"Had Heaven not birthed me, Luo the Emperor, the myriad realms would dwell in eternal night."

Leaving that unnerving sibling pair behind, Luo Yu returned to the overgrown field on campus. She dragged her training dummy out of the weeds and propped it upright. Its limbs and torso were carved from ancient spiritwood, joints patched with clay—a comically lopsided figure. Yet this dummy breathed with life: it spoke, reasoned, analyzed situations, and above all—fought. Its core pulsed with an ancient computational rune-art, a gift from a primordial Demonic God to the Mei-Lan ancestors, now passed down through generations.

Luo Yu couldn’t recall when the dummy was made. Broke and starving after entering the academy, she’d looted it from a trash pile treasure chest. A discarded relic—but miraculously, Luo Yu activated its dormant power source, extending its lifespan by years.

After months of training together, Luo Yu grew accustomed to talking to it. She had no friends at the academy. Qiu Xiaoshuang, a Highborn Demon with Witch bloodline, only knew Luo Yu because of the ninety-something-year-old Headmistress. Even Qiu’s favors were the Headmistress’s orders. Luo Yu couldn’t decipher Qiu’s true feelings. In her mind, only the ancient, feeble Headmistress genuinely cared—but even she rarely had time for Luo Yu these days.

"Hey, robot." Luo Yu kicked the dummy’s knee. "Your Majesty got looked down on again today. Two Lower Demons. Knew them as kids. Annoying pests."

"..."

"Why aren’t you talking?" Luo Yu swayed on her feet. "I’m telling you—I *loathe* when people flaunt magical talent in front of me. Like that petty stuff even matters—"

"..."

"Still silent?" Luo Yu frowned. "Don’t like talking?"

Then she blinked. "Oh. Forgot to power you on."

She tiptoed behind the dummy, slapped the switch on its back. Its ruby eyes flickered to life.

"Identity confirmed: Luo Yu. Greetings, My Cosmic Invincible Supreme God-Emperor of Unrivaled Divine-Slaying Might."

"Doesn’t that feel... off?" Luo Yu scrunched her nose. "Missing some flair."

"Your Majesty," the dummy sighed audibly, "do you know how painful it is to say such insincere things?"

"My bad." Luo Yu patted its head. After a pause, she grinned. "Next time, spice it up yourself. Add ‘Dragon-Slayer’ or ‘Eternal’ or ‘Sole Sovereign of Ten Thousand Ages’ before ‘Your Majesty.’ Show my unparalleled status."

"..." The dummy fell silent for a long moment. "What do you need, Your Majesty? Training?"

"Nah." Luo Yu waved her left hand, right palm rubbing her aching stomach. "Hurts too much today. Just... talk with me."

"Understood." The dummy nodded. "Though I’m only semi-sentient, I’ll strive to use words that please Your Majesty."

"I, the invincible Luo Yu, am *so* unhappy today." She crouched, burying her hands in her pockets. "Guess how unhappy I am?"

"Your Majesty," the dummy said flatly, "if you speak in riddles, how can I know what troubles you?"

"..."

Luo Yu took a breath and recounted the noon incident at the plaza—watching a beautiful girl’s magic test.

"I see." The dummy’s voice softened. "So the Lower Demon named Xiong Simei angered you?"

"Something like that." Luo Yu pouted. "She kept bragging about her magical talent. So irritating."

"After all, she’s one of the rare Lower Demons with high-tier magical aptitude. Unlike Your Majesty—a mortal with zero magic affinity. You must envy her."

"I don’t envy her!" Luo Yu snapped, turning away. "I don’t care about her innate magic-tracing physique! Don’t care that some trash Demon Sorcerer bypassed bloodline suppression! And I *definitely* don’t care why I’ve never understood magic all these years—why—"

"Easy, Your Majesty." The dummy edged closer as Luo Yu’s face paled. "I’m here."

"Anyway," Luo Yu flopped cross-legged on the grass, "I don’t care about magic. One day, I’ll surpass every Demon Kind with pure martial talent. From Fighter to Martial Emperor, Soul Douluo, Honored Douluo, Fool, Great Luo Golden Immortal—I’ll become the strongest in the Demon Realm and marry thousands of beauties!"

"Your Majesty..." The dummy deadpanned. "You’re mixing up worldviews."

Luo Yu rolled over. "Listen, robot. Only idiots train in magic. Only cowardly, lustful human Champions care about that nonsense..." Her fingers traced her stomach, rolling on the grass. "And that old man’s ‘time-stop’ thing—even if it *is* super useful, super fun, super impressive—I don’t care! Not one bit! It’s practically... nonexistent to me..."

"..."

After a long silence, the dummy spoke carefully: "Still... I advise you to try casting again. It might work now."

"Why?" Luo Yu flipped onto her back, shirt riding up to reveal a smooth navel. "That old coot Headmistress already said I have no magic destiny." Her eyes glistened. "I asked the Buddha. He said magic and I are fated to meet... after a thousand years..."

"..."

"One thing I forgot to mention, Your Majesty." The dummy gently combed tangled strands from Luo Yu’s forehead. "During this morning’s training, I detected magical energy circulating inside you."

"What?" Her expression shattered.

"Indeed." The dummy’s voice turned grave. "I don’t know what happened during your last expedition against the Champion—but since your return, a Fairy Kind bloodline from the Highborn Demons has awakened within you. It’s already rewriting your body."