Stepping on the Demoness to become the strongest

"What's going on here?" Yan Yu stared, speechless.

"I have no idea," Lin Ning said awkwardly, "I originally thought she..."

Yan Yu looked towards Xie Ruoxi, who lay on the ground unable to get up, and at Su Yunjin beside her, who was checking and treating her. He quickly pieced together the true sequence of events:

Lin Ning had thought that Xie Ruoxi's talent for cultivation was exceptional; she had grasped the Three Arts and Five Spells after being taught just once. Subconsciously, Lin Ning assumed Xie Ruoxi could also master the Wall Charge in one go. Xie Ruoxi thought the same, and as a result, she had slammed headfirst into the wall.

As mentioned before, the Wall Charge requires guts, reaction speed, and control ability—qualities that have absolutely nothing to do with cultivation aptitude.

In matters related to talent, Xie Ruoxi could crush others with her sheer brutish force, like a two-meter-tall basketball rookie with an astonishing vertical leap dunking fiercely thanks to his physical advantage. But ask him to shoot three-pointers and he would be completely lost.

Luckily, Lin Ning was serious enough in her work to have Xie Ruoxi wear protective gear for the practice. Otherwise, the already foolish girl might have ended up brain-damaged from hitting the wall and turned into a disabled little sister.

The thought of Xie Ruoxi only able to mutter "aba aba eheihei," made Yan Yu suddenly... wait, that hardly seemed different from her current state, did it?

"It seems that little Xie isn't the all-rounded genius type," Chen Lingyun said with a smile beside him, "She still has a lot to learn."

"I'm just worried she won't settle down to truly refine herself," Yan Yu sighed.

"That's why she needs to be disciplined," Chen Lingyun said slowly, "By the way, someone accused me of leaking secrets just now, what's that all about?"

"Leaking secrets, I don't know what you're talking about," Yan Yu feigned ignorance, "Who told you that?"

"Humph," Chen Lingyun didn't confirm or deny it, "I wonder which little troublemaker said that."

"We're facing the Flying Dragon Battle Team next week, and it's going to be nationally broadcasted," Yan Yu saw that she didn't pursue the matter further and quickly changed the subject, "Do you know why?"

"The borderlands are growing restless," Chen Lingyun said lightly, "Something happened, and we need to show our strength."

"The southwest?"

"Southwest."

"The world is going to start turning chaotic," Yan Yu sighed.

"Yes," Chen Lingyun said smilingly, "It's finally about to start getting chaotic."

"...I really want to punch you in the face," Yan Yu glared at her.

"So I should thank you for not being domestically violent?" Chen Lingyun was still smiling.

Yan Yu didn't respond to her and started walking towards the outskirts of the training field.

The sky outside the window was overcast, suggesting it would rain soon, and the air had cooled noticeably. The wind rustled through the surrounding trees.

"What I'm really worried about is whether you all are prepared," he said, looking at the dark clouds on the horizon without turning back.

"Everyone has their own destiny," Chen Lingyun said as she emerged from the shadows behind him, a slight smile on her face, "Worrying is useless."

"Is that so? I don't believe it," Yan Yu said after a moment of silence,

"I will change everyone's destiny."

"Mhmm," Chen Lingyun nodded, "Many reincarnated souls have a sense of mission like that, feeling that they have lived again to change something."

"Where did all these reincarnated souls come from?"

"From works of art, of course," Chen Lingyun looked into the distance, standing on her tiptoes as if she wanted to seem taller, "Art reflects the human heart, and the more popular a piece, the truer this is. So I believe that if most people could be reborn and return to the past, they would definitely want to make up for the regrets of their former life."

"Perhaps," Yan Yu let out a long breath, "At least I..."

Yes, I had many regrets in my previous life.

I entered the fray too late; many people were already gone, many things had already happened, many situations had become completely irreparable.

My defeat wasn't due to the battles I fought.

"...Let's go," Yan Yu turned around.

"Don't you want to see the scenery anymore?" Chen Lingyun said cheerfully, "I can help you reflect and understand any insights or feelings."

"There's nothing more to say," Yan Yu said coldly.

I am not Cai Qianlong, that idiot—I don't need setbacks and failures to spur me on; I have had more than my fill of them in my previous life.

This life, I'll smash everything to pieces.

Returning to the training ground, Yan Yu watched expressionlessly from the sidelines as Xie Ruoxi practiced with Su Yunjin.

Su Yunjin was obviously going easy—she was not only using the Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art but also intentionally holding back her strength and speed, leaving a lot of time for Xie Ruoxi to react.

But Xie Ruoxi was unbelievably unskilled, her use of Shifting Technique and Cloud Ascension Technique was a complete mess. She switched between techniques too slowly, her ability to seize opportunities was poor, and her demeanor was panicked and disordered, hit repeatedly by the Star River Secret Art, completely soaked as if she were a drenched rabbit, utterly pitiful.

Yan Yu watched silently as Lin Ning ran over to explain, but he stopped her with a raised hand.

Hmm.

Perhaps... this was more suitable?

He had originally instructed Lin Ning to take charge of Xie Ruoxi, forcing her to repeatedly practice the Wall Charge. Because the movement was mechanically repetitive, the beautiful waste of space would quickly lose interest and start looking for ways to slack off. Lin Ning, in order to supervise her, would also have to neglect her own cultivation.

What if we switched up the method?

Let Su Yunjin use Xie Ruoxi as a target for practicing Daoist magic. Her Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art is inherently more about control, and by controlling its power, it won't cause much lethal effect. Hitting Xie Ruoxi would at most make her uncomfortable.

To avoid getting hit, Xie Ruoxi would naturally have to dodge with all her might and couldn't slack off since a moment's carelessness could leave her overwhelmed and at a loss in the water!

"Brilliant!" Yan Yu, seeing the key to the strategy, clapped his hands in admiration. "Where did you get this idea, Yun Jin? Slacking off means facing the music, and to avoid being hit, you have to give it your all. That's what real practical combat training is all about!"

The other girls looked at him speechlessly, their expressions seeming to ask, "Do you really not know?"

"What are you all looking at me for?" Yan Yu raised an eyebrow and scoffed, "Or maybe we should practice like this too..."

"It's fine, it's fine, we'll go practice on our own." Upon hearing his words, everyone immediately caused a stir and hurriedly scattered like birds and beasts.

Everyone practiced until around five o'clock, during which Su Yunjin, worried that Xie Ruoxi might catch a cold, even took her to the restroom to dry her clothes several times... and then she was soaked through again. It was just a fate of humiliation that a good-for-nothing could not escape.

"Are we solving dinner in the cafeteria?" Yan Yu asked.

"The cafeteria?" Zhao Yuanzhen was shocked on the spot. "What happened to the ten promised meals?"

"Fine then, you lead the way." Yan Yu didn't bother to argue with her as he would still need this Demonic Sect Enchantress to change his puppet Ah Zhen's prosthetic body. For now, he could indulge her smugness for a bit.

Zhao Yuanzhen immediately puffed up with pride, shouting with her head held high, "Sisters, follow me, today Young Master Yan is picking up the tab," and ran ahead to lead the way.

Everyone initially wanted to see what Sister Zhao felt like eating, but upon leaving the school and reaching the mall, everyone collapsed at the sight of Haidilao.

"What's wrong with Haidilao?" Zhao Yuanzhen retorted indignantly, "Hotpot is best for a group to enjoy together, alright?"

"Indeed, indeed, no more bickering." Yan Yu explained to everyone, "The first time I took her out to eat, it was at Haidilao."

"Mhm." Chen Lingyun said with a giggly smile, "Sister Zhao almost drank up the entire soup that time."

"Nonsense!" Zhao Yuanzhen, initially a bit moved, thinking that the thief actually remembered the first time he took her out to eat, rolled her eyes instantly upon hearing what Chen Lingyun added.

Damn it, she had forgotten this terrible woman was there at the time too, such a buzzkill!

Turning to Su Yunjin and Lin Ning, the two were unfazed, clearly indicating that, to them, "Sister Zhao finishing the hotpot soup was totally normal." Only Xie Ruoxi naively asked:

"Won't it be too salty if you drink too much soup?"

"Don't listen to their nonsense." Zhao Yuanzhen wrapped an arm around Xie Ruoxi's shoulder. "Today's your first day on the team, you get first pick on the menu. Whatever you want to eat, just ask the waiter to bring it."

"Sister Zhao seems to really like this little girl from Jingnan." Chen Lingyun stealthily sent a message to the others, "Could it be... she sees herself in her?"

"Are you talking about personality or figure?" Lin Ning asked curiously.

In terms of personality, both seemed a bit simple-minded; in terms of figure, although Xie Ruoxi wasn't as voluptuous as Zhao Yuanzhen, she was also quite substantial.

"What does the captain think?" Su Yunjin asked.

"I don't think it's either, don't guess wildly," Yan Yu rejected both speculations.

Of course, he knew why Zhao Yuanzhen liked Xie Ruoxi: There was but one reason, that good-for-nothing had sufficiently high talent for cultivation.

The Demonic Sect Enchantress was best at attaching herself to power— whomever showed signs of achieving great things on their path, she'd cling to their coattails in the hope of riding their coattails to heaven!

Once everyone sat down in the restaurant, Zhao Yuanzhen didn't go back on her word and handed the menu to Xie Ruoxi first.

Xie Ruoxi felt honored, asking everyone what they wanted to eat before placing the orders.

Yan Yu, somewhat bored, was playing with his phone and noticed a message from Qi Changping:
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"Press conference tomorrow at 3 PM to officially announce the news of the Mysterious Realm. A warm-up promotion will follow for about a week. The Mysterious Realm is northwest of Gaodu County in Sanjin Province. Some undead soldiers have emerged from the realm.

If the defense pressure in Gaodu County increases subsequently, we might have to advance the simulation confrontation and realm assault preparations. Get ready for it."

"Got it," Yan Yu replied.

"The approval for Xie Ruoxi from the Privy Council hasn't come through yet, so she can't participate in combat this time," Qi Changping sent another message. "Let her continue with the fan operations."

Yan Yu didn't reply, knowing full well Xie Ruoxi really wasn't ready for battle yet, but forwarded the previous message to the team chat group.

"Sanjin Province, Gaodu County," Su Yunjin pondered, "The Changping battle?"

"Probably some ghost cultivator opened a Mysterious Realm nearby to refine the resentful spirits in Changping Defile," Yan Yu casually explained. "Back then, Bai Qi buried 450,000 Zhao soldiers there. The resentment must be soaring sky-high. This realm's difficulty won't be low, prepare yourselves mentally."

"No worries, we have Ling Yun," Lin Ning mentioned, "Her Soul Summoning Banner has a suppressive effect on resentful spirits."

"And my Yin Wind Sword," Zhao Yuanzhen chimed in competitively.

"Right, and Sister Zhao," Su Yunjin, who knew how to talk, said with a smile, "Those mother-child resentful spirits last time were really scared of her sword."

While chatting and laughing, they waited for the food to arrive, showing no signs of nervousness.

Yan Yu was about to say something when a sudden jolt in his divine sense made him pause. He observed the girls, aside from Xie Ruoxi who hadn't cultivated divine sense, all had changing expressions.

How to describe it? Like fish suddenly dropping from shallow water into the depths or birds swiftly flying out of caves into the open, as if the whole world suddenly expanded.

At that very moment, the concentration of spiritual energy around the globe burst slightly.

The level cap for Rikoku Cultivators increased.

Up to the Marrow Cleansing Stage.