BUTTERFLIES (Arc 2&3; The Undefeatable Class 192)

Chapter 63: Old Sage Muyu

2.5 seconds ago...
The demon snickered on seeing me draw the bow again, after it'd already tossed one away, effortlessly. My face was covered by the battle armour, so it could not notice the streak of white light dancing across my eyes.
Suddenly, it noticed I'd shot at it quite unusually quickly, but that wasn't enough to make it get alarmed. As before, it didn't waste anytime, but swat it away.
Immediately after doing that, that was when it noticed a surprisingly fact.
'Swoosh!' Another arrow simultaneously appeared from beneath the one it'd swatted away. The first one was just a phony and an aversion, while the other one was the main enemy arrow.
"Arrgh!" it groaned, but didn't stop running. Soon it was already before me, covering all one hundred metres in a short time. Although the description might seem long, in reality, it was not even more than ten seconds. I was sure that it'd have been even faster if it was with its true essence.
Its little distraction was enough time for my Eye of Insight to get me out of the hazard of the demon's weapon. I rolled under its body, through the parted legs. Now that I turned around to take a photographic glance at it, I was more than surprise about its height. I'm not sure the tallest of humans could ever match up to this height! So demons have good legs, huhn?
"Roar!" It blared its fangs at me, though covered by its helmet, then charged at me.
After a long while I made a new hypothesis! Guess what! I'm gonna die-ha-hai!
I mean, what could a bow and arrow in the hand of a novice (who it appears never misses a shot) when faced with a real life battle with someone who could end one's life at the first attempt do?!
I began to run with all my might across the fighting ring. The cheering from the audience had long stopped as they watched in disbelief the two fighters on the stage. One was running with all one's might in such a way that the back of that one's legs could tap the back of the head (cough cough), while another one was chasing after the tiny one with all its might. They were running round and round the stage, leaving the audience speechless and befuddled.
They probably must be wondering if they came to watch gladiators or today's program was a cat named Tom, and the helpless mouse, Jerry...
"Roar!"
"You 'roar' to you too! Just get the flying cow off my trail and let me run in peace! Who d'you think is willing to be your first kill of the day... nah-ah, not me! I'm going to run for my goddamn life! Mummy! Come get me! Roy, Little Wolfy, Frosty, pick up the call or you'll all lose consciousness and die in my soul if you don't save me now! Nothing? Is that how you treat your master? Pl-eaaaaaa-se! I'll double your food ration! For flying cow's sake!"
I grudgingly drew arrows and shot like a mad bull.
'What? It's my life we're talking 'bout here!'
"Roar!" But this time it was a painful cry. I quickly looked at the demon that'd just met up to me, sideways, and saw I managed to strike it in one eye.
"Yepee! There really is hope for the living!"
What was I even thinking by celebrating already? In its moment of pain, the demon switched into wildfire mode! At one swipe, for real, I was already sent flying to the other end of the stage, groaning in pain. I watched as I nosedived in the air. I was gently approaching over the ring! Yes, I was going to escape!
Or maybe not...
My face took a detour and slammed against the stage barrier-
It seems one cannot exit the stage due to some kind of true essence barrier erected around the edges of the stage.
'Sweet Lawd! My precious face! Mu-waw-waw-waw!'
I turned around with red eyes and shot endless arrows at the approaching demon. But this time, with only one eye and fury all over, it countered every one I shot at it.
I myself got angry and charged at it. What's even there to be scared of. It hadn't true essence as myself, we were even! If there was something I was respected for amongst Class 192, it was for my strength. Even Lingxi called me sister because of how impressive my strength had become.
I concentrated my whole being into my right hand as I thought of a thousand ways to avoid the weapon in its hand. Since it was holding it in its right hand, it was definitely going to swipe diagonally from right to left. The safest way was to strike before it did.
Not caring if I actually had true essence or not, I stumped my right leg on the ground and pushed myself up into the air. I concentrated all my being into this small act, trying to establish communication within my body. I'd already noticed my spiritual energy were all force-trapped within my dantian.
The moment I stumped my feet, a miracle happened!
'Vwoosh!' I soared into the sky as my true essence broke free from my dantian and quickly circulated in my meridians under the United Heavens cultivation method. I almost broke out into tears. Wasn't this beautiful? I've gotten my superpowers back! Muhahaha, curse you demon!
I twirled in the air, because the acceleration wasn't expected. After balancing myself in descent, I brought out my fist and gathered all my energy on it.
Out of instincts, the demon who hadn't grabbed the fact that the table had just turned for it, raised its weapon over its head to injure me.
'You must be kidding! A Meditation realm cultivator could break a school building with just a swipe of an arm. Not to mention the fact that what it held was just a weapon. Let's see who'd be getting injured.'
Fist and weapon clashed!
'Boom!'
The whole place was dead silent.
My left knee was on the ground, my right leg was trying to support my getting up, while my right fist was buried into the ground, as purple blood gathered all around me.
You guessed right - the demon's hand was not only dislocated, its whole body was blown into smithereens!
You must understand that cultivators fighting with non-cultivators was typical bullying; it was like an adult fighting with an infant. There's no manner of skill that could make the infant triumph over the adult. On a normal note, it shouldn't have been that easy to triumph over that demon. Not to mention it had all those strength already - just wondering how its power mixed with true essence would be, was enough to give me the creeps.
"Roaaaar!"
The audience began to give out war cries of victory. Wait, what?
I quickly raised my head up to face the audience. When I noticed their heights, that was when the anomaly finally fixed together and made a sentence in my head.
'They're all demons... then this must be their continent?'
I quickly reined in my cultivation, immediately I noticed the "referee" swoop into the stage.
She raised her right hand up in sign of victory then said, "Congratulations, Miss..."
She suddenly appeared by my side and whispered, "What's your name?"
"Stephanie," I replied, startled.
"Miss Stephanie!" she announced, already appearing back to her previous spot, with her right arm still raised in victory.
Next, she slowly catwalked towards me, then smiled warmly at me. She held my hand and waved her other hand, suddenly causing the surrounding scene to change back into the abyssal, dark world.
"Lights on!"
The whole place warped and we were seated in a class room... no, to be precise, we were seated in Class 192. It was exactly the way we'd left it. Ruby's chess board was still on table she'd dropped it on, before we went off to JAG Special.
She waved her hand a second time and caused a spatial lock.
Raising her index finger, she tapped on my head and said, "Rule one, the price for asking a question is killing a demon."
Immediately, a sentence written in gold was imprinted in my mind. She then chuckled seeing my expression.
"You killed a demon, so I'll answer your question about who I am. My name is Muyu, but everyone calls me Old Sage Muyu." She smiled as a cup of wine suddenly appeared in her hand from no identifiable source. She raised it slowly to her mouth, then asked, "I'm sure you have lots of questions right?"
'How could this extremely young woman be given the titled of "Old" before her name?'
I wanted to nod, but on seeing the devious smile, I had to do a split-second thinking. Then, the rule in my head surfaced.
'I almost died in there, what'd happen if I ask three questions at once - fight three demons at once? Plus, all that near-death experience was for you to simply tell me just your name?!'
I quickly swallowed a saliva and shook my head. I was even afraid to speak. Who knew if speaking was also against the rules?
"Hahaha, you learn quickly, that's good. Just the kind of companion I prefer. One more thing, your archery skills are so bad, yet, how are you able to make such good shots?"
"Umm... luck?"
She nodded, "It is said that 'luck' is also part of one's strength. That's good. Today, you'll be learning archery from me. Rest time's over."
She clapped twice and space wrapped. We appeared to be in a large field, this time.
"Pick the bow and arrows, you'll be learning what true arching means!"