Du Yu handed in his paper, perfectly completing his assessment task. At 3:00 pm, the school bus carried the group of students back to the dilapidated gate of the school.

Under the lead of Teacher Zhang Qing, the students got off the bus one after another. Through the school's large iron gate, they also saw Old Demon Gong standing in the very center of the playground, hands behind his back.

However, there had been 24 people taking the assessment, but only 19 returned to campus.

Such a brutal assessment was something the students hadn't expected before.

It's worth mentioning that Wei Feng actually managed to pass the assessment smoothly and was not among those who were eliminated.

His teammates Lin Shihang, Zhang Qiming, and Sun Beizhi all lost their qualification for the competition and had to start over, but Wei Feng, well, he ran like lightning!

Thanks to a Demon Crystal he received by joining Lin Shihang's team, he deserted at the crucial moment, managing to escape successfully and laugh till the end.

This result was honestly quite amusing.

What's even funnier, after Du Yu boarded the school bus, he inevitably saw Wei Feng.

Wei Feng sat in the last row by the window, looking meek as a kitten, not daring to glance at Du Yu, he didn't even dare to fart...

"Eh? That looks like...?" As Li Mengnan got off the bus, she spotted a black sedan parked by the roadside and noticed a tall, big-built middle-aged man beside it, her face turning curious.

"What, you know him?" Du Yu asked curiously.

Li Mengnan frowned slightly, looking like she was racking her brains: "I think I saw him in my mom's wedding photo."

Du Yu: "..."

Li Mengnan, only you could say something like that! Normal people can't even imagine it!

The middle-aged man, seeing Li Mengnan's silhouette, broke into a smile and waved at her repeatedly.

Li Mengnan followed the team forward, waving back sheepishly as well.

Not until walking past the big iron gate did she turn her head toward Du Yu and say, "The way I remember him, he was tall and skinny, and had a ton of hair."

Apparently, Li Mengnan's impression of her dad was still stuck at the fourth grade of elementary school.

Du Yu turned and glanced: "He's still got plenty of hair now."

"What do you know, back then he had long hair—looked just like a rock star." Li Mengnan muttered softly.

"Du Yu!"

"Here!" Du Yu snapped back to reality and quickly responded.

Gong Cheng's gaze passed through the students and landed on Du Yu: "What's up, Squad Leader Du? Did too well on the test and it's going to your head?"

"N-no, not at all."

"Then why aren't you getting them in line?"

"Ah!" Du Yu hurried out from the crowd, "Everyone, line up!"

Gong Cheng: "Line up at the entrance of the teaching building, wait for the teachers to call your names."

Du Yu: "Yes!"

The team of less than 20 quickly assembled in front of the teaching building entrance.

Through the glass doors, Du Yu could see Teacher Zhang Qing sitting at the center spot, with two other teachers on either side, holding data sheets and seeming to be studying something?

As roll call began, the students entered one by one.

When they came out again, most wore happy faces and had a tactical backpack printed with "Demon Spirit Academy".

Only a few students, even though they came out with backpacks, looked rather downcast—probably got a good scolding.

In line, everyone wanted to dig for some news, but with Old Demon Gong standing right beside, the students coming out just heads down and dashed straight to the dorms—nobody dared linger, making Du Yu itch with curiosity.

What Du Yu didn't expect was that, in the end, he was actually the last to be called in.

"Du Yu, Du Yu, go in already." The second to last, Li Mengnan, carrying her backpack, jogged out looking in high spirits, "The teacher's calling you."

"Okay." Du Yu took a deep breath, puffed out his chest, and walked into the interview room.

When Du Yu entered, Zhang Qing's smile brightened further, and she spoke first: "Du Yu, you performed very well. The Academy teachers all have high praise for you."

Saying this, she lowered her head and looked at the data sheet, listing each teacher's observations: "Calm, perceptive, decisive, good at observing.

Good relationship with Demon Pet, solid archery basics, shows some creativity, and occasionally surprises us."

Zhang Qing read through carefully: "Weaknesses are that coordination with your Demon Pet is not tight enough when fighting together, so you didn't fully capitalize on your Demon Pet's strengths. Close combat ability is weak, lacking experience. Personal physical fitness needs improvement, and you must maintain the proper attitude when executing tasks."

Du Yu listened closely, neither agreeing nor disagreeing in his heart.

Zhang Qing put down the data: "Weak close combat abilities and inexperience—these are common issues for all archery students. After all, in high school Martial Arts classes, you were only required to stand and shoot. But as for attitude, do you have anything to say about that?"

Du Yu hesitated for a moment before speaking: "My attitude is very proper, I took this assessment very seriously."

Zhang Qing naturally nodded: "That's also how I see it. Maybe when you and Li Mengnan first fought for the Demon Crystal, some of your actions looked kind of silly—some teachers didn't like it much."

Without waiting for Du Yu's response, Zhang Qing continued and moved on from that issue: "Let me ask again, are you interested in joining the Demon Spirit Academy?"

Du Yu nodded enthusiastically: "Yes!"

"Good, the teachers value you a lot." Zhang Qing nodded with satisfaction, "There are already 7 teachers who made it clear they hope you'll become their unofficial student. That's very rare, you should be proud of yourself."

"Ah?" Du Yu was delighted at first, then a little dazed, "Being an unofficial student means I get a mentor? I thought..."

"No, for your age group awakening, most are average in talent. Even as unofficial students, Demon Spirit Academy manages and is responsible for everyone collectively."

Zhang Qing patiently explained: "But there are special cases—sometimes you find hidden gold among the sand. Some teachers, with an eye for talent, want to reserve a student in advance, and the school allows it.

After a year's apprenticeship, that student will formally be their disciple. Come here, I've got a list of teachers for you to look at."

Du Yu walked forward and took the paper from her.

The handwriting on top was elegant and pleasing to the eye—pity Du Yu didn't recognize a single teacher's name!

Zhang Qing: "These teachers are willing to help you, to mentor you through your first full year of apprenticeship. But keep in mind, while you enjoy special care, your chosen mentor will also assign you extra tasks—it's a requirement for special unofficial students like you at Demon Spirit Academy.

No need to decide now; wait until tomorrow, when you register and collect your customized Demon Soldier, then make your choice."

Du Yu was thrilled: "So I'm an outstanding student now?"

Zhang Qing smiled and asked back: "What else?"

Du Yu nodded repeatedly, giving thanks: "Thank you, teacher."

"No need to thank us." Zhang Qing waved it off, "The decision for outstanding students rests with Instructor Gong Cheng. He reported your name last night."

Du Yu was surprised, puzzled: "He reported it last night? But... but we hadn't even done the graduation assessment yet?"

"It's a bit irregular, but Instructor Gong did report early." Zhang Qing looked up at Du Yu, "Maybe for Instructor Gong, your assessment was already finished."

Du Yu opened his mouth, and Old Demon Gong's scary scarred face flashed through his mind. For a moment, he was speechless.

When he came to, he hurriedly lowered his head to check the teacher list in his hand more carefully—but there was no Gong Cheng listed!

This...

I thought it was mutual affection, but my ideal mentor didn't choose me after all?

Du Yu's feelings were written all over his face; the teachers could see it clear as day, so Zhang Qing explained: "Because of the Thousand Paper Cranes' storm, the number of students surged, and Instructor Gong was temporarily dispatched to help.

He usually only takes high-level students, those who can go to war right off the bat—so you two wouldn't be a good fit, and the school wouldn't approve it either."

Du Yu: "..."

Teacher Zhang Qing is still so gentle, always so tactful.

"Not a good fit?"

That's just a nice way to say I'm not good enough!

Zhang Qing's name wasn't on the teacher list either, so... not good enough times two?

"Go get your gear, check the list and make sure everything's there."

Du Yu took the tactical shoulder bag Zhang Qing handed over. Looking at the inventory sheet on the bag, he saw that they were all outdoor survival items.

Once he signaled the check was finished, Zhang Qing brought out an ID and a cell phone.

The black leather ID was palm-sized and opened vertically, very much a police badge vibe.

Du Yu curiously opened it and saw a beautiful card. Beneath his photo were a few simple lines:

Du Yu

Ancient Pine Tower City Demon Spirit Academy

Unofficial Student

ID: 531163941

"With this ID, you can now enter the Earth-level Demon Spirit Realm." Zhang Qing watched Du Yu treasure his new badge and felt genuinely happy for him.

She thought of it as witnessing a poor kid's rise with her own eyes.

Remembering that the Heterochromatic Little Fire Fox was chosen from her, Zhang Qing felt a small sense of participation.

Unlike how she treated the other students, Zhang Qing explained in detail: "You must keep this ID safe; it's your ticket for your apprenticeship. If you lose it, replacing it costs money."

At this, Du Yu nodded earnestly: "Definitely, I'll keep it safe."

Zhang Qing handed the phone to Du Yu: "This is the school-issued phone. It comes preloaded with the Newbie Level Demon Spirit Atlas. Your student ID is your account; password is 1~6.

The Atlas is packed with information about Demon Beasts, Demonic Plants, Rare Fruits, and more.

You can use the Atlas's scan function to identify any living creatures you encounter in the Demon Spirit Realm and get basic info about them."

Du Yu kept nodding. The phone looked like it would break at the slightest drop.

Zhang Qing: "Especially with rare fruits—if you see something you don't know, always scan it first to identify. Don't just eat things at random, or you and your Demon Pet could get hurt."

"Yes!"

Zhang Qing: "Alright then, go back to the dorm and pack up. The school bus will take you back to the city soon."

Urged by Zhang Qing, Du Yu could only thank her again and again as he left.

"Heh." Walking out the doors of the teaching building, Du Yu took a long breath, looking out at the school bus parked beyond the big iron gate, his heart awash with emotion.

Three days ago, this very school bus brought him, all nerves, to the training base.

Three days later, it would still be this school bus taking him back—but this time, he was returning to society as an honest-to-goodness Demon Tamer Prentice.

Getting skilled with the Demon Soldier, reinforcing the contract, training Demon Skills, evolving his Heterochromatic Demon Pet, assembling the Demon Breath Battle Robe, and undergoing a hazardous real combat assessment.

Thinking back over these three days, Du Yu's heart swelled with accomplishment.

"Du Yu, Du Yu."

"Hm?"

"So awesome! We'll keep getting stronger~"

"Awoo~!" Connected by their contract, Xiaoyan appeared quietly, jumped onto Du Yu's shoulder, looking just as pleased, and tilted her head back with a fox cry.

Du Yu's mood got even better. Human influencing pet, pet influencing human—a wonderful positive cycle.

Whew~

Just as Du Yu was quietly relishing it, a surge of scorching Fire Demon Breath suddenly rose and slowly spread out.

Du Yu quickly turned to look.

"Awoo~" Xiaoyan lifted her head with a proud look, the picture of confidence and grace.

Gong Cheng stood alone on the playground, watching as the students, loaded down with bags, left campus to get on the bus.

When he heard that familiar and beautiful fox cry, he turned and saw the spirited Du Yu and the waves of heat spreading in circles from around Little Fire Fox.

For once, a rare smile appeared on cold-faced Gong Cheng.

Heterochromatic Little Fire Fox, Mortal Level·Minor Achievement?

Yeah, it does make for a pretty good ending.

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