Ascending the Demon Realm

Most demons had realized the truth - why endure grueling cultivation only to face heavenly tribulations, when they could embrace safe and comfortable demonic lives instead?

Times had changed. Modern demons abandoned cultivation, opting to become ordinary workers in demon society. They dated, married, raised families, savoring simple joys of mundane existence.

Previous generations cultivated desperately for survival. Cultivators and celestials hunted them under "upholding heavenly justice" pretexts.

Weak demons faced slaughter. But peace now reigned. Captured demons faced trials instead of executions. In this era of inter-realm harmony, flight-capable demons became rare - hence my own inability to fly felt perfectly normal.

Footsteps echoed behind me before whispers began.

“Is that her? The demon cohabiting with Senior Yutu?”

Since when did gossip travel at hypersonic speeds here?

“Why her? What does my husband see in this...this hairless creature!”

The wailing girl sounded like a fan witnessing her idol's scandal. Demonic aesthetics differed vastly from human standards. To them, bipedal humans looked grotesque. Even if I stripped before Xiao Fen and Xiao Xue, they'd only assess which body parts tasted best. Skinny humans fared worse, deemed nutritionally worthless. Demons valued fur, scales, horns...

“Quit howling! She's a capybara demon. Can you compare?”

“Oh, a capybara? Never mind then. They're the worst bed partners - zero reaction. Along with sloths, they're our realm's legendary Sleeping Dragon and Crouching Phoenix duo.”

Rude much?

“A real capybara! Mobile stress-reliever!”

“Exactly! Doesn't Senior Yutu deserve one? Smell her - doesn't she carry his scent already?”

“I'm so jealous! Let me inhale-”

“So this is Yutu's fragrance...intoxicating…”

Our capybara reputation proved well-earned. Our popularity? Jobs sought us out. Had I not been ambitious, high schoolers would've hired me as personal stress therapists. Simply sitting still earned easy money.

“Suddenly I understand Yutu. Capybaras are rare! I want to room with her too - commercial rates are insane.”

“Therapy chambers charge thousands hourly.”

“Born employed. So envious.”

Their whispers puffed my chest. Human capybaras bred prolifically, but demonized ones fertility plummeted. Ancient clans like Yutu's nine-tailed foxes, Xue Ling's white tigers, and that despised dragon's lineage barely reproduced. When demons gained power, nature balanced scales.

Scarcity inflated our value. Certain demon-exclusive jobs required unique traits. Our calmness transmitted to others through unknown means - possibly undetectable pheromones.

Truthfully, my human self shouldn't possess this trait. But spray containing my capybara parents' scent granted me their aura. Approaching demons caught this tranquility.

Following the freshman flow towards Kongtong Hall, I spotted a gray-haired boy frozen midstream like living sculpture. His lanky frame sported arms dangling past knees, scythe-like claws reaching kneecaps. Hunched posture suggested neck struggling to support his head.

Unkempt bangs veiled vacant eyes framed by dark circles. His semi-human face retained a blackened, protruding nose. Behold - the legendary sloth, my counterpart in the "Odd Couple" tales.

Sloth demons rarely advanced beyond elementary education due to sheer laziness. Their dwindling numbers reflected reproduction aversion.

“Need a piggyback ride?” I asked. At his pace, next year's orientation might find him still en route.

His eyelids descended in slow motion, as if time itself dragged. Knowing sloth speed, I turned and backed towards him. Spindly arms snaked under my armpits as his body shrank and lightened, transforming into a living backpack.