Fang Wushuang hesitated.
His lips parted slightly, but no words came out in the end.
There was still unwillingness in his chest—heavy, sour, unresolved. But even he understood something very clearly.
He could not afford to provoke Yuan Wu.
Not here. Not now.
Not ever, if he valued his position in the Fang family.
Fang Cheng's gaze shifted away from him, cutting through the tension like a blade.
Then he spoke.
"Yuqing."
His voice was calm, but firm.
"Since you have made your declaration, then you will be required to enter a top-tier Spirit Contract University within one year."
A pause.
"No excuses. No failure."
The room seemed to tighten slightly at those words.
Fang Yuqing did not hesitate.
She nodded.
"I understand."
Her voice was steady.
"I won't break my promise."
But there was something deeper beneath her calm expression—something she did not show easily.
Determination.
And pride.
"I will succeed," she added quietly. "If I fail… I will personally dissolve the contract."
That sentence changed the atmosphere.
Not dramatically.
But enough.
Yuan Wu's eyes narrowed slightly.
Just a fraction.
He did not expect that answer.
A contract spirit bound by gratitude was not unusual.
But a contractor willing to sever the bond over her own failure…
That was different.
Unstable.
Or perhaps—
Serious.
Fang Yuqing did not look at anyone else while speaking.
She only understood one thing clearly.
Yuan Wu had chosen her because of debt.
Not admiration. Not affection. Not trust.
Debt.
And that meant she could not afford to remain weak.
If she stayed weak, she would become a burden.
And she refused that.
She had her own pride.
Fang Cheng gave a slow nod.
It was not approval born from emotion.
It was assessment.
As the head of the Fang family, everything he did was calculated.
Stability.
Value.
Future potential.
That was all that mattered.
Fang Wushuang's nails dug into his palm.
He turned away.
But before leaving, he stopped beside Fang Yuqing.
A cold laugh escaped him.
"One year," he said softly. "To enter a top university."
His eyes briefly glanced toward Yuan Wu.
"Yuqing, you really are brave."
Then his tone sharpened slightly.
"I'll be watching. Let's see if you can match a UR-class contract spirit."
Fang Yuqing's reply came instantly.
Cold.
Flat.
"That has nothing to do with you."
Fang Wushuang's expression darkened.
But he said nothing more.
He left.
Silence returned.
After lunch, they did not stay in the Fang residence.
They returned to the academy.
And headed straight for the dungeon zone.
The atmosphere there was always the same.
Loud.
Chaotic.
Competitive.
New students gathered in small groups, struggling to clear beginner dungeons.
Every fight felt like a wall they could barely climb.
But Fang Yuqing and Yuan Wu…
They were already walking toward something else entirely.
Three-star dungeon preparation.
A gap so large it barely felt like the same world.
Whispers followed them as they passed.
"Is that him again?"
"The UR contract spirit guy…"
"He already soloed a two-star dungeon, right?"
Eyes followed them everywhere.
Fame.
Attention.
Pressure.
None of it mattered to Yuan Wu.
Or at least—he did not show that it did.
But not all eyes were admiration.
A familiar figure arrived at the dungeon zone.
Linyue.
She was not alone.
Beside her stood a newly purchased C-rank contract spirit.
The Skeleton General.
Its armor was dark, jagged, almost suffocating in presence.
Bones shifted slightly with each movement, like something pretending to be alive.
But Linyue did not look proud.
She looked… unstable.
The moment her eyes landed on Yuan Wu—
Something inside her snapped.
Her pupils turned red.
He was still there.
Still calm.
Still untouchable.
White hair.
Cold expression.
That UR-level presence that made everything else feel meaningless.
And beside her…
The Skeleton General.
A creature she had bought for 10,000 spirit stones.
A loan.
A desperate replacement for what she had rejected.
Compared to him…
It was garbage.
Regret surged through her like a flood breaking a dam.
She had rejected him.
She had thrown him away.
And now everyone knew what he had become.
Soloing a two-star dungeon.
Instantly killing a B-rank level 70 contract spirit.
That kind of strength…
Was supposed to be hers.
Her hands trembled.
"Damn it…"
Her voice cracked.
"Why… are you still this strong…"
Her gaze snapped toward the Skeleton General.
And anger exploded.
"You useless thing!"
She kicked it hard.
"Can't even speak! Why aren't you an SSR?!"
The Skeleton General tilted its skull slightly.
Empty eye sockets.
Silent.
Confused.
It did not understand.
But it felt it.
Meanwhile, Fang Yuqing and Yuan Wu had already reached the dungeon entrance.
They did not hesitate.
They did not wait.
They stepped forward.
Three-star dungeon.
Immediately.
Upperclassmen nearby tried to form teams.
They were rejected.
One by one.
Cleanly.
Without discussion.
Yuan Wu did not need a team.
He preferred it this way.
Safer.
Faster.
Cleaner.
Fang Yuqing's Cat Spirit floated beside her quietly.
Light.
Almost irrelevant in combat strength.
But useful in one thing—mana efficiency.
Still, Yuan Wu barely needed it.
"Master," the Cat Spirit asked softly, "is your mana reserve stable? Did you bring recovery potions?"
Yuan Wu did not answer immediately.
His gaze shifted slightly.
His crimson eyes flickered beneath the surface of his calm expression.
Ever since the assassination attempt…
He had stopped trusting silence.
Stopped trusting normality.
Stopped trusting anything that looked safe.
His perception—his "Heavenly Eye"—was always active now.
Scanning.
Calculating.
Waiting.
Not paranoia.
Survival.
Fang Yuqing glanced away slightly, awkward.
"…I brought them."
Yuan Wu nodded faintly.
"Good."
"Just in case someone decides to attack when you're exhausted."
Fang Yuqing understood what he meant.
She had also brought extra items.
Mana recovery potions.
Defensive talismans.
Emergency barriers.
Everything she could prepare.
"By the way," Yuan Wu asked suddenly, "how do spirit contractors train their mana?"
"By using it," Fang Yuqing replied. "Constant depletion. Constant recovery."
Yuan Wu paused for a moment.
Then a faint smile appeared.
"That's simple."
"No wonder you dared to make that bet."
Fang Yuqing huffed softly.
"I'm not stupid."
The moment she said that—
The world tilted.
Literally.
Yuan Wu had already lifted her without warning.
A familiar motion.
Efficient.
Almost mechanical.
They stepped into the teleportation gate.
The dungeon environment shifted.
A rainforest.
Bright.
Open.
Alive.
Too alive.
"Blade-claw Hunters."
"Corrosive Swamp Beasts."
"Symbiotic Toxic Moths."
Fang Yuqing immediately identified them.
Professional.
Precise.
But Yuan Wu did not slow down.
He moved.
Instantly.
The forest exploded into motion.
Vines shot from the ground.
Monsters emerged from the swamp.
But Yuan Wu's body twisted mid-air—clean rotation, perfect timing.
Avoided.
Countered.
Killed.
Everything became motion.
Not combat.
Execution.
Fang Yuqing barely had time to breathe.
Being carried felt like a roller coaster.
And she hated how powerless it made her feel.
But also—
She trusted it.
After ten minutes.
They reached the boss area.
Fang Yuqing finally landed, slightly unsteady.
"…If this is a red-name boss, then we're really unlucky," she muttered.
Yuan Wu adjusted his gaze.
"I hope not."
But the moment they stepped forward—
Red lines appeared.
Warning.
Presence confirmed.
A humanoid mantis dropped from above.
Black crystalline armor.
Shifting surface texture.
Adaptive camouflage.
High-frequency blade limbs.
Blood-red eyes.
Cold.
Alien.
Dangerous.
Above its head:
RED NAME BOSS
"Level 70: Phantom Assassin—Mirror Mantis."
Fang Yuqing's face turned pale.
"…We really are lucky, aren't we?"
Yuan Wu's expression did not change.
If anything—
It became calmer.
More focused.
Like something inside him had just clicked into place.
"Maybe not luck," he said quietly.
"Fast clears… might be what triggers it."