The sky was dark and heavy rain poured down.
Upon returning to the dorm, Du Yu first wiped his Demon Soldier Black Wood until it was spotless, then grabbed his toiletries and clean clothes and headed to the communal bathroom.
After enjoying a nice hot shower, he returned to the dorm once more and finally met his roommate—a boy who was soaked from head to toe.
Du Yu truly had some impression of this classmate. After all, within the high school crowd, it was rare to see boys with little ponytails.
Especially since that ponytail was so short, he really didn't know how the guy even managed to tie it; might as well just wear a hair clip instead.
"Hello." Du Yu greeted him.
The boy slumped on his chair, picking up his wooden sword off the side, his hair loose and wet over his eyes, having abandoned his usual little ponytail.
This hairstyle, this posture, this air of indifference...
Suddenly, a thought popped up in Du Yu's mind: Did I just run into the main character?
Following Du Yu's voice, the boy lifted his eyes but didn't react at all.
Du Yu: "What's your name?"
"Lin Shihang."
Du Yu kindly advised, "I'm Du Yu. You should take a shower too, so you don't catch a cold."
Lin Shihang just grunted in response, not saying another word.
His good intentions didn't get any real reply, so Du Yu decided not to bother anymore.
After all, just three days as dormmates—did he really need to get chummy with his roommate?
Old married couples can live together for a lifetime as strangers, so what's three days with a roommate?
Du Yu made his bed and stretched out comfortably, making the most of his time to absorb the Fire Attribute Demon Breath between heaven and earth.
Both Demon Tamers and Demon Beasts are divided into seven main levels, each with four small tiers: Initial Stage, Minor Achievement, Great Success, and Peak.
For both, every time they advance a small tier, it means an increase in physical strength, boosted elemental resistance, and expanded Demon Breath containers within the body.
It was just a pity the heavens were uncooperative; on a thunderstorm day, there was a pathetic lack of Fire Attribute Demon Breath. Du Yu's absorption speed was abysmally slow—painful even to look at.
"Du Yu, Du Yu."
"Hmm?"
Little Fen Yang: "I'll help you cultivate~ Come with me, let's go."
It was obvious Little Fen Yang really wanted to help Du Yu—and, frankly, wanted to spruce up her own living environment too.
Du Yu only felt the world blur before his eyes, and once again he fell into the endless void.
He'd been here before. As expected, the little Golden Crow from his memory appeared—its colors clear and vivid now, no longer hazy or illusory.
Jet-black wings, dark golden runes.
The palm-sized little Golden Crow was exquisite and small, dreamy and surreal.
She flew right up to Du Yu's face, nuzzled his cheek affectionately, and then whoosh—drilled straight into his forehead.
Hot,
as burning hot as during awakening!
Du Yu only felt the little Golden Crow roaming inside his body: flying from his forehead to his chest, darting back and forth in his arms; from his chest to his lower abdomen, scattering clumps of flame down his legs.
With every lap the little Golden Crow took inside him, Du Yu felt himself grow a little hotter.
The path of flames she left behind seemed to be burning away boundaries, making that fiery route broader and broader.
...
"Mmm~" Who knew how long had passed before Du Yu groggily opened his eyes.
The sky was still dark, only now the thunderstorm had become a gentle drizzle, pattering against the window and making a calming, soothing sound.
This kind of weather was honestly perfect for curling up under the covers and sleeping.
Unfortunately, Du Yu didn't feel at ease, because his phone told him it was already past noon the next day.
His roommate Lin Shihang was nowhere to be found. Du Yu jumped up out of bed in a hurry, only to feel a wave of burning heat under his feet.
"What the..." Du Yu instinctively sat back down on his bed.
The scorching heat in his soles seemed to trigger his entire Demon Breath, and the Fire Demon Breath inside him roared with excitement, almost as if it wanted to set his body alight.
"Little Fen Yang?" Du Yu stilled his mind and called out quietly in his head.
"Heehee~ We did it!" came her soft, sticky-sweet reply, full of joy. "Grow up quick! My eyes have even more uses—hurry and try to comprehend them."
Du Yu nodded repeatedly, certain his feelings weren't just his imagination.
Back when he learned the Demon Disciple Contract, he had come in contact with four acupoints and a connecting line.
Forehead (Yintang)—upper lip (Philtrum)—chest (Danzhong)—below the navel (Sea of Qi).
Now, Du Yu could clearly sense more Fire Demon Breath gathering at these four acupoints, and the line connecting the four was thicker, too.
"Demon Tamer Prentice·Minor Success?" Du Yu muttered to himself, experimentally clenching his fists.
Indeed, it was a feeling filled with power.
Du Yu was overjoyed, hopping up lightly, savoring this unprecedented feeling of "evolution."
He reveled in it for a while before realizing—oh crap!—and hurried to look out the window.
The sky was still dim, drizzle falling softly.
The sports field was empty—not a single person in sight.
"Crap!" Du Yu rushed to put on his shoes, grabbed his Demon Soldier Black Wood, and dashed out of the dorm.
All along the way, every dorm room was tightly shut, making Du Yu even more anxious.
He sped toward the canteen on the east side of the first floor, and finally, at the canteen door, heard Gong Cheng's deep booming voice.
Du Yu groaned inside. As the mighty class monitor, he had actually overslept. Who knew what old devil Gong Cheng would do to punish him?
"Remember what you learned in today's class. In the future, don't let your Demon Pets down." came Gong Cheng's concluding words from inside the canteen. "Class dismissed, go eat."
Du Yu listened to the gradually rising footsteps in the cafeteria, gritted his teeth and stomped his foot, then stepped inside.