"Ha ha, my little shepherdess, you came running over after hearing just a thousand credits?"
Before Jiang Yu could say anything, the shepherdess beside him was already laughing so hard she could barely keep her mouth shut.
Even though she knew the shepherdess was rather unreliable, she still couldn't help asking:
"You're from the Azure Sky Academy, aren't you?"
Spirit Core nodded.
There was also a tall young man beside the shepherdess, with ordinary looks.
A man and a woman. They were probably her companions.
Jiang Yu thought as much.
Just then, another team came over. There were three people in this group.
The one in the lead was a man wearing a gray outfit and black leather boots.
He was clearly the Demonic Law teacher who had spent years blowing sand and dust out in the wilderness.
The shepherdess seemed quite pleased to see this team.
That was understandable. They were legitimate demon hunters, and joining up with them would be a strong move.
And she had already offered a thousand credits for Jiang Yu's demonic beast.
One small white wolf and an underage girl—what could they possibly contribute?
"Fine, then. Good luck, shepherdess."
The two men followed the teacher and the others, chatting as they went.
The shepherdess was already impatient. She hurried over to Jiang Yu before he could leave.
To understand, the son of the head of the Eight Directions Academy was also a genius with a rare physique—the sort of person whose family would spare no expense to cultivate.
If he could win over such a high-level talent, wouldn't the family's resources lean even more heavily his way?
The shepherdess glared at the group that was leaving.
"You said you'd help me get that Ice Element Spirit Core, didn't you? That mountain valley is crawling with demon creatures!"
Spirit Core patted his chest and confidently assured her:
"Don't worry. I'm Jiang Yu. Killing demon creatures is as easy as chopping vegetables!"
"You're Jiang Yu?"
The shepherdess stared at the handsome young man before her.
Jiang Yu didn't bother explaining anything to her.
The shepherdess gazed at his exceptionally handsome face and suddenly lost her composure.
So this was Jiang Yu? He looked even better than the old man in the movie.
A perfectly sculpted face, with features that were flawless in every way.
His eyes were as sharp as a hawk's, and his thick lashes gave them a mysterious, starry depth...
"Hey, hey!"
Jiang Yu looked at the shepherdess, who had suddenly started blushing, and felt a little puzzled. Why was she staring at him like that?
The shepherdess snapped out of it, her cheeks turning pink.
She quickly looked away.
"I'll believe you for now."
The shepherdess composed herself, then turned back and said earnestly:
"That Ice Element Spirit Core is very important to me! I have to get it!"
Jiang Yu simply nodded.
The two of them followed the others onto a small boat.
There were nearly ten boats of similar size around them, all bobbing on the waves as they made their way toward a small island shrouded in dark mist.
And the demon creatures were there.
The higher-ups of the various families watched from afar. They would act as judges for the upcoming Eight Directions Academy competition.
The families would also use the competition's results to assess each person's contributions.
As the boat slowly approached, they could make out an enormous creature!
The most conspicuous sight in the Eight Directions Academy was a waterfall above the summit, plunging down from an unknown height for what seemed like miles.
Yet the water pouring down from the colossal waterfall was pitch-black.
It looked like it was accompanied by a deafening thunderclap, as if lightning were crashing down from the heavens!
"I heard the central area of the Eight Directions Academy has a Thunder Element Spirit Core!"
The shepherdess's voice was drowned out by the roaring waves.
At that moment, huge waves surged around the boat. One towering swell crashed down, nearly capsizing it.
If the boat hadn't been protected by magic, the three of them would have fallen into the water long ago.
"This won't work! We can't get any closer!"
Spirit Core shouted anxiously.
The closer they got to the island, the bigger the waves became. There was no way they could land!
The shepherdess was at a loss, too. She couldn't think of a way through.
And Jiang Yu had no idea what to do about the violent waves surrounding the little boat, either. They could only wait for the storm to stop.
"I'll take care of it."
Jiang Yu said, and leaped off the boat.
The shepherdess and Spirit Core were completely stunned. Jiang Yu was going to jump into the sea?
Even with Demonic Law to protect him, diving into the sea was still far more dangerous than an ordinary person could imagine!
But the next moment...
A pale-blue star pattern appeared.
[Frost Demonic Law: Ice Burial]
The seawater within a thirty-meter radius around Jiang Yu froze solid.
The waves, which had been raging around the little boat, were instantly sealed in ice.
Although the waves still surged and beat against the ice, the sight was strangely beautiful.
"This won't do! We're still more than a mile from shore. At this rate, we'll never make it to the island!"
"Jiang Yu, you can't keep using Demonic Law forever!"
Spirit Core reminded him.
But Jiang Yu answered calmly:
"My demonic energy reserves are far greater than an ordinary demon hunter's."
"I completely forgot about that."
Spirit Core remembered that Jiang Yu had jumped off the boat, and the shepherdess hurried after him.
"The boat's going to get damaged. We need to go back soon!"
The shepherdess watched the boat, unsure what to do.
Jiang Yu boarded it, then reached out to control it. A massive block of ice appeared in the middle of the sea.
"We'll go back when we need to. This is enough."
After all, he had Fire Element Demonic Law.
As Jiang Yu released Ice Element Demonic Law from the boat, the seawater steadily froze into ice.
He carved out a huge path of ice in the middle of the sea!
Spirit Core and the shepherdess hurried after him.
Other teams had also spotted Jiang Yu's astonishing move.
"Don't worry. I won't let that damn old Demonic Law teacher do what Jiang Yu did."
The shepherdess said, trying to reassure herself.
Among the other people there was someone who knew Jiang Yu.
For example, the pale-faced Bai family youth, who looked as venomous as a white viper.
He was glaring at Jiang Yu!
Ever since Jiang Yu had beaten him, his family had paid an enormous price to treat his injuries.
Bai Sen had completely lost his chance to be trained by his family!
He had even been driven out for offending the young master of the Bai family, Bai Canglong!
"Who's that, young master? Is he your enemy?"
Bai Canglong's lackey leaned in beside him and asked.
"His name is Jiang Yu. He's the one who hurt me!"
Bai Sen gnashed his teeth as he spoke.
Bai Canglong seemed unbothered, turning to look at the handsome young man beside him.
"Xi-ge, when are we going to teach him a lesson?"
Xi-ge was the family's specially recruited guest instructor, and his skill was unfathomable.
Being challenged by someone like Jiang Yu was an insult.
And with the grudges against the Bai family, he would surely make things difficult for Jiang Yu.
As Jiang Yu continued along the ice path, he was already getting close to the Eight Directions Academy.
The others could only stare as the three of them reached the summit ahead of everyone else.
The shepherdess was incredibly excited by Jiang Yu's performance.
She couldn't believe he had come to help her.
After all, a thousand credits was pocket change to her.
Still, even a small favor was a favor.
The three of them climbed the dark staircase, whose steps were as wide as five fingers.
As they walked along it, Jiang Yu felt that it looked like an ordinary set of stairs. There was nothing particularly magical about it.
At that moment, the shepherdess took out a map and studied it carefully.
"The Ice Element Spirit Core is in a place called Skyfall Gorge. There are some demon creatures of the advanced level there."
"And I think I'm not the only one who knows the location of the Ice Element Spirit Core!"
"Don't worry. It'll take at least an hour for them to reach the summit."
Spirit Core said confidently.
She had already calculated when the storm would stop based on all kinds of information.
Jiang Yu said nothing. He walked at the front, heading toward Skyfall Gorge.
Before you continue