Chapter 541: Demon Rises a Foot

“So strange!”

Outside the window, rain drizzled continuously; the ground and trees were soaked, their colors deepened by one shade.

Wu Xian stood before the window, unable to resist raising the mirror again to observe his eyes.

“Really so strange!”

In the mirror, Wu Xian’s eyes were a beautiful blue-green, the irises slightly larger than before, the pupils transformed into vertical slits—a pair of cat eyes! The curse of [Cat-Faced Old Woman’s Grudge] had intensified!

Yesterday it was facial hair, today it was his eyes… then what will tomorrow bring? Ears? Mouth? Or hair covering his face?

But for now, the cat eyes were a positive enhancement for Wu Xian; he had not become colorblind or nearsighted like a cat, but his dynamic vision had improved.

After he had stared long enough at his eyes.

Wu Xian turned his head toward the corridor.

Five Student Union members marched in perfect step past Room 902; besides the three from the day before, Liu Shuli and Han Hao, who had died yesterday, had also joined the Student Union’s ranks.

Wen Ting, clutching her hair in frantic despair, kicked chairs in rage, cursing under her breath—her demeanor a stark contrast to her former gentleness.

It wasn’t just her.

All the new Familiars shared nearly the same mood.

Today was the minor exam, but what had ruined their spirits was the fine, persistent rain outside.

[Canteen Rule Four: After dark, or on rainy days, the canteen is closed to students!]

That meant.

This morning, no one had breakfast! Everyone ate only one meal a day, and their physical exertion was high—they had been looking forward to breakfast since yesterday afternoon.

But this rain doused their hopes, meaning they would take the minor exam on an empty stomach.

Worst of all, this rain might last all day—or longer! Just then.

The loudspeaker normally used to play the bell rang through the corridor.

[The minor exam will begin precisely at 8:00 a.m. All examinees shall proceed straight along the path behind the classroom building and wait before the Principal’s Office.]

After hearing this,

Wu Xian finally put away the mirror and hurried his packing, stepping out with Wu Banqing to descend the stairs early.

There was still more than half an hour until the exam.

This time could be put to use.

Since they couldn’t eat, most students remained in their dorms, so there was no need to avoid others outdoors.

The two of them braved the rain.

They reached the school garden, stepped into the muddy grass, and stopped beneath an ancient tree with a hollow trunk—though the hollow was empty.

Following yesterday’s agreement, Wu Banqing bowed three times to the tree, and a statue appeared before Wu Xian’s eyes.

On the statue’s black base lay a pile of bloody corpses; rising from among them stood a fearsome demon god: green-faced, fanged, muscles twisted, horns sprouting from his head, wielding a massive axe.

This was the Earth Official—Demon God Chiyou’s statue! This was Wu Xian’s first time worshipping a demon god; many demon arts carried negative effects that twisted one’s will, so he deliberately avoided them—but in this blessed land, worshipping a demon god offered the highest value.

He held the incense stick with reverence and bowed.

Black mist swirled around the demon statue, and three black demon claws rose from it, each cradling a book—each book a demon art.

Demon Art—Sixteen Heavenly Demon Dance: Back-turned lotus palms dance the heavenly demons, sixteen-year-old maidens rival the moon goddess… This dance, a court performance, has sixteen maidens perform before the king; when a Follower dances to the melody, observers may die from surging blood and qi, or be overcome with murderous rage. Initial duration: three minutes; can be extended by replenishing demonic intent.

Demon Art—Demon Rises a Foot: The Dao rises ten feet, the demon rises a foot. Using this art, one may instantly teleport to a point one foot above any visible target within a five-meter straight line, remaining no longer than one minute. Initial uses: three; can be extended by replenishing demonic intent. Demon Art—Wind-Death Demon Body:

Wind-Death Demon is an external demon, one of the four types: earth, fire, wind, water. Wind-Death Demon Body allows one to move like the wind; when wind is present, speed increases further. The body’s surface turns blue-green and becomes slightly distorted.

Of the three demon arts,

the strongest was clearly Wind-Death Demon Body—but its side effects were far too severe. Already, the white beard and changes to his eyes had made Wu Xian uncomfortable; if he truly turned into a blue elf, he could never hide it.

The Sixteen Heavenly Demon Dance was an area attack, but it didn’t distinguish friend from foe, and Wu Xian had the [Thunder Wrath, Lightning Fury] blessing—he didn’t need to dance to break his enemies’ minds.

So Wu Xian ultimately chose “Demon Rises a Foot.” At first glance, the art seemed ridiculous.

But if one thought carefully—it was teleportation!

Whether for escape or offense, it was an excellent art—and most importantly, it had no side effects!

After selecting the demon art,

the two parted ways.

Organizing and uploading~~

Wu Banqing had discovered two statues yesterday; now that she held the incense, she wanted to complete her worship immediately to gain self-defense power.

Wu Xian went to the secret base in the classroom building’s restroom, effortlessly using “Ghost Inscription” twice and obtaining two new ghost talismans.

One was [Ghost—True Fire Spell], which could release three True Fire orbs modified by ghostly energy.

The other was [Ghost—Fire Department General Art]; its original effect was to summon the Fire Department General, but now it summoned a fire-wielding hungry ghost.

These two ghost talismans filled the gap in Wu Xian’s offensive capabilities.

He tucked the talismans away and followed the broadcast’s instructions, walking straight along the path behind the classroom building for a long distance before finally seeing the so-called “Principal’s Office.”

Compared to the school’s other buildings, the Principal’s Office stood out as utterly incongruous—it wasn’t even a building, but a small thatched hut.

A sign reading “Principal’s Office” hung above the door; the windows and door were covered with worn-out straw curtains, through whose holes a shadow in a black robe could faintly be seen sitting inside.

Before the hut stood two tiny figures.

A boy and a girl, young in age, dressed in golden and green little jackets, their tiny hands jointly holding a scroll.

Wu Xian studied the thatched hut for a moment and noticed three obvious anomalies.

First, the soil around the hut was dry—this rain seemed to deliberately avoid the hut.

Second, Wu Xian instantly recognized that the golden and jade children were not human; having experienced the Three Immortals’ Blessed Land, he confirmed they were paper dolls, their craftsmanship far surpassing those of the Three Immortals’ Blessed Land—almost artistic.

Third, no Student Union members were present for the minor exam.

That was highly suspicious.

The Student Union members would never miss a chance to sabotage others; their absence from the exam must have a reason.

Perhaps they couldn’t… or perhaps they dared not!

Surviving students had begun arriving one by one; all were soaked in rain. Wu Xian wrapped his Blood Needle Silk around his neck like a scarf—both to ward off the chill and to conceal his beard.

The rain was cold, the morning wind biting; everyone had eaten nothing, and every moment spent outside drained their body heat.

Finally,

it was 8:00 a.m.

The paper doll boy and girl unrolled their scroll and began reading the rules of this minor exam.

(End of Chapter)