I Have a Golden Crow

"Wooo~~~"

"Awoo!" Several Chi Bears that gathered round, sensing the increasingly terrifying fluctuations of Demon Breath around Du Yu, all threw their heads back and roared.

From afar, one Chi Bear after another emerged from deep within the bamboo forest, drawn by their companions' calls, continuously gathering by Du Yu's side.

There were even quite a few Little Chi Bears among them—it was just like being brought along to school by their teacher.

Led by a large Chi Bear, the little ones obediently lined up, wriggling their small butts as they marched out of the bamboo groves—a sight so cute it could give someone a nosebleed.

The big Chi Bears sat surrounding Du Yu, and the Little Chi Bears each found their own spot, one per hollow.

They all hugged the bamboo shoots sprouting from the ground, sniffing the Fire Demon Breath wafting from the shoot tips, and "competing" with Du Yu for a bite to eat.

But it hardly mattered, since the Chi Bears had summoned an especially large number of shoots.

Du Yu sat like this until the setting sun dipped below the horizon...

A breakthrough at the Stage level was absolutely nothing like a Small Tier breakthrough. A Small Tier leap might take only ten or twenty minutes, but Du Yu's promotion to Demon Tamer took a whole afternoon!

"Mmm~" In the tranquil bamboo forest, came the contented hum of Du Yu.

Fu Jianzhou turned his head, only to see Du Yu's face frozen in tension—a look he'd seen way too many times.

No doubt about it, Little Junior Brother's body was all puffed up again!

"Yoo-hoo~" Little Fen Yang cheered excitedly, the Little Black Gold Bird zooming back and forth along Du Yu's Ren Meridian, showering down endless Fire Demon Breath, "Demon Tamer~ Demon Tamer~ Demon Tamer!"

Amid Little Fen Yang's jubilant cheers, Du Yu finally exploded...

"Huff~"

A ring of fire burst out without warning, blowing Fu Jianzhou off balance!

"Whoosh!"

Fu Jianzhou had just managed to sit back up when another wave of Fire Demon Breath rippled outward!

"Ying~"

"Ying!" The Chi Bears were overjoyed, gulping down the thick Demon Breath saturating the air, happily accepting Du Yu's blessing.

Wave after wave of Fire Demon Breath spread out, but these were just the byproducts of Du Yu's advancement; right now, his Ren Meridian was being wildly expanded by the rushing Fire Demon Breath.

"My god..." Du Yu stammered, eyes glazed and dazed, feeling a real sense of being reborn!

True—qualitative change!

During the Demon Tamer Journeyman stage, the meridian running from the center of the forehead to the navel could be seen like a flowing stream.

And now, that same stream was frantically expanding its territory, intent on becoming a "great river"!

"Whoosh!"

Yet another wave of Fire Demon Breath spread; several Chi Bears couldn't hold back anymore. They stood up one after another, watching Du Yu expectantly.

In the Bamboo Grove Realm—or at least, within its various tribes—the Chi Bear Race's attitude toward cultivation was beyond question, and their desire for strength all the stronger!

They were happy to see all living things break free from bodily shackles and step by step ascend to heaven.

Even if that living being was a member of the Human Race...

Listening to the muffled booms from inside Little Junior Brother, Fu Jianzhou couldn't help but smile. As expected of a Paper Crane Disciple—the breakthrough was going super smoothly!

Meanwhile, Du Yu slowly opened his eyes.

A pair of eyes in which the fiery glow gradually faded; Du Yu's trembling body began to steadily calm down.

Breakthrough! Demon Tamer!

"Did you make it?" Fu Jianzhou slung an arm around Du Yu's shoulders, asking with concern.

"Yeah!" Du Yu nodded forcefully, the joy on his face utterly unconcealed.

His fists were tightly clenched, then gradually relaxed, savoring the surge of power within—pure exhilaration!

Inside Du Yu, there was still only one meridian open.

That is, the line from the Forehead Acupoint, down over the Philtrum, Danzhong at the chest, to the Sea of Qi beneath the navel—what's called the "Ren Meridian."

But the once dim acupoints along its path were now lighting up, coming together to form a mighty river.

Among them, the Juque Acupoint at the upper abdomen stood out, thick with Fire Demon Breath—obviously a top-tier Acupoint Home!

At this point, Du Yu now had four Acupoint Homes.

Namely, the Forehead Acupoint, the Xuanji Acupoint at the chest, the Juque Acupoint above his belly, and the Qi Sea Acupoint below his navel.

"Ah, that feels good." Du Yu murmured, Fire Demon Breath churning madly through his Ren Meridian, sending energy surging in every direction.

Even the tips of his fingers and toes could feel the gentle warmth brought by the Fire Demon Breath.

He could clearly sense that, with this "river" of the Ren Meridian as a base, countless tiny tributaries were branching off, trying to spread through his entire body.

"Ooo!"

"Awooo~!" The Chi Bears roared joyfully, flailing their arms and legs in excitement.

They circled Du Yu, spinning clockwise in a ring.

Some Chi Bears rolled over somersaulting, some wiggled their butts, others waved their paws—it looked like they were dancing some strange bear dance.

For a moment, Du Yu was completely dumbfounded!

This... what the heck is this?

The Chi Bears are treating me like a bonfire and throwing a party?

Honestly, these roly-poly bears doing a dance are just too adorable...

"This is great."

"What is, Senior Brother?" Du Yu looked toward Fu Jianzhou.

Fu Jianzhou's face was full of warm smiles as he watched the Chi Bears singing and dancing around them: "Seems the Chi Bears are celebrating your promotion.

You and I are total outsiders to them, yet they were willing to help, summoning bamboo shoots to aid your breakthrough.

And now, after you succeeded, they are genuinely delighted for you, which says a lot about the Chi Bear Race's attitude toward cultivation."

"Hmm..." Du Yu nodded in thoughtful agreement—Senior Brother Fu really had a point.

Amongst the jubilant Chi Bears, Du Yu glimpsed a bit of pure joy.

It had nothing to do with race, not even the species.

What mattered was the longing for life itself.

Like flowers aching to bloom, or eagles longing to soar the sky.

Du Yu's single level-up had sparked such wild celebration among the Chi Bears. Maybe, this was the faith of the Tai Sui Fire Bamboo Tribe.

The afterglow of the setting sun spilled over the Chi Bears, gilding their forms with shades of dark gold.

Watching them, Du Yu was a little intoxicated too.

A Little Chi Bear was bouncing around in circles, following the footsteps of the elders in its tribe.

"Ying~" But whoops, it tripped on a bamboo shoot tip and went tumbling forward in a somersault.

"Ying?" The little guy landed on its butt, blinking its beady black eyes a bit confused, totally lost as to what just happened.

"Hehe." Du Yu couldn't help but laugh aloud.

The Little Chi Bear was a bit clumsy; it worked hard to get back up, looked up at Du Yu, and protested indignantly: "Ying!"

Du Yu quickly wiped away his smile, putting on a well-behaved face for the Little Chi Bear.

"Dong dong dong~"

"Dong dong dong!" In the distance behind them came the sound of bowl-tapping: "Time to eat, time to eat!"

"Ying?"

"Ying!" The singing and dancing Chi Bears all abruptly stopped and turned their heads.

Next second, the army of round fluffballs surged off, hurrying away at speed.

The bonfire party was over in an instant!

Du Yu had a funny look on his face—so much for longing for life, huh?

Just one shout of "mealtime," and you all forget everything else!

He turned to look in the direction the Chi Bears had gone.

There, a squad of workers in white coats were carrying wooden crates, all packed with all sorts of fruit.

The workers tossed out fruits, the Chi Bears catching them and then sitting down to feast with gusto.

The staff distributed the food, giving different portions to the big Chi Bears and the bear cubs.

Du Yu saw someone carrying a small basin filled with milk, calling out to the bear cubs.

Occasionally when a big Chi Bear tried to sneak in for a taste of the milk, a worker would have to push it away...

The scene was really too funny!

"Du Yu, Du Yu~"

"Yeah?"

"This little one's just so cute."

"Which little... uh." Du Yu turned around and to his surprise, there was still a Little Chi Bear by his feet?

It was the same one that tripped over the bamboo shoot earlier.

This little guy actually resisted the call of food and stayed here pouting?

Wow~

This kid sure has a temper!

"Ying!" Seeing Du Yu finally notice it, the Little Chi Bear clumsily stood up and put its hands on its hips.

Du Yu scratched his head awkwardly: "Sorry, sorry, I shouldn't have laughed at you. Hurry up and go eat, don't stay hungry."

"Hehe." A soft chuckle sounded from behind.

Fu Jianzhou promptly stood up: "Hello."

"Hello, Mr. Fu." The man was in his mid-thirties, wearing a white coat and holding a small basin. From the way he spoke, he'd clearly done his homework on Du Yu and his companion.

"And your name?"

"No need for formalities—it's Xu, Xu Yihai." The man came forward, knelt down on one knee, and positioned the bowl of milk before the Little Chi Bear.

"Ying~" With the bowl right in front of its nose, the Little Chi Bear could finally resist no longer and plunged its face in.

Xu Yihai was clearly experienced—he gently pinched the bear cub's nape, so it wouldn't fall in.

The little Chi Bear got milk all over its face, noisily munching away.

The sight made Du Yu's own stomach rumble with hunger...

"Du Yu, you seem to be getting along well with the Tai Sui Fire Bamboo Tribe. Looks like your journey may go as you hoped," Xu Yihai said, smiling.

"Here's hoping." Du Yu reached out, gently stroking the Little Chi Bear's soft fur, "The atmosphere for cultivation here is really good. There must be a lot of powerful Chi Bears, right?"

"Yes." Xu Yihai nodded lightly, then after a moment's thought, continued, "The Chi Bear Race works hard on their cultivation, all for the sake of their home."

"Huh?" Du Yu looked curiously at Xu Yihai.

This place was so peaceful, with full protection and care from the Human Race—what trouble could possibly affect the Bamboo Grove?

"Compared to the past, the area of the Bamboo Grove has shrunk a bit," Xu Yihai explained, "which is unacceptable for the Chi Bear Race."

"It shrank?"

"Anyone familiar with Chi Bear culture knows—there are a total of sixty Tai Sui Bamboo in the Bamboo Grove."

At that, Du Yu and Fu Jianzhou exchanged a glance. Back on the road, they'd noticed that the map only listed fifty-seven Tai Sui Bamboo.

Xu Yihai understood their expressions and explained, "There are three Tai Sui Bamboo missing here.

One Tai Sui Thunder Bamboo is missing to this day; another, Tai Sui Wind Bamboo, has founded a separate Bamboo Grove Realm.

Another, Tai Sui Earth Bamboo, was carried away by a powerful Chi Bear, out of this Demon Spirit Realm."

Du Yu was puzzled: "What do you mean, carried away?"

Xu Yihai: "The existence of Tai Sui Bamboo is very special. Once it finds a suitable place to stand, it becomes the mother of a Demon Spirit Realm.

If pulled out, a Tai Sui Bamboo is like a Demon Soldier to our Human Race; in the hands of a Chi Bear, it can display immense power."

"Huh?"