Mmm~" Little Fire Fox hopped nimbly to the side, dodging.
"Fizz!" The tiny wind blade landed on the yellow earth, leaving a shallow mark.
Rookie really isn't just a nickname!
Wind Witch Doll had just shown how weak it was, and Little Fire Fox immediately followed suit.
Xiaoyan, on her own initiative, spun around and swept her tail.
That huge tail kept swaying, layers of fire mist spread out, piecing together a wall of fire pillars as she hid inside.
Heroic Bronze· Fire Cloud Tail!
Strictly speaking, Xiaoyan had made the right choice.
Fire Cloud Tail is definitely a good skill for hiding. Facing high-altitude bombing, she tried to hide—nothing wrong there. But the problem is...
The fire pillar made by Fire Cloud Tail had a diameter about the same as her body length, maybe 40 centimeters with the tail included.
With such a tiny area, where can you even hide?
"Wind Witch, aim for the fire mist, Little Wind Blade!" Li Mengnan called out spiritedly, pointing at the fog of flames.
Du Yu quickly shouted, "Get out of there, Xiaoyan, get out!"
"Eee~" Little Fire Fox darted out of the fire mist ball straight away, and—playing freely again—charged right at Li Mengnan.
If a Demon Pet won't listen and always does its own thing, it's usually because they're young, and it also depends on the Demon Tamer's skill.
Du Yu hurried and said, "Your target is the Wind Witch Doll!"
This is exactly why martial arts classes are standard in all schools in the Great Xia. When out on adventures—especially in the Demon Spirit Realm—partner and pet usually fight side by side.
Wild Demon Beasts have zero rules. They'll attack a Demon Pet or a Demon Tamer purely based on mood.
Some smarter Demon Beasts even know how to solve the problem at its root. They might ignore the Demon Pet altogether and go straight for the Demon Tamer.
Only in our human-dominated society, in regular duels or official matches, do we see these "Pet VS Pet" special rules.
"Little Fox, you can't hit me, okay?" Li Mengnan quickly called out, grabbing the Black Wind Sword at her hip.
But that was just a reflex—she couldn't bear to actually strike.
Chased by Little Wind Blades, Little Fire Fox dodged the barrage and leapt right onto Li Mengnan.
"Woo~" Little Fire Fox perched herself on Li Mengnan's head and let out a triumphant fox-cry.
Wind Witch Doll: (｀_´)
Awkward, much!
Since it's Pet VS Pet, then everything else—including Li Mengnan—counts as battlefield environment.
Li Mengnan couldn't just throw off the Little Fire Fox, so she quickly said, "Wind Witch, knock her off!"
"Eee~" Little Fire Fox hooked Li Mengnan's head with her fluffy tail, her body hanging down, eyes brimming with grievance at big sis.
At that moment, Li Mengnan was mentally done for.
She wanted to explain, but the Wind Witch Doll's wind was already blowing.
Heroic Bronze· Little Wind Blow.
This skill has blown away math worksheets, willow twigs, and now—finally—its own master.
No wonder Li Mengnan was so confident. Her Wind Witch Doll had already mastered its two Copper-level Demon Skills.
Whoosh~
Li Mengnan took half a step back to steady herself.
Little Fire Fox was stuck to her face, totally refusing to be blown off…
"Nicely done, Xiaoyan!" Du Yu shouted from afar, "Stare right into Li Mengnan's eyes—make her ashamed, make her guilty, make her want to dig a hole and hide!"
"She just said she loved you, now she's trying to knock you off!
Ditch her! Don't give in—break up right now!"
Li Mengnan: ???
That bizarre command dumbfounded even the onlookers!
After all, the image Du Yu had left with his classmates was wise and valiant, but now… what kind of tactic is this?
"Eee~"
"Bad guy." Li Mengnan stomped her foot and tightly shut her eyes—see no evil, feel no guilt.
This match was to determine who's boss. No way she'd let this damned Du Yu win!
"Wind Witch, knock her off!" With a command from Li Mengnan, the Wind Witch Doll up in the sky summoned the wind again.
But Little Fire Fox gripped Li Mengnan's pretty face tightly, tail hooked round her head, totally refusing to let go.
Du Yu was overjoyed—Xiaoyan really was spiritual. He quickly called out, "Yes, just like that! Hug that girl tight!"
Scruples.
As long as Little Fire Fox was plastered on Li Mengnan's face, the Wind Witch Doll would never dare use Little Wind Blade.
"Damn," Li Mengnan squeezed the word through clenched teeth, "Wind Witch, knock her off, blast her away!"
With the Demon Disciple Contract's spiritual connection, Wind Witch Doll got her intent and swooped down right away.
A gust of Little Wind Blow followed.
"Now's our chance! Xiaoyan, bite down on the Wind Witch Doll!" Du Yu shouted, pumped up!
Somehow, Instructor Gong Cheng and Lin Shiyi had walked over too, joining the crowd. Watching these rookies peck at each other, Gong Cheng wore a weird expression.
They're both so hopeless and yet the fight's so intense—is this what youth tastes like?
Li Mengnan went all in: "Knock her off, use full power!"
The little Puppet dropped down from above, slamming in from Li Mengnan's side. With her master's iron-clad will, there was zero hesitation.
The two closed in fast…
"Now! Bite its head, lights out!" Du Yu clenched his fist and yelled.
Little Fire Fox opened her mouth at the charging Wind Witch Doll, "Woo!"
Thud~ a muffled impact.
Wind Witch Doll slammed right into Little Fire Fox's chin. Riding the momentum, she finally knocked the "Face-Hugging Fox" flying.
"Awesome, Wind Witch!" Li Mengnan finally opened her eyes, delighted, "Little Wind Blade! Finish her~"
"Crap." Du Yu's face changed. Little Fire Fox was supposed to be the nimble type, but missing that bite was unexpected.
And now Little Fire Fox was getting knocked diagonally downward. She was about to hit the ground.
"Tail." Out of nowhere, Little Fen Yang sounded in his mind.
Du Yu didn't have time to think. "Tail, use your tail!" he called.
Showing tons of spirit, Little Fire Fox's rugby-ball-shaped tail—bigger than her body—quickly touched down.
Built-in cushion?
Little Fire Fox landed square on her soft big tail, and with the momentum actually bounced off.
"Whoosh~"
Little Fire Fox, sitting on her tail, had just been launched, and a Little Wind Blade sliced after her, leaving a faint scar on the ground.
"Finish her, Wind Witch!"
"Believe in yourself! She's not as agile as you!" Du Yu shouted, "We're switching tactics—let's run Wind Witch Doll ragged!"
"Eee~" Little Fire Fox finally got a command that matched her personality and her species' strength. Landing steadily, she shot into the crowd of onlookers.
Using the students' bodies as human shields, she dashed everywhere, popping in and out of sight.
Hearing Du Yu's command, Li Mengnan's heart sank.
Everyone's Demon Pets are weak, and since the battle started, the Wind Witch has been spamming skills. At this rate…
"No fair! Du Yu, you're cheating—fight me one-on-one!"
"Nice job, Xiaoyan, let's hide! Get behind Instructor Gong—he's huge!"
Gong Cheng: ???
The crowd jostled, dodging wind blades from the Wind Witch Doll, and Little Fire Fox zipped over to Gong Cheng, scampering up to his shoulder.
During the fight, Little Fire Fox's tail was getting more nimble by the second—she was leveling up fast!
That huge tail balanced her body and could even be used for wrapping and hooking.
Little Fire Fox hooked her big tail over Gong Cheng's shoulder and hid behind his head.
At the sight of Gong Cheng, Li Mengnan's temper flared!
"Wind Witch, Little Wind Blade! Aim for her tail!"
With other students, Li Mengnan still hesitated a bit. But a devil teacher?
Go for it!
Gong Cheng was chill; he wasn't afraid of Little Wind Blade. With his body enveloped in pure Demon Breath, even a wind blade couldn't scratch his clothes.
But then…
Gong Cheng tilted his head a bit. Hanging on his shoulder, Little Fire Fox's tail suddenly looked off.
The all-over-orange Little Fire Fox now had a tuft of scarlet fuzz at the end of her tail?
Du Yu noticed too.
On the orange tail, there'd only been a single little red hair before, but now it looked ready to burst into bloom!
Little Fire Fox wrapped her tail around Gong Cheng's sturdy neck, popping out on his other shoulder, and suddenly, waves of heat washed in.
Gong Cheng quickly turned his head, and Little Fire Fox pressed her face against his, letting little flames leak from her mouth.
Heroic Bronze· Spark Splash?
Combat really is the best medicine for growth—we just got brave stats up!
In a tight spot, Little Fire Fox wanted power even more than usual. She had the talent for sure, and Du Yu had trained her for ages. This was the final step!
Du Yu: "Jump!"
"Woo~" A piercing fox cry!
Little Fire Fox leapt, skimming past the flat of the wind blade, making a beeline for Wind Witch Doll.
"Dodge now!" Li Mengnan yelled, panicked.
Wind Witch Doll's charge halted abruptly, and she hurried upward.
"Spit in its face, Spark Splash!" Du Yu improvised, shouting a new order.
Pff…
Leaping Little Fire Fox streaked past Wind Witch Doll. She jerked her head up and shot a fireball right under Wind Witch Doll's skirt!
"Pop~"
Accuracy and aim: both abysmal. Such a perfect chance, but she still didn't hit the target.
But don't forget—this is Spark Splash.
The fireball may have veered off, but its exploding sparks caught Wind Witch Doll's cloth body, and the shockwave sent her spinning sideways.
Wind Witch Doll: Ծ‸Ծ
Falling through the air, Little Fire Fox once again landed tail-first, bounced up, then did a backflip, landing neatly on the yellow ground.
"Let's stop here." Suddenly Gong Cheng spoke up and stopped the fight.
Wind Witch Doll wasn't knocked out, but she was fatigued, and with the pain as well, she went off crying for her mama.
Little Fire Fox was panting too. Today's exercise was quite a bit...
"Your Demon Pets are still young. Overdoing training isn't good for their growth." Gong Cheng frowned and said in a deep voice, "Everyone else keep practicing. Du Yu."
"Here!"
"Bring your Little Fire Fox and come with me."
"Oh."