Time slips away like a girl’s fresh underwear—gone before you know it.

The next morning.

Qiu Xiaoshuang woke up bright-eyed. She hurriedly pulled on her uniform and scrambled back up to her bunk.

Below her, Luo Yu lay sprawled on her stomach, naked from the waist down, knees tucked under her in a careless kneeling crawl. Her bare backside was fully exposed. Rubbing her eyes, Qiu Xiaoshuang called out:

"Luo Yu, there’s a magic quiz today. You know that, right?"

"Yeah…"

Luo Yu’s voice was muffled, half-buried in her pillow. She wobbled a hand in the air and flashed an OK sign.

"What even *is* this pose? You’re flashing the whole dorm!" Qiu Xiaoshuang frowned. "Have some decency, even in private."

"I arranged it just for you. Like it, Xiaoshuang?"

Qiu Xiaoshuang: "..."

"Whatever. So you’re skipping the quiz again?"

"I’ve ditched half the semester. What’s one more exam?" Luo Yu pressed a hand to her stomach, face still buried. "Better to sleep. Contemplate life."

"Guess you really don’t care about graduating," Qiu Xiaoshuang sighed, her gaze darkening. "I thought this year’s Central Academy might finally produce a top student from the Lower Demons."

"Don’t worry. This Great Emperor Luo Yu is all-powerful. Once I slay that Champion by month’s end, the Demon King himself will kneel to hand me my diploma."

Qiu Xiaoshuang: "Believe what you want."

"Safe trip. Fail the quiz? Just ask this Great Emperor Luo Yu." She added, "I never refuse a pretty girl’s request."

"You still don’t know yourself at all." Qiu Xiaoshuang tilted her head back. "I’m leaving. If anything happens, shout. Don’t die alone in here."

Luo Yu: "Bye, Xiaoshuang."

"I’m *really* going." Qiu Xiaoshuang turned away from Luo Yu’s bare body, climbed down, grabbed a witch’s staff from her desk, cast one last glance at the girl still sprawled on the bed, and left without looking back.

Once Qiu Xiaoshuang’s footsteps faded, Luo Yu clutched her stomach, writhing on the sheets.

"Gonna die gonna die gonna die—"

Her mind fogged, she twisted in pain, fingernails carving deep red grooves into her lower belly.

"Hell… these contraceptive pills… *definitely* messed up…"

She reached down, then lifted her fingers—streaked with blood mixed with feminine fluids.

"Why’s it bleeding again already?"

Grimacing at the bloodstained sheets beneath her, Luo Yu yanked the bedding into a ball, grabbed clean tissues, and pressed them hard between her legs.

"I’m an *Emperor*… Just need to settle down… a little longer… just a little…"

After a long rest, the worst of the cramps eased. Luo Yu pulled on a tank top—no pants—and shuffled bare-bottomed to the floor.

"Minor wounds? Nothing to this Emperor’s invincible constitution."

She swiped two pads from Qiu Xiaoshuang’s drawer, strapped them on, and finally breathed.

Hugging her knees, she sat silently on the cold floor for a while.

"Break’s over."

Luo Yu stood, tugged on pants and a jacket, and staggered out the dorm door, bracing against the wall.

"So tired… limbs like lead… it *hurts* down there…"

"*Damn it.*" She shook her head, slapped her cheeks to stay awake. "At my age? I don’t *do* pain."

Her eyes hardened. She straightened her spine, gritted her teeth against the stabbing ache in her gut, and pushed through the dorm gates.

Luo Yu swayed along a campus path until she reached an overgrown field.

"This abandoned zone… no students ever come here. My private training ground."

She rummaged through the weeds, then hauled out a rusted machete and a battered four-armed Training Dummy, its surface scarred near breaking point.

"*You’re* this age? How dare you sleep?"

She tapped the dummy’s back panel twice. Its red mana-gem eyes flickered on, scanning her face. A mechanical voice rasped:

"Identity confirmed. Luo Yu. My universe’s invincible supreme god-slaying unparalleled Great Emperor. Greetings."

"*Sigh.*" Luo Yu patted its shoulder modestly. "My strength? You know it. Keep it low-key. Makes me blush."

Dummy: "..."

"Begin training." Luo Yu raised the machete toward its wooden shoulder. "Don’t worry—I’ll hold back. Won’t hurt you."

"Combat mode: activated." The dummy shifted into a defensive stance.

Luo Yu spat in her palm, hefted the machete, and hacked wildly at its arm.

*Thwack. Thwack. Thwack.*

Each strike landed feather-light. The dummy lowered its arms after a moment, watching her flail.

Less than a minute later—*thud*. Luo Yu collapsed. The machete flew into the grass.

"Session complete?" The dummy crouched beside her, wiping sweat from her brow with a wooden finger. "Great Emperor."

"How’d my slashes score?" Luo Yu weakly tapped its head. "Break the mythical god-tier record again?"

"Ah…" The dummy paused. "Truthfully? Almost ineffective. Wouldn’t pierce a novice mage’s defense."

"*Hmph.* Of course. My scores are too high for your cheap sensors to register."

"..."

Dummy: "As you wish, Great Emperor."

A strained smile tugged at Luo Yu’s lips. "My swordsmanship’s improved again. Mastered new techniques. Now I’ll *surely* defeat the Champion."

"*Hss—*"

A fresh wave of pain ripped through her gut. Blood soaked through the pads, dripping onto the grass.

"Great Emperor! Are you unharmed?" The dummy gathered her trembling body, gently massaging her stomach with its knuckles.

"*Stop touching!* Makes it worse!"

Luo Yu bit her lip, shoved free, and lurched upright. She raised a fist at the dummy. "Again! Train until I surpass the Champion!"

"Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west—I, Luo Yu, *will* shock the world someday."