Stepping on the Demoness to become the strongest

Leaving Xie Ruoxi with the instructor, Yan Yu was once again called to the principal's office.

Truth be told, since entering the Zhendong National Defense Academy, I've hardly attended a few days of class, spending all my time either on the training grounds or in the principal's office. To the uninformed, they might assume I'm the chief instructor.

Arriving at the principal's office, Chen Tianming was no longer there, probably having finally gone back to Jianghai Prefecture to handle official business.

Upon seeing him arrive, Li Weiguo revealed a smile, about to say "sit down", but then he saw Yan Yu directly pull over a chair to sit down, then showed an unmasked "what do you want now?" expression.

After a moment of silence, Li Weiguo put away his smile and said:

"Have you heard?"

"Heard what?" Yan Yu asked.

"About the situation in Siam," Li Weiguo asked in surprise, "haven't you been watching the latest news?"

"Isn't the latest news all about me?" Yan Yu asked in equal astonishment.

Li Weiguo: ......

"Ahem." He tried to squeeze out a smile and said, "You can take a look at it now."

Yan Yu picked up his phone and searched for international news.

Oh, a regime change, huh? That's it?

"What about it?" Yan Yu put away his phone, "As I remember, over there, military men and civil officials are constantly driving each other out of office."

"Mm-hmm," Li Weiguo said blandly, "The new guy taking over is a Transcendent."

Yan Yu was silent for a moment, then tentatively asked:

"A Transcendent from the military, right?"

Li Weiguo showed a noncommittal expression, but his lack of response was an answer in itself, so Yan Yu immediately guessed the truth.

Identified as going solo.

Don't be surprised. In the coming decades, everyone will turn into independent military governors; I suggest we collectively brush up on the history of the late Tang Dynasty and the Five Dynasties.

Yan Yu scrutinized Li Weiguo carefully, unaware that Li Weiguo was also evaluating him. After a long silent staring contest, Yan Yu suddenly said:

"You know me, Li Lao, my loyalty to my country is clear as day and heaven can bear witness..."

"Stop right there!" Li Weiguo couldn't stand it anymore and hastily cut him off, "I'm not suspecting you, what I mean is that you need to understand the gravity of this situation!"

How could Yan Yu not understand? He had lived through that era in his previous life! To quote Ouyang Xiu, "both the ancestral temples and the royal court are out of order" – no need to go into details about what that means exactly.

"I understand, this sets a bad precedent for the whole world," Yan Yu said solemnly, "What will the Transcendents of other countries think when they find out?"

He wasn't exaggerating – after all, there were classic examples from ancient times: In July of the second year of Changqing under Emperor Muzong of Tang, the newly appointed military governor Li Yuan was overthrown in a mutiny by his own men because they received less than his predecessor did.

When the news reached Runzhou, Dou Yizhi, the military commissioner of Zhexi, fearing that his subordinates would follow suit, planned to use the official money to reward his soldiers. However, he was advised against it because "improper names lead to improper words," and not long after, Runzhou's governor Wang Guoqing indeed instigated a rebellion among the state troops...

As can be seen, in times of unrest, rebellion becomes something others aspire to imitate.

Not to mention, now with the internet connecting the globe, news spreads extraordinarily fast. If a Transcendent in one country successfully overthrows the government, Transcendents in neighboring countries may look at it and think "what a great opportunity," and what's likely to follow doesn't need guessing.

In a previous life, Li Zhaojiang's rebellion, although triggered by the sacrifice of his sister, would not have been possible had there not been a general decline in the social climate, attracting other Cultivators to join the cause, even if he was the top Cultivator of the Annan Army.

Damn this rotten and wicked trend, I, Yan, will in this life purify the nation and restore peace to the people!

If Yan Yu could think of this, obviously Li Weiguo wouldn't fail to realize it. However, with nations across the world relaxing control over Transcendents, Lu Country was now moving against the tide solo, truly without the extra capacity to meddle in foreign matters. So he dropped the subject, getting to the main point:

"According to the Privy Council's arrangements, next Tuesday you will have a mock battle with the Flying Dragon Battle Team."

"The Flying Dragon Battle Team?"

"The Zhenbei Army's second battle team, led by Cai Qianlong. You can ask Liu Longtao about it."

"Oh," Yan Yu immediately remembered upon the mention of the name.

Isn't that the buddy who aimed to challenge Liu Longtao for the position of top Cultivator and then got defeated by a shattering blow to his mouth? Since Li Lao specifically told me to ask Lord Master, I guess the event has already happened.

In memory, Cai Qianlong, as a Sword Immortal, actually possessed solid skills; it's just unclear why he insisted on challenging Lord Master. Otherwise, he could've risen even higher in social esteem.

"I get it," Yan Yu ventured, "It's about showing who's boss, right?"

Considering how the newly formed Shenxing Battle Team was thoroughly taught a lesson by Zhou Hongyu's Huofeng Team, the answer was nearly self-evident.

"It's more than just showing who's boss," Li Weiguo said coolly, "We've acquired the live broadcasting technology from the Superheroes side. Your mock battle will be broadcast live to the public, essentially the Rikoku Cultivators' first official public appearance on social media. Not only do you have to win gracefully, but you also need to firmly establish your authority, understand?"

Establishing awe, of course, wasn't about bolstering the Dingbei Army's might, otherwise, they should have dispatched the Dragon Cavalry Team from the Lord Master. Then, have Yan Yu blow them out of the water, ensuring that everyone in the Dingbei Army would be so infuriated they'd cough up blood.

Considering the context provided by recent international news, Yan Yu naturally understood this was a display of muscle, to show the surrounding nations the mettle of Lu Country's cultivators.

After all, during the last Three Isles Treasure Ship Secret Realm, even though Lu Country cultivators had made an appearance, it was ultimately from the perspective of superheroes. Plus, the Flood Dragon had already exhausted a portion of the Allied Forces' strength beforehand, so the international consensus was that Lu Country cultivators just picked up the scraps.

Even though it was utter nonsense, if Lu Country were to be underestimated by international opinion for a long period, it would sooner or later lead to even greater chaos.

From past life experiences, exterior rogue cultivators really weren't much different from nomadic tribes. If they couldn't make waves domestically, they would spill over into Lu Country to snatch Mysterious Realms and resources... This had nothing to do with military strength. Most of the time, it fell within the scope of public security warfare.

It's like how Lu Country's military strength completely overpowered the Indochine Peninsula, but still, every year, drug traffickers manage to sneak across the southwest border — you catch some this year, and next year a new batch arrives. Is this something you can completely prevent just by using barbed wire fences, landmines, and drones?

To say nothing of the various magical methods possessed by Transcendents, such as the Tattooed Charm Masters, who have a technique called Skin Exchange, enabling them to peel off the skin of those they've killed and wear it themselves, even tricking facial recognition. How do you defend against such people sneaking into Lu Country to cause trouble?

Unless you want to have everyone recite passwords daily and turn everyone into a morning sun comrade.

"Of course, I understand," Yan Yu nodded and said, "Aircraft carriers don't have to fire a shot; their cruising presence alone is a deterrence. What I must do is become our Lu Country's aircraft carrier fleet, instilling fear at the mere sight of me, making them run away far and far away."

"Hmm, you're absolutely right," Li Weiguo stated with authority, "Just make sure you don't say this in front of me again. If you're going to show off, do it on the battlefield, or in front of the media's cameras."

"Can do," Yan Yu nodded, "Anything else?"

"No, that's all. Just that videos like Yan Zhanlong can come by more often," Li Weiguo spoke solemnly, "Good publicity can be worth several border garrison divisions."

Hearing this, Yan Yu burst into laughter as he got up, expressing heartily:

"My sword remains sharp, I just fear there are no dragons left to slay!"

He bid farewell to Li Weiguo and left. Li Weiguo watched him leave the office, his expression solemn for a long while, eventually unable to contain a laugh.

"This cheeky brat!"

When Yan Yu arrived at the training ground, he saw Zhao Yuanzhen waiting for him alone outside.

"What's up?" Yan Yu frowned, worried the Demonic Sect Enchantress was looking for trouble again, "My relationship with Li Minghu is just friendship, with Xie Ruoxi it's only employer-employee. Don't always be suspicious about everything, and be careful about spouting nonsense, or I'll have you do extra training!"

Zhao Yuanzhen immediately became frustrated and argued:

"What about Li Minghu and Xie Ruoxi? I wasn't even thinking about that, but you brought it up yourself. Isn't that the guilt speaking out of a guilty conscience?"

"Who knows what you're really thinking!" Yan Yu dismissed it with a snort, "So what is it you want?"

"Heh," Zhao Yuanzhen immediately crossed her arms and scoffed coldly, "Do you remember, back in the Three Isles Treasure Ship Secret Realm, when I told you I found something good?"

"I remember."

"Apologize and beg me now, and I'll tell you," Zhao Yuanzhen declared triumphantly.

"Beg you? As if you're worth it!" Yan Yu also chuckled coldly, threatening, "In a moment during practice, I'll let you show off all your skills in front of Xie Ruoxi. That'll give her a good sense of your true level of strength."

Zhao Yuanzhen was immediately shocked at the prospect. What if Yan Yu really did pick on me and went easy on the other girls? Wouldn't that make me look weak and incompetent? How could Xie Ruoxi then respect me as her elder sister?

She nearly was furious enough to grit her teeth to pieces, yet had no choice but to chalk it up to account:

"This scoundrel is using me today to establish his might, out of consideration for sisterly affection I have to temporarily comply, yet this enmity cannot go unavenged! When the day comes for me to turn the tables and rule, I'll get my revenge and make sure this scoundrel pays back a hundredfold for the humiliation he inflicted on me!"

She made a mental note, sealed it away, then buried it deep down without letting it show. Zhao Yuanzhen calmed her anger and coldly said:

"Have you ever heard about Divine Dragon Wood?"

"Divine Dragon Wood?" Yan Yu was initially taken aback, then continued, "Gathering the essence of armored wood, it withstands lightning strikes without splitting, endures fire without burning out, and is known to ward off myriad evils, the Divine Dragon Wood? Oh, right, I should have guessed - it's the main material for the dragon bones of Three Isles Treasure Ship.

So, did you find some in one of the cabins?"

"Exactly!" Zhao Yuanzhen stood with arms folded, chest out, and declared proudly, "What about using Divine Dragon Wood for the limbs' framework?"

"Naturally, it would be indestructible, impervious to water and fire," Yan Yu finally smiled.

In the realm of heavenly materials and earthly treasures, there are many materials that are sufficiently hard, but most are metal in nature. If used for the limbs of a puppet, the metallic content of the body would be too high, making it more vulnerable to being countered by magnetism-based magical artifacts... Divine Dragon Wood is indeed the best choice.

"Well done!" Rarely seeing the Demonic Sect Enchantress accomplish a great feat, Yan Yu found her much more pleasant to look at, casually stuffing his secret puppet pill into her hands, "When can it be refined?"

"If you're pleased, twenty days should suffice," Zhao Yuanzhen humphed, "But if I'm not happy, it might not be ready even after half a year or a year!"

"Hmm," Yan Yu pondered and asked, "How about I treat you to a meal then, you pick the place?"

"Ten meals!" The Demonic Sect Enchantress was ruthlessly tough, immediately multiplying her price by ten, "Whatever I want to eat, you have to please me!"

"Deal!" Yan Yu clapped hands.

Zhao Yuanzhen: ......

Why am I feeling like I low-balled myself?