The Demon Mirror

Thump!

The final bell rang out, signaling that the annual Awakening Day had come to an end.

The rainbow-colored Demon Spirits were drawn by a mysterious force back into the Blue Moon, where they were sealed away once more. They would remain there until this day next year, waiting for the moment they would finally be refined.

The spectacular event had concluded, yet the spectators were reluctant to disperse.

"Wuu..."

The boys and girls who had failed to fuse with a Demon Spirit looked dejected, their heads hanging low and their eyes rimmed with red. They descended from the altar, heavy with grief and resentment.

Becoming a Demon Spirit Master was the dream of every student and every martial artist alike; it was the greatest hope every parent held for their child. They had spent years preparing for this very day.

With their dreams cruelly shattered by reality, many of the more fragile-minded collapsed right there on the altar, only to be carried away by staff members who had been standing by in anticipation.

Conversely, the youths who had successfully become Demon Spirit Masters held their heads high, their faces beaming with joy and pride as they basked in the gazes and envy of the crowd.

From this moment on, having become Demon Spirit Masters, they stood above the common martial artists.

It could be said that their lives had entered a new starting point—a starting point far higher than that of ordinary people.

Among the many youths, three figures stood out the most. The light screen continuously replayed the footage of these three refining their Demon Spirits.

All three were boys, and all three had refined Ninth-grade Demon Spirits.

Among them, the most dazzling was a boy with dyed yellow hair.

With Lin Feng's knowledge of Demon Spirits, he could tell at a glance, even without the subtitles, that the yellow-haired boy had fused with a Ninth-grade Six-winged Phantom Python.

On Awakening Day, Lin Feng's dream had been to refine a Ninth-grade Azure Burrow Dragon. However, in terms of rarity and power, the Ninth-grade Six-winged Phantom Python was slightly superior to the Azure Burrow Dragon. It was the Demon Spirit every speed-type martial artist dreamed of, and Lin Feng was no exception.

It was just that the Azure Burrow Dragon looked handsome and imposing when fused with a human, making it more popular among students, whereas the Six-winged Phantom Python appeared somewhat eerie. Otherwise, it would have actually been a better fit for Lin Feng.

Under Lin Feng's curious gaze, the yellow-haired boy, now possessed by his Demon Spirit, grew extremely slender, appearing to be a full 1.9 meters tall. A purple scale sat in the center of his forehead, and his vertical green pupils looked eerie, like those of a snake, carrying a chilling aura that made one shudder. Behind him, three pairs of purplish-red wings fluttered slightly, moving with incredible speed. As a Ninth-grade poison-type demonic beast, speed was only one aspect; it was the Six-winged Phantom Python's toxins that were truly the most feared and dreaded.

The Six-winged Phantom Python's innate ability, "Illusion," was even more formidable, possessing the effect of ignoring certain attacks for a short duration. This was where its true value lay.

With a Ninth-grade Demon Spirit, as long as one's martial arts talent wasn't too poor, one was qualified for special admission into the three major Hero Academies, even without taking the college entrance exam.

Without a doubt, these three were the protagonists of the day, the favored children of heaven.

But just as everyone thought this year's Awakening Day had drawn to a close, a figure suddenly appeared on the light screen.

"Roar..."

In the footage, a boy was letting out a hysterical, inhuman beastly roar.

A black undercurrent swirled around the boy. His body expanded, his hands swelling as veins bulged and transformed into dragon claws. With a "chi" sound, a dragon tail sprouted from his tailbone, swaying slightly like a steel whip. Pitch-black scales spread across his entire body, gradually forming a suit of jet-black armor, and sharp spikes extended from his tail all the way to his forehead. Perhaps due to the overwhelming pain, the boy hammered the ground frantically while undergoing his transformation.

The marble floor shattered under the boy's blows, beaten into a small crater by his bare flesh. Even as blood splattered, it did not stop the boy's self-mutilation.

Amidst the frantic pounding, a pair of blood-stained black wings sprouted from the sides of the boy's body. The wings had a span of over two meters and were like pitch-black blades; as they flapped, they left deep grooves in the ground. After a while, the boy slowly stopped struggling. When he raised his head, a pair of crimson-gold vertical pupils emerged, radiating a hint of coldness and madness.

"Thorn Demon Dragon."

Everyone watched this scene in shock. The Earth Ranking 46th Thorn Demon Dragon Demon Spirit had been refined!

Undoubtedly, this was the most shocking scene of the day's Awakening Day.

It was a sight rarely seen in decades!

A moment of silence was followed by tsunami-like cheers. Without a doubt, the boy had become the center of attention.

Unable to suppress the excitement in their hearts, the crowd waved their hands and screamed wildly, releasing their inner fervor.

The previous center of attention, the yellow-haired boy, became a mere backdrop in that instant.

At this moment, no one paid him any mind.

Ninth-grade Demon Spirits were refined every year on Awakening Day, but Earth List Demon Spirits were rare; sometimes they only appeared once a decade. Many people had never seen one with their own eyes in their entire lives.

Let alone one ranked 46th on the Earth List, the Thorn Demon Dragon, known for its formidable attack power.

"So strong. Is the gap between a Second-grade and an Earth List Demon Spirit really that vast?"

On the altar, Gao Hai watched the scene with immense envy.

Beside him, Yage also set aside her pride, her captivating eyes revealing an unreadable expression.

Although her Bewitching Butterfly was an Eighth-grade, it was comparable to a Ninth-grade Demon Spirit. Yet, while a Ninth-grade Demon Spirit and an Earth List Demon Spirit seemed only one grade apart, their potential and combat power were worlds apart. There was simply no comparison to a pure dragon-type Demon Spirit like the Thorn Demon Dragon.

"His Soul Power must be terrifyingly strong." Below the altar, Lin Feng's gaze was filled with surprise.

Because of the Demon Spirit possession, the boy's features were difficult to distinguish, but the scraps of cloth scattered on the ground proved he belonged to First Middle School. Among the students of First Middle School, the only one with such talent was likely that Ye Qiu.

This genius boy had been robbed of the Nightmare by him, yet at the final moment, he had still managed to refine the Earth List Thorn Demon Dragon. This was a dragon-type Demon Spirit with powerful attack capabilities; not only did it possess high attack power, but it also added dark-type damage, and its innate ability was the envy of every martial artist.

Such a flying Demon Spirit had almost no weaknesses, whether in long-range or close-quarters combat, offense or defense. It was practically perfect.

Lin Feng could only dream of such a Demon Spirit; he dared not even hope to refine one himself.

"Truly a peerless genius." Lin Feng could only sigh inwardly.

Earth List Demon Spirits were inherently rare and impossible to refine without being a genius in Soul Cultivation. Furthermore, aside from Guardian Artifacts, Demon Spirits ranked in the top fifty of the Earth List could not be bought on the open market. Moreover, the requirements for refining such high-level Demon Spirits were monstrous.

Let alone high school students, even powerful martial artists could not refine them.

A Demon Spirit of this caliber had not appeared in River City for decades.

As for Demon Spirits of an even higher level than the Thorn Demon Dragon, they certainly existed, but to refine those, one needed to be at least a Fifth-Rank Martial Artist with immense Soul Power.

Lin Feng took a deep look at Ye Qiu.

People really couldn't be compared.

Some were born as the favored children of heaven, not only martial arts geniuses but also possessing such terrifying talent for Soul Cultivation.

As for himself, his martial arts talent was mediocre, and his Soul Cultivation talent was trash—he didn't even have the strength to refine a First-rank Demon Spirit. If not for the memories of his past life, he would likely feel just as powerless when facing such a genius.

Lin Feng also understood that Ye Qiu's ability to reach Body Cultivation Ninth Stage at fifteen was not just due to his own talent, but also the contribution of the Ye Corporation he belonged to.

Wealthy scions like Ye Qiu had been built up since childhood with various medicinal pills and the flesh of demonic beasts to assist their cultivation. Their physical fitness far exceeded their peers, their blood and energy were thick, and their cultivation was naturally a step ahead. His powerful body was one of the reasons he could refine the Thorn Demon Dragon.

Of course, being born into the right family was also a skill, and background was part of one's strength.

The appearance of the Thorn Demon Dragon kept the scene in a state of fervor. Such a peerless Demon Spirit was something even the big shots on the high platform craved.

The Demon Spirits they provided were at most Eighth-grade; anything Ninth-grade or higher were remnants from the Battle of Dawn.

Not just them, but even the Martial King Jiang Chu, the guardian of River City on the high platform, was surprised. It could not be denied that even he felt a hint of envy in that fleeting moment.

As a Demon Spirit Master, Jiang Chu understood that refining a high-level Demon Spirit did not necessarily mean one was stronger than someone who had refined a low-level one.

Demon Spirits required cultivation. If not nurtured well, even a Demon Spirit Master who had refined a high-level Demon Spirit could be defeated by one who had refined a low-level one.

The grade of a Demon Spirit did not entirely equate to combat power; it primarily signified the potential for growth.

For example, when refining a Fifth-grade Demon Spirit versus a Seventh-grade one, in the initial stages, both Demon Spirits started growing from the First-rank, and there was no significant difference in combat power. It was just that a Fifth-grade Demon Spirit could grow to the Fifth-rank to assist a Fifth-Rank Martial Artist in battle, while the limit of a Seventh-grade Demon Spirit was the Seventh-rank, allowing it to assist a Seventh-Rank Martial Artist. That was the significance of Demon Spirit grades.

However, if the grades differed significantly, this standard could not be applied.

Like Ye Qiu's Thorn Demon Dragon, even as a First-rank Demon Spirit, it could crush the vast majority of Second-grade Demon Spirits, and even some Third-grade Demon Spirits with lower combat power. A Demon Spirit of this level already possessed the qualification to challenge those of higher ranks.

"It seems River City is going to be lively today."

Taking one last look at Ye Qiu, Jiang Chu slowly walked down from the high platform.

He had seen too many geniuses.

Even if Ye Qiu was a peerless genius, so what? Only by truly growing into a powerhouse would he be worthy of his attention.

"Line up one by one, take it slow."

Although Awakening Day had ended, Lin Feng and the others did not leave. Instead, under the direction of the staff, they were organized into ten rows and began to walk toward a mirror that stood as tall as a person.

The youths passed through in an orderly fashion. The mirror was somewhat magical; when ordinary people passed by, it showed no change, but when a Demon Spirit Master appeared, it would reflect the Demon Spirit within their body.

This mirror had a very interesting name: the "Demon Mirror."

The reason the Demon Mirror was originally invented was to prevent top-tier demonic beasts from transforming into human form and mingling among people, such as that mysterious, demonic youth.

Now, its purpose was to record the types of Demon Spirits the youths had refined and to prevent anyone from stealing Demon Spirits.

The latter was the primary reason.

Although the annual Awakening Day had the Martial King present and countless powerhouses observing and monitoring the entire process, stealing Demon Spirits was not impossible; in fact, it had happened frequently before the invention of the Demon Mirror.

Even a First-rank Demon Spirit was worth thousands of New Dollars, while a Ninth-grade Demon Spirit was worth at least over a billion, and Earth List Demon Spirits were priceless—those who truly possessed such high-level Demon Spirits would never sell them.

As for the Earth List 46th Thorn Demon Dragon, it could not be valued in money and could not be bought at all.

Because the refining of Demon Spirits was restricted to those under eighteen, in the past, many students were manipulated by large factions to commit theft. The methods of theft were varied and numerous, leading to the development of various secret techniques that were impossible to guard against.

Even though they knew they would be executed if caught, many still took the risk every year. Although Demon Spirits were difficult to refine, they did not possess much attack power on their own. If one were lucky enough to capture a high-level Demon Spirit, it meant a lifetime of wealth and glory.

If one captured an Earth List Demon Spirit, they could even establish a small family.

However, this situation basically disappeared after the development of the Demon Mirror.

Those secret techniques and tricks had nowhere to hide in front of the Demon Mirror.

"I wonder if I'll be discovered?" Standing in line, Lin Feng felt a sense of unease.

Inside his body, the Nightmare was sealed by the Evil Sealing Seal and had not been refined.

If the Demon Mirror detected it, it might be forcibly taken away. Even if he explained his reasons, it would expose the special nature of this Demon Spirit. Clearly, neither of these outcomes was what Lin Feng wanted.