The next morning, when Ye Yu woke again, he recalled that strange sensationâand found it utterly bizarre.
He clearly wasnât sleepy... so why did that man come, murmur a few words, and immediately send him back to sleep? And why had an entire day passed in the blink of an eye?
Something was definitely off!
Just as Ye Yu was pondering this, that now-familiar man appeared once more, performing the same gentle routine and using the same soothing voice.
Ye Yu raised his little fists to resist, but to no avail. Within moments, he was plunged into slumber again.
When he finally awoke, it was already the third day.
âWhat the dragon and horse is going on here?!â he thought in exasperation. âHow can this keep happening? What does that male demon want with meâthis tiny demon infant? Is he some kind of pervert?â
Ye Yu stared blankly at the ceiling. Soon enough, the familiar male demon reappeared at the door, all warmth and harmless smiles on the surfaceâbut underneath, danger lurked.
On his seventh birthday, Ye Yu was finally able to live like a normal demon child and break free of these blackout sleeps.
He later learned that the man who visited for one minute every day was named Ye Tongâhis father and a renowned Meng Mo, a dream demon capable of controlling othersâ dreams. Though his power was slightly inferior to a Heart Demonâs, it was still formidable.
In this dream-realm existence, Ye Yu hardly retained any memories. He was barely awake before being forced back to sleep again. This was Ye Tongâs deliberate designâto strengthen Ye Yuâs immunity to dream demons. Every young dream demon had to undergo the same trial.
Ye Yuâs adoptive mother, Lu Cixinâa Force Demonâfound the whole practice unnecessary. She believed demon children should frolic endlessly to build strong bodies. âSleep all day and youâll turn stupid,â sheâd say.
Whenever his parents arguedânever lasting more than ten breathsâYe Tong would grow impatient with Lu Cixinâs nagging and lull her to sleep too. Everything would grow peaceful as the entire world seemed to fall silent. From that, Ye Yu learned never to heed his motherâs adviceâonly the strong held truth. Besides, a bit more sleep never hurt anyone, and it even activated Dream Realm talents!
For seven years straight, Ye Yu was slumbering under the dream demonâs enchantment. Heavenly Dao Rewards Diligence: the system acknowledged his endurance and granted him 100% immunity to Meng Mo interference.
When the triumphant system message rang in his mind, Ye Yu was overjoyed. Winning without effortâpure victory! From then on, any dream demon he faced would be nothing but lambs to the slaughter, utterly powerless before him.
What a wonderful Heavenly Dao Rewards Diligence gift.
At that moment, another thought struck him: if this method triggered Heavenly Dao Rewards Diligence, what if he let Mother Lu Cixin beat him for seven yearsâten hours a dayâwould he become completely immune to Force Demon attacks as well?
Of course, that idea was quickly dismissed. Ignoring feasibility and pain, just suggesting it to Lu Cixin would earn him the title of âutter fool.â Who would volunteer for beatings? Such mortifying behavior for an uncertain future would be downright stupid.
So Ye Yu abandoned that notion. Instead, he went to find his father, Ye Tong, and told him not to induce sleep anymoreâhis resistance was proven. Ye Tong tried again, and indeed Ye Yu did not fall asleep. Pleased, Ye Tong praised him for passing the ancestral trial and approaching qualification as a true dream demon. âNext,â he said, âyou must learn how to lull others into dreams. This is the ancestral loreâread it and then practice on some demonic beasts, progressing step by step.â
He handed Ye Yu an ancient tome and departed. Remarkably, there was wisdom to be found in these dream-demon teachings.
Ye Yu began to study the book seriously. Half an incense-stick later, he faced reality: cultivation texts were beyond him. Though he was already an Immortal Kingâlevel powerhouse in the waking world, he had never formally cultivatedâeven in dreams. How could he grasp Meng Mo lore filled with phrases like ârefine dream into illusion, make illusion realâ?
He understood each word, but not the concepts as a whole. It was disheartening. Just as he prepared to give up, he remembered his Dream Talent, Heavenly Dao Rewards Diligence. Effort would bring reward!
If he couldnât understand after one reading, he would read ten times, a hundred timesâuntil his talent triggered. So Ye Yu sat cross-legged and forced himself through the archaic text again and again.
One time, two times, three times...
His Dream Talent proved more powerful than expected. After just twenty-three readings, the systemâs voice spoke:
âHost, you have continuously studied the dream-demon lore. Heavenly Dao Rewards Diligenceâyour efforts have been noted by Heaven. Reward granted: Partial Mastery of Dream-Demon Arts!â
Ye Yuâs heart leapedâthis method worked.
Then letâs go again!
He spent the entire afternoon, reading the book ninety-seven times. At last, the system declared:
âHost, your mastery is complete. Reward granted: Full Mastery of Dream-Demon Arts!â
At the same tier, he could now effortlessly send enemies into dreamless slumber and control their dreamsâdream-world assassinations! This, indeed, was the innate talent of a Meng Mo.