The setting sun dipped in the west, and the fiery clouds filled the sky.
As the school bus slowly drove away from the gate of Seventeen High, a few young faces emerged on the road behind the bus.
The students bid each other farewell, and eventually only Du Yu was left alone, facing the familiar street.
"Sigh..." Du Yu let out a deep sigh, holding a worn-out backpack in his hand, filled with Li Mengnan's love.
Yes, Li Mengnan's love for Xiaoyan.
Earlier, just as the school bus was about to leave, Li Mengnan hurriedly chased after it, stuffing a whole ten bags of high-level Demon Pet Food from the canteen into Du Yu's hands.
At that time, the looks from the students on the bus varied, and their envy and jealousy towards Du Yu extended far beyond just the heterochromatic Demon Pet.
Who wouldn't love a beautiful little rich lady like Li Mengnan?
The little rich lady didn't take the school bus with Du Yu, but instead took her dad's car to join a well-funded top-notch team and receive better education and training.
The girl's earnest invitations of the past still echoed around him:
"For us older Awakeners, forming small groups to help each other is the only way out."
"Why would those who are blessed with talent take on burdens like us?"
"Even if someone is truly willing to help us, when encountering rare fruits and rare Demon Pets during training, would there be any for us?"
Du Yu silently gazed at the sunset on the horizon, feeling a bit uncertain about the future.
He received a lot of care from the Li Family, and the Demon Pet food from Li Mengnan gave him some breathing space, hoping tomorrow he can get the customized Demon Soldier and start earning money soon.
"Buzz~ Buzz~ Buzz~"
Du Yu took a few steps back to stand on the sidewalk, put down his ragged backpack from his right hand, and pulled out his phone from his pocket.
Was someone actually calling him?
This was indeed something new.
Du Yu looked at the strange number on the screen, with its tail of five sevens, suggesting the caller might have some spare cash?
"Hello." Du Yu answered the call.
"Du Yu?" From the other end came a slightly cool female voice, quite distinctive.
Instantly, Du Yu's mind sketched out the silhouette of a beauty.
"Demon Spirit Academy, Yang Qingqing." The caller introduced herself, matching the image in Du Yu's mind.
Interestingly, the first thing Du Yu thought of was not Yang Qingqing's face but her graceful figure.
In the brief battlefield encounter, the only thing he remembered was her waist.
No, that wasn't a waist, but a sword that cut people down...
Du Yu: "Hello, teacher."
"Did you see my invitation?"
"I received it, Teacher Zhang Qing explained it to me clearly."
Yang Qingqing softly said, "I also heard from Zhang Qing, quite a few teachers are competing with me for you, she advised me to be proactive."
Be proactive?
So, does Teacher Zhang Qing also want me to become Yang Qingqing's student?
Du Yu had a particularly good impression of Teacher Zhang Qing, who was always especially gentle and patient with him.
Yang Qingqing inquired, "So, with so many teachers inviting you, do you have an answer in your mind?"
Du Yu: "No, my understanding of the Demon Spirit Academy, even the entire Demon Taming World, is very shallow. It's already an honor that any teacher would have their eye on me."
Yang Qingqing, sitting at the dining table, fiddled with the small green trailing plant on the table and chuckled softly.
Quite humble. If Lin Shihang could be this sensible, the family would have to burn high incense.
"Teacher Yang?" After a long silence, Du Yu spoke softly.
Yang Qingqing's delicate hand was gently pinching a leaf: "I just had a chat with Shiyi about your situation.
I wanted to ask about your performance during training, but Shiyi told me that not only did you have some conflicts with Lin Shihang during the assessment, you two weren't getting along well during the training either."
Du Yu: "Yes, he wanted my heterochromatic Little Fire Fox."
Yang Qingqing: "If you had really given him the Little Fire Fox, I wouldn't be making this call, and perhaps might have even withdrawn the invitation.
I see a lot of potential in you, Du Yu.
Whether or not we have a teacher-student connection, I believe you will succeed in entering the Demon Spirit Academy. This is my phone number, and you can reach out to me anytime you face difficulties in the future."
"Beep... Beep... Beep..."
As soon as she finished speaking, Yang Qingqing hung up the phone.
Listening to the busy signal in his ear, Du Yu couldn't help but fall into deep thought.
Meanwhile, in a restaurant.
Yang Qingqing put down her phone and looked at the beautiful girl sitting across from her: "Satisfied?"
Lin Shiyi's cheeks blushed slightly as she protested, "Aunt Qing, you have to trust me! Du Yu is really excellent, and don't you have annual cultivation targets and tasks to complete? This is a win-win!"
At 26 or 27 years old, Yang Qingqing seemed to get along well with a young girl like Lin Shiyi, and joked with her, "Have you taken a liking to him? You came all the way just to invite me to dinner for his sake?"
Upon hearing this, Lin Shiyi, already a bit flushed, turned beet-red: "You... Auntie!"
As they spoke, the phone on the table suddenly lit up. Yang Qingqing glanced over and saw Du Yu's number.
She reached for the phone and answered it again: "Du Yu?"
"Hello, Teacher Yang! After much deliberation, I would like to become your student."
Yang Qingqing couldn't help but raise an eyebrow slightly: "You deliberated for about 20 seconds?"
Du Yu hesitated briefly: "Then... should I call you back in half an hour?"
"Ha." Yang Qingqing chuckled and teased, "Come to Xishu Garden tomorrow at eight thirty in the morning."
"Teacher Yang, I have to go to the Demon Spirit Academy in the morning to pick up my customized Demon Soldier."
"I'll pick it up for you, come to me tomorrow to get it."
"Oh, okay." As the call was hung up on the other end, Du Yu put down his phone and let out a long sigh of relief.
He had just told a lie. On the journey back on the school bus, Du Yu had already looked up everything about the teachers on the list.
Among the teachers specializing in Fire Attribute, there are three, only two of whom use bows, and one of them is Yang Qingqing.
Du Yu's thoughts were simple: since the teacher called personally, giving such face, he must hold it together.
After all, she is a teacher at Demon Spirit Academy; it can't be like Li Mengnan said, where she would make things difficult for him. In his current state, he was no different from a wild grass; how could a big figure specifically target him?
Moreover, with a recommendation from Teacher Zhang Qing, Du Yu was willing to believe in the kind and gentle Deputy Director of Admissions.
Considering various factors, Du Yu found his first mentor. As long as he maintains a good relationship, she could be his first strong backing.
After all, Yang Qingqing is also from the Lin Family, and in the range of Ancient Pine Tower City, this backing is strong enough.
Thinking of Teacher Qingqing slapping Lin Shihang into silence, Du Yu felt that following her could bring unexpected benefits.
When there's work, it's a disciple's duty to help; why use a sledgehammer to kill a chicken?
Once I become Teacher Qingqing's excellent disciple, those slaps she gives Lin Shihang... I'll do it for her!
Oh~
It feels so comfortable.
Du Yu felt much better, picked up his worn-out backpack, and headed towards Teacher Li Hong's house.
A few minutes later, he knocked on Teacher Li Hong's door.
"Click." The door opened, and under the warm light of the cozy living room, Teacher Li Hong wore a slightly proud expression.
As the home's lights illuminated Du Yu, the smell of delicious food wafted in.
"Du Yu is back. I heard from Nannan that you've been awarded the title of Excellent Student." Li Hong smiled kindly, leaving her stern and serious demeanor as a class teacher behind at school.
"By chance, hehe, by chance." Du Yu scratched his head.
"Come in quickly." Li Hong stepped back, looking Du Yu up and down, the more she looked, the more satisfied she felt, "Dinner is just ready, change your shoes."
As she spoke, Li Hong returned to the kitchen, her voice carrying from afar: "Nannan and her father..."
Du Yu quickly interrupted the class teacher's words: "I know, Teacher Li. Having the opportunity to join a premium team for training, this is a good thing.
By the way, Teacher Li. Because I'm an Excellent Student, a teacher from Demon Spirit Academy took a liking to me, and I have to report to school tomorrow, essentially starting my mentor's training early."
"Oh?" Li Hong came out of the kitchen with a dish, seeing Du Yu didn't seem to be lying, she also showed a pretty proud smile, "Good, good."
During dinner, Du Yu shared his experiences over the past few days with Teacher Li Hong, also recounting many growth stories about Li Mengnan.
However, Li Hong only thought Du Yu was trying to please her, not believing that Li Mengnan had grown so quickly.
With laughter and chatter, dinner was exceptionally warm.
Only after dinner, when Du Yu was washing dishes, did he bring up the matter of moving out with Teacher Li Hong again.
And his reasons were impeccable, saying he was going to move to Demon Spirit Academy. Thus, Li Hong was naturally willing.
However, where did Du Yu have a place to stay?
He just didn't want to disturb someone else's normal life anymore.
But... it's not a big problem.
It's the height of summer now, and Demon Spirit Academy has issued outdoor survival gear. Moving into the Demon Spirit Realm to carry out tasks and cultivate day and night is also a good choice, right?
The Demon Breath in the Demon Spirit Realm is dense; both Little Fen Yang and Xiaoyan should like it a lot, right?
Oh, regarding the Eye of Burning Sun...
After cleaning up the kitchen, Du Yu hastily returned to his bedroom and called out in his mind, "Fen Yang, Little Fen Yang?"
"Mm~ ha~" Was Little Fen Yang yawning?
Du Yu apologized, "Did I wake you up?"
"Mm." Little Fen Yang's figure quietly appeared, looking drowsy, floating in front of Du Yu, snuggling into his arms.
Instinctively, Du Yu tried to catch her, but the body of Little Fen Yang was ethereal.
She just rubbed her eyes and floated diagonally in Du Yu's embrace...
The touch isn't important; it's about the feeling?
Du Yu quietly said, "During today's assessment, my eyes were burning hot, and it felt like the enemy's movements slowed down. Was that the effect of the Eye of Burning Sun too?"
"Yes." Little Fen Yang looked drowsy, "You only comprehended a tiny bit, so you can only use it for a short while."
Du Yu was overjoyed and hurriedly asked, "What other functions does the Eye of Burning Sun have? Tell me everything, and I'll comprehend them one by one."
"Hmm?" Little Fen Yang raised her small face, her sunset-colored eyes looking at Du Yu.
She thought seriously for a while before saying, "Not yet~ Your body is too fragile, your eyes will get burned."
Du Yu: "..."
"Keep it up, grow quickly." Little Fen Yang's figure disappeared quietly, entering Du Yu's Forehead Acupoint, continuing to rest inside Du Yu's fiery attribute body.
Only a few seconds later, a soft voice came from Du Yu's mind: "You can try to see through the night first."
See through the night?
Du Yu hurried to the window, looking at the quiet neighborhood outside with streetlamps on.
The lighting of the neighborhood couldn't cover everything, there were always dark places.
Du Yu focused on a pitch-black corner, the longer he looked, the brighter his eyes became, and the hotter they grew.
Suddenly, Du Yu's eyes were covered with a light red layer, and the entire world changed colors!
It was as if he was wearing a special night vision device, the scene turned light red, and the originally dark corner of the building was suddenly clear, with everything visible.
"Hiss..." After just 5 or 6 seconds, Du Yu felt his eyes heating up terribly, quickly closing them.
"Wow! You can really do it~ Du Yu, you're awesome!"
"Mm..."
"But it's only for a few seconds, Du Yu, you're such a weakling~"
Du Yu: "..."