Stepping on the Demoness to become the strongest

People came back from the upscale clubhouse feeling far from content.

Chen Lingyun was upset due to being surrounded by dogs; Su Yunjin and Lin Ning were bothered by being hit on; Zhao Yuanzhen and Xie Ruoxi were dissatisfied because they hadn't eaten to their hearts' content. All in all, everyone had their points of discontent.

Perhaps only Yan Yu was quite pleased—she not only enjoyed a spa treatment and accompanied the two ladies in admiring the flowers and birds, but she also taught Zhao and Xie a good lesson, preventing them from making too much of a spectacle of themselves. It could be said that her afternoon was very fulfilling.

Back at the ancient buildings of Little Tangshan, the moody ladies perked up at the thought of a hot spring on the premises.

In her room, Yan Yu received a message from Ye Jun.

It's done.

Within the next week, the forecast of precipitation, be it rain or snow, for various parts of the country was clearly marked on the map—details including the place, the amount of rainfall, and whether it was the first snowfall of the season.

After thanking Ye Jun, Yan Yu looked at the map she had sent for a while, and had a rough idea of where to search for rain and snow.

To refine the essence of water in elemental cultivation, one needs Rootless Water. There are four kinds of Rootless Water: morning dew, drizzling rain, initial melting snow, and originally, there's also ground frost, which is frost water.

But Yan Yu, with the advantage of knowledge from her previous life, was aware that frost water often carries a large amount of earthy impurities. If all four types of water are combined for cultivation, while it might be speedy, the refined water essence would not be pure. Later, the impurities would have to be painstakingly removed—it's pure torment.

You might be in a rush early on, but sooner or later, you'll have to doubly compensate for it.

The key to cultivating the essence of water is its absolute purity. Any contamination with impurities means it's best to discard it completely without hesitation. It's like an apple with a rotten spot—most people would just remove the bad part and use the rest, but Yan Yu knew it was better to throw away the entire apple.

Otherwise, you're just saving the time it would take to replace one rotten apple, but when you later juice it with other apples and find a rotten smell, trying to extract the spoiled juice that came from that single apple's rot will cost you a hundred times more effort.

Of course, if you're overly meticulous in choosing the purest Rootless Water for your practice, you'll face a problem: your progress at the beginning will certainly be slower than others, much slower.

This is also why Yan Yu prepared in advance for Su Yunjin—since the beginning is slow, why not get a head start?

After playing with her smartphone for a while, feeling somewhat bored, she decided to go out for a walk. Suddenly, she discovered Zhao Yuanzhen standing in the corridor outside, wearing a bathrobe and staring blankly into the dark courtyard.

"What's wrong with you?" Yan Yu walked over and asked, "Not joining them for the hot spring?"

"Nothing." Zhao Yuanzhen glanced at her with little enthusiasm and replied, "The hot spring room is too warm. I came out to cool off."

"It's windy outside, go back soon." Yan Yu turned and left.

"Oh." Zhao Yuanzhen followed her back to the room, silent and sullen.

Back in her room, Yan Yu noticed Zhao Yuanzhen seemed off and asked again:

"Is it because I didn't let you have a good meal today, so you're here sulking and holding a grudge against me?"

Zhao Yuanzhen was somewhat at a loss for words. We're Daoist companions, hey you rascal! In your mind, just how petty do you think I am?

"No," she said, feeling irritated, "I just suddenly remembered something from my past in the sect."

"I'm not interested," Yan Yu crossed her legs and sat on the bed, clapped her thighs, and said solemnly, "Less nonsense, come and dual-cultivate with me!"

Zhao Yuanzhen instantly bristled, pounced onto the bed with a howl, and pinned Yan Yu down, clutching his neck and squeezing him against her, shouting:

"You better ask me what exactly it is!"

Yan Yu intended to forcefully push her away, but as his face was being pressed down and he struggled to breathe, he could only communicate through a secret voice transmission:

"Alright, alright, so what exactly are you worried about?"

"Sigh," Zhao Yuanzhen let him go, showing a "I can't take this anymore" expression and sighed, "I just suddenly felt that I might be a bit too stupid."

Yan Yu: ???

No, can't laugh here, or else this Demonic Sect Enchantress will become infuriated and seek mutual destruction with me.

With his formidable composure from two lifetimes, Yan Yu desperately controlled the muscles of his face to keep from smiling and feigned ignorance:

"Not at all? Who says you're stupid?"

"Sigh," Zhao Yuanzhen hammered her thigh firmly, seriously saying, "Of course, I know I'm not stupid! I'm just... My mentor once assessed my character and said that although I lack a cunning mind, I have the essence of returning to simplicity and truth, which makes for good cultivation potential."

"But look at me now. I can't even handle my relationship with my second senior sister. I was unable to see through my first senior sister's malicious schemes. I was being hunted by Mei Yingxue that day, and if I hadn't stumbled upon a spatial rift and hidden in it... I... I fear I would have already been dead."

"Indeed," Yan Yu said seriously.

"If only I could have united with my second senior sister, my eldest senior sister might not have harbored thoughts of harming me," Zhao Yuanzhen continued, her expression growing even more dejected and desolate, "If only I had seen through my eldest senior sister's plots and schemes, I wouldn't have ended up in this world. I admit I'm a bit slow and I accept any punishment, but...

but I feel sorry for Master, who must be upset not being able to find me."

As she spoke, tears started to fall. She tried to wipe them away but failed to stop them, simply kept dabbing at the corners of her eyes and said in a sad voice:

"Little thief, little thief, I miss Master so much, I really miss her... but I can't go back, I can't return..."

Yan Yu, watching her desperately wiping her tears, also felt a measure of pity and sympathy arise in his heart.

No matter how venomous and ruthless the Demonic Sect Enchantress was, she still carried a hint of childlike reverence in her nature. It probably was a genuine display of emotion... right?

"Alright, alright, stop crying," he said as he reached out, hugged her, and held her in his arms, "Without a master, don't you still have me, your Dao companion? There, there, there are still people in this world who are good to you..."

As he spoke, he found he couldn't go on because Zhao Yuanzhen had started using his clothes to wipe her tears.

This wretched woman!

"Mm." Zhao Yuanzhen nodded, buried her face in his chest, and stopped making a sound.

After a moment, she sniffled hard and suddenly raised her tear-streaked, pitifully beautiful face to ask:

"Little thief, how are you going to be good to me?"

You're still asking for more, aren't you?

Yan Yu intended to say, "But you don't deserve it," to strike hard at the Demonic Sect Enchantress's arrogance, but facing her strong feminine allure and the doubled buff of her vulnerability, confronting her head-on was unwise. So, he looked up at the ceiling, pretending to ponder and said:

"Er, I'll take you to eat delicious food in the future."

"That's not enough," Zhao Yuanzhen said with a pout.

"If someone offends you, I'll vent your anger for you."

"Still not enough."

"Then when you become famous, I'll help make your name known throughout Jiangnan and let the whole world know the title of Empress Yuanzhen."

"Empress Yuanzhen... Mmm, it's quite domineering, but it's not enough."

"That's still not enough?" Yan Yu thought to himself that at her peak in her previous life she was only at the level of the Eclipse Queen, already having lived a carefree and joyful life, so what more could she possibly want? Was she dreaming of becoming the strongest in this life? Dream on! At best, you'll become the strongest woman in this world!

"Not enough, not enough, not enough!" Zhao Yuanzhen clung to him and, seizing the moment when there was no room to escape, she coquettishly asked, "When will you introduce me to your Master?"

Yan Yu: !!!

Body, suddenly stiff.

Thoughts, suddenly frozen.

Mind, suddenly blank.

Originally, he had concocted a Master skilled in divination and highly capable because he hadn't had enough good feelings from the Demonic Sect Enchantress and needed to prevent her from killing him outright.

Now that his favorability with her had reached a life-saving level, he no longer had to worry about her threatening his life, but where was he supposed to conjure this fictitious Master from?

The pit he had dug for himself had finally ensnared him!

If it were any man with insufficient resolve, he would have been sweating profusely by now, but Yan Yu had sworn to be the strongest in this world and wouldn't be felled by such sudden attacks. Lying came to him as easily as breathing:

"Since our relationship has reached this point, I'll be honest with you. My Master isn't in this world, but imprisoned in some realm beyond the heavens. Using tremendous divine powers, she managed to break through the endless spatial barriers and sent a wisp of divine thought to Earth to take me as her disciple and impart the teachings of karma to me.

Now you want me to take you to see her, I won't lie to you, that is something I simply cannot do."

Zhao Yuanzhen, hearing "Master isn't in this world," felt some disappointment but then listened to "imprisoned beyond the heavens" "using great divine powers" "sent divine thought to Earth" and immediately became awestruck, even slightly horrified.

Oh my goodness! Even a Daluo Golden Immortal who has ascended is unable to contact their sect's descendants from the lower realm!

Little thief... oh no, my husband, could his Master's identity possibly be the immortal and indestructible Daluo Golden Immortal of legend?!