Chapter 51: The Rules

Chapter 51: The Rules

After dinner, Wen Ying planned to return to his room to memorize the demonic geography he had recently learned by heart. Aluda stopped him.

"I have something for you that I almost forgot."

Looking closer, Wen Ying saw a black feather in Aluda's hand. The aura lingering on it felt familiar. He leaned in and asked, "Grandma, whose feather is this?"

"It's Lai Yehua's."

Wen Ying was puzzled. "Why did he come? To avenge his nephew? Grandma, did he do anything?" As he spoke, Wen Ying scrutinized Aluda.

Aluda placed the black feather in Wen Ying's hand. "He came to ask me some questions. Keep this feather. If Lai Yehua causes you trouble, show him this, and he'll understand."

Wen Ying's eyes sparkled. "Great, now I can beat them up without any worries."

Recently, Wu Shaluo's faction hadn't done anything overtly, but they'd been pulling off sneaky maneuvers. They even seemed to have targeted Wu Fei. Wen Ying wasn't sure about what happened behind the scenes, but there were three factions in their class. One supported the eldest prince, another backed Wu Fei, though this one was smaller. The third faction was neutral, with most of the demons still observing and waiting.

Wen Ying knew that the demon he beat up in the ranking match was summoned by Wu Shaluo to test him. After seeing his current strength, Wu Shaluo had become more cautious.

The factional strife deepened Wen Ying's sense of being in the Demon Realm. After listening to Aruda's advice, he had mixed feelings about their rivalry, or rather, the aggressive competition of the eldest prince's faction. Did that prince know that if his father were to pass away, a third powerful brother might emerge?

Aruda said slowly, "Ignore all those trivial matters. There are many fools inside. Your top priority now is to master the knowledge of magic potions I've taught you."

Wen Ying nodded and went upstairs to study. He started with the geography of the Demon Realm but found that his memory, which hadn't improved despite becoming a demon, was still weak. When he opened the book, it was Ma Dongmei, but when he closed it, what was her name again? After struggling to memorize it painfully for a while, he switched to a more manageable and interesting magic potion book.

Aruda brought him fruit halfway through, and seeing Wen Ying studying magic potions diligently, she was very pleased. She thought about raising some cows in the castle, as humans believed milk could improve memory. It should work for Demon Realm cows too.

They had been having meat lately, so it was time for some seafood. Tomorrow, she would go to the capital to look for fresh Stomach Spine Fish and Blue-tailed Lobsters. Maybe there would be some small Giant Emperor Crabs. Roasting the crab shells filled with roe and claw meat would be delicious.

Raising children was exhausting, Aruda mused. She constantly had to find nutritious food for Wen Ying, whose physique was too weak.

At eleven, Wen Ying put down his pen, closed his notebook and textbook, then stretched his arms. He stood up and sat cross-legged by the bed, planning to draw some cards before sleeping.

He had specifically asked the Faceless Puppet and Purple Magic Eye to cast their innate spells in front of him many times. The former had given him a scale from Phelios, while the latter agreed after Wen Ying treated her to a bowl of human world shaved ice. This girl turned out to be quite approachable, which moved Wen Ying. There were still kind-hearted demons with good temperaments in the Demon Realm.

All the girls he knew were nice, compared to the likes of Muershi and Essence who were deadbeats... except for Teacher Xiya, who was quite brutal. Previously, she had hung a student in the sun for a day because he wasn't paying attention in class.

Just as he was about to draw cards, Wen Ying remembered something and washed his hands before returning to do so.

Wen Ying took a deep breath, recalling the scene of the Masked Puppeteer manipulating her puppet. When she unleashed her innate spell, String Puppet, a ghostly mask clung to her face, making her appear even more like an inanimate doll. Her index finger extended a delicate thread into the unseen distance, and suddenly, multiple puppets emerged, each wearing the same mask as the Masked Puppeteer.

Gathering magic between her fingers, a card began to form mid-air, with a colossal puppet hovering above, gazing down at the tiny figure below. Threads connected the puppet's fingers to the small person.

Just as the card was about to take shape, a burst of energy dissipated into magical aura. But Wen Ying remained unfazed; after all, he had drawn hundreds of cards in the Human Realm's mobile game without any SSRs, fostering a resilient mindset.

Determined to get an SSR, he continued sketching the same pattern, pouring copious amounts of magic into it from eleven in the evening until two in the morning. Finally, Wen Ying obtained an SSR "String Puppeteer," though most of his attempts were failures, resulting in only one SR card.

Exhausted, he quickly brushed his teeth and washed his face before dashing to bed, collapsing into a deep sleep.

After the demon exorcism class the next day, Feng Luo arrived during the break. The seemingly sexually indifferent demon slammed his desk to quieten everyone down. "I have to deal with an extremist group in a city up north, so for the next few days, another demon will be substituting my classes. I'm informing you all in advance about the upcoming practical exercise."

"The location is already prepared – it's at the Northern Mist Mountain. You'll be divided into two factions and enter from opposite sides. The rules are simple: each team has a several-meter-tall stone as their base. Whoever destroys the other team's stone first wins. Individual scores will be determined by both your contribution to destroying the stone and the number of score cards you obtain. As usual, each of you will carry one score card, and if it's taken from you, it means you're eliminated."

"The score cards of the two factions will have different colors, and demons from the same faction cannot attack each other. Violators will be eliminated. Additionally, regardless of how many score cards a defeated team's demons have, their top scorer will rank behind the last place of the victorious team, and so on."

Excited whispers filled the classroom. Demons were inherently fond of fighting, and this topic piqued their interest. This practical exercise seemed to simulate small-scale group combat, promising an exhilarating and entertaining experience.

"Faction allocation will be random, so some of our class demons might end up as enemies," Feng Luo said after reading from his notebook. Looking at the excited students, he slammed the desk again. "This performance will significantly impact your final exam results. Let me give you a heads-up: His Majesty the Devil designs different levels of exams. Those who don't perform well in this test might face easier but lower-scoring tasks in the final exam."

"Wen Ying, what on earth did the Demon Lord see in the Human Realm?" Wen Ying muttered.

Muershi leaned in. "Wen Ying, I'm actually looking forward to being on opposing sides."

Wen Ying glanced at him with a quizzical expression. "Why?"

Muershi stroked his chin, an evil glint in his eye. "Feng Luo specifically mentioned that the scorecards for the two factions have different colors. Does that mean I can wear the opposing team's color as a spy? If so, I'll stab you in the back while wearing their color, and it would definitely be amusing."

Wen Ying was stunned.

HuPo turned his head in surprise. "Is that even allowed?"

Li Jie pondered. "Seems like there wouldn't be any issues."

Essence spoke lazily, "You might be in a bit of danger. I'll just eliminate you first then."

"Demons of the same faction can't attack each other," Scarlet snorted. "This guy probably wants to betray his own teammates. Who knows if he'll really be a spy or a double agent, Wen Ying. You can't trust everything an Evil Bird says."

Upon finishing his sentence, Scarlet noticed Wen Ying staring at him in surprise. He first looked at himself, then asked, "What's wrong?"

Essence chuckled mockingly, "He thinks you're too clever."

Scarlet's face darkened. He was, after all, the next leader of the Wyvern clan, someone revered and admired by other demons elsewhere. Yet this Demon Mirror treated him like an idiot, leaving him sometimes doubting himself.

Wen Ying looked at Essence with a look that suggested he could be taught, ignoring Scarlet's furious complaints. With the corner of his eye, he glanced at Beros. Lately, Beros had been acting hostile towards him. He wondered if they would end up on the same team during the practical training.

Thanks to Beros, Wen Ying's tolerance for pain had skyrocketed. The guy didn't hold back at all – he was practically trying to beat him to death. It was just a slap... Wen Ying thought guiltily.

"Also, the first-place winner this time will receive a prize funded personally by His Majesty the Devil King. It's a villa in the hot springs located at the foot of the Flame Mountain nearby the capital."

Gasps echoed throughout the class.

"A villa in the hot springs at Flame Mountain? His Majesty the Devil King is so generous!"

"Even though my family has one too... but you can never have too many places like that."

Wen Ying nudged Muershi with his elbow and whispered, "Is there anything special about the hot springs villa at Flame Mountain?" It wasn't mentioned in the geography textbook.

Muershi sighed. "Although I'm used to your lack of common knowledge, there are times when I still feel like teasing you."

Li Jie turned his head. This handsome devil's voice was clear and gentle. He said, "There are magic stone veins on Flame Mountain, which are very beneficial for cultivation. The hot springs there have absorbed the magic essence of the stones over time. Soaking in them not only relaxes you but also accelerates the growth of your powers. All the villas there are currently sold out, and commercial estate reservations are booked for half a year from now."

After Wen Ying listened to the explanation, he finally caught up with his classmates' excitement. "The Devil King is quite generous."

Wen Ying wondered if Aruda owned any properties on Flame Mountain. After Li Jie finished speaking, he suddenly wanted to soak in a hot spring.

Essence leaned close to Wen Ying's ear and said, "Beros has one."

Wen Ying looked at Essence in horror, who was grinning. Essence held back Wen Ying's lips with his hand and whispered like a lover, "I am an outstanding succubus, after all. When it comes to that aspect, I can read a demon's heart."

Wen Ying grabbed Essence's slender fingers and, like a spy exchanging intelligence, asked in a serious whisper, "Then can you tell what Beros is thinking?"

Essence's brows furrowed, and the melancholy in his pink eyes stirred the emotions of the demons around him. He spoke softly, "Except for Beros."

Wen Ying rolled his eyes and turned away.

Determined, Essence poked his back again and whispered, "Before, no, but now I'm sure he likes you."

"If his way of liking a demon is by repeatedly beating me up and sending me to the school infirmary," Wen Ying paused, "then I hope he doesn't like me." His body still ached slightly!

"With such generous prizes set by Father King, I naturally must strive my hardest to secure the first place," came a voice from the entrance, high-pitched yet melodious, conjuring up in one's mind the image of a noble demonic aristocrat.

Wen Ying turned his head and saw a golden-haired demon standing at the back door. The air of nobility around him was a testament to his esteemed upbringing. His smile was bold and unrestrained, his brows exuding confidence in his strategic planning. With golden tresses that cascaded like silk and gleaming black eyes, he seemed to radiate an otherworldly glow as he stood there, making the entire realm seem to shimmer in his presence.

Upon seeing this demon, Wen Ying's first thought was—those lustrous golden locks, flowing like silk, must be the result of using Ploarine shampoo.

The demon had mentioned "Father King," and without needing any further clues, Wen Ying could guess his identity. This was the eldest prince, who had yet to grace the school with his presence even once in almost a month... what was his name again?

Wen Ying gazed at the striking golden tresses and then at Wu Fei's jet-black hair and deep brown eyes, feeling a sense of unease. Dragons were supposed to have black hair, weren't they? So why did the First Prince have golden locks? A melodramatic scenario played out in Wen Ying's mind.

Feng Luo, facing the flamboyant golden-haired demon, maintained his detached tone: "Take your seat now that you're here. Don't make me late for my ride later."

The corners of the golden-haired demon's lips twitched slightly, his gaze turning hostile as he looked at Feng Luo. However, he didn't say anything more, scanning the classroom before striding with straightened back to the sole empty seat.

Upon witnessing the fiery glare from the golden-haired demon, Wu Fei buried his head in his arms, once again longing to return to the human world and be a corporate drone.