I Have a Golden Crow

Half a month later, Bottomless Fifth Floor.

"Mmm~" Du Yu stood in a puddle of mud, one hand supporting the Shadow Gu Tower, letting out a relaxed nasal sound.

The strange thing was, despite the faint expression of enjoyment on Du Yu's face, a fierce murderous aura filled his whole body.

Clearly, the relentless slaughter and cultivation of the past half-month had immersed him in a certain state of mind.

The puddle of mud beneath Du Yu's feet was once an exquisite Mud Po Goddess Sculpture.

But alas, Prince Du and his Demon Pets had ruthless hands; they smashed the sculpture to pieces.

"Pfft~"

After a bizarre popping sound, the mud on the ground turned into wisps of Cold Qi and Demon Breath, gradually dissipating into the world.

"Wuuu~ aaaaah!" Though the mud escaped Prince Du's demonic grasp, the strands of Demon Soul hidden within couldn't escape their doom.

The broken Demon Souls screamed and wailed, all to no avail in the end.

The tiny Shadow Gu Tower in Du Yu's hand trembled lightly. One wisp after another of Residual Soul had nowhere to hide, ultimately becoming nourishment for the mind and spirit, absorbed by the Shadow Gu Tower.

In this brutal scene, Du Yu was undoubtedly a Great Demon.

And the Ghostly Firefly Doll guarding at his side, along with the Three-tailed Fire Fox perched on his shoulder, were naturally the Demon King's trusted minions.

"Ying!" Xiaoyan suddenly let out a fox cry, the sound sharp and piercing.

Du Yu sensed something, snapped his eyes open, and looked back.

"Zzz~ zz!"

In the distant corridor, streaks of electric light flashed everywhere!

It was as if a Lightning Ball was bouncing back and forth within the narrow corridor, rapidly speeding toward Du Yu.

With a casual wave, the Shadow Gu Tower in Du Yu's palm quietly vanished, merging into his palm and returning swiftly to the Spirit Ruins Acupoint.

"Fox Tail Flowing Flame!" Du Yu picked up the Demon Soldier Linked Beads and issued the command.

"Ying!" Xiaoyan's two long tails—one to the left, one above—suddenly lit up at the tips. Another long tail curled around Du Yu's neck, propping up a "cannon stand" on his left shoulder.

Glory Gold·Fox Tail Flowing Flame!

The flaming beams were dazzling like rays of light, piercing through the long corridor, instantly illuminating the dim environment.

"Ying?" A hint of doubt colored Xiaoyan's voice.

As she continually adjusted her tail tips, the three flame beams formed a "barrage of gunfire." In the past half-month, no Cold Beast had managed to escape Prince Yan's tails.

But today, Xiaoyan had finally found a tough opponent!

The crackling of electricity grew closer and closer, the sphere in the corridor erupted and ricocheted off the walls in an eerie path, coming straight at Du Yu!

Eye of Burning Sun·Hunting Moment!

Du Yu instantly drew his bow and nocked an arrow, his eyes flaring with light!

Precisely because there were no teammates at his side, Du Yu could go all out without hesitation.

For an instant, the world seemed to freeze—even the rapidly bouncing Lightning Ball in the distance was revealed in its true form.

Was this really a Lightning Ball?

No—it was, in fact, a Celestial Treasure Race·Electric Little Star!

It was star-shaped, but due to the high speed of its rotation, and the fact that it wasn't spinning laterally, it looked like a Lightning Ball to the untrained eye.

Even more intriguing, this was not just one Electric Little Star: two smaller starlets orbited its body.

But these two small stars had no physical shape—they were composed of blue-purple electricity.

No doubt about it, this was a Celestial Cold Beast!

Every time this creature leveled up, a little guardian star would appear around it.

Du Yu narrowed his eyes, watching as the Electric Little Star approached the left wall. He predicted the enemy's path and released his hold on the bowstring.

"Ding~ ding!"

Two crisp rings sounded—the Continuous Pearl Arrows shot onto the wall, spinning off.

Du Yu's expression darkened. He missed!

His aim was definitely not the problem—he had misjudged the enemy's trajectory.

Due to the Electric Little Star's body structure and spin angle, it didn't bounce diagonally upward like a normal ball, but ricocheted down in a strange angle, then bounced again.

Eye of Burning Sun·Hunting Moment!

In a flash, Du Yu's eyes blazed again!

Now a Demon Tamer, he unleashed his inborn talent; after using Eye of Burning Sun, he no longer suffered any seconds of weakness.

Not only that—Du Yu could now use the Eye of Burning Sun continuously!

Breaking through to Demon Tamer not only allowed him to gather Elemental Demon Soldiers and refine Residual Souls, but also gave his body a qualitative leap!

"Whoosh~ whoosh!"

Demon Soldier Linked Beads—One Arrow, Two Beads!

Just as the Electric Little Star bounced up from the floor, both Fire Arrows struck it dead-on.

But Du Yu's expression was still gloomy. With a push of his foot, he leapt back: "Talisman Guard!"

The Fire Arrows hit their mark, to be sure.

But the Electric Little Star's Demon Breath Battle Robe remained unbroken, and its incoming momentum wasn't slowed much.

"Mmph!" Little You Ying had been floating at Du Yu's side, and as he backed away, it instantly sidestepped across his body.

Little You Ying stepped on a mysterious symbol—glyphs swirling around its body drifted out and assembled before it.

Each glyph suddenly enlarged, and a huge, firefly-green shield appeared in front of them!

Glory Gold·Ghost Fire Talisman·Guard!

Little You Ying hugged its torch, at full combat readiness.

The huge shield of Ghost Firefly Fire symbols solidly blocked the onrushing Electric Little Star!

With a muffled "thud!"

The shield of glyphs quaked fiercely, almost seeming like it could shatter at any moment.

The Electric Little Star was rebounded, its spinning speed dropping sharply!

"Ghostly Insect Guide!"

"Fox Tail Flowing Flame!" Du Yu gave the command through the Contract—much faster than shouting aloud.

"Ying!" Xiaoyan let out a melodious fox cry, the flames on her tail tips shooting out again.

"Mmph!" Little You Ying hugged its torch—a Wind-Fire Pillar blasted out in an instant!

Glory Gold·Ghostly Insect Guide!

It looked like a blast, but in fact, it pulled the prey back in!

As Little You Ying ceased feeding Demon Breath into the mysterious glyphs, the large shield broke apart into biscuit-sized pieces, which she absorbed back into the torch in one swoop.

Not only the little glyphs were called back, but the Electric Little Star that had been blown away was also caught within the 20-meter range of the Wind-Fire Pillar!

Under the suction, the rebounding Electric Little Star hovered for a moment in midair.

In that split second, the three lines of Fox Tail Flowing Flame converged on a point—direct hit and detonation!

"Boom!!!"

A deafening explosion echoed, with the sound of the Demon Breath Battle Robe shattering mixed within.

Under the triple pinpoint blast of Fox Tail Flowing Flame, the Electric Little Star detonated instantly!

But it was still blown out of the Wind-Fire Pillar's range by the force of the blast, sent flying far away.

"Whoosh~ whoosh!"

Du Yu had already been waiting—a flick of his fingers on the bowstring, and two arrows pierced the Electric Little Star's bizarre body, right in the heart of the star!

"Nice one." Du Yu strode forward, tilting his head slightly.

"Ying~" Xiaoyan understood, nuzzling Du Yu's face with her fluffy head.

On the move, Du Yu also reached out and patted Little You Ying's head.

"Mmph ya!" Little You Ying hugged the big torch, squinted her eyes in delight, feet stepping on mysterious glyphs, bouncing along to chase Du Yu.

When it came to honing teamwork between human and pet, Du Yu was serious.

Faced with this sudden attack, Du Yu's team executed a seamless defense and counterattack!

Not only was the group's teamwork flawless, both Demon Pets had astonishing reaction and trust, following Du Yu's commands almost without thought.

This, all of it, was the result of Du Yu's strict training with his Demon Pets!

"Pfft~"

Du Yu approached the Electric Little Star. Its body had already been blasted to pieces and finally disintegrated, turning into wisps of chilly mist and Demon Breath.

Du Yu waved his left hand, and a Shadow Gu Tower appeared in his palm once again.

The Demon Breath and Cold Qi swirling under his feet hadn't had time to escape, and strands of Residual Soul were forcefully dragged out.

The Residual Souls, like streams, meandered up and into the Shadow Gu Tower.

"Heh..." Du Yu closed his eyes and let out a long, slow breath.

"Ying!"

"Hmm?" Sensing the signal from Xiaoyan, Du Yu immediately stored her in the Acupoint Home to receive the Shadow Gu Tower's nourishing energy.

Prince Yan said… she's about to level up!

"Guard us, You Ying." Du Yu reached into his overcoat pocket, took out a piece of Firethorn Fruit Leather, and tossed it into Little You Ying's torch.

"Mmph!" Little You Ying hugged the torch, just like a little artillery soldier, burning up the fruit while staying wary of her surroundings.

"Bzz~ bzz..."

Du Yu frowned slightly, reaching into his pocket again, and under the food bag, pulled out his buzzing phone.

The scene was rather bizarre for a moment.

Du Yu's left hand held an antique-styled Shadow Gu Tower; his right hand, a modern cell phone…

He glanced at the caller ID and raised his eyebrows. Li Jing, Senior Brother?

This senior was truly responsible—every few days he'd call to check on Du Yu's cultivation progress.

Clearly, before leaving, Master Qing had given Li Jing extra instructions.

"Senior Brother?"

"Training finished for today?" In an office at Demon Spirit Academy, Li Jing pushed up his rimless glasses and glanced at the wall clock.

6 PM.

Li Jing knew his junior trained in the war zone by day and returned to the hotel at night for rest. He approved of such a cultivation schedule.

"About to head back... mmm~"

Li Jing: "..."

As Du Yu let out his signature nasal sound, a wave of Fire Demon Breath spread from his body.

"Junior?"

"My Demon Pet just leveled up," Du Yu came back to himself, awkwardness in his voice.

"Haha." Li Jing realized, laughing, "Yeah, that feeling is pretty good."

"Mmm~" Another nasal hum—whether it was a reply or genuine feeling, hard to tell.

Li Jing: "..."

After a moment's thought, Senior Brother Li said, "Today's the 20th. This month's already half gone. Soon the Cold Beasts will get restless again."

"They're already restless," Du Yu recalled the Electric Little Star crackling just now, and discreetly made the Shadow Gu Tower disappear with a swipe of his left hand.

"Yeah, you should head out now. Also, the final exams are coming up. You should get out early and settle your mindset."

Senior Brother Li Jing was clearly experienced—he knew the environment of the battlefield, and understood what long immersion could do to someone's mind.

"Got it... okay." Du Yu nodded lightly, then asked, "By the way, Senior Brother, do you know what's on the exam?"

"Not sure yet, but all the major universities in the province are participating—should be a province-wide joint test.

The Bookstore has contacted our school, but as for the specific content and format, the Demon Spirit Bookstore has kept completely tight-lipped.

I've heard a bit of gossip—the Bookstore has cleared out a Demon Spirit Realm... Anyway, you come out of the war zone first.

I'll meet you, we can chat in person, and I'll treat you to a nice meal."

"No need, Senior Brother. I'd better go home first. I think I'm about to level up too."

Li Jing: "..."

"Senior Brother?"

"Then... then take care, all right?" Li Jing bid farewell and hung up, expression growing stranger by the second.

Demon Tamer·Minor Success Stage?

Demon Tamer Prentice and Demon Tamer Journeyman are considered the Newbie Stage, but reaching Demon Tamer level—the difficulty of cultivation spikes sharply.

If Du Yu enters the province joint exam as a Demon Tamer·Minor Success, with those famous Demon Pets of his... isn't that kind of unfair?

Li Jing's thoughts on that end were complicated, while inside the Bottomless Pit, Du Yu quietly slipped his phone into his pocket.

Should be able to level up before the 1st, right?

For this big exam, Du Yu wasn't about to disgrace his title as First Paper Crane Disciple.

After all,

This was Master Qing's request.

"Ying~" Xiaoyan snuggled quietly, her two long tails circling Du Yu's neck and hanging on his chest.

The other tail gently stroked Du Yu's cheek, quietly passing her emotions through the Contract.

"Heh." Du Yu couldn't help but laugh, nodding gently, "Alright, we'll definitely be first!"

"Ying~"

"Time to let everyone see just what being number one on the Celestial List really means!"

"Ying!"